#i'm listening to the full soundtrack again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

otsanda · 8 months

Text

So @sayuri-of-the-valley and I were talking about the music in Good Omens 2 and particularly the similarities and differences in the music that happens 'Before the Beginning' (that's the song title) and at The Kiss (that's not the song title) and I have accidentally developed Theories and had Thoughts, so I’m gonna share them in case anyone else wants to weigh in.

First of all, the general musical structure is similar. They are both dramatic moments that start quietly, grow to a powerful crescendo at the Big Moment, and then resolve more quietly again, but with subtle changes that make them feel very different. Without actually going through and checking it, they sound to be at roughly the same tempo (around 140 BPM) and comparable time signatures.

Now, I'm treating these two dramatic moments and the surrounding music as two songs, although in the soundtrack the music surrounding The Kiss is actually divided into two songs itself: I Forgive You and Don't Bother, so that's. Fine. I'm normal about that. I'm sure dividing that in half doesn't Mean Anything at all. I'm NORMAL about it!!! Ah... anyways.

The instrumentation for both Before the Beginning and The Kiss is also very similar. Both songs start with orchestral winds and strings and add a powerful choral part (on the same pure round vowel sound, no less!) on the big crescendo. Both add orchestral chimes (bells) for that epic religious feel. Both the nebula creation and the kiss were a revelation. Something like a religious experience.

And then both songs resolve featuring wind and strings again, among other instruments. The "after" part of both songs also features more pitched percussion (harp, maybe a celesta, glockenspiel, possibly a dulcimer or some other fun, ethereal pitched percussion in Before the Beginning, but interestingly a piano in Don't Bother). Ouch. That hurts.

Now, to me: the piano is possibly representing the nightingale, Crowley and Aziraphale's love of Earth and humanity, whereas the glockenspiel and etc. may be more representative of heaven. Just a guess. I would have to do more careful listening for a more solid theory.

I don’t have perfect pitch so it’s hard to tell without getting out my instruments or transcribing the piece, but I’m willing to bet ‘I Forgive You’ is in the relative minor key to Before the Beginning’s mostly major key (I *think* ‘Before the Beginning’ might be mostly in the key of C major and ‘I Forgive You’ in A minor, but I could be wrong). Regardless, the former is major and the latter is more minor, but otherwise a lot of the chord structures, especially at the big moment, sound very similar.

More on instrumentation: ‘Before the Beginning’ uses more (ethereal?) flutes in the wind sections and The Kiss uses more reed-based, (earthy?) winds like clarinet, bassoon, oboe, etc. Different feel, but the same kind of structure. Both moments heavily feature a big string section for the nice full orchestral sound.

Before the Beginning has a lot going on musically before the crescendo and it intentionally feels kind of chaotic and unformed bc each instrument family is doing something a little different, building anticipation, etc. and then at the big crescendo, they all come together. Very powerful. Then after the crescendo, we get a subtle, playful reprise/variation of the Good Omens Main Theme. The strings and the winds are no longer entirely together at this point. They’re sort of playing off one another, leaving space. Having a conversation.

By comparison, in ‘I Forgive You’ the wind/strings start off playing together, in a sad version of unison before the crescendo (they both knew the conversation they were having wasn’t going to end well but they fundamentally *understand* one another now; they’ve been talking for millions of years). And AFTER the crescendo of The Kiss, the song ‘Don’t Bother’ DROPS the majority of the string section and gives the melody to a solo violin (alone!!!!). Even worse (better) the strings and the woodwinds and pitched percussion are no longer playing together. This time, they aren’t even having a conversation. They’re musically doing a separate lines. It feels extremely lonely (because it is). The violin is very exposed. The piano is very exposed. Even the chorus sounds exposed (smaller group of singers?). This ALSO includes a reprise/variation on the main GO theme, but instead of being playful it’s extremely sad (as though you didn't notice). The rest of the orchestra is still there, providing background, but it's not the same.

The Biggest Decision (the song after Don't Bother) has a lot more of those ethereally coded instruments again. Harp, pitched percussion. Full string section. Angelic chorus. Aziraphale is making the hardest/worst decision to return to heaven.

And to round it out, once we get to "The End?" we are back to piano. Our duo is separated. Now in place of the solo violin we have solo cello and piano. Gutting. We get notes of the ethereal celesta (I think). The piano keeps us grounded, but cello is a big focus. We also get more of that haunting chorus and violin runs. And then we end with solo piano playing the same 5-note run three times. Alone. After every other instrument has dropped out. Very lonely.

Just for fun, (and to end on a slightly more positive note), I went back and listened to the ox rib music as well, which was surprisingly consistent with some of my theories from up above and also not on the soundtrack so although I'm sure it has a name, I certainly don't know it.

In the ox rib section, there are more instruments before the first big moment (when Aziraphale tries the food) that are going back and forth. Again it sounds to me like they’re having a conversation… tempting and being tempted. Winds and strings (strings are tremoloing like at the kiss for that sweet, sweet tension), but also brass instruments. We have some more ethereal sounding pitched percussion, especially *before* he tries the food but afterwards it... switches to piano! Like I said: Earth!!!

The choir is on a different vowel altogether for this part (more aggressive and ominous, a taller Ah instead of a round Oh/Aw like the first two musical moments). The choir is also much more rhythmic. Again, increasing tension. And, of course, after he tries the food the music supports the tension of the scene by gradually building, getting louder and bigger after the key moment has already passed. It's super interesting that Aziraphale trying the food is actually quite quiet, but the music grows quickly afterwards. Sort of the inverse of how the other two scenes play out musically! Fascinating!!

Anyways, let me know what you think I got wrong and what I missed and if I thought something was a celesta when it was actually a glockenspiel or something. I am thrilled and devastated by this incredible music.

#Good Omens #Good Omens 2 #Good Omens Soundtrack #Good Omens music #David Arnold #Neil Gaiman #Good Omens meta #I have so much more I could say #but believe it or not this was the condensed version #also the strings used two types of tremolo which is neat #did I detect some col legno in there as well?#god I love orchestral music #Also I think there was mandolin or some other kind of picked tremolo in Before the Beginning #I love to see it... or hear it I guess

472 notes · View notes

hauntedestheart · 7 months

Text

Transcript: "You Know The Face" Episode 47 - Blaise Gigson

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and resemblance to any real life persons is completely intentional, lol, but to spare the virgin eyes of the search algorithm I changed the name.

[Theme tune plays]

Arsenio: Hey there listeners, welcome back to "You Know The Face," the best podcast out there devoted to discussing the great changes that The Great Shift brought about.

Arsenio: As always, I'm your host Arsenio Braxton, still here and still me, and for this episode I'm by a very special guest- you might know the face, Blaise Gigson is here in the studio! Hi Blaise, welcome to the pod.

Blaise: Hey Arsenio! Thanks having me, I'm a huge fan of the show. This podcast is like, the soundtrack to my morning runs.

Arsenio: Oh my god, dude, I'm blushing! You've been one of our most requested guests for a while now so it's such a pleasure to finally have you here in the studio with us. And I want to let the listeners at home know, this guy is even bigger in person.

Blaise: Okay, now you're making me blush. I'll admit it, I always do fifty pushups before getting on camera just to make sure I look my best- does that make me sound weird?

Arsenio: I mean, it's healthier than my pre-show ritual, which is just a Red Bull and a shot of vodka. Now I'm gonna be calling you Blaise, but that wasn't the name you were born with, right?

Blaise: Yup, just like most people I was shifted into this body.

Arsenio: BUT, unlike most people, after the shift you decided to adopt the name of the original owner of that body. What inspired you to make that choice?

Blaise: Well I flipped a coin and- nah, I'm just joking. How do I explain this... the shift changed everything, you know? Not just our bodies, but the whole world. I don't really think that any of us are who we used to be, even the people who didn't shift, so taking on a new name just felt natural. Plus I think I'm kind of a special case since I swapped into a celebrity- I get recognized all the time, every day people come up to me on the street and call me "Blaise," so I figured I might as well just embrace that.

Arsenio: Oh that's true, I never thought of it like that. See, that's what I love about doing this show- getting all of these different perspectives. A lot of the people I talk to on this pod mention that they try stay connected to who they were before the shift, but it sounds like you're just full steam ahead. You very famously don't like to talk about who you were before at all, is that right?

Blaise: Nah, not really. A lot of people think that means I was a criminal or something and I'd like to say for the record that I was not, but I don't like to sweat the small things like who I used to be. I'm just focused on who I am today! And I think I make a pretty good Blaise Gigson, don't you?

Arsenio: Absolutely, man, you're crushing it. But I gotta ask, has the real Blaise Gigson tried to get in contact with you?"

Blaise: Try, like, eight Blaise Gigsons. That's the thing about swapping with a celebrity- there's a lot of creeps out there who were obsessed with you that think about this as their chance to get in on the action. Since it was impossible to figure out who was telling the truth, I had to just block all of them. For safety reasons.

Arsenio: Oh, so you don't talk to any of them? But aren't you worried you might be shutting out the real Blaise?

Blaise: Well, wherever he is he can rest easy knowing that I'm taking good care of his body. If you're out there watching Blaise, this one's for you!

Arsenio: Oh, and there it is! The famous bicep. Would you mind doing it again, just for me?

Blaise: Mind? I'd love to, these things are awesome.

Arsenio: No arguments here... actually, let's pivot and talk about that for a second. Now, we all knew that Blaise Gigson was a hottie with a body, but you've sexed up his image a lot since assuming the reigns. I'm sure most of our listeners have probably seen a certain viral video-

Blaise: The workout stream, yeah.

Arsenio: Dude. you broke the internet with that one! Seeing you all hot and sweaty, flexing all those muscles on the floor... pretty iconic if you ask me. Can one of the producers insert the clip here?

Arsenio: Damn daddy! Sorry, I shouldn't be thirsting over you while you're right here in front of me, they're gonna have to edit this part out or else before get cancelled haha.

Blaise: Nah, don't sweat it man. Trust me, no one gets it more than I do- you think looking at this body is great? Try living in it. Like, I'll admit it, I get turned on watching those clips too. I look fucking hot there.

Arsenio: So I think it's safe to say the "himboification" of the Blaise Gigson brand was a conscious decision on your part?

Blaise: Honestly? A little bit yes, a little bit no. I mean, it wasn't something I planned on when I first got this body, it just kind of happened. Like one day I just woke up and I was a famous hunk... of course I was gonna get a little wild, right? I couldn't resist showing off a bit. At first I was worried that I was going a bit overboard but people have really been responding to it.

Arsenio: Yeah I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who "responded" to that video, if you catch my drift.

Blaise: I hope so! I mean, think about it. When I was just a nobody sitting at home I would have killed to see my celebrity crushes take their clothes off and just, I don't know, start slutting it up. And so now that I am one of those guys I used to dream about, I wanna make that fantasy a reality for everybody else.

Blaise: Like, come on, don't the people deserve to see all of this?

Arsenio: I completely agree. Actually, could we see a little bit more, for the camera? Or even just for me?

Blaise: Haha, maybe later.

Arsenio: Alright, I'm gonna hold you to that. But we should probably get moving or else this episode is gonna wind up being four hours, haha. As the listeners know, I started this podcast because I was one of the few people not affected by The Great Shift, so I'm always fascinated by the stories of people who were. Let's get yours Blaise- can you walk us through your shift experience? What was it like for you that first morning?

Blaise: The thing I'll always remember about waking up was the weight. Being in a body like this one that's built like a tank, that's a lot of muscle, and muscle is one of the heaviest things in the body. I knew something was different before I even opened my eyes because I could feel how much space I was occupying. And that kinda freaked me out!

Blaise: But all of that weight is actually strength, and the second I started moving I knew that whatever had happened to me was a good thing.

Blaise: I'll never forget this- the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes and looked down was this giant chest blocking my view. I was so confused I tried like, wipe them off because I thought they were something stuck to me, but nope! I just had massive pecs all of the sudden. And then I got distracted just, like, squeezing them.

Arsenio: That's so funny- I hear that exact same story all the time, but from shifted women. I think you're the first guy to have the classic "boob grab" experience, haha!

