#the story it was written for as much 😅😅😂)

[yunmew]

Some of today's I don't wanna work! WFH JAMS 💪

Taehyun is a rock!!! 😭

Your world is my world~🎶 But seriously marriage when 😭😭

I LOVE MY TEAM I LOVE MY CREW!!!! 😭😭😭

[lisa-russell]

Off the Hook means something to me.

I was first introduced to Splatoon via a single piece of fanart. It was Octo Expansion, I grew intrigued and looked further on. And was introduced to the world of Splatoon.

I slowly read through all the lovingly written fan stories I came across on the Inkernet. Read the fancomics and lil blurbs people had on their belowved OC and Versions of the N.S.S.

Than I heard the music.

What wonderous and uinque sound the world of Splatoon has. Spawning epic remixes and Original Spatbands/Idol groups, based from these songs and tunes. Splatify and Youtube, led me to finding more than over 400 of these melodies.

I was than was gifted a switch, and a copy of Splatoon 2. I played it and finally understood why so many infish fell in love with this world, why it was such a hit over in japan...i could only watch others play, now I had the key to this world in my hands.

I loved the lore and sometimes silly, sometimes serious and sometimes sad aspects of each games main herostory/DLC. Those where a perfect way of getting to know the world and its Idols, and what profound power music has on its inhabitants.

Or how the Precursors (Humans) still left their mark on the world, in far more startling revelations as we found out from Splatoon 3, from a beloved immortal pyschic cat, to the tragic bonesyards of millions of lost lives and the Precursor Technology left behind by said humans.

I found myself smiling at the antics and downright funny moments of the games.

Than Octo Expansion came out and changed everything.

Giving release, freedom and light to many tragedies. The dark theme and horrifying discoveries found in the metro was a spin far from the colourful streets of Inkoplis or Octarian Territory.

OfftheHook became a bigger role in the game, I legit tried not to cry when the credits rolled...

Well you all know what came after that a few months later. The finalfest came and that victory decided the fate of Splatoons future to a greater degree than Splatoon 1 in certain aspects.

I waited, enjoyed the Splatoon Community until Splatoon 3 was announced and everying lost there clamming heads lol. I saved up from my Birthdays and bought S3.

It had its ups and downs but i cant lie, I am having a lot fun. I was freaking excited when Side Order came out. Bringing with it some much needed answers and closers to Octo Expansion and whatnot. The fact Offthehook was back was just inkcredible. I have a hate/love relationship with Salmonrun/Bigrun.

And now where just being bombarded with new content out of nowhere! And i thought we inkfish went crazy when splatoon 3 came out. Its shucking everywhere now lmao!

Between the recent Nintendo Summer2024 Magizine INTERVIEW, SummerNights Fest...and the sudden Starchfest(lol) the 8.1.0 update and than... a surpise drop Japan did at 12-am, 1 am in the morning. Next day, its spread EVERYWHERE.

Cue the international freakout wave. 😂🤣😂I'll admit i was surfing that wave too. 😅

When I saw the video, a squealed and was also a little sad knowing the end is coming soonish. I saw offthehook and was like thats my team,100%.

I am TEAM PRESENT!

[childotkw]

Self-rec time! What are your favorite five fics that you've written and why? After replying to this ask, feel free pass on to five other writers to spread the love. 💗

Oh god, this is like picking a favourite child 😅😅 but I'll rank them from most to least

1. Consuming Shadows

This was my first big story back, after I stopped writing for about six years. I was just testing the waters, having fun, and I wanted to play around with a ship I had only really just started consuming content for. It very quickly reignited my passion for writing, and it's blown up in such a way that I had never anticipated. I love the plot, I love the characters, I love Hadrian's progression from snarky but emotionally distant figure to a genuinely warm and loving friend, I love how well I managed to keep the threads of storylines and foreshadowing together, and I love the slow development of Hadrian and Tom's relationship in a way that's believable and does them both justice. The fact that so many people have resonated with it over the years has really left a mark on me, and I'll never forget all the things this story gave me.

2. you belong to me (i belong to you)

This one really was just my 'haha this is for the lolz' story. It was never meant to be popular or as big as it is. I was just fumbling around, wanting to write a cool time travel story, and then I came up with the Twist and it was no longer a joke 😂 I love the dynamics in it, I love Harry's general vibe, I love Orion and his chaos gremlin schtick. I'm still amazed that I came up with the plot twist (like, seriously, I don't think I can ever replicate that). And the fact that this story grew so popular and that so many people have enjoyed what started as my funny lil project overwhelms me in the best way.

3. The Lone Wolf Dies (But The Pack Survives)

In a lot of ways, this was a love letter to Regulus. I'd never really given him much thought as a character, but I fell in love with my interpretation of him. He's incredibly complex, and the future potential of the story really makes me excited.

4. ruination

Again, it's more the potential of this story that makes me love it. I wasn't super comfortable writing for asoiaf, and the fandom makes me...uneasy in a lot of ways. But I greatly enjoy all the ways this story could go. Lucerys intrigues me, and my interpretation of his character is especially fun to think about. I want to explore the slow but fundamental shift in a character, something that leads to them becoming almost unrecognisable. I love fantasy, and getting to play around in such an immersive world makes me giddy.

5. i don't owe you my forgiveness

It's only one chapter at the moment, but I really really really love the concept of soulmate rejection and the bitterness that is sown by Tom's hasty actions. The inherent power imbalance - originally in Tom's favour and then very dangerously in Harry's - is one dynamic I can't wait to sink my teeth into.

[those70scomics]

Hi hi hi!

So, since you watched the show as it was airing I wanted to ask if Hyde and Jackie were always intended to become a ship and if they were, how do you know? Also, how do you know the original intention was for them to get engaged at the end of season 7, before it was renewed? (Outside from the obvious) I'm so curious

Hi! 😊

I'll start with how I know what I know. The T7S message board at Fan Forum was created very shortly after T7S began airing. When I became co-moderator of the board (less than ten years ago? Around ten?), I read every single post. Including those that were lost in what was called "the purge" by using the Internet Wayback Machine when Fan Forum was called Forum 4 Fans. These are the earliest posts one can find about the show.

This effort took me weeks. I read tens upon tens of thousands of posts and T7S / T7S fandom history. Followed links to defunct T7S fansites (again, the Internet Wayback Machine). This includes reading articles and transcripts of interviews with the cast, producers, writers, and showrunners. Press releases. News about cast negotiations.

Within these posts and fansites are people who went to tapings and wrote thorough reports. People who spoke to producers at tapings. People who (were) connected to people who worked on the show. Wilmer Valderrama posted himself in the board and interacted with fans. Remember, this forum existed before Twitter/X, before Facebook, before Tumblr. These forums were where social media started.

This was also the time of Myspace, and some of the cast posted there, too, which was reported on the message board.

As I found all the info through my research, I posted it in fresh threads on the message board. I also inherited my grandfather's eiditic memory and have partial highly superior autobiographical memory -- which is, thankfully, nowhere near Marilu Henner's complete HSAM. Of course, if I place a pen down and I'm distracted, I'll forget where I put the pen a second later 😂.

Facts stick in my head. Once I know it, I remember it. For example, I used to recite one of my college classes from start to finish to my friends (those who were interested). I've forgotten half the class by now. I learned how to let go of certain info so it wouldn't drive me 🤪. But not autobiographical memories. Those I re-experience like I'm watching a movie but with all thoughts and feelings attached. It's a visceral trip. A blessing and sometimes not so much. 😅

Anyway, there's the how.

Jackie and Hyde weren't always intended to endgame. The Filgos were writers on the show a few years before they were chosen as showrunners. During Jackie and Hyde's season 2-3 arc, the Filgos became enamored of the chemistry between the characters.

When the Filgos were chosen sometimes during season 4 to be the showrunners moving ahead (season 5 through the original end of the show, season 7), they asked the current showrunners to break up Jackie and Kelso by the end of season 4 because they wanted to pair Jackie and Hyde in season 5.

In the second half of season 4, one can see the change in Jackie and Kelso's relationship. It grows more and more toxic, a turn from their previous growth away from their original toxicity. It's written in stages rather than a sudden shift, so it's grounded in story and character.

From season 5, Jackie and Hyde were intended to be endgame. During the press for season 7 before it aired, the cast made clear this was the final season.

The Filgos were contracted through season 7. They got their next job since T7S was ending. Topher was moving into his movie career fully. The scripts, including the series finale, were written. Shows were filmed and began to air

Then Fox decides to renew the show (safer to continue a popular series than to risk $$$ on a new show). But the Filgos already had a new job lined up. They couldn't break that contract. They hoped whoever was hired after them would follow through on their vision for the show and reasonably expected the new showrunners to respect the past seven years of character a d relationship development.

But the showrunners hired were a) probably cheaper to pay because this was their first showrunning gig and b) presented their vision for season 8, which was to "bring it back to the humor and feel of season 1" -- the only season they liked, clearly, but didn't watch very carefully or with any depth of understanding.

W.V. also had in his contract changes for his character, including him ending up with one of the principal female characters. It wasn't going to be Donna, obviously, so that left Jackie. Not a problem for the S8 showrunners who hated J/H and, very evidently, Jackie as a character.

So instead of following through on the storyline the Filgos left them (i.e. reconcile fan-favorite couple Jackie and Hyde for good) to ease them into the role, they destroyed Jackie and Hyde's relationship because [partially direct quotation, partially close paraphrase from a magazine interview published before season 8 aired], "We never understood it. We never liked it. We think it was a mistake for the show to pair them romantically, so we're returning them to their season 1 dynamic. They were originally antagonists, and they should have stayed that way. That's where the humor is."

Fortunately, frustratingly, and sadly, someone connected to the show revealed Jackie's endgame from the original series finale, the original season 7 finale: Hyde proposes to Jackie, and they get engaged. Their season 7 arc is built around this endgame. Despite the script revisions and rewrites made when season 8 was greenlit, their original endgame remains evident throughout the second half of season 7.

Hyde tells Eric peacefully and happily (for Hyde) that he's decided [to marry Jackie]. Jackie would have actually left for Chicago, leaving Hyde the note he reads shortly after his decision. Kelso was not involved. But the rewrite, I believe, changed Jackie to having pretended to leave. It's messy writing, but it sets up that Kelso must now drive Jackie to Chicago. He's in her motel room, etc.

The original scripts likely have Jackie go to Chicago before the deadline she set for the ultimatum. Hyde is naturally upset and angry because he'd decided within her deadline to propose, but she deprived him of the chance after forcing the choice.

Hyde's conversation with Eric and Donna about his feelings (in Hyde's way) was probably in the original script. Donna calls out Hyde, realizing he was going to propose. Later, Eric tells Hyde he recognizes that Hyde became happy once he and Jackie got together.

All of the above is easily discernable. The following is conjecture based on the facts, foreshadowing, the Filgos' intended endgame for Jackie and Hyde, and my education and experience as a writer.

These conversations lead Hyde to break out of his misery and go to Chicago (with a ring) and follow-through with the proposal -- a huge character moment for him. He's going to fight for Jackie even if she ultimately rejects him (a parallel to "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" in season 5, where Jackie professes her love and doesn't care if Hyde says it back).

Hyde would have knocked on Jackie's motel door. She would've been shocked and asked Hyde what he's doing there. He would have entered and gotten on one knee. The audience would have squealed. Hyde would have proposed in a way true to himself -- not sentimentally but touching nonetheless.

She'd be in shock. "I can't believe you came to Chicago ... "

Hyde says his knee is starting to hurt, so she better make up her mind before he's forced to stand up.

Jackie: "Yes! Steven, yes, I'll marry you!"

Hyde blows out a heavy breath in all kinds of relief, stands up, and puts the ring on Jackie's finger. Jackie and Hyde kiss and embrace. Then Jackie examines the ring and is surprised he didn't go on the cheap like Eric.

Hyde: "Yeah, well, I asked W.B. for help."

Jackie: "But you hate hand-outs!"

Hyde: "It's not a hand-out! It's a loan. I'm gonna pay him back."

Jackie stares at Hyde lovingly.

Hyde: "What?"

Jackie: "This is our first fight as fiancés!"

Hyde laughs quietly then kisses Jackie again.

Fade out.

Other scenes to finish off the series, including the reveal to Jackie and Hyde's friends and family about their engagement.

[zepskies]

Hello hun! 😊

Okay, since I'm still on hold up here 🙈, I thought I send you a question.

How do you find a plot for your storys? What get's your inspiration going or what does spark you to make it a WIP?

So interested to hear how it works for you. 😁

Hey there, lovely!! 💜

Aww still waiting on Tracker to come out for you, huh? Almost there, right? 😅

But thank you for this question! The lovely @luci-in-trenchcoats asked me a similar one not too long ago in this ask, so my answer will be similar on some things.

⚡ Getting inspiration for stories:

Initially, my imagination always gets sparked by the "What If" question. Here are a few examples:

"What if Soldier Boy could be redeemed?" (Break Me Down - Soldier Boy x Reader)

"What if Dean Winchester had a Latina girlfriend?" (Midnight Espresso - Dean x Plus-sized Latina!Reader)

"What if Dean was a firefighter?" (Smoke Eater - Firefighter!Dean x Reader)

"What if Dean met his soulmate in season 1?" (Never Say Goodbye - Dean x Soulmate!Reader)

"What if Russell Shaw set his sights on his sister's best friend?" (Every Second Counts - Russell Shaw x Reader)

"What if you had a messy past you were running from, just like the new sheriff in town?" (Take Me Home - Beau Arlen x Reader)

You get the idea. 😂

✍🏽 Developing the plot:

After that, where I draw ideas for the plot depends on the kind of story I'm writing. And for that, I'm a big advocate of:

"Write what you know."

"Write what you can research."

"Write what you're interested in."

"Write what you've never tried to do before (but may secretly want to)."

Again, a couple of examples...

Break Me Down:

With BMD, I already had a loose concept in Checkerboard, with the reader working surveillance at Supe Affairs. It would paint her and Soldier Boy (Ben) as enemies from the start. "Enemies to lovers" was a trope I had never written before, but I thought it was a fun challenge, besides the obvious one of attempting to "redeem" Soldier Boy lol.

In general, I'm a sucker for the gruff, devil-may-care, rough exterior guy who only becomes soft for his girl. 😂

More practically though, I drew from the source material a bit for the Black Noir twist (the comics), and also from my love of Smallville for some of the superhero plot aspects. I also knew that if the reader was going to eventually give Ben a chance and see the humanity underneath, she would need time to do it. So what better way than with an accidental kidnapping? 😅

And somehow it became this quasi- Beauty & the Beast storyline that developed into Ben and the reader saving one another, in more ways than one. 💚

Smoke Eater:

With this story, I had several influences that helped me develop the plot. I have a deep and abiding love for cop and medical procedurals like Law & Order, House MD, and Chicago PD, but also for Chicago Fire in particular. (Also my uncle was a firefighter.) That helped me create Firehouse 25 and decide which canon characters I wanted to pull into the narrative.

It was my first ever full AU as well, so I drew a lot from the SPN canon S1-2 storyline to create the overarching murder mystery/the string of arsons. I was also very much impacted from stories my friends had told me of their experiences with sexual harassment, which is unfortunately where the Nick storyline came in.

And I actually drew a lot from my own experience with grief and loss in that story. Specifically in the challenges the reader faces with her family (with Dean's help). I wasn't conscious of it at the time, but after I wrote the initial drafts and started editing each chapter, I realized just where I was drawing from for that storyline. 💙

All that to say, that's a snapshot into my process from ideation to plotting! It's not always easy when you hit those difficult beats in a story, whether it's grief and loss, trauma and PSTD, or just the difficulties of making complex plot lines connect.

