#I feel like I'm transitioning to the next stage of life

[artemisandhersilverbow]

I'm still not over Taylor's Fortnight MV... to say it's my favorite visual work she's done would be an understatement. As with all things on this album, she did her research. Her incredible DP - Rodrigo Prieto - who has shot The Man, Cardigan, and Willow MVs. As well as, Brokeback Mountain, The Barbie Movie, Killer of the Flower Moon, etc.

There are so many ways to parse the story of the Fortnight video, but I will mostly focus on Taylor's use of mirroring to make some of the video's larger points.

I am a queer former film student so I wanna note that that's the bias I'll be writing from. If that disinterests you, no worries! This just may not be for you.

Love that we start with silent film era titles. One is black, one is white, perhaps a ying yang visual or simply representing the original album + the anthology. Could also be the light + dark of her two sides represented by Taylor and Post Malone.

The vertical alignment shift in the word Fortnight is interesting because the other time i noticed her doing this was in the closing poem for TTP with, "Some stars never align." Would be cute to have it like a nod to screenplay scene heading: INT. FORT - NIGHT

We start with Taylor, virtually still, but singing. She's handcuffed to an askew bed frame - sans mattress - with bars resembling a prison/cage.

The mirroring she's doing here is reminding us of "real life" Taylor's outfit at the 2024 Grammy's, but with the addition of white gauzy gloves + garter belt (like on tour), it reads more bridal, more bed sheet. That similar clock necklace is set to, best as I can tell, 9pm.

And she's got enough hairpins to... idk... make me spin out? Her make up evokes a little Clara Bow, Greta Garbo, legends of the silver screen, etc.

Taylor stops lip-syncing. Breaking the fourth wall, with direct eye contact, she's forced a "Forget Him" pill and unshackled from her bed prison. Unlike the next instance we get this match shot, it feels like she's telling the audience she knows we're watching and her look has a "this is what I'm forced to do" anger charged to it.

Also, the pill itself seems to break Taylor's reality from here on out. She "forgets him," but perhaps also becomes a different him herself.

She walks over, in her wacky funhouse of a prison room - skewed angles, upside down doors (those who enter from the left walk on the "ceiling" - to an actual mirror. But this mirror looks more like a one-way mirror. Meaning that the subject can see themselves, but so can others they can't see on the other side. Usually so the subject can be observed.

Still appropriate to break the fourth wall as though we are watching her in a way she can't return.

She wipes her face to reveal Post Malone's tattoos under the veneer of her prerfect facade. Once done, she utters the first "I want to kill her." She wants to "kill" Taylor TM?

I'll basically be going forward assuming that Post Malone is established in this mirror shot as a representation of Taylor, perhaps her True Taylor underneath the engineered perfection. This door/portal splits her in two on entry. From one white-clad figure to two black-clad ones. Kind of like the splitting of a prism.

Instead of exiting this upside down asylum, she goes deep into a department - perhaps the Tortured Poets kind. We get an awesome match cut/panning transition where Grammy dress referential Taylor morphs into a Victorian mourning dress. One very similar to the dresses on stage during Folklore during Eras (at the bottom of post). Perhaps also a nod to Emily Dickinson herself.

The way they design the set to make it so her asylum and office are connected feels like a not so subtle call out on how she feels about her chosen industry. Not quite a cheery take on the Lover House for ex. Time also becomes a little bendy, irrelevant when she does this portal walk.

When she enters she sits at a mirrored desk, morphing into Post Malone's silhouette. To the side we have faceless writers, also dressed in black older fashions, that seem to go on for infinity like a mirror trick.

Taylor sits down to start writing, Post Malone is already typing. They're both in black with embellished collars. We see that she has a top sheet with typed words, but under they're blank. Post has a pile next to him, along with his fountain pen, which perhaps are fully done b/c placement on the other side of him. Their desks are also arranged ever so slightly different. So Post-Taylor is a typing machine, Taylor needs to catch up...

But then Post Malone looks up to create this awesome mirrored match cut.

Taylor and Post-Taylor get to work, singing the chorus, camera cutting on their lines in mirror shots respectively.

We see a typewriter jam the same lines from the song, but specifically "I LOVE YOU." Granted, we can't be 100% sure whose typewriter it is, but we see Taylor type "Love You." Perhaps they're mirroring each other in even this task.

Eventually their stories starts leaking blue and orange/gold ether which prisms out to reveal "The Story of Us."

Really great shot of the infinity vanishing point effect from the unidentified crowd, how they're positioned makes them look like they're mirroring all of us watching/sharing our opinions.

This is where I'll stop for Part 1 because it's not ok how late this album has been keeping me up.

But a couple of things to start:

Taylor using very strong, very consistent mirroring techniques to create distinctions from narrator, character, and audience. Even the music is mirrored in the chorus with Post Malone's repetition.

By both wearing the face tattoos under a perfect exterior (the face we know her by), and immediately separating into two characters - one with her face/gender expression as we know it and Post-Taylor who now wears the face tattoos we just saw/is also sporting the face and gender expression we are familiar with him. It's Taylor TM the Brand vs Hidden (in plain sight) Identity Taylor.

Her typewriter emits an orange/golden glow from all of her repeated "I LOVE YOU'S," while his emits blue. Together they're creating the next story vignette: "The Story of Us."

One basic read for this is that Taylor could be owning her male POVs that come up in her songs (Folklore we're looking at you). Another read I have is that Taylor TM is writing the love song framework expected from her as an artist while Post-Taylor injects the devastation, anger, emotion, the heavy blues we often unearth from a song we originally thought was upbeat, romantic, unassuming. And considering these mirrored halves, I think that aligns with her own messages about her music, that people will always going looking for paternity tests - the publicized romance pulled from what we think we know about her. But perhaps the assumed truths of a song could be, and often are, driven by your gendered expectations - "Girl loves boy, sings about that." The hidden in plain sight Taylor subverts what the surface level shows.

The True Taylor is an unrecognizable author. And that writer is producing the meat of the work.

Additionally, I love that she's wearing a dress that feels taken off the Era's stage.

Folklore in particular was a really different writing era for her. She presented the characters and stories as fiction and all the sudden an unknown male collaborator — William Bowery — gets credited on it. I'd love if the message, in part, was hey I'm actually my own male writing partner. Regardless, her other half/POV was able to allow her to write truths so long as they remained unrecognizable.

But she's wearing the mourning dress, looking over at her hidden true half, looking over anxiously. And then begins to write. They're half the story that makes up the whole, one needing the other to tell the story they want to tell. Perhaps it's a call out to Folklore in particular as a solution to being limited by expectations of her signature diaristic-like songs' perspectives. Using it as a way to tell a version of the truth from a POV society or the powers that be in her life would accept it from — not Taylor TM as she is/who she's known to be.

More generally, the "male pov" and the male pronouns, just seem to be called irrelevant smoking guns in the game of knowing the unknowable - what her work, a lot of her work, is referencing specifically. These two writers, as presented, are still both Taylor. Them's the rules here. Ok, see you in PT. 2!

#fortnight mv #music video #taylor swift #post malone #TTPD #the tortured poets department #video breakdown #multiple pov #gaylor

[thecrownnetflixuk]

Fond Farewells Mark the End of an Era for The Crown.

Pt 2 of Season 6 Accedes to the Next Generation – But Reigns Most Triumphant Saluting Its Sovereign.

Review & gifs by L.L @The Crown TV

I wasn't sure what to expect from the final 6 preview episodes of The Crown. Part 1 gifted us with a season-defining performance from Elizabeth Debicki, but such intense focus on the tragedy of Diana and Dodi's deaths was heavy-going. How to move forward?

Not many TV shows stick the landing, but I believe The Crown does, mostly by putting Queen Elizabeth front and centre. In four different ways! But Part 2 takes a while to forge ahead and reign triumphant.

Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy make shy William and swotty Kate believable as a young couple who meet at university – or earlier, as per a flashback with (not Ghost!) Diana. I still found it hard to invest in their will-they-won't-they relationship (we already know they do.) 

Instead, it’s sisters Elizabeth and Margaret who have long been the emotional heart of this show; at every stage of their lives.

Former Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville (alongside Queen Imelda Staunton) is truly magnificent in Ep 8 as Princess Margaret, though it's painful watching this vibrant lady struggle as her health worsens.

Memories of the 1940's are a delight. However, I wish we'd seen more of wide-eyed teen Lilibet let loose (Viola Prettejohn) and carefree Marg (Beau Gadsdon) before older Margaret says her final goodbye.

Staunton saves her best for last, bringing dry humour, vulnerability as well as leadership to Ep 10. The 70+ min epic finale 'Sleep, Dearie Sleep' has its shaky moments, but beautifully completes Queen Elizabeth's story when it counts, bringing near-perfect closure. That alone elevates Season 6 beyond Season 5.

Warning - MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. This is my final *EVER* review (might be extra long!)

S6 is NOW ON NETFLIX - WATCH THE EPISODES before reading.

Images: courtesy of Netflix

Starting with less good news; the first couple of episodes of Part 2 were my least favourite. Ep 5, 'Willsmania', feels transitional, and a little stuck in the past. Following his mother's death, Prince William (Ed McVey; taking over from younger actor Rufus Kampa) turns inward as he struggles to cope with public attention and grief.

It's an understandable reaction to losing a parent, but Part 1 already spent nearly half a season on Dodi and Diana. It felt like we grieved in real time. As a result, whenever the subject of Diana crops up again in Part 2, it tends to weigh down both pace and narrative.

Ep 6 brings a welcome change of topic. This being The Crown, I'm sure there are critics poised to be offended by Queen Elizabeth's nightmare about Prime Minister Tony Blair being crowned king, but to me, his 'coronation' was hilarious, as was the choir boy singing Blair's cheesy Labour pop anthem.

It felt like deliberate tongue-in-cheek humour, an absurd reminder why monarchy might still be better than populist elected leaders.

I really wanted this episode to work, but it didn't go anywhere, and themes like tradition-vs-modernity were covered more effectively in episodes such as 'Marionettes.' Bertie Carvel has Tony Blair's voice down but suffers from comparisons with Michael Sheen, who was uncanny as the Prime Minister in 3 earlier Peter Morgan projects.

^ PM Tony Blair. The Women's Institute weren't fans of his grandstanding.

The Crown: The Next Generation fully arrives during Ep's 7, 9 & 10. Some will love it. Those who prefer more historical episodes with broader scope may be disappointed, as the show follows William and Kate through University life in the early 2000's.

The newcomers do bring fresh energy to the show. It helps that they cast Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy, who make a sweet couple as Will and Kate, even if William sometimes comes across as petulant.

Unlike Ed McVey as William, Luther Ford doesn't bear much physical resemblance to Prince Harry, other than red hair. Ford does however put in a good performance as Harry becomes increasingly reckless.

The Crown doesn't hide either Harry or William's bad behaviour. The brothers seem to get on well at the start, but it later seems like they're more at odds. Underneath a lot – a LOT – of boozing, both boys appear quietly screwed-up over their mother's death. Neither of them seem to enjoy playing happy families with Charles, either.

The show mostly concentrates on William and Kate, but there aren't many episodes left to develop a genuine romance. They have potential, but it feels fairly surface level. Suddenly, they rush to move into a house share together when we've barely seen them kiss. They (and we) needed more screen time to really get to know each other.

There's a bigger issue here with Kate's mother, Carole Middleton (Eve Best.) Pushy parent Carole is keen to play matchmaker between her 'commoner' daughter and the young eligible Prince, keeping tabs on William. Carole isn't as conniving, but ... didn't we just watch a similar storyline with Mohamed Al-Fayed/Dodi/Diana in Part 1?

^ Kate 'n' Will. Her Mum would frame this picture.

Ep 8 'Ritz' plays like a standalone film. Margaret's final story is touching, but upsetting, at times; I was a fan of Diana, yet sobbed as much for Margaret as the credits rolled, even though her eventual death isn't shown. In fact, her final goodbye is sensitively done and stands as a fitting tribute to the princess, as well as to the Queen.

Lesley Manville makes Margaret's predicament so real as her health slowly breaks down. She bounces back from one stroke, then another hits. How awful too for Elizabeth to watch a much-loved sister deteriorate, though it was wonderful to see Lilibet read Margaret a bedtime story. It brought out the warmer side of Staunton's Queen.

The scene where Margaret scalds her feet in the bath is genuinely horrifying. I've suffered from ill health and loss of control myself and this was so much worse. I could feel her pain. That poor woman.

Human moments are where The Crown excels; through this episode, this working-class lass from a council house could somehow relate to a Princess in a palace. Peter Morgan has surely done more to humanise the royal family than any P.R team ever could.

^ Fans of Margaret (and Lesley Manville) prepare yourselves for her sad final journey.

Onto the big reveal: when I mentioned at the start there are FOUR ways Queen Elizabeth appears – this is what I meant:-

^ Newcomer Viola Prettejohn plays teenage Princess Elizabeth.

^ & there's Olivia Colman & Claire Foy alongside older Queen Imelda Staunton.

Satisfyingly, all 3 of The Crown's leading ladies return to close the show. Olivia Colman and Claire Foy each have an additional scene, too (I won't spoil the entire finale, as it covers a lot of ground in over 70 mins, but Olivia and Claire aren't back as 'ghosts.')

As we get older, the ghosts who speak loudest are our own; the former versions of us we berate ourselves with. Not everyone may warm to the Queen (sort of) talking to herself, but personally, I was thrilled to see these talented actors on screen together.

Foy's scene with Staunton is particularly effective, as the younger Queen gives her older self an old-fashioned dutiful talking to. It's somehow also credible that they're aspects of the same person.

It reminded me of Peter Morgan’s 2013 (extraordinary) play, ‘The Audience', which inspired this series, and included scenes where Helen Mirren shared the stage with young Elizabeth. That play is also why this theatre-fan started watching The Crown to begin with, and later went on to create this website.

When Ep 10 finished playing, my Netflix returned itself to Season 1. 60 episodes over 7 years! I will miss the grand scale of The Crown, but appreciate the legacy which remains. Now feels like the right time for this story to end. A full-circle moment in more ways than one.

**Majestic thanks for reading, and to every person who has liked, reblogged, messaged, supported The Crown TV for all these years.

💎♕You each deserve a Crown of your own!♕💎**

N.B: These are my humble opinions at this point in time. No offence is intended. Agreement = lovely; not compulsory. Disagreement = happens; kindly coexist. Ta!

#the crown #queen elizabeth ii #imelda staunton #princess margaret #lesley manville #tony blair #bertie carvel #william and kate #ed mcvey #meg bellamy #viola prettejohn #claire foy #olivia colman #reviews #articles #season 6 #pt 2 #gifs #the crown spoilers

[gerrystamour]

here i have found some peace of mind [chapter six]

Rated E | Steddie

[ FIRST ] [ PREVIOUS ]

Finally, the boys meet... AKA, the Fuckening I'M SORRY THAT WAS TERRIBLE Once again, Steve is a transmasc character, I am a transmasc writer, I base his transness off of my own and so I refer to his anatomy the same way I refer to my own. Steve, like me, does not have bottom dysphoria and enjoys vaginal penetration. Also, Steve can't get pregnant and though it's not mentioned explicitly in the fic, it's because his tubes have been tied. CW: There is just a lot of smut in this chapter.

[ READ ON AO3 ]

for once in my life i feel alive

The crowd around Steve and Will was absolutely buzzing with excitement, already sweaty and ramped up from the openers. Despite getting to the arena a bit later than much of the crowd, Steve and Will managed to make it to the barrier, largely thanks to Will’s bony elbows.

Even though Steve had no experience with metal outside of Corroded Coffin’s music, he could respect the energy the opening bands brought with them. It was all just a bit noisy for Steve, and the yelling made it hard to understand the words, but overall, he could enjoy it.

“The words aren’t the point, Steve,” Will said with a snort when Steve complained aloud to him about it.

“Then why even bother having lyrics?” Steve snapped back, rolling his eyes as he watched the curtains that had been dropped around the stage from a rig above them while it was set for Corroded Coffin.

“You read the lyrics later after you feel the emotion first,” Will explained and Steve let out a huff.

“Yeah, well the feeling I get listening to unintelligible screaming is annoyance,” he said with a teasing grin, nudging Will with his elbow as the lights dimmed.

With the lights lowering, the low din around them increased to a roar. If Steve thought the energy of the crowd was insane before, he didn’t have words to describe it now. Steve had been to concerts before, but he couldn’t say any of them had this level of engagement from the crowd before the music even started.

The arena grew so dark that only the emergency exit lights and the screens of phones were visible in the darkness, and if Steve hadn’t been so close, he wouldn’t have been able to see the curtain being raised. When a low, sustained guitar tone began to play, the noise from the crowd immediately dropped easily by half, just as a red spotlight lit up the center of the stage where there now sat an ornate altar.

And Eddie was on top of the altar, standing with his head thrown back, letting the tension build, his guitar hanging from its strap around his neck, slung low on his hips. Tilting his head forward to flash a toothy, almost maniacal grin at the crowd, he began to sing, soft and almost mournful.

Steve felt his breath leave him in one swift gust.

The thing was that Steve knew Eddie was talented. He knew the man could sing and he knew he could do it well. To hear it live, however, and in what was clearly Eddie’s element? That was something else entirely.

Suddenly, another spotlight shone on the stage, illuminating Grant as a quick bass line started up, slowly building in volume until the whole stage was lit up and the rest of the band joined in. It was loud, but amazing, just Jeff and Eddie practically dueling with their guitars while Gareth went crazy on the drums atop the platform behind Eddie’s altar.

The guitar battle bled so seamlessly into the next song that Steve almost missed the transition, and in the end only truly realized that the song changed because the lighting itself did.

