#while acting according to a script or not

[youchangedmedestiel]

Please, someone make a montage of all the silly little videos like that one Jensen and Misha did.

[salemlunaa]

❀˚܀stop stalling and admit you’re afraid ❀˚܀

it’s okay to be scared but you gotta know how to deal with it.

❀˚܀ ACT I | Admit to yourself you’ve been stalling

no you’re not being productive while scripting every single detail, i get that can be satisfying but when are you gonna lock in. Do you feel accomplished when you sit back up for the fifth time “before i induce let me script this ONE LAST thing”, just to wake up in your unfavourable story? again?

Although scripting puts so much joy in creating and shifting awareness to your new story, you need to admit to yourself that spending more time scripting trivial stuff than actually trying to induce pure consciousness can be harmful.

܀˚❀ ACT II | Look at the law

at this point we all know the law of assumption tells us to “assume as if to be that which you want to be”.

so assuming you have your dream life, are you sitting there upset about your circumstances, begging for an instant method of you were there. Would someone who’s just baked a cake sit there and script what the cake would look like and what flavours it would have, would they cry and get desperate for an instant cake-baking method?

Would someone who has successfully manifested blonde hair be binge watching “i hAvE bLoNdE hAiR ✨✨” subliminals, or would they spend time gushing over their hair and how beautiful and blonde it is, which is basically reaffirming what’s true: they have blonde hair.

Instead of stalling and being miserable, gush over your new story, actually apply the new fact that you’re in your dream life, apply he fact that you are a master at inducing the “I AM” state. Use what you know to reaffirm what’s true.

܀❀˚ACT III | It’s okay to be scared, how do we deal with this?

Sure it’s comforting to reduce yourself to a “failure” even after barely trying. You fell asleep one too many times so you run back to stalling, you don’t wanna let yourself down again. You “failed” and woke up in an undesirable state. You don’t want to go through that again so you stall and tell yourself that doomscrolling on tumblr and adding “one more thing” to the script is way more important, and that you’ll “do it later”

But I must warn you, this will lead you down a path where more time is wasted. And although time is a concept do you really want to spend a day more in your unfavourable environment? you could’ve have everything, an hour ago, yesterday, a few minutes ago, IF YOU APPLIED.

“But it’s not that easy…” according to who? who is assuming that?

“But I always fall asleep and fail it’s not that simple…” according to who? your subconscious doesn’t know that so who is perpetuating that assumption over and over again?

“scripting feels so good tho lemme just try tonight” TRY? the operant power doesn’t try! and yes scripting is so fun, but more fun than living the dream?

i thought so.

as you can see you can flip these thoughts, you don’t have to be afraid of failure if you know failure doesn’t exist for you. you don’t have to stall when you succeed at everything you do, there’s no point in it.

so get off your ass and apply loves, this community is lovely but don’t stay here longer than you need to

🐅🌀 don’t be afraid and apply what you know

[narcjsistx]

slightly suggestive, but nothing so big </3 ; actor kaiser au!!

✶ 𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ; take a look, trust me!

actor!michealkaiser who almost wanted to burst into tears when he discovered that he would become the male protagonist of a dark romance, he who has always been extremely famous for his action films. he didn't even know how he got the role, since he hadn't auditioned... but maybe they took him because of his fame

actor!michealkaiser that as soon as he discovered his co-star, he seriously thought about leaving the project. you, who up until that point had never had a significant role in cinema, only an extra in a few films or minor roles. how did you manage to be the female protagonist of this film?!

actor!michealkaiser who at your first meeting on set, made fun of you for arriving 2 minutes late. this, for him, demonstrated your incompetence

actor!michealkaiser that reading the script for the first time with you by his side, he was surprised to see the myriad of passionate kissing scenes he would have to shoot. he knew it was a dark romance film, but he expected much less from the screenwriters... he was surprised

actor!michealkaiser that no matter how great his acting skills were, you couldn't get along with him. he annoyed you, he often scolded you for scenes, according to him, where you seemed "dead" and not a young girl in love with the boy who almost tried to kill her as a child

actor!michealkaiser who often stopped scenes just to tell the directors to change actresses, while you were still on set with your character's line on the tip of your lips, ready to say it

actor!michealkaiser who was seriously curious to see how you would shoot the scene of your kiss, your very first one with him. in the script it was described as a scene full of passion, almost liberating for both characters who until that moment did not know the truth about the protagonist's mother... but would you have been able to do it? you who did nothing but insult each other on set?

actor!michealkaiser that, at the first chiack, you didn't even manage to get to the kissing scene. you were too embarrassed, he was too in a hurry, wanting to finish the scene as soon as possible and go home to rest after 17 hours on set

actor!michealkaiser who, exasperated, slammed you against the wall of the set waiting for the director's approval. his hand on your waist, the other on your neck "either it works this time or seriously I'm going to start screaming in exasperation. use your damn tongue if it gets you more into character"

actor!michealkaiser that when the director finally gives approval to begin, it crashes onto your lips for the first time. surprisingly, this time you feel calmer, less rigid and much more professional... it's almost as if now, for the first time, you were both on the same level. he pushes his knee between your legs, as his character should do, but he feels so suddenly caught up in the scene that it's such a strange feeling

actor!michealkaiser who has no qualms about leaving red marks and bites all over your neck, perhaps a little out of character. his hands lift your thighs, and even if that's not in the script, you wrap your legs around his waist, cupping his face

actor!michealkaiser who suddenly almost forgets the people around, more amused by ruining you with his kisses and bites. both you and him hear the staff talking in hushed tones, but you don't listen either, too caught up in the moment and wondering why your body is suddenly reacting this way to him. why, suddenly, is it like you feel absolutely off set?

actor!michealkaiser who, throughout the scene, feels as if both your soul and your body are his. as if you were his. and damn, he likes it

actor!michealkaiser who is almost annoyed when the director says the scene is perfect and they can stop. you remain still in his arms, your heart still having to return to its normal beat as the other writers come closer "it seemed so real, as if you were really a couple. they made a great choice, when they cast you in the roles"

actor!michealkaiser who, when you're off set a few hours later, comes over and fixes your scarf "the way you responded to my gestures was interesting. you seemed so caught up in the moment" he says smirking, almost as if it were a joke. you take his scarf, pulling him to your height “i can say the same about you”

actor!michealkaiser who, as he sees you leave getting into your taxi, realizes that maybe you are more interesting than he thought

actor!michealkaiser who, during the end of filming, can't wait for more of your passionate scenes. and you seem as taken by him as he is by you, every time you stay a little longer than normal on his lips. and even he has to admit that he always grips your skin a little tighter

actor!michealkaiser that at the movie premiere, he can't help but admire your beauty, you dressed in a tight navy blue dress, which is seriously threatening to drive him crazy. if he had the chance to get back in the limo you arrived in, he would, so that he can finally make you truly his

actor!michealkaiser who throughout the evening doesn't let you be far from him, always an arm around your waist or shoulders. and you don't seem bothered by his behavior, while answering questions from fans and journalists

actor!michealkaiser who, when fans and journalists ask him if you are dating, does not deny or confirm their theories. while you try to say that you are simply very good friends and have good chemistry, he almost wants to say that it's your fault, because if you weren't so stubborn he would have already shouted to the whole world that he loves you. but it can wait a little longer

actor!michealkaiser who can't help but illustrate you to journalists as the most talented co-star he's ever worked with, he who has always had actresses who are decidedly more famous than you in his action films. and you can't help but embarrass yourself in front of the cameras

he leans in close to you, his hand still on your back "looks like you're popular" he says, a hint of possessiveness in his voice. you nod, ignoring the little shivers down your spine "if you don't stop acting like this the crowd will actually believe we're lying about our relationship" you say knowing that only he can hear you. he chuckles quietly, his grip on you tightening just a bit: he knows you're referring to his possessive behavior, and he can't help but find it amusing "maybe i want them to believe we're lying" he whispers, his voice low "would that be such a bad thing?"

actor!michealkaiser which throughout the evening, does nothing but demonstrate that you have more than just good chemistry. and you, stupidly, give other signals that confirm it: you covering your mouth while speaking in his ear, him lowering himself to your height and remaining a few centimeters from your lips...

actor!michealkaiser who, after the end of the premiere, gives you a bouquet of red roses in front of the whole audience. you know perfectly well that he has never done it with any of his other actresses, yet now in front of everyone he has done it. for you. and damn, that almost makes you dumb for him

actor!michealkaiser who, once in the limo, can't help but throw himself on your lips, letting the little noises coming from your mouth drive him crazy. you tighten your arms around his neck, wondering if you're actually making the right choice, even though you're so damn happy. it's that he's so famous, and you're not... who gives you the confirmation that he really likes you and isn't just playing with your heart?

actor!michealkaiser who, having arrived at the hotel rooms, finds themselves spending the night in yours. and god, he can't help but be happy to finally let his thoughts come true, he who doesn't believe in love at first sight but suddenly finds himself thinking he could spend his whole life with you. he has already been in other relationships, but with a simple scene you managed to make him crazy, that means it's definitely a sign

actor!michealkaiser who the next morning, tired and with a few more scratches on his back, takes his phone while with his other hand he massages your shoulder, while you are still asleep. he opens his socials, noting how everyone both appreciated the film and appreciated you, all convinced that you are much more than friends, that your behaviors are not those of someone who simply has good chemistry, but of someone who hides too many things. and he can't help but be so happy with everything he's reading

[thinemoonshine]

⋆𐙚₊ 𝓭𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝓭𝐨𝐥𝐥 ˚⊹♡

human doll!jake x soft-hearted!female reader content(s): jake is not an actual doll, he is a touch-starved man, obsessive mannerisms, reader is described as a saint, the way jake yearns is ravenous — you're the little gift to fill the human doll's hollow shell

you don’t know.

you don’t know how much you mean to jake. and at first, neither did he.

jake is the living epitome of perfection. he is sweet as honey gold and his face is sculpted in a perfect blend of sharp and delicate—allowing him to both tempt and yet, melt the hearts of many. his voice is mellow and fresh paired with a cute accent and his bod is carved to utter perfection.

everybody knows him, everyone adores him and those that hate him can't help but want to be him.

there’s just one problem: he's…empty. like a porcelain doll. a pretty and glamorous exterior only to be devoid of soul and spirit.

it's not his fault. he's been this way for as long as he remembers and even when his parents have tried their very best to 'fix' him, he couldn't find it within him to be the way they wanted him to be.

so he adapted.

he finds that things become easier the more he acts the way as his parents wish. they want him to smile, he laughs. they want him to be smart, he excels. they want him to be sad, he cries. and he's been living in such way for as long as he remembers.

this exhaustive cycle recurs so ceaselessly that he's forgotten how to truly be—living his days more as a doll than he is human.

but it's fine. he's used to it and it's become as easy as breathing. as long as he follows his scripts and lifts his limbs in accordance with their strings, there should be no problem.

...until you came.

because now, sitting on your kitchen counter, drenched from the rain, with you standing between his parted knees as you patch the cut on his temple, he can't find it himself to act—well, like a puppet.

he can’t remember the lines he’s recited his whole life, nor the facial expressions he’s performed to perfection. the strings on his joints have loosened, leaving him limp at your disposal and when your eyes meet his, he forgets how to breathe.

because all he can think of is you, you and you.

“i told you the next time i see you i’m gonna pour salt in your wound,” you remind in a grumpy mumble and the natural curls at the corners of jake’s lips pull higher.

and there are no threads forcing them. he smiles simply because he wants to, he feels like doing it—an instinctive, uncalculated thought.

he did it just because he wants to.

and it’s all because of you.

“do it. pleasure, pain—” he expresses suddenly, making you look up at him and his pretty brown eyes flicker between yours down to your lips before returning to your gaze. “—as long as it's you, i won’t complain.”

your brows knit at his words before you scoff, thinking of it as a joke but, no.

oh, no no no.

never will jake jest about this. he doesn’t care what you do to him because whatever it is, it always ends with him feeling. you make him…human. and he will take anything you give him—even a stake through his heart—if it meant it’s by your hands. from you to him.

…

he’s getting a bit greedy.

feathery touches and longing gazes aren’t enough anymore. he wants more.

he needs more, more of you. and jake, picture perfect jake, has no doubt that he will get what—who—he wants.

time passes and you’re at the point of friendship where you're comfortable enough to let him hang around your place. watching movies while snacking, cooking together, even having little skincare nights—all these domestic activities that jake never found a point in, he finds it with you.

suddenly everything mattered. when it’s with you, everything is significant, a momentous occasion. even something as mundane as brushing your teeth.

one night, when comfortable silence enwraps both your bods and the film being the background noise in the living room, jake finds himself staring at you. you’re sleeping soundly—defenselessly—on the couch with your legs sprawled, head lolled to the side, lips slightly parted and throat exposed to breathe comfortably.

jake’s practically vibrating in his seat from restraint, nails clawing into his thighs as he sits on his heels to ground himself. his breaths are shaky, shoulders trembling and the blacks of his eyes push the deep brown of his irises as they’re fixed on you who’s so inviting, laid out upon him like a meal on a golden platter and driving him near manic.

his teeth chew on his plump bottom lip mercilessly—nearly drawing blood as he swallows painfully. oh, how cruel you are.

he finds himself laying his head on your stomach as he sits on the floor beside the couch—letting himself be lulled by the rhythmic raise and fall of your abdomen. his eyes shut to focus on his favourite lullaby, your breaths, as he revels in your burning warmth even through the constricting fabric of your shirt.

jake shudders at the intensity of it all.

jake loves you. he craves you, yearns for you. it’s no longer just because of how you fill the hollowness inside of him. instead, he wants to be the one embedded within you—to take space in the deepest, most dark and intimate crevices of your being. he wants to feel every inhale and exhale you make, see the colours of the world through your eyes, to be the voice you speak, the thoughts you think—to be one. a soul and spirit shared.

never parting, never one without the other.

without his notice, his hand has made its way to grip your arm with the most secure yet, trembling touch—nails resting just above your skin from clawing into your flesh. “(y/n)…”

it’s a soft mewl, most delicate. but the unfamiliarity of it within the constant noise manages to stir you awake and you furrow before spotting the young man who’s now nuzzling into your torso.

“jake? what’s wrong?”

your voice. your voice.

he whimpers, unable to muster his words with you echoing in his ears and rattling his bones so he lifts his face—instantly alarming you with the way he looks absolutely flushed and unfocused.

his eyes glazed and glossy, ears red down to his face and neck as he pants. his dark brows are knitted, a mien of agony yet, something else. but they’re left irrelevant when you spot the crimson liquid spilling from the cut in his lip slowly dripping down to his jaw.

“jake!” you’re quick to cup his face before wiping the blood away, inspecting the injury with utmost care and concern it makes him cry. “what happened?”

he only shakes his head, tears spilling past his lashline. “i’m sc-scared. you’re gonna leave me one day. you’ll find someone else and i’ll be—alone…” he manages to stutter through his sobs and you frown, confused.

but then it hits you. from all the times you’ve seen jake, he’s always been painted with bruises and wounds—way beyond the point of normalcy. you should’ve known there was something amiss.

he’s never shared anything about his life, his background, if there was ever any at all.

you should’ve known. how foolish of you to monopolize all his time and company without bothering once to ask of how he is. with the way he’s always nodding without hesitation, you’d forgotten that he has his own life. one that you know nothing of.