But overall, I do my best to have fun. If I'm not having fun, then why am I writing? 😘

Anyway. 😂 Thank you so much for this question, my friend! @jessjad I'm pretty sure this is way more than you wanted to hear, but I so appreciate you for asking about my writing process! 💗

[cherrygorilla]

Ok, so you may or may not have inspired me with your Outsiders post to interrupt my usually sparse story post schedule and indulge in my own obsession with a certain musical. And as chaotic and random as it sounds, I promise it is good haha. But even if you disagree, please just let me vent and get all this out of my brain so that I can go back to writing the next part of TMM 😂

Alright, I've loved Starlight Express ever since I saw it when I was around... 7 or 8, maybe? It used to be my favourite show for years, and (fun fact) it was actually how I found out about fanfiction haha. I never wrote anything properly for the show, just like one or two pages in a random notebook when I was, idk 11 ? But it was around that time that TBM then came out, which I was obviously more drawn to writing-wise - I suppose because it gave me more freedom with stories and characters, since this show is just...you know...about trains lol.

And from the few times I've mentioned it before, I know it probably sounds insane, but if you just suspend your disbelief and accept it for what it is (a bunch of trains singing and falling in love), it is a lot of fun hahaha. I like to think of it like a mix between Cats and Cinderella, but the basic gist of the story, so you can have at least somewhat of an idea of what's going on lol, is that Control (a little kid - I don't think they have a name, they're literally just known as Control) sneaks out of bed one night to hold this big race between all his toy trains to find out who is the best - so the story essentially takes place within his imagination, as all the trains come to life to tell the story. It's like Cats in the regard that most of the first act is everyone kind of introducing themselves in turn. There's Greaseball, the champion diesel train, Rusty, the little steam engine who wants to race with the big trains, and Electra, the electric engine of the future - and a bunch of other trains and coaches, but I won't bore you with all that (just yet 😉). So, to cut a long story short, it's basically a big competition between those three main trains to see who's fastest, with Rusty being the obvious underdog, and hence the centre of the Cinderella story element.

The plot itself is nothing groundbreaking, and neither are the songs tbh, but it's just such a fun show that I can't help but love it anyway. I mean come on, the whole thing's done on roller skates - that's pretty damn cool! And although I've loved it for years, it had taken quite a backseat for a while, but the recent revival that has recently opened in London has really reignited my obsession with it all over again 😆 Because how do you make my favourite pairing in the whole show even more iconic? ...you turn them into lesbians 😎 Plus the costumes were all reimagined by Gabriella Slade, who did the costumes for Six, and they look SO cool!

Now, a big part of why I loved your Outsiders post so much was all the story ideas/similarities for characters you included, but I can't really do that here because (once again)... they're all trains, and none of them are really that deep or serious anyway. BUT, what I did think might be fun, would be going through who I think each of our characters would be good at playing if they were (for some bizarre reason) to ever put on the show - because I do have some strong opinions about that haha. And, as a little bonus, I have written some little random one-off story snippets that are Starlight Express adjacent that I'll throw in at the end lol - more as a reward for you wading through all my nonsense than anything tbh. But they were fun to write too haha.

So yeah, welcome to the insane workings of my brain - and pull up a chair; this could take a while 😅

Ok, I think the best place to start would be with going through the characters in the show and, like I said, matching them up with potential characters of ours I think would be good at playing them. I'll sort of elaborate on 'why' for each one too to help keep things entertaining from an outside perspective lol - and hopefully to help back up my arguments for each lmao. Because, let's face it, none of our characters have particularly...train-like characteristics. 😂

First up we've got Rusty, who's essentially the show's main character. Most of the conflict in the show centres around him; the 'better' trains all totally disregard him, a lot of the coaches tease him, and although he loves Pearl, she's more interested in the newer, more exciting trains than boring, quiet little Rusty. BUT, as with all Cinderella stories, he comes out on top in the end; he wins the race (I would say spoiler alert, but it's also like...duh 🙄😂) and gets his dream girl. He's a really likeable underdog character throughout the story though, and he does put up a good fight to come out victorious, which I appreciate - he doesn't just lay down and let everyone walk (well, roll 😉) all over him.

Now, who do I think would be good to play Rusty? Well, as I mention later on in the one-shots, and have potentially mentioned elsewhere too, I weirdly feel like Riven would really like the show. Maybe he has some childhood nostalgia linked to it like I do - maybe his dad took him to see it when he was younger since it involves skating? I don't know all the details, but something within me tells me Riven would like this show lmao. And so, in the spin-off scenario where our characters put on this show (which is the one I'll always lead with in these things), I think he'd want to take a leading role in the directing side of it - and probably spear-headed the campaign for putting it on in the first place tbh haha. BUT, I feel like a lot of people at Camp (because yes, I think they'd do this at Camp; I don't know when else they would all want to put on a show like this lmao) would think the whole thing was an insane idea, and wouldn't want anything to do with it (because it kind of is an insane idea). SO, I think that Riven would not only end up directing most of the show, I also think he'd have to step into Rusty's skates - which wouldn't be as daunting as he initially expected since he knows the show so well already. Plus, besides the backstory element, I just think he'd be a really cute Rusty; his auburn hair is perfect for it, he's a quietly determined guy, and he's an experienced skater, so he'd have no trouble taking on such a demanding role in terms of the skating.

So yeah, Riven would be my first pick. BUT, this new revival of the show that's being performed in London is playing Rusty and Pearl (his love interest, who we'll get to in a minute) in a much more innocent, shy way - and it's freaking adorable. And I think if we were leaning into more of that version of the show, Royce would make a brilliant Rusty if Vivien could be his Pearl. I don't know how likely he'd be to take on another leading role after being thrown into Hairspray like he was in your last Camp Wanamaker story, especially one that required him to be on roller skates the entire time, but I think he'd really nail it with that more innocent, down-trodden interpretation of the character.

But if everyone was willingly getting involved in the show, and they wanted to lean more into the old-school portrayal of Rusty and Pearl, that feels a little older, and more heavily romantically driven, then I feel like Miles and Carrie make SO much sense for those parts. The whole 'chasing after a girl you think is out of your league' thing has both Miles and Rusty written all over, and I think Miles would, again, play that fluctuating determination and defeat really well. Plus, I know this doesn't really mean anything, but his struggles for money do parallel Rusty being this rundown, tattered, but persistent little steam train pretty well... 😂

Ok, now we'll move onto Pearl. Pearl is the newest coach in the little kid's collection, and is therefore the most sought-after racing partner (since all the trains need to race with a coach - idk why, it's just part of the story I suppose lol). Sometimes she's a 'first class' coach, sometimes she's an 'observation car', it doesn't really matter - all that matters is that all the trains want to race with her, and although she has a soft spot for Rusty, who has loved her all along, she gets seduced by the flashiness of his competitors, and it takes her almost getting wrecked in the final race for her to see sense. She can be a little naive sometimes, or will sometimes just blatantly play the field (depending on how you play her), but her heart is always in the right place, which is what still makes her so likeable.

Again, for Pearl I've got multiple options for who could play her, but I'll start with Juliet. The new all-white version of Pearl's costume that they use in the current Bochum production just screams Juliet to me: that sleek sophistication and quiet confidence, but also a touch of flirty, girly charm is so her! And I think she'd make a great leading lady - which is why she's my pick for that spin-off scenario version of the show. Pearl has some great songs, which would be perfect for Juliet to show off more of her voice, with her wanting to be a singer eventually, and with you hinting at Riven and Juliet maybe having a little bit of a fling or something in your last STDP post, having them play the two leads here seems like a perfect fit for them! Rusty thinking Pearl's way out of his league, but Pearl falling for his kindness and good heart anyway - that just screams Riven and Juliet to me! Pearl also has a strong sisterhood-type friendship with the other coaches, which I think really works for Juliet too. And Pearl does try to stand up for what she thinks is right when the bigger trains start taking the competition a little too far - so I think Juliet could bring a great deal of her own strength to her portrayal of the character as well.

Now, my second choice for Pearl, links with the second choice for Rusty above, which is, obviously Vivien. I feel like the new London revival Pearl was MADE for Vivien to play; the whole space-y vibes of the show, the fact that they made her purple, and the fact that they made her this happy little ball of excitement, with a touch more innocence than previous Pearls - she's perfect for Vivien. And the awkwardly adorable, friends-to-lovers arc Rusty and Pearl have in this new revival was practically written for Royce and Vivien lmao - I just think they'd be able to play them brilliantly. And again, like with Juliet, I think Vivien's fiestiness would allow her to bring a lot of strength and determination to Pearl's character that isn't always there - she can sometimes be played quite airy and 'damsel-in-distress-like', but I think Vivien would really ground her.

And my last choice for the role is Carrie - she's not my favourite pick for the role, and I think she'd be better at other parts (as we'll see in a minute lol), but as I said earlier, if Miles is playing Rusty, I think Carrie would make an amazing Pearl opposite him. Their dynamic just fits them so well - Miles pining for her but not feeling like he's good enough, Carrie being blinded to her true feelings by other options (in this situation I feel like Eric would make a great Greaseball lol) but coming around in the end - it's just perfect! And, I truly believe that the song Pearl sings in the original London production, Only He, can only be bodied in the way it deserves to be bodied by my girl Carrie haha. I'm not a big fan of Next Time You Fall In Love, but I do quite like I Do (the replacement options for Only He), and I think Juliet and Vivien would do great renditions of them, but there's just something about the thought of Carrie singing that song that just makes so much sense. I've got an idea for her to sing it in a legitimate story too (that's how obsessed with that song I am lmao), probably linked to the heartache referenced in the little drabble I'll post below, but I feel like she needs to sing it for an actual audience too haha. It's just such a beautiful, powerful, swelling theatre ballad - she'd kill it!!

Alright, now we're getting to the good stuff. This is Greaseball: arguably the main antagonist of the show because, although most of the characters rag on Rusty, a lot of them do so to show their support for Greaseball. They're the reigning, undefeated champion when it comes to the races, so they have quite the ego on them. They're brash, and cocky, and a little brute-ish, but they're also incredibly competitive, which often gets in the way of their better judgement, resulting in a total disregard for everyone else (including their undeservingly loyal girl, Dinah). They're a total showboat and narcissist, but they do have a dopey, lovable side that Dinah helps to bring out towards the end of the show, which does help redeem them haha.

Now, there are two ways that Greaseball can be played: the traditional way, or the new way. For the traditional way (the sort of wannabe-Elvis, old school rockstar portrayal), Butchy feels like an obvious pick. And although I don't think he's anything like Greaseball's character, you know if he had to play him he'd take to the greaser caricature like a duck to water lmao. Plus, if Mick was playing Dinah (which, you'll see in a bit, I think works perfectly for her), they'd make an adorable duo in the show, and I think they'd have a lot of fun hamming up the roles to make them even more ridiculously cartoonish. And if Mick was his Dinah, I think Butchy would do the whole 'crawling back to her with his tail between his legs' schtick soooo well - he'd just melt into a puddle for her the second he apologised for being such a brute haha. The only thing that's holding me back with Butchy is that I don't know how good he'd be at being so mean to his friends - especially if someone like Miles or Royce was playing Rusty haha; he's just too nice! Plus, I don't know how well he could roller skate lmaoo.

OR, the other way Greaseball can be played is like how they've done it in the new London revival of the show: by making her into a fiesty little lesbian. And this is the role I feel like Carrie could really excel at. I just think she'd have sooo much fun with all the showboating and playing up the bravado. It's so different to anything else she's played before that I think she'd have a great time getting to try it out too - and I think she'd really enjoy getting to lean into playing a villain as well. I'm just obsessed with everything about the London revival Greaseball - her costume is so cool, her attitude is so iconic, the way she's adapted the character I just, uh- it's brilliant! And as cool as it could be to try out a male Dinah by getting Miles into some frilly gingham (lol), I think having either Juliet or Mick be her Dinah would work really well. I'll get into why I think Juliet would be a perfect Dinah later, but her dynamic with Carrie if they were to take on these roles would just be perfect; Juliet's mild scolding of Carrie's bruteish behaviour, but her unwavering loyalty regardless, Carrie's brushing off of her affection for the sake of winning, but then realising she didn't know how good she had it with Juliet by the end - aaaah, I love them. But for the spin-off scenario, where Juliet would be playing Pearl, my pick for Dinah would have been Mick - again, I'll elaborate more on why that works so well for her in a bit, but there's something about Mick and Carrie being paired up romantically like this that just entertains me so much, and low-key kind of intrigues me too haha. In my head, the way it would have played out was that they'd approached Butchy with the offer for the role first, hoping that if they also offered Mick to be his love interest, he'd be more likely to accept it. But after he dismissed it so blatantly, and they couldn't get anyone else to convincingly fit the role, Carrie was called upon to take his place - and to get back at Butchy for not even considering the part, Mick decides to take the Dinah role anyway, but doesn't tell him. Because imagine his face when he realises that this role they'd said couldn't be played by anyone but him was not only being played by Carrie, of all people, but that his wife was playing her love interest (and was practically throwing herself at Carrie the whole show)! They'd have so much fun torturing him with it, I just know it haha. And omg Carrie would have a whale of a time with Pumping Iron lmao. Plus, her skating skills can finally come in handy for something lol; she'd be throwing in all the tricks.

Alright, so here's where I started grouping people together because I realised I was rambling far too much about the rest lol. As cool of a character as Electra is concept-wise, I don't think I can talk about them in that much depth haha - they're just not one of my favourites! I don't feel like they have that big of an impact on the story tbh; it feels mostly Rusty/Greaseball centred to me, but it's nice to give Greaseball a bit of real competition in the races I guess haha. Their futuristic, diva-ish vibe is really interesting though, and the fact they have their own entourage is pretty iconic too. But with that all being said, I just don't think there's any of our characters that really fit their archetype, even just in terms of who'd be best at playing them - especially males, since that's what Electra has typically been played as (even though they're nonbinary in the new London revival). I thought it might have been fun to get Donny to play them in the spin-off scenario, because I like to think he's a good enough actor to pull off any role haha - and like with Carrie and Greaseball, I think he'd have a lot of fun with doing something totally different to any of his other roles. I don't quite know how it would come about that he'd ever get involved in an amateur production like this, but in my head I thought it would be cute if, besides Carrie's constant begging and pestering about how they don't have enough people to fill out the cast, he's swayed by the fact that his son's in his 'train' phase at the moment - and so he agrees purely for shits and giggles and getting to make his son excited hahaha. Plus, I think he and Carrie would have a lot of fun getting to play rivals for once instead of lovers lol. And I just know they'd really lean into the comedic side of One Rock 'N' Roll Too Many. But besides Donny, I really have no other good picks. I thought if it was maybe the situation where Butchy was playing Greaseball they could do a female Electra and cast Carrie - because she'd do a fabulous job at selling the glitzy, diva vibes and overall over-the-top dramaticness of the character, and a female Electra would be incredible - but like with Pearl, it's just not my favourite pick for her. More out of necessity than anything haha - although it would be perfect to have Butchy and Carrie playing enemies like that lol.

And then the second one on this list is Poppa/Momma McCoy, who's an old steam engine that takes part in one of the races to help encourage Rusty and prove that steam trains aren't outdated after all. The role has been played by both male and female actors, but it tends to lean more female lately. And whilst I'm sure Grandpa George would happily help the kids out with their show, I have much stronger feelings on different female characters taking on the role.