The whole band was wearing outfits like the costumes they wore in the music video Steve watched, with dark, skin-tight leather pants and elaborate horns. A big notable change, however, was the brace that Eddie wore on his leg so he could stand for a bit without using his cane for longer. There was a sturdy mic stand on the altar that was built with a hook where Eddie’s cane hung from its wrist strap.

Once Eddie started singing again, however, Steve was swept up in the performance and energy of the crowd. He’d done quite a bit of listening to the newest album, making sure he knew the lyrics of the newest stuff well enough to not stand out too much in the crowd.

A lot of the guitar work was carried by Jeff as well as another person that Steve knew was not actually in the band. Steve remembered a few Tour Diaries that explained that while Eddie did all of the rhythm guitar lines on the studio version of the album, that was only because the recording timeline allowed for him to play guitar and recover. While touring, Eddie had to be careful so he didn’t trigger his nerve pain, so he only played guitar during certain songs, and even then only for specific parts.

Throughout the next several songs, Eddie was standing atop the altar, holding onto the mic stand with his guitar hanging around his neck as he swung his hips with the beat. The move was slow, sensual, even during the heavier moments and had Steve flushed and breathless. Luckily with how hot and sweaty he was just from being surrounded by hundreds of shouting and singing people, his reaction to Eddie’s hips practically grinding against a guitar wouldn’t be obvious.

Behind the band were two huge screens that seemed to alternate between live shots of the band and scenes from the music videos, and every time the cameras were on a specific member, they always knew exactly what camera to be looking at. Once again, the comments the boys made about ‘complicated choreography’ came back to Steve and he found himself feeling more and more impressed with them.

Naturally, Eddie’s relationship with the camera work was electric, the way he was so tuned into how good he looked, what his best angle was, how to stare down the camera, his little hand motions to the camera. The best one (while simultaneously being the worst) was a sultry come-hither motion with one finger during a song that Steve was fairly certain was about having sex in a cemetery.

The band played through the first five full songs before the lighting changed and the band took a break. It wasn’t obvious as a break, the band just stopping their actual playing while a quiet, ominous backing track continued. Gareth was chugging a bottle of water while Jeff wandered across the stage to stand closer to the other guitarist.

Turning his attention back to Eddie, Steve actually met the man’s gaze and gasped. Eddie was leaning on his cane, his guitar swung around to his back, giving the crowd an uninterrupted view of the long, perfect line of his body. With the way their eyes were locked, though, it was as if this whole performance was for Steve alone.

Chuckling into the mic, Eddie tore his gaze away and looked around the arena. “Good evening, Chicago!” he called, his grin nothing but teeth and dimples when the crowd roared back. “How’s everyone feeling tonight?”

The crowd exploded with excitement, somehow even louder than the first response.

“See, I’m feeling great tonight. This show’s a little bit different,” Eddie continued, shifting his weight carefully between his feet as Jeff wandered back to his spot on the stage. The crowd screamed back excitedly, and Eddie met Steve’s eyes briefly before he added with a smirk, “Got someone special in the crowd.”

To Steve’s utter disbelief, what sounded like half of the arena began wailing ‘Steve,’ making the entirety of the band laugh loudly. Steve’s entire face felt impossibly hot as Eddie looked back at him with a tiny wink.

“Jesus Christ,” Steve laughed, covering his mouth when Will looked over at him with a look that was somehow both sympathetic and jealous.

All of the people surrounding Will and him were joining in with the inside-joke with the band, and also looking around desperately as if they could actually find the elusive “Steve” from the Tour Diaries.

Gareth was squinting around at the crowd before he leaned over to his mic. “The hell are y’all looking around for?” he asked flatly, and the crowd just shouted back Steve’s name. “You don’t even know what he looks like!”

“Leave ‘em alone, they’re just excited,” Eddie said to Gareth as Jeff smirked and started playing his guitar, the backing track quieting as the lighting dimmed again. “It’s your fault they’re like this anyway.”

There was a bit more banter, but Steve had all but tuned it out as he watched Eddie goof off with his friends. They seamlessly shifted into another intricate guitar moment, one that Eddie took part in, even taking the lead at one point. He and Jeff had effortless chemistry on the stage, easily switching back and forth, never fumbling as far as Steve’s untrained ear could tell.

As Jeff took over the guitar solo, Eddie swung his guitar around to his back and held onto the mic with both hands. “This next song is Dark Altar,” he said in a low, sultry voice, and Steve cheered along with the crowd. Eddie was looking at him again, smirking as he added, “This one’s for you, Stevie.”

Then Eddie winked, and Steve was pretty sure he would’ve crawled up there to kiss that smug look off Eddie’s face if it wasn’t for the security guard standing just ahead of him.

Eddie was intense throughout the song, holding onto the mic stand and grinding his hips against the pole of it, throwing his head back and even groaning out some of the lyrics. Behind him, scenes from the music video played on the huge screens, including the scene of all of them with the priest. However, the shot was held longer, letting Steve see it in all its glory without squinting at the fuzzy frame on his phone. It was impossibly sexy, and once again Steve had the very vivid fantasy of being in the priest’s place.

The rest of the concert was a blur, Steve’s thoughts completely occupied with how good Eddie looked, how good he sounded, and how much Steve wanted him. He was vibrating with his excitement as every song brought him closer to the moment he met Eddie, face-to-face and in-person. It seemed like Eddie was just as excited, his eyes finding Steve’s every few moments. A few of those times, Eddie would reach down and grab himself, as if he was adjusting his erection in his pants, which drove the crowd insane almost as much as it did to Steve.

As Jeff and Grant chatted one final time with the audience ahead of the last two songs on the setlist, Eddie was carefully assisted down from the altar by a stage tech. Eddie stopped them before they could walk away and gestured vaguely in Steve’s direction while saying something close to their ear. The stage tech glanced over, squinting against the lights and frowning at him until Steve did a little wave. The stage tech smirked, turned back to Eddie and said something back that earned them a small shove and a laugh before the tech walked off.

Honestly, the moment was so short and quick that Steve was certain that he only really noticed it because he was completely focused on Eddie.

Now that Eddie was set up on the stage rather than the altar, he was closer almost as if he was in reach. With a jolt as the music started again in full swing, Steve realized that this was the closest they had been to each other. The second to last song started slow, Eddie singing almost sweetly for the first verse. Steve gazed up at Eddie, watching him sing and rock to the music, his eyes shut.

It was captivating, watching him feel the music like that, and Steve imagined a moment this sweet and intimate somewhere else. He imagined sleepy mornings with Eddie singing softly while making a pot of coffee, and Steve felt faint with the strength of his want.

When the song picked up, it didn’t lessen Steve’s want at all, especially as Eddie actually took lead guitar through the solo, his look of concentration intense. Steve couldn’t help but imagine Eddie sitting on his couch, guitar in his lap while he figured out a melody. Something soft and quiet, domestic even, that had Steve’s heart aching.

By the time the last song began to play, Steve was spiraling with his feelings for Eddie that he knew were too much for what was probably possible for them. It didn’t help that Eddie seemed determined to stare down directly at Steve, holding Steve’s gaze through the entire song, only breaking eye contact when he took the lead through the guitar solo once again.

Taking a deep breath, Steve shouted along with the crowd as the song came to a close and the curtain lowered around the stage again.

Before Steve could properly shake himself out of his thoughts to figure out with Will where they were supposed to go now, the security guard in front of them stepped up to the barrier.

“Come with me, please,” he said to them both, motioning down toward the end of the barrier where there was a space to slip behind it.

Glancing at each other with raised eyebrows, Steve and Will followed as quickly as they could with the crowd still milling about and reluctant to leave just yet.

❖

Steve and Will sat in one of the fancy lounges overlooking the arena below, each of them too excited to actually sit down on the couches. If Steve was honest, he kept looking at the couches and remembering the filth Eddie moaned and he needed to stop getting so flustered about it.

With the security guard escorting them, they were the first ones to the room, even ahead of the band, which was likely Eddie’s plan. They would have a few minutes of semi-privacy before the other fans with the VIP tickets were allowed in to actually meet face to face.

“Steve, you’re pacing,” Will said stiffly and Steve immediately stopped moving, looking back at him. To his surprise, Will looked like he was about to freak out, picking at his thumbnail and bouncing. “You’re making me nervous.”

“Wh-why? I’m sorry, I’ll try to stop, just what’s up man?” Steve asked, immediately crossing the lounge to stand with Will.

“I dunno, just got all tense with the adrenaline dropping, I guess. Freaking out because this is literally my favourite band, like, what if they suck as people?” Will said in a rush, then immediately added, “Like, what if they think I’m weird and annoying especially if I can’t even say anything to them?”

“Will, dude, no one is gonna think you’re annoying, okay? Everyone loves you and so will the guys,” Steve said, grabbing Will’s shoulder firmly. Then, with a cheeky grin Steve added, “And hey, I have some connections with the band, so I can tell you with absolute certainty that they do not suck as people.”

Will laughed at that, shoving Steve gently, especially when he reached up to ruffle his hair. “Dude, fuck off,” Will laughed, swatting Steve’s hand away.

“Yeugh, you’re so sweaty,” Steve complained, wiping his hand off on Will’s chest.

Just as they stepped apart, the door of the lounge opened and Eddie practically clambered through it, grinning and breathless as he crossed the lounge to Steve. Will immediately took a huge step back with a loud, almost disbelieving laugh as Eddie stumbled into Steve’s space.

The air seemed to leave the room as Eddie fisted his hands in the front of Steve’s shirt, pulling him in so close they were almost pressed flush against each other.

Steve stared at him, wide-eyed and smiling, taking in the details of Eddie’s face that he didn’t get to see in the video calls. Like the beginnings of crow’s feet at the corners of Eddie’s deep brown eyes, and just how rich those brown eyes were, or the silver strands of hair shot sparsely through the brown. Eddie still had some of his make-up on his face, clearly only washing up enough to get the bulk off but leaving patches of foundation and dark body paint near his hairline and on his throat.

Eddie was so beautiful and real that Steve felt like he might start to cry about it. They were finally together, in the same room and in the same space, breathing the same air and so close to kissing it was driving Steve insane. With a soft, pleading sound just for Eddie, Steve tilted his mouth up and Eddie let out a gusty breath.

“We shouldn’t,” Eddie said quietly, his hands tightening in Steve’s shirt as he went to pull back. “You know we couldn’t handle it.”

Steve laughed, tilting his head back to groan at the ceiling. “Christ, you think we’re that bad?” he asked. When he lowered his eyes to look back at Eddie through his lashes, the man was staring at the column of his throat with something that could only be described as hunger.

“I for sure am,” Eddie admitted after a moment, licking his lips and turning his attention to Steve’s face. “Wanna wait ‘til we won’t be interrupted, okay, sweetheart?”

“Y-yeah, sounds perfect,” Steve managed to stumble out, finally putting his hands on Eddie’s waist and hooking his fingers into the belt loops there. “Can’t believe this is actually happening.”

“Jesus H Christ, me neither,” Eddie laughed breathlessly, and Steve felt himself swoon over his dimples all over again. “When I saw you at the barrier, thought I was fucking dreaming, like genuinely thought I fell off the stage and was in a fucking coma.”

“Alright boys, put some space between you two before security comes in with the other fans,” Chrissy said as she stepped up beside them.

With a sad sound, Eddie let go of Steve’s shirt and stepped out of his space. “I’m gonna sit down, care to join me?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows at Steve as he carefully lowered himself onto the couch. With a content groan, Eddie slipped his cane off of his wrist to lay it across his lap, then stretched his leg out in front of him.

Steve quickly sat down with Eddie, even if his mind was immediately in the gutter about it. Eddie smirked at him, as if he could hear Steve’s thoughts, and stretched an arm across the back of the couch behind Steve, letting his fingertips rest gently on Steve’s shoulder.

Looking up at Will, Eddie beamed at him. “Hey, man, you must be Will! I’ve heard you’re a big fan, yeah?” he greeted, and Steve could have sworn the whole room heated up with the force of Will’s blush.

But of course, Will immediately fell into a natural rhythm chatting with Eddie, and soon they were passionately discussing Dungeons & Dragons.

That was when the couch on the other side of Steve dipped with the weight of someone else. Looking over, he was faced with Jeff while Gareth and Grant stayed standing, all of them eying Steve thoughtfully.

“It’s great to finally meet you, Steve,” Jeff said warmly, holding a hand up to offer a handshake. “I’m Jeff, by the way.”

Steve laughed and accepted the handshake. “I know,” he admitted with a shrug. “Eddie talked a lot about you guys, and I watched the videos.”

Gareth laughed. “Oh, I know you have,” he said smugly, and Jeff rolled his eyes.

“Gareth keeps saying he got you and Eddie back together,” Grant explained at Steve’s questioning look. “Because of the Steve Spotting montages.”

Snorting, Steve rolled his eyes. Before he could respond though, the door opened and a handful of fans entered the lounge, all of them bubbling with excitement. Without hesitation, Gareth and Grant crossed the room to start engaging with them, and a few brave fans approached the couch to talk with Jeff. Eventually a fan interjected with Eddie and Will’s conversation (which sounded more like an argument about the validity of experience points versus milestones with leveling up a party), and Eddie changed gears instantly.

It was actually alarming for Steve, and even Will looked a bit taken aback. Eddie was, of course, absolutely pleasant with the person and on the whole, he was engaged with their questions and giving polite answers. But his smile didn’t quite have his dimples, and his entire demeanour shifted to that sultry, almost seductive stage persona. What was wild to Steve is that the fan didn’t even seem phased that Eddie seemed to become a completely different person.

Steve was startled out of his thoughts when someone tapped on his shoulder. Craning his head back, he frowned at the security guard looking down at him sternly.

“You can’t be sitting on the couch with the band members,” the man said quietly, and Steve made a face but decided not to make a scene about it. He would have plenty of time with Eddie later, so it was fine.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Steve said with a pleasant smile, and he started to get up but Eddie’s hand slid down to properly hold his shoulder firmly.

“He’s allowed to be here,” Eddie said, looking back at the security guard with a good-natured smile.

The security guard almost seemed to puff up at that. “Fans can’t be on the couch with you, Mr. Munson, even if you say so,” he said even more sternly, almost condescendingly.

“Eddie, it’s okay—” Steve started, but Eddie just squeezed his shoulder once.

“He’s not a fan,” he said, his eyes flicking to the guard’s badge, before meeting his eyes again. The expression on Eddie’s face was dark, challenging even. “He’s my boyfriend. Leave him alone.”

The security guard jolted back at the same moment Steve turned to look at Eddie with wide eyes. The security guard was apologizing, fumbling through it and Eddie was shooing him away, but all Steve was able to hear was Eddie calling him his boyfriend. Heat filled Steve, and not even just in the sense of lust. He felt warmed all the way to his toes, that maybe this wasn’t just going to be casual and fun, that even for Eddie it was serious.

“Gotta go, love, see you later.”

Remembering that term of endearment from just a few hours before had Steve blushing even more, and maybe grinning like an idiot.

When the security guard walked away, Eddie leaned close to Steve’s ear and said lowly, “I hope that was okay. Sometimes these rent-a-pigs get full of themselves and try to boss us around.”

Steve laughed and nodded. “Yeah, Eds, that was fine,” he replied, and when Eddie pulled back, his expression was so fond and affectionate that Steve wanted to hide from it. Instead, he just smiled and said, “We’ll talk about it more at our date, yeah?”

Eddie just laughed and nodded. “Fuck yeah, we will,” he laughed.

“Is this Steve?” one of the fans nearby asked, and suddenly all the strangers in the lounge whipped around to look directly at Steve. Will snorted, covering his mouth to hide his laughter.

“Hi,” he said weakly the attention, waving jerkily. He blanched when someone lifted their phone as if to take a picture of him, but then his sight was obstructed by Jeff’s head when the man sat carefully in his lap, effectively blocking any pictures anyone tried to take.

“No pics of Stevie, please!” Eddie announced to the room, patting Jeff’s shoulder in thanks. “He’s shy.”

“’M not shy, just not really ready for thirty random people to have pictures of me on their phones,” Steve said quietly, grinning when Eddie and Jeff both laughed.

The group of people all decided to back off when it was clear that Jeff wasn’t going to get out of the way. Soon enough, they were all distracted surrounding Grant and Gareth while they demonstrated some elaborate secret handshake they were making up on the spot.

Eddie patted Jeff on the back. “Alright, man, your work here is done,” he said, making a frustrated noise when Jeff just snuggled in tighter against Steve’s chest. “Dude, thanks but get off my boyfriend’s lap.”

“Nah, I don’t think I will. It’s a comfy lap,” Jeff sighed, tipping his head back to rest on Steve’s shoulder to grin sidelong at him. “You got a problem with me sitting here, Steve?”

With a smirk, Steve wound his arms around Jeff’s waist and said, “Nope, all good, man.”

“Steve,” Eddie whined loudly, which drew the attention of some of the fans again, and they all broke out into a chorus of wailing “Steeeeve”s that had Gareth nearly collapsing to his knees with laughter.

The rest of the meet-and-greet went by relatively uneventfully. Will ended up sitting on the couch across from Eddie and restarted their earlier argument about various DM things, which got a bit rowdy when one of the other fans wandered over and joined the discussion. Eventually, Chrissy returned to the lounge and announced that it was time for anyone to get the autographs they wanted as the boys had to head out shortly.

At that point, Steve got off the couch to make room for the boys, watching them all quickly sign the items that fans handed them. As the fans had their things signed and were ushered out, Steve eyed the security guard from earlier a bit warily as the guard beckoned for Will to leave immediately after getting his stuff signed.