Blaise: Hey, it's a classic for a reason! I say when you've got tits like these, you give 'em a squeeze. But I realized pretty quickly that there was a whole body underneath my chest, and that... woof. I was actually confused at first because I'd never touched a six-pack before so I was like "what the fuck is going on with my stomach" when I first felt it- I wasn't used to my body being so hard.

Blaise: The new core strength was incredible too- like, just sitting up felt better than it ever had before. And when I sat up and the blankets slid off of me and I saw my new body for the first time, I was shocked. I'd never seen someone with that many muscles in my life, and suddenly I had the best seat in the house. And by "best seat," I mean I had a dump truck ass.

Arsenio: Sounds like you were in bed for a minute then.

Blaise: A minute? Try two hours. I was alone with the body of my dreams and I could do anything with it, so I- well, you can probably guess what I did next.

Arsenio: I bet I can and I would love to hear about it, maybe even see a demonstration, but I think we should move on before we get demonetized. When you finally got out of bed, did you recognize yourself when you looked in the mirror?

Blaise: Recognize myself? Dude, I basically creamed myself. Blaise was one of my biggest celebrity crushes and seeing that face staring back at me from the mirror... just, words can't even describe it. Having all of this body and the face to match? The beard? This jawline? These lips? I'm handsome as fuck.

Arsenio: Dude, I'm so jealous right now you have no idea. So you weren't scared that you'd woken up in a completely new body?

Blaise: I mean, I was confused, but I thought it was just me, you know? I thought it was some kind of Freaky Friday situation and I'd just been zapped into this body so like, he could learn a lesson about the meaning of Christmas or something. I didn't learn about the shift until later.

Arsenio: And then did you freak?

Blaise: Nah. I feel selfish when I say that because I know how scared so many people are, and I feel for them I really do, but I was excited. I wasn't really thinking about anybody else, I was just excited to be Blaise.

Arsenio: And so we're heading on over a year since the shift- how are you settling in to your new body? It's quite an impressive physique and you've maintained it well.

Blaise: Thanks- keeping up with the gym routine was definitely one of my top priorities. Letting a body like this go to waste would have been a tragedy.

Blaise: But to answer your question, I'm still not entirely used to this body yet, and honestly, I hope I never am. It's fun always feeling surprised, you know? I'll just be going about my day and then I'll catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and remember that holy shit, I'm a fucking stud, and I get excited all over again. It hits me at the strangest times.

Blaise: Muscles are cool because they're like... they're always there, you know? I get a little show every time I look down. And the thing about it is- I'm not bragging, this is just a fact -I'm so ripped now that a bit of bulging is inescapable. People are always saying that I'm a tease but half the time I don't even realize that I'm doing it, it's just a side effect of existing while being this hot.

Arsenio: Damn, and here I thought you were doing this especially for me. Well, it's nice to see that fame hasn't gone to your head!

Blaise: Haha, I mean, when the head looks this good, I can afford it!

Arsenio: I can't argue with that, that is one big beautiful head you've got there. Blaise really is just a stunning man.

Blaise: Aren't I? It's great. I was kinda nervous when I started being active on Blaise's accounts because at first I felt like I was impostor or something like that, but I knew I had to keep posting because people deserved to see this face. I get a lot of hate comments from people saying "you shouldn't be doing this" and stuff like that, but I block them out and focus on the positive ones. There's a lot more of those anyways.

Blaise: It sounds shallow but like, as a hot guy, I hold a lot of power. I've been on the other side of the screen, looking through it at those gorgeous faces, so I'm very aware what an important escape a bit of thirst content can be. Now that I have this face, this body, I can make so many people happy just by taking some clothes off and posting a picture. Why wouldn't I want to do that?

Blaise: That's why the content shifted. Less comedy videos, more thirst, workout videos, photoshoots- the stuff people really wanted to see all along. I love sharing the gift of this body with the world.

Blaise: I don't take anything for granted anymore, I live my life to the fullest, and I want to invite all of my followers into that. Especially after everything the world has been through since the shift, I want people to be able to open up their phone, see this sexy smile, and know that it's possible to still be happy. That there's still beauty in the world.

Arsenio: Oh my god, Blaise, I didn't expect us to be getting so deep on this episode.

Blaise: Hey, I'm more than just a pretty face... I've got a great ass too.

Arsenio: That you do, Blaise, that you do. So, Blaise, let's lighten the mood a bit and jump to one of our listener's favorite sections- and if you've listened to the show before you know what I'm going to ask you next. What's your favorite part of being in your new body?

Blaise: My favorite part? I'll give you two guesses.

Blaise: I love being a walking, talking gun show. Like I look down and I just think wow, I get to own these arms.

Arsenio: Yeah those are some killer pipes man.

Blaise: Dude you have no idea, I'm so fucking strong now. I'm still not over how like... round they are? It's like someone shoved a football under my skin, they tear my shirts if I'm not careful. I'm never gonna get tired of watching them flex.

Blaise: Every part of this body is great actually but I wanna give a special shoutout to my thighs actually- I'm thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. I just love having some meat on these bones, you know? I never skip a leg day.

Arsenio: Oh trust me, I can tell. And Blaise, you know I gotta ask because it's the question everyone's dying to know the answer to... how big is it?

Blaise: I'm gonna have to plead the fifth on that one actually- I'm currently in talks with a few different studios that have some ideas about how we can unveil that particular part of my new brand. But... let's just say that Blaise was a big boy, and he didn't disappoint. It's hard for me to make it through the day without fondling myself all the time, pun very much intended.

Blaise: This is so embarrassing but I actually had trouble pissing when I first got this body because every time I whipped my dick out to piss I'd get a boner from the sight of it- it's a grower, I'll tell you that much.

Arsenio: Damn, well, there you have it listeners! An exclusive!

Blaise: Oh god, I can just hear my publicist in my head screaming at me right now. Can you edit that out?

Arsenio: No, no, we are definitely leaving that in! This is the kind of content the people want to hear.

Blaise: Haha, well, I'm always happy to give the people what they want. But yeah, if you're really curious about what little Blaise looks like, keep an eye on my socials. Big things on the horizon... very big.

Arsenio: We'll be sure to put links to your accounts in the episode description. Moving on, I feel like I know the answer but here's one that we ask everybody: if you could switch back to your old body, would you?

Blaise: ...Sorry, what? I got distracted for a second.

Arsenio: Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyways, Blaise, you know what's more exciting than waking up to find yourself in the body of a famous hunk? Today's sponsor, Squarespace...

#male body swap #the great shift #this is dumb and kind of meta but I managed to finish it #so that's an accomplishment at least #I think thegreatstoryteller did a story with a similar concept a long time ago so shoutout to him

306 notes · View notes

steves-strapcollection · 11 months

Note

Oooo number 30 for Steddie, please and thank you!

Aaaah thank you for sending me one of these!! Please have this little Modern!AU type moment based based very vaguely off of my experience waiting for my tires to be changed at Costco last week. 30. "Can I sit here? All the other tables are full."

[ NOW ON AO3 ]

Eddie jumped as a hand came between him and his notebook and he looked up into the face of the hottest guy he had ever seen. He blinked up into his hazel eyes for several seconds while Iron Maiden crooned in his ears, already imagining the white-picket-fence with the stranger. Then the man cringed a bit and waved awkwardly.

"Oh, shit," Eddie said, probably too loudly, as he took one of his earbuds out. "What's up?"

"Can I sit here?" the guy asked, gesturing to the empty bench across from Eddie. Then he looked around and added, "All the other tables are full."

Eddie glanced around the little food court and it was indeed busy. Every single table was occupied, though Eddie did raise an eyebrow at just how many single-occupant-tables the guy passed just to get to his.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Eddie said, popping his earbud back in and going back to his notebook. If Eddie paused his music so he could hear if the dude tried to get his attention again, that was his business.

The guy sat down gratefully and immediately pulled out his own cellphone and earbuds. Out of the corner of his eye, Eddie saw the man fiddling with his phone and earbuds, before he sighed heavily and put the earbuds away.

Taking his earbud out again, Eddie asked, "Something wrong?"

The man jumped and looked over at him, a blush starting to stain his cheeks. "No, nothing just the stupid adapter for my headphones is busted apparently," the guy said, then added with a wry grin, "I just get to listen to the beautiful soundtrack of a warehouse for the next hour and a half."

"What's got you stuck here for that long?" Eddie asked.

"Getting my tires changed," he replied, looking down at his phone. "What are you sitting around here for?"

"It's the cheapest air-conditioned joint to loiter in for a few hours. Can't beat a buck for a hot dog," Eddie replied with a smirk.

The guy laughed and Eddie decided he really liked the sound of it. "Anyway, didn't mean to bother you. I'll leave you alone now," he said after a bit, glancing shyly up at Eddie through his lashes as he idly texted someone.

"Not a bother at all," Eddie insisted and added, "I'm Eddie, by the way."

"Eddie," the guy repeated, as if testing how his name felt. Then he smiled as it passed whatever test and said, "I'm Steve."

"Well, Steve, I have an extra earbud if you want to listen to music with me," Eddie offered, and Steve glanced down at his outfit skeptically.

"I don't think we listen to the same music," Steve said teasingly.

"That wasn't a no, though. And maybe you'll learn to like a few new things," Eddie pointed out, and Steve rolled his eyes a bit and accepted the earbud.

Wiping it off on the bottom hem of his shirt quickly, Steve said, "I haven't shared earbuds with someone like this since high school."

"Exciting, isn't it?" Eddie said as he started scrolling through his playlists.

"Just don't play anything with a lot of screaming," Steve said, grimacing when Eddie looked up at him with just his eyes. "Please," he added awkwardly.

"No problem, Stevie," Eddie said with an easy smile, and he put on the playlist he made of metal music specifically for his best friend Chrissy.

The two of them spent the next hour listening to and talking about music, with Steve adding several songs to his own playlist, until Steve got the call that his car was ready. As Steve started to gather his things, he leveled a thoughtful look at Eddie.

"Hey, this was fun. Do you want to hang out sometime?" Steve asked, and Eddie's eyes widened a bit. Steve seemed to second guess himself and shook his head. "Actually, nevermind, forget I said anything."

"Yes! Yeah, I'd- yes, let's hang out," Eddie babbled as his brain reconnected. "Are you busy right now?" he asked before he could stop himself, and internally he fantasized about a hole opening up beneath him. Way to sound overeager, weirdo.

But Steve just turned a pretty shade of pink and smiled, glancing away. "I've got work in a couple hours, but here's my number," he said, sliding a napkin across the table and Eddie stared at it.

"When did you write this?" he asked, a bit dazed as he looked back up at Steve. Now the man was smirking. Oh, Eddie had thought he was the one being smooth the whole time.

"Before I even walked over," he admitted easily before returning Eddie's earbud and standing up.

"Is your headphone adapter even broken?" Eddie asked, his own face hot enough with his blush to cook an egg.

"Oh, it's absolutely broken," Steve laughed, reassuring him only a little bit. Then he pointed at the napkin. "Text me?"

And then he was walking away, leaving Eddie alone at the table to grin stupidly down at the napkin. Steve probably hadn't even made it to the tire center before Eddie sent his text.

This was so silly but aaaaaaah I hope you like it!!! These are fun, send me more?

If you like my writing, consider checking out my writing blog? -> @gerrystamour

#steddie #gerry writes #gerry drabbles

426 notes · View notes

denaliwrites · 5 months

Text

Little Creepy House

Tenth Doctor x GN!Reader

Catch and Release Prompt: "Attic"

Summary: The Doctor really doesn't like attics. Unfortunately, that's where the alien of the week is.

Soundtrack: Walking on Air by Kerli

Requests: Open!

Tag List: @nyxiethesimp

Warnings: Canon-Typical Peril.

"Oh, no," the Doctor groaned from behind you. "Why'd it have to be an attic?"

Indeed, the two of you, as well as the owner of the house (and the mother of the missing child you and the Doctor were looking for), were looking up into the dark hole in the ceiling that fed into the house's attic.

Even you had to admit that, staring into that deep dark shadowy black, you were a little nervous too.

Unlike the Doctor, though, you didn't hesitate to climb up the rickety set of wooden steps leading up. Your head popped up over the threshold, eyes scanning the dark quickly before you hauled the rest of you into the room.

