#don't ask about the title i think I'm clever but I'm not

[writeshite]

Hi! I was wondering if you could make a yandere! dark! sandman x reader. I know it's a bit of a novelty for you, but it would be great if you did!

Sorry for my bad english, its not my first language.

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of Tears

Summary:

When you wake back up, you apologize for taking up his time and falling asleep on him, but he waves you off, “It’s no problem,” he assures you. You become much more perceptive to his touch, seeking it out before sleep, your mind follows suit, and he’s soon the only one in your dreamscape. 

Pairings:

Morpheus x Male Reader

Tags:

Yandere Morpheus | Dark Morpheus |

Words: 662

Author's Note:

I don't think I've properly written for a yandere (?) I mean, technically, maybe Homelander counts?? But I don't lean into his obsessive tendencies as much. Don't ask about the name; it's like three in the morning, also don't worry, English ain't my first language either

Being immortal can be pretty lonely, even if you have other immortals around you. It doesn’t help that Morpehus is largely allergic to social interaction at times and prefers to spend his days in the Dreaming, drifting between the minds of mortals. 

Meeting you had been an accident. Your dreams are simple, cozy things, they’re comfortable, and at first, he mostly sits on the outskirts when he wants a break, but then he gets curious, wondering whose dreams they belong to, so he steps in.

Morpheus finds himself inside an almost endless room, a fire nearby and books strewn about, and on a cozy couch, you. Morpheus scoffs; reading was near impossible in dreams. “Strange,” he remarks.

You, on the other hand, are confused; while it’s not uncommon for you to dream of handsome men, they’re commonly people you know or have conjured up yourself. This man was neither of those. “Who are you?”

Morpheus finds your confusion amusing, “Just a dream,” he responds. Drawn to him, you stand and reach out, curious himself; Morpheus allows your touch. It’s faint, and perhaps, outside the dreams, it would be warm - your hands start at his coat, the fabric’s texture no doubt intriguing you equally; before your hands might drift up, he grabs hold of them. His touch is solid, and your eyes widen; he has the dream change before you can speak.

Morpheus is no stranger to want. He returns to your dream again, watching from the outskirts as you glance around for him, attempting to conjure him from memory. The aberration is hardly close; it fizzles, then falls apart, much to your frustration. 

You live in a quiet town with a nice apartment and lovely neighbors; when he orchestrates your interaction, you almost jump, eyes wide, as you point at him, “IT’S YOU!” You apologize for the outburst and then invite him for coffee, and he agrees, slowly integrating himself into your life. He pretends to know nothing and soaks up your interactions.

He doesn’t like it when you dream about anyone else—often morphing the dreams into nightmares that leave you shaking. It takes time to train your mind not to think of anyone else; for extra measure, he has a few harmless nightmares that disturb you in the waking world. They bite at your ankles, howl from dark corners, and have you looking over your shoulder.

One of them takes it too far, leaving gashes along your wall, and Morpheus would have destroyed the little terror had it not driven you to him so efficiently. Your sleep patterns had grown erratic enough to make you malleable.

Morpheus hadn’t needed to do much convincing to have you fall into his arms; he’d come to visit and found you barely standing, mind muddled as you failed to blink past the exhaustion. “Are you alright?” He asks, leading you to the couch; you’re practically shaking, your grip weak as you cry about the nightmares. You shake your head when he suggests lying down.

“I can’t, Morpheus,” you cry, “the nightmares, they’ve gotten worse, and…” your eyes dart around the room, catching the tail end of the terrors he’d send to disturb you. He pretends not to see them, which drives you further into hysterics, “I feel like I’m going mad!”

“No, you’re exhausted; you need to sleep,” he reiterates. He wipes your tears, and he gathers you into his arms when you finally give in to the fatigue. Morpheus leaves your mind empty and allows you some solace. The nightmares cower away, and there are moments where you almost startle awake, but he puts you back to sleep, “Rest, dove.” 

When you wake back up, you apologize for taking up his time and falling asleep on him, but he waves you off, “It’s no problem,” he assures you. You become much more perceptive to his touch, seeking it out before sleep, your mind follows suit, and he’s soon the only one in your dreamscape. 

End Note:

I think Yandere Morpheus would be sweet, still scary and manipulative, but sweet. Stay Hydrated.

#yandere morpheus x male reader #yandere morpheus x reader #the sandman imagine #shiterequests #don't ask about the title i think I'm clever but I'm not #am i procrastinating on homework? yes

[1-800-hwahui]

three men and a slut

member  |  seungcheol x vernon x chan x fem reader genre  |  smut word count  |  ~2,700 warnings  |  foursome, car sex, dom!cheol, sub!vernon, sub!chan, switch!reader, pet names (princess, puppy, baby, good girl), name calling (slut, whore), possessive cheol, fingering, oral (m receiving), exhibitionism, voyeurism, humiliation, degradation, a little manhandling, some choking, a teeny bit of objectification ?, masturbation (m), creampie (they don't discuss birth control so BE SAFE), no mentions of alcohol but it's kinda implied they're a little tipsy, they're still aware enough to consent though!!, there's no clear relationships but it's mentioned that cheol & reader used to hook up, this is just really rough and nasty car sex, if i missed any please lmk! notes  |  lowercase intended. this is technically the first threesome (well- foursome) i've written so feedback would be really helpful! also i don't usually write sub!idol just bc i personally am not experienced being a dom so that's why i usually write sub!reader, but for this i wanted to try writing it :) also don't laugh at my title i think i'm very clever and funny. this is written completely targeted at @duhnova i hope you suffer (lovingly) merry christmas heathen <3 please note since this was written with nova in mind it may have some things that not everybody enjoys so don't feel obligated to read if it's not something you're into! everybody has different tastes. for those that read it, i hope you like it hehe - 💒 june

minors dni - you will be blocked.

“chan will be here– soon,” you call behind you, stumbling over a crack in the sidewalk as you walk to go sit at a bench outside the club. 

vernon follows behind you, his jacket slung over his shoulder. “are you… coming back to my place?”

“mhm!” you giggle, sloppily pressing your lips against his. your tongue delves into his mouth as he whimpers, his hands falling to your hips and squeezing, pulling you against him so you can feel he's already half hard.

with public indecency charges the furthest thing from your mind, you’re almost considering undressing him right here and now, until a pair of bright white lights engulfs you and a shrill honk sounds behind you.

reluctantly you pull away from vernon, and he quickly reaches out to wipe the little bit of drool from your mouth as you turn towards the black suv.

“hiii, channie!” you sing out as you fling open the back door, vernon teetering after you.

he smiles, calling your name. "so where am i taking you now? your house, or vernon's?"

"mine," vernon says, helping you into the car with a grin before sliding into the passenger seat himself.

the drive starts out fine. until you look up at vernon in the front seat, hooded eyes watching the streetlights go by, and you begin thinking to yourself how pretty his face would be when you sit on his cock.

so you tell him so.