“i’m sorry,” you utter quietly, remorsefully, as you open your arms to let the other climb onto your lap and cry into your shoulder. your hands find refuge just as he does—one cradling his head and the other smoothing across his back—and your focus on guilt and comfort distracts you from noticing how he trembles and sighs with every caress. “i’m so sorry, jake. i will never leave you, i promise.”

your image of him—perfectly curated by the man himself—blinds you from seeing how your whispers against his ear has him keeling and mewling your name, how your gentle tugs against his hair has him groaning and nipping at your shoulder, how your affections has sent him utterly, irrevocably insane.

you’re so sweet, and soft-hearted—a true saint. strong against strong and weak against the weak. there never was a competition since the beginning when the winner is clear.

and as jake held you tight against him—strong, steel cage disguised as warm, gentle arms trapping you against his chest—he whispers your name with such reverence that has your soft heart completely wrecked yet, whole at the same time.

it’s touching to have someone to care for you so much, to need you as one needs air and the way jake treats you, it might just seem your significance is above it.

he breathes in your scent, searing it into his senses as his hands memorize your shape, wishing to carve and mold a statue of you—a semblance of you to keep close when you’re not around.

his eyes open suddenly as he gently feels you rock him side to side.

what is he saying? you’re his now. he doesn’t have to make a false you. nothing can compare to you, anyways. he grins at the realisation, one that reaches from ear to ear as his limbs coil tighter around you—almost akin to a constricting snake. but you don’t mind. he needs you. it’s only right for you to be there for him—whenever it is.

and so for the very first time, jake, the human puppet, has his very own doting doll. and he will play with her, cherish her and love her to his heart’s content.

ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹ masterlist ᝰ.ᐟ✮⋆˙

copyright © 2024 thinemoonshine all rights reserved

[simpingland]

Req: Can you write something with Ewan Mitchell and his co-star (pronounced feminine) where they are on the set of season 2 and how he is surprised by every performances that fem gives (Fem's character is bad and perverse), since since the recordings of season one he was already staring at her surprised by her actings and now with Season 2 he wants to spend more time with her, plus he likes her.

The Rehearsal// Ewan Mitchell x Fem!actress

Summary: Ewan is a method actor and it has been working fine for him. But he regrets this decision when season 2 of HOTD starts with a love scene, being partner with a lovely talented actress who propaply hates him and his mathods. But nothing is better than asking for help when one needs it, right?

|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|

Ewan watched from the monitor, patch removed but wig still on, your close-up was impressive. One look at you and you could see all the ambitions that were going through your character's mind, and he himself regretted not having told you yet. The good news was that filming for season two had just begun, and in this new season, Ewan had the opportunity to do scenes only with you.

They shouted cut, and you immediately broke into a smile, laughing after such an intense scene. You received compliments as you were photographed to keep the raccord straight.

"Congratulations, that's a good start," the director said to you. "Remember you have a special sequence tomorrow, get a good rest."

Yes, you remembered. And Tom (who played your brother Aegon) smiled mischievously at you. It was a kissing scene with Ewan, with whom you had barely exchanged a word since the moment you were confirmed as part of the cast, a year and a half ago. You only spoke a little at the audition, which was a chemistry test, and he was a sweet, unassuming guy. When he was announced as the official actor of Aemond... it was something different. You didn't interact in the scenes in the first season, his scenes were shared more with Fabien and Tom, while you had shared scenes with Olivia and Phia (Alicent and Helaena). The chemistry your characters were supposed to have was only hinted by the placement of you both in the scene or montages of shots that you only saw once the series was released. And in the meantime, Ewan had stayed away from all those with whom he didn't share any dialogue, with the excuse of staying focused on his character. Tom had already told you numerous times that Ewan thought you were a fantastic actress, but you always responded the same way.

"If he does, let him tell me so. Then I'll be flattered.”

When the script for the second season came, both of you, in your respective homes, had your hearts skipped a beat. Your character would approach Aemond in the throne room in the middle of the night. And there they not only talk, but share a kiss that promises to go further in the following seasons. Aemond confessed his love for your character, and being that it was a story taken from the world of Game of Thrones, it was sure to end in much more intimate scenes. Normal for actors and comfortable for a cast that was so friendly and close. But with Ewan being so distant and serious? It was difficult. You didn't even dare to call him. Nor did he call you. What you did do was call Tom.

"She hasn't spoken to me once since we started filming. I've seen her look at me sometimes, like she's trying to talk to me but then, before I could say a word, she's gone quiet again. Tom...I don't think I should take being a method actor so seriously," he said to the other actor.

"It amuses me immensely to be the connecting point for both of you. Don't worry, Ewan, she's a sweetheart, and very understanding. She knows that everyone has their own procedure. So if she has respected your method, you should respect hers."

"And what is her procedure?"

"According to Phia, she loves to walk back and forth repeating her lines in a thousand ways."

Right, Ewan saw the video Phia sent around the group so everyone could see how lunatic you looked. And even there, after discovering you were being filmed, you smiled tenderly at Phia asking her to stop. What else would he have missed since you weren't talking?

You had already taken off your wig, your hair was loose and your dress had been off for quite a while. You were waiting to take off your make-up when your trailer was called. You were expecting anyone, happy to have any interaction with the wonderful team around you, but when you saw Ewan, the smile must have dropped a little.

"Sorry if I'm intruding. Is it late?" Ewan asked you as he saw your friendly greeting getting lost in the air.

It wasn't dark yet, and the next day's filming was starting early, so you genuinely didn't know what to say to him.

"Well... I have to finish off some of the lines for tomorrow.’

The lines you had to say with him, and he knew that. But since that wasn't an invitation, Ewan understood instantly and nodded.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you...it's been an awesome first day of shooting for you. It's no wonder you're a fan favorite."

That made you blush.

"Well, that means a lot coming from you."

He smiled sheepishly at you, you were taller than he was, standing on the trailer and he was on the grass a few stairs down. And yet he seemed way too big.

"I promise I'll be on time tomorrow so we'll have plenty of time to rehearse," he said, trying to get out of the strange conversation he had started.

You nodded and watched as he walked away, the patch in his hand and taking off his seatbelts. Did he come with the intention of chatting? My God, you'd had a chance to talk at length with your fellow cast member and you'd wasted it? You needed to go over the scene as much as possible!

"Ewan!" You called out to him, hanging almost on your doorstep, he turned with that agility that is so engaging on screen (and in person). "Are you done for the day?"

"I've got to get out of my costume. But...yes, I'm done."

"Would you mind..." you mumbled in an exaggeratedly loud voice for him to hear. How embarrassing. "Would you mind dropping by again to rehearse?"

Ewan stood still for a second. He watched you from afar, so affectionate and shy, totally contrary to your character, and felt a deep tenderness.

"I'll be back in half an hour," he promised you.

You looked forward to it, and you'd be lying if you didn't say that you'd put your make-up back on a bit. Ewan, on the other hand, was hurrying more than usual to remove his own clothes, forgetting to remove his fake scars in the rush that followed him. He was punctual, and in thirty and a half minutes, he was knocking on your door again.

"I really appreciate you doing this, Ewan," you said as he climbed into your trailer.

"Don't worry, it's going to be fun."

You looked at each other for a second, smiling, kind of gawking, which was nothing like the scene you had to recreate.

"How do you prepare for a scene?" You ask.

"I listen to some music. But I want to try what you do. "

He looked at you expectantly, and you suddenly felt embarrassed. Like the girls at the school function.

"So... I close my eyes, and I create a map where everything looks a little bit like the set."

"And what do we choose to be the throne?" Ewan smiled, which made you blush even more.

"Well... "There was a fully finished teacup, with the inelegantly squeezed bag next to it, dripping. You'd forgotten to clean it up completely. "That cup itself."

Ewan frowned slightly, teasingly, and nodded. The next step for you was harder to explain.

"Now, Ewan, I need some space."

He sat down on your couch, script to one side, the bastard having already memorized it all. And from there he watched live what he'd been craving for months, watching you pace back and forth. You read the annotations and your lines.

"They will never forgive our family for what I did," Ewan replied, intoning in the silky voice he gave Aemond.

"If it's any consolation, I doubt they would be willing to let us live even if we had given them the throne willingly, Aemond..." though you paced, your hands and gestures maintained theatricality, and you repeated the phrase three more times, all with trapped deliberation. "This pantomime of repentance can only convince Mother...but not me."

"What pantomime do you mean?" replied Aemond.

Then your character stopped looking at Aemond to stare at the Throne. In this case you stopped to stare at the ugly teacup. You had to hold back a smile. Ewan looked at it too.

"It's impossible to fool you, it always has been." Ewan got up from the sofa and approached you, as Aemond does with your character. "It is a crude, chaotic and ugly object, but always that which I have desired."

Then the laughter you'd been holding back escaped, unable to think of the mug as anything else. And Ewan laughed with you, all the tension disappearing instantly. Now he could understand the affection with which everyone spoke of you.

"I'm sorry, really," you said, getting serious again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, this is fun. I'm going to try your method. Shall we close our eyes?"

"That's right."

You closed them at the same time, thinking about the huge room, illuminated by a silver light that simulated the moon. And after a few seconds, Ewan opened his eyes to look at you. Although you didn't have your white hair, or the elegant dress, your eyes were the same, as beautiful and bright as they were behind the cameras. And he had the privilege of being the focus of your attention and having them in the foreground.

"Though I think I was always more subtle with another of my longings..." he whispered close to your lips.

"That you tried at least" you whispered back.

"When I get the throne I'll need someone as sharp as you to accompany me. There is no woman in the seven kingdoms who compares to you."

Then came the kiss. You looked into Ewan's eyes, up his nose and down to his lips. What was there left to throw yourself? Not much, but with him being so reclusive, with that being one of the few times you spoke to each other, it felt strange to pounce on him without consent. So you walked away, leaving the scene there.

"We can work this out with the director and the intimacy coordinator, if you like," Ewan suggested, a little flushed and extremely sweet.

You poured him a cup of tea while you discussed the romance that your characters might have developed over the years that the series skips. You imagined romantic scenes that might have led up to that kiss and concluded that they were a toxic couple, but possibly better than Rhaenyra and Daemon.

"You know, I love the way you act and I love that I discovered your process," he confessed. "I think the admiration part is not going to be too hard to act out."

"Oh...my process is really ridiculous, everyone laughs at me. I'm glad it at least works. But it gives me a hard time at auditions," you laughed nervously.

"Well, it's true that it's fun to watch. But it's certainly worth it. I don't think you have anything to envy the others, you're...magnetic." He said it with a seriousness that moved you, adding to his intense gaze. "I'm sorry I wasn't smart enough to tell you sooner, because I've been thinking about it since the day they put me in the same room you were in, back at the audition.”

You froze a little, so you just said what you felt in the simplest way and with the most honest smile.

"Thank you."

Ewan took the last sip of his tea and before he left you remembered one of the thousand questions you had for him.

"Is there a reason you haven't removed the scar? Something to do with method acting?"

"Scar?"

You touched his cheek, where the scar began, and Ewan understood instantly.

"Ah, gee, I completely forgot to go through makeup. I'll get a telling off tomorrow."

"Not if you sleep on it until tomorrow" you joked. "Let me help you, I love fake wounds."

You stood next to him, towering over him a little, and lifted the thin layer of silicone with the delicacy you had seen in make-up artists. You were envious of the woman who was in charge of characterising a person as curiously attractive as Ewan. He also smelled exaggeratedly good.

When you took it off, you threw it into the creepy teacup from earlier.

"I've almost run out from, the costume department before," he justified himself. You took the opportunity to wipe that part of her face with a makeup remover wipe. "I usually do this part myself..."

"I know, but I like it..."

And while you were stroking his face with the excuse of cleaning it, Ewan was watching your lips, and didn't notice that you had noticed. You pushed the wipe away, stroking his chin, and at the same time, you both pressed your lips together. A strange kiss, something special, sweet and soft. You stretched it out, standing almost still, afraid of what would happen if you broke apart. When you finally did, you looked at each other with a look of confusion, though neither you nor Ewan pulled away.

It was a dangerous idea, he was your partner, and you had been unprofessional. You broke away.

"I think you should rest. I've distracted you too much." Your tone came out agitated and Ewan rose slowly.

"No, it's all right. I liked it. I liked everything. Didn't you?" He had emphasised the word 'everything' and was looking at you with lambent eyes.

"Yes...I loved being with you."

He said goodbye with a smile of his, and you bowed at your door like a little girl. Most of the team had already gone to rest and you barely noticed.

You had to put on more concealer than usual the next day because of the lack of sleep you'd had from that strange kiss. Ewan had kept his promise and had arrived a good while earlier to re-rehearse the scene. You did it without the kiss or the lights, just with the director's instructions and with your cheeks flushed as you exchanged glances.

"Did you practice with the kiss?" the intimacy coordinator asked you.

You were completely silent. Ewan answered for you.

"Not really, maybe it's better to give a first kiss at the moment of the shot. More realism."

"Well, then I guess you've worked out the sexual tension and dynamics of your characters."

Ewan nodded and smiled, which made you smile. Had he put hours of sleep into your little meeting yesterday? Yes, he had, and he told the woman who was putting on his scar who asked him who had removed it the day before. When you returned to the set, lights on, costumes on, cameras rolling, Ewan looked at you in the distance, asking you with his eyes if you were ready. You nodded with a shy smile, and began to act when they shouted action.

Aemond, still dressed and coming from the castle library, walked into the empty throne room to watch you. You walked behind him, in a smart dressing gown, your hair loose and trying uselessly not to make a sound. Aemond then spoke aloud.

"They will never forgive our family for what I did."

You approached Ewan, who still wouldn't look at you.

"If it's any consolation, I doubt they would be willing to let us live even if we had given them the throne willingly, Aemond..." You leaned into him a little, as the director had recommended. He was so tall and so tense that you felt as safe as if you were leaning against a stone pillar. "This pantomime of repentance can only convince Mother...but not me." Then Aemond would look down to see you out of the corner of his eye, which made your character - and you - nervous.

"What pantomime do you mean?"

Then you looked at the throne, now there was no laughter to disturb you, only the terrible seat of swords before you. And Aemond was looking at it too.

"It's impossible to fool you, it always has been. It is a brutish, chaotic, ugly object, but always that which I have desired."

After a pause, he turned fully around to look at you, his height becoming primordial in that short distance. In that low light, Ewan's visible eye looked into your eyes, dropping to your lips subtly.

"Though I think I was always more subtle with another of my longings..." he whispered in his velvety tone.

"That you tried at least" you replied trying to keep your composure. If they knew how hard you were struggling not to fall to your knees at that moment they would have nominated you for an Emmy by now.

"When I get the throne I'll need someone as clever as you to accompany me. There is no woman in the seven kingdoms who compares to you."

He stroked your face gently, something that coming from Ewan was tender and expected, immensely pleasing, but then you remembered that Aemond could never be so gentle in the face of his urges, and you let your own out. You pressed yourself against him, pressing your lips together with all the assurance you had longed for the night before. You could feel Ewan intensify your kiss even more, placing his hand on your neck. All the possible kisses that had been going on in your head during the night were now dwarfed by the kiss that was happening right there. As fierce as your characters, with the longing you had just discovered that you and Ewan had shared for a year and a half.

