#though that could just bcs julius caesar & stuff

[prideflagcontest]

ok as previously established i have now read act one of “if we were villains” by m.l.rio and it was so good? so here you have my theories on how the story continues 

first of all someone dies. that was in the prologue (which is so very like the secret history)

it could be oliver that would be great, but as he is still alive ten years later also very unlikely (but narrating-vise it would be fun) oliver has the same role for now as the narrator dude in the secret history whose name i cannot remember rn

james could die but i don’t want him to (he would be a good killer tho bc he was a great villain in macbeth but has always been the nice guy). james is henry winter in my opinion rn. or francis bc the gay and put together 

that james and oliver are best friends is interesting of course 

killing meredith would be like femme fatale is dead. but like why. i mean pretty corpse and stuff but they all fancy her ecxept for james. (she would also make a good killer tho bc nobody would think she could be) meredith is camilla 

alexander is random and i can’t really place him anywhere in my brain. but he did always play the villain so idk. i also can’t coin him as anyone in the secret history as of now. maybe charles but also not bc alexander doesn’t have a sister to abuse 

who else

oh yeah filippa (spelling is unimportant) idk about her. the cross dressing thing comes off as random to me but she is a great shapeshifter apparently (also don’t know about the secret history with her)

gren? gwen? fren? idk? the rude guy’s cousin. she is quiet right? i don’t know why i can’t remember anything about her 

which brings us to the best part: the rude guy whose name is unimportant. meredith’s bf. you know who i mean. it would be the classic move to kill him. bc he’s the leader. he took things way to far on halloween. meredith could cry which was already specified never happened. oliver could get revenge for james. or idk. mr. rude guy is bunny though. the it’s just a game i want to play was so creepy. it bugs me that i can’t remember his name. anyway 

what about colin. killing that one rando third year would be a plot twist at least 

so in conclusion i don’t know anything 

but i like to imagine that this book and the secret history play at the same university at the same time with different groups and fields of study. the art people are just chilling mixing blood 

the blood was weird. why did it smell bad if it was fake. did the art people give them a bucket of actual blood? what

yeh bye

i looked up mr. rude guys name and he’s richard. also wren. joy. 

the way richard almost drowned james was so ew. dude stop. the scariest thing in this world is a man who doesn’t know when to stop and gets loud and angry even when it isn’t physical violence yet. but to me (girl, no method of defending myself) even guys raising their voices are scary even if they’re exited and not angry. so yes richard is scary there for a long sec. 

also the way he got upset when he didn’t get the lead role like mf stop not everything is about you 

but killing him would be fun bc everyone hates him and everyone would have a reason to 

but why does oliver end up in jail anyway. did someone frame him or did he do it. also the police officer is so random 

anyway richard is the tyrant and killing him would be the very obvious route to go. but idk isn’t that to simple? especially with them playing julius caesar?

idk i’m going to start reading act two now bye

act two scene six update:

richard is scary fr now

james has definitely faced physical abuse before from someone 

alexander is gay

oliver being protective suits him

meredith standing up for herself 

i’m scared that meredith will get killed by richard for that tho. it wouldn’t be the first time (battles have been fought over less / women have been killed for less)

from the prologue of this act, felippa, meredith, alexander and oliver make it out alive 

scared for wren and james now

idc about richard the asshole 

ok i’ll keep reading now

act 3 scene 2 update 

ok what the fuck

first of all richard died of course but that was kind of obvious 

they didn’t help him but watched him die instead bc they choose the trauma ig

richard was an asshole even more

why did meredith and oliver have to fuck pls how unnecessary 

oliver if i eat an olive that’s cannibalism marks. 

i can sense the oliver/james fanfics after whatever that was

why did oliver have to go in the water with a corpse 

like hello

just call the police 

the secret history comparison:

they watched richard die without helping in iwwv and killed bunny in tsh so yeah

dark academia doing it’s thing 

idk what to say

i’m only half way through the book so i’ll keep going byee

alexander kept on with his villain stuff tho 

act 3 scene 5 

ok they’ve declared it an accident 

but why the hell was oliver in prison for ten years then

does someone else die

i need a break from reading now but what

helllp who did he kill

finished it two weeks ago and forgot about this update

i forgot what happened 

james and oliver

joliver olives pls make it olives 

his body was never found so they’re gay together forever 

was it exeunt siempre? idk that ending was a slay

100/10 experience 

idk what else

richard died what a surprise 

[my-reality-my-rules]

Hey there!! First of all I'd like to say that I absolutely love your acc you're my fav acc on tumblr <3 So Thank you so much

Anddd my question is that I've seen many people say that intention is the key like you have to FULLY believe that you are gonna shift and I've been doing that like last night I was sooo sure that the moment I open my eyes I'm gonna be there but I woke up in my cr soo like if you could maybe share your thoughts on that...I may have had some doubts now that I look back on it but I would like to know what else should I do to set the intention.

Ps: I fully believe in shifting<3

[thanks for this ask!]

hi! I'm glad you enjoy the content ((:

the stuff below are divided a bit differently from how i usually do so—and i apologise if it looks a bit chunky lmao. i had a steady flow of ideas writing this and didn't want to break it off.

[also, the first tip's a bit short—AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY SORRY BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO CONTINUE IT BC I'VE MENTIONED THIS ONE IN PREVIOUS POSTS ALREADY]

- - -

(1)

first; one of the things I've noticed when i try to do the intention method is that it's linked to emotion. i don't truly know if that happens with others, but that's what works for me. the more emotionally agitated i am, the higher my chances are of being able to succeed with the method. emotions give me adrenaline, and that gives me excess energy—which i would then plan to burn off.

what better way to spend it than a shifting attempt? I've been able to shift with the intention method around three times, though the last one was a mini-shift.