"you wanna… what?" he says, turning around in his seat to face you, his cheeks dusted with pink.

"well, it's not like i haven't before," you frown, scooching to the edge of your seat so you can lean forward to hear him better.

vernon sighs. "not in front of chan, though."

“you know i can hear you guys, right? i’m literally right here,” chan mutters, his eyes glued to the road. “now sit back in the seat and put your seatbelt on, or i’ll pull over.”

“well, you can join,” you sulk, but you slide back into the seat. “you don’t have to be so grouchy about it. do you want me to suck your dick? you probably have a really nice dick, too, would probably fit so nice in my mouth."

vernon whines about something in the front seat, but you can’t hear him, so you lean forward again to hear him. chan sees you out of the corner of his eye and glares at you, turning off at the next freeway exit and pulling into the first empty parking lot.

“can you just– do whatever it is you need to do so i can take you home safely?” he asks, exasperated.

“sure, if you don’t mind watching. or participating,” you say, already climbing up over the center console to sit yourself on vernon’s lap before chan can say anything.

you’re already starting to grind down onto him, but vernon stills your hips and looks over at chan, then back at you. “baby, we can wait til we get back home. don't make him watch if he doesn't want to."

you pout. “no, i want him to watch,” you whine, sliding your hands along vernon’s arms. “want him to see how good you make me feel.”

you look at vernon, and vernon looks over at chan. he coughs awkwardly, his face a bright shade of red that's only half visible in the moonlight. "i… never said i didn't wanna watch," he says finally.

"see! told you," you tell vernon, smacking his shoulder lightly. 

you turn back to face them, both their eyes watching you intently.

"so. who wants to do what first?"

while you’ve been caught up with the two men in the car with you, at the other end of the parking lot, seungcheol is just locking up at his closing shift.

the lot is empty, except for one car a few rows down from his, which is… odd, considering it’s after three in the morning. and when he looks closer, he notices they’ve got their hazard lights on. 

so of course, he can’t just leave without checking it out. somebody might be in trouble.

and somebody is in trouble. you, for cumming without permission, as vernon’s fingers are deep inside your cunt and you lean across the seat to bob your head up and down on chan’s lap.

“can feel you throbbing on my fingers,” vernon moans. he leans his head forward to kiss your hip, but it quickly turns into a bite, his teeth skimming over your ass as he sucks deep bruises into your skin. 

seungcheol is just about to knock on the window and ask if whoever’s inside needs help, when his jaw falls open at the sight in front of him. oh, the way his eyes go wide when he sees your ass, plastered against the passenger side window, your dripping pussy spread open on display with vernon’s fingers shoved into you for anyone who might walk by to see; your pretty lips wrapped around the driver’s girthy cock, spit pooling around the base of it from how hard you’re sucking.

you’re all so consumed with each other, drinking in how pretty you all look all fucked out already, that you don’t even notice your friend watching until vernon moans, rolling his head to the side and seeing seungcheol standing outside, face contorted with emotion.

vernon leans over to tap your shoulder to get your attention, then motions to the window, finally sliding his fingers out of you and wiping your wetness on your breasts.

you turn around, drool trickling from the corners of your mouth as you wipe your hand across your face, smearing it across your chin. you break into a grin and sit back onto vernon’s lap, reaching behind you to open his door. “hi, cheollie.”

chan looks up, breathing heavily as he struggles to recover from the feeling of your perfect, wet little mouth on him. “yo-you know him?” he pants.

“we… used to hook up,” seungcheol says, and if you weren’t so distracted by a million other things you might have noticed the cold tone to his voice. “looks like you’ve moved on, huh, princess?”

“and what if i have?” you giggle, raising an eyebrow daringly.

he tsks, his features morphing into a look you know all too well. “if i’d have known i’d see you tonight, i would’ve brought your collar, puppy,” he says with a sly grin that has vernon and chan’s mouths falling open in shock.

you sit back, placing your hands on vernon's chest. "well, you can join in, too. don't be a brat now, cheollie."

he scoffs. "princess, i think the only brat here is you."

you roll your eyes and point to the back door as you wrap your hand around vernon's cock, slowly beginning to move up and down. "door's unlocked. take it or leave it."

seungcheol just smirks, taking off his jacket and yanking open the door to slide into the backseat.

vernon whimpers as you curl your hand around him, the tips of your manicured nails gently scraping down his length as he bucks up into your hand.

you bring your other hand up to his cheek to kiss him. "you're the lucky one tonight, darling," you tell him. "you get to fuck me."

he groans, and he swears he'll cum on the spot, but then you're sinking down onto his cock and the car fills with his pretty sounds.

as he starts to find a rhythm, you lean back over and reattach your mouth to chan’s cock, painfully hard from so much happening all at once. precum drools from his tip, red and throbbing, and he sighs in relief when you finally begin to swirl your tongue around him.

cheol positions himself in the backseat, muscular legs spread wide as he watches three pretty little sluts whining in the front seat.

he's fine with sitting back and observing for now. he's fucked you enough times, had you in so many positions before, that it's almost nice to have the chance to see someone else ruin you.

but of course, both you and he know that no one makes you cum like he does; even these two cute men you have fawning over you every move, they can't make you scream their names like you would his.

so for now he sits back, patiently waiting for his turn, so he can show these two what it really means to give someone pleasure.

"i'm so close, bab–princess," vernon moans, correcting himself automatically after hearing the names seungcheol called you by earlier.

you clench around him, not used to hearing the familiar word on his lips.

"please, m'bout to cum, can i…" he pants, "…inside? please, i–"

"no."

the deep, stern voice that comes from the backseat is so unexpected, vernon's hips stutter, his orgasm falling away in a matter of seconds.

"you don't get to cum inside," cheol says, finally moving to unbuckle his pants and slip them onto the floor. "that's my job, and my job only." his hard cock slaps against his stomach, aching at the feeling of finally being freed from his pants.

"come on back here, slut," he says gruffly, motioning with two fingers. the same fingers you've had stuffed in your mouth, your cunt, every one of your holes, and that you can't help but imagine cumming on again– even after you've cum so many times already.

you whine but you comply, lifting your hips and letting vernon's cock slip out of you as he lets out a long, low groan.

he twists around in his seat, watching you climb back into the backseat.

"well, what are we supposed to do now?" he whines, gripping his cock with one hand.

"watch," seungcheol barks out, and to your surprise, vernon obeys, sitting back in his seat without complaining, his neck craned behind him to see what you're doing.

cheol grabs you by your shoulders and manhandles you into the seat on all fours, one hand wrapped around the back of your neck.

you wiggle your ass and he gives it a smack, so loud it cuts through the air.

"you ready, little brat?" he growls, rubbing at your skin where his slap left a mark.

