#and fans i suppose who liked to see what I'd come up with from week to week

[goldsbitch]

Just don't talk--------

-you might say something that hurts.

p10 to Just don't talk

summary: Enemies to lovers on steroids. The PR teams strike again.

Y/N was unusually giddy while doing interviews on the grid that day. It was hard to be nervous when in the corner of her eye she saw Lando, in his usual glorious unbothered style, seemingly more confident than he'd been the past few weeks.

Smiles shared in secret, both of them being lifted up by enormous amount of butterflies. Yet they both tried their best to keep busy in order to push off their inevitable "what are we" talk.

She was more than sure what she wanted to be to him. But the thought of him not being willing to make the lead was a scary one - so let's just ignore it and keep thinking about his tongue on her neck. And Lando? He was doing exactly the same. Both of them blissfully unaware that their crush has started to become impossible to hide.

//

"Y/N, what do you think about the car on this track? Will you be competetive enough for a podium?" was a simple and boring question that Y/N tried to answer in a creative way, but nothing was coming to her mind. With a great smile, she replied: "Yeah, I have a pretty good feeling that things are turning out for good."

Lando was "not so accidentally" passing by at that exact moment, deliberately taking the rout where he would have to walk past her, because his body just wanted to be near her at any point possible. His school boy instinct kicked in and in the same way as a five-year old boy would pull his crushes hair, he snatched Y/N team cap of her head gracefully in order to tease her.

"Hey!" she screamed in the middle of listening to another question from the interviewer and turned around, knowing well who that was, as she watched him approaching before. A small amused smile escaped her, it was impossible to stop it. Same for Lando.

"Oh, hello, Lando," the interviewer acknowledged him, hoping for some good viral content.

"Hey," was his speedy response, probably not ever trying to hide his own amusement.

Y/N tried to keep it cool and look at his lips. "Give it back, Lando." Nope, she failed at keeping her smile in.

"You know where to pick it up, honey," he said simply, winked and said goodbye to the interviewer as he walked away. Y/N's stomach dropped at how obvious he was with his flirting in public and how impossible she found it to keep herself together. She took a moment before resuming, internally fuming. She was happy and mortified at the same time.

"Well," Y/N said as she turned back to her interview. "Where were we?" And there it was - a fatal smile that would cost her in the future.

The interviewer was full on a mission to not let that go. "I see the mood has shifted between you two, has the previous feud passed now?"

"I guess you could say that, yes," she replied, slowly pulling herself back, heart still beating like after running a marathon.

"Do you guys spend time together off the track? Has that maybe helped?" How the fuck was she supposed to answer that?

Not so confidently, she pulled out a cliché line in order to save her. "We do our talking on the track." It was technically not a lie - what they did in their spare time was definitely not limited to talking.

"I see," the interviewer said, not satisfied with her answer.

"I'd love to chat, but my team is calling," he pointed somewhere off camera, somewhere where there definitely was not someone from her team pointing at her. She excused herself and strolled away, in the other way that Lando went, as quickly as possible.

Yes, she did. Oh god, it was becoming unbearable. How was he so infuriating? How can one manage to be so....ugh!!

The day passed by in a blur of meetings, interviews and fan meet and greets. Since their "joint" interview was live though, it took only few hours for the first edits to appear on social media, hashtags getting created and the two of them going viral once again. It was all a bit overwhelming, Y/N sat there and secretly watched every single edit she came by. There is one thing to fantasize secretly about your crush, another thing is when the whole seems to get on the same boat and romanticize the fuck out it. Was it making the whole thing more awkward? Probably, but Lando's and Y/N minds were too busy thinking about each other in order to take in the point of view of others. The whole grid became aware of the pair quickly becoming a meme.

Oscar limited himself to eye rolling only, as he was more than aware of what was going on.

Y/N was shocked to find Lando already sitting in with his and her team in one of the FIA's meeting rooms. The fact that this was happening outside of their team premise should have been a clear sign - they are being called into the same meeting. Nowhere to hide now.

Lando was sitting there, casually cramped up in a chair in an anatomically impossible position, legs twisted all around. "Can't he not sit like a normal person for once?" was Y/N first thought. The reason he sat like that was to prevent himself from foot tapping the whole building down. Acting cool and innocent, that was his strategy. He was sure they'll tell him to tone it down, not to bother Y/N publicly, he'll just nod at everything they say and then go finally cum all over her chest once again, just to prove to her that she is his. Not a hard task. He glanced at her innocently as she stepped in, doing a real bad job at hiding her shock. He rolled his eyes and smirked. This girl was so innocently cute. His own comms team shot him a warning look, so he just proceeded to stare into the ground. Y/n had very little time to get her strategy ready, cursing herself for not discussing this with Lando prior to this.

"Thank you both for coming on such a short notice," was how Lando's team opened the conversation with. You could cut the tension in the room with a butter knife.

"As you're both aware, we have tried several strategies in the past in order to get your image out in the best light as possible."

Y/N let out a laugh which she could not contain in, to which Lando shot her a surprised, horrified and slightly amused look. Unbelievable.

"Continue, please. I am listening," he said, just to spite her.

"Thank you. Please guys, let's keep this civil and adult," this time her team stepped in to put her down. Lando could not remember having this much fun.

"To continue what my colleague started to say, lots of several approaches which did not bring the ideal results. And with today's development, we feel like this is another time for us to step in. You're both faces of prestigious brands and the teams rely on you being likable characters. Am I right?"

Lando nodded, as if he was lying about understanding a new topic in a math lesson - maybe little too much. Y/N just bit her lip and remained silent.

This whole thing was so bizarre, like being caught for stealing a candy bar while having a stolen gold necklace in your pocket.

"What would you suggest?" Lando asked and Y/N doubted anyone in the room was fooled by his act and must have seen though him. He was obviously having the time of his life. At this rate she would have a hole in her lower lip if she would keep biting it down this was.

"I'm glad you're asking, Lando, and hope you'll be able to cooperate."

"You can count on my sincere involvement in your strategy," he stated seriously and stared at Y/N comms team. His own team knew what was up with his attitude but decided not to call him out just yet.

Y/N glanced at the papers resembling a contact on the table. This is it, she thought, the no contact and no involvement agreement. They're going to stop them from talking to each other in public? Is that even allowed?

His's comms manager took a deep breath. "The numbers on all our socials have spiked up greatly since your interaction became of a positive nature. What we've seen today - that will make our sponsors more than happy."

Lando was quicker than Y/N to connect the dots. His mood changed drastically within seconds and he finally sat up straight.

"No. Not a chance," he burned his team with his hard stare.

"Lando, please, let us finish."

He was not having that. "I know what you're going to say and no, you can't just order us to do that."

"Nobody is ordering you to do anything. We're simply...Putting this on the table.

"Forget that, no way in hell am I ever going to agree with this," he said, pointing at the contracts lying on the table. The room went silent for few seconds.

"I'm sorry, what are we talking about here?" asked Y/N, not really having the dots connected just yet. Lando briefly forgot that she was in the room, suddenly regretting his quick dismissal. But he was not the one to be forced into anything like this. Better him having it break to her then them, right?

This time he was the one to take a deep breath and while speaking to Y/N, he still stared at the comms teams. "They want us to start fake dating for PR." He was hoping he got it wrong. But the silence on the other side of the table just proved him right.

This came as a shock to her. Was this their masterplan? Did they really have to meddle all the fucking time? "I...I didn't think these things actually happened in real world," she stated, honestly.

Why couldn't these two just get a minute to talk among themselves? Y/N's mind was once again stuck in a rut because of Lando Norris existing at the same time as she did. Million questions on her mind, but the biggest one - why was it such a hard and obvious no from him? He did not even consider it. This could have been an easy escape for them.

"What would that look like exactly?" she asked, wrapping her head around it.

She received smiles from the team, them being happy that she was seemingly somewhat on board. "Well, we would set a clear timeline with a deadline and a scheduled break up, set up a social media strategy, you'd accompany each other on social event and the PDA would be very clearly stated upon the mutual agreement between you and your lawyers. Involvement of other people around you would always be discussed prior and clear communication is key. We do not want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Of course, an NDA is part of this agreement."

It was impossible to look at him just yet. Her head was spinning. She was on the verge of crying and had to somehow hold herself together in front of all those people. She had to get out fast, like fast fast. She had her answer. He did not like her in the same way she liked him.

"Excuse me for a moment, I feel sick," she said and swiftly got up, nearly tripping over her own feet as she sprinted out.

part 11

_________________________________________

@scopeiguess @leclercsluv @sulliamour @starmanv @riverxsq @eviethetheatrefreak @chonkybonky @bicchaan @saachiep81 @chezmardybum

#lando norris #lando norris smut #lando norris smau #lando norris x reader #lando norris x you #biting kink #lando norris fanfic #ln4 imagine #formula 1 #formula one x reader #lando norris x Y/N #f1 fanfic #formula 1 fluff #formula 1 fanfic #ln4 x reader #ln4 x y/n #lando norris x y/n #f1 smut #smut #f1 imagine #f1 social media au #ln4 fic #love bites #lando norris angst #lando norris fluff #enemies to lovers #fake dating #PR relationship

[grassbreads]

What Tai Sui is and Why Everyone Should Read It

So if you follow me, over the past couple weeks, you've probably noticed me obsessively screenshotting and posting about a book called Tai Sui. And now that I've finished it, I'd like to try and convince y'all to give it a chance.

What Is Tai Sui?

Tai Sui is a chinese web novel—a relatively unpopular work by the very popular author Priest (author of Guardian and Sha Po Lang, among others). Unlike a lot of the most popular web novels on tumblr, it's not a danmei. It's in fact rather important to the plot and themes that there is almost entirely no romance, but I promise you, it is absolutely worth it regardless.

What is Tai Sui About?

Tai Sui is a steampunk xianxia cultivation story. For those unfamiliar with xianxia and cultivation, this is a particular genre of Chinese historical fantasy.

The official summary of Tai Sui reads as follows:

“If I had a choice, I would only want to be a little insect in the mundane dust, born in confusion, dying in mediocrity, never seeing the light of day beneath the fog of Jinping City.

Better than taking this wrong road to heaven.”

You may have noticed that this summary is not in fact really a summary. It gives you a glimpse into the story's themes, mood, and destination, but it doesn't exactly tell you what happens in it.

That's because Tai Sui is one of those works that's incredibly hard to summarize. The story is incredibly wide in scope and changes massively over its course, to the point that any summary that encapsulates the whole thing is going to feel like a spoiler. However, I can try my best to add a little detail without giving too much away.