- - -

(2)

it's not only about fully believing, in my opinion. I've mentioned this before, but self-trust is also a key for conviction. if, somewhere deep inside, your doubts run strong, how are you going to take that little leap of faith? i remember answering a private message with the same words. to quote what i said:

and, well, in short, i had to learn how to trust myself. if you're forcing yourself to do something, it means you don't have the confidence to pull through with it. while it's not bad to have some doubt when shifting, letting it cripple you is not a choice. what's the point of doing something you'd dedicate so much of yourself to, and have it fall flat? i get that not everything gives you the chance to have do-overs, but morale is what always seals it. carl fredricksen was able to make a trip to paradise falls, despite being without his wife, despite having been stuck in misery for so long. julius caesar, despite being the arrogant shit he was, paid the ransom the pirates had asked for, and still went on with his promise to kill them all. you see where i'm going with this? whether a goal is short-term or long-term, whether it's a dream or a wish, a purpose is a purpose. that's one thing you can always remember, at the very least. trust yourself, that you have the ability to make things right, even if it takes so long, or even if it's just for you. confidence, even if it's under the fake-it-'til-you-make-it situation, goes a long way.

[sorry if it's a bit long—i got a bit lazy to paraphrase what i said lmao]

take the reins, and ease yourself into the knowledge that you're about to enter a new reality.

- - -

(3)

if you're still worried about waking up in your CR, here's a tip i found. this had been me at a low point; i scripted that my eyes would open 'naturally'. i took inspiration from a tiktok I've seen and tried it out for myself.

basically, if you're conscious enough to recognise you're in a dream (lucid or not), or feel as if you're already shifting (but just need that final push)—you continue to keep your eyes closed. excitement is good, but don't rush it. try to feel your eyelids, and keep them shut. wait for them to naturally open, until you suddenly wake up. you know that quick moment when you just open your eyes after resting? wait for that to happen.

it's somewhat of a 50-50 for me, though. it doesn't always happen when I'm aware I'm dreaming (because sometimes, i just tend to forget). but it did help at some point, and I'd recommend it. i remember dreaming of snow and laughter—i don't recall who i was thinking of, but their presence felt familiar. i also remember trying to open my eyes—but some part of me said no, to keep them as they were, and let things happen as is.

i woke up in my naruto DR! I've barely paid attention to it these past months, but I've finally come back to it. i woke up roughly around the same time i left. I'd just laid down on the futon in my room and stared at snowfall. [i lowkey still find it weird that it snows in fire country, of all places]. i was physically too tired to do anything, but my mind had been alert enough, at least. nothing grand happened, i just sat there people watching.

- - -

(4)

at some point, i also tried coming up with one more way to trick my mind into thinking I'll wake up in my DR. it's somewhat a mix of the julia and sunni method(s). in sunni, you use your five senses. in julia, you repeat affirmations. the issue lied with the fact that i have a bad memory and attention span—so recollection and visualisation can be a pain sometimes.

one night, as i was shifting to my HP DR, i tried to pretend going to sleep as if I'm already there. does that phrasing make sense? like, as i go to bed here in my CR, i switch my mindset into that of my DR self.

here, to clarify; my CR name is leigh, but my DR name is esther. in my CR, instead of going to sleep thinking as leigh, who thinks she'll just be waking up in the other reality—i go to sleep thinking as esther, who thinks she'll be waking up to another day at hogwarts. that's the sunni method part of it. trick your senses to make your mind think you're already someone else, somewhere else.

here's the julia method part. my way of solidifying that is through the affirmations. leigh tries to console herself with the hope to shift, but esther looks forward to waking up and going to class. leigh will say affirmations like: I am going to wake up cuddling with my cat or I am on my bed, in the Ravenclaw dorms. but esther would say things like: I will try to finish the essay on the gods of Mesopotamia by 5AM later or I promised my cousin we'll have some quidditch practice on Sunday.

the more casual and specific the affirmation is, the more likely you're going to believe it. don't go for a vague I am a powerful shifter when shifting—save that for manifestation. say things you're going to do in your DR. take a bath, take a shit, water your garden, brush your hair, read a book, talk to friends, sleep. the more relatable it is, the more you'll feel at home. and the more you think of that, the higher your chances are of actually feeling as if you're there already.

- - -

i just want to apologise again for the short tip at the start. I've mentioned it quite a few times in other posts, so just feel free to check them out.

i do hope i could provide some help with this! once again, much love, and happy shifting ❤️❤️

[unproduciblesmackdown]

starry night, girl with a pearl earring (except for the "approximately how much are they worth" bit bc whom here is a Jewelry Appraiser? no one), the birth of venus, water lily pond, lady with an ermine

Starry Night: Do you enjoy watching the sky and daydreaming?

i sure will Look At the sky, i like when there’s some cool-looking clouds around like cumulus and shit, and most sunsets are fun, and then trying to spot the handful of stars / constellations is neat, anything but like a totally clear sky lmao like tf am i supposed to get out of That.......i don’t really Watch anything though, for one thing looking at the sky is like “ugh god now all the floaters in my vision are Extra noticeable jesus christ” so that gets annoying. and i don’t Look At The Sky to like tune out or anything, i’m all like, i’m gonna consciously notice these visuals.......separately though i mean, at any given time i’m probably thinking about gay shit

Girl with a Pearl Earring: Do you like to wear jewelry? What are your favorite pieces of jewelry and approximately how much are they worth?

i have like some necklaces, maybe a bracelet or two / some rings but i mostly end up fidgeting with those. once i was all “hmm would i wanna pierce my ears for Fun Accessories there” but then i was like god that’d be a hassle and cost money and i’m not nearly enthused enough for all of that......and what with me mostly wearing t-shirts lol lots of times if i’m even like, let’s get fancy w/ a necklace, it’s like well do i also wanna bother picking out some shirt w/ a neckline for that lol......there’s a fun one i got though that’s like solar plexus length so that kinda transcends what shirt you picked, like a fake crystal pendant made out of resin or smthing w/ some like iridescent coating on it, it’s a solid go-to but i can’t rly say i Go To accessorize w/ anything that often, and idk it maybe cost like $20? that’s as much as i’ve ever spent on any particular item of jewelry i think, cuz i’m just like, neat, a glittery bit of quartz? what more could you need. but really probably the peak of Me Buying Jewelry was a good 5+ yrs ago coz also it’s like, i mostly don’t wanna be Aware of wearing anything cuz then it’s just gonna feel like not worth the trouble probably. what a meandering answer lol I Like A Few Necklaces I Have Alright