"ple-ase?" you whimper, exaggerating the word. it's nowhere near as much begging as he'd usually require, but he's still a guest in this car, so he lets it go. if you ever call him for another late-night fuck, he'll be sure to make you beg twice as hard to make up for it then.

with one hand still grasping your neck, he uses his other hand to line himself up with you, finally pushing into you and bottoming out with one thrust.

he laughs at the way you whine, your hands gripping onto the edge of the seat. "forgotten what it's like to have a real cock in you, hm?" he teases.

you vaguely register vernon whimpering from the front seat, and out of the corner of your eye you can see his hand jerking up and down rapidly, no doubt building himself back up to the orgasm that cheol ruined just minutes ago.

cheol doesn't move, so you begin pushing your hips back against his, setting your own pace as he simply sits there, letting you fuck yourself on him.

but, as you're used to with him, he only allows you to do this for a minute or two before he's gripping your neck more tightly and thrusting into you.

you yelp at the sudden change of pace, your head falling forward as you hang onto the seat beneath you for dear life.

"you like it like this, don't you?" he groans, his hips slamming against yours so hard you're sure they'll leave your ass bruised when he’s finished. "my little whore, so greedy for a nice, thick cock, you'll do anything, won't you?"

you know he's expecting an answer, but his brutal pace barely allows you time to breathe, let alone speak. so all you can do is whimper in agreement, trying your best to nod but getting lost in the motion of his perfectly angled thrusts that have your knees shaking.

"three of us here with our own personal slut, to use however we want," he continues, giving your ass another hard slap that makes you clench around him.

with quite a bit of effort, you manage to lift your head to see how your other partners are doing.

vernon is still turned around, intensely focused on watching you, and he still has his hand around his cock, pumping furiously. his eyes dart back and forth between your cunt, where cheol is relentlessly fucking into you, and your face, where your features are probably scrunched up in pleasure.

chan must've just cum, and for a second you're disappointed you missed it– you would've loved to have seen the pretty faces he makes when his orgasm overtakes him. but then you see the way his head falls back against the headrest, his chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath, and you're just happy you get to see him like this afterwards. both his hand and the steering wheel in front of him are covered in thick, white ropes.

one particularly well-timed thrust brings your attention back to the man fucking you, your arms buckling and you fall to your elbows, back arched and ass in the air.

"are you gonna cum, little slut?" he coos, his voice deceivingly sweet. "go on, princess, cum all over my cock."

and like magic you feel your walls contract at his words, an orgasm you didn't even see coming hitting you with so much force you nearly fall off the seat. 

it feels like your high lasts forever, wave after wave of immense pleasure slamming into you as cheol fucks you through your orgasm, not once letting up.

he leans over you, wrapping one muscular arm around your body and holding you close. "you still want me to cum inside?" he breathes into your ear, and you nod rapidly, humming out a 'yes' as best you can.

"p-please, ch-cheollie…" you murmur, your eyes squeezed shut as you struggle to recover. "wanna f-feel you. wanna be f-full of you."

"good girl." you can feel him smile against your skin before he lets go, sitting back up and bringing both his hands to your hips, giving him more momentum to push himself into you.

every thrust starts hitting deeper than the last, a telltale sign he's getting close, too.

with a guttural moan he buries his cock in you one last time, pushing in all the way to the hilt before you hear him let go and you can feel each rope of thick cum that he pumps into you.

when he's finally finished cumming, he lets out a long exhale, his hands gliding over your body soothingly. he stays inside you for another minute before he pulls out, his cum already beginning to leak out of you, spilling down your trembling thighs. immediately you push your fingers into yourself to keep it in, and cheol grins. "mm. good, obedient whore," he coos, the sweetness in his voice no longer fake as he leaves one more playful smack to your aching rear.

you look up to see vernon, who came all over himself, his shirt stained with white as he sits in the passenger seat, eyes fluttering shut.

chan, having gotten over his orgasm earlier, is pouting in the driver's seat, complaining about how he's going to have to deep-clean his car again after it's been thoroughly covered in cum.

and finally, cheol. he slips his pants back on, struggling a bit in the cramped space, then opens the back door and hops out of the car.

he nods at the two in the front. "nice meeting you. now take good care of her."

vernon opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it, deciding not to. 

seungcheol waves behind him as he walks across the lot to his car.

"you know where to find me if you want me again."

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#💒 june #1k #svthub #scoups smut #seungcheol smut #vernon smut #lee chan smut #dino smut #svt smut #seventeen smut #scoups imagines #scoups scenarios #vernon scenarios #vernon imagines #chan imagines #chan scenarios #dino scenarios #dino imagines #seungcheol x reader #scoups x reader #vernon x reader #dino x reader #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #svt imagines #svt scenarios

[pavlovianfuckery]

catch me if you can or whatever

basically what it says in the title. make silly bets, get silly prizes, like creature-dick and the worst cardio session ever

This is a nightmare. Your lungs are burning and your legs ache, but still, you run. If you had known that one childish impulse would get out of hand like this, you might have thought twice before teasing him the way you had.

It had started as something silly, trying to pry him away from his work for a few minutes, nothing more. A quip about him needing to lighten up hadn't been quite enough, so in the spur of the moment, you had simply snatched the book he'd been reading right out of his hands, absconding deeper into the library with a barely suppressed laugh. You hadn't expected him to chase you, though. Granted, it wasn't in any great hurry but pursue you he did, finally cornering you between the towering bookshelves.

"That was juvenile, even for you. Do I truly bore you so?" The way he'd chided you lacked any real heat though.

"Is it so terrible to want your attention for a few minutes? You have all the time in the world to work." Fiddling with the folds in his coat, you gently nipped at his bottom lip. "Surely you can do the rest later?" It was not much use though.

"As much as I'd like to indulge you, I cannot, not tonight. Although..." he'd paused, thinking for a moment, "if a chase is what you're after, why not make it something a bit more exciting than these childish antics in my library?"

"I'm listening."

"How about a small wager? If you can evade me until sun-up tomorrow, by any means you can imagine, you may ask me for anything you would like." That piqued your interest. He'd humour you from time to time, that wasn't uncommon in itself, but he was usually so serious.

"That doesn't sound so hard. What's the catch? With you, there is always one of those." Which was true, for all that he might have accommodated you in the past, he would usually find some way to be a bit of an ass about it. If you didn't know better, you might have mistaken him for a fae. Your scepticism seemed to amuse him.

"Should you fail, I will do with you as I will, whatever that might entail." That hadn't sounded bad at all, butterflies filling your stomach at the way he'd smiled at you, just a hint too sharp."It may not be as pleasant as what you might be imagining, I'm afraid. After all, what would be the point of this little game if you were simply planning to let me win?"

"I'll make you work for it, don't worry." The words had come out a lot more confident than you felt, but you weren't going to let him know that.

"Good. I will even give you a headstart." You'd started protesting about not needing him to do you any favours, but he'd simply covered your mouth with his, cutting you off. Judging by the way he had kissed you until your knees felt like jelly, he perhaps hadn't minded being pulled away from his work for a while, after all. When he finally let you up for air, you'd noticed that he'd stolen his book back.