It was only when they shouted 'cut' that you broke apart, catching your breath and barely breaking away. Some applause, chatter and comments from the team, you could hear little of what they were saying. You pulled away flushed, laughing at the sudden intensity. You looked at the director as Ewan smoothed his jacket.

"Let's look at the shot, I think it was simply perfect, congratulations."

Another round of applause, and you felt Ewan brush your unruly hair out of your face, stroking it as he ruffled your hair.

"What a pity not to have to repeat this scene..." He confessed.

"That's the thing about being so talented," you joked.

"Obviously..." he removed his patch and turned back to you to ask in a quieter voice, "although I'd love to have more private acting classes with you..."

You smiled at the hint.

"I'll give them to you if in exchange you let me remove your fake scars again."

"Deal."

[gay-dorito-dust]

Hi! I hope your doing well while you read this request! May I ask for HSR Men (Jing Yuan, Blade, Dan Heng, Welt and maybe Boothill) their reaction when after 2 weeks of disappearance from their s/o because of a mission, they came back to them all exhausted and slightly injured. If I can be more precise, can you describe how they acted when they had no news of their s/o et their reaction when they came back please?

Thank you for the attention you’ll give to this request ! I hope you’ll have a great day/night!

-🩵✨

This is a long one, so brace yourselves! And have a great morning/evening/night! 🦦🐿️

Blade

‘Where have you been?’ Blade hissed, anger laced his voice as he drags you to the nearest surface and eased you on it, keen to avoid worsening your wounds.

‘I was on a mission.’ You sassed, not wanting this to be your first conversation back from a near death experience.

‘I know that,’ he barks as he rummaged through the cabinets for a first aid kit, uncaring do the mess he was making in the process, ‘you’ve been on a mission for two fucking weeks and not once did it come to mind to keep in contact during that time?’ He adds, looking at you with a look that wasn’t angry but instead scared.

Blade had spent the past two weeks going utterly insane form the lack of communication on your end. At first he didn’t think much but by day 12, Blade was more or less ready to included himself in your mission. Unfortunately according to Elio, this wasn’t apart of the script and Blade was made to stay on the sidelines and await your return.

It wouldn’t take long before you came home but you came home in the worst of conditions that Blade had ever seen you in recent memory, and that made him extremely upset. Not at you though, more or less at the person or thing that made those wounds on you.

Communications were down, I had no way of telling you anything.’ You replied, having already grown annoyed at his constant pestering and prodding.

‘Well you should’ve.’ Blade muttered gruffly as he gently took your arm into his hand and examined the wound and had to bite his tongue from saying anything else, but found that task to be a bit too difficult for him. ‘Then I could’ve stopped them from hurting you.’ He added.

You groaned and punched your brow with your free hand, all you wanted to do was go to sleep but couldn’t help but feel warm on the inside at the idea of Blade getting revenge on your behalf. ‘That’s not necessary.’ You told him, trying hard not to wince as he cleaned your wound.

‘And why not?’ He asks, noticing your attempts and wordlessly tries a different approach in cleaning your wound.

‘They’re all dead.’ You replied nonchalantly and Blade couldn’t help but smile. ‘That’s my partner.’ He says but the smile soon falls as he finished patching your wound and looks you dead in the eyes. ‘However the next time you’re sent on a long mission I’m coming with, no excuses.’

You groan again, there was no winning with this man.

Jing yuan was trusting in your abilities to keep yourself safe but the longer he went without update of you nor progression of the mission, Jing Yuan grew worried that something had happened.

He already lost a lot, he didn’t need your loss on top of all that. He lost hope on appreciating that he was living once, he knew that if anything happened to you he would relapse into those old ways but with no chance of recovery.

He would try and fail many attempts of making contact with you, only to be met with static as a responses which didn’t exactly help his hope in seeing you that slowly began to dwindle the longer he tried, until he stopped trying all together.

In his mind you were gone a long time ago and he should start his grieving while he could.

However you did come back, but not exactly in the best shape…you were wounded and exhausted but to Jing Yuan you never looked more alive in that moment as he was quick to get you medical attention. Not once did the general think to leave your leave your side as you laid out on the bed, wounds patched up and fast asleep from everything.

He even slept in the chair next to your bed, making sure your sleep went undisturbed and had a familiar face to wake up to as to not feel misplaced somewhere foreign. Jing Yuan didn’t feel entirely comfortable in leaving you alone during this time, especially when you’re vulnerable and susceptible to a plethora of things.

Not when he barely avoided a possibility of never seeing you again. He didn’t care for the reasons why you couldn’t contact him, those can wait for another time, he only cared that you were back by his side and alive.

So he’d fall asleep with his hand laced with yours and his head resting on your lap, acting like your personal guard dog as he kept his body facing towards the door in the instant he had to protect you.

No one would take you from him again, mission or not, you were staying by his side from now on, generals orders.

Dan heng didn’t think much when you didn’t reach out and tell him about the things you’ve found that he might like whilst away, however that didn’t mean he didn’t have a bad feeling about all of it.

He did but he couldn’t prove why as it was too early into the mission to say why he felt that way. Dan Heng always trusted his instincts when it came moments of uncertainty as they’ve always been proven correct. However this was the one time where he really didn’t want that to be the case.

Yet the longer he went without the regular flow of communication between the two of you during missions, Dan Heng felt himself break out into a cold sweat during the night and out of breath from experiencing another nightmare where you didn’t come back from this mission, leaving him utterly heartbroken and lost for the rest of his days.

He couldn’t close his eyes for a single second without the nightmare flooding back to haunt him of a potential future without you, his other half.

He even had nightmares where you were calling out to him for help but he couldn’t hear them and was forced by an higher power to ignore your soundless cries and walk away unbothered. Those were the nightmares Dan Heng hated the most as there would never be a moment in his life where he would ever leave you to such a cruel fate; He’d be more than gladly suffer with you than ever abandon you.

So the moment you came home wounded and exhausted, Dan Heng didn’t waste time in getting you to medical, taking everything the doctor told him to help you heal seriously as your newly appointed caregiver. Some of the time he came across as strict but he meant well as all he wanted was for you to get better and soon, seeing as how you gave him the biggest fright of his life.

He doesn’t let anyone else near you.

You can blame it on his dragon noodle side as it grew overprotective of the fact that you -his mate- were in seemingly left in a vulnerable state. He didn’t care to listen to the reasonings as to why he should let anyone else come near you, not without knowing their intentions in descriptive depth, he could take care of you himself perfectly fine and without any outside help.

He was your partner, you were his responsibility but this was all just an excuse to hide the fact that Dan Heng was genuinely scared of letting you out of his sight, even if it was for five minutes because a lot could happen in five minutes. So now he stays close to you from then on as a precaution, holding your hand in his and squeezing it as thought he was trying to convince himself that you were actually with him weeks afterwards.

Boothill didn’t like the idea of you being so far from him and much preferred for you to stay in contact if you were going to be so far away from him for so long.

However nothing seemed to want to go the way he wanted as soon as he found that he couldn’t contact you. None of his messages were going through and neither were his calls, as he read and reread the message that said you were out of the area for his messages to get through to you.

Boothill grew more and more restless the longer his texts didn’t go through, still claiming you were out of the area, whatever the hell that means and had to actively find ways to de stress because of how often he found himself on the verge of blasting anything and everything that moved.

You were his anchor, his partner in crime and his voice of reason, without you Boothill was teetering on the brink of becoming everyone’s problem should you spend even another hour more away from him.

So when you did come back with wounds scarred across your body and looking as though you were on the brink of collapse, Boothill was made more worried than before. Your wounds weren’t very deep nor life threatening but Boothill didn’t care, you were hurt and he wasn’t made aware of it for the past two weeks.

He wanted to hunt down the bastards who made those wounds on your body and make them pay, regardless if they had a bounty on their heads or not, he’d gladly hunt them down just to set an example as to why you don’t fuck with Boothill’s loved one.

‘Don’t.’ You croaked, grabbing his hand. ‘Just stay with me and make everything okay cowboy.’

Boothill, not one to argue with you, especially not in your current state, obeyed your wish and stayed by your side as you slowly but surely recovered from your wounds with scars left behind as reminders.

Though that didn’t stop him from going off behind your back to hunt the bastards down, he never could let go of a grudge after all.

Welt basically worried himself sick when he didn’t hear anything from you the first couple of days, but was soon talked down from doing anything rash that could potentially put you in even more danger, regardless of his intention of being by your side.

Welt was restless for the remainder of the two weeks, double checking his phone for anything that could push him over the edge and force him into acting.

What happened to you?

Why weren’t you responding?

Were you hurt?

Were you in danger and he didn’t know?

So many thoughts floated in welt’s mind as he was left feeling powerless as he was forced to await your return, hoping that all his thoughts were just that, meaningless thoughts that had no real affect in reality.

He was wrong.

You did come home but you came back with some new wounds and a face that screamed exhaustion. You barely took one step before collapsing into Welt’s arms as he got you medical help.

‘What happened out there?’ He’d calmly ask one day as he held your hand, thumb rubbing the back of it reassuringly.

‘Communications were down,’ you told him as you squeezed his hand, just happy to be back home and with him, ‘then the mission went south as I found myself out of my depth on several occasions, I’m sorry Welt.’ You finish weakly.

‘There’s nothing to be sorry for.’ Welt reassures as he presses a kiss to your forehead. ‘Not all missions go according to plan and all that matters right now is that you’re safe, so please don’t apologise for things beyond your control.’ He adds as he watched you slowly drift to sleep, still feeling a little exhausted from the mission and everything that happened.

Welt stayed awake for a little while longer to commemorate this moment to memory, to treasure it during the moments when you were to be apart from one another again, but until that time Welt would hold you as close as he possibly could and keep you safe to the best of his abilities. Your safety meant a lot to him and he’d rather jeopardise his own safety if it meant that you’d never get hurt again, he’d do it in a heartbeat because that’s just how much you meant to him and todays events only solidified that.

[sparrowlucero]

You mentioned a while ago that there were scrapped aspects of "Midnight" involving suicide. Can you elaborate on that a bit more?

I don't think they scrapped anything necessarily, it's just something that's not stated explicitly in the script and so is easily missed. According to the dvd commentary, Sky is on the bus despite not seeming interested in it because she was planning to kill herself at the waterfall they're heading to; that's why she's so uncomfortable and cagey throughout and why she gets so suddenly, violently upset when the bus breaks down over it messing with her schedule:

David Tennant: Now, the idea was that Sky Silvestry was on her way to kill herself. This is the backstory that isn’t explicit in the script. RTD: Yes. She’s newly divorced, there’s one odd line - she’s on her way to a waterfall palace, which is a holiday place - but she says "I’m on a schedule". Which is like, what for? Why on earth would you go to that waterfall on a schedule for? And then as the knocking starts, she says "She said she’d get me." Which is just paranoia, I don’t think that actually, literally means anything about the relationship. Alice Troughton: She’s the most emotionally disturbed.

there's a few indications in the episode that her mental state is pretty fragile and it isn't just the scary situation with the bus that's upsetting her; initially she's very lowkey and doesn't join in any of the conversations, only chatting with the doctor once about her bad divorce:

later it turns out she's obviously way more upset and shaken up than she lets on; she immediately, before anything obviously supernatural occurs, flips from quiet to arguing with the hostess about staying on schedule even though this is meant to be a loosely scheduled optional activity:

and when the knocking on the wall starts, she directly associates it with her ex wife's (apparently hollow) threats and becomes extremely frantic, moreso than anyone else:

imo I don't think they needed to state the exact context for why she's like this in the episode itself for this to be a successful story beat, it's pretty obvious some heavy things are up with her, but the word of god specifics do color the way she acts (and why the creature singled her out) for me a lot

[omnitrash]

I’m loving the self aware dmc!

I can’t help but imagine how funny it would be tho if reader modded the game. Like the characters expect things to go as usual but suddenly Dante is in a maid dress, Vergil has the plastic chair and Nero is shirtless or smth.

Like their trying to keep a straight face and act according ten script but Dante is a few moments away from breaking at seeing Vergil sitting ominously on a plastic lawn chair with the Yamato now also changed to look like an anime body pillow.

You’re so right anon. And thank you so much for the idea!! So, once again, enjoy everyone!!

—————————————————————————

Self Aware Dmc! - Mods!

‘_’ - thoughts

“_” dialogue

You’d never thought about using mods, and neither did the cast think you would. It wasn’t until you a friend of yours convinced you to and helped you install them that you managed to do so and once you did, the cast noticed a few…interesting changes. Like for example:

“…Dante…why are you in a maid dress??” Nero asked, staring at his uncle in great confusion as they met outside Urizen’s throne while ignoring Lady and Trish laughing at them. He wasn’t wearing that in the last time you started the game started, was he??

“You tell me, kid…why are you in a wedding dress? Did ‘ya leave Kyrie and the little sweetheart at the altar?” The younger son of Sparda shot back with a smirk, though he was just as confused as anyone else. Why a maid dress of all things?! And why was the shirt so fucking short?!

…though he could admit, the thigh highs suited him…maybe his little sweetheart’s sense of style wasn’t all that bad. Not that he doubted them.

“Oh shut up, old man. At least my dress looks better. You look like a stripper” Nero sneered, huffing as he fixed the sweetheart collar of his dress. He didn’t know how he’d fight in this stupid gown but he guess it wasn’t that bad. At least it wasn’t ugly…he just didn’t want to think about Nico’s reaction to this.

Meanwhile, V was struggling to deal with his familiars. Griffon specifically because the stupid bird wouldn’t stop laughing at him.

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! Nice outfit, doll! HA-!!” The bird guffawed, much to the man’s embarrassment. He supposed it wasn’t bad, the outfit itself was rather elegant…in a dollish sense. Lolita, was it? The black and white dress was frilly but oddly elegant and refined. The parasol it included wasn’t so awful either…it suited his style…if he was a woman.

Of course, Lady and Trish weren’t off the hook either but their outfits weren’t as embarrassing to wear as it was for the three men. The two women were dressed in suits, with Lady having the sleeves of her dress shirt rolled up and Trish fully keeping her outfit in a more classier way. You really had a knack for playing dress up, didn’t you?

“Lo-…looking good Dante…” Lady snickered, barely calming down from her laughing fit as Trish smirked in the behind her.

“She’s right y’know? The little spark didn’t do half bad with our outfits” Trish pointed out with an amused huff, fixing her gold tie as she adjusted her collar.

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Laugh it up you two” The legendary devil hunter grumbled before letting out a sigh and picking up Rebellion. “Welp, no use in thinking too much of this. We got a show to run” Dante sighed, ignoring Nero’s protests in the back as the game picked off from where you left off.

—————————————————————————

The game was almost over, and boy was Dante tired. Fighting in this maid dress was…something. The small heels didn’t help either. But at this point, he couldn’t help but wonder if his brother would be wearing something too.

‘Welp, I’m almost at the top anyway…guess I’ll find out soon enough’ He thought, walking up to the top of the demonic tree before seeing his silhouette in the distance.

“Yo Vergil! Your portal opening days are over!…Give me the Yama-“ He stopped himself as he finally registered his brother’s appearance.

First of all, Vergil was sitting on a plastic lawn chair unlike the small throne he made of his own originally, he was holding a body pillow of some anime girl instead of the Yamato and to top it all of? He was wearing a bunny suit. Bunny ears, tail, heels, fishnets stockings and all.