Firstly, how iconic could it be if Nonna Dawn surprised everyone who wasn't helping out with the show by rolling out to sing Momma's (Poppa's) Blues?? Because that's my main pick for the spin-off scenario and I feel like Viv's face would just be a picture lmaoo. She helped out quite a bit with the stuff in the playhouse in Camp Wanamaker too, so she obviously likes theatre, and she just has that kind of fun, mischievous charm about her, so I feel like when Riven and Carrie would approach her with the idea, she'd love it - especially with that added element of surprise for the audience. And the whole mentor/advice-giver role Momma takes on in the show would work perfectly for Dawn; she's like the embodiment of the voice of reason haha.

My second pick, if you wanted to play Momma a little younger, like the London revival has done (with her playing both Control's mum, and Momma), would be Charlie, because she took a big role in helping out at the playhouse in Camp Wanamaker, and obviously cares a lot about theatre. And she has a really close relationship to Carrie and Riven, so I feel like they'd be able to talk her around to taking part eventually. My only thing holding me back is that part of my feels as though she'd want nothing to do with the production because she'd be too scared someone was gonna get hurt since the whole thing's done on rollerskates - her pseudo-motherly instincts couldn't cope with the stress lmaooo. And if it's in the spin-off scenario, where in my head Vivien's organising a rival production (probably of The Outsiders since you're enjoying it so much atm haha), I feel like Vivien would have already snagged her to help with directing on her project.

And my last potential pick for Momma, in an AU version, and one where Royce or Miles was Rusty, would, of course, be Mrs Murphy. I don't know how she would have done with performing, but Momma obviously takes on a motherly role to Rusty, and the freight/fuel trucks too - so Mrs Murphy taking on that role opposite one of her actual sons, and helping to give them the confidence they need to succeed, just makes so much sense to me! Pretty unlikely scenario, but a fun one to consider nonetheless haha.

Ooh ok, more of my faves again haha. Dinah used to be my all-time favourite growing up, so I have lots of opinions about her. But basically, she's another of the 4 coaches (along with Pearl), and her main role in the show is that she's Greaseball's racing partner (and therefore, essentially also their romantic partner). They have a kind of strained relationship most of the show, because Dinah's totally head-over-wheels (😉) for Greaseball, but Greaseball's also being fawned over by pretty much every other coach, and is reluctant to give in to Dinah's affection for fear of showing any weakness to their opponents - so they can be pretty mean sometimes. BUT, they do have a really cute moment when Greaseball loses in the end and goes back to Dinah to apologise, realising that they still love each other without all the glory of being champions.

She's a pretty confident character though, and is good at standing up for herself when she doesn't think something's right - but she's still able to show her softer, more vulnerable side, which makes her a really well-rounded character imo. There are a few good options for who I'd want to play her though, and although I mention later that Carrie would be a good Dinah, I only think she'd really get cast in the role if she it was an externally produced show, since she only ever lands secondary parts haha. I think she'd be a great Dinah, don't get me wrong, but I just think that if all our characters were in the show, there are better choices for her.

My first one, as mentioned earlier, would be Mick. The brunette hairstyle she's been given lately, as opposed to the blonde, works for Mick so well, and with red being her favourite colour, taking the red from the new London costume but applying it to the more traditional gingham style - aaaah, she'd look adorable. Plus, like I said above, having her play this role opposite Butchy just makes so much sense - but, having her play it opposite Carrie (like she would in my spin-off scenario) would be brilliant. I just think they'd have so much fun with it, especially knowing how weird it would make Butchy feel watching them together, and oddly, I feel like it would help their friendship grow even stronger😂 It's just such an iconic pairing, and I really think they'd do it justice. I think she'd make a really strong-willed Dinah, and as unsteady as I think she'd be on roller skates at first, I think that'd make everyone all the more impressed when they saw her racing and dancing around with everyone else haha - Riven and Carrie would work their magic with teaching her.

And with Dinah being typically played as a sort of 'Southern Belle' type, the obvious pick for Dinah, and one that also makes a ton of sense to me, would, of course, be Juliet. And if she wasn't playing Pearl, this is definitely who I'd have her play. I think she'd be able to lean into the more sensitive, emotional side of Dinah, whilst also keeping a bit of the strength that Mick would bring to her - and you just know that if Carrie was her Greaseball they'd be in their element playing lesbain lovers 👀😂 They'd peak here, I feel. This and Maureen and Joanne in Rent - they'd be untouchable.

I didn't even know whether to include CB in this or not since he's been taken out and put back into the show so many times, but I reference him in one of the one-shots so I thought it was best to. Basically, he's a caboose coach that, in the second act, reveals that he's got a little evil streak behind his oh-so innocent appearance, and that he's actually notorious for wrecking the trains he races behind. So, (although I don't think it's ever actually explained why lol) he teams up with Greaseball and Electra to trick Rusty into racing with him, only to try wrecking him in the big final race. Naturally, it doesn't work, but hey, he acts as a zany little extra antagonist, which I'm never going to complain about haha. 

Like I mention later on, I think Riven would feel kind of drawn to this role - especially because of the softer side we see with him when he comforts Dinah after Greaseball ditches her (for being too moral for their dirty racing tactics lol). Plus, there's that 'red' motif again that would work with his auburn hair - and I think he'd be able to play that coolly sly, kind of crazily sadistic twist well because of how chill he is normally. That switch would be so jarring! But, perhaps an even more jarring option, I think Bentley could also do this part really well. He'd be the perfect, innocent mask to begin with because he's so little and smiley - but then I think he'd have a lot of fun getting to flip that on its head and be the complete antithesis of his usual ball of sunshine personality to be a little crazy criminal instead. Obviously he's nothing like that normally, but acting-wise, if he felt confident enough with it, I think he could really do it justice! And it'd make an even cooler contrast if one of his brothers was playing Rusty; that betrayal would be even harsher!

Alright, now onto the coaches. Let's try to speed through these because I already know I've wasted far too much of your time lmao. If you're still reading at this point, I'm actually pretty impressed 😂 The coaches have changed a bunch over the years, mostly for things going out of fashion (*cough cough* Ashley the smoking car lol) - but the current ones in the London revival are Belle the sleeping car and Tassita the quiet coach. Since these are smaller, more generic parts, I don't really have as much to say about them. But, for Belle I thought that Jade might be a good pick, because I know she can sing since she's in Riven's band, and idk, maybe she naps a lot? 😂 Either way, even though she's said before that she can't act to save her life, I don't think she'd have to act a great deal in this role - but she can sing and skate, and that's enough to give her the confidence to agree to help out in my book haha. And for Tassita, who's the first coach to ever be played by a male performer, which is pretty cool, I thought August might be a fun pick - you know, because he's such a quiet guy himself lol. Besides that though, I've always thought he'd be a good performer (he was originally going to have a part on Find Your Voice after all), and although, like Jade, I don't think he'd have a great deal of confidence at first - especially in a role that still appears quite feminine when he's not totally secure about his sexuality - but I think they'd be able to tweak both the part and the costume until it was something he'd feel comfortable doing. And once he started working on it, I think it'd be really good at bringing him out of his shell! Plus, I like to think he's got a really good voice hidden behind all that shyness - so this is an excuse to finally bring it out into the open hehe. 

Other coaches that could be worked in from other productions are Buffy the buffet car, Duvet the sleeper car (an alternate to Belle), Carrie the luggage car (what a coincidence lol), or, the original Belle the sleeping car, from the original London production way back in the 80s. Belle didn't really do a great deal plot-wise besides help motivate Rusty, and Dinah and the rest of the coaches in the second act when they're ditched by the trains they race with (please, Starlight Express producers, bring back the Rolling Stock reprise; it's iconic lmao) - but if for some reason they wanted to use her in the show, I think Charlie would be a great pick for her. She'd give her all the old-school glamour and girl-power she deserves haha. And I think she'd look iconic in that red costume. 

Finally, my last category: the freight/fuel trucks. Well, actually just the fuel trucks. I thought about including the freight trucks too, but tbh, I don't really have any strong opinions on any of them, and this post is already far too long, so I just left them out lol. But, like the coaches, the fuel trucks are just more racing partner options for the trains. Some have bigger parts than others, but their main purpose is providing fuel (shocking, I know ha). They're new to the London revival though, and tbh I like them more than the freight trucks; they feel more central to the plot - even if it did make the song Freight significantly worse lmao.

And speaking of central to the plot, Hydra, the hydrogen fuel truck is the new reason why Rusty wins the final race (because before it didn't really make that much sense tbh lmao); he's now powered by hydrogen steam, which gives him the advantage over his opponents. And throughout the show, despite the other fuel trucks ragging on Hydra for being too new and dangerous in comparison to their more reliable fuel sources, he ignores them and stands by his belief in his fuel. The only pick in my mind for Hydra because of this though is Ethan - and although I have no idea if he'd ever have any remote interest in acting, especially in a musical theatre production, you know he's so loyal to his friends he'd do anything to help them out if they asked. And, I think he'd just think the idea was so weird he'd be down to participate just for the hell of it lol. But Hydra's way of not caring what anyone else thinks of him, and sticking to his own beliefs, is so Ethan to me - plus, they just have that same, chilled, laid back vibe. And, naturally, they both have that kind of green motif 😉🍃 So yeah, for me, Ethan has to be Hydra - and no matter who's playing Rusty, I feel like he'd vibe enough with all of them for him to jump at the chance to help them out like Hydra helps Rusty in the show. And it'd finally give him an excuse to use those roller skating skills I know he's hiding somewhere despite his usually terrible clumsiness ha. 

For Porter (the red coal truck) I think Zack could maybe play him? Not completely sold on that idea because I don't think he'd really vibe with musicals, but if August roped him into helping out I think he'd begrudgingly agree - and Porter basically does nothing anyway, so he couldn't really complain lol. And for Lumber (the blue timber truck) I picked Erica - not only because her blue hair would look sick with an all-blue costume like that, but also because the thought of Jade and Erica flirting as their characters during the little bickering section between the coaches and the fuel trucks in the song Freight had me weak at the knees. So if they were both in it, their characters would 100% be in love, no questions asked - I need flirty trucks and coaches hahaha. 

So then the final role I'm passionate about is Slick, the oil truck, which is the new London revival's answer to CB, since she not only takes on his main song, but also the whole concept of wanting to race with Rusty to wreck him and help out the competition. This revival also gives her a monetary aim though, which is good for giving her more of a motive, I suppose. I don't really know how trains are supposed to use money, but it's at least a reason, which is more than we had before lmao. I think Abby would be such a good pick for Slick though - I'd want to make her a little more girly, giving her some different hair (like my little reference picture, or maybe something like some fun bubble braids or something - like oil bubbles 👀) and a more feminine costume - but I think having a pretty important role like that would help bring out her confidence with performing a lot, without totally throwing her out of her comfort one with a big main role. I think she'd like the added challenge and fun that the villainous twist Slick has would bring though; it'd give her something a bit different to play with. And with Slick's colour palette mirroring Greaseball's, and her being an oil truck, makes me thing that Abby would really want to lean into making Slick a little Greaseball fangirl, who is constantly looking up to her and wanting to impress her (and hence giving her even more motivation to wreck Rusty and help Greaseball win the race) - which I think would also nicely mirror how much Abby would look up to Carrie (an established actress already) if they were to ever meet. I just think it works really well for her, and I love how the show's leaning more into mixing the genders of the coaches and the freight trucks - even if the costumes are still leaning more feminine and masculine respectively, I think our characters would have more fun tailoring them to each performer's preferences. Because come on, Abby being a pretty girly, but still menacing, little secondary villain would be so cool - she needs to let her rebellious side shine!

Excuse the TMM spacer lol, I'm too lazy to go make a new one lmao. Anyway, if you made it through all that, you really are a true friend haha - because that was soooo much insane rambling. But, I do feel better for dumping it out of my mind and onto a page. Maybe now I can finally stop obsessing over it and get back to writing the stories I should be working on. But hopefully this was a little fun post to switch things up a bit! And hopefully you at least liked it half as much as I enjoyed your Outsiders post haha. If, for some bizarre reason, you actually are interested in the show, then just let me know because I have a slime tutorial (*wink wink*) of the new revival I'd happily send you the link to, because I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. But even if not, like I said, this was just a bit of silly fun to give all these ideas a home. It's not a complex show, and it doesn't have particularly elevated songs or characters, but the orchestrations are clever, the costumes and theatrics are amazing, and it's all done on roller skates - so it'll always have a special, fun spot in my heart hehe. I've linked a video of the megamix at the end of the new London revival for you to get a bit of a vibe of what the show's like without having to watch the whole thing too if you want hehe - at least this way you can see some of the skating and costumes in action! And, as promised, as a reward for sitting through the insanity of this post, here are two little drabbles with our characters as a reward.

The first centres around the song There's Me, and a pairing I think works particularly well for it, that I'm dying to see/write more of - it's also plucked out of that Camp Wanamaker spin-off I wanted to do that I'm not sure will ever materialise. But consider this a sneak peek into what would have gone down lol. And the second is a litle bit of what the chaos the concept of Riven and Vivien putting on rivalling productions would have brought about haha. For context, I think although Riven would have bagged Carrie for his show straight away, Vivien would have furiously retaliated by claiming everyone else in their cabin for hers - hence the competitiveness that ensues. Enjoy! Hopefully they're not too weird to not still be enjoyable anyway 😅😂

The dusty deck creaked as a scuffed, black Converse nudged into her periphery. But her eyes never left the lake - as grey as the thick blanket of clouds overhead, and as bleak as her outlook. 

"The laundry house, really?" the voice demanded, pausing to give the girl a chance to explain herself. 

She did not. 

Sighing, the guest realised this was going to be harder than he expected. After all, he wasn't used to her being this…subdued. "You know, I just think it's a testament to our friendship that I was the only one who knew to look for you here," he offered with a playful smile…that went completely unnoticed. Frowning as the girl continued to ignore his very existence, he let out another sigh, this one as he lowered himself down and took up the space beside her, nudging the sole of her now off-white sneaker with his knee to draw her out of her thoughts. "Come on, Carrie. I'm trying here," he said. But when he leant forwards to try to get a clearer look at her face, and found her cheeks marred with glistening tracks in her foundation, and her puffy eyes speckled with remnants of her mascara, his frustration waned. "You can't hide from them forever," he gently added.

"I want to," Carrie murmured.

"You don't mean that," he tried.

"I do; at least that way I wouldn't be able to fuck things up any more than I already have," she limply insisted.

"You didn't-"

"Don't give me that, Riven; I know I did," Carrie said, cutting him off with an exasperated huff. "I shouldn't have done it, I shouldn't have yelled at them like that. But I was just in such a bad mood after that class, and I was so fed up with everything, so then to come back to all that I just…"

"...Let all those years of bottled up frustration out?" Riven offered.

"Something like that," Carrie mumbled, dropping her gaze to her lap, knowing that if she actually made eye contact with the boy her resolve would start to crumble in an instant. 

"Hmm," he began, murmuring his understanding as he took his turn to look out across the lake. "I heard it wasn't pretty."

Although Riven was no longer looking at her, he saw her dark blonde curls trembling out of the corner of his eye as she shook her head.

"I'm so embarrassed," she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. A fresh tear plopped onto her thigh as she kept her watery gaze steady, praying she'd be able to get a handle on her waterworks for once. "They hate me for sure now."

"They never hated you, Carrie," Riven promised, turning back to her again as though it would persuade her to believe him. 

