#that’s 3.9% of total listening time

[thefirstimagifabricator]

Here’s the thing

aaaaaand all the individual/other stuff below the cut

[zombiekillerbiceps]

Closing In

Leon follows reader home...

Note: thank you to anon for suggesting this premise, ohhhh I did not realize how much I would like writing this - and thank you everyone for your patience!

Content: 3.9 k words, 18+, cnc with enthusiastic consent, stalking roleplay, slasher roleplay, home invasion roleplay, denial, rough sex, taunting, humiliation, crying, overstim, sadism/masochism, Slasher!Leon, obsessed Leon, LeonxReader, fem reader, no y/n. 

-

"I dunno, I just think it's kind of romantic," you say. Your hands fiddle nervously with the tassels on your throw pillow.

"He was a stalker, babe." Leon's voice hides just a hint of amusement. "He cut women up."

"Okay, but besides that-"

"Besides the... The serial killing."

"Yes! Besides the serial killing."

Leon stared at you, an eyebrow arched in judgement. You tried to stay straight faced - by God, you tried - but he had a way of half-smirking his way past your mask with his annoying, pretty face.

"Look, I'm just saying," you roll your eyes, not even sure why you keep talking, "something about... Obsessing over someone like that is kiiind of romantic. What's the point of love if it doesn't make you a little crazy? Y'know? Anne Rice would agree with me."

"Anne Rice was horny for a Confederate twink," he points out.

You gawk for a moment. But like, he's kind of right. So instead of saying anything clever, you throw the pillow at him. He deflects it with his forearm, but that gives you the opening to jump on him. You're wrestling in no time, breathless and sweaty and... Moving against each other...

-

You're out for lunch with your friend, Jessie, at some too-fancy Parisian style café. You sip a caramel iced latte and share a plate of rose coloured macarons. She complains about her studies, you complain about work, and you both come to the resounding agreement that deadlines suck. She complains about her last date, some butch that was more well-read than her that accidentally made her feel stupid. You don't have the heart to tell her that they sounded cool as hell. You tip-toe around telling her about Leon. It's not that you weren't proud of him, it was just... With the nature of his job, what were you going to say? Yeah, I'm seeing this guy who has a gun case built into the dresser and is super paranoid about people visiting his place and won't tell me what he does but he's like, totally a sweet guy and not some psycho? Yeah. Okay.

You stretch, appreciating the summer sun on your limbs and the peaceful breeze around your skirt. Your phone rings. Jessie snatches it up before you have a chance to, and then gives you the most scandalous, shit-eating grin you've ever seen.

"No. Don't you dare-!"

"Hiiiii lover boy," she coos over the phone.

Oh fuck, kill me.

"Jessie, give me the phone!" You reach across the table, the ceramic plate between you clattering loudly against the glass table. You freeze, feeling eyes on you. Jessie opens her mouth in mock embarrassment.

"So you're the secret boyfriend that my best friend keeps hiding from me?"

"Jessie, come on."

She listens for a moment, then laughs. You get up from your chair and walk over to her while she tries to twist away from your grasp.

"mhm, mhm - oh, sorry, I think someone wants to talk to y-"

You finally snatch it from her grasp. You give her a stare with the intensity of someone who can kill by staring. You try to keep your voice as flat as possible.

"Hey, sorry about that. What's up?"

"Is that Jessie?" He asks. He's got that... Quirk in his voice. The one that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. You can feel Jessie watching you and try to keep it cool.

"Yeah, sorry, she's like, literally five years old sometimes."

"She seems fun."

"Babe, I'm kinda busy, did you have a reason for-"

"That's a pretty dress you're wearing."

You freeze halfway to sitting back down in your chair. Jessie tilts her head, giving you that concerned-puppy-dog face she did when she knew something was up.

You clear your throat and find it suddenly dry. You sit back down but you're a little clumsy, your skirt getting caught on the arm rests. You snatch it back, and then trying to regain your cool, you take a sip from your iced latte. You hear him chuckle on the other end. Did it get cold all of a sudden?

"What, uh, what do you mean by that?"

You can practically hear him grin into the receiver.

"I mean," he says, drawing out every syllable. "I can see you. And you look pretty today. That skirt will roll up pretty easy-"

You hang up on him. Mostly in panic. There was no way you were going to do that in public! Your eyes scan the area around you. Pretty cafe patio, pretty park across the street, some people going about their daily business. You can't see him anywhere. He must be fucking with you. He must have known you were going to wear a dress, it's so hot out, and where would he even be hiding?

A cold hand touches yours and you almost jump out of your skin. Jessie's taking your hand in hers, and when you meet her gaze, she looks like she's about to cry.

"I'm so sorry if I caused any issues between you, I totally shouldn't have answered it. I didn't think he'd like, get angry with you," she starts to wetly babble, swaying between guilty and protective. You love her very much, but you don't know what to say.

Oh, it's just this weird sex game we play, I promise this brooding dude who you've never met and only spoken to once is definitely a good guy and not like emotionally abusive.

"Hey, hey, Jessie. Don't worry about it. It wasn't about that he's got this... Thing. Unrelated. But uh, look, I have to go."

She frowns, almost curving her pink lip-glossed mouth into a pout.

"If he so much as leaves a scratch on you, I will kill him."

Your thoughts flit to the bite marks and bruises that are just covered by your dress. If only she knew.

You kiss her cheek, snatch up one final macaron, and take your leave. You try to control your pace, look cool, act natural. Your eyes scan the buildings and alleyways around you. You seriously can't find him.

Your phone rings.

You stare at it for a moment. Your hands are shaking a little when you answer it.

"It's sweet how much she cares about you," he says. An idea dawns on you. You nod and give an mhm sound, listening around you for anything noticeable. A church bell rings just ahead of you and you hear it echo over the phone.

"You're close," you say. You try to sound threatening. He just laughs at you.

"Obviously. How else would I know you're wearing that citrus perfume I love?"

"I wear that everyday." Your voice shakes as you speak, and you can't help but whip your head around. You half expect to see him there, but it's just some guy who gives you a dirty look.

"No, you don't. You only wear it when you're going to see friends. You usually wear the vanilla one. You like that it's so subtle."

You're a little impressed he noticed that. It was kind of sweet, really, if he wasn't totally freaking you out. How did he possibly get close enough to smell your perfume without you noticing?  You start walking again. You want to catch the train home. Maybe you can trap him there.

You use the shop windows as you pass to get a better look, pretending to window shop.

"Do you think I'd look good in that," you ask, with no idea what you're referring to. You're looking past whatever is behind the glass to observe the reflection. A spot of blonde hair, maybe... He got a totally different hair cut? No. Not him.

"Using the reflection. Clever."

He hangs up.

You spin around again, desperately searching the crowd. He was a beefy guy and he moved like a panther, there's no way he was just casually blending in. But, you can't find him.

You wrap your arms around your core. Knowing you're being watched makes you want to shrink into yourself. Yet you can't ignore the excitement you feel. It was kind of romantic, really. Kind of dangerous.

You liked Leon best when he was dangerous.

You set off again, somehow walking a knife's edge between nervous and confident. Both prey and prize. You keep looking over your shoulder as you pass into the crowded underground of the subway station. It's right around rush hour and it's so packed you can hardly move. Other people are breathing your oxygen and you're just recycling theirs. It's tight, and hot, and moving at the exact speed that makes you feel like no one is really getting anywhere. You pull your purse tight to your body and try to shove past people, only to be confronted with more people.

Your phone rings. You hang up. And then, in a stroke of brilliance, you call back.

His ringtone echoes out in the tiled halls. You try desperately to find it, but it only rings out twice, then it's lost in the sea of people.

"Clever," his voice is deep on the other end. "I'm almost impressed."

"Yeah. Why don't you stop hiding?"

"Oh, I know you're eager, but I didn't think you'd want me to cut you up in this crowd."

He's impatient. You can tell by the sharpness of his voice that he's more frustrated than he admits. The threat sends a shiver down your spine, and you can’t help but picture yourself bent over on the filthy tile floor, knife to your throat, fucked within an inch of your life as people step past. The ebb and flow of the crowd pushes you towards the oncoming subway.

"What exactly is your plan?" He asks. You can hear the screeching brakes over the phone. "I know you take the 76 Southbound until Queen Street. I know you get off and walk two blocks to George Street. I know you live in a turn of the century brownstone with a heritage plaque and bathroom sink that takes forever to drain."

You step onto the 76 Southbound near the front. You press your back to the wall and watch as people get on.

"Yeah, well," you say victoriously, "I know you have to go the same way."

And then you see him. He walks directly into your trap, and realizes it too late. His blue eyes widen in realization. The door slams shut behind him.

You hang up.

Some people pile up in front of you, giving you cover from him. You watch him from behind shoulders and under arms. Open, navy bomber jacket and a grey t-shirt with black jeans doesn't exactly scream slasher killer. But, something about how casual he looks keeps your attention. He blends in, he's unsuspecting. And, to your surprise, he's grinning like a fox.

He's broad, and when he moves through the crowd, people make room for him. He scans every seat and every face with purpose. Inching his way towards the back. You realize you have nowhere to go. You start to panic. Maybe you get off a stop early? And then what, he beats you to your house and waits for you?

No, you have to get home before he does. Lock the doors before he can get in. You push closer to the door so you can be the first one off. You turn to track his progress and directly meet his gaze.

Fuck.

His expression drops, his eyes glaring at you from under his brow. You're almost hypnotized by them, frozen in place while he cuts through the crowd.

You're pinned down with nowhere to go. But, surely, nothing will happen in public, right?

He pushes past a few more people and then he's on you. He towers above you, his broad shoulders cutting out other's view of you. You notice how his t-shirt clings to his body. How well fitting his jeans are. You also notice the angry squint in his eyes from under his brow.

"Did you really think you could hide from me?" He brings a hand down to touch your hip, holding it in his grasp. You quiver against him as he leans down, close enough to whisper in your ear. "Don't you know I’ll always find you?"

You turn your head away from him defiantly. Your eyes scan the train, but passengers nearby don't seem to notice. They all have that vacant long-day- commute stare.

"No one's going to help you, sweetheart." He closes in, one arm rests on the wall beside you, his body angled to ensure prying eyes can't see. His free hand slides up your body. It caresses the curves of your hips, the softness of your tummy, the round of your breast.

You flush. Your hands come up to his chest as if that will stop him from pawing at your tits.

"Leon, seriously? Here?" You whisper it, completely embarrassed.

"I can take you whenever I want." He uses that commanding voice you've only heard a handful of times before. "You're mine."

To prove his point, his hand dips between your thighs, and he presses his fingers against your pussy over the fabric of your skirt. It's so sudden and strong, your hand goes to his wrist on instinct. He doesn't stop, rubbing hard enough to make your legs shake.

"Could probably take you right here," he mutters, his breath hot on your ear. You feel yourself get wet at the thought.

"Queen Street." The robotic, automated subway voice chimes out from overhead.

The door opens. You lose your balance, but manage to recover quickly. You move fast, hoping to put as much distance between yourself and Leon as you can. You take the stairs two at a time until you breach the surface, taking in the fresh air like it would save you. But the summer heat brokers no peace, and you know Leon isn't far behind.

You don't look behind you for fear of slowing down. You take one block normally, then decide to cut through an alley way to save time. Every minute was another he could be gaining on you.

As you take a few paces into the alley, your hair starts to stand on end. It's somehow darker here, the smell of mildew and gasoline making your stomach turn. Your cell phone rings. You answer.

"Stop calling!" You snap, betraying more fear than you mean to.

"An alleyway? You're smarter than this." Leon is unphased by your outburst.

You give in, turning your head to look behind you. He stands at the other end, the sun behind him obscuring his features.

Then he moves. With long, easy strides, he makes ground quickly. His hands are stuffed in his pockets and he whistles a slow, off-beat tune. 

You turn and run. Your hand meets the corner at the end of the alley and you use it to redirect your momentum. Full tilt sprinting in a sundress down a public street in the middle of the day probably makes you look crazy. Leon made you look crazy.

You get to your brownstone on George Street. You take the few steps up to the front door. You throw your phone in your purse as you frantically rip through it for your keys.

Fuck, come on, where are they? Lipstick, tampon, water bottle, wallet FUCK! There. You snatch them up like they'll save your life. Your hands shake as you put them in the lock. It turns, and you take one last look to see Leon - oh shit!

He's at the base of the stairs! He takes them by two. You manage to get the door open wide enough to barely squeeze through. His hand slaps against the door but you throw your full weight against it. It slams in his face. He turns the knob. You struggle to hold it against him as you turn the dead bolt. Then the chain. He slams a fist against the door and you slowly back away from it.

A chilling thought dawns on you.

Back door.

You run to the other side of the house, tripping over shoes and a discarded purse as you do, cursing as they steal precious seconds from you. You turn the corner and run directly into the door. Your body stings from the impact. You shakily turn the lock.

Silence. For a few, long minutes, there's just silence. You wonder, disappointed, if he gave up, but take the time to catch your breath.

Your cell phone rings. Sweat rolls down your back as you answer it.

"I got you, motherfucker."

"Did you?" He asks. His voice is cool. Calm. "How confident are you that you got to the back door before I did?"

"I would have heard you come in." You aren't so sure.

"Would you?"

Your apartment is small. You approach the bedroom, then quickly snap the door open. It lies still. Empty.

"You don't scare me," you lie.

"I really almost had you there, didn't I?" He's calling your bluff as you move into the kitchen, "What do you think I would have done if I'd caught up to you?"

The kitchen is still and quiet too. You don't have an answer for him, anxiety knotting in your stomach. You take the turn into the living room.

His arms wraps around your waist with enough strength to lift you off the ground. You scream. You kick at him, but he doesn't budge, dragging you into the living room.

You see a window open.

"Did you climb the fucking trellis?" You ask, shocked and amused at the sight. He tries not to laugh.

"Yeah."

"What are you, Romeo?"

"You said you wanted romance," and then, his voice drops again to that cold, serious tone that makes you feel like prey, "isn't this what you wanted?"

He lets you go and you take the opportunity to run. But his hand is entangled in your hair, the sharp pain making you cry out. Tears gather in your eyes and you whimper. You grab his forearm and try to pull away, but the self-inflicted pain makes you freeze. He rolls his eyes.

"You're just so fucking predictable."

He drags you across the living room floor. It hurts, bare knees roughly hitting the hard wood floor. He lifts you up with an arm around your stomach. Then, he's bending you over the couch.

You try to push back against it. You struggle against him. He pulls your head back by the hair and you nearly sob.

"Please, don't," you whimper. He rolls his eyes at you.

"Not our safe word, sweetheart."

His words make you feel so beautifully helpless. The tears finally fall down your cheeks and, at the same time, you become aware of how soaked your cotton underwear is. His hand comes up and slaps you sharply. You whimper. He does it again, this time harder. The stinging in the side of your face is enough to make your pussy clench around nothing.

He pins you to the side of the couch his hands on your hips. He rolls your skirt up, and makes a choked sound at the sight of you. He tears your underwear down harshly. 

"Please, don't," he mocks with a harsh slap on your ass. "Try and tell me you don't want this."

A finger slides along your slick, from hole to clit. He presses his finger against it just slightly but it's enough to make your hips buck. He gently rolls a finger around your clit a few times, already building that high in the pit of your stomach. He barely fucking touched you and you're already desperate to cum, breath ragged, legs shaking. Leon pulls away. You whimper in disappointment. Then his hand comes down hard against your ass cheek. Then again. Then again. Then again.