“Just give us a minute, I’m his ride,” Steve called a bit smugly, and the security guard dropped his hand huffily.

Soon enough, it was just Will and him with the band, and Chrissy was gathering them all up to return to the bus. When Eddie stood up, Steve stepped into his space with a little smirk, hooking a finger into his belt loop again.

“Mr. Munson, I was hoping for an autograph,” Steve said quietly, just loud enough for Eddie to hear, batting his eyelashes up at him.

Eddie blinked down at him, his cheeks turning pink before his expression turned hungry. “Did you, now? What’d you want signed, gorgeous?” he asked.

Steve made a show of looking around shyly. “Can’t show you in front of everyone,” he said softly, sweetly even. He couldn’t help the smirk when Eddie’s nostrils flared with his next slow breath in.

“How about you meet me back at my hotel, baby, I’ll give you something better than my autograph,” Eddie suggested, his tone downright guttural he was speaking so low.

Steve pouted. “You know I can’t go back to your hotel,” he whined, and Eddie cursed.

“Then the bus. I’ll wait for you on the bus where we’re parking it. I’ll give you your autograph there,” Eddie corrected, reaching up to cup Steve’s cheek softly.

“I’ll be there, promise,” Steve said as he tilted his face up as if to ask for a kiss. This time, it looked like Eddie was going to give in to the impulse, so Steve grinned and stepped back. Eddie’s gaze was heated and locked on his as Steve walked backward to the door. “See you, Eds.”

Without waiting for his response, Steve turned around and practically dragged Will out of the lounge, giggling almost deliriously.

“So, what were you saying about it not being serious, Steve?” Will asked knowingly, his arms crossed.

“Oh, shut up, Byers. Not a word to Robin,” Steve said breathlessly.

“Already texted her. Literally the moment he called you his boyfriend,” Will said.

“Ugh, traitor,” Steve groused, knowing he would hear so much shit about that the moment he got home.

❖

When Steve arrived at the tour bus, he was nearly shaking with his need to finally touch Eddie. He had parked his own car in the staff parking at the airport and walked to the oversized lot, excitement overcoming a lot of his nerves.

Opening the door, Steve climbed up the steps and found Eddie waiting, leaning against the kitchenette. He was in comfier clothes, a tank top and sweatpants, and Steve’s mouth watered at the sight of Eddie’s cock tenting the front of those pants.

Without a word, Steve crowded into Eddie’s space, pressing his lips and nose under Eddie’s jaw, mouthing at the skin there and tasting the salt of his sweat. Eddie let out a happy groan, wrapping his arms around Steve and grabbing his ass, hauling him in closer as Steve bit and sucked marks into Eddie’s skin.

“You’re so pushy,” Eddie groaned thickly into the air and Steve chuckled, licking a stripe up Eddie’s throat and nibbling on his earlobe.

“You’ve no idea,” Steve whispered before dropping heavily to his knees at Eddie’s feet and pulling at the drawstring of his sweatpants.

Eddie laughed almost incredulously as Steve yanked his clothes out of the way, a hand burying itself in Steve’s hair. “Shit, baby, did you come here with a plan?” he asked, and the sound he made when Steve mouthed at his cock through his boxers would live in Steve’s mind forever.

“Kind of. Just been thinking about getting my mouth on this since this morning,” Steve admitted as he found the head of Eddie’s cock through the fabric and sucked, moaning when the hand in his hair tightened roughly.

“Get to it then, sweetheart,” Eddie managed as he pulled Steve away by his hair, shoving his boxers down off his hips. “Don’t have all night.”

Steve shivered at the bossy tone, spreading his legs as he felt a gush of slick coat his boxers. He was looking up at Eddie’s face, pointedly ignoring the hard cock in front of him, as he asked, “What’s the rush?”

“The band’s operating on a tight schedule, sweet thing,” Eddie replied, smirking down at Steve as he brought back their little game from the lounge.

Steve moaned as a flash of heat lanced through his core and he finally looked down at his prize. The sound that was punched out of Steve was the furthest thing from dignified, but he refused to be embarrassed by it. The video Steve had been treated to that morning did nothing to prepare him for the real thing.

Eddie’s cock wasn’t huge, definitely a very easy length to take into his mouth and throat, but it was still big. More, it was thick in a way that made Steve’s jaw ache just thinking about wrapping his lips around it. Just like the rest of Eddie, his cock was solid and broad, perhaps in a way that most people wouldn’t expect. Lifting a hand up to wrap around it, Steve whined as his middle finger could barely reach his thumb.

“Not even fucking you with it yet, and you’re already singing for me?” Eddie teased, his voice thick with want, and Steve felt dizzy with the mention of being fucked. His cunt and dick throbbed, and he swore he could feel the beginnings of an orgasm already building in his gut.

Instead of answering, Steve took Eddie into his mouth, testing just how deep he could take him in one go. The weight of Eddie on his tongue, the spread of his jaw to accommodate his girth, had Steve groaning around him and pressing forward until he felt close to his gag reflex. Steve’s mouth was so full, and yet he hadn’t taken all of it in. Furrowing his brow, Steve was determined to swallow this perfect, fat cock by the end of the night.

Sliding back slowly, Steve swirled his tongue along the bottom vein and sucked noisily, the sound of it obscenely wet with how much spit was pooling under his tongue. Steve moaned and focused on the head, sucking gently while tonguing the slit to lap up the stream of precum leaking from it. Eddie’s other hand joined the first in Steve’s hair as he let out a low sound, and Steve looked up through his lashes to meet his gaze as he slowly took his cock back into his mouth.

Eddie’s eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open as he panted, soft sounds accompanying each hard exhale. When Steve paused as the head nudged at his soft palate and hummed, Eddie dropped his head back against the cabinet with a hard thud and a proper whimper.

“Fuck, baby, feels so good,” Eddie gasped, and Steve whined at the praise.

Pulling back a bit, Steve took a deep breath and pushed forward, opening his throat and pushing until his nose and lips were buried in the coarse hair at the base of Eddie’s cock. The weight of Eddie in his mouth and throat, the ache in his jaw and the way his throat was constricting, trying to push Eddie out or take him deeper, was intoxicating. Steve didn’t want to pull back off, even as he felt the gag coming, felt his whole body tensing, tears streaming down his cheeks. Choking, Steve finally pulled back, swallowing hard against the dry-heave and gasping for breath as his lips rested against the head of Eddie’s cock.

Looking back up at Eddie, Steve felt pinned by the heated stare he was under, Eddie’s nostrils flared and his mouth wet and red and hanging open with his sounds.

With a desperate sound, Steve went to work, fucking his face on Eddie’s thick cock with an enthusiasm he couldn’t remember ever having about sucking dick. Every few plunges, Steve would gag and choke, but he refused to let it stop him. Steve felt wet everywhere, with tears on his cheeks, spit coating his chin and throat, and his slick soaking through his boxers. It was filthy and perfect, and Steve wanted to add Eddie’s cum to the mess so desperately he buried his nose into the hair at the base again, swallowing around the fat head and not even pulling back when he gagged at first.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on, baby,” Eddie gasped through the litany of sobbing moans, pulling on Steve’s hair until he finally pulled back, his mouth slipping off Eddie’s cock with a wet pop.

“Why are you stopping me?” Steve complained, his voice hoarse in a way that made his own dick twitch.

“Gonna come if you keep that up, baby,” Eddie gasped, reaching up to wipe beads of sweat off his forehead and push his hair back out of his face.

“I want you to come in my throat,” Steve said firmly, his pout relaxing when Eddie groaned.

“Jesus H Christ, you’re really wanting me to come only five minutes in?” Eddie laughed, his face red with his blush.

“Yeah, if it’s in my throat,” Steve repeated, but when he tried to get his mouth on Eddie’s cock again, the hands in his hair stopped him. With a sob, Steve whined, “Eddie, please.”

“Babe, I adore your enthusiasm, holy shit, I’m just—” Eddie paused to take a deep breath, settling down a bit and Steve took that time to try and cool off as well.

“I know I said we didn’t have all night, but that was part of the roleplay, yeah? We absolutely do not need to rush any of this,” Eddie finally said, staring wide-eyed at Steve at his feet.

“Can you get hard again if you come right now?” Steve asked, swallowing and wiping his chin off, trying not to feel too smug when Eddie had to close his eyes and take another calming breath.

“Yeah, I can—it might take a bit, but I can definitely get hard again,” Eddie finally answered, sliding a hand down to hold Steve’s cheek, smearing his thumb through the tears and spit on his skin. “Feel like I’ve been hard for a week.”

“Same,” Steve moaned, fluttering his lashes up at Eddie. “Please, Eds, fuck my mouth on your cock. Want you at the back of my throat when you come, even if I choke on it.”

Eddie took a sharp breath, his hands tightening in Steve’s hair. “You sure, baby?” he asked, and the check-in touched Steve.

Instead of answering with words, Steve opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out a bit, whining softly as he nodded.

This time Eddie dragged Steve forward, feeding him his cock and guiding his head with rough tugs of his hair. Steve was in heaven, his eyes rolling back as he relaxed his throat as much as possible, timing his breaths, and gagging every time he messed up the rhythm. It was perfect, amazing even, and he wrapped an arm around Eddie’s thighs as he lifted the other hand to squeeze and tug gently at Eddie’s balls.

When Eddie sobbed prettily, Steve slid his hand further back to play with his taint, and his hand froze as he felt small metal balls just behind his sac. With a groan, Steve investigated what felt like a short ladder of curved barbells, three of them, down Eddie’s taint. Steve was overwhelmed with the fantasy of feeling them under his tongue, even as he gagged and choked on Eddie’s cock. Curling his finger, Steve rested the length of it along Eddie’s perineum, his knuckle resting just before his hole, and pressed.

The reaction was beautiful.

Eddie practically shouted, his moan a punched-out sob as he threw his head back and dragged Steve’s mouth onto his cock to the hilt. Steve had taken a deep breath, so he worked to keep his throat open around the head of Eddie’s cock while he massaged his taint, pulling all manner of whimpering pleas from the man above him.

With another shattered moan, Eddie shuddered and pulsed against Steve’s tongue, and Steve choked as the first shot hit the back of his throat. Tightening his grip around Eddie’s thighs, Steve didn’t let him pull him back, taking each pump of cum straight down his throat, tears streaming down his face as he gagged again. Needing to breathe, Steve pulled back, and his mouth filled with the rest of Eddie’s hot, salty load.

Eddie let out a whine and dragged Steve back to the hilt before he could swallow, and Steve felt a mouthful of cum and spit spill over his chin and down his throat. He hadn’t been ready for the way Eddie would bottom out again so quickly, so he choked and more of the mess of spit and cum in his mouth splattered in the coarse hair his mouth and nose were pressed into. Eddie didn’t relent, holding Steve there while he whimpered through the aftershocks of his orgasm, his cock slowly softening against Steve’s tongue.

When Steve gagged again, that seemed to snap Eddie out of it and he pulled Steve off of his cock.

Steve gasped desperately, his whole body shaking as he swallowed down a cough. “Holy shit,” he said, or at least tried to but his voice was gone it seemed. Swallowing again, he moaned at the salty aftertaste that coated his tongue, his cunt throbbing with need.

“Jesus Christ, Steve, how is it you never mentioned you give head like you’re fucking made for it?” Eddie panted, his voice high as he swallowed hard, trying to catch his breath.

“Flatterer,” Steve managed to choke out, blushing.

“Steve, you just sucked my soul out of my cock, don’t be fucking modest,” Eddie laughed, lifting his hands to dig the heels of his palms into his eyes. “We didn’t even make it to my bunk, Steve. I had everything set up, then you came in here and got on your knees like the perfect wet dream you are, and you’re gonna act like you don’t know exactly how good you are?”

Steve was beside himself at the praise, his dick so hard against his soaked boxers he could hardly stand it.

When Eddie finally looked back down at him, he let out a soft moan and Steve could see his cock give a valiant twitch. Steve preened under the implied praise, sliding his fingers up through the mess cooling on his throat and chin and sucking them into his mouth. It was filthy, and if it wasn’t for the hunger that darkened Eddie’s expression, Steve would’ve been embarrassed for doing it at all.

“We need to get horizontal if we wanna keep going, Stevie,” Eddie gasped, and Steve noticed for the first time how much Eddie’s leg was shaking.

“Oh, shit, sorry—” Steve started, his face growing hot.

“Do not apologize for giving me literally the best orgasm in my entire life,” Eddie interrupted, and Steve grabbed his leg and slung it over his shoulder. “Fuck, baby, see there you are being sweet and shit—why are you still down there anyway, big boy?”

“Honestly, I’m so fucking wet right now, I’m afraid to move,” Steve admitted, but it was only partially true. He mostly just liked looking up at Eddie when he was like that, soft with post-orgasm bliss and blushing.

“Jesus, you can’t just say that shit to me—I need you to get into my bunk while I sort my brain out. Through the curtain there, bottom one on the left,” Eddie said in a rush, covering his eyes again while he took a deep breath.

Smirking, Steve carefully slipped away and disappeared behind the curtain. He could hear Eddie muttering to himself back near the kitchenette—“He has to be a demon, an incubus or something, he can’t actually be real.”—and Steve couldn’t help his self-satisfied grin. Eddie hadn’t said anything about how he wanted Steve, so he quickly stripped out of his clothes, using his shirt to wipe off his chin a bit, before crawling into Eddie’s bunk. As a final touch, Steve closed the privacy curtains on the bunk and lounged back, spreading his legs lewdly.

As he heard Eddie shuffle through the curtain to the bunks and start removing his own clothes, Steve laced his fingers behind his head and arched his back, spreading his legs even wider and tipping his head back to look at the ceiling of the bunk.

“Why’d you close the curtain, Ste-eeve oh my God.”

Steve looked down his nose at Eddie who had just opened the curtains and was halfway in the bunk. His eyes were tracking the line of Steve’s body, his cheeks turning pink as they landed and froze on his cunt.

“See something you like, Eds?” Steve asked sweetly, lowering his hand to run two fingers along the slit of his hole, separating the lips and shaking as he felt more slick trickle out. Framing his dick with his fingers, he gently squeezed and tugged, shuddering with a soft moan.

Eddie clambered into the bunk, barely reacting when he very obviously hit his own head on the top of the opening. Before Steve could react fully, Eddie was on his stomach between his legs, using his face to push Steve’s hand out of the way. As Steve pulled his hand back, Eddie strained upward and caught his fingers in his mouth, sucking them deep and groaning.

Breathlessly, Steve pushed them as deep as he could without gagging Eddie, pressing down on his tongue when Eddie’s eyes rolled back with a moan. That was very interesting, and Steve would be happy to investigate that another time. Gently, he pulled his fingers out of Eddie’s mouth and buried them in his hair, firmly guiding Eddie’s face between his legs.

Without hesitation, Eddie took Steve’s dick into his mouth with a filthy moan, sucking on it gently, sweetly even. Steve arched his back again as pleasure shot through his gut, his thighs squeezing around Eddie’s head a bit. Sighing, Steve crossed his ankles on Eddie’s back, both hands in his hair to keep him in place.

From the blissed-out expression on Eddie’s face, Steve didn’t think he actually had to work that hard to keep him right there, sucking and licking messily at his dick. 

Steve knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it, sighing at the heavy-lidded and dazed look that overcame Eddie’s blushing face. Eddie’s brow furrowed and he whined as he ran his tongue around his dick, then focused his efforts on the hood.

Steve arched sharply with a cry when Eddie worked the hood back and teased Steve’s frenulum with his tongue. At his cry, Eddie whimpered and doubled his efforts, opening his eyes lazily to meet Steve’s gaze, his expression hazy.

“Fuck, Eds, feels so good,” Steve sighed, breathless as his release gently built. Sighing happily, Eddie dropped his chin a bit to lap into Steve’s cunt before returning to his dick.

Grunting, Eddie shifted his weight on his elbows and lifted his mouth a bit. “S’okay if I finger you?” he asked and Steve nodded almost frantically.

“You can absolutely finger me, Eds,” he groaned, biting his lip as Eddie pressed two fingers inside.

Eddie’s fingers were thicker than Steve’s, so two of them caused a bit of a stretch that had him whining and spreading his legs. Something seemed to snap between them, and Eddie turned his face to bite and suck several marks into the soft skin of Steve’s inner thigh. Steve groaned as he did, rocking his hips to fuck himself on Eddie’s fingers, shuddering when the man pressed a third finger inside him.

Moaning breathlessly, Steve blinked hazily down at Eddie, startling when their gazes locked while Eddie mouthed his way down Steve’s thigh. He scraped his teeth along the way, teasing with soft bites before marking him up with a dark hickey. Steve was beside himself, tears springing to his eyes as he rocked desperately down onto the fingers fucking into him.

Then Eddie crooked his fingers perfectly into Steve’s g-spot and he cried out sharply, arching off the bed with babbled nonsense, mostly praise and pleas for more and “right there, Eds, don’t stop, God, please don’t stop.”

With a chuckle, Eddie went to pull his fingers out and Steve reached down to grab his wrist, so quickly that he seemed to actually startle the man.

“Why’re you stopping?” Steve asked, breathless with his want, desperately on the edge and shaking with his need to come. “I didn’t tease you,” he added with a pout, and Eddie laughed.

“Stevie, I’m just—I’m so fucking hard again, I was just gonna adjust myself,” Eddie explained, and Steve groaned, tipping his head back and letting go of Eddie’s wrist.

“Sorry, just—fuck, I’m so close,” Steve complained, throwing his arm over his eyes while he waited for Eddie’s fingers to return.

