#Olie can see the future

[thatsrightice]

Hi, please have this thing I wrote on February 23rd, SIXTEEN DAYS before Part 8 came out where we saw Crosby neglecting his own wellbeing.

how do I know I’m still not hallucinating?

words: ~2k

main themes: entirely self-indulgent, Croz doesn’t take care of himself, POWs are back in Thorpe Abbotts, Croz & Bubbles, Croz & Rosie, basically implied Croz & everyone, the very definition of hurt/comfort

summary:

Harry Crosby becomes so sleep-deprived from constantly overworking himself that he hallucinates seeing friends who have gone down. He startles the first couple of times because they look exactly the same, as though not a day has gone by since he last saw them. He quickly recognizes them for what they are, soft smiles reminding him to get some sleep. Amidst a particularly stressful couple of weeks organizing missions to shuttle POWs out of Germany, the hallucinations become more frequent and he's not sure how much longer he can take it.

Harry Crosby becomes so sleep-deprived from constantly overworking himself that he begins to hallucinate seeing friends who have gone down. He startles the first couple of times because they look exactly the same, as though not a day has gone by since he last saw them. He quickly recognizes them for what they are, soft smiles reminding him to get some sleep.

He looks up from the map in Group Ops and Bubbles is leaning against the table listening intently, nodding and smiling in encouragement like always. He could have sworn that it was the Bucks who nearly ran him over with a jeep. One time an entire group of them were in the Flying Mess, laughing and pounding on the table as Curtis spun another one of his tales. He stops and listens for a moment before promptly turning around and heading straight for his bunk, all with a smile on his face.

He finds comfort in their presence, a hopefulness that they’ve found the path to Valhalla. He can’t help longing to join them but knows that his work isn’t done here yet.

And so he pushed on.

It’d been a long week for Crosby. Even after they’d shifted away from bombing runs towards supply drops and shuttling POWs, there was still plenty of work to be done and little sleep to be had. That’s why he’s not surprised when he passes Bucky standing with an arm around Buck’s shoulder. Crosby does nothing more than give a polite smile and a tired nod; he was already on his way to bed.

Of course, suddenly those two, along with some others, just keep showing up around base no matter how much sleep he gets. They all look a little worse for wear but Crosby decides it must be some sort of projection of how he feels. They try to talk to him but he can’t respond. To get diagnosed with Combat Fatigue and sent home after he’s been so unbelievably careful about not letting anyone find out about the hallucinations for so long would be a disgrace.

It all comes to a head after he’d been awake for far too long even by his standards. He discovers his chance and slips out of Group Ops for a brief moment of reprieve. He jumps into the front seat of his jeep taking off down the road. He drives to the Flying Mess without even really thinking about it and takes a seat at an empty table with nothing but a coffee in hand. He tells himself that coffee here tastes better than whatever shit they serve at Group Ops.

“What? The food here not good enough for you anymore, Croz?” Bucky grinned, taking a seat at the table across from him with Buck at his side. Crosby said nothing, eyes cast down as he stared into his cup. The table began to fill with more old faces among the likes of Brady, Hoerr, and Hambone. Murphy and DeMarco, too.

“Bingo’s too good for us now that he’s runnin’ with the high mucky-mucks,” Ham teased.

“Croz!” Bubbles greeted cheerfully, taking a seat on his left side. Though he finds himself surrounded, it’s like there’s a buffer between them, no one coming close enough to touch let alone brush against him.

“Hey Bubbles,” Crosby mumbled softly into his cup as he took a sip to avoid looking at the man.

“So he speaks,” Buck drawled, raising an eyebrow and smirking at him with that all-knowing look of his.

“You know, Croz,” Bucky began, pointing at him with his fork.”In the Stalag they got us eating nothing but spuds and slop.”

Crosby recognized it as a reminder to eat, but he wasn’t too sure he could stomach anything solid. He used to find comfort in their presence, but as of late, it felt as though his chronically optimistic demeanor was turning against him.

He set down the cup and bowed his head, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes in an attempt to quell the building emotions. The table goes quiet.

“Croz? Are you-“

“Major Crosby will report to Group Ops,” the Tannoy called, echoing over all corners of the base. It was like a switch had been flipped and he was immediately running on autopilot.

He downed the rest of his coffee and quickly strolled through the mess to his jeep. He remembered walking into Group Ops and holding a conversation with one of his assistants, but everything faded to black as he walked up the handful of steps to his office.

Bubbles is sitting at his bedside when he wakes up, staring down at his hands. He let out a shaky exhale and focused his eyes up at the ceiling.

Bubbles’ head shot up.

“What the hell happened, Croz?” he scolded. “You’re dehydrated, malnourished, sleep deprived–”

Crosby doesn’t have the energy to fight it anymore and allows himself to look at Bubbles, to truly look at Bubbles for the first time since the hallucinations had begun. He examined Bubbles’ face closely. He looks over every wrinkle in his brow and every freckle on his cheeks.

“God, I miss you,” Crosby rasped. Bubbles’ face fell.

“I’m right here, Croz,” Bubbles reassured. And now that Crosby could see his face in full view, vision no longer blurred and the room no longer spinning, the other man looked as awful as Crosby felt.

“It’s not fair,” he babbled, staring up at the ceiling and blinking away his tears. “It should have been you here and not me.”

“Don’t say that,” Bubbles chastised.

Crosby swallowed a sob. “I can’t do this, Bubbs,” his voice cracked.

“Hey, it’s almost over,” Bubbles soothed, scooting his chair forward. “We’re so close, Harry. We just gotta stick it out a little bit longer.”

Crosby shook his head, tears falling down his face. “I'm sorry, I just- I can’t do this anymore, Joey.”

“I am so incredibly proud of you, Binger, and don’t you dare think otherwise. You are the smartest, most selfless person I know. You give and you give until there is nothing left,” Bubbles spoke firmly. “But you're not in this alone, alright? There are so many people outside right now who care about you and are worried sick; Blake and Doug and Rosie. The Bucks, Ham, Brady, Murph, and DeMarco. We’re all here for you,” Bubbles grabbed his hand.

Crosby couldn’t help but jerk out of his grasp, staring in fear at his best friend.

“Harry? What’s wrong?”

“You touched me.”

“Do you not want me to?” Bubbles questioned, concern and worry replacing his confusion.

“You’ve never been able to touch me before,” Cdosby fiddled with the edge of the blanket.

“Course I have,” Bubbles smiled softly, moving to sit on the edge of the hospital cot.

Crosby reached out and hesitantly placed a hand on the other man’s cheek. When his fingers made contact he couldn’t help but throw himself at Bubbles. “I thought you were gone,” he cried. His arms were wound tightly around Bubbles’ neck, the other navigator’s arms circling his waist. “I thought I was hallucinating. How do I know I’m still not hallucinating?”

Bubbles was too shocked to speak and Crosby took that as his queue. He spilled everything and Bubbles listened, rubbing the man’s back gently as they embraced. He hid his face in Bubbles’ neck, crying and apologizing profusely for ignoring them all. Bubbles whispered reassurances while he wept, murmuring promises that no one was angry with him. Bubbles was equally mortified that none of them had done anything to step in. They watched from afar as the navigator worked himself to the bone. They kind of picked up on the fact that he was ignoring them, but they were too afraid of interrupting his extremely busy schedule. Bubbles began to tear up as he replayed every interaction he’d had with Crosby over the last couple of weeks. He couldn’t help but blame himself for not doing anything sooner.

Bubbles pulled away, thinking carefully as Crosby’s words sank in. He separated from the man and came around to the other side of the bed. He put Crosby’s arm around his shoulder and helped the man stand up. He led him to the window.

“Do they look like hallucinations?” He questioned, gesturing out the window at the grounds out front.

A group of men occupied the space in front of the hospital. Douglass stood close to the front door of the hospital deep in conversation with Blakely. Blakely took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair before securing it back on his head. Buck stood with his hands on his hips, looking out across the base. Murph was sitting on the ground leaning against the tree beside Hambone. DeMarco and Bucky stood a little off to the side throwing a ball back and forth with Meatball darting between them.

“Blake and Dougie don’t,” Crosby answered, seemingly avoiding the subject. Bubbles sighed, resting his head against Crosby’s as he became lost in thought.

Crosby glanced down at Bubbles’ watch and nearly jumped out of his skin. “Bubbles, I need to go. I’m flying with Rosie today,” he quickly pulled away from his friend and stumbled towards the bed.

“Croz, no!”

Crosby and Bubbles grappled, Crosby fighting with all of his remaining energy as he tried to escape Bubbles’ hold. A jeep screeched into the grass off to the side and Bubbles was incredibly thankful for the pilot’s timing.

“Croz! Harry, look!” Bubbles grabbed Crosby’s head and forced him to look out the window. “He’s right there.”

“Rosie?” Croz murmured questioningly. His struggles slowed as he watched the pilot hop out of the jeep and make a beeline for Douglass and Blakely, faces pinched.

“Blake rang ‘im up a bit ago, said this would probably happen.” Bubbles explained. “You want me to bring him in? You have to sit down, though.” Crosby scrunched his nose, face flushing slightly out of embarrassment. The navigator nodded, allowing himself to be helped back to the edge of the cot.

He watched Bubbles exit the infirmary, craning his neck to look out the window. Much to his relief, he watched Bubbles jog out the front door towards Rosie, Blake, and Doug. Bubbles put an arm on Rosie’s shoulder as he talked, the others making their way over. Rosie nodded and immediately turned to go towards the front door, but Bubbles remained outside talking to the others. As Bubbles continued to speak to the rest of the flyboys, Crosby could tell exactly when he broke to them why he’d been so distant. Before Bubbles even finished, Hambone broke off from the group and stalked back towards the tree, shaking his head. DeMarco crouched down, busying himself by burying his hands into Meatball’s fur. Bucky’s face twisted into a frown, eyebrows drawn tight together and looking ready to argue. Buck put a hand on his shoulder, still listening intently but not looking any more pleased than the others.

Crosby slid down in the bed onto his back, the shame of everything starting to overwhelm him again. He brought his arms and covered his eyes with the back of his hands. The door swung open, followed by soft, but quick footsteps. The bed dipped and a hand carded through his hair. He dropped his hands down to his stomach and peered up at the pilot with lidded eyes. Rosie smiled and Crosby could only blink heavily.

“Go to sleep, Croz,” Rosie murmured. “Everyone’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Everyone?” Crosby mumbled. He glanced up towards the window, but all he could see was the blue of the sky.

“Everyone,” he reassured. His voice was firm and all-encompassing, leaving no need for any follow-up questions. Yet, Crosby still needed to ask one more.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

#not my best work but I needed it out of my system #this is entirely self indulgent #sorry it’s just not as thorough or well thought out like it’s very cheesey #but I didn’t want this to just keep sitting in my WIP folder #let me know if I should post it on ao3 idk if I will because it’s not very good #masters of the air #mota #harry crosby #Harry Crosby needs a hug #Harry Crosby needs help #Croz and Bubbles #Croz and Rosie #Croz and Everyone #ft many of your fave flyboys! #fanfic #Olie can see the future #I SWEAR I WROTE THIS BEFORE PART 8 #BUT I WAS WORRIED EVERYONE WOULD THINK I WAS LYING #mota musings

[ghostiiess]

[NSB HEADCANONS] - them taking care of you when you’re pregnant!

synopsis: title says it all!

warnings: mention of morning sickness, vomiting, pregnancy stuff… some mistakes here and there

type: fluff

members: everyone

wc: around 200 by members? i think? so around 1.4K

not feeling 100% great atm, so im sorry if theres mistakes :((

reblogs and likes are very appreciated!

OLIVER MOY - the one who would support you by doing the tasks / giving you compliments during that period

The sweetest man

He would literally be the best dad, fr

LIKE HAVE YOU SEEN HIM WITH KIDS??? (Talking abt the members rn 🤣)

He would do all the tasks for you

And compliment you!

Oli would make sure that you eat food and drink your water

« And here’s for you, my love!!! Your favorite pasta! »

he would be soooo supportive 🥹

« Hey baby, I’ll take care of it! Go rest yourself, alright? »

« c’mon my love. Go take a break, I’ll do the chores! »

He’s literally the man we all wish we had in our life

« You look so beautiful with that baby dump »

« our baby will be so pretty »

« Do you think they will have my eyes or yours? Gosh, i hope they will have yours.. yours are so pretty »

OLIVER MOY, STOP BEING SO DAMN CUTE LIKE???

He would literally be the cutest man alive during this time (as if he wasnt enough sweet like that)

like tell me if im wrong (im not)

(Others members under the cut!)

SEBASTIAN MOY - the one who would try to make you laugh / smile

Listen…

This man would try to make the time less crampy

less painful too

Remember the video where he took the pregnancy test? He was screaming.

He knows you’re strong enough, and everything… but he hates seeing you in pain (even though its normal since ur literally pregnant lol)

So, obvs since he know it hurts, he would try to make the time less hard for you :( bc he know that the test and the pregnancy state is two completely different things

he took the pregnancy test and it hurted him so bad... he can't imagine it must be for you

But if he can make the time less painful by making you laugh / smile, he would do it

This man would buy flowers.

I just see him walking in ur house and being like « hey, here’s flowers for the future mommy »

Also, he would try to crack jokes here and there

Pregnancy jokes, even!

« Why did the pregnant woman go on a picnic? Because she was craving a little something extra! »

thank you seb for this joke 😐

He would also bring your favorite food / drinks 🥤

He would search them on google and he would be so proud

"im gonna be the funny one in this family"

He’s the energetic member of the group, but for you, he would try to rest and not move too much 🥲 like this man would, surprisingly, be calm (only for you, babe)

Seb would be such a good supporter too, although affirmations is not his first love language, he would be super cute. i promise you :)

RYAN NGUYEN - the one who would help you with ur cravings / the one who try to make you relax

He would judge you so bad for ur cravings

But he would buy them for you

Why? Bc even though he thinks its weird, he knows it could make u happy and make you smile

And him seeing your smile can easily make his day 😚

« babe, i love you with all my heart, i truly do, but… why are you putting bananas in apple sauce and yogourt…? »

But he loves you! (sometimes hes giving you a side eye)

Also… he would literally take care of everything

A bit like Oliver would do :)

« Babe, don’t worry abt it! I can take care of it »

« Need help? Alright, wait a sec »

He would quit his game for you in like 0.3844843 sec

« What the fuck just happened?!?!- baby? Need help? Yeah, one sec… alright boys, im heading out » (he would say smth like that)

« Go relax, my love. I can do it »

« Baby… stop overworking yourself! I know you can do it, but i want you to relax… you’ve been working all day »

Also, even thought it doesn’t look like it, he would be super supportive

He’s just more an ‘actions’ than a ‘word’ kind of person

JUSTIN PHAN - the one who would send you voices messages during your day to make sure ur taking care of urself and not overworking / help you with your morning sickness

Justin would be the type to grab his phone during a really important moment and just text you / give u voice messages

Although he know u love helping around in the house and doing ur tasks, he make sure that you don’t get overworked

« Hey baby, im with the boys at the store… do u need anything at the store? »

This man’s would also help you during the morning sickness

He just want the best for you 😁

Jp look like the person who knows when there’s a problem without you having to say it

« Hey baby, is everything okay? »

Like idk why but he look like the type that would read faces lol

he has this gut feeling, what can i say?

« Hold on, drink that glass of water, okay? Deep breath, baby… »

« Yeah, just like that »

If he see you vomiting, he would take ur hair up and pat ur back

« it’s okay baby, let it all out, everything's gonna be fine»

«  if anything happen, wake me up alright? I want to be there for you »

Like for sure, seeing vomit is not the most aesthetic thing he saw, but he knows that it’s normal

KANE RATAN - the one who would massage you and listen to you

this man would be so cute.

I literally said that to everyone 💀 but it’s true

We all know how kane give good massages

This man know what he’s doing!

He probably took massages classes when he was younger, bc this man would give u the best massage ever

« come here, i will give you a lil’ massage, baby… let me knock out the stress away! »

Also, during the massage…

He would literally let you talk about your pregnancy, how the cramps are, how is it… or just random stuff haha

In others words: let you vent abt what ur going through during that time, because he knows its not always easy

« Tell me if it hurt, okay? I don’t want to hurt you »

Also, i feel he would be the type to ask this question:

« Do you think we’ll have a girl or a boy? »

« if im being honest, i don’t really mind if its a girl or a boy… as long as they’re happy, im happy »

« Do you think we could play anime music? Do you think it would make them a fan of AOT? Or we could play one piece!! omg baby, do you think they would like aot or one piece more? »

Not Kane wanting to make ur future baby (not even borned yet lol) a fan of AOT… such a relaxing and childish anime, wow!!!

DARREN LIANG - the one who would cook for you and kiss ur cramps away

We all know how Darren is a great cook

So I’m sure he would love to cook for you :)

« hey babe, i just cooked ur favorite meal! »

Isn’t he so cute? 🥹

The con is that he would judge your cravings.. like Ryan.

BUTTTTT he know it can make you happy, so he would obviously make them for you if it can make you happy!