The pain is overwhelming. But god, you don't want him to stop. You want hand-shaped bruises on your ass, you want to remember this every time you sit down for the next week.

"You look so pretty for me when you cry" His hand still wet from your cunt comes up and rubs your tears away, leaving an obscene mix of your tears and your desperation for him on your cheeks. The tears keep falling anyways. Then, softly, "you do remember our safe word, right?"

You nod, but you don't say it. You want to go further. You want him to hurt you more. 

“Hey, answer me when I’m fucking talking to you,” he grabs you roughly by the jaw, wrenching your face to look at him. 

“Yes,” you nod, desperately. “I remember.” 

“Wasn’t so fucking hard,” he says. He slaps you again, hard enough to stun you into a stupid, teary-eyed grin.

You hear his pants unbutton, then unzip, then fall to the ground, but you're so overwhelmed you can't move. His hand still in your hair, still tugging enough to remind you of your place beneath him, he lines his hips up with yours.

Then he's pushing into you. One, smooth motion is all it takes, your cunt greedily pulling him in. A high pitched moan escapes his throat, followed by a groaned "so fucking wet."

He fucks you deep and slow. Torturously slow, enjoying every minute of pleasure that he gets. The head of his cock presses against your g-spot, building the high like one boils water. Slowly. Your abdomen pressed against the couch makes it easier for him. The hour of teasing and adrenaline and painful foreplay has you overstimulated. But it’s really the slow, deep fucking that drives electricity through your body. Push and pull, ebb and flow, your face and ass stinging as he works. You’re already bordering on the edge, but his pace doesn’t allow you to go over. You just hover there. And hover there. And hover there. For what feels like hours you’re kept right on the edge without ever going over, building the tension inside you until it fucking hurts, and then you’re crying again. You want him to slam his hips into you, to fuck you into the couch, to do something to make you cum, but he doesn’t.

“Leon, it hurts,” you whine. 

“It’s supposed to.” 

“Please,” you beg, desperation making your voice hoarse. “Please just make me cum, please.” 

“Relax.” 

“Leon-” 

“I said relax. Or I’ll stop right now. Do you want me to stop?” 

“No,” you shake your head, hair falling into your face. 

He takes his time to smooth it back, looking at you like you’re the most beautiful thing in the world. He wipes more tears from your cheeks. When he speaks, though, his voice is so hard and cold. 

“Greedy little whore.” 

With no warning, he’s fucking into you harder. Faster. It only takes a few thrusts before you’re cumming on his cock. Your body tenses so hard your muscles scream, shaking and moaning and gasping for air. Your cunt tightens so hard you hear Leon breathe a fuck, baby. It feels like it lasts forever, and when you finally come down, you’re entirely dazed. 

You’re... vaguely aware of his cum dripping out of you, hot and sticky. But for the most part you just feel like you’re floating. Leon slowly lowers you to the floor, grabbing a throw pillow and tucking it under your head. You close your eyes. 

You wake again when the room is an orange glow, a blanket thrown over you for comfort. Leon is lounging on the couch reading a book, and when you stir, you immediately have his attention. 

“Hey,” you mumble sleepily. 

“Hey. Thought I’d let you sleep, you looked like you needed it. Why don’t I run us a shower?” 

“Yeah,” you smile softly, dreamy fuzziness still clinging to you. “I’d like that.” 

[sgt-scottymoreau]

What happens in Siberia, stays in Siberia - Part 1

Summary: After months of secretly feelings, things lead that another and some of these feeligs comes out in a rather messy way. But honestly nothing is ever easy.

Warning: None

Words: 3.9 // AO3 // Part 2 // Masterlist

A/N: So I posted a poll on my main to know which fic should be next, this one won. However, from my three options, this was also the one that I wanted to rework a little (actually second time I do lol) I'm not quite done yet, but this fic is already getting as big as it is, so it will be in two (maybe three? I mean so far I have over 12k words!) part. I suppose as a heads up I could say that part 2 will have some spicy to it, if you catch my drift. What did you think I mean when I say everything will be messy?! lol

Although it was known that the 141 was considered an international task force, it was odd for some to see someone from another country roaming around the base. Especially that it had been give or take five months since Scotty joined. It’s true that she did stand out while wearing her work uniform, she was always proud to wear her colors and everyone was aware of her background. Words spread fast. So did the rumors as to why she would remain here. Especially among new recruits who might not have all the latest updates. But whatever the others were thinking, Scotty didn’t mind much. Because whatever the others could say or think, she actually enjoyed the team. It was a change to have something stable after some many issues. No one ever bothered her about it. Some curious characters here and there did ask or engage in a conversation to either put a clear view on whatever rumor they heard. Meanwhile, others could be bold and unafraid. Just like today.

The five of them were sitting at the table, enjoying some well deserved rest and meal with a lighthearted conversation. Mostly the three sergeants engaged in it, talking about everything and nothing. Or about the old days before the task force. Ghost was listening in silence, it was entertaining, but he didn’t find the need to add more, and Price simply enjoyed the calm. Especially since he was waiting to meet Laswell soon for some important briefing. ‘’So there’s that one time I tell my teammates that if the amount of cocaine found was one tonne, I would jump in the water.’’ Scotty said.

‘’Sounds like you did.’’ Soap laughed, taking another bite of his meal.

‘’I, in fact, did not. I think it was De Keyser who said it wouldn't be more than 700 kg. According to our intel, it was a small drug bust. If he lost he was the one to jump. So here we are counting, not even close to 500 kg, I start to worry. But then, one of the port security found another container. Low and behold, 856 kg in total! According to De Keyser, the water was freezing cold that day. It was funnier to fish him out.’’

‘’Poor man ran out of luck that day.’’ Gaz laughed. He could imagine how her colleague must have felt to lose by not much. Lost in their shenanigans, none of them saw the recruit approaching their table. When the young one was in range they looked at him, curious about what he had to say. Even more when they noticed the other recruits in the back pointing at him and whispering at each other. Obviously, it was dare or something along those lines.  

‘’How can we help you?’’ Soap asked, offering his kindest smile.

‘’Hmm, not you. Her.’’ Oh even if it was a dare, he had a certain arrogance in his tone. That was promising. Scotty raised an eyebrow, putting down her fork and giving her full attention to the newcomer. ‘’You're not exactly from here, so why stay with them? What’s your job? Task Force’s bitch?’’ Boy had a lucky star watching over him, because everyone at the table stopped what they were doing to stare at him. Everyone shifted on their seats. Price put down his paper ready to reply something to the young one disrespecting his superior but Scotty was faster. She kept a calm tone and serene face.

‘’Oh I fucking wish!’’ This reply took everyone by surprise, even the rookie who suddenly didn’t know what to say. ‘’That’d be the dream! No more brushing with death, no reports to fill after mission, no exhausting training to stay in shape, fixed work hours and weekend free perhaps.’’

Price let his head fall on his hands with a disappointed sigh. Ghost who had been ever so silently following had not changed his expression but behind the mask wasn’t holding a smile. On the other hand, Gaz and Soap were almost rolling under the table. She said this with such seriousness and calmness, it was almost unbelievable. Her face had and was still impassible, the most serious she could be. ‘’Would that be all or should I also told you how I would satisfy every single of these men?’’ Scotty added leaning on the table to be closer to the rookie.

Gaz and Soap were on the verge of crying at this point, after Price groaned loudly in emotional pain. There were some things he didn’t need to hear, even as a joke. The recruit's face went red so fast, it was a miracle he was still standing on his feet and had not passed out from embarrassment. He tried to mumble some sort of excuse now that his smugness was all gone. He quickly ran back to his friends who had heard some of the conversation and were also laughing. She waved at them, resisting the urge to flip them off. It took Soap and Gaz another minute to finally be able to breathe again. Price watched his watch; what a relief. 

‘’I have to meet with Laswell.’’ He said getting up. ‘’I hope you will behave while I’m gone.’’ He had a smile on his face. Even if he couldn’t believe what just happened, it was better to see his team able to bond like this than be at each other's throats. 

Hadn’t finished their meal yet, they all remained in the mess hall. Still joking about what was going on. ‘’So that be the dream, aye?’’ Soap brought this statement back.

‘’Anything that allows me to stay alive another day and have fun. Sure.’’ She laughed. ‘’Isn’t like the 141 was made of bad looking guys.’’ It wasn’t far from the truth. Which was a bold statement to say when everyone concerned could hear. The only thing that made her a little awkward was that she was saying this next to Ghost. While she was maybe teasing the other two, Ghost was another story. Even if she hadn’t seen his face yet, the mystery of the man had some effects on her. That and his damn voice. And how large he was. And… she could go one for a while. He had been cold at the beginning, but over time he did show that he did care for everyone equally. Scotty also learned to act a little more relaxed around him, instead of being tense and awkward, even if she had some feelings for him. It was hard to know if he would reciproque them and honestly she did not expect, so better live with this and just be herself than restrain herself. It was always easier to joke when Soap was around anyway.

‘’Glad to hear, I’m good looking.’’ Soap grinned. 

‘’Oh please, you would be the first one to ask for anything. Gaz? I don’t know, you look like the kind of respectable man who wouldn’t.’’

‘’You could be surprise.’’ He commented.

‘’Price? Too much respect for the Captain, that would be awkward.’’ She snorted. 

‘’What about Ghost?’’ Soap asked. Scotty turned slightly to look at the lieutenant who suddenly was very focused on the conversation. She felt she had been pushed in the spotlight. His gaze through his mask was stern. She wasn’t sure what to answer here. However all of it was casual banter, nothing that could hurt.

‘’You are a bunch of idiots right now.’’ He groaned before Scotty spoke up. 

‘’We all know the lieutenant doesn’t care about this kind of stuff.’’ She shrugged it off, getting a small laughter from the other two, but a cold glare from him. Few months back this would have scared her to death, now it was just a background thing. ‘’That’s why I keep my mind on only Soap would be using my service and honestly that would make him the second whore of the 141.’’ Gaz wheezed again at this remark. Soap was amusedly offended. 

Ghost would have also smiled at the comment, it was a good comeback. However there was something different this time. He knew, deep inside he knew so bad she was just joking. It was how she was; laidback, cracking jokes around less dark than his but everyone had their way to light up the mood. He learned that over the time they had missions together. She had changed a lot since she joined. He remembered how she was so tense around him that one time they had to lay low at her family. Nowadays, it was great to see her more relaxed. But that was beside the point. The point was that as much as he liked her being like that, something was in this moment, in this specific way of being so casual with Soap that… annoyed him? Ghost couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the feeling was. He never felt that before. She had joked like this before, this wasn’t the first time. If he was good with little army humor that mostly consisted of dark humor, Scotty was a pro at innuendos jokes. She had no filter sometimes and he appreciated her directness. He had no right to feel so… angry at her for doing so? 

No he wasn’t angry at her. Nor Soap or Gaz to follow up in shenanigans. It wasn’t annoyance either. But he knew it came from how close the two looked at the moment. How they exchanged these ideas like… maybe there was something more behind the laugh. Right now, Ghost didn’t like how Soap was looking at her… It hit like a rocket to the face. It was jealousy! He was being jealous of his sergeant. But why? It wasn’t like… Her bursting in laughter at whatever had been said, sent a wave of warmth through him. It felt appeasing and nice. Come to think of it, it was not the first time this feeling was flaring up. Some days, even the most mundane conversation with her had the same effect. When she would be back from a high risk mission. Ghost watched her talking without paying attention to the conversation. Only to realize, she was actually trying to get his attention.

‘’Lieutenant, everything is alright?’’ Scotty asked. It was now that he finally noticed that the other two were gone. It was just her and him. ‘’You have been staring for a while now.’’

Had he? Seeing that it was indeed only them at the table, he sensed a small relief on his jealousy. That didn’t help how confused his head felt. It added more to it. ‘’Sorry, I was thinkin’.’’ He said hoping this would be enough for her to let go and not ask more questions. But her brown eyes didn’t look away, as she was about to question him. He made eye contact. It was this precise second, that he was once more hit so hard by the obviousness that he couldn’t believe it was that. But it was pointless right? He was too cold for her right? He was the opposite of her. She was far more like Soap, they would fit well… Jealousy came back at this thought. Yes it was this… He had feelings for her… ‘’Fucking hell, you are fool Simon.’’ Ghost thought to himself.

‘’Glad to see you are still here.’’ Price took him out of his thoughts. The lieutenant and sergeant gave their full attention to the captain.  He dropped a file on the table. ‘’I have an assignment for you two. Siberia.’’

They have been dropped a few klicks away from their target to ensure that now one would spot them. The night was cloudless allowing the moon to come through and light the way. It was still very cold, thanks to their winter gear, they were able to keep warmth in. Another positive point, the weather was clear at the moment, allowing them to make their way through the heavy snow more or less easily. It reached above their ankles at almost every step and they were traveling with light gear equipment. This was hell of a workout. Their mission was simple; infiltrate an old abandoned Russian facility. Intel showed that it wasn’t as desert as they thought and sight of convoy bringing in and out materials required a deeper investigation. It seemed to be chemical in origin. Arriving at their destination, they lay low on the snow. Scotty readjusted her hood to keep the wind from blowing her face. 

"Ghost, Scotty sitrep?" Price's voice came through their radio.

"We reached the target point, Captain." She replied.

"Roger, from now it will be radio silence till you get what we need. Contact me when all is over and I’ll give you the coordinates for evac. Good luck."

Ghost had already his sniper out and scouted the area. Scotty took out the binocular. The building didn’t look heavily guarded. Being in the middle of almost nowhere, there wasn’t much reason to waste assets on the outside. Still, two guards on the front entrance, four making rounds on the higher roof. Two more near a back door and finally three walking around the base of the building. This was a decent number, rather normal for this kind of facility, and nothing they couldn’t handle. 

“See anything good?” Ghost asked, always focusing with his snipe. 

“We have two options.” She replied, grabbing her infra light. She pointed to the bigger door. “We can either force ourselves by the front door by taking down the two guards.”

“Bold move, dangerous.”

“Or, here, by the east side of the building. There’s an exit, unguarded. Only one of the walking guards passes by once in a while.” Ghost followed the ray to see what she meant. This was a safer way in. 

“Good job, let’s move.” They put away their tools and advanced toward the building. The snow was softly crunching under their weight at each step. Their warm breath clashed with the cold Siberian air. Little clouds forming each time. Eventually, they crouched in the white, their tactical clothes allowing them to blend. Near the site, they took the first cover available to keep advancing. Two guards walked by laughing about something. Once clear, they quickly made their way to the exit door. Of course it was locked on the outside by a security system. Scotty took a small device and connected it to the keypads. There were so many possibilities but hopefully the combination will be found fast. 

Ghost kept watch. “How long?” He whispered.

“I don’t know, it could be in a minute or five. Anyone coming?” Her eyes never left the screen for a second.

“Negative.” They returned to silence. Ghost suddenly caught the noise of crunching snow. “Wait.. Fuck. Scotty tells me we have something, someone is coming!”

“We have three numbers out of five lieutenant… four. Come on, come on… Yes!” She disconnected the device quickly, opened the door and they quickly infiltrated in. The door closed behind him a little before the guard arrived. It was like no one was ever there. The warmth of the building was the first shock. A welcomed one. They carefully and steadily made their way inside the facility. The distance to their target destination was a long one. Although they were on the lookout for any chemical containers, which they actually saw a few as they advanced deeper in the building, their main target was the servers room. If they could extract more information over this whole operation, this would prove very useful. Somehow, Ghost and Scotty go on the lucky side, they barely encounter any security. If any, it was easy to avoid them. The last thing they needed was to leave or make a mess that would attract more trouble.

