#particularly pan but also. mc

[radiokathryn-if]

how would the RO’s be in a red string of Fate AU? (cut to Nate desperately trying to cut the string off his finger bc he’s engaged lmao)

So the Red String Of Fate is one if my favourite AUs because if the origins of the myth!

In the ancient Chinese myth (and please correct me if I'm wrong!) the string is actually wrapped around the ankle rather than the pinky finger like in Korean and Japanese folklore! That the string connects you to the fate you're destined to have and with the people you belong with to achieve that fate.

My favourite “take” on this story is how it applies to all kinds of people, and even multiple people! I think that because of my understanding as a person who is not only pan(sexual) and open to polyamory but also demi(romantic) with a unique perspective through my best friend in to an aroace mindset that the thout of soulmates being strictly romantic and forever only one person is a bit bizzare──humans are people people, not person people... if that makes any sense.

I love exploring different 'avenues' of what connection means to people and how to push conventional boundaries as to what fate and destiny could be. That you have thousands of strings and they are woven together to create your tapestry of Fate (and this is where my favourite mythology comes in──greek mythology!) that is ever changing because the threads fray when you lose a connection or they gray out when someone dies, not fraying because even though they're gone they're still important to you, that the brighter strands are the people who mean the most to you.

I adore it──the introspection into human connection. (I love reading through aroace and poly story's for that exact reason!)

But back to your question! In the classic sense of the Red String Of Fate AU where it's Romantic Soulmates:

You're right, Nate absolutely detests his string──the whole concept of soulmates really. What really gets him is that he hates the feeling of no control, that there's no choice to be made that his string doesn't lead to the one he asks to marry him. He learnt a long time ago how to ignore his string, how to ignore the tug when you leave his side, how to ignore the tingles on the tips of his fingers when you're closer, how to ignore you... it's sad more than anything else──that his need for control, his vision of life, deprives you of a soulmate connection too.

As stated before, Eva truly is a romantic at her core and the thought that she has a soulmate is something she dreams of. Life, however, isn't a dream world and she also believes in agency and making decisions for herself. Though if there's anything Eva regrets it's saying yes to Nate when he proposed to her. Young naivety can only go so far as an excuse when she long for the tiny ounces of warmth you bring her when you cross paths. She keeps it a secret, but the hope that you'll snap her out of the predicament she's in keeps her heart pumping and her fingers tingling!

Mica is a little bit of a different story, considering your connection to each other already. In terms of the Original Universe, Mica might be the closest thing MC has to a soulmate that universe has, platonically or romantically. Mica loves you. Full stop. The fact that fate says you're destined to be in each others life is just the cherry on top for them. It's always been easy to be in their presence, and they will never push romance on you──if you get there, that's where fate has taken you!

The concept of 'soulmates' is... strange to Detective Han, to say the least. They don't... not believe in it but they aren't particularly bothered to chase it either. I think when they finally actually realise what the tugging and the warmth and the tingling means is when they'll get a bit... tense around MC. They don't know how to navigate this and they'll eventually be ready to try──all they ask if for your patience and with time comes their love tenfold. (As fate would have it, it turns out.)

José likes the sentiment of having a Fated One, but putting it in their real world makes them a bit apprehensive. They don't like the thought of not having autonomy and while there's comfort in knowing there's someone out there just for them (and for them to give their heart to in return) the discomfort of not knowing can be a little much. They don't like the weight of expectations. It's difficult, when they make the choice to leave your side before your connection could really bloom─and it was certainly a tough decision─but they must believe that you'll come together when you're supposed to... they're just not sure if they actually do.

Ji Han grew up listening to the stories of these myths from his mother. It's something he yearns for silently. He wants you so much he'd do anything to keep you in his heart. But he's a gentleman first and lets you take the reigns──to go at your pace. In this world he might believe he can have his love at first sight, and if he has his way the sight of his love would be his last, to bless him for his next life to be with you once again.

With Fauve fate is... subjective. In this world she tends to wear gloves. She doesn't like the way she feels when she sees her string while she's... entertaining others. It's not necessarily that Fauve hates the idea of soulmates, it's just that she can't fathom that she'd ever get to meet hers. When she was younger she used to fantasize about her fated one, and her hopes for who they were always came crushing down when it never was who she thought, in the end. Upon meeting MC she may not even realise she just met her fated one until it's too late and after the decisions she's made surrounding you freezes her heart at the thought you wouldn't want her anymore. Dilemmas, dilemmas.

For Jackson, I've chosen to believe Fate gave him a second chance string. That his first red string led him to his daughter, Cilly, and the second will lead him to you. The problem, however, is that that first experience with Fate has left Jackson both weary and jaded to the idea. That while yes, it gave him his most precious thing, the live of his child, it also left him with a shattered heart and scars on his soul. Fortunately, he's not completely closed off, like Nate is, but like Detective Han he needs time to build up trust and let his walls down──for himself!

??? adores his string and the person on the other end of it. Growing up in the way they did left them alone most of the time, betrayed by their family and sent away. They hold out their hopes of love even when their body is cold from being so far away from you and worships the feeling of warmth as the two of you get closer once again.

Bonus! The Poly Routes

Jauve (Ji Han/Fauve)──They balance each other out very well here. Ji Han allows Fauve to accept and acknowledge her feelings towards Fate sooner than she would on her own──coming to terms with it more healthily and giving her more perspectives on how to goes about her choices around her fated ones than she does on her own. And Fauve makes sure Ji Han takes his time to properly love, to savour the feeling with time and introspection and creating connection before blindly jumping into it. They let's each other believe in more ways to love people, to bask in those feelings and to become better people than they thought they were capable of.

Eva&???──for ???, there's that sort of hurt in his chest at just how much they get to breathe when with MC and Eva. ??? never really thought they'd get to even have one soulmate let alone two! The build up of emotion they feel... is like it could burst out if their chest──explode their very being at any second. So they bask in the feeling of you, fingers digging a little too deep into their hold on your connection. For both of them it's all about second chances. It feels like fate has decreed to spare them more suffering and gifted them something so wholely special. Eva especially thanks whichever god's bound her to two beings, the scars and hurt from Nate seem to just melt away when you're around and she can finally relax her heart once again...

#peoplechangepeople🧡

#this might be a bit long... whoops #also sorry for the rant! this is just my favourite myth/trope/au to talk about and think about in ALL the ways! #also most these turned out to be so tragic... wtf me #radio kathryn if #all ros #c: nate nicks #c: eva vidal #c: mica hollens #c: detective han #c: josé danger #c: ji han #c: fauve #c: jackson lewis #c: ??? #poly: jauve #poly: evijah

[blackcandlesinwinter]

It's really disappointing that discussion of class politics is so stunted on this site. Like most commentary you see is either "anyone who buys pre-cut vegetables or home decor is bourgeois and should be beheaded" or "only the billionaire class is truly rich and deserving of criticism." And these are both just such immature views.

Like, if your understanding of class is at the level of "you're too rich if you have throw pillows" you're really not any better than the hard-line conservatives who complain that a homeless person doesn't deserve help because they could just sell their car, or a jobless person doesn't need help because they still have a cellphone.

But on the other side, sure, there's a huge gap in power and wealth between what we might call the "upper middle class" (UMC) and someone like Elon Musk. But the upper middle class still has specific class interests which strongly incentivize and perpetuate wealth disparities and white supremacy. In fact, this class has a HUGE harmful impact on socioeconomic realities, in some ways maybe moreso than the billionaire class. And that's worth pointing out and critiquing!

Like, the way the UMC pushes to draw school districts so that their children never have to share schools with too many poor or black kids (resulting in wealthier neighborhoods having well-funded schools while poor neighborhoods which collect little tax revenue have underfunded schools). Like the way that MC and UMC folks will fight tooth and nail to prevent low-income housing from being built in their neighborhoods, resulting in effective segregation of cities and suburbs by class and race. Like the way that wealthier Americans will use the police as their weapon to harass and drive away homeless people, people of color, and poorer people from their communities and their streets for their own comfort. Like the way that UMC folks may not be 1%ers, but they still have enough wealth to take advantage of tax loopholes and tax-sheltering schemes to avoid paying their fair share. Gated communities. Anti-pan-handling ordinances. White flight. Gentrification. Tens of thousands of golf courses. Rampant consumerism and waste. Not to mention the number of careers within this class which specifically exist to perpetuate and support the existing class divides.

And, importantly, I'm talking about CLASS here, not individuals. I have no doubt that there are plenty of individual UMC folks out there who are specifically fighting against these things and are trying to use their wealth to make their communities better for all. But those would be people who are working against their class interests. The upper-middle class as a whole has class interests that are fundamentally opposed to the interests of those with less wealth, and which are largely aligned with the interests of the super-rich. Working against one's class interests is also extremely challenging, particularly if you were born reasonably wealthy, since your class will have shielded you from fully understanding the problems you're trying to solve. Thus, attempts to help are often misguided or ineffective, and sometimes ultimately end up serving the wealthy more than the poor. That may not even be intentional, but it's how class works and perpetuates itself.

I dunno, I guess I'm just frustrated that every time any critique of the upper-middle class seems to venture onto this site, it immediately seems to get derailed with either "kill them all!" or "you're not allowed to criticize the wealth of anyone not in the top 0.1%!" I'd love to see people start to think past that dichotomy.

#class #wealth #politics

[angelizs]

Hey hey if you could make an event in twst what would you want it to be about?,what characters would you wanna learn more about?

hello anon!!! oooh that's such an interesting question, I really like it!

to be honest I haven't given much thought to it before, as I've started to play the game kinda recently (almost 2 months now!) and haven't participated in a lot of the events, so I still have many of the available ones I wanna explore. all the events are so interesting, with their disney movie themes, character interactions and exclusive cards!

also, I'd be pretty content with learning more about any character, really, since they're all very well written and any new detail would be nice to learn and add to their whole picture! of course, if some of my favorites were to get choosen, that would make me happier, but I'd be satisfied with any character.

hmm, as I said here, I do think an April fools event would be nice! something more light hearted, filled with jokes and chaos. one example of April fools event that I've really enjoyed are from Mystic Messenger, as they are SO FUNNY, the characters are acting kind of crazy and it makes me lose it every time.

another event I think would be interesting is a valentine's day one. I know many people would like it to follow a more romantic route, and while I don't think it would work that well and am satisfied with the way things are, a valentine's event could be great for world building! do they have something like it? are their traditions like ours? is the date inspired by some famous tale? also, valentine's is a time to celebrate love, which can also be platonic and shared between friends! it would make a very wholesome event, after we get past the usual shenanigans.

if we are following the cliche route, then we need a beach day episode type of event. it would be even funnier if none of Octavinelle was included on it. imagining the first years going to spend a day at the Island's beach together sounds like so much fun!

I'd also LOVE a masquerade ball! maybe as a reference to Cinderela? the high tension and mystery and elegance of this type of event would be very appealing to me. AND IMAGINE THE BEAUTIFUL CARDS!! I just KNOW everyone would look amazing! the masks have a lot of potential to be creative and recall the original movies. I think it would work as a twistune event, and the soundtrack would be wonderful. imagining their little chibis all dressed up and dancing together in the background now.

one in which we get to explore more of the world would be nice as well, visiting the boys homeland (such as with the Harveston and the Scalding Sands events). the world building we would get to see would be amazing, and it might answer many questions! I particularly would be interested in visiting Sunset Savanna, maybe meeting Falena and the queen while having more Cheka cameos, and of course granny Bucchi as well, perhaps even Rook's family. or the Briar Valley, take a look at how different a fae habited land is and shine some light into Malleus' grandmother mystery. as both are kingdoms, I'd also want to explore how being part of royalty would affect their lives once they're in their own countries, and not at a neutral territory like NRC.

as I've seen it being done in fanfics before, an event in which some kind of potion experiment goes wrong and turns some of the boys into little kids would also be so cute. babysitter MC to the rescue! looking after the little brats as they cause trouble would surely be endearing. and if we get little kid cards, then what? (also, I think it would be a twistune event with nursery rhymes, but imagine it as a battle event for a second. we would get to fight literal little kids. yes they are bastards once they grow up but still. it would be so funny.) and any card would be extremely cute too.

as for something elaborate, I can think of a little storyline. Peter Pan, despite being one of disney's oldest movies and also iconic ones, didn't get any references in the game, at least none that I know of. Captain Hook is such a cool character, and I think there could be some teacher twisted from him, if not an entire dorm on his name. the point is: I really like pirates. so, I'd like a pirate themed event that would make references to Peter Pan. (look, I'm gonna be very biased towards my favorites right now, this would be a completely self indulgent event)

here's how it could go: there'd be rumors of a treasure somewhere in the Coral Sea, as recently many pirate ships have been swarming the waters in search of it. Crowley, of course, would also like to get his hands on the treasure, and who better to send to do his dirty work other than his minion MC? Azul, naturally, would want in, as the Coral Sea is his home and there is no better guide than him, though his help will come by the hefty price of 50% of the profit. the twins will be dragged into this as well, but happily so, as they'd love to visit their home again, even if it's on a boat.

other characters I think could enter: Ruggie, that was working at Mostro Lounge, heard everything and wanted in to get some of the supposed money too. Deuce, who might have been roped into another contract and was dragged by Azul to help them (they needed more hands on deck. Deuce will be cleaning it). and Silver, who either got roped into this mess by Lilia or got in trouble with the octatrio because of his sleeping habits and would go with them to make up for it.

I think their interactions as they imitate a pirate crew in the middle of the sea, stuck on a ship together, have immense comical potential. someone WOULD walk the plank (most likely Floyd). Ruggie would tell pirate stories and sing sea shanties. Deuce would do his best to act the part and try to talk like a pirate during the entire thing (he's really bad at it but he's got the spirit). Silver would befriend a bunch of seagulls and fish. Floyd would play with swords and almost cut something in half. Jade would have his fun by exploring their ship and learning how's the sea experience for people of the land. Azul would be stressed because where is that damn treasure!?

another thing that could happen would be a prince Rielle appearence! I'm super curious to see how he is and what exactly is his relationship with the Octavinelle guys. and imagine if he joins the crew to help? it would be so funny, the potential of someone who has known them since they were little kids joining in... plus, I'd get Neige and Che'nya to make a cameo at the end of the event and reveal Rielle has been going to RSA and is Neige's classmate!

for their cards I think Azul would be an SSR, as the captain of the crew (and finally would be wearing a hat that suits him). Ruggie would also have one, in which, differently from his halloween one, he would look more like a first mate (think Mr Smee like). Jade would be an SR, as the quartermaster. Floyd would be the other one, as the gunner, and he'd be holding pirate swords on both hands. Silver would be a R, as the boatswain, alongside Deuce, as the swabbie of the crew (bless him).

it would make a lot more sense for it to be a battle event, but I like twistunes and would like to hear the sea shanty like rythm they could come up with, too. if it was an option, a mix of the two would be ideal.

in the end, there might not be any treasure, or it doesn't have what they expected it to, rendering their efforts worthless, but it would have been such a nice trip! I'd have a lot of fun playing an event like this!

#tea time #ANON I'M SO SLEEPY RN I'M SORRY IF ANYTHING DOESN'T MAKES SENSE #I don't feel like I'm making that much sense but I liked this question a lot so I had to answer it before going to sleep #aniplex please hire me make the peter pan event become real !! #I'll look this over after I've woken up later. rn I'm about to be a mimir #maybe I'll add some more coherent thoughts as well #one day I might write a pirate au. one day...