Also, he would kiss your cramps away

To me, he looks like such a sweetheart when it come to pain or smth like that

« Hey baby, are you okay? »

« Do you want me to help you? »

A bit like Kane, dar’ would give you a little massage

« You’re so cute baby »

And he would kiss you 🤭 bc it’s Darren we’re talking abt!

also, if ur in the mood... its ur lucky day!! bc this man's always in the mood!

« Are you feeling a bit better? »

« Come and rest next to me, alright? »

He’s such a sweetheart, woah

REGIE MACALINO - the one who would go shopping with you for baby clothes / decorations

He would be the best dad ever, no joke

He would buy soooo many decorations and clothes, like we all know how regie has style, like there’s absolutely no way his son / daughter won’t have style too

And even if regie says « i put whatever i want » like okay maybe he do, but like it is styled in a way that i can’t explain lmaooo

I’m sorry, he just seem to be the type to search a bit in store, then on pinterest to see what would look good lol 🫢

I’m sure regie would be the type to search on Pinterest some baby decorations

Btw, your baby's room would be sooo messy, im so sorry

Regie would only look for cool bedsheets and fun decorations, but not for organizer bc have you seen his room?? Guys, it’s a bit messy im sorry

So regie wouldn’t be the type to buy organizer, BUTTTTTT he would make sure to let (try) the piece clean with his kid if it can make you happy

Regie seems tough, but he’s indeed a big sweetheart

He has sm love for us the star (his fan) so imagine for his kid-

He would be the cutest dad ever, like I’m sure regie would be there for his kid in all the ways he can

He would take care of you so so much too

He would be like Oliver haha

Sing for you, make you food, do the tasks (look how gentleman he is)… also, he would def make the baby like him more.. im sorry

taglist! (open! send an ask if you’d like to be added) : @nsb-rkive @kentisbaby @firebenderwolf @hyuneee0 @yawnzzznnn @ghostyycat7

Olegie has my heart 🤭

100% recommand this man!

Bold can’t be tagged.

#ghostiiess #nsb #northstarboys #north star boys #headcanon #headcanons #nsbheadcanons #sebastian moy #oliver moy #ryan nguyen #justin phan #regie macalino #darrenliang #kane ratan #sebastian moy x reader #sebastian moy x female reader #sebastian moy x you #olivermoy #oliver moy x reader #oliver moy x female reader #azngami #ratan kane #darren liang x reader #darren liang x female reader #macalino regie #nsb x reader #nsb x female reader #north star boys x female reader #north star boys x reader #north star boy x reader

[chemicallady]

I WANNA FEEL LOVE AGAIN

Part 1 ; Part 2 ;

Couple: Noah Sebastian x Fem!Reader

Content Warning: I made a little homage to three fanfiction I really love! I leave you to find the references ;)

Taglist: @ada-clarence , @badalmondzzzz , my wifey @starsomens , @raventherockstarhippie @blacksoul-27 , @somewhere-diamond

Summary:  This is just cute. I swear.

But you never promised me to be wiser of better.

Time flies.

Two years passed by so fast that you almost didn't notice. At first, your job was not demanding at all, compared with the rest of the crew. You have to accompaning Noah or any other member of the band to attend the interviews, most of them for radio stations. Taking notes for integrations on their website. Keep an eye on publicize enough any tourdates or merch drop, find sponsor for bigger venues and check at the end of the day if the guys need something for the day after.

You had to spend a lot of your time on the band socials, especially instagram and twitter, which you have always shared credentials with your brother and the rest of the band. You also create their TikTok and take care about the creation of fun contents.

It was way easy before the release of Death of Peace of Mind. After the beginning of 2022, you were on the road more than at home. A lot of famous hosters started to ask for an interview with Noah. All the lights switched on the future promise of rock music when Just Pretend became one of the most used/listened songs on TikTok.

And now, in the middle of the summer of 2023, the band is still rising. More money bring more responsabilities, the necessity of arranged a better shows, bigger interviews, more publicity, more interaction through the socials.

Everyone has to work the double, you included. Speaking with radio manager and small magazine specialized in all metal subgenders was a thing.

But now the band is too huge to stop at this level. And you werent trained enough for all this pressure, but it started to grow on you month after month, tour after tour. You are the guardian of Noah's schedule. You are not charming enough to compete with others PR, but since the crew is more similar to family meeting than a serious ansemble of professionals, you became competitive.

Hard work got big results like the european tour with Bring Me the Horizon. Oli wanted Bad Omens to open for him but you were the one who put all her soul and time on the project. On the papers. Because behing any tour there is a mountain of burocracy, sponsor phone calls and publicity. You had to team up with Matt, Miles and Davis so many times that at some point, that it's like having more than just one older brother.

From june 4th, the last day on tour, you are on vacation. You have nothing to do with music creation or audio/video sound checks. You just need a laptop, a lot of patience every time you scroll your emails, and the fantastic mojito your neighbour Brianna makes. A good reason to work on your balcony, along with the sound of the ocean, is her company. You don't have many friends but she is amazing. She moved from Minnesota after the shutdown, and she is an actress. Small roles, but as she always says, small roles bring bigger ones.

《 and it would have been ever better if my prick boyfriend didn't show up and basically assaulted the casting director》

You have heard this story at least ten times, but it's still amazing how boys can be idiots. 《 Why are you still with him? He's a bomb ready to detonate, Bri》 , you know that your concern will not help her in resonate, but you can't shut up.

《 I can't afford either the apartment or the car and you know that, y/n. Also, he is not that bad when he's sorber.》

《 But he never is! 》 you place the now empty glass on the outdoor table, disappointed in seeing her almost offended expression. It's a fortune that Matt isn't around. He has to deal with Jim at least twice a week. 《 You're my friend, Bri. The only one unrelated to my job..... I can't sleep over this situation anymore. I can help you. Move in with me and Matt, take care of my plant and Lucifurr for me while we are on tour. We don't want you to help with the rent. You just need to tell that dick to fuck off.》

《.... but he drives me to every casting》

《 and he's the reason no one is picking you in a very first place. This relationship is too toxic》

《 y/n I think you're crossing the line.》

《 He's gonna kill you one of these days!》

You both muted for a couple of seconds, the now tense air between the two of you being thick as a wall. Yeah, you cross the line but like Matt, you're no good in resonate with people who don't want any help. And like Matt you can't stand injustice, not at this rate.

But you know that you have to excuse yourself, simply it's hard to find the right words. You are not going to apologise for speaking your mind, but just about the way you did it.

《 y/n? Are you ready?》

A raspy voice catch you off guard. It's already seven??

《 Shit, Noah. I'm outside》, you yell in response, before turning again towards Brianna. She already reached the empty glass and without a word, and she comes back to her apartment. 《 C'mon Brianna. I'm sorry, just-for the fuck sake.》

Noah is standing right next to you when Brianna shut the door loudly.

All you can do is sigh out loud - a bad habit you inherit from the tall man on your side - before bringing your hands to cover your face in frustration.

《 What's going on, here?》 He asks , munching a candy.

《 I don't understand women.》

He gives you a funny look. 《 Damn, that's the real deal, man. Not the chicken/egg question, or what's our purpose on earth.... but why you girls act so weird. 》

《 Shut the fuck up, Noah. Not now.》

Your relationship with Noah also changed drastically in the last two years. It required some time and a ton of patience, but he open up to you and from thenon, you became a sort of confident of him. In return, he is the one you call when things are not going well. It was a bit embarrassing, the first months, but your friendship now is stronger than youve ever immagined. You feel like you can tell everything to Noah without being judged. Sometimes he laughs at you, of course, but he knows when a situation has to be manged seriously.

He cares about you with all his heart.

He doesn't aspect nothing in return, but he is dear to you on a level than only your brother have always been.

And he knows you deeply, that's why it is so easy for him to detect how worried you are.

《 Do you think he beats her? I mean, Steve is a scumbag, but I can't figure him being actually that violent. He is always too high to have some form of coordination.》

Since his arrival - Noah has the keys of the apartment so he can come and go as he pleased, especially when both you and matt are not in town and someone has to take care of Luci- Noah asked you questions on Brianna's situation.

He knows you're concerned and he also can't pretend he is fine with your neighbors yelling at each others on daily basis.

《 I don't know but he is getting more and more jealous. She told me he's sabotaging her auditions, now.》

Noah takes a sip of the iced tea you offer him, before grab your hand on the surface of the counter. 《 Start to call the police on them, when they argue. Maybe you're right. He is not beating her yet. But he could start.》 You nod slowly, thanking him with a soft smile. 《 By the way, do you feel okay? Wanna postpone our date?》

He loves to joke around with you, because he knows how this helps in rising your moral.

You pretend to get offended. 《 I would never, ever decline a date with you. Let me change in a more adequate outfit.》

《 take your time, the limo's driver can wait downstairs.》

You giggle, before leaving him in the kitchen, reaching your room for a quick change. In five minutes you're ready: a ponytail, red joggers and a tank top.

《 Ready to run, pretty boy?》

《 I'm always ready, chicken butt.》

Noah has never told you the real reason why he has taken the work out so seriously, but you're glad he did, because you joined him on his program and honestly, you feel at your top right now. It's not a matter of aesthetics, but you feel healthy. You are less tired at the end of the day, and you can endure the - at least- 15 working hours while Touring. Back at home, it became a habit of the two of you going out for a run daily during the sunsets since Noah is not an early bird and you'd rather work in the morning.

The place you chose is on the street that runs alongside the beach in Malibù. One of reason why you got used to LA is also the precious view of the ocean while the sun sinks in it and paints the sky in gold.

There is a small beach, hidden in the stunning nature of the Pacific Coast, that has become your spot. Every day you reach that beach, stretch a little and then go back to your apartment when usually Noah showers before leaving.

Today is a Saturday and even if you don't have big plans, Noah sometimes takes his chances on a Saturday night. Even God took a day off on Sunday, right?

《 It's the red hair?》

You ear him chuckles while you bend, grabbing the tip of your toes to stretch your back.

《 No red hair as far as I can recall》

《 So... the girl you helped at that dive bar?》 You rise again, bringing your arms to the sky 《The one who broke up with her cheating boyfriend? Or maybe your neighbour? I like her. I remember you told me she was so happy when you sent her our merch.》

Noah pushes you a little, making you loosing your balance while a giggle leaves your lips. 《 You're making me look like a fuckboy!》

《you are a fuckboy, always surrounded by beautiful women. And don't look at me like that! I know you like it that way!》

Noah is young and awesome. You got a crush on him in the beginning of your partnership. It's more than obvious that he has a significant number of choices when he wants to spend a night out.

This used to hurt you a bit, but the feeling of jealousy or envy - you still don't know what it was - disappeared in the moment you realised what you have.

All this girls can have noah for a night or two.

You can have him fully, you can call him in the middle of the night if a guy screws on you and Noah will bring you to buy ice-cream to McDonald's. You two can talk for hours about the absolute nothing or regarding the most difficult life choices.

You can mocking him, make him laugh in the golden light of the dying sun, in this very moment.

And that's more than enough.

Maybe you and Noah are not meant to be lovers, but he is your person and you are his. Like twin Flames, that doesn't matter how far they are.

They always burn bright.

《 I don't know, I was thinking for something casual. Like Netflix and chill.》

Lucifurr jumps off the sofa in the moment he hears Noah entering in your apartment. Your cat totally ignores you and starts to purr to the tall man that interrupts everything to kneel and cuddle the black ball of furr.

Satanic animal...

《 Then you should text the neighbor. She is the sweetest of yours hooks up.》

《 Then I can simply ring the door on my way back.》

《 Call her, Noah. Don't be a prick. The world doesn't revolve around you. Maybe she is planning to go out.》

You can hear him sigh in his annoying way. 《Can I shower here, anyway? I smell bad.》

《 You always smell bad.》

《 Am I???》

You exchange a glaze with him and immidiatly know its time to run. In the moment he leaves Luci alone, he is following you around the house while you yell for help. But matt isn't back yet, so you're on your own. As soon as noah reaches you (very soon, his legs are longer than yours), he huggs you tight, trying to put your head under his armpit.

《 NOAH STOP IS DISGUSTING!》 , you try to defend yourself hitting him on his back and between his legs with small slaps.

《Ei! Low blow! Don't slap my nutts!》

《 Don't sweat on me, you piece of-》

A yell interrupted the both of you, follow by a long cry and some smashed dishes. Noah realise the grip on you and sighs deeply looking at the wall that divides your apartment from Briannas one.

《 Is it always like this?》

《 almost every day, now.》

And there is something that broke in your cracking voice that completely shattered Noahs heart.

《 let's call the cops》, he says with a soft voice, hugging your shoulders. 《 I'll stay. We can watch a movie togheter.》

You look at him in surprise while he is reaching his phone. 《 and your date?》

《 you're my date》 , is the cheeky replay. The both of you smile, and you need a second. Not only because you're worried about brianna, but also because these small situations make you feel.... weird on your feelings towards noah.

You don't want to admit it, but a real date would be all you desire.

....but at what cost?

#noah sebastian #bad omens #noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian imagine #bad omens imagine

[dreamings-free]

‘A dirty nightclub in an arena’ – behind Louis Tomlinson’s Faith In The Future World Tour

Louis Tomlinson and his tight-knit touring crew traverse the world in close to 80 shows, fulfilling a ‘dirty nightclub in an arena’ brief with a dynamic live campaign.

Production Profiles 5 January 2024

Following the success of his record-breaking Live From London livestream, which reportedly raised over £1m for touring and live events personnel and charitable organisations, Louis Tomlinson and his tight-knit crew have toured the world twice over. This time, visiting sold-out arenas in Europe and the UK with a cleverly networked live production with abstract video and lighting and a ‘no frills’ approach to sound, which guaranteed that every ticket holder experienced the same show, regardless of where they stood, sat, or screamed (more on that later). With close to 80 shows under their belt, TPi visited London’s O2 arena ahead of the production’s penultimate date of 2023.

Words: Jacob Waite Photos: Justin De Souza and Oli Crump

------

Following the success of his record-breaking Live From London livestream, which reportedly raised over £1m for touring and live events personnel and charitable organisations, Louis Tomlinson and his tight-knit crew have toured the world twice over. This time, visiting sold-out arenas in Europe and the UK with a cleverly networked live production with abstract video and lighting and a ‘no frills’ approach to sound, which guaranteed that every ticket holder experienced the same show, regardless of where they stood, sat, or screamed (more on that later). With close to 80 shows under their belt, TPi visited London’s O2 arena ahead of the production’s penultimate date of 2023.

“A team effort is required to get this show off the ground,” explained Technical Manager, Sam ‘Kenny’ Kenyon, who has been a fixture of Louis Tomlinson’s live output since joining as Lighting Crew Chief in 2019. “This has been a complete redesign, and the production has expanded and gotten more complex, which requires different solutions to make it happen.”

Kenny and the team oversaw the deployment of an A and B rig. “We’ve been fortunate for the European stint that the venues we’ve toured have, mostly, been arenas. The main difference between the A and B rig is the addition of IMAG and further lighting header trusses. Aside from that, the A rig fits everywhere. If anything, we’ve run into weight issues, which we can overcome swiftly by removing overhead trusses.”

For the first few shows, Riggers, Ian Bracewell, and Alex Walker incorporated load cells on trusses to get an accurate rate and account of the weight of the load of each truss. In the UK, The Brighton Centre had a particularly low-rate roof with weight limitations. Production Manager, Craig Sherwood and Tour Manager, Tom Allen’s vendors of choice included: Altour (travel), Beat the Street, BPM SFX, CSE Crosscom, Colour Sound Experiment (lighting, rigging, and video), Hangman UK, Boxcat Studio and Two Suns Creative (video content), LED Creative, Ox Event House (custom light housings), Sarah’s Kitchen, Seven 7 Management (artist management), Solotech (audio), Stardes Trucking, and TANCK (production design and video content).

There was no video director, as the show’s visuals were programmed and interspersed with live footage and triggered by a lighting console at FOH, thanks in part to an intricate network setup. “There’s a lot going on in racks that people never see, but it has been stable thanks to the quality of kit supplied by our vendors, who have invested heavily, and the team taking the time to programme the show,” Kenny noted.

Key to the success of the operation was the incorporation of Central Control software, which takes a signal from a lighting console, be it ACN or Art-Net, and translates it to talk to various products – in this case, video. “There is a giant brain that nobody knows exists other than those that have programmed it,” he added.

Additional crew members joined the tour in Europe to aid the video deployment and lead to far more efficient load-in an -outs. “We are close to 80 shows in and on days where we have access to multiple trucks, it comes out very quickly, which for a show of this scale is impressive and credit goes to the team,” enthused Kenny. “The biggest hurdle is when you’ve only got a two-truck dock.”

Prior to the tour, the team had five days of production rehearsals spent in Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun. “When we came to Europe a week later, we had a week of re-prepping with a day of rehearsals at Hamburg’s Barclays Arena, the day before a show,” he described. “It’s been a fun and long run,” added Stage Manager, Torin Arnold. “We’ve visited a good range of venues and countries – especially the Eastern European legs, visiting places you wouldn’t ordinarily tour and experiencing how they operate. This show is designed so it can be accomplished in any part of the world.” Carpenter, Harry Reeves was also on hand to support the build.