Crouching around the corner, Ghost looked over his shoulder. The servers were right there. Only two guards were standing there. Obviously, the value of what was in there was worth stationning personnel there. That was good and bad. "Got your knives?" He asked her. 

"Always." She smiled and took one out. "What's your plan?"

"Distraction. Hopefully they move. Once they are both more in the open, they go down." On this, he threw a piece of metal that was hanging there. The guards mumbled something and stepped forward of their station. Ghost counted down and on three, they threw their weapon. One last surprised cry came out of these men before falling to their death. The two operatives swiftly grabbed their bodies and dragged them in the room. From now on, they had to work fast. Anyone who would pass by might be alerted by the missing guards. To their surprise, the servers looked to be handmade. A bunch of recovered pieces, patched all together into something somehow working. Their enemies were quite resourceful. 

Scotty took place at one of the servers built in computer and plugged the drive. Ghost kept overwatch. "How long will it take?"

"I wish I could give you an answer but you never know with this kind of equipment." Scotty admitted. Without wasting more time she started typing. She first needed to get in the system, then will have to look around for the specific files. Hopefully it will be a piece of cake.

*****

Thirty minutes later and the only piece of cake was that no one had shown up. Ghost was running low in patience and so she was. "What do you want me to do!" Scotty raged between her teeth after he had voiced his annoyance at the stagnant work. 

"Anything that would make it go faster." He replied in the same tone. 

"No wonder you like to work alone…" She was racking her brain to find a solution. She had breached the system, but they had encrypted everything, so it was hell of a process to unlock all files. This would take longer than the time that had already passed. Unless… She grabbed her multitool. From what she guessed during her quick look around, this server was mostly made of random hard drivers all connected together. Half of them had been checked without anything interesting. Her last option was to simply remove the leftover drivers and take them home. Ghost watched her as she popped the drivers out of their slots, completely taken off guard. She took ten of them out and wrapped them in whatever she found, so at least the components would stay intact as much as possible. Then shoved the bounty in her backpack. 

Through the mask, Scotty could feel the wondering gaze. She simply shrugged it. He wanted fast and she gave him fast. He did like that in a sense. Now it was time to get out of this place and rendezvous with the exfil. Coast was clear. They stealthy made their way out of the room, making sure to not make a sound. They barely had turned the corner of the hallway, when shouting came from behind. "Here goes the smooth sailing." Scotty thought. The man shouted something that did not seem right for them. As if he was alerting the others. 

Ghost turned around with his gun and shot without hesitation. However the sound of it echoed throughout the area loudly. More reason to not stay here and see what happens next. The two soldiers ran down the stairs. Footsteps followed from behind, lots of them. They had to exit the building now, but how? It seemed like the building was swarmed by guards. They could retrace their steps to the emergency door they found earlier. That is if it was still unguarded. It would be surprising if by now the enemies had raised the alarm and all exits were compromised. Ghost took the lead in to figure out a way out. They covered some distance on the ground floor before they were forced back up when they saw many shadows stretching from the hallway in front and the steps from behind. They hid behind crates when they heard commotion coming their way. Crouched, they attempted an escape when one man noticed them and yelled something in russian. ‘‘Go! Go! Go!’’ Ghost ordered pushing her in front of him and he started shooting. 

Making their way who knew where, they found themselves cornered. Scotty looked around for anything where they could hide. ‘‘Lieutenant, there!’’ She shouted pointing out some old lockers.

‘‘Are you out of you mind there’s not way we fit in!’’ 

‘‘Well we have no choice!’’ She pushed him towards them. They had only a few seconds to spare. They quickly checked some lockers which all had something inside or were locked and when they finally found one to hide in, there was no more time to look at the others. They would have to cramp in there. They jumped in it and tried to close the door. If none of them moved, they could make it. They heard footsteps and voices on the other side. ‘‘They couldn’t have gone far! Find them!’’

They remained still. There was still some activity outside. ‘‘Let’s wait a few minutes then we get dash out of here.’’ Scotty whispered.

‘‘Roger that.’’ He replied, looking away. She was pressed so close against him, if it wasn't from the bulletproof vest, he dared to think… No! He had to focus on the mission. However it was hard to do with her squirming around to be comfortable and not get any numb limbs. Ghost was so large he took most of the space! ‘‘Can you stop moving!’’

‘‘Sorry it’s hard to find a comfortable position…’’ The voices had gone by now, but they agreed it would be safer to stay put a little longer in case someone was still scouting the surrounding area. She felt something against her leg. ‘‘Lieutenant, can you move your pistol?’’

‘‘That… is not my pistol.’’ He said between his teeth. Scotty was glad that there was barely any light in here, because her face turned red understanding what it was exactly. Time froze around them realizing the situation. Only brought back to reality by steps moving away along with shouting. Then silence returned. "Let's get out now." 

Clear or not clear, they didn't hesitate to exit the cramped space. Ghost contacted Price as soon as he could to know the rendezvous point. At this point they only wished to be out of there, safe. A wish shattered when the earpiece rang with bad news from the captain. "Ghost, Scotty, a big storm is heading your way. We won't be able to extract." 

"If we make it out alive, where to then?" Ghost replied, scanning the corner. He gestured to her to move forwards. 

"Gaz found an abandoned safe house five klicks away, North from your position, hidden in the beginning of the forest. Stay put till the storm passes. Over"

"Roger, will give a sitrep once we are there. Out." Some good news. They wouldn't be dying from cold at least. They could still die of bullets though. Avoiding as many enemies as possible they luckily made it back to their entrance. Ghost told Scotty to be ready with her gun. He will advance to take one down with his knife while she shoots the other. The two guards taken care off, he pushed the door and they ran outside. The two soldiers were met with a cold piercing wind. Snow was already falling heavily. The walk to the safe house would be a painful and exhausting journey.

[espithewarlock]

Some end-of-2023 asks that didn't get asked but I'm answering them anyways! Some are from AO3 Wrapped and some are from the more general 2023 reblog.

How many works did you publish this year?

20! It's so much more than I thought I would post, let alone write!

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Bittersweet, That Glitter (aka, Dragon!Pierre) by a long shot. I love the fantasy & worldbuilding and it's some of my best stuff. (I also loved dropping it on Sol unexpectedly and having her start shouting at me within a minute of posting it. Seriously, AO3, you chose then to be speedy with email notifications??)

What work of yours has the most hits?

My Pierre/Charles/Max Soulmark AU. Probably because it's one of the few chaptered fics that I have and probably because it's lestappen tagged. Of my oneshots, Omega!Pierre just beats OnlyFans!Charles by a few hits.

What work was the quickest to write?

I started Take, Take Me Over at 6:30am, wrote 1.9k words, edited, and posted it by 8:30am. (Then I went to the gym and found the perfect song inspiration. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

What work took you the longest to write?

Another Deep Dive All The Way Down (aka, the Carlando Coffeeshop AU that's a companion to Mermaid!Charles) probably had the longest time start to finish because I kept procrastinating writing the ending.

What’s your shortest work of the year?

I wrote exactly 1,016 words for the short-fic prompt challenge, Trading Controllers, and I'm impressed at how much story I squeezed into just over a thousand words.

How many kudos in total did you get this year?

I'm sitting at 2,307 while I'm writing this and that is simply insane! I'm done posting Coffeeshop and I'm hoping to get a few more on that one since it's now 100% complete. Honestly, the fact that over two thousand people have liked my stuff enough to say they like my stuff is incredible!

Which work has the most comments?

By sheer number? Soulmark AU at 66 comment threads, but that averages to 3.9 per chapter. Mermaid!Charles has 4.1 per chapter, for comparison. Of my oneshots, Nymph!Pierre has 8 (including an ESSAY that makes me 🥰), Baker!Pierre has 7, and OnlyFans!Charles has 7.

What do you listen to while writing?

I actually usually listen to Twitch streams. The video game music + the commentary/content gives me something to flip back to while I'm thinking over story ideas and doesn't pull me out of the writing flow like listening to distinct songs.

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

It's so hard to pick just one! Here's some of my favorites: 1. The 'little squid' bit from Nymph!Pierre 2. The whole meet-cute scene from Baker!Pierre (+ Kimi's "But that did not go well") 3. The line from Dragon!Pierre after he leaves ("Now that he knew the warmth of Charles' hands, of his mouth, on his body, there was no way the sun could compare.") 4. The absolute heartbreak of Pierre saying goodbye to Mermaid!Charles 5. OnlyFans!Charles pointing to himself ("what a coincidence! I also like your shirt.")

Talk about a new friend you made this year

Literally everyone in the Calamar's Club, but especially Logan & Sol. Sol for being the sweetest person ever, letting me be insane about dragons, and inviting me to the server after seeing me shout into the void for friends. Logan for dragging me into the chaos, the constant encouragement of everyone, and for making me melt every time they react to anything I post.

How was your birthday this year?

Excellent! I visited my sister, went to her wedding dress fitting, and we saw the musical Six! It was my first time seeing it and it was AMAZING.

Favorite book(s) you read this year?

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune & The Near Witch by VE Schwab

What are you excited about for next year?

Posting my PWFE fic, meeting up with a local-ish fandom friend, and hopefully planning my first overseas trip!

If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

Read your fucking comments, Espi! You could have been making new friends and having fun conversations all year and you were too much of a coward to try that until ~September~. Most of them are lovely and you should ignore the ones that aren't!

Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?

Yep! I resolved to start lifting at the gym (instead of just doing cardio) and I've made pretty good progress! Going to continue into next year for sure!

[frazzledsoul]

As threatened promised, here is an accounting of how Gilmore Girls and various shows that also featured various cast members were watched by the Netflix faithful in the first half of 2024

This includes shows that appeared on Netflix only. So Heroes, The Handmaid's Tale, Parenthood, The Good Wife, etc are not included.

Some of the numbers may look funky because the views are the amount of hours watched divided by how many episodes there were and not all of these shows have the same number of episodes.

However, let us proceed.

Gilmore Girls season one is ranked the highest at #297 (out of 6800 series) with 88.6 million hours watched for a total of 5.8 million views.

Next up comes The Resident, the medical drama Matt Czuchry headlined for most of the last decade. I have been told it is the most bizarre medical show to ever exist. However, I once saw an actress written off of Chicago MD by slitting her own throat and Robert Romano was attacked repeatedly by a sentient helicopter on ER, to say nothing of the shenanigans that happen on Grey's. So it can't be that weird. Anyway, it comes in at #325 with 55.9 million hours watched and 5.5 million views.

Gilmore Girls season 2 comes in at #325 with 81.2 million hours watched and 5.1 million views.

Gilmore Girls season 3 ranks at #394 with 76.9 million hours watched and 4.8 million views.

Gilmore Girls season 4 comes in at #412 with 75.3 million hours watched and 4.7 million views.

Gilmore Girls season 5 follows at #413 with 74.8 million hours watched and 4.7 million views.

Unfortunately, many people also chose to watch season 6 after that, which ranks at #476 with 68.4 million hours watched and 4.3 million views.

A few observations here: while many fans will prefer the early seasons as opposed to the latter ones and vice versa, it appears that there was a huge drop in the show's viewership from S1 to S2 and then to S3, but a lot of fans watched S3, S4, and S5 together before a bunch of them dropped off instead of watching S6. I guess people are binging the whole thing, then, before S6 forces them to run away screaming. This was not the way the ratings worked in real time: S2 and S3 were hugely popular, S4 lost half the audience, and then the ratings went up slightly for S5.

Coming in next is The Resident S2 at #539 with 66.3 million hours viewed and 3.9 million views.

Gilmore Girls finishes off its OS run with S7 ranking at #540 with 60.7 million hours watched and 3.9 million views.

Finally, This Is Us enters the chat, for those unfortunate souls who felt like watching hour after hour of peak DILFness and emotional masochism, which I guess is worth it for getting to spend time with the cutest married TV couple of all time. They are ranked at #542 with 49.3 million hours watched and 3.9 million views.

The Resident S3 follows at #687 with 46.8 million hours watched and 3.2 million views, followed by The Resident S4 at #748 with 30.5 million hours watched and 3 million views.

Next up is....AYITL, which may or may not be canon depending on who you listen to. It ranks at #836 with 17.6 million hours watched and 2.8 million views.

That's still a pretty significant number given that the experiment is largely seen as a failure, not that this stops fans from being whipped into a frenzy at the mere suggestion of a sequel eight years later, in the vain hope that ASP will write a satisfying ending someday. As I said yesterday, there was a rumor on DeuxMoi a while back that claimed that Netflix was planning on a sequel, but Alexis (who hasn't worked in the industry in the past few years) said hell no and it didn't happen. It's probably best left that way.

This Is Us season 2 ranks at #859 with 34.3 million hours watched and 2.7 million views. Hope y'all enjoyed your head getting stomped on and splattered against the wall.

The Resident S5 follows at #897 with 43.2 hours watched and 2.6 million views.

So I've never watched this show because of what happens at the beginning of S5. Apparently Conrad (Matt) and Nic (Emily Van Camp, of Everwood/Brothers and Sisters/Revenge fame) had an epic romance that culminated in a marriage and a child, but then Van Camp wanted to leave and Nic uh....exited the narrative. It wasn't something that could be avoided, but it's put me off watching the show. I guess people didn't mind because the views didn't drop too much after this.

This Is Us season 3 comes in at #1019 with 29.9 million hours viewed and 2.3 million views. This is the last of the Jack heavy seasons and I never quite loved the show the same after this.

The Resident S6 ranks at #1028 with 22 million hours viewed and 2.3 million views.

Next up, we have season 4 of This Is Us, which comes in at #1123 with 27.5 million hours viewed and 2.1 million views. In my opinion, this was the last real quality season of the show. There's not as much Jack, but we do start the roller coaster of the super flash forwards and the soap opera of who is going to be Kevin's wife and/or baby mama, which I rather enjoyed, because he is a chaotic, messy slut and I loved that

Along with your many, many, many other women, Kev. Anyway.

Season 6 of This Is Us came in at #1192 with 25.7 million hours viewed and 2 million viewed, while This Is Us S5 came in at #1196 with 23.1 million hours viewed and 2 million views. Season 6 only had two more episodes than S5 and they were both all over the place, so I think there is something here and it's probably mostly....the COVID stuff and Randall's deeply ridiculous Zombie Mom storyline. Madison and Kevin might have been too much for some people as well, although I actually rooted for them. It does seem since the last four seasons are relatively close in numbers that if you made it to S3 you most likely watched the rest of it. I could never, but I guess some people love pain.

But we did get that reunion at the end.

Okay, ranked below all of them is Supernatural.

I'm not going to do all 15 seasons, but season 1 comes in at #1618 with 22 million hours viewed and 1.4 million views and the lowest ranked is season #15 at #3115 with 7.1 million hours viewed and 500,000 views. The views drop below 1 million after season 5. I think the show has lost a bit of its luster, although that doesn't keep the clickbait media from talking about season 16 like it's a done deal.

So what have we learned, other than that Matt's show was pretty popular, Milo fans are masochists, and people inexplicably keep watching AYITL? This fanbase remains active even after twenty years. Gawd help us.

[accapitalmarket]

Mad bulls prey on mediocre US PMI, GBPUSD jumps

UK stocks edged higher on Wednesday, rallying from earlier falls thanks to a rebound on Wall Street as investors weighed up the path to interest rate reductions. An earthquake in Taiwan had helped rattle markets earlier as it could disrupt key chip supplies.