The Birth of Venus: Do you like to be in the spotlight?

yeah, Literally anyways lmao. like, i don’t like it if say i’m with a group of people and that Collective Attention is focused on me for some reason, like, natch it depends how comfortable i am with the group and if everyone’s cool i’m fine w/ that figurative spotlight like, intermittently and momentarily, but otherwise it’s like, i’m not wanting to be the center of attention but also don’t ignore me thanks.....but yeah re: the Literal spotlight, like there was that time in 4th grade we put on some Julius Caesar scenes (and besides rehearsing shit did like, 3 Official Performances In Front Of An Audience) and i was totally into it, and i practiced ballet for over a decade so there’s like, a theatre-adjacent element there lmao, i was into that as well, and i was fine with being like, again, Literally Being In The Spotlight lol.....between [that 4th grade play i was real into] and [being real into being onstage in roles in ballets] and [the silver lining of having a choir director parent is i’ll hang out as a tenor and learn the part easily while the sopranos need to hear their Melody 23 times in a row and there’s like 3-5 tenors and they’re like “don’t sing so loud” and it’s like look. No] and other things it’s like, obviously a Theatre Gay situation, hilarious i didn’t put the obvious clues together until the other year........also there was the caveat that i didn’t exactly want my family to see performances i did which was fairly unavoidable lmao but that was a Discouragement, wonder if i could’ve worked around it via tech / backstage shit....but there was never any ~theatre~ stuff to get into until college and i was like “oops everyone else has nonzero experience and i’m just avoiding any extracurriculars” so, who can say. meanwhile i have dreams alllll the time of like “i have ballet rehearsal” / “i’m in some production and Haven’t been in rehearsal but it’s happening anyways, do what you can” and while most of the time my dream plot doesn’t make it to any “i am onstage performing” moments it’s like, not a Problem like “oh noooo stage fright anxiety dream” (i didn’t get stage fright or if i did, i got solidly past it by a certain point lol), it’s all fine and fun, the only issue might be like “smh i’m trying to get to some location and being thwarted by Whatever interference” / “i’m realistically out of practice here lol / having to improvise”......also fond memories of like, being backstage / at rehearsals / etc........and eventually it occured to me that like “well Everyone really enjoys / would really enjoy being on stage in some Dramatique performance and also having more of a solo role vs ensemble or w/e” isn’t really the case lmao, i have an Interest, it’s not just objective default everyone feels this way...........and imagining doing further Theatrical stuff nowadays is like “ooo that’d be Fun” so yes. Theatre Gay lmao. i enjoy the Literal spotlight

Water Lily Pond: What are your favorite flowers?

i don’t feel too strongly about flowers lol but i like lilies and lilacs....hyacinths are cool......anytime there’s honeysuckle i’m like “nice.” rooting for dandelions too

Lady with an Ermine: Do you have any pets? Would you like to have pets? If so, what would your dream pet be?

looking out for these cats out here........cats is the ideal really. we vibe

[mikeshanlon]

iwwv anon and PHEW OK. I def did not expect that essay and now I feel bad cause I KNOW my thots r not gonna be articulate or right. nonetheless! i think Oliver does qualify as an unreliable narrator cause hes. very oblivious but not like... Richard papen (who is a whole ass clown don't get me started on tsh) but not like addy from dare me(I will support till the day I die that dare me is da like I WILL die on this hill) who sees what she wants to see. 1/?

i think he just... thinks that his friends r diff ppl than they actually r? that doesnt rly make sense but yea. what I mean is that everything the characters do is coated in that empathetic view Oliver has which is usually wrong? so we don't get an objective look into the characters. meredith is my girl like I love the hot popular girl trope deconstruction but at the end of the book she's not at a great place like she's w someone that doesn't love her like she needs to be loved... 2/

I guess the most probable ending is that James never meets Oliver again and that everyone is kinda stuck on what happened but that's soo sad and I really don't want to think abt it. ngl iwwv wasn't like my fave book ever and I really don't understand why people are so obsessed with dark academia sometimes but what i rly liked abt the book is that despite how fucked up everyone is and how toxic they r to each other they do at heart care abt one another...3/

like I rly liked that esp cause at that point the only other da book (other than dare me!) that I had read was tsh and godd every character is so fuckinh annoying and they all hate each other. i was super confused by it till I saw someone saying that it's satire and I felt my mind explode. I feel like this is so long but I didnt rly properly answer all you wrote sorry! I think its a pretty good book tho it has some crazy quotes like hold awn Im gonna look at the highlighted stuff on my copy.. 4/

Were you in love with him?” “Yes,” [...]Yes, I was.” It’s not the whole truth. The whole truth is, I’m in love with him still. LIKEEE PHEWW OK OK OK. WE OUT HERE. that line literally made me go crazy. I'm so sorry for any spelling mistakes or like general mistakes I made here English isn't my first language, it's 1am and I wrote this in the notes app w/o looking it over. so like.. NOT a professional review lemme tell you. 5/5

 Ahh im so sorry I did not see this before I yeeted for a month!!!

Oooh okay first of all dare me as a DA… I’ve only watched the show but like yeah I see the Elements for sure.