Before Dante could say a word -like both brothers knew he would- Vergil quickly adjusted the games code so that the current cutscene would continue like normal for you. And just in time too because as soon as he did, Dante burst out laughing.

“HA- what?! What are you wearing there, big bro?! Gonna hop on over here?! Gonna pillow fight me to death?! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Dante guffawed, now completely losing any embarrassment he felt over wearing this silly maid outfit. Especially after seeing what his brother was wearing.

“Shut up. What about you, huh? Going to sweep me off with a little broom, little brother? Clean up my mess like a good little maid?” Vergil sneered, though he himself was horribly embarrassed. This stupid suit didn’t cover much of anything! Just what were you thinking with these mods?! The fact that everyone else wasn’t spared from these outfits changes like him was the only thing that helped him power through this…he much preferred the black dress he had as V. At least he was properly covered in that.

“Oh fuck off, I look amazing. You’re just jealous of me” Dante smirked, though he was a bit irked from his remarks.

“Let’s fight-“

“Let’s fight!-“

“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-“

And after a few failed attempts of fighting and dying to Vergil -fighting him with both Dante and then Nero (who got sent a raised eyebrow from his father and in return, got a muffled guffaw from his son after seeing their respective outfits), and as the credits rolled, all they heard from you was-

“…I have nothing to say for myself. I don’t regret a single thing and I would do this again…just like I’d do them in those outfits. They’re so fine, good lord-“

….you really had no shame, did you?

But they couldn’t help but wonder how’d you look in these outfits instead…they wouldn’t be able to keep their hands to themselves, they fear-

[akemiiya]

thinking abt an au where siffrin, who looped back again after killing the king with their hands in act 5, accepts that they'll never escape the loops. so he finds comfort in the loops, and the script, and acting out their perfect play forever and ever and ever in complete bliss. they keep living out the same script and events but they're not actually paying attention to anything-- they just hear everyone's voices and assume everything is going according to the script, so they say the same lines as always at the perfect moment with the perfect intonation.

it goes like that for loops and loops... until one loop, when everything goes awfully off script. it takes a while for siffrin to notice, but eventually something so major happens that he can't just ignore it anymore and he starts scrambling because what happened?!? this isn't how it's supposed to go! why are things changing!?!

it turns out that someone else started looping with him at some point. this has been going on for a while, maybe a dozen or so loops, but he never noticed until now. the other person keeps trying to figure out what's going on and to change things and to break out of the loop, but siffrin can't let that happen because this is their paradise, their eternity, their home, and they can't let it be destroyed!!!

suddenly, just absentmindedly following his cues isn't enough anymore. he needs to pay attention, make sure he stays on script.

he has to make sure the other looper goes back to doing what they're supposed to, and saying the same lines they always do, and that everything goes back to normal. he can't let them find out that he's also looping, that he also remembers. because then they'll hate him, and he can't have that. he can't have that at all.

[cobaltperun]

Eternal Flame - Runaway Train

Jenna Ortega x female Reader

Story summary: For her it’s a passion, for you it’s an accident. And as she continues shining brighter and brighter with each role you are left mesmerized, drawn to her flame and cherishing every time she lets herself be vulnerable with you.

Chapter summary: The comeback of a child star who won several awards for her first and only role? Surprisingly effective pitch if you want to restart your acting career. You did not expect to be damn near immediately drawn to your costar, Jenna Ortega.

Spotify playlist

Masterlist / Next part

Word count: 6.2k

-You were there like a slow torch burning, I was a key that could use a little turning-

“The world still sucks!” the shout woke you up, but your doors being slammed open made you jump to your feet from the couch. Somehow even in your confused state you managed to recognize the voice of your best friend and self-appointed back-up manager for your career that would soon be restarted. At least according to Barbara, the same girl that just burst through your front door like she owned the place.

“So does your ability to knock,” you complained, reaching up to fix your bed hair, just fixing whatever you could with your fingers. You ended up falling asleep on the couch while reading through some scripts Barbara managed to get for you. Asshole. Sending e-mails in your name.

You didn’t have to look at her to know she just rolled her eyes and sat down on your couch. Flipping through the script parts you received. “Don’t pretend you’re getting something from the kitchen!” she called you out on your habit the moment you went toward the kitchen, and you winced, sometimes hating how well she knew you. You still poured yourself a glass of apple juice. “At least bring me a glass too,” you winced again at that.

“If you can barge into my apartment, you can get it yourself,” you grumbled, still feeling sleepy. You should have made a coffee, or tea, or something that would wake you up. You went back to the couch and sat down next to Barbara, smirking slightly as she tried her best to glare at you. You even made a show out of slowly sipping on the apple juice, just to see her pout.

“Mean,” she complained and looked away. You had to admit it was a cute pout. Barbara was beautiful, you were more than aware of that. A bit above average in height, just over 5 foot 6, she had a beautiful face, striking blue eyes, and blonde hair as straight as she was, which was a 100%, not a single atom in her body was attracted to anyone that wasn’t a man.

“You love it, babe,” you still teased one another every now and then. Even if she wasn’t straight there was no way you could ever see her as anything but your best friend. The teasing was just there for light-hearted fun.

Barbara hummed and suddenly tried to grab your glass, only for you to lift it out of her reach. “You have no heart,” she sighed and gave up on drinking the apple juice unless she got up, and you knew her pride wouldn’t let her do it. “Did anything catch your eye?” she asked, pointing a finger at the scripts.

“I dunno. How did you even get this many scripts?” there were four scripts in total. There was one for psychological thriller that would require you to go to Italy, one for a superhero movie, one for a reboot of the Scream franchise and finally for a pilot episode for TV drama.

Barbara shrugged and patted you on the back. “The comeback of a child star who won several awards and was nominated for a bunch for her first and only role? You’d be surprised how effective that pitch is,” she laughed as you facepalmed.

“You… I’m not even going to say anything,” you sighed, glancing through the window. You weren’t sure how it happened, you just auditioned because it seemed fun and Barbara dared you to do it, and then you ended up getting the role, got the taste of the industry, the work and dedication it took and just figured you didn’t want to spend your childhood like that. But now, close to turning twenty, you figured you might give it a shot again. Even if you were still a bit reluctant to go back to that world.

It wasn’t the work, you could do it now. But now that it’s been several years since your movie came out in 2017 and even more years since you filmed it back in 2013 and 2014, you found it difficult to motivate yourself to give it a shot. After all, how do you follow the success of it?

You didn’t notice Barbara’s eyes softening. “You worry too much,” she pointed out nudged you lightly.

You couldn’t help but smile at that. “Yeah,” you went and picked up the script for Scream. “I think this should be fun, though going to Italy could be fun as well, and it’s a good story, dark, but good,” you narrowed it down to two choices and took your phone. You had some calls to make. Not before you went and brought a glass of apple juice for Barbara though.

~X~

The August heat in Los Angeles wasn’t something you liked experiencing, especially when you were already feeling quite nervous standing in front of the building where Radio Silence Production office was. ‘Get it together, you know how these go,’ you berated yourself, you had a successful movie behind you, granted, you weren’t the one responsible for the success. And you had your current job, if this failed you were perfectly comfortable with not being an actress.

Even if Barbara would get on your nerves for it for the rest of your life.

You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, the role was actually perfect for you, as if written with you in mind. About as close to action as you figured most horror movies would get you, and your proficiency with martial arts was a huge bonus when combined with physically fitting the description of your character. You were a bit taller, but everything else fit well enough.

A bit too well in some ways. But first you needed to go through the chemistry testing with the actress they were considering for the role of Tara Carpenter, your love interest and the character around who the entire plot would revolve in some ways, since she was the sister of the main character and the victim of the first attack, setting everything in motion. Tara was to be the glue for the new main trio of her, her sister and your character, and from what you heard the actress, Jenna Ortega, already did an amazing job with the actress cast to play Sam Carpenter.

With another deep breath you went inside the building. The air conditioning immediately provided you with a much-needed relief as you made your way up the stairs, ignoring the elevator that was right there. A minute or two later you were in front of the office doors. You knocked twice and the door opened, revealing one of the directors of the movie, Matt.

“Come in, come in,” he certainly looked excited as he ushered you inside, you were ten minutes early, but it was clear you were the last one to arrive.

“Damn, should have gotten here earlier,” you rubbed the back of your neck uncomfortably, being the last to arrive, even if you did come here earlier than expected, was never fun.

“It’s all good, I was just telling Jenna about the scene the two of you will do together,” Matt motioned toward a beautiful girl that looked like she was one or maybe two years younger than you, dressed perfectly between casual and professional, and that seemed a bit familiar, but you couldn’t quite remember where you’ve seen her before.

You looked to the side as you tried to remember where you knew her from. She was sitting next to an older woman, you guessed mid or late forties, that looked a lot like her, so you assumed it was her mother.

“That’s a relief,” you approached the girl and offered your hand to her. “Y/N L/N, nice to meet you,” you smiled, too late realizing the mask hid your smile, as she stood up and accepted the handshake.

“I’m Jenna Ortega, pleasure to meet you too,” her handshake was firm, but even more than that, her voice finally made it click where you knew her from. They would really be dumb if they didn’t hire her, considering just how amazing she was in You season 2.

You nodded as Jenna sat down and offered your hand to the woman next to her as well. “Y/N.”

“Natalie, nice to meet you,” the woman nodded as well and you turned back to Jenna as you sat down on a chair to her left, with a seat between the two of you.

“You, right? Season 2?” you were about ninety nine percent sure you got it right. The emotional scene she had in the season was the highlight of it for you and it was mind blowing for you that she was basically still a child when she filmed it.

Her eyes widened and you winced, fearing you made her uncomfortable, but she recovered quickly and nodded. “Yes, thank you, I mean,” she buried her face in her hands. “God,” she whispered, clearly embarrassed.

“No, it’s all good, I was about to say you were great,” you tried, you really did, to salvage the first meeting, but when she still looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her to save her from embarrassment, you were kind of lost and unsure of what to do. Luckily, you were saved by Matt.

He faked a cough and gave you the scene you were meant to do with Jenna. It was one of the two scenes you did for your audition, the first being a bit of the action scene, just so they could be sure you were fit for the physical side of the role. As if working at the gym and teaching several martial arts classes wasn’t enough. “Jenna, Y/N, please move to the couch and the chair we set up, Jenna, you’re meant to start lying down, the relationship between your characters leans a lot on the touch, so do it as if you were filming the scene. Y/N, you’ve got water right behind you,” he instructed the two of you as you removed your masks and as if in an instant you saw a shift in Jenna, as if she was completely focused on the task, and nothing else mattered.

Matt, the other director Tyler, and several other people observed the two of you as you got into position.

“And action!” Tyler instructed you.

You sat, still, acting as if you were in deep thought, trying to get inside the mind of your character. It felt easy, natural, and you were reminded of just how much fun you had when acting before, and it felt so damn right to be doing it again. Even after all the time you spent resisting it once you had the chance to do it again it felt like all of that resistance vanished and you embraced the role. For your character the girl she was in love with just barely survived a vicious attack and she spent the last twelve hours sitting by the girl’s side, waiting for Tara to wake up,

Jenna groaned, and you jumped to your feet, but froze mid-step, your body filled with tension. You continued watching carefully as Jenna opened her eyes and as your eyes met you relaxed your posture.

She blinked a few times before she focused on you. “C/N,” she said your character’s name, prompting you to snap into action and fill a glass of water. You went back to Jenna, and she raised her neck, taking a few sips as you slowly tilted the glass for her.

“Easy, I got you,” you moved once more, kneeling on one knee next to the couch, your hand brushing against the back of Jenna’s right hand. She didn’t flinch away, but you saw the panic and fear in her eyes, and it took your breath away how into character she got. “Tara! Tara you’re safe!” you still moved, quickly reaching up to cradle her cheek. “Okay? You’re safe,” you softened the tone of your voice considerably, and the two of you remained like that, waiting for the slight pause in the scene to play out.

And then Jenna sobbed, with so much emotion you damn near felt the exact need to protect her your character felt for her character. “Please, don’t leave me,” her eyes filled with tears.

“I won’t. I swear I won’t,” you wiped her tears away, though it wasn’t a part of the script, you just felt like that was something your character would do, and much to your surprise Jenna actually leaned into your touch, playing along with your slightly improvisation.

“You promise?” she asked, her tone so vulnerable, filled with emotion and pushing you to be even better, to give even more of yourself. You felt it at that moment, the instant connection, the instant chemistry, the same way you did years ago with your co-star and semi-mentor.

“I promise. You’re stuck with me until you tell me to leave,” you smiled back as she smiled slightly.

“Could you help me sit up?” Jenna went on with the scene, and you nodded, helping her sit up with as much care as you could while getting into the position your character needed to be in. Jenna leaned the back of her head onto your left shoulder, and you opened your mouth, your eyes meeting hers. “Let me stay like this for a bit? Please?”

And it was truly an awkward position, but you hugged her from behind, your left arm just beneath her neck. “Is this okay?” you asked, and not just as your character. Sure, your characters were meant to be close, but you just met and more than anything you wanted her to be comfortable.

“Yeah,” she relaxed against you for a few moments. “Did they catch him?”

Everything was calm between the two of you. “Not as far as I know.”

Jenna turned, leaning closer and burying her face in the crook of your neck and you nearly flinched, as it wasn’t part of the script, though you couldn’t deny it did fit the description of the relationship between your characters. “I’m so scared C/N,” she whispered, her warm breath tickling your skin.

“I’m here. I won’t let it hurt you again,” you said, hugging her a bit tighter than before.

“Cut!” Matt exclaimed and the two of you separated immediately and you watched as Jenna slowly slipped out of character as she moved to sit on the couch with you. And then you both saw the approval on Matt and Tyler’s faces, which was a very good sign.

“Great you two! That was wonderful!” Tyler praised you and you turned to Jenna with a grin on your face, the previous embarrassment forgotten as you raised your hand for a high-five, which she accepted, her eyes shining with excitement, and a tiny bit of embarrassment over the praise.

You could see this movie meant a lot to her, and you were really happy you didn’t fuck it up, in fact, you were almost certain you’d be working together on it after a chemistry test this successful.

~X~

You let a few days pass, not really waiting for the call, but always keeping your phone close. Funnily enough you were in a similar position your character was in. You’ve been training, practicing various martial arts and you were at a bit of a crossroad, stuck between acting and pursuing a career in MMA. The only reason you didn’t try to be a professional MMA fighter was because Barbara and Tom, your actual manager, and most importantly Hugh, demanded that you at least give acting another shot before going down that path.

Getting a serious injury to the face and trying to restart your acting career wasn’t something anyone would advise you to do.

Still, you had a feeling you were forgetting something these past few days, like there was something you didn’t do and probably should have.

You just came out of the shower, fresh after an average solo training session, when you phone rang. It was Tom, and since he was calling, and he very rarely called, preferring to text instead, you figured it was either really good, or really bad news. “What’s up?” you asked as you walked over to your sofa and grabbed a TV remote. Might as well watch something to pass time.

“You might want to pack your bags,” he certainly sounded happy. “You’re heading to Wilmington, you got the role in Scream 5!” he exclaimed and you almost dropped your remote with how happy he sounded. “Welcome back to acting X-23,” he joked and you laughed at that.