"Hey!"

"I'll be waiting. Now, wake up."

                                                                                                                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In hindsight you're kicking yourself for agreeing, it had been so stupid. At first, you simply tried to hide, mostly to see what he would do. By any means you can think of, he had said, and being in the Dreaming made it easy to let your imagination run free. It seemed like as good a start as any, disguising yourself as a butterfly and joining one of the great swarms in the palace gardens, doing your best to blend in. Evidently, it was not as smart as you had thought, because he found you in barely any time at all.

"That's very clever, my love. You will have to do better than that, though." He paused, considering. "I did promise you a head start, did I not? Five minutes should be plenty, I believe."

Did he think you were that slow? Your dismay must have been apparent even in this form, a hint of a smile forming on his lips.

"Which is it going to be, my sweet? Are you going to waste time sulking, or are you going to run?"

You run. Or fly, rather. You're not quite sure what exactly you turned into this time other than "bird", but you're small and fast, and that's all that matters. In no time at all, Dream is nothing but a dark smudge against the grass, rapidly shrinking. The speed is exhilarating and for a moment you forget the bet, the silly little game, all of it. Not for long though. Silhouetted against the sky like this you make an easy target, so you dash for the only cover you can find.

In the Waking, it would be cold and wet and miserable, but not here. Here the clouds are warm, covering you like a soft blanket as you make for the nearby forest, the treetops barely visible through the mist like an untidy fence off in the distance. It's not too far, and if you hurry you will have enough hiding places to have a fighting chance, so you pick up the pace. And then something moves above you, dark wings parting the mist in great rolling waves. It's hard to see much, but you can tell that it's big, whatever it is.

"Is this the best you can do? I was expecting you to take this a bit more seriously." There is no way that it has been 5 minutes already, but before you can call him out for cheating, great talons are raking through the air. They miss you with barely an inch to spare, ruffling your tail feathers. He is seconds away from catching you and by the sound of it, you might get a bit more than you bargained for if you let him do that. You dive.

Despite the breakneck speed, he's all but nipping at your heels the entire way down, leaving you no choice but to hit the ground running. The grass is slippery with dew, turning your landing into a slide and making you lose your footing. Not for long though, strong hind legs and claws of your own giving you grip and a burst of speed as you launch yourself into the tall grass. A hare might not have been your first pick, but it's not like you had time to think. It makes gaining ground easy though, darting this way and that towards the treeline, narrowly evading the grasping talons.

You make it into the forest, the dense undergrowth giving you enough cover to shake him off. The thick layer of fallen leaves deadens every sound, and it takes you a few seconds to realize that he's not behind you anymore. In fact, you can't see or hear him at all. It's not likely that he would have given up that easily, but your legs feel like over-cooked noodles so you stop to catch your breath. Finally yourself again, you sit down heavily on a tree stump, lungs still heaving like bellows. Since this is all technically a dream, it feels deeply unfair that you get winded at all. You remind yourself to ask him about that later, but you suspect that running in your dreams does not count as cardio.

Dawn is still hours away, and you have no clue how you're going to make it until then. At this point, it feels like you might as well give up. You're pretty sure he wouldn't do anything too bad, and there is no way you can keep this pace up for much longer. The sound of a dead branch breaking nearby is loud, taking you by surprise.

At first, you're not entirely sure what you're looking at, except that it's not any kind of animal that you know. It's pale, with a starved look about it, all sinew and bone. Between the dark tufts of fur and the gangly, oddly proportioned limbs, it is entirely alien. Even the way it moves is unsettling as its antlered head swivels in your direction, its eyes fixed on you. Black eyes.

As it turns out, you do have the energy to keep running after all.

For a few fleeting seconds, you almost think he might let you go. But then he chases after you, more branches breaking. It's over in less than a minute. If you hadn't tripped it might have been one and a half, maybe even two. But soon, a clawed hand pushes you down onto the ground, leaving you splayed out like so much prey. Wriggling only makes him put more of his weight on you, claws pricking your skin.

"Be still." His voice is almost felt rather than heard, reminding you of gravel being ground underfoot and the bubbling of mud, nothing like his usual smooth velvet. There is a gibbering at the back of your mind, every base instinct telling you to flee, to get away by any means possible before you're eaten."Or would you deny me my prize?"

For a moment you consider it, calling it off. He hasn't held that against you in the past, and he wouldn't now. And despite appearances, you're pretty sure he wouldn't actually eat you. This close you can't help noticing the disconcerting amount of sharp-looking teeth though, so you take a deep breath to try and calm yourself.

"No." Your voice isn't quite as steady as you would have liked it to be but you reach out to touch him all the same. His skin is warm and dusted with fine, almost invisible hair. It's a strange, almost sticky feeling, and when he pulls away to move down your body, you half expect it to coat your fingers like moth scales. When he reaches the apex of your thighs he nuzzles there, drawing your scent deep into his lungs with a low rumbling sound.

The way he picks at your clothes with the tips of his claws is almost dainty, the fabric giving with little ripping sounds as he works your legs free, leaving you bare. When he spreads your lips to expose you to him it's with the gentlest touch, careful not to scratch you. Aside from his eyes, the way he works your clit is the only familiar thing tonight, teasing you until you can hardly stand it. When the tip of his tongue probes your entrance your eyes drift shut, anticipating what's to come.

"No, look at me." Once he's satisfied that you're watching he slides his tongue into you, inch by slick inch, not stopping until his teeth prick your skin. He could swallow your entire cunt whole like this, easily fitting all of it in his mouth with room to spare.

The movement of his tongue is a slow, undulating thing as he fucks you with it, drinking down every drop of your juices as he massages every sweet spot at once. It's a wholly new sensation and it's got you craving more of it, making you grab hold of his antlers to better grind yourself against him, but he just gives a low growl and splays one huge hand across your stomach, keeping you still as he feasts on you. Craning your neck you can only just glimpse his length, massive and ridged, the broad head already leaking and turning the dark fur between his legs sticky.

"Gods, Dream, you're not planning to fuck me with that?" He doesn't respond right away, so intent on devouring you, not stopping until you're trembling.

"Remember the agreement, my love. Do not refuse me now." His expression is harder to read like this, but the want in his voice is plain enough. Stroking your sides soothingly, his voice turns almost cajoling as he continues, "Turn over."

Perhaps against your better judgement, you do as he asks, your stomach fluttering with equal parts desire and trepidation. The smell of decaying leaves and trampled undergrowth is thick in your nose as he puts you on your hands and knees, face nearly touching the forest floor. It's hard to stay still as he starts slowly pushing inside, careful not to crush you under his weight as he mounts you. He makes it less than an inch before you tense, certain that he's going to split you in half somehow.

"Wait, I don't know if..."

"You can take me." He presses against you another fraction of an inch, not bothering to let you finish talking. "You will."