Tai Sui is the story of Xi Ping—an obnoxious, trouble-making rich boy with no interest in cultivation—who gets unwittingly involved in a plot to resurrect the "evil god" Tai Sui. This plot pulls him into the cultivation world against his will and, over time, threatens to rewrite everything he is.

Tai Sui is the end of immortality.

Why Should You Read Tai Sui?

Tai Sui is one of the most compelling stories I have ever read. It is a love letter to the power and promise of the whole world and its many mundane people. It also has some of the best worldbuilding I have ever seen.

Tai Sui is written in omniscient perspective, and though Xi Ping is very much the main character, as the story progresses, we spend more and more time alongside characters that aren't him. By the time the novel ends, his entire continent is at stake, and we the audience know that continent and its troubles inside and out from countless angles. Everyone from the immortal demigods of the cultivation world to the most wretched, miserable paupers is given a grand sense of emphasis.

Tai Sui is a deconstruction of the cultivation genre. It establishes a magic/cultivation system and its history, lets the main character live in that system for a while, and then dives deep into that system's depths. It looks at the cultivation genre, at the idea of people who leave behind their status as mortals for greater things, and asks "How does this really work?" and "Is this how the world should be?"

Tai Sui is the story of countless people who were never supposed to be powerful coming together to make the world a better place. It's well written (and very well translated), exciting, heartbreaking, and incredibly beautiful. It's also funny as hell.

I cannot recommend this story enough.

Warnings/Caveats

As I said before, Tai Sui is a deconstruction of the cultivation genre. If you're unfamiliar with this genre, while the book is certainly readable, you are going to be thrown head first into the deep end with the tropes and terminology at play. It's absolutely worth the learning curve, but it will be kind of a lot. Maybe do some light googling about what a cultivator is before you pick it up. (Or just ask a fan. I think most of us would happily explain anything that would win a new reader).

There are portrayals of people/cultures in Tai Sui that are heavily inspired by minority cultures in real-world China, and some of these portrayals play into pretty harmful stereotypes. It's not SPL "Barbarian" or TGCF Banyue levels of racist, but it's something to be aware of and careful about. I'd really recommend reading from the perspectives of those from the cultures in question (including but not limited to the post I linked) for more about the issues I'm talking about.

Tai Sui's English translation is 930,000 words long. I believe this is a strength, since its length is what allows it such an incredible scope. It is also a fucking daunting commitment, and I acknowledge that.

Finally, while Tai Sui doesn't need too many trigger warnings, it does contain some pretty viscerally upsetting depictions of inequality and mistreatment, as well as a few instances of violence toward children. You can't uplift without first seeing what the people need uplifting from, and hooboy. They need it.

There's also some scenes that are technically rather violent, but the goriness is not presented as gore, if that makes sense. It never feels intensely or overly violent in the way some fantasy novels do.

Links

If all my gushing and propagandizing has convinced you to give it a try, you can find the original Chinese version (where you can buy chapters to support the author) on JJWXC.

The complete English translation is free on the website of E. Danglars, who does a truly incredible job with the translating.

Happy reading :).

#my desperate shot at propagandizing now that my followers have sat through months of on and off obsessive tai sui posting #besties it is genuinely so good #it made me cry. and that is a fcking feat. #tai sui #priest #cnovel #webnovel #long post #I'm not putting a readmore on this bc I want to force y'all to look at it #sorry #book rec #invasion of the frogs

[lalunameli]

Tiger & Bunny Week 2024 (NC 1982): Short Story

This has got to be one of the silliest things I've ever written, but ngl, had a blast doing it. Short story about the Karuizawa Cabbage Theory. Geography is woefully in accurate since Sternbild is supposed to be a version of New York City, and well Karuizawa is a resort town in Nagano, Japan. Still the fans think he drifted on the river all the way to Karuizawa, so it stays.

Author: Lalunameli

Title: Yuri on Cabbages

Rating: PG (language)

Characters: Yuri Petrov (ooc, amnesia), and Kotetsu T. Kaburagi

A/N: Unbetaed, barely proofread, will fix mistakes as I come across them.

Yuri Petrov...

Kotetsu sat at his desk staring at the screen looking at a blurry photo submitted to him from his client, of a man with similar hair (though unkempt) selling cabbages. The former Hero Supervisor had been missing for almost a year ...which coincided with the permanent loss of his powers and the last time he and Barnaby had seen Lunatic. While it was hard to make out Lunatic's face in the glare, that same untamed curly hair resembled that of the cabbage seller's, who had not bothered to tie it back. A sharp contrast from the Director, who was so meticulous about keeping a neat and tidy appearance.

Kotetsu's current line of work as a Private Investigator for Anything Goes Investigations opened him up to contact from people from various walks of life, which is how found himself taking on the case of the missing Director. He had been approached by a woman by the name of Elena, who had said she was previously in employment as his mother's caregiver, until her untimely death. Apparently her employer had gone missing while she was recuperating in the hospital for injuries sustained during a robbery attempt in which Yuri's mother Origa, had been fatally wounded. Elena had survived; however, upon her release from the hospital, she learned that Yuri Petrov had been missing since the attacks on city by Gregory Sunshine and the controlled NEXTs. Fearing the worst, she sought out the services of Kotetsu to launch a search for the missing Judge.

This was how Kotetsu found himself in a small resort town called Karuizawa (of all places!) interviewing a strange cabbage seller, who looked unmistakably like his former boss, yet whose mannerisms were anything but.

"I honestly don't remember much prior to ending up here" said the Cabbage Seller amicably smiling at Kotetsu.

Smiling, thought Kotetsu Is he actually smiling at me? And what's with the casual speech?

The Director always spoke so formally around them and was known to be stoic. The Cabbage Seller on the other hand was all smiles, with a carefree demeanor.

"What do you mean you don't remember?" asked Kotetsu bluntly

The Cabbage seller tucked an unruly lock of hair behind his ear.

"Well the people here say I was found drifting in a nearby river badly hurt. They didn't think I'd actually make it! But I guess they brought me to a hospital or something... I'm not really clear on any of it. To be honest I don't really remember a lot of things, so they kinda look out for me." He smiled sheepishly at Kotetsu

"Yikes, sounds like you had a rough time" he responded still weirded out by Cabbage Yuri's mannerisms. "So are you tellin' me you don't remember who you are at all?"

"Not at all!" replied Cabbage Yuri enthusiastically "They've taken to calling me 'Kawabe' (A/N: riverside/riverbank) around here because of where they found me. Suppose it could be worse and they could have called me Cabbage Guy or something..."

He paused for a moment and furtively looked around. Seeing no one was around he looked at Kotetsu conspiratorially.

"Hey Mister, you wanna see something cool? But you can't tell anyone. Promise?"

Kotetsu had a sinking feeling of what this "something cool" was.

Shit-shit-shit... he thought to himself.

"Sure, go for it..." he hoped his nervousness wasn't showing.

"Look what I can do!!"

The tell tale signs of blue light from NEXT power activation appeared, as a bright blue flame errupted from Cabbage Yuri errr Kawabe's hand.

"I dunno if this was because of my accident but it sure looks cool!"

I KNEW IT. Thought Kotetsu. I knew this asshole was Lunatic! And now he doesn't even remember...

"Ummm hey, isn't that kinda dangerous? Shouldn't you be careful where you're waving those things around?"

Cabbage Yuri Kawabe's eyes widened as he quickly extinguished the flame.

"Oops, you're right! My bad!"

'Oops' and 'My Bad'??? Where the hell did he learn to speak like that!! I gotta try to deal with this before it becomes a problem.

"Listen I'm gonna level with you. I'm here because I run a Private Investigations office and..."

"...And you're on a case?!??" asked Cabbage Yuri excitedly

"Yeah something like that. Anyway while I'm here I kinda need someone who knows the area. Whaddya say, you interested?"

"Am I ever!!! That sounds like fun!"

Fun! thought Kotetsu exasperatedly, Why do I feel I'm going to regret this...

The two men shook hands as Kotetsu tried to figure out what the hell he was going to do next to keep up this sham and why the hell this was his best idea to keep Lunatic close.

ETA: Look at this lovely artwork from @lidoxia (aka @kalineas ) of Cabbage Yuri! I'm so honoured and happy to see him genuinely smiling!!

From original post:

Unlikely I'll continue this. I am long retired from fanfic writing, but thought it might be fun to dust off the cobwebs and write something silly.

#short story #crack fic #hes selling cabbages in karuizawa #karuizawa #yuri petrov #lunatic tiger & bunny #tiger & bunny #taibani #tnbw #cabbage #tiger & bunny 2 #cabbage yuri #yuri in karuizawa

[bengiyo]

Kiseki: Dear to Me Ep 13 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

Last week, Fan Zhe Rui met the Bai family again, and it seems we still have some drama to resolve with the Fan family. Chen Yi and Ai Di got it in, the Plus & Minus boys had a cute cameo, the girl who works with Bai Zong Yi is clearly a spy, and then Chen Yi got shot??

So they faked a hit on Chen Yi to scare Ai Di into coming back, and now they're trying to soothe things over with PPL??

Mafia dads are giving Supernova (2022).

I hope we see more of Louis Chiang. I enjoy the way he has physically embodied Ai Di.

They could have let Ai Di and Chen Yi fool around more before going back to the plot.

Shit just be happening so fast in this show. Right as we learn about ole girl she runs up and stabs Zhe Rui.

This show reminding me that they brought Wayne on this show just to kill off his character that Chun Chih's character was also pining for is a bad choice.

Ai Di is wearing a BLESS THIS MESS shirt. HOW DARE THEY???

I'm with Bai Zong Yi. What is the point of all they've suffered if Zhe Rui is going to let himself be stabbed to death?

Though I love the aesthetics of this car make out, aren't they supposed to be on guard for potential assaults now that Chen Yi is the Boss?

I like how we get a quick check in with the Bai family and then it's like, anyway back to the Mafia bros sex sesh we interrupted.

LOL he got an Ai Di pillow as well!

Oh, I guess it's over?

In the kitchen! Unsanitary.

Final Verdict: 5, Bless This Mess. It was interesting to have a show where the primary angst was external for most of the run, but this show was genuinely a mess. Normally I'd give a show like this a 7 because it was so amusing for Taiwanese BL fans and because the chemistry was so consistent across the entire cast, but they brought Wayne and Chun Chih on this show just to kill Wayne. I'm as mad as hell about it, and I'm not going to take this anymore. The Mafia stuff is just not really well done in this and I kinda wish it wasn't part of the drama at all. It rears up whenever they want a spike in the drama, but it feels constantly misplaced. In the past the enthusiasm from the cast would have carried me a lot further with a show than this one did, but we've had a lot of great pair work this year, so the hot mess of a plot around this show stands out a lot more. I enjoyed the cast a lot, but I won't rewatch this ever.