[gutsfics]

The Name Of The Game

Chapter One - Goodness

AO3 Link | Next Chapter (N/A) Fandom: Hollywood U Pairing: Thomas Hunt x Avalon Hammond (M!MC) Other Characters: Janey Hammond (F!OC) Length: 7,001 words Rating: Teen Warnings: Teacher/Student Relationship, Canon-Atypical Cursing, Smoking, Implied Sex, Referenced Canon-Typical Blackmail Notable Headcanons: Gay/Transmasculine Character (Thomas)

Series Summary: After being given a full ride to a prestigious film school by a mysterious benefactor, Avalon Hammond moves from Texas to California to try and make it big. Unfortunately, everything seems to go down hill incredibly quickly after an unintended one night stand with a professor before classes start.

Chapter Summary: Barely in LA for a week, Avalon gets invited to a masquerade ball the night before his classes start, where he meets a man. In-Game Quests Used: On The Hunt

A/N: With PB shutting down HWU, I figured it was about time I actually get this finished. I hope you enjoy!

“That’s the last one,” Avalon says with a sigh as he drops the box he’s holding onto the top of a stack. “I hope I remembered everything, I really don’t wanna call you up in a week, crying ‘cuz I left, I don’t know, my really good nonstick pan in Texas.”

“I think you mean my really good nonstick pan,” Janey retorts, glancing up from where she’s trying to assemble some Uskea furniture. “You want good cookware, you gotta buy it yourself.”

He scoffs. “I did buy it.”

“With money from our joint account when we were getting the essentials. And since that money was family money, the pan is staying in Texas with me and the girls. Besides, you and I both know that you’re not gonna eat anything that can’t be microwaved for at least your first semester.” 

“Stop projecting. I cook more than you do.”

She flicks a spare screw at him. “Anyway,” she says, overenunceating on purpose, “Since you’re done bringing shit in, you wanna help me with this?”

“Not particularly, no.”

She gives him a withering stare.

“But that don’t mean I won’t,” he says with a sigh, kneeling next to her and picking up the instructions. “Which one is this? The coffee table? Arkelstorp?”

“Bookshelf. Lo- lommarp, I think? Gotta keep your thousand dollar textbooks on display somewhere, why not on some shitty cheap furniture? Hand me that screwdriver.”

“Oh, gross, I forgot about textbooks.” He scrunches his nose. “What does an art school even need textbooks for? Tuition is already crazy high on it’s own.”

“Ain’t you getting a free ride?”

“I mean, yeah, but I wouldn't be needing someone else to pay if it weren’t so fucking expensive. If you hadn’t talked me into doing this, I’d still be at home, taking care of the girls.” He pauses, shifting his attention to the shelf for a few seconds, and then quietly says, “Ain’t too late to back out now, is it?” 

Janey sighs and puts down the shelf part, shuffling in place to turn to Avalon. She gently puts a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, I know you miss them. I miss them, too, and I’m going back home in a few days. But I also know that doing this is important to you. You’ve loved acting and making movies since we were kids, and now you have the opportunity to get trained by professionals for free.”

“I don’t know if it’s free, really. It really seemed like he only offered to pay because he’s expecting something down the line.”

“I mean you don’t have to pay money, dumbass. He probably just wants you for a movie he’s producing eventually, or something. Or maybe he wants to be your sugar daddy and this was the only way he could get you to accept.” She turns back to the half-finished shelf. “Either way, I know this is something you want to do. You, getting your class list all figured out- that was the happiest I’ve seen you doing anything for yourself in a while. Dawn and Lily can’t be the only things that make you happy; it’s not fair to them.”

“I know, I just… Can’t I find something in Texas, closer to home?”

“Give it til the end of the semester, alright? You can’t quit before you even start. Besides,” She bumps his shoulder with her own. “Maybe you’ll find a hot guy who treats you right. One you’re confident could make a good stepdad to the girls.”

Avalon blushes and shakes his head. “Absolutely not! That’s not why I’m here!”

“What, you saying you don’t want to bone down with some cute Californian boy?” Janey jabs his side a few times.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to fuck, I just-!” He sighs. “What guy is gonna want some ex-hooker, who’s married with two kids, and is just now going to college? And not just any college, but a fucking film school, even though he’s pushing forty? Even with my wife being a lesbian, that still drastically narrows my already small dating pool.” He waves his hand dismissively. “It’ll probably be best if I just stick to the occasional random hookup to get me through the year, sexually. And that’s if I can find someone here who’s not scared off by me being… well, you know.” He gestures at himself.

Janey gives him an odd look, tipping her head to the side and scrunching her nose. "What, a giant? Or a bear? I thought twinks love bears. Besides, there have been men who have paid a shitton of money just to be with you for a single night, you don’t gotta worry about people not finding you attractive.”

“That was my job, Janey. They had to pay me for that.”

“Yeah, but they chose to be your clients. You weren’t the only gigolo in Gillespie County- they could have gone to someone else. But they didn’t.”

“I don’t think my clients are a good example of people finding me attractive. A few of them were into some gross, messed up shit.” He shudders. “Not the kind of people I’d want to be in a relationship with.”

“The world is big, Ava. Surely there’s a guy out there who thinks you’re sexy and is only into the things you enjoy doing. But, if you don’t wanna look for a guy for yourself, you can always find a girl for me.” She stands up, lifting the shelf as she goes. “Now, where do you want this?”

“Over here, I think.” He gets up as well, helping her move the shelf into place. “Hm.” He tips his head to the side. “It’ll look better once we get the rest of the room set up.” He starts sliding some boxes onto the shelves to make more room. “Arkelstorp next. The coffee table.”

Janey nods and begins opening the box, but before they can begin assembling, there is a knock at the door. “Who do you think that is?”

“New neighbor saying hello, or maybe some missionaries here to offer moving assistance in exchange for us attending church with them on Sunday.” Avalon shrugs. “Only one way to find out.” He tucks some stray hair back into his ponytail and heads for the front door.

Only to find no one there. He leans out, looking up and down the street. “...Huh. Okay.” He turns to go back inside, but a paper- folded and sealed with wax, taped to the door- catches his eye. He grabs it and heads back to Janey.

“Whatcha got there?”

“Letter. I think it’s from the guy who’s funding me. “The Benefactor” or whatever the fuck he’s calling himself.” 

“What’s it say?”

“Hold your horses, I’m getting to that.” He snaps the fancy wax seal and unfolds the paper. A ticket, less than a third the size of the paper it was folded in, flutters to the ground as Avalon reads quietly. “Huh. There’s some kinda… charity masquerade ball function thing he wants me to go to. Says it’ll be a good way to get a foot in the door for my career.”

“Ooh, fun! When is it?”

“Um, um, uuuuum…” he picks up the ticket he dropped and inspects it. “Next week. The Sunday before classes start.”

“Damn. Same day I leave.”

“I’m still gonna be able to take you to the airport.”

“Maybe I wanted to go, too.”

“Only one ticket, babe. But he did say you’ll be in first class on your way home, so I’m not gonna be having all the fun.”

“Ooh, first class, what fun. Especially when flying makes you sick.” She wiggles her fingers at him. “You’ll tell me about it after, right?”

“Of course. I love nothing more than making fun of weird rich people with you. But for now,” he puts the letter and ticket on the bookshelf and gestures at the coffee table they were about to assemble. “Shitty furniture.

-

The rest of the week passes by fairly quickly, with Avalon and Janey sightseeing and hitting up Rodeo Drive to find him a suit for the masquerade.

When Sunday rolls around, and Avalon and Janey arrive at the part of the airport they were told to be for her flight back to Texas, they’re whisked off to one of LAX’s private suites.

“Shit,” Avalon says, turning around the room after the airport employee leaves. “I mean seriously, what the shit. All this and we won’t even be here for more that, what, an hour or two? Rich people are insane.”

Janey laughs and drops her bag on one of the armchairs, then flops down on the daybed. “I’m not disagreeing with you, but you need to lie down with me. This fuckin’ thing is way more comfortable than the bed in your place.”

“I don’t doubt that. Move over.” Avalon moves some of the throw pillows off the bed, then stretches out next to her. “Shit. I think I gotta live here now.”

They share a laugh, then Janey gets back up, poking around the minibar.

Avalon leans over to rifle through a platter of single serving snacks set up on the coffee table. “Honestly, I do not believe in the slightest that all of this is actually free like that guy said. They’ve gotta be, like, keeping track of everything we touch and planning to charge us for every little thing out of place.”

“Well, it ain’t like we ourselves are paying for this. Thank you, Mister Benniefactor, whoever the fuck you are,” Janey says as she pours a craft beer into two cups, toasting to nothing as she hands one cup to Avalon. She lounges back down and they sip their beers in a comfortable silence.

Then, as Avalon opens a bag of raisins and offers her a handful, Janey breaks the silence. “Christ, we’re getting old.” Then she pours a fistfull of raisins into her mouth.

Avalon snorts. “What makes you say that?”

“Us, ten years ago? We would have fucking partied if we had been given a room like this. And here we sit, sharing a beer and eating fucking raisins.”

“Hey, now. Raisins are fucking good. Besides, this is just the pre-party. Once the hookers and my coke guy show up, things will really get going.”

“Wow, a single week in Hollywood and you already have a coke guy? A little early in your career to be going off the deep end, isn’t it?”

Avalon laughs and flicks a raisin at Janey, who catches it after it bounces off her arm but before it hits the bed. “How about this- we get the party started by popping open some bubbly, and then we call the girls? I wanna have at least one phone call with them a day until I’m back in Texas.”

“By bubbly you mean Lacrox, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t wanna be getting wasted in front of the girls. That’s just bad parenting.”

Janey nods in agreement, then tosses him a Lacroix, which he uses to water down what’s left of his beer.

“Christ, you’re insane,” Janey states, watching him. “You’ll fit in good.”

“Fuck, yeah, I will,” he responds. “Okay, no more cussing. Fuck, crap, shit, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Starting now.” He pulls his phone out and dials Janey’s parents.

The conversation with their daughters wasn’t that long, but it was sweet. The girls excitedly told their parents about their day, and the crafts they had made with Abuela Maria, Avalon’s mother, and that they missed them both very much, and that while they were excited their momma was coming home, they wished their daddy was coming home too.

Avalon did his best not to cry hearing that. Instead he promised that he would visit as often as he could, on long weekends and holidays.

They finally hang up when Janey’s father announces it was about time they start getting ready to go, as the time it took to get to the airport Janey would be arriving at would take about the same amount of time her flight would be.

“Hey, before I gotta go, there’s something I have to give you,” Janey says, breaking the silence that fell between them and searching through her carry on. “Fuck, I thought I just had it. I can’t have lost it already.”

“What’s up?” Avalon asks, propping himself up on his elbow. “I should probably be the one giving you something, considering you are my lovely wife whom I am abandoning with the kids for a life of luxury.”

“I think for that to be true, I have to take you to court and make you pay exorbitant fees in child support. Ah, here it is.” She pulls a sleek little box with a ribbon tied around it out of the front pocket of her bag. She settles back down next to him, crossing her legs under herself, and hands him the box.

“What’s this?”

“Open it and you’ll find out.”

“Ah. I thought you might say that.” Avalon tugs the ribbon off the box, then slides the lid off.

Inside is a simple gold chain necklace.

Janey reaches over and takes Avalon’s left hand, sliding the wedding band off his finger. “I know you Avalon. I know the kind of person you are. I know what this ring means to you. I’m not gonna tell you not to wear it, but I think you should wear it around your neck instead of on your finger.”

Avalon looks at the chain in his hands, then at his best friend- his wife- and the golden band she held in her own hands. “...What? Why don’t you want me to wear the ring?”

She shrugs a shoulder. “I mean, you’ve said it yourself. Hollywood is gonna be our fresh start. I think it might be best if we go into that fresh start as best friends instead of husband and wife.” She puts a hand up when Avalon opens his mouth. “Before you say anything, we don’t have to get divorced until you graduate. Those marriage benefits are way too helpful to just drop cuz you’re going off to college. Might help us through it, anyway.”

“Are- are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t have bought that necklace if I wasn’t.” She takes the necklace from him, placing it around his neck. “Besides, you can’t land a hot twunk if he thinks you’re hitched.”

“I already said--!”

Janey snorts and laughs, interrupting him. “Jesus, I’m fucking joking. But for reals though,” she places a hand on his shoulder. “I hope you get laid. You’ve been way too pent up.”

Avalon frowns at her. “You’re making me want to not give you your gift.”

“Agk, no don’t do that! I’m sorry!”

“Alright, if you promise you’re done being a jackass-”

“Swear to god, I am!”

“Okay.” Avalon reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box.

His gift was in no way as meaningful as hers was, but her face lights up the moment she opens the box and she excitedly swaps her lightning bold stud earrings out for the worm-on-a-strings.

“Oh, these-” she gives her head a little shake, and the fuzzy worms whip and wiggle around wildly- “these are fucking fantastic. I love ‘em!” She pulls Avalon into a hug.

“I fucking knew you would.” He grins, hugging her back.

After a moment, he buries his face against her shoulder. “‘M gonna miss you.”

“Aw, you big sap. I’m gonna miss you, too.”

They hold each other until the airport employee knocks on the door. “Your plane is boarding, ma’am.”

Avalon holds her tighter, not ready to let her go just yet. “You and the girls will be alright?”

“Of course, Ava. Your mom and my parents are there to help me when I can’t handle being a parent by myself.”

“Right…”

There’s another knock at the door. “Ma’am?”

“I think this is the part where you let go of me now.”

“Sorry, I just-” Avalon pulls away. “You’ve been in my life every day for the past eighteen years. I can’t just… Let you go.”

“You’re not letting me go. I’ll still be around, I just won’t be… around, around. Just for a little while. You can still visit home on holidays, or I can bring the girls here.”

Avalon nods, wiping the tears off his cheeks. “Janey, I-- I love you.”

“I love you too, Avalon.” Janey stands up, pulling Avalon to his feet with her. “You’re gonna fucking kill it here in Hollywood. I know you will.”

He grins at her, eyes still misty. “And you’re gonna fucking kill it being a third grade teacher, like always.”

“Hell yeah I will!” She grins back and pats him on the shoulder. “Break a leg, cowboy. I got a flight to catch.”

-

Avalon slips a Phantom-style mask over his face. It was dark brown and gold, and shared the same curly pattern as was embroidered onto his suit in the same colors. He smooths a hand over his hair and straightens his clothes one last time before heading into the crowded ballroom. He stays close to the edge of the room, unsure of what to do and suddenly very aware of how alone and out of his element he is.

He tugs slightly at the hem of his jacket, feeling very out of place compared to the standard black and white tuxedos all the other men wore.

Without thinking, he makes his way to the bar and orders a whiskey on the rocks, giving the bartender a smile. Once the drink is in hand, he leans against the bar, nodding politely at another man standing at the bar as he turns out to face the room.

He sips his drink in silence, surveying the crowd. He doesn’t realize the other man has gotten closer until he speaks up.

“Forgive me if I’m being too forward, but I must admit I have been trying to figure out who you are since you arrived.” The stranger’s voice is deep, and, while it isn’t exactly warm, it certainly warms Avalon. For a brief second, his eyes travel down Avalon’s body, but he quickly pulls his gaze back to his face.

Avalon suppresses a shiver and smiles cheekily at the other man. “Good luck with that, I ain’t-- I’m not exactly well known. I mean, unless you’ve ever been to the southernmost part of Texas…” He trails off and shrugs.

“I can’t say that I have.”

“If that’s the case, I’m Avalon.”

