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xcrust · 3 months

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Paint the Town Red [PREVIEW]

I seriously haven't written due to having an education but for my story i want to give you improvement and quality content. So I am not making you all wait too long here is a preview of the next chapter. If there is anything that you feel is needed and note you would want to offer then i would love for you to throw it my way

FULL STORY HERE

All the latest chapters and previous is at that link!!!

Looking between the mirror in front of you, reflecting In the soft glow of dawn's embrace, (Y/n) stood before the ornate mirror that adorned her room. The morning sunlight filtered through the delicate curtains, casting a warm radiance upon them as they examined her reflection. It wasn't the typical admiration one might associate with vanity; rather, it was an introspective gaze that transcended the surface.

As they lifted a lock of hair, the sunlight or rather the glimmer caught the subtle highlights, reminiscent of the glimmers of hope that had guided them through the darkest nights. The relationship between their parents isn't inherently bad. But the isolating feeling never evolved or made anything better. This dark world was something that was all you knew. Inherently when it came to your view of humans it had to be a little different from your older sister. All humans are made corrupt. No matter the family a person is raised from. Though what allows hell borns to be condemned to whatever flock shows up. It is a harsh ideal but with so much bad coming from earth then how could someone even have a belief that earth is all that good when it's corrupting the supposed bad.

Nevertheless the people that showed up from earth kept the seven rings entertained the more time went on. In fact if it weren't for earth then you wouldn't be in the situation that you are now. You couldn't remember the last time you had dinner with your parents, Family dinners hadn't been a thing in a long time. So sitting across a little table of a cafe with the infamous radio demon for dinner is the last thing that would have been imagined in your life.

“So my dearest! I want to know everything about you and what makes you tick” Closing your new pocket mirror you glance at him before going to pick at your clothes, the bunny painted in red stares at you with a charming look in his eye.

“Alastor, you're going all out for a person like me. But what is it that you want.” curiosity might have killed the cat but in hell its survival of the fittest. Between you and him, that's an easy feat for you but survival in getting higher in the food chain? Well that's some grounds you need to work on.

“ Heavens me, or should I say hells me? HA can't a guy get to know another fella?” His burgundy pinstripe suit made your weakness to elegant things. In your heart you are truly someone that cannot be so easily deterred by another. If leaving the Morningstar household didnt prove it. Maybe working on social skills might be the first thing to work on.

“Who are you kidding? What?! Did you want to talk to my dad? Sorry to best your bubble but i'm making a nam-”

“Hush now” he quipped in “now what are you assuming on today” taking out a pocket watch from his top pocket. The ticking being comically loud. Being in hell should have you used to an odd face every once in a while. But looking at him felt like a lost cartoon. “As ive said before, i know nothing about you. You've just got a nifty little… look to you” There goes his smile again. It's so shameless.

“Yeah right” Being hell royalty should've put your name towards everyone that walks this street.

“Sorry doll face, having such a smooth face in this area of town might just be the most interesting piece of plot in these parts” you let out a sudden hitch in your breath. Does he actually not know anything about you? Maybe the overlord title might be a lot harder than intended. “Now doll you're never fully dressed without a smile, now play nice” The grimace on your face might’ve just drowned in your thoughts hearing him say that.

You couldn't make sense of his statement. An earthborn being known to you and probably the purest kind of entertainment in hell. Though if he didnt even know who you were then maybe this could be a better opportunity in the end. No phony respect. Something that would actually make a difference to yourself. Smoothing your expression into soft passiveness.

“Say there, bunny tail, how about you and I take a stroll down the boulevard and paint the town red”

“Aren't you a tough nut to crack? Well who am I to deny a bona fide high roller”

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hanasnx · 24 days

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okay on a real note who to cast as nightwing tho?

i’m so fucking glad you asked. here are my fancasts

louis garrel:

i was trying to find an actor that fit dick’s ethnic background and i think louis did a good job but i can’t remember the specifics bcos i fancasted him so long ago. he fit the look i wanted which is the skin undertone shade, the black fluffy hair, the romantic eyes, and the pronounced nose. he can be very serious but he also looks very boyish when he smiles and jokes, which is another reason he fits dick grayson. the shadows on the bone structure is just superb for a batman-universe movie.

he would appear in a coming of age, 2000s nightwing movie about dick grayson breaking away from the robin mantle to set out on his own separate from bruce. it would span his mistakes and short comings as one half of a whole, and his journey to becoming blüdhaven’s sole protector. it would be more of an external experience for the viewer as the audience, watching from an outside perspective with the appropriate amount of nightwing’s private self reflection. but it would be paired with nightwing’s friends outwardly observing him, which helps him gain self awareness and adjust his protocols accordingly.

lorenzo zurzolo:

he has a “prettier” look and he’s italian, i believe. so he fits less than my first choice. however, i see the more serious sides of dick grayson in him. i see the romance and break-ups, the drama, and the dark side of gotham’s politics in this film about dick. this is a small project from a small company that lovingly tended to a specific strain of nightwing’s character that we don’t often see. we see him as a resolute pillar of purity and goodness, without compromise and with swiftness and strength. this would be nightwing later on in his years and a stand-alone art piece separate from the main storyline. lorenzo is very conventionally attractive which fits dick as a man who’s pretty enough to draw you in and keep you mesmerized.

i can see people criticizing him for being “too serious” and “nightwing is supposed to be fun” but this would be more of an introspective piece. this would be nightwing inwardly, and how he acts when he’s alone. rather than any performative sense of humor he puts on in other media. this would show the batman’s influence on him as a lean mean machine. also it’s a movie in a diff language in another country

loved this question anon! i’d like to thank @xstarkillerx for helping me develop this bcos i truthfully cannot remember who said what when we first hammered through my list of fancasts

#indy shoots the shit #thanks for the msg!!#anon #ch: dick #dick grayson prompt #dick grayson #dick grayson fancast #batman #batman universe #dc comics #batfamily

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chimaerakitten · 3 months

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hello! will laurence for the character ask? have a good day!!

First impression

Oh cool, I have seen Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) and this guy is obviously basically that guy! I feel like I know him already!

(Sidenote I have since read the first book in that series and I think the differences between what young!Laurence must have been like and young!Aubrey are fucking hilarious. If Laurence ever in his life said even one of the things Aubrey says loudly at parties in that book he would never have met Temeraire because he'd have spontaneously combusted on the spot out of embarrassment.)

Impression now

There is something so wonderfully, horribly compelling about placing a character into a situation which forces them to do the one thing they would never, ever do, and then not only forcing them to live through it, but also completely reconstruct a new sense of self from the shattered pieces. Fucking great arc for a protagonist.

Favorite moment

SO hard to pick. Obviously the treason is up there, and he has some extremely funny comedic introspection (realizing that actually he is Temeraire's purse Chihuahua in crucible of gold) but I think the crown might actually go to him calmly giving orders while one of his own supposed subordinates holds a sword to his throat in LoD, neatly resolving a number of threads in his arc in the process.

Idea for a story

SO many. there's that body horror one I've talked about before, and like, a dozen basic post-canon or missing scenes, and also @elexuscal and I have lost our minds a little and started multiple AUs, of which the blood au is the only one posted so far but probably won't stay that way for long...

Unpopular opinion

While I like all his main ships either because I genuinely ship them or think they are very, very funny, his core relationship is with Temeraire and I am kinda dying for more Laurence & Temeraire gen content. This is possibly why elexuscal and I have started so many AUs.

Favorite relationship

As per the above, Laurence and Tem! (Lol Tumblr autocorrected that to Tim. thats right my fav Laurence relationship is with my OC Tim who I just invented right now) I love their intense codependent somewhat queerplatonic relationship, and all the ways they shape each other throughout the whole series, both when they're in perfect alignment and when they're going through a rough patch where they still love each other but can't help on their own.

Favorite headcanon

I think his life post-retirement turns into a baffling reverse-Austen novel where the single man in possession of a fortune is NOT in want of a wife, thank you very much, and you had best not mention it in his dragon's hearing. I also think he'll probably end up more involved in Temeraire's political career than he necessarily plans, because the man just Cannot let injustice slide, even when he would really rather just be Tharkay's kept man...