“All good, gorgeous,” Eddie hummed, turning his face to mark Steve’s other thigh up as he slid his fingers back into Steve’s cunt. “Good to know you’re a brat when you’re being edged,” he murmured against Steve’s skin.

“Not a brat,” Steve argued, but his petulance was short-lived when Eddie found his g-spot and worked it relentlessly with his fingertips.

Steve couldn’t help the loud, sharp cries that exploded from his throat as Eddie fucked his fingers in and out of him, finding his sweet spot on every slide in, his accuracy terrible and perfect. With both hands in Eddie’s hair, Steve dragged him back onto his dick, grinding it up into Eddie’s mouth when the man immediately began to suck it perfectly.

Eddie’s wicked tongue flicked at the head before slipping under the hood and caressing his frenulum again at the same time he massaged Steve’s g-spot, earning himself noises that could only be described as screams. Steve’s orgasm was barreling forward, his stomach tense and cunt squeezing around Eddie’s fingers, and Eddie wasn’t slowing down. The sounds Eddie’s mouth was making on Steve’s dick, his fingers inside Steve’s cunt, were obscene in how wet it all was.

Then Eddie nipped at Steve’s dick and the flash of almost-pain made him gasp, his cunt pulsing out another gush of slick. With a growly chuckle, Eddie did it again and Steve threw his head back, sobbing through his orgasm as his thighs clamped down hard around Eddie’s head.

Even though he came, Eddie didn’t stop, almost didn’t even seem to register that Steve came with the way he kept going against his g-spot, nipping and sucking his dick with even more determination. Steve shook under the attention, another release building quickly on the aftershocks of the first, his moans coming out in shattered whimpers. He knew his hands in Eddie’s hair must be painful, but Eddie didn’t complain, just sucked and bit at his dick happily, rutting against the bed with a moan of his own.

When Steve came again, he arched so sharply he nearly sat up, practically wailing into the heated air of the bunk. Tears were streaming down his face as he convulsed with each wave of his release, sobbing when Eddie still didn’t stop, his eyes gazing up the length of his body. It was too much—the mouth, the fingers, Eddie’s big brown eyes looking up at him, watching him shake and cry and beg—but Steve couldn’t bring himself to stop it either.

Steve babbled for mercy, pleading with Eddie while holding his pretty mouth against his dick, fingers tangled viciously in his long curls.

Eddie chuckled against him and shifted his weight on his elbows. The fingers in Steve’s cunt withdrew, and he whined shakily as his cunt grasped desperately around nothing. Then Steve felt pressure against his ass, just enough to get his attention.

When Steve looked down at Eddie, eyes wild and entire body shaking, Eddie swiveled his finger around Steve’s hole questioningly. “S’okay?” he mumbled against Steve’s dick, and despite his earlier pleas, Steve was nodding desperately.

Eddie wasted no time pressing one thick, long finger inside, the slide smooth with the slick from his cunt, but just barely wet enough. Fucking the finger in and out, Eddie bullied a second one in, winding Steve with the slightly painful stretch. With two thick fingers in Steve’s ass, Eddie pulled away from his dick to shove three fingers of his other hand into Steve’s empty cunt.

With a sob, Steve rocked his hips down onto Eddie’s fingers, shuddering at the smoothness of the fingers in his cunt and the rough drag of the fingers in his ass.

“Let’s get you nice and stretched out,” Eddie murmured, mostly to himself, and pushed the third wet finger into his hole.

It hurt, deliciously so, and Steve threw his head back with a pitiful sob. He was so close to coming, even with the aching stretch in his ass, almost especially because of the stretch, and he could barely breathe with it.

With that, Eddie lowered his mouth to rest around Steve’s dick, doing nothing for a moment. Then he spread his fingers slightly at the same moment the digits in his cunt crooked up, and his teeth scraped across the head of his dick.

Steve came nearly silently that time, his eyes rolling back as his breath got caught between a hiss and a groan. When he came back to himself, he was letting out little gasping sobs with each wave of his orgasm, both hands shoving at Eddie’s head as the pleasure became jagged momentarily. Eddie smugly pulled away, grinning up at him as Steve rocked his hips down onto the fingers still inside him, whimpering and crying as he came down.

“Eddie, please, need a break—” Steve gasped, and he whined at how empty he was when Eddie pulled his fingers out of both holes. “Holy fuck.”

“You can say that again,” Eddie laughed, his hair a wild mess from Steve’s hands and his chin shiny with his slick.

Steve was struck with the need to lick that mess up and kiss the man that made him feel so good he might as well have been floating. With a jolt, Steve realized they hadn’t kissed yet this whole time, and he whined softly. He had to fix that immediately.

“C’mup here,” he practically sobbed, and Eddie acquiesced instantly.

The moment Eddie’s face was level with his, Steve began laying open-mouthed kisses along Eddie's chin and cheeks, lapping up his mess and dodging Eddie’s lips. Finally, Steve couldn’t tease any longer and, holding Eddie’s face with both hands, pulled Eddie into a hungry, gasping kiss.

It was perfect, literally everything Steve had dreamed their first kiss would be and more. With Eddie on top of him, nestled between Steve’s shivering thighs and melting into him, Steve couldn’t think of a better way for that moment to be happening.

Steve sobbed against Eddie’s mouth as the man licked past his lips, meeting his questing tongue as he wrapped his legs around Eddie’s waist. With a groan, Eddie rocked his thick cock against Steve’s hip, dragging another wanton sound from Steve. He wanted that length inside him, he wanted to feel the stretch of that cock against the walls of his cunt, wanted to feel hollowed out by it. Steve needed to feel the heat of Eddie’s release inside him.

“Fuck me,” Steve whined against Eddie’s mouth, moving his hips to try and position Eddie’s cock, but he couldn’t get the angle right. “Please, Eds, want it—”

Groaning, Eddie pulled back. “Okay, slow down, let’s just take a deep breath for a second,” he suggested, and Steve froze underneath him, afraid he misinterpreted something at some point. Picking up on Steve’s budding anxiety, Eddie said, “I just need a drink really quick, maybe wash my hands. I will gladly fuck you into this mattress, baby. Been dreaming of doing just that since, like mid-May.”

Steve laughed sheepishly, unwinding his legs from around Eddie’s waist and letting him get up. “Okay, that’s—yeah, maybe cooling down for a second makes sense,” he admitted, his thighs still shaking from his own earth-shattering orgasms just a few minutes before.

Eddie was quick with washing up, and he brought two plastic bottles of water back to the bunk, handing one to Steve who drank his gratefully. When Eddie reached into a drawer underneath his bed and pulled out a strip of condoms, Steve frowned but quickly looked away to school his expression into something less selfish. If Eddie preferred to use a condom, that was fine. Steve wasn’t about to pitch a fit over a guy valuing safe sex.

“Hey, wait, what was that?”

Steve jumped when Eddie turned his face back toward him, frowning teasingly.

“What?” Steve asked, closing his water bottle and fiddling with it in his lap.

“You looked all disappointed. What’s up?” Eddie asked, cupping Steve’s face gently in his hands. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

“It’s nothing, it’s just—I was—fuck this is so hard to say out loud when I’m not too horny to fucking think,” Steve complained, screwing his eyes shut as he blurted out, “I got really excited thinking about you coming inside me, so when I saw the condoms I just—the condoms are fine, we can absolutely use one, I was just briefly a little sad, and—”

“Holy shit, Stevie, I only grabbed the condoms because I didn’t want to assume you’d be cool with that, or there weren’t any, y’know, risks,” Eddie said, and Steve dropped his hand to smirk at him.

“Risks?” Steve asked, enjoying the way Eddie blushed.

“The last guy with a pussy that I fucked could still get knocked up if we weren’t careful, so yeah, y’know, risks,” Eddie said in a rush, scrubbing the back of his neck.

Steve smiled and reached forward to bury his hand in Eddie’s hair, pulling him in for a slow, sweet kiss. With a sigh, Steve slowly laid back in the bunk, coaxing Eddie on top of him and back between his legs. Groaning softly, Steve pulled away to meet Eddie’s eyes heatedly.

“No risk of that with me, promise,” Steve said quietly as he reached down between them to position the head of Eddie’s cock against the wet seam of his cunt. With a mischievous smirk, Steve added, “Happy to let you fuck me raw as often as you want, though. Try and make it stick?”

Eddie groaned and dropped his head onto Steve’s shoulder. “Fuck, baby, you can’t just say shit like that,” he practically whimpered before kissing and nipping Steve’s collarbone.

Sighing, Steve stroked Eddie’s cock, the head of it pressed against his entrance and driving him insane. With a shuddering sigh, Eddie’s hips rocked forward and the tip of his cock slid inside.

Steve wasn’t tight by any means, but it had been a while since Steve had taken an actual cock, and he didn’t use thick toys when he took care of himself. That all said, even though Steve wasn’t tight, Eddie was still thick, so the stretch wasn’t possible to ignore.

Breathing through it, Steve clutched at Eddie’s back and whimpered as Eddie rocked his hips forward, sliding inside inch by inch.

After a few moments of that, Eddie lifted his head to kiss Steve deeply, licking into his mouth and swallowing his soft sounds at each short slide inside him. Humming, Eddie tipped his head to sing directly into his ear, “Let the Devil in…”

Steve jolted at the singing, feeling his cunt grow slicker at hearing Eddie’s singing so close to his ear. Not only that but he recognized the lyrics as being from one of Eddie’s songs.

“Fuck, Eds, I’m trying,” Steve whined, dropping his head back on the pillow.

Grunting, Eddie asked, “Does it hurt?”

Steve considered the question and shook his head, gasping as Eddie rocked a little deeper. “N-no, it’s not.”

“Alright, let me know if this is too much,” Eddie said thickly, and with a soft whine, Eddie snapped his hips forward, hilting hard and fast against the lips of Steve’s cunt.

Steve arched up against Eddie with a punched-out cry, going cross-eyed at how full he suddenly felt. Eddie didn’t give him much of a chance to recover his full brain capacity before he set a brutal pace.

It was intense, the way Eddie moved against him, grunting with each slap of his hips against Steve’s core, his cock fucking Steve deep and perfect. The sounds of Eddie’s cock sliding in and out of his cunt had Steve blushing all the way to his chest. Again, everything sounded so wet and messy, and if Steve had the ability to care he would be embarrassed about it.

As it was, Steve was too busy trying to catch his breath, his moans coming out in short little cries with every plunging thrust into his core while Eddie sucked marks into the skin of his throat.

“Eds,” Steve sobbed, clutching at Eddie’s back as the man hissed and fucked him harder, faster. “Eddie, please.”

“Please, what, gorgeous?” Eddie asked breathlessly, lifting his head to kiss Steve deeply, pressing their tongues together before Steve could answer.

They gasped into each other’s mouths for what felt like hours while Eddie’s hips pounded against him, his thick cock spearing his cunt in an almost punishing pace. Steve whimpered as the coil of his release pulled taut in his gut, his toes curling with the impending force of it.

“Eddie, so close,” he managed to sob, the words muddled around Eddie’s tongue, his breath hitching with each hard push inside him. “Eddie, please, please, please.”

“What do you need, baby?” Eddie grunted, whimpering as he shuddered above Steve, his body shaking with his own approaching orgasm.

“Your hand—my dick, please, Eds, please,” Steve gasped desperately, his eyes rolling back as Eddie pushed all the way in and stopped moving.

With a low groan, Eddie propped himself on one hand above Steve, keeping himself hilted inside his cunt as he got a hand between them to work Steve’s dick between two fingers.

Steve stared up at Eddie, watching him as he loomed above him and focused on getting him off, his eyes closed and kiss-reddened mouth hanging open and panting. Eddie’s curls hung around his face in damp, sweaty ringlets, swinging with the frantic motions of his arm while he dragged Steve closer and closer to his release. Slowly Eddie’s eyes opened to meet his, his gaze hooded and heavy. Eddie refused to look away, as if he wanted to watch the moment Steve came undone, wanted to see him fall apart at the seams.

And who was Steve to deny him that?

With a broken sob, Steve arched off the bed, nails dragging across Eddie’s back as his cunt clenched almost painfully around the cock sitting deep inside him. The sound Eddie let loose was guttural, something Steve almost felt more than he heard, and soon Eddie was moving.

Eddie fucked him, harder and faster than before, driving into Steve’s spasming, wet hole with brutal thrusts that punched little, gasping screams out of him. It dragged his orgasm out, making Steve feel like it would never end, like Eddie was about to keep him there in that blissful, sensitive, painful place until he died.

Then Eddie’s rhythm stuttered, the thrusts growing erratic against him and Steve forced his eyes open. Eddie had hung his head, in a way that hid his face behind his curtain of hair, and Steve couldn’t have that.

Whining, Steve grabbed Eddie’s face, tilting it back up and pushing his hair out of the way. Eddie’s expression was soft, so needy and beautiful that Steve felt close to tears. Steve stroked his cheek with a thumb, and Eddie sighed, turning his head to kiss Steve’s palm softly.

The way Steve’s heart stuttered in his chest at that sweet gesture had tears springing to Steve’s eyes.

“Come for me, Eds, please, wanna feel it,” Steve murmured, breathless as Eddie’s eyes rolled back and his cock settled deep inside him one last time.

Steve moaned thickly as he felt the warm bloom of Eddie’s release inside him, Eddie letting out those perfect whimpers with each hot pulse into Steve’s cunt.

With a shaky breath, Eddie pulled out and flopped onto the mattress beside Steve, gasping for breath. Steve swallowed thickly around his own heavy breathing and looked over at him, smiling shyly when he found Eddie staring at him.

“How are you real?” Eddie asked, his voice awed and impossibly soft, as if they hadn’t been fucking like animals for what felt like hours.

“Could ask you the same thing, Eds,” Steve replied, rolling onto his side and shivering as he felt some of Eddie’s load trickle out of him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been fucked that good.”

Eddie laughed out loud at that, wiggling close to kiss Steve sweetly. “Same,” he agreed in a little whisper before a yawn overtook him. “Fuck, I’m sorry, the night’s catching up to me.”

Steve laughed and pulled away, reaching over the side of the bed to grab his boxers and slip them back on. “Let’s get you to bed then,” Steve said with a bright smile, even as exhaustion tugged at him too.

The two of them got dressed again, Eddie letting Steve borrow a shirt since his own had been thoroughly wrecked earlier. They got distracted a couple times when they would kiss each other and make-out a bit, but overall they managed to get dressed without any incidents. Even when Steve shivered at the sensation of Eddie’s cum trickling out of him and answered honestly when Eddie asked him what was up.

“Fuck, if I was able to get it up again tonight…” Eddie trailed off before kissing Steve soundly and pulling away.

Steve walked Eddie most of the way back to the hotel, holding his hand with their fingers tangled together. It felt perfect, natural even, walking with Eddie and holding hands, and it broke Steve’s heart to stop short of reaching the lobby.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Eddie asked quietly, almost shyly as he wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist and pulled him close.

“Yeah, of course,” Steve replied with a grin, winding his arms around Eddie’s neck and pulling him in for a soft, chaste kiss. “Wouldn’t miss our actual date,” he teased, and Eddie laughed loudly.

“Holy fuck, we actually did everything backwards, huh?” he said, laughing again when Steve nodded.

“Yeah, we kinda did. But I don’t mind, if you don’t,” Steve replied, and Eddie beamed at him.

“Not at all,” Eddie agreed before leaning in for a searching kiss, stealing the breath from Steve’s lungs.

[ NEXT ]

[ READ ON AO3 ]

Thank you so much for reading! Please consider reblogging! Taglist! @patchworkgargoyle, @kazalohiku, @ent-is-indecisive, @steddierthings, @xenon-demon, @mylilplanet, @hellion-child, @scarcrossdlvrs, @steddieas-shegoes, @plskillmemrghostface, @theheadlessphilosopher, @scoops-stevie, @bangarangdarling, @inairbinad, @stobinesque, @2btheanswertothequestion, @starryeyedjanai, @spookednsaucy, @honeysucklesinger, @indigohightide, @afewproblems, @mightbeasleep, @thegingerrapunzel, @pluckedstrings, @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx, @steddie-there Join the taglist by reblogging and expressing interest in keeping up in the tags or reblog comments!!!

#steddie #steve x eddie #steve/eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie fic #peace of mind #gerry writes

[vitaminseetarot]

PAC: Lunar Eclipse - General Messages

Sup y'all, I'm back for the second round of my PAC marathon happening before the end of October! I wanted to pull some guidance from this lunar eclipse season, especially since it's felt very energetically heavy since the last full moon. All three piles are going through some stage of great transformation taking place -- just in time for Scorpio season.

To assist me, I've consulted three red dragons, known in the deck as Watcher dragons, to help you choose your reading. I like Universal Dragon oracle as an "energy" deck by embodying the traits each dragon represents through meditation practice, and these red dragons specialize in guiding through important life transitions. If you prefer to choose intuitively by color, I've also added three gemstones for your piles below:

Pile 1, Knowledge Dragon + Cherry Quartz Pile 2, Awakening Dragon + Lepidolite Pile 3, Emergence Dragon + Lapis Lazuli

Pile 1: Knowledge Dragon + Cherry Quartz

Supermoon, 21. Venus, 5. Heart Healing, Alcalb: Poison and Medicine, 4 of Cups, 2 of Wands, VI Lovers, King of Pentacles, XX Judgement

Please be gentle with yourself at this time, pile 1. You're in need of a soothing kind of support. This could be a turbulent time to deal with purging out any negativity from your past. You may get reminders of some old issues which return out of nowhere to grab your attention. Even if occasional, you may need to remind yourself that you will be okay.