The movie you did years ago, Logan. And the reason why no one really recognized you, they all thought you’d be much younger than you were. The truth was, you filmed Logan back in 2013 and the start of 2014, but since several X-Men movies were yet to be released and spacing them a bit made money, combined with the decision that Logan would be Hugh’s last time playing Wolverine the movie got pushed to 2017.

Still, it was one hell of a starting point.

You still rolled your eyes at that. “Looking forward to it,” and you did. If the chemistry test with Jenna was any indication you were in for a really good experience. “Well, better start packing,” you figured and said your goodbyes to your manager.

About an hour later you got a notification on your phone and glanced at it. It was simple, Jenna Ortega has requested to follow you from Instagram. Your eyes widened and you smacked your forehead, so that’s what you’ve been forgetting to do. Well, you did have a private account so- ah, what the hell, you were just looking for excuses as you quickly accepted the request and followed her back.

And so you sat back, wondering if you should send her a message, congratulate her on getting the role because you were a hundred percent sure she got it. Or if you should just say hi, or anything really, and as you sat there, looking at the empty messages and wondering what you should do while the music played on TV you saw Jenna typing.

“Shit!” you cursed and exited the messages as if having Jenna immediately see ‘seen’ on the message would mean being caught doing something you shouldn’t be doing. You lowered your phone onto the table and watched it like a hawk, resisting the temptation to see if she was still typing, but minutes later your screen didn’t light up and you raised an eyebrow at that. She changed her mind?

And now you felt guilty because it felt like you knew something you shouldn’t. So, swallowing your pride and ignoring the slight fear you decided to send her a message after all.

18:21 Y/N L/N: Hey, sorry you had to follow me first, I’m not really all that active here

There, you sent it, nice, simple message. Nothing to worry about.

18:22 Jenna Ortega: Hi! It’s fine, don’t worry about it! I was thinking, I mean if you don’t have anything planned, maybe you’d like to meet up and get to know each other over a lunch?

Your jaw dropped for a moment, but when you thought about it, it really was a logical move, you should spend some time together before acting as characters that were supposed to be best friends turned lovers.

18:23 Jenna Ortega: No pressure, I understand if you’re busy!

You bit the inside of your cheek at that, she was backtracking because you took too long too answer after reading the message.

18:23 Y/N L/N: I do want to meet up!

18:23 Y/N L/N: I was a bit surprised, but it makes sense. Where do you want to meet?

~X~

In the end you agreed to meet up in Los Angeles where Jenna was wrapping up filming another movie. You managed to resist Googling the younger girl, wanting to hear it from her instead of going in knowing things about her. But you did hear her name popping up every now and then, a young, extremely talented actress that wasn’t even eighteen, hard-working and wonderful to work with.

A child actress, you knew that much without having to search for information on the internet. She decided to do it, to basically sacrifice regular childhood in favor of going to work. You felt lots of things regarding that, but you wanted to get to know Jenna better before you decided which of those many feelings prevailed.

You stood near the doors of a small diner Jenna recommended to meet up at, waiting for her. You were a bit nervous and ended up arriving twenty minutes earlier than you agreed to meet up. You could have gone in, ordered a drink, found a way to pass time inside instead of out in the street, but you just simply didn’t. Instead, you opened your phone and began reading ‘The House of Voices’ the book the script that caught your interest was based on. You were still in the talks for that movie, and if you got the role filming wouldn’t start for some time, so there wouldn’t be a scheduling issue.

You still wanted to get familiar with the source material. And the book was good, so that was a bonus.

You barely read a couple of pages when the sound of someone clearing their throat caught your attention and you looked to the side to see Jenna there, fifteen minutes early, dressed in a casual white T-shirt and plain jeans. Not a lot different from the casual clothes you chose to wear. “Hey,” you smiled, putting your phone away, only to realize you weren’t sure if you should offer her your hand or go for a hug.

Luckily, Jenna, either on purpose or by accident, solved that problem for you when she stopped forward, smiling shyly with arms spread slightly, inviting you in for a hug. “Thanks for agreeing to meet up,” she said as you hugged her. Her hold on you wasn’t too tight, but it wasn’t loose either, it wasn’t forced.

“Of course,” you replied and motioned toward the door when you separated. “Shall we?” you asked, making Jenna quickly nod. You smiled as she turned away, clearly more nervous than you anticipated she would be. You weren’t sure what about you caused her to be so nervous, but, you figured she just needed some time, so you let her lead the way into the diner and choosing seats near the corner, just to give both of you some extra privacy. Which wasn’t that difficult, seeing as the diner was almost empty. The soft melody of a violin playing seemed to soothe her as you both sat down.

“Did you wait for too long?” Jenna asked as you both got comfortable, the diner went for more casual and comfortable seating, going for sofas and lower tables instead of usual chairs.

You shook your head at that. “Just a few minutes, don’t worry about it,” especially since she came early as well.

Jenna nodded, not even bothering to hide the relief on her face as you said that. You decided even that early into knowing her, that she worried too much. You arrived early and you were aware that you were early. Any waiting that could have happened was on you.

A waitress approached the two of you and you both ordered, Jenna deciding on baked beans and you going for a risotto.

“Weather is much nicer here,” you suddenly said, glancing outside the window toward the clear sky before turning back to Jenna who looked a bit confused. “Denver’s been a bit cloudy these past few days,” you explained and watched as Jenna’s eyes widened a bit.

“You came here from Denver?” she asked, almost sounding astounded by that discovery. “I’m so sorry, I thought you’d still be in a hotel or something!” she quickly apologized, but you just shrugged, she invited you and you accepted, knowing how long the trip would take.

“Hey, I accepted to come here, didn’t I? It’s all good,” you couldn’t do much more than just try and reassure her with your words.

Jenna just groaned and lowered her head. “It’s just, since so much is happening here I thought you’d be living close to here, make connections, make it easier to book auditions,” she explained and it made sense to you.

There was one thing she didn’t know though. “Oh, I’m not really working as an actress at the moment,” you admitted and were honestly a bit amused by how quickly she looked at you. “Well, I was, I did a movie as a child, figured I could wait until I grew up and now I’m sort of trying to get back in,” you summed it up.

Jenna nodded, looking a bit regretful when she heard you say that. “Sometimes I wish I made that choice too,” her eyes widened, as if she didn’t expect to reveal that. “I mean, I’m extremely lucky to be doing this, but there are some downsides.”

You could agree with that. You probably would have gone down the same path, if it wasn’t for a couple of details. “I nearly stayed as well, but then Hugh told me I didn’t have to rush it, that I should be a child first,” you explained, revealing bits about yourself that you didn’t usually speak about as easily as you did just now. You just felt like, since Jenna was so sincere, you owed her the same honesty, even if there were some other reasons you didn't share. Those were a lot more private though, and you just met Jenna.

The silence that followed was strangely comfortable, like two long-time friends just existing in each other’s company. Neither of you felt the need to rush the conversation. “So, horror?” you eventually broke the silence and started the conversation.

Jenna’s face immediately lit up with an almost child-like excitement and you leaned in subconsciously. “It’s just pure fun, you know. It’s this release, combining the thrill and fear, and everyone loves it. There’s passion, and deep understanding of what the story is supposed to be, that it isn’t meant to only provoke thoughts, but that it’s supposed to give people watching a relief from everyday worries, an escape of sorts. I, I think it ended up being an escape for me too,” she didn’t even seem to try to wipe off the grin on her face as you listened to her, completely focused on her words and soaking their meaning in. “Sorry, I’m rambling,” she apologized, blushing slightly as if she just caught herself doing it.

“Not at all. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it from that perspective, but I can see it,” the fact that more often than not the villain was much stronger than the hero just worked, just made it more engaging. “We are kinda breaking the rules with our characters, aren’t we?”

Jenna thought it over for a moment and then nodded. “Now that you mention it, yeah. Tara survives the opening, while the scene pays homage to the flawless opening of the original,” she took a sip of her drink, buying some time so she could collect her thoughts. “And your character feels stronger than Ghostface, to the point of fighting two on one and still having an upper hand until they take my character hostage,” she pointed out.

“You’ve been a fan of these movies for some time, I’m guessing,” you paused, watching her nod at that. “How do those things make you feel?” especially regarding your own character.

Jenna didn’t bother hiding it this time, she just fell silent, and you could see she was taking her time, figuring out the way to word her answer. “It’s fresh, risky, but fresh. Ghostface has always been just a regular human with a knife, it’s plausible that someone trained would beat them. And Tara surviving just needs to happen for the plot to happen, so, you know,” she finished kinda sheepishly and you nodded smiling as the two of you continued talking for hours after that.

~X~

When Jenna came back to her hotel room that night it was already close to midnight, and you met up just a bit after three o’clock! She leaned back against the door of her hotel room, not even aware of the smile on her face as she closed her eyes. She had to admit she was worried about spending a portion of her day off like this, but not only did she spent more time with you than she anticipated, but she didn’t regret it one bit.

She pulled her phone out of her purse for the first time in almost nine hours and immediately wished for ground to swallow her whole. All the excitement and fun of the day just vanished into thin air, replaced by anxiety squeezing at her heart. She couldn’t even count the number of missed calls and texts from her family and Enrique, as well as Maddie. She took a deep breath, calming down her anxiety and calling her mom. For a moment she considered calling Aliyah, and letting her spread the news that she was fine, but she knew she had to reassure her mom herself.

“Jenna Marie Ortega, you’ve shortened my life by a decade!” her mom immediately shouted, and Jenna honestly couldn’t blame her. When she met up with Maddie before the movie they met up early and while they spent more time together they separated at a much earlier hour. This time Jenna didn’t even consider taking the time to call anyone while she was with you.

“Sorry!” she quickly apologized. “I’m fine, I promise, we just lost track of time,” she said sheepishly. And you did, the diner closed at ten and you really should have gone separate ways at that point, but Jenna offered you a walk, which ended up taking you both to a park.

“God help me, Jenna,” her mom sighed, but she could hear the immeasurable relief in her mom’s voice, and her guilt seemed to increase tenfold due to that.

“If it makes you feel any better, she walked me back to the hotel,” Jenna offered, remembering how you insisted on walking her back to the hotel, refusing to let her walk alone this late at night, and promising you’d send her a message when you came back to your hotel room. You parted ways with a hug, firmer than the one you had when you met up. Longer as well.

“I’m guessing it went well?” as if the time she spent with you wasn’t the answer to that question already.

She smiled once more, remembering just how often you made her laugh today, how many times you made her feel heard and seen with each topic either of you started. Going back and forth, discussing different ideas, talking about childhood. She found out you were an only child, but not much else about your family. But you did tell her about your experience as a child actress for a bit. And only then did Jenna realize she forgot to ask which movie you were in. A question for another day, she supposed. “I can’t remember the last time I had such a good time,” she easily admitted, feeling excited to work with you and eventually get to know you even better.

Her mom softened up at that, there was no doubt about it. “I can hear it in your voice,” she pointed out. “Don’t stay up too late, okay? I’ll tell everyone you’re fine, I love you,” and Jenna was thankful for that, she really wanted to go to sleep as quickly as possible.

“Thanks mom, love you too,” she hung up and smiled when her phone buzzed again.

23:57 Y/N L/N: Safe and sound. Sleep well, Jen

Jen… She just now noticed that at some point during the day you began calling her by a nickname.

She was worried about Scream. She was worried about the opening scene, about living up to what they were trying to do, and she was still worried about that. But this, meeting up with you, it eased her bigger worries. You had a kiss together, you would be carrying her, not to mention all the scenes you’d have in bed, lying next to each other. So, she was worried about all of that, worried about not getting along with someone she’s supposed to film all those scenes with, to hug and be held, and to kiss with.

There was no need to worry about that. If today was any indication she would be more than comfortable with you on and off camera.

~X~

You arrived at the hotel a day before the shooting began, and you settled in, appreciating that the room had pretty much everything you would need. And though the hotel itself didn’t have a gym there was one nearby in case you felt the need, or more likely, had the time to get a workout in.

You sent Barbara and Tom a message, letting them know you arrived and that things were going well. There was no one else to contact, the directors knew you arrived, so you just pulled out the script you were given, the final script, and began reading through it. The role you got did, in fact, require at least the build of an MMA fighter, preferably with skills to back it up, you certainly had an intense action scene coming up.

What caught your attention was just how physical the relationship between your character and Jenna’s character was. In damn near every scene you read where your character was on screen Tara was also present, and every time there was some touch involved, be it holding hands or Tara leaning on C/N. So, they were absolutely right when they got Jenna and you to do chemistry read in person instead over Zoom or some other platform.

A knock on your doors made you set the script aside, about a third of the way read, and you got up to open the doors. The woman you saw in front of your doors looked absolutely beautiful, even more beautiful in person than in the Zoom meeting the entire cast had not too long ago.

“Hi, Melissa, right?” you still wanted to make sure.

Since her mask was hanging beneath her chin you saw the smile on her face. “Yeah, you’re Y/N?” you nodded at that. “Great, could you come with me to my room for a few minutes?” she asked, pointing behind her down and down the hall, and though you were a bit confused you nodded. She didn’t look like she came just to hang out or say hi.

“Of course,” with that you closed the doors behind you and followed Melissa through the halls. The hotel you were staying in had pictures hung on the walls, beautiful paintings, some abstract art, modern and more traditional, pretty much something for everyone, without a clear theme. Or, at least, you weren’t sure if there was a pattern. Granted, you just arrived and didn’t have time to observe it closely. Still, it was pleasant to see.

“So, I managed to find something out,” she said and you glanced toward her. “And I’ve been wondering if you’re interested in helping us out?” you still had no idea what she was talking about, but when you came into her room you found most of your costars close to you in age. Jasmin, Mason, Mikey, Jack, Dylan and Sonia were there.

“Hey there,” you raised your hand to greet them, though you definitely noticed Jenna wasn’t there. She probably didn’t arrive yet, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t really looking forward to seeing her again. “So, what’s up?”

“Jenna is turning eighteen on Sunday, so, would you like to help us make a bit of a party for her?” Melissa explained and you grinned.

“Count me in,” somehow the birthday dates never came up when you two hung out in Los Angeles, but you were more than happy to help with this. The time you spent with Jenna that day was easily one of the best days you had in a long time. You felt at ease, relaxed, there was no pressure, or any kind of judgment in her eyes. She was just accepting, a wonderful person and you couldn’t think of any you’d work on this movie with you’d rather do this for.

“Great, what can you do?” Mikey asked, and that got you thinking. What would be the best way to help with this surprise birthday party? Well, you knew your answer, the question was how much could you hide from Jenna?

“I can cook,” and that, funnily enough, got your costars laughing, after all that was one of the things your character did for a living.

Damn, now it felt a bit like the role was made for you, either way, you sat down and while Jenna was oblivious to what was happening in Melissa’s room all of you began making plans for Sunday.

A/N: I am still very much on the fence about this, but, here you go, the first chapter. Tell me what you think, and I dunno... Taglist? Yes? No?

Masterlist / Next part

[helluvathings]

He is the Law

Did anyone else find this unsettling? On cue, all five non-Lucifer Sins stood up and backed Satan like his own personal chorus, declaring his law as absolute. Bee doesn't look happy about it. I think Ozzie looks dutiful. Bel wakes up to stand and sing along when I believe she'd been napping.

We saw Fizz beg Ozzie to do something, and Ozzie looked saddened, but he didn't act. Bee and Ozzie rolled their eyes when Satan (according to Viv) told a direct lie, but neither called him out.