“Hm.” He furrowed his brow and looked away, thinking for a moment. “A... peculiar name, for a peculiar man. Fitting.”

“Peculiar, huh? Should I be offended or flattered?”

“You are the only man in the room not wearing a plain black suit.” He turns back to Avalon. “To be quite frank, it is rather… refreshing, to say the least.”

Avalon smirks and leans a little closer to the other man. “You know, if you’re going to flirt, I’d at least like to know your name.”

“Flirt? I--” The man cuts himself off, frowning slightly. “...I suppose I was flirting, wasn’t I?”

Avalon laughs, covering his mouth and nose with his free hand. “I’m only teasing. Flirting ain’t-- isn’t really something you can do unintentionally. But you know…” he lets his gaze slowly travel down the other man’s body (god, he’s wearing that suit well) and bites his lip. “I wouldn’t mind if it was intentional.”

“Oh-” The man’s face flushes and he turns away, taking a sip of his drink.

There’s a pause, and Avalon curses himself internally.

The man looks back at Avalon. “I’m Thomas.”

Avalon can’t help but grin as relief washes over him. “Well, Thomas, it’s nice to meet you.”

Thomas nods. “Likewise.”

For a few moments, the two men stand silently next to each other, sipping their drinks and watching the crowd. 

And then Thomas speaks up again. “Would you like to dance?”

Avalon blinks, looking at his drinking companion. “What?”

“You seem to be watching the dance floor rather closely. Would you like to join them?”

“Ah, no- er, well, possibly? I would, if this weren’t the first time I’ve ever been to an event like this, or maybe if we wouldn’t be the only two men dancing together...”

“That does put a damper on things.” Thomas takes another sip and looks back out across the room.

Avalon shifts his attention back to the dance floor. Even if he had an appropriate dance partner, it wasn’t like he could dance like this. Couples twirled together in time with the music, a graceful waltz that seemed almost choreographed.

The last time he had danced even slightly similar to this, his daughter Lily stood on his feet, giggling as he spun her around the living room, barely in rhythm.

Just thinking about it made his heart ache.

With the uncomfortable, unintentional clink! of teeth on ice, Avalon is jolted from his thoughts as he realizes he has finished his drink. He returns the empty glass to the bar, shaking his head when the bartender offers him a refill.

Thomas finishes his own drink, and then, after a beat, turns back to Avalon. “Come with me,” he says, offering his hand.

“Oh! Okay…” Avalon hesitates, then takes him by the hand.

Thomas leads him around the edge of the room and through a set of glass doors to a balcony. Once outside, he turns to face Avalon, still holding his hand. “Do you want to lead, or shall I?”

“I don’t know how to dance like this…”

Thomas nods once, wrapping an arm around Avalon’s waist. “Just put your hand on my shoulder and follow my lead.”

Avalon does as he’s told, and the two men begin to dance, keeping in time with the music they could hear muffled through the door. Something about his close proximity with Thomas made him flustered, and he kept glancing down at his feet to make sure he wasn’t tripping over himself or Thomas.

“Look at me.” Thomas says, his voice firm but gentle. “It’s easier if you don’t focus on your feet. Relax.”

Avalon lifts his gaze, looking into Thomas’ eyes.

Thomas opens his mouth as if to say something, but then closes it again.

The song ends all too soon, and the two men let go of each other.

“That was… nice. Thank you for bringing me out here.” Avalon sighs and leans against the railing of the balcony. “You mind if I smoke while we’re here?”

“Not at all.”

Avalon nods and takes a half-finished pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, placing one between his lips before searching for his lighter. “Shit, did I even--” he mutters to himself.

Wordlessly, Thomas takes out his own lighter and holds it out for Avalon, flicking it to life. Avalon looks at the flame, then at Thomas with a small smile before leaning down. As Thomas lights his cigarette, Avalon gazes into his face. 

Thomas was an attractive man. This Avalon already knew, even without seeing beneath the black and silver mask he was wearing. But looking at him so closely, so intimately, got Avalon’s heart thumping. 

Thomas’ skin was clear, and he had a sharp jaw, with high cheekbones and kissable lips. But his most striking features were his eyes. They were almond shaped, with just a bare hint of crows feet at the corners, and- Avalon didn’t know how he hadn’t noticed this before- they were two different colors. His left eye was a striking blue, and his right a deep, rich brown, both perfectly complimented by the midnight blue of his suit.

He was entirely mesmerizing.

Thomas smirks- god, Avalon wanted to kiss those lips- and pulls the lighter away. “Careful now,” he chides, “Or you’ll burn the whole thing away before getting a single puff.”

“Sorry, it’s just…” Avalon found himself leaning in slightly, the cigarette dangling from his lips. “You have such beautiful eyes…”

Thomas’ face flushes, and for just a second he seems thrown off, but he quickly composes himself. “The same can be said about yours…” Thomas leans in as well. “May I--”

But before he can finish his question, the balcony doors swing open and a few partygoers step out, laughing and chatting. They both straighten up quickly.

Thomas tips his head, gesturing to farther down the balcony where they would have a little more privacy. Avalon nods, and for the second time that night, Thomas takes him by the hand and leads him away.

When they end up nestled together- standing shoulder to shoulder, looking out at Los Angeles from between two potted plants, Avalon realizes that his cigarette has gone out. This time, Thomas just presses the lighter into his hand.

“I’m trying to quit,” Avalon says as he lights back up.

“Oh? How’s that going for you?”

“I mean, I smoke less than I used to. I’m just kind of… picking up a bit because I’ve got a lot going on right now. You know how it is.” He gestures vaguely with the cigarette, drawing abstract shapes with the trail of smoke. “Moving is stressful. I gotta cope with leaving everything behind somehow. Especially because I’m alone in a city where I know basically no one.”

“You know me,” Thomas states, cocking his head.

Avalon lets out a small laugh and smiles at him. “Yeah. I know you.” He bumps his shoulder against Thomas’. He takes a deep draw from the cigarette and sighs. “But… It’s hard. Having to leave what I know. My Home… My family…”

“Do you have a good relationship with your family?”

“What are you, a therapist?”

“Just curious.”

“You know what they say about curiosity and cats.”

“If I remember correctly, satisfaction brings it back.”

Avalon gives another half-laugh. “Shit. You got me there. I guess I can tell you, if you really want to know about ‘em.”

“I want to know about you. I get the feeling this is important to you.”

“You could say that. I mean, how you’re raised does play a pretty important role in who you are as a person. It ain’t- err, isn’t, really interesting though. Pretty fuckin’ bog standard upbringing here. Parents divorced when I was a kid, Dad got less and less time for me an’ my brother as he started replacing us with a new family. Mom moved us to the middle of fucking nowhere to cope with Dad leaving. My brother stopped talking to us as soon as he left for college, and now my relationship with my mom is pretty strained because she wanted me to stay in Texas and live my life how she saw fit.” He takes another puff from the cigarette. “You know, the normal amount of fucked up childhood.”

Thomas nods. “But they’re family, so you miss them?”

“Eh, yes and no. Like I said, I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for them, but that doesn’t mean I have’ta like any of them. It’s really my best friend I miss. I consider her more of my family than most of my flesh and blood. I’m gonna move her out here once I get my career going.”

“Oh.” Thomas goes quiet for a second before asking, “What… exactly… is your relationship with her?”

“We grew up together and were close enough that our parents just kind of… assumed, you know? And what were two queer kids in a town like that gonna do, other than pretend? It wasn’t supposed to last past high school, but I kinda feel like… this lie is easier to live with than the truth, at least back in our hometown.”

“And Hollywood is supposed to be your fresh start?”

“Yeah. I may not love her in the way a man is ‘supposed’ to love a woman, but I care about her a lot. So I came here to try and get a better life for us, one where we can still be there for each other, but we don’t have to pretend to be something we’re not.” Avalon shakes his head. “Sorry, I know this is kind of a lot of information to just dump on someone I just met. ‘Hey, I’m in a fake relationship with a lesbian, wanna have gay sex?’” He rubs his face and lights up a second cigarette, handing Thomas his lighter back when he’s done. “God, I’ve been talking for too long. Sorry.”

“I don’t mind. I asked because I wanted to know.” Thomas touches Avalon’s arm gently. “It helps that you have a very pleasant way of speaking.”

“What, fuckin’... cussing every five seconds? That’s pleasant to you?”

Thomas laughs- and god, what a laugh. “I can assure you that you haven’t cursed that much.”

“Well I’m glad to know I ain’t- am not making a fool of myself in front of a nice city boy such as yourself.” Avalon smiles, then rubs the back of his neck. “I want to know something about you, though.”

“Do you want me to tell you about my own family?”

“It doesn’t have to be that. Just… something you feel like I should know about you. What makes Thomas tick?”

“Hm.” Thomas plucks the half-smoked cigarette from Avalon’s lips and takes a slow drag off of it, then places it back in Avalon’s mouth, fingers lingering against his lips for only a second too long.

Avalon short circuits.

Thomas turns his head away to blow the smoke out, then nonchalantly states, “I used to be a director. I’ve made some movies, been nominated for a few awards. I even won a couple.”

"Wow, that’s pretty impressive," Avalon says, trying to keep his cool from the indirect kiss they just shared. "But what do you mean, used to be? You don't seem any older than me, you can’t be retired already." 

Thomas sighs, lowering his head. "To put it simply, I was blackmailed."

"Shit... can I ask what happened?" 

He nods, staring solemnly at the twinkling lights of the city. "There was... a man. An old friend of mine. I wouldn't say he was my... partner, but I can’t deny that there was something between us." He pauses, rolling the lighter between his fingers. "He was part of this... boys’ club, you could call it. He wanted me to join-- a bunch of actors, directors, and producers. They would help each other, but snub everyone who wasn’t in their little club. I couldn't stand to be a part of it, so I refused." 

"Let me guess, he didn’t like it?" 

"Not one bit." He shook his head, then laughed sourly. "He said that if I didn't join, he would out me. The way he would have described it… it would have ended my career instantly, mostly due to certain implications he would have pushed. So, I had his two options: either join his club, and help to ruin an art form I hold so incredibly dearly- or continue trying to make movies by myself, only to have my life and my relationships ruined alongside my career." 

"God, that's horrible," Avalon breathes. "I don't know how anyone could be so cruel as to take something as important as coming out away from someone, much less in such a disastrous way." 

"Some people just like to make others suffer." Thomas turns back to Avalon, and Avalon realizes just how close he had gotten to him. He straightens himself. "But no matter the crossroads, there is always a third option. As much as it pained me, I retired quietly and he, thankfully, left me alone. I teach now. Even if I can't make films myself, I have found solace in being able to pass my knowledge onto others."

"Do you enjoy teaching?" 

"Well… I must admit, some of my students make it... difficult. But yes. I do... enjoy it. Sometimes."

“Do you ever wish you could go back to making movies?”

Thomas sighs and turns his back on the city, resting his elbows on the rail and looking up at the starless sky. “Constantly. It’s so… simple. All I need to do is just let go of what he’s holding over me and the power there will be gone.”

“But it’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“No. It’s like you said, there is safety in the false familiar.”

“Right…”

The two men stand together, silently sharing the rest of the cigarette for a few moments before Thomas speaks up again. “Thank you.”

Avalon blinks and looks at him. “What for?”

“For talking, for listening. I’ve never… told anyone about that before.” He shakes his head slightly. “I don’t know what it is about you that’s made me trust you so easily. I don’t know how to describe it, but there is something almost… familiar about you. Comforting.” He sighs quietly and murmurs, “I think there’s something wrong with me tonight.”

Avalon can’t help but let out a small laugh. “What, you don’t normally bare your soul to near strangers?”

For just a moment, the corners of Thomas’ mouth curl up. “I don’t normally do anything with strangers. There might be something in the air.”

“Do you mean the smog, or the light pollution?”

Thomas doesn’t exactly laugh, but he does smile a bit more. “That, too.” He turns his head slightly, looking at Avalon. He lets out a quiet sigh.

“Something on your mind?”

“I’d like to kiss you,” he responds all too quickly. Then he covers his mouth and looks away. “...I don’t know where that came from.”

Avalon can feel his face flush, and he reaches out and gently touches Thomas’ arm, drawing his gaze back to him. “It’s okay. I’d like it, too.”

“You… would?” Thomas leans a little closer.

Avalon leans in as well. “I would.”

Thomas places his hands on Avalon’s shoulders and gently tugs him down to reach him. Avalon wraps his arm around Thomas, pulling him closer. He places his other hand lightly against the back of Thomas’ head.

His lips were just as soft as they looked.

Before they break away from each other, Thomas’ hand ends up cupping Avalon’s jaw, gently stroking Avalon’s chin with his thumb. When they part, he moves his thumb to Avalon’s bottom lip.

“Goodness,” Avalon breathes, his lip rubbing against Thomas’ thumb. His fingers toy with the strings of Thomas’ mask. “Could I take this off? You can take mine off as well.”

“Of course.” Thomas moves his hand to the back of Avalon’s head, loosening the string on his mask.

The breath catches in Avalon’s chest as for the first time tonight, Thomas’ face comes fully into view. He already knew that Thomas was handsome, but… goodness. That was all he could think. Goodness. Goodness.

“Goodness,” He murmurs again.

“Disappointed?”

He grins, leaning his head against Thomas’ hand, which had found its way back to his cheek.. “Not in the slightest. Are you?”

Thomas shakes his head and gives him a quick smile. Then his expression changes to one more troubled.

“Are you alri--”

“I’m trans.”

“...What?”

“Forgive me, I-” Thomas pulls away, shaking his head. “I really didn’t know how else to say it, but I figured I should tell you in case it changed your answer.”

“My answer to what?”

“Would you like to leave with me?” He asks, simply.

Avalon frowns, confused. “Of course I would, but I don’t understand what you being trans has to do with--”

Thomas gives him a very pointed look, eyebrow raised.

“Oooh,” He bites his lip and looks away before nodding. “It doesn’t change my answer- or how I feel about you- at all, but it is nice to know beforehand.” He looks back at Thomas, giving him an easy smile. “Thank you for trusting me with that. I won’t disappoint you.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

-

The next morning comes oh so gentle. The sheets were soft, the early sun was soft, his lover was soft.

Avalon reaches out to Thomas’ still sleeping form, gently brushing his hair off of his forehead.

Thomas makes a small noise, burying his face in the pillow and hugging it close for a few seconds before turning back to Avalon, his eyes half open, annoyed, at first, but it quickly dissolves into something softer. Warmer. “Mmh?”

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Avalon asks, quietly.

“Yes.” Thomas tries to push his expression back into one of displeasure, but it doesn’t stick. “Unfortunately, I can’t say I mind it.” He moves closer to Avalon, who catches him in his arms and holds him tight. “It’s… been a while… since I last shared a bed with someone.” His fingers gently drift over the flower tattoo on Avalon’s chest. Right over his heart. “It’s nice to not wake up alone, for a change.”

“Oh?”

He shrugs. “I’ve often found other people to be… inefficient when it comes to getting what I needed.”

“And how did I do?”

Thomas leans back slightly to look Avalon in the face. “Well. I’m still here, aren’t I? I think that alone should be a good assessment of what I thought of last night.”

“Would you have left in the middle of it if it was bad?”

“I’ve done it before.”

Avalon can’t help but laugh. “I’m glad you’re still here, then.”

Thomas hums quietly in agreement before placing a hand on Avalon’s cheek and leading him down for a deep, passionate kiss.