#temeraire #william laurence #ask game #Ellie-tarts

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monsterfuckerconfessions · 17 days

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Hello, woman who wanted to be a male vampire/ghost and wanted to perform a horny vintage med kink autopsy on a vampire boyfriend here. Firstly wanted to say that since posting that confession (which I think I even started with “I’m a woman, but -“) I’ve been doing some introspection and I don’t think I’m quite as cis as I thought I was. I don’t know if I’m full on trans man or some flavour of nonbinary. It’s hard to tell because sometimes I feel more masculine and sometimes more feminine, but no matter what I feel more like, I mostly feel dysphoric about the fact that I do not and will never look like some tall, pretty vampiric Victorian dandy, and I’m pretty much always going to look like the exact opposite - a short, chubby, vaguely ugly human woman whether I like it or not and I don’t really feel all that safe/comfortable coming out as anything to my family so I can’t even really try to make the futile attempt to change my appearance. But anyway, enough real life misery, that’s what monster fucking fantasies are for, right? Escapism. :)

I went to an antique shop recently and they had some rather beautiful Victorian desks, bureaus and medicine cabinets and the entire time all I could think about is how good it’d be if a vampire boyfriend was to bend me over and fuck me over the top of one of those pieces of furniture. I also saw that article going around about vampire bats and how they bond by mouth feeding blood to one another and that inspired me too, and I simply haven’t been able to stop thinking about both of these things since.

The fantasy is that it’s the 1800’s, I’ve visited his lavish home and conveniently the servants are all out on errands, it’s just me and him, my secret lover. I’m supposed to be there on some kind of business, but we can hardly restrain ourselves. Before we know it, we’re making out sloppily, and I can taste fresh blood in his mouth, making me hungry and kissing him even harder, desperate to taste him. He locks the door, just in case the servants come back home earlier than expected, and he bends me over his mahogany desk, it’s smooth, polished surface and the leather writing pad on it feeling good against my face.

He pulls down my trousers, exposing my rump, grabbing handfuls of the soft flesh, maybe even taking the time not to spank me, but to bite me, his long fangs sinking deep into me, making me bleed and covering my thighs in thin drips of my own blood. He gets hard at the sight of me covered in my own blood, marked up by his fangs, and he gets even harder when he sees how much I’m enjoying it, how hard my cock is or how wet my cunny is. He can barely resist anymore and he gets his cock out, frotting against me slowly and comfortably, taking his sweet time in getting me worked up and close to orgasm.

The entire time he teases me with his slow fucking, rubbing his cock deliciously against my genitals, he both spoils me and degrades me. He pours out a glass of blood from some stash he’s built up to feed himself and coats his fingers in it, making me desperately lick and suck his fingers to drink the meagre amount. Maybe he swipes a thin layer of blood across my lips just so I can get a taste and watches as I desperately lick my lips and fangs. Sometimes he’ll hold a glass to my lips and let me drink, only for it to be wine, not blood, making me even more desperate. Maybe he marks my shoulders, back and neck with more bite marks and eagerly drinks my blood, draining me deliciously, making me dizzy and delirious with pleasure. The entire time, he’s telling me how good I’m being for him, how well I’m taking it, how good my cock or cunny feels against his cock, how good my blood tastes. He calls me his manwhore and tells me how humiliating it would be if everyone knew I was a dandy faggot taking vampire cock and letting him drink my blood, and enjoying it, getting off on secret trysts on desks or on performing vivisections on him like some deranged mad scientist pervert. As he keeps slowly rubbing his cock against me, I can feel the rough wool of his trousers pressing against the bite marks on my bare rump, making them sting so nicely.

Just when I’m about to cum, he flips me over so I’m sitting on the desk. His cock still rubbing ever so slow, until I’m panting and gasping loudly with the need to cum. He takes a big swig from the glass of blood, but holds the blood in his mouth instead of swallowing and makes out with me again, feeding me the blood. It serves several purposes. It starts the aftercare early, helping me replenish the blood I lost after he bit me so many times and drank my blood. Secondly, it keeps my loud moans quiet so we don’t get caught, so our dirty secrets can stay secret. Only we will ever know that we’re vampires and that we love each other like this, fuck each other like this. The world doesn’t get to know. And lastly, of course, it’s just plain hot. I greedily swallow the blood, it dripping down my lips, my fangs coated in it as I kiss him, needing him, needing the blood he feeds me and the love he gives me, loving me exactly as I am even in my monstrous nature and all my flaws. His slow frotting finally pays off, both of us orgasming, a slow dribble of cum leaking from both of us and mixing together.

He carries me in his arms off the desk and to a day bed for us to recover, holding each other close. He uses a handkerchief to wipe away the blood on my mouth and on the many bite wounds he gave me and feeds me more blood to help me regain my strength. Meanwhile, I tell him how much fun it was, how good he makes me feel, how much I loved it, how much I love him, all to boost his confidence and his self esteem as much as I can. We love each other and no one can ever take that away from us - two vampires pair bonded for the rest of their immortal un-lives.

#monsterfucker confessions

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nutzgunray-lvt · 6 months

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Now that I've said my piece about AFO, I thought it would only make sense for me to talk about Shigaraki, as I also don't think I've stated my opinion on him/his characterization & writing.

I really like his backstory and I think he absolutely got dealt a horrible hand: an abusive father + a family that just let it happen and wouldn't stand up for him + a traumatic Quirk awakening + people refusing to help him while living on the streets + years of grooming and manipulation by All For One. All of that is just a recipe for disaster, and I like all of that.

I like how hands on he is as a villain, too. I like how he planned both the USJ and Forest Camp attacks. I like how he's been a heavy hitter in both wars. I like how he's turned his back on redemption and reformation. I can even respect how he came to care for his subordinates and rejects AFO's attempts to possess him and take control of everything.

However, that's all I like about him. Everything else I'm about to say honestly comes down to pure speculation and musings I've had about him. This is also going to be a bit critical of Izuku as well, but not terribly so.

First, Shigaraki's motives make absolutely no sense to me. I know he wants to "destroy everything" or whatever, but why? Does he want to destroy the current system that made it to where the only person who offered him any help when he desperately needed it was Japan's #1 villain? Does he want to destroy everything for the sake of destroying everything? Which is it? And what does he expect to happen once he "destroys everything"? He says he hates Stain because people are listening to him rather than to Shigaraki, but Stain is actually bringing up valid points. As far as we know and up to that point, Shigaraki hasn't. How can he expect people to listen to him if he's just attacking people for the sake of attacking them?

For that matter, he has little to no meaningful connection to Izuku, and the two are supposed to be the main hero and villain. Sure, they have their conversation in the mall, but that's it. They have their fights during the war, but that's it. There's no interaction between the two outside of those instances (why in the name of fuck was Izuku not the one kidnapped? This also would have been such a great time for more interaction), and to me, that makes Izuku's whole "I want to save Shigaraki," thing come off as kind of ridiculous and hollow. Add on the fact that Shigaraki explicitly doesn't want to be saved, and it just makes Izuku look painfully naive.

Furthermore, their conversation in the mall to me is just stupid. It starts off really good when Izuku explains that Stain genuinely believes he's making the world a better place with his actions, and while he doesn't condone what he does, he understands why he does it. That's actually incredibly introspective of Izuku, who then also goes on to say that he doesn't understand what Shigaraki's trying to accomplish, as it seems like he's just destroying things for the sake of destroying them. This could have been a great moment where they delve more into the corruption of heroic society, how society has put people like them at a disadvantage, but no.

Instead, the conversation segways to All Might of all people?

Izuku goes on to say that he can understand Stain... because they both were inspired by All Might. Izuku, I love you to death, but what the fuck was that? I know that you have a pretty black and white view on heroes vs villains, but that was SUCH a swing and a miss.

Then Shigaraki just... takes all of this at face value? He doesn't say he hates All Might because he views him and people like him as the ones upholding the society that put him at such a disadvantage. Instead, he says he hates All Might and everyone else because they live happily and grin happily.