On the door, Satan's symbol is directly below Lucifer's, and he seems to have tangible authority over the other Sins. Ozzie and Bee fought back while the trial was still in the air, but the second Satan made his preference clear, no more protests (possibly because they have their own controversial relationships to protect).

It's distinctly different from how Bee, Ozzie, and Mammon interact. Ozzie was very willing to physically fight Mammon for Fizz but won't say a word speaking up against Satan? Mammon openly flirts with copyrighting Lucifer, goads Bee this episode, and mocks Ozzie for loving Fizz, but shows Satan obedience? I wonder how entrenched this behavior actually is and where it comes from (tradition? fear? genuine respect?).

I've seen posts calling out Ozzie for not doing more, but unless/until further information comes out, I wonder what he could've accomplished. Satan is framed as 'the dangerous big boss,' to the extent he has the other Sins reciting an assertion of his authority like kids in a classroom. The whole courtroom is designed to have him his own separate place, with the other Sins very much sidelined. It makes me doubt how much wiggle room the others actually have, and what the consequences are for failing to play their role.

Additionally: I'm curious if this becomes a point of conflict, especially between Ozzie/Fizz and Bee/Vortex. The system, with Satan in charge, would've executed an imp on shaky testimony. That same system spared Stolas, who readily admitted much worse "crimes," because of his status. Notably, Ozzie and Bee are part of this system, and they're sticking to their script, protesting when it's safe but no further, even when it treats 'lesser demons' like their partners as expendable.

After Mammon's threats to Ozzie in 2x07, I wonder if this dynamic relates to how that foreshadowing plays out. If at some point, he'll have to choose between Satan's law and Fizz, and if his seeming friendship with Bee (who's in a similar situation) might be relevant.

I could see it going either way; those two kept quiet here to directly shield themselves and their partners from suspicion, and it's no more complicated than that. Or the way they echoed Satan is an indication there's more to explore in their relationships, and there might be conflict lurking in the future. I'm torn between wanting to see extra layers, and hoping their relationships genuinely are as wholesome as they seem. It'll be something to watch for in Season 3, I suppose.

[botgal]

I know we're all tired of political posts telling us to call people to protect our rights, but this is a big one.

H.R. 633, The TAKE IT DOWN act, could be put through a House session as early as next week according to the schedule.

While this bill's intention is to make it easier to remove AI and deepfake pornography and other nonconsensual depictions of identifiable adults and minors, the way the bill is written poses a danger to free speech and the ability to post lawful content. As the way the bill's takedown system is written, there's a mandatory 48 hour takedown notice period with no way to appeal in the event of a wrongful report. Meaning this could just as easily be misused to report lawful content and speech that someone dislikes for any reason and have it removed without proper cause.

Indeed, Donald Trump has himself said that he blatantly intends to misuse the bill himself, which he has been touting alongside Melania Trump.

" "Once it passes the House, I look forward to signing that bill into law. And I'm going to use that bill for myself too if you don't mind, because nobody gets treated worse than I do online, nobody," Trump said, drawing laughs from the crowd at Congress. "

This is a blatant admission of the intent to misuse a law which could otherwise be used to help people who are victims of a serious crime in order to silence people he feels are not treating him properly online. Don't let him get his hands on that power in a time when he is already willfully putting the powers of checks and balances in a shredder for his own ends.

Call, email, and fax your House representatives to let them know just how dangerous this bill could be for America's already endangered free speech.

If you need a basic call or email script to base your words on, you may use the one I will add below. Thank you for taking the time to contact your representatives, and do your best.

"I would like to inform my representative about the dangers posed by H.R. 633, the TAKE IT DOWN act of 2025. While this bill is well-intentioned, the provisions provided in its takedown system and overly broad language are insufficient to prevent its measures from being abused by bad actors who would use it to remove speech, images, and information they disagree with rather than using it for its proper purpose of protecting others intimate images, both real and deepfaked, from being used to harm them.

The president has said himself that he intends to misuse this bill for its own purposes, and it should be in the interest of you as my representative to prevent such a blatant misuse of legal power to silence free speech. If the language of this bill cannot be altered, then it should be rejected at all costs to protect the free speech that is held so valuable in this country.

Vote NO ON H.R. 633, The TAKE IT DOWN act."

[elexuscal]

Want to be a better writer? Read

Read Widely

An oft-repeated bit of advice for writers is "you gotta read". That said, I pretty often see people confused about what this means-- or arguing about a narrow set of what "counts" as reading for that advice.

This is my attempt to wrangle with my own perspective on how to execute on that advice, according to my own attempts over the last few years to live up to that. (And indeed, while this is primarily aimed at fiction writers, this'll probably be broadly applicable to writers across a wide variety of genres, formats, and even mediums. just move things a little to the left if they don't apply)

If you want to get better at writing, what should you read? More or less, everything. But to give some guidelines:

1. Read Widely Within Your Genre

Genres are more or less conversations composed of stories. They are built upon break out hits, popular tropes, emerging trends, current concerns, stylistic flourishes. You can't be part of the conversation if you don't know what's already been discussed. You don't want to bumble your way into a genre you barely know, talk a big game about "revolutionizing it", and end up writing a trite replication of a 50-year-old pillar of the genre.

2. Read Widely OUTSIDE Your Genre

At their best, genres are conversations. At their worst, they are the bland copying of other peoples' homework. You need to bring new conversational partners in (or, to mix metaphors, new DNA) to keep things fresh. I'm a spec fic person first and foremost, but I make sure I mix that diet up with other genres, from "literary" fiction, mysteries, romance, etc, because they'll teach you the elements your own preferred genre(s) might be missing.

3. Read Non-Fiction

Non-fiction are stories too, just stories about true facts. (Some of those stories are truer than others; some are more convincing; the two aren't necessarily the same). Learning how those narratives are built is vital. Not to mention, the information itself can inspire you— real life science, history, sociology, economics, etc, are fertile beds for world-building, characterization, and plot.

4. Read From Other Backgrounds and Cultures Besides Your Own

I'm hardly the first person to say that the publishing industry, like so many industries, primarily elevates certain voices— white, western, male, often privileged— over others. This is gonna give you a bit of a narrow perspective of how the world works. It is also likely to give you a narrow perspective of how stories are constructed. There are a LOT of pieces of writing advice that's treated like universal (the Three Act structure, the Hero's Journey, etc) that are really just extremely common in Western literature, and looking at pieces from outside it will expand your ideas of how to create stories.

5. Read From Other Time Periods

Honestly, this is sort of just a different take on the last one ('The Past Is A Different Country', or so they say), but it's different enough that I want to clarify it. Tropes and trends and story convention change over time. Read stories from 50 years ago; 200; 500; 2000. Plays, fairy tales, ballads, poems. Seriously, ancient mythological epics are SO cool to read because you truly feel connected to a storytelling tradition stretching back generations.

6. Read Books for Kids and Youth

The best kids books have stunning clarity of purpose. They have to be REALLY good at communicating their information. Learn from that.

7. Consume Other Mediums

I wish we had a better word for this, because 'consumption' does bring to mind someone just ploughing through food endlessly without thought or discernment, but we don't have another word for the breadth of ways we enjoy media. Watch television and movies and short films (and consider how those formats differ). Listen to podcasts and radio plays. Watch stage plays. Read the scripts of all the above. Read comics and graphic novels. Play video games. Watch the news. Listen to music. Go to art museums and galleries of all stripes. All of these have different strengths and weaknesses, different pacing, different styles. Learn from them.

8. Pay Attention to the Media You Might Not Even Think About As Media

Yes, we're taking the last one even further. I'm talking about the media often overlooked, either because it's often denigrated by society, or because frankly, it just blends in the background. In the first category, that's stuff like reality TV and social media posts and graffiti. In the second we have things like Facebook Marketplace posts or the backs of cereal boxes or the technical manual for your new air conditioner. (Advertisements live somewhere in the Venn diagram overlap between the two.) These all also have their own structure, styles, and merits.

9. Read Bad (and Simply Mediocre) Media

Recommendation lists will usually be filled with examples of good stories, because, well, they're good. But if you're reading in part to learn how to write, there's a lot to be gleamed by pieces that just... miss the mark. Whether it's clocks or cars or electronics, when things break you can gleam insights into how they're supposed to work; much is the same with the not-so-great media.

10. Read Indie Stuff

Pretty much every medium's industry has formal publishers who help distribute art, and in theory, vet for quality. They are, broadly, successful at that... but as I've discussed before, those same publishers can often act as gatekeepers, with an overly narrow view of what counts as "quality". Across mediums, the indie space is often where you'll find the most unique, experimental, and boundary-pushing art. It can be harder to navigate, but oh, is it worth it.

11. Read Fanfic

I'm sharing this on Tumblr, so I suspect I'm mostly preaching to the choir here, but nonetheless. In addition to the aforementioned benefits of indie media, fanfiction is capable of teaching you how to write transformative works. I'd argue transformative works have always been the bedrock of human storytelling, and that has not changed at all in the modern day. Mainstream media is choc-a-block with remakes, reboots, and adaptations, most of it bad. Why? Because they don't know what makes for a good transformative work. So open up AO3, my children, and read!

12. Read Other Writers' Thoughts About The Writing Process

Well, since you've gotten to the twelfth point, you've succeeded there.

Okay, but seriously, I put this so low on the list because I do think it can sometimes be overstated; it is very easy to get lost in the weeds of theory over simply just writing. But it is good to process and reflect on all the things you've been reading, and this is a good way to do so.

And above all else, as you explore the wide wealth of pieces people throughout time and cultures have created, to paraphrase my friend Artemis: be curious about it. Curiosity is where the cool things happen.

[drabblejester]

I love your impression of Sampo!! Like yeah, he'd do This™ and That™ as according to your posts. Like, I think yours has the most simplest yet most accurate depiction of Sampo here!

Could I request Sampo, Gallagher, and Mr. Reca would do on their first date? Inspired from the other ask you did for 'overhearing the confession'

-G⭐

what VARIOUS HSR GUYS would do on your FIRST DATE!

requested by: G⭐️ !!

pairings: sampo, gallagher, and reca x gn!reader

content warnings: none!!!

comments: TYSM FOR THAT MY LIEGE.. i usually ‘dumb’ my sampo down actually bc theres no way i can fit all my thoughts on him into one little postHEEHE!!!

GALLAGHER:

he’d take you to his bar!! easy as that. it’s nothing grand or special, just his good ol bar. he serves you up a few drinks and you have a great time!

mostly, you guys talk. gossip about people, random tabloids you both found, fun facts about the other, etc. that’s also how you get to find out about misha and sleepie (and you adore both of them <3)

he’s much more gentle and warm towards you, quieting down his voice a bit so he isn’t that startling. he still has his drawl and everything, just in a lighter tone. in general it seems like he just got a bit younger!!

he jokes about you helping him out with the bar later, and you agree. so as a ‘second’ date, you guys get to work together! yippee! you get paid with free drinks and your first kiss with him <3

SAMPO:

you guys go visit some historical sites in belobog together!! he’s VERY knowledgable in them, and takes his time with you. you cruise through museums and even out in the cold, pointing at abandoned machinery and cool architecture

he absolutely talks more than you no matter how talkative you may be. partially out of ‘i want this date to go well and for them to see how cool i am’ and also out of ‘I AM SO NERVOUS RN’. thankfully he has a very engaging voice, and you love listening to him ramble :3

he tells a few tall tales in between, typical stories and fairytales that kids would like to hear. makes sense seeing as how he does talk with hook a lot.. and even at your age, they’re still fun and interesting! he’s an incredibly good storyteller

and at the end of the day, he wraps his dingy little jacket around your shoulders and takes you back to wherever he lives. he gives you a few snacks and the most delicious DIY hot chocolate ever before asking you SO many questions about how you thought of the date. you mumble something good before you fall asleep, which is enough for him <3

MR. RECA:

as he said before, he wants to cast you in the starring role of a romance movie with him as your lovely boyfriend. he makes PLENTY of jokes about it too, constantly rambling about how fun it’ll be. it counts as a first date i guess???

you two are an AMAZING duo together onstage and offstage!! his performance is amazing to the point where you actually feel like you’ve fallen for him impossibly more… the role he’s playing is a cheesy romantic ol guy, and AEONSS ABOVEE if you don’t treasure it

he lets you customize your role however you want! so you decide to simply play as yourself to max out your reca romance exposure. he plays along and switches the script around just for you, before going on set to dance around with you a while more

at the end of the day, both of you make lovely comments on your acting (although you weren’t really playing a character), laughing about certain moments in the scenes before he sends you home. and of course, he waits for you to enter your house before he leaves, just like his little gentleman role in the movie <3

i’m going to make some ramen my lieges do you want any

[thevelaryons]

What do you think about Laena’s erasure due to Rhaenicent? If Condal stuck to the book, Rhaenyra’s closest female relationship would be Laena not Alicent. Some say it’s actually because of Daemyra not Rhaenicent that Laena was mistreated by the writers.

(Change the ‘good’ to ‘bad’, and that’s basically your answer.)

The show writers want to present Rhaenicent as a narrative defining romance/friendship and they can’t do that if Rhaenyra has any other women around her. All of Rhaenyra’s relationships with other female characters were affected and Laena most of all. This is likely due to her and Alicent being directly juxtaposed in the book with how their relationship with Rhaenyra is described:

Whilst Princess Rhaenyra misliked her stepmother, Queen Alicent, she became fond and more than fond of her good-sister Lady Laena.

— Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon: A Question of Succession

In the show, Rhaenyra and Alicent are friends because their fathers are coworkers. Alicent’s favourite hobbies are praying and studying. Rhaenyra finds that rather boring but is somehow still friends with Alicent. When Rhaenyra invited Alicent to go flying on Syrax with her, Alicent refuses. The two of them can’t seem to ever agree on various important matters. According to the official script, Alicent is also jealous of Rhaenyra. As well, Alicent is horrified by the idea of Rhaenyra acting outside the constraints of her gendered position. They both keep secrets from each other and when the truth comes out, it leads to anger and resentment on both sides. Alicent then spends years attempting to expose Rhaenyra for having bastard children and depose Rhaenyra as heir.

While Rhaenyra’s relationship with Alicent was stifling, the relationship with Laena offers Rhaenyra a greater sense of freedom and belonging. At the time in the book, Rhaenyra left King’s Landing because of the rising hostilities between the two sides. So she went to live on Dragonstone. When Laena came back home to Driftmark, she immediately befriended Rhaenyra. It’s at that point that the regular visitations between Dragonstone and Driftmark residents truly begin. Laena enjoys the same hobbies as Rhaenyra and the two partake in dragonflights together quite often. While Alicent views Rhaenyra’s bastard sons as inferior, Laena seems more accepting of them, even going so far as to agree to the betrothal of her daughters with Rhaenyra’s sons. Despite Daemon’s past with Rhaenyra, it’s not a roadblock to Laena having a happy relationship with Rhaenyra herself. Laena welcomed Rhaenyra into her life, without judgment for Rhaenyra not adhering to their society’s standards for how women should behave.

If the show had included book Laenyra’s dynamic (whether friendship or romance), it would be a sharp contrast to what Rhaenicent have in the show. A happier and loving alternative to a toxic relationship where the characters never see eye to eye. Of course the show had to remove Laenyra for Rhaenicent’s sake.