But Carrie proved to be as stubborn as ever, completely bypassing the comment with a mournful smile she still couldn't bring herself to lift from the floor. "All that time I spent trying to win them over…down the drain, all because I had a shit day and lost my cool."

"I don't know, I'd still say you're pretty cool," Riven tried with a playful lopsided grin, bumping her shoulder until she turned to see it for herself.

When she did finally turn to face him though, it was with that flat, annoyed frown that always just egged him on more. "This isn't a joke," she grumbled, but Riven's little chuckle said otherwise. 

"I'm not saying it is," he countered. "I'm just letting you know it's gonna take a hell of a lot more than one dumb argument for me to stop thinking you're cool. Come on, you're Caroline Cole: entertainer extraordinaire-"

"Why are you doing this?" Carrie stopped his playful bolstering in its tracks with a weary sigh.

"Because I want to," Riven said, standing firm in his optimism. "Come on, I hate seeing you like this," he pressed on fitfully, uneasy with her uncharacteristic despondency. She was usually the life and soul of the party in that playhouse, now she had all the energy of a wet paper towel. Hoping to distract her with a little healthy competition, he added, "We should be out there crushing Erica's cabin at volleyball right now."

"Well forgive me, but I'm not really in the mood," Carrie flatly retorted.

"What are you in the mood for?" he challenged, with a primarily jovial tone, but a hint of creeping frustration. "Moping about like a kicked puppy?"

"Yes, actually," she snipped. "Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I can't be the 'smiling showgirl' 24/7…" Her frown twitched into the faintest of wistful smiles as her voice trailed off, carrying her focus back into the turmoil unfolding within her own head. "I'm allowed to have emotions, I'm just not allowed to show them," she went on to explain with a quiet, self-loathing huff. "'Cause that's when things always turn to shit."

All Riven's teasing intent slipped away, seeping into the damp wood beneath them, as it began to dawn on him that there may have been more to her dramatic disappearance than what he'd initially thought. "...This is about more than just you yelling at the boys, isn't it?" he slowly asked, treading carefully, as though to not set off a bomb.

And yet, Carrie dropped one on him anyway.  

"I think Miles and I are gonna break up, Riv."

The words hung in the muggy air between them, not daring to be believed.

Stunned, hazel eyes settled on Carrie's profile, unable to tear themselves away until she explained herself. So, she began to talk. Slowly but surely, she unravelled the tangle of thoughts in her head, laying them out before her friend, praying that his sensible, perceptive mind could help her make sense of them. "It's just…not felt right this summer. It's like he's…pulling away, or something," she started, still avoiding eye contact at all costs. At least that way she could keep a handle on her tears, even if her mouth did start to run away from her instead. "And the arguing with Royce never helps, but it's just been getting worse instead of better and I can tell he's getting frustrated with it, but I'm trying and nothing's working and I don't understand why and that's making me frustrated, which makes the bickering worse, I just-" She stopped to snatch a breath, only to blow out all her remaining self-confidence with it. "I feel like I've got no fight left anymore. I can't see it getting better. And when I know Miles would always side with his brothers, and everyone else would side with him if things went south… I don't know, it just kind of stings, I guess; one wrong move and I lose them all. No matter what I do, I'd still be left out on my own."

"Don't lump me in with that."

Startled, Carrie lost her focus and turned to the boy; she'd been so lost in her own thoughts she'd forgotten she wasn't alone anymore. But even when she searched his expression, his comment still made no sense. "What do you mean?"

"Well don't say I'd never speak to you again if things with you and Miles didn't work out," he explained as though it was the simplest thing in the world. "Which they totally will by the way, but that's beside the point," he tacked on as that playful chuckle of his started creeping back into his voice. "Of course I'd still speak to you; you can't get rid of me that easily."

"Really?" Carrie asked, wary despite the hopeful glint in her ocean eyes. 

"Yes, really, idiot," he snorted. "I'm not just friends with you 'cause you're dating Miles, you're my drama buddy," he went on to explain with a grin holding nothing but fond sincerity. "You're the only one that keeps me sane in that playhouse, and even then you're so ridiculous I can only take you seriously like 60% of the time. Plus, I did see you naked that one time-"

"I was not- it was just my top."

The frustrated tone shining through in the way she had cut him off, and the way she had hurriedly returned to avoiding his gaze, struck Riven down. "Oh my god, you didn't even laugh at the bikini story. This really is bad," he said - again, half-joking, half-genuinely-concerned. Reaching behind him, his fingers closed around glossy wood as a teasing smile started to tug at his lips. "I didn't want it to have to come to this…"

Hearing fingers start plucking at guitar strings, Carrie's bewildered frown deepened as she turned back to him. "What are you doing?"

"I can't help it, you've left me no choice," he chuckled, cheesily grinning back at her and continuing to lazily pluck out a melody. "I'm not leaving until I've cheered you up - even if that means resorting to music."

"Come on, Riv," Carrie wearily groaned, not nearly as amused by the offer as he'd hoped she would be. "Stop, I'm not in the mood. Can't you just leave me alone?"

The plucking stopped and Riven sat the guitar fully back in his lap, his own brows now starting to furrow. "They really got you this time, huh?"

Carrie sighed as she dropped her gaze to her lap again. "I don't like to show it normally 'cause I know they don't always mean it, they just want to get a rise out of me," she slowly confessed. "But it was…different last night. It's felt different since we arrived."

"I really thought you guys were getting somewhere," Riven softly mused, just as perplexed by the sudden nosedive in amiability as the others in the cabin.

"So did I," Carrie agreed, smiling painfully down at a knot in the wood. A million things she wanted to say swirled in her head, but none of her thoughts were quite able to be fit into words - nothing that could make a coherent sentence anyway. She didn't know whether to get mad, and let the rest of her pent up anger spill across the deck until she'd rid herself of it completely. She didn't know whether to just push it to the back of her mind again, put on a brave face and swan back into camp as though nothing was wrong at all. She didn't know whether to stay hidden, avoiding everyone at the cabin and all her problems at the same time. At least that way she wouldn't have to face them again, or have to try to explain herself and her inexcusable temperament to Miles. God, he was probably so mad at her right now. 

More and more thoughts flew through her mind, hitting the walls of her skull like rabid animals until her head pounded and her resolve broke down. Helpless tears started to slip from her eyes as the hopelessness of her position washed over her all over again. She felt a hand on her back that brought her back to her senses in an instant though - having forgotten, yet again, that she wasn't alone out here. She sniffed and hurriedly patted away the tears, trying to salvage what little of her makeup still remained. "Guess I'm not such a heartless bitch after all," she offered, managing a melancholy chuckle at her predicament that, although was an improvement, still did nothing to show Riven that she was feeling more like her usual self. 

In fact, he just felt more concerned than ever. Carrie was strong-willed and stubborn, bold and exuberant - not the shying, insecure, tearful shell of a girl before him. He'd already suspected that her confidence had been knocked this summer thanks to the rather personal disruption at the playhouse, but this was worse than he thought. And he couldn't stand by in good conscience and watch her fire be extinguished. 

Setting his guitar back into position, he began plucking at the strings again. Carrie shot him another questioning look, with a slightly annoyed huff, but he stuck to his guns and kept playing, offering her nothing but a cheesy, comforting grin in response. "Complain all you want," he chuckled. "But I'm not gonna stop playing." 

Although Carrie just rolled her eyes, she did manage a small, resigned laugh as she gave up on the pushback. And soon, to her surprise, lyrics began to accompany his playing - as gentle and reassuring as his own intent.

All alone, you think you're on your own You think there's no one in the world who cares for you That isn't true, there's me May not be, the one you want to see But if you need someone who's kind then look behind And then you'll find, there's me

I'll be near, standing by Never fear, you can cry But in a while, you will smile And I'll be there to see

By yourself you have to cry yourself Nobody else can cry the tears you have to cry But I will try, there's me Until then, when you're okay again You'll look around, find I'm no longer there I'll still be near somewhere You're not alone, there's me There's always me

I'll still be near somewhere You're not alone; there's me There's always me...

The soft, yet cheeky smiles Riven kept shooting the girl as he sang, paired with the meaning behind the words, and the added special meaning to them both, meant that by the time his strumming faded to silence, Carrie was finally grinning back at him. 

"You really came all the way out here to serenade me with a musical theatre song from the 80s?" she asked with a teasing chuckle, wiping away the last traces of any tears with the heel of her hand. 

"It worked, didn't it?" he teasingly fired back with a satisfied smirk. 

"Touché," she giggled, before hitting with a further pointed eyebrow raise. "But Starlight? Really?"

"Again: it worked, didn't it?" he retorted with a snort of laughter she was all too happy to reciprocate.

"You are way too attached to that show," she chuckled, teasingly bumping his arm.

"It's about roller skating trains - how can I not be attached to it?"

"I don't know, ask literally anyone else at camp," Carrie snorted back, referring to the many attempts the pair had made to try to get even just one of their friends to give the show a chance.

Knowing exactly what the blonde was talking about, Riven just shot her a grin. "They'll come around eventually, trust me."

Giving an equally confident, yet slightly more playful grin back, Carrie conceded with another giggle before continuing. "And when they do, I think you've proven you'd make an excellent CB."

Riven pressed a hand to his chest. "I think that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me," he said with a comically dramatic earnestness that just had Carrie rolling her eyes again.

"Shut up, I compliment you all the time," she retorted, and her smile only broadened when Riven showed no signs of pushing back. "I'm serious though; if you ever manage to convince Nonna you don't need to be sectioned for suggesting we stage the show, I think you'd be great."

Biting back a laugh, Riven instead decided to lead with sincerity. "Only if you'd be my Dinah," he bargained with a fond, yet knowing grin she, again, gladly shared. But it wasn't long before he started rambling again. "But I'd sacrifice that if it meant you could be Pearl…"

With an affectionate shake of her head, Carrie playfully sighed, "I never play the lead - I can't break my streak now, you know that."

Taking his turn to roll his eyes, he retorted with. "Pearl is not the lead; the whole show's about Rusty."

"Ok well maybe you can play Rusty then, Mr Know-It-All," Carrie teasingly fired back as the pair fell back into their typical, theatre-based ramblings - idly chattering away without a care in the world as the wind pulled the clouds across the sky.

It wasn't until Carrie saw the sunlight skittering across the lake, and heard the distant chatter of counsellors start up again, that she realised her head had finally stopped pounding, and her chest no longer felt as though someone had carved a giant hole into it. Astonished, but grateful nonetheless, Carrie turned back to Riven with a smile. "Thanks for coming to find me, Riv."

Grinning contentedly back, he replied, "Well, I don't like thinking of you being sad. You're like my fun, crazy, big sister - I can't have you moping around like a sadsack."

"You really think of me like a sister?"

"Of course. We don't always understand each other, and I tease the shit out of you at every opportunity I get, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. You always make me laugh, you're insanely talented, you give the best advice, but you're honest when you need to be - you're everything I'd want in a big sister. Plus, like I said, you're my drama buddy. The shit we put up with from those campers has bonded us for life, whether you like it or not."

Unable to hold back her laughter any longer, it spilled out from her grateful smile as she reached out and wrapped him in a big hug, nestling her face into the well-worn cotton of his hoodie. 

"And you give great hugs," he playfully added, mumbling through her mane of frizzy, golden curls.

"Thanks, Riv," she murmured between giggles, letting herself melt into the comforting reassurance of his embrace.

"Any time, Care Bear."

Sitting back, scouring his half-finished painting with an acutely analytical gaze, Bentley didn't even hear the door to the art barn open, let alone the footsteps that followed. He squinted his eyes, tilted his head from side to side, screwed up his mouth in concentration… And then his vision went dark.

Blinking, eyelashes brushed against an old t-shirt masquerading as a blindfold. But before he could try to question the ambush, a quiet voice broke through his haze of confusion.

"Alright, listen to what I say, or this is not gonna be pretty."

A chuckle couldn't help but slip from Bentley's lips, immediately relaxing as he recognised the voice. "Is that your attempt at sounding threatening?"

"I was actually trying to be reassuring," August countered with a bashful chuckle of his own.

"Oh, well then consider me reassured," Bentley laughed, still idly toying with his paintbrush. "As reassured as anyone can be when they're randomly blindfolded on a Wednesday afternoon. What are you doing anyway?"

"I need to take you somewhere, so put the brush down and get up - but don't go too fast; I've gotta make sure you don't bump into anything," August ordered, tying the old t-shirt in place before clumsily helping the blonde stand, taking him by the shoulders and leading him towards the door.

"Where the hell are we going?" Bentley asked, after they had navigated the stairs in a (somewhat) successful manner - consisting of only one giggling fit, and one almost-total-collapse - as he felt them move from the wooden deck to the uneven grass. 

"I'm not allowed to tell you, but it's nothing bad, trust me."

"Who's forcing you to kidnap me and parade me across camp like a prisoner?"

"You'll find out in a minute," August chuckled, steering him around a tree stump. "But just know that it's nothing bad."

"Well I'd hope not - I'd hate to think you'd willingly be involved in leading me to my demise," Bentley snorted, before continuing with his idle rambling. "Who's roped you into taking me captive anyway?"

"I don't know if I can say; they didn't give me much briefing, and I don't think they expected you to be this…chatty."

Bentley laughed. "Well then they should have sent a more intimidating kidnapper."

"They didn't want to scare you, they just needed you away from Vivien," August admitted, immediately falling silent for a few steps. "...I don't know if I was supposed to say that."

"Ohhh, ok then, so I'm being taken hostage by the competition?" Bentley chuckled through a smirk as he began to piece the puzzle together.

"...Maybe," August confirmed as he rounded the blonde and started to lead him up a new set of steps from the front to make sure he didn't lose his footing. "But if they ask then you figured it out on your own - you didn't hear it from me."

"Well it's not like I had many options; it was either that or some weird camp event I didn't pay attention to the announcement for," Bentley laughed to himself as he blindly stuck his foot out, almost completely missing the step until August repositioned him. "What do they need me for? Information about how our rehearsals are going? And how are you in cahoots with them anyway? Are you abandoning our show for theirs?"

"What? No, just… Hang on, gimme a second," August fumbled through his excuses, fighting to nudge the door open with his foot before carefully pulling his friend inside. "Alright, we're here. Just sit down and listen to what they've got to say, they'll explain everything," he continued, keeping his voice down as he offered the boy further reassurances he was sure he wasn't supposed to. 

Once Bentley was situated on what felt like a metal fold-out chair, August gave his shoulder one last reassuring squeeze before untying the old t-shirt and lifting it away from his eyes. Oddly though, even with the blindfold removed, Bentley could hardly see a thing; whatever cabin they were in had black-out cloths draped across the windows, leaving the room in complete darkness. Well, at least that explained why it had taken August so long to navigate him across the room. 

"Uhh… Hello?" Bentley tried, calling out into what felt like a completely empty room if the thick silence he was met with was anything to go by.

But before he could question his situation any further, a light sprang to life beside him, so bright he had to jerk his head back to save himself from temporary blindness.

Wincing, he tried to take in his now significantly more illuminated surroundings, only to find that he was sitting at a scuffed, fold-out table, occupying the very lamp that seemed to give off more light than the sun itself. Other than that, the rest of the room was swimming in darkness, creating a rather effective interrogation set-up, which he suspected the masterminds behind his kidnapping had hoped for. 

And speaking of these masterminds, just as the afterimages were finally starting to fade from his vision, a figure rolled out of the darkness and up to the table. Yes, quite literally rolled. 