In my opinion, I don't think Horikoshi knows what direction he wants to go with Shigaraki,and it seems he wants to have his cake and eat it too. On the one hand, he wants him to be this tortured soul that Izuku needs to save and redeem, but on the other hand,he also wants him to be this omnicidal villain who rejects redemption when it's presented to him. He gives Shigaraki and Izuku next to no interaction with each other but tries presenting them as having this weirdly deep connection. Which one is it?

#tomura shigaraki critical #mha critical #bnha critical #horikoshi critical #shigaraki deserves better #izuku midoriya critical #izuku deserves better

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lostfracturess · 3 months

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Heyyy!!!

Your fics are seriously AMAZING so I wanted to ask you for some advice!!

Do you have any tips for getting into writing fanfics?

I desperately want to but I have no idea where to start and I don’t feel like my writing is that good 😭

Also, thanks sm for writing your fics they are always so entertaining and I rly enjoy reading them ❤️

hi dear! thank you for your sweet message! ♡

my best advice for getting into writing is just to start writing. sounds rather simple, but you'll learn the most by just doing it. and don't be afraid to just start; you already have everything you need—motivation and some device to write on!

also don't be afraid that the first story will probably not be your best, but let's be honest—everyone's first writing is rather crappy, mine included!

but you'll see you'll improve from story to story and learn while writing what works for you and what does not. i started writing over 10 years ago and write nowadays basically every day for university and work. but writing longer fan fictions is also new to me!

also, you don't have to write a 100k fanfic at first. start slow with one-shots or with certain scenes you have in mind or just a dialogue and then go from there and build a story around :)

i also do this, when i have a writers block or don't know where to start. i just start somewhere and then build around it. you don't have to start with the first scene or sentences.

following a few things i try to follow, but i fail to incorporate this as well. maybe this works for you as well, but don't be pressured to follow those:

show, don't tell: use descriptive language to show characters' emotions and reactions, rather than telling the reader how they feel. that's really something that you learn over time and i also have still a hart time to do this consistently. furthermore i try to also incorporate this in the literal way i write. for example, when the mc is supposed to be confused, i write rather short, ragged sentences to not only convey the feelings but also in the way the sentence is structured, if that makes sense.

structure: short sentences > long sentences; short paragraphs for easier reading but also reading flow, especially when it's an action scene. there, i try to write very short main sentences and short paragraphs to keep the pace up.

dialogue: use dialogue to reveal character traits, conflicts, and plot details. i think it's more interesting to the reader that way instead of writing it in a narrative.

pacing I: maybe it's just me, but i'd rather have a lot happening than a lot of introspective description. so i try to give as much description of the scene as necessary for the reader to get the idea but then move right into the scene with dialogue to make it interesting, or start with dialogue right away and then piece by piece incorporate descriptive narrative. but other authors really like writing descriptive narrative, so just try what works for you!

pacing II: this may be due to my academic writing background, but you don't actually need so many words. it's much more difficult to accurately convey the same feelings in one sentence than if you write ten somewhat blurry sentences to convey the same feeling. try to keep it short and pronounced. i normally delete around 10–20% of my writing while proofreading again to make it more compact.

and also, don't forget to have fun while writing! write what you like and don't let yourself be dragged down if someone doesn't like your writing. you don't have to be liked by everyone :)

i hope this will help you a bit! also, would love to read your first writing! sending you love & have a great day or night ♡

#inbox

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thegreenleavesofspring · 7 months

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I have... a bad habit. A self-defense mechanism, but a bad one. Of, any time I encounter something out in the wild that I wanted and couldn't have (an event or an emotion), I deem it "stupid". Beautiful weddings are stupid. Birthday parties are stupid. Loving husbands are stupid... etc. And I don't say it to whoever I am talking to, I'm not quite that socially clueless, but I shore up my own disdain for it in the privacy of my mind.

And it's one I've had for most of my life although I've only recently quantified it. And I find myself doing it a lot and I'm trying to be mindful, now, of making myself stop and go "Do you actually think it's stupid or are you kicking against the pain of what you don't have" and nine times out of ten I'm preemptively trying to head off pain.

So anyway I'm trying to let it through in tiny little bits so it doesn't all come crashing down as an overwhelming wave and mourn it piece by piece at a time. And I'm also doing a lot of introspection. Because I never was taught how to regulate my emotions and that one person was right, I do tend to let them rule me, and I don't mean to, it's not an active conscious choice on my part, but that's not enough, I have to learn to master (not repress) them.

So now I'm trying to learn to master my emotions rather than letting them master me but that means constant monitoring and today I'm going down a checklist of "Why am I so tired and lethargic" and it's the depression setting in again for Round whatever and I always get really tired and sleepy and lethargic in the days leading up to that, yay. But along the way I realized that... the last time someone told me they loved me was Get Loved Nerd in my inbox and afaroffsong says it to me sometimes. And it helps. But sometimes I wish I had someone to say it to me in person, too, it helps to hear it audibly (and if it comes from someone who is telling the truth, not trying to be manipulative.)

I genuinely don't remember the last time I got a hug. Not dispensing one to make someone else feel better but just someone hugging me because they liked me as a person and wanted to hug me. I mean I hug my boys all the time and sometimes they even hug me back but those hugs are usually accompanied by headbutts or biting or kicking or fish-flopping or various other bruising activities and besides, they're little, they don't really have any concept yet of... consciously returning love? They need the hugs to flourish but it's not their place or their duty to return a hug.

I don't know. It just feels like, my whole life, any affection I got was conditional on how useful I am to someone and just for once I'd like to feel valued just... as me. I realize I'm not an easy person to love and almost an impossible person to like, once you strip me down to the bare bones, I know this, not only have I been told this but I've got enough self awareness to know that I'm all sharp edges and sharp angles and acerbic sarcasm and terrible but unintentional blunders. But surely I'm not all bad? Not all the way down? I just... surely it's not wrong to want to be valued as a person, not as your usefulness? Just... for someone to enjoy one's company?

Anyway I've been doing a lot of handing over bitterness and envy and sorrow to God lately and even... I don't know, what I thought were godly desires but maybe I'm feeling them too strongly? Putting them ahead of Him? I don't even know anymore. I feel like I'm blundering around in the dark trying to find His will and running up against rough rocks instead and I don't... I'm trying to do right, trying to do His will, but how can I possibly be? When everything I'm doing is wrong? I don't even know anymore.

I'm not sure... I don't know how to do this. And right now I can't hear Him. Which I don't think I have any egregious outstanding sins that would take me away from Him so I'm assuming I'm supposed to be walking by faith? Not by sight? But I'm not sure... I don't know. I don't know what to do.

I'm so very lonely.

...I should probably go brew myself a cup of raspberry tea, it sometimes helps lessen the severity of the depression. Hormones, yay.

#Nattering into the void

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donna-beneviento-teacups · 6 months

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This playlist is an humble suggestion following the logic one chapter equals one track. I deliberately have chosen: - classic music because Dimitrescu's castle screams this style - instrumental or softer versions of pop/rock songs as Lady Beneviento doesn't like to speak or be flooded by words. Regarding the instruments, I can't help but associate Donna with strings since I'm convinced there are no better instruments to express grieve. Naturally, Bela is symbolised by the piano. Lastly, I didn't want to duplicate the playlist from the fanfiction The Great Morel Garden by Fitzeroy_McCandless. I can only advise you to read it and listen to the available playlist. Some songs are so on point!

As always, I'm open to suggestions and critics ^^

Chapter 1: Hide and survive Moonlight Sonata - Lola & Hauser This iconic sonata composed by Ludwig van Beethoven is often associated with a sense of longing and introspection. I believe those are the perfect subjects for Donna's introduction. With this version, the two main instruments are present.

Chapter 2: Look at me Montagues and Capulets - Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Clayderman, Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, Deyan Pavlov The music initially composed by Prokofiev creates a sense of tension and pursuit. It sounds to me like a hazardous waltz. The rivalry atmosphere is a reference to the sisters' show of force and the dance is, of course, the little game where Donna try to keep Bela at bay. This version has a softer second phase with the addition of the piano so it can represent Bela's first appearance in Donna's life.