Be open with giving yourself comfort, or letting others baby you a little bit when you're feeling down. The King of Pentacles could be you or someone else, but this is the profile of somebody who is generous and aims to please. Embodying Venusian energy, this King wants you to feel at rest and does not mind offering tasty fruit or a warm blanket to cheer you up. Sitting next to the Four of Cups, it may be emphasizing that you need to allow yourself the chance to receive this care.

If your issue is related to a partnership, going out and spending time with friends or even on your own may be a better way to take it easy, instead of trying to work out anything now. This is not the exact time or place to be settling out bigger issues in your relationships unless it's urgent. They'll show up on their own time anyway. This reading wants to focus on maintaining your emotional well being. If this is not relationship but involves a situation in the present, then step away as much as you can and be as kind and patient with yourself as possible.

The key here is to maintain self awareness when these strong emotions move through you, that's what the Knowledge dragon wants you to know. "Knowing is half the battle." There may be a strong pull to making the kind of choices that can lead to major growth in your life path, but although new events and alliance are waiting ahead of you, the lunar eclipse is a golden opportunity to just purge and completely release whatever trauma based feelings are trying to hold you back.

You could be particularly affected by the phases and placements of the moon. Check your natal chart to see and compare the transiting moon with yours, see how the moon makes contact with other planets as it moves through each of the signs. If you're interested in brushing up your studies, whether astronomy or astrology, this is a very good time to glean a lot more insight than normal. It's easier to learn lessons when you're in a state of ease.

(extra note: I see multiple fruits in your pile: the apple stained glass, cherry quartz, pomegranate, and the berries the blue jays are holding. Fruits can be a reference to eating healthy snacks, or an emphasis on romance. These mood swings may feel intense, but they will yield fruit for you. Please take it how it resonates for you.)

Pile 2: Awakening Dragon + Lepidolite

Full Moon Sagittarius, 15. Retrograde, 6. Freedom, Aldebaran: Destruction and Rejection, Knight of Wands, 6 of Cups, 8 of Wands, 9 of Swords, 8 of Swords

Hey pile 2, you picked one of my favorite cards in this dragon deck! I love how the light in the tree hollow resembles a portal. The energy of the Retrograde card looks to be the very opposite: all the colors of nature are drained, and all that's left are structures of near perfect symmetry and order. It's almost like you're the figure in the Retrograde card who's actually looking back and choosing to leave behind the old structure for the new and unknown with nervous enthusiasm., but not without wistfulness.

This is something you've likely sensed would happen and now that the predicted situation is at hand, things must change quickly to adjust. It reminds me of movies where the character is watching something like a building fall or a ship sink, but they have an escape pod where they can be safe with family. In these movies, the character always takes another look back to remember all the good and bad times that made it so special. The character wants to stay in that space forever until the others shout "c'mon! Hurry up!"

It's understandable that when we sense a big change is underway, we take time out to appreciate the good times had. There's a difference, though, between simply being nostalgic by enjoying memories, and the fear based resistance of walking towards whatever lies ahead. You may have recently gone through a deep shadow work period where some of your anxieties were brought to light and dealt with. You're nearing the end of this difficult cycle, however, so give yourself the chance to breathe a little before moving on.

When the next chapter comes, it may happen rather quickly. That's why the Six of Cups and Lepidolite want you to take a step back just a little and heal your more gentle, imaginative, fun loving side. Read an old comic book or bake cookies, surround yourself with familiar things. This will allow you to be more flexible and resilient about encountering anything that comes next, instead of feeling worn out.

You're at a place now where you're ready to let go of an old cycle, one that kept you feeling a little stuck in the dark. Some balance is needed. Enjoying pieces of the past does not mean getting mired in it and unable to progress. If anything, sometimes it's necessary to take a step back to move two steps forward, like when we watch a movie twice and see new things we hadn't noticed during the first watch. Bring the best from the past with you. When the time is right, don't be afraid to not run, not walk, but to step carefully into the portal.

Pile 3: Emergence Dragon + Lapis Lazuli

South Node, 8. Scorpio, 2. Understanding, Atlas: Guidance and Discovery, XX Judgement, VII Chariot, 4 of Wands, Knight of Swords, XV Devil

Overwhelmingly, pile 3, I'm seeing that you're getting the green light to go ahead and embark on your next path. Notice all the teal color in your oracle cards? It's a popular color in hospitals as it provides a gentle contrast to healing that could be painful and frightening for patients. I initially imagined someone wading through a dark sewer only to approach the light of the other side. In the Understanding card, you can see that the hooded figure is walking over the stream and not in it. It's as if the bridge appeared out of nowhere. And the water looks pure and flowing smooth.

Something in your external world may be pushing you along to your next journey, whether or not you're entirely ready. What is it you would like to do, or where is it you would like to go next? I feel with the Judgement card, it's talking about a specific issue or event in your life. It's less a case of throwing darts to see what will stick and more of following the path that aligns with your true self. Your life is leading you to your life path with two thumbs up.

It's as if Judgement as a card represented an intersection, where many roads of various directions diverge into one area. You must put your turn signal on and indicate where you plan to proceed next. The sooner you can get clear on which road to take, the faster your next chapter will roll out. Just make sure you're using the right signal.

The biggest hurdle to overcome will be the ever present comfort zone. A comfort zone is not something to be fought. It's a necessary part of keeping up with the body and mind. Imagine constantly taking in novel material? That's what babies do, and they speak in gurgles 'cause they can hardly stand that everything is so new! It can be overwhelming.

People aren't always meant to push themselves to miserable exhaustion like Atlas just because a life of being more relaxed and certain seems boring and less fulfilling. But at the same time, we must learn to expand past what we know and love to something fresh and exciting. Whatever goal you're seeking to start or resolve, the light is green and you have the right of way. Spend time getting clear on your choices. But don't hold back anymore!

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2023, @VitaminseeTarot ™

#tarotblr #tarot #tarot community #general reading #pac #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a pile #psychic readings #pick an image #pick a crystal #dragon reading #oracle #oracle cards #lunar eclipse #tarot cards #astro tarot #tarot reading #tarotcommunity #divination #tarot deck #intuitive #intuitive reading #vitaminseetarot #vitaminsee

[chiocchi]

What is your process for creating comics?

I love your art and the stories you tell <3

Thank you! ❤️

To be honest, it's a messy process and I don't recommend it lkdjsalkdjas

The idea

You know, those prompt that live inside your head and you daydream about it. I get inspiration by the things I watch, things that happen in my life and things I'm into at the moment. Which it's dangerous because I could lose interest in the thing that inspired the story and then it becomes a wip forever... And I write those ideas and snippets in my phone.

2. The script

The ideas and snippets in my phone become a coherent script. Sometimes I add descriptions of how I want to draw the scene or what expression the characters have. I do this by chapter. When a chapter is defined and with an outline, I go to the next stage. I don't worry about the future chapters lsdjakldj

3. The doodling

I actually make doodles of the panels in my notebook. I even add the dialogue planned so I can get a feeling of how it's going to look like at the end. In this stage I make changes in the script and dialogue, delete scenes if I get a better idea or realize it's too much work, decide what I want in the panel so it conveys feelings better (Do I show his entire face or just his eyes?). I don't think about composition, it's more about the vibes

4. The sketching

I make a new file and I start sketching the doodles. Sometimes I make changes lkajsdklas nothing is set in stone. So it's a loose sketch but I add the dialogue to get a feeling of how all the panels look together. I usually sketch 3 pages before going to the next stages (lineart and coloring) because if I sketch the whole chapter, I get overwhelmed.

5. Lineart, detested

I make the lineart. I have no comments, it's boring. I look for references here.

6. Coloring, beloved

It's the fun part! I take the opportunity to experiment stuff and try to find ways to be more efficient.

7. Beta

I update the script with all the changes, I try to make it more readable and less messy, and then I send it to my beta so they can correct my grammar and stuff because I don't trust my English (love you, Amanda).

8. Final touches

I make the corrections and export the pages. Because the way I work, sometimes the transitions of the pages look awkward, and I try to correct that too. I always leave the cover to the last and it is at this moment that I make it (when i'm tired)

9. Posting!

I usually reply to the previous comments before posting (I'm sorry to all people I haven't reply to because I haven't posted and now it's too awkward... I love you). But yeah, that's basically everything.

#asks #wip #my process

[majestichyuk]

Second Try

Pairing :- Johnny x fem!reader

Summary:- All she wanted was a good first date, and the least the other party could have done so well, was be there. 

Genre:- fluff, kinda angsty, strangers to friends (can be something more if you use ur imagination ;) 

Wc :- 1.6k

WARNING ⚠️:- NONE

NOTES: - it may be a little cringy or rushed idk, but it probably is lol. This is my first fic so critique is always accepted, I can improve. Wanted to write something and this was the idea, something cute. Anyway, hope you like it. Don’t be afraid to interact. 🙂 LIKE, FOLLOW & REBLOG.

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The light breeze blew against the rainy night, delicate drops of rain damping the side of my shoulder uncovered from the tiny umbrella. Nervousness is an understatement for how I'm feeling, I haven't been out as much and don’t put much energy into seeking a companion.

Today is different from my normal routine, other than going home from a long day of work to relax and prepare my dinner for the night I went into my closet and dug out all the repeated fits I’ve worn. Finally, I set my palm on a nicely wrapped box with a bow on it given to me by my mother who recently transitioned into an angel. She told me to wear it on a special occasion, the day I think will change my life, and today felt like that day.

I met the guy after my shift was done from work, he stopped me on my way home to ask for directions to a certain place. I don’t normally do this, but he felt like he could bring happiness to my dull life, we talked every day after that, but he wasn’t the best at conversations, he mostly talked about himself but It’s okay cause it’s better than being alone.

I don’t own a car yet, so I caught the bus on my way there. We agreed to meet at a peaceful little restaurant called ANL Cafe that recently opened. I've never been there so I was excited when he suggested it.

Wrapping the dainty jacket around me tightly I came out of the bus and walked towards the Cafe. The rain started to pour down a little more, so I quickened my step and eventually entered the warm environment. Shaking the water from out the umbrella I closed it and placed it in the provided bucket inside the cafe.

I saw an empty seat close to the window wall. I took my jacket off and placed it on the back of the seat. Before I sat, I looked around to see if I saw him but ended up with no luck.

“Maybe I came too early,” I said, a little unsure if that was the case. I checked my phone to look back at the conversation we had on the time we should meet here, and I was exactly on time.

I brushed it off and waited, there’s nothing wrong with being a few minutes late.

“Hello there, and welcome to ANL Cafe! What can I get for you today?” an overexcited employee greeted me with such enthusiasm, that I found it cute.

"Hi, I'm actually waiting on someone, but a glass of water would be nice," I assured him as I gave a polite smile, which he quickly returned.

"A glass of water, coming right up!" He winked at me with a cheeky smile and left to return a minute later with the glass in hand.

"Here you are, ANL's finest tapped water," he laughed at his joke, and I couldn't muster up the strength to not laugh as well.

"Thank You..." I looked at his name tag. "Jaemin?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, that is correct, is there anything else I could get for you?" Jaemin politely asked but I shook my head, so he bowed and walked away.

15 minutes passed and I still don't see any signs of him showing up after calling and messaging him a couple of times with no response. I wasn't overly excited about moving to the next stage of our relationship, but I assumed that If I gave it a try, I wouldn't regret it, but the more I sat here and thought about it the more disappointed I became with myself. 

There wasn't much of a spark between us, but I settled for it because he wasn't a bad guy, he was quite respectful and sweet but if I'm being honest, he's a 20% type of guy, a choice made in the moment, an open opportunity taken. 

Many would have gotten up and left after probably 10 minutes but after the half an hour mark hit, I decided to order my food and treat myself. I exchange words with Jaemin here and there, he's sweet and he also told me he's working for his older brother because he looks up to him and I thought that was quite admirable. 

After I paid for my meal, I left the cafe and surprisingly the rain was still falling. I took up my umbrella, put on my jacket, and headed back outside.

I found a nearby bus stand and the seat was shockingly dry. I sat down and waited for the bus to arrive. 

I see a figure at the corner of my eye as they sit beside me but not too close. I kept my head straight, not daring to look in their direction. 

"It's raining quite a lot, isn't it?" The gentleman beside me asked in such a soothing and deep tone.

"Yea...I guess" I replied quite uneased, wondering why he was trying to start a conversation with me.

I looked at my side to see he braced his head on the headrest, looking up at the bus stop roofing, with a hat and umbrella in his left and right hand. 

"Would be nice to be at home right now cuddled up in my bedsheet with this weather, you know?" He turned his head to look at me with a look in his eyes that had me more intrigued than I actually wanted to be.

"You're not wrong," I scoffed "I'd rather be there more than anything right now,".

"So why aren't you there?" He asked me and seemed more interested then as he turned his body towards me. 

"If you don't mind me asking, that is," he reassured me so that I wouldn't feel pressured, but I brushed it off.

"It's fine really, I was actually supposed to be on a date with a guy I have been talking to for 3 weeks now, but he stood me up, so I had my dinner and left," I laughed a little when I saw the concerned expression on his face.

"Don't pity me, I'm okay, really, I'm actually happy he didn't show up," I looked up at the bright stars peeking through the dark clouds of the rainy night. He did the same and relaxed in the seat.

Silence took over us as the windy breeze passed by.

"I'm Johnny by the way," he put his hand out for me to shake. 

I looked at him and realized how beautiful he was, I shook his hand and felt something between my fingers.

"I actually saw you at the cafe and you left this on the table" He chuckled lightly. I looked in my hand to see my bracelet that I had the habit of playing with and sometimes taking it off when I’m eating.

"And here I thought you wanted to be friends," I playfully pouted. 

"Well, I had to make sure you were worthy of receiving back such a valuable item," he said in a snarky tone. 

"So, you were going to steal my shit?!" I smacked his arm. "I would have definitely done some investigation work and jumped you if I saw you in the street," I smirk and place my bracelet back on my wrist.

"Oh?" Johnny opened his hand towards me. "Give me it back and let's see how good of a tracker you are," he said in a challenging manner inching his hands closer.

I thought about it reluctantly, I don't know why a decision like this has to have a second guess, the first obvious choice would be to laugh it off and decline but he's quite interesting and had a weird cozy aura around him. So, I placed the bracelet in his palm and looked him deep in the eyes and he held the gaze with such confidence.

I removed my hands and placed them to my side, resting them on the seat. Johnny put the bracelet on and chuckled lightly.

"I like this game," he pushed his hair back and placed his hat back on. "A game of cat and mouse?" he tilted his head towards you as he asked curiously.

"More or less, you make me want to step out of my comfort zone," I wiped my face with my handkerchief as the wind blew the rain toward me.

"So, you felt the connection too? well ever since you stepped into my Cafe, I was intrigued by you actually," He crossed his arm over his chest and as I looked towards him, I realized he was gently gazing at me awaiting my response, but I looked at him confused.

"You own ANL Cafe?" He laughed and nodded his head. "So, you're Jaemin's older brother I assume?".

"I guess you'd have to go to the cafe with me and find out over a better meal that's actually paid for," he said in a flirty tone that made me break into a smile.

I laughed and looked at the road to see a bus arriving and quickly stood up.

"Oh, what a shame, the damsel has to leave to return to her exciting life of wonderful joy, happiness, sunshine, and prosperity," I dramatically placed the back of my hand over my eyes. Johnny burst out in laughter at my unexpected action.

"Well, I guess this bracelet is your diamond slipper," he looked up at you with starry eyes. "I never caught your name," he stood up and gently touched my elbow.

"Maybe I'll tell you If we happen to see each other again," I looked up at him, he was tall and even more gorgeous up close as the moonlight shaped his features.

The bus stopped in front of us. "Next time, Johnny?" I asked, waiting for his reply before I stepped into the bus.

"2 is my lucky number, so I'll make sure our second meeting leads to me getting your name and giving you your bracelet back in exchange for a continuous friendship," Johnny smiled brightly as we waved goodbye.

#nct x reader #nct imagines #nct 127 #nct #nct dream #kpop fanfic #nct johnny #nct 127 johnny #johnny suh #nct jaemin #nct icons #nct smut #first fic #jaemin na #na jaemin #suh johnny #kpop bg #kpop #nct 127 smut

[kueble]

Congratulations!!! How exciting!!!

Has anyone sent in Teardrops on my Guitar? For geraskier?

(also if you were looking for smutty asks specifically then feel free to ignore this 😂😂 I realize that's a hard one to smuttify)

Thank you Comfy! I went with angst to fluff, so I hope you like that.

Teen. Warnings: None. 1,600 Words.

Geraskier

---

Jaskier didn't mean to start avoiding his best friend, but once you start pulling back little by little, it just happens. Gone were the days in college where they were attached at the hip, Jaskier cheer-leading on the sidelines while Geralt played football. Hell, they even shared a dorm room junior and senior year. They had carried that momentum right into a shitty two bedroom apartment the day after graduation. They were some of the best years of Jaskier's life.

It had been so amazing that he came close to confessing his feels, almost on a daily basis. But no, Geralt met Yennefer at a work event and they struck it off like a match on fire. She is a fierce woman, a fiery ball of energy and sass, and there's no way Jaskier could compete with that. He doesn't hate her for loving Geralt, though. It's hard not to.

Trust him, he's tried.

Hell, Jaskier was best man in the wedding, playing his part with a fake smile on his face. Nothing could keep him from making sure Geralt was happy, not even giving him away. Two years later, he's stuck in a lonely studio apartment and hardly bothers to text the man he's been in love with for ages. It hurts, but he can't bear to see Geralt's secret smile directed at anyone but him. It's selfish, but he hurts so much that he cries himself to sleep some nights.