Also yeah I can understand what you mean abt Oliver being an unreliable narrator now… Ig my view of unreliable was more like they are purposefully twisting the truth or omitting facts or just literally don’t know shit but I get how personal bias can make the narrator unreliable. I do think the assertion that Oliver thinks his friends are different than they actually are makes sense. He sees James in a very positive light and though I like James a lot and think he is better than, like, Richard, he definitely has darker moments and manipulates Oliver at times (again I’d like to think it’s not the most nefarious thing in the world but like him just being shitty bc he’s in a dark place and he one, wants to do anything he can so Oliver doesn’t figure out he fought Richard so Oliver still thinks of him the same way/bc he knows Oliver would do something stupid like get himself arrested for James; and two, is very jealous that Oliver is with Meredith after Richard dies and has sort of a somewhat positive outcome from Richard’s death versus James being riddled with guilt and anger). And yeah, the probable ending is they never meet but I refuse to acknowledge that so LGNRG. Also that line makes me go CRAZZZZZZZZZZY!!! There are so many great lines, both using Shakespeare and on their own and its like okay give me a moment im going bonkers…

Personally, I haven’t read that many dark academia novels yet (bc for some reason i can barely finish a book rn sigh) but the concept interests me. I think what’s compelling is the setting/atmosphere of like ~mysterious college vibes~, and the idea of a sort of niche, obsessive bond and pursuit of knowledge with a tight knit group of friends (and the like inherent homoeroticism in every single DA elrngenrg). Like Dead Poet’s Society (the film I haven’t read the book) isn’t Dark in the same way most other dark academia is by like, obsession and death and manipulation (though of course there are dark elements with Neil’s storyline), but I think the other building blocks of academia are present there in a more wholesome way and you can see why people are drawn to that idea. As for the more Dark aspects I think it’s interesting to analyze things like group psyche, obsession, manipulation, etc, like what went wrong for everything to take such a dark turn???

 But, like everything else, it really has to be done well or else its just like okay….… I’ve tried to read TSH twice and I may try again but from the 100+ ish pages I read I totally get what you mean. IWWV is so interesting to me bc the characters are all very compelling and multifaceted and I like that they are a close friendship, we come in after 4 years of them spending all the time together and to me that is apparent. Like you said, we can see fissures and problems especially as the novel continues but there is care there between them. That also makes the decision to let Richard die much more interesting and sinister imo, as well as how all of them interact with each other after he dies, and how the roles of the group change without their “leader” so to speak. Also, maybe it’s just bc I like Shakespeare, but I think the academia part of IWWV is so much more accessible compared to TSH. Like I don’t know every Shakespeare play or anything so I didn’t understand every nuance or was like immediately like oh this is from Cymbeline or whatever the fuck, but you could understand the gist of things and it made sense that they spoke in Shakespeare lines bc that’s all they’ve been doing for four years and also theatre kids are Like That. Their pretention also provided any Layers to the story, like the parallels between the characters they play and their own arcs, how some of the lines echoed their own thots, foreshadowed, or they were able to say things through Shakespeare (I’m thinking of like, Oliver realized he loved James during Romeo and Juliet, the foreshadowing that James was going to ruin Richard’s life and that he dislikes Meredith/Richard when he quotes Mercutio at the start “A plague o’ both your houses”, the exchange Oliver and James had onstage and had that kiss during King Lear before Oliver was arrested,etc.) (Also I think the structure of some of the dialogue being formatted like a play really helped make it feel more realistic and immersive). Versus TSH which is just so pedantic and dense and hard to follow at times im like I get they are smart but what??? And maybe that’s part of the satire aspect (or maybe im dumb) but like donna I read TGF I know you are pretentious and info dump abt random obscure shit anyways so erglknerg. Like to me there was a Point to all of the academic Shakespeare stuff in IWWV and it was the soul of the book, and M.L. Rio made it very interesting—like the way that the directors reimagined the plays and had Julius Caesar be like a modern political play, the cool mirror shit in King Lear, the Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet performances where they did them at events and interacted with their environments (which were one of my favorite parts of the books bc I just think that concept is so interesting), etc. For TSH the shit they did literally just felt like “okay look at them they’re smart see you can’t even keep up!” like okay… I felt lost a lot and only like snapped into reality whenever Henry (?) was like oh… murder….. and even then I was like idk what this dude is saying but like he’s being darksided LMAO. And I also agree that it’s just like… Richard being thrown in the middle of this group could lend itself to some cool ideas but its hard to believe that he fits into the friendship group and hes just like hell yeah I love Greek so much and lets go kill this guy other than like okay ur gay and stupid and just want to impress Henry or whatever his name was (which he was but I digress). It’s just not as impactful to me as this close friend group falling apart. Ik TSH fans might be angry if they see this (and of course I haven’t finished the book so my perception may be warped but I also kno many ppl felt that way u did) bc I’ve seen ppl say IWWV is just like TSH but “lackluster” or whatever and while I can see some parallels (mostly b/w Richard and Henry and Alexander and Francis), I really think M.L. Rio expanded upon common DA tropes and the interesting parts of TSH but made it her own and interesting and oh yeah there are actually multiple compelling female characters and LGBT characters (and no incest)!!!

[adampage]

Face the Facts | Sami Zayn

Pairing: Sami Zayn x Reader

I’m going to type the anon’s request at the bottom of the story because it gives away too much and I just want you guys to read it.

Word Count: 3,690 I GOT CARRIED AWAY BUT FOR GOOD REASON OK

Author’s Note: I’m taking requests!!!!  THIS REQUEST IS WAS SO CUTE AND SO HEAVENLY AND JUST. JUST READ IT. PLEASE. Please leave comments I love y’all <3 (And for the love of god i need to make a legit tag list so please send me an ask if you’d like to be in it, even if i already tag you bc i just tag whoever comes to mind at this point)

Tagging: @llowkeys / @unabashedwwesmut / @hardcorewwetrash / @roman-reigns-princess / @the-geekgoddes / @xxmaddhatter39xx / @reigns420 / @xstylesxclashx / @crowleysqueenofhell / @wrasslin-x / @wrestlewriting / @sjwrites22 / @wwefluffandstuff / @wrestlingbabe / @helluvawriter / @helluvaclash / @squirrel666 / 

It had started out very innocently. One evening, she sat at a table in the catering room, nibbling on her dinner. There was no one around, which was just the way she liked it. She held the book upright, just shy of her plate, as her other hand fed her forkfuls of spaghetti. It was a particularly harrowing situation, given that [Y/N] disliked getting food stains in her books, but it was a hazard of her addiction. Fact books were her life.