"Bethy?" you called out into the dark. Everything sounded... strangely muffled, up here. Your voice didn't reach nearly as far as you expected, and when you heard the Doctor say your name, you swore it sounded like he was speaking through cotton.

"Bethy?" you tried again, louder, more alert now that you knew you had to really make an effort to hear things up here.

Which... was a little odd, wasn't it? You knew attics were sometimes creepy, full of dust and ancient furniture and vintage chests with skeletons in their wedding dresses stuck inside them.

But you'd never heard of a noise-canceling attic.

You were so busy thinking and listening that you forgot to keep an eye on your feet. Something in your path tripped you up and nearly sent you flying. Wheeling around, however, revealed that nothing was there.

Okay, but you knew the difference between tripping on an object and tripping on air -- there had definitely been something there a moment ago. You may not have seen it, but it had to exist somewhere in the vicinity.

A shiver cascaded down your spine in a way that reminded you of the time the Mean Girl in your class had dropped an ice cube down your shirt. In fact, you were pretty sure that the shiver even left behind a trail of cold sweat that only served to further mimic the memory.

"Doctor?" you called, turning back.

Wait, where was the entrance?

There should've been a glowing beacon of light emanating from behind you, but instead, just pure darkness greeted you. Enveloped you. Made you want to cry out for your mother.

"Oh, fuck this place," you growled to yourself, facing ahead and forging on, steps as determined as they were unsure.

"Bethy?" you shouted again after a minute or so, hoping that somehow it'd reach her this time.

Only silence greeted you at first, but then --

"Mom?" a tiny voice cried out, and you spun in place, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. "Mom?" the voice cried again. You swiftly turned to your left and all but ran ahead, not even caring what danger may lay in wait for you.

"Hey, hey, hey," you said comfortingly as you got nearer to where, to the best of your abilities, you'd calculated the voice was coming from. "I'm not your mom, but she sent me. I'm here to take you back to her, okay? You can come out, it's safe."

You thought maybe you'd been wrong, or that the girl had run away, or maybe that she was just considering her options, but only a moment later a small body launched at you like a missile and hit your body with force. Tiny arms circled your hips, and a scared voice whimpered into your shirt. You could hear sniffles, too.

Kneeling down to the girl's level, you pulled her into a hug and whispered comforting nothings for a moment. She needed a parent -- her mother, to be precise. But you were the best she had for now, so it was up to you to fill in the gap.

"Hey, it's okay," you told her, pulling away so that you could look her in the eyes, your hands gripping her shoulders firmly. "We're going to get out of here, and you're going to see your mom and give her a big hug. And I'm gonna see my friend and give him a big hug. Yeah?"

She nodded, trying to contain her sniffles while she wiped away her tears.

"Say it, Bethy. C'mon."

"Yeah."

"That's a girl. Okay. Let's get the hell out of here."

You stood and took her hand, then turned to face the direction you thought you'd maybe come from.

Well, that wasn't good, was it?

Unwilling to show your fear to the girl, you marched on ahead, gently tugging her along with you. For a while, the two of you were silent as you tried to navigate the dark. Then --

"Hide!"

And then Bethy was gone, quicker than you could even process what had happened. "Bethy?" you called, feeling panic rising in your chest. "Bethy? That's not funny -- where the fuck did you go!?"

There was no answer. At least, not from Bethy.

You could hear something, though, lurching closer. Each muffled, thunking step was accentuated by a rattling breath and a growing sense of dread. Suddenly, you understood why Bethy had told you to hide.

Instead of even trying to do that, though, your body stood frozen, eyes locked on a looming shape in the darkness.

A pathetic moan spilled from your lips as the thing moved closer, and you could finally see details -- though you wished you couldn't.

Its body was an ever-shifting mass of shadows, rippling and roiling. You could see limbs -- arms and legs of flesh, but they were unlike anything you'd ever seen before. The legs reminded you of Godzilla with how thick and heavy they seemed, while the arms -- well, if you had your wits properly about you, you would've compared them to a crab. One arm was massive and ended in a sickle-like claw, while the other was significantly smaller, and looked more like a proper arm -- though the fingers were also claws, just... smaller.

And its face was...

Well, you screamed when you saw it.

The scream was short-lived, cutting off as soon as its massive claw lifted menacingly into the air.

Oh, God, this is where I die, you thought. You weren't going to save Bethy, you were never going to see the Doctor again, or your parents, or anyone in your family, or your friends, or -- or anyone. Anything.

"Don't you fuckin' dare," a voice pierced through the darkness, the void, the hollow silence. It sounded dangerous. And it sounded an awful lot like the Doctor.

The claw froze in the air, no doubt only in hesitation, but a moment of hesitation was all you needed to move, to dive for cover somewhere far from that terrible, awful thing.

"That's better," the Doctor said from... somewhere. You weren't sure. Frankly, you kind of didn't even want to know. All you could say for sure was that, for this moment right now, you were safely hidden under a table, which just so happened to be covered with a white sheet, giving you an extra layer of security.

"Now, why are you in some poor single mother's attic, terrorizing her daughter?" the Doctor asked. All he received in response was the suffocating silence of this godforsaken room.

You heard the sound of the sonic screwdriver. The alien, or creature, or whatever it was, finally made a sound -- you thought it might've been a growl. It sounded... like rocks grinding together, but... garbled. Muffled. Like you were hearing it in impossibly deep water.

Your instincts told you to keep quiet, to be silent as the grave. Even quieter, actually, if that was possible.

That deep, gurgling growl, though. It sent such an intense wave of fear through you that you couldn't help the pitiful moan that came out.

There was a shuffle, followed by one of those awful feet stamping the ground. The alien had turned around.

"Oh, I really wish you hadn't done that," the Doctor sighed. "Run!"

You didn't need to be told twice. Where you were running to was a problem for future you, all you knew for the moment was that you needed to get the fuck away from that thing.

You only stopped running when something in the path tripped you and sent you flying towards the floor. You braced for impact, but other than a sharp hiss, you didn't acknowledge the pain. Instead, you turned sharply and grabbed at the thing that had tripped you.

Your hand wrapped around something cool and smooth, and when you drew it closer you saw that it was the leg of an old ceramic doll. Creepy, but harmless. But that didn't explain how it had disappeared earlier.

The wail it released sure did, though.

You shrieked in return, throwing the doll away into the darkness in fright. "What the fuck," you sobbed, "what the fuck. What the fuck?"

Only silence answered you.

Apparently, you'd run far enough away in this impossibly infinite attic that the alien could no longer hear you. Or the silence was so oppressive that even at near distances sound still couldn't pierce through.

Neither option seemed great, to be honest.

Regardless, though, you had to press on.

Rounding a corner, you were suddenly confronted with Bethy. She was facing away from you, looking down a corridor formed from stacks of boxes and furniture. You said her name quietly to let her know you were near. Big, terrified eyes turned back to look at you and she quickly beckoned you to join her.

You obeyed, crouching once you reached her side and looking down the corridor with her.

"It's the dolls," she whispered, pointing. You could just make out small shapes shifting in the darkness. "They won't let us through."

You sucked in a deep breath and released it as a sigh. "Don't worry," you told her, moving to a stand. "I got this."

Acting blithely unaware of your surroundings as you neared where you'd seen the dolls was surprisingly easy as, for the most part, you were rather unaware. However, your ears were honed into any slight sound that could possibly arise from those creepy little fuckers.

So when, miraculously, you caught the scratching of their little porcelain feet on the attic floor, you froze, geared up, and sent a powerful kick in the direction of the sound.

And you were met with the satisfying shatter of its stupid porcelain head.

More sounds started up, no doubt the assault on one had sent the others into a panic. But you were keyed in, and out for blood. Stomping, smashing, and crushing them was like a sport, and at the end of the match you'd destroyed about eight of them, and silence surrounded you.

"Bethy?" you called. "It's safe to come out now."

There was a quiet shuffling, and then Bethy was beside you, clinging to your arm to the point that it hurt. But you said nothing -- you were scared, too, and would probably cling to the Doctor the same way if he were there.

The two of you made your way through the attic, desperate for... well, anything, really. You were sure Bethy wanted the exit, and while you wouldn't say no to that, you were more interested in finding the Doctor.

You felt like you'd been walking for hours when you finally stumbled on the man himself. He was breathless, no doubt from running, but he grinned when he saw you. "There you are!" he said by way of greeting, pulling you into a hug. Then his eyes caught on Bethy, and he knelt down to her level. "And there you are! Your mum is gonna be very happy to see you."

If you ever made it out of this attic, anyway.

The Doctor made a sound at the back of his throat, and when you redirected your attention to him, you saw that he was looking at you rather seriously. "Any ideas?" he asked, eyes flitting for a moment to look at something behind you.

You felt the overwhelming sense of dread growing, and the fear kept you locked in place, unable to look back.

"No," you whimpered.

The Doctor moved closer, taking your face in your hands and forcing you to look into his eyes. "Hey," he said soothingly, smiling. You moaned in response. "Oh, now, none of that. C'mon. Be brave for me, yeah?"

Fear clouded your mind, and you could feel the thing behind you, could sense that claw hovering over you, ready to strike. But as the Doctor spoke, as more and more words of encouragement washed over you, the feeling started to recede.

And with it, you felt the monster retreating.

"K-keep talking," you told the Doctor urgently.

And he did, and you took his every word in, believed every word. As he spoke, and you listened, not only was the monster retreating but the darkness and silence followed it. You were starting to hear things -- birds chirping, a car driving by. A plane overhead. And you could see light beginning to filter in from... somewhere. Anywhere. Everywhere?

All you really saw, though, was the Doctor.

He was grinning -- no, beaming at you.

"Look at you," he said, voice brimming with pride. "Defeating a monster that feeds off fear and isolation."

You released a relieved giggle. "No, that was all you."

"Oh, it wasn't," he told you, his eyes looking into yours. "My words would've meant nothing if you hadn't trusted me. If you hadn't believed me."

"Of course I trust you."

His grin broadened and he let out a breathy chuckle. "That's good, then. That you trust me. We would've been in a lot of trouble if you didn't."

You laughed. "I'd probably be dead."

"We can't have that," he said, suddenly serious again. For a moment you thought maybe the monster was back, but you blinked and when you opened your eyes, he was smiling again. "No dying on my watch, got it?"

"Trust me, I do not have any plans on doing that any time soon."

#tenth doctor x reader #tenth doctor x you #doctor who x reader #the doctor x reader #the doctor x you #reader insert #doctor who fic #doctor who fanfiction #doctor who #the doctor #david tennant #canon typical peril #catch and release prompt #i wont say the alien in this fic is the dredge from dead by daylight #but i will say #its heavily inspired by the dredge from dead by daylight

224 notes · View notes

hoodharlow · 1 month

Text

Eternal Sunshine

AN: here's a full fic that follows the timeline 🤭 and I use Ari's song in this <3

Requested? No

Warnings: smut, chismoso!jack, mentions of cheating (not betwn Jack and M iriam) and smut again 🤭

Word Count: 3,599 words exactly

Jack yawned as he entered his rental loft in Boston where he'd been filming the instigators for the last few weeks. Miriam had joined him this week. She'd been LA finalizing some production details for her movie as well as working on a song for the upcoming Spider-Man movie. She did a song for Barbie co-written by Luke, Gia's boyfriend, and produced by her brother a week after his birthday. To keep herself in Boston she was doing some costume designs for her characters and recording some songs. Apparently back in 2018 when she was hooking up with Shawn, he and Teddy wrote a few demos for her and she wanted to use them. Shawn signed them off to her, only wanting writing credit and letting her and Teddy work on them by themselves. Miriam also hired Victoria Monet, PINKPANTHERESS, Metro Boomin, Antonio Pinto, and Clay to be part of the soundtrack and score.

“Oh,” he heard Miriam from the kitchen.

He checked his phone and it was eight in the morning, west coast time five. Jack walked closer to listen more clearly, out of curiosity.

“Do you know who it went to? I knew it was…she auditioned?” She laughed. “Yeah no wonder I didn't get it. If it was between me and the literal voice of Moana, I'd pick Auli'i too… okay I'll call y'all later so we can start making the filming schedule…yeah I got back from the studio like half an hour ago…bye mami.”