The routing, however, was sometimes challenging with some late arrivals and difficult border crossings. “There were a few times in Eastern Europe where we were doing a ferry back-to-back to arrive at 11am, sitting at a difficult border crossing. We usually start with a 7am mark out, so knocking hours off your load-in is tough but everyone pulled together to overcome it,” Arnold explained, noting that touring without staging, and instead, using venue stages (particularly rolling stages), was a blessing during those late arrivals. “As with any tour, as dates progress you build a rhythm while maintaining the safety of the build,” he noted.

Arnold also highlighted the benefit of Lead Truck Driver, Neil Thornton and Truck Drivers, Matt Marlow, Ben Woods, Sarah Goldsmith, Bob Miles, Alam Minshall, Franco DeRosa, and Ollie Thornton who “speed up the process” and maintained a level of consistency.

The transitions between support acts before Louis hit the stage was equally seamless, with ample downstage space for the singer-songwriter to traverse during his performance. “Having a clean frontline means we have space to get the bands on and off,” he added. “Our vendors have also provided everything from an audio package standpoint for support acts, which also speeds up the load-in and -out.”

Highlighting a ‘bucket list’ show at Hollywood Bowl, working closely with US union officials as a “fun” and “interesting” experience, Arnold reflected on the entire tour with crewmembers he now considers close friends. “This is a close team and I’ve made some great memories and stories. It’s been a fun year!”

A DIRTY NIGHTCLUB IN AN ARENA Production Designer, Programmer and Director, Tom Taylor, and Francis Clegg of TANCK have worked with Louis Tomlinson ever since he made the leap to solo artist. “The production design has evolved into an angular, grungy, asymmetrical setup, borne out of the ‘dirty nightclub in an arena setting’ creative brief I was given,” Taylor said, citing the creative influence of Matt Vines and Seven 7 Management. “Louis is a phenomenal performer, and the crowd is captivated the entire time. We started knocking ideas around, speaking to Louis about his inspirations and influences, which we then developed into a creative deck, which I sketched in Blender, and imported into WYSIWYG for visuals, to create stills and pre-visualise.”

Taylor spent 10 days programming the visuals at Colour Sound Experiment, a firm he shares a “longstanding” relationship with. “They are always a call away regardless of the day or time. Their team is easy to get along with and I like their whole ‘production sphere’ – sometimes it’s nice to split lighting and video, but for a show like this, aligning those departments with one line of communication is ideal,” he said, underlining the support of Colour Sound Experiment Account Handler, Haydn Cruickshank.

With production rehearsals under their belt and recordings from Louis Tomlinson World Tour (2020–22), where TANCK piloted Central Control software, the creatives understood how the singer and his band moved on stage, developing a rhythm and consistency of when to implement visual cues and which camera angle fit best. This allowed the team to pre-programme the visual content to timecode.

Video content was made by a combination of TANCK, Two Suns Creative, and Boxcat Studio, with the latter creating 3D models and rendered content, all of which was broadcast across a unique set of video surfaces. “Having the abstract video columns on stage makes it much more interesting than your standard slab of LED at the back of the stage,” Taylor noted.

On stage boxes created by Ox Event House housed GLP JDC Line 1000 strobes with reflective panelling and fabric that were printed to look like heavy concrete slabs, ladened with custom LED Creative solutions. These boxes then moved up and down using Wahlberg Motion Design winches to provide a “low-level, clubby feel” to the set.

“The winches can only carry 50kg and the lights alone are 35kg, so we had to be careful not to overload them, but the result was cool. We also have one single lightbulb on a winch which comes up and down above Louis to create a classic lighting moment,” Taylor said, further highlighting Ayrton Huracán’s prismatic colour wheel as a ‘fan favourite’.

The lighting design saw a wall of GLP impression X4 Bar 20s at the rear of the stage in 12 columns. Further lighting trusses over the stage carried the Wahlberg winches for several automated looks. The DMX winches were utilised for three or four songs, either statically or moving up and down, while JDC Line 1000s provided colour and strobe effects, to achieve varied looks, with a relatively minimal overhead lighting package.

Taylor elaborated: “There are some shutters for one specific track which go directly in-front of some of the GLP X4 Bars to get the aura of the lights, instead of the lenses, which I really like the look of. Lighting and video complement each other during this show – there’s also a section with flickering fluorescent tubes on the video content with the X4 Bar 20s behind the LED screens flickering in a similar way.

Taylor was delighted with the performance of the crew. “Overall, it has been a great run, executed flawlessly,” he commented, citing the support of Lighting Crew Chief, James Box; Dimmer Technician, Rick Carr, and Lighting Technicians, Amy Barnett, and Kieran Hancox.

The wider lighting rig comprised Ayrton Eurus, CHAUVET Professional Strike Array 4, Claypaky Mini-B eLumen8 Endura 1Q120, and Robe BMFL fixtures with robo cameras, all fixed on various HOF MLT3, Litec QH40 and Thomas James Thomas Engineering Superstruss. The lighting riser featured Ayrton Huracan LT and GLP JDC1 fixtures.

Robe Spiider fixtures were situated on the up and downstage video trusses, with the floor package boasting the deployment of further Ayrton Eurus, LEDJ Spectra Flood Q15 and Chroma-Q Color Force 72 units, the latter chosen for key light. Atmospherics came in the shape of Smoke Factory Tour Hazer 2, Martin Professional JEM ZR45 and MDG Atmosphere ATMe hazers with TMB ProFans. “We had some challenging shows, implementing an arena-scale design into sheds in the US, but it’s been good to return to Europe and witness the fans enjoying the show,” added Lighting Crew Chief, James Box, who pinpointed the use of the multicoloured glass gobo in Hurricanes as among his favourite looks.

“There is a lot of effort put in by TANCK to ensure we get the utmost from every fixture on the rig, which is great to see, when the team has gone to the effort of assembling the show each morning. Seeing the looks they achieve from the rig and the extra details, with each advanced cue within the show, is a pleasure.

Almost every pixel on the JDC Line 1000 and X4 impression Bars are being used.”

Video Crew Chief, Dave Mallandain, formerly of Colour Sound Experiment, supervised the video build and the team of Video Technicians, Ed Driver, Frank Wlliams and Tim Curwen.

“Working with Colour Sound Experiment again, in a freelance capacity, certainly has its benefits,” he stated. “You get to know the workflows and personalities of the company. There is an element of trust there and our relationship is stronger because of that.” The 2.5m by 2.5m video screen, made up of Leyard CLM6 LED panels with Colorlight Z6 processing on the back end, was built in an abstract configuration – hung from varying size steel structures fixed on to lighting truss, spanning the entire stage, as opposed to a traditional backwall. “This setup requires us to build it quicker, so the backline can start building their world, but it’s very lightweight and easy to use, so once the local crew are up to speed, it flies up in no time,” he reported.

During the show, there was a lot of camera angles fed into a Blackmagic ATEM switcher, with content then fed into Resolume media servers which was processed and treated with video effects and filters to manipulate the content, monitored by the video team, and pre-programmed by Taylor via an MA Lighting grandMA3 console, operating in MA2 mode.

“The fan camera, which was one of Tom’s ideas, has evolved to the point where Frank and I are on stage during Out Of My System, pointing these cameras fabricated in an old VHS-style shell at Louis’ face in reference to the fisheye-lens inspired music video.”

A mixture of Marshall Electronics and Panasonic PTZ cameras ensured the wider on-stage action was captured. “While the visual content is the same, the shots differ based on the energy of the crowd from night to night,” he explained. “We have an overhead shot for the drums, and another behind Louis, which shoots over his shoulder to the crowd. We also have a PTZ camera on the ground in front of Louis which can rotate to capture crowd scans along with a little ‘bullet camera’ for each musician. It’s been a fantastic tour; everyone on this team has been phenomenal.”

The special effects and pyrotechnics package supplied by BPM SFX included Galaxis PFC 10-way receivers running Galaxis, with a main and a backup controller, which ran through an MA Lighting grandMA2 console, to trigger MagicFX Stadium Shot IIs and a single shot of red streamers. The latter, a “signature of Louis Tomlinson live shows”, according to BPM SFX Technician, Jack Webber – who toured with a new custom control rack, with much of the hardware integrated in one rack.

BPM SFX Account Handler, Matt Heap and SFX Technicians, Blake Harward and Phillip Mathew also provided Webber with support. “The one major change on this tour was putting the Stadium Shot IIs at the downstage edge, and adding lasers for the O2 arena show,” said Webber, who has been involved in past touring campaigns with the camp. “This is the first touring camp to take me to the US, so I feel incredibly privileged.”

Safety was paramount for the BPM SFX team, who implemented the safeguard of warning notices on-stage to ensure the band knew exactly when an effect was triggered. In closing, Webber referenced the ‘rainbow-inspired’ track, She Is Beauty We Are World Class, which demonstrated the strength of the special effects package. “There are about 22 rapid fire chase Comets all going off at the same time with a big lift, which differs in comparison to the other looks with eight units.”

MIXING IN A SEA OF SCREAMS FOH Engineer, John Delf mixed on an Avid S6L 32D console with onboard plug-ins. “I use the onboard plug-ins as much as possible because I want to keep it as simple as possible and know I’ve got a show out of the box without any added extras, which is particularly useful during fly-in gigs, where I have to use a house console or have limited time to set up,” he noted. Delf also toured with some choice pieces of outboard gear including a Rupert Neve Designs 5045 primary source enhancer for vocals, an Empirical Labs Fatso two-channel compressor for drums, and further Distressors for the bass guitar group and vocals.

“The bulk of my mixing is riding the DCA control groups and the vocals, balancing between them, and when there is a lead guitar solo, I’ll jump to that. Most of the mix should stay where it is, and I shouldn’t have to think about it, but every day you make major tweaks and refinements based on how the musicians are performing. Most of the gig is turning the band up and down without affecting the vocals because I have DCAs for drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, main vocal, backing vocals, and an ‘all’ DCA that includes everything but vocals,” he said, explaining his mixing wizardry modestly. “I also run snapshots in which I am changing the sub send amount for different songs, as well as reverb and delay times. If the band changes the set last minute, I have the desk synced to the timecode and that will trigger the snapshots.”

At the beginning of the set, the noise of the crowd can be between 112 to 116dB. “We have a little bit of headroom. When they are loud, I can push the mix, and when they are quieter, I can pull it back for the more introspective moments of the show,” he explained.

“My favourite section to mix is the transition from a cover of Arctic Monkeys’ 505 into Back to You. When that kicks in, I push the “All” DCA up to +10. We’ve built the set up to that point, where I’m able to throw it to the top before the end of the set. The three songs in the encore are also fun songs to mix,” he enthused, accenting the support of Solotech Account Handler, David Shepherd.

“I’ve worked with Dave for years, while he was at BCS Audio (now part of Solotech). He’s been my go-to account handler for a very long time, and Solotech has inherited this gig from them, so there was a natural transition.”

System Engineer and Head of Audio, Oli Crump walked TPi through the PA system: “We’ve been using L-Acoustics, which is our preference, since the start of last year’s tour. The main hang has been K1 with K2 downfill for both tours, however, we are touring with a much larger system this year with K2 on the sides instead of KARA-II. We’re flying subwoofers and carrying delays with us, which is also our preference in big arenas, like the O2 – it provides an even level of coverage across the audience,” the TPi Breakthrough Talent Award alumni said, explaining the thought process behind a larger sound system.

“The PA system is naturally bigger this year because we’re touring larger venues. The crowd is very loud, and we need to be able to compete with that at points of the show. The window of dynamic range we have without it being too loud is compressed because the background level from the crowd is so high, so we need to be able to get our level as consistent as possible from front to back. This setup really helps overcome that.”

Out of ear shot from Crump, Delf extolled the virtues of his partner at FOH: “Oli and I work well together. Every day, regardless of the venue, I know the system is going to sound consistent. We deal with different venue acoustics each day but as soon as I run up my virtual soundcheck, I’ve got the mix back to where I want it because the PA is at the same level every day. I used to walk the room a lot during sound check, but it always sounded consistent, so I’ve stopped doing that because I trust him explicitly.”

The PA generally sat in a standard location for an arena PA, 10.5m off centre and no wider than that, using the same basic system design as Louis Tomlinson’s past touring campaign, which Crump worked on with Kenny to ensure it didn’t impede the production design. “The number of boxes we deploy varies from show to show, based on the venue. The worst-case scenario [visually] is that the PA needs to be a little lower than usual and gets in the way of the IMAG screens slightly,” Crump detailed.

He designed the system using Soundvision, then imported his file into Network Manager, with a DirectOut Technologies PRODIGY.MP chosen for system processing. “I have visited many of the European arenas before so I’ve got fairly accurate plots, however, sometimes you will stumble across an error someone has made in building the models,” he continued. “Madrid’s WiZink Center had different CAD drawings for each layer of the venue and one of the layers was accidentally scaled wrong, so the bottom floors were fine but as you went up everything was out. You get curveballs like that occasionally but that’s why it’s important to verify drawings.”

An audience also changes the acoustics of a room, generally for the better, but sometimes not, so Crump was on hand at FOH to make tweaks when required. “As rooms get larger, they generally get more difficult, reverb time will go up purely as a factor of the room size, regardless of how you treat it. The O2 is quite tall seating-wise, so you end up having to angle the PA up into the roof a lot,” Crump noted.

Over by the stage, Monitor Engineer, Barrie Pitt mixed the five-piece band and frontman using a DiGiCo Quantum 338 console. “Louis and the band are good at verbalising what they want. They’ve been playing a long time, so it’s my job to translate those desires into the mix,” he explained. “DiGiCo has been my ‘go-to’ brand of console for the past 15 years. The 338 is an incredibly powerful console, which can do as much as any other on the market and more in a much less convoluted way. I know it like the back of my hand and how to get the best out of it and do the most complicated things at the push of a button. The Capture features are ridiculously powerful.”

Pitt oversaw 85 channels, 64 directly from stage, with additional channels for shouts, sends, returns, communications, and routing, among others. His outboard rack included a classic Lexicon PCM 91 digital reverberator for vocals. “The way I set up the communications and shout systems are the same across the board. For the layout, a lot of people have instruments on one side and vocal and effects on the other, however, I tend to adjust my banks of faders visually, how you would see it on stage, left to right, as a nod to my analogue mixing days. My second layer is usually tracks and any track content with reverbs next to the vocals, so they’re changed in unison. Sometimes, I’ll do a custom layer of [drum or spill group, two lead guitar channels and vocal] the things I use most, particularly if it’s a busy show input-wise.”

Pitt referred to the basis of his mix as ‘static’ with minor changes. “Louis changes a fair bit between songs I’m running upwards of 60 scenes with a lot of songs having multiple scenes for verse and chorus or specific sections,” he explained. The Monitor Engineer is a big believer in unifying the in-ear monitors, so what he hears is the same as those on stage. “We use Shure PSM1000s, JH Audio Roxanne in-ear monitors for Louis and JH16s for everyone else, except for the drummer, who is using Ultimate Ears IEMs. Louis and the band are solid, and they keep their ears in from start to finish. Louis wants the rock star mix; he likes to feel the weight of the mix. It’s not an overpowering mix but it’s a full mix with his vocal on top with Neve 5045 primary source enhancers on all vocals. Everyone else has a standard band mix at moderate level with their instrument and vocals high. The drummer has the most straightforward mix with his drums and shouts layered on top.”

A further pair of subwoofers stage left, and right were situated under the stage risers, providing the weight of side fills without the top end. “It’s a big rock show with drums and guitars, so the less noise I can have flying about the stage, the better,” he said.

The microphone package included a Shure Axient Digital AD4D two-channel digital wireless receiver, a AD2 vocal microphone with a KSM9 capsule for vocals. Sennheiser MKH 60 and AKG C414 XLS microphones captured the ambient noise of the room. “We track everything, including the two sets of ambient microphones for recording and virtual soundcheck, in case the band decides to do anything with the live content,” he noted.

Having collaborated with Solotech and previously BCS Audio multiple times, Pitt was pleased to see the company on the tour sheet. “They are a solid choice and I know Dave Shepherd well. They fix any problems swiftly, and all their gear is well packaged and maintained,” he said. “The band and crew are lovely. It’s rare to come across a camp so friendly on a show of this size.” Pitt thanked Solotech Monitor and Stage Technician, Matt Coton. “He is fantastic. He takes all the second guessing out of my day and is so meticulous and thorough that I know everything will be as it should be from the get-go. When there are issues, he knows exactly what to do to remedy it. He’s been a joy to work and hang out with.”

Audio Technicians, Matt Coton, Tim Miller, Kim Watson, Elliott Clarke, James Coghlan, Matt Benton; Bassist and Keyboard Technician, Chris Freeman; Guitar Technician, Dan Ely and Playback Technician, Scotty Anderson made up the sound team.

CURATING A HOME AWAY FROM HOME Sarah Nicholas of Sarah’s Kitchen and Caterers, Rebecca Henderson, Helena Robertson, Chris Carter, Matty Pople and Tamsin Manvell provided band and crew catering, ensuring morale stayed high and stomachs were full on the road. Making a name for themselves as One Direction’s caterers, the outfit now cater for each of the band members’ individual tours and private functions, amassing a dedicated online following. “I started catering for Louis and the rest of One Direction during their first theatre gig in Watford and I feel very privileged to have that connection. At dinner time, we perform a plate service, which I think is important – our reputation is not only built on really good food but the entire hospitality package, creating a nourishing environment away from home,” Nicholas said.