That being said, a lot of the issues in Laena’s show depiction occur because of how HOTD has presented Rhaenyra as the only woman Daemon cares for (see also: Mysaria’s relationship with Daemon being changed to be used as a stepping stone for Daemyra). Instead of Daemon courting Laena’s hand in marriage and even duelling her betrothed to the death, their meeting in the show was very different. HOTD had Laena pursuing Daemon while he looks mildly amused, mildly bored and most of his attention is focused on Rhaenyra. There’s the age difference change too, because book!Laena was an adult woman in her 20s at the time she married Daemon, whereas show!Laena is 15. There’s a beach scene with Daemon and Rhaenyra where he says he spared her because of her young age at the time (~17), but I guess he couldn’t think to spare Laena? In the beach scene, while Rhaenyra is allowed to admit her love for Harwin, Daemon has nothing really notable to say about his marriage to Laena, except that he was happy enough and then eventually concedes to the idea that yeah, his life with Laena was a droll tragedy. Oh, and he fucks Rhaenyra at Laena’s funeral too. Speaking specifically of Laena’s marriage to Daemon, their main scene on the rooftop is primarily them talking about Rhaenyra. There’s also a scene where Laena says she knows she’s not a good enough wife for Daemon and not what he would’ve chosen for himself. Since the timeline is different on the show, Laena and Daemon actually spend around 10 years in Essos before returning to Westeros. In that time, HOTD gives the impression that Daemon is miserable and unfulfilled because he is far from his true love, Rhaenyra.

The show writers don’t seem to realize that people can love more than one person in their lifetime. Fire & Blood version of Daemon clearly loved both Laena and Rhaenyra; his love for one wife did not take away from his love for his other wife. But HOTD frames Laena as a lesser person to Rhaenyra at almost every opportunity. Daemon can only tolerate Laena’s presence but his love for Rhaenyra is all that matters to him. Naturally, Daemyra played a big role in Laena’s sidelining too.

To put it bluntly, it’s primarily Team Black fans who say Laena was sidelined for Rhaenicent. But the Team Green side insists that Daemyra is the reason for Laena being sidelined. Well, it’s both.

[milgram-en]

Trial 2 - Baptism of Fire Voice Drama (Side-by-side English Translation)

Google Docs version of this translation. If using/reuploading/reposting this translation, do not remove the translator's notes and do not change the translations. Credit and link if using. Any additional Translator's Notes will be found in the replies. Check the original post before reblogging as TLs are occasionally revisited and edited.

ミルグラム監獄内尋問室 INTERROGATION ROOM IN MILGRAM PRISON 薄暗い尋問室。 A dimly lit interrogation room. エスが尋問室の扉を開けると、いやに落ち着いたフータが立っている。 ES opens the door to the interrogation room. FUUTA is standing there, oddly composed. フータ 「ハッ……だいぶ待ったぜ、看守」 FUUTA: Heh… Kept me waiting for quite a while, Warden. エス 「……フータ、お前」 ES: …FUUTA, you... フータの全身に受けた痛々しい傷を見て、複雑な顔をするエス。 Painful injuries litter all throughout FUUTA’s body. Seeing this, ES’ face warps into a complicated expression. エス 「……大丈夫か。その、痛むか」 ES: …Are you okay? That- Does it hurt? フータ 「なんだ、この傷が気になるかよ。ハハ、ひでえだろ」 FUUTA: What? Worried about these wounds? Haha, pretty nasty, huh? エス 「あぁ……」 ES: Yeah... フータ 「今も全身痛くてたまらねぇよ……頭がおかしくなりそうだ……」 FUUTA: My entire body still hurts like hell though… Feels like I’m going insane... エス 「……」 ES: ... フータ 「カズイのおっさんが居なかったら、こんなもんじゃ済まなかった……ったく暴力に訴えるなんてサイアクだよなー……」 FUUTA: If Old Man Kazui hadn’t been there, this would’ve been a lot worse……resorting to violence is the worst, huh... 力なくブツブツと喋り、どこか様子がおかしいフータ。 FUUTA mutters to himself lifelessly, his demeanor clearly off. [T/N: 力なくブツブツと喋り (chikaranaku butsu-butsu to shaberi) “FUUTA mutters to himself weakly” is an interesting script direction. People tend to associate constantly muttering to oneself as a symptom of mental illness. It’s mainly attributed to disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or ASD.] エス 「あぁ、暴力での解決は唾棄すべきだ」 ES: Yeah, resolving things through violence is despicable. フータ 「そうかよ……」 FUUTA: Is that so... エス 「それは、コトコが負わせたものなんだな」 ES: So, those injuries- KOTOKO gave them to you. フータ 「は？白々しいんだよ……お前がアイツにやらせたことだろうが……」 FUUTA: Ha? Acting all innocent… You’re the one who made her do it... エス 「いや、それはー」 ES: No, that’s-

フータ 「満足か？お前はオレを赦さないと決めたんだもんな。ハハ……わっかりやすい罰が下って満足かよ？」 FUUTA: Are you satisfied? You decided you wouldn’t forgive me, you know. Haha… Satisfied that such a simple punishment came to? エス 「それは、違う」 ES: That’s- No, that’s not it. フータ 「あ？」 FUUTA: Ah? エス 「僕はこのような罰を望んではいない。コトコにも指示していない。暴力による罰など……」 ES: I never wanted punishment like this. I didn’t instruct Kotoko to do this either. Punishment through violence... フータ 「ふーん……」 FUUTA: Hmph... エス 「こんな事になるなんて、思ってなかった」 ES: I didn’t think it would turn out like this. フータ 「……は、ははは」 FUUTA: …Ha, hahaha.

目を伏せるエスに、歪んだ笑みを見せるフータ。 ES lowers their eyes. FUUTA smiles coldly. エス 「何が、おかしい……」 ES: What’s so funny…? フータ 「よく言うぜ......お前は望んだんだよ、コレを。オレのこの姿を……」 FUUTA: You’re one to talk… You wished for it- This. This version of me... エス 「違う。僕はお前たちが何故ヒトゴロシとなったのか、そしてどう判断すべきなのか、それを求めているだけでー」 ES: You’re mistaken. All I ever wanted was to understand why all of you became murderers and how I should judge that. That’s all I intended to—

眼帯をめくり、エスに目の傷を見せるフータ。 FUUTA lifts his eyepatch, showing ES the wound on his eye. フータ 「おい、見ろよ。オレの右目。ひでえだろ。あの安全靴みてえなんで蹴られたらこうなんだぜ」 FUUTA: Oi, look. My right eye. It’s pretty messed up, isn’t it? This is what happens when you get kicked with something like a steel-toed boot. エス 「……っ！」 ES: …! フータ 「引くんじゃねぇよ、傷つくぜ」 FUUTA: Don’t get creeped out, it stings. [T/N: Don’t get creeped out, it hurts my feelings.] エス 「…」 ES: ... フータ 「シドウが言うには、もう視力が戻らねぇ可能性が高いらしい。やってらんねぇな……」 FUUTA: According to SHIDOU, there’s a good chance my eyesight’s not gonna come back. I can’t take it anymore... エス 「そんな……」 ES: That… フータ 「そんなつもりじゃなかった。ね」 FUUTA: Right? That wasn’t the plan, was it? あざ笑うように鼻で笑い、眼帯を戻す。 He scoffs mockingly and puts the eyepatch back on. フータ 「ただな。この痛みのおかげでオレはようやくわかったぜミルグラムのことが」 FUUTA: But you know what? Thanks to this pain, I finally understand what MILGRAM really is. エス 「なんだと……」 ES: What are you talking about... フータ 「なぁ、お前はコトコのヤツを赦したんだろ？支持したんだよな、ワルいヤツには何してもいいってアイツの思想を」 FUUTA: Hey, you forgave that KOTOKO bitch, didn’t you? You endorsed that asshole’s ideology that it’s okay to do whatever you want to Bad People. [T/N: コトコのヤツ (kotoko no yatsu) was translated into “that KOTOKO bitch” as FUUTA is talking about her in an impolite, annoyed/disgruntled manner. He is not using it as a sexist insult. ワルイヤツ (warui yatsu) was translated into “Bad People” rather than “bad people” as the katakana spelling creates an emphasis, an ostranenie; a value capture that simplifies and quantifies.] エス 「何故、それを……」 ES: How do you know that…? フータ 「ボコられながら伝わったよ。アイツは悪人には何してもいいと思ってる……罪の大小関係なくな。その判断基準をお前に任せたんだ」 FUUTA: It came through real loud and clear while she was beating the shit outta me. She really thinks it’s okay to do anything to someone labelled a bad person… no matter how big or small the sin. I trusted you- your standards of judgement. [T/N: Compared to FUUTA’s previous line using ワルイヤツ (warui yatsu) for “Bad People”, 悪人 (aku nin) in this line has nuances closer to “evil person”/“wrongdoer”/“villain” in which it’s more descriptive of a person’s nature rather than a category of person.] フータ 「その気持ちを、赦したんだよ、オマエは」 FUUTA: You permitted that way of thinking. エス 「そういう側面があると感じたのは、事実だ。……丘悪に対する正義として立ち向かうことは......必要なときもあると……」 ES: It’s true that I felt there was some value in her perspective… That, sometimes, fighting evil as a form of justice… is necessary... フータ 「へっ。お前の判断どおりにミルグラムは形を変えた……お前の望む善悪の基準は。世界はコレってことだな……」 FUUTA: Heh- MILGRAM changed according to your judgement… Your standards of good and evil. You should already know that this is the world you’ve created…

静かに責めるような口調のフータに、気圧されるエス。 FUUTA’s voice quiets, laced with an accusatory tone. ES is visibly shaken. エス 「そんなことは、ない……」 ES: That’s- That’s not true... フータ 「オレを赦さず、コトコを赦すって、そういうことだろ……オマエが望んだ結果だろうが……」 FUUTA: You didn’t forgive me, but you forgave KOTOKO. Is that how it is…? This is the outcome YOU wanted... [T/N: Whenever “YOU” is written instead of “you”, it means that FUUTA is saying オマエ (omae) spelled in katakana instead of お前 (omae, spelled in kanji). Katakana is typically used for words with an outsiderness (ex. foreign loanwords), for emphasis, and/or to make something seem “louder” in some aspect. In this voice drama’s case, katakana omae is translated as FUUTA giving highlight and emphasis on YOU (Warden).] 力なくうなだれるフータ。 FUUTA hangs his head, drained of energy. フータ 「笑ってんだろ……今も……オレのこのザマを見て……」 FUUTA: You’re laughing, aren’t you…? Even now… seeing me like this... エス 「違う、僕はー」 ES: No, I— フータ 「こんなことになるなんて、思わなかった。だろ」 FUUTA: You didn’t think it would turn out like this. Right? エス 「あ、ああ……」 ES: Y-yeah... フータ 「わかるよ」 FUUTA: I get it. エス 「……？」 ES: …? フータ 「……わかる、それは……」 FUUTA: …I get it, I really do... エス 「フータ？」 ES: FUUTA? フータ 「……なのに……なんで…一つ……」 FUUTA: …And yet…why…why is it just me... 息が荒くなり、興奮状態が抑えきれなくなるフータ。 FUUTA’s breathing grows erratic, emotions spiralling out of control. フータ 「ふーー……オレだって！」 FUUTA: Ha… I’M JUST-! エス 「……！」 ES: …! 突然の叫びに身構えるエス。 ストレスと痛みで錯乱しているフータは、情緒が安定しない。 ES flinches at his sudden outburst. FUUTA, overwhelmed by stress and pain, teeters on the edge of an emotional collapse. フータ 「オレだってそうだったんだ！オレだってあんなことになるなんて思ってなかった！」 FUUTA: I’M JUST LIKE THAT* TOO! I’m just like that so I didn’t think it’d end up like this! [T/N: *Could mean anyone. Fuuta could be saying “I’m just like Kotoko too!” or “I’m just like you too!” or “I’m just like _ too!” Alternatively, this sentence could also be translated as “That’s what I did too! I never thought it’d end up like this!”] エス 「フータ……」 ES: FUUTA... フータ 「オレだって一緒なのに！！ なのに！オマエはオレを赦さなかったじゃねえか……！」 FUUTA: I’M NO DIFFERENT!! So why?! Why didn’t YOU forgive me…?! 嘆くフータ。 怒りとも悲しみともとれない表情でエスに詰め寄る。 FUUTA cries out. He steps toward ES with an expression that’s neither anger nor sorrow. *Instead, it’s something raw- something unresolved. [T/N: This line isn’t explicitly written, however it was included as a localization choice in order to (1) make the story being told by the script directions more enjoyable and engaging for the reader and (2) to evoke the carnality associated with baptism imagery that calls back to the title of the VD “Baptism of Fire”; to baptize is for an unsettled to be immersed into the death of a savior and rise as a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17).]

フータ 「オレがやったことってなんだ！ ただワルいことをワルいと言っただけだろ！ ただワルいヤツをネットで叩いただけだ！ ここまでされるようなことか⁉ オマエみたいに暴力もふるってねぇだろ！」 FUUTA: What did I even do?! All I did was call out bad things for being bad! All I did was go after some Bad Person online! Does that really warrant this?! I didn’t even use violence like YOU enthusiastically did! エス 「っ……だが……だが、ミルグラムはオマエをヒトゴロシだと判断している！」 ES: …But…but MILGRAM has judged you as a murderer! [T/N: Alternative translation: “B-but…but MILGRAM decided that you’re a murderer!”] エスの言葉に表情が曇るフータ。傷が痛み、ひるむ。 FUUTA expression clouds ES’ words, gloom shrouding over. His body flinches, his wound aching. フータ 「っ！……いってえ……」 FUUTA: Tch-! …Shit, it hurts... エス 「……」 ES: ... フータ 「……そいつは死んだみたいだ……たしかにな……」 FUUTA: …Apparently that person did die…yeah, that’s true... エス 「では、オマエがしたことはネットで叩いただけ、にはならない。ヒトゴロシだ」 ES: Then, what you did can’t just be dismissed as online harassment. It led to someone’s death. That makes you a murderer. フータ 「でも、オレが知ってるのは死んだっつう結果だけだ......オレの行為と関係あるかなんてわかんねえだろ……」 FUUTA: But, all I know is the result- that someone died! Who’s to say that that was because of me…? エス 「……ルグラムがそう判断をー」 ES: …MILGRAM has decreed that—

フータ 「知らねぇんだよそんなのっ！」 FUUTA: WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THAT?!! ヒステリックに叫ぶフータ。いつ爆発してもおかしくないような危険さを孕んでいる。 FUUTA screams hysterically. Unstable. Dangerous. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he explodes violently at any moment. エス 「落ち着け、フータ。身体に障る」 ES: Calm down, FUUTA. You’re going to hurt yourself. フータ 「……そ、そうだ。死んだヤツを叩いてたのは、オレだけじゃねえ。どいつのコメントで死んだかなんてわかりゃあしねぇだろうが！」 FUUTA: …I-Is that so. It wasn’t just me going after that dead guy online. Whose comment killed them- who the fuck knows?! エス 「……それはそうかもしれない。裁かれるべきはオマエだけではないのかもしれない。だがー」 ES: …That may be true. Maybe you’re not the only one who should be judged, but— フータ 「じゃあオレだけがこんな想いしてんのおかしいじゃねえか……ワケのわからねぇ監獄で、ガキにあーだこーだ言われて、死ぬような目にあわされて……あぁ……あ、仮に……、仮にだ。オレがネットで叩いたから人が死んじまったとして···だ」 FUUTA: Then why the fuck am I the only one going through this…?! Locked up in some insane prison, getting lectured by a kid, getting beaten up until almost dead… Ah-... Ah, let’s say… let’s just say- that it was because I went after them online that someone died... 神経質に頭を抱えるフータ。 FUUTA clutches his head, spiralling into a mental breakdown.