Chapter 3: Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me Running Up That Hill (Piano Arrangement) - Pianella Piano A classic pop song this time! Switching to Bela's POV so I have chosen a piano version. Neither her nor Donna understand the ins and outs of each other lifestyle. I don't believe Bela wants to swap their positions, she is not this desperate at this point, but she definitely wish to better understand Lady Beneviento.

Chapter 4: Enter Swan Lake - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky This chapter is quite dramatic: finding traitors in castle Dimitrescu, Cassandra's reaction, Bela handling the public massacre, Bela discovering Donna's portait, Bela being a victim of Lady Beneviento's pollen and her recovery. I believe we can hear the building in this music and the dramatic swells that foretell Bela's fight in the cold and future handicap while keeping a romantic undertone.

Chapter 5: What do you want from me? Breathe Me - Sia How about a sad, orchestral ballad about struggling and needing a friend for comfort? I believe it's perfect for this chapter.

Chapter 6: I can't wait to see you Je te laisserai des mots (Instrumental) - Daniella Vega Originally by Patrick Watson, the song is about writing and leaving letters to a dear one while not pressuring the receiver. It suits the Bela and Donna's epistolary relationship flawlessly. This music has a special place in my heart...

Chapter 7: Table for two? Le Festin - Dao Pham Inspired by the Pixar and Disney movie Ratatouille, I love the cosy and relaxing ambiance from this version. This first cooking session followed by the shared meal is their first homelike moment! I hesitated with a bossanova or a tarantella song but I found them too high-spirited for our favourite couple and the introduction of Donna's demons.

Chapter 8: Would you like to lead? Danse macabre - Camille Saint-Saëns, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Keith Clark Not particularly original, I concede. However it was impossible not to associate this emblematic piece of art with the masked ball at castle Dimitrescu.

Chapter 9: I do Kiss From a Rose - Vitamin String Quartet A rather mysterious song that remains unexplained by the singer-songwriter Seal. I suppose the interpretation is quite free in this case... The rose is, of course, a reference to Bela and the strings could express Donna's relief to be accepted. Overall, I support the idea of Bela lightning Donna's grey world.

Chapter 10: A woman and not a female monster Dies Irae - Giuseppe Verdi, Carmen Giannattasio, Veronica Simeoni, Alxander Timchenko, Carlo Colombara, Yuri Temirkanov, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra I know, so much the drama! I wanted to emphasise on ghosts (choristers) terrorising Donna and wrath building in Bela. The explosion is a reference to Bela's assaults. All the ingredients are here for a fated disaster.

Chapter 11: How dare he?! Dragon days - Vitamin String Quartet Alicia Keys originally compares a castle resident longing for a certain someone to being trapped in a dungeon. Something is in her way to pursue the relationship she wishes for, alas, she can't act and she can only wait. This topic can be applied to Bela and Donna in this chapter. I was looking for a piano version as it's Bela's POV (the dragon pun!) in the majority but this string version is too beautiful to not be selected.

Chapter 12: For Bela! Somewhere Only We Know - Vitamin String Quartet Once again, it's an alternative version by Vitamin String Quartet. Keane lead vocalist Tim Rice-Oxley revealed in 2004 that the song is about being able to draw strength from a place or experience you've shared with someone. I think the idea is perfectly in adequacy with Donna's new will to fight her demons in hope to become respectable once again.

Chapter 13: I trust you Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Epic Version) - Johann Sebastian Bach, L'Orchestra Cinematique, Alala Bach offers a fabulous piece with a dark and ominous tone. The menacing tone is accentuated with the percussion instruments in this version. I need a grandiose music for Lady Dimitrescu and her confrontation with Donna.

Chapter 14: You don’t need to hide Spectrum - Florence + The Machine It was impossible to not add a Florence + The Machine song as I think her unique universe in Ceremonials match perfectly with the ambiance I wish to write about. I wanted to show that the beladonna releationship reached the level when they both are confortable with the presence of each other even if not announced / invited. How Bela, and her family by extension, changed Donna’s quotidian and illuminated the gloomy manner as soon as they put a step in.

Chapter 15: Cara mia Delicate - Roma Symphony Orchestra My favourite song (for the moment) by Taylor Swift. The protagonists want desperately to not offend their new love interest. They need to be sure that nothing they do scare the other away. Bela and Donna, like any lover, fear of doing something wrong, being too much or not enough at the same time. This version is slower so it fits the slow burn dimension.

Chapter 16: Don’t leave... Don't Speak - Midnite String Quartet Another alternative version by Midnite String Quartet. A heartbreaking song by No Doubt that I think it suits Angie's situation. The doll shares a very special link with Donna. It's a pity it couldn't last and it hurts their dynamic even if Bela being a part of their life is an excellent reason. It's also a reference to the unnecessary need to physically talk between Donna and Angie.

Chapter 17: What if I’m broken, cara mia? BomBom (feat. The Teaching) - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis I bet you didn't expect this one! As there is no special explanation regarding this track, I associate it with a birth or something new. I think it goes well with a blooming romance and the most exploring phase.

chapter 18: You are all I need New Love (Instrumental) - Piano Dreamers Dua Lipa wrote about facing the fear of losing the only thing that matters to you. With this chapter, 'new love' can be understood as the next step in the relationship. Fighting a losing game (wrongly here) and searching for her place are the mindsets that Bela is in.

chapter 19: Beguiler Witch’s Brew - Peter Cincotti This song is a masterpiece, as well as the album (I could write a love letter to this chef-d’oeuvre), and the atmosphere is incredible. Well, I can only encourage you to listen to it.

chapter 20: I won’t endure a world without an us When Am I Gonna Lose You - Local Natives “The song is about the feeling of being in an amazing relationship but feeling the fear and anxiety that it can’t possibly last, whether just by twist of fate or because of your own self sabotage.” It’s exactly what I wish to express for this epilogue.

#resident evil village #re8 #donna beneviento #bela dimitrescu #beladonna #my work #playlist #ao3 #fanfiction #fanfic #Spotify

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galaxywhump · 11 months

Text

Stargazing

[An Immortal Among Stars Masterlist]

A new story for the Whump Girl Summer event hosted by @whumpawoman, Day 1: Environmental Whump. I probably won't be able to fill too many of the prompts because of a lack of time, but I still wanted to share at least this short piece, even though it's mostly introspection.