It isn’t until an alarm on Avalon’s phone goes off that they finally untangle themselves from each other. He half stumbles out of bed, trying to get to his pants to shut it off. “Oh, shit, is it that late already? I gotta get going…” He looks at Thomas, face down in bed with a pillow over his head. “I hate to do this to you…”

“No, I have somewhere I need to be as well,” Thomas says, peeking out from under the pillow. “I--” He pauses, searching for the right words. “Will I see you again?”

“If that’s what you want, I can give you a call and we can meet up again once my schedule settles down.” He reaches over and brushes his fingers through Thomas’ hair.

Thomas leans into the touch. “I’d like that. Give me your phone.”

Avalon nods. “Give me a moment, I just…” He taps at his phone, trying to find where the contacts are held. “Sorry, it’s a bit new, I ain’t-- I’m not used to the touch screen yet…”

“Let me.” Thomas takes the phone from Avalon’s hand. He starts to search through the apps, but freezes with his finger hovering above the screen.

“Something wrong?”

“I-” He shakes the startled look off his face. “No.” He quickly navigates to the contacts list and punches in his number before handing the phone back.

Avalon leans down and kisses Thomas gently as he takes his phone. “I’ll call you as soon as I can.” He glances at the clock, the smile fading from his lips. “God, I’m so sorry, but I really gotta go.” He pulls away, tugging his clothes back on before heading for the door. He pauses, his hand on the doorknob. He glances over his shoulder at Thomas, who was putting his own clothes on. “Thank you for last night. I really enjoyed all of it, not just where it ended.”

Thomas glances over and nods once. He wasn’t smiling, but there was something soft in his gaze, curious almost. “Good luck. With your career. This town can be… difficult to navigate. Stand your ground and you will find your place.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you. Again.” He opens the door. “I hope we get to see each other again real soon. Goodbye, Thomas.”

-

Avalon didn’t have much time to get ready for the day before his first class started. If he hadn’t been wearing a suit the night before, he would have gone straight to the campus from the hotel, but unfortunately he had to make a quick detour home to change.

Thanks to his pit stop, he arrives to his first class of the day a bit later than he anticipated-- right along side the majority of his classmates.

Avalon was fully unprepared to find that the lecture hall was actually an opulent auditorium, one more fitting a theater than a college if only it weren’t for the tables between every row of seating.

Young students mill about, chatting as they find seats with their friends, some bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for the morning, while others seemed to be on second and third cups of coffee. 

Avalon moves down the side of the theater, finding a seat near the stage.

Three rows in front of him and a bit to his left, a man he assumes to be the professor of the class sits at a proper desk plunked down in the middle of the row of seats, rifling through papers in his briefcase.

There was something almost familiar about the way the man moves, but from where Avalon sits he couldn’t be too sure. Besides, as far as Avalon knew, white men with dark hair and brown eyes were fairly common in Hollywood. He could think of a few actors off the top of his head that matched that description-- maybe not by name, but he knew the characters they played.

After a few minutes, as the last few students find their seats, the professor gets up from his desk and climbs the stage. The lights dim slightly and the chatter quiets as he takes his place at center stage. He clears his throat, looking out at the auditorium. His gaze glosses across Avalon before snapping right back to him, making direct eye contact. One brown eye, and one blue, he notices.

“Oh, fuck me,” Avalon mutters under his breath.

And judging by the way Thomas’ jaw moves, he quietly says the same.

----

Tags

@choicesficwriterscreations @choicesmonthlychallenge - For Fic of the Week and HWU/HSS Appreciation Week

Let me know if you want to be added to a tag list, for this series or any of my fics!

Title of the next chapter - And Everything Goes Wrong, Incredibly Quickly

#Hollywood U #Thomas Hunt #oc: Avalon Hammond #cfwc fics of the week #HWUHSSAW #Fic Series: The Name Of The Game #gut's fics

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to The Fifteenth Amendment (1870), Akarova, John Astin, Warren Beatty, Joey Castillo, Tracy Chapman, Eric Clapton, Daisy Coleman, Robbie Coltrane, Miles Davis’s 1970 BITCHES BREW LP, Celine Dion, Graeme Edge, Francisco Goya, MC Hammer, the Jeopardy game show (1964), Norah Jones, Charles Lightroller, Lene Lovich, singer-songwriter Don Malliband, Hayashibara Megumi, Kacey Musgraves’s 2018 GOLDEN HOUR album, Walter Piston’s 1951 4th Symphony, the 1946 Arlen-Mercer musical “St. Louis Woman” w/Pearl Bailey & the Nicholas Brothers, Ximo Tebar, Jay Traynor (Jay & The Americans)—good to have met you, Vincent van Gogh, Randy VanWarmer, (the original) Sonny Boy Williamson, and the great American singer-songwriter Frankie Laine. Born of Italian parents, Laine was influenced by opera and blues, particularly Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong—who Laine called “my idol.” Laine’s early career had many setbacks and let-downs and, after threatening to quit music at least six times. Then in 1946 he was “discovered” by Hoagy Carmichael, which led to Laine’s breakout hit “That’s My Desire” (now a jazz standard). Concurrently he discovered a niche singing in films. 

He signed to Mercury Records, then switched to Columbia, and the hits (and royalty checks) rolled in. He was heralded as an innovator for his unique vocal technique and masculine tone. Like Bessie Smith, Laine’s voice projected and could fill a hall without a microphone. One critic described Laine as “a big lad with steel tonsils who belted out torch blues while stomping his size twelve feet...he owed nothing to Crosby or Sinatra...” In contrast to the smooth balladeer of the era, Laine would bend notes and sing around the chordal context of a note rather than to sing the note straight, and he stressed each rhythmic downbeat. Like Johnnie Ray, Laine was first cast as an R&B/jazz singer and is now regarded as a forerunner of rock & roll, influencing Elvis Presley and Ray Charles (who admitted to mimicking Laine), and Laine was later name-checked by The Beatles. Laine, however, was able to branch out into folk, gospel, pop and, famously, the Cowboy/Western theme songs imbedded in pop culture: “Gunfight at the OK Corral,” “Rawhide,” “3:10 to Yuma,” and many more. His Campbell Soup “Manhandler” commercial hasn’t been on the air for decades, but people are still singing it. In his long career he had more than 70 charted records, 21 gold records, and global sales of over 100 million records. He was still performing at age 93 when he passed away in 2007.

Laine’s 1949 cover of the folk-spiritual “That Lucky Old Sun” became his 5th gold record, perhaps because a lot of working people could relate to it. The lyrics of the song contrast the toil and hardship of the subject’s life with the obliviousness of the natural world. Yet he sees a silver lining and God's deliverance behind it all. Inspired by “Ol’ Man River,” “Lucky Old Sun” was written in 1949 by big band musician Beasley Smith and prolific Tin Pan Alley lyricist Haven Gillespie—who also wrote "You Go To My Head" (another favorite of mine). “Lucky Old Sun” gained presence with me after hearing Brian Wilson's 2007 concept album based on this song. In 2020 I added it to my set list for when I perform in assisted living homes. My arrangement blends the definitive Laine recording with the soul of Louis Armstrong's cover (in 1949 both artists released "competing versions"). Meanwhile, HB Frankie, and thank you for giving us years of amazing songs.

#luckyoldsun #GreatAmericanSongbook #OlManRiver #BeasleySmith #HavenGillespie #BrianWilson #LouisArmstrong #FrankieLaine #gospel #work #river #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge

#johnny j blair #singer songwriter #music #singer at large #pop rock #san francisco #Frankie Laine #birthday #Louis Armstrong #Brian Wilson #Sun #Lucky #Bandcamp

[hildaferguson93]

"Shannan Watts (possible) MC conjuncts a star- I can't remember which- maybe Dheneb? But anyway, it stands for justice and retribution, particularly from beyond the grave. She also has a star that represents fame after death. And she also has Mars at the 29th degree in Libra- this is allegedly an indication of violent, sudden death or murder. She also has Pluto AND Mars conjunct her descendant in the 7th house. So, whether she realized this or not, she was attracted to dark, dangerous men. IIRC she was married once prior to Chris and divorced over some potentially abusive issues. And then she found Chris. And we know how that panned out. Oh, and Venus is in her 8th."

#psychic

[desert-dyke]

17, 20!

Thank u so much!! Talking about books is one of my favorite things!

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

There’s def a lot more books that I was expecting to love that I didn’t this year than the opposite (though majority of the books I read were ones I expected to like and I did, but that’s exactly what I expected lol). 

Two books I tried on recommendation that I otherwise wouldn’t have picked up on my own and ended up loving are 

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu. This one I tore through in like two days. Really cool post cataclysm setting, where things are both familiar but also just slightly off in an unnerving way. There’s some genuinely creepy scenes that really worked for me. And while I find the educational magic aspect of this book to be the least interesting part of the story, I do like it’s conflict with the MC’s Zimbabwean magic and how she is seen as lesser for having not been “properly schooled” but also desperately wanting to be seen as a proper spellcaster. The overall mystery was easy to guess (I knew who the big bad was the moment they were introduced, and what their motives were) but I wanted to read on to find out I was right. And I was right.  

Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise First off, retellings are a hard sell for me, and I don’t like Peter Pan that much to begin with. I read this one bc the rec was so unexpected, but I honestly really enjoyed this. It’s a strong feminist take and explores the ways gender roles constricted both men and women in the early 1910′s. I also enjoyed Peter Pan being the villain, as a boy who gets literally everything he wants. I liked Neverland’s personification, and how it ends up being a living breathing character of its own. It’s a really neat use of the genre of fantasy that I enjoyed.

20. What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?

This year I barely read 2022 releases and with one exception all 2022 releases I read were part of series I was already reading.

A Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers. I really like this series. It’s warm and emotional, with wild robots living in nature and an overall utopian setting that I can only hope will be our future. This one expands upon the worldbuilding Chambers establishes in book one, this time exploring various human settlements. I overall liked this one about the same as I liked book one and I think it’s a worthwhile contribution to the series. My only criticism is I believe this is also the last book in the series, and it doesn’t feel finite. The MC’s conflict from book 1 still remains unresolved, but maybe this means they’ll be a book 3? 

Hooked by A.C Wise. A sequel to Wendy, Darling. After being blown away by book one, I was excited for this one, particularly because Hook’s absence from book one suggests some intriguing things never explored in book one. I was ultimately let down by this. Everything I really liked about book 1 didn’t carry over into this one. I also would’ve preferred this one to only follow Hook’s POV, rather than bringing the Darlings back into the story again, which forced Wendy and Jane to have the exact same issues and character arc as book one. 

I think this book has something to offer to hardcore Peter Pan fans. There’s some interesting ideas but it didn’t hit the same as book one, which make me sad.

Dreams Bigger than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders. I liked this one better than book one. Book one was okay, but compared to Anders’ adult fiction, it didn’t have the same edge I really like about her work. Understandable, this is her foray in YA and I can tell she intentionally wants to give positive space adventures to a cast of LGBT characters. I think that goal makes this series important. 

Whereas I think book 1 had a hard take off, book 2 really thrived with multiple POVs allowing the story to take place in vastly different parts of the universe and expanding upon the worldbuilding in a better way than “We’re confined to this traveling ship, so let me just tell you about these various aliens and cultures without seeing their homeworld.” I felt better immersed in this book, as well as came to appreciate the cast of characters better while being able to experience the story through their POV, rather than solely the main character’s. 

Also, this book leaves off in a really neat place which makes me eager to read book 3.

Also also the narrator for the audiobook is the VA for Princess Bubblegum and I could not unhear it while listening to the book lol

The one exception

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. This one just wasn’t for me. Bringing a cozy mystery into a fantasy setting is a really cool idea that I’m sure many readers will enjoy, and honestly I can see this being the start of a new trend. This was a pleasant read, as it’s intended to be. It’s lacking in world building. I think all fantasy elements could be removed and the story would remain the mostly the same. I also was hoping for some mutual pining between the two main characters, rather than the romance aspect being put off until the end when they finally get together (if I didn’t know it would feature a wlw relationship at its center, I probably wouldn’t have picked up on their attraction towards each other at all). And this last criticism is just a cozy mystery thing, but the lack of tension. A problem would be introduced, the MC would try  to fix it and it worked, the problem was resolved. Rinse and repeat until the book concludes. It honestly left me bored. But I can understand why so many people like it, especially if they want a gentle book with the guarantee that everything is going to be alright.

Thanks so much for the ask!

#thank you for the ask #long post

[catboyclarity]

okay imma toss you some oc questions lmk if you want more: 1. what characters of yours were/are currently the hardest to write, specifically because you have very little in common with them? 2. I'm curious what kinds of 'smart' the un/bound cast is (like who is booksmart, who is wise, who is more practically smart, who is a clever bastard or a quick thinker)

1. Right now I’m struggling a lot with writing Chase in Un/Bound but that might just be bc I’m struggling to write on it in general and he happens to be there. I also don’t LIKE writing Roman very much bc I don’t like him, but its not exactly hard.

I don’t tend to have trouble with writing characters as a whole, mainly specific scenes. And most of my struggle with characters comes from not having a good handle on them rather than lack of commonality—Illeni was hard to write bc of how underdeveloped he ended up being. I think if he’d been a MC he would have been easier on me. That’s probably also why I’m having trouble with Chase; he fills a similar niche as Illeni (missing family member).

2.

Moira is very practically intelligent and excellent in a crisis, good problem solver, but isn’t that emotionally/socially intelligent—particularly toward her own feelings and needs. Nicky is clever and analytical but a little less good in actual stressful situations. Emotional intelligence-wise they have a lot of therapeutic knowledge they can regurgitate but haven’t fully internalized, which leads them to be good at comforting and stabilizing others but their interpersonal relationships and health are mega-fucked.

Iseul is a sheltered autistic 15 year old is knowledgeable and good at a few select things but is not-so-smart about a lot of others—which is normal, they are a kid—and a willingness to learn+general desire to be good to people but not so great social skills (HARDCORE oversharer. Leigh is primarily booksmart and emotionally aware in the way longterm abuse victims tend to be, which is to say she picks up on very minor emotional signals and goes into panic mode over them, which almost never works. Leigh is not stupid at all but she is deeply deeply traumatized and has not been given appropriate treatment or safe relationships to heal from that and so her sense of self is really out of whack in a way that causes her to struggle with almost everything.

Pan knows a lot about many things due to being one of the oldest sentient beings and is great at manipulating people but vulnerable to manipulation himself and really simple in terms of his wants and goals—he has never tried to solve a problem in his life. Argent is incredibly emotionally intelligent when it comes to other people and then treats his own well-being like it doesn’t exist.

#asks #feel free to send me more if you would like 💖

[allieebobo]

this story is so much fun it reminds me of prince of tennis and that one scene in death note lol. also so cool that 2 ros follow the gender of your team. these bitches bi, good for them, good for them

HAHA! Thanks for the asks!

I'm not sure how explicitly this will be mentioned in the IF, especially for G/Sam's routes, but Tobin and Rayyan's romance routes will definitely make canon reference to the fact that it is a queer / same-sex relationship (using 'queer' for MCs who are non-binary). Sexuality will also be more of a 'thing' in those routes.

I might even differentiate responses from the outside world depending on MC's gender - with queerness in male sports teams usually being less implicitly and explicitly accepted. Still toying with how this will be written and included in the story, though!

Tobin

They've certainly always acknowledged their capacity for queer or same-sex attraction, but their only long-term relationships have been with opposite-sex partners, up till (possibly) MC.

Will enter into their first queer relationship with maturity, grace, and equanimity (as they do with everything, really) but it will be clear that this is new territory for them.