Miriam set down her phone and grabbed her mug from under the keurig. “I know you're in the hall nosy boots.” She said, pouring oatmilk in the mug.

“I didn't mean to eavesdrop.” He said, earning an arched eyebrow from her. “I swear, I just got here and heard you on the phone. Was that your mom?”

“Yeah, she's in New York with my brother for work. She got an email from Mean Girls and called me to let me know I didn't get it.” She said disappointed.

“I'm sorry,” he wrapped his arms around her. “Also why are they remaking Mean Girls?”

“Technically they're making the Broadway musical of Mean Girls into the movie, not remaking the 2004 movie.” Miriam explained.

“Is that the one we saw when we were in New York when we first started talking?” He asked.

“Yes,” she said, pushing herself up on the counter. “I auditioned for Janis. They were gonna make her gay y todo. But it's fine, if I had to lose a role to anyone it'd be Auli'i. Anyways, how was set tonight?”

“Tiring as hell. I don't know how the fuck you do night shoots back to back.” He yawned once again.

“I don't know how you can spend hours at the studio.” Miriam said, rubbing her temples. “My brain feels numb. I swear me, Victoria, and Teddy recorded like a hundred demos.”

“Are you going again tonight?”

“No, Victoria's husband and daughter are in town so we're not meeting up for a few days until Clay flies over.” Miriam sipped her drink.

“It's my day off. Wanna go to a Celtics game?” He asked.

“Why? So you can check out Jayson's ass?” She rolled her eyes.

“It's not my fault it's out there like that. You know I appreciate a nice ass. Why do you think I put a ring on it?” He nodded at her left hand.

“You're annoying.” Miriam hopped off the counter. “I'm going to shower then go to bed for a few hours.”

“Can I join you?” Jack said, soften his voice like Puss in Boots im Shrek.

Miriam didn't respond. She put her coffee in the fridge and upstairs, to their room. She took off her clothes and tossed them in the clothing hamper. She twisted her curls up, clipping them with her hair claw. She washed her hair the day before. She set the shower how wanted and slipped in.

Jack came into their room a few minutes later. Miriam left the bathroom door open while she showered, unknowingly giving him a show. It took him back to the night they finally had sex and how he was fighting all his urges because he wanted to be respectful.

That night was probably the most intimate he'd been with anyone. Not sexually, but emotionally. It was like he was giving Miriam a part of himself for her to keep forever. It took everything in him not to tell her that he was in love with her. He was willing to give her the world and more if she asked for it. Even to this day he was willing to.

“Hello?” Miriam waved her hand in front of Jack's face.

“Sorry I zoned out, thinking.” He said, laying back on the bed.

“About?” she asked, rubbing lotion on her legs.

“How you seduced me into your bed that one time in Atlanta.” He joked.

“I had to. My poor pussy needed to feel your pp.” She said solemnly.

“Does she want to feel it now?” He smirked.

Jack placed his hand on her thigh and slowly went up to her core. The baggy t-shirt she wore covered her thighs, so when he pushed up her stomach, he was pleasantly surprised to see she wasn't wearing any panties. Miriam grabbed his hand and brought it to her mouth, sucking his ring and middle fingers then she put his hand back where it was. Jack cupped her core rubbing his hand with her arousal.

Miriam whimpered, dropping her head back. She gripped the comforter as Jack slid his fingers in her. He leaned onto her and kissed her neck. Miriam could feel him grin against her as his fingers moved inside her, trying to set a good rhythm for him to take her. She moaned as his fingers fucked into her at a deliciously slow pace. She rolled her hips as if she were riding his fingers. Jack smirked and pumped his fingers faster. He pressed his thumb to her clit.

“I'm close.” Miriam moaned out. “I want to come with you in me.”

“Whatever you want.” Jack nodded in agreement.

Miriam laid him down on the bed and straddled him. She pulled off her shirt. When she got it over head, she felt one of her hoop earrings come off. They were flimsy and when she did anything extraneous, like sex, they would fall off. They were the ones that inspired Jack's ‘Imma fuck the earrings off'a you’ lyric. She climbed off the bed to look for them. She didn't want Daisy to accidentally step on it and hurt herself. Her hoop landed on the other end of the room. She took off its pair and connected them together, placing them on her jewelry tray at the top of the dresser.

It suddenly hit her at how quiet the room was. Usually by now Jack would've complimented her ass or failed to get flirty with her. She looked over to Jack and he was fast asleep. Miriam carefully rolled him so he was more comfortable and pulled a blanket on top of him. She grabbed another blanket and laid by him. In his sleep Jack patted around and pulled her to his chest. Within minutes Miriam also fell into a deep slumber.

@'mdm: 💔

@'jackharlow: 🧍🏻‍♂️

@'jaysontatum: I'll send him home in the morning

->@'mdm: 🖕🏼

@'ellamai: hold on...

-> @'mdm: it's rough out here for us 😭

@'druski: I can't believe I found out my man is cheating on me like this

@'chloebailey: LMAOOOOOO

@'zendaya: 😭

@'saintclauds: girl be serious lol

@'medegutierrez: 🦦

@'jackstan: I'm pretty sure Jack is straight, idk why Miriam is pushing her sexuality onto him. This is so weird

-> @'mdmxjh: or it's a joke bc of Jack and Jayson's bromance 🙄

View all comments

•••

@'jackharlow: my bro 4 lyfe

@'mdm: damn my ass looks fat

-> @'jackharlow: let me be quiet bc your dad follows me

@'jaysontatum: wowww, I see how it is

@'mimidominguezfan: bottoms?

-> @'mdm: do I give bottom energy? like technically I'm a switch but 65% of the time I'm a bottom

-> @'mimidominguezfan: no girl where did you get your pants 💀

-> @'mdm: oh 😭 I got them from @'aerie like 2 years ago

-> @'mdmstan: HELPPP this exchange 💀

View all comments

•••

Jack looked down at his phone to see if Miriam texted back. They had originally planned on going to the Celtics game together but she got a message from none other than Susan Sarandon. She had read Miriam’s script and liked it. Susan happened to be in Boston and invited Miriam out to dinner to talk about the movie. Jack had to convince Miriam to say yes because she didn't want to back down from their original plans but he knew that Susan Sarandon was one of Miriam's idols when it came to musicals. She couldn't miss out on meeting with her.

Throughout the evening Miriam sent him updates. While it was mostly her texting him keyboard smashes, Jack knew she was enjoying her evening. She also sent him a voice note of her dry heaving when she was letting him know she was going to see the Rocky Horror Show with Susan and that after she was going straight home to cry.

It was for the best. Miriam had been filming herself making cocktails with PHOCUS, juice, and any alcohol there was in the house. So she needed to sleep it off. She was very tipsy when Susan Sarandon invited her to dinner. Miriam was fairly sober by the time Beto drove her to the restaurant. Before that she had forgotten she put on clip-on bangs and freaked out when they fell off from her jumping and dancing.

The game ended not too long ago and Jack went with Jayson to an after party at some private venue. He wasn't planning on staying long; just make it known that he was there. He got a notification that Miriam tagged him in a post so he went to see what it was. It was a video of him and Jayson after the game. He pulled his phone to his ear to hear what was playing. It was the beginning of Chloé Bailey's song ‘Body Do’ before she started singing. He commented under it and liked a few encouraging the bromance between him and Jayson. To egg on the joke he posted some pictures of Miriam calling her his ‘bro’.

He was about to lock his phone when he got a message from Miriam. He half expected to see her complain that he posted a cringe picture of her but she sent him: wya, hoe. He replied back that he was at the party. She sent back an eye roll emoji then: but where in the venue? I can't see you. Unless you're fucking Jayson, then tell me so I can watch 🤭. He responded with: you wish you can watch, but she didn't respond back. Jack looked up from his phone and scanned the place for her. He didn't remember what she wore specifically, just that it was red. He finally found her across the bar talking to Kaleob Young, her ex.

Jack saw him at the game, where he sat for 85% of the game. They acknowledged each other when the game ended but they didn't talk to each other. After the stunt Kaleob pulled where he implied that he and Miriam got back together when they didn't, Jack didn't fuck with him. But in the beginning of the party he did approach Jack because his girlfriend was a fan and wanted to say hi.

He sipped his Phocus drink watching Miriam. Her whole demeanor changed. She gave her ex the nastiest glare and jabbed his chest with her index and middle fingers, making a two finger gun shape. She turned away and Kaleob went after her. Jack immediately followed them to the parking lot. He stood back, giving them space.

“You’re so full of shit, Kaleob! You fucking begged me to take you back all ago. ‘I’ll be better. I don’t deserve you. But I love you. Please, when I go to the NBA, move with me. Marry me. Have my babies.’ How the fuck do you say that shit when you were messaging someone the entire time?” Miriam yelled.

“It wasn't the entire time, and we never hooked up.” Kaleob tried to defend himself.

“It doesn't fucking matter!” She argued.

“How about when you and Jack hooked up before we got together? You don't see me bringing that shit up.”

Jack frowned wondering how the fuck did he get roped into their argument.

“Are you serious? At the time he was just some guy I hooked up with him. We never exchanged contact information– why am I even trying to defend myself?” Miriam shook her head.

“Miriam, why do you even care in the first place?” He crossed his arms and took a step. “I thought you and Jack were doing good. Why are you stuck in the past? I moved on and I think you should too. It's not healthy.”

“You always do this! I call you out on your shit and somehow you turn it on me and make me think I'm overreacting, so I apologize for your shit.” Miriam said, her voice cracked.

“Whatever, Miriam.” Kaleob sighed and walked back to the party.

Miriam cursed and kicked a parking sign post in frustration. She yelped in pain. Jack took it as his sign to approach her.

“How much did you hear?” She asked when he was within earshot.

“Enough.” he shrugged.

“So the whole thing?”

“Yeah.” Jack nodded.

“He's right,” she sniffled, wiping her mocos. “I shouldn't give a fuck about him. But I can't help–”

She broke into sobs. Jack wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed her back, letting her release everything she had in there.

“I'm sorry.” Miriam took a step back. “I'm with you now and we're engaged and…”

“Miriam, it doesn't matter. You found out some fucked up shit and you're allowed to feel some type of way about it.” Jack said softly.

She let out a shaky breath. “I hate this feeling. I hate that he took me back to when we were together and he would gaslight me over shit.”

“I could tell Jayson to accidentally break his leg or something during practice.” Jack suggested to pacify things.

“Kinda ironic I posted Body Do to you and Jayson when Kaleob was the one texting and messaging other girls.” Miriam laughed to herself.

“I mean– actually nevermind it's too soon.”

“You're annoying.” Miriam rolled her eyes, standing on her tippy toes.

“You say that but I'm gonna nut in you when you want me to.” He chuckled. He cradled her face and kissed her. “Let's go home so you can tell me about Susan Sarandon.”

“You're not telling your little boyfriend bye?” she asked.

Jack shook his head. “Nah, Jayson knows to back off when you're in town

•••

@'mdm: In other news, I saw the Rocky Horror Show with THEE @'susansarandon. Can't wait for y'all to see what we have in store :')

@'jackharlow: typing credits to me because your hands couldn't stop shaking

@'susansarandon: ❤

@'saintclauds: BITCH, YOU'RE JOKINGGG

@'gayman: the head department of motherlogical studies at the university of servington and her apprentice

@'theaterfan: hold ONNNNN

@'broadwaystan: oh the MOTHERISM

@'miriamfan: real Miriam fans know how huge of a deal this is

@'mdmfan: what we have in store?!?!?! Oh I'm already gagged

View all comments

•••

Jack woke up in the middle of the night thirsty. He reached across the bed for Miriam's hydroflask when he noticed she wasn't in bed. He checked the bathroom in their room then the bathroom in the bedroom across their room. Miriam had a habit of using the bathrooms outside their rooms when she would go number too. But right now that isn't the case. He went down the hall to the stairs and from there he saw her in the living room writing in a dark green leather-bound journal. Jack had seen her with it here and there, but he didn't know the contents inside. He may be nosy, but not too nosy that he didn't respect boundaries.