#kiseki: dear to me #taiwanese bl #bl series #Ben watches

[sydsaint]

Summary: Reader is an old friend of John Cena and currently dating LA Knight. She helps Cena out by offering Knight as his tag partner.

It's Friday night and Smackdown is scheduled to air in around an hour. You can hear the crowd out in the arena buzzing with excitement for the show as you make your way through the backstage area. Rumors that John Cena is supposed to make an appearance tonight have caused the fans to be rowdier than usual.

"Adam! How was your week?" You step into the office to find Pearce already seated behind his desk.

"Afternoon, Y/N." Pearce acknowledges you with a nod. He glances up from his phone briefly but does a doubletake when he gets a look at your dress. "You're awfully dressed up tonight." He comments.

You laugh and walk over to your desk to sit down. "I've got a rare on-camera appearance tonight, so I figured I'd get all dolled up." You explain. "You like it?" You tease him.

"You look nice." Pearce nods and leaves it at that. "I'm sure you're boyfriend will get a kick out of it as well." He mumbles to himself.

"He's the one that picked it out." You agree with another laugh.

You settle behind your desk and go over a few things with Pearce before the show starts. Pearce gets a text from someone unknown while you're looking at the schedule for the night and rises to his feet.

"Something wrong, Adam?" You ask him.

"He's actually here," Adam replies vaguely. "I thought it was just a teaser to increase viewership for the week. But I just got the confirmation."

You furrow your brows and stand up with Pearce. "Who's here?" You ask him for clarification.

"John Cena," Pearce answers you. "His car should be arriving backstage in the loading dock in ten minutes." He adds as he types something up on his phone.

"So Cena actually decided to show up, huh?" You reply with a small smile. "I'm guessing that means we need to let the production truck know that they're going to have to make some changes then?" You ask him.

Pearce nods and finished sending whatever message he so desperately was typing out. "I'll head down to the truck and oversee the changes." He informs you. "You're all dressed up, and the camera crew will be out there. So you can greet him on his arrival."

"Great." You nod. "John and I have some history."

Pearce heads off to the production truck and you check your hair and makeup one last time before you head out for the loading dock. When you arrive the camera crew is already there and setting up for Cena's arrival.

You hang back and wait for Cena's car to arrive. While you're waiting for your cue, your boyfriend just so happens to be walking by. And knowing him, he can't resist saying hello to you.

"Y/N, sweetheart. What are you doing all the way back here?" Knight pops up at your side while you're chatting with one of the cameramen.

"Hmm? Oh, hey babe." You turn to find Knight looking at you with a curious smile. "You didn't hear the news? Cena is due here any minute." You explain.

Knight nods his head knowingly at your answer. "And you're the welcoming committee?" He asks you.

"Mhm." You nod. "John and I have known each other for a long time. He's an old friend. Plus I'm conviently all dressed up tonight." You add.

"And looking gorgeous, I might add." Knight purrs with a grin.

You giggle and push his wandering hand away from your back. "Don't you have a match scheduled tonight that you should be getting ready for?" You ask him.

"I should, yes," Knight confirms with a nod. "But why'd I want to be in that stuffy old locker room when the view out here is so interesting?" He teases you.

"Yeah well, the view is busy at the moment." You laugh. "Very busy." You spot Cena's car pulling up. "I'll see you later, babe. Now go get ready for your match like you should be doing."

Knight nods and leaves you to do your job. He walks off just as Cena's car pulls up to the camera crew and comes to a stop. You smooth out your dress and step up so the camera can get you in the frame. 

"John!" You greet Cena with a professional smile when the driver's side door of his car opens.

"Well I'll be damned, Y/N L/N, how are you?" John smiles at you as he slams his car door shut. 

You grin and hold out a hand for a handshake. "I've been great, John. It's a pleasure to have you back on Smackdown after so long." You add for the camera. 

John nods and the two of you walk off together for the camera crew to film. The crew gets their shot and thanks you and John before they head off. You watch the crew disappear before you turn to John and offer him a hug. 

"John." You greet him for real this time. "How have you been? It's been too long." 

"Yes, it has." John agrees with a chuckle as he hugs you. "Man, look at you. Y/N. Last time I saw you it was when you were still stuck doing backstage interviews. Now look at you. The boss woman of Smackdown. I'm proud of you, sister." 

You bow your head in embarrassment and wave your hand. "Awe, thanks, John. So, what brings you down to Smackdown? Anything in mind while we've got you here?" You ask him. 

"Well, Roman and his cousins have been catching my attention as of late," John admits. 

"Of course," You laugh. "Straight for the heavy hitters. It's comforting to know that you haven't changed a bit, John." 

John and you both laugh before you reach your office. "Well, this is me." You nod to the door. "Let me know if you need anything while you're here, John. I'll try and help in any way I can. And hey, have fun out there." 

"I always do." John nods. "It was good seeing you, Y/N. Take care of yourself. And I'll see you later." He dismisses himself with a corny salute like he used to do to the camera all of the time at his entrance. 

Later into the night, you are talking with Pearce about some things with the production truck when one of the stagehands informs you of the situation in the ring. Specially, John getting his ass handed to him in the ring at the hands of Solo and Jimmy. 

"Great." You grumble to yourself. "Is he alright?" You ask the stagehand. 

"He's alright, yes." The stagehands nod. "But he's asked to see you, Miss L/N." He informs you. 

You nod and turn to Pearce. "We'll finish this conversation later, Adam. I'm going to go try and sort this all out before it gets out of hand." 

Pearce nods and you follow the stagehand back to the trainer's room where John now recedes. "John. So much for having some fun out there, right?" You lightheartedly joke. "What can I do for you?" You ask him. 

"Well, it looks to me like I've managed to get myself into some trouble." John chuckles. "Which I'm sure is no surprise to you, Y/N."

"It's not, no." You confirm with a small smile. 

You and John share a quick laugh before he gets to his point. "You said that you would help me if I needed anything." John reminds you. "And it's looking to me like I'm going to need a tag partner if I'm going to handle Solo and Jimmy. So I was hoping that we could lace you up some boots and get you in the ring." He jokes. 

"Me? In the ring?" You laugh. "I'm afraid that my days in the ring have been over for a long time, John. But when it comes to a tag partner, I believe that I've got just the guy for you." 

"Yeah? Well, I'm open to ideas here." John nods. 

You nod and pull out your phone. "Let me shoot my guy a text and get him down here. The two of you can chat and see if you can't agree. Which I am sure you will." 

John nods and you send your text off. A few minutes later, LA Knight slips into the trainer's room with a look of concern on his face. "Y/N? Sweetheart, you alright? Why are you in the trainer's room? Did something happen?" He scans the room for you. 

"I'm over here, big shot." You beckon your boyfriend over. "John, I'm sure you've seen LA Knight here on the show before." You turn back to John. 

"I have." John nods. "I'm a big fan of your work." He shakes Knight's hand. 

You watch Knight shake John's hand and nod. "Likewise. I assume you are why Y/N asked me down here? I saw you take that beating from Solo and Jimmy." 

"John is looking for a tag partner to serve up some justice." You explain. "And I thought that since you've had your eyes on Roman lately, the two of you would make a perfect pair." 

"Is that so?" Knight sports a cheeky grin. "Well, I'd love to help out, John." He turns to John. "Especially if it's at the request of my favorite lady." He teases you. 

You laugh and shake your head. "Knock it off." You playfully warn him. "So, what do you think, John?" You turn back to Cena.

"Well if Y/N's endorsing you then you must be quite the guy," Cena replies. "So welcome to the team." He shakes Knight's hand again.

You shake your head again. "Alright, you two."

Knight and Cena both laugh and Knight slings an arm over your shoulder.

#wwe fanfiction #wwe fic #wwe fandom #wrestling #wwe #la knight #la knight fanfic #wrestling fanfiction #wrestling fic #john cena

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

A great mountain range. Buildings that were easily centuries old. The long, cold reach of the Void. Adam could see it all as easily as if it were standing in front of him. He didn't seem to have a choice whether he wanted to see these images or not. They were darkness and beauty, strength and fear, each seared into his brain with one word tying them all together.

Theo.

"So hey, sorry if I'm interrupting your private moping time. Dad wanted me to check on you. I don't see the point since it's basically been a prison here since You-know-who left. What trouble could you possibly be causing? I think this is the first time in a week that I've actually seen you out of your pajamas."

Remy didn't even bother knocking on the door of the gardens. Adam had locked himself inside them for the past week, attempting to meditate or something equally as pointless. Mediation wouldn't heal her brother or make him talk to her about what had happened between him and Theo. She was his twin sister, though, and that made it her duty to get him back to the person he'd been before the incident. At the very least, she would get him out of this one room and socializing again.

"You can say his name, Remy. Theo is my boyfriend...or he was." He paused to consider his words carefully. "I don't know. Either way, saying his name isn't going to break me like Mom seems to think it will.

Says the guy hiding away from everyone to "meditate."

"I know I'm not Mom's biggest fan, but she might have a point," Remy said cautiously. "You seem...twitchy whenever he comes up. Have you heard from him at all?"

"Of course I haven't," Adam snapped, louder than he meant to reply. "Mom took our phones, remember? Wherever they sent him, I can't send any magical messages either. It's like he just disappeared off the face of the earth! I don't even know where to start looking for him."

"Do you want to find him?" Remy asked quietly, truly curious about the answer. "It's okay if you don't. I'd understand. No judgment here. With your condition, I'd be pissed too."

"My condition," Adam repeated bitterly. "You don't even know the half of it. No one does."

"Does Theo? Mom threw a fit about you two being connected, and I'm guessing that that's why things got so bad when everything happened. Can't you just sense him?"

"No, that's the problem," Adam sighed. "No matter how hard I try, he's just...gone. It's not like we were connected strongly or anything like that, but I should be able to feel something about where he is. Instead, there's just silence."

He's lying. I don't know about what, but he's lying. He's easier to read than a book. But he's lying for a reason. If I don't press it, maybe he'll tell me in his own time.

"Hey, he'll come back," Remy promised, hugging her brother tightly. "Whether I have to track him down for you myself. Elowen and I will have him back in an afternoon."

"Yeah, thanks. I don't think I'll need you two though."

"So you two are over," Remy gasped, trying to remain playful before he shut down again. "There are lots of other people here who would be happy to date you. Some of which, Mom might actually approve of."

"We're not over!" Adam snapped. "Not officially. We'd have to have a conversation for that to happen, and no one will tell me where he is!"

Remy rolled her eyes and grabbed her brother's hand, dragging him with her to the ground. He tried to wriggle away from her, but Remy was stronger.