At the close in London, the blue-chip FTSE 100 index was 0.03% higher at 7,937, while the broader FTSE 250 index was up 0.2% at 19,753.

Some softer-than-expected US services PMI data helped lift indexes on both sides of the Atlantic, easing recent worries over the number of rate hikes the Federal Reserve could implement this year. The ISM Services PMI came in at 51.4 in March, down from 52.6 the previous month, and below forecasts of 52.7. Meanwhile, Markit’s services PMI measure slipped to 53.4 in March from 53.8 in February, against forecasts for it to remain unchanged.

Ahead of Friday’s always key US monthly payrolls data, economic pointers in recent days had led some in the market to lower expectations for the number of rate cuts the Federal Reserve is likely to sanction this year, to two from three. Investors will listen out for a speech by Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell later Wednesday on the economic outlook for any new comments about the timing of potential rate cuts.

In London, the heavyweight mining sector got a boost after some positive data from top metals consumer China on Tuesday. Gold miner group Fresnillo was the top FTSE 100 riser, up 3.7% as the yellow metal extended its recent record run, while Glencore gained 2.2%.

UKOILRoll Daily

Energy stocks were also in demand as oil prices continued to rise reflecting supply risks from increased global tensions precipitated by Israeli actions in Gaza and Iran. Shell added 1.1% and BP rose 0.6%.

Other blue-chip risers included lenders such as Barclays, NatWest and Standard Chartered, all up over 2% on interest rate factors.

On the downside, drugs giants GSK and AstraZeneca both shed around 0.5%, echoing falls by US drugmakers on Tuesday following news that US federal payment rates to Medicare insurers next year will be lower than analysts predicted.

Among the mid-caps, engineering group Renishaw lost 2.5% after Germany’s Siemens denied reports that it plans to launch a takeover bid for the UK firm. Elsewhere Topps Tiles dropped 3.9% after the floors, kitchen and bathroom tile retailer highlighted subdued demand in the domestic repair and maintenance sector in 2024, with lower volumes impacting its half-year profit.

GBPUSD H1

On currency markets, sterling pushed higher against the US dollar as Fed rate cut expectations oscillated, with the UK currency ahead 0.5% versus the greenback at 1.2643. But the pound edged lower against the euro, down 0.02% at 1.1674.

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[mydaroga]

Nothing is Real Podcast Episodes Ordered Historically

I did something a little weird. NIR is probably my favorite Beatles podcast I’ve listened to, and I love how meticulous they are about laying out the history. So I got curious about listening to the show in the order it happened, not the order Jason and Steven are creating it--I totally understand why they’re doing what they’re doing, mind, it’s just that they’ve got enough episodes now that touch on specific incidents or dates I thought it might be interesting to reorder the episodes. So I have done that. 

If anyone sees a mistake, or cares enough about this to point out an organizational strategy that would make more sense, please let me know!

Under the cut, Nothing is Real podcast episodes in the order of the date covered by the subject matter. Episodes which cover topics rather than dates are grouped at the end; subjects that cover a range of time may overlap with other entries. I have not included subscriber bonus content but it may be added later as the site gets updated.

1.0 Introduction 1963 March: 1.13 Please Please Me [LP] April: 4.3 From Me To You November: 1.9 I Want To Hold Your Hand 1964 February: 4.1  The Ed Sullivan Shows - Part One;  4.2 The Ed Sullivan Shows - Part Two  July: 4.11 A Hard Day’s Night: The Album - Part One; 4.12  A Hard Day’s Night: The Album - Part Two December: 2.12 Beatles For Sale 1965 August: 1.1 Help! - The Album December: 5.13 Rubber Soul • Part One; 5.14 Rubber Soul • Part Two; 5.15 Rubber Soul • Part Three 1967 6.2 The Last Year of Brian Epstein - Part One; 6.3 The Last Year of Brian Epstein - Part Two  May: 2.6 Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - Part One; 2.7 Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - Part Two August 1967 - Feb 1968: 6.4 The Beatles & The Maharishi - Part One; 6.5 The Beatles & The Maharishi - Part Two December: 1.2 Magical Mystery Tour - The Album 1968 Early 1968: 2.2 Early 1968 August: 3.2 Revolution - Part One; 3.3 Revolution - Part Two; 6.6 Hey Jude - Part One; 6.7 Hey Jude - Part Two; 6.8 Hey Jude - Part Three November: 5.1 Side Two of the White Album: Part One; 5.2 Side Two of the White Album: Part Two 1969 [Basically the Breakup Series] 6.9 Allen Klein - Part One; 6.10 Allen Klein - Part Two; 6.11 Allen Klein - Part Three; 6.12 Allen Klein - Part Four; 6.13 Let it Be - Part One; 6.14 Let it Be - Part Two   May: 4.4 The Ballad of The Ballad of John & Yoko, Part One; 4.5 The Ballad of The Ballad of John & Yoko, Part Two October: 5.8 You Can’t Catch Me: Come Together • Part One; 5.9 You Can’t Catch Me: Come Together • Part Two 1970 1.3 Early 1970 March: 5.12 You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) April: 3.6 McCartney [LP] November: 3.8 All Things Must Pass at 50 Part 1 : The Road to ATMP; 3.9 All Things Must Pass at 50 Part 2 : My Sweet Lord; 3.10 All Things Must Pass at 50 Part 3 : The Album December: 3.1 John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band; 3.B.1 Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band  1971 May: 4.9 Paul & Linda McCartney’s RAM - Part One; 4.10 Paul & Linda McCartney’s RAM - Part Two  August: 5.3 The Concert For Bangladesh Part One; 5.4 The Concert For Bangladesh Part  Two December: 1.7 Wings 71-73 - Part One [Wild Life] 1973 April: 1.8 Wings 71-73 - Part Two [Red Rose Speedway] November: 2.5 Ringo: The Album 1974 2.9 1974 - Part One  2.10 1974 - Part Two 1978 July: 5.7 Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - THE MOVIE 1980 1.16 1980 - Part One 1.17 1980 - Part Two  1988 4.7 The Traveling Wilburys - Part One; 4.8 The Traveling Wilburys - Part Three* (*Two) 2020 December: 3.B.2 McCartney III 2022 June 6.B.2 Paul Is Live

Compilations and Retrospective Categories

1.5 Songs The Beatles Wrote About Each Other - Part One 1.6 Songs The Beatles Wrote About Each Other - Part Two  1.11 Beatle Compilations 1.20 The Beatles at Christmas - Part One [1960-64] 1.21 The Beatles at Christmas - Part Two [1965-1969] 1.19 The Double A-Sides  3.11 The Beatles at Christmas: The 1970s - Part One 3.12 The Beatles at Christmas: The 1970s - Part Two

Historiography and Other Takes 1.4 Paperback Writers - Books About The Beatles 2.3 Paperback Writers 2: More Beatle Books 1.12 Other People’s Songs About The Beatles 2.1 The Road To Anthology [1968-1992] 2.11 The Beatles Anthology at 25 - The Making Of, 1992-1995 3.4 The Anthology at 25 - Part 3 - The Aftermath 5.B.1 The Beatles Get Back [The Night Before] 5.10 The Beatles Get Back

Interviews 1.14 The Mark Lewisohn Interview - Part One 1.15 The Mark Lewisohn Interview - Part Two 2.4 The Robyn Hitchcock Interview  3.5 The Kevin Godley Interview 4.B.1 Ram On Interview with Fernando Perdomo & Denny Seiwell 5.5 The Laurence Juber Interview • Part One; 5.6 The Laurence Juber Interview • Part Two

Very Special Episodes! 1.10 The Abbey Roadtrip 1.18 Paul Vs George - LIVE At Dublin Beatles Fest 1.22 The Review of 2019 2.8 Fifth Beatles 3.7 The Films of Ringo Starr, or, Ringo Movie Starr 3.13 The Nothing Is Real Review of 2020 4.6 Harry Nilsson & The Beatles  5.11 Nothing Is Real LIVE: The Beatles in Ireland 5.16 The Nothing Is Real Review of 2021 6.1 The Unmade Third Movies 6.B.1 The 1958 Echo Lake Home Tapes

[a-flickering-soul]

Well, it has been another year and it is now time for another Yearly Writing Wrap-up! I wrote 57k this year and I'm very pleased with my work this year :) transcripts, links, some more cool stats, and trivia below the cut!

Total wordcount: 57,334

# Works completed (not counting Tumblr ficlets or chapter postings of ongoing works): 9

# WIPS created: 12

This is about on average for me. If you remember last year, I wrote well over 100k, which was what I'm beginning to realize is a freak accident. Counting Tumblr ficlets, the amount of completed works jumps to 22, but as the bulk of them were below 1k, I don't count them as full fics/works.

By fandom: 45.6% Star Wars, 10.9% Hannibal, 10.6% EMH/Slenderverse, 9.9% Shang-Chi, 8.6% Castlevania,5.8% Miscellaneous (including MP100, Pacific Rim, TAZ: Commitment, and original works), 4.9% Steam Powered Giraffe, and 3.9% Supernatural.

Unsurprising to no one who's followed me over the past year, out of my entire body of work for this past year, a full 27.4% was about Hux, and a sold 39.7% was Kylux. Red flag.

Word count through 2021: The graph shows a fairly steep climb from January through May, with a flat line indicating no writing from June through August, with a slight uptick indicating writing again from September through December.

The January-May writing spike correlates with the standard spring semester--Spring 2021 was an incredibly rough semester for me and as a result I pivoted incredibly hard to writing Hux fics because he, like me, is an overworked engineer who hates everyone around him and glorifies burnout until it turns into bodily defeat. Over the summer, I didn't write much. There's a slight uptick in writing over what correlates to Fall 2021, which I did as a form of stress relief, rather than coping.

Fave Pieces of Writing (Monthly):

January: tissue and bone (it was a tryst), Kylux, 4.2k

He bares his teeth, imagines it’s his jaws wrapped around his neck instead of his hands, imagines the pristine black leather of his boot crushing his trachea. Ren grins at him, open-mouthed and hungry, and tilts his head back, baring more of his throat to his hands.

February: OC gothic lesbians--WIP

She lies awake at night, Ada sweet and sleeping in her arms, and listens to the sounds the house makes. Something drips, wet on unyielding stone. Something that could have been the whisper of fabric, of quiet feet, over the floor just outside their door. Something moaning, or humming, or simply the wind whining on the heath.

March: you're toxic (i'm slipping under), Kylux, 4.3k

“You are a bane,” Hux informs him, “to my existence. If I were locked in a cell with you and a starving sarlacc and I had charge enough in my blaster for two single shots, I’d shoot you twice. You have singlehandedly permanently spiked both my diastolic and systolic blood pressure in a freak of medical nature. I found a grey hair yesterday and I’m twenty-nine standard years old. You are a thorn in my side and I want nothing more than to be left alone and drink myself into early liver failure.”

April: untitled Kylux knife fic--WIP

Hux looks down at him as he kneels on the floor, eyes slit in smug satisfaction, and cards one hand through his hair. Kylo pushes up into his hand like a cat, near-shaking. “You’re pathetic,” Hux observes. Kylo is almost panting with how good just a single hand feels. He turns his face against his palm, kisses the leather and runs his tongue across it.

May: Honey, Don't Feed Me, Hannigram Shape of Water AU, 6.3k

The Asset, half-hidden by the darkness, stands. And keeps standing, unfolding backwards-jointed legs that click softly as bones settle into place, baring antlers that look more like branches folded back against its angular head, crowning and surrounding eyes that are more like molten gold than anything, magma meeting ash-black sea and solidifying in a flash into solid ground, the primordial birthing of life from saltwater and heat and pure chance that binds all living things back to the very start, the first bacterium to form from thermal vents to the child unfurling unwebbed fingers to the bright light of not-womb to the man standing in front of a god-beast, placing one hand on a wall of reformed silica that is suddenly and terribly far too fragile to hold this thing against its will.

June-July-August

Empty--didn't write much

September: fake Hux novel chapter, 1k

He lifts his head, proud as anything, proud as any Empire-born Outer Rim bastard son could be, and strides forward.

October: vaguely Dean-ish fic about death and the sea, 1k--unpublished

He marvels at it all. The way the sand, powder-soft, shifts to crumbly mud and dampness the closer he gets to the water. The sound of seabirds, strange and wispy. The first touch of the sea on his skin, in a gentle foam-tap as the waves reach in. He tilts his face up to the sun and stands there as the waves lap at his feet, as his toes sink into the damp sand, as the legs of his jeans slowly become soaked and cool.

November: Destiel Orpheus/Eurydice rewrite--WIP

At first he sits there for a bit, Jimmy Novak’s rear on the smooth black ground that looks as if it would be cold but actually feels like nothing at all, and thinks about his last moments on earth. He had looked beautiful. He always looks beautiful, but he had looked especially beautiful then. He had looked sad too, heartbroken if Castiel felt like flattering himself, which he usually didn’t. He was sad to be a cause of that sadness, but in the grand scheme of things he supposes it doesn’t matter too much. He would go on. He always admired that about him.

December: i will see your body bare, SPG, 2.7k--in revision

She closes her eyes again, and you hear the whirr and stutter of her non-essential mechanisms grinding down to a stop. She lies on the workbench, limp and steam-warm, for all the world looking like an anatomical Venus with her metallic organs exposed.

[joemoshe]

5 Best Ways To Make Money From Home in 2022

More people are looking for ways to generate money online to supplement their revenue streams as the Internet has taken over and influenced a considerable portion of our life, especially today with the work-from-home setup. Did you know that 3.9 million Americans work from home? That is correct. Making money from home may sound like your ideal profession (even in your PJs).

To reach your financial goals in 2021, you may be ready to pursue a full-time job or start a side venture. Why not stay at home and work when you want to achieve your financial goals? Here are some ideas for earning money from home and on your own time. But before that, here are the reasons why you should focus on making money from home.

No Geographical Limits

One of the many advantages of telecommuting is having access to a wider selection of career options that aren’t restricted by geography. This is especially useful for job seekers in rural areas and small towns where there may be a limited number of local openings. Furthermore, remote employment is an excellent option to escape high-rent and high-mortgage places, particularly for occupations (such as technology) that formerly required residence in a high-cost-of-living city.

You no longer need to reside near a major urban region to work in a field you enjoy.

Cost-cutting

Half-time workers who work from home can save roughly $4,000 per year. Gas, car maintenance, transportation, parking fees, a professional outfit, out-of-pocket lunches, and other expenses can all be cut back or eliminated totally. These small sums add up to more money in your pocket.

Sustainability

From economic growth and reduced disparities to sustainable cities, climate change, and responsible consumerism, remote employment supports a range of sustainability projects.

Reduced commuting travel is one of the quickest and cheapest methods for firms and employees to minimize their carbon footprint and impact climate change. During the pandemic reaction, the world has already seen a significant reduction in pollution, congestion, and traffic and has been able to witness the consequences directly.

Fiver For Freelancing

If you have one or two digital skills, you can make money on Fiverr. Thousands of freelancers are already earning six figures online, thanks to Fiverr. Since its inception in 2010, Fiverr has grown to be a large freelance marketplace. It has not only gained repute in a short period of time, but it has also become one of the go-to sites for freelancing novices.

On Fiverr, you may offer something to the worldwide market for outsourced services regardless of your skill level or experience. Business marketing, social networking, and advertising are just a few of the services accessible, as are hilarious films, graphic design, and translations, to name a few. On Fiverr, these services are referred to as “GIGS.”