“Hey,” he said, walking up to her.

“Hi,” she said, placing her pen in her journal.

“Couldn't sleep?” He asked, climbing on top of her so she could play with his hair.

“No. I tried watching a movie but I couldn't concentrate. Same thing when I tried reading The Cruel Prince because a lot of fans and even the author think I could make a good Jude. So I came down and started writing my little poems.” She said, twisting Jack's curls.

Jack sat up and looked at her incredulously. “You write poetry and I'm just finding out?”

“I don't do it often. I haven't written in forever but working with Teddy and Victoria kinda got me back in a groove.” she reached for her journal.

“You don't have to show me. Journals are personal and I don't want to overstep.” He said.

“I know. If I didn’t want to share this with you I wouldn't have.” She said, handing him her journal. “It's kinda based on the movie ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’.”

Jack nodded and proceeded to read:

I don't care what people say. We both know I couldn't change you. I guess you could say the same. Can't rearrange truth, I've never seen someone lie like you do. So much, even you start to think it's true. Get me out of this loop.

So now we play our separate scenes. Now, now she's in my bed, mm-mm, layin' on your chest. Now I'm in my head, wonderin' how it ends

I'll be the first to say, "I'm sorry". Now you got me feelin' sorry. I showed you all my demons, all my lies. Yet you played me like Atari. Now it's like I'm lookin' in the mirror. Hope you feel alright when you're in her. I found a good boy and he's on my side. You're just my eternal sunshine.

So I try to wipe my mind. Just so I feel less insane. Rather feel painless. I'd rather forget than know, know for sure. What we could've fought through behind this door. So I close it and move

So now we play our separate scenes. Now, now he's in your bed, and layin' on my chest. Now I'm in my head, and wonderin' how it ends.

“Objectively, this is good. If you rearrange it you can make this a song.” He said when he finished reading.

“Really?” She furrowed her eyebrows.

“Yeah,” he nodded. He reached for the sticky notes and began scribbling. “You can repeat the ‘I'll be the first…’ line and make that the chorus and then add a bridge that can be used as the outro for it. You can add a subtle trap beat or some r&b with pop…and I'm rambling. I'm sorry you were showing me your poems and I took over and tried to make it a song. You probably don't want your shit aired out like that–”

Miriam leaned over and kissed him. “It's okay.” She cut him off. “I like how your mind works and I love listening to you talk about music.”

“Honestly I didn't hear anything you just said. You kissed me and my brain shut off.” he joked.

“And yet you're still corny.”

“More like horny.” He gestured to his crotch.

“Seriously?” she playfully rolled her eyes at him.

“How can I not be? You're in panties and a crop top.”

He gently pushed her on the couch and kissed her before she could make a funny remark. He pulled away and made his way down her throat. Jack nipped and sucked her neck while he pushed down the thin straps of her top. Miriam helped him get her out of it. They giggled into each other's mouths as they struggled because they didn't want to break the kiss.

Jack knelt in front of her and pushed down his boxer-briefs, just enough to pull out his cock. He slowly stroked himself, taking all of Miriam. They haven't been together since his birthday. The few days Miriam had been in Boston her studio schedule didn't line up with Jack's filming schedule. The most was when he fingered her that morning.

Then earlier in the day when they woke up from their five hour nap, they did other things around the house then went their separate ways. Jack to the game and Miriam to dinner with Susan Sarandon. After they got back from the party Jack helped her post about meeting Susan Sarandon because she was shaking from all of the overwhelming emotions she was feeling. Then they fell asleep watching Bullet Train.

“Don't judge if I come in three seconds.” Jack mumbled against her lips as he tugged down her panties.

“I'm literally the least judgemental person ever.” She said solemnly.

Jack gave her a look before zoning in on her bare chest. He ran his thumb on her sensitive nipples. Miriam leaned back, giving him better access, and quietly moaned out as he gently nipped under her breasts. Both of his hands were on her nipples, twisting and rubbing them. His tongue traced the pert peaks.

He found her mouth again, kissing her slowly as he reached for her hips. Jack lined him up and slowly pushed his cock into her. Miriam moaned out in pleasure. She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes contently.

“Good?” He asked, pushing back her hair.

“Yeah, missed feeling you in me.” She sighed.

“Me too.” He slowly pulled out then thrusted in her.

He tilted her head up so he could kiss her. His lips and tongue went at the pace he thrusted in and out of her. He wrapped one of her legs around him, bringing them closer as he took her. Her breath hitched at how good it felt. Jack must have noticed, and continued thrusting in that spot. The familiar feeling came over her once more. Miriam was about to come, and Jack knew it. His thrusts got more precise, hitting where she needed him.

“Jack,” she whimpered.

“Wanna hear you louder.” He grunted in her ear. “Tell me who's fucking you this good.”

“You?” she panted.

“You who?” Jack asked.

“The chocolate milk.” Miriam giggled.

Jack didn't react to what she said. He was in the zone, trying to get her to climax. The determination of him still going after she tried to make a joke pushed her over the edge. She repeated Jack’s name over and over until her high faded. Jack continued thrusting in and out of her. His thrusts grew sloppy.

After a few minutes passed, he stilled, shuddering he quietly moaned out, "shit," as he came inside her. He relaxed his body plopping on top of her. Their heavy breathing filled the room as they tried to calm themselves.

While using his boxer-briefs to clean them, Jack asked. “Did you say chocolate milk earlier?”

#jack and miriam #jack harlow #jack harlow smut #Jack harlow angst #jack harlow fanfic #jack harlow imagine #jack harlow oneshot #jack harlow fan fiction

120 notes · View notes

theoutcastrogue · 4 months

Text

The Bard's Songs

Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

More than twenty years ago (well fuck me) I made a mixtape for our d&d campaign. That was when people used to burn audio CDs, and this was mixtape #39 (out of 271). I think I was playing an elf bard at the time.

I'm posting it here for posterity, for nostalgia, and as a snapshot of vanilla d&d lore/mood, as I experienced it back in the day. If it seems frightfully basic and predictable, well it was. Pretty much everything in that list is from Britain or Ireland or somehow evoking them. But hey, I ain't from there. It was exotic for me!

So it's vanilla and predictable, my little escapism soundtrack. And you know what else it is? A damn good compilation if I say so myself. "Fisherman's Blues" is one of best albums of all time, Loreena McKennitt is a genius, the Chieftains are giants, Pavlov's Dog are one of the few dad rock bands whose hits didn't age terribly, and hey, because I just listened to the whole thing again, when Enya stops singing "May it be" and the track continues with the Shire and the Fellowship leitmotifs, I am FULLY crying again, just bawling over here.

So here's to 2024, and the next 20 years of roleplaying, or as long as we got. Happy new year, everyone. Squeeze every drop out of life, and may your aim be true. The bard's songs will remain.

Tomorrow will take us away Far from home No one will ever know our names But the bards' songs will remain

In my thoughts and in my dreams They're always in my mind These songs of hobbits, dwarves and men and elves Come close your eyes You can see them too

The Bard's Songs

The Waterboys - The Stolen Child [poem by W. B. Yeats, recited by Tomás Mac Eoin]

Van Morrison & The Chieftains - My Lagan love [trad. Irish]

Savina Yannatou - A fairy's love song [trad. Scottish, Hebrides]

The Waterboys - Dunford's fancy

The Waterboys - When will we be married? [trad.]

Van Morrison & The Chieftains - Carrickfergus [trad. Irish maybe]

Loreena McKennitt - All Souls Night

Loreena McKennitt - The highwayman [poem by Alfred Noyes]

Fairport Convention - Crazy man Michael

Fairport Convention - She moved through the fair [trad. Irish]

Marianne Faithfull - Scarborough Fair [trad. English]

Donovan - Guinevere (live)

Pavlov's Dog - Valkerie

Pavlov's Dog - Episode

Enya - May it be [LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring]

Blind Guardian - The Bard's song (In the forest)

Loreena McKennitt - The Stolen Child

This Compilation (P) 2003, Store of the Worlds, Inc. | No Rights Reserved

#trs #d&d history #yeap #prison ballads #mixtape #d&d #fluff #folk #for he comes! the human child #to the waters and the wild #with a faery hand in hand #from a world more full of weeping #than he can understand

102 notes · View notes

sinner-sunflower · 19 days

Text

P.2 HH Lucifer-centric AU 2/?

STORY 1, PART 1, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8, PART 9, PART 10, PART 11, PART 12, PART 13, PART 14

Writing this while listening to Christian songs is my process lajsdlkajkld

You guys need to listen to the soundtrack of Journey to Bethlehem. What bangers and amazing pieces!

-------------------------------------------

Once they got inside, Charlie locks the hotel up using keekee.

Vaggie: You sure that will hold them up?

Charlie: Of course! Besides if any of them try to sneak in then I'm sure Razzle and Keekee will keep them out yes? Yeah? Awww yes you will~

Charlie gushes on her guardians for one more minute before moving close to where her dad was seated on the couch.

Charlie: You okay, dad?

Lucifer: I'm fine, sweetie. Just a little dizzy. I've been using that ability more in thebpast few months than I ever did for 10000 years. It's always draining.

Alastor has disappeared, probably in the kitchen making her dad tea.

Cherri: Not gonna lie. That was kinda hot.

Angel: Yeah. You gotta keep doing whatever that was when you can, short king. Preferably when I'm there to see it. You know, I give full consent for you to do that to me in be-

Charlie: Angel!

Angel: What?

Alastor: Do you never think before you speak, Angel?

Saved by the radio demon. Lucifer smirks as gladly accepts the tea handed to him.

Angel: I'm just here expressing my feelings, Al! And princess, didn't you say that was a redeeming quality.

Vaggie: You are so lucky Lucifer- uh sir- is not killing you on the spot.

Angel: Hehe sorry, handsome. Just a lil fun~

Lucifer chuckles at this. Charlie sure did find some funny individuals.

Lucifer: None taken, Angel. And Vaggie, I told you to stop calling me sir. Lucifer is fine, or if you want.. dad.

Vaggie blushed so so golden that she went to hide in her girlfriend's shoulders in embarrassment.

Vaggie: okay… Lucifer sir.

The King of Hell chuckles in amusement. Well, he'll take what he can get.

Someone clears their throat causing everyone to look at the source.

Lucifer: What is it, Satan?

Satan: As cute as this is, I think we need to discuss what happened earlier.

Lucifer: Can I say anything that will make you guys just drop it?

Various statements from All: Nope. No. Sorry, shorty. Nuh uh. I don't believe so, my dear.

He sighs.

Lucifer: Worth a shot.

When Lucifer doesn't make a move to speak, Charlie kneels before him to hold his hands in hers. There's ringing in his ears.

Charlie: Dad..

Fatherdamnit! Why is he so weak when it comes to his baby girl? He's the Devil for fucks sake and-

And… he's a father first.

Lucifer: It was my brother. Michael.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock except for the Sins. They knew who it was but what they want to know is why.

Angel: Woah woah woah! Like St. Michael the Archangel ?? From the Bible??

Lucifer: Angel, I'm from the Bible.

Angel: Oh yeah.

Charlie: Do you think this is about the last extermination?

Vaggie: But that was already a few months ago. If Heaven had a problem with what happened, I'm pretty sure that we'd hear from them much earlier. Unless..

Husk: It could be cos of the mess in the 7th ring?

Lucifer doesn't answer any of them again. Instead, he looks on to the Heaven shaped planet in the sky.

Asmodeus: Luci… is a war coming?

Lucifer: I can't answer that.

Liar. Why are you lying again? You know why Michael did that. They can help. They will listen!

Alastor: Cannot or won't, my Majesty?

He should've known Alastor will see right through him. Smiling prick.

Lucifer: Does it matter?

The demon's grin doesn't falter.

Alastor: I do not know, my King. Does it?

The faint ringing in his ears is getting louder. He can't ignore it for long.

He stands and dusts himself off.

Lucifer: I don't have time for this. I need to go to Heaven as soon as possible. Preferably right now.

Loud protests echoed in the hotel lobby as soon as he said it.

Alastor: Mon ange, let us not be too hasty.

Satan: Are you fucking kidding me?!

Leviathan: No way.