Sarah’s Kitchen provided a range of vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian options. “We also provide disposable products and water coolers, and our runner regularly collects fresh, local produce from markets based on where we are in the world,” she explained.

The wider European crew featured Security, Kristian ‘Ches’, Ross Foster, Ben Major, and Gav Kerr; Merchandisers, Jon Ellis and Maddy Stephens; Bus Drivers, Aivaras Arminas, Frederico Antunes, Scott Pickering, Chris Grover; Entourage Bus Driver, Paul Roberts; Merchandise Truck Driver, Warren Dowey; BTS UK Account Handler, Garry Lewis; Stardes Account Handlers, Tyrone Reynolds, and Alam Minshall; CSE Crosscom Account Handler, Hannah Evans and Altour Travel Account Handler, Alexandra Gati.

Having wrapped up the best-selling livestream of 2020 – a lofty achievement given the proliferation of remote productions amid the grounding of live events with in-person crowds – Tomlinson shows no signs of slowing down post-pandemic, making the leap from sold-out theatres to arenas across the globe with his trusty crew in tow. “Live From London was great because the crew and I really needed it,” Delf said. “It gave us some much-needed work amid the lockdown, and all the proceeds went directly to the crew, which was an incredibly honourable thing to do. To come back out on the other side of lockdown was great. It was a dark time back then for everyone, but to be back out on tour surrounded by friends, who feel more like family, it’s special.”

-> read here on Issuu

#louis #fitf tour #fitfwt #lt crew #tpi magazine #05.01.24 #article #touring #thank youu omglarryrabbit ;) #love getting to peek behind the scenes this is great

[damiannasworld]

An interesting but also kind of sad interview. 🥲

Behind is an incredible year which threw Käärijä or Vantaa's Jere Pöyhönen to the stars and an artist loved by the entire nation. Along with the huge popularity came the loss of privacy which Käärijä tries to protect.

"If I drive into the yard I try to make sure that no one sees that I have entered the building. I've tried to play life so that it wouldn't be known where I live. It's surprisingly hard when people are shouting outside the house and it feels like there's no space of your own at home anymore."

Käärijä and Häärijä also have a Christmas calendar on the OnlyFans site where they fool around flashing their buttocks.

"It could have gone better if it had been put in earlier but there was no time. But Häärijä will buy a convertible with it."

Käärijä opened up about his future plans.

"My goal is that in five years I can go to my own little apartment in Thailand and not have to do a single day of honest work. That's my goal but we'll see if anything comes of it. I make music as long as it's fun and I enjoy it."

What has the year taught him?

"That family is the most important."

#no privacy even at home 😭 #the lack of time is the reason why the calendar is what it is #also is he planning to retire in 5 years? 🥲 #I was hoping he would have a long and successful career 😔 #idk why this made me so emotional 🥺 #käärijä #interview #linnan juhlat #december 2023

[louisupdates]

The Habit He Can’t Break 3/4

IQ 123 | Gordon Masson | 9.11.2023

We Made It

Making sure that the Faith in the Future tour delivers Tomlinson to his growing legion of fans, PM Sherwood’s first long association with the artist manager, Vines made him the obvious choice when the artist first began his solo career.

“I remember doing a lot of promo dates around the UK and US before we started touring properly,” says Sherwood of his work with Tomlinson. “In fact, one of the first shows I remember doing with Louis was in Madrid when he played in a stadium, and I could see it was a taste of things to come.”

The partnership between Sherwood and Vines is crucial. 

“In terms of the show growing, our biggest challenge is keeping costs down, because we’re extremely cautious on ticket pricing,” says Vines. “We don’t do dynamic pricing, we don’t do platinum ticketing, we don’t do paid VIPs, we don’t increase ticket prices on aisle seats – all those tricks that everyone does that most fans don’t know about: we don’t do any of those.”

“So, when it comes to the production side of things, we need to be incredibly careful. But I’ve been working with Craig for a decade, and he knows the importance of trying to keep costs as low as possible. For instance, we’ll run the show virtually a number of times, so Louis can watch it with the show designer, Tom Taylor, make comments and tweak things. Then we’ll go into pre-production. But we try to do as much in virtual reality as possible before we take it into the physical world.”

Sherwood states, “Basically we started out with two or three trucks, but now we’re up to nine, and things seem to be getting bigger day by day.”

Thankfully, Sherwood has amassed a vastly experienced crew over the years, allowing them to handle even the most unexpected scenarios. “I’ve been touring since the dawn of time, but the core crew I work with now has been together since about 2010, and I trust them implicitly, so I’ll leave it up to them who they hire, as long as they think I’m going to like them, and they all get along with everyone. So far, it has worked well,” Sherwood reports.

And the veteran crew has dealt with some terrifying weather extremes on the current tour, including a show at Red Rocks in Colorado, where the audience were subjected to a freak, storm with golf ball-sized hail stones injuring dozens of people. 

Elsewhere, the crew has had to act quickly when the threat of high winds in Nashville caused problems on that outdoor run. “We didn’t want the video screens blowing about above the heads of the band, so it must have been amusing for the audience to see us taking them down,” Sherwood reports. 

Indoors in Europe, the environment has been more controllable. The production itself involves an A-stage set 180° across the barricades, although Sherwood says that on occasion, a catwalk is also used by the perimeters. 

“It’s a great lighting show and fantastic for audio, as we have phenomenal front-of-house sound engineer – John Delf, from Edge Studios – who makes life very easy for the rest of us,” says Sherwood. He also namechecks Barrie Pitt (monitor engineer), Oli Crump (audio system designer), Tom Taylor (lighting designer), Sam Kenyon (lighting technical director), and Torin Arnold (stage manager), while he praises Solo-Tech for supplying the sound, and Colour Sound Experiment (CSF) for taking charge of lighting, video, and rigging equipment.

Indeed CSE has 10 personnel out with the Faith in the Future tour. “We have eight screens on the road – six on stage plus two IMAGS that we use wherever appropriate, the company’s Haydn Cruikshank tells IQ.

“We need to tweak the rigging on a daily basis, as we move to different venues, but other than that, it’s a fairly smooth process thanks to Craig Sherwood. He is old school and planned and worked on the production very far in advance, which is a great scenario for all involved. Craig is definitely one of our favorite production managers to work with.”

Garry Lewis at bussing contractors Beat The Street is also a fan of PM Sherwood.

“Craig split the European tour into different runs. So, from Hamburg to Zürich, we had two super high decker 12-berth buses for the tour party and two 16-berth double-deckers for the crew,” says Lewis. “After the show in Athens, we still have the two super high-deckers, as Louis knew them – he prefers to spend time on the bus, rather than in hotels – but we also have two 12-berth super high-deckers for the crew, as well as another crew 16-berth double-decker.”

Lewis continues, “We’ve worked with Craig for a good few years, and we have a great relationship with him. He plans everything way in advance, so it means it’s all very straightforward for us with no issues. So, we use single drivers for each bus, except on the longer runs, or when our drivers are scheduled for prolong breaks, and then we’ll fly an extra drivers as needed.”

1/4, 2/4, 4/4

#iq magazine #louis tomlinson #9.11.2023 #louis press

[runnning-outof-time]

We’ll Still Love You | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: yes by @obsessed19

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: Tommy and (Y/N)'s youngest child has a hard time accepting the fact that she won't be the baby in the family anymore.

Warnings: none…just some family fluff and a moody three year old

Word Count: 2740

A/N: alright so this one may be a tad ooc, but I loved the idea and ran with it — and plus, we can all see Tommy being a sap when it comes to his wife and kids, right? Enjoy! :)

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future stories similar to this one!

———

"Love, are you going to get up today?" the voice of (Y/N) Shelby's husband roused her from her sleep.

"I'm tired, Tommy...please let me be," she grumbled, feeling like she didn't even have the energy to lift her head from the pillow.

"The children are wondering where you are," Tommy continued, his voice coming closer to the bed.

"Have Marcy occupy them," (Y/N) brushed him off, mentioning the live-in nanny that the family had.

"She is...they're still asking for you." With a groan, (Y/N) finally mustered the energy to scoot up against the headboard. She looked over to Tommy, who had a slightly worried look on his features. "Are you alright?" he asked the question she already knew was on his mind.

"I'm fine," she brushed him off again, "do I look otherwise?"

"You rarely sleep past noon, (Y/N)," he pointed out, making (Y/N) turn and squint her eyes as she tried to read the time on the clock that was hanging on the far wall of their bedroom.

"It's past noon?" she asked, a slight bit of shock laced into her voice. Tommy nodded his head, prompting her to continue, "I just don't have any energy, Tommy," she sighed, looking down at her lap then.

"Anything else bothering you?" he inquired.

She paused for a moment before answering, wondering if she should disclose the fact that it felt like her stomach was doing constant somersaults. "Not really, no," she said, shaking her head for added effect. Tommy gave her a look then...one of his signature 'I know that there's more to this story, but I'm not gonna be the one to pull it out of you' looks. "Can you tell the kids that I'll be down in a few minutes?" she asked him, sending a hopeful look in his direction.

He nodded in response to her question, still holding his previous look for a few moments before it dissolved into a soft smile. "I'll tell them," he then verbally assured her before he turned to go back to the door of their bedroom.

(Y/N) stayed in her spot for a few moments before she let out a sound that was a mixture between a sigh and a groan. She tried to ignore the feeling of her upset stomach as she moved over to her wardrobe to get ready for the day.

About twenty minutes, several muttered curse words, and one dumped out bathroom drawer later, (Y/N) was finally walking through the archway to the front sitting room.

She first saw her two children. Five year old Oliver was off in the corner, playing with his favorite wooden train set. Three year old Anna was, of course, sitting right at her father's feet as she held two dolls in her hands and made it so they were talking with each other. Anna always had to be near Tommy. From just about the moment that she was born, the only solace she found was in the presence of her father. She was undoubtedly a daddy's girl.

"Mumma!" Oliver exclaimed when he noticed she'd entered the room, standing from the ground to run over and greet her physically. (Y/N) finally pulled her eyes off of Tommy and Anna to focus on her son, a smile on her face as he reached out to hug her.

Her smile fell when his arms wrapped tightly around her hips, and she let out a hiss at the contact. "Not too tight, Oli...mum's hips are sore today," she told him in a soft voice, not wanting to scold him for simply giving her a hug, but at the same time wanting him to know that he couldn't squeeze her with all of his might.

"Sorry, mum," Oliver responded, easing up his grip but still holding onto her waist.

"It's alright, love," (Y/N) brushed his apology off, running her hands through his hair before she hugged him back. She then glanced up to see Tommy looking at her with the same look he'd given her before leaving the bedroom. She shot him a look that asked 'what?' before her eyes dropped to Anna, who was also looking at her mother now. "What are we doing down here?" she asked the trio then, wanting to be filled in on what she'd missed.

"Just playing," Oliver answered as he let go of her waist so that he could return to his train set. "Dad came in to sit with us so we wouldn't be lonely," he added as he sat on the floor again.

"You guys weren't enjoying your time with Marcy?" (Y/N) asked with furrowed eyebrows as she sat down on one of the empty chairs next to the couch.

"We were, but Anna didn't want dad to leave after he came in the room with us," Oliver responded, making (Y/N) look over at the little girl with a soft smile...yep, she was a daddy's girl, alright.

"Oh, I see," (Y/N) nodded her head before her eyes fell onto Tommy. "Did you move the washrag that I use for my face every morning?" she asked him.

"I didn't, no," Tommy shook his head.

"Are you sure?" (Y/N) didn't drop the topic after hearing his answer.

"Why would I say that I didn't if I'd actually done it?" Tommy posed a question of his own, his brows furrowing.

"Because I heard you moving things around in there earlier this morning," she accused him.

"I wasn't moving things this morning," he disagreed with her.

"Yes, you were. I heard you," she insisted.

"You must've been dreaming, love."

"Please don't put this on me, Tommy," (Y/N) said with wide eyes, her annoyance for the entire situation growing by the second.

"Don't put it on me either, because I've not done anything," he didn't allow her to make him take the role of the bad guy in the situation. Feeling frustrated, (Y/N) tipped her head back with an exasperated groan. "Are you sure you're feeling ok, love?" he asked her, noticing some more slight nuances in the way she was behaving.

“Yes, Tommy, I’m fine…please stop asking,” she insisted, trying so hard to control her annoyance in front of their kids. She didn’t quite know why she was getting so aggravated at him over such simple things, but it was almost like she couldn’t control it.

Tommy didn’t respond, but instead gave her one last look that asked the question ‘are you sure?’ before Anna stood up and took the two adults’ full attention. “Why are you mad at daddy, mummy?” she asked, her head tilted to the side in an inquisitive manner.

(Y/N) sighed and pursed her lips as she heard what her daughter asked. Before she could say anything, Tommy was answering for the both of them, “mum’s just not feeling so well today is all, darling. Nothing to worry about,” he assured Anna, who nodded with a smile before dropping to the ground to continue with her dolls.

Tommy and (Y/N) shared another glance after Anna was dealt with. She wanted so badly to refute what he’d just said, but she bit her tongue. It’s not a big deal, she kept telling herself, taking a deep breath before she focused her attention on Oliver, who’d been asking her to watch him drive his train.

—

Later that night, (Y/N) returned to her room after kissing her kids goodnight. She was surprised to find Tommy standing by his wardrobe; getting ready for bed. “Finished with your work early tonight?” she asked him, quite surprised that he’d retired for the night already.

Tommy shook his head slightly before he began undoing his tie, “no…I’m just neglecting it because I need to talk to you,” he answered her honestly, his eyes meeting hers through the floor length mirror.

“To me?” (Y/N) asked him with some disbelief in her voice.

“Yes, to you,” Tommy responded, setting his tie in the wardrobe before he turned around to face her again. He glanced briefly in her direction before he began unbuttoning his shirt. “I think something’s going on with you, (Y/N),” he started off. (Y/N) opened her mouth to refute his statement, but he kept talking before she could get a word out, “you’ve not been acting like yourself for these past few weeks…I’ve noticed. You’re tired, easily irritated, your hips are sensitive, and I’ve asked Frances…your aversions to certain foods has increased,” he listed off all of the changes he’s noticed with her.

(Y/N) stared at him for a moment, blinking a few times before she said anything. “So I’m just doing everything wrong then, yeah?” she finally asked, her bottom lip close to wavering.

“No,” Tommy shook his head, “you’ve just been acting like you did the last time.”

“What last time?” she asked.

“Anna,” was all Tommy said.

(Y/N)’s eyes widened as what he was trying to convey finally clicked in her mind. “No…” she trailed off, disbelief now back in her voice.

“I think so,” Tommy nodded, his brows raised slightly.

She was flabbergasted. Could she be pregnant again? What Tommy brought up made sense. She was doing everything she did just before she found out she was expecting their daughter.

“It wouldn’t be such a surprise now, would it?” Tommy broke her from her thoughts as he moved over to her side, “it’s not like we haven’t been trying,” he added as he pressed a kiss to her temple. (Y/N) only snorted at his statement and glanced over at him before he left her side to go to the en suite.

The idea still sounded so foreign…pregnant.

——

“Your blood tests have returned, Mrs. Shelby,” (Y/N)’s doctor announced as he entered the exam room she’d been sitting in. (Y/N) perked up as she waited to hear the results. “You are with child,” he broke the news to her. It didn’t hit her as much of a surprise though…her conversation with Tommy became more real when she didn’t get her normal menses the following week. Now these results only confirmed what she had an inkling of.

“Ok,” she nodded her head as she digested the news. Even though she expected it, she still felt a little overwhelmed by it. Her family was growing…they’d have to adjust; going from two kids to three would surely be hard.

“Do you have any questions?” her doctor asked after giving her a few moments for the news to set in.

“I don’t. Thank you,” (Y/N) answered with a smile.

“That’s good to hear. I’ll have the nurse set up your check-ins and you’re free to go,” he informed her with a smile. (Y/N) agreed with his words before she followed him out of the exam room.

Now she’d have to tell her family this news.

—

“I don’t want a new baby!” Anna exclaimed with a rather angry expression on her face. Oliver, on the other hand, was at (Y/N)’s side the second after he’d been told the news. He had a wide smile on his face as he wrapped his arms around his mother’s waist.

(Y/N) expected her children to react to this news in the way that they did. Oliver was always the happy-go-lucky child, taking whatever news he was given with a nod and a soft smile. It made sense that this announcement would make him happy. Anna, on the other hand, was a mixed bag when it came to reactions. Sometimes she was elated, others she acted like this. (Y/N) suspected that she responded this way for two reasons: one, because she was the youngest and hadn’t been told anything like it before. Two, and (Y/N) felt that this reason was more important than the first, because Tommy wasn’t the one to tell her the news.

With a slight sigh, (Y/N) tried to think of a way to get through to her daughter. “It’s not quite something that I can take back now, hun,” she said, hoping to get it through to her that this baby was going to be a permanent member of their family.