"Nope. We're having twin time now," she insisted. "Just like when we were kids. You and I are going to talk this out. I'm sick of your moodiness, and I can't tell if I'm supposed to be rooting for Theo to come back or if I should be setting him on fire for hurting you. So spill."

"We're not little kids anymore. Just leave me alone."

"Not going to happen. If you won't talk to me, then I'm going to be forced to call Elowen and Bronwen in as reinforcement. I'm sure you can remember how powerful your sisters are when we fight together."

"How can I forget?" Adam groaned. "If Theo wasn't so strong, you three would have made my life miserable." He smiled fondly before he caught himself. It was hard to separate his childhood memories from thoughts of Theo. They'd been friends since Theo started at the academy and had been inseparable for years. There was no way of thinking about his past without being reminded of Theo. He just wasn't sure if his future would be the same way.

"Look, it's complicated," Adam said at last. "I love Theo, but...people have been warning me about him for awhile now. He's this kind, funny, loyal person who loves me with the intensity of the sun. But he's also a dangerous, reckless being with so much power that deities monitor him. I love him, but he's like fire. The closer I get to him, the more I get burned. I just don't want to get burned again, Remy. I don't want to hold him back from his potential either, though. He can do things I've never seen someone do and with ease. He might be better off without me."

"If you love him, it shouldn't matter," Remy insisted. "You've known for forever about Theo being unstable and you've never cared before."

"I never thought he'd hurt me like this before!" Adam snapped angrily. "He promised me that he'd protect me, not scar my face and leave me for dead."

Remy paused, unsure of what to say.

"I was there when everything happened, Adam. I saw the look on his face. He was desperate to save you. I mean, the two of you are usually nauseatingly cute together, but this was different. He was going against his own self interests to protect you, Adam. It tore him apart and he still did it. They dragged Theo out of here on a stretcher just like you, and he's not complaining. All he did was ask for you."

"I know, I know. That's what everyone says, but...maybe our love isn't a good idea like Mom says."

"What?! Who are you Mr. I'm Planning My Wedding at Nineteen? Did Mom bewitch you with one of her spells, or did you really hit your head that hard when you fell?"

"It's not like that," Adam mumbled quietly. "It's just common sense. You know that Theo and I have...been intimate lately?" He continued when Remy nodded. "This whole thing stems from that. Theo can't handle the emotions or the increased connection between us. He went off because of me, because of my desire to be close to him. I'm too dangerous for him and he's too dangerous for me. We just end up hurting each other."

"Hmm, fair," Remy conceded. "That makes some kind of sense. I've never had that problem, but I do tend to stay away from demons. Too much drama involved."

"He...he changed me, Remy," Adam admitted quietly.

"Well, yeah, you've been friends forever, of course you're going to change each other's lives."

"No, I mean that he changed me. That day. Why do you think that I spend most of my time here, trying to meditate? It's not for fun."

"I don't know what you're talking about. No one does when you're that cryptic. If you're going to break up with Theo, then you should at least come hang out with some of my friends. Get out there, see what the world outside of Theo looks like before you make your decision."

"I'm not sure if I want to break up with him. I just need some time. I want him to know what he's done and I need to know how he feels too. I want him to see this and ask him what he's going to do about it."

Adam gestured to his cheek, where a dark scar remained. Remy had helped her father try to reduce the supernatural scarring on Adam's face, but a corner of it refused to leave. His eyes were still red and bloodshot from the spell that had twisted the small amount of demonic DNA in his system.

"A deity told me that we have demon ancestors," he continued. "That Mom's side of the family came from Pleasantview demons."

"That's the first I'm hearing about this. Though it does make sense that Mom is slightly demonic. It explains some things." When Adam didn't laugh at her joke, Remy scowled. "Where on earth did you run into a god? Don't they have anything better to do than spill family secrets?"

"She was warning me about Theo. I...I think when the incident happened, our connection latched on to any dormant demon genes I have and went crazy trying to give him their power. I don't have a dark form, Remy, but Theo's energy twisted me into something that looked like one. They had to fix my skull with magic. They had to fix my skull, Remy. Our connection tore demonic energy I barely had and gave it to Theo. It scraped everything I had and...and he just took it."

"That's not something Theo did purposely though," Remy said softly. "He can't control himself. That's why they sent him away to demon boot camp. He would never choose to hurt you, that should be obvious."

"What if I can never sleep with him again?" Adam demanded, his voice betraying how close to sobbing he truly was. "What if even kissing him makes...makes all of that happen again? I can't trust that it won't happen again. He sometimes goes off without any obvious trigger, how will I know how to avoid it? If being with me makes Theo lose control of himself, then I don't think I can take that risk anymore. Next time I might die."

Remy kicked her brother in his shin, making him yelp.

"He's going to boot camp, Adam. When he does come back, he's going to know how to control himself. Do you really think Mom and Dad are going to let him come back here if there's a chance that you'll be in danger? No way. You're being stupid. Give me some time, I'll find a way to talk to your dumb boyfriend and get this sorted out. Life's too short to mope over something that can be changed."

"The scar's not the only change," Adam insisted, still looking like he was about to cry at any second. "The meditations are supposed to be controlling this." He flicked his wrist, releasing a purple haze that oozed from his skin. "Let me show you something."

Without another word, Adam rose from his seat on the floor and gestured for his twin to follow him.

"Well, this should be good."

Adam's pace was slow, but determined. There was still some physical damage from the incident that was slowly healing and Remy noticed that her brother was limping slightly. If it did turn out that Theo had caused all of this on on purpose, there was going to be hell to pay.

But it was an accident, she reminded herself, taking a deep breath to let go of the anger. Theo was just too dumb to handle a Darktide in the bedroom, like so many of Remy's past hookups.

He's just an idiot with no self-control. He didn't do this on purpose. You don't have to murder him for touching your brother.

"Are you okay with walking this far? I can teleport you wherever we're going."

"I'm fine. We're here anyway." He gestured to the expensive telescope that students used to calculate moon phases and chart astrology. "Watch that telescope."

"For what? It's just sitting there. Are you sure you don't want me to get a chair for you or something? Should I get Dad?"

"Dad already knows about this," Adam replied, intensifying his stare at the telescope and holding his hands in a magical stance. "You can't tell anyone else about this, Dad's trying to find someone to help with this, but people wouldn't understand if they saw what happened to me."

He flicked his hand again, and released more of that purple haze as he did so. When he moved his arm, Remy could see the telescope shimmer slightly, and then immediately surrender itself to a sudden rip in the atmosphere. The Void consumed the light around the object, wrapping itself around it so tightly that the two seemed fused together.

"Oh my god, Adam! You've actually become interesting!"

"Thanks," Adam replied angrily. "I'd like to think that I already was interesting before all of this."

Remy scoffed, still staring at the flashing telescope with wonder.

"So you can what? Attack people with the Void? Open portals just like Theo?"

Adam shrugged, flicking his wrist again as he did. Immediately, the tear in the atmosphere reappeared and began to rip the pieces of Void from the the telescope. Within a blink of an eye, the telescope was back to its old appearance, completely Void free.

"I don't know what it is," Adam confessed. "Dad thinks that Theo regenerated some of my DNA to work like a demon's would. Between trying to force a dark form and being able to touch the Void, my body is different now. It responds like a really weak demon hybrid might. A really weak hybrid. I can't do half the things an infant hybrid could, but-"

"But you're more resistant to Theo's demonic magic, just like you both wanted," Remy guessed. "You don't have a lot of cool powers from this, but you should be able to handle more demonic energy than before. You can help ground him if he goes off in the future. Maybe it could keep Theo grounded and balanced when you two are in the bedroom."

"Remy, stop!" Adam shouted. "I don't want to be changed so that I can make Theo feel better about himself or be his backup plan when he's about to have an incident. I want to be me, just like I was! I love a hybrid, but I don't want to become the pale shadow of one. I don't exist to make Theo's life easier."

"Okay, fair," Remy conceded. "But do you know what I could do with that much power? Lots of fun things."

"I also don't exist to make your life interesting, Rem. God only knows what you would do with access to the Void. Probably end up in the same place as Theo."

Remy laughed at the thought.

"Yeah, probably. Maybe that's how I'll find him for you. I'll get Mom to send me to demon military school."

Adam's knee buckled from standing too long and his sister rushed to his side even as he was pushing her away.

"Okay, well I think that's enough demon magic for today," she declared. "Now that you're out of your moping room, let's get you something to eat. You can't say no when you're leaning on me to walk."

Adam scowled, but didn't resist. He was a little hungry and it would be a welcome change from ruminating on what had happened all day like he'd been doing lately.

"Okay, fine. You win."

[angelthemanspanker]

10 and 24 for the violence ask game!! i want the drama!!!!!

also your askbox name is so funny like are we supposed to submit guys xander might've fucked or what cause if so can we go cross-ip or is it just buffyverse people

asfgjkl my thought process was basically if anyone is coming into my ask box to talk about literally any guy my stance is that xander probably fucked him at some point. the cross-ip thing has potential tho who did you have in mind bc I personally think Xander could have the stupidest babies with Scott Pilgrim

10. worst part of fanon

There is this. version. of Buffy Summers that I see in fics. Mainly tbf ones not about her, usually mlm stuff bc that's what I'd be reading but I feel like pops up a lot in general where she's like. This judgmental bitch who looks down on everyone and could do with being brought down a peg or two. With a big vibe being that the Scoobies are all a bit sick of her attitude but no one's willing to call her out until the writer has somebody turn to her like Buffy shame on you, how could you fail to consider that Spike is sorry now and he's so hurt by your rejection of his five minute redemption, Buffy why do you always have to be so stubborn, Buffy why do you always see things in black and white. And just. Who IS this girl. Its like people base Buffy’s entire personality on the I Am The Law speech out of context, that she is undeniably fighting for good but just wants to kill everyone who steps out of line and has no capacity for forgiveness, her friends can't and shouldn't go to her with their problems bc she'll immediately judge them, and she always needs a rational word from Giles or Willow or somebody to reel her in and see someone else's perspective. It makes me unwell. Negatively.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

literally any attempt to hold a character accountable for capital E Evil they commit, to explain why a ship is bad or why fans of that character are bad or whatever. Not saying people can't swear off a character who did something they can't stomach but more the idea that stuff like Angel eating Holtz's family or Anya's history of horrific punishments against guys she admits did Not all deserve it or yeah, even that a not-insignificant percentage of the cast have committed sexual assault should mean the characters should be written off. Obviously this comes up most in Spike vs Angel wars as a way to say which one is the worst when their body counts really truly do not matter on the character front. If Angel has killed like a thousand more people than Spike does that really mean fucking anything if Spike has still killed thousands of people. This is a 'verse where The Forces of Evil are very much like. A thing. Demons who kill people for no reason that we need to fight once a week exist. But hey what if one of them like Angel or Anya or Spike suddenly had to stop killing and get a job and try to maintain a friend group. That's what this shit is all ABOUT. Its FUN. And it vitally requires a cast full of people who have DONE HORRIBLE THINGS. We would have no story if they hadn't

Thanks for the ask 🤟

#im not satisfied with how i verbalised my thoughts on the morality thing but i tried #buffy summers #spike #angel #anya jenkins #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

[kusokurae01]

*Cracks knuckles* Did you really think I wouldn't RETURN THE FAVOR- now, what's YOUR favorite Jekyll and Hyde adaptation(Or adaptations)?