Mammon: So it is a war???

Ozzie: On your own?!

Bee: What if they kill you?? One of us will go with you.

Belphegor: At least take someone from the Ars Goetia. I'm sure Paimon would gladly give you a strong familiar.

Angel: I make stupid choices so I know this is stupid- ow! The hell, bitch??

Vaggie: Shut up, Angel. But they're right, Lucifer sir. And sorry but what brought this on?

Charlie: Let me come with you atleast.

That's it.

Lucifer: No!

That stopped the talking atleast.

Lucifer: I need to talk to Michael and I'm pretty sure he's not going to come down here. And no, I am not going to take anyone with me. It's too dangerous, Charlie. Don't worry, he's not gonna kill me up there. Just… I promise I'll explain what I can after but right now… I need to go

He can see the Sins about to argue again but he gave them the softest look he can muster and it did the trick because they all clammed up.

Lucifer: Do you trust me?

The look they give him makes him reminiscent the beginning. A time of nothing and all he had was Lilith and the newly born Sins. He sometimes forgets that they were still a lot younger than him and for a long time, he was all they got.

Satan: Of course.

He hopes the smile he gives them is reassuring enough. They melt into his hold as he rans a hand through their faces to cup them.

Lucifer: Good. Take care of my daughter and Hell, okay?

Finally appraoching Charlie and her friends, he draws small pentagrams that embedded themselves unto their skins.

Lucifer: These will act as a ward to anything that poses as a danger to you. Consider it a gift from me.

He locks eyes with Alastor and they form a silent agreement.

His deer takes his hand and bends down to kiss it.

Alastor: With my soul, my love.

Lucifer smiles and suddenly a golden flurry engulfs him, tranforming him back to what he originally looked like before Roo.

When Leviathan gave him a look, he waves in dismissal.

Lucifer: I don't need Michael or Heaven knowing about all this mess. As far as they're concerned, Roo never happened.

He calls upon Keekee, who turned into a key to open a golden portal. Vaggie can see that wherever he opened it, it wasn't the pearly gates of Heaven. It looked like… a room? And since when was Lucifer allowed to open any door in Heaven on his own? This is all suspicious if you ask her. But she bites her tongue.

Before the King could step in, he was grabbed by the arm. He looks back to see his daughter having a tight grip on his wrist.

Lucifer: Char-char?

Charlie: Come back, dad. Okay?

He wishes he just lived a normal life with his beloved little girl.

Lucifer: Promise…. Love you.

-----------------------------

Found the comic with the baby Sins thanks to user @s-arina!

Baby Sins Comic by aogs_47777

59 notes · View notes

zimms · 6 months

Text

new york city

you called me last night on the telephone and i was glad to hear from you cause i was all alone you said, "it's snowing, it's snowing! god, i hate this weather" now i walk through blizzards just to get us back together

Derek twists the telephone cord around his finger, straining to hear Will's words down the phone. "Sorry, you're cutting out. The landline's a little dodgy."

He definitely doesn't fail to hear the crackle of Will's laughter down the phone. "A landline? What is this, Nurse? The eighties?"

"Shut up! My moms prefer it for some reason. And, I don't know, it has a bit of je ne sais quoi, a bit of nostalgia, a bit of style, y'know." To emphasise the point, even if only to himself, Derek winds the cable around his fingers a couple more times.

"I don't, but I'll take your word for it."

Derek huffs his own laugh before softening his voice. "Look, the point is that I missed what you said the first time. Please could you repeat it, babe?"

Will's voice comes through the phone. "I said that it's snowing here."

"Isn't it always snowing in Maine in December?" Derek says, "Like I thought that was a given?"

"Yeah, but it's the first time I've seen snow since I last saw you." Will's voice goes quietier. "I miss you."

"That was literally two weeks ago, Dex." Derek rolls his eyes, knowing full well that Will can't see him. "You can't possibly miss me that much; you literally went almost two years without talking to me between leaving Samwell and the spring." He sighs and grins to himself "But- I miss you too."

we met in the springtime at a rock and roll show it was on the bowery when it was time to go

One second Derek is bouncing along to the song that the band is playing, the next, his gaze is fixed on a very familiar head of red hair that's darting through the crowd at the gig.

Dex?

Derek is too packed in by the surrounding crowd to do anything but watch, tracking the figure of a man who, two years ago, he never thought he'd see again. Well, maybe not never, after all they'd been to two weddings together this summer alone. But the point is, it would never be just the two of them again.

He allows himself to be swept back up in the words of the song, singing along with the rest of the crowd, but he never truly stops staring at the back of Dex's head. It's fine; Derek will catch him at the bar after the show. He has to.

The gig is in a tiny bar that masquerades as a club/concert venue, packed to the brim with people here to see bands make their first stumbling steps into the music industry. Derek first listened to these guys in his Senior Year at Samwell and fell head over heels in love with their music. They were even the soundtrack to his alarms for the year, greeting him before every 5am practice (because Dex was a total hardass).

After the final song, the crowd starts to disperse and Derek seizes his moment to chase after Dex.

He can't let him slip away from him.

Not this time.

Derek pushes through the crowd, apologising every step of the way, until Dex is finally within reach. Naturally, as soon as Derek goes to close his hand around Will's shoulder, the man in question takes a step forward and Derek takes a big handful of just air. "Dex! Hey! Dex!"

Will spins around and suddenly they're chest to chest for the first time in- Derek doesn't even know how long.

He forgets how to breathe.

"Nursey?" Dex's eyebrows furrow in that familiar way: the way they would when he couldn't figure out the problem with a particularly tricky bit of code, or when he was trying to figure out the best way to shut down the opposing team's attack. Derek hasn't realised until now just how much he missed that expression.

"Dex!" he says, trying desperately to sound normal and not at all breathless and relaxed. "How are you? I didn't- I didn't know you were in New York?"

Dex rubs the back of his neck. "I'm, erm, I'm not really, but I guess, I am?"

"Dex, I say this lovingly, but genuinely what the fuck does that mean?" Derek takes the opportunity to step back, breaking the physical contact between them at last. He can finally breathe.

"I'm living over near Lincoln Park, but I'm working for a start up here."

Derek laughs. "Dude, you could have just said that!"

"I was suprised to see you, okay!" Dex mumbles. "Though I'm not sure why I'm that surprised considering that you were the one that got me into this band, but it's whatever."

Derek pauses and considers what to say for a second, looking Dex up and down to try and gauge how much interaction with him Dex would be willing to stand. He takes another second to throw all of that consideration out of the window and just say fuck it.

He grins up at Will. "Can I buy you a drink?"

we kissed on the subway in the middle of the night i held your hand, you held mine, it was the best night of my life

One drink turns into two and two turns into four and so on and so on until the two of them stumble out onto the Bowery and into the open air at 3am.

Derek doesn't know how to describe it, but everything always feels easier at 3am. As they walk along the street towards the subway station, he brushes his hand against Dex's once, twice, three times until finally Will takes his hand in his.

They tangle their fingers together, relaxing into the easy rhythm that they lost at some point during senior year, and falling into each other's orbits yet again.

Derek tugs Will towards the Houston Bowery Wall, gravitating towards the explosion of colour in the night light. "C'mere." He squeezes Will's hand. "This is the Bowery Wall Mural. It's one of my favourite pieces of art in New York, especially this one."

"This one?" Will's voice trembles a little as if they're in a holy place rather than stood on the intersection of two busy streets in New York.

"They change the wall every so often, a constant fresh start, constant new opportunities. Sometimes they decide that a mural has had its time, sometimes other people decide for them, covering up the work with graffiti, showing the world what matters to them. But the wall always comes back with a newer piece of art, a never-ending cycle of hope and new beginnings."

Derek looks down at his and Will's interlocked hands and gives them another squeeze. "Last year, they decided to stop commissioning new murals because they kept being destroyed, but out of the ashes came this mural."

The wall is painted in a bright array of portraits, depicting people of all shapes and sizes. It takes Derek's breath away as he looks at it, even though he walks past it every week; there's something different about bringing Will here.

Will's voice catches in his throat. "It's beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here."

Derek grins back at him. "Thank you for coming with me."

Will's expression shifts and his eyes begin to dart around. "I should be going."

"What? All the way back to Jersey at this time? You're not going to get back until like 8am. Seriously, come back to my place; you can take the guest room."

(Internally, Derek kicks himself.)

"No, no, I can head back; I wouldn't want to impose."

"No, seriously I insist," Derek says, slowly beginning to steer them towards the subway station. "We're like ten minutes from my place on the subway; way better than going back to Jersey."

Will huffs a sigh, knowing that he's lost this battle. "Okay, fine. But I'll pay you back somehow, y'know."

Derek smiles at him as they enter through the ticket barriers. "I know."

(Derek will unashamedly admit that they made out in the empty subway carriage. Like c'mon, how could he resist waiting until he got home?)

because everyone's your friend in new york city and everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty the streets are paved with diamonds and there's just so much to see but the best thing about new york city is you and me

Derek wraps his arms around Will's waist and pulls him in closer, letting their bodies slot together in the warmth of the bed. "I'm so glad that I spotted you at that gig," he whispers into the crook of his neck. "I couldn't let you get away again."

Will leans back into the embrace. "I'm glad you found me too." He wriggles a bit, getting more comfortable. "It feels like I was stumbling blindly around the city before you found me. Like New York and you are so intertwined; you are New York, New York is you. It was weird to be in the city without you, to be honest.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Will turns around to look at him. “Seriously, Derek. I’ve loved the past four months of you dragging me around the city.”

Derek tickles his sides and Will squirms in his arms. “Drag?! I seem to recall you were the one that made a whole list of places that you wanted to see, including Co-Op City.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Will mutters, ducking his head. “Maybe we shouldn’t have trekked all the way out to the Bronx just for it, but I thought I should see it, okay? It was a big case study in my urban planning class.”

“I know, I know. I’m just teasing you.” Derek leans down to kiss his boyfriend. “I think it’s sweet, honestly. Especially considering you didn’t think to do any of this stuff in your first two months of living here.”

“I was getting used to a new city! I wasn’t trying to sight-see; I was trying to survive!”

Derek hums to convey his total belief in Will’s statement. “Uh, huh.”

“It’s true!”

Derek hums again and grins down at him. “Anyway, do you still have that list somewhere? I need to figure out what’s left on your New York bucket list.”

Will blindly flails his arm onto his bedside table. “Yeah, yeah. Lemme just find it.” He rummages around a bit more, before finally producing a crumpled-up piece of paper. “here you go.”

statue of liberty, staten island ferry, co-op city, katz's, and tiffany's, central park, brooklyn bridge, the empire state, where dylan lived, coney island, and times square, rockefeller center

“Okay, I think I have the perfect idea for what our final stereotypical New York sightseeing trip will be,” Derek says.

“Mhhm, am I allowed to know what it is?”

“You’ll find out in, like, three months, I promise.” Derek can’t resist and gives Will another peck on the cheek. “It’ll be worth it.”

wish i was there

Derek finally removes his hands from where they’ve been covering Will’s eyes for the past ten minutes. “Surprise?”

They’re stood just outside the Rockefeller Centre ice rink, which is filled with a hurricane of screaming children and couples desperately trying to keep their balance whilst holding hands.

Will chuckles. “I’d say yes, but somehow the fact that you blindfolded me when you caught me looking at a sign for the Rockefeller Centre says otherwise.” He pauses. “Also, the fact that I caught you stealing my skates from my apartment the last time we were there.”

“Okay, you got me,” Derek says, “but it was good choice, yeah?”

“Yes, definitely.” Will threads his hand in Derek’s. “It was a great choice. Plus it’s like full circle, y’know. We first met at an ice rink and it’s nice to bring the list to a close with an ice rink too. Especially considering how much our relationship has changed over the past seven years, though it was a bit touch and go for a while, eh.”

Derek can’t help himself; he laughs. “Eh? Have you been spending too much time with Jack, huh?”

“Shut up.” Will lets go of his boyfriend’s hand so that he can elbow him instead. “I’m trying to be romantic and poetic and shit; don’t make fun of me.”

“Okay, okay.” Derek says. “You said exactly what I was gonna say, is all.”