“I’m the baby though! If you have another, I won’t be the baby anymore. I’m only three,” she said, her eyes filling with tears, her lip quivering.

“Anna,” (Y/N) sighed, her heart breaking to see her daughter like this.

“And…and, you and daddy won’t love me anymore because I won’t be the baby!” the floodgates broke as she said this sentence, and she quickly stood from the floor to run over to the chair in the corner of the sitting room. Once there, she flung herself onto the chair before crying loudly into the fabric.

(Y/N) looked at Tommy with a frown. It hurt her heart to see her child upset like this, and it made it even worse that she was the one who brought these emotions on. Tommy sent his wife a look of sympathy before he focused his attention on his crying daughter. He then slowly stood from the couch and made his way over to where she was.

“Anna,” he started as he crouched down to be at her level. “Anna, can you look at me, love?” he asked softly, placing his hand on her back.

She pulled her face out of the chair and swiped the tears off of her cheeks as she turned to look at him. “You’re not gonna love me anymore because I’m not the baby,” she said through her hiccups, a deep frown on her face.

Tommy sent her the same sympathetic look he gave his wife. Not many things got to his heart, but seeing his children in this state broke him. “No one ever said that, Anna,” he started, speaking in a soft voice as he kept his eyes locked onto hers, “mummy having another baby isn’t going to change the amount of love we have for you. You’ll still be my little girl, yeah?”

“But what if this new baby is a girl too?” she still wasn’t convinced.

Tommy couldn’t help but chuckle at her inquisitive statement. “Dad’s got enough room in his heart to share with each of you,” he assured her before he looked over to (Y/N), “you can ask your mum…she’s had space in there the longest.”

“Does dad still love you, mum?” Anna asked (Y/N), not missing a beat after Tommy finished speaking.

(Y/N) laughed slightly as a smile formed on her face. “Yes, hun. He loves me very much,” she assured the little girl.

“See? We’ll still love you, Anna. We’ll still love you to the moon and back down…”

“…and a hundred times around,” Anna finished the rest of the saying with her father as a smile grew on her face. She then reached over and wrapped her arms around Tommy’s shoulders, hugging him tightly.

Tommy returned the hug and held it for a few moments before they pulled back. “Why don’t you give your mum a hug too?” he suggested, his eyebrows raised slightly.

“Ok,” Anna nodded before she left Tommy’s side to go hug (Y/N). (Y/N) smiled and accepted the hug, squeezing her daughter tightly against her chest. “Our baby’s in here?” she asked after pulling away, glancing down at (Y/N)’s stomach.

“Yes, love. Our baby’s right in here,” (Y/N) answered with a slight nod as she rested her hand on her stomach. Her heart was swelling from the amount of love she was feeling at the moment.

“I’ll make sure not to squeeze you super hard because that’ll hurt the baby,” Anna said then, a serious look on her face.

(Y/N) nodded at her daughter’s statement, a wide smile on her face. She then looked over at Tommy, who was also smiling at the interaction that was happening. Anna then left her mother’s side to go back to her father, practically jumping into his arms for another hug. Seeing this made (Y/N)’s heart want to burst. She knew for sure now that Anna would be fine with the new baby. The little girl knew that her parents still loved her and that, of course, she was still daddy’s little girl.

———

Tagged: @mgcllovdrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @easilyobessedbutflighty @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick

MASTERLIST

#tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic

[safety-writes-noms]

Ok, so firstly, I absolutely LOVE the dynamic between Callisto and Oliver. Just, Oliver trusting his big bro so much, and Callisto caring and protecting his little bro is just *mwa*.

Second (the actual question, lol), does Callisto ever figure out that he wasn't gonna hurt Oliver when he nomed him? And if he does, does it come up again? Like - does Oliver get in more trouble, and Callistos just like - "agh gotta save my baby bro!!" Nom.

Just overall, any info about them you're willing to give me I would absolutely die for. I love them and their dynamic so fricking much, and the fact that its platonic, tbh just makes it better. So many people focus on the romance part of vore, that I just get so excited when I see something like this!! So so lovely!!!

YES!! While i do think that the romance part of vore is pretty cool i find that there’s not a whole bunch of platonic stuff out there either.

While cal is dealing with the existential dread of knowing the full extent of his inhumanness, he’s also trying to figure out why there’s an increased number of reported attacks. theyre dismissed as bear attacks, crazy accidents, etc, and he’s getting suspicious as to why they’re all getting written off so quickly.

Also, despite promising oliver that he’ll stay, cal still keeps his distance because his instincts start acting up around oli and he has no idea what to make of them. He’s terrified of himself and what he could possibly do to his family.

Ethel comes up with family counseling, which is basically just one on one Cal and Oliver. It’s horribly awkward and it feels weird for both of them because they used to be super close and now neither know what to say.

it takes a while and they try to mend their relationship although there's setbacks and some misunderstandings that need to be cleared up. Callisto also is reluctantly convinced to delve deeper into his not so human parts of himself if only to find out if he's genuinely a threat to his loved ones.

surprise surprise, he manages to find out that 1. he doesn't really want to murder his little brother or his family (yay!) and 2. now that his brain has finally caught up with the rest of his biological instincts, he's slightly more open to exploring the rest of what he can do. slightly. he's not overly enthusiastic but its a start, at least.

meanwhile Oliver is struggling with nightmares and though he knows that Cal really wasn't trying to kill him (he was informed immediately after Cal figured it out) its kinds hard to get rid of the fear. it's weird for him since he desperately wants his brother to stay and he wants to spend time with him like he used to, he just can't get over it and it's so frustrating. he's struggling and while he is getting better slowly, it's still impacting him. his trust has been shaken though. on bad days he can't take being in enclosed, dark spaces and he hates the warmth of his blankets twisted around him at night.

(I got sidetracked sorry :v)

in the future, Cal will become secure enough with his identity to accept the fact that he gets weird urges every now and then and they're not the murderous sort. Oliver gets frustrated with his slow improvement and just decides to confront his fears head on, hoping that it'll just solve the problem all together and just asks Cal to nom him.

Cal is incredibly hesistant, but agrees nonetheless since Oliver says it'll help him. plus his instincts are going nuts in his head and while he has the will to ignore them, he can't deny how content he'd be with finally satisfying them. it goes okay, but a definite improvement from last time and Oliver manages to overcome some of his more irrational fears. still some setbacks but overall, not the worst. they're still improving :)

#extreme cuddling #sfw vore #sw answers asks #Callisto and Oliver #nonsexual vore

[ilyuu]

update!

get ready folks this is a rollercoaster of emotions but uh, just to put this out here, it isn’t exactly good news

alright, so i think i’m gonna go ahead and quit writing for this blog. yeah, not exactly the best start to this - you think as a writer i’d know what words to use.

before anything - nope, i am not going to deactivate my blog, next best thing is to archive it since there’s so many memories that i like to at least keep, of my moots and of just a lot of things in general that i like to memorialize and a lot of writings and posts.

i want to keep them here because i want someone, whoever comes across it, to read whichever one and feel some semblance of comfort; that’s the main reason why i made this blog in the first place and that’s how i intend to leave it.

oh uh, yeah, for the reasons why i’m quitting, i can technically list a few :

genshin burnout : i don’t feel as strongly as i do for the game anymore, not as excited, even as fontaine was released, and stopped playing it a few months back. so, y’know, as genshin-centric this blog is, it’s technically a bit hard to try and get into something that you long lost interest for.

school : it’s catching me off-guard every time and even though i found a rhythm with my classes and schedule, it’s only asking for more of my time and, quite literally demanding. i’ll be honest and say that i can’t juggle a blog with a post every day and stay consistent with my schoolwork and what’s expected of me. i need to start thinking about my future.

spiraling thoughts : yup, you read that right; i’m back at it again with me thinking that my writing isn’t good enough and am doubting my skills as a writer as a whole, especially with my way of writing that as his poetic touch to it that’s making me wonder if it’s even worth anything at all.

with that, i think i just need to start writing for myself again because i haven’t felt that feeling for literally a while now.

have i thought about this for a while now? i have actually, somewhere in the middle of august but i was really, really hesitant for a lot of reasons.

said reasons being mainly my moots. i don’t like the ideas of leaving any of them behind at all, especially with them being the main reason why i love opening this app every day, seeing them flood my dash with everything that happened the night before, saying good morning, and seeing them in my notifs and inbox with their chaos and genuineness. i have so many memories here that i consider so dear to me because of each and every one of them, making my day and night, and… i don’t know, it’d suck to lose all of them.

@mikacynth : you were my first moot and i know i’ve mentioned and said this so many times to the point that you’d probably get sick of it but it did and does mean a lot to me knowing that you opened a door for me to meet so many others that made writing and just being on here amazing. you’re just so damn cool, creative, and nice and i’m so, so happy that i met you.

@floraldresvi : i don’t remember how i met you, and i’m so sorry for that vi, but you’re the kindest, absolutely gentle and attentive person i know and i just wonder how i ever got the chance to talk to you and be moots. i wish you nothing but the best because that’s all you deserve and more and you better keep that in mind vi.

@st0pthatsgay : this was a strangers to friends to lovers arc fr!! sorry i couldn’t help that, do you know how long i wanted to make that joke? but seriously, oli, you and your unbridled chaos and energy never fails to make my dash and quite literally everyone else who follows you like a rom-com movie or something; i’m so glad that i can call you a moot and one that i cherish so, so much.

@papiliotao : rei, you made my day whenever you drop in one of your small blurbs into my inbox and i get the space to just write whatever comes to mind; it was a little thing we had and, i don’t know, i loved it. i love it still a lot. it was like a duo we had and always made me smile with whatever we talked about, maybe just about writing in general or the cats that you always see. i’m just sorry that we won’t be able to have our wedding soon. really.

@supernova25 : bestie, i still remember those times about the ai bots!! i still think about them a lot!! it was fun!! in general, you’re always a lot of fun to talk to, and it could be about anything and it’d fly off the roof. also your asks about the most random of things has definitely made me feel better on my worst of days just to put that out there.

@soleillunne : i’d make a joke about you running up for the title of creator of angst and all that but you’ve always been so sweet so let me just push that aside, considerate as well; don’t think i didn’t see you send me links of anything scaramouche related because i do and i appreciate that so much

@hollythius-rising : YOU AND YOUR THEME CHANGES DON’T THINK I DON’T NOTICE THEM you’re also very very sweet and chaotic when it comes to your taste in tall purple men in lab coats but we don’t talk about that aosjksjs just that it’s always been a pleasure to talk to you whenever we have the chance to

@mondaymelon : YOU. we vibe with each other a lot like radio waves and it got me all giddy, and i’d just drop a lot of memes into your inbox just so i could see how you’d react only for you to give me a taste of my own medicine when you do the same thing 100 times more effectiveaisjsjs

@venusflwers : those late nights of playing roblox with you makes me feel so, so happy, you have no idea. it’s filled with crack with whatever you say and you somehow make a horror game feel like some comedy instead i swear; you’re literally the most unhinged and funniest person i met and i love that about you so much

@kazumist : it’s like a parent watching their kid grow up and then completely surpass them in terms of height. yeah, that’s you akiaki!! always frothing over your writing, your drabbles, because it had that soft and domestic feeling to them that i absolutely love to the moon and back

@m1shapanda, @snobwaffles, @vennnnn-diagram : you three are, excuse me for my language, so fucking amazing. i always wanted to talk to you so many times and even when i did, always hoped that we could’ve talked a bit more. misha, you’re so cool and i always wanted to just ramble with you; that and your art is so pretty and soft and just so DAMN COOL did i mention that? snob, you detective, you and your curse arts that make me laugh as much as pour bleach on my eyes (/j), you’re just so supportive and i really like that about you. ven, i wished we could’ve talked a lot more too with how just vibe with everyone so quickly and easily - you’re just as amazing, really.

and to all of my other moots, the same goes to you, even with the ones i didn’t talk to as much - just being moots with you, knowing that someone liked me like i liked them made me feel more belong on here and more a part of something. i’ve never been a part of something like this, and know so many people and to know that i mean something to them? yeah, that really, really means a lot to me.

i’d probably just be a lurker on here than anything… haven’t really thought that far, only that i know that i can’t stay on here any longer without feeling guilty, burdened, stressed, or all of the above. or maybe just start off as a smaller blog again without any sense of obligation because ever since i’ve hit 500, which was a while ago, that’s what this blog started to feel like with each bit of time that passed.

i’ve enjoyed it, of course i did, don’t get me wrong! i’ve just been enjoying it less than i did when i started off, that feeling of accomplishment and joy and pride at myself numbing a bit more with each milestone i passed. that’s just all me though, i’m sure.

anyways, not right now though, maybe just around the weekends when i actually have time to spare. so, until then, i’ll stick around here as much as i can. other than that, i don’t have much else to say other than thank you.

that i hope that you’ll keep doing what you love, whatever that is, despite the highs and lows. just know that the community you’re in is filled with people who love you through and through and that i do too - that you’ll do what you love because you want to, not because you should.

#!!!

[chaithetics]

The Millers Buttercup Chapter 2

Pairing: outbreak/commune! Tommy Miller x F reader (vaguely mentioned past Joel Miller x F reader- more of that in future chapters)

Word count: 5.9K

Chapter/content warning: 18+ MINORS DNI, fluff, mild angst, smut (P in V intercourse), pregnancy, mentions of injuries (nothing major). Also unedited because I refuse to proofread.

Note: I'm not too sure where this going but I think it's like a mini-series of maybe 5-7 chapters-ish? I also have some series ideas for Marcus Pike and Javier Peña. So lmk what you think/if you have any suggestions! Also thank you for all the kind words for chapter one, you're all too sweet! I hope you enjoy!!!

*********

You felt sick in your stomach when you saw Joe, you saw his eyes quickly widen and that he was struggling to compose himself. Joel’s shock was visible to everyone and altered the mood in the room. You looked over at Tommy who was watching the scene quietly, something that was rare for his usual chatty self. 

Are you okay? He was asking with his big brown eyes and you nodded, giving him a quick tight-lipped smile as you nodded your head. Moments like this made you grateful for the silent communication you and Tommy had. 

“This is Ellie,” Tommy said deciding to try cutting the tension, he gestured over to the young girl standing not far behind Joel. 

“Hey,” Ellie looked over at you, you’d piqued her interest based on the tension and the brief conversation which was mostly unspoken between the brothers. Ellie felt more comfortable, your heavily pregnant state made you significantly less intimidating to her. While there was still an awkward air to you over the situation, Ellie could tell the smile you directed at her was genuine. Something she’d rarely come across. 

“Hey Ellie,” you said softly, “it’s nice to meet you.” You smiled warmly at her, you glanced over to Joel as you were curious about who she was and why Joel had a teenager with him. You knew that now was not the time for questions though.

 “Sorry, just a moment.” You said it was directed to almost everyone in the room. 

You adjusted the crutches for Zoe and apologised for the interruption, she just smiled it off. You gave her brother Oli some pain medication to take home for Zoe with instructions and said that you’d see them in the morning. 

You didn’t like the idea of Oli taking his limping, crutches-using sister back home in the snow on their own. Tommy seemed to pick up on this before you could even verbalise it. He looked at you again to confirm that you’d be okay here without him in his brother’s company, you smiled again to communicate that you’d manage. 

“How about I help you two get home, then I’ll grab some hot food for you, Ellie and Joel? Our incredible doc can take a look at anything while I do that.” Tommy offered. Zoe and Oli were more than happy by this, Joel muttered his thanks at the suggestion and nodded. 

Tommy quickly went off with the two children, leaving you with Joel and Ellie. You washed your hands, once they were dried you put out a hand to shake Ellie’s which she tentatively did. 

“Tommy said you have snacks?” Ellie quickly said as soon as your handshake was over.

You smiled at her, it was the biggest smile she’d seen on your face yet, you ended up chuckling at her question and nodding. Joel sighed and shook his head slightly at Ellie’s bluntness but you all understood it. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I do, there’s a little kitchenette down the hall. Help yourself, maybe grab something for the old man?” You responded, she laughed lightly at you calling Joel an old man and nodded heading off. 

Joel watched you as Ellie went off. He’d immediately noticed how little Tommy had aged and found that it seemed to be a similar case for you. He only noticed a couple of grey strands in your hair by your temple, you were younger than both the Miller men but there were barely any visible lines on your face. He noticed that your jaw seemed to be softer, there was a scar on your nose, and your hair was shorter than it used to be. You did have a glow about you, a radiance in your complexion and while he still felt in shock to see you pregnant he had to admit to himself that it suited you. 

“So you’re pregnant,” Joel said, you found his tone hard to read, you weren’t sure if it was more of a question or a statement so you just nodded as an answer. 

“And it’s…” 

“Of course, it’s Tommy’s-” You said matter-of-factly, you didn’t mean for it to come out so bluntly but nobody had ever questioned it and it seemed like the most ridiculous question to your brain as soon as he nervously started to ask. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that-”

“How far along are you?” Joel asked. 

He knew it was a ridiculous thing to say to you, he knew it was Tommy’s but part of him hoped for a moment it wasn’t. He didn’t know if that would make it better or worse though, so he needed to change the subject. Of course, you were pregnant with Tommy’s child, you and Tommy had left years ago. It was a natural thing to happen. It was to be expected. 