So as she cursed herself for splattering just a teensy bit of tomato sauce on page sixty five, All About Mosquitos, dabbing failingly at the spot, who should catch her in her own personal bubble of embarrassment but Sami Zayn? "Hey, [Y/N], mind if I sit?" She nodded in response, motioning to the chair in front of her with her fork, wincing when another stain hit the page. She gave the spot one last swipe before replacing the bookmark and swatting the book shut, settling it down on the chair to her right. His animated ginger brows expressed a flicker of mild amusement before his body settled in his seat. He was having the chicken salad. Of course he is, she thought. That would've been the better choice, given her own circumstances. Also, it was healthier. "What were you reading just now?" He asked amicably, the crunch of his salad hitting her ears as he took a bite. "Oh, um, that? Just a book." "I can see that," he said, smiling, "but about what?" "Uh..." [Y/N] mumbled. It wasn't something she liked to talk about. The few times she ever mentioned her fascination for the useless, guys and gals everywhere were immediately turned off. She could hear their voices change, the intonation in their mhm's differing slightly, monosyllables becoming more frequent replies. Their eyes would glaze over, no longer entertained by the conversation. And she never recognized it, until one day an old boyfriend broke up with her, his excuse being, "you just never shut up about that dumb, useless shit." So she never spoke of it aloud to anyone ever again. "It's nothing. Just dumb stuff." She could feel her body drawing back into itself, and she wondered just how much more of her spaghetti she would have to eat in front of him before she could make the excuse that she was full and leave. Sami gave her a wide smile. "Well, whatever it is, I bet it's interesting. When you're done with it, you mind if I borrow it? Most of the others don't really bring books along with them on the road, and I've been craving some new reading material." He took another bite of his salad. "You know, there was a study recently that said people who read are two and a half times less likely to get Alzheimer's?" It was like [Y/N] snapped back into reality after aeons of living inside her own mind. "W-what did you say?" "Yeah," Sami continued, "they said that even though reading doesn't outright prevent you from getting the disease, they proved that reading and Alzheimer's had a kind of correlation. Pretty useless, in the end," he chuckled. "But interesting to know all the same. I'm not going to take my chances." Suddenly, [Y/N]'s mouth went dry. The anticipation was killing her. "Do you know any other useless information? Anything else, ya know," she gestured with her hands, "interesting?" Chewing on his leaves, Sami thought long and hard. After about a minute, he remembered something. "Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates when he was in his twenties and held for ransom. When he heard the price, he told the pirates that it was an insult to his value and demanded they raise it. Once the ransom was paid and he was free, he tracked them down and executed them." [Y/N] giggled in response, hand reaching to cover her mouth. "Oh my God. That's amazing." "I wouldn't say amazing so much as arrogant, though," he argued gently. "No, I know," she replied, "but it's amazing that you know that." And that was it. The start of a budding friendship. He looked at her for what seemed like a year, biting his lip in contemplation. "Do you want to hang out later? Grab a smoothie or something, after the show?" [Y/N] flashed him a brilliantly beautiful smile. "I'd love to."

Weeks passed, and [Y/N] and Sami became the best of friends. She still kept her book and her useless facts to herself, but she knew that if it ever came up again, she wouldn't be afraid to tell him about it. Something about the way they'd spoken that day in catering gave off this vibe, this instinct to trust him. For the most part, they talked about movies, shows, work, politics. She was glad to find out that they had similar lines of thinking with pretty much anything, and they remained pretty much inseparable. It must've been the politeness, the kindness with which he spoke to her, that sealed that deal. She had a gentle, quiet nature that seemed to mirror his own. They were two sides of the same coin, as it were. One night, after a particularly grueling match with Natalya, in which Natalya actually spat in her face to the reception of boo's from the crowd, [Y/N] was feeling exceptionally down. She knew it was coming. She had told Natalya to give it her all. And it was only a storyline. It really shouldn't have affected her as much as it had. As much as it did. Sami had been right behind the curtain throughout the whole ordeal. He handed [Y/N] a towel to wipe off her face. "Really put the spit in spit-take, huh?" She wiped herself off with the towel, and threw it back to him. "No one laughed." "Good. That means they love you as much as I do." Sami slung the towel around his neck, and an arm around her slumped shoulders. "Guess you can sleep easy tonight knowing the entire WWE universe is probably writing hate tweets to Nattie as we speak." She looked up at him as they walked towards the locker rooms, placed a hand on his scruff and scratched it adoringly, before giving him a light slap on the cheek. "That's not nice, Sami. I wish they'd send me love tweets instead of sending her hate tweets." "Now that is a very noble and sweet thing to say. But, the heel makes the face, so..." "Did you just quote Glow at me?" "Who? What? Me? That wasn't Glow, that was..." He snapped his fingers, the bullshit answer coming to him. "...Vince McMahon." "Sami Zayn, you dumb, lovable idiot." "I'll take that as a compliment."

She couldn't sleep. That nightmare couldn't have taken more than a couple minutes for her brain to concoct and perform, and yet it had kept her awake for hours. It was Nattie's face, and yet it wasn't her face at all. It was warped, like the mirrors in a funhouse. Actually, now that she thought about it, the nightmare might have been about Nattie chasing her through a never ending hallway of funhouse mirrors, but it was hard to tell at this point. It had freaked her out. She had woken up in a cold sweat, and now she couldn't fall back asleep. She checked the time. 1:27 am. Fuck me, she thought, biting her thumbnail. Everything in the hotel was probably locked up or closed by now. The gym, the pool, the bar where she might've been able to drink herself to sleep. She didn't want to do it, but...at this point, she had no choice. Grabbing her phone off the nightstand, swallowing down every thought she had to deny herself this small ease of her soul, she opened up her chat with Sami. It took her a solid, oh, fifteen minutes to decide on her factual opener. Did you know mosquitos are most attracted to the color blue? It was about another minute or two before she saw the tell-tale chat bubble appear on the screen, signaling that Sami was typing a response. I didn't, actually. Remind me never to wear blue when we visit the south in the summer.