Hello, first off thank you so much for this ask! <3 I don't get them everyday, so I'm very happy with how much this blog is growing, little by little.

My top three is quite controversial, but I'd say that my favorite adaptation so far has to be the broadway musical, from which my own adaptation (Apotheosis) takes inspiration; what people don't understand is that an adaptation isn't made to be 1:1 with the original product, especially when the original quite literally doesn't have anything to tell story-wise and is overall a mediocre story with an interesting concept. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the Novella, but I take it for what it is instead of pretending that my interpretation is 100% correct and canon and treating the book as if it were a masterpiece of classic literature, when it isn't— sure, it's a small, enjoyable story which can be interpreted however you want and that's also what makes it appealing to most people— the uncertainity of everything, the fact that we don't know who the reliable narrator is, it's VERY interesting, but it isn't the writing that makes the story, to me. So you see, my disdain for novella fans not only comes from the fact that they're gatekeeping assholes, but also that they insist that their interpretation is the only correct one, when the novella was written PRECISELY to don't have a correct interpretation, at least IMO.

Funniest thing is that they expect Hyde to be a bachelor of morality somehow and not do anything problematic besides murder, because we are so desenitized to violence that apparently now it's something inherently normal (or rather just fandom puritan bullshit), as if this wasn't the literal Victorian Era and the author wasn't a rampaging racist (which is normal for again, the period we find ourselves in. But they are willing to shit on people who attempt to be historically accurate, but when you mention that the dead man they have a parasocial relationship with was racist, and that the original book description of Hyde was IIRC, xenophobic too, they suddenly pull one hundred excuses up from their asses, but only because it's convenient to THEM in that moment).

These people know who I am referring to considering that they "called me out" on their shitty discord server over the 9/11 J&H joke in my description, pfp which was just Christine with a sapphic flag which also makes me presume these people are inherently mysoginistic, and the fact I ship musical Jekyde, sorry for being based I guess. I 100% expect them to see this, and if they do, I have one simple request— get your shit together, you aren't some literary critic, you are like seventeen and a "wrong headcanon" is enough to ruin your day, if not week, fully.

TL;DR Musical takes the first spot, the novella is good albeit mediocre and overrated and its fans are insufferable.

Now, what makes me like the musical if the recorded play wasn't anything special and Hasselhoff's acting atrocious?

The musical was the second adaptation I've watched of J&H, so it's only fair that I am very attached to it, but still recognize its inherent flaws— I don't think however, the musical should be judged because of a bad recording adaptation alone considering the many interpretations we got from other actors (Rob Evans, Robert Cuccioli...) and the simple choreography itself, especially when it was first performed in 1995; all the ideas behind it which in the end didn't make it in the play, are somewhat still there, like Simon Stride basically replacing Lanyon and being an enemy to Jekyll, someone double-faced just like the rest of the governors.

For those who don't know, Stride was supposed to be a main antagonistic figure in the musical, he was the owner of Red Rats and of other several brothels in Kentish Town as stated by Hyde in The Wedding Reception, also described as a green-eyed monster in The Ballad of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the one who performed Good and Evil originally, supposedly when he was collecting money from prostitutes. Since The Spider basically took his role, we also know that Stride is inherently a domestic abuser considering that he hits Lucy on several occasions, other than being Jekyll's contestant for Lisa/Emma as shown in Lisa Carew which literally completely destroys the perception that Lisa completely depends on Jekyll when that's not inherently true. She's underdeveloped yes, but her character is interesting nevertheless, the musical is called JEKYLL AND HYDE, it's normal that it focuses on telling Jekyll's story, because a musical can't be ten hours long. His motivations are inherently unknown, but I suspect that he simply is jealous of Jekyll and overall wanted, like Hyde stated in The Wedding Reception, to put Lisa/Emma in one of his brothels, and he was angry that Jekyll spared her that fate, seemingly.

See? Everything, even if it didn't made it in the final product, it blends in with the background story of the musical's society perfectly, making the world feel alive rather than static like it did in the Novella.

Lisa/Emma is a woman who clearly wants independence, which was something definitely big for the period, considering that the ideal of victorian woman from the conservative classes was that of a frail and submissive lady (which I think it's also seen in the fact that their ideal make up made them look almost as if they were ill due to how pale they were) and the first feminist movements literally simply asked to be beaten up by their husbands less. This is seen in Letting Go and Lisa Carew. She doesn't depend on Jekyll and is stated by her nevertheless, she chose to marry him because she genuinely liked him, and never doubts him even when the big reveal happens. Underdeveloped =/= Bad character.

Lucy, on the other side of the spectrum, is a prostitute, which was the lowest and most hated class you could possibly be a part of. Other than this she's a domestic abuse victim, and the only person who ever considered defending her and showed her kindness, instead of objectifying her even when she was giving him sexual hints, was Jekyll. It's only normal she'd latch onto him; she clearly wants to live a different life and keeps hoping that things will get better for her, because everyone has their day (The Girls of The Night), even when her own best friend (Nellie) discourages her, she keeps hoping. She feels genuinely lost, (Nobody Knows Who I Am) in which it is left implied that she doesn't have anything if not her identity as a prostitute, and that not even her friends (possibly, one of her lines was referred to Nellie) know who she truly is; once, perhaps there were possibilities for her, but that faded because for a prostitute in the victorian era, there's genuinely no hope or respect. Bring on the Men also makes us understand that she's been a prostitute for a very long time now, so who other than she knows this? But yet she keeps hoping, and eventually her prayers get answered. She turns to Jekyll when Hyde first physically harmed her and, she seems very resigned about what has happened to her while Jekyll is horrified, and her emotions led her to kiss him perhaps as a sign of gratitude, and Jekyll didn't refuse, and if I recall correctly that's when Lucy sings Someone Like You and then later on, In His Eyes with Lisa/Emma. If anything, Jekyll is the villain here because he blatantly gave Lucy false hopes, because his actions as Hyde clearly make us perceive that he was only ever kind of her because of lustful reasons, at least IMO. Her world doesn't revolve around Jekyll, we barely see her in the musical quite frankly, and considering what I'm saying and her little screentime, perhaps Lucy is the MOST developed character of the musical. She's tragic— her death truly shows that there wasn't hope for minorities in that society.

Most criticism I saw about the musical is mainly from people who heard things novella fans themselves told which are inherently inaccurate, or from people who perhaps during the songs in let me repeat, A MUSICAL, didn't pay attention.

now, the second spot is taken by Hyde & Seek, I don't have much to say about it because I mainly saw snippets from it but, the motivations are pretty much the same as the musical, the worldbuilding is really good, the characters are funny and memorable, and the art direction is just chefs kiss.

Novella is third.

#.txt #jekyll and hyde #jekyll and hyde weekly

[machifuwa]

Autumn Cafeteria | Chapter 5

A week later. At the Meeting Room in the ES Building.

Tsumugi: Sorry to keep you waiting, Shu-kun~

Shu: You're late, Aoba. I already got one job done while I was waiting.

Hm? That parfait...

Tsumugi: Here is the new menu. I sent a photo through Hold Hands, but I wanted you to actually try it. We borrowed the kitchen of the company cafeteria in order to make it.

Shu: Why did you have to bring it yourself? If you told me, I could have come to the cafeteria myself and eat it there you know.

Tsumugi: That's true, but... I couldn't bear to bother Shu-kun, who just came back from Paris. Are you feeling okay? Any jet lag?

Shu: Long trips are tiring, but I've been back home every once in a while. I'm used to it by now.

Anyway, let's have the parfait now. I'm glad to have a supply of something sweet and cold to keep my mind sharp.

Tsumugi: Also, please try these Salt Cookies. They are said to be a dessert for those who do not like sweet stuff.

Shu: Sounds like a good palate cleanser. I'll have it along with this.

...The sourness of the cherries is stronger than I expected. The sweetness of the whipped cream neutralizes it, making it easy to eat.

Tsumugi: I heard that the cherry was Koga-kun's idea. It was supposed to be a strawberry at first.

The arrangement of the bottom portion was Yuta-kun's idea. The red color makes it look more attractive.

The acidity of the cut cherries and the jellies allow you to eat all the way through without getting heartburn.

Shu: Hoh. I remember that the whole idea was proposed by Suou. So it was a joint development by those three.

Tsumugi: The menu has remained the same since the restaurant opened, and regular customers are ordering it because they are curious about it.

Shu: ...Fumu. Just the regulars? How about new customers?

Tsumugi: As you can see, we've not been able to attract any new interest. I have the impression that it's been limited to the inner circle, or that there has not been enough publicity.

We can also advertise on our social media accounts. I doubt it will lead to continuous sales, but it will still attract attention.

We can't tell them who invented the new sweets, since we're not actually working there.

Above all, as idols, it should gain some publicity. Let's just say that we're currently doing this for personal development only.

It is most likely that we'll get complaints from people, so it's better to not disclose the fact that we were in charge of this.

It would damage us, and it's also disrespectful for the companies that try their best to protect our image.

Shu: So, we're basically limited to doing things. It can't be helped, then.

Tsumugi: Right. So, I was also thinking of taking advantage of the fact that we're idols. It's still not planned well, but...

I'd like NewDi to partner up with the café and provide working experiences for other idols.

Basically, it would have that "place where you can feel closer to your idols" concept.

Shu: ...I'm not sure if I'd like that place to be something like that--where the target audience are our fans.

However, the situation is already bad as it is. That's better than getting the café closed.

The question is whether the owner would agree with that proposal. Will it be all right for him to destroy the original image of this place for the sake of its survival?

Tsumugi: I already went through that. I asked the owner beforehand what things he'd want to be changed vise versa.

Actually, the owner is really determined to keep the original taste of the round bread.

Shu: The original taste of round bread...?

Tsumugi: When I asked about the details, it seemed like it was somewhat connected to the owner's childhood. Unsold bread, specifically round bread, was what the owner grew up eating.