“About 34 weeks,” you answered, you looked at him. You could tell that this news was upsetting to him but you didn’t know how to feel around him. “Why don’t you take a seat?” You asked and gestured towards where Zoe had been moments ago. 

Joel nodded and complied. You’d always been a warm person, it was a big part of your natural charm. Ever since the Miller brothers had known you, they’d both been drawn to your warmth but over time during your ‘relationship’ with Joel you slowly became more reserved. Towards the end, he only ever really heard a laugh if Tommy caused it. He saw glimpses of that warmth with Ellie, and he saw it between you and the young girl you’d been treating before he came by. But he noticed how reserved you were with him. 

“Anywhere, in particular, you need to be checked?” You asked softly. 

“Uh, wrist and I think, there are some gashes on my back,” Joel responded with, you nodded softly and asked which wrist, he held his hand out as a response, “Can I?” you asked quietly, he nodded and you held his large hand in your smaller one while the fingers in your other hand ran along his knuckles and gently over his wrist. 

Joel felt himself melt slightly by your touch, he was living in an apocalypse, and of course, he was touch-starved. He knew that your touch was strictly medical but it still felt warm and sent goosebumps along his skin.

As you inspected his wrist he winced slightly, you quickly, genuinely apologised to him “it’s alright-” he said before you cut him off “what happened exactly?”

“I think I broke it a few months ago, I guess it didn’t heal properly or I just made it worse, I think it’s taken a few hits. It gets bad, often. Worse in the cold” He said looking at you, you nodded sympathetically as he spoke. You asked him to move it a couple of different ways and it all confirmed what you knew. 

“You know, you’ve barely aged,” Joel spoke, he was looking into your eyes as he said it but you felt like he was saying it more to himself than you. You looked at him curiously, you immediately noticed that while he still looked the same he had aged significantly, especially in comparison to you and Tommy despite his years ahead of you both. His hair was completely salt and pepper now, there were hard lines throughout his face. You and Tommy had been lucky with the Jackson commune, you couldn’t imagine going back to an environment like the QZs or fireflies or ever trying a raider lifestyle. It saddened you to know that Joel’s life hadn’t been as safe as yours, the environment and stress had taken an obvious toll. 

You looked down at Joel and nodded you moved the hand that had been inspecting his wrist to his face to inspect it for a brief second, “yeah, and you did.” Was all that you could say softly to him, he nodded and saw a brief flick of sadness in your eyes. You quickly turned around to a cupboard, “I’m going to strap it, you’ve definitely broken it a few times. I’d suggest rest, we can go over a few exercises to maybe help with strength and relief. I’ll give you some anti-inflammatories as well, it’s swollen. I’d say you have osteoarthritis, definitely post-traumatic arthritis in the wrist.” You spoke as you grabbed the anti-inflammatory medications and the tape for strapping. He nodded then said, “I guess I am an old fuck now.” 

“A brace would help too, we have some in storage. I’ll get one for you in a moment.” He nodded and whispered his thanks. He watched as you gently strapped his wrist, as you finished up, he gently grabbed your hand. It wasn’t a touch you were familiar with from Joel, it was too gentle, which was not in his nature. It startled you slightly and you felt nervous, he squeezed your hand softly, “thank you, I mean that sweetheart, thank you, for-for just everything.” There was something in his eyes that you didn’t recognise, you eased your hand out of grasp and just nodded. You didn’t know how to respond and you wanted Tommy back, you almost felt like a child craving their security blanket. 

“Here old man,” Ellie said as she walked into the room, she gave a glass of water to Joel with a sandwich and some crackers she’d found in the kitchenette. 

“Did you get something for yourself?” You gently asked Ellie, feeling grateful for her entry. Ellie nodded. 

“Yeah, I ate in there. What is Tommy getting?” She asked looking at Joel, she could sense the air was a bit awkward between you and Joel and was curious. 

“I’m not sure, what the kitchen was cooking today sorry.” You said as you shrugged. Ellie just nodded and sat down on one of the chairs in the examination room. You didn’t press for an examination of Joel’s mentioned ‘gashes’ while he ate and drank. You excused yourself to go to the toilet. 

You were thankful for your inconvenient pregnancy bladder finally giving you a believable excuse. It was a great excuse and felt even more convenient as you didn’t actually feel like your bladder was going to explode. It was the perfect opportunity for a small break in Joel’s company and to kill time while waiting for Tommy to come back. 

It was a weird situation to be in and you sighed over it as you rubbed your temple. Joel had broken your heart years ago, he’d been cold and cruel and in each moment spent with him or without him, you felt like you were losing hope and yourself. Tommy had been kind, which was rare in this cruel world. You knew that if some people were aware of all the history they may have assumed you were ‘settling’ for the younger Miller brother but you weren’t. It wasn’t like that with Tommy, he was the love of your life and was the destination, not a detour or stop along the way. It was completely different with him than anyone else and you both knew that. 

You bit your lip a bit and gently caressed your stomach, it felt grounding to you and your heart was filled with so much love for the fetus inside of you and your beautiful family of Tommy and Isabel. You splashed some water on your face and then went back out. 

Ellie wasn’t in the room and Joel had finished eating his sandwich. He looked up at you when he heard you coming back in, he noticed a bit of dampness on your face and how your hand was on your bump. He wasn’t sure if it was that the baby was moving, it hurt or it was self-soothing. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, his eyes seeming concerned. You just nodded, “yeah, I’m fine. Should I look at the gashes now?” Joel just nodded, he took his jacket off and lifted his shirt up for you. You saw that there were a few cuts, so you quickly went to clean them, putting antiseptic on and bandaging them up. You worked in silence as you treated the wounds on his taut, golden skin. 

“What happened to your nose?” Joel asked breaking the silence, you paused for a moment surprised at the question, you raised your eyebrows and responded with “hmm?” Joel looked at you making eye contact, he gently rubs his thumb over the scar on your nose. His gentle touch startles you, you step back and smile at the memory behind the scar, letting out a little laugh. You’re also surprised that he noticed, it’s not massive and it could almost just pass as a small blemish or discolouration with a quick glance. Joel doesn’t know how a story behind an injury like that could be humourous but he delights in the sound of your melodious laughter anyway. 

“It was broken during a patrol, Tommy was with me. He was so concerned, I tried to get him to-” You looked up as you heard the sound of Tommy’s boots. He leaned against the doorway, raising an eyebrow at you flashing his charming, goofy grin at you as he heard the story you were telling. You looked at Tommy as you continued with the story “and I tried to tell you how to set it, quick and easy and you wouldn’t-” 

“Because I didn’t want to hurt you! I know you were in pain but it was awful and freaky!” Tommy playfully exclaims and laughs. He’d been terrified at that moment, he felt sick in his stomach, you knew it was broken and tried to talk him through it, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

“Mmmhmmm,” was what you said playfully rolling your eyes. “I ended up setting it myself and that scars just from the fracture and the skin breaking I guess.” You said it so casually. 

“Well, food is here, Ellie’s already scoffing it down in the kitchenette,” Tommy said. You finished up with the last of Joel’s wounds, he got up and nodded at you, his eyes stayed a moment longer on your nose than they should’ve. You washed up your hands and Tommy waited for you. He pecked your forehead softly and you smiled at him letting out a small giggle as his mustache brushed against his moustache, making your way to the kitchen with his hand on the small of your back. 

Joel sat down at the small table in the kitchenette with Ellie who was already hungrily wolfing down the food, you smiled at her imagining she hadn’t had a proper hot meal in forever if ever. Joel seemed horrified at her and told her to slow down, she just glared at him and returned to her food, which made you desperately try to stifle a small laugh. 

“We have a couple of rooms, you’re welcome to stay and there’s hot water so you can properly wash up,” Tommy said, which you nodded at. Tommy got up to turn the kettle on, “Coffee, Joel?” Joel nodded and Ellie scrunched her face up at that. Tommy looked over at you to see if you were wanting a cup of tea, and you signed yes with your preference. 

“Huh, so that’s how you know, Joel?” Ellie exclaimed taking a break from her meal and looking at Joel in wonder. Joel quirked an eyebrow at her. 

“How he knows what?” You asked curiously. 

“We-we-we met a boy, Joel knew some sign language,” Ellie said she was visibly upset when mentioning the boy but her face still had wonder in it. 

“Yeah, Tommy and I learnt a bit of sign from the doc,” Joel said not meeting your eyes, he fixated on his food as he spoke. Ellie looked at you questioningly. 

“How do you know it?” She asked. 

“I’m a CODA,” you said softly smiling at her. 

“CODA?” She asked curiously. 

“Child of a deaf adult,” Joel said quietly. Ellie looked at you again, you became more and more interesting to her and she wanted to press more about the relationship between the three adults in the room with her. You nodded at what Joel said.

“Yeah, my dad was deaf.” After a pause you said, “he died early on in the outbreak. I grew up learning bilingual, I learnt Sign as I learnt English.”

“What about your mum?” Ellie asked. “She died when I was very young, I don’t remember her.” You said and offered her a small smile, Ellie had a similar situation with her mother and it felt a bit comforting to have your openness and that connection. She just nodded and went back to her food. 

Soon Tommy brought tea to you and he and Joel drank coffee. Tommy had an arm over your shoulders, and you watched him. He was surprisingly more calm than what you’d have imagined in this situation. Tommy and Joel’s last in-person contact wasn’t pleasant and the communication via radio had been sporadic and there hadn’t been any in months, close to a year you thought. Tommy did seem slightly edge, and you noticed how he kept looking over to you and whenever you made eye contact he was checking in on you. 

“Ellie, do you need a check up? I’m happy to do one and then we can go to the house.” You asked.

“No, I’m-I’m fine.” She quickly said too quickly for your liking, she was almost shouting it out. You knew something was up but didn’t say anything, you just looked over to Tommy to see if he noticed, which he had, his brow furrowed for a brief second. You noticed Ellie and Joel exchange a quick look. 

“Okay, if anything comes up or if you change your mind just let me know.” You said, she nodded and Tommy started to get up, “how about we head over now?” The others nodded and followed. The others waited on the small patio at the front door of the clinic while Tommy helped you into your jacket. You held his hand and had your other hand holding onto the bicep of the same arm you were holding hands with. He walked slowly, he always did when he was with you like this, worried about your state. 

You quickly got to your home, Tommy and Ellie made their way inside. Ellie found it so bizarre, seeing a house, a house from before, Joel found it equally bizarre but in a different way. It was hauntingly surreal, a reminder of the past. Tommy squeezed your arm softly then went to show them where the bathroom was with the towels and giving them toiletries. You heard conversation, you couldn’t quite make it out though but you heard Tommy say something and then his golden laugh, it sounded like it elicited a laugh from the young girl as well. 

Tommy came out and stood beside you in the kitchen, he brushed his hand over your hair and pushed a strand behind your ear, you closed your eyes and sighed out softly against his touch. 

“Ellie’s in the spare room, Joel is showering. We should get Isabel.” You looked at him and nodded. 

“Does he know?” 

“No.” 

You nodded your head and bit your lip. He’d been visibly upset over your pregnant stage, you didn’t know how he’d react to seeing that you and Tommy had a child already. You knew he’d be able to tell soon by the house but you didn’t want to deal with the stress of this situation or to put Isabel through this, especially in her own home. 

You made eye contact with Tommy, tilting your head, whispering “and why the fuck does he have a teenager?” Tommy chuckled and shrugged, he just shook his head and offered you a small smile “I have no fucking idea buttercup.” 

********* 

You were walking back to the house with Isabel, and Tommy. You’d gotten some clothes for Ellie and Tommy had given Joel some of his to have. You listened as Tommy tried to gently explain to Isabel why there would be new people in her home. 

“Your uncle Joel is here, visiting.” Tommy said, “your brother?” Isabel looked up at him and excitedly asked, Tommy, nodded. “Yeah, and he has Ellie with him, she’s staying with us as well.” 

“Ellie?” She asked, and you nodded “she’s cool, you two might be able to be friends. She’s a bit older than you though.” is what you said and she looked up smiling. You were holding onto Tommy’s arm again and Isabel was holding his free hand occasionally trying to swing from it and Tommy would always indulge her. As you were getting to the steps of your home she asked if Ellie liked to draw and Tommy laughed, just saying he wasn’t sure. 

Isabel stepped inside, immediately taking her shoes off and running in, excited to meet the new people. She had a mischievous joy much like her father. Tommy laughed watching her, and you went to put clothes for Ellie in the spare room, she was in the bathroom so you just knocked on the door and told her, she shouted out her thanks. 

You made your way back to the living spaces of the house, Joel heard the commotion and stood up from the living room, walking closer to the sound. A blur of a child was running and she accidentally stumbled into him, which made him exhale but Joel put his hands out and leaned to catch her from falling over. He let his hands go and looked at her curiously, she looked up at him and giggled.

Joel raised an eyebrow as he looked at the young girl, it was instantly clear that she was Tommy’s daughter, her smile was the same large, lopsided grin, she had dark curly hair like Tommy’s but it was longer, the big, warm brown Miller eyes, and their tan skin. Joel noticed that she had your face shape though and your nose and that when she mirrored Joel’s confused face her expression was uniquely you. 

“Uncle Joel?” She asked softly, Joel smiled at her, he felt a bit sad but he was taken aback at how she had a soft nature in her voice like you just not as quiet, she also seemed quite assertive for a young girl. 

“Uncle Joel, this is your niece Isabel.” Tommy proudly said, he smiled as he watched Isabel. She looked more like Tommy than you but he loved to tell everyone that she had all the best parts of you. 

You were standing in the doorway now, watching the scene. Joel’s head turned as he heard you, he quickly saw the anxious look on your face and how you were nervously chewing your bottom lip. He quickly put his attention back to the young girl in front of him who was smiling at him. 

“Well, you’ve got a killer smile kid.” He said as he knelt down and was now at her level. She giggled and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, he was shocked but hugged her back. He’d hugged Tommy when seeing him but he hadn’t been hugged like this. He hadn’t received the kind, innocent, pure love and joy that children had in them since Sarah. It saddened him and she soon pulled him away to show him the drawings in her role, he quietly followed her. 

You weren’t expecting that to have gone so well. Joel seemed repulsed at the concept of children years ago and he wasn’t as warm or sympathetic as Tommy but he wasn’t reserved with Isabel like he usually was with everyone else. You walked over to Tommy, feeling confused, exhausted and emotional. 

“Did he say how long he’s staying here for?” You asked as you buried your head into the crook of Tommy’s neck. Tommy shook his head and whispered no as he wrapped his arms around you and caressed your hair, he kissed you softly on the top of your head. You were starting to feel extremely tired and you just wanted to bury yourself into Tommy’s warmth and melt under his touch. You tilted your head slightly, “I think I need a nap.” You mumbled against his neck, he smiled and pressed another kiss to the top of your head “c’mon buttercup, let’s get you in bed.” 

******** 

Tommy walked in, quietly opening the door, he smiled at the sight of you in bed. You had a mountain of pillows around you and were sleeping on your side. He watched you for a moment and then came over to sit on the other side of the bed. His movements woke you up, you’d always been a light sleeper and it was amplified during pregnancy. 

You looked up at him and smiled, you put your hand up to cup his cheek and he closed his eyes, you gently guided his face closer to yours after a moment and pressed a kiss to his lips. He softly nibbled at your bottom lip and you opened up your mouth to give him access, he slid his tongue in softly and you ran your hand through his hair and lightly tugged at the roots of some of his curls. You broke the kiss off for some air and he ran his thumb along the side of your face. 

“What’s Isabel doing?” You asked softly. 

“Her and Ellie really hit it off, I think she quite likes kids,” he said while continuing to trace patterns with his thumb on you. “They’ve been reading, Ellie has a book of puns, I don’t even think Isabel gets half of them but she’s laughing so goddamn much.” He said with a big smirk on his face and a soft chuckle. He then ran his thumb over your kiss-swollen lips and then down your neck. He paused for a moment “Joel’s with them, he’s occasionally laughin’ as well… I just wanted to check on the beautiful Mrs. and the other munchkin.” he said. 

“Okay, so… why were you here in the room, that your amazing wife is sleeping in, and not spooning her?” You asked smugly and you see Tommy’s eyes twinkle. 

“Because I was too busy watching her sleep.” He says with a little laugh as he pecks a kiss on your cheek. You laugh at what he says and feel your cheeks heat up over how ridiculous he is and how he brings you so much joy. Your laugh deepens as he presses some more kisses to you and his moustache tickles your skin. Tommy had always been clean-shaven pre-outbreak, he never admitted it but the main reason why he kept his groomed facial hair was that he quickly learnt how ticklish you were and he would take up every opportunity he could to make you laugh and smile. It was his favourite sound in the world. 

“That’s so not creepy at all, Tommy Miller,” you said as you continued to laugh. 

“That’s just part of my Southern charm buttercup,” he said with a smirk that made his whole face glow, he pressed another deeper kiss to your lips and you stroked his cheek as he did and wrapped your hand in his curls again. “And I don’t think I need to remind you, that you feel for that, hook, line and sinker.” He said with another little laugh as he broke the kiss. 