At first, it feels like he's demanding the impossible, but gradually you manage to relax. He takes his time working his way inside of you and when he finally bottoms out it's with a guttural sound, his breath ruffling your hair as he pants against the back of your neck. You half expect some form of "I told you so" but it never comes. Instead, you simply breathe together for a few moments as he gives you time to adjust.

When he moves it's so slowly, like he could break you somehow. When you don't, he gets bolder, pulling nearly all the way out and then thrusting back in, making sure you feel every ridge and bump. Every noise you make seems to egg him on until his teeth are at the back of your neck, not quite drawing blood.

He takes his time, holding you steady as he claims you utterly. Even when his teeth nick your skin he doesn't falter, probing at the cut with his tongue until saliva dribbles down your neck. Even the way he tightens his grip on you is entirely other, leaving you unable to do anything but wriggle in the dirt, black spots dancing across your vision.

"Dream, please!" Everything is pressure and a gasp is all you can manage. You can feel him swell inside of you in response to your pleading, and then one huge finger settles over your neglected clit, the claws a reminder of just how easily he could rip you apart like this.

In a way he does, rubbing at you until your release is so close that you can nearly taste it. Teetering right on the precipice, you're not sure if there is even room for you to come, he's got you stretched so wide. He's insistent though, trapping you between his hand and his cock, not letting you squirm away no matter how much you try.

In the end, he reaches his peak first, jaws locked like a steel trap around your neck as he spills deep inside of you. It feels as if it might never end as he pulses over and over until his release is running down your legs, black like tar. Even then he manages to keep up the slow, full strokes, refusing to stop until you hurtle over the edge.

When you finally do, it knocks the breath out of you, leaving you no air to even scream. The girth of him makes your cunt struggle to clench and as he fucks you through it, he very nearly gets pushed out. He doesn't let up until you almost collapse under his weight, utterly spent. Even as he lays you down on your side he doesn't withdraw, just pulls you close and curls in around you with a sound that while strange, sounds content enough. It's oddly cosy like this, his deep rumbling breaths against your back, and for a few moments neither of you says anything. As the light-headedness starts lifting and your heart stops pounding like you've run a marathon, you can't quite hold back a sigh.

"Something troubling you, my love?" Even distorted, the amusement in his voice is apparent.

"Were you ever going to give me a fair chance to win?" With the soreness setting in, it's difficult to keep some irritation out of your voice.

"Perhaps." This time he doesn't bother to disguise it, and you're grateful that you have your back turned so you don't have to see the smug expression on his face. "As I recall, you agreed to the terms."

"You cheated!" You emphasize the words with an elbow to where his stomach should be, though not very hard. It barely connects, and you're too worn out to stay annoyed. There is a crick in your neck and you wince, hoping it won't follow you into the waking world. "Next time, remind me not to interrupt while you're working."

At first, he doesn't respond and you think he might be having a coughing fit. For a second you wonder if an Endless can even get sick, or if something else is wrong. Then he nuzzles your neck and you realize that the dreadful noise is him laughing at you. Not very loudly, but still. By the time you wake up, you still haven't decided whether you should be annoyed at the cheek of him, or just be happy that you heard him laugh for the first time.

#dream of the endless x reader #morpheus x reader #sandman x reader #sandman x you #sandman smut #dream of the endless smut #the sandman fanfiction #my shitty shitty writing (affectionate)

[ao3cassandraic]

When angels overplay

Angels, playing a human role new to them, routinely overplay, in delight at their own cleverness and the sheer fun of roleplay. (Demons mostly don't. Crowley only piles role upon role on Bildad the Shuhite because Aziraphale prods him into helping con the angel posse. Until then, Bildad's basically just some guy -- if a guy who asks some rather foreboding leading questions -- to Job and Sitis. In s1, Hastur la Vista looks awful, but plays his role at Megiddo tolerably well; it's Warlock's child-outing-the-naked-emperor bit rather than any solecisms on his part that mess up his scene.) Angels just can't seem to figure out that sometimes less is more.

Muriel totally overdoes the Human Police Officer schtick -- Mrs. Sandwich clocks them just from a moment's glance at them, and so does Aziraphale -- because Muriel doesn't really know what they're doing so they think the thing to do is MORE OF IT. They kinda even know they don't know, but they have to get the job done so they just soldier (heh) right on. When Aziraphale pretends to buy their disguise, they are visibly thrilled.

Aziraphale totally overdoes the investigative-reporter schtick with the publican in the Resurrectionist. He settles down once he's getting some actual useful information, but the way he tosses around journalist jargon at the start is just as overegged as Muriel's Inspector Constable bit, and it comes from the same place of delight in roleplay.

Aziraphale's West End stage-magician career is also a masterpiece of Overegging It (when he isn't a basket of nerves, anyway). He only gets away with it because stage figures are allowed to be mega-flamboyant.

Here's the fun bit. Y'all ready for the fun bit? Here it is.

This applies to the Metatron too. He overplays his role as Kindly Oh-So-Human Appreciator of Aziraphale.

Oh, he does pretty well, the astute manipulative formerly-human-himself sod. He gets by Nina, no problem. The latte for Aziraphale (miracled or not) is a great gambit. He gets by Crowley, even -- Crowley's huge, huge, HUGE mistake is letting Aziraphale talk to the Metatron alone. (Crowley's contempt for Muriel's overplay, which he extends to angels in general, does him a very bad turn here.)

But then the Metatron says something that ground my brain-gears to a halt on my very first s2 watch. "You’re a leader, you’re honest, you don’t just tell people what they want to hear."

I'm sorry, are we talking about the same angel? The angel Aziraphale? The angel who flatly refuses to lead his troops in s1? The lying liar angel who lies lyingly even to the archangels and God Herself? The angel who when at odds with Heaven's archangels invariably finds a way to tell them what they want to hear, even if he has to convince them they want to hear it?

That angel?

Look, sure, it's meant as flattery, but the thing is, I don't think that is even the kind of angel Aziraphale wants to see himself as. He's not Michael or Uriel or Shax or Furfur, jockeying for empty titles and authority. He knows he's dishonest, and he's actually pretty honest with himself about it -- he confesses his lies to Crowley more than once over the millennia! He goes along to get along because it mostly works for him (and, of course, because he is always, always afraid).

But the Metatron clearly expects Aziraphale to buy this overegged line of utter boardroom-bafflegab bullshit. (Oxshit. Whatever. It's shit.) And the old boy's pretty damn pleased with himself at how well he thinks he's doing; he just oozes self-satisfaction.

I continue to hope Aziraphale doesn't buy it. He doesn't buy it. He does his standard go-along-to-get-along thing until he can get back to the bookshop and try to (codedly, codedly, anxiously, anxiously, the Metatron is still near) ask for Crowley's help.