contents: lady whump, immortal whumpee, imagined death.

~~~

Centuries too late, people gathered to see a dying star.

The explosion had wiped out some nearby planets, but that was back when most of the universe was out of reach. Several diviners attempted to establish a link to the area, and found that among the debris that was left behind there was nothing hinting at previous life, or even at the planets being able to sustain it at all. No guilt was involved in enjoying the spectacle, and everyone treated it as such.

There were vendors, music, laughter, mouth-watering smell of food permeating the air; those were contained in a smaller area, while the rest, a huge open field, was left for the crowd to gather, to stand or to sit down, and watch the clear night sky.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Daria's eyes reflected the stars. "It happened so long ago, long before any of us were born, and we only get to see it now."

Karita nodded. She realized that the arm she'd wrapped around her partner had tensed up, and she forced herself to relax her grip, not wanting it to become painful. Her gaze stayed fixed on the burst of light.

"It's weird," she said, "that there's a whole festival around it. It feels wrong."

"I felt that way too." Daria shrugged, then reached up to hold Karita's hand and keep her arm wrapped around her shoulders. "But there had been no one and nothing there, right? So try to think of this as a… show, I suppose. Everyone treats it that way, anyway."

I could've been there, Karita thought, but didn't say it out loud, and instead nodded again, hoping that her silence would be taken as a sign of amazement.

Well, not there. She hadn't been there for this particular star's explosion, though Daria would have been surprised to learn that less time had passed between that event and Karita's birth than she would've thought.

But she could have been there to witness other stars dying. She could still experience it. She stared at the explosion in the sky until her eyes became dry and she had to blink, and she couldn't help but imagine being there.

The explosion getting closer, blinding her. The ground shattering beneath her. Dying, multiple times, coming back to life and-

She inhaled sharply and shuddered, and Daria looked at her with concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Karita sighed, bringing her hand up to her forehead. "I think I'll go grab something warm to drink, it's… kind of chilly." At least that wasn't a lie. "Do you want anything?"

"Hmm… Spiced hot chocolate. You should try it if you haven't already, it's amazing."

Karita mirrored her smile and gave her a kiss quick enough so Daria couldn't feel the tension that filled every nerve in her body.

"I'll be right back."

Even when she stopped looking at the star, it was still on her mind, fire, burning her to death, then leaving her at the mercy of space, ice, ice and loneliness, and vast emptiness all around her that she couldn't escape.

She hugged herself as she maneuvered among the other spectators. People. There were people around her, both a risk and a soothing constant. They didn't matter to her as much as they used to, but she found their presence calming regardless. For now she wasn't alone. For now she got two cups of spiced hot chocolate, returned to Daria, and smiled when she saw the way her face lit up.

Karita sat down behind her to wrap her hands around her and bury her face in the back. She heard Daria giggle.

“Wouldn’t you rather watch? It’s a once in a lifetime experience.”

“I know,” she muttered. “I just love you so much.”

“I love you too.” She could hear a smile in Daria’s voice.

She had eternity to watch stars die, but if she didn’t change her mind on keeping her immortality a secret, she had a few more years at most to be with Daria. The choice was obvious.

Holding Daria was like holding an anchor. There were other anchors before her, there would be many more after her, but that didn’t make it any more shallow. It was like a burst of love in Karita’s life, short but intense, like an exploding star, and then it would be gone.

The hot chocolate was heavenly. The night breeze made her skin rise in goosebumps.

Her mind and heart were heavy with memories and worry, no matter how much she tried to shut them out, but she was never going to stop trying.

#waw2023 #whumpgirlsummer #environmental #lady whump #immortal whumpee #oc: karita #oc: daria #until i come up with last names #and a title for the story #this is still a very loose concept but i'd love to write more about it #especially some whump with a whumper #my writing

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lockandkeyhyena · 2 months

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Another ask! Wowie Kazowie. I wanted to say I just went through the Alvin's Infurno tag because I realized you've been answering questions about it and it's prompted me to think about my own anthro story and how much they contrast with each other.

I have some similar themes in mind, including my own 100% terrible character who is also someone who grooms a 16 year old (is also a serial killer but thats a whole other can of worms), however in mine it's more of a commentary on the systemic aspects of grooming and the sexual abuse of teenagers.

Specifically I decided to make the abuser in question a straight, cis white-coded woman in her twenties who had wealthy parents, and her victim (the main character) a latino black-coded queer kid dealing with mental illness.

Though I agree a lot with your philosophies, I made the abuser extremely unsympathetic because personally I was really worried about people excusing the actions of someone adjacent to white femininity. Particularly, a lot of black kids are seen as aggressors and I didn't want to compromise on the main character being kinda shitty because I know myself as someone who can be quite shitty sometimes. So making her as unsympathetic as possible in actions was the compromise I chose in order to highlight how its privilege which allowed her to do what she does to her victims, not skill or being a mastermind. Despite everyone knowing her to be terrible cruel and mean, nobody investigates it because she is harmless to authority as someone in the position of authority.

Seeing your story come to fruition makes me wonder how I would've done this aspect of my story differently had I wanted it to be the whole focus of a story rather than just one piece of my comfort oc's torture nexus. I think it's likely I would have had something similar to your story, but I do think I would've approached hell differently.

I always imagined hell to be a place where people who feel guilty go to, and not necessarily people who 'deserve' (in quotes because its subjective) it go to. Like you I've always found the idea of christian heaven and hell to be strange, I found myself drawn to the idea that the afterlife is a state of mind you walk yourself into.

I love the shitty motel.

I've been in positions where my family was unable to find homes and I've had to stay in motels and hotels on several occasions (i lived in a hotel for three months at one point) and there's something oddly nostalgic to me about being stuck in a place - a motel/hotel - that you're not supposed to be in for a longer time than you should.

Anyways thats my ask box ramble I hope this gives you thoughts? I don't know?

thank you so much for your thoughts! i love it when people come and tell me about their own stories that deal with similar issues. i think in your story’s case highlighting the abuser’s unsympatheticness works given you’re going for a critique of systemic and societal power structures and how they intersect with race. of course you can deal with more than one idea per story but if you’re going for a more straightforward critique rather than an introspective character study, it makes sense to put the brunt of the empathy you want your reader to feel on the victim, rather than the aggressor.

thank you also for your compliments of the motel! i wanted a really liminal feel for it and i’m glad that comes across :)

#yeen rambles #ask #hell story #love asks like these

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djservo · 1 year

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jumpscare february is almost over. cas djservo, how was your february reading what's on the horizon for march? public must know

what a blur the last half of february was! I read three books, the last two being less than 100 pages I all but slogged through.. something in the air! however - and likely incidentally - I caught up with/watched more TV than I've watched in months (including The Bear finally! will discuss at the end) so you win some you lose some in this cycle of #Conscious/deliberate content consumption 🌀

Junky by William S. Burroughs

I've tried and failed so many times to get into beat literature for the sake of #Context and #Understanding as an #AmericanReader and particularly as someone who enjoys media grappling with the disillusionment with the American Dream, but I fear the few read I've tried have all been too obtuse, boring, and/or one-note to me. I also doubt my reading explorations will ever measure up to the high expectations teen-me held after watching Kill Your Darlings (2013) for the first time -- though I think the chaotic-sensual aura I was so drawn to in the first place aligns more with dark academia (before it was even named dark academia) rather than the (supposed) gritty introspection of the beat era. Additionally, a quick wikipedia peruse of some of the more prominent names feature an uncomfortable paragraph or two exposing questionable ethics + political/social alignments, so most of my curiosity has been marred if not killed completely. I definitely wouldn't say Burroughs is the lesser of however-many evils in that sense, but I feel like Junky specifically has been referenced a lot in memoirs/essay collections/discussions of queer subcultures I've enjoyed so FINE! CURIOSITY KILLS THE CAT! I can recognize its groundbreaking impact contextually, but maaaaaan Go Ask Alice was a more titillating read. meandering in a repetitive way with no real juicy syntax to make up for it - it was so Whatever. I guess it wasn't long enough to be a waste of time, but I don't feel as if I've missed anything life-changing all these years. at least I can say I tried!