They set their hands on the tabletop in front of him and presented the boy with a smug smile. "Hello, Bentley."

"What are you doing?" Bentley asked, snorting out a laugh at the surreal nature of the entire situation. 

"We have a…preposition for you," Riven slowly explained, his smug smile only broadening. 

"We?" Bentley questioned. "There are more weirdos than you tied up in this thing?"

Suddenly the lamp head was wrenched back, sending the beam of light directly at his face, once again making him jerk his head back. "And just who do you think you're calling a weirdo?"

Eyes watering from the visual assault, Bentley squinted through the brightness until he found a tanned hand clamped around the lamphead. Following it up, he found an all-too-familiar, shadowed face, framed by a mane of unruly golden curls. "Not you?" Bentley offered with a lopsided smile.

Thankfully, the gesture was enough to appease Carrie, who tilted the lamphead back into position - but not before she shot the boy a satisfied smirk in response. 

"You got any other questions? Or can we get down to business?" Riven asked. 

"Uh, yeah: what's with the kidnapping?" Bentley fired back, sporting an amused smirk of his own. "You so worried you'll lose the bet you're turning to torturing the competition?"

"What? No! We just needed you away from the boss," Riven laughed, his comically threatening act disappearing in seconds as he referenced his pint-sized figure skating partner. "Like I said, we've got a preposition for you."

"Couldn't you have just asked me in the dining hall? Or in my room or something?" Bentley went on to ask, still having to squint from the light.

"Well yeah, but where's the fun in that?" came Riven's snorted reply, to which Carrie just grinned and nodded in agreement.

Bentley shook his head at the pair, evidently equally matched in their passion for dramatising the most menial things. "This is so dumb," he breathed, fighting back a smile at the ridiculousness of their whole set-up. "What do you want then? What's this preposition thing?"

Carrie and Riven exchanged a glance, giving each other a confirmatory nod before turning back to the blonde. "…We need your help."

"With what?"

"With the show," Riven clarified.

"The show? Your show?" Bentley spluttered, eyes darting between the pair, looking for any evidence of jesting, yet finding nothing. "I don't understand," he slowly continued. "Why do you want my help? I've got no idea what I'm doing with all this theatre stuff. I'm out of my depth with Viv's show as it is. Plus, I already agreed to be in her's - I can't help out the competition."

"Why not? I am."

Bentley's ears pricked up as a new voice entered the conversation, and to his amazement, when he turned to follow it, he saw a grinning brunette emerging from the darkness on Carrie's right. 

"Mick?! You jumped ship?" Bentley asked, gawping at the grinning girl as though she'd just grown a second nose. "Does Viv know?"

"No, I didn't jump ship," Mick chuckled as she perched on the edge of the fold-out table. "I'm helping out with both."

"What? Why?"

"'Cause I wanted to," she snorted simply. "It's not like there's rules against it. This whole thing's just for fun anyway."

"Yeah, it's not actually a competition - we just both wanted to put on different shows," Riven added.

"Well could you let Viv know that? She's treating this like we're at war - we've all been sworn to secrecy," Bentley said, chuckling at his friend's competitive spirit.

"Oh we know, we already tried to get Mick to squeal but she wouldn't budge," Carrie said, sharing a knowingly playful glance with the brunette.

"And luckily, they had a cool job for me besides just being their spy," Mick cheekily added. "Or else all the effort it took to brainwash me would have been for nothing."

"Which is…?" Bentley tried.

"I'm building the stage," Mick revealed with a proud grin. 

Bentley's eyes went wide. "You guys need to build your own stage?"

Riven and Carrie shared another knowing smirk. "If we want the show to be as awesome as it deserves to be then yeah, it needs a custom stage," Riven confirmed.

"And since Butchy and Miles refused to even hear us out, Mickie stepped up to the plate to handle it all on her own," Carrie added, looping her arm through the brunette's with a fond grin. "And she's doing a way better job than either of those two bozos would have done anyway." 

"Well, I don't know about that…" Mick said with a roguish chuckle. "But I am doing a pretty damn good job."

"Does this mean you're helping with both shows too?" Bentley then asked, turning behind him to look for the friend who'd brought him here, who could do nothing but offer him a sheepish smile. 

"...Yeah," August slowly admitted, before adding a quieter: "You know I'm terrible at saying 'no' to things."

"So your solution is just doing twice the work?" Bentley asked incredulously, the information just serving more of a purpose to fuel his growing need to help August grow a backbone. 

"Well they're not big parts-" he tried to reason.

"You're actually in both of them?" Bentley demanded, his eyes practically popping out of his head when he saw the knee and elbow pads the boy was sporting. "But you don't know how to roller skate."

"They're teaching me," August chuckled, shooting Carrie and Riven a grateful smile. And when Bentley's disbelieving gaze found theirs, they just offered him smug grins and little waves, showing off their own elbow pads as they did so.

Bentley's shock jumped to a whole new level when he spotted Mick's elbow pads though. "You're in it too, Mickie?!"

"Well I didn't like how quickly Butchy dismissed them when they asked him to take part," Mick began, smirking at the very thought. "So I thought I'd teach him a lesson about not judging things at face level."

"Well, we should have known not to expect his neanderthal brain to be able to comprehend such complex concepts as 'having fun'," Carrie retorted with a cheeky dig Mick luckily started to laugh at.

"I've gotta admit, it did sound really corny at first. But once you get past the fact it's all about trains, the show is pretty fun," Mick confessed.

"Duh, of course it's fun, we're directing it," Carrie added, gesturing to the auburn-haired giant behind her, who just laughed in his approval. 

"The whole show's done on roller skates - I still don't understand how anyone could know that and not automatically think it's awesome," Riven said between his chuckles. 

But at that revelation, Bentley's eyes started to grow wide again. "Hold on, you're not expecting me to have a part in your show too, are you?" he asked, horrified at the very idea. "I barely have a handle on what I'm doing in Viv's already, and that's just one show. Plus, I can't even roller skate so-"

"No, we don't need you to be in it," Riven cut in with a chuckle before the blonde's anxious ramblings could make him run out of breath. 

"Unless you want to be in it, then we'd totally find you a part," Carrie tagged on with an encouraging grin. 

"And teach you how to skate," Riven added with a mischievous smirk. "If we can teach Mick, we can teach anyone."

And although Mick's playful whack of Riven's arm did help him relax a touch, Bentley's stance on their offer was still firm: "No thanks, I'm good." But his curiosity was still running rampant as the others giggled at his reaction. "Well if you don't need me to have a part in the show, then what did you need my help for?"

"We wanted to see if you'd be willing to help us with designing and making the costumes," Riven explained.

Bentley thought he had to have misheard him. "The costumes?"

"Yeah," Riven chuckled at the boy's expression. "What's that face for?"

"I don't know the first thing about making costumes - I've never worked with fabric in my life."

Riven and Carrie exchanged another glance. "That's kind of why we need your help," Carrie started.

But when Bentley just looked more confused than ever, Riven went on to explain. "None of the stuff in the playhouse storage bins will work because, well, they're just regular people clothes, so we need to design our own stuff. Juliet's already said she can help construct any actual clothing garments we need, but our main problem is how to actually use the outfits to make us look like trains."

Bentley's thoughts came to a screeching halt. "Wait…you guys are the trains?"

"Yeah."

"You're acting as trains? Singing trains?" They had to be pranking him, right?

"Uh, yeah," Carrie said, sharing another quick glance with Riven.

"What did you think the show was about?" he snorted.

"I don't know, I thought you were just like people working on a railroad or something," Bentley retorted with an incredulous splutter.

"Well we're not, we're the trains," Riven chuckled.

"Yeah, why else would we need to do the whole thing on wheels?" Mick added with a playful wiggle of her skate-clad foot. 

"So what? You want me to…make you look like trains?" Bentley warily asked. "Like with big chimneys coming out of your heads and stuff?"

Fondly rolling her eyes at Bentley's poor attempts at stifling his laughter, Carrie stepped in to try to explain the proposal a little more clearly. "No - we just need to capture the vibe of trains - you don't need to shove us all in cardboard box models. We can show you the costumes of the official productions so you can get an idea of the sort of things we're looking for, but we don't have a huge budget, so we're gonna have to get creative - hence why we came to you," she finished with a proud grin. 

"All we want you to do is draw up some concepts that make us look enough like a train to sell the illusion to the audience. And as long as they're moveable enough for us to skate in, and can be constructed from stuff we've got access to, the rest of the design can be totally down to you," Riven added.

"So basically you've got free reign to make us look as ridiculous as you want," Mick tacked on with a chuckle. 

"But try to be a little nice with it," August gently offered from behind, which just set Bentley off to laugh more.

He did have to admit that the offer sounded quite tempting. After all, he'd never worked on anything like costume designs before - and from the sounds of things, this concept would let him get pretty creative with it; these weren't just average costumes - in fact, they were probably more sculpture than costume anyway. But there was something still holding him back. "I don't know, guys. I don't know if I've got the brain space to work on two shows at once-"

"Oh please, Bentley - come on," Riven pleaded. "We'll look like complete morons out there if we don't have good costumes."

"We will," Mick earnestly confirmed. "Trust me, It's not pretty."

"Well if I'm on Vivien's side then don't I want you guys to look like complete morons?" he asked with a mischievous giggle.

"Maybe, but where's the fun in a landslide victory?" Riven countered with a smirk. 

"Come on, Benny, please," came Carrie's attempt at begging. "I'll sit with you and help you learn all your lines whilst you work on the costumes."

Bentley's ears pricked up. "...Really?"

"Mhm," she confirmed with a kind nod. "And I can give you all my tips for breaking down the script into easier parts to manage; I know they can seem really daunting when you try to go through them all at once."

Now that sounded like an offer he could get behind. He'd already been toying with the idea of asking Carrie for help with the seemingly impossible task of learning his lines, but had chickened out every time. There were just so many - it was like they all blurred into one every time he'd even open a page. And he hated the thought of letting Vivien down because he couldn't get his brain to work how he wanted it to, so if Carrie could actually help him get through a scene without having to look at his script the entire time… Maybe it'd be worth giving up a few pages of his sketchbook to designing train-transformer-wannabes.

But he couldn't let them think he was that easy of a target… "I don't know guys, it just doesn't feel right going behind Viv's back like this-"

"Oh come on, Benny, please," Carrie tried again, with a touch more dramatic desperation.

"I'll do your dish duty for the rest of summer," Riven attempted to bribe.

But that just spurred on Bentley's reluctance even more. After all, he was rather curious about what else he could squeeze out of the pair to help sweeten the deal. "...I'm listening."

"You can have the rest of my pudding cups with dinner each night?" Riven offered. "And you don't have to go behind Viv's back," he added. "Don't go and tell her outright, but if she asks you about it then you're totally free to tell her. And if she's not happy about it, you can back out any time you want."

"Well, okay, but I still don't know if I'll have the time to-"

"If you say 'yes' we'll get you that rare Spiderman comic you want," Riven threw out in a moment of sheer desperation.

Bentley's heart skipped a beat. Damn, they really did want his help.. "...Seriously?" he breathed, eyes widening at the very prospect.

"Sure, Carrie'll cover it - won't you, Carrie?" Riven confirmed with a smirk as he gave the blonde's shoulder a squeeze. 

Shooting him a sharp glance, she hissed a tight: "I will?"

"Of course you will," Riven verified, his mischievous smirk only broadening as Carrie's mildly murderous glare was replaced with Bentley's whole-hearted satisfaction.

"Alright, done. Pass me a pen and some paper," he said, sealing the deal with a barked laugh and a cheesy grin before either one of them could back down on their offers again. 

"Welcome aboard, Bentley," Riven replied, shooting him a victorious smile as he reached across the table and shook the boy's hand. 

But just as Riven and the others were starting to unload all their ideas for potential costume concepts onto Bentley, with what he found to be startling levels of enthusiasm, the room's main lights flickered to life, illuminating a seething head of green hair in the doorway. Before Bentley could question the girl's sudden appearance, or could let his eyes adjust to the drastic shift in brightness though, she called out to her band partner with thunderous urgency.

"Riv, you've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do; I just looked up this 'Belle' character you want me to play - care to tell me why she's described as 'ancient' and 'peeling'?" an outraged Jade demanded. "Or why you thought I'd be so perfect to play her?"

Rolling his eyes and just laughing off the girl's anger, Riven quickly tried to appease her with a teasing: "That's not the version of her we're using, dummy. And don't you dare try to tell me you're not perfect for her - you nap all the fucking time."

As Riven and Jade broke off into their own friendly spat, and Mick and Carrie started up their own conversation about what Mick had been practising last on her skates, Bentley found himself turning to August - this time taking his turn to wear the awkwardly sheepish smile. "Why do I get the feeling I've signed up for way more than I can handle?"

"Oh come on, don't worry, it'll be fun," August reassured before offering a joke to further set him at ease. "And hey, at least you're getting a backstage job and a comic book out of it - all I'm gonna get is on-stage embarrassment and massive quads."

The guffaws spilled from Bentley's lips before he could stop them - and after glancing around to watch Carrie clumsily catching Mick (who looked as if she'd just stepped on a banana peel in an old cartoon) before she could fall, and Riven playfully bickering with Jade in the doorway, he started to think that working with them on this project might not be so bad after all. Plus, a whole costume concept all to himself? He could definitely have some fun with that…

[holymultiplefandomsbatman]

Hungry For Your Living Kiss [sub Loki Smut]

Sub TDW!Loki x Dom fem!reader

Summary: Loki has been locked up in his cell on Asgard for a while. You are one of Frigga’s maids and visit Loki regularly to bring him new books, as ordered by Frigga herself. The only difference: you choose to hand them over in person. Loki has developed an interest in you but he’s buried too deep in guilt and self-hatred to do anything about it. When you visit him again after he wakes up from a nightmare, Loki finally cracks.

Words: 5.7k

Warnings: NSFW! 18+  sub!Loki, dom!reader, face-slapping, praise kink, unprotected sex, vaginal sex, body worship, trauma, Loki having a panic attack, mentions of torture under Thanos, discussion of consent and boundaries, Loki being a soft cinnamon roll

Well, there we go. I’ve actually written smut for once, big surprise! This fic kinda developed a mind of its own at some point and now this is the end result. I don’t know what happened… 😂

Thanks to @lokisgoodgirl​ for inspiring me and being a cheerleader, and also thanks to @lokischambermaid​ for encouraging me to actually go through with writing this nonsense. I hope you enjoy it.

@muddyorbsblr​ I hope you like this too!

I haven’t written smut in a long time, so this is basically my first official attempt in... 3 years, I think. Please be kind. 😅

The title is inspired by the poem “If I Was Dead” by Carol Ann Duffy. I love her poetry and every single one of her works gives me Loki vibes. I can only recommend you check it out.

Loki stared grimly into the dungeon hallway, his vision obscured by the orange glow of Asgardian magic trapping him in this dreaded cage.

With nothing to do but reading.

And maybe waiting on new material – not that he was concerned about the plays and mythology retellings his mother kept bringing to him.

“The books I sent, do they not interest you?”

Loki bit back a comment about how he was far more interested in the maid delivering them than he cared about the books themselves. He paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself before he turned away from the wall to face his mother.

“Is that how I am to wile away eternity?”

Loki’s voice was calm, though the words sent a flash of pain through him.

Trapped in this cell, forgotten by the world. All alone.

Bitterly, he added, “Reading.”

“I’ve done everything in my power to make you comfortable, Loki.”

Frigga’s calm words carried a certain emotion that he couldn’t quite place. Loki looked up at his mother, interrupting his mindless pacing around the cell.