“Oh?” Will mock-gasps. “So, I was in fact being poetic and shit?”

Derek kisses him – mostly to wipe the smug grin off his face – and then pulls back. “Are you ready to go and show these kids and tourists how it’s done?”

“Aren’t we technically tourists for this exercise?”

“Shhhh.” Derek kisses Will again, just for the fun of it this time and as they break apart, he feels something wet on his cheek. “Wait, are you crying?”

“No, you idiot, it’s snowing.”

Oh.

So, it is.

Derek feels a little stupid right now, but he can’t tell if that’s because of the kiss or because he was so obviously wrong.

Will taps him on the shoulder. “Come back here, idiot. This feels like a pretty perfect ending to my first year in New York.”

Derek waggles his eyebrows at him. “Yeah?”

He’s met with an eyeroll, but Will also rewards him with a “yeah” and another world-stopping kiss.

Derek has to agree with Will: with the snow falling down on them and the hubbub of the city around them, it does feel like a pretty perfect ending to their first year in New York together.

you wrote me a letter just the other day you said, "springtime is coming soon so why don't you come to stay" i packed my stuff, it's on the bus, i can't believe it's true. i'm three days from new york city and i'm three days from you.

Will has to laugh when his mom hands him the mail stack, an envelope with his name on it sat on top. Did Derek seriously send him a letter for the two weeks that he was back in Maine? Well, yeah, clearly – that much is evidenced by the fucking letter in his hand.

In fairness, the gesture does have Derek written all over it.

He carefully rips open the letter, thankfully not wax-sealed like some of the love letters that Will had watched Nursey send in his earlier years at Samwell, and the contents spill out.

Will pick up the letter first and begins to read it.

Dear Will,

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been nine months since I found you again at that gig on the Bowery; it feels like we’ve been exploring New York together for years. But springtime is coming soon again and I’m hoping that I’ll never have to find you again, but instead that you’ll always be in easy reach by my side. You know how you said one night that to you New York is me? Well, in the past nine months, New York has instead become You and Me. I feel like you’re pulling back the curtain and I’m seeing the city I’ve lived in for my whole life in a completely different light. Everything is suddenly so much brighter and more beautiful with you around. I hope that this new light continues with the dawn of this new spring, a third new beginning for us perhaps, but just to make sure, would you do me the honour of moving in with me? I mean, if nothing else, it saves you (and, rather selfishly, me) the commute the Lincoln Park every other night.

I know it’s only been a week, but I miss you so much.

I love you.

Derek.

The other item sitting on the kitchen table in front of Will is a keyring with two keys and a picture of the one of the windows from the current Bowery Mural. The keys are engraved with the numbers #24 and #28 and Will can’t quite hold back the mistiness that begins to gather in his eyes.

Of course, after everything, Derek brings it back to hockey, back to Samwell, back to that period of time when they were inseparable, but constantly at odds with each other, so similar, but so different.

Will carefully threads his old keys onto the new keyring. A third and final new beginning sounds perfect to him.

#based on the song by cub/they might be giants #but yeah uhh new nurseydex fic just dropped ig #nursey and dex #my writing #its like 3k?#omgcp #nurseydex #i'd post this on ao3 but my boyfriend just found the account lol and they will take the piss out of me for this #so this will probs make it to ao3 eventually

99 notes · View notes

judgementdaysunshine · 12 days

Text

Stimming prompts

Actions

A person running their hands in the other's hair

One person rubbing the other's arms when they see them pinching their skin

Holding the other person's hands so they don't constantly run them together

Giving the person gum to chew on so they don't bite their lips or cheek too much

Wrapping them in a blanket while they stare off and zone out

Having a drawer full of incense and tiny candles to light with certain smells the person likes

Keeping certain snacks and drinks for them to have while stimming

Making a playlist full of songs for the person to listen to

Bringing certain clothes that are comfortable for the other to wear

One person being pulled into the other's lap during a rough episode

Putting bubble wrap on the floor for the person to walk on

Turning the light on and off to let one know the other is there

Covering the other's ears for certain noises or while at certain places

Sleeping with bigger blankets to help keep one person grounded while they stim throughout the night

Watching certain movies and shows that help soothe the person

Making funny faces to make the person laugh when they stare at the other

Giving the person small objects to hold or squeeze when they're around other people

Encouraging the person to use "Flappy hands" when they're happy even in public

Getting LED lights so they can use them to nonverbally express emotions

Starting a shower or bath for the person to help them relax and soothe themselves

Putting bandaids over the person's fingertips so they don't bite and chew on their finger nails

Dialogue

"Does this help? Is it too much?"

"There we go that's better"

"I know everything is too much, just listen to my voice"

"Let's get you out of these clothes into something more comfortable"

"You don't have to say anything but I'm here"

"Is your body vibrating or is this room floating?"

"You're very warm, let's shower so you can cool down a bit"

"I got you some food from the pizza place so you can have a warm meal in you"

"Show me what scent you want right now and when it gets too much we can use the other"

"It's just me and I'm gonna cover your ears for a second"

"Red's too much? That's okay baby"

"You're watching 13 going on 30 like this morning so I know something's wrong"

"Just keep the bandaids on until you feel better"

"I got pop rocks with your soda so that you can feel the fizz while the rocks pop"

"A smile! We got a smile!"

"I know you don't have any stuffed animals but your mom found this and wanted me to give it to you when I saw her today"

"Come here, it's okay shh"

"There's bubble wrap on the floor so you don't always have to walk and rub your toes against the carpet"

"Are we in Creed rock or a movie soundtrack piano mood?"

"Here's an edible since I know you prefer them over smoking weed when you're sensory is bad"

"Look at me, I'm not gonna put this blanket up until you don't feel like you're being electrocuted"

"There's my happy baby!"

"I got a few different flavors of gum so you weren't always chewing on the same kind"

"Press and squeeze these, they won't hurt when you do that unlike your skin"

"Just nod if you can hear me okay? I'm here with you"

"Is it bad again? Come here baby"

#writing prompts #prompts #writing prompt #fluff prompts #stimming prompts

52 notes · View notes

isan0rt · 6 months

Text

I’ve been listening to the Horizon soundtrack again and man, the two different versions of In the Flood kill me. Specifically, having the main version be Aloy’s anxieties about not living up to Elizabet’s example and expectations, but Lovisa’s version be Beta’s view of Aloy and feeling she isn’t living up to Aloy’s example and expectations, is so fucking compelling. It says so much about them as people, and it also is really the first time we get a direct viewpoint of Aloy from a different first person POV, and how much she is to Beta as Elizabet is to her.

So I’m gonna talk about their songs.

Aloy's version of the song is straightforward.

"Am I the one to hold // this crown of ash and salt? // Their kindness calls to me. I have to block it out." All through Zero Dawn, she was seeking belonging and identity, but she can't afford to seek kindness now. She is the heir to Elizabet's legacy, the legacy that is falling apart in her hands. She has to ignore it, she has to be more than human.

"My voice has grown so somber // these words don't seem like mine // but the iron won't subside // no matter what I try." Aloy feels she is losing herself - there is nothing but the mission. She feels like she is getting nowhere and it is shredding her psyche.

"Am I raindrops in the flood? [...]If I falter, if I fall // the wave inside my soul // carries all I know // Who can take my hand in the flood?" She can't tell if she's making any difference, but the world is on her shoulders. She can't see how anyone can help her. She is on her own - and if she fails, everyone on Earth dies. The pressure is crushing her, but she has to stand strong anyway.

"A voice calls me forth // through darkness unknown // my heart with silence burns through solemnness and bone // the edge beyond the shore // this weight of wood and rot // I long to reach the other // to find the path we lost." I think it's significant that the only voice Aloy is hearing at this point in the game (the opening credits) is her own voice - the same voice as Elizabet's. She is letting herself be subsumed into the identity of Elizabet, and it is crushing her ability to see anything in the world but the death and darkness.

The refrain repeats here, except that the lyrics change from "If I falter, if I fall" to "If I'm broken, if I'm torn-" Aloy is faltering, she can't carry this alone, she’s tearing herself apart, but she can't afford to break. She is desperate for someone to take her hand, but can't imagine who could possibly bear the burden that feels like hers alone.

All very straightforward - terrible, anxious, crushing, but straightforward. She is worried about her mission, and she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She is barely thinking of herself as an individual anymore. This song is a desperate cry for help, from someone who doesn't believe help is coming for her. She feels like she is alone, and always has been.

But Beta. Beta has a very different, much more complicated theme to her version of the song.

"My hands are full of flowers // my ears are full of songs." Right off the bat, we get such a loaded, complicated line. For the first time in her life, Beta is seeing life. The base is as sterile as the Odyssey was, but Zo has filled it with plants and music, specifically for the reason that the sterility felt unnatural to her. Beta flees these things into the barren server room, but they are still there, all around where she’s hidden herself. At the same time, I think this line foreshadows Varl's death - the flowers and songs of a gravesinger, the loss of the first person to treat her like a human being and not a machine.

"My heart has had enough // I'd rather just be wrong. I listen when you talk // your words all make sense // but underneath it all // I hear where we are going with this." Where Aloy's version is just crying out into the silence, Beta's is addressing someone specific, someone capable of speaking to her. This feels so clearly about Aloy's frustrations with her - how many times did Aloy come try to cajole her into being brave, like Aloy? She's tired of it. She's used to being told she's stupid and wrong anyway. She'd rather Aloy just be mad, because;

"I am raindrops in the flood // I am emptiness." Beta does not feel significant. She is certain she's as useless as raindrops in a flood; there is no question as in Aloy's version. She is a tool. She has always been a tool. And yet...

"I am hope. I am lonely in a crowd // but when you hear me // you'll be near me// stay with me in the flood." Even though Beta still thinks of herself as helpless, Aloy inspires her to feel differently. She is so conflicted about it. She's emptiness, but she is hope, too - she is Elizabet's legacy, too. But more importantly, when Aloy is near her, hears her, then maybe...

"In dreams I never left // I had courage like the beast // My eyes they never fled // my arms would always reach." These are some of the clearest lines to illustrate this is Beta speaking, and not Aloy. She dreams of having courage, but implies that the idea of being able to keep her eyes high and forward is just a dream. She knows she is timid and scared, as a person. Her feelings of weakness continue here.

"You've hardened with your words // maybe fear is armor too // my voice is not that strong // when hurricanes come running from you." Aloy scares her. Aloy is so different from her - Beta's voice is weak and trembling, Aloy's so fierce even hurricanes flee her - but something about that inspires Beta, too. Beta feels stronger by exposure to Aloy, even though Aloy kind of scares her. And she looks up to Aloy, despite her fear;

“The little child inside // is jealous of your strength // The way you hold your head // When everything's aflame-" This is another clue this is Beta speaking - Aloy does not speak of Elizabet in the present tense. She is always asking what Elizabet would have done. Beta is seeing what Aloy does do, right now - she holds her head up even in the most dire of circumstances. Beta cannot see Aloy's fear and desperation, that Aloy only expresses within her own head in her own version of this song.

"Your back is straight as you walk away // Straighter than an oak in a storm // Only I remain // Should I have bent, been reshaped in your image? // Is that what you want?" Beta can only see how Aloy is different from her - strong, fierce, aggressive, yelling at her to be stronger. To be more courageous. To be more like Aloy thinks she should be - Aloy pushing her own feelings of trying and failing to be like Elizabet onto Beta. But Beta can't see that Aloy is angry at herself; she can only see the ways she's inadequate, the ways Aloy gets frustrated and walks away from her. Of course she wonders if Aloy just wants Beta to be another her.

And yet, the refrain repeats here, three times as opposed to Aloy's two. No matter how much she feels Aloy doesn't want her the way she is...she is inspired anyway. She wants Aloy to hear her, stay by her. Because when Aloy is there...maybe Beta can stand up through the flood.

Beta is the one who can take Aloy’s hand. Aloy does not have to be alone - and as much as she is falling apart inside from the pressure, none of that is obvious to Beta. Beta can only see her as the same inspiring figure Aloy imagines Elizabet to be - but unlike Elizabet, Aloy is here, real and alive, someone who can actually have feelings about Beta, be proud of and love Beta. Aloy is to Beta what Aloy has always needed from Elizabet - and Beta helps Aloy realize that what matters is not what Elizabet would have thought of her, but what Rost did think of her. Beta looks at Aloy and sees the person Rost made her, and is inspired by her. She can live in the here and now, and they can stay with each other, and endure the flood together.