Crazy For Vincent by Hervé Guibert

speaking of questionable ethics 🫢 troubling, but at least short enough to digest in a night or two. I love when I find out a film I enjoy's screenplay was written by an author (or vice versa) bc it's like gaining access to another angle of their storytelling, and back in January I watched The Wounded Man ('83) which really stuck in my head for weeks. Manic urgency practically radiating off the screen, that kind of burning desire that makes you hold your breath -- like of Course I had to see how that translated in Guibert's written texts (though now thinking about it, I think it was moreso about all that was unsaid + the performances themselves rather than the dialogue specifically, but I DIGRESS.) one of the reviews I liked for The Wounded Man includes a quote by Clarice Lispector (another author I want to explore): "Having passions does not mean living beautifully but suffering pointlessly." So fitting for the resonant desperation throughout this short piece, so much pathetic longing you're all but limping with relief once it's over. shadowboxer or daredevil by fiona apple, that sort of hopeless growling croon. I think I'll check out Guibert's journals eventually when I'm feeling particularly self-loathing 💭

The New Testament by Jericho Brown

Note to self: no poetry while traveling!!! My head and heart were simply not in it as they ought to have been which is a shame because with the few pockets of fully-devoted attention I had to spare, the glimpses I got were beautiful. I used to think poetry was kind of the perfect non-committal yet complementary companion for any occasion, but being as deep as I am into this June Jordan collection, I've definitely evolved my way of thinking (more on that at the end of this month/when I finish the collection). Still very graceful and angry and hard-hitting, though I want to revisit this eventually in a more cohesive way rather than picking up and putting down in disjointed fragments

After I finish the two books I'm currently in the thick of, I think it's in my best interest to take up something lighter/more straightforward. I picked up a bite-sized Jean Cocteau at a used bookstore and I forgot I'd placed a hold on The Stranger by Albert Camus so those will likely follow, then maybe a memoir/something food-related because, finally, THE BEAR!

I didn't intend to watch the whole thing so soon, but I was with a friend who'd already seen it and I mentioned it was on my radar so we watched the first episode which of course turned into a two-day binge (huge for me!!) The performances were all so amazing, I found myself frustrated that everyone wasn't getting an equal amount of screen time/backstory bc I was so invested in each character LOL which is a strong start to a series I'd think! I loved the evolution of everyone's dynamics, the varying degrees of respect/trust and modes of communication, the vein-popping chaos and claustrophobic passion of it all. I totally get why Kitchen Confidential has been referenced so much in discussion - I'd think Bourdain would approve! I've also had a soft spot for Jeremy Allen White since Shameless so I'm thrilled that he's getting his time to shine - this role suits him so well! HOWEVER . the soundtrack and editing felt inconsistent and sloppy at times which really took me out of it, and I was soooo disappointed with the general (lack of) stylistic distinction/direction. story and performances aside, it kinda felt indistinguishable from any other Hulu Original Show™ - granted I barely watch TV (let alone Hulu Originals) nowadays so what do I know, but it just felt Too devoid of the cinematic gumption I was expecting given the setting/subject matter - which of course were supplementary to the broader scope of dealing with trauma/grief while running a business in the hellscape of late-stage capitalism, but still..... what was with those Food Network ass montages plsss this isn't Giada At Home!! what's the point of setting this at a deli if I end up craving a chocolate cake more than a sandwich?? where were the sensual meat cuts? the delicate intricacy of razor-thin garlic slices a la Goodfellas? the crackling of fresh bread ASMR? but I'll Acknowledge again that it has been a minute since I've watched/finished a new tv show - I'm mostly a film gal so in that sense I'm probably being more critical than necessary or fair when it comes to a literal 20-30 minute-per-episode tv show so FINE it's literally FINE 🧘‍♀️ though there's also The Crux of being so late to a popular piece of media that's been gif'd and screen cap'd to death and generally seems to have already had its wave of Cultural Discussions so the Meat and Intrigue of it all had kinda been diluted/dumbed down for me upon starting. maybe if I'd watched it when it was initially released it'd hit harder and I'd be as blown away as everyone else, but for the most part I just had a fun time and haven't really thought about it since (though I'll likely rewatch before s2 whenever it comes out)

#asks #bobby book club #cheesehair

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nonchalantee · 10 months

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small perspective flip for any scene of your choice in not strong or brave but a secret third thing if you feel like it! thanks love the fic!

ooo this one is kinda tough actually since that fic has 4 main povs already but HMM lolol in the spirit of chaos, let's go with a donato bro. gelly at dan's congrats! you're a captain! party:

Angelo:

"You can't show up empty-handed," his mom grouses at him over the line while Gelly is busy pouring terrible cop breakroom coffee.

"I'll bring him flowers," Gelly says, rolling his eyes.

"Buck?"

"Huh? Why would I bring Buck flowers? The party is for Dan, right?"

His mom huffs an exasperated sigh. "Gelly-"

"I could have sworn Lu said Dan was the one who was getting the promotion."

"He is," his mom says. "But, listen, Captain Nash is very important to Buck. You need to make a good impression on him, understand? Bring something for the table. Like a charcuterie board or something."

"I'll be late if I stop to do that," Gelly says patiently. He gulps his coffee down in three large swallows, too hot, and sags slightly against his desk. Another 20 minutes left on shift, quick home to change and psych himself up for a social event filled with mostly strangers, then driving over to the directions Lucy gave him. He's the only brother without kids, and one of the only ones left without even a partner, which means he gets to be the official Family Presence for celebration events like this.

"Angelo Lucian Donato, I am trying to give you important advice."

Gelly winces. Full named, okay. "Fine, fine," he says. "I'll get a board from the supermarket, happy? Though I doubt being late will make any better impression than showing up with food."

A brief pause, then, "No, you're right." Before Gelly can say anything to that, his mom adds, "I'll get it for you. Is it better for me to drop it off at work or at home?"

"Ma... what's going on? This is kinda, uh, not normal behavior from you."

"Just trust me," she says, brisk. "Home or work?"

"Home," Gelly answers, giving up.

Everyone in the family always talked about Gelly and Lucy like they were copies of one another. They had the same approach to people and situations. They even looked the most alike out of all the kids. Gelly had had his own post-graduation wild child phase that had pioneered the path for Lucy, years later, to spend a few years surfing and working odd jobs without the family freaking out overmuch; they were the two perpetually singles at every family function. Then Dan showed up and became Lucy's steady plus one, but Gelly honestly thought that was all they were ever going to be.

He knew Daniel Buckley pretty well. He even more or less liked Daniel Buckley. Dan was an unquestionably great guy, and he looked at Lucy like she hung the stars in the sky, so Gelly didn't actually have any kind of objection to the man. But Gelly also never thought they were on track for marriage. He thought Lucy was like him in this way the way she was like him in almost every other way: that she liked herself, liked her life, too much to lock it in step with anyone else's. Make herself beholden to someone else, someone not family.

Her getting married a few months ago threw Gelly for a loop because, for maybe the first time, he started looking at his life and thinking Is this where I'm supposed to be? It was maybe more introspection than he ever really gave himself in the past, and it led to some recent dating misadventures as he attempted to also find his forever someone to settle down with. He hadn't thought anyone had really noticed, but he'd forgotten a key piece of information, which was: Marian Donato.

She's waiting for him in his kitchen, having let herself into his apartment with her key, busy at work transferring a grocery store charcuterie board onto a nice tray. She's frowning a little bit in concentration and barely looks up when Gelly walks in, only paying enough attention to him to ask, "Do you want some coffee before you get going?"

Rather than say anything else, Gelly just responds, "Sure, Ma, that would be great."

She gives him approval he doesn't ask for over the outfit he changes into, then messes with his hair till he bats her hands away; then presses his travel mug into one hand and pushes the charcuterie tray into his chest with the other, frowning as she looks him over.

"Maybe you should bring some flowers," she frets.

"For who...?"

"Captain Nash's wife, obviously. I hear she's also important to Buck."

"Okay." Gelly puts both the tray and the coffee down on the counter, then faces his mom. "Explain."

She huffs an impatient breath. "I just want you to make a good impression."

"Uh-huh. Explain in more detail, now."

"Dan was basically an orphan when Lucy brought him home. We didn't have to appease any family. It's not going to be so easy with Buck-"

"Okay, that's too many times you have mentioned Buck today. What's going on, Mom? For real."

She gives him an exasperated glare. "You're looking to settle down," she says, a statement and not a question. Gelly inclines his head, because he knows better than to lie to his mom. She says, "Right now, you're dating your way through everyone you avoided when you were just being casual."