I'm willing to be wrong about this; it's possible this is a cue to the audience -- rather than to Aziraphale -- that the Metatron isn't to be trusted. I don't think I am wrong, though. I think the Metatron went too far and Aziraphale (who is intelligent) caught it. Or possibly he'll catch it in (deus et Amazon volent) s3 when he's had a moment to consider.

P.S. I love that for all the swirling uncertainty about the details, the fandom has quickly -- and I believe accurately -- settled on the Metatron as the hate-sink string-pulling villain. We also seem to be pretty much agreed that there's one or several cons happening around the s2 ending, though again we're all over the place on the details. It's funny! I love y'all!

#gos2spoilers #gos2 spoilers #good omens season 2 spoilers #angel muriel #crowley #aziraphale #the fucking metatron #good omens meta

[themusicsweetly]

Thank you for posting videos, pictures, and the Tribeca panel commentary on twitter. It is much appreciated. 🙏🏻

[ Anonymous #2 asked ]: Sarah, would you mind writing a S701 review since you were at the premiere last night? Don't mind spoilers and you can warn others if they don't want to read. Loved it when you did it before. Thanks!

Hello Anons! Thanks so much for both your asks! I hope you don't mind me combining both your asks.

You're so welcome, Anon #1! I so glad so many people enjoyed my posts about it! I'm very grateful that I've been able to go to these events for several years now. I know that so many of you don't get that opportunity, so I try to do what I can to bring it to you all even if only virtually. Things are always so much more fun when they're shared, anyway. After all, that's what fandom should be about! 💜

For anyone who missed it, you can check out my Twitter page for my full coverage of 92Y and the Tribeca Festival. But here's some GIF spam from my favorite of the videos I was able to capture this week!