Selling Stuff That You Don’t Need

What do you do with your old goods when you get anything new? It is either passed down down the generations, stuffed into a corner, or sold to a scrap dealer in most houses. Selling it online is a simpler solution. You will not only get a better price for it, but you will also avoid being duped.

Craigslist was one of the first online classified websites, and they feature a section dedicated to every country they operate in. It presently operates in 16 states, and all you have to do to view and post listings is register.

Because the pages are city-specific, you may list your city and not worry about folks from other cities accidentally contacting you. You can also try other platforms like Etsy.

Create A Podcast And Make It Engaging

People don’t pay for creative work like podcasting until they choose to watch it. Listeners take time to decide whether or not you are valuable. So, if you’re going to start a podcast to make money this week, you better look for another source of revenue.

But if you put in the effort to create great material, release new episodes on a regular basis, and engage your audience, you’ll eventually be able to create a program that makes money for every episode. Many people are able to make a decent income by working on their podcasts for a few hours each day.

Make Your YouTube Channel

YouTube stars are today’s self-made celebrities—people who have built an online following by making content aimed at teaching, entertaining, reviewing, and generally being wonderful.

Your audience may be able to unlock the earning potential of your YouTube channel, similar to how to make money on Instagram or through blogging. It’s easier to monetize when you have various money streams, such as side hustles or enterprises.

Fortunately, there are various options for doing so:

Become a YouTube Partner and profit from advertisements.

Offer things or merchandise for sale.

Crowdfund your next artistic endeavor.

Allow your audience to contribute to your effort by using “fan funding.”

The media can use your work if you give them a license.

As an influencer or affiliate, work with brands.

[ryanberga]

tbh i’d love to see ur paragraphs abt ryan & i’m sure other people would too,,,,,,post it?👀

ok *deep breath*

we all always joke about ryan being this dumb himbo jock archetype to shane’s academically-inclined strange man archetype which is funny as hell those jokes are funny and all in good fun but!! let’s not forget that ryan is actually not dumb at all!

let’s talk about ryan & shane’s dynamic and the whole boogara vs. shaniac thing. there’s a decent amount of people who see ryan saying “i believe in ghosts & demons & the supernatural & funny little conspiracy theories,” and then they see shane saying “all that is bullshit, i’m a skeptic & i believe in science,” and they jump to the conclusion that therefore, shane is smart and ryan is dumb, or shane is smarter than ryan, and that’s simply not true!! ryan’s belief system is inherently different from shane’s, but that does not mean he is stupid for it! shane is very outwardly and vocally interested in things like history and science, and i think that’s another reason people tend to fall into the belief that shane is smart and ryan is dumb, but, again: simply not true! just because ryan isn’t as interested in typical academic pursuits doesn’t mean he’s dumb, and i think it’s actually a very problematic mindset to equate someone’s intelligence with like the core subjects you learn in school.

ok, now let’s talk about bfu. let’s talk about how bfu was entirely ryan’s brain baby and how groundbreaking the format of it was. let’s talk about how no other supernatural or true crime shows presented its information the way that bfu does. let’s talk about how when bfu started, ryan did 100% of the work for it. he did the research, the writing, the editing, etc etc all on his own. let’s talk about how much work he put into it and how passionate he was about it. let’s talk about how the format is so smartly done & unique & original. let’s also talk about how no matter how much evidence shane presents that directly contrasts ryan’s theories, ryan stays true to himself and believes in what he believes in and refuses to be swayed. let’s talk about how even when shane blatantly dismisses ryan’s beliefs or insults him or teases him for his beliefs, ryan doesn’t budge. i also think it’s so impressive that ryan remains genuinely curious about these things and continues to believe in these things even when someone (who he cares about & respects!) is consistently telling him his beliefs are bullshit.

ok, now let’s talk about watcher. i’m not going to talk about how much courage it must have taken to leave buzzfeed to create a completely original company because that goes without saying, and it’s been talked about enough before. instead, i’m going to talk about spooky small talk specifically for a second. the fact that both steven and shane have said that spooky small talk is the biggest undertaking that any of them pursued for any of their shows is! pretty impressive! the amount of work that had to have gone into that show is really mindblowing to think about, to have to deal with the scare actors and all the noises and getting through the maze while asking questions and staying engaged with the interviewee. it’s a lot to deal with, and ryan does it fantastically, and he makes it look so effortless, as if it was the easiest thing in the world to create.

and then there’s here’s what you do, which i think is a good example of ryan showing that he’s very smart when it comes to emotions and self-care. very often in hwyd, he talks about emotions and self-care in ways that surprise me with how succinctly he’s able to put sort of complex thoughts into words. personally, i also think he gives some of the best and most thoughtful answers (when they’re actually giving serious answers and not talking about piss & shit, that is).

and just a couple more things about ryan i want to point out before i finish this off: no matter what ryan does, in everything he pursues, he seems to me to remain completely genuine to who he was at the start of this all, way back when he was still making videos with brent. he never changes his belief system, no matter what shane or anyone else says to him. he remains compassionate and unashamedly himself in all his pursuits. everything he does is imbued with so much fun. he wants to have fun, and he wants his audience to have fun along with him, and i think it‘s very evident that this is the case.

also, if you listen to ryan speak, like, in watcher weeklys or hwyd or whatever? it seems to me like he says everything with intention, and it seems like most things he says are pretty well thought out (again, when he’s not being purposefully silly). also! he has a great vocabulary! as an english major myself, i am often surprised by some of the words he throws out very casually in conversation!

and one last point, bringing it back to my first paragraph: just because he’s not as into things like history and science, he is still very well-versed in a lot of other things that speak to an inherent intelligence. first of all, it’s been established that he knows tons about true crime and conspiracies and supernatural stuff. he’s also very well-versed in pop culture, and more than just movies & tv shows! he’s spoken lots about books, and music, and podcasts, and video games! (and also don’t forget that he’s mentioned multiple times how he maintained i believe a 3.9 gpa throughout all of high school & college while also involving himself in sports & extracurriculars & a fraternity! gpa is bullshit, but that’s still pretty impressive if you ask me!) 

(edit: also!! the fact that both shane and steven said ryan was the one who was the most prepared in terms of banging out content should something like a pandemic occur before covid was even a thing!! let’s not sleep on that fact, wow!)

((edit pt. 2: also! my total bad for not appreciating his sense of humor! he’s such a funny guy! and so quick-witted! i think his sense of humor on its own is enough to demonstrate how very obviously Not Dumb he is!))

tl;dr: does ryan lean into the dumb jock archetype? sometimes, yes, i think he does. i think he thinks it’s funny to play dumb (and it is!). but is ryan actually dumb? no fuckin way! ryan is smart & talented & very hard-working & passionate & just an all-around great guy. put some respect on his name

[inkofamethyst]

December 27, 2021

[Dec 14]

You know, due to the fact that I love taking on immense projects that I’ve never done before and expecting them to turn out amazingly, I’m thinking about submitting a piece or two as arrangements for the orchestra.  Something from Shadow of the Colossus (probably just The Opened Way tbh (unless I did a battle suite or something)), maybe something from Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (like Drippy’s Theme (also consider looking at The Fairyground (but maybe don’t swing it bc we know what happened the last time the orchestra tried to swing)), the Battle Theme (or the second one??), the Main Theme or World Map maybe?  probs a mashup of sorts bc the main theme is real repetitive lol, like start and end with the main theme and have those two others in the middle somewhere (AHHHH THERE ARE LYRICS TO THE MAIN THEME???  I AM CRYINGGGG)), or even Blinded by Light from FFXIII NOPE NOPE NOPE I’m listening to it right now and I simply don’t think it would work.  I mean I’ve been thinking about an arrangement of The Opened Way for years.  I could probably pull one together over winter break.  Problem is that I don’t know how to really write for piano, percussion, or guitar.  I suppose I could look at old scores for help.

Again, I’d just have to know from the get-go that I’m not expecting to get selected.  It would be an accomplishment just to make something.  And we have some really talented arrangers in this group, so I can’t expect my first tries to be The Ones.  But they could be starts.

[Dec 21]

Well, I did end up starting an arrangement of The Opened Way after all.

So my puzzle-friend showed me a bunch of cool sites that analyze your Spotify music and I’ve only done two of them so far.  This simple one told me that songs from Austin Wintory’s Abzu OST made up 90% of my top ten songs over the past six months (the very top one was Jhariah’s Flight of the Crows).

This more complex one told me that my current music taste is 97% more obscure than the Spotify listener base (my overall taste is 95% more obscure).  Primarily due to my taste in video game OSTs, but apparently showtunes is fairly obscure as well?  Walker and Wylde is my most obscure artist which totally makes sense (followed by the Spelling Bee cast, Chris Remo (composed the Firewatch OST), Shady Cicada (who I barely listen to these days), and Vincent Diamante).  It also told me that I’m 12% sadder than average, 20% less danceable than average, 25% more atmospheric than average.  They also gave me recs which I appreciate.  Wild.

Lots of links today haha.

[Today]

ALL A’s YALL WOOHOO

I... I mean I literally don’t know how I ended up with an A in physics.  Did I deserve it?  I mean, yeah, probably.  I just wish I knew what the full curve ended up being.  Oh, also, I got a 69% on my final hehe (nice).

Brings GPA ever so slightly up which I am certainly thankful for.  Yeah, that’s what I’m thankful for today.  I’m thankful for straight A’s in a semester that did not quit.  I’m thankful for the lil mini GPA boost (I mean if I fall below 3.9 I won’t cry... but I will be upset.).

Over the past few days I’ve spent time with friends, had Christmas, sewed a dress for my mom all in one night despite having the fabric and pattern for six months, was lectured at for not flossing by my dentist, went on a strenuous 10 mile hike which included a mile or so of bouldering, watched The Matrix 4 (I really enjoyed it!!), stressed out over what on earth I was going to have the saxes do in my The Opened Way arrangement, and overall it’s just been really chill.

And yeah.  That’s been the past few days.  Arranging is hard.  I really thought that having the melody and baseline down pact would be enough.  Pah!  No.  Luckily, this piece has been arranged (well and poorly) by many different people, so listening through those has given me some ideas and also clarified some tricky bits.

I’ll probably go for the Ni No Kuni arrangement next.  The cool thing about it is that the melody gets passed around to the different sections, so that adds interest.

K I’m tired of having this entry in my drafts goodbye.

[pez-wolf]

Doctor Who Watch Time for Important Episodes

1.1 Rose (45min)

1.2 The End of the World (45 min)

1.4 Aliens of London (45min)

1.5 World War Three (45min)

1.6 Dalek (45 min)

1.7 The Long Game (45 min)

1.8 Fathers Day (45 min)

1.9 The Empty Child (45 min)

1.10 The Doctor Dances (45 min)

1.11 BoomTown (45 min)

1.12 Badwolf (45 min)

1.13 Parting of Ways (45 min)

2.0 The Christmas Invasion (60 min)

2.1 New Earth (45 min)

2.2 Tooth and Claw (45 min)

2.4 Girl in the Fireplace (45 min)

2.5 Rise of the Cyberman (45 min)

2.6 The Age of Steel (45 min)

2.12 Army of Ghosts (45 min)

2.13 Doomsday (45 min)

3.0 The Runaway Bride (60 min)

3.1 Smith and Jones (45 min)

3.3 Gridlock (45 min)

3.4 Daleks in Manhattan (45 min)

3.5 Evolution of the Daleks (45 min)

3.8 Human Nature (45 min)

3.9 The Family of the Blood (45 min)

3.10 Blink (45 min)

3.11 Utopia (45 min)

3.12 The Sound of Drums (45 min)

3.13 Last of the Time Lords (50 min)

4.0 Voyage of Damned (71 min)

4.1 Partners in Crime (48 min)

4.2 The Fires of Pompeii (45 min)

4.3 Planet of the Ood (48 min)

4.4 The Sontaran Stratagem (45 min)

4.5 The Poison Sky (45 min)

4.8 Silence in the Library (43 min)

4.9 Forest of the Dead (45 min)

4.11 Turn Left (49 min)

4.12 The Stolen Earth (45 min)

4.13 Journeys End (63 min)

S.1 The Next Doctor (60 min)

S.3 The Waters of Mars (62 min)

S.4 The End of Time Part One (60 min)

S.5 The End of Time Part Two (75 min)

5.1 The Eleventh Hour (65 min)

5.2 The Beast Below (42 min)

5.3 The Victory of the Daleks (42 min)

5.4 The Time of Angels (42 min)

5.5 Flesh and Stone (43 min)

5.6 The Vampires of Venice (49 min)

5.8 The Hungry Earth (44 min)

5.9 Cold Blood (46 min)

5.10 Vincent and the Doctor (47 min)

5.11 The Lodger (43 min)

5.12 The Pandorica Opens (49 min)

5.13 The Big Bang (54 min)

6.0 A Christmas Carol (62 min)

6.1 The Impossible Astronaut (44 min)

6.2 Day of the Moon (47 min)

6.3 Curse of the Black Spot (46 min)

6.4 The Doctors Wife (47 min)

6.5 The Rebel Flesh (43 min)

6.6 The Almost People (46 min)

6.7 A Good Man Goes to War (49 min)

6.8 Let's Kill Hitler (49 min)

6.9 Night Terrors (43 min)

6.12 Closing Time (46 min)

6.13 The Wedding of River Song (46 min)

7.0A The Doctor, The Window, and Wardrobe (59 min)

7.1 Asylum of the Daleks (49 min)

7.4 The Power of Three (41 min)

7.5 Angles Take Manhattan (44 min)

7.0B The Snowmen (60 min)

7.6 The Bells of Saint John (45 min)

7.7 Rings of Akhaten (46 min)

7.10 Journey to the Center of the TARDIS (47 min)

7.11 The Crimson Horror (47 min)

7.12 Nightmare in Silver (47 min)

7.13 The Name of the Doctor (44 min)

S.6 The Day of the Doctor (77 min)

S.7 Time of the Doctor (61 min)

8.1 Deep Breath (76 min)

8.2 Into a Dalek (47 min)

8.4 Listen (47 min)

8.5 Time Heist (45 min)

8.6 The Caretaker (45 min)

8.9 Flatline (43 min)

8.11 Dark Water (47 min)

8.12 Death in Heaven (57 min)

9.0 Last Christmas (61 min)

9.1 The Magicians Apprentice (49 min)

9.2 The Witches Familiar (50 min)

9.5 The Girl Who Died (48 min)

9.6 The Woman Who Lived (45 min)

9.10 Face the Raven (46 min)

9.11 Heaven Sent (55 min)

9.12 Hell Bent (60 min)

S.8 The Husbands of River Song (56 min)

10.0 The Return of Doctor Mysterio (61 min)

10.1 The Pilot (49 min)

10.5 Oxygen (44 min)

10.6 Extremis (48 min)

10.7 The Pyramid at the End of the World (46 min)

10.8 Lie of the Land (44 min)

10.11 World Enough and Time (45 min)

10.12 The Doctor Falls (60 min)

S.9 Twice Upon a Time (60 min)

11.1 The Woman Who Fall to Earth (60 min)

11.2 The Ghost Monument (48 min)

11.10 The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (50 min)

12.0 Resolution (60 min)

12.1 Spyfall Pt 1 (60 min)

12.2 Spyfall Pt 2 (61 min)

12.5 Fugitive of the Judoon (49 min)

12.8 The Haunting of Villa Diodati (49 min)

12.9 Ascension of the Cybermen (49 min)

12.10 The Timeless Children (66 min)

Total Watch Time:

10,199 minutes

169.983333 Hours

7.08263889 Days

[demauryss]

for mtea @bluronyourradar. based on her tags on this post. i had minimum knowledge of how speed dating works so i wrote what came to me with the bit of research i did!!! i hope you like this and i’m sorry for taking too long!!

slow motion (i’m watching our love) 💌 | 3.9 k

in which there’s speed dating, some unexpected friends, a brief stint of matchmaking and a whole lot of sunshine smiles.