"Okay, how do you know that?"

"I am very observant," she says. "Which is how I know that in about three more weeks, probably after Lucy and Dan drag Buck to family dinner, you're going to look at him and think of him as an option. Because right now everyone is an option. And I am here to tell you, Buck is an excellent option."

Gelly stares at her, brow raised. "Ma, this sounds kinda crazy." Buck is a great kid - he was an amazing partner to Lucy, and Gelly is honestly upset that she's going to lose that in the station transfer - but Buck is almost a decade younger than Gelly and Lucy would kill him, besides. And then Dan would make sure his corpse was desecrated beyond recognition. The guy has a protective streak that Gelly, as a fellow big brother, can see from space.

"I'm just keeping you from stumbling before you even start to race," his mom says. She picks his mug back up and pushes it back towards him. "I'll carry the tray. Come on, we've got to get you going. You can't be late. First impressions! You're meeting the two people Buck thinks of as parents, here."

"Oh, my god," Gelly mumbles, and dutifully follows her out the door.

The Grant-Nashes have a pretty swank house, not ostentatious, but classy and warm. It looks like something that would be featured in an architectural magazine of one kind or another. Captain Nash and Sergeant Grant greet him together at the door, and recognize him by name when he introduces himself.

"Angelo, of course, welcome," Athena says, a delighted smile on her face. It even looks authentic. "Please come in. Lucy and Dan are out in the yard - I think they're trying to get the barbecue going."

"As if we didn't already have enough food," Bobby says indulgently. "Though, of course, more is always welcome." He takes the charcuterie tray out of Gelly's hands with a genuine seeming, "This looks great!" while leading Gelly into the kitchen/living room area.

"My mom always says to not show up empty handed," Gelly says. In fact, she'd said it as she closed his car door on him, glowering at him in maternal bossiness.

"Marian is her own brand of terrifying," Buck chimes in, rising from a crouched position in the kitchen. Gelly had entirely missed him on first view: he takes Buck in now.

He's of a height with Gelly, which not many men can claim, though they both fall a little short of Dan's own giant frame. He's big, thanks to all of the functional muscle that firefighters put on, and it looks good on him. He wears it glowingly well, all health and rosy cheeks, bright eyes, big smile.

"You're her favorite, you know nothing of how scary she can actually be," Gelly says, and watches Buck's eyes crinkle in a happy, teasing grin. "Hey, Buck."

"Gelly, hey," Buck says, and takes the few steps forward necessary to bring him within half-hug territory. His arms are huge around Gelly, solid, strong. Gelly claps him on his broad, muscled back, and feels their chests make full contact. This close, he can tell that Buck even smells good - light cologne, more like an afterthought, melding into the base notes of his own personal scent. Gelly squeezes him tighter for a second, feels Buck squeeze him a bit in return, and finds he doesn't actually want to let go.

But it would be weird to not let go.

Buck stays with him and introduces him around to the others who have already arrived - Gelly's met Maddie Buckley before, but not often, and she is even more pregnant now than she was a few months ago. Like, Gelly's pretty sure she's about to pop any second, level of pregnant. Hen and Karen Wilson are fun, and the assorted first responders from the 147 are vaguely familiar in that Gelly has either met them once or twice through Lucy or seen them at some kind of emergency. He banters a bit with them before swooping in on Lucy and Dan, still out on the patio, still hovering over a stubbornly unlit grill.

Gelly smacks a congratulatory kiss to Dan's cheek, channeling his Nonna's spirit to really sell the celebratory ambience, and tells his brother-in-law congratulations.

"Thanks," Dan says, dry. "Do you know how to work this thing?"

"I'm sure we can figure it out," Gelly says magnanimously. But he finds that, even while he's standing with them, ostensibly making some kind of helpful conversation, his gaze is unerringly drawn through the glass doors, finding Buck. Hmmm. Buck looks good in a crowd. People gravitate toward him. He smiles big, he laughs big, he emotes joy with his whole body. He's louder than Dan, but he's not abrasive. He's just... a sweet guy. A really sweet, nice guy. Gelly already knows his family loves Buck. Gelly was not actually kidding when he called Buck Marian's favorite. And Buck is already 'Uncle Buck' to an entire generation of Donatos. Hmmm. A sweet, nice, young guy.

But age gap romances work out. They work out all the time. It's not like either one of them is actually a kid; they're both adults.

Buck is, uh, very adult. Gelly watches him bend down to give Maddie a hand in standing - watches Buck's forearm muscles flex, the way he instinctively braces her and makes sure she has her balance. She says something that makes him laugh and hmmm. He looks good all the time but he looks even better when he's laughing.

Gelly probably looks weird right now with how he's staring without blinking, but... what was that his mom had said again? Buck is an excellent option. She's biased, obviously, but she's not wrong.

He lands himself back by Buck's side, them crowded together as more people arrive. Buck absentmindedly wraps a friendly arm around Gelly's shoulders. He's strong enough that he doesn't even seem to notice when Gelly leans into him; Buck just shifts his weight slightly to brace for it. The first true spark of attraction starts to burn in Gelly at that reaction; he's not sure why that's the thing that does it - maybe the easy strength, maybe the unthinkingly generous responsiveness, maybe just something ineffable altogether. But the attraction is here and it's real and Gelly already feels it starting to grow.

Okay, Gelly thinks. He's not sure what he's agreeing to - maybe to his mom, maybe to the universe, for putting Buck right in front of him. There's a symmetry to it. He and Lucy always doing the same thing. On multiple levels, the idea of this just feels right.

Maybe it's ironic that he's thinking this just as the prickles start needling up and down his spine. Gelly's gaze snaps up, and he casts looks around, trying to figure out what triggered his fight or flight reflex.

Lucy, still by the barbecue, still next to Dan, but staring straight at him. A small frown on her face. The slight widening of her eyes as her eyes shift, micro-expression style, from Gelly to Buck and back again. Hostile suspicion dawning in her gaze. Gelly shifts ever so slightly closer to Buck and watches his little sister's eyes narrow.

He slowly, deliberately, wraps his arm around Buck's waist. Lucy shakes her head at him, very slowly, mouthing an emphatic No. But Gelly is feeling the smug certainty of every sibling who has their mom on their side, as he gives Lucy a slow smile back.

#the dan fic #outtake #thank u for the ask!#i'm glad u like the fic <3 #and LOL i wrote this scene knowing gelly is not rly gonna be a part of the fic #just u know #bit part in some scenes for ~flavor #tbh the donato brother i'm rooting for #if we go for a buckley boys sweep #is tony donato #he's an underdog but he's got cute kids #but gelly is fun and marian is even more fun #so have this oc pov ig #hope it was enjoyable

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restlesshush · 2 years

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Cas grace vampirism!

Hiii two other people have already asked about it so I thought I should dig up an excerpt. This is Cas pov stolen grace stuff. I alluded to his gay forehead bathing fantasies in my first answer, and the paragraph I have of it in my drafts in my drafts isn't too embarassing I don't think, so here you go! This is set during his motel bathrobe era. I have 3k of Cas introspection during his motel bathrobe era, which is especially hilarious given at the time that's more than I'd ever written for any single finished piece of fiction:

Sometimes he likes to imagine how Dean might tend to him now, if he were here, instead of wherever he is. Metatron seems to have had a penchant for regency romances at some point, which provide Castiel with lots of inspiration for how humans might tend to their ailing loved ones. Rain showers seemed to be treated as particularly hazardous in the past, something he can begin to appreciate from his time as a human, and in general humans in these novels are depicted as falling dramatically ill strikingly more often than he has witnessed spending time with Sam and Dean. His own affliction is of course very different to those of the characters being treated, but even with that, and with the time elapsed, he sees no reason why similar principles wouldn’t apply. Cas can imagine his eyes slipping closed to the sight of Dean at his bedside, and then blinking awake to still find him there, several hours later, just as a gesture of concern, to no practical end, but perhaps Cas’s comfort. He knows it’s not realistic, not even if Dean were fully Dean, rather than whatever it is that the combination of his death at Metatron’s hand and the effects of the Mark of Cain has resulted in. Dean would be more sensible than to dedicate all that time to the sunk cost Cas has become, and Cas isn’t foolish enough to pretend otherwise. He didn’t give up his angel army for Dean expecting to get something out of it. But he can still imagine that Dean might stay with him and rub his back when he coughed, or wipe his forehead with a damp cloth, or that he might wake up to Dean’s hand in his. He’s not sure what the damp cloth is supposed to achieve as such, but it is nice to think about Dean doing that. If anything, the fact that he knows it wouldn’t happen makes it a safer train of thought. He’s not being presumptuous if he doesn’t remotely presume.

Ask me about my wips

#asks #angelinthefire #spn #this is a self indulgent fic preview

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nobully · 1 year

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Who is an author that inspires you?