I heard that his parents asked him to take care of the family business, so he ran away in the process.

A long time passed. He worked as an office staff in the city. After hearing the news of his parents' death, he returned home. Since then, the bakery has long gone out of business.

A short time after he left his parents' home, they closed the place with old age as the reason.

The owner missed the taste of the bread, so he looked for the recipe, but was unable to find it.

I guess there wasn't a recipe to begin with, since they were making it based on experience and intuition.

Even so, he's confident that he remembers the taste of the bread that he was forced to eat as a child, so he tried recreating it, but he hasn't succeeded at all.

As a result, the café was built in order to preserve the memory of his parents' bakery.

Shu: ......

...For some reason, I want to eat that round bread now.

Tsumugi: Actually, me too. Shall we buy some later?

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translated by machi and mars

#ensemble stars #enstars #shu itsuki #tsumugi aoba

[tatachin]

A Record and A Question | Identity V (第五人格）

Greetings to the esteemed fan base. I am the newest victim of IDV propaganda, finally enticed by the sheer ridiculousness of the Composer's gameplay, sent to me by an old time friend who's been playing this game for as long as I have known them. Granted, I did start a good two weeks prior writing this post however with recent events, it has come to my attention that I Must inquire the following:

Is it just me, or does Frederick constantly get targeted first?

I have no fucking clue on where to begin with this. I admit quite shamelessly that I am a coward and very new to the PvP game scene, previously only religiously playing otome games and then mmorpgs (PvE type). Henceforth I chose to solely play as a decoder (after taking a liking to the Composer's play style) FOOLISH THINKING, that I could avoid confrontation with the Hunters. AND YET, as you can probably deduce from my question, I am CONSTANTLY targeted first.

Does the man have sweet juicy ass that attracts hunters in general? Are Composers just so rare to find that hunters can't help but to HAVE to chase the one guy with the tuning fork that speeds him away?

I quote this conversation yesterday, with my dearest friend who got me into this mess in the first place, AD VERBATIM,

"Friend: Fast paced transitioning like Emil's and Charles' are mostly used to dodge hit last second/to mind games in more complicated maps because they can pass through certain obstacles

:Yours are

:Fancy speedup

:LOOK HE'S A DECODER HES NOT SUPPOSED TO CONTAIN HUNTER OKAY

:HES JUST NOT BUILT FOR THAT

:THAT'S JUST YOU!!!!!!

Me> aND YET

>GESTURES AT MY 176 SECONDS CONTAINING

>fOUR cIPHERS

>NONE OF THEM WAS MINE BECAUSE I IMMEDIATELY GOT HUNTED DOWN BY THE MOTHERFUCKER OF A HUNTER

>I AM LEVELING UP THE WRONG SKILLTREE AS AN EARLY GAMER MAN WHAT THE FUCK

Friend: HAHAHAHAHHA

: Picks support

: Levels up on attack"

My dearest friend, grits teeth, has been unabashedly laughing at me for the sheer misfortune of attracting all the hunters in the world. You may laugh as well, fellow netizen.

Not every single match of course, I would've known that the world was dead set on killing me off first in that way but No. Maybe a 7/10 matches, I'd get targeted first. Maybe twice or thrice I'd get the doki dokis and nyoom away in time, God forbid if I get tracked down then on the small chance I'd still successfully kite for a while and then get the fuck away from the hunter. Or maybe, just maybe, for that peaceful few matches, I can decode. In. Peace. But nooooooooo, next match they'll DEFINITELY come back with Vengeance.

And so, as you can see, I am truly in a pickle. Please send help.

For clarification, as some of you may think "awww this newbie's throwing a fit over skill issues"

First and foremost,

Yes I am. I will admit it.

2. No, I do not vault over stuff for no reason anymore (yes I used to, as Gardener in the first 3 or 4 days before I got Composer, sue me)

3. I don't constantly miss combos (I know 3 misses will alert, collectively and not consecutively), so I'm definitely sure that's not the issue, I am pretty consistent with my combos usually reaching 100+ on lvl 2 IF I ever get a peaceful time ciphering away from the hunter/them having another unfortunate soul to harass.

4. I'm... Well. I'd like to think I'm a decent player as a Composer as I do have some mastery over his kit. It's to the point that I have 100% deduction on Frederick as I have played him religiously for these two weeks and yes, of course clearing the escape using tuning fork missions were one of those that got quickly cleared due to the sheer frequency of me getting hunted.

THUS AND THEREFORE I REQUEST OF THEE, AN ANSWER.

IS COMPOSER HOT SHIT FOR FIRST GRABS OR IS IT TRULY!!!! TRULY JUST ME.

Fellow Composer mains please reply, I am in dire need of validation.

Your truly,

A 2 week old Composer main, fresh off a match where I contained Fool's Gold for 3 ciphers in the circus map, got chaired, then saved by Embalmer, then the man gave up when I speeded away and he chased Embalmer in the seats while I, trying to realize my Norton x Frederick delusions, ran back to decode the last cipher machine right next to them.

(Eventually someone else completed the last cipher and along with the rest of the crew we made our merry little way to the gate, Fool's Gold randomly throwing his silly little pickaxe around while we left behind a graffiti mess and the poor fellow as we escaped. A bittersweet victory indeed.)

#idv #identity v #i tak #idv composer #idv frederick kreiburg #send help please #also before anyone asks #are you a true idv fan/tumblr user if you're not the least bit attracted to the notion of monsterfucking

[midnight-in-town]

Out of all the mangas that u read , analyse and post for, whice one is your favorite?

Hey Anon! Aww, I love so many of them for so many reasons, I am not sure how to answer you... The thing is, I don't necessarily post about series for the same reasons!

Of course #theories is my absolute love in life (like, when doing a secret santa at work, I'll additionnally try to discover who is supposed to give a gift to whom, by collecting clues from what they say and do. If I find out the truth, the person whose secret I discovered is supposed to buy my coffee or breakfast xD And trust me it's ten times funnier when everyone starts doing the same thing because it creates absolute chaos in which everyone tries to send the others on the wrong trail by giving wrong hints, so when the day of the gifts comes everyone at work's like "aahhhhhhh it was youuuu". Very funny, I always have a blast), but fandom's size can factor into how much I'll write about a series.

For example, Majo to Yajuu and Witch Hat Atelier are both great stories with small fandoms here (less than 10 people in it for MTJ), so I like writing regularly about these series to create more content for the fandom!

For the opposite reason, and because the pace slowed down a bit, I don't write a lot about Akatsuki no Yona, despite following the chapters' release every 2 weeks or so. Another example is Berserk, my favorite series ever, but which has a very intense, well informed fanbase on a dedicated forum with a lot of interesting content: so I don't mind answering questions, but I don't necessarily have a lot to write about Berserk despite loving it so much, because almost everything has been said already!

I loved talking about Gangsta. but it's on hiatus; same for Tokyo Ghoul but it's over. I enjoy writing about Spy x Family because I think a good part of the fandom is confusing the currently happy-go-lucky vibes of the series with the real, more subtle and darker tone of the themes and plot and it's nice to see hints of this every now and then.

Finally, I absolutely love discussing about Ao no Exorcist and Kuroshitsuji, which I have been following about 12 years now in both cases, because:

Ao no Exorcist is currently the best on-going typical shonen series for me (tho' I might change my mind a bit once I finally catch up with One Piece, I'm on the beginning of the Dressrosa saga) and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds. It's really one of the few series in which I have absolute trust into Kato-sensei and she can prove me right or wrong any time she wants.

For Kuroshitsuji, I think that, aside from new chapters, I've addressed over 98% of anything ever happening in the series, related or not to the main plot and to the circumstances of the Phantomhive family and I now am waiting patiently (very patiently) for all the answers, updating my very old theories with more hints when I can.

To tell the truth, on the matter of Kuroshitsuji, no offense to anyone, but I feel similarly to the admins from the Skullknight forum for Berserk: I've read each chapter maybe a hundred times at least over the years so I think that, today, I have one of the most objective and informed eye about the series across all of the internet. That doesn't mean that my theories are right, just that I know the canon series better than most of the fandom.

To conclude, I do not have one fave series that I post theories about, I have many, but I'd say that blogging about Kuroshitsuji is one of the most enjoyable experience I have on this site because, over the years, my blog has accumulated a lot of analyses (written by me for a good chunk of it or that I reblogged from other dedicated fans) that cover probably every aspect of the series and can be used to understand the themes, plot and characters of this series, as well as to try guessing what will happen next. It’s like a massive database of theories, very useful for the current arc and for the answers to come. :)

I hope that answers your question! Have a good weekend :))

#personal #kuroshitsuji #ao no exorcist #berserk #spy x family #majo to yajuu #witch hat atelier #the witch and the beast #gangsta. #tokyo ghoul #akatsuki no yona #anon #answers

[discluded]

Why do you think Mike didn’t go to Taipei? Also I’m overthinking that dinner post right before but Apo wasn’t with him but what if he was? 👀

who's Mike ? 🤣 jk... the curse of Mild's name... I mean Mile 😛

a few reasons, all of which are business driven and not emotionally driven:

1) the number one being that Mile is CEO of another company 🤷🏻‍♀️ they left on a Thursday morning and were there all day Friday, two business days. he probably did the cost-benefit analysis of opportunity and going did not come out on top. KPWT was planned far in advance and there's actually multiple fan photos of Mile taking calls even at the airport

2) obviously Dior had him at the pop up so it's not like Dior didn't want him. NextGen Fashion Awards (Harper's Bazaar SG) is a fan theory but Mile had GNR tickets. He and Apo also had a run of like 4 events in that week and I think he popped up at the Tattoo Colour concert during that time period with a backstage pass so probably there was work that was BOC new year event related. Finally it was off handedly revealed to fans that Bvlgari invited Mile first but BOC claimed he was busy and Build went. a lot of reporters thought Mile was there 😅

three data points is a pattern... I'd say he's fine doing fashion things like the Dior event with Apo but sitting for a fashion show or standing in front of a storefront and having his photos taken might not be what he values for his entertainment career, especially if it takes a lot of time (involving travel)

it's not that Mile doesn't value fashion or his modelling career, but remember he booked the Maserati sponsorship for KPTS on his own before KPTS was even off the ground. He knows what his modelling contract is worth but it just might not be his main focus

3) in terms of making contacts and networking, he probably considered the cost/benefit trade off, but also if the goal is to have a contact with Dior/the Taiwan magazines, then Apo (or Pond because Pond went too) can do that kind of introduction.

tbh I'm not sure if Pond went for a specific reason but his presence felt a lot like event manager behavior where you're on the ground for the event. Mile delegating and prioritizing how to use his (and Apo's) time most efficiently seems like executive-level behavior. (which is ironic because Pond is supposed to be BOC's CEO so... 🤷🏻‍♀️)

4) now that I take a step back and think about it, I'm wondering if it's more lucrative (aka makes more financial sense) for Mile and Apo to have different sponsorship. there's a pretty large overlap of the fan base which these brands with more sophisticated marketing teams may have noticed too. so a thought exercise this way: LVMH (owns Dior and also owns Marc Jacobs, which Jeff was at in Thailand) owns a number of brands. if Mile and Apo have a 50% fan base share and 25% individually, bringing them on for one brand might mean 100% efficiency.. but bringing Apo on one brand with 75% efficiency and Mile on a different LVMH brand (which includes Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Céline, Kenzo, and Loewe... and Bvlgari ) with 75% efficiency is then 150% market efficiency... you know? Dior took until 2023 to materialize but was likely in the works for a while. Just because we don't see anything doesn't mean work isn't happening.