You rolled your eyes at him but still laughed, it was genuinely admirable and attractive how cheesy he could be even with everything that had happened in the last 20 years. “Did these lines and habits work for you very well before?” You asked him playfully, “no, I just wanted to save the best ones and sleep-watching for marriage y’know? More romantic that way.” He said between more kisses, this time he was trailing them along your jaw and down to your neck as you giggled.

 As he continued to kiss you, your hunger for him was growing, especially as he kissed that spot on your neck that he knew drove you nuts. He gave it a little lick and moved his mouth slightly, you let out a little melodic moan and you felt a pool of dampness forming between your thighs. 

“Tommy-Tommy, I want you,” you murmured. He stopped his trail of kisses for a moment and looked at you, you could see that the hunger was in his warm brown eyes too. He pressed a passionate kiss to your lips and swirled his tongue around your mouth, you moaned out against him and he felt himself becoming even harder at your sounds. 

“We’ll be quick and quiet, okay baby?” He asked, and you nodded. “Good girl,” he said as he kissed your forehead. He started to strip you and you let him, once you were stripped, you unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, sliding them down. You palmed him after doing so and then kissed him hungrily. 

He helped position you back onto your side, and he asked if you were comfortable, you nodded yes. You felt him get into the spooning position, the back of your body was pressed against his chest and stomach. He moved his arm over and ran a finger through your folds, you moaned out softly. 

He then ran it over your clitoris in a circle a few times, it was so sensitive, you closed your eyes and bit onto your lip trying not to moan as he then moved that finger and inserted it inside of you gently. 

“Oh baby, you’re so wet already. Is that all for me?” He whispered into your ear. You nodded, then whispered, “yes, Tommy, it’s all for you.” He pressed a kiss against your hair, “I’m so lucky baby, you have no idea how lucky I am to have your wet pussy.” He continued to finger you softly, he then inserted another finger, and his thumb began to give attention to your clitoris. You gripped the sheets letting out small moans while biting your lip. 

“You’re such a good girl, always so good and so wet for me buttercup,” Tommy said as he started to speed up his pace a little bit, you groaned out and you could feel his thick member pressing against you and you just wanted to be filled by him, desperately. 

“Please, Tommy, please,” you stuttered out as he continued to gently but passionately unravel you, “please, what?” He asked teasingly, his thumb pressing a little bit more pressure on your bundle of nerves as he did. “Please, just fuck me, I need you now.” You quietly whined out. He kissed your neck, sucking lightly, “of course baby, you know I love hearing you but we need to be quiet remember.”

You nodded your head and gasped out as you felt him slowly enter you, the tip pressed against your opening as he entered inch by inch he’d wait a moment and give a couple of thrusts, allowing your body to adjust to him each time. Tommy was considerate and he was aware that pregnancy made you so much more sensitive. You gasped out each time you got more of him and bit your lip when you finally felt his full length. 

His hand ran along your breast gently, as he thrust into you, he groaned softly into your ear and he felt you clench around him at that, it turned him on more and you thought his groans and moans were one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. 

He was building a pattern based on what he knew you liked and being guided by what made you clench tightly around him or squeeze his hand tightly. He squeezed your breast more tightly and he could feel how wet you were, your juices were starting to flood out, “oh fuck baby, you feel, so, so good” he muttered into your ear. You nodded and squeezed his hand, you loved his praise and quietly moaned out “I lo-love how you feel inside of me Tommy.”

He sped up his rhythm and you bit your lip so hard to keep from screaming his name, you were sure you would draw blood at any moment. Tommy kissed the top of your head softly in between panting, the gentle nature of the kiss was a stark contrast to the rest of the scene. You whispered asking Tommy to go even faster and he chuckled, “you want me even faster baby?” He asked and you stuttered out a barely audible yes. Tommy smiled and he obliged, his moans were getting harder to suppress and you wish he didn’t have to. You just wanted to hear his moans and nothing else at this moment. He obliged and picked up the rhythm once again, you were starting to unravel even more, you could feel yourself starting to get close to your climax. 

“I’m getting close,” you whispered out to him, he nodded and kissed your head once again. He kept the same pace and whispered “good girl, I can’t wait to feel you finish all over my cock while it’s still pumping into you, baby. Are you going to come for me?” He asked and you nodded, quietly moaning out a yes. “Such a good girl, I want you to come, I want to feel it.” He said, his words, edging you along closer to that destination. He ran his thumb over your nipples which made your breath hitch, then his other hand went to working on your bundle of nerves as he kept up with that pace that was making you unravel. 

You closed your eyes, balling the sheet into your hand, biting your lip hard to stifle your moan, you were finishing, while he was still inside of you, and it was a glorious high. Tommy could feel it and he loved the feeling of it, the way you clenched around him and the flooding warmth of your orgasm. “Oh, you’re such a good girl,” He huffed out, his grip on you a bit tighter, “I’m nearly there baby…” He said in between thrusts and squeezed your breast. You nodded and whispered “I want you to finish inside of me Tommy, please? I want you to fill me up with all of you.” “Fuck baby, I-I-I will…” He said, holding onto you as he finished inside of you after a few more pumps. You moaned out and felt him press numerous kisses against your head. 

“How are you feeling? You’re okay?” He tentatively asked, brushing his fingers across your hair. “Yeah, I’m fine sweetie, that was amazing.” You said as you started to run your fingers over his hand by you. 

He nodded, “Yeah it was, like I said, I’m pretty lucky.” 

You huffed softly at that and enjoyed the feeling of him against you and inside of you. He had finished but he hadn’t pulled out yet. You wished that he never would need to but that wasn’t the case, not even in this more idealistic reality. 

“I love you,” you said softly, “and I love you more,” Tommy said as he pressed a kiss to your shoulder. You knew that he would have to get up soon, you’d both have to get dressed and go back to awkward interactions, it didn’t make moments in Tommy’s arms any less precious though.

Tags: @read4funz

#tommy miller x you #tommy miller fluff #tommy miller #tommy miller fanfiction #tommy miller x reader #gabriel luna #the last of us #the last of us hbo #tlou fanfiction #tlou tommy #tommy miller fic #tommy miller x female reader #joel miller #joel miller x female reader

[solangewrite]

What more ifs would u like to see more of

So this is a list of what I would like to see more and that I like!!

I'm so sorry for the tag! If you want me to remove your blog please tell me!

PS. This is my opinions!

-----------

@fromtheashesweriseif , where the ROs are the same as MC or NB, and the parents who are all transgender. It really makes you discover something new and experience!

@ingenio-academy-if who MC gender is set as agender, love love the concept!

@jaunefleurwrites , ‘A world without you’. It really brings out the emotions, and I really loved that we played as a 'sick' MC, it made me view someone else's perspective, which helped me a lot to understand someone.

@scabiosa-if Monsters. Yeah. But for me it means to not “judge a book by its cover”, the appearance won't show how the character will act with you. It's like a box. You need to open it to see what truly is inside. Also @fell-star-if !!

@obesericewrites angst. One of the RO has a child. I loved this, just.. I love it. This IF is emotional, yet at the same time it reminds me of a family? ...It's going to hurt. have mercy

@defiledheartsblog This is everything. Loved loved and loved this!! MC comes to revenge and oops! finally looks like MC is not able to.. (or is!!)

@sinners-if Also is to ‘not judge a book by it's cover’. Yeah, Grey may be 'cold' at first, but that's totally normal in my opinion. You both are strangers, maybe more as time will pass, you'll get to know Grey and Grey will be able to know you. Everyone has a soft spot for somebody, but you need to earn that place, it isn't for granted, and can be easily lost. Unless you want Grey to go to prison LOL revenge!

@lilac-den where MC isn't good with people (kinda?). MC doesn't have many friends, and will have to learn to interact more with people. As an antisocial, I got easily obsessed reading this IF! Oli though is a good friend! Gives MC some advice to get lai-

@kalorphic I love action. So spies??? Sign me up! This is going to be a rollercoaster of emotions I have a feeling. I really love the concept!

And well this is going to be long so under the cut lol! <3 Get ready for a lot and a lot more IF blogs.. haha! ❤️❤️❤️

@night-market-if loved that MC didn't remember where they came from, stuck in somewhere where they have no single clues!!

@nacregames “Morning Star” how do I say this??? Angels? Devils? Anyone? I'm here till the end!!

@zorlok-if <- This. Right here. *chief kiss* Get to be a demon losing their memories... And the demo is just super funny! I won't forget that Tommy erased our memory. N.e.v.e.r TOMMY WHY

@sinnersandsaints-linwrites angst, again. But I really loved the demo, it gave me a range of emotions that I couldn't describe. There's a range of supernatural that I haven't seen in IFs -> (Khari)

@corpsereviver-if Angels??? I don't know but I am looking at this from afar! I'm not stalking your blog I swear I- I can explain! MC has one wing!! And- I don't know what to say, argh!! Love the concept!

@doriana-gray-games YES YES YES. We like Sherlock!!!! Mystery!!! Love everything from this!!

@twyam-if We aren't the 'hero' of the story!!! It's actually MC friends?! This is going to be so interesting!!

@mondaysandwich Hello??? Work in a bar with demons??? Please sign me up!! I love the characters and everything!! And I always wanted to be a barista so it's a big plus for me!

@villains-promise what to say to this? It's right in my alley! Angst is coming- I'm bringing it a lot. Brings a lot of emotions!

@barbwritesstuff Loved the concept, really well written and was totally shocked as I didn't expect some part, you can even become an alpha!!! so... wolf on the moon when?

@lifesupreme-if WOAH. No words. It's like in the future, and I don't know how to express it lol!

@magiciansvoyage love love this!! Everything! I really enjoyed reading this!!

@allieebobo Tennis!! I love sports! So this was also in my alley!

@evertidings Bounty hunter!!! And it was just recently updated also! Loved loved this!!

@veirsewrites Old vampire! Gah! I love this so much!!! Also the one who inspired me to do IFs in the first place!! <3

@milaswriting What's your secret??? Why am I already obsessed with reading this??? Have you put a spell on me??! It's just so good!!!

@goldrush-if No words. Only affection. I am speechless, have you also put a spell on me???

@zico-if Hi??? Is that angst I see???? I love this already!

@the-keeper-of-midnight Gah! If only I could express just how good this is!!!

@acourtofserpents Erhm??? The demo?? Lord I got sent in another universe just how good it was!!

@chaosbringerx THIS. I am waiting for this patiently!!!!

@hauntthebodies Love love this! It's so difficult to express it but I love it!!! also transgender MC??? hi??

@legend-of-a-savior-if THE WRITING IS SO GOOD. the angst- my affection toward them is full of admiration. You really get immersed in the story!!!

@thrill-seeker-if Do i need to say it-??? Hello??? I- I don't think I'm able to say just how much I LOVE this!!

@whatlovelybones-if uhm hi?? Killer vibes??? This is totally in my alley- argh the angst coming straight for us!!! AND THEIR WRITING??? speechless.slams money on the table

@adoriels-tears-if Love that MC is a half-elf!!! And that it is 'illegal'??? That MC father 'left'??? angst right there, love it.

@todays-lessons-if Get to be a teacher!!! Ahhhh I'm waiting for this!

@lost-kiwi-dev Love this so much!!! ahhhh!!! the characters everything- I'm in love

@lostlambs-ifgame you get to be an assassin!!! And their writing is just *chief kiss*

@esper-game I'm in love with this game!!! Gah!!

@unwilling-souls-if No words for this. Just my affection for everything!

@nyehilismwriting This was so fun to read!! I loved this!

@beetlebethwrites I got the chance to learn new animals!!

@leoneliterary Jeez! I'm in love with your characters!!! Your writing is just *chief kiss*!

@llamagirl28 The two IFs!! I got so damn obsessed!!!

@lucid-fate-if Hi??? It's so good??? Love this!!

@leftski-if I have no words, it's just so good!!

@northern-passage No words could say just how much I love this. I loved to replay it each time!!! Will never get bored of it!

@attollogame I am. Obsessed. I would sell my soul to just read it all day!

@rotten-games

-

There's a lot and a lot more.. But I will have to stop here sadly!! ❤️❤️❤️ Please go send these authors some love and support! A small message would definitely make their day better :)

Here is the suite! Here!

Suite 2 : Here!

#imma pin this #will add more when I find :3 #my answers were pretty short at the end haha #my hands started to hurt #sorry! ❤️ #you can message me/send an ask if you want to remove your blog from the list!!! #Just in the asks you need to remove anon #As I want to know if it's really the author. #if recs #you should definetly send some love to all of these authors 💛 #they definitely need it #just send some sweet words to them with anon on or off 💛 #interactive fiction #interactive fiction recommendations #if rec #interactive game #recs #recommendations

[cydanite]

The Scientific Method

Ao3 link:

Pix's fellow emperors weren't sure what to make of their friend flinging himself back into his work after the tea party. They were happy, of course, that the consequences of his strange death hadn't deterred him from his work. Pix loved what he did, it was clear to see. Uncovering mysteries big and small, learning of what had once been lost. None of the standard doom and gloom associated with ghosts had accompanied Pix's change. He was still the same old archaeologist, joyously engrossing himself in his empire's ruins.

But, that was strange too, right? Most people, upon dying and coming back a specter, would not immediately be so content. They would need time to process what had happened, to grieve what they have lost, to right themselves and prepare for the future. And Pix should be no different. He never struck them as a particularly resilient man. He was wise, certainly. But not so emotionally hardened as to let undeath roll right off his back. Right?

Yet as Oli flew over the capital's tallest hill, Pix was hard at work below him, taking careful measurements of stone foundations. He banked to land, circling in tight motions to slow his descent.

"My boy! My sweet history boy!"

Pix looked up, a smile breaking through the confusion on his face, and chuckled.

"Oli! Ahoy there!" he waved as Oli landed, skidded a few meters, kicking up dirt before coming to a complete halt. Safely grounded, he turned back to Pix with a grin. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh Pix, always a charmer." Oli waved him off in mock embarrassment. "Can't a guy check in on his buddy? His cool history friend? We're pals, we hang out! Y'know." He bounced with each sentence, shuffling his feet and waving his arms. "Not to distract you from your work, of course. Just for company!"

"Well," Pix turned back to the expanse of stone laid out before him. The groundwork for the castle he was carefully reconstructing. "I'm taking some measurements to confirm what I have here is accurate. I wouldn't want to start building only to realize I'd mistaken where a wall should be. You're welcome to keep me company if that isn't too dull."

"No, no, I love history! Big history guy!" Oli peered over Pix's work area. A journal was open next to him, flipped open to a top-down sketch of the castle grounds. Every coordinate, horizontal measure, and corner angle was annotated. The lines were thin and precise, tiny penmanship making the most of the space and crowding the paper in a sea of numbers. Over them, though, a scattered few corrections stood out like a sore thumb. Large, messy scrawl with uneven pressure and several blotches where the pen had slipped from his hands. The pen sat disregarded, half-submerged in the inkwell.

Oli shuffled on his feet. "Do you need any help, king? I could take notes for you if you'd like?"

Pix followed his gaze and smiled. "Not a king anymore but- thanks, Oli. That would make my work a lot easier. I, uh, still haven't got the fine motor skills figured out." He flexed a transparent hand before him, wiggling his digits. Oli picked the pen out of the inkwell and wiped the excess ink off of its stem, before sitting on the ground and placing the journal on his lap. Pix turned back around and resumed his measurements.

"You can flip to a new page and just write the measurements in a list. I'll transfer them to the plans later."

"Can do." The bard watched intently as the archaeologist fell back into his work, taking careful measurements of the lines of stone on the ground. The conversation lulled into the occasional back and forth of information.

“West gate western wall. Four meters.”

Oli turned away from softly tuning his lute and scribbled the numbers down. “Gotcha… hey, Pix?”

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to say: You’ve been pretty gung-ho with your work recently! Really got that ‘go get-em’ attitude, despite-uh, the… complications?”

Pix is too far away for Oli to make out his expression, but there’s a few seconds pause before he responds.

“There’s been some growing pains, sure. But I enjoy what I do.” He peers over his tape again. “West gate western wall inset. Eighty-seven point five centimeters.”

“Eighty-seven… point five. Okay.” He holds the page up to the breeze to dry the ink. “...About those growing pains, I’m just curious-”

“Oli, you can just say you’re concerned about me, you know.”

“I’m trying to be tactful, Pixlriffs! You know I don’t have tact! All I have are my looks and the speech pattern of a poor Victorian orphan boy!” He stopped flailing the journal in his hands and set it down beside him for the sake of not flinging it down the hill. “You crumbled into dust! Dust, Pix! And now we can see through you, for Christ’s sake!”

“No need to remind me.” He gets up from his kneeled position on the ground, wiping the dirt from his hands and turning to face his friend. “I appreciate your concern, I really do. You’re a good friend. But I’m handling the situation.”

Oli crossed his arms. “Not by throwing yourself into your work, no?”

“No-” The usual warmth in his voice is gone for just a second. Pix pauses before steadying his voice again. “I’m not avoiding the problem, or coping poorly elsewise. I’m just… treating it as I would any other mystery I come across.”

“How so?”

Pix fiddles with the measuring tape in his hand, winding the cord around his fingers like a snake. “Well… first I set a question. What is the use of this artifact I found? How old are these carvings? What does it mean now that I’m a ghost?”