“Have you?” he asked slowly.

He took a step towards her, allowing a hint of pain into his voice as he eyed his mother with his usual façade of indifference.

“Does Odin share your concern? Does Thor?”

The look she gave him in response made Loki want to laugh. “It must be so inconvenient, them asking after me day and night…”

Frigga ignored his comment, as she always did.

Memories of his childhood rose from the depth of Loki’s mind, how his mother had smiled in amusement whenever he showed her something he cared about. He’d been so convinced that she cared about his stories, that she was listening with interest.

Now, Loki couldn’t help but wonder how much of it had just been her being amused at his childish joy. If she’d simply waved his passions aside like they didn’t matter.

Had she ever truly listened?

Frigga frowned at him. Her stern eyes trapped Loki under their stare, preventing him from hiding behind his carefully-constructed mask again.

“You know full well it was your actions that brought you here.”

Loki bit his tongue, fighting a memory that threatened to close in on him.

Your actions…

“My actions.” he echoed in a dull voice, turning away from Frigga to pace around the cell again. His stride was more forceful now, every step crushing a painful memory beneath his sturdy boots.

Loki soon found himself arguing with his mother, finally allowing himself to release a fraction of the weight he’d carried on his shoulders since his childhood days. Frigga’s insistence on his parentage ignited a storm deep within his chest, his ears filling with white noise while she continuously compared his actions to Odin’s.

“HE’S NOT MY FATHER!” Loki finally interrupted her, screaming the words right into her face.

Frigga didn’t remain quiet for long even though she’d taken a step back at his loud voice. “Then am I not your mother?” she asked softly, her ancient eyes filled with sadness.

Loki stared at her, his mouth opening and closing as he choked on all the things he’d always wanted to tell her. When he finally managed to say something, it turned out to be the worst possible option he could have chosen. He already regretted the words before they even left his mouth.

“You’re not.”

Frigga just looked at him, that same deep sadness from before still on her face.

Loki reached out, wanting to apologize, to touch her, to hold her. Anything.

His hand faded straight through hers.

Frigga’s eyes didn’t leave him as she slowly dissolved into sparks of magic.

Loki stared at the spot where she’d stood only a second ago. His chest constricted painfully as their conversation repeated in his head.

You know full well it was your actions that brought you here.

He shut his eyes, trying to hold back the memories of what he’d done in the past two years. What he’d been forced to do.

As usual, Loki was too weak to fight the onslaught of pictures and sounds. They overwhelmed him, playing out in front of him in blindingly bright colors.

The screams. The pain. The view of all the destruction from atop Stark Tower, in that brief moment where he’d finally been himself again. The way Thor had pleaded with him, right before he’d lost control once more…

Loki’s legs gave out beneath him. He stumbled to the ground, the impact shooting a flash of hot, burning pain up his spine. Tears trickled down his cheeks before he even knew he was crying.

Your fault. Weak, useless, despicable.

Loki pressed his forehead against the cold stone floor, his hands balled into fists next to his face.

The whispers didn’t cease. They only increased in volume as a single word stood out among the storm of insults. It echoed off the walls, digging its claws deep into Loki’s trembling body.

Monster.

Loki awoke with a start. He blinked against sleep’s firm hold, trying to shake the remnants of his dream – or rather, his nightmare. He barely remembered anything and the pictures faded quickly as he reached consciousness.

He could still hear the screams though. They always followed him, even when he was awake.

Loki slowly sat up. His entire body protested and his limbs ached as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. He paid it no mind.

He’d survived so much worse…

Loki stared at the hard surface beneath him in confusion; he must have fallen asleep on the floor. No wonder he’d been plagued by a nightmare.

Not that his waking hours were free of horror. The ghosts of the past two years followed him like a shadow even when he was wide-awake. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t escape them.

Loki wiped at his eyes to brush away the first tears rolling down his face. He gritted his teeth, ultimately failing to control himself as he gave in to the pain.

It would be one of those days again…

Voices rang out in the dungeon hallway. The two guards with their rough, ceremonious language – and then a third person, speaking in a much more joyful tone.

Loki froze. An ice-cold flash shot through him as he stared at the nontransparent cell wall.

No. You couldn’t be here, not right now!

He couldn’t let you see him like this, crying on the floor like some pathetic wimp. You deserved his best behavior, the charming prince who treated you like royalty. Not this…this sobbing moron.

Loki tried to hide his tears, desperately rubbing at his face with his sleeve. It was no use. Fresh tears continued to spill from his eyes, no matter how harshly he wiped the old ones away.

You entered the cell, the pile of books in your arms so high that it obscured your vision. You’d brought more than usual this time.

Maybe Frigga had added some books to teach him a lesson after their fight…

Loki shuffled backwards until his spine met the wall. He suppressed a pained hiss as his back protested at the impact and instead pulled his knees up towards his chest, trying his best to hide himself from you.

“Good morning, your highness. I hope I’m not too early. Queen Frigga requested that I deliver these as soon as possible.”

Your voice was far too chipper for the current time of day.

You carefully set the pile of books down onto the chair, reaching out to catch one of them before it could fall to the floor. Afterwards you turned around, quickly wiping your hands on your clothes as you searched for him.

“I know you probably haven’t finished the old ones yet, so I thought I’d just –“

Loki could tell when you spotted him cowering in the corner. He tried to make himself even smaller, wishing he could just fade into the wall.

An expression of deep concern washed over your beautiful features. You hurried across the room to kneel beside him, cupping his face between your palms.

“Are you alright?”

Loki could only stare at you in disbelief. His crying ceased, the pain replaced by utter shock at your proximity.

Did you forget who you were talking to? That you couldn’t just touch–

A shiver ran through him as your thumbs softly wiped his tears away. The careful, almost loving caress fueled the ache in his chest, though it was another kind of longing this time.

Why were you being so gentle with him? Why weren’t you running from him like everyone else?

Your touch became stronger. You angled his face towards you, leaving Loki no choice but to look at you.

“Are you alright, your highness?”

The title made him shiver, even though you’d addressed him in this manner countless times before ever since Thor had dragged him back to Asgard.

Something about your soft voice as you said the words this time was different.

It almost sounded like a term of endearment…

Loki’s mouth fell open, a quiet gasp slipping out against his will. His hand flew up and covered his mouth as he stared at you, embarrassment at his own reaction stunning him into silence.

You studied his face. A smile spread over your features – gods, you were truly beautiful – when you carefully pulled Loki’s hand away from his face. You placed it ever so gently against your cheek instead, closing your eyes for a second and leaning into the touch before you pressed your lips against it, softly kissing the palm of his hand.

Loki couldn’t breathe. He stared at you, your boldness leaving him completely speechless.

If someone saw you, you’d be executed immediately…

You were still smiling as you kissed his palm a second time, and a third, before your lips gently grazed the soft skin on the inside of his wrist. Your lips left goosebumps in their wake as you slowly kissed along his forearm.

A shiver shook Loki’s body. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep some semblance of composure – not that he’d possessed much to begin with. Your eyes met his while your mouth still brushed against his skin. He audibly gasped this time, the sound far too loud for the silence of the room.

With a soft peck to the inside of his elbow, you lifted your head and sat back on your knees, looking at him expectantly. You smiled, soft with a dash of mischief.

“Does your highness require anything else?”

Loki opened and closed his mouth without making a sound. His silver tongue betrayed him, a situation that didn’t occur often. He could usually rely quite confidently on his eloquence and quick wit.

In this moment, Loki was robbed of that gift. His tongue was immovable as stone inside his mouth.

Ironically he only ever found himself in this position when he was with you.

“I – “ Loki gulped, silently willing his mind to come up with anything, anything at all. It disobeyed him when he watched a small smile form on your face.

Oh, how badly he wanted to feel your lips on his skin again.

“Kiss me…”

It was intended as a command, authoritarian and cold to remind you of your place.

Instead, Loki’s voice was shaky, the volume barely above a whisper. Heat rushed to his cheeks and he gave in, covering his face behind his hands to hide his embarrassment.

Your amused chuckle disrupted the silence, accompanied by the shuffling of fabric. A shaky breath later, your hands grabbed Loki’s wrists, slowly pulling them away from his face.

He barely dared to look at you.

Surely you’d laugh at him, mock him, tell him how ridiculous –

Your fingers caressed his chin, slowly pushing his head up until Loki had no other choice but to look at you. Your eyes were kind, without any of the mockery he had grown so accustomed to. Your thumb gently stroked over his skin.

When you smiled at him, it was like the sun came out.

“What did you ask of me, my prince?”

Loki blinked, completely entranced by your presence. Your words repeated in his head, over and over again.

My prince…

He took a shaky breath, exhaling slowly before he opened his mouth. His voice was stronger this time, though it still trembled ever so slightly.

“Kiss me.”

Loki leaned forward, the tip of his nose brushing against yours. “Please,” he whispered.

He was begging now but he didn’t care anymore. How could he, when you looked at him like he was the most precious being in the universe.

Your fingertips trailed upwards from his chin, cupping his cheek in the palm of your hand. Loki nuzzled into your touch, making you smile for the duration of a second before you pulled him towards you.

Your lips connected with his. Loki swore he stopped breathing.

Everything slowed down as if hit by a freezing spell. Even the silence faded away that’d been so deafening a few minutes ago. Loki could only sit still, completely overwhelmed by the heat of your body, the gentle pressure of your lips against his…

They were slightly chapped, something he hadn’t noticed before. And incredibly soft…

A shaky sigh left Loki’s mouth as he gave in. He returned your kiss, moving his lips cautiously against yours. His eyelids fluttered shut and he relaxed against your body, his hands clenching into fists at his sides as he fought against the urge to touch you.

He would never forgive himself if he hurt you…

You shifted to straddle him, your knees resting on either side of his thighs. Carefully, so carefully, you reached for his hands, peeling his fingers apart before placing them on your waist.

Loki groaned. Your weight above him made his head spin. He dug his fingers softly into your hips, straining his neck upwards to kiss you again from this new angle.

You pulled your head back and pressed your finger to his lips.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” you asked, raising your eyebrows at him.

Loki stared at you in shock. Your commanding tone sent a shiver down his spine.

“I-I’m sorry…” he stuttered, struggling to even get the words out. His throat had become almost painfully dry.

You clicked your tongue dismissively and shook your head.

After a moment of silence you leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. Loki’s face scrunched as he pouted. You simply giggled in response, kissing his nose once again.

Your lips began to trail over his skin, to his cheek, then his jaw. You grazed your teeth over it, making Loki shiver at the sensation. He closed his eyes as his head fell back against the wall, exposing his neck to you.

Your mouth soon latched onto his throat. Your kisses were starting to linger now.

“Mine,” you whispered softly, tracing your tongue across the main artery in his neck. “All mine…”

Loki’s breath hitched. He’d never thought about belonging to someone before, at least not in this manner. Something about the sound of your voice as you said it made him tremble beneath you.

Mine...

The words slipped out of Loki’s mouth before he could stop them. “Can I – can I touch you? Please?”

You pulled your mouth away from his neck and raised your eyebrows at him. Your eyes darted to where his hands were holding onto your hips.

“You are touching me.” you said teasingly.

Loki closed his eyes in embarrassment. Yes, he was aware of that – but it wasn’t what he meant and you knew it very well.

“I want to make you feel good. Please, it’s not right that I’m not giving anything back to you.”

Loki barely opened his eyes fast enough to catch the grin that lit up your face. He still saw a hint of it though, the fondness in your smile quickly overtaken by desire as you leaned back, raising your hands in a gesture that he read as, Well, what are you waiting for then?

Loki’s hands carefully moved upwards from your waist while he watched your facial expression for any sign of discontent.

“May I kiss your neck?” he asked softly, just to make sure.

You nodded immediately, tilting your head to give him access.

Having your soft skin displayed right in front of him like this tore a whimper from Loki’s throat. He surged forward and buried his face in the crook of your shoulder, breathing you in. His mouth tenderly caressed the side of your neck.

Your gasp echoed off the walls. You dug your fingers into his hair, pushing his face even further against you.

Loki chuckled at your reaction. He couldn’t believe that he was holding you in his arms right now, that he could kiss you like this.

He would very likely still doubt his memories once he woke up tomorrow.

Loki gave into the desire boiling in his veins. He pressed his lips firmly against you, sucking harshly. You panted above him as he carefully dug his teeth into your neck, making sure he didn’t break skin.

“You’re doing very – mmmm, yes – very well. Who knew that silver tongue was good for – ohhhh – other things as well…”

Loki shivered at your praise. His fingers began to play with your nipples through the fabric of your clothes as he sucked on your neck. His efforts earned him another moan from you, this one even louder.

You pulled his head away from you by his hair, staring down at him with hooded eyes.

“I need to fuck you, now. Will you let me do that?”

Loki nodded without having to think twice.

You reached for his pants, pulling his aching cock free where it had previously strained against the fabric, hard and dripping. Your free hand quickly pulled off your undergarments. You kicked them off before digging your hand into his shoulder for leverage and sinking onto his cock.

Loki couldn’t breathe.

You were a true goddess, your eyes dark with lust as you stared down at him.

You could've asked him for literally anything in that moment and by the gods, he would've done it so willingly. Without question.

Loki’s mouth fell open as you started rolling your hips. A guttural moan echoed through the cell, the sound so primal that he didn’t even recognize it as his own at first.

“Mine,” you growled into his ear, your teeth scraping against his neck, “all mine!”

There it was again, the word that would haunt him in his dreams.

Loki threw his head back. It crashed against the wall but he didn’t care, not even when his spine protested at the painful impact.

Your hand wound itself into his hair, gripping it roughly as you pulled his head back further and pressed your hungry mouth against his throat. A whimper fell from his lips, the sound turning into a low growl when you tugged on his hair.

“Yes,” Loki gasped. His head slammed back into the wall. “I – mmmmh, gods… I – I’m yours!”

It felt incredible to actually say it out loud, like a rush that left him dizzy.

Loki wasn’t sure how much of it was rebellion against the way he’d been raised – a prince declaring himself owned by a servant; all the stuck-up royals at Asgard’s court would gasp and clutch their pearls – and how much was the idea of belonging to you. Of being yours.

It didn’t really matter either way.

Loki squeezed his eyes shut, chanting the word until his voice cracked. Yours, yours, yours…

Your moans echoed in his ear as your hips moved faster, grinding into him relentlessly.

He’d never felt this close to Valhalla.

You kissed him again, your hands still buried in his hair. Your kisses took his breath away, suffocating him and bringing him back to life at the same time. Loki’s hands grabbed your hips tightly, clinging to you as he desperately tried not to drown.

Gods, he loved you.

Loki froze. The blood in his veins that had just been on fire turned to ice in a matter of seconds. Even your lips were cold now as they pressed against his.

He couldn’t love you. He couldn’t do that to you.

Words echoed through Loki’s mind. Words that kept him up at night, accompanying his nightmares so often that he saw the scene replay around him even though his eyes were wide open.

If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can not find you.

Loki’s breathing picked up.

Thanos would find him. He’d kill anyone in his way to get to Loki, anyone who mattered to him, just to watch him suffer – a punishment for his failure.

If Thanos found out how much Loki cared for you…

The air was too thin now, his tunic gripping his chest so tightly that he wheezed, still unable to breathe properly.

What if –

A sharp pain on his cheek snapped him back to reality.

Loki gasped, his body surging forward as he struggled to fill his lungs with air.

He reached out, searching purchase. Something to hold onto, to ground himself. Something real.