♡ Munday Meme ♡

14. Who is an author that inspires you?

oh boy are you ready for quotes cause here i go with quotes

george eliot - love her love her looove her esp. my fav piece of english literature that she wrote, middlemarch. she does introspection so well and had such a reputation for getting into people's heads with her characters that she made society fear her because of her sharp insights (and witty comments to go with them hahaha)

“We mortals, men and women, devour many a disappointment between breakfast and dinner-time; keep back the tears and look a little pale about the lips, and in answer to inquiries say, "Oh, nothing!" Pride helps; and pride is not a bad thing when it only urges us to hide our hurts— not to hurt others.”

“But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope.”

“ If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity.”

sanober khan - poet, the way she describes love is so simple yet so tender it turns you into honey and melts you softly into ooze idk it's NICE

“May your love for me be like the scent of the evening sea

drifting in through a quiet window

so i do not have to run or chase or fall ... to feel you

all i have to do is breathe.”

“the saddest thing is to be a minute to someone, when you've made them your eternity.”

dorothy l. sayers - one of my favorite mystery writers during the golden era of detective stories, she breathed life into lord peter wimsey, a son of a duke who goes off solving cases in 1920s~30s london. lovely foppish man, clever witty writer, her works are full of epigraphs and really well structured prose! i adore her style, it's so flashy yet sophisticated kyaa you can tell she has a lot of fun playing with words and syntax/sounds hehe

“Everybody is, I suppose, either Classic or Gothic by nature. Either you feel in your bones that buildings should be rectangular boxes with lids to them, or you are moved to the marrow by walls that climb and branch, and break into a inflorescence of pinnacles.”

“How can I find the words? Poets have taken them all and left me with nothing to say or do" "Except to teach me for the first time what they meant.”

“I know what you're thinking - that anybody with proper sensitive feelings would rather scrub floors for a living. But I should scrub floors very badly, and I write detective stories rather well. I don't see why proper feelings should prevent me from doing my proper job.”

frances hodgson burnett - she wrote some well-known children's stories like the secret garden or the little princess and what i really like is the sort of "lightness" and "kindness" she brings in her prose; there's a very sincere feeling of innocence in them that makes it soothing to read. i still count her short story/fairytale "the land of the blue flower" as a fav after all these years, lol here's a nice excerpt:

#sxnburst #answered;#i looked up quotes on goodreads for these ok i don't have them in my head ready or anything lol #ok done nerding out there's more but these always come to my head so heh

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phanfictioncatalogue · 1 year

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Dreams Masterlist

A Kiss in the Dream House (ao3) - Allthephils

Summary: Dan's not worried about the dreams he's been having. He's got them all figured out. It's simple really and it's definitely not anything that he's kept buried for years, nothing that he's afraid to face.

constant future memories (ao3) - kishere

Summary: time travel fic, either dan and phil time travel from current year to 2009/2012, or vise versa, introspection would be nice of how much they've changed

Destiny (not luck) (ao3) - i_am_my_opheliac

Summary: Dan has been having weird dreams for the past couple of weeks. They're not particularly weird, but they all have one thing in common: a handsome guy that he can't get out of his head.

So Dan does the only possible thing, and seeks help online in a dream interpretation website to make sense of his subconscious.

Dreamscape - elskerxeven

Summary: Dan takes part in a psychological study on lucid dreams and the lines between reality and dream begin to merge.

Dream Walking (ao3) - QueenOfAllCorgis

Summary: Phil hadn’t left his home in three years but every night he would close his eyes and find himself in someone else’s dream. One night he walks into Dan’s dream which is different from any other one he had been in before.

dreamweaver (ao3) - dnovep

Summary: Dan has a recurring dream, and a best friend who he loves very much, and a habit of overthinking.

"He looked down to see his hands separating at the wrists. There was no gore, no veins or bones, just a clear break between his forearms and his hands. His hands floated away. Dan woke up."

dream with me, dear (ao3) - deathlytireddan

Summary: Phil can visit Dan’s dreams, and Dan has a lot of feelings about it.

Everything I Wanted (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)

Summary: Dan dreams and dreams of what his life could have been if he had gotten everything he ever wanted - the what ifs that pale in comparisson to what he had now.

Based on the Billie Eilish song. Accompanying piece to "If I Ain't got you," but can be read as a stand alone.

fall out of bed (and catch a fading star) (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: In which Dan dreams about an ex, and Phil is amused.

Goodnight (ao3) - Lesterlockian

Summary: Dan dreams of the perfect wedding day, only to wake up to what's really happened.

Heaven (ao3) - TortiTabby

Summary: Phil dreams about the Dan he used to have and reflects on his Dan now.

I Could Look Into Your Eyes (Until the Sun Comes Up) (ao3) - lucipherer (mysticstargirl)

Summary: Dan Howell has always been really rather lonely, and the world is so damn unfair to him. An AU in which you’re supposed to dream with your soulmate, and Dan just really, really wants to.

Imaginary Friends - adorkablephil

Summary: Nothing’s AU … except that Dan and Phil have been appearing in each other’s dreams since childhood without realizing it because they’re soulmates. Everything on the outside looks like the reality we’re used to irl.

In Any World (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: Returning home after his second world tour, Dan feels lost, bored, and without direction.

But things are about to get much more exciting when, while reading fanfiction in the bath, Dan slips, hits his head, and passes out. When he wakes up, it's to a world that definitely isn't the one he came from, especially because his best friend is in bed with him.

And if he thinks that is strange, things are about to get a whole lot weirder.

Just A Dream (ao3) - interruptedbyfjreworks

Summary: Dan has a bad dream and Phil comforts him.

Once Upon a Dream (ao3) - Courageous_Cas

Summary: Phil Lester is haunted by a mysterious man in his dreams. Almost every night he has nightmares about this man but there is something about him that attracts Phil. While running late to work he run's into someone who will forever change his life for the better or for the worse.

See You in My Dreams - pianodan

Summary: phil’s over-creative with an imagination beyond limits, but he’s never really thought about kissing boys. that is, until one night, when he has a dream about dan; the school’s own girl-magnet and his best friend, and it turns out reality isn’t that far from his imagination at all.

Some Dreams Hurt (ao3) - Stormendale

Summary: Dan has a dream that he should probably want to wake up from, but he doesn't.

The Anatomy of Your Umbrella (ao3) - kittycatrin

Summary: Phil starts meeting Dan in his dreams, and Dan misses the way the rain used to make him feel.

The Dream - elskerxeven

Summary: Dan has a dream Phil loves him back, and the idea remains after he wakes up.

The Dream Book - chocolatesaucelester

Summary: | Fluffy smut/bit of angst | Dan has this secret diary dream diary that Phil happens to stumble across.

The Flower Boy (ao3) - adorkablephil (kimberly_a)

Summary: Nothing is AU … except that Dan and Phil have been in each other’s dreams since childhood (takes place before and during TATINOF)

the man of my dreams (ao3) - animad

Summary: Just over a year ago, he’d started to get Dreams, nearly every night for two weeks. Dreams, discerned from dreams by one common factor, a factor that has dark hair and black rimmed glasses.

Waking Dreams (ao3) - Elleberquist6

Summary: To the casual observer, Dan Howell is a normal human man, but he has a secret. He shared this fact -- that he is an incubus -- years ago with his boyfriend Phil. But due to Dan's shyness about his identity and Phil's over-eagerness to seem accepting they didn't discuss it in detail at the time. All of that changes on a day when Dan notices that Phil is reading a book about the mythological sex demons in an effort to better under Dan. It's time for Dan to talk and finally share something about himself. Maybe he will find something out about Phil at the same time.

what is and what could never be (ao3) - dip_dyed_ghost

Summary: On a hunt gone awry, Dan gets attacked by a djinn and is forced to make a decision: does he stay in the dream the creature has put him in, or does he return to his cold, bleak reality?

When Dreams Become Reality (ao3) - mollieblack

Summary: When Dan first found that he could go into peoples' dreams, he immediately worked his way down his list of celebrity idols.

What happens when he decides to travel into his own best friend's subconscious and finds out there's a big secret Phil's been keeping from him?

While You Sleep (ao3) - sunshineandsadness

Summary: Dan Howell is haunted by nightmares. He has no desire to sleep due to the fear of the horror that the dreams will bring. That is, of course, until a mysterious blue eyed figure turns up in his dreams one night.

Why don't we rewrite the stars (ao3) - FandomsAreLifex_x

Summary: Dan and Phil have separate dreams of them being in alternate universe's and realize how much they mean to each other

Wouldn't Dream of It (ao3) - JudeAraya

Summary: A spur of the moment boquet of flowers leads to some vivid dreams, some insight into flower meanings, and an important conversation about their future.

#phanfictioncatalogue #phanfiction #phanfic #phan #masterlists #dreams #dreams masterlist

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