Lucas didn’t know what he was expecting to happen when he’d agreed with Mika to come to this … event or whatever it was. Because apparently Lucas was like a house plant Mika had got and forgot to take care of – and now it was starting to rot and needed someone to looks after it pronto.

That had been Mika’s analogy in trying to convince Lucas to try speed dating. Something he hadn’t heard of before. And with the promise of Mika buying all of Lucas’s groceries for the month if he came, Lucas had landed himself in this place. And it was the most recent thing he was regretting.

It’ll be fun, I promise!                      

It’s stupid, is what it is.

He didn’t know what to expect – but it was certainly not resorting to hide in a corner away from Mika’s prying eyes after talking with a total of four people – and being a witness to a very explicit kiss.

He wasn't thinking he'd get anyone when he had agreed to this, if you ask him. His thought process has been more towards getting through the evening with avoiding as much human interaction as he can. But in a succession of events, Mika had dragged him to a table, and Even, taller than nine of Lucases combined and eyes which was the reason why Lucas's tongue had forgot to form words, had approached him, and that was the first negative spike in his brain's specified compartment for dread.

They had talked for eight minutes before the bell rang and Even moved on to the next person. Lucas had learnt he was from Oslo; in his second year of college. He seemed nice, if those eight minutes were anything to go by, and totally someone Lucas would probably consider himself with. 

But there was something nagging inside his brain.

So he'd smiled as Even had left. Totally chiding his brain for worrying about lost potential when there were more pressing matters to discuss. Like why the next person coming after Even looked like a live incarnation Jack Frost. His name was Sander, and he was a David Bowie enthusiast. And then had come Nico and David, one after the other. 

And if it hadn't been for the way his stomach had crumbled at the thought of being with any of them -that he was slowly feeling his insides coming to his throat whenever he as much as smiled at them, that there was this empty hollow feeling inside of him as he sat talking to them despite his brain accepting them to be nice as the first thing it made sense of – Lucas wouldn’t be sitting here in his natural habitat being miserable at cursing his luck.

But as it happens – there was something nagging inside his brain. A black space. A variable entirely missing from the equation.

Lucas looks around the multitude of people all in an assortment of fading lights and a cacophony of voices all going over his head of people conversing. Lucas has never been good at that part, and that's why he finds it all so surreal to see. And it’s between that, hiding from Mika and cursing his fate, that there’s a mild commotion behind him. It would have been impossible to separate it from the discordance around him, had it not been for the way the reason the said commotion is created comes to where he’s sitting in the corner. Lucas, without meaning to, trains his ears on – he does a quick counting in his head – four people.

“I’m just saying,” One of them says, rubbing a hand over his neck. He looks like how Lucas feels after having to deal with a stupid customer on the phone – which is a story of a daily basis, “If you want to find a match, then maybe you should try and – I don’t know – talk to someone! ---

“Shut up Marti! This whole concept is stupid.” The one Lucas assumes to be Isak snaps. He looks tired, and Lucas really can’t argue with that sentiment.

“But it won’t hurt you to try?” Marti begins as a final resort. Isak only glares at him, “I don’t know what you think, but going on a date once doesn’t make you a relationship expert.”

“And especially when you call us in the middle of it to help you fake an emergency so you could run away.” The third person speaks, and Marti turns his murder filled eyes towards him. Lucas watches, heart somewhat lighter, as Marti just about digs the grave of the person in front of him.

“I like you better when you’re stoned, Matteo.” Marti grumbles, and the person in question turns starry eyed towards him, his tongue peeking out as he takes a gulp of the liquid in the glass he’s holding. These people remind Lucas of his own group of friends, those he hasn’t seen in months. With Yann and Basile both gone to spend the summer with their grandparents and Arthur on that science camp he signed up for ages ago – it has been quite some time since he last saw of them.

And now he misses them, terribly.

Marti looks at his friends disapprovingly as Isak and Matteo and the quiet friend whose name Lucas hasn’t got yet fail to hide their laughs at Marti’s distraught expression. He sighs, turning sideways and catching Lucas’s eyes. Lucas feels heat crawling up his neck spreading over his face at the thought of being caught in listening to someone else’s conversation. His initial reaction is to looks away, but his brain prevents him from doing so. Whatever, it’s too late now.

To his surprise, Marti addresses him like he’s talking to an old friend or something. “Please help me clear a point to these idiots,” he begins, “I’ll owe you forever.”

As if on cue, three pairs of eyes turn towards him in sync. Lucas gulps down whatever he was feeling earlier at being caught. “I’m sorry I can’t do that,” Lucas starts, feeling foreign being the subject of unknown gazes.

“Because you also think it’s stupid, right?” It’s Isak who begins with a hopeful cadence in his tone. Marti frowns at him, and Lucas sends a small smile in his direction.

“Well, there’s no denying that.”

The yell that breaks past Isak’s lips as he jumps in triumph raises several eyes in their direction. Lucas chuckles, apologetically looking at Marti who’s watching everything with a scowl on his face.

“I knew you were one of us,” Isak gestures to himself and the two people standing behind him. He looks out into the ground, pulling a sour expression on his face, “No sane person would be willing to spend an entire evening out there. It’s what I’ve been trying to tell this idiot here. But I think he gets it now. Do you, Marti?”

Marti, who has turned his head away from them, grumbles childishly, “Whatever. You guys don’t care for me.”

Isak laughs, and it’s Matteo who comes forward at that instant, wrapping an affectionate arm around Marti’s neck. “Don’t be like that, Marti. We do care for you!”

“Yeah. You’re the one who opens all of our jars when we need them.” The quiet one steps forward, and Lucas watches with Isak next to him. He heaves a sigh, before rolling his eyes, “Yeah yeah, now you can stop being a diva-” he turns to Lucas, “-he’s just being dramatic. Ignore him.”

Lucas laughs, now all unease under the guise of the nervousness which comes from meeting these people. Isak steps forward, taking a seat next to where Lucas is sitting. His friends follow, and soon he’s include in a circle of unknown people in a place he’d rather bolt out of.

“If we’ve reached an agreement here,” Isak pointedly says towards Marti, who is busy drilling holes in his skull. There’s light music present in the air around him, filled with occasional ringing of bell. Lucas ignores it and focuses on Isak. “I’d like to formerly make an introduction. I’m Isak, that’s Marti, Robbe and Matteo, and we’re seriously not having a good time right now.”

Lucas grins, “I’m Lucas, and you can count me in that.”

“Then what brings you here, Lucas?” It’s Robbe – the quiet one – who asks him that. His eyes have a kind look in them, and it’s accentuated by the light hanging over his head.

“My roommate,” Lucas sighs, “He works here, and he kind of convinced me to come and by convinced I mean he offered to buy my groceries for the month, so.”

They laugh, even Marti, who lets his annoyed expression slip for a minute before picking it up again as if nothing happened. It does occur to Lucas that he’s basically oversharing to a bunch of random people he just met. But the thought evaporates when they smile together, a familiar glint to all of their eyes. Lucas follows the warmth and soon, he finds himself getting enveloped.

Matteo smiles, “I was tagged into this Instagram post and someone thought it’d be a good idea to try this out.”

“And I still stand by it,” Marti somewhat grumbles. Lucas chuckles as Isak shakes his head at him. Robbe pats him on the back as Marti turns to Lucas.

“Please tell me you atleast talked to people before forming your opinion instead of criticizing from afar like some people here.”

“Hey!” Isak, Matteo and Robbe shout in unison. Lucas smiles, shaking his head. “Yeah I did meet some people but –“ Lucas shrugs, “-they were not someone I’d consider eating a pizza with brought from my roommate’s money.”

“That makes a lot of sense. Why didn’t I think of it before?” Matteo asks Robbe, who just shrugs. It Marti who bites back, “Because you’re stupid, that’s why.”

Lucas looks between them, as Isak raises his hand, high-fiving Marti over Lucas’s head. This night is going to be fun.

//

Some twenty minutes later, and Lucas is now a member of a groupchat with the four people whom Lucas can now almost call him his friends. (They’ve exchanged numbers, followed each on Instagram, exchanged pretty heavy details of their lives and exchanged some solid opinions on the people they’ve found mildly interesting.)

Now he and Matteo are surveying the crowd, finding someone suitable for Isak to go and talk to since his great epiphany seconds ago about not wasting any chance he’s presented with. (Marti had the most smug ‘I’ve been saying it for ages’ look on his face which Isak had wiped away with a middle finger raised in his direction.) Robbe and Marti were helping them, but it wasn’t up to any use since so far Isak had rejected hundred percent of the guys they had picked, all with the same monotonous ‘I’m not feeling it now.’

And Robbe had coughed a laugh with Marti hiding his face in Robbe’s shoulder, Matteo had whispered under his breath, that’s not the only thing you’re going to not feel tonight if you keep this up, and Isak had landed a smack at the back of his head – and it was when Lucas had realized his evening had turned out quite different from what he was thinking. He may not have found a match tonight, and Mika hadn’t said that he must find one. Atleast he’d be walking out with this memory with four new contacts – and the freedom from worrying about buying his groceries for the next month.

He looks out into the crowd dimmed with light. He doesn’t know if any successful match has been formed yet or not, but he doesn’t have to worry about that for more as he spots Mika sashaying towards him with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Damn Lucas,” he says. His eyes turn brighter as his gaze shifts from Lucas to the people sitting around him. “I thought finding one match would take you centuries but you’ve managed to snag four beautiful people from the crowd. I must be teaching you well.”

Lucas rolls his eyes as Mika goes on introducing himself to them. It’s when terms like Lucas’s gay guru and Lucas’s foray for the night are exchanged between the group, that he turns around, way past feeling embarrassed at his roommate’s antics. He’s so used to them now it’s not even funny.

“Okay Mika you can stop it now,” he says, watching as the guys including Mika act entirely too pleased at Lucas’s discomfort. “Sorry to burst your bubble but none of them is my match.”

“Oh he wishes he could get someone like me,” Robbe grins as Marti and Matteo fail to hide their terrible smiles. There’s a moment where Lucas remembers he called them kind, but that’s all gone now.

“Yeah. He was alone and miserable in the corner. If it hadn’t been for us he would have probably died from sadness.” Isak says, elbowing Lucas in his shoulder. Lucas musters his most perfect glare he could in that moment.

“I hate you all.”

“Oh but I don’t!” Mika laughs as if he’s having the time of his life. “I’m not pleased with anything Lucas does in his life, but I’m so proud of him for finding you guys!” He looks like a proud parent, Lucas would have felt to say had it not been for Mika declaring the sentiment himself. “I’ve work to do now, but you guys are welcome to come here anytime you want.”

Mika leaves, and Lucas glares at the four devils now grinning from ear to ear. Lucas rolls his eyes, scowling when their expressions don’t drop.

“Seriously?” Lucas asks.

“Yes,” they all reply in unison, and Lucas shakes his head.

“Now if you’re done being creepy can we go back to the task at hand?”

It gets their attention as Isak straightens up, a serious expression falling on his face. “I’ve come to a conclusion; I’m letting fate decide it for me.” as he speaks, he pulls out a coin from his inner pocket and puts it forward in his open palm in front of Lucas. “Lucas, take this coin and throw it in whatever way you want. If it lands on the floor somewhere, I’d go home and never try speed dating again. But if it lands on a table or hits someone on the head and that person turns then-“

He shrugs, and Lucas doesn’t see the logic in his plan. “It’s stupid,” Robbe says, to which Isak snaps in his direction, “Shut up I’m trying something here.”

So with one last hopeless look shared between Lucas and Marti and Robbe and Matteo, and a hopeful Isak jumping with glee, Lucas takes the coin, throwing it away and –

It follows a perfect projectile, a silver running through air, disappearing for a second. They all watch it and Lucas can swear they’re all holding their breaths. It’s silly, how they collectively exhale when the coin reappears into their vision before landing on-

Even’s table.

Lucas can tell he’s shocked when a coin lands on his table not far from them as he starts looking around. Lucas turns his head to the side, watching Marti and Matteo and Robbe do the same. But Isak- he stays with his stare focused on Even who’s now smiling at someone and Isak looks completely smitten.

“Um…Isak?” Marti waves a hand in front of his face, sharing a look with the three as Isak completely ignores him.

“Lucas you beautiful being!” Isak says, still in a kind of trance as he gets up from his chair. Lucas understands his intentions, and with a pat on his back, Lucas says, “Go on. He’s from Oslo too.”

It’s what sets the deal as Isak sets in motion. “I’ll catch up with you guys later,” he says off-handedly. They watch him make his way to Even, the crowd swallowing him just when he makes his way to the table.

Matteo turns to Lucas, “Is he one of the guys you said you talked too?”

Lucas nods, “Yeah he is – and come to think of it, I think I met some people you guys would like.”

And as Lucas plays matchmaker, he looks for the remaining three people he had met before. It’s funny really – this fate or kismet or whatever was going on when he met these people each of which bears a connection with the people he’d met earlier – and he spots Sander, his lighter than blond hair standing from the crowd. Lucas turns to Robbe.

“You see that guy over there? He’s Sander, and I think you’d be perfect together.”

//

It takes him a minute or two to find Nico and David in the crowd, and it takes him a minute as he convinced Marti and Matteo to go talk with them. Unlike Robbe who had fled straightaway, these two were difficult, and Lucas had resorted to quoting Marti’s own lines to him.

“It doesn’t hurt you to try, does it?”

And now he is left alone on their table as he tries to check up on his friends in the crowd. He had seen Isak disappearing with Even, and he’d shot him a thumbs-up when he’d met his eyes from across the room. The rest of them are still in the talking stage from what Lucas can see, even Mika, who’s now stood talking to someone much too familiarly – and Lucas can’t help but be envious of apparently how easy that looks for him.

He’s thinking of calling it a night after Isak sends a message in their newly formed groupchat, saying how he doesn’t think he’d be back anytime soon (which Lucas kind of guessed, by the way). The other boys reply in variations of same sentiment, and Lucas guesses his attempt at matchmaking was more successful than he thought it would be.

Lucas shakes his head, sending a message back into the groupchat, making sure the guys knew he won’t be missing them if they end up getting murdered tonight.

(But in all seriousness, he tells them to be safe, and he smiles when gets all affirmative responses in return.)

It’s when he’s beginning to leave that he feels a presence beside him. It’s a repeat of just a few moments ago, and he turns, expecting it to be Robbe or Matteo or even Mika and-

-and it’s not them. Not by a long shot.

For a moment it feels like one of Lucas’s daydreams as the light turning green and blue dances over the stranger’s head. His lips are curved in a smile, and Lucas really feels he’s tripped and transported into one of the universes he’s created during many of his bouts of daydreaming.

“Hi. You’re Lucas right?” The stranger’s voice carries over the noise of the club. It’s soft, sweet, and Lucas would have lost it had it not been for the stranger to be standing literally in a meter’s distance of him.

The stranger meets his eyes, and Lucas feels all the conversation skills in him reverting to zero. He was having no problem talking about his life to then-strangers just moments ago. Why does it brain have to be filled with hay now?