Your arms wrapped around him from where you were now kneeling next to him on the floor, holding him against you.

Loki’s hands clung to your waist, gripping you tightly in a desperate attempt to center himself as his forehead fell against your shoulder. Your hand gently ran through his hair while you mumbled something in a soothing voice. The other hand stroked over his cheek, providing a sensation for him to focus on.

Loki didn’t know how much time passed until he finally dared to lift his head from your shoulder. His eyes fixed on the pendant around your neck, staring at it as if he wanted to commit every little carving in the material to memory.

You didn’t rush him, just calmly playing with his hair until Loki slowly raised his gaze to meet yours. You seemed surprisingly calm. He couldn’t spot any confusion or anger on your face, nothing but a soft smile.

“Are you alright?” you asked carefully.

Loki paused, taking a few breaths. Then he nodded.

“Yes,” he replied, surprised by the steady sound of his voice. He cleared his throat. “What, er, what happened?”

Your tongue darted out to wet your lips. Loki stared for a moment before he caught himself and looked away.

“You didn’t respond anymore when I tried to talk to you. You were just…” you lifted your hand from his cheek and waved it through the air in search of words, “you were frozen. And, well, I… I had to find a way to bring you back.”

You lowered your eyes for a moment.

Loki slowly raised his hand to the side of his face that was still tingling. His eyebrows rose as he stared at you, realization dawning on him.

A sheepish smile twitched at the corners of your mouth.

“Did you hit me?” Loki asked, completely dumbfounded.

You chuckled, looking at him with what he presumed to be a mixture of embarrassment and playfulness. “I had to get you back! What was I supposed to do?”

“Not slap me, perhaps? Surely you could’ve figured out something else!”

Loki rubbed his cheek, grumbling under his breath as you chuckled. He shook his head in disbelief.

You’d just slapped him. Right across the face, with all your might.

His mind conjured an image before he could stop it.

You raising your hand, your palm colliding with his cheek, the sharp burn as you hit him.

Loki bit back the groan that threatened to rise in his throat. He couldn’t suppress the shiver running up his spine, though. His body twitched.

You looked at him with barely concealed amusement, a knowing grin on your face.

Loki rolled his eyes, turning his head away from you. He was still unable to shake the mental image and it confused him greatly.

Your fingers caressed the sensitive spot on his cheek where you’d struck him a few minutes ago.

You applied pressure. Loki hissed sharply through gritted teeth.

Your amused laughter erupted right next to his ear.

“You know…” you said slowly, your hand dropping from his face to play with the tips of his messy hair instead, “I could just… hit you again. If you want to see how it feels.”

Loki’s breath hitched. He squeezed his eyes shut until he saw spots but it didn’t help him gain control over the onslaught of confusing thoughts.

The image in his head just wouldn’t go away.

Loki looked over at you, huffing grumpily for good measure.

You smiled at him, your fingers still tangled in his hair. Your other hand now cupped the unharmed side of his face while your thumb stroked over his cheekbone.

“We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” you assured him.

Your voice was soft but firm. It calmed the chaotic thoughts racing through Loki’s head, although he didn’t know why. Maybe he was underestimating just how much power you truly held over him.

He trusted you though, he knew that with every fiber of his being.

Loki took a deep breath. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

“I – I would like to… I would like to try it.”

You studied his face carefully. “Are you sure?”

Loki nodded. He didn’t have to think this time.

“Alright. We’ll try one and then see how you feel, yes?”

Your voice was still gentle but it now carried a hint of determination. Loki shivered. He nodded again.

You gave him a stern look, similar to the one his mother always used with him. “Words, your highness.”

“Y-yes,” Loki stammered quickly, nodding his head in confirmation.

Your fingertips stroked his unscathed cheek one last time before you raised your hand, looking at him questioningly. When he nodded, you slapped him swiftly across the face.

Loki’s mouth fell open, a moan ripping from his throat. Pleasure washed over him like a wave as his body surged forward, almost as if it were chasing after the pain. He doubled over, forearms resting on his thighs to steady himself while he shivered and gasped for breath.

Before he’d met you, Loki was sure he knew pain. He’d experienced enough of it to last multiple lifetimes, even where Asgardians were concerned.

He didn’t know it could feel this good though.

Loki slowly straightened again, his breath still coming in short pants. He looked at you, only to discover that you were watching him intently, carefully taking in his facial expressions and his body language.

You gently held his face between your palms, stroking your thumbs over his cheekbones.

“Are you alright? I didn’t hit you too hard, did I?”

Loki shook his head to the best of his ability, your hands brushing across his skin. “No,” he said slowly.

You smiled at him, some of the worry leaving your eyes. You reached out to push some of his messy dark hair away from his face.

“Do you want me to do it again?”

Your tone was casual now, as if you were discussing the weather.

“Yes! But –” Loki interrupted himself, awkwardly pointing towards his lap, “w-would – um, would you…”

You giggled under your breath and grabbed his cock, slowly sinking back onto him. Your combined moans reverberated around the cell.

Loki’s hands clutched your hips as you started rocking back and forth on top of him. He tried to keep his grip light enough that he wouldn’t impact your movement while still having something to hold on to.

Loki’s hips instinctively jerked upwards and he groaned low in his throat.

You didn’t punish him for it this time. Instead you smiled and lifted a hand from the back of his neck, softly brushing your fingertips over his cheek.

After a moment, you pulled your hand back, eyeing him questioningly.

Loki nodded and closed his eyes, his breathing picking up in anticipation.

His head flew to the side as you slapped him again, hard. The sound echoed through the cell.

A hot flash raced up his spine, making Loki cry out in pleasure. The stinging sensation almost tipped him over the edge.

“Th-th-thank you,” he stammered once he was able to speak again. His face burned from humiliation and pleasure.

You smirked, pulling Loki into a rough kiss. Your hips continued their maddening pace that made his head spin all over again

“Again,” Loki urged softly once you broke the kiss, “p-please, again.”

You paused and frowned at him, slowing down the movement of your hips. He whined loudly in protest.

“What was that?” you asked slowly, a hint of darkness in your voice.

Loki shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut as he battled the last remaining shred of his pride.

“Please… please hit me again, Y/n.”

He cringed, ashamed of the utter desperation in his voice. This was so far from the behavior his mother had taught him, so unlike what his golden brother had always been praised for during their childhood.

However, when you resumed the grinding of your hips on top of him – moving even faster than you did previously – and leaned forward to capture his mouth in a passionate kiss, Loki found he didn’t care. He simply let go, allowing you to do whatever you wanted.

You broke the kiss soon after, smiling in amusement as his lips chased after yours.

“Well done. Just close your eyes and enjoy it.”

Loki complied, a drawn-out moan falling from his lips as you started bouncing on his cock.

“Yes, th-th– ohhhh – th-thank you – mmmm, just like that… Please hit me again, I want it so badly, I – ohhhhh, GODS!”

Your hand had come down onto his face again, striking him so hard that his ears were ringing. This time however, you’d slapped him on the other cheek.

Loki swore he saw stars. The sharp sting pushed him over the edge and he spilled inside of you, your name falling from his lips in a broken scream. He remained sitting propped up against the wall as waves of pleasure rolled over him, leaving him a trembling, moaning mess.

You bounced on top of him, your head thrown back towards the ceiling while you chased your own release. You reached between your legs, rubbing your clit relentlessly until you came with a strained cry.

Loki caught you in his arms as you slumped forward into his chest, spent and exhausted. He stroked the back of your head with tender fingers, smiling to himself in awe and disbelief.

How in the hels did he deserve you?

You hummed softly, burying your face in his shirt. You remained that way until your heartbeat slowed down and your breathing returned to normal.

Loki’s breath caught in his throat when you finally raised your head to look at him, leaning in to kiss him so lovingly that he forgot everything around him.

All that mattered was you.

Loki woke up slowly, feeling rested and calm for the first time in forever. He found himself curled up in his chair, which explained why he wasn’t in as much pain as usual.

He didn’t remember lying down to sleep though.

He couldn’t remember when he’d last slept without nightmares either.

Loki stretched carefully, not quite trusting the lack of pain just yet. After all, he’d learned the hard way how easily his body could be manipulated, how it felt to lose control of his own hands only to wake up to find them covered in blood that he didn’t remember spilling.

Loki yawned, rubbing at his eyes while he slowly shifted into a sitting position.

Today would be a good day, he could feel it. He really deserved one.

Someone pointedly cleared their throat.

Loki flinched, his eyes almost falling out of his head when he spotted Frigga standing in the middle of his cell.

“Mother! What are you doing here?”

Their conversation two days prior came back to him. Loki practically jumped out of the chair, the quick motion making him dizzy. He pushed the feeling aside.

“Mother, I apologize for –“

Frigga only lifted her hand, effectively silencing him.

“No need,” she said graciously, a hint of her usual loving tone resonating in her voice. “You’re forgiven.”

Loki stared at her, a weight falling off his shoulders as he processed her words. He took a deep breath of relief.

His mother’s presence still confused him though. Why was she here?

Frigga smiled at him. When she spoke again, her eyes held a spark of amusement, maybe even mischief.

“I suppose you’ll be interested to hear that I disguised your… encounter with my maid. I wouldn’t want you or Y/n to face punishment over something so trivial.”

Loki’s eyes widened and he was unable to look at his mother. Her words left him torn between shock and disbelief as the realization slowly set in.

He didn’t know what to say, utterly mortified by what she was implying.

Frigga grinned softly and shook her head.

Loki remembered that reaction very well from his childhood, whenever the guards dragged Thor and him towards her after they’d once again done something reckless and incredibly stupid. She’d looked at them with the same expression then as she regarded him with right now.

Frigga took a small step towards him, the movement barely noticeable. The amusement in her eyes dulled, though it didn’t fully disappear.

“I’m so glad that Y/n reciprocates your feelings… but next time, please try to at least conceal yourselves a little bit.”

Loki swallowed and nodded. His face grew hot as his boots suddenly became extremely interesting.

After a while of awkward silence, he slowly dared to raise his head, discovering that Frigga had disappeared. He dropped onto the chair beneath him, burying his face in his hands.

When you came back two days later to deliver new books, Loki barely managed to cast an illusion before your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

 More of my stuff

Fandoms I write for

[hazelfoureyes]

I sound like a broken record at this point, what with me constantly saying Smutmus is almost complete. And it is; but the perfectionist in me keeps taking over and turning it into a “one step forward, two steps back” kinda deal, and it's driving me crazy. I know you all have lives outside of tumblr, plus your own projects, but I was wondering if any of you would mind looking over what I've written so far and give me some tips on how to better portray Alastor, or just some constructive criticism in general regarding my writing style? Honestly, I feel like I may have made him EXTREMELY OOC because the vast majority of Smutmus stems from my horny mom brain, and the closer I get to a complete version, the more nervous I get about posting it. I completely understand if you'd rather not. It's just that, as a group that I feel portrays his character much better than I ever could, I value your opinions more than my own. 😭❤️

The parts I would send you are basically how the in-story situation occurred, foreplay, and oral (Alastor & Reader) leading up to the original first part, which is about 5.6k words long. Again, I TOTALLY understand if you don't wanna; my anxiety is just getting the better of me ATM. 🥲

ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANNY BABY~! Sending you a TON of happy wishes, and hopefully you have a wonderful day! Mwuah~!! ❤️🎂🥳 @sugoi-writes @minkdelovely

I’m down! But I’m not good at giving criticism for works because I’m almost always like “hey if YOUR Alastor would do that then that’s what Alastor would do!” 😂 but if you want my honest opinion I could try 😅

but I feel the same! I always fucking panic when it goes on and on, like a bridge with supports I’m seriously questioning the stability of…

@sugoi-writes 🎉 i owe YOU a coffee!!

[lovelyelbowleech]

Hi, currently in love with your work. I’m on my 4th re-read since I discovered All’s Fair several months ago, and I have you to thank for prolonging my current Atla Hyper-fixation. Back in the building.

I wanted to ask when you started this story, how much did you develop characters like Shen or Kazuma? Were they mainstays since the beginning or did you end up coming up with them and their roles as the story progressed?

In chapter 12 of War Crimes, Shen mentions both his brother and his mother eluding to what happened to them so clearly he had something going for him since he first showed up, and it got me started on this train of thought, wondering just how ingrained in the story you figured they’d be? Cause I don’t see a ton of OCs in fics that affect the story this much, nor are such well rounded characters of their own I forget they aren’t in the actual show.

What made you decide to bring their roles in the story to the forefront?

Also, if you’re still doing the WIP and game;

“Stop” or “Dread” ?

Thanks and keep up the good work! heaps of praise upon thee!

Hello! So sorry its taken an age to respond, being sick knocked it out of me.

4 rereads is a lot! Glad you have enjoyed so much!

In regards to your questions about the OCs – it varies from character to character.

During War Crimes, I started planning War Games and I was torn between using Hakoda as the main adult view point character or making someone new. I felt like Hakoda was going to need to be focused on Sokka and their relationship, so I created Shen. I planned a basic backstory for him (his brother, the fact he was essentially a grown-up child soldier) and then sort of just waited to see how it turned out while writing. I didn't really have an end game for him, although I knew the important beats when it came to his interactions with the kids. It was actually the way I wanted to introduce Suki that was the main influence for the direction his story went and I think the catalyst for him becoming so entwined in the story.

Which leads me to Kazuma.... he did not exist until he was on the page 😅 I needed someone to take Shen to be imprisoned with Suki. So I made Kazuma... I like to give even the small characters a little bit of backstory – even if it never makes it into the fic, it makes them feel more nuanced in my head. So I gave him a bit of personality and a (tragic) back story and then decided I quite liked him. I thought his perspective would be interesting – being in a similar position to Shen but on the Fire Nation side. So I just rolled with it, and then somewhere around his first POV I realised he was exactly what I needed for Azula's story. So he was very much a fly by the seat of the pants character! Although when I got him figured out and how he would be involved with the story things became far more planned and now he is all tied up with plot.

Hua was plotted from the end of War Crimes, but Tu was more flexible. I knew how I was going to use him just not the details. Jianjun has also grown as I have written him. I always knew what I wanted him to do, just not quite how 😂, so he has grown as a character as I write.

It was never my intention to get any of them so wrapped up in the plot, it just sort of happened that way, so I’m rolling with it 😅

Thank you for the ask! And the interest in the OC’s ❤️❤️

I will come back to the ask game when I have written a little more of the new chapter 😂

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

AITA Tag Game

I was tagged by @the-inkwell-variable and I guess I DID find enough motivation to do a new one! It's not a poll, though, because this was more fun.

I'm tagging, if you feel like doing it (no need to go overboard like I did 😅) @winterandwords and perhaps @sarandipitywrites and as always an open tag.

RULES: Make an Am I the Asshole post for an OC!

Well, this OC is Laurent, from Sweet Little Lies.

Transcript under the cut

Two screenshots, showing fake posts on the subreddit Am I The Asshole. The first screenshot is the OP, written by the user Hot-As-Fire-6521518. He asks:

AITA for lying about candy?

(All names changed to keep things anonymous.)

About two weeks ago, I [M 42] saw my ex on the street, so I hopped into the closest store to avoid an awkward confrontation. It was a candy store. I really don't like candy, but I had to kill a bit of time, so I struck up conversation with the shop owner - let's call her Burelia. I kid you not when I say Burelia stole my heart he moment I laid eyes on her. She's funny, she's beautiful, she's smart, she's everything I could ever want in a woman.