She let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to ask, then. Why she was still up. Her respect for him grew with every passing moment. I will. Also, don't wear black in the summer. Or anything dark, for that matter. Dark colors absorb all colors of light rays, as well as heat. You sure know a lot about colors, don't you? She bit her lip, holding back a smile. Eh, well, you know. I dabble. Dabbling is good, haha. I enjoy dabbling, now and then. I am quite the dabbler. Really? Oh, yeah. I've dabbled in marine biology. For example, did you know that a whale's penis is, ahem, scientifically called a dork? The only dork here is you. No way that's its scientific name. Also, leave it to the man to start talking about penis in a little light hearted, dabbling conversation. Ouch, that hurts. You got me, I'm not sure if it's scientific. Did you know that a male giraffe's penis is approximately four feet in length? That's about the size of an emperor penguin, or about the average height of a seven year old child. Oh my god. Now who's talking about penises? (Penisi?) I hope Finn and his stuffed animal giraffes stay far away from me for the next few weeks. I won't be able to stop thinking about what you've just told me. I feel so emasculated. [Y/N] burst out laughing. She was glad she didn't have a roommate this week, or else they totally would've cussed her out by now. All that tossing and turning, and now she was giggling uncontrollably at her phone screen. Emasculated? Come on. I'm serious. I will never, in my life, have a penis that large. That's upsetting. It truly is. The common shrew's penis is only a fifth of an inch long, on average, but relative to its body size, they're well endowed. So don't feel too bad. I am absolutely in awe at how much more you know about penises than me. My hope is that you don't know any of this from experience. Christ, Sami, NO. Omg, ew. I have definitely NOT dabbled in bestiality, thank you very much. Hahahaha, okay. Just making sure. ...So is that all you got? 😉 [Y/N] stared at the bright screen. She'd already woken him up, and it was nearing two thirty in the morning already. They'd probably be awake in the next three hours, since the gym opened up at 5:30. At this point, sleep wasn't much of an issue. She looked up at the ceiling, then back at the clock. 2:25. ....Boy, I'm just getting started.

So you're telling me that a superstitious pope is to blame for the Black Death? Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you. So if this pope had just, left these cats alone, and not told people that they were the devil's brood, that the Black Death probably wouldn't have happened, because cats kill rats. The rats, of course, being the cause of the plague. Absolutely. And that he is the reason people, to this day, are so put off by cats. Which is stupid. Cats are amazing. I'm totally in agreement. Gucci is a fine example. Gucci is probably the best example, imho. She's the paragon of all feline kind, if you ask her. Oh, speaking of cats. Did you know that cats were highly revered in Egypt I had heard about that, yeah. Yeah, pharaohs would be buried with their pets, mainly cats and dogs, along with their families and concubines. The cats were supposed to help guide their spirits to the afterlife. Is that why people say that cats can see ghosts? Sometimes Gucci yowls at the wall. OMG, are you serious? 😂 Yes. I'm totally serious. You might need to have her checked out, tbqh. Absolutely not. My Gucci is perfect. Okay, then.... So I've got a useless fact for you. In the nineteenth century, there was a construction foreman named Phineas Gage who, after some miscommunication or malfunction with explosives, got a metal rod shot through his brain, and lived. He fucking LIVED? Yeah, he lived. For another twelve years. That's just...that's insane. Twelve years? Christ. Yeah, crazy isn't it? Extraordinary. Now, I'm going back to animals because animals are fun. By all means. Did you know that bloodhounds are the only animals whose evidence is admissible in court? Really? Must be why Sherlock Holmes had one. Yeah. Apparently their noses have forty times the amount of receptors that human noses do, so it's easy for them to connect blood at the scene of a murder with the suspect who may have committed the act. Commit murder, stay away from dogs. Duly noted. Sami. Sami, no. I'm kidding, lol. Do I look like the type of guy who could kill someone? [Y/N] dropped her phone on her lap, incredulous. She sat there, head leaning against the headboard for a good long while. Could she imagine him killing someone? The answer was only too obvious. Sami, you wrestle for a living. The only reason you haven't killed someone yet is because you and the other person know what they're doing, and it's professional. Imagine yourself fighting someone who has no training whatsoever; you get mad one night and fists start flying. To me, you don’t look like you could hurt anyone. But you could hurt someone if you wanted to.

Why would I be fighting them, though? I feel like if I killed someone, it would have to be a very good reason. Not that I'm saying murder is justifiable. But. You know. The conversation had taken quite a turn. It was morbid at best, revealing at worst. She typed a response. Let's say they hurt me. Badly. On purpose. Would you kill someone for that? His response was static. It was like she'd accidentally pressed "scan" on the radio and nothing came up but noise. She was glad of it, though. It meant he was taking his time to think about it. If he said yes too quickly, it meant he really, honestly, couldn't give a fuck about human life, which she knew was untrue. If he said no too quickly, it meant he really could give a fuck about her. It was a selfish, loaded question. But she had typed it out anyway. I'd probably beat them to near death, if I could get away with it. Make sure they never hurt you again, or at least that they got the picture. An exhale of breath. Phew. Best answer, in her mind. Why is that so....sweet? Lol. I do consider myself sweet, so I'm glad to hear you say that. She dropped her phone on her chest with a smile. It was getting brighter, all of a sudden. Only then did she realize that soft light was glowing through the window shades. She checked the clock on the nightstand. 5:59. Sami, it's six o'clock in the morning. The gym's been open for a half hour! I know, [Y/N]. She stared at his answer. Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't you say so? I was having too much fun texting you. There they were. The butterflies that came to assault her tummy once every thousand exchanges. Sure, they toed the line of flirtation more times than she could count in a day. But sometimes, she could tell there was something different about the way he said certain things. That's all fine and great but we gotta go! Let's go, Sami, get ready. Gym time! 🤗 All right, [Y/N]. Give me ten minutes, I'll be knocking at your door.  