Pix wakes up in his bed back home, gasping for a breath he couldn’t take until now, adrenaline still welling inside of him. Once he realizes where he is and what just happened he doesn’t hesitate to throw on a spare elytra and zip through his nether portal. Though his hands fumble with his rockets, the flight back to Glimmer Grove gives him a few moments to calm down and think about what just happened. Had he just been caught? Was it a hidden assassin’s attempt to claim his crown? Maybe Glimmer Grove’s curse had suddenly exhibited a new and deadly effect?

And then he arrives, cautiously rounding the corner to speak with his fellow emperors, all huddled in a group on the stairs he’d just succumbed under. And when their eyes finally settle upon him, the horror they’re filled with makes his blood run cold.

Oli listens intently. “Alright, then what?”

“Then I hypothesize. Think about what direction I should take my research in.”

The tea party is decidedly over after this. Pix drifts away from the dispersing crowd, unease filling the empty space. It’s… he’s not gonna lie, it’s a lot. Sighing, he presses his palms to his temples, rubbing them. Something sharp makes him pull his hand away. Curiously, he feels around on his head and runs his hand over a few sharp points, and connecting those points is something shriveled and ashy. He traces the vines around his head, culminating at the sunflower he had placed in his hair. A petal falls into his hand, gray and withered. He goes back to the vines, feeling how they circle his scalp. The occasional larger thorn pointing upwards like a shark’s lower jaw. It’s almost as if… like it’s blocking him from… it would be impossible to wear the Crown like this, right?

The grave look he saw in Scott’s eyes replays in his mind.

Pix continues. “Next is research. Consulting my studies, my books.”

His floor is carpeted in scattered paper. Historical texts, maps, theses, investigative reports, legends, folktales. Anything that might mention the Crown in any capacity. A web of signs on the wall spout disjointed theories and leads. Several are dyed an approving green. Even more are dyed a discrediting red. He’s fairly certain that the Crown had killed him, though through what means he doesn’t know. An enchantment, perhaps? Or maybe a curse? Whatever it was, it did not want him putting it back on.

He hangs a sign on the wall. “Crown only allows those it deems worthy to wear it.” He steps back, thinks for a bit, and dyes the sign a cautious yellow.

Assuming the Crown had this effect before it was last sealed away in the Capital’s catacombs, what makes him different then its previous owners? After all, none of them wore it and withered away, as far as he knew. It would probably have to be something objective. Enchanting a crown meant to be transferred between owners with a subjective kill switch trigger would be incredibly dangerous. And if that was the intent, he’s surprised there isn’t any record of this curse in his books.

In that case, it would probably have to be that he isn’t royalty. He may be an emperor, i.e. the land he lives on gave him its blessing. And have the abilities that come with that, i.e. access to the magic of inventory, respawn, crafting. But being an emperor does not royalty make. He’s simply the caretaker of the Ancient Capital, one with no subjects to his name. Much like how Shelby acts as warden to The Evermoor, home to just her and a healthy population of frogs.

He places another sign on the wall. “Crown only allows royalty to wear it.” This one feels more solid. The crown was only meant to be worn by royalty, so a curse preventing non-royalty from wearing it doesn’t dissuade its purpose. It was extreme, yes, but so was the history of the Crown. A legacy of assassinations and betrayal. A well of dark emotions that stray magic could easily leech onto and, over a long enough period of time, solidify into a dangerous curse! It fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. The Crown is cursed to kill non-royalty. This curse wasn’t enchanted by a person, but by a pattern of events, so it isn’t deliberate or necessarily useful. Pix dyed the sign green.

Then a wire crosses in Pix’s brain. The curse isn’t deliberate. It’s crude, simple. If A, then B. If not royalty, then execute. Pix is both non-royalty and an emperor. He has access to the magic of an emperor. He can respawn.

The deathrattle curse of the Crown. An unstoppable force. The undying blessing of an emperor. An immovable object.

Both dead and alive. His breath hitches in his chest like a brick.

And so the logical conclusion.

Should he ever lose the Ancient Capital’s approval…

Oli sits back down, pulling his lute back into his arms and fiddling with the strings.

“Alright, I see where this is going. I’ve taken a science class before. Next is testing, right?”

Pix looked past him, staring down at something intangible behind Oli. He then turned back to his foundations, unspooling his measuring tape again.

“I’m in the middle of that now. West gate pillar footprint. One point two five meters squared.”

#fic about my headcanon for why the crown ghosted pix! #couldn't focus on much else until i wrote it down lmao #also i know i got the scientific method order wrong. it's 3am here im not rewriting anything #empires smp #esmp #empires smp spoilers #esmp spoilers #empires pix #empires pixl #empires pixlriffs #pixlriffs #empires oli #oli theorionsound #theorionsound #mcyt #mcytblr #not art

[faith--in-the-future]

AFHF23 RECAP

thought I'd share my day for everyone (and future me).

so the alarm was at 6am bc my mom had to drive me to the train station to catch the 1st train of the day towards bologna so I woke up early and packed my giant backpack for the week (which I had to buy new bc my old one broke literally the day before rip) and then got on the train! then after 1h i arrived and switched train to get to Florence where me and @riverswater walked around and saw the city before catching yet another train to go to the city where our accommodation was and leave the bags. then we got ANOTHER train from there back to Viareggio and from there then we anxiously waited for the bus with other girls who were also going to the festival. the bus was late but it did arrive and the bus driver must have been driving ppl there the whole day bc he told us where to get off before we even asked him anything sjsj after 15min we FINALLY arrived at the venue 🥳🥳 (it was like 6.30pm lol) and there I met up with @tanktop-lou (trusted louis show companion) and @dahliaaz who I met for the first time irl !!

inside the festival ppl were mostly spread out bc there were only a few people already pressed at the front of the stage (those that had entered first) everyone else was sitting around in the grass or in the areas under the pine trees with the fairy lights and the hammocks! and there were LONG lines at the merch stand and food stands ahsh so it was a pretty chill atmosphere and when I got there there was a dj set by abbie (I think) who played mostly rock and indie hits that everyone knew so everyone was dancing and singing along! obviously everyone got up for mister brightside (white ppl anthem! skjs)

after that the cribs played their set and they were really good !! I liked their songs from the afhf Playlist already and they had a really good energy live and their sound was great! and they kept thanking louis which was very nice! check them out if you haven't!

we also saw lottie and lucky in the terrace bc they were right above us and it was so weird to see them irl like what?? they exist?? crazy ahah but she's really pretty (and short!) and lucky is so cuteee! we also saw Isaac Michael (he IS hot tbh) Oli (!!!) Matt and Chris (booo) and all the girlfriends or wives

then we saw the blossoms set which I also enjoyed although I think I enjoyed their music more from the album version lol but the guy was really trying to get the crowd going so A for effort sjdj I Also liked his 70s hair and look! he kept thanking the wrong city but that's OK skgkj

then ( ~9.20pm ) there was another dj set and at this point everyone was just ready to see louis tbh zjgkh by now the crowd was bigger and getting tighter and ppl were mostly standing. also it had gotten dark which made the place and the lights even prettier

then finally and with only 15min of delay (!!) the band started to take their places and the intro started and then FINALLY the guy we'd all been waiting for took the stage woooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (the build up in the intro is so good it really feels you with anticipation! great job steve!)

this year I hadn't been watching the lives for the months before the shows like last year bc it was all in north America so I didn't know the setlist by heart and I have to say it was fun to be surprised every time ! and to experience the live versions of these songs without having heard them many times before!! I really enjoyed that! plus he went a little crazy with the setlist so by the time he did Saturday so soon I was like ok lol ANYTHING can happen tonight skdjkd and it DID! Never in the world would I have expected PARADISE!! as soon as I recognized it I was like OH NO!! I should have listened to this more RIP! at least I knew the chorus skdjkd and it was really fun live !! really went well with the rest of the setlist which was FIRE🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 probably my fav of the shows of his I've been to! all the songs were so high energy and the crowd around me was as well ! we all jumped and screamed most of the night and it was just so fun! and as always the music was so good like all the added drums and guitars in live arrangements are amazing !! my fave is probably OOMS live it's just SO GOOD from the bass intro to the drums it's just the best! also I'm happy I got to hear 7 again bc it's SUCH a good cover and even tho not everyone knew it (😒 embarrassing) I sang along the whole time sksk and he was obviously great at it! I'm also super happy that he kept BTY bc the new version is fantastic!!!! I LOVE the way he sings the first lines so much!!!!!! and it's great to sing you fuck me up you kill me !!!! all together lol let's all scream about that toxic person<333333 bonding experience! then there were also the heartfelt moments like walls which is always so beautiful especially bc live it becomes such a significant moment of pride and love we all experience together and with louis ♡♡♡ I love him sm. also copy is SO good live like it's just so perfect for that setting and is still one of his best songs tbh

louis was so alive and hyped up the whole time he was having the time of his life !!! you could see how happy and proud he was :'))) and he went down in the front even before the last songs !! it was really fun bc everyone got super squished to the side and the front every time lol (I'm sad he didn't go back enough where I was closer but it's okay shsh) anyways it was just great to see him like that especially bc this time I was close enough to actually be able to see him with my eyes the whole time without having to watch the screens like last time in Milan so it felt more "live" in a way to me , more real I guess. (I'd love to be at the very front one day but I don't have the energy for that quest 😭)

it was extremely hot the whole time (louis would have been less hot if he wore shorts but ok!!!) and ngl the crowd was SMELLY by 10pm but it was so good it didn't even matter lol

the set ended at around 11.45 I think? and then we all sang along to we are the champions which was another prideful moment <3

and then me and rhei made our way back to our bus where unfortunately a bunch of dumb fans also were lol but in the end we made it home by 1am and finally went to bed at 2am with sore throats, music ringing in our ears and hearts full!

10/10 would do it all again!

#fan recap #afhf23 #:)

[socialmediasocrates]

one of the more funny things that i've seen in bg3 fic, i think because there's a fair number of people playing the game for whom this is their intro to dnd, is the general assumption that astarion wouldn't be able to sire a child

ok genuine question, but how would that happen? is he not undead? because from what i unerstand it can oly happen if the mother is turned while she is csrrying the child.

so while i can't exactly answer why it works, one of the available origins for the dhampir as introduced in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is the most straightforward way a dhampir would exist: one of their parents is a vampire. since this is in canon faerun and it looks like candlekeep is canon, i am operating on the assumption that the new ravenloft lore is also canon (would be cool to maybe go to a domain of dread in a future expansion or DLC; a run-in with azalin rex would certainly be challenging for even a party above level 12 and strahd could absolutely be tweaked that way in barovia; it'd be cool to see the grand conjunction come back into the lore but i digress)

now in fairness, there is also precedent in older editions of DND for some intelligent undead being able to reproduce; my best guess is that the difference lies in if the undead in question was resurrected from the grave directly and started at baseline dead or if they were somehow transformed and therefore started from baseline alive (eg vampires, liches, etc) but this is purely conjecture

so, yeah, no, you could definitely have a kid with astarion, the kid in question would be a dhampir which you can read more about at this link if you're interested

thanks for the question!

#baldur's gate 3 #astarion #mothspeak #van richten's added a lot of interesting things to the canon #i highly recommend digging into it a bit if you get a chance #i don't love EVERYTHING in it #and i am not completely happy with the rerelease of curse of strahd i think older editions had a lot interesting stuff in them #that got cut a little arbitrarily #i do like the decision to rewrite van richten and the vistani #dnd tends to be one of those things where you keep what you like and dispose the rest #this can totally be one of those things btw! #there's nothing stopping you from ignoring the dhampir! #it just amused me a little that the general assumption was that it was baseline not possible

[probablyaseamonster]

part 2 of my Pirates SMP theory

So last time I ended off on the realization that if the People of the Yellow Ship are basing their choices off of the character's backgrounds, then Scott is probably going to be the next victim (sorry people who are already attached to the Denholm brothers).

But regarding my joke about hair colour being the reason it can also work because. You know.

But now here's where I start theorizing about the future. I think, that the Kestrels will be eliminated first, or at least targeted the most overall. If this is how it goes than it implies that there is monetary gain to turning innocent pirates (haha, there's no such thing) to stone. Much like real cultists, there be gold to be given if you can just persuade 'em. I assume that Scott also comes from money so it would make sense in that context too. Owen also comes from money but I doubt he'll be targeted until towards the end, due to his main character energy.

Actually, it would be a subversion of tropes if Owen was picked off early. It would be an opportunity to make like a true DM and control the world from the aether. Make like a Grian and become a god of spectators. I doubt it will go this way but it would be an interesting choice.

If my theory of the Kestrels being picked off first turns out to be true more or less, than it would honestly be a waste. Starkid taught me that leaving the more unlikeable characters alive closer to the end (hi Ted) tends to be the right call. I think. I don't actually consume much horror media, I don't know how this works as well as most people. But it is interesting to me that the Kestrels are the only faction to not have been given a more favourable, positive value.

The Kites may be brutish murderers (at least to some) but they have honour, and passion. The Nightingales were mentioned once to value family, which combined with adventure is a combination of values I've never seen before. And the Herons are already pretty appealing to the Ravenclaws of us (sorry to invoke the worldbuilding of Miss Rowling). The Kestrels are really only mentioned to value wealth which, especially with much of the mcyt community being young anti-capitalists, already gives us a reason to dislike them. Especially with Sausage, Kyle and Oli really playing into the greedy rich man archetype, and Scar committing crimes of the stealing and scamming variety (although let's be honest, we can't hate Scar for that, if anything. There's a reason why most of the fanart so far has been about him and not the lesbian couple whose deaths kickstarted the lore, I see you all).

I haven't seen Martyn's POV yet so I don't know where his character lies on the spectrum, but Guqqie seems to be the only good member of the Kestrels, though even she dabbled a little in the casual blatant joking classism. With her gone, and Sausage seeming to consider himself leader (getting indignant when someone suggested that Jellie lead the Kestrels), the Kestrels might have an opportunity to corrupt and become even more villainous. It would seem like a waste if they were eliminated before they had a chance to become memorable villains, though maybe there is a reason for that. After all, one of the easiest ways to make a villain scarier is to have them kill the lesser villain off (some good examples are Toffee from Star VS and The Mayor from Lego Monkie Kid, even though Toffee didn't really kill Ludo).

Now if the People of the Yellow Ship (YES, I'M TRYING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN) were smart, the faction they'd target next would be the one that poses the biggest threat. This could be two, really. The Kites pose the stronger physical threat, of course. They're all fighters, and the Kites seem to have the least qualms about killing, if things come to that. If it comes down to a physical altercation between Kites and Yellows, the Kites would presumably win (unless we simply haven't seen the true force of the People yet. That would be interesting, if the faction set up as the most physically powerful was less than the villains (after all, a Kite was the first to die to the vines), though I wouldn't expect that from fictional cultists. Something about them just gives a d&d wizard vibe, if you know what I mean)

The other next best choice to attempt to eliminate (assuming, of course, that the villains are tactical like this) would be the Herons. Discovery is literally in their bio, and they seem like the most likely to play detective. If the Herons discover what the People of the Yellow Ship are up to, then they could rally the entire rest of the Faction Isles, and all the pirates from all the other branches across the archipelago, to take down the threat of presumably smaller numbers (unless some don't believe them, or the writers want to make a political allegory and have them not be able to all come together even in crisis (I watched Don't Look Up yesterday.)). The People have a branch (if abandoned-looking) on the Isle itself, which might even mean that they have a spy on the inside, pardon the paranoia. But this gives the Herons an opportunity to investigate without even leaving home, which honestly must be terrifying for them.

The Nightingales have some overlap with the Herons, but they seem to value adventure more for the thrill, for the personal experience rather than documentation. The type to judge a Heron for taking pictures while on vacation, if it were a modern setting. Combine that with the fact that I haven't seen many Nightingales so far, and this makes it seem like they'd be the least threatening to the cult. The cult might even view the Nightingales as distractable bleeding-heart losers who care about family, yuck. /j This puts them at the least risk.

Now, who does that leave to be, if all goes to plan, the last one standing? HeyGraecie (I've never heard of you before, sorry), the only character revealed yet to have been a Nightingale since before this year's Factioning. And... Acho. The one who left the Herons for the "family" faction. The one who has a brother who will probably be targeted next.

Damn... between you, Acho, and Olive... I hope you both at least are allowed to attempt to be heroes.

#pirates smp #psmp #psmp theory #psmp scott #scott smajor #psmp owen #owengejuicetv #pirates smp villains #people of the yellow ship #or sail #haven't decided yet #psmp guqqie #psmp sunship duo #heygraecie #ggacho #psmp acho #psmp olive #olivesleepy #ok that's everyone relevant! #wonder if this will get as much traction as my witchcraft theory! #considering this smp has scar and tubbo i'm predicting even more #i mean not to boast or anything #i haven't even MENTIONED the vines/tentacles yet #but the interesting thing here is... we don't actually KNOW if the cultists have anything to do with the infection #now naturally you'd assume that the cultists worship it #but the art showed guqqie getting petrified #not corrupted or eaten or anything #which makes me think the two forces are unrelated #which would be a really unique twist #but i doubt psmp will have that much thought put into it