If anything, it might force them to confront the experience of not following society's script / coloring outside the lines or failing to be 'twice as good', as Ta-nehisi coates puts it.

Their parents have never considered that Tobin could be queer, and they've never talked about it. It's something that Tobin may be worried about as their relationship with MC gets more serious.

Rayyan

Queer, and though it had caused some friction / tension with their more traditional father and grandmother, they don't talk about it anymore.

Their mother & grandfather have taught them that religion is a fluid thing, that love for Allah is practiced through faith (not rules / policing), and true belief lies in the heart, not the mind. It might have surprised them at first, and took some time to get used to, but they're supportive - in their own ways.

Rayyan's mother is not particularly verbose or expressive, but has always treated Rayyan's partner with the same brusque practicality and terse affection as any of her other kids' partners. And Rayyan's grandfather has given them a steady diet of poems (that they may/may not have actually read), and has always taken an interest in their ex.

Rayyan's siblings are, like most North-west liberals, completely open - and close enough to tease or badger them about their love life.

Sam

Pan - Sam has always been very exploratory when it comes to romantic relationships (as with every aspect of their lives). "Never say never", sums up their attitude. For more serious relationships, though, it seems that Sam requires more of an emotional connection - or views it as inextricably linked to sexual attraction.

Their parents, a little eccentric and very much involved in their generation's 'free love movement' - at least in those days - have always been unconditionally supportive. In fact, they're probably part of the reason why Sam's as relaxed and open about gender / sexuality as they are.

G

Similarly, G - in principle - dislikes (or doesn't believe in) labels, and would rather evaluate each moment / each person as it comes. And certainly not on the basis of gender alone. Their lines of thought follow something like: "Why limit future experiences based on past (limited) knowledge?"

#CT:OS #asks #if #college tennis: origin story #sexuality #rayyan #sam #tobin #g

[interact-if]

Day 4 of Pride Month interviews! Give it up for the lovely Mason!

Mason, author of Veil: Prophecy

Pride Month Featured Author

In a world similar to ours where magic is known to exist, but not particularly common, humans live together in large cities away from the dangers of the earth-bound spirits in the wilds beyond. Conjurers like you are able to commune with the spirits that live in the Otherworld, a world filled with dangerous spirits that is separated from your own world by the Veil. Spirits slip through the Veil occasionally, or they can be brought over via demonic contracts with conjurers. Both of these scenarios terrify ordinary humans who find solace in a prophecy that promises a chosen one who will strengthen the Veil, permanently sealing all spirits and magic away in the Otherworld forever.

Demo: Veil: Prophecy, Dead Men’s Tales: Sunrise (TBA)

Tags: urban fantasy

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!)

Q1: Tell us a little bit about your project(s)!

Veil: Prophecy is an urban fantasy, set in a modern society where magic and spirits are a part of everyday life. The player character is a forensic necromancer recently caught up investigating an unusual crime. They must work with or against the Chosen One to fulfil or subvert a Prophecy.

Dead Men’s Tales is a mystery with a touch of fantasy, set in 1890s Victorian Britain. You play as a fake medium, a con-artist who pretends to be able to contact ghosts. The player character finds themselves a part of an investigation into the murder of a young nobleman, becoming swept up in an occult secret society whilst trying to work out where the line between the supernatural and natural truly lies.

Q2: Why interactive fiction? What drew you to the medium?

I find that one of the highlights of interactive fiction is seeing how the same character will react to a situation differently depending on the player's previous choices. This makes it an excellent medium to explore character development.

Interactive fiction as a medium also allows for players to have an involvement in the plot that often isn’t present in more traditional fiction, some mysteries take multiple playthroughs to be solved for example, so uncovering secrets can be so satisfying!

Q3: Are your characters influenced by your identity? How?

I can’t name a single character who shares my own specific experience, but I often end up creating LGBT+ characters without explicitly intending to. In Veil: Prophecy a part of Doran’s character development is him accepting his bisexuality and that his attraction to men and nonbinary people is equal and just as valid as his attraction to women. Another thing that I think is important is that, when characters are ‘available to all gender MCs’ I try to make sure that the characters are portrayed as explicitly bi or pan, rather than ‘playersexual’.

Q4: What would you like to see more of in LGBT+ fiction?

I think that stories about specific LGBT+ experiences and themes are fantastic, but one thing I love to see is LGBT+ characters in genres where the protagonist is traditionally straight and cis, allowing LGBT+ people to see themselves as heroes. I believe this is especially important, as historically many people have often found their only representation as queer coded villains or as protagonists destined for tragedy.

Q5: What or who are some of your biggest inspirations?

Veil: Prophecy is inspired by a more archetypical high fantasy setting, composed onto a modern one. Inspiration for how magic and the mundane might interact is partially taken from authors like Diana Wynne Jones.

Dead Men’s Tales is partly inspired by gothic fiction, a genre that has been associated with exploring ‘social taboos’, which unfortunately has included homosexuality and other queer identities in the past (and today). Whilst older gothic fiction tends to reject the ‘other’, more modern fiction, and Dead Men’s Tales, attempts to embrace it.

Q6: What’s a super vague spoiler for your current project?

Quite a few clues are disguised as references to old folk tales, so a little bit of knowledge in that area might alert you to plot points a little earlier!

Q7: Lastly, what advice would you give to your readers?

It’s never too late to do anything you want to do, or be anything you want to be. Exploration and discovery comes in many forms.

#if: events #Pride Month 2021 #pride month #queer authors #queer creators #queer fiction #interactive fiction

[yourbookcouldbegayer]

Hi so I am queer (asexual demiromantic lesbian) and in one of my stories I have a very large cast with almost all characters being queer but I have two things I’d like to ask about, my only nonbinary characters (ones nonbinary and ones a demigirl) and I’m thinking they’re both aro because that’s just how it happened, I’m worried that this might be seen as problematic? Is it and is this okay?

My other thing is in my main cast the only cishet character is the mc is this bad in anyway? I don’t know how I feel about it it sort of just happened.

Also it is a low fantasy setting and my only polysexual character is not magical and my only important non magical character, the most of the magical characters are queer including a pan person and one possibly two bi characters is this bad in anyway? Sorry that this is so long!

I’m of the opinion that none of this is particularly offensive or bad in anyway. I’d certainly encourage you to seek out beta readers and ask others to get a more well rounded perspective on this as a whole. In general it’s your novel and your characters I’d suggest research of the identities to help build them all up to accurately represent the community but there’s nothing inherently wrong with this. I mean it doesn’t sound like you’re purposefully correlating genders with sexualities and vice versa, it just seems like these are the identities you wanted to have your characters be.

-Mod Noah

#ask #anonymous #is this okay

[emmys-grimoire]

Lesson 52 analysis + 53 predictions

Turning this into a routine thing now! They’re fun to write and they’re popular (moreso than my actual commentary posts lmao).

Y’all like my ramblings.

Things guessed correctly from prior lesson

The House of Lamentation was an illusion produced by the fairies

The arc culminated in the completion of the Trial of Patience (star received via Simeon)

The illusion did a number on Simeon's feelings as well due to his fondness for Lucifer and the brothers

They shoved Mammon and Luke off to the side and plopped them back in only after the Satan/Simeon arc was complete. There was no arc for Luke. To be fair, though, they did get more content than I expected even so.

Things guessed wrong

The banshee didn't show up at all. It was a red herring.

There was no significance to the geranium found in the mysterious book

Our adventure also completed the Trial of Generosity. (I incorrectly attributed this to Diavolo, who actually gave us the Star of Gratitude)

Still ???

Whether or not there is some kind of transfer of memories/experiences going on between the brothers' past selves and present selves due to our meddling in time. We've confirmed that past angel Beelzebub has turned into a glutton in between the time we last saw him and now, but we haven't confirmed if it *is* our meddling that has induced that. Currently, no change has manifested in the present brothers, nor has the timeline of events seemed to have significantly changed.

Whether or not present Lucifer becoming more "angelic" in season 2, in lieu of past angel Lucifer's growing doubt, will be a significant plot point. The parallels are getting stronger, though. (This is elaborated on further down)

It feels like 50/50? I’ll probably keep a list like this going for future analysis/prediction posts just so I can keep track of how right/mistaken I am throughout the playthrough. Might help me make less mistakes in my analysis!

As a general rule I try not to meander too far off into symbolism or out-of-game lore because what I write begins to sound like this:

And this is an otome game that is light on writing and plot. Nine times out of ten, it’s not going to be that deep. So I work with the details given and the plot points shown and try to draw connections within the framework of the story, in an attempt to try to deduce where the devs are taking the plot. Unfortunately for me, the devs like red herrings, and red herrings are designed to mislead you. With me, they are quite successful! I’d like to get better at spotting them.

The book was consequential -- it’s used to imprison Satan later -- but that’s the end of it’s meaning. Maybe the Bible verse had something to do with it, too -- those were some weird ass numbers to just throw in the title -- but maybe not. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. 

But enough of that, onwards! We have a lot of points to go over that may be interesting to note, right or not.

Satan the Memory Thief

Back in 50-B we learn that it was Michael who taught the brothers the stories behind the human world constellations. 

When we’re tossed back in time-dreamland (?) again, it is Satan who takes the opportunity to teach the brothers the human world constellations. The room had just been remodeled: Michael hasn’t had the opportunity to give them tours yet. Lucifer mosied into the room so he and the brothers can get the first glimpse.

Sooo if in a future lesson we ask them about where they learned the constellations in the present timeline and they say “oh a guy named Sully, who suspiciously looked just like Satan, taught us!” then we know our meddling is having significant consequences.

It IS worth noting that unlike the prior dream sequence, Satan and Simeon remember what they just went through. This particular time-dream could very well just be an illusion meant to give Satan/Simeon some kind of emotional resolution and nothing else. This is kind of why I hate that they’re bring time travel back into the story: it makes stuff like this confusing and borderline inconsistent. Some sequences may have effects and others may not. 

The chat between Lucifer and Simeon could also be consequential.

“Do you *really* mean that?”

There is a parallel at play here!

After you wake up after dozing off, you go off to find Lucifer and Simeon conversing in a forest clearing, evidently unaware that you’re eavesdropping on them. Simeon says although he knows it is just an illusion, that he was glad to see angel Lucy once more. Angel Lucy is predictably confused, and reassures Simeon that they’ll remain like this forever.

Simeon, of course, knows better. He tells Lucifer that he knows he’s been meeting with Diavolo and he’s having doubts about his place in the Celestial Realm -- and if things really will remain the same. Lucy is caught off guard, and starts to explain with some clear hesitation... and of course we pass out before we could hear his answer.

There’s creepy loud heartbeats when it fades out. Normally I associate them with tense, pivotal decisions -- but it could also just be related to us waking up and returning to reality.

If Simeon ends up being wrong -- and there will be real world consequences to this conversation -- they could be very significant consequences. We’re not sure if the conversation continues for a bit longer after we pass out, but Simeon already woke up before we come to.

Obviously the brothers still fell (they’re still demons in the present), but I wouldn’t underestimate the potential of a butterfly effect changing the circumstances of the Great Celestial War. I kind of hope they don’t do that, though, because they haven’t even begun to explain the present details of that event. We know only the broad strokes. Suddenly changing them to make the resolution between the demons and angels more smooth will feel really forced.

And that parallel I mentioned: Diavolo expresses similar worries and doubt in Lucifer’s conviction in season 2.

I have no doubt Lucifer actually means what he says to Diavolo, unlike his dialogue with Simeon, but Diavolo is aware of just how far Lucifer will go for the sake of his family -- and he’s probably #2 on the priority list, when push comes to shove. Lucifer forsaking the Celestial Realm for Lilith was the thing that brought him to Diavolo in the first place.

Of course, this lesson has Simeon suggesting that Diavolo’s influence on Lucifer was significant prior to all that unfolding, and it may have eventually happened regardless. It was only a matter of when, not how.

Still, Lucifer be writing checks he may not be able to cash. We also get this foreboding warning from Barbatos in Season 2:

As I’ve said before, the inevitable conflict the story was hinting to at this point doesn’t happen in Season 2. Lucifer isn’t forced to make a choice like this. The Night Dagger didn’t demand it.

I’ve also expressed my belief that Season 2 and Season 3 were likely written back-to-back due to the small window of time between their releases, so I believe details overlooked in Season 2 may suddenly become more relevant in Season 3.

It’s worth remembering Diavolo’s growing feelings for MC -- and Lucifer’s inner conflict about it -- were hinted at early in Season 2, as well. It doesn’t really get going until the conclusion of Season 2, leading into Season 3.

Do I have any clue of what this is actually leading up to? Not at all! If it mirrors Season 2′s format, though, it’ll suddenly come to a head in the last 3-5 lessons. I remember feeling equally clueless then, and Season 2 had a lot more foreshadowing...

... a lot of which actually didn’t pan out! But it might now. 

Guardian Angels

Another smaller, but interesting detail. Guardian Angels are indeed a thing.

I think they’re gonna become a thing soon. The devs very sneakily changed a small detail in Season 2, suggesting they might have realized that it may interfere with their plans for later seasons. 

Old version.

New version.

I’m thinking they may have decided giving Michael guardianship of an entire swath of the population was cheating, and they may be individualizing the role of Guardian Angels.

Which leads me to who I think Michael’s chosen human squeeze is:

My man has been scoping him out long before we came around.

It makes sense, too. We know Michael gave his Ring of Wisdom to Solomon, which seems to have kickstarted his career as a demon-pacting sorcerer (though he clearly was a sorcerer before this).

This is a very powerful item, described as the Ring of Light’s counterpart, that would be very useful for a high-ranking angel to possess. I don’t think Michael would fork it over to just anyone, particularly when we remember how he felt compelled to interrogate us via dream hi-jack before the Ring of Light fully came into our possession.

Solomon also makes Michael angst in a way a well-meaning but misbehaving child would make their parent angst:

Solomon also really doesn’t seem to regard Michael like some distant, all-powerful alien being who could smite him out of existence.

Contrast this with how he responds when he’s forced to hang out with Diavolo for a day (he gets more comfortable, but he initially wants to punt the responsibility back to Lucifer ASAP).

And he knows a surprising amount of small details about the guy:

I think Solomon is a significant part of Michael’s long-term plans, but he may not even be fully aware of how. Or he is, and they’re in some kind of mutually beneficial agreement -- possibly related to cross-realm peace -- that we simply haven’t been made aware of yet.

Personally, I think Simeon should be made MC’s ‘official’ Guardian Angel if they’re gonna be a thing with official mechanics behind them. I know Michael is supposed to be the Big Cheese and ridiculously hot, so it may make sense to have him linked to the MC of an otome game because they’re super special too, but Michael may already have Solomon. He shouldn’t get to hog everything. It’s not like assigning Simeon to do job would really inconvenience him, either: MC is Solomon’s apprentice. He can easily work with the arrangement.

Luke may feel left out but he’s a kid so...

Seven Brothers Constellation

We learn there’s a constellation representing the brothers in the Celestial Realm. Everyone there knows the legend, but Luke doesn’t know what the three stars ‘watching over them’ represent. 

He, Mammon, and Satan begin to theorize and Satan suggests they may represent the three realms. The other two like the idea, and Mammon insists the ‘human’ star represents MC. 

He’s probably right, but I’m willing to take it a step further: it represents MC, Diavolo, and Michael. The three “guardians” of their respective realms, and the brothers. Season 3 has been repeatedly beating us over the head with how much Michael still cares for the brothers and his relevance to their upbringing, and likely their future.