Teal sports bra, black yoga shorts, teal Adidas on her feet. Hair in a high ponytail. She looked at herself in the mirror. Maybe some eyeliner? Nah, just mascara. She rubbed her hands together, shifted weight between her left leg and her right. "Ooh," she shivered. The AC was way too low. Might have been half the reason she couldn't sleep. She grabbed a towel out of her gym bag, and a water bottle out of the mini fridge. A knock. Her mouth widened into a smile as she turned to open the door. She opened it to find a just showered Sami Zayn, ginger curls at the top of his head dripping lightly with moisture. He looked up to meet her eyes, and her heart nearly stopped at the sight. Those lovely dark eyes could melt the most cold hearted bitch. He stood there for a moment, didn't say a word. She wondered what he was thinking. Then, "Good morning, [Y/N]." "Good morning, Sami. How'd you sleep?" She shut the door behind her, and they made their way towards the elevator. "Not well. Some girl kept me awake last night. Kept spewing a bunch of weird facts at me." "Really?" She grinned. "Why didn't you tell her to stop?" A button pressed. The ding of an elevator, doors swinging open. He placed an arm to hold the doors, motioning as if to say, "ladies first." She pressed the button for the second floor, above the lobby, where the gym was. "Well, I don't know. She was really opening my mind about a lot of things. I learned a lot. She's really intelligent." "Nah. I wouldn't say spewing useless information is a result of intelligence. Anyone can remember a couple bullshit facts." He poked her in the tummy. "Well, I think it's endearing." He shifted on his feet, leaning against the back wall of the elevator. "Did you know that most people who die in elevators are elevator technicians? Statistically, it's the safest form of travel." Sami chuckled silently to himself. "Unless you have an elevator technician degree I don't know about, I guess we're fine, then, huh?" The elevator jolted suddenly, scaring them both. She grabbed his hand instinctually, dropping it once the elevator continued its descent to the second floor. He looked at her, and they both laughed awkwardly. "Why were you awake all night?" Sami asked her, finally. "Um." It was getting cold, and she could feel herself beginning to shiver. "You can tell me. You know you can." It was hard to dismiss those puppy dog eyes of his. They bore into her soul, begging her to spill her secrets. "I had a, a nightmare." It sounded like a question. She placed her water bottle on the floor of the elevator, the condensation of the beverage freezing her fingers. "I couldn't go back to sleep, but. I didn't want to say anything." "You could've told me." "I know, it's just," she crossed her arms against her, trying to draw heat from her own body that wasn't there. "I didn't want to worry you." "Hey, [Y/N]." His voice was a mere whisper, hardly audible if they hadn't been standing in an elevator, two feet apart. Sami closed the distance between them. "Yeah?" She whispered back. He cupped her chin, lightly pressing at her jaw. Their eyes met, and the butterflies and her stomach began their fluttering song. His eyes ran over her, studying every line of her face. When they paused a bit too long at her lips, the doors swung open, the sharp "ding" of the elevator indicating they had finally made it to the second floor. [Y/N] looked away from him, towards the open doors, but as she made to move, Sami shifted his body, stopping her for just a moment before he pushed a button. The doors dinged closed, and she looked back at him, confused. "There's something I need to tell you, and I don't think I should tell you in the middle of the gym, where our friends can see us. In fact, we've been lucky so far that no one's stopped this elevator." He scanned her again, the look on his face full of love and adoration. "What is it, Sami? What's wrong?" "What's wrong?" He chuckled. "There's nothing wrong. Everything's absolutely perfect." He paused. Then he continued. "Fact. I'm in love with my best friend and I think she's in love with me, too." What? "You heard me. Fact. I'm in love with my best friend. And I think," he paused again, looking straight through to the dark recesses of her soul, "she's in love with me, too." This was un-freaking-believable. Her mind was spinning. It was like the whole world had been turned upside down. But why? Why was this so difficult to understand? Just moments ago her heart was fluttering. Moments ago, she was wishing this was true and now it was and it was the one fact in the world she couldn't believe. "Believe it, baby. That's one fact that'll never change. I'm in love with you." And then his mouth was on hers like it was meant to be there all along. His body leaned in, begging to be touched. Her fingers ran under his shirt, grazing the ginger hairs of his tummy and his chest, feeling the goosebumps rising from his skin. His tongue flicked over her lips, and she opened them, every one of her vulnerabilities drifting away as he kissed her more passionately with every fleeting second, his tongue searching for hers in longing, and she met him briefly, before pushing him back just an inch to catch her breath. Her eyes looked away, shifting everywhere but to his own. Their breaths slowed and deepened, each passing moment bathing her in serenity. At last, her eyes locked onto his. "Fact. I'm in love with you, too. Now and always." He granted her a smile that would not go away, a smile that felt like starlight and sunshine, all at once. And the butterflies never stopped fluttering.

"If you don't have too many requests, would you be able to do a Sami Zayn one where the reader stays up all night texting texting Sami facts he'll never need to know or use in life. When he asks her why she stayed up all night, she says it's because she had a nightmare but she was too afraid to tell him about it. If you want to do this, thanks!" - anon

[fearlesslyenchantedinwonderland]

Look What You Made Me Do Music Video First (few) Impressions and Thoughts

Are we out of the woods yet? No.

Are we in the clear yet? No.

She lost him

But she found herself and then everyone on the outside decided to step on her for every little thing and now she’s done with it

(I swear every few listens I am going to get more and more enraged about all the *you know what* they put her through)

The first thing I thought of during the opening was haunted…which is also fitting because people thought similar things about the OOTW mv

The old Taylor is Dead LITERALLY. It’s brilliant. It’s OOTW Taylor, the last mv Taylor we’ve seen and that mv video ended ambiguously, so new Taylor could’ve killed old Taylor. The beginning is also very theatrical which reminds me of pieces of OOTW which is another great tie in.