“Um – yes?” It comes out as a question, and the person smiles. Lucas feels his idiot brain transporting him to somewhere else – where it’s only him and the stranger, where the voices in the background aren’t filling his mind like white noise and where the sun is shining directly over him so Lucas is able to make out the colours lighting up in the stranger’s eyes.

Lucas’s heart beats heavily in the hollow of his chest.

The stranger cocks his neck to one side, “I’m Eliott,” he says. Eliott, Lucas rolls the name in his head. “And I’ve been watching you play matchmaker for a while and I’ve been meaning to ask -,” he takes a pause; Lucas hangs onto it, “-which of these beautiful boys do you think I’d match perfectly with?”

It’s a wonder Eliott doesn’t notice when Lucas’s heart tears his chest and lands on the table in front of him, beating so heavily it’s a struggle trying to calm it down. Eliott has been watching him. Eliott, who looks like he makes a living out of appearing on billboards and photoshoots, has been watching Lucas for a better part of his night.

Lucas wets his lips, thankful for the dim lighting of the café to hide his burning cheeks. What he wouldn’t give to-

“Do you have your eyes set on someone tonight?” Lucas mirrors the position of Eliott’s head. Eliott’s face lights up even more, and Lucas feels a shiver of unknown reason pass through the length of his spine.

“I do, actually. He has a nice smile and pretty blue eyes. And his hair is the wildest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Lucas looks around, confused for a moment, “That’s like, half of the people here?”

Eliott wrinkles his face adorably. Something jumps inside Lucas’s stomach at the sight. Eliott mutters something under his breath which Lucas fails to catch. And then he looks up, his eyes now gaining a glint which wasn’t there before. Lucas focuses – and it’s of nervousness.

“I suppose I should be more direct,” Eliott begins, taking a step forward so he’s just an inch away from Lucas, “If you’re free now then I’d like to take you somewhere.”

What?

Lucas chokes on the air caught in his throat at Eliott’s sudden statement, neck whipping towards him so fast it’s a wonder he doesn’t break it. Eliott himself looks taken back, and Lucas doesn’t know if it’s at his own words or something else.

“Wait no – that was so straightforward I’m sorry!” Eliott’s voice is frantic, and Lucas feels a beginning of something in his chest. “I – uh – I wanted to know if you’ve found someone tonight.” He says in one single breath. Lucas feels his face getting warm. The good warm you get after spending a day out in the sun as it washes away your sadness and takes it from you as it begins to set. He feels ants crawling inside him – those who begin from his heart and spread like a warm fire all around him with his blood.

Eliott looks like he might mass out when Lucas comes back. This doesn’t happen to him. It isn’t often that people actively seek him out. And here’s him – Eliott – in all his beauty sitting in front of hm. There’s something restless inside his arms, a nervousness which rises from the feeling which he’s refusing from letting it set in his bones.

“I haven’t,” Lucas’s voice is small, but it’s everything which brings a light to Eliott’s face which he can’t wait to follow. The warmth settles over him, and Lucas turns his head to the side when it becomes too much. He finds the guys, minus Isak, who have now taken the role of an audience for Lucas, and apparently look shameless when Lucas catches them staring.

(It isn’t like Lucas can judge them or anything.)

Lucas tries to convey a message to them with his eyes, and they get it, thankfully, as they turn to their respective partners, now forming a small circle which Lucas watches from afar. He turns to Eliott, his eyes in half-moons and smile in all suns. It really feels like a dream, and he wastes no moment in sending a prayer above.

“So – the place you wanted to take me?”

Eliott laughs, his voice soft and high. He leans forward, and Lucas meets him halfway.

[staylovehearts]

Enough?

Lee Felix x Reader

Word Count ~3.9 k

Summary: You never wanted Felix to find out that the fans he loves so much can be so cruel.

Tags: angst, hate comments, self-doubts, Felix is an idol in this one, and you’re like his not so secret girlfriend, the company is chill but the fans aren’t, mentions of other stray kids members

It's a simple routine. As you unlock your phone you immediately swipe away about twenty different notifications from different social media accounts without even looking at them. You are not even sure why you even still bother with an Instagram and all of that. Maybe you should just go private again. Or delete everything. But that would feel like defeat. Like giving up. So instead you just try to not look at the mean words people are spouting at you on the daily. When it first started you still tried to report every single comment. Blocked every person who insulted you. But once the comments became too many to count you gave up on that as well.

But it's fine. Ignore them all. Swipe it away. Don't look at it. Focus on the nice comments. The people that spammed flame emojis under your recent Instagram selfie. The ones leaving nice comments and replies. Or at least those, that seem neutral. The ones that like to joke around or post memes. Damn, even the people that drop Loona fancams under your tweets are bearable.

But you can ignore them all for the sake of the one message that you actually want to read.

cuddly coala boy: are you going to be watching me later tonight?? i hope you're not mad that i had to cancel our skype date because of this :((

The text came at exactly 4:35 in the morning. Well, 4:35 in the morning in your timezone. That means for him it must have been... wait, what's the time difference again? Where even is he right now? You are too lazy to actually look up timezones right now to properly calculate the difference, but you decide to assume that it was a reasonable time. Well, at least you hope it was fairly reasonable. With the way his schedule works it's not unusual for him to send you messy texts full of typos past midnight when he is exhausted from a day of dance practice and vocal training and he just fell into bed after a quick shower and decided to send you a short text, already half asleep. It's also not rare for him to text you early in the morning. When he is on his way to his first schedule of the day. Early in the morning, but already buzzing with energy and excitement. Sometimes he'd send pictures of his breakfast and gush about the organic canteen. In summer he sent you a picture of the sunrise almost every morning. Because in summer the sun rises so early, that most people sleep through this daily spectacle of nature. But those that are woken up at five in the morning – even earlier on some days – never miss out on a sunrise. And you get to see those pictures of the sunrise in a different country, mostly after you've already missed the sunrise in your own location. Most of the pictures weren't even that special, some of them even too blurry to make out more than washed-out colours and the rough outlines of buildings. On some mornings the sky was too cloudy to show more than a lighter stripe of colour beneath a layer of grey and blue. But even on those days, Felix made it a point to show you the sunrise. And you have all of those pictures saved. Because you are just so goddamn whipped for this sunshine of a boy who sends you pictures of the actual sun every morning alongside a happy good morning text.

I'm not mad at all!! I know that work comes first, I'm sure we'll be able to make up for that skype date, have fun later, I might join when I have the time, but you know how the vlive times sometimes don't work with the timezones :/

It takes you a good fifteen minutes or so until you have finally typed up a reply that you are actually confident sending. You don't want to show that you are actually upset. You don't want to make him feel bad for having to cancel your plans. But it's probably obvious that you feel a little bitter about this. You were understanding the first few times this happened. And of course, you are still understanding. You knew that things would probably be like this. But it's becoming harder to hide your disappointment with every skype call that has to be moved to a different date. Every delayed reply. Every day that passes with just a few short messages being sent back and forth during water breaks.

But you know what you signed up for when you not only agreed on trying this long distance relationship, but trying it with an idol on top of the insane timezone difference.

Seeing the friendly kid you used to go to school with on television was already a weird experience. But finding out that he had become a K-Pop star felt like some kind of fever dream. To be completely honest you didn't even know what K-Pop was until you heard Felix – and his bandmate Chan – talk about it on national television. Your mother had called you downstairs in a frenzy to make you watch the special report. When you got there she was pointing at the screen excitedly, asking you over and over look, look, isn't this a boy you used to go to school with? Did you know that he's famous in Korea now? Isn't this crazy? You could certainly agree with her on that last question. To make a long story short, you spent pretty much the rest of that day – and most of the following week – researching every available bit of information about this K-Pop thing and the group your school friend was now part of. You listened to and downloaded their entire discography within one day. Watched every music video and memorised the member's faces within hours. And in the following days, you went through every vlive video and any other content you could find. Saying you were hooked would have been an understatement.

The thought of reaching out to Felix hadn't crossed your mind until maybe two weeks into your newly discovered obsession. It was a suggestion by a friend who you had a couple of courses together with. She had brought the idea up completely nonchalantly as if just hitting up a celebrity is a thing you do every other day. When you expressed that sentiment she just shrugged as if to say dunno, but weren't you friends with him?

Well, she wasn't really wrong about that. But she also wasn't really right. Sure, Felix and you went to school together. You had classes together for three years and you saw him pretty much every other day. But you were never super close to him. Felix was just that kind of person that everyone was on good terms with. He'd sit down at a different table at lunch every day, nerds and jocks were equally welcoming of him. Everyone likes having Felix around, but he wasn't insanely popular either. If someone would have asked about Felix the most common answer would have been something along the lines ah yeah, that guy, he's really nice, we don't really hang out outside of school though. That was just the kind of relationship almost everyone had with him, the kid you'd do group projects or share a lunch table with but not necessarily your first pick when you wanted to put together a group for karaoke that weekend. So Felix and you weren't really friends. You remember being in a group project with him once and for maybe a month or so he even was your lab partner until the seats were switched but that's pretty much it. Maybe you had a bit of a fleeting crush on him back then. Most girls had. The freckles dusting his cheeks and the big brown eyes gave him something adorable and his sunny personality matched that all too well. But back then as well you never considered acting on those feelings and years later you had almost completely forgotten about them altogether.

Tracking him down was hard, but easier than you thought it would be. Of course, the old phone number you managed to find in some inactive group chat didn't work anymore. And any social media you ever knew he had was deactivated. But somehow – through a friend of a friend of an acquaintance – you managed to get in contact with him again. And you immediately remembered what you had liked about Felix back then. Talking to him was as easy as ever. Somehow texting him didn't feel like talking to a celebrity, but just casually catching up with an old friend from school. Texting every once in a while turned into chatting almost daily. Then the phone calls started. Late-night rambling, one of you always tired from the time zone difference. The first face time call was an accident – at least that's what Felix told you – but the second wasn't. And neither was the twentieth. You've lost count at this point.

The status of your relationship with Felix has been a mystery to you for the longest time. It was clear to you that that little fleeting crush you used to have had come back at ten times the intensity and you were pretty sure that Felix must at least enjoy talking to you enough to stay up way past the time where he should go to sleep at. But even with mutual feelings, there were more than enough stones in your way. Him being a celebrity and the several hour time difference plus living in different countries are probably some of the most obvious trials.

Let's just say it worked... somehow. Is still working. Even if it's tough sometimes. You've seen Felix a total of three times since making it official and all of these were just for a couple of days at most. There's always schedules he has to attend, filming to be done. Your schedules don't match up at all, he has so little free time that you have no other choice than to arrange yourself around it. Make amends. Compromise.

That's not really the problem here. The official part of the whole making it official is actually the root of all evil. Surprisingly enough Felix's company actually allowed him to make an official statement regarding his relationship status and confirming that he was indeed seeing someone. Of course, you were never mentioned by name. But someone somewhere must have taken a picture of you and him meeting up that one time. And someone else must have somehow identified you on that picture and shared your Instagram. And twitter. And pretty much any other public social media you had at that point. All of that within an hour of the announcement being made. You never openly confirmed or denied any "rumours" - or maybe accusations is the more fitting term here – about you and Felix dating. But you didn't have to. They knew enough to hate you for "stealing" him away from them. Of course, not all of them hate you. Some are actually supportive of the relationship. Though that's definitely only because they support Felix and want to see him happy, not because anyone really cares about your hurt feelings here. Then there's also a couple of fans that just ignore the whole thing entirely. According to them, it's all just rumours and there is no way that Felix is actually seeing someone. Don't you know he's a sweet gay baby, uwu? He's actually dating [insert whoever they ship him with here]. At least these comments can be kind of entertaining to read. Sometimes. You've scrolled past entire think pieces and page-long analysis of the smallest interactions turned into super definite proof that there is more going on between those two band members behind the scenes. They are delusional, but at least they are mostly harmless.

And then there are people who just straight-up hate you. And maybe that group is not actually as big as it seems but they are loud. So goddamn loud. And they are mean. You have switched accounts, gone private, deleted and remade. Everything in a desperate attempt to hide from the comments. But they always find you somehow. There is no escape.

A new notification pops up on your phone, you try not to look at it as you delete it but you catch enough of a glimpse to get the gist of it.

You're not good enough... you don't deserve to be with him... you should just do him a favour and break up, he's probably just to nice to do it himself.

It's always the same, you've read it hundreds of times, in every possible phrasing and variation. The bad thing though, you're starting to believe that they might actually be right.

The vlive is happening around noon in your time, which is at least kind of reasonable compared to other times that you have set an alarm to watch some kind of stream or award show or anything similar. You actually don't really want to watch, at least not for your own entertainment. Watching these things for yourself has kind of stopped working after... well yeah, after all that's going on. But you know that Felix would be happy, knowing that you are watching him. So maybe you'll tune in for a bit during your lunch break. Just long enough to take a screenshot and send it to him alongside a short text telling him that you are watching the live and that you really aren't mad. You aren't mad. Just scared.

You click the notification as soon as it appears on your phone. One of the few notifications you are actually happy to receive. The app takes a moment to load and by the time the stream is actually playing it's already flooded with viewers. But the picture is not moving. Or at least the three boys in the frame aren't moving. But you notice something in the background, maybe some kind of curtain, being moved by a breeze. Still, the trio keeps up their game for another few seconds until they all break out into wide grins and start talking. Felix is sitting in the middle, wedged in between Jisung and Hyunjin. The three of them are sitting behind a table that has various playthings scattered on the polished hardwood surface. You spot a box filled with Jenga pieces, next to a card game and a rubik’s cube. You take a couple of screenshots and tap out to send one of them to Felix, of course he won't see it right now but you want to prove that you were actually watching live. When you open the stream again they are already building up the Jenga tower while joking around with each other. Even though you didn't plan to stick around you watch them play games and talk for a while. It's nice. You can almost imagine yourself sitting in a room with them, laughing, cracking jokes and enjoying yourself. You can almost imagine being this close to Felix. Both physically close enough to be in a room with him as well as close enough for him to introduce you to his friends and be allowed to hang out with the group. It's almost in your reach. Almost perfect. Almost.

Felix is messing with the rubik’s cube, trying to solve it after he has insisted for minutes that he knows how it's done, Hyunjin is stopping the time on his phone while Jisung is going through the comments. You yourself haven't dared to take a look at them yet. Even here you aren't save. Most of the time they are flying by so fast that you can't even finish reading one before the next one jumps into vision.

Where is-

can you say hi to-

omg i-

notice me ple-

Most of it is short comments like this, some are just emojis (mostly every different kind of heart there is), wild key smashing and a plethora of "i love you"s in different languages. But some stick out. Some are different. The username is the first thing you notice about that one specific comment.

felix's_girlfriend

When you first made your account you thought about claiming that name for yourself. Just as a joke. But it was already taken. And so was felix's_wife, ilovefelix, freckleslover or any other possibility you could think of. Even when you started adding numbers to the names you couldn't get them. There are at least fifteen people using some variation on Felix's girlfriend as their username. You stopped trying after that.

Jisung probably spots the comment about at the same time as you did.

"Yo, someone with the username felix's_girlfriend just asked when you will finally do a dance cover of the latest Twice song", he says. Or at least something along the lines. You practised Korean to be able to at least get the gist of what's going on when they are talking, but you can't always understand everything. But you sure do understand the way Felix's head just whips up. Like that of a puppy delighted to see its owner coming back home.