All this yearning and depression has done wonders for his musical career, though. He's in talks with an indie label and hopes to get something signed soon. The local crowds adore him, and it's not hard to plaster a smile on his face and put on a show. The audience never realizes the smile doesn't reach his eyes. It's just another part to play, one he's perfect at.

So here he is, sitting on a stool in the corner of a packed bar on New Year's Eve, singing his heart out. He tries to stick to the upbeat, positive songs, but his fans know him better than that. He finishes August, every ounce of heartbreak he has clinging to his words, and he hopes the next request is for something more cheerful.

But then someone shouts out "Teardrops!" and she looks so pleased with herself that he can't help transitioning into the first verse.

“He looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see that I want and I'm needing everything that we should be. I'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about, and she's got everything that I have to live without,” he croons out, and the bar starts swaying along with his guitar. It’s so easy to fall into the song, to let his mouth and fingers move on muscle memory. He still feels every bit as sad as the night he wrote it, but these people will never know who it’s about. His heart is safer that way.

The girl who requested the song is belting it out, and for a moment he feels like he's on top of the world. No matter what a disaster his personal life is, he gets to hop on stage and entertain people who love him for him, and they can't take that away from him. He could probably survive on just this, may have to actually.

But as he scans the crowd, he almost drops his guitar. Bright purple eyes stare back at him, and Yennefer raises her cocktail glass in greeting. He can feel his cheeks heating up, but he keeps singing. He tries to avoid her gaze, but it's like watching a car crash, he can't pull away. The start of the last verse falls past his lips, and he knows that she knows exactly who it's about. "'Cause he's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar. The only one who's got enough of me to break my heart."

He finishes the song and mumbles something about needing a break and a beer before making a beeline towards Yennefer. Once he gets there, he isn't quite sure what to say. She's standing at a high top table, all stunning and glamorous, and he is pretty sure he hasn't washed these jeans in over a week. Thankfully she hands him a glass of water before breaking the silence.

"You look truly awful," she says, and Jaskier just snorts.

"And you look like your age is finally catching up with you. What are you doing alone on New Year's Eve? Don't you and Geralt usually do that fancy big band dinner downtown?" he asks, priding himself on not tripping over his insults. He doesn't mean any of them, but the playful taunts are how they work. She shakes her head and takes a long sip of her drink.

"I'm fucking my secretary, and we're getting a divorce. It's completely amicable, but I figured I owed it to you to let you know. He's been moping around the house these past few months, you know. Completely pathetic. A grown man shouldn't pine so much," Yen says with a twinkle in her eye.

"P-pine?" he manages to choke out, and she just rolls her gorgeous eyes at him.

"Neither of you are very subtle, you know," she says, shaking her head. "Geralt and I never should have been more than friends, and I know that now. But you still have your chance, so don't waste it. He misses you, and for some stupid reason I want you both to be happy. So don't waste tonight, Jaskier."

"I'll try," he mumbles, still not sure of what is happening to him.

"He's staying home tonight. Alone. Don't fuck it up," Yennefer informs him before tossing back the rest of her drink. She leaves him there, sauntering over to the bar and wrapping an arm around a pretty woman with chestnut hair. They look good together, and Jaskier truly wishes her the best.

He'd run right out the door, but he can't skip out on a gig. He's on contract until 11:30 when the house DJ will take over for the countdown. Checking his watch, he vows to make the last hour count. He's met with drunken applause when he jumps back on stage and snags his guitar with renewed energy. A man in the crowd winks at him, and Jaskier doesn't miss a beat, just blows him a kiss before rolling right into Blank Space.

Everyone goes wild, and he plays his heart out for the rest of his set.

He normally sticks around after a gig, just soaking up the praise from the crowd and enjoying the free drinks, but tonight he packs up his equipment as quickly as possible and races to his car. Geralt's house is fifteen minutes away, and he just might get there before midnight. For some silly reason, telling him before the year ends seems important. It's possible he breaks a few speed limits getting there, but he pulls into Geralt's driveway with five minutes to spare.

He knocks on the door like a man possessed, pounding at it until Geralt swings it up and scowls at him. "What the fuck - Jaskier?" he shouts before fading into a whisper. He looks shocked, and Jaskier knows he should say something to calm him down. He sure as hell should apologize for avoiding him these past few months, but time is short and he has to put all his faith in what Yen told him. Because this has to work, it simply has to or he'll surely die.

"I've been in love with you since senior year," he blurts out, and Geralt just blinks at him, so Jaskier keeps talking. "I mean, everyone kinda knew? Except you I guess. But I've been so fucking ridiculous about it, pathetic according to what Yennefer told me tonight. I just…thought maybe you wanted to know? And now I realized that I'm rambling, but you know how I get when I'm nervous, and if you could please either tell me you love me to or tell me to fuck off, I would really appreciate it."

"Yen? That sneaky witch," Geralt says, smiling so hard his eyes crinkle up in the corners. "I love you too, Jask."

And then there's noise in the background, cheering from the TV and the neighborhood kids shooting off firecrackers, but all Jaskier can do is stare at Geralt. His heart is beating wildly in his chest, and he's sure Geralt can hear it over the sounds of the celebrations. But Geralt stares right back at him, his gaze dipping down to linger on Jaskier's mouth before coming back up again.

"Kiss me, you fool," Jaskier says softly, and then Geralt's mouth is on his. It's chaste, just a press of lips, like he's unsure about it, and Jaskier can't let that happen. He deepens the kiss, hands coming up to clutch at Geralt's arms, holding him close as he licks into his mouth. He tastes like stout and cheese nips, and it should be weird but it's fucking perfect, because it's him.

It's the best New Year's Eve he's ever had, and as Geralt yanks him over the threshold and into the house, he knows the year is only going to get better and better.

---

Tags list: @halerune @mayastormborn @dani-dandelino @jaskierswolf @littoraly-art @tothedesert @dapandapod @theweirdlynx @tedrakitty @sharinalein @theamazingdevilgivesmehope @iamaqt314 @silvermintnightprincess @rockysstupidity @live-long-and-trek-on @hayleynzlive @holymotherwolf @thesynysterunknown @rebard-main @larawrmonster @gryffinqueen-blog @lovelyscot @fangirleaconmigo @mothmanismyuncle @fontegagrilledcheese @thestarkwinter @geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde @allthequeenshorses13 @221birl1823 @strippiluolamies @concussed-dragon @aurelia-which-means-sunrise @clarebear66 @feral-jaskier @j-u-s-tmyself​ @hayleynzlive @thisislisa @firefly-party @officerjennie @theshapeofcool @flawney @viking1919 @peanitbear

If you'd like to be added/removed, please let me know. Thank you!

#my fic #geraskier #geralt x jaskier #jaskier x geralt #modern au #milestone prompts #still open if you want to jump in #the witcher #geralt #jaskier

[lej222]

Exploring ASLFUA Through Symbolism - The Importance of Year 1999

Hello guys! :) I'm so happy for all the messages that I've received, and while many of you asked me to post theories, this one will rather be an observation about Unripe Apples, but I hope it will be interesting enough. :)

To start off, many people have noticed that the year the story takes place in, 1999, is referenced in the Korean title of After School Lessons. While it might seem insignificant at first, I firmly believe that there is a connection between what happens in the world and Miae's personal growth story. Let me explain.

The importance of 1999

1999 was a symbolic year for many reasons. It was the last year of the century, and many people celebrated the beginning of a new millenium (even if there are arguments supporting 2001 as the start of it). When something long ends, it means that something new also starts. 1999 was a transition period in the minds of many - some people believed the end of the year would sign the end of humanity, like how it was highlighted in the first chapters of the webtoon as a joke. So aside from the obvious change in years, it also had a spritual aspect - ending one part of your old life, and starting anew as a different person, also moving on. Does it sound familiar? Because this is exactly what happens to Miae in the story.

Miae is in a transition period in her life - middle school is soon ending and she has to go to high school. She meets someone from her childhood who becomes her first love. And most importantly, Miae grows as a person while meeting new people and understanding their perspectives (or so she probably will, more about this later on). As a new century starts, Miae has to say goodbye to old friends and embrace new challenges. Which, if my prediction is correct, will mark the end of the story. The end of the year will mean a stage of Miae's life also concludes, while a new chapter will start (high school, new friends, new experiences, etc.) But how is it really presented for us readers?

The world revolves around Miae - until it doesn't

While Cheol and Miae are both protagonists of the story, one could argue Miae gets the most focus in the narrative. We see most of her thoughts, her memories, her interactions with others, her family, etc. While Cheol's growth is a big part of the story, his development is nearly concluded at the end of the first part. Cheol gains confidence, friends, he becomes more expressive, he falls in love. What we can expect from him is his confrontation with the school bully and the resolution of his romance with Miae. Cheol seems immature at first, but with Miae's help he learns and matures. On the other hand, Miae seemingly becomes more immature as the story progresses. It sounds contradictory, because I've just said she was the catalyst to Cheol's growth and has helped him understand when he was wrong. But Miae's world is limited, and it becomes even more obvious as the story unfolds.

Like any kid, Miae has problems that seem trivial for adults, but were probably concerns for a lot of us when we were at her age. She has to study although she hates it, likes hanging out with her friends and read comic books, wants to buy new things and falls in love. Her life is seemingly like a comic book - she feels like the protagonist, every encounter with Cheol feels fateful, and she can, even if it requires effort, befriend anyone and understand them. Like any other teenager, Miae feels like the center of her own universe and thinks the world is ending when she experiences negative feelings. It's part of growing up, and it is perfectly illustrated by the comic about the neighbours next door in the story. But growing up also means looking beyond our own limited world. While her encounters with Cheol seem like it was their destiny, many of them were created because of their families (Cheol's family moving there was probably because of their friendship, Cheol got his room because his sister wanted to tease him,etc.) Growing up means that you have to understand that not everything will go your way and not everything stays the same. Growing up means dealing with people whom you cannot understand and might not like you. And most importantly, you learn that life is not a fairy tale and conflicts do not get resolved without communication and feelings won't be understood unless you express them. Which is one of Miae's biggest weaknesses and the source of her immaturity.

Enter Seo Jisu

This is not a shipping post and I love all the characters, so please spare me before I get cancelled. Seo Jisu enters at the perfect time in the story, when Miae starts to lose her sense of boundaries as her feelings for Cheol keep growing. Although Jisu was in the story since the first chapter, Miae's limited universe did not acknowldege him even though they were classmates. She did not know his name, his reputation at school, doesn't remember him from her childhood and doesn't seem to care about him at all. But why did he enter at the perfect moment?

Like I've said, Cheol's catalyst was Miae, but Miae's world was still too small, revolving around Cheol too much. She was still insesitive in many ways and immature. Enter Jisu, Miae's catalyst for personal growth. Jisu is a challenge for Miae just like Miae was for Cheol, no surprise they mirror each other (Miae saying the same thing to Jisu as what Cheol said to Miae is the perfect example.) Miae cannot understand him, she thinks he's weird and wants him to stop following her (sounds familiar?) and makes assumptions about him without trying to talk or get to know him. And while Cheol put in effort to better his relationship with Miae, she does not do the same for Jisu. Jisu is a glitch in the system, one that was not expected and shakes her peaceful days (just like how Miae was the same for Cheol) However, Jisu's presence becomes an important learning opportunity for Miae. There's a reason why I think it was necessary to add him as a potential love interest even if there were already great candidates. And it's because Jisu is mature in ways Miae isn't. The perfect example is when he told her to stop interrupting the confession. And she thought about his words after the incident, and felt ashamed when she was talking to the girl who wanted to confess. And what would happen, let's say, if she realized Jisu was different because of his own circumstances, and not because he wanted to bully her? She knew Cheol wasn't a gangster because she knew him personally. For Miae's world to expand, she needs to make her own efforts and understand others.

The universe seems to like Miae, and interacts with her multiple times in her dreams. Miae is a precious child of the world who is loved, but needs guidance. Right now, as we approach the end of the year the story takes place in, Miae needs to mature and be ready for a new phase of her life. Whether the transition period will end with something (like her and Cheol parting ways) or start with something new (Miae and Cheol getting together at the end of 1999 and running around in circles through the majority of the year) - it doesn't matter. What matters is how she will develop as a person and what she will learn. It's beyond a simple love triangle, it's about people who inspire and help each other and learn from their mistakes. They are kids, they keep changing. The best way is to read ASLFUA as a growth story, not as a romance series, because at the end of the day what matters are the connections these kids create with each other and the memories they make.

#aslfua #after school lessons for unripe apples #hwang miae #seo jisu #mi ae hwang #kim cheol #cheol kim

[skye707]

How would the Riddlers be giving a presentation to people for something?

(I'm definitely not dying of anxiety for next week)

Oh, is it PowerPoint night? I love these.

Unburied - He’s got this. Never had stage fright, so he just gets up there, does his thing, and knocks socks off. Gives a bow at the end and waits for applause. If he doesn’t get any, he tells the audience to go fuck themselves and leaves.

Presenting Rating All of Your Outfits

ZY - He has so many unnecessary charts and graphs, and the only reason they are there is to make you feel stupid. I’ve listened to plenty of presentations where this was the case, and there is nothing worse. Literally mic drops at the end of his presentation.

Presenting Quantifiably Sexiest Scientists From the 20th Century

Dano - Mask? Frothing at the mouth trying to get his point across and going on so many tangents. No mask? Little bitty mouse man who no one can hear speak. ZY shouts from the couch that he can’t hear him and to “talk louder”. Classic douchey audience behavior.

Presenting How to Incite Mass Hysteria Without Going to Prison

YJ - Also a little fidgety in the presentation, but at least he’s speaking loudly. Too loud? He was once told that he needed to project his voice, so now he does that to the max. Everything he says sOUNDS LIKE THIS.

Presenting My Favorite Toys From the 90s and Why

Gotham - Excellent little presenter. He’s got a laser pointer, a clicker, his suit is pressed. Do not ask him a question mid-presentation. Questions must be held until the end.

Presenting Forensics: The History of Murder

BTAA - Really old cringey transitions. It’s hilarious to listen to his animated speeches especially when the topic is shit like “Why Robots Are Not to Be Trusted”. If you listen to his presentation, you better be able to keep a straight face, because if he hears a single giggle, he’s coming for your ass in the crowd.

Presenting Why Robots Are Not to Be Trusted (Including Riddlerbots)

Arkham - It’s like listening to that one insane teacher give a lecture. Goes off on so many tangents that the initial topic doesn’t even matter anymore. Now, he’s telling you about the time he got away from a mugging with a Roman candle.

Presenting Destroying the Legacy of Thomas Edison in 30 Slides

BTAS - The most professional presenter to ever live. I imagine he gave presentations for video games on the reg, so this is just another day at the office for him. Only problem is his presentation is a little boring. Too many numbers.

Presenting Budget and Overall Success of Pac-Man

Telltale - This presentation feels like a debriefing before deployment on a life or death mission. This topic is that serious to him, so you better give it the same respect.

Presenting The History of the Blade: Ancient Warfare in the Modern World

(Good luck to everyone out there getting ready for finals. My heart and soul goes out to you, troopers)

#riddler #the riddler #edward nashton #edward nygma #unburied!riddler #zero year riddler #capullo riddler #paul dano riddler #dano riddler #young justice riddler #gotham riddler #btaa riddler #arkham riddler #btas riddler #telltale riddler #riddlerverse #Skye #riddlerverse hcs

[sigynpenniman]

WHAT IF ALL OF THE FEMALE TOUR CHARACTERS ARE ACTUALLY STAGES IN THE LIFE OF ONE WOMAN?

Disclaimer: I'm not 100% sure I'm the first person to have this theory/idea. We stand on the shoulders of giants etc

So, I've been getting really into the various tour date anniversaries, and it's brought something to the front of my mind that wasn't before: the order the outfits appeared in, and the fact that most of the outfits are roughly in historical order, for the vintage style of each garment.

Acknowledgements about possible issues with this theory at the bottom.

There's a segment in Shakespeare's As You Like It which goes through the seven ages of man. As listed in the play, these are: the infant, the schoolboy, the lover, the solider, the justice, old age, and eventual oblivion. So, what if Gerard's outfits are the ages of woman? Cheerleader > nurse > lady/wife > office worker > eventual oblivion. Nashville > Detroit > Riot > Firefly > Ring of Fire.

I'm allowing a bit of wiggle room for slight anachronism in the styles of the various dresses as I think Gerard and Marina were more concerned with the overall look & impression of the outfits than with being 100% historically sound.

So, let's take just the dresses (and Alpharetta), and go through - in the order these outfits appeared on the tour.

The Cheerleader

Let's imagine a woman born around ~1945. Maybe 1944 or 1946. She'd be 16 in ~1960. And she's a cheerleader!

x

The Nurse

She gets a bit older, and becomes a nurse. Nurses in the 50s and 60s tended to be young and unmarried. Our hypothetical woman would be 24 in 1968.

x

This is just about right for our Prettiest Nurse In The Whole World - the dress pre-dates the shift for nurse attire from dresses to scrubs, but could easily be a later 60s silhouette (straighter, slimmer fit compared to the "new look" fluffier skirts of the 50s and earlier 60s).

The Lady/ The Wife

I think this both overlaps with and leads into Riot. This is her when she's off duty.

x

This is very easily a late 60s look. It was also common in the 50s and 60s for women to quit working upon getting married, or even be forced from their jobs upon getting married. There were parts of the world even where nurses were not allowed to be married. Perhaps Riot is not only the nurse off duty, but also a transitional outfit, symbolizing who she's becoming, as she ages into the next phase of her life - the wife. Maybe she has kids, even, in this space. And then...falls off the radar a bit. Perhaps the fact that we lose track of her for a bit in the "timeline" is in itself relevant.