It bears repeating: Diavolo and Michael are aiming towards the same goal, though their visions of what peace and harmony looks like may be very different.

Solomon could also qualify as a self-appointed guardian, but I think he lacks the connection to the brothers MC obviously has.

Still, he has the same resolve, and he’s not leaving the story any time soon.

Predictions

I sniff out even the smallest Michael details because he’s clearly the key to whatever is gonna blow up.

This might give us some insight on how the initial dealings with him may unfold:

It’s hard to deduce just what this actually means. Either Michael tends to overthink things that just aren’t that deep (can empathize) and that in itself leads to needless complications, or he’s apt to misread situations and as a result gives poor advice. Or a combination of both.

My initial read on him makes me think that he thinks the best of humans/angels but the worst of demons. He is very, very complimentary towards MC as soon as they start answering his questions.

Am I now? Really?

It could just be the game making characters butter up the MC to make the game more enjoyable for the player of a self-insert character, but dude we just met.

When you tell him you did what you did out of love for Lucifer:

That’s a very telling pause/ellipsis. It’s like his brain momentarily short-circuits and he needs to regain his composure before he continues, and he still doesn’t sound entirely sure of what you just said lol

He also just outright admits he initially thought you must be wicked just because the brothers liked you, and this is a guy who is still fond of them himself. I think he’s having a very hard time with it.

So the inevitable bumps in the roads ahead with him will likely be a result of this, and/or his dad being an asshole. Neither he or Diavolo are actually in charge of the realms they’re overseeing -- they’re both de facto leaders -- so maybe the parents will suddenly barge in and try to knock over their sand castles for whatever reason. It is kind of weird that the exchange program has been agreed to in the first place, particularly on the Celestial Realm’s part.

Regardless, I have no clue what the next arc will be. I know we still have three trials left, but they could combine two again to leave more room for the actual storyline to progress. The climax is going to be the last trial of our sorcerer’s exam, or something happening afterwards. Not sure which one I’m willing to bet on yet: I remember Simeon’s play and the silly Blood Moon contest in Season 2 were what kept use preoccupied for Season 2 until SUDDENLY LUCIFER GETS AMNESIA AND THE WORLD IS IN DANGER AND WE HAVE TO STAB HIM TO SAVE EVERYONE. But they did heavily foreshadow that in the very beginning lol. They just didn’t fill in the blanks until much later.

I wonder what the trial of chastity is gonna be like and how hard we’ll actually fail and the game will need to overcompensate for that

#obey me #obey me! #obey me lesson 52 #obey me spoilers #obey me lucifer #obey me diavolo #obey me solomon #obey me simeon #obey me michael #obey me barbatos #analysis #obey me lesson 53 #obey me season 3

[writingbeary]

Weekly Idol (pt.1)

Minyoung’s Outfit

Note:

Texts placed inside brackets are show subtitles

Italicized texts are in English

Texts that are block quoted are interview cuts

Episode 505 - Fireworks (I’m the One)

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Minyoung bounced lightly on her heels while waiting for their shoot to start. They were at Weekly Idol’s studio to promote their new album particularly their title track, <Fireworks (I’m the One)>.

“Bun, you might tire yourself out before we even start.” Hongjoong chuckled as he watched the girl bounce, unable to stay still. “Are you that excited?”

“Not really? When we first guested here then yes, I was excited then. Not that I am not looking forward to what we’ll do today, just not as excited as before?” Minyoung answered after a brief pause.

“Who made her eat sweets?” Yeosang asked letting out a soft laugh as Minyoung pouted with her hands crossed over her chest.

“I’m not hyper. If anything, I am a bit bored that I want the shoot to start already.” Minyoung whispered hoping none of the staff hears her. Seonghwa smiled patting her back. “We’ll start soon. I think we’re just waiting on the director’s cue.”

As if hearing their conversation, the signal to start filming was given and the MCs were hinting at their guests’ identity.

“Today we should watch out for fires.” Kwanghee spoke as if warning Eunhyuk the latter agreeing and adding “Right. It’s pretty dry these days, so we should watch out for fires.”

“That’s also true but I meant a fire in your heart.” Kwanghee shook his head

Pretending to be shocked, Eunhyuk piped in “In my heart? If I need to watch out for the fire in my heart..then today’s guests must be a globally-famous idol band who set the fans’ hearts on fire.”

As the camera panned towards the group, San was acting as if he’s summoning a fire in his hands while Minyoung covered her face as if embarrassed at what he is doing.

“Yes. They came back to Weekly Idol again. ATEEZ!” at this the group cheered and jogged towards the set clapping.

[They’re so hot! They set your hearts on fire!]

“Nine makes one team. Hello. We’re ATEEZ” the group greeted bowing. Minyoung stood in-between Jongho and Yeosang right in the middle of the group.

“We should be careful not to burn ourselves today. ATEEZ is all about passion.” Kwanghee said as the camera showed Wooyoung and then Minyoung adding in fire effects to visualize their burning passion.

Kwanghee turned to Yunho asking “I heard you said that you won’t spare yourselves today? How will you do that?” the latter immediately punching the air. Minyoung hid her face behind Jongho as she laughed, embarassed for Yunho.

“Minyoung-ssi, are you okay?” Eunhyuk asked laughing as the girl fanned her face that turned red from trying to hold back her laughter. “Do you want to pretend not to know him?”

“Ah. I’m fine. It’s still manageable for now.” Minyoung quipped the corner of her lips arching as she tries not to laugh again. Jongho patted her back chuckling.

As the MCs stirred the show to move on to the next segment, ‘Specialty Appraisal’, the whole group started to get a bit worried showing a nervous smile. “Audience time for me.” Minyoung whispered to Yeosang who patted her back smiling.

“The first specialty to be appraised is multiplication tables.” Eunhyuk read of the script before turning to the group asking “How can they put that as their specialty”

Kwanghee also wondered curiously “ What’s with that? All of us remember the multiplication table.”

Yeosang raised his hand and explained why he wrote it down as his specialty “My mom was a math teacher when I was in school”

Eunhyuk said unsure if it’s enough to be considered a specialty “Well we master the times table when we’re in elementary school”

Kwanghee nodded making a story for the skill “But there must be a reason why Yeosang wrote it as his specialty. He told me that he could do it better than Mingi who isn’t here with us today. Then Mingi called me and said he wants you to fill in for him.”

Eunhyuk pretended to be fired up “I won’t go easy on him.”

Kwanghee adding on to motivate Eunhyuk “He’d put a lot of effort to crush you. He does his best when he’s on something.”

Eunhyuk chuckled as he bluffed walking towards the center for the game “You won’t even be able to mention the times table again. I mastered times table when I was exactly nine years old. I was in second grade then.”

Kwanghee asked “What about you, Yeosang?”

Yeosang answered adding in humor “I mastered it when I was born. My mom was a math teacher”

Eunhyuk laughed shaking his head as both of them got ready “It won’t be easy. He sounds confident.”

Minyoung held unto Jonho’s shoulder trying her best not to laugh.

[Minyoung losing her mind. Please save our bunny!]

Yeosang beats Eunhyuk easily even as they went on for another round. ATEEZ cheering for their bandmate as Yeosang’s specialty is verified, with it amounting to 180 dollars.

Kwanghee continued on looking at the group “Let’s meet the next member. It’s him.”

Eunhyuk turned towards the male “San-ssi. I heard he’s very flexible. Our lowest record of Limbo is 60cm ”

Wooyoung asked trying to measure it with his hands “Isn’t 60cm really low?”

Eunhyuk nodded as the staff prepared the limbo “Do you want to try it?”

“I’d like to try.” San answered as he watched the equipment be set up in front of him, his jaw dropping realizing how low he needs to bend to succeed.

Kwanghee chuckled noting San’s expression “San seems to be a little surprised but we had our source.”

Minyoung tilted her head confused “A source?”

Seonghwa suddenly spoke startling the members particularly San. “Actually..”

San looked at the eldest in disbelief “Did you tell them?”

Seonghwa chuckled explaining the reason behind it “Sorry. San has spread his legs here before. I was jealous of that skill but I didn’t know they’d want to check how flexible he is. I’m sorry.”

“Ahh so Seonghwa-oppa wrote it for San-oppa?” Minyoung giggled before checking the limbo’s height

Kwanghee nodded before asking “Yes. Seonghwa tipped us off. Are you not that flexible, Seonghwa?”

Seonghwa shook his head “I can’t even sit with my legs crossed.”

Eunhyuk gasped and frowned a bit at the information “You can’t sit with legs crossed? Like this? Show us”

“When I try that, my legs won’t go down.” Seonghwa said as he sat down but with his legs not touching floor.

“What’s wrong with you?” Eunhyuk asked staring at his legs surprised at what he is seeing

Hongjoong who was beside Seonghwa pointed to Seonghwa’s leg explaining “This leg isn’t flexible enough.”

Kwanghee wondered outloud “How could you be such a good dancer then?”

Eunhyuk sounded the xylophone, effectively appraising Seonghwa’s ‘ability’ as Kwanghee laughed as he looked at Eunhyuk “Why would you appraise that? How much is it” “It’s 750 dollars.”

Minyoung at this point cannot hold back her laughter tearing up a bit, clapping at the appraisal “That’s his specialty?”

Kwanghee noted as he watched the girl fan herself and control her laughter “Minyoung-ssi is easy to laughter. This makes my job a lot easier.” the rest of the members chuckling as the girl tried to regain herself.

“It doesn’t affect dancing though.” Seonghwa waved his hands explaining “It’s only when I sit down that I notice it.”

“We sit on the floor on some restaurants right? He can’t eat there. He can’t eat that way” Wooyoung piped in pointing at Seonghwa laughing

“Let’s set aside Seonghwa’s specialty for a bit and go back to San. Will he be able to go over 750 dollars?”

Hongjoong noted seeing the limbo “That’s really low.”

Minyoung cheered forming a triangle with her arms to make a mountain gesture “San-oppa fighting! Don’t get hurt.”

San walked over near the limbo shaking his head “I don’t think I can make it”

Wooyoung and Yunho cheered on him “You can.” “Be confident”

Eunhyuk urged him on as he pointed at the limbo “You should easily make over 80cm. You can just pass through easily. We won’t even be surprised”

San tried measuring it by leaning down slightly before attempting to cross under “This..It’s a lot lower than I thought.” He would have made it if only he didn’t fell down on his knees, effectively failing the appraisal.

Hongjoong laughed as he motioned towards Seonghwa “San-ah, Seonghwa got you. He set you up.”

Seonghwa chuckled joining in on teasingly “Sorry, it was my big picture.”

“San must be very embarassed right now. Show us a pose that can prove your flexbility.” Kwanghee looked at San as the said male walked towards the center saying “I will show you a dance move in our song <Answer>. ” as he started both Minyoung and Jongho sang the part for him a bit.  “taolla bulkkotcheoreom~”

The MCs got surprised at how low he bent down. “Yah you should have done that!”

Jongho exclaimed “You could have done it this way.” San getting flustered since he did go lower than he thought he could

Minyoung giggled, teasing him “Does this mean San-oppa is just bad at games?”

Hongjoong laughed nodding as he concluded “It is. He can dance well but he is bad at games”

“Seonghwa’s tip was right. He’s talented but he can’t make use of it.” Eunhyuk laughed before continuing on with the show “We reviewed their specialty profile. Are we done?”

Kwanghee shook his head “We have one more specialty to review. He will try something new. Jongho will try a new category, grip strength.”

“When it comes to grip strength, Jongho-ssi is almost like a human juice extractor.”

Jongho declared getting ready “So I came back to set a record here.”

“He’s very vigorous” Eunhyuk noted as Kwanghee brought in a box of apples “For him to set a new record, we prepared some tests.”

[Split apples in thirty seconds]

“Let’s see how many apples he can split within 30 seconds. You will set a record here.”

 “Yes. That’s right” Jongho nodded while Eunhyuk took out a timer preparing for the challenge “So when other idols come here, Jongho’s record will be challenged.”

Minyoung asked with a tone of disbelief making the staff laugh “There are people who would come to challenge this? Splitting apples bare-handed?”

Jongho looked at her betrayed “Young-ah.” The girl laughing covering her mouth as she waved her hands “I mean…there’s other people who can do this?”

Kwanghee laughed as the girl tried to explain herself “Minyoung looks like she can’t believe what she just heard.”

“Jongho challenges to make a record. How many will he be able to split?”

Minyoung approached Jongho, rolling his sleeves up for him to avoid the juice getting to them while Wooyoung and San both have tissues on the ready for Jongho to wipe his hands during the challenge.

As Jongho challenges, Minyoung had her hands clasped together as she watched. She’s already used to seeing Jongho splitting fruits every time they’re on a variety show but she’s still amazed at how he makes it looks so easy.

[Jongho’s record is 9 apples in 30 seconds!]

Seonghwa noted as they finished counting the number of apples split “Oh it’s the same number as us.”

Wooyoung asked laughing “Ah, did you slow down to have exactly one for each member?”

“That was amazing. Now to appraise the specialty, it’s 80 dollars”

Minyoung laughed as she slapped Jongho’s arm lightly “He did all that but it’s only 80 dollars? Seonghwa-oppa’s ability is worth 750 though?”

Eunhyuk nodded “The appraised value isn’t important. The record is added to our records with his name anyway. When someone comes to challenge this, Jongho’s name would be mentioned every time.”

Jongho raised his hand remembering something “Can I lay down a rule?” as he took one apple as if to demonstrate it “You can split them easily if you rest them on your body. You should do it In the air.”

Kwanghee nodded understanding what he meant “Right so you can’t add more strength”

“What are you? Some kind of expert fruit ninja or something?” Minyoung commented making the members laugh

“ATEEZ really didn’t spare themselves. But that isn’t impressive to us. What’s ATEEZ specialty?”

“They don’t spare themselves on stage. I heard this time, they’re really setting something on fire.”

Kwanghee “That’s right. I saw their performance. I could feel the heat. The whole world is crazy about this song. Tell us about the song, <I’m the One>.”

Hongjoong introduced the song before they performed their song for Weekly Idol.

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ATEEZ Minyoung Masterlist

Disclaimer: This is just a work of fiction. Any portrayal of real people is a combination based on what we could see on cameras and imagination of the author. This is purely fan fiction written for entertainment. Thank you for understanding.

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Writing Beary Corner

I wanted to do the mv filming behind the scenes but my impatient self went ahead and finished writing first lol I chopped this into two parts since it’s getting long although there’s not much left of the “episode”.

Repeating my request for questions for Minyoung. Kindly send in asks for Minyoung and we’ll have her answer them lol  ♡

...or you could also send me random asks and I’ll answer them to best of my abilities haha! or a scenario request too!

Updates are slower with my schedule and my wrists hurts whenever I type for long periods of time but I’ll release little by little. Thanks for reading!

-Mimi

22

#kpop scenarios #kpop reactions #ateez scenarios #ateez 9th member #ateez au #ateez oc #kpop oc #kpop au #park minyoung #ateez minyoung #minyoung masterlist #kpop imagines #writing beary

[dirty-urie]

McBrendon

Second Person

Brendon x Female Reader

Unspecified Era

Smut Oneshot

NC-17

3.2k Words

Warnings in order of appearance: RPF, language throughout, not pre-discussed roleplay scene, medical roleplay and language, sex

Author's Notes:

So, basically, I was re-watching Grey's Anatomy, and I was like, "What if Brendon was here?" and then this was born. I have no idea if someone who's never watched Grey's Anatomy would understand or appreciate this, but basically what I think you need to know is that Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan are sexy manwhores (in the earier seasons), and a common recurring joke in the earlier seasons of the show is putting "Mc" in front of adjectives to describe love interests. The fic is supposed to be more silly than sexy, but maybe it's sexy too, I don't really know.