"She's watching?", he asks. This time you understand clearly. Jisung looks back at him for a moment, a mixture of shock and surprise on his face. Felix isn't supposed to talk about you. Not here.

"It's just that person's username", he answers, after a moment of silence. Felix's bright smile drops for a moment, but then he nods his head and laughs as if someone just made an amazing joke. The boys continue talking about the Twice comeback and other promotions that are currently going on as if nothing happened. Hyunjin rambles about Got7 while Jisung jokes about how Seungmin is probably really excited about Day6. But the people in the comments are not willing to let go of what happened quite as easily.

I hope that bitch just disappears someone writes. Felix should break up with her, she's not good enough. You can't pretend to not notice it any longer. And maybe the boys noticed too, at least they don't read out any other comments after that one. But you don't really stick around for that long after. You are clearly not welcome here.

The thing is, that you never wanted to drag Felix into this mess. Of course, he is already a part of it, but you didn't want to let him see all of the ugly things that they are saying about you two. Well, in the end it's mostly you they are mad at. Some fans have commented that they are mad or disappointed that Felix would date someone, but they don't say the same things about him that they say about you. And you're glad. You wouldn't wish this on anyone. Especially not Felix, who is always so bright and full of love for his fans. You know that he loves that. He's said it numerous times. And even when he doesn't say it with words, it's obvious. He says it with the way he always smiles and waves at the camera, with all that he pours into performances, with the energy and passion he gives. He loves them.

Felix has never said the l-word to you.

Your phone rings about three hours later. You are hesitant to pick up when you see his name light up on the screen, but you don't want to lead him to believe that you are mad at him or anything.

"Hey there, why are you calling? Isn't it the middle of the night where you are?" You try to make your voice sound cheerful. Like you are a little surprised that he is calling you at that time but all in all happy that he is calling you. Confused, but a pleasant kind of surprise. You're probably not all that convincing, but maybe it's enough since this is just a phone call. Not even video this time.

"Ah, I just wanted to check in on you", Felix replies. His voice sounds a little bit drowsy. A soft kind of deep rumble. Bedroom voice, but not the sexy kind. The soft I'm about to curl up and fall asleep voice. You've heard that before, fell asleep to that soft voice talking to you over the phone. For a moment you almost crack. You can feel the tears welling up in your eyes, but you blink them away quickly.

"Oh, I'm fine, just got back home a while ago, going to make myself some food soon. How was your day, did that live go well?"

"Hmm, did you watch it?"

"Oh, just for a bit. I was... busy." Somehow you feel guilty saying it like that. Sure, you did only watch maybe about half of it. You told him in advance that you probably wouldn't watch the whole thing. But you have a feeling that there is a reason he is asking. And you are purposely avoiding it. Felix stays silent for a moment, maybe hesitant to bring it up himself. And for a moment you hope that he just won't. That you can both pretend that everything is alright and just joke around like usual. When he finally does speak his voice sounds so sad.

"There were some... not so nice comments about you. Did you see them?"

You consider lying but you don't see the point in it. He probably knows that you have seen them.

"Yeah."

"Do they often say things like that to you?"

"... yeah."

"That's... awful. I'm so sorry."

You take a deep breath. You really never wanted him to find out about how cruel the fans he loves so much can really get. Of course he knew that not everyone approved of him having a relationship and of course he's seen some of the gossip articles that the tabloids write about you. But what the fans say behind the protection of anonymity is so much worse than that.

"It's not your fault", you mutter finally. You can hear Felix take a deep breath as well.

"You don't- you don't believe what they say, do you? You know that I would never break up with you just like that. You are enough. More than I could ever ask for."

You aggressively blink your eyes a couple of times and tilt back your head. You don't want to cry. It always becomes obvious in your voice when you start crying and you really don't want to worry him any more.

"I know, but it's nice to hear. Thank you."

There's noises in the background. Some loud clatter, like dishes falling over and then several voices talking over each other. You haven't thought about it yet but Felix must be calling you from the dorm. There is the sound of a door being opened, a little noise of surprise and then it's being shut close again. Probably someone looking for Felix.

"You should probably hang up soon", you mumble. Not because you want him to, but because you know that the longer this goes on the harder it will be for you to not burst into tears.

"I guess. I'll call you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, I'd like that very much."

"Great then... good night."

"Goodnight."

"Hey, (y/n), I love you."

"I love you too, Felix."

[liam-93-productions]

Liam Payne has today released a brand new collection of remixes of his recent single "Live Forever" (with Cheat Codes) via Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada, the country's leading music company.

Listen to the "Live Forever" remixes BELOW.

The club-inspired reworks include mixes by Dutch-Moroccan DJ and producer R3hab, British house duo 99 Souls, LA-based producer Mahalo, and Dee Swan & Gregatron.

The remixes, which are available now, in full are:

Live Forever (with Cheat Codes) (R3hab Remix) Live Forever (with Cheat Codes) (99 Souls Remix) Live Forever (with Cheat Codes) (Mahalo Remix) Live Forever (with Cheat Codes) (Dee Swan & Gregatron Remix)

The original song is taken from Liam’s debut album, LP1, which was released in December on Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada, and features all of Liam’s global smash hit singles including "Strip That Down", "Polaroid" and "Familiar". The stunning video for "Live Forever" was shot on location on the Isle Of Wight starring Liam and Cheat Codes by the beach.

Platinum-selling Liam has sold more than 18 million singles and over 2.4 million albums in less than three years as a solo artist since One Direction. He has been streamed a total of 3.9 billion times.

[gruntydiecast]

Casting Call: Vector W8

First off, I’d like to apologize for the fact that I’ve not been updating my Tumblr lately. I’ve been busy at work and haven’t had time to write something. To make up for this... I’m writing quite possibly one of my longest posts yet.

By popular demand, this is the casting you chose on Instagram for me to document: the Vector W8. Grab some popcorn, a drink or some music... and enjoy the read. This is also in some ways a car that time forgot, but it’s not a concept car... but I can break the rules because I made them.

When it comes to cars of the ‘80s, there is a debate as to what the best car of the era was. Many say it would be either the Lamborghini Countach or the Ferrari Testarossa. But I have something that is neither of those things. Today, we’re going to take a trip down memory lane and explore the car that attempted to elevate a small company to the dizzying heights of the supercar realm. This... is the Vector W8.

First, here’s a bit of background. The W8 was manufactured by a company known as Vector Motors, then known as Vector Aeromotive. The company was founded in 1971 as Vehicle Design Force by Gerald “Jerry” Wiegert in Wilmington, California; we’ll get to the full history of Vector in a post in the near future because it is honestly very interesting.

In essence, the W8 was a highly refined version of the Vector W2, one of the company’s initial prototypes (the “W” in the name stood for “Wiegert”). Wiegert wanted to put the W2 into production, but an economical downturn prevented him from doing so. However, by the ‘80s, Wiegert had eventually secured enough capital through public stock offerings and even various lawsuits, allowing him to chase his dream: to build his ultimate sports car, designed and built by his own company.

Design inspiration for the W8 (and by extension the W2) came from this green car: the Alfa Romeo Carabo (Hot Wheels actually did a model of this way back when). Its sleek, futuristic and aerodynamic design was perfect for Wiegert, especially with the aerospace theme the company was going for in the ‘80s.

Combining the sleek looks of the Carabo with the geometry and technology of fighter jets of the time like the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F/A-18 Hornet, Wiegert and chief designer David Kostka set out to create what would be quite possibly the most insane supercar of the ‘80s, and probably still is now: the Vector W8. The term “Aeromotive Engineering” was used to describe the process of manufacturing this car, for the car used the newest and most advanced aerospace materials when manufacturing the W8.

The car passed the mandatory DOT crash tests and emissions tests. It used a semi-aluminum monocoque chassis which was epoxy bonded and riveted using 5000 aircraft-specification rivets with an aluminum honeycomb floorpan. The body was made mainly of carbon fiber and Kevlar. The car featured scissor doors, like a Lamborghini.

The beating heart of the W8 was this: a highly-modified aluminum resleevable 6.0L Rodeck twin-turbocharged racing V8 with variable boost pressure. The engine produced 625 horsepower and made 649 lb⋅ft (880 N⋅m) of torque at 4,900 rpm at 8 psi of boost pressure, and as if the Rodeck V8 couldn’t get any more ridiculous, it featured TRW forged pistons, Carrillo stainless steel connecting rods, stainless steel valves and roller rocker arms, a forged crank, a dry-sump oiling system with three separate filters and braided stainless steel hoses with anodized red and blue fittings. This engine sounded mad; click here to hear a Vector starting up and revving.

Yes, you heard that correctly; variable boost. The boost for both turbochargers was adjustable from 8 to 14 psi through a dial in the interior. And speaking of which, let’s talk about that next; because, if you thought the engine was already mad enough, the interior is on a whole other level.

As you can see, the interior of the W8 is mad. Fighter jet-inspired screen? Check. A million buttons everywhere? Check. Gauges? ...no check. And hang on... is that what I think it is? A Turbo-Hydramatic 425 transmission?

Yep, that’s right, and that just makes the car a lot more insane; this ridiculously powerful 6.0L Rodeck V8 was mated to a 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 425 automatic transmission. Next to it on the right was the handbrake, sort of shaped like the throttle on a fighter jet. Due to the placement of the transmission and the handbrake, the driver side doorsill is very, very wide, making it a bit tough for the driver to get in and out of the car. You will also notice that there are buttons on top of the gear stick. I’ll get to those now.

As if this car couldn’t get any more ridiculous. This is the screen of the Vector W8, with four different settings (controlled with those four buttons), marked “Main”, “Performance”, “Performance” again and “Chassis”. This is the “Main” screen, showing the odometer, fuel gauge, speedometer and tachometer.

This is the first “Performance” screen, showing engine temperature, oil pressure and temperature, the tachometer reading and various other metrics.

The third screen was the second “Performance” screen, showing the transmission pressure (because it had a torque converter) and transmission temperature as well as battery voltage.

The last screen was the “Chassis” screen, which showed a picture of the W8 which updated in real time when a door was opened, when the engine compartment was opened and so on.

On the other side, you will notice that the W8 doesn’t actually have a partition between the driver and passenger side footwells. So it is a little awkward. This car also has no glovebox; in its place is a... CD changer?

Yes, that’s right. The car came with an in-car stereo... and a Sony CDX-A2001 ten-disc CD changer which graced the entire right side of the car’s already insane instrument panel. This was a nice innovation, although it did came with one drawback; no passenger-side airbags. Good luck if you get into a crash riding shotgun.

Back to the interior though. It was upholstered in premium leather and suede, with electrically adjustable leather Recaro seats and featured a premium air-conditioning system. Some driving amenities such as power steering were excluded. The seating position for the driver was made slightly towards the center for better drivability.

The rear of the W8 was dominated by lines, and the rear sightline... wasn’t very good, mainly because of that gigantic wing. The license plate holder is located on the left and apparently may have been an afterthought. “TWINTURBO” is seen gracing the back.

The car also features a trunk which is just behind the engine.

As for the front... oh, right, the headlamps. They’re not pop-up... they’re pop-DOWN.

The car also has a storage cubby up front, although really, it wasn’t much.

Also gracing the front were windshield wipers, as you would expect on practically every other car. However, there wasn’t just one, nor was there just two: there were THREE. A moonroof was also standard. It also had sliding side windows like a race car, as well as power-adjustable side mirrors.

The logo on the side of the car was the only thing that really gave any indication as to what manufacturer it was.

The car had unique six-spoke “turbine” wheels fitted to Michelin XGT Plus tires; the car used 255/45ZR-16s in the front and very, very strange 315/40ZR-16s in rear. These wheels were apparently of a bespoke design made to the driver’s specifications. 

In terms of suspension, the W8 featured double A-arms up front and De Dion tube suspension at the rear, located by four trailing arms that stretched all the way forward to the firewall. The W8 used 13-inch vented disc brakes with Alcon aluminum 4-piston calipers.

In terms of performance, the Vector shined; it claimed to be able to do 389 km/h (242 mph) and a 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) time of 3.9 seconds. These numbers were never officially tested, but if true, these are very impressive numbers for the time. Okay, enough about the W8’s performance and figures; let’s get to the part you’ve been waiting for, the history.

The W8 was first introduced in 1988 with a sticker price of about $185,000, priced within striking range of European competitors like the Lamborghini Diablo.

One high profile owner of a W8 was this man: Andre Agassi, although he ended up giving the car a bit of a bad rap. Agassi had insisted that his car be delivered before it was fully prepared; Vector agreed to this on the condition that Agassi not drive it and keep it in storage as the car was adjusted for the various emissions regulations in place. Agassi did not listen and drove it and ended up burning the rear carpeting due to an overly hot exhaust system; Agassi ended up requesting for a refund, which was ultimately granted. I’ll let you decide who’s at fault here.

Car And Driver magazine also tested the W8, but couldn’t complete testing because all three cars they were sent somehow managed to break down in different ways, leading to even more bad publicity. However, not all is bad as Road and Track magazine waxed lyrical about the Vector, praising practically every aspect of the W8’s performance.

Vector was still going strong in 1993, selling W8s; however, Wiegert was already planning for a successor. That successor was to be known as the AWX-3, better known as the WX-3 (Hot Wheels also made a model of this one too), where the name stood for Avtech Wiegert eXperimental, 3rd generation.

I’ll get into more details of the WX-3 in a later blog when I receive my WX-3 from the United States. Production of the W8 ultimately came to a halt in 1993 as Wiegert attempted to put the WX-3 into production; however, as the company was engaged in a hostile takeover by a Bermuda-based Indonesian company known as MegaTech, production never resumed and Vector entered a sharp decline. I’ll get into the rest of that history in another post.

In total, twenty-two cars were produced; seventeen of which were customer cars and five of which were prototypes. The car is now worth over $1 million today; so, if for some reason you ever see a car that looks like this on the roads, drop everything and take as many pictures as you can, because you have just seen one of only twenty-two Vector W8s. Okay, now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, let’s get to the reason why you’re here.

This... is the Hot Wheels version of the Vector W8. Named the Vector W8 Twinturbo in the Hot Wheels lineup, this casting was first introduced in the 2012 HW Boulevard series in the Ahead Of Its Time sub-series. This casting was designed by Manson Cheung.

The base of the W8 features no mention of “Vector” anywhere; instead, just the SKU is displayed: W4831.

The sides feature the text “VECTOR W8 TWINTURBO” and nothing else. Black lines streak across the back to represent the engine cover.

The rear fascia is nice, although my only real gripe is a lack of rear detail apart from the engine cover.

The front fascia is also well done, with “VECTOR” and “TWIN TURBO” on the windshield, although a lack of detail on the body apart from the side reflectors leaves me wanting more. The interior is painfully cramped so I can’t get any good photographs, but what I see are the Turbo-Hydramatic shift lever, the steering wheel, seats and molded pedals (those pedals are part of the base). The distinctive screen and CD changer are absent from the instrument panel, but of course, you can’t have everything.

Folks, I believe you may have heard of the term “One-Hit Wonder” before. This is exactly an example of that; the W8 only saw one release in the HW Boulevard series and has not been seen since. As a result, prices for the Vector have been steadily climbing on eBay and I don’t see them going down for some time; why don’t you take a look for yourself?

I hope this long writeup has given you a better idea on this turbocharged thrasher, and what is quite possibly my new favorite supercar from the ‘80s; step aside, Lamborghini Countach. As usual, I’d do something like this any day.

This article is the first in a three-part series I will call The Vector Saga. The series will document the W8, the WX-3, and the history of Vector Motors as a whole.