Nils Stoberg - This Is What You Came For…all the haters you came but girlllll she dominated and there’s nothing that you can deny we’re all dead

2014 met gala Taylor swift is in the grave which seemly transitions us into bathtub Taylor. Met Gala Taylor gave me PLL vibes but I will say it over and over again that she is a genius, this is 2014 Taylor going in the grave. 2014 Taylor is the Taylor who put out an album about how she found herself again and then everyone walked on her (*realized she’ll be underground and ppl would actually walk over her wow*)

Somethings never change, starting with Bathtub Taylor we still have those same red lips. We have the $1 bill from the Trial which is EVERYTHING. What that man did is disgusting and is NEVER OK. I get Blank Space mv vibes from bathtub Taylor. I love how the makeup is very smoky to give reckless feel to it all…or just like you got in a steamy tub

Snake thrown all I can think is… were there any real snakes. I doubt that would be the case *flashback to love story bts video with the spider.* The teapot and cup, while it is being served by snakes it gives me beauty and the beast vibes like I was the beauty now I’m the beast or that new post going around I’m a nightmare dressed like a nightmare.  The pillars say “Et tu, Brute” which according to google is

A Latin sentence meaning “Even you, Brutus?” from the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Caesar utters these words as he is being stabbed to death, having recognized his friend Brutus among the assassins. Note : “Et tu, Brute?” is used to express surprise and dismay at the treachery of a supposed friend.

Even friends can’t be trusted. Keep your eye out. (this phrase is also on the arm of the chair - which are shaped as skulls)

I also like that this scene is in conjunction with one of the “I got smarter” lines because I would equate Shakespeare with being intelligent (obv there’s a lot of different types of intelligence..but). Also “list of names and yours is in red underline while her dress is red and the chair she is sitting at has red accents).

I knew that her rings were snakes (obviously) but her shoes, her bracelet, and her necklace are either snakes or snake inspired which again has me like wow at the detailing. And then all the snakes pop up when she’s like ahh (makes me think of the promo video)

Her entire look in the Maserati scene is hideous and I love it. She has a snakeskin dress on with cheetah print and a cheetah wearing a 13 chain in the back seat (they better be fake). A reference to RED the song and album with a Grammy in hand. “love is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street.” she’s tying all the loose ends lol. And even the fire: “it’s burning red.” And before I end on this section I must mention NO ONE helps her once she crashes they just photograph her (paps give me I know places vibes, but she didn’t get to their (her and her Cheetahs) place.

ORANGE OUT FIT I AM DYING THIS IS MY FAVORITE LOOK. ALSO. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE TATTOO CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE TATTOO THE THATTOO. The cage gives me Miley Cyrus Can’t be tamed vibes. Also, I love the glitter on the bottom the cage (you still sparkle my dear).

Cat bank robbery. Interesting. Kinda creepy for me. She likes cats. Gives me WANEGBT mv vibes. People think she’s doing all this stuff for the money but she takes her songs off of Spotify so that new up and coming musicians can get fair pay, she asked for $1 from her trial, she has always tried her best to keep tour ticket pricing low so that everyone can come..like don’t tell me she’s in it for the money. MUSIC IS TAYLROS THERAPY. TAYLOR IS A WRITER AND SHE’S BRILLANT it makes her happy and yep.

Ok idky but my mind just went to OITNB and now I feel like the cage scene is, even more, brilliant bc orange jumpsuits in jail while she’s caged away…but there’s still glitter on the floor and she’s having a feast…it’s too late for me to figure out the symbolism in this.

Don’t ask me why but the beginning of the cage scene made me think of the 7th harry potter book/movie when they are at the ministry of magic and they are trying to break into Umbridge’s office and they use one of Fred and Georges stink bombs or something from the shop.Ironically they later do break into a bank and the snake is a very important part of the story.

Her sweatshirt says blind for love, which…do I need to say anything?? We have the motorcycle scene which made me think of 1D’s MM music video (very different and defs their worst mv but that’s what it made me think of)

My favorite part of the squad scene is the fact that her hairline is outlined with GLITTER. I had thoughts about the squad earlier but now I don’t remember but my girl’s boobs look good and like hello latex. (blah blah blah all the bs about her “squad” in the media). What is u squad…what’s the U for? Note her squad is broken and useless at the end and she’s all alone. also, note the room they’re using when looking in the background is really cool.

I need to rewatch the blank space music video because I swear this is the same set. Watching her dancers before they get their walkie talkies out is brilliant. Is he holding a wonderstruck enchanted perfume bottle?

Next is a snippet of Airplane Taylor which is sooo hard to see, but she’s cutting a wing off (Harry?) and she’s got a bandana on which makes me think Kennedy phase

And then we have the star of the show. Old Taylors crawling up like corpses. There’s not much to say except I LOVE THIS PART. I do have a question tho… do we have any Taylor Swift era Taylor’s I mean sparkly guitar could be seen as our song but the dress is fearless. Does that mean that that version of Taylor Swift is still there? or is untouched? That era didn’t have as many staple music video characters .. if she would’ve pulled an outfit though still probs been from our song. I need a side by side comparisons of all the Taylors found. Someone make this please (since it’s taking me 10 years there’s probs already one out).

STOP TELLING ME TAYLOR SWIFT CAN’T DANCE. also half the people saying that probably can’t dance either and WHO CARES. It’s not her profession were all just trying to have some fun. You’re the one missing out.

One of my favorite clips is Taylor walking away from the Maserati scene. No one helped her but now she’s bigger and better and she’s leaving everyone who left her out to burn to save themselves.

THE WINK. HELLO.

Casually picks up 2 motorcycles.

THis doesn’t matter at all but that airplane looks dusty. Anyways I love that airplane Taylor in a tropical shirt is just chilling in the background when all the other Taylors bicker.

The line up is obviously the best part. When initially watching it I didn’t realize it was still going I thought the applause was from the VMA crowd. I love how each Taylor has a different bow.

YBWM Taylor is my Taylor out of the old ones. Me is the VMA Taylor.

Yeah wow. It was amazing. Side note from the sneak preview we had gotten of Taylor I defs thought the taco bell?? commercial was the mv for a second while I was watching the vma’s and then I was like nope. lol.

Love you girl it was amazing.