"Wait, what about those two?" He asks, and you sigh exasperatedly.

"Brendon, just assume that all of the doctors on the Doctor Sex Show have slept together. That's the whole point."

He groans and slumps back in his chair, "Remind me why we have to watch this overdramatic doctor smut in the theater? The theater should be a sacred space for Disney movies or action movies with boobies and explosions, not 'ohhhh does McCreamy only like Natalie because she hooked up with Appendectomy?.'"

"It's my week on laundry duty, and whoever's folding laundry gets to watch whatever they want wherever they want. That's the rules, but you can go watch something in the living room or on your computer or on your phone if you don't like it," you offer, trying to get rid of him. You love Brendon, you love him so much, but sometimes you need to sit in the dark and fold laundry with no other noises except your soapy little doctor show.

"Fine. The men of the house are going to go watch something manly, don't bother us. Come on, Bogart!"

Brendon's little Jack Russell turns to look at you as if asking to stay, but you pat his back and send him off to go snuggle with his dad. You don't think you could handle Brendon's betrayed gasps if you let Bogart finish the episode with you. You and Penny will be fine ogling at Patrick Dempsey while file-folding Brendon's 68 pairs of gray and black sweatpants alone. Brendon kisses your cheek before he leaves. "Have fun with the boobs and explosions, babe," you tell him on his way out of the room.

"Oh, you know I will!"

•••

Two weeks later, it's your turn to fold laundry again, and you're back to watching Grey's, this time in the living room. The dogs are sitting next to you, eyes glued to the screen. Brendon's also in the room, bitching about "introducing this drivel into our home," but you're ignoring him because you don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

He finally quiets down, and you appreciate the five minutes of peace. Until… "Are you unsatisfied with our sex life?" He asks out of the blue.

You're taken completely aback for a second before you scramble to pause the tv. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, what? Where did this come from?" you ask him. What the fuck? Is he unsatisfied with your sex life?

"Well, we haven't had sex in weeks practically." Three days actually. It's been three days, but you don't interrupt him. "And you keep watching this sexy doctor show, so I don't know, maybe you're feeling like a bored housewife," Brendon explains.

You laugh at him, and he looks offended. "You're overthinking it, baby boy. It's just a show! Sure, the sexual tension between the entire hospital and Mark Sloan is spicy and exciting, but I'm not trying to compensate for anything lacking in my life. If anything, all that spice just translates into better sex for both of us. Okay?"

He looks very skeptical. "Hm, sure. I totally believe you."

You don't necessarily think you properly got your point across to him, but Meredith just made another bad decision, and you need to see how it pans out. "Okay, great, now go watch a manly show with Bogs in our room if you're going to keep whining."

Brendon does not, in fact, go into your room to watch a manly show on his laptop. Instead, he and Bogart start watching season 1 of Grey's Anatomy, immediately getting highly invested in the lives of the ambitious-yet-messy surgical interns. He's trying to figure out what exactly appeals to you about the show.

•••

It's his turn to fold the clothes, and he's doing it wrong, but you're resisting the urge to do it for him because you're a feminist, damnit. He's still letting you watch Grey's Anatomy because he's a doll (and you don't know this, but he's also become a bit of a fan.)

"Do you think I'm more a Mark Sloan or a Derek Shepherd?" He asks.

You scoff, "You're a George."

"I am not! I'm way sexier than George!"

"You're just jealous because I'm an Addison."

"Pshh, you're a Bailey. You wanna know how I know?" He asks.

"Fine. Tell me." You give in.

"You desperately want to correct my laundry technique."

•••

"Meet me in the on-call room in five," Brendon whispers against the back of your neck while you're drying the dishes from dinner. What is this man doing? "Meet you where?" You ask, but he's already walked away. You're not sure whether to actually wait the five minutes or just try to go find him.

You give him three minutes before going to the bedroom. You honestly don't know what you were expecting, but it wasn't Brendon laying on his side in the middle of your bed, shirtless under a white coat. He has on a pair of navy blue scrub pants that aren't particularly flattering, but they still look nice on him.

"Explain to me what's happening here, homie," you tell him.

"I'm being sexy for you! So sexy! I'm Dr. Brendon "McKinky" Urie, I'm a general surgery attending, but my real specialty is pleasure."

You visibly cringe for him. "You're a McDoofus, and your real specialty is probably malpractice."

He pouts. "Play along. Come on. Please? Be Dr. Y/N Sexy."

You roll your eyes. "Why do you get your real last name, but I'm Dr. Sexy?"

"Because we're not married in this fantasy! We're both cheating on our spouses but not in a tragic way, in a sexy way! Come on! Let yourself have fun," he pleads.

You feel yourself start to cave. "Fine, I'll play along, but I'm stopping this the minute I feel weird, okay?"

"Of course. And, babe, if you don't want to do this, you absolutely do not have to," he says, serious now.

"No, no, Brendon. I'm down for this. I think you're a total goof for doing it, but I trust you."

He brightens, "Great! Now it's time for your examination." He waggles his eyebrows, climbing off the bed and gesturing for you to take his place.

"Exam? Am I a patient? Why am I in the on-call room if I'm a patient?" You ask.

"Doctors need exams too, y'know. We're both doctors, but I don't know, you need a routine exam for like moles or something. Take your clothes off." He says, and you take a split-second to be grateful that Brendon got discovered for his musical talents and will therefore never be an actual doctor.

You stifle back your laughter and strip down to your underwear, lying on your back on top of the white sheet he put over the comforter to protect the bed from any potential messes. He stands over you next to the bed, and you're happy that you at least get to stare at his body during this little experiment. The whole "doctor" thing may not be driving you wild on its own, but your half-naked husband always will.

"Thank you for coming to this appointment, Dr. Y/N Sexy," he says. Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh, you chant in your head. "First," he says, making his voice husky, "I need to test your reflexes." Something tells you he won't be using one of those little hammers. He bends down and breathes against your neck. You shiver, and goosebumps appear on your arms. You're glad you wore your front clasp bra when he unclips it and has immediate access to your breasts. He circles around your nipple with his finger, and they harden quickly. "Mmm, good reflexes indeed. Very responsive," he purrs. "I don't think your test results are conclusive yet. You should keep going," you encourage. He rubs your scalp, and your head rolls back. You're worried that you'll start drooling.

Brendon smirks at you a little, and his smugness is slightly infuriating. Yes, you like him touching you, but that hardly proves that his weird roleplaying was a good idea. "Just like I observed, fantastic reflexes. But I now must move on to the chest exam." He rests his head on your chest, and you're beginning to suspect that this whole thing was just a ploy to touch your boobs a lot. "Is your heart rate always this fast or just when your hot coworker is touching you?"

"Normally only my husband, also named Brendon… for some reason, can get me so worked up, but now I'm thinking of leaving him for you, McCrinkly."

"It's McKinky, and your husband sounds gorgeous and super smart. You should keep him around," he says, climbing onto you and groping your breasts. "In my professional opinion, these are nice tits."

You have to bite your lip to resist the urge to laugh again. You wouldn't quite say you're aroused, but you are having fun at least. "Okay, okay, doc. Enough of the preliminary exam; I need five and a half inches, stat."

"You couldn't round up to six while we're playing!?"

"Oh, come on, you're lucky I rounded up to five and a half!"

"Rude! So rude!"

You kiss him to shut him up. "Sorry, baby, I won't bully you anymore. Now, how about a cervical exam?" You suggest, craving his thickness inside you.

That cheers him up. Brendon resumes his doctor roleplay. "First, let me complete the dermatological examination. If you could remove your undergarments, please."

You throw your bra on the floor and take off your underwear.

He admires the small amount of newly-exposed skin. "So many marks on your breasts and pubic region. Did your hot husband leave these too, or should I investigate for a skin condition?" He asks, ducking between your thighs to add some more.

"Yeah, he left them there. My sexy husband is kind of the best, but enough about him," you say.

New dark spots pop up after he finally moves his mouth from the sensitive skin of your thighs. "Oops, I think I just burst a couple of capillaries."

Well, someone did some light googling. "Do you think I'll make it?" You ask, faking drama.

"Yes, but you'll need someone to pay lots of attention to the area between your thighs."

He never mastered the art of subtly, did he? "I don't think that will be an issue. My husband will be thrilled."

"Great, that's taken care of. Shall we commence with the cervical exam then?" He asks, rolling off you to tug off his scrubs and underwear. He keeps his dumb coat on, which is more goofy than sexy without clothes underneath, but you don't tell him that. "And we can test your motor skills at the same time. Hands and knees, please."

You obey, and he moves behind you to enter you. He pushes into you quickly and hard, just like you like it. "God, there's so much blood in my, hm, um corpus cavernosum… I think," he says.

"Your what? Are you trying to cast a Harry Potter spell? because that's a whole different roleplay," You crane your neck back to see him, and your eyes widen. "Brendon, are you," you need to pause to choke back your laughter, "are you reading from a flashcard? While inside me?"

He's on his knees behind you, squinting at a white notecard. He flips the card over and reads from it, "the corpus cavernosum is, um, the main erectile tissue in the genitals. So, uh, I was trying to say that I'm hard for you."

That's it, you can't contain your laughter. You can't even bear to look at Brendon without cracking up. Tears are streaming down your face. He hisses, and you think it's because you've upset him, but you turn back to look at him, and he's biting his lip, his head tilted back.

"Are you good, B?" You ask, a little worried.

He's breathing hard. "Yeah, just your laughing caused contractions around my cock, and I was not prepared. Felt good, just unexpected." He pulls almost all the way out and then jerks back in, not quite slamming but gearing up to it.

"Faster, please. Careful still, but faster," you request.

He speeds up perfectly, finally filling you up and relieving the ache inside you. You relish each time his hips meet your body, feeling close to him, even if the position isn't as intimate as he usually likes. You suppose successful Dr. Kinky, notorious womanizer, wouldn't necessarily want to make loving, passionate eye contact with all of his conquests.

"So, Dr. Kinky-"

"No, it's doctor Urie, McKinky."

Jesus, you need a script. "So, Dr. Urie, do you have enough energy after all those lobotomies or whatever to rub a girl's clit? I bet my husband, the other Brendon, would touch me."

"Well, I would never even bother to compete with such a stellar man, but I can still try to get you off." His hands move between your thighs to touch your cunt. "Oh no, so much excess fluid here. I hope nothing's wrong." He puts a finger on your throbbing clit and feigns a sigh of relief, "Good, I've found a pulse." His touch is feather-light as he slowly strokes you. The contrast between his fast, hard thrusts and delicate strokes somehow enhances both of his actions.

"Oh, that's nice," you moan.

"You mind if I have you roll over? I still have to test your flexibility, and I'd love to do that with your legs on my shoulders."

"Fuck yeah."

He pulls out, and you get on your back; he gets you ready by situating the pillows underneath you. You rest a leg on either shoulder, and he thrusts in again. You don't want to admit it to him, but you feel like you'll need to come soon. The spikes of pleasure pulsing between your legs have been getting stronger and closer together, and now that you can see what you do to him, rather than just hearing his occasional grunts, you feel even closer to crossing that finish line.

"I'm observing some rapid contractions, Sexy. Should I note in your chart how close you are to coming all over me? Because it seems to me that you're failing your stamina and endurance evaluation," Dr. Urie teases.

You close your eyes to try to eliminate a source of the arousal, but you still feel painfully close to the edge.

Brendon inadvertently shifts a bit, and that does it. Your arousal peaks intensely, and you try to restrain your reactions on the off chance he doesn't notice. However, you're pretty sure he does notice your orgasm when his movements slow to a stop, and that's confirmed when he outright says it. "You just came," he states. It's not a question.

You nod, not bothering to deny it.

He pulls out, and you finally get to see his still-hard cock soaked with your wetness. "Well I suppose, we can run… further tests to reach a full diagnosis," he practically croons, pulling his scrub pants back on, and a wave of lust spreads from your stomach. Fine, the doctor thing is a little hot. "It's up to you though, I defer to your professional opinion."

"I think my exam is complete, actually, but I know you've been complaining of some pain in this region," you give his crotch a quick squeeze. "Do you mind stripping so I can investigate?"

He immediately takes off his coat, obviously excited, and gives it to you, so you put it on. "So, can you describe the pain?" You ask, putting a hand on his thigh.

"Kind of an ache, I guess?"

You squeeze his thigh, "And you'd say the pain is mainly here?"

"No, uh, um, to the right."

You squeeze his other thigh, "Oh, I see, right here?"

"No, not, um, my thigh."

"Sorry, I understand." You lay your hand flat on his stomach, still carefully avoiding his cock. "Your stomach must be hurting."

"Still not quite."

You clench your jaw in fake frustration. "Well, could you just show me where you need my attention, Doctor Urie?"

He shoves down his pants and grasps his leaking cock, groaning in relief when he starts to tentatively touch himself.

"Yes, very good, thank you. Would you say the ache subsides with stimulation?" You ask professionally.

Brendon nods and smirks a bit, "Yeah, you could say that."

"Well, I think you just need to achieve ejaculation," you diagnose.

"Is that, ah, covered under my insurance?" He asks cheekily, still jerking himself.

You laugh, going to dig the lubricant out, "Okay," you nudge his hand away, "leave this to the professionals." You pour the clear lube into your hand. "This may be a bit cold," you warn. He doesn't really need the lube, he's both leaking profusely and still slick from being inside you, but you want to keep up the "doctor vibes." You grasp him firmly and stroke quickly, trying to get him off as soon as you can. You kind of want to use your mouth, but you can't think of a good reason to within the roleplay. That's mostly fine, though, because you can tell he's about to come.

He comes all over your hand without warning a minute or so later. He shudders and groans, spurting twice more. You didn’t realize how worked up he was. Of course, you saw how hard he was, but to come this much from just jerking him off means he was really turned on. "Outstanding sperm production, sir," you say, crudely wiping him up with a tissue.

"Okay, no more doctor talk. My brain is too mushy," he groans.

You take off the coat and get into bed, cuddling against him. "If your brain is mushy, you probably should see a doctor."

He giggles. "So, would you do this again?"

You think for a second. "Well, I'd roleplay with you again, but you have to warn me next time. And probably not the doctor thing again. It was hot playing with you, but thinking about actual medical procedures is not my thing."

He yawns, "Noted about the warning you next time, and that's too bad. I was really looking forward to the oral exam. How big is your mouth? How's your swallow technique?" He says, half-jokingly.

"Hey, don't push it, or we're doing a prostate exam, and due to budget cuts to the hospital, we're going to be low on lubricant."

He cringes, "Point taken. I don't need a doctor roleplay; the next time I want a blowjob, I'll just ask."

You get out of bed and put on your pajamas. "Well, if it's in the next 45 minutes, your request is getting denied because Penny Lane, Bogart, and I are watching the real Grey's Anatomy in the theater while you're still too weak to complain about it. And this is a good time to tell you that my character is not actually a medical doctor. I have a PHD in film studies. I’m a fraud.”

His mouth drops open, "You're telling me that wasn't an official medical handjob?!"

"I trust that you'll get over this. Love you, babe."

He scowls but still mutters a quiet, “I love you too.”