The Office Worker

The office worker takes us through multiple outfits, and a pivotal point in history. Through the late 60s and 70s, it became increasingly acceptable and common for women with children to re-enter the workforce. So, we assume she has kids, maybe, and when they're 6, 7, 8 - old enough to go to school - she goes back to work, perhaps in the mid 70s. You know what looks quite 70s?

x

Good old Alpharetta.

From here, I think, we follow her through her career. Firefly is sometimes called the teacher, but there's no particular reason to assume that. The only real evidence is Gerard's joke "you get this at the end of class," and I don't know that they meant anything in particular by that. So what if Firefly isn't a teacher, but just a further evolution of office worker?

x

This could easily be a very late 70s or early 80s office worker fit. Our hypothetical woman would be in her 30s at this point, which feels quite right for this look. Which takes us toooooo Auckland.

x

This still feels quite 70s, actually. There was obviously quite a bit of shifting and minor changes to what we call the Dead Secretary over the course of ring of fire, but if you assume you're looking at an office worker's wardrobe from the late 70s onwards (and we accept that Brisbane 2 was just for the sex appeal), it all follows fairly smoothly. And so we move on to

Eventual Oblivion

When the Dead Secretary Dies.

x

If we assume that the prevailing theory that the character from Ring of Fire is implied to have died on 9/11 is correct, that puts this fit in 2001, and makes our hypothetical woman 55ish years old. It's hard to think of 2001 as vintage, but it is to some extent - and the skirtsuit here is actually a bit more 2001 than it is modern, with its shoulderpads and pantyhose. This is very much what a 55 year old woman with a closet slightly out of date might have worn to an office job in 2001 (if we discount the gloves, which, Character Choice). I've seen it recently pointed out that the outfit changed and then stopped changing - and it DID! It stops changing when the contacts come out. The outfit stops changing when she dies.

Obviously, like I said, it's not perfect. I'm allowing some stylistic wiggle room with dates and clothing eras. But when you look at the feminine outfits overall, there's a striking order to them - they seem to be traveling forward in time, aesthetically, from the 50s to the 2000s, in a fairly consistent way.

But wait, what about -

Joan of Arc: I don't count Joan of Arc as part of any tour "canon," plot or concept. Joan of Arc is her own thing, we know Gerard loves Joan of Arc, she stands alone.

Houston - Houston is the one real non-canon/non-fitting dress here. Interestingly, it does actually fit nicely in the chronology of the outfits over the 20th century - the Manson girl fit would be late 60s/early 70s, which slots in just fine after Alpharetta. I'm not sure, though, if it makes sense as an event in the life of our hypothetical woman - she would have to be in her 30s at the time, and already have had a number of phases of her life, which seems doubtful for a Manson girl - but frankly, who knows. I do think, as much as I risk sounding like I'm disregarding things that don't prove my theory, it's important to remember this is Gerard we're dealing with, and while they most certainly have a concept or story they're working off of, they also will Do What Ye Will depending on the vibe of the moment. The whole Manson girl thing fits nicely into the overall theme of disparaged and victimized women, and fits well into the overall vibe, so I don't think its existence disproves the previous theory. Gerard very well may have just wanted to do a Manson Girl fit and thus he did - we may never know. Or maybe I'm completely wrong about everything I've said!

I don't know if this is what was intended to be the "story" of the tour but it sure does work nicely and I have to admit I am sort of obsessed with it now. It fits nicely, the chronology is fairly clean, and it feels like something Gerard is always trying to do - to tell a story.

#mcr #my chemical romance #gerard way #gerardposting #meta #long post #meta theory #swarm tour meta #idk y'all this might be crazy rambling. but i think i'm a genius #this is all the brain i have to spare for the week

[it-me-sannore]

I went to see A Little Life at the cinemas with absolutely zero context and I ended up liking it. I like plays and musicals in general so it wasn't totally unbelievable that I ended up there.

But I'm also not an objective critic with refined taste. As such, here's a collection of my biased and random thoughts about the play (with spoilers):

My favourite part of everything was Luke! Not a surprise. I went to see it specifically for him :P

Did not hate on Luke's American accent as much as I feared, phew!

Though there was one scene where I didn't like Luke's accent - it's the scene in the teaser trailer, that made me all "OMG I didn't realise". But it was limited to that so false alarm, everyone. We good.

I really appreciated how tight the cast was - I believed them in their roles and enjoyed how they portrayed their characters

James Norton - Jude. Man, he was on the stage the whole time. Kudos. I kept thinking, does he get a break?? He carried the lead role well. Also, sings well in German haha

Omari Douglas - As JB, what an irritating hipster bro! I liked the vibe he added to the group of friends.

Zach Wyatt - I was gutted when Malcolm died. So shocked.

I had to pause and reconcile in my brain when Luke (Willem) was raving to modern music and I realised it's cos I wasn't used to seeing him doing anything from the 21st century

Elliot Cowan - all the "bad guys", amazing performance. How he made each character feel distinctly different??? I was so impressed by him.

I was expecting to cry a lot and was pleased when I didn't tear up until the end. I was prepared with tissues. It turns out the torture-porn leans more towards trauma and emotional abuse versus heartbreaking sadness so those aren't tear jerking triggers for me.

I liked how people wandered and stayed on the stage when it wasn't their scene

I kept thinking about how the tap and sink must have some kind of reserve of water beneath it since it's probably not hooked up to pipes.

I also kept (judgmentally) thinking that surely Harold actor (Zubin Varla) does not clean as much at home as he must have to do at work right now, with all this blood on the stage.

I didn't understand Andy's role in Jude's life. I think I missed the set up. Or just didn't connect the dots. Was he... a doctor friend? Actual doctor? Guess I'll have to look it up.

I liked how Ana balanced what was happening on the stage, even though she was now only in his head.

I enjoyed seeing Luke take his shirt off, even though I'm slightly prudish. I totally internally grinned.

Jude and Willem's relationship was... good, bad, conflicting, seeing them "happy" and then not so typically happy. Was Jude really "happy" or was it a trauma response? It really was a rollercoaster ride and my emotions were everywhere.

I enjoyed the intermission in the cinema - how the screen ticked down. I stood up and cracked my back loud enough that the stranger next to me was like, "that sounded like a good one".

All the cool effects - like the blood patches, the screen that came down and took Jude into the sky, the use of light to transition when it was opaque or spotlight when he was being chased by the car, the 360 degree stage.

Yay Luke lol. - Which is jarring due to the subject matter but I really did enjoy seeing a new Luke performance.

#a little life #luke thompson #james norton #random thoughts

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ep.6 thoughts

[I'm READY!]

(Contents: adaptation notes, pacing)

Gonna get this out of the way: that Spongebob joke killed me. Talk about elevating the source material. Admittedly I never really liked the original joke. I got it, I just didn't find it that funny, but barely-censored Sponebob running in screaming "YEAAAAH!" was so absurdly jarring that I couldn't help but absolutely lose it

After that, I don't really feel like I have too much to say about this episode. After five episodes, I feel like I've more or less adjusted to the Yuki Yase style, and we're not really seeing anything too new or different being tackled. I worry that my reviews are going to start getting pretty samey, since all I can really do is note how well the style fits specific scenes

That said, there were three standout moments that I have opinions on

The first was Andy's Crimson Waxing Moon, which I was very impressed was such a dynamic tracking shot rather than, again, recreation of the still from the manga. However, I was still hoping to see a recreation of the manga; the ending pose of Andy spinning through countless cut-up corpses is one of the many iconic visuals that I so love from Tozuka's compositional style, so while the anime's completely original take on it is vastly more interesting than the basic alternative, it came at the detriment of what I was hoping to see - Tozuka's paneling brought to life. I don't feel like I have the ability to fairly judge the quality of the scene we got because of this; I'm sure it's fine and even by most standards really good, I just can't help but feel that there's an extra bit of oomph that's missing that would have made me think it was great

What I did really love though was how they portrayed the spoil countdown. It was fairly simple, but I just liked seeing how they conveyed the visual and how it seemed to speed up when the kids thought they were going to be killed. The fact that the digits were kind of hazy was a nice touch, when they could easily have been solid numbers

Finally, the introduction of Spoil really did elevate it over the manga; where in the original he just kind of popped in and we cut straight to the chapel having already been destroyed, here we got to see the whole sequence. It was just as ominous as I wanted it to be, and it really made Spoil feel like that much more of a threat. Plus Andy's Crimson Cross was animated very well too; that one did match how it looked in the manga while still putting in additional touches like the blood spattering on the windows. That whole sequence really makes me excited for the upcoming battle

I did notice that this episode didn't stop at adapting two chapters, it siphoned a scene from ch.13 and put it before the conclusion of ch.12. I get the feeling that we can expect episode 7 to end around the middle of ch.15. I won't spoil (ha) what scene I'm predicting to be the endpoint, but basically I'm expecting to get through two stages of the Spoil battle and leave it off just before or at the transition into the third

Overall, the pacing is much slower than I expected it to be in my estimates, and we're currently a full episode behind my initial prediction. If my current prediction is right, then we'll actually be two episodes behind next week. I'm kind of meanly glad that that one reddit thread was just as wrong as I was, though, and it seems extremely likely that neither of our predictions for the end of the season will be correct. By current estimates, I'm expecting that we'll get to around ch.52 or 53, as that segment gives a really good conclusion+cliffhanger combo. Someone suggested that recently, but now that I'm looking for that post/ask, I can't find it for some reason, so apologies to that person for not crediting them

Before I sign off, does anyone have any opinions on me putting content tags on these reviews? In my manga reviews, I use them to telegraph which characters or worldbuilding elements that I'll be focusing on, but since the anime reviews are just comparing the episodes to the chapters anyway, is there any need for me to point out what I'm going to say? It kind of feels like I'm repeating myself, like anyone would know what to expect from these and that they're self-explanatory. Should I remove the content tags from the anime reviews going forward, or leave them for the sake of consistency?

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #4y1a reviews #uu anime

[cozycorner]

Hi there :) I was wondering if you have any gameplay tips? Like how not to give up on a legacy after 2 gens lol thank you!

HIII OMG YES!! i am sooo glad you asked 🥰

dressing up / my aging system

something i've been doing a lot lately (as you can probably tell / will now notice in my almond legacy) is changing their looks to represent their age. in my game, each life stage will have a total of 2 makeovers (teenagers will get 3. the third being the transition into young adulthood). the first makeover is the glow up from whatever they had on when they aged up to how i envision them and then the second makeover is to better show their growth and finding out who they are. typically the makeovers will also represent their age: how i play regarding aging rules is each life stage has 2 ages (with, again, teenagers having 3). i haven't put a whole lot of time or thought into my aging system but it goes a little something like this: - infant: newborn to 1 year - toddler: 2 years old to 4 years old - child: 9 years old to 12 years old - teenager: 17 years old to 18 years old to 19 years old - young adult: 21 years old to 30 years old - adult: 40 years old to 60 years old - elder: 75 years old to death this helps a lot with keeping things feeling fresh and also more realistic. if i'm feeling up to it, i'll even change up their room a bit to represent personal growth and discovery too. if i haven't played in a while, i'll give them an additional makeover because it just gets me more excited to play, idk djkfhg i'll also play with aging off and then manually age my sims and their friends up whenever it feels right. that way i don't feel rushed or have a sim's life feel like it's dragging on.

🌈 imaaagination 🌈

a big part of playing the sims, especially sims 4, is using your imagination and really playing up what's going on. in my current household, for example, abby went to see muffy the day after prom and in my mind, she was there to say "choose between me and him" but obviously that's an impossible interaction to play out in the game.. so i just made it up! and then i took note of muffy's autonomous interactions after this (i.e if she were to call / text / see frankie more often, i would decide that she chose him and if she were to call / text / see abby more, i'd say she chose her)**. this type of gameplay can take some getting used to though. especially if you don't really have any ideas in mind on what to do. which brings me to my next point...

putting the rest under a cut cause i didn't realize how long this would be ♡♡

take inspiration from your favourite shows!!

there's no right or wrong way to play the sims. but drama spices things up a looot. sometimes drama just plays out naturally without any intervention but something you can do is take inspiration from various shows that i've watched (even though i rewatch the same 3 comfort shows DSFLKG) an example of taking inspiration from a show could be having your sim have a best friend at their workplace who they're secretly in love with and trying to remain just friends with (because they're already engaged to someone else).. a la pam x jim from the office. and the best part is that because you're only taking inspiration, it doesn't have to play out the exact same way! using the pam x jim example, i could have my sim fight their bestie's fiancé and end up having their bestie unfriend them in the process as opposed to the engagement being broken off and my sim dating their bestie.

breaks are essential

if you're feeling tired of the sims, take a break from it! play other games, explore other hobbies.. my "process" is typically playing for a week or 2 and then taking a break for a bit when i notice i'm not as excited to play anymore. this helps a lot with avoiding being burnt out from the game. i also always know that that vibe to play will eventually come back which definitely helps!

let the sims control the story

i'll use the previous example of muffy having to choose between abby and frankie. ** by taking note of your sim's autonomous interactions, it allows them to tell their own story instead of you choosing a path for them. once you get a good feel for what your sim is wanting to do (for my example: muffy chooses abby because she interacts with her more), then you can start to play more and decide what they would do based on that information, if that makes sense.

ngl i could go on and on SKDFJGHKJSDFG but this is already long af so i'm going to leave it there. if you want more ideas, plumbie has an aaammmmaaaazzinnnggg playlist of gameplay ideas!! here's a quick link to that if you want to check it out.

please let me know if you have any comments or questions ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ happy simming!!

#answered #simblr #anonymous #rambling a lot in this one so lmk if anything doesn't make sense and i can elaborate<333

[tittyinfinity]

Fuck clubs. The hole-in-the-wall karaoke bars are where you want to be. They have things to do other than drink and many will have different events during the week. You'll run into every type of person of every age. A few weeks ago I sat and had a conversation with a trans man who had just recently started transitioning in his 60s next to a person I hadn't seen since high school. There's no pressure to dress up all fancy, either. You have something to do other than sit, drink, and talk – it's fun listening to people perform, no matter their talent level, because we're all having fun. And then you can get on stage and put on the shittiest performance of your life and people will pat you on the back and congratulate you as you walk off. Sometimes a large man will rip a huge line of cocaine and then sing 2000s pop music and you'll feel emotions you'll never felt before. Sometimes you meet older women who give you the best life advice you've ever heard while rolling the fattest joint for y'all to smoke together. Sometimes someone will just bring their (non-service) pet and everyone is just like hell yeah that's cool. Most of the people there are regulars, and once everyone gets to really know you, you can walk into the bar confidently knowing that no one will try to make you uncomfortable or push your boundaries, and if someone tried, there's already 10 people in line waiting to beat their ass over it.

Clubs are a sensory nightmare for a lot of us – usually packed as hell, bright lights flashing everywhere, so many people talking on top of the loud ass music that you can't hear anything, etc. They're more expensive to be at, most of the people there are college-age, and there's a higher pressure to look a certain way before you go out. A bigger crowd means more danger, too – especially when it comes to watching your drink. The regulars at smaller bars watch out for each other a lot – busy bartenders serving hundreds of people at a club can't monitor that as easily.

I say this as a person who has a hard time socializing. Just getting myself out there and around people really helped me to feel happier about the world and myself, knowing that there are so many more people like me than I thought. Conversations with people who are much older than me have made me more excited for the future than scared. There have even been plenty of times I've gotten into conversations with conservative leaning people and ended up with them agreeing with me after hearing my opinion out. Because people are at the bar because they WANT to connect with people. They don't want to start an angry argument and look like an asshole, and they'd get kicked out if they did, anyway. (Granted, I am also a small white female-paasing person, so I'm a bit safer having these conversations than other people would be.)

You don't have to be invited. Just show up. Find which place suits you. People don't care or think you're weird if you just show up and sit alone. I promise you. Drinking isn't required. Hell, in states where it's legal, you can just sit and smoke weed out on the porch and chill if that's what you're into.

Being lonely can suck. And I know bars and clubs aren't for everyone. But I figured I'd share my experience, because finding a way to put myself out there has done wonders for my adult self.

#.bdo

[nerdygaymormon]

i’m a member and queer(nonbinary/neutrois genderflux, aromantic, and ace spec) and i’m kind of having a crisis of faith. i’m worried that because of i don’t want to get married, then i won’t be able to have exaltation. i’m worried if i socially transition when i’m an adult that i won’t be able to be included in things like missions and that even if i did the activities being seen as a woman, i would never be able to be myself. everything in the Church is so gendered, and with the current climate about trans people, that at general conference that they’re going to double down on it. the Church gives me such spiritual value, but i feel like I’ll be forced to choose between my faith and my queerness or struggle forever. do you think the Church will change?

The faith crisis you're experiencing is normal. You may not have heard of Fowler's Stages of Faith, but I think you may find it helpful.

————————————————————

You've been presented a path forward in life, but only one path. This is the path to happiness, wholesomeness, spirituality, family, love, and salvation. All the good things of this life and the next are on this path...

...and then you realize that path wasn't designed for someone like me

The thing about being a queer Mormon is you have to make choices others don't. It's not fair but that is how it is. Love or church, exploring my gender identity or being able to attend the temple, do I want to be safe or authentic?

It never seems to be a win-win situation, instead it's choosing between two things I want and figuring which one I choose and which I'm willing to go without.

————————————————————

Will the church change in respect to queerness? Eventually, but I expect it will be a long time.