There's only so much time one can spend on complimenting the decorations, so I made up a story about a friend's niece [F 20 or so. Idk she's a kid. She's also not really his niece, but whatever.] and claimed I was looking for a gift for her. I spent the next couple of hours trying out various candies, and though I hated most of them, it was the most wonderful afternoon I have had in a long time.

One of the candies I eventually bought were cherry flavored, and my friend's niece (let's call her Nerridy) absolutely loves them. Two days later, Nerridy already asked me if I could get her more. Now here's where I messed up: I told her they are out of stock, and I told Burelia that she didn't like any of the ones I brought and I would have to try out more.

It's been like two weeks now, and I tried at least 30 different kinds of candies. I use the excuse that Nerridy hated all of them and I want to find something she likes to return a couple of times a week. Burelia and I have started to eat lunch together, and I think she might like me, too, but I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.

Now It's almost midnight, I'm stuck at work (because I spend all day hanging out in the candy store), and our night guard [NB ??? - let's call them Drystal] challenged me to post this to find out if I am the asshole. Drystal claims it's rude of me to basically tell Burelia that all her candy sucks, that I am wasting her time, and that I should put on my big boy pants and ask her out already.

I don't think it's a problem; The only one suffering is me (I really do not like candy), Burelia seems to enjoy my company, and all my friends get free stuff - including Drystal, who is watching me type this while eating the apricot drops I gave them.

So, am I the asshole?

The second screenshot shows the top comments.

The collapsed auto mod comment by Judgement_Bot_AITA.

User ThrowRA-DivorceCollector-555: Dude, Burelia knows 😂😂 (two laughing emojis) NAH but Drystal is right, ask her out already

User PinkThermalPaper: INFO: Are you paying for the candy? Edit: NTA

With the reply by OP: Of course I am.

User ThrowRA-SweetestTooth: YTA, who the fuck doesn't like candy

User OldShoe_: YTA to yourself if you don't talk to her man

The post and all replies have 13-50 upvotes. There is no verdict yet.

End Transcript.

[kybercrystals94]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 75

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 92,568

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently, Star Wars (mostly Bad Batch); however, I've written for a lot of TV shows over the years. (I prefer TV shows over movies simply because I can get to know the characters better and have a better feel for them when writing)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Unconventionally Easy (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - a pre-Order 66 story about a mission gone awry for the Batch. 2. I Miss You (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - Echo finds an unexpected message from a brother. 3. Regroup (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - Tech and Omega have to leave Hunter and Wrecker behind when a job for Cid goes sideways. 4. Just Sit With Me (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - A Cadet Batch fic featuring young Crosshair and Tech. 5. Resilient (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - Echo struggles with his PTSD.

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! It's one of my favorite parts of writing fan fiction!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? This one is really hard since I did Whumptober and Febuwhump and Angstpril 😅 I'd have to say maybe Haunting Failures or Sick Day (although my readers would probably choose different ones).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably the Stardust Conspiracy or Detail Work.

8. Do you get hate on fics? In other fandoms, I have...I have yet to experience hate in this fandom.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I don't read or write or watch it...not my thing.

10. Do you ever write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I haven't really written any...but I did kinda play with the idea of writing a Psych and Bones crossover 😂 I was gonna call it The Psychic in the Capital.

11. ?? (there was no question for #11...so I'll just say....nothing, I guess)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I am aware of, but that would be so cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Kind of! I wrote Where Fears Are Born & When Fears Are Faced as companion pieces of @just-here-with-my-thoughts' fic Phobia. And then @just-here-with-my-thoughts wrote a couple cute companion pieces for The Stardust Conspiracy! (Find the Stardust collection here!)

14. What's your all time favorite ship? Kanan and Hera 🥰😭

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Mmmmm...I don't know. Any WIPs I have chapters posted for I have plans to finish...the ones slowly dying in my folder, however...😅

There's a Fives Survives AU I've been writing where he's actually the one who finds and rescues Omega from Kamino that I would really like to see through.

16. What are your writing strengths? I love character studies, so I feel like that really helps my writing!

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I hate writing action scenes...and I tend to lean heavily on dialogue.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? The only time I've used "another language" in a fic is when I have clones use Mando'a words...but they don't usually use full sentences.

19. First fandom you wrote for? When I was an early teen I wrote for the Disney show Pair of Kings. 😂 However, I think I deleted the story after a couple of days...the first fandom I stuck to for a bit of time and still have stories floating around out there was Bonanza.

20. Favorite fic you've written? Basically any story I've written with the boys as cadets. They All Fall Down is probably one of my favorites, just because it reminds me so much of growing up with siblings. I also loved writing the Stardust Conspiracy.

Thank you for tagging me, @the-little-moment! This was so fun!!

Is it possible to tag all my moots?? Because I wanna see all your answers...(**cough**cough**if you've read this far, consider yourself TAGGED)

[katyaromanoffpetrova]

At what point did you actually start writing stories? Like when did the idea become an actual thing? Because I’ve got several story plots written out, some like in detail. But I’m not a story writer. Do you just like, do it and see what happens?

Also I’m sorry if I’m sending too many asks, I’ve just got lots of thoughts about lots of things.

Never apologize for the asks! I love getting and answering them! 😊

I honestly can't remember 😅 I started writing when I was 18, which was 5-6 years ago, and I don't actually remember when or how I actually decided to sit down and write something? I know it was after I saw Captain Marvel, because that was the first book I uploaded. And I started easy because I followed the movie.

But I have such a strong imagination and I daydream a lot, so I put down the story I had created in my head. It was too much to all keep into my head. I wanted to get it down on paper.

And no I don't plan anything out. Not very far into the future anyway. I do have a general idea of events I want to happen, and I do have a note in my phone with some points, but I have the urge to throw in a million other plotpoints that pop up in my head 😂😂

For the prequel tho, I will have to write out the whole plot beforehand because I want it to have tension and a real plot yk?

[sessakag]

Hi! I'm really curious about your writing process because you're writing so many stories simultaneously which i think is really impressive. 💖 Do you already know what's gonna happen in the story such as the ending? Do you outline the plot before starting a story or is the plot decided as the story goes? Do you also forget what happened in the previous chapters so as that you have to reread them before writing the next chapter?

My writing process can be summed up in one word: chaos.

Absolute chaos, no joke. I am always all over the place, bouncing from one fic to another, files everywhere, folders everywhere, docs everywhere, like omg, its so disorganized on my side of the fic but its like a disorganization I can navigate quite easily most of the time😅and yes, I write a lot of stories simultaneously, but its on a bigger scale than folks see, lol. I've been working on 8 unpublished stories at once alongside Prey and Butterfly for the last month or so🤔my brain is just always going, and it switches from one thing to other, sometimes within minutes, sometimes days, sometimes hours, and then I get super fixated on whatever has my attention at the moment and the words just come pouring out of my brain😅I do take breaks when my hands and wrist start to ache, though that only makes me think of more stuff to write about.

I usually have a very clear vision for my fics, they're like movies or tv shows that I live through and experience inside my head, but the majority of the decisions on how to get to point A to B are made on the fly and I do not constrain myself if the story takes me somewhere other than the "clear vision" lol. I'm allergic to following guidelines. I just can't write like that, I have to like, feel the story as I write and if I can't experience the feeling of it then I go a different route, planned or not. it's hard to explain it without sounding like a crazy lady😅but yeah, I'm all feels and instinct with my stories, not much deliberate structure, though I have tried that before, and I was bored to tears and started dreading writing. Prey is a prime example of this. I planned on writing it one way, Prey!Naruto told me no🤭

I know how just about every single one of my fics are going to end already. I may not know how I'll get there, or what will happen in between, but I do know for a fact how they will conclude(unless the story demands a different end, but it's not likely to happen I don't think). I've already written the end for Butterfly, Monster, A Cure For Love, Prey, Dirty Little Secret, most of my unpublished fics and partially finished Secrets but I'm iffy on that one since I'm torn in two directions on how to conclude it. Once I get to the sequel I should have a better feel for it. But yeah, the end of these stories are already ready, they're just waiting for me to get there😂probably one of the reasons why I linger so much on fics so much🤔I already know they end and wanna have fun until the party's over🤭

I do forget things sometimes and need to re-read my stories, though for the most part, my fics are like movies I've seen a million times and I remember them just fine. I mostly re-read to pick up the momentum I had before I left, or to "get back in character" with the characters in the fic. Like if I've been writing Prey for an extended period of time, and then want to go to a fic where Naruto is more in line with his canon self, I'll have to re-read the story to put that hat back on, or listen to music that's less idgaf trap rap and more Naruto OST🤭but forgetting what happened in the previous chapters nah, not really. Not unless I'm having an episode or something, lol. Then Idk wtf is going on🤭

Anywho, hope this answered all your questions, but feel free to ask more!

[zepskies]

Hey, Zep! Here’s a hard question: which fic did you enjoy the most when writing?

Hey there, lovely!

Ooh, that's super freakin' tough. I've written quite a lot, and I have many "favorites" for different reasons. Like I answered another anon earlier today, I absolutely loved writing Smoke Eater, for example, but it did get difficult for me at times due to the complexity of the story and sometimes the gravity of the subject matter.

That said, I'll give you a short list of my favorites (series):

3. Take Me Home (Beau Arlen x Reader)

Ah, the Big Sky fandom! This is the most recent series I've written, and I've had so much fun with it as I continued to learn Beau's character and navigate season 3 of the show, trying to fill in the blanks that the show left behind while adding my own spin to certain things.

Beau is my favorite cowboy sheriff, but he's not without his flaws, which made for a rich exploration of his character. ❤️

2. Midnight Espresso (Dean Winchester x Plus-Sized/Latina Reader)

This is a collection of stories in the SPN fandom, and it's very personal to me! (I myself am both plus-sized and Latina.) Though I tried to make it so all readers, regardless of race/ethnicity or otherwise, could enjoy those stories as well.

It gave me the chance to pair Dean with a reader character who is also a giver like him, who looks out for and cares for him in the same way he cares for others, all while being a badass hunter herself.

From dramatic and angsty hurt/comfort to fluffy smut, I've tried to explore many facets of their relationship, while utilizing both my heritage/culture and my personal experience with body insecurity, body shaming, etc. 💜

1. Break Me Down (Soldier Boy x Reader)

People probably know me best for this series. It was my first real foray into the complex, lovable asshole known as Soldier Boy (Ben).

And it was my attempt at creating a redemption arc for him through an "enemies to lovers" story, edgier than anything I'd done previously, thanks to the grittiness of The Boys world.

I've continued writing far past the original series because I just can't quit these two, and this version of Ben. (In fact, a new one-shot is coming for the BMD-verse on Friday called Calculated Risks, followed by a mini series in May! 💚)

And there are even more BMD requests in my inbox for when I'm able to get to requests again. So as long as people keep wanting to read about them, I'll keep writing about them! 😂

Thank you very much for this question! It was very difficult to choose. If you'd asked me which "one-shots/imagines" were my favorites, that would've been even harder to narrow down. 😅

[604to647]

Surprise self-rec time! Pick 3 of your favorite things you’ve written and share them here, then put this in the inbox (anonymously or not) of your fellow writers to spread the positivity and help celebrate already written fics 💞

Ahhhhhhh 😍!! Thanks for the ask bb and to @magpiepills and @nerdieforpedro for thinking of me as well 🥹😘😘 I have a few favourites, but for this ask I hope you don’t mind if I answer with the three fics that were, for a variety of reasons, the most challenging for me to write:

1. What Was I Made For? (Frankenstein AU, Tim Rockford) - I read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein a long time ago and always felt so much sympathy for The Creature 🥺 and admired Shelley’s gothic and romantic style, as well as her accomplishments as a female author of her time. When I saw @almostfoxglove’s moodboard, it evoked those same vibes and I immediately wanted to write Tim as the Creature, but allow him to be the intelligent and peaceful being he could have been. It was daunting to write, trying to put an unique spin on something so revered and classic (something I myself had enjoyed reading immensely when I was younger) - I hope it did it justice.

2. Code Name: Hephaestus (Pedro Pantheon challenge, Marcus Pike) - oh man… this one 😅😅😂 I had such lofty goals trying to draw the parallels between the god of craftsmen and our sweet Marcus, but when it came down to getting it on paper, I feared I was in danger of being overly didactic. I also had such a hard time with the tense!! We start the story in the present, and then for expository reasons had to go into the past, and I kept switching up tenses out of habit to write in the present, maybe?? 😅 I actually had to print it out and edit/make notes the old fashioned way 😂😂 In the end I hope I was able to strike a balance not only between the tenses, but the AU and the Greek myth. 🤞🏻

3. The Wedding, Part 2 (Safest with You AU, Modern!Din Djarin) - uhhhhh it’s the first blow job I ever wrote 😂😂 I’ve gotten more comfortable with practice, but smut is still a challenge for me to write (I often leave it for last in my first drafts). When I wrote this, I had gotten a little bit of smut under my belt but had thus far avoided blow jobs like the plague 😂 I forced myself to do it here - it’s short, but hopefully sweet not terrible 🫣🤭.

^how I felt at times when I was writing 😂 Thank you again for the ask, my love!

[meadow-roses]

ooo your characters look reeeaaallllyy interesting. Tho I'd like to know a little bit more about keepers. Have you written much? If so, where can I read it in order?

Thank you so much! I am SO glad to hear that!!! :D The keepers have pretty much consumed my brain for the last four years hahaha

Basically this story happened because my sister said one day "what if instead of goofing around making crossovers/aus of stories we like, we made up brand new stories and then made them crossover." Then we started the hard work of creating a whole bunch of co-universal plots so we could send the main characters on crossover adventures together and have it be 100% canon 😂

To enhance this crossover aspect, we're trying to make each of the main stories a different genre- Ketsler is from a second-world fantasy, Skylar from an intrusive fantasy/fairytale setting, Betty mystery thriller, and Felix sci-fi superheroes!

@wednesday-chicken is a great resource if you're looking to learn more, it's a blog specifically for the keepers wip containing all the posts made both by me and @masterfuldoodler (of course you can always send an ask or dm!)

Since the keepers is a collection of stories that all come together to tell a single narrative, (for example "Dauntless" is a four season long show but it's the first installment in the keepers series) it's kinda messy and all over the place lol We're still trying to come up with the perfect publishing order, but here's a timeline August put together that covers each of the separate storylines and how they line up chronologically:

I'm hoping to get things organized better once I've got a website up, but I have no idea when that will be lol

I use my personal blog as a place to share art, but also to make it easy for me to reference past drawings without having to dig through a heap of paper, so the tagging system should help if you're willing to hunt around a little lol

#keepers written will take you to all of the writing I've posted for the wip, but uh. I'm really bad at actually posting my writing lol

#keepers universe is for ALL posts for the keepers wip (a recent addition to the system so it doesn't Actually include everything right now, sorry 😂)

#dauntless wip will take you to JUST posts for Felix's backstory.

#keepers will take you to the posts for the keepers plotline, except for the posts exclusively for the dauntless wip

For anything else all I've got for you is character tags 😅

Here's direct links to the main cast on the keepers blog:

#ketsler . #rhyin . #felix . #skylar . #gigi . #betty . #haru

There are quite a few other characters. They will all have their names tagged as well, so feel absolutely free to poke around!

If you have any questions, or are curious about something specific, feel free to send an ask to here, to @masterfuldoodler or @wednesday-chicken! :D

(also, just a tip. the search bar on blogs will search the blog for posts with the phrase in the post, if you click a tag that will bring up all posts tagged that sorted newest to oldest)