#brendon urie smut #brendon urie fanfiction #my work

[flying-elliska]

Just binge read the Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon and !!!!!! amazing. Now I want to yell about it for a bit, bear with me (essay incoming sorry)

- the concept already, urban fantasy dystopia, just feels both so fresh and so obvious it's surprising it's not more of a Thing, and the world building is next level. the modern technology + Victorian aesthetics is not just cool (although it is) it evokes the fact that Victorian England was a brutal, very unequal and fucked up society, so it really fits a dystopia. Plus Scion is also an evil empire that invades other countries, which is also thematically relevant, as is the fact that the MC is Irish.

- I'm obsessed with the concept of a magical mob and Underworld (unsurprisingly) and people who are pushed to the margins of society because their very existence has been outlawed and bond together to find freedom but are also forced to exist in a state of constant brutality and the damage it all does

- the first book throws a lot of plot and world building at you in ways that can be a bit overwhelming and confusing, and doesn't give you a lot of time to connect emotionally to the characters, so that took me a while, but it's really worth pushing through for, i love them all now.

- I love the main character, Paige, so much. she's a survivor ; clever, witty, action oriented and very down to earth ; she's also very competent in ways that feel earned, and interestingly flawed, not some gratuitous emotionless Strong Female Character with plot armor or a 'not like other girls' complex. She's proud and she has a mean, ruthless streak. She's brave, too loyal for her own good, and impulsive to the point of recklessness, and sometimes her gambles pay off and sometimes she has to pay a very heavy price for them (it made me yell at the page several times). It's really cool to see a female MC that is so invested in the politics of her world. I hate that so many female mains in fantasy or dystopia are these isolated loners who hate politics, only really care about a handful of people and want to retire to their husband/2.5 kids happy ending as fast as possible, with a plot-line that focuses over personal development rather than political goals, because it sends this weird message that women are not meant to be in the public space. (Not making this into a rant about the Shadow and Bone books but lol I could)

Paige has to shoulder massive burdens that nobody in their right mind should want and that's understandable, but you do get the sense that she enjoys being a criminal, running free and scheming and climbing over roofs and outwitting her enemies and sticking it to the government. She doubts herself sometimes, worries about people only valuing her for her powers, but she doesn't have a lot of time to waste on self-consciousness, angsting or moping about her feelings. It's very empowering to read. And she's fiercely compassionate in moments where it's actually very dangerous for her to be. She has this constant struggle between the part of her that finds injustice intolerable and the part of her that is grimly pragmatic. This is exactly what women in fiction have been excluded from for too long, complex dilemmas about action and morality taken seriously, not just love triangle shit. It's great. Although wow does she deserve a break. Ouch. Baby </3

- the world is incredibly fucked up but there seems to be no sexism/homophobia/racism, which is refreshing to read. the main romance is m/f but there's a lot of ambient queerness, just because and not to 'make a point' ; the author has confirmed that the MC is demisexual, her bff is gay, the love interest is pan, there's a badass trans commander/mob boss, you get randomly informed that this henchwoman has a wife or that this mobster is trying to save his boyfriend, it's great (and it's not a word-of-god after the fact thing like jkr it's actually shown on the page, they just don't use any labels)

- the main romance is a slow build that is very low-key at first, enemies to reluctant allies to friends to lovers, but becomes really powerful over time. the fact that the MC is demi means it can't rely on 'omg so hot i can't stop thinking about him!' clichés - nothing wrong with attraction at first sight but it often leads to lazy storytelling and irritating instalove, tell over show romances. the characters are drawn to each other but it's more of a meeting of minds and souls at first, admiration and common goals, and their actions are still first and foremost guided by strategy, not sentiment. (sidenote I've often wondered if i wasn't at least a little demi myself. that would explain why i have such high standards for credible romance lmao.) also there's a significant power imbalance at the start but it gets very much deconstructed before anything can happen and it's an interesting negotiation. Warden could easily have fit in the 'brooding immortal douchebags' category but there's an alienness and gentleness to him that lifts him above that, along with the respect and space he gives to Paige and their shared experience of trauma and hopes for a better world. Her hot-headedness and his calm, deadpan sort-of-humor play off each other really well. Also I love the idea that develops over the series that their connection isn't a distraction from their fight but that it makes them stronger and allows them to resist and find solace from the deluge of constant horror that is their world. their whole dynamic in s4...no words. also the second time i read a scene where one character is bandaging the other's wounds and there's touch aversion involved and like, I LOVE that.

- lots of complex different bad guys. some are just brutes, some are sadistic masterminds with superiority complexes, some are deceptive and manipulative and morally ambiguous. love that the Big Bad Guy is a woman - female characters being fully realized means that sometimes, they're just incredibly evil (as long as it's not tied to their gender, i love that). Paige and Jaxon's relationship is fascinating - he's a terrible, manipulative person but i do feel in his own way, he cares about her and wants to see her thrive ; but that's not necessarily a good thing as he sees it as a justification to make her go through awful things. She knows he's awful but she can't get over the fact that he took her in, taught her, believed in her and gave her a sense of belonging and freedom when nobody else did ; she was super proud of being his mollisher and it makes sense it would take time for her to rebuild her sense of self without that, on her own. I like that the ambiguity isn't resolved (it's also a very good illustration of how emotionally abusive parental dynamics can get their hooks in you). The fact that he's aroace really works there too, could have been a lot creepier otherwise and i feel that's really not the point.

- also it's really cool how each book really feels like its own thing, it never feels repetitive, there are huge twists and a shift of focus each time - the penal colony in Oxford in the first, the London Underworld in the second, traveling through England in the third, Paris in the fourth, etc. The pace is pretty breakneck and i wasn't bored for one moment - actually at times i would have liked more quiet moments w the characters. There are two novellas that focus more on that and the second one is an exploration of trauma and recovery that's particularly hard hitting and beautiful. The first book does feel like a beginner novel, it's a bit clunky in terms of exposition, pacing and character development etc ; and there are moments where all the violence and brutality feel a bit repetitive ; but overall the story builds up so beautifully and in so many complex ways it's just really worth it and it's not for nothing i read the four books and two novellas in five days. just have to wait for the next one now though argh

- anyway more people should read it

#the bone season #samantha shannon #book reviews #paige mahoney #bookblr #the mime order #the song rising #the mask falling #ellie reads things

[randomidiocyncrazies]

i’ve been reading danmei lately, and there are a few books that I think are really neat!

summaries, why you should give ‘em a try, potential squick factors, and my general (rambly) thoughts under the cut

1) 鬼新郎 Ghost Bridegroom by 天橋底下说書的

Ongoing English translation by sakhyulations (as of 2021.06.24)

JJWX here

What it’s about: 

When the demonic sect’s Protector Bi Qianren was travelling around the jianghu, he encountered a malicious ghost who liked bride kidnapping. Without the slightest hesitation, Bi Qianren kicked away the ghostly head blocking his path.

However, could someone tell him why this headless ghost began pestering him to get married? Do ghosts toss their heads to find their matches now?

OR: how a cold, aloof demonic cultivator (who by nature isn’t actually so cold) learns that he doesn’t have to be alone, is loved by more people than he had thought possible, and finally makes the biggest bet of his life

Read if you’re a fan of:

Family feels

Banter and humorous shenanigans (it’s a funny book!)

Endearing characters (even side characters are really fun??? Love junior disciple Mo Pan even though he’s only around for a single arc...)

Characters who engage in self-deception and put on a happy face to mask their anxieties

Characters coming to understand that they have a support system

Potential squicks: 

jokes about necrophilia, since one of them is a ghost possessing a corpse (it gets resolved at the end)

one of the background pairings involves self-cest

OKAY SO imo this book is actually about family and parental love! the MC starts the book thinking that he’s destined to be alone, so he takes the initiative to be cold and aloof. by venturing out to take a break from his demonic sect duties, he not only meets someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with, but also discovers just how deeply his Master and the parents he had never known care about him, and the story ends with him realizing that he has people who love and support him in his life 

the LI’s arc also touches on loneliness and family, particularly unhealthy family relationships. without spoiling too much, i’ll just say that the LI was always the one who “gives” in his relationships with the people closest to him. through meeting the MC, he finally has someone who is willing to answer his devotion with concrete actions of their own, and has the opportunity to reunite with a long-lost family member who genuinely cares about him.

parental/familial dynamics could also be seen in cases that the main characters encounter—the ghost case in arc 2 is about family, and the relationship between a supporting character and the ghost child she adopted actually made me tear up at one point lol

the various side ships are also really interesting? there are Quotable Moments for most of the side pairings, though arguably all the heterosexual pairings have tragic or bittersweet endings... 

the MC’s parents: “she learned the ways of the immortals from him, but from her, he was learning how to be human”

the MC’s nanny and her husband: “she liked to chat with him as they walked together, and she liked his serious face when he shaded her eyebrows for her too” vs “she only remembered that he didn’t come help her, didn’t do anything that could’ve saved their child”

the ghost deities (鬼神)  who rule over the ghost realm: “if you could only head for reincarnation when there is no more strife and malice in the world, then I won’t stand on the sidelines any longer. Let me change the world! No matter how many years it takes, or how many times I fail, I want to create the kind of world you longed for. So sir, will you verify with your own eyes whether I can succeed?”

(listen. i just really dig the “the kingmaker who couldn't save his country and the emperor who never sat on his throne” dynamic between the two ghost deities, okay)

anyway, I had a great time with this book :V

2) 皇叔 Imperial Uncle by 大風刮過

EXCELLENT complete English translation by foxghost, with detailed cultural notes!

you can read the original on JJWX for free (some of the events happen in a slightly different order?)

What it’s about:  

I’m an imperial uncle, his imperial majesty’s uncle. 

When they talk about the most venomous of vipers, the wicked one who plays with power, the biggest cancer of them all, they’re talking about me: this insignificant prince, Prince Huai, Chengjun.

I can only say that I feel rather hapless in the face of these theories. In truth, I have been ever dutiful, ever devoted, devoid of intention to monopolise power, and possess even less of a heart to covet the throne. 

In the entire imperial court, I dare say there is no loyal subject more loyal than I.

OR: how a desperately lonely prince (who is just sooooo misunderstood! woe is him) manages to simultaneously misinterpret and obfuscate everyone around him in the middle of a political coup

Read if you’re a fan of:

UNRELIABLE NARRATORS!!!

Deceptively light prose (the author is quite adept at inducing deep emotions with a seemingly light, calm style)

Dialogue that is very much intended to be up to reader’s interpretation

Bittersweet endings

Subtle romance (細水流長) in regards to the endgame ship

(imo it’s a book with romance, but not a romance book)

Really neat subtle thematic bookends re: approach to romance 

Re-readability—going over dialogue and background details when you realize the sheer bias of MC’s perspective is worthwhile imo

Potential squicks: hoo boy here we go!

Implications of incest; the MC does not end up with anyone related to him and is put off by the distant blood relation*

Slight age gap between MC and the LIs; the main story starts when they’re all over 20 (youngest person involved is 22-23, oldest person involved is 29-30)

Offhand mention about adolescent sex-workers (and how MC prefers older boys who are of age)

Ableism (detail in worldbuilding, a major character’s disability is cured off-screen, derogatory terms referring to people with disabilities used by characters)

In-character racism towards non-Han people**

The idea that you can “make yourself gay”***

1st Person narration

OKAY SO the thing you gotta know is that 1) the entire book (aside from the extra) is told from the MC’s perspective, who is 2) so wrong about so many things—all the information we get is heavily filtered by him. what makes this book interesting is that, once you become aware of how misleading his perception is, you start to read tf between the lines. (like, the 2nd chapter literally tells you the MC’s point of view isn’t necessarily the most trustworthy! MC thinks he’s blameless but from an outsider’s perspective? it’s understandable why the plot happens)

anyway. the MC’s misconceptions makes the other characters really intriguing, because there are times when the readers get a very different perception despite everything being filtered through the MC. like, his feelings for LI① is one where he puts the man on a pedestal—look how pure he is, how prim and proper and righteous, nothing like a “corrupt prince” like himself; but from LI①’s behavior and dialogue you can tell that he’s really not so “prim and proper” (he also gently calls MC out for putting him on a pedestal, which is awesome to read)

LI② is a bit harder to parse; he’s the one the MC admits near the end that he doesn’t understand at all. even so, it’s obvious to the reader that the MC is massively misinterpreting his behavior at various points—which is impressive, considering that almost the entire book is from MC’s point of view. 

that said, there are some flaws in the execution of a 1st person unreliable narrator, in that some plot points felt like they came out of nowhere (because the MC didn’t notice, or had avoided thinking about certain things up until that point). some minor plot points are also dropped; if you care about something but the MC doesn’t... uhhhh sorry but you’ll never find out what happens!

(remember how i said the endgame romance is subtle? yeah. i wish we got to see more of what it’s like after they got together)

also, while the book is about MC and his various romantic relationships, I’d classify Imperial Uncle as “a book with romance” rather than “a romance book”—it’s really about the burden of being a member of the royal family, the distance between your perception and other people’s perceptions, and explores relationship dynamics outside of romantic relationships

* the Emperor-nephew mentioned in the summary is a major character in the book, and there are heated debates about whether he’s a “secret love interest”. I personally do not get the vibe that the MC’s feelings for his nephew are anything other than familial, but the Emperor’s feelings are a bit more ambiguous 

** and *** in-character misconceptions aren’t necessarily supported by the text imo, but neither were they outright refuted. I personally found the racism more problematic as cultural notes point out that it’s actually somewhat anachronistic for the setting of the book

3) 桃花債 Peach Blossom Debt by 大風刮過

English translation by Chrysanthemum Garden, completed

you can also read the Chinese version on JJWX for free (it’s been revised from the version that serves as the basis of the translation)

What it’s about:  

The immortals Tian Shu Xingjun and Nan Ming Dijun had an affair, and were demoted to the human world by the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor appointed me, Song Yao Yuanjun, to descend and viciously break them apart.

But who’s the one who must endure tribulations? Who is the debtor who hasn’t yet repaid what he owed? The pieces were set in motion a thousand years ago, awaiting a fateful meeting.

”It seems that all fated bonds are nothing more than debts to be repaid.”

OR: a tale detailing one immortal dude’s (unintentionally) messy love life, and his attempts to complete the annoying mission given to him by his boss

Read if you’re a fan of:

Friends to lovers

Mutual pining

Snark and banter (the MC is so funny?)

Prose that is deceptively light but packs a punch

Grand Romantic Gestures that aren’t necessarily presented as grand romantic gestures at first glance

Potential squicks:

there’s a scene where the LI is turned into the equivalent of a 12 year old, and the MC—in a fit of desperate longing (he does not have much time left in this world due to Plot)—makes out with the child version of his lover. ngl it’s pretty weird and out of place

1st Person narration

OKAY SO the author Da Feng Gua Guo is somewhat (in)famous for being misleading when it comes to the endgame ships, so like. don’t get too invested in the pairings (tho imo the prose makes it Very Obvious who the main love interest is)

(lmao there were heated ship wars in the Chinese fandom over who the MC loves most in Imperial Uncle, the other book by her on this list... Peach Blossom Debt’s romantic entanglements are really straightforward in comparison)

the thing that really kills me about Peach Blossom Debt is that a lot of the devotion and deep feelings aren’t made out to be a big deal? like, one of the most emotional passages imo involves the MC gently telling his love rival all about the LI’s little habits and details, revealing how carefully he takes note of the LI’s preferences throughout their time together. a lot of background details also hint at how deeply characters’ emotions run, so when you notice those details you experience the depth of those feelings instead of being like “oh yeah they’re in love because they say ‘I love you’ to each other”

#Ghost Bridegroom #Imperial Uncle #Peach Blossom Debt #BL Danmei recs