The current church answers and teachings are based on a faulty, inaccurate understanding. It wasn't very long ago that our church leaders thought everyone is cisgender and heterosexual and that gay or trans people were confused and could be "fixed." Our teachings and rules are based on that misunderstanding.

Our church now understands that none of us chose to be trans, bi, gay, nb, aro, ace, but hasn't figured out what to do with that. If it's not a choice, then why would God have us be this way but want us to live as though we're all cis and straight?

The Book of Mormon teaches we are to have joy in THIS life. You have to figure out what that looks like for you.

You can be queer and remain in church, and that has benefits and costs. One day you may decide the costs are too great or the benefits aren't enough, remember that it's okay to have made one choice now and then later revisit and change that choice.

————————————————————

You get to figure out your path forward and you can do that in partnership with Christ, and I bet you'll be surprised at some things you learn. Always remember, you are loved by your Heavenly Parents, and not loved in spite of being queer but being queer is part of you and part of what they love about you. They adore you. Trust in that love and that they want you to have joy.

#queerstake

[eldritchamy]

fine fine FINE ill sign. what the hell is uneiverse about? one moment youre talking gay vampires killing mob bosses and the next youre talking tiers of angels/deities going so high our universe is imperceptible. i have no idea how these combine but im so curious as to how

Pleasure doing business with you, I'll take good care of that soul. Now that you've paid a fair price, let's live up to my end of the bargain, shall we?

"The Uneiverse" isn't really about anything, it's just a setting. The term is derived from the fact that the story I want to write primarily takes place on a world called Une. And Une exists in a multiverse a lot like a cross between DND's Cosmic Wheel and MTG's endless planes in the Blind Eternities. Think a layered multiverse (like the "Outer Planes" in DND which consist of the various celestial and fiendish planes, and others, and the "Inner Planes" consisting of the Feywild and the Shadowfell and the Prime Material plane. Imagine a system like this but based on something closer to MTG's color pie instead of the Alignment Chart), except instead of having only ONE Prime Material Plane, there are endless realms existing on the same LAYER of the universe that would be considered Prime Material Planes (the "Inner Realms" if you've seen me mention it in tags).

The TL;DR is that the multiverse exists in layers as the elements of creation were divided into smaller and more complicated pieces, which interact and intersect and recombine into much more complicated things. There are levels of existence (at the level of the Cosmic Progenitors and up) for which matter and physicality aren't really a thing anymore, but what you would think of as the physical, material existence of the multiverse begins with the Prime Spheres. These are the pure elements, the most basic ingredients of creation. There are currently SIX Prime Spheres (I'm strongly considering making it eight), each with both an element and an aspect, and each with an Outer God tied to its nature. These elements exist as opposite pairs (currently 3 sets, but I'd like to make it 4).

I won't give you the names of the Spheres (even though they're really cool, just with the ever-growing threat of AI data mining, I'd rather not put the names out there to get scraped), but I can give you the color pairs:

White is Sky/Air/Heaven and Order Blue is Water/the Abyss and Equilibrium/Flow Black is Shadow and Death* Null (represented as purple) is Vacuum and Entropy Red is Fire and Passion/Will Green is Earth and Life

The opposite pairs are White/Null, Blue/Red, Black/Green

*A while back in some tags, maybe the first post I ever tagged as Uneiverse-related, I think I mentioned the goddess aligned to Black, and how she feels that thinking of her as the "god of death" is a crude and small way of putting it, almost bordering on insult from how limited a perspective it is. Eternity thinks of herself as the veil between what is known and what is lost, the moment of transition between life and renewal, the thing you most fear but can least run from, the god of all things ever known and every secret taken to the grave, the infinite night that exists in the blink of an eye, the process of transition and "recycling" one stage of existence into another, she is every soul at the moment between what it was and what it will become, she is all things lost and what all things are destined to find, etc etc. My colors are not a perfect translation of what the colors represent in MTG. My version of black is more like what MTG would think of as Blue/Black multicolor.

Also, none of the elements are "evil" or malevolent. They just exist. If creation is pure light, the Prime Spheres are the distinct colors you would see when it's separated by a prism. They have no moral value to them. They are simply the ingredients of existence.

But anyway, I needed a shorthand term for that multiverse, and so I named it the Uneiverse. Seemed fitting.

But now to answer your question properly...

The STORY arises from a single concept of two characters that I came up with way back in like 2017. The initial concept was little more than a vibe: a warlock and a druid, or black magic and green magic witches, who live together in a little cottage that combines their magical styles. They had sentient, literal "spider plants" as an eco-friendly alternative to pesticides, paperweights that look like skulls with glowing eyes, etc. They each had a cat familiar: one a ghostly, spectral black shadow cat and the other quite possibly a cat shaped clump of sentient moss. The cats recently had kittens that sprouted mushrooms and gave off luminous spores when they purr or bounce around the house causing mischief. Outside the glamour that hides their cottage they keep something like a chia pet that's shaped like a skull, as an inside joke.

I called these characters Doom and Bloom.

Years later, I ended up joining my first DND campaign (still ongoing), and adapted these characters for it. So Doom and Bloom became Ash and Aria. I play Ash as a shadow-themed subclass ("Nightshade") of the Witch class I homebrewed for 5e. Aria Vernus is her wife, a Woodborn witch.

Here's where shit gets fucky.

In my ceaseless hunger to worldbuild harder, I spent the weeks in the lead up to our first session crafting myself a backstory for Ash. It ended up being like 12,000 words and Ash wasn't even born yet. If that's any indication of how the rest of this went. I had basically created a backstory for her MOTHER, Lailah.

I can give you the DND version of it as a summary.

Lailah was a Monadic Deva in Elysium. They are the strongest angels physically, and the most attuned to the neutral aspect of the Good alignments: they won't knowingly deal with Evil beings, but they are the most likely to peacefully interact with Neutral ones. Thirty years ago, there was a war in the Outer Planes and the Nine Hells were attacking the heavens. Lailah was an IMMENSELY powerful divine warrior (mechanically, she's a CR 10ish creature with at least 16 class levels in Zealot Barbarian and 2 in Fighter, and she has a custom Artifact level weapon so she's ABSURD) who laid waste to the Hells' forces. Until one day she found a succubus hiding in Elysium, and was about to kill her but realized the succubus made no move to fight back. This got her curious. The succubus explained that she wanted no part of the war, she only used the chaos surrounding it to make her escape from the violence and backstabbing and politics of the hells, and just wanted to get away from the conflict. Lailah was unable to kill a being she could see was not evil, and instead she listened and began to sympathize. What are now succubi used to be angels themselves, called Eros, and were made to bring love to mortals. But you cannot touch a life without it touching you back. And the gods felt that the touch of mortals had changed the Eros from what they were created to be, and they became beings ruled by passion rather than order, so they were cast out from the heavens and became Succubi.

You can see how quickly I started diverging from DND lore into building my own mythology for everything.

Anyway, Lailah and the succubus became briefly entangled, and the more Lailah learned about the succubus' past, the more it troubled her that it sounded like she had been wronged. The Eros were created for a purpose, and then punished for carrying it out. And in the moment Lailah began to wonder if it was the gods themselves who were wrong, she was burned herself and fell from Elysium. She was cast out and landed in Malbolge as an Erinyes. There she met another Erinyes who had been waiting for her. A former Movanic Deva from Arborea who had the gift of second sight (and I have a LOT of mythology developed around the nature of time and fate and the relationship between potential and possibility and branching timelines because of this character) and knew she had to fall herself in order to help Lailah raise her daughter.

Surprise! Lailah's pregnant. So Lailah spent the next ~4 years with this other fallen angel in the Nine Hells, where her little ember of hope in the darkness was born, and she named the ember Ash.

Eventually Lailah and Ash were able to leave, and they ended up in a wild, untamed forest in a forgotten corner of Ravnica. Ash grew up in the woods where she met another little tiefling from the druid village nearby, and they became best friends. So Ash and Aria have known each other their whole lives.

For reasons I left open to my DM, Lailah went missing when Ash was 15. She and Aria couldn't get help from the druids and made their own plans to go to the city on their own, and they ended up making a home there. Ash became a leather worker and Aria primarily works in animal rehab. They live in a big tree that Aria grew herself into a living home, with their two familiars (Hades and Persephone), their familiars' kittens, and a rotating cast of animals. Hannah the Possum has become an infamous side character in campaign for sneaking away from her babies to steal peanut butter and other treats from the cupboards.

Anyway, the campaign itself involves our characters joining a transguild organization that helps mediate inter-guild conflicts on Ravnica and work as ambassadors to visitors from other planes, because in our version of Ravnica a lot of permanent planar portals have been opening up in recent times (we're about 5 years after the War of the Spark in the MTG timeline, which is INCREDIBLE because it means our DM accidentally predicted the Omenpaths in the post-March of the Machines story several years in advance, and that's FAR from the only time she's been ahead of Magic Story). We're also dealing with the fact that the players have started sparking, because it turns out we're all (except possibly Ash) Planeswalkers. Ash, being a full blooded magical creature descended from two fallen angels from the Outer Planes, may have an innate inherited ability to traverse planes without a spark, but that remains to be discovered in game.

As part of writing Ash's backstory, I created additional backstory for Aria. She was part of her own adventuring party 5-6 years ago, and her group became widely known, feared, and respected for handling jobs beyond the ability of most adventuring groups. And I basically backstoried a whole other campaign into existence, culminating in that group actually taking part in the War of the Spark by fighting Bontu, one of the god eternals. I could spend another 6,000 words on a play by play but the tl;dr is that my tieflings are polyamorous and Aria was in a relationship with a newly sparked Planeswalker at the time, and she watched that partner die in front of her when Bontu harvested her spark. Aria went into a blind rage, used Shapechange to turn herself into a gold dragon, and then had a kaiju battle with a zombie god while the rest of her team scrambled to keep her, and themselves, alive. Fen (Arcana cleric) came up with the idea to pin Bontu down with Immovable rods, and the two martial classes in the party had to get close to help do it. One of those was Cass, a dhampir soulknife rogue/shadow monk who was born on Fiora but made her way to Ravnica by way of Dominaria sometime before The Great Mending made planar travel inaccessible to non-planeswalkers. Cass had to bite Bontu for a boost of strength (because she's Dex based), but in the chaos Bontu also managed to grab HER, which created an unusual feedback loop where the Elderspell tried to pull the soul out of her body, but since she was resurrected by extraordinarily powerful necromancy (which is how she became a vampire, after she was murdered on the night of her arranged wedding), her soul is a bit more stuck to her body than most, so by feeding on Bontu's blood, she actually managed to survive long enough for Aria to make Bontu let go, leaving Cass with a "dislocated" soul and, in the process of siphoning Bontu's essence, she accidentally acquired one of the stolen sparks (most likely that of Aria's lover). Because the Immortal Sun was on at the time, and her soul was not quite right, that spark didn't activate until a week or so later.

AAAAAAAAAAANYWAY, I'm obsessed with vampires so obviously Cass was my favorite character that I made for Aria's backstory party, so I ended up giving Cass her own backstory, wherein she was born to a failing mob family as the only one who could produce an heir, but she was too gay and moody (and psionic) to be okay with that, so her father plotted with the father of her arranged husband to have her killed. Her maidservant (who she was in love with), Gisella Bathori, overheard them laughing about it on the night of the wedding and tried to save her, but was fatally stabbed in the process. Ella used her dying breath to carve a sigil into the floor - a very powerful sigil based in the magic of creation itself, which rearranges the energy of the Prime Spheres into intent, and with a little blood (okay a LOT of blood, much of it her own), she begged the universe to "not let Cassandra die". So Cass wakes up in the back of a truck before her killers can dump her body, and long story short she kills a guy, goes home and finds Ella's body, fails to understand how the sigil worked, and then kills all of the people who just got to her house (the other two men who helped kill her plus a lawmaster and finally her father) before cleaning herself up, taking some essentials and valuables, kicking one of the bodies for good measure, and running away forever. She spends the next few days hunting down the rest of both families before escaping the city and finding her way to Dominaria (and ultimately Ravnica).

So Cass is my backstory character's backstory character. And I LOVE her. Also, when Cass kicked that last body? she shuffled some blood around and triggered the sigil again without knowing it. So unbeknownst to her, Ella ALSO got raised as a vampire. And she didn't find out about it until her spark activated 122 years later and she ended up back on Fiora.

SO.

Obviously. I backstoried pretty fucking hard. And got really attached to these characters. And what basically happened is I started developing this alternate version of my characters' story that ran parallel to (but significantly diverged from) the campaign. So I had this running in my head for a while and was calling it "story mode" for like "this is how these characters and their stories would work if they existed ENTIRELY inside my own mythology and worldbuilding instead of playing within the mechanics and narrative structure of a DND campaign" and eventually that started spinning faster and faster until it developed its own magnetosphere and became a whole world. And then a multiverse for that world to fit in.

Lailah in Story Mode was not a Deva, she was a Brachiel: an angel of storm and lightning, which falls under the "Emanations" (middle) tier in my angelology (as did the Eros). Eternity may address Ash as a "Daughter of Emanations". And while Ash might come off as having a little bit of a "half angel half devil" vibe at first, strictly speaking what she actually is is a BORN fallen angel, a being caught somewhere between two Prime elements, and ends up self-actualizing as a secret, third thing, because nothing born can live forever and while she is biologically pure fallen angel, she was not CREATED through divine means as angels were, she was born as a mortal. She's a little bit complicated because she looks like one thing (the equivalent of a tiefling) but that's not really what she is, and what she really is is a lot harder to explain in a neat and digestible way. Which is why I've said in tags that she kinda comes off as baby's first OC if you only know the elevator pitch (her parents were an angel and a succubus) but the reality is a lot more complicated in a much more interesting way that's not super easy to explain unless you're telling it to a person who already wants to listen.

So now I have a whole story in my head about a woman who just wants to find her mom, but she's caught up in this grand threat to the multiverse itself, when all she wants is a nice quiet life with her family but she lives in a world where the veil between the realms only thinned recently, and the magical "races" are all humans who were variably affected by the energies of different worlds, and some are viewed less favorably than others (the aasimar equivalent are sometimes called "blessings" because their parents view it as such to have a child influenced by the divine, while the tiefling equivalent are seen as about what you'd expect, etc). So there's vibes of marginalization and surviving in a world that isn't super thrilled that you exist, and mommy issues, and a theocratic government that's not great and is secretly using the power of faith to try to turn the head of state into a god, and all the while my poor beleaguered angel's bastard has to cope with the fact that a god on a level her tiny electric meatball consciousness cannot BEGIN to comprehend just asked her for help, (because, in her words, "𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔬𝔬𝔫 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔡𝔬 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔰𝔢𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔠𝔢𝔞𝔫 𝔞𝔰 𝔭𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔨𝔱𝔬𝔫 𝔡𝔬; 𝔴𝔢 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔦𝔭𝔭𝔩𝔢, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔬𝔫𝔩𝔶 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔟𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔨 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔳𝔢") and now she's stuck working with a handful of other people who were ALSO assigned to this task, and all of it sucks but at least her long-suffering wife is there to kick some ass while she pretends her own trauma isn't destroying her from the inside.

(To get more technical, There's A Big Problem™ and while the Outer Gods have orders of magnitude more power than they'd need to fix it, souls are concentrated areas of the Potential of Creation and have a kind of WEIGHT to them, metaphysically, that influences the world around them (which is how magic works), and a fragment of creation as "large" as an Outer God would effectively alter reality around itself on such an enormous scale, almost like gravitational lensing, that for them to interfere in our layer of the multiverse that directly would essentially reorder existence around their presence to a degree that they deem unacceptable. So between not having a great perspective of what the problem is DOING to our layer and not being able to really ENTER the layer of existence where the problem needs to be solved, they need a solution that can operate on the correct scale to restore the balance without causing unfathomable catastrophic collateral damage in the process, and thus, The Gods Need Our Help™. And the characters have to figure out how to deal with this while navigating their own problems in a world that's got its own human sized bullshit going on. THAT is the story I want to write. Cass might have her own story as a book 2. Empath, a story I used to tag about sometimes and involves a spaceship I invented the concept for based on real math that allows it to only exist outside of itself, would be book 3.)

Two of the other ensemble cast are heavily adapted from characters from the campaign, one a pretty direct translation of a PC and the other a cross between another PC and an NPC, both of whom have awkward crushes on the aforementioned PC, and the NPC in particular gives off the most intense friends to enemies to friends to lovers yearning vibes I have ever seen in my fucking LIFE, and the new character I've spawned out of those two is going to be sort of like a siren with synesthesia, so bask in the flavor of THAT concept for a hot minute. If you even care.

Basically there's going to be a "main character" for each of the colors in the cosmogony, and that will be important in ways you don't need to think about right now.

Hey did you know that wizards suck, actually?

So anyway the Uneiverse is basically a multiverse in which the Prime Spheres represent the basic elements of creation, and from them the Composite Spheres were created, each a combination of two (or more? currently I only have the two-color combinations named) of those elements, and as creation divides and recycles itself in a grand eternal process of revision and recombination, you have the Inner Spheres which make up the multiverse as MTG imagines it: an infinite cosmos of varied realms, made of all the elements in minutely different quantities and combinations.

And in one of those realms sits a hectic little world called Une, where a lot of things get weird and a scared little girl just wishes her mom was here to make it all better.

#Uneiverse #Ash #Aria #Cass #Lailah #eldritch OCs #Was this the answer you were hoping for? I'd hate to have taken that soul for nothing. #also enjoy that Eternity quote that's one of many insane things that she says. the scene with her is gonna be WILD. #I've been told I write from the perspective of a god *weirdly* well #also. *technically* the gif is not a lie. enjoy that thought.