5) finally yes it does allow Apo the opportunity to shine and get more entrenched in the fashion world which is also his passion. And Apo would have more time to network and chat without Mile being there. Mile and Apo having access to the exact same contacts believe it or not is actually less efficient from a business perspective 💁🏻‍♀️ and they both know that too. the reason KPTS got funded was because of both of their connections with different people/companies

all of which makes Mile's cringe social media sobfest even funnier. the heart wants what it wants (to see Apo)

#mile phakphum #businessman mile phakphum #ceo mile #apo x dior #mileapo as models #business analysis

[ilovejasonschwartzmansomuch]

since i've seen people talking about whether or not the rocky horror picture show is good representation relatively recently (sorry i'm slow to these things) i thought i could throw my hat into the ring since i've watched it an unhealthy amount of times this week. a lot of people question whether or not they should look up to or idolize frank n furter due to him being such an iconic character but horrible person at the same time. i think that it really depends. my whole interpretation of rhps is that every character is flawed (except for a select few). everyone is a victim but not exactly angels themselves.

brad and janet are victims of the events that night but at the same time their wrong-doings aren't always caused from it. janet and brad (more so the former) both cheat on each other. it makes me wonder if their car never broke down they still would've cheated. brad seems to have a lot more regret (once in a while), but janet, even before the start of act two responding more flirtatiously to frank and rocky ("i'm a muscle fan!" dude your fiance is right there), doesn't have any real regret. i mean, it's good that she discovered herself. that's awesome, but i just feel so awful for brad. anyways this leads to the two being completely lost and filled with guilt at the end of the movie.

frank is probably the more complex. hes free of the chains of society, being him with no restraint, cross-dressing and being sexually liberated. this freedom also frees him from the other things society shuns (murder, assault, cannibalism, etc). you feel empathy for him before his death because he can't be himself, expressing his gender and sexual identity that society punishes, but it also feels just because of all of his negative aspects. your'e rooting for him but he also disgusts you.

this two-faced nature extends to the majority of the characters. dr. scott is caught in the middle of this whole affair with brad and janet just because he wanted to help his delinquent nephew, but he's an ex-nazi scientist, a person who would view everyone who was in the castle that night as the lowest of scum. riff raff and magenta are poorly treated frank and are the people who finally put him in his place. they're also incestuous (really pat and richard?)! eddie had his brain chopped up, got killed, cooked, and eaten by frank. at the same time he's junk. the transylvanians know that frank isn't the greatest of people but still choose to party with him. i would say they don't really have a choice, the castle being one of the only places they can express themselves freely.

this leads me to talk about columbia. she only wanted to be somewhere she could be her, even if there were flaws in her environment it was still better than wherever she came from. she wanted to love and be loved by both frank and eddie. this, however, didn't come without its consequences. the only other characters I would say aren't like the rest are rocky and the criminologist. rocky was just born so he has no idea what's going on. the criminologist isn't even in the story he's just the narrator.

anyways that's just my thoughts. i've seen too many people as of late saying "boo frank is bad boo" leading them to view the movie as bad. that's the whole point. he's awful. he's supposed to be awful. all of these people are awful. it's a satire on how conservatives view the queer community.

isn't fun though? seeing these characters express themselves while being a little more than morally gray? i'd say so. long story short: this musical slaps. you just gotta understand that you aren't supposed to look up to these guys.

#rocky horror picture show #rocky horror show #rhps #richard o'brien #columbia rhps #magenta rhps #frank n furter #janet weiss #brad majors #i edited this because it was a bit messy before but whatever

[noemitenshi]

What I'd love to see in S8B

It seems the version I favored first regarding Troy's return, namely Troy being just a manifestation of Madison's guilt is not gonna play out, at all. Which I'm kinda sad about but it was never a very likely outcome [not saying that what I'm talking about here is any more likely haha].

Now, I heard some rumors, about how Troy coming back may play out (I feel like there's no question anymore whether Troy is returning) and the one that wouldn't let me go is [under the cut because of potential spoilers. maybe. who knows]

him having a daughter. Now, no idea how likely that is. But assuming that is happening - and I have to admit I had very mixed feelings when I first heard that which maybe has to do with the fact that I'm one of the few people who mostly don't like storylines with kids (like, I was no fan of squirrel at all in Cursed 🙈). I also worried whether they would change Troy's character because of the daughter and he becomes unrecognizable (also because we are missing how he went from end of s3, where he was still learning who he was to ... well whoever he is in s8. Missed opportunity).

Ok putting all that aside, if he has a daughter, how fun would it be though if he teamed up with Madison to save his daughter and possibly starting their manipulative game again, probably with him now holding things over her head (things is her having intended to kill him, I'm sure he can play perfectly into her guilt there) - a reflection of s3 but now it's him trying to save his kid, doing everything for her. ["You love him more than your own life?" he'd asked Madison in s3ep1 with this note of surprise in his tone. He totally gets it now and very likely will use this, the fact that he's a parent now, to get her to cooperate too. Pulling out alll the stops.] A distorted reflection.

I think they'll manage to get the daughter (introducing her just to kill her off seems wasteful to me but who knows) and then I would absolutely love it if Troy ends up mirroring Madison's actions to the end - killing her in order to keep his kid safe. And Madison seeing that intent, accepting her fate just seconds before (my personal headcanon *is* that Madison harbors a lot of guilt for how she did things so it's even kind of cathartic maybe for her, to die so she can't hurt any more kids (but I also have to admit I haven't really watched Madison's arc beyond s3 so I may be off here)).

OR, alternatively they manage to get his daughter back, and do part ways now in a mutual understanding and forgiveness (something Troy had tried to get/give in s3 but Madison hadn't been ready for that), some of Madison's guilt will even be lifted, she'll feel some sense of accomplishment/peace. And then it's revealed (don't ask me how haha I'd have to think on that) that Troy isn't actually the father of his supposed daughter but a kid he stole from her parents

[maybe her parents nursed him back to health, maybe there were some cute bonding scenes between Troy and her, maybe her parents were acting strict or something towards her and Troy, with his own childhood trauma saw it as them mistreating her, maybe he overreacted then as he decided 'not again, I won't let this happen again' and took her, maybe she cried the first few weeks while he told her her parents died in a zombie attack, maybe they are in a good place now - though it would also be fun if it's not all good],

and in fact, Madison should have killed him this time (or at least not have allowed him to leave). I do like tragedy of it, how she had killed him in s3 to save Nick (which wasn't necessary at all) and now that she let him go she feels again like she made the wrong choice, damned this kid.

Anyway guess I'm slightly looking forward to s8b after all 😂

#troy otto #madison clark #ftwd #fear the walking dead #season 8 #how things could play out #they probably won't #still #one can dream #what is your prediction #or what would you like to see #those two things don't have to overlap

[omgkalyppso]

For Étoile/Astarion please:

🍰 What is 'their song'? Officially or unofficially.

🩷 What is the sweetest thing they've done for one another?

🤎 How do they comfort each other?

💋 What is their favorite place to kiss their partner? Do either enjoy 'leaving a mark'?

For Étoile/Halsin please:

🩷 What is the sweetest thing they've done for one another?

🤎 How do they comfort each other?

♪(^∇^*) Thank you for the ask!

Étoile and Astarion

🍰 I'm not sure what officially and unofficially might mean in this context.

A song from their playlist which I wouldn't give them awareness of even in modern fic is Hot Tea by half-alive. Sharing a lyric video because the official video of the song is weird and I am not a fan of the interpretative dance in it fdhtdfghgdf :

A song I'd be willing to give them awareness of in a modern setting is Wicked Game by Chris Isaak which I'm inspired to take off of Neil's Astarion playlist. It has very strong vibes of one of the last songs played at an event where people are inebriated and tired, swaying slowly; or could just be something that Astarion turns off on a radio for being a little too on the nose; or fits the mood of an intimate scene like the love scene in Dirty Dancing to me. Anyway:

🩷 <- I can copy and paste this but I can't see this emoji, whatever it is.

I suppose it depends on your definition of sweet, because I imagine I could think up some gifts and surprises, recollections and whatever else. Instead, I'll pick pivotal moments of "sweetness," which I think if I remember right I told some various friends on discord but aren't exactly me repeating myself here.

Raphael's pronouncement of victory is something I hope to one day explore in fic for Étoile. Initially I'd speculated that it could have happened even the very same night as the long rest after the netherbrain, with Astarion's last scene before the credits. But now there's the epilogue and to honour something like it, that means it's at least six months later — I'll probably place it nearer 2 years post-canon, with Raphael's intended return 10 years post-canon.

Étoile's anxiety loses some of it's bite this way, but to re-iterate. They (are and) feel so responsible, and they feel that as a result of this that they are and will be so alone in having to sound out a solution and / or battle plan to face Raphael. They expect that if a solution can be found that this time stopping the person who wields the Crown will demand their life. They won't be able to picture the vampire spawn's recent, precarious alliance, living situation, lifestyle, can handle both their and Astarion's sudden departure. They imagine themself hindered in travel and resources trying to come up with an answer, and Astarion being unable to follow, whether across the Material Plane or at least into Baator, where they don't even know if there's a night-day cycle or whether the fires that burn are ones that a vampire could stand in the presence of. If it's hard for them to admit to all this other shame, it's easy for them to be vulnerable in conversation with Astarion about how they wanted this life with him, with his their people, and how after a few hundred years if it hadn't come up that they would have asked if he'd wanted to turn them, which is as much as a commitment as either of them could make.