Anon #2, yes of course I'll write up a summary of my thoughts. I know you said you don't mind them, but I will try my very best to not include any spoilers in it as I know it really does ruin it for some. But just in case:

~~~POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR OUTLANDER 7x01 BELOW~~~ ~~~SERIOUSLY, DON’T @ ME THAT I DIDN’T WARN YOU~~~

Outlander 7x01, "A Life Well Lost"

As Caitriona + Sam have mentioned previously in interviews, 7x01 picks up right where 6x08 left off. No time jump or anything, which I was really glad for. The opening scene was SHOCKING and used something that I thought was really clever and really rude all at the same time lol. I can tell you that the audience gasped because of it. I feel this bit was extremely effectively done. Caitriona's micro-expressions really made it for me.

One thing that surprised me — and perhaps it shouldn't simply because Outlander has always been full of this — was that there were so many small moments of humor in this episode, despite the obvious dire situation Claire and Jamie are in (but really, when aren't they lol). There's a new small side character that both Claire and Jamie get to interact with that provides much needed comedic breaks. Even Jamie's menacing looks add to this. Claire especially, I feel, gets to use her biting wit (or just straight up cursing) to add some humor to the tenseness. There's one particularly funny scene that takes place on a boat and involves an interrupting officer that I so loved! The entire audience burst out laughing when we saw it.

While Caitriona + Sam were obviously amazing, I'll say the surprising standout actor in this episode wasn't them. I won't say who, but it's someone we're well acquainted with. There are moments straight out of the book that this actor just fully nails. We're so lucky to have such strong actors filling these side character roles and s/he is just fantastic. Their sincerity and conviction sold me completely.

As book readers can probably guess from the title and from where we are in the timeline, we know basically what will happen in this episode — and they to stick pretty well to it. Even so, it is still so satisfying to get to see it played out on screen. Claire's despair, hope, and heartbreak. Jamie's torment, anger, and determination. The relief of it all. It's all played so, so well across Caitriona + Sam's faces and in their line delivery. Sam said during the Tribeca panel that Jamie is perhaps "more frail" in this episode, and I think that can be said for both of them. Despite them being well versed in separation, I think every subsequent one after their 20 year split wears on them more and more. And they both play that so expertly, making the time that we do see them together just that much sweeter. I don't think it's too spoilery to say that yes, they do share several scenes together this episode so dinna fash!

As for Brianna and R*ger, their scenes are pretty well separate from the Jamie x Claire scenes. I don't really have much to say about them, except that they move certain other storylines that will become more important later on in the season forward. And only just so. While it was important to do so, honestly it felt a bit filler-like. That said, I am actually pretty excited for certain arcs for Brianna and Jemmy later on (while also hoping they don't include that storyline for R*ger... sorry, not sorry) and this brought them maybe half a step closer to it.

Other than the moment on the boat I had mentioned earlier, there are two scenes toward the end which I really loved. One was such a sweet moment straight out of the book with some really great book lines that I had very much wanted to hear. it is Classic™ Jamie x Claire, so you know Caitriona + Sam knocked it out of the park. The second is not a book scene (I believe?? I don't remember it anyway), but was a great one for Sam / Jamie. It's how the episode ends and I told a new friend I had met in the Tribeca line that the final moment of the episode reminded me of Batman's cape swooshing over the camera turning everything black. Lol take from that what you will!

Some other random thoughts:

Jamie x Claire are SO. SOFT. They say separation makes the heart grow fonder? Really, it makes those two grandparents softer AND I LOVE IT.

I LOVED seeing Caitriona + Sam's names appear as Executive Producers! The entire audience was singing along to The Skye Boat song and then burst out cheering when that came up.

I really hope Major MacDonald's wig gets snatched by Adso at some point because F him lol

Overall, I'd say I enjoyed the episode. Some might say it's a bit slow, which I wouldn't disagree with. But knowing that 1) they had to get this part over with the tie up the Season 6 cliffhanger; and 2) this is really going to be a jam packed season of action and emotion, I think I'm okay with that. I've heard it from more than one source that 7x02 is even better than 7x01 so I'm really excited! I'm also really excited to meet our newer cast members, as none of them featured in the premiere episode. The Hunters especially will be so much fun to watch!

Hearing Caitriona + Sam speak about not only this season, but their journey with Outlander overall makes me so grateful that the quality is still there after seven seasons. They're clearly still so passionate about these characters and are determined to do them justice in every way to the very end. And I think that most definitely shows up in their scenes. I'm super curious to see if there's anything noticeably different or better now that they've been promoted to Executive Producers. And of course, to see Caitriona's first foray into directing!! Until then, I'm looking forward to you all seeing the first episode for yourselves 💜

#outlander #outlanderedit #outlander 7x01 #sam heughan #caitriona balfe #outlander season 7 #season 7 promo #jamie x claire #jamie fraser #claire fraser #my edit #92Y #tribeca #tribeca film festival #outlander premiere #a life well lost

[venomous-qwille]

Hellooooo! Saw the last ask about tarot cards and while you don't have to answer this, I'd like to give the meanings of the cards that we've seen in the chapter titles, which I'll let others make the connections cause this is already gonna be pretty long if you choose to answer this ask lol

Please note all of these are the general information and meanings about the cards (upright) I could find and the meanings can slightly vary depending on the kind of reading being done and the paired cards <3

Chapter 1: Death. Generally this actually refers to new beginnings and change! It's also a good reference to the talk of sight and death in the first chapter imo, very clever play on your part!

Chapter 2: Seven of Cups. This generally is interpreted as having many options or multiple possibilities, which can either be a comfort due to having options but also could inform you of a sense of being overwhelmed due to too many choices.

Chapter 3: Page of Wands. Often this means good news that should be coming to you soon (often represented by mail or a phone call wink wonk) though for the particular chapter I feel it's relevant to point out some other interpretations, including but not limited to: being inspired or creative, making new exciting plans, finding something you are passionate about, and having a tendency to rush into new things without thinking them through.

Chapter 4: Two of Pentacles. Oft a representation of trying to find or maintain the balance of various aspects of ones life! It can also be a warning to those trying to juggle too many things at once.

Chapter 5: Trochomancy. Not sure if this is a tarot card, I've never heard of it and I can't find anything about it in any of my sources so. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ though I did find a definition of the word from a simple Google search: "Trochomancy is a divination by interpreting the wheel tracks." Which plays in well with our little bike trip.

Chapter 6: The Moon. The simplest interpretation for this card generally is that everything is not as it seems, be it a person or a situation in your life.

Chapter 7: Three of Pentacles. This generally is seen as a good card in a reading, often representing things like learning and/or apprenticeship, hard work, dedication, and building on success or foundations!

Chapter 8: Seven of Pentacles. Generally, this card tells you that you've been working very hard and soon your hard work will pay off. A wonderful successor to a card like the Three of Pentacles! You've used these very cleverly, it makes me so happy to see these pair so well with each other and the chapters!!! New thing to be insane about your fic!

Chapter 9: Clamomancy. ALAS! Stuck again with one I've not heard of as a card or can find in my sources, my apologies. But, again, I could find a definition from the ever reliable yet not so reliable Google! "Fortune-telling from the random shouts and cries heard in crowds, at night, etc." I. AM. STARING. 👁️👁️

Chapter 10: Two of Cups. A little ironic considering it's general upright reading interpretation and how the chapter starts out lol. Two of Cups often means things should be going well for you and your life should be very harmonious. It can also mean harmony and mutual respect friendships/partnerships, and all in all has a lot to do with balance regarding life and relations.

Chapter 11: Six of Swords. At the time of writing all this out I actually haven't read this one yet so I'm very excited to see how the cards meanings apply to this chapter! This card generally means moving on or making progress (love that idea), but can also be interpreted as escaping/running away (👁️👁️) or travel! But most often means things like the calm after the storm (👁️👁️) I'm excited to find out how these apply!

I need you to know I actually love you (platonically) for being this amazingly creative and playing these so well!

Thankyou for going to all the effort of writing these! <3 Some of the chapter titles do play into the reversed readings of the cards too, which is something that's worth considering if you want to deep dive!

I anticipate GITM being 100+ chapters so while I intend to use the entire major and minor arcana Tarot as titles, I will also be including some Astral Houses, Lenormand Cards, divinatory practices and philosophical ideas to fill the gaps!

#asks answered #ghost in the machine #gitm au #ghost in the machine au

[tommock]

I DNF'd Mistorn: Here's Why

Disclaimer: You asked for this. Let me start there. Don't get mad at me, Mistborn lover. If you clicked on this link, and that means you are taking the dagger into your own hand. The wound is self-inflicted!

I did not finish Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I know, I know, its actually called The Final Empire. The name Mistborn has stuck with so many readers for a reason, so I'll continue to use it as a shorthand. The book didn't work for me, but I think WHY it didn't work for me might be interesting to read about, especially for fellow authors.

If you have read and enjoyed the Mistborn books, or any work by Brandon Sanderson, I'm delighted. I want to applaud any work of fiction that brings people joy (so long as it or its author is not reprehensible in some way (he said, covering his ass)). I don't want you to think this is me taking shots at you or at Sanderson. I'm just talking about a work of fiction and what it did to my brain.