#horizon forbidden west #HFW #Aloy #hfw beta #sobeck sisters #beta sobeck

108 notes · View notes

nottapossum · 2 months

Text

IBS: Six (Woah!)

Summary:

Velvette loves Six the musical.

Notes:

Tw: Valentino is in this, he doesn't do anything but...still. Lyrics from six the musical, which isn't a child friendly musical. But nothing too bad. Lmk if I should add.

Velvette was in bed, they finally got her down for a nap.

She had a full day to be little! And she wanted to make the most of it! No time to sleep!

She loves being spoiled and pampered by her caregivers and uses every opportunity to be as spoiled as she can until she has to be big again tomorrow.

She had them play dolls, fashion show, tea party, dolls again-

They all watched miraculous ladybug to get her to eat lunch. (She'd be too excited to eat otherwise.)

And finally she insisted on doing a concert where she sang the whole Six the musical soundtrack to Val and Vox. She was an excellent singer and dancer, so they weren't complaining.

It took almost the amount of time she'd be napping to get her to take a nap though.

She just screamed and cried as they tried desperately to get her to lay down.

They knew she was tired, she was yawning like crazy!

No amount of begging and bribing was helping.

They love her, but Vel can be a lot some days.

Vox sat down at his desk, and Val relaxed on the couch.

“Finally.” Valentino says. “I thought she'd never get to sleep.”

“Yeah, she really needed it.” Vox says.

“What are you humming?” Vox asks him.

“Oh, sorry. Velvette got that annoying six song stuck in my head.” He says.

“Have you even heard six the musical?” Vox asks.

Valentino thinks about it. “Mmm no. Not the actual soundtrack.”

“...Do you…uh have a favorite song?” Vox asks. Velvette sings it enough for them to be familiar with all of them.

Val thinks about it for a moment. “I like the one with the high heels in Germany.” He says.

“What?”

“You know, the one that goes: you bring the corsets, we'll bring the cinches, no one wants a waist over nine inches.”

“Oh ja.” Vox says.

“Yes, that one. How about you?” Val asks.

“Uh, the one that goes: You, you said that I tricked ya-”

“Cause I, I didn't look like my profile picture.” They sing together.

“To-”

“Too bad I don't agree!” Vox sings.

“So I'm gonna hang it up for everyone to see.” Val sings next.

Vox continues: “And you can't. Stop. Me. Cause-”

“I'm the queen of the castle, get down you dirty rascal! Get down!” They sing together.

“That one is catchy.” Val says.

“Mhm.” Vox agrees.

They're quiet for a few seconds, the conversation fading until-

Vox looks over to Val again. “Do you wonder if maybe Six isn't the most appropriate musical for her to be listening to when she's small?” Vox asks.

Val shrugs. “Don't ask me, you're the caregiver. I only watch her when you need five minutes.”

Vox hums, turning back to his screens. “It's fine.” He decides.

They hear in the distance a small voice singing: "I'm sowy I'm sowy bout wha' I saids. Don't loose yer head!"

Valentino turns to Vox, "She's up."

"I know she's up!" Vox shouts at him.

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed this! Love you guys! You’re all amazing and I’m so proud of you today! Ty for all the support, it means everything to me! 💖💗💖💕💕

@todayimfour @trophyxtissues2 @ask-dusty-boy

@babiegurlmuffin

#ittybittysinners #Little!Velvette #Cg!Vox #Babysitter!Valentino #Cg!Valentino

27 notes · View notes

roo-bastmoon · 1 year

Text

Let's get into the Angel Pt 1 controversy

Summary of Roo's Point: Please follow your conscience but do not bash Jimin for other people's crimes.

More in-depth analysis of the underlying issues:

Let me start by saying I'm a musical theater geek so I have no idea who any of the other artists on the Angel Pt 1 track are, I don't know their music, I don't know their backstories, and frankly, I don't really care to. But yesterday a full kerfuffle kicked off on Twitter with many people ready to cancel Jimin (and by extension, ARMY) for working on a song with someone called Kodak Black.

Who is Kodak Black?

Well, apparently he's a rapper who brought a high schooler back to his hotel from a concert and then ripped her clothes off and bit her and raped her but he entered a plea deal and got probation for it. Not to be confused for the times he had illegal fire arms, committed armed robbery, possessed marijuana, and tried to evade police. Or the time he punched and kicked a woman at a strip club. By all accounts he sounds like a total asshole, and not someone whose pockets I want to line with my hard-earned money, even if I weren't a survivor, myself.

I think we can all agree that Kodak Black is not the kind of person ARMY would ever want to support.

So if at any point you feel like you cannot get behind the Fast X movie or soundtrack because Universal chose to employ that man? Please feel free to boycott and sleep easy at night. That's your value-based decision and I respect it. Don't let anyone call you an anti for it.

However.

There is another legitimate take on this with regard to Park Jimin, and it's a bit more nuanced than simply "don't work with bad people."

For a decade, we've gotten to know who Park Jimin is. He is kind. He is considerate. He is gentle. He has excellent manners. He gives to charity. He obeys and honors his parents and elder members. He has never been violent. He has never broken the law. He respects women deeply. He is a hard worker. He is a good human being.

I can't help but recall how Jimin had absolutely no idea that the song he made was going to be in Eternals. Like, he didn't believe it at first.

Clearly, this company has some serious issues with communication and the handling of Jimin's releases. I could say more but we don't have all day for that.

It is therefore plausible to me that Jimin was approached for this song, possibly by Jvke. Jimin has said he's seen all the movies so we know he likes the franchise. Maybe he said sure, he'd love to sing for Angel Pt 1. So he recorded his parts and moved on to the next amazing groundbreaking industry-shattering piece of work on his schedule. And then Universal brought in other artists and no one said a thing to him about it.

And you might think there's NO WAY Hollywood wouldn't tell you who all you're working with. Listen, I never worked on any big productions, but I lived in LA for years and worked in entertainment long enough to know you could make something and months later find out it's a whole other thing with people you've never heard of, and you signed off your work and likeness so it is what it is and you gotta live with it and not make waves, especially if you ever wanna work in that town again.

Then again, maybe Jimin met the rest of the artists during the filming of the music video. Maybe he knew Kodak Black was on this song. Maybe he, like me, had no idea of that man's past and never once imagined someone with a rap sheet that long would be in such a large-scale production in the first place.

Or maybe he did know, because it appears Kodak Black is billed as a "creator" of the song, but as an industry professional, he also knows nothing is ever totally clean or pure in this business. So oftentimes in entertainment, you will see people mentally separate the art from the business.

(Side note: To be honest, nothing is ever clean or pure that you pay to consume. The wage slaves sweating in the shops that make the clothes on your back or the device you're reading this post off of. The migrant workers toiling for pennies and living in communal shacks for the veggies in your salad. The animals crammed into horrific crates and slaughtered inhumanely that end up on your plate. The earth that's raped every time you write on a sheet of paper or put gas in your car. The plastics in all of our products are also in our landfills, our oceans, our blood streams. We all of us live and consume off the suffering of others. Doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for a better world--of course we should--I'm just saying, none of us consume anything that's "perfect" and cancel culture fails to acknowledge that.)

Which brings me back to the point about boycotting. If you feel like you just cannot support the business of employing someone like Kodak Black, that is a worthy choice and no one should bully you for it or label you an anti. But please do not consider Jimin "tainted by association." Because everyone is associated in one way or another with harmful people and practices. You'd never get to consume anything ever, if you could only consume things made by "good" people.

For my part, I don't believe Universal will see people refusing to stream or buy Angel Pt 1 and think "Gosh, we shouldn't have hired a man who batters and abuses women, it will hurt our bottom line on this soundtrack, we were very mistaken, let's do better." Maybe they will, but probably they won't. They have yet to even witness the buying power of ARMY anyway so they have no results to compare a boycott to. It's already a done deal and they will likely pull this shit again if it's expedient to do so.

On the other hand, this is Jimin's first OST for a major motion picture and I intend to support the hell out of it. I think it's a good song and I want Jimin to be seen by the industry as a safe bet to bring in numbers. I think the more projects he has, the more opportunities he has to promote good people and good music as alternatives. I say this AS A SURVIVOR OF SEXUAL ASSAULT who is no way making light of sexual assault. It frankly galls me that by association, Kodak Black (and numerous other unknown assholes) will benefit. But I'd rather that than, by association, Park Jimin suffer.

And I'll square with you: I think Justin Bieber, Charlie Puth, Park Jay, and others are opportunistic assholes problematic and it galls me that they will benefit by association with BTS members. But on a case by case basis, I will choose whether to support BTS members' collaborations. So far, I'm still all in. That's what feels right for me, according to MY conscience.

I cannot dictate to you what your conscience should tell you. That's between you and your soul, and it's no one else's business. Do your will and harm none. Trust yourself and honor your limits.

So if at any point you feel like you cannot support JK's Dreamers because of the horrible inhuman treatment of the World Cup stadium workers, abstain. If you cannot support Jimin with Angel Pt 1 because of Kodak Black's inexcusable violence, abstain.

But please do not lay the crimes of others at BTS' feet. They are responsible only for themselves, and we have seen they are sometimes not given complete information around their projects. I'm certain they do their best. When it's clear that a collaboration would go against their values (such as playing for their current president's inauguration), they decline. When they have the opportunity to make informed decisions, they usually decide well. But not always, because the members are human too.

I guess my point of this ramble is... human beings will be human. They are flawed. They inevitably make mistakes. Intention goes a long way. I can make a pretty clear-cut case that Kodak Black intentionally caused harm. So I'm happy to not support his art or business ventures and I hope after a lot of soul searching he becomes a better person but I'm not holding my breath. However, I cannot make a clear-cut case that Park Jimin endorses the harm Kodak Black caused just because he lent his voice to a song Kodak Black is also now a part of. Not yet, not without Park Jimin making a statement defending Kodak Black.

Until he does, I'm not going to hold Jimin responsible for anyone's choices except his own. I trust Jimin. He's earned it. So I'm going to support Jimin.

If you very strongly feel like I'm choosing to do harm here, that I'm anti-feminist, or a rape apologist, or a fan girl making light of serious crimes, please protect yourself and block me. You go ahead and do what you need to do to police your own experience. But I worry that eventually you are going to find yourself in a very lonely, very sparse and dull echo chamber, because that sad truth is... nothing and no one is pure. Certainly not in business, and rarely in art. Considering one out of four women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetimes, it's a safe bet that almost every song or movie you've heard of is somehow benefitting a man who was part of it and who has also abused a woman. I know k-pop idol culture heavily manufactures this PG13 image of artists but the truth is the world of entertainment is a cesspool and a viper pit, and we are very lucky to stan seven artists who are, by and large, truly good people. That's super rare.

My unsolicited advice is to take everything on a case-by-case basis and listen to your gut. Support Angel Pt 1. Don't support Angel Pt 1. It's a deeply personal choice what you endorse with your money.

But please miss me with trying to cancel Jimin, or any of the members, for other people's crimes.

Shunning, dogpiling, mobbing, shaming--cancelling people--those are Mean Girl tactics, designed to make people afraid to work with the "unworthy" and it doesn't work in the long run. (Extended, organized boycotts do work because money talks loud. So feel free to boycott if you want to.) But ruining people's reputations because of who their coworkers happen to be is in no way helping solve the actual problem.

If your goal is to make it so big studios don't employ rapists, keep the heat on the rapist and call out Universal and Kodak Black.

If your goal is to support Jimin, then trust and support Jimin and his songs.

Where those two goals conflict, trust your gut. That's all anyone can ask of you.

For my part, I choose Jimin.

Whatever choice you make--as long as you aren't bashing Jimin--I can respect it.

That's pretty much all I have to say about that. Feel free to disagree but keep it kind and respectful in the comments, please...

Love,

Roo

#jimin #park jimin #angel pt 1 #jikook

132 notes · View notes