Anyway, it's sweet of Astarion to hold back an "I told you so" for more than a week, to reassure Étoile that their people will be fine with the pair of them coming and going because they will have to be, among any other number of reassurances he makes. It is sweet of him to recognize that he could take this as a cue to step away from "an adventurer's" problems (with all the problems of community, politics, lifestyle and "inheritance" that he has had to deal with since the end of the Gate's last disaster) and away from all semblance of "commitment" that had been so alien and chafing and frightful and difficult in this relationship; and instead decide that even this impossible challenge and all the other problems were perhaps just as rewarding (if not moreso) than the domestic rewards — never as an elf nor as a vampire had he ever wanted an unremarkable life.

For Étoile's moment of sweetness, I may have spoken before about how I have dialogue for a "mirror scene" blocked out. I waffle on whether it'll get written not just because I have so many wips, but also because I worry Everyone who writes Astarion has written a mirror scene and so I worry I bring little new to the table. Even so, my mirror scene has Astarion's final moment of "Just tell me I'm beautiful and we can call it a day" result in anger. Astarion whining, exasperated, "It doesn't feel good. Why doesn't it feel good? Is it because I asked?" And this resulting in an extra conversation in the shadow-cursed lands before the hug scene, where part of my blocked dialogue includes the following; they are laying spooned together:

Astarion: [after a breath] When you called me beautiful … it was the first time in two hundred years that it wasn't said by a victim or someone … looking to take advantage. Whose words meant nothing and were … an expectation. Part of a process. An undignified one. It was the first time in two hundred years the word wasn't Cazador's. To call me beautiful while I was flayed open, or bleeding from the mouth, or— [he tenses, not quite ready to cry. Étoile squeezes and slowly takes his hand] Étoile: Your body is your own. [They bring his fingers to their lips for a kiss, Astarion chooses to follow the movement to face them] My words are mine. I don't want to make you feel like that. Astarion: I know. Étoile: [Releases Astarion's hand to put their hand on his chest] I'm glad you know. I want to say these things anyway. [Astarion strokes back some of their hair] I want you to hear them.

And how this scene would fucking fly to the forefront of Étoile's mind in addition to their moments of sexual intimacy during the hug scene. They would have the knee-jerk reaction of those moments having been all lies, of themself and their body being revolting to Astarion for an unknown how-long, until it's more obvious to them that Astarion's point is that these moments weren't as repulsive as they should've been, and far more sincere than he could have stomached without coming forward. It is these moments of communication and respect which endear Astarion to Étoile and earn his shaky trust.

Also shout out to Astarion for being "sweet" enough to travel across four countries with Étoile for them to see their home (and their mother?) one last time with living eyes before vampirism. (Even knowing this was going to be difficult as all hell if Aranea's still living on her mountain.)

🤎 While this is kind of answered in the last emoji, I feel like this is extremely conditional. Étoile needing to be comforted in grief is not the same as them needing to be comforted after being slighted publicly. Astarion needing to be comforted because of the oppressive weight of days of earth overhead in the Underdark is not the same as needing to be comforted because one of his siblings (Violet) trying to kill one another (Yousen). Sometimes it's an embrace and conversation, sometimes it's threatening to eviscerate one's enemies (sometimes it's following through). A lot of the time for them it's space and an invitation of their presence, whether that's a cup of tea or distraction like paperwork / letters / a reminder of life outside of what ails them.

💋 Étoile far prefers to be marked than doing the marking, but that doesn't mean their lovers don't end up with the occasional fading signs of intimacy. Their own most obvious such marks are more permanent even before vampirism anyway, and all from Astarion; scars of bites, technically sources of feeding but also signs of play, on the right side of their neck, on their left breast up close to their breast plate / center of their chest, on the inside of their left thigh. Indicative of Astarion enjoying where he can, or could once pre-vampirism, feel the pulse under their skin loudest. Other such bites didn't scar, and others still were not for feeding and healed even more swiftly. Étoile would say their favorite place to kiss Astarion is his mouth, both for the pleasure of his lips and the danger of his teeth; if needing to select somewhere "more interesting" then in public they'd say at the center of his brow, and in private they'd still flush in embarrassment about how they think it's somehow rude to choose his ass.

Étoile and Halsin

🩷 The sweetest thing Halsin does for Étoile (and Astarion), besides keep them in his heart, is construct an underground shelter (the first of many) in his Moonrise Village to alleviate the burden of the far more numerous population in their care, even by a few bodies, even temporarily.

I repeat myself a lot, but I think Étoile's sweetest gesture to Halsin is near the end of his long life, counselling on what an unlife could be, offering to turn him either within the laws and context of their vampire community or secretly otherwise, with reassurance that they would happily accept him into their home if all beasts and men turned from him as a decree from his Oakfather for the abberation of vampirism, and the sentiment "if I meet you in hell then it's not hell."

Prior to that I think a visit from Étoile (and Astarion) to Halsin's Moonrise Village: an appointment kept despite how others in the Village might be absent on their own adventures or lost to time, would be the sweetest thing in Halsin's biased opinion. Six days travel (twelve both ways) just to see him? Not for healing, nor counsel, nor to take on more people or projects of druidic magic or infrastructure. Not a plight of adventure, not a disappointment for it being just him. Just a visit, to share his company and whatever that entails; when they could have just stayed home, rescheduled until others returned and the visit felt of greater worth.

🤎 I stand by comfort being highly conditional, but I do think Halsin is far more susceptible to words of comfort. Étoile talks to Halsin in the context of faith, while theirs is for Auril and his is for Silvanus. It helps. Étoile is comforted by how earnest Halsin is; he was very critical when they first met, and remains just as free with his criticisms when people lose his respect. There are oceans of time between the moments of Halsin's impatience with Étoile, and there were times where he was more forgiving than he should've been because scenarios were simply beyond his ability to distinguish the kindest path (like with the Crown and Raphael). But even so, Étoile is reassured when Halsin offers comfort or advice, trusting that he would still be straightforward if their grief or embarrassment or frustration was otherwise unworthy of them.

#long post #oc tag: étoile #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #blood tw

[thisismehappy]

Random SVU Sheila Porter headcanon that I felt the need to post in other people's comment sections.

Recap:

Oh hey I don't know of a fic but headcanon time! Liv's at the mall with Elliot, Noah, Maureen and her kids. Buyers choice but I think EO are together and Elliot set up this little kid date bc he's a big old softy and wants the kids to know each other I think they probably did laser tag and Elliot played with the kids but Liv and Mo sat out bc Mo didn't want to and Liv has the bad ankle plus she gets enough of that stuff at work. It's like a week before Noah's birthday Just for context lol.

After the laser tag, EO wander off for a minute bc idk they have some flirty nonsense to get up to. Mo's walking down to the jungle gym with the kids (yes there's a jungle gym in the mall. It's a very cool one too) when Noah yells out "Grandma!" (In this reality Sheila's out of the psych ward and they've had some heavily supervised contact.) Mo's confused bc who is this lady? And why is she like the same age as Liv? But Noah's happy to see her so +

The rest below the cut lol. @rahleeyah here's your lesson to never encourage me to do this. 😘

And now the continuation:

So Mo stops and lets Noah say hi. The woman comes up and gives him a big smile and hug and introduces herself to Mo as Sheila Porter. "Porter?" Mo thinks "hmm…". Sheila's attention doesn't stray from Noah for long and she tells him she was just out shopping for his birthday even though she wasn't going to be able to see him until a while after but this is perfect bc she can give him his presents right now. She has a slightly excessive amount of too expensive presents that make Mo a little uncomfortable on Liv's behalf. She's never been captain of the Olivia fan club, but this is a LOT.

Mo's boys ran themselves over to the jungle gym which is within eyesight so it's just Mo standing there watching this lady fawn over Noah fawning over his presents when she hears Liv's somewhat feral voice boom out "What are you doing Sheila?"

Sheila's a little chagrined and shrugs and says "Sorry, I didn't know you were here and he saw me first," and a little under her breath, but not enough, "What was I supposed to do? Just walk away?"

"Yes. Sheila. That's exactly what you were supposed to do." Olivia says none too politely. Elliot's just as confused as Mo is but he's ready to take this lady out of need be, just based on Liv's whole vibe.

"It's okay Mom look!" Noah waves some of his expensive crap in the air, "She gave me my birthday presents early!"

Liv cocks an eyebrow at Sheila and Sheila just shrugs again. "I just wanted to make it special. Nine is an important year in a boy's life."

"Can Grandma Sheila come to my birthday party?" Noah asks obliviously.

"We'll talk about it later, Noah," Liv responds through clenched teeth "Say goodbye to Grandma Sheila. She has to go now."

Noah hugs Grandma Sheila and she holds on a little too long and a little too tight and after she *finally* let's go, she just kinda hovers, not leaving.

Olivia finally tells Noah to go on and play with the boys, but as he turns to leave she grabs Elliot's forearm and says quietly, "Go with him and don't let him out of your sight for one second. Don't even blink."

Elliot immediately jumps into action and starts to follow Noah over to the jungle gym, but his gate falters as he goes bc he's not too far away to hear Sheila say, "Come on Olivia, you know I'd never do that again." Even before that Mo knows from experience that it would have taken a swat team to get to that kid, but now Elliot looks like he's fighting the urge to pick up Noah and tuck him under his arms like a football and get him the hell out of there.

Once they're out of earshot, Liv abandons all pretense."Look Sheila, what you just did here is not okay. I could have you arrested for this. How do you think that would make Noah feel?"

"Olivia, that boy is my blood. I know you don't know what that's like, but you can't just keep him away from me," Sheila's gloves are off too.

"Leave now Sheila or you're leaving in a squad car," Liv's not bluffing and Sheila can see that too. She holds up her hands in mock surrender and turns and leaves.

"Olivia I'm so sorry, I had no idea she wasn't supposed to be near him," Mo's aghast. As a mother, she doesn't need to know the specifics of what this woman did to know that if it had been her she would have lost her fucking mind walking into that.

Liv touches her arm "It's okay sweetheart, it just never occurred to me that she would be here. She's not even from this area." Liv reassures her even as she is mentally calculating the odds.

They quickly make their way over to Elliot and make a pretty hasty exit from the mall after Liv reveals just one little bit of the Sheila saga: Sheila kidnapped Noah from a shopping mall when he was four years old. She might tell them more later after they're safely settled at Mo's house. Sheila's definitely not coming to the birthday party.

P.S. Turns out at their last supervised visit Noah told Sheila about the plans at the mall with the laser tag and the jungle gym. He doesn't even know the name of the mall or where they even are really so he couldn't have been specific. Did she scope out all of the malls in the area until she found one that matched the description? If so, why exactly? LMAO

Okay way too much but there you go LMAO.

#svu #nonsense #just a little ramble #i'm obsessed with outsider pov #my headcanon #🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️