フータ 「死ぬなんて思わなかったんだ…ただ悪いことを悪いと、罪を罪だと思っただけなんだ……わかるだろ……」 FUUTA: I never thought that they’d die… I just called out something bad as bad, treated sin as sin… You understand that, don’t you? エス 「……」 ES: ... フータ 「なあ。オマエと一緒じゃねぇか……」 FUUTA: Hey. That makes YOU the same as me... エス 「僕とオマエが、一緒……」 ES: You and me, the same... フータの言葉に呆気にとられるエス。 ES is stunned by FUUTA’s words. エス 「オマエを物理的に傷つけると思わずにオマエを赦さないと決めた僕は……相手が死ぬと思わずに殺したお前と一緒だと、言いたいのか……」 ES: You mean to say that… I, who chose not to forgive you without expecting it to result in you getting physically hurt… am the same as you who caused someone’s death without intentionally meaning to do so... フータ 「そうだよ……何がちげえんだよ……マヒルだって死にかけてる……アレでマヒルが死んじまったら、一緒だろ......」 FUUTA: Yeah… What’s the difference…? Even MAHIRU’s on the verge of dying… If she actually dies, then we’re the same, aren’t we…? わなわなと怒りに震えるエス。 ES trembles, visibly shaking with indignation. エス 「バカにするなよ……」 ES: Don’t make a fool out of me... フータ 「あぁ？」 FUUTA: Haa? エス 「僕は見たぞ！お前がゲームのように自分の行いを楽しんでいる様を！大勢を先導し、一方的に蹂躙するサマを！ それを僕と同じだと⁉」 ES: I saw it with my own eyes! The way that you enjoyed what you were doing, like it was a game! How you led the masses and crushed someone who had no chance*! And you dare compare that to me!? [T/N: 一方的に蹂躙するサマを (ippou teki ni juurin suru sema o) means to crush someone in a one-sided manner.] フータ 「……」 FUUTA: ... エス 「ふざけるな。僕はミルグラムの看守だ。お前たちの罪を判断する者。お前やマヒルだけではない。囚人10人全員、命がけで向き合ってきた！人の罪を娯楽のように扱うお前と一緒にしてくれるな！」 ES: Don’t give me that. I’m the Warden of MILGRAM. I’m the one who judges all of your sins. It’s not just you and MAHIRU. All ten prisoners faced their sins with their lives on the line! Don’t you dare lump me in with you, someone who treats people’s sins as entertainment. フータ 「……くっ.....くくく……」 FUUTA: …Heh…hehehe... エスの言葉に笑いがこらえきれないフータ。 FUUTA can’t suppress his laughter at ES’ declaration. フータ 「あははははは！バカだろ！お前!!」 FUUTA: Ahahahahaha! What an idiot! You!! エス 「なに……？」 ES: What…? フータ 「どんな上等なもんだと思ってんだ、自分のことを……その立派な帽子と服はずいぶん良い気にさせてくれるらしいなぁ！」 FUUTA: What kind of noble being do you think you are?! …That fancy hat and uniform must really be inflating your ego, huh?! エス 「言葉に気をつけろよ、囚人番号3番……」 ES: Watch what you say, Prisoner Number 3... フータをにらみつけるエス。だが、フータは気にもとめない。 ES glares at FUUTA. But, FUUTA shows no fear.

フータ 「真剣に向き合った？本当か？オマエの中にオレの罪を、オレへの罰を、愉しむ気持ちがなかったか……」 FUUTA: You take this seriously? Really? Are you telling me that there wasn’t even a little part of YOU that enjoyed my sins, my punishments…? [T/N: The へ (he) in オレへの罰を、愉しむ気持ちが (ore he no batsu o, tanoshimu kimochi ga) “pleasure arising through punishing me” adds a nuance that the person FUUTA is talking about cares more about directing actions to a someone/having a target for their punishment rather than FUUTA themself.] エス 「……何を……」 ES: …What are you…? フータ 「あのな、お前の声はオレにも聞こえてきたんだよ…....ずっとな。聞きたくもねぇ声が！耳を塞いでもずっと！頭ん中で!!」 FUUTA: You know what? I heard your voice too… all the time. A voice I didn’t wanna hear! Even when I covered my ears, it kept echoing and echoing in my head! I couldn’t shut it out no matter how hard I tried!! エス 「……っ……？」 ES: …? フータ 「何万人もの声がいろんな言葉でオレを責め立ててた……興味本位で、面白半分で、気に入らねえからって……全部が全部オマエの言うお行儀のいいもんじゃなかった……別にオレと変わんなかったぜ」 FUUTA: Tens of thousands of voices coming at me with all kinds of words…blaming me—out of curiosity, for fun, just because they didn’t like me… Not a single one of them sounded as polite or moral as YOU pretend to be… None were any different from me. エス 「……ユノも……聴いたと言っていた。無数の、声……」 ES: …YUNO also…said that she heard it too. Countless voices... フータ 「ハハ……オマエとオレはなーんも変わらねぇよ。オレの、オレたちの罪を面白がって楽しんでやがる！」 FUUTA: Haha… YOU and ME, we’re no different. You enjoy our sins. You get off on them! エス 「……僕はお前たちのことを強く知りたいと、思っただけで……」 ES: …I just wanted to understand all of you. To know you all better... フータ 「ははははは‼ オレとお前は同類だよ！ 違いは着てる服だけだ！ そんなヤツにオレを赦すだの赦さないだの決められてたまっかよ!!」 FUUTA: Hahahahaha!! Me and you are the same! The only difference is what we’re wearing! And that guy* is the one deciding whether to forgive me or not?!! [T/N: *that guy = ES] エス 「フータ……」 ES: FUUTA... フータ 「オレを赦さないんだよな⁉ じゃあオマエはオマエのことも赦すなよ⁉」 FUUTA: You couldn’t forgive me, right?! Then, don’t you fucking dare forgive yourself either!! エス 「フータっ！」 ES: FUUTA-! 強くフータを制するエス。 ES yells, putting an end to FUUTA’s rant. フータ 「んだよ!!」 FUUTA: What?!! エス 「……お前の言う事はよくわかった。僕とオマエが同類だとしよう。それでも……それでも僕は看守だ」 ES: …I understand what you’re saying. Let’s say YOU and I are the same. Even so… I’m still the Warden. フータ 「あぁ？」 FUUTA: Haa? エス 「何を言われようと、僕は自分の仕事をやめない。たとえ、自分を棚にあげることになっても、僕はお前の罪を判断する」 ES: No matter what you say, I’m not going to stop doing my job. Even if it means being a hypocrite myself, I will judge your sins. フータ 「……」 FUUTA: ... エス 「いかなるそしりを受けようと、自分の責任は自分で取る！僕が始めたことだ！」 ES: Whatever moral responsibility I have to bear, I’ll bear it! This is something I started! エスの言葉を聞き、フータの全身の力が抜けたようにへたりこむ。 Hearing ES’ words, FUUTA’s body slumps, all of his strength draining from him.

フータ 「……はぁ……」 FUUTA: …Haa... エス 「……？」 ES: …? フータ 「あぁー……そうかよ……」 FUUTA: Ahh… I see how it is... エス 「お、おい大丈夫か、フータ」 ES: O-oi. Are you okay, FUUTA? フータ 「……何言っても無駄だな……オマエには……」 FUUTA: …There’s no point in saying anything, is there…? Not to YOU... エス 「どうした急に、しおらしく」 ES: Why the sudden defeatism? What’s wrong? フータ 「なあ……エス……聴いてくれ」 FUUTA: Hey… ES… Just hear me out, okay? [T/N: 聴いてくれ (kiitekure) means to intentionally listen, or “active listening”.] エス 「……？」 ES: …? フータ 「オレはもういやだ……限界だ……耐えられない……」 FUUTA: I can’t take it anymore… I’m at my limit… I can’t stand it anymore... [T/N: “I can’t take it anymore… I’m at my limit… I can’t endure it anymore…”] 魂が抜けたようにボソボソとうつろに呟くフータ。 FUUTA mumbles in a hollow, almost soulless voice. フータ 「オレが誰かを叩いて人が死んだとしてさ、そのことをお前が叩いてさ……これでオレが死にでもしたら、また、続くぜ……コレ」 FUUTA: If someone died because I called them out online… and then you went after me for that… and then I end up dead… then it just keeps going, doesn’t it? This cycle. エス 「フータ？」 ES: FUUTA? フータ 「なぁ、オレはもうお前にされたことを赦すからさ……オレはこの痛みを受け入れるからさ……だから」 FUUTA: Hey, I’ll forgive you now- for what you did to me… I’ll accept this pain… So... 必死に訴えるフータの目に涙が浮かぶ。 Tears well up in FUUTA’s eyes as he pleads desperately—as if death was certain. フータ 「もう、赦してくれよ……頼むよ……」 FUUTA: Please, just forgive me already… I’m begging you... エス 「……！」 ES: …! フータ 「痛くて、痛くて死ぬかと思ったんだ……怖かったんだ……」 FUUTA: It hurt so much, I thought I was gonna die… I was so scared... エス 「……あぁ」 ES: …Ah. フータ 「何万人に絶えず責められる気持ちもサイアクなんだ……世界中がオレをずっと見ている気がして眠れないんだ……」 FUUTA: Being constantly vilified by tens of thousands of people- It’s the worst… I can’t even sleep, it feels like the whole world is constantly watching me... エス 「……」 ES: ... フータ 「痛いのも辛いのもやなんだよ！頼むよ……!! 悪かったよ!! エス！」 FUUTA: I don’t want to hurt anymore! I don’t want to suffer anymore…!! Please! I was wrong, okay?! ES! エス 「……くっ」 ES: ...

悲痛なフータの叫びに顔を歪めるエス。 懇願するフータの傍らに身をかがめ、優しく口をひらく。 ES grimaces at FUUTA’s anguished cries. They crouch down beside FUUTA and speak gently. エス 「……フータ。僕は……お前たちが憎いわけではない……」 ES: …FUUTA. I… don’t hate any of you... フータ 「……あ、あぁ……」 FUUTA: …Ah- ah-... エス 「��い時間をかけてお前たちに向き合ってきた、心の中に触れてきた。お前らがヒトゴロシであろうとも、もう他人ではない。その愛着は簡単に切り離せるものではない……」 ES: I’ve spent so much time confronting all of you, looking at what’s in your hearts- experiencing it. Even if you’re all murderers, you’re not strangers anymore. That attachment is something that cannot be severed easily... [T/N: Alternative translation for the last line is: “That affection is something that cannot be severed easily…”] フータ 「……そ、そうだよな……」 FUUTA: …I-is that so... エス 「傷ついたお前を見て、自分の行いを後悔する気持ちもある。僕の判断がお前たちを更に歪めてしまったのかもしれないと思う迷いもある……」 ES: When I see you hurt, I do feel that my actions are regrettable. I wonder if my judgements have distorted all of you even further... フータ 「……」 FUUTA: ... エス 「それに、それにだ……」 ES: And- And also... 寂しそうに笑うエス。 ES gives a sad smile. エス 「正直に言うと、お前たちを友のように思う気持ちもあるんだよ」 ES: If I’m being honest, I also think of you all as friends. [T/N: ES uses 友 (tomo), a bit more casual way to say “friend”. There’s the possibility that because of the current circumstances of FUUTA having an active mental crisis, ES is speaking much more gently, but there’s also the possibility that ES disclosing this unprofessional feeling of theirs is making them phrase it casually.] フータ 「エス……」 FUUTA: ES... エス 「……残念だよ」 ES: …It’s a shame, you know?

突如部屋にある時計から鐘の音が鳴り、尋問室の部屋の構造が変化していく。 同時に、エスの顔から、迷いのようなものが消える。 Suddenly, the chime of a clock echoes throughout the room. The structure of the interrogation room begins to shift. At the same time, the uncertainty on ES’ face vanishes. [T/N: This is heavily reminiscent of Pavlov’s conditioning using a bell. ES has been shown to automatically return to the detached Warden state upon hearing the signal of MILGRAM’s bell in both Baptism of Fire and YONAH.] エス 「僕は。看守だ」 ES: I. am the Warden. フータ 「……え」 FUUTA: …Eh? エス 「自分の身に起きた苦しみから逃れる気持ちで、口にした懺悔を真に受けることはできない」 ES: I can’t take the confessions you utter in a moment of desperation just to escape the pain you’re in at face value. フータ 「なっ……んなこと……」 FUUTA: No… That’s not... エス 「そもそもお前の今苦しんでいる姿と、行ってしまった罪と関連性があるかも決めかねる」 ES: And I can’t even say for sure whether there is any connection between your current suffering and the sins that you have committed. フータ 「……あ……あ……」 FUUTA: …Ah…Agh... エス 「いまだ自分が殺した人間に対して、謝罪の言葉がないことも勿論考慮せねばならない」 ES: And of course, we must take into consideration that you have yet to offer an apology to the person that you have killed. フータ 「……はっ」 FUUTA: …Ha-

エス 「過去の行いを僕に謝られても、知らないよ」 ES: An apology to me for your past actions means nothing. フータ 「ああぁ……違う！違うんだ！」 FUUTA: Aghh… No! That’s not it! エスはフータに背を向け、帽子を目深にかぶる。 ES turns their back on FUUTA and pulls their hat down over their eyes. エス 「ありがとう、フータ。覚悟が必要だということがわかったよ」 ES: Thanks, FUUTA. You’ve helped me realize what kind of resolve I need. フータ 「……!!」 FUUTA: …!! エス 「看守は、僕は、泣いてすがる友の罪すら遠慮なく裁かねばならないということだ……以上、尋問は終了だ」 ES: As the Warden, as me, I must not hesitate to pass judgement on even my crying, pleading friend… That is all. This concludes the interrogation. フータ 「エス……エスぅ！てめええええ！！！ 殺してやるぅぅ!!」 FUUTA: ES… ES!! You bastard!!! I’ll fucking kill you!! 涙まじりに叫ぶフータに、苦笑いするエス。 FUUTA screams, his voice dripping with tears. ES gives a bitter smile. エス 「はっ………」 ES: Heh... フータ 「聴いてんのか、てめぇー！オレを許せ！赦さなきゃ殺してやるからなぁーーー!!」 FUUTA: Are you even listening, you bastard-!? Forgive me! If you don’t, I swear I’ll murder you!! エス 「大丈夫……本当に僕とお前が同類だというのなら。いずれ僕はそうなるんだろうさ」 ES: That’s fine… If you and I are truly the same, then I suppose that that will happen one day. フータに振り返り、冷たく言い放つ。 ES turns to face FUUTA, their voice as cold as ice. エス 「囚人番号3番フータ、お前の罪を歌え」 ES: Prisoner Number 3, FUUTA, sing your sins.