Believe me when I tell you I have no delusions about being some high-handed minister of good taste. You should see some of the anime I watch to destress at the end of a long day trying to be a self-published author, editor, and, well, just an ordinary semi-functioning human being.

I've read many, many books and loved them, only to come back to them later and find they were … less deserving of my matured tastes. Sometimes books meet us at the right time. If Mistborn was, or is, one such book for you, I would be a jerk and a fool if I tried to tell you that you were wrong for liking it. That isn't what this is. But, if you're at all curious why I didn't like it the way you did, here are my thoughts.

Instead of trying to construct some long elaborate essay, I've decided to present my reading notes as I was writing them. If you're at all familiar with my SPFBO9 opening reads thread, this is in a similar, though much protracted style. This is my travelogue of the first few chapters. If these notes are rough or feel stilted in places, I'm sorry. I DNF'd the book a few months ago, and I found in trying to clean up my notes that I was making up commentary to fill in gaps and I don't think that's fair. I've tried to provide some context where I could.

Pages referenced are from the first mass market edition, published August 2007 by Tor

My Notes:

Starts well enough. Interesting introduction to the fantastic elements of the environment (the ash fall) and the enslavement of the skaa. Some neat 2nd world titles “obligator,” etc.

Not great, not riveting, but competent introduction of world and one protagonist, Kelsier. He doesn't know what to do with Vin, though. Disconnect between the characters as we're told they are and their actions. Lacking coherent motivation.

(P.5)The slave that stands and stares defiantly sending a chill through the lord so-and-so is a bit melodramatic. Both actions struck me as over the top.

(writing note)…too many “of courses”

The writing is competent and descriptive. The Mist at night is another interesting setting detail.

(p.6) I immediately dislike Kelsier. “I’ll have to cure them of that (fear of the mist) some day.” This is has an unsympathetic arrogance about it. If this is also the man who stared defiantly at lord-so-and-so, hes blasé about endangering these people, and seems to look down on them, much like lord-so-and-so. I suspect this impression is not intentional. I suspect I’m supposed to think him strong and clever. We’ll see.

(7) rolling his eyes at these people. This seems intentional. But it’s also annoying.

(10) beatings beatings beatings. These “peasants” and their daily beatings. Did I mention the beatings? Their lives are harsh! There are beatings!

(‘) what is this talk about Tepper “leading” the skaa? Leading them how? They’re slaves! What decisions are they making? No, really. What is this forced little conflict? It’s pointless.

(‘) “How do you do that?” “What?” “Smile all the time” - there’s no reason for him to ask this. It’s unmotivated dialogue. How do you smile all the time? How? No. Why, sure. “You keep smiling. Is something about our home funny to you?”

(19-20, ch.1) I’m having trouble with Sandersons storytelling. This is coming across as heavy handed and simplistic. Here’s Vin. She was betrayed. There are betrayals. This boy who came to get her who’s nice enough will also betray her. But the ash is free…

I wonder if we’re going to slowly work through the alphabet section by section. Ash, then beatings and betrayal… who knows what could be next? Crime? I bet it’s crime.

Also - Reen’s sayings and betrayal. I think in general I find it a bit affected when we meet a character and they’re immediately thinking of their backstory … but that’s probably not fair of me. I think what comes across as affected is Sandersons execution. There’s a very light fiction - YA quality about Vin’s angsty introduction. I might have loved it if I read it at 14, but not now.

I’d like to think of an example of what would be more appealing to me - the introduction of a character with similar enough circumstances… Actually, Gideon the 9th might be a good example. We get to hear Gideon’s voice in the prose and the dialogue and get a strong sense of her character as well as the specific and very interesting world building details of how she got into the 9th house. Here, Reen’s betrayal is left completely unexplored, and so I wonder why bring it up at all except for that cheap YA punch in the gut of “my brother betrayed me and now I’m here.”

Maybe Sanderson felt some necessity to move faster here. He wanted to get to the city theiving … but it isn’t working for me, so obviously I think it was a mistake. Obviously he was hoping this would create a sense of anticipation that we would eventually find out HOW Vin’s brother betrayed her, but because he leads with it and then doesn’t explain it, it makes it seem like it doesn’t really matter HOW Vin was betrayed, what’s important is that she was betrayed and now she doesn’t trust anyone. It’s just a bit weak.

THE HEAVY HANDEDNESS (People being mean to Vin - her hard life) (21) the slap in the face (23) Theron looking Vin up and down - “eyes lingered on her … running down the length of her body. … She was hardly enticing (didn’t even look 16); some men preferred such women, however.” (24) “what do you know?” “Enough” - Vin hurts her, expositional dialogue about her brother’s debt and selling her to a whorehouse.

(25) fearing Vin would disappear in a scene she doesn’t have much to do during, we get these unnecessary interjections of her watching the interaction, followed by the explanation of Camon thinking Vin is his good luck charm. This should have been presented earlier, because it just interrupts the dialogue here. But also, it feels inaccurate after Vin made such a useful critique of Camon’s servants. She seems much more useful in other ways than a luck charm, and comfortable offering her criticism without the slightest hesitation.

This chapter ends rather abruptly and without much Go to it. Vin uses her Luck and gets our stuffy official to consider her boss’s mundane business proposal.

The notion that Camon brings Vin along because he thinks of her as his luck charm feels really thin, especially on a job like this where everyone has to look the part. Which raises an important question: what was Vin doing there? I mean literally. Why didn’t Camon have SOMETHING for her to do. Camon didn’t dress her up in any part, she didn’t have any kind of cover story as his daughter or nurse or anything. Just some kid in the room dressed … who knows how while important official business is discussed. She just floats somewhere, doing nothing, as far as anyone is concerned.

VIN’S MOTIVATION Where is it? What does she get out of making this work for Camon if he has no idea what she’s doing? Why is she avoiding him if this is such an important job? Why is she helping him at all?

The pieces are there, but Sanderson doesn’t put them together.

Camon should know about Vin’s ability to “smooth things over” in some capacity. This would give him a serious reason for her being there on this crucial job. Vin should be motivated to help him because if this lucrative job works out, it will go a long way towards paying off her brother’s debt. Now suddenly there is a sense of urgency for her instead of just having a bad time owned by a “crew leader” getting slapped around. The scam itself isn’t enough. Frankly, it’s kind of boring at this point. It’s a slow moving beurocratic swindle.

(32) Kelsier. Sanderson is doing a good job introducing some thieves’ cant here as Dockson and Kelsier are planning their job, talking about how they need a “Smoker.” Someone is a good Tineye. The loss of a man to the Steel Ministry underscores the mortal risk these men are taking. But … there’s something about all this crime play that feels a bit cute, like Sanderson had only a passing, generic understanding of (fictional) gangs/criminal organizations. He’s spent his world building energy on the fantasy aspects of the story - the dystopian Tolkien Lord Ruler and Steel Ministry, skaa, ashfalls, mist - but not on developing the criminal world of the characters, linguistically speaking. They’re all crews working on a job headed by a crew leader. This is the world we’re living in, most immediately, and yet it feels the most underdeveloped.

“Kelsier shook his head. ‘No. He’s a good Smoker, but he’s not a good enough man.’ Dockson smiled. ‘Not a good enough man to be on a THIEVING CREW … Kell, I have missed working with you.”

This stopped me dead. I laughed at the book and put my hand over my eyes. “Thieving crew” is just silly. It’s sixth grade D&D language, but even more ridiculous is the sentiment of Dockson’s statement: that character is somehow a moot point because they are criminals. It’s as if he’s saying: we’re breaking the law, so we’re the bad guys, and bad guys don’t work with “good men.”

Here we see Sanderson’s shallow understanding of the characters he’s portraying. They are stealing from slavers who exist in the service of a brutal, oppressive dictator. But put that aside, and consider we’ve just been told one of their ilk had been caught and beheaded by the Ministry. The risk these people are facing couldn’t be higher. Working with people they can trust, a stand up guy or a “good man,” would be one of the most important things to them. From their point of view a “good man” doesn’t mean a patron saint of the poor, but it means a hell of a lot. If a guy is a drunk who cheats on his wife, you can’t trust him not to turn on you. If he gambles too much, you can’t trust him not to gamble on your safety. He doesn’t keep his apartment clean, how can you trust him to be conscientious about keeping you alive. It all matters - even more so because he’s on a “thieving crew.”

Now, Sanderson probably didn’t give this line more than a moment's thought. He was writing fast and sailed right over it. But that’s exactly the problem. It gives the book a kind of childish, YA feeling.

(33) “Kelsier turned with curious eyes.” I’ve written lines like this, but I almost always revise them because I write about eyes too much. The point is his eyes aren’t curious, Kelsier is, and it shows on his face. I can’t picture curious eyes, and I’m sure you can’t either. And I would cut the next line of dialogue - going to chastise my brother … we already know he was going to do this because he said so, and the line just isn’t very good anyway. A look of curiosity from Kell, and the promise from Dockson “it’ll be worth your time,” gets us out of the section better. Sometimes the best repartee between characters is a look.

(33-34) the scenes with Vin remain heavy handed, and affected. This section adds almost nothing to the story accept for the disappointingly narrow view of a fantasy underworld that the women in it are only ever whores. This from a world crawling with Smokers and Tineyes? I think not. The clumsy presentation of Vin’s awful life is what makes these sections particularly affected. With her particular ability to use her Luck, I can’t help but wonder why she’s even still here. That seems to be the story to me. Not the abuse, but why she remains when she clearly has the power to get out. She can smooth over deals with reps from the SM, but she hasn’t thought to calm some member of the crew and then just … walk? Go literally anywhere in the city and use her Luck to get work where she won’t be whipped and slapped. It seems like the easiest thing in the world, so why hasn’t she done it? This is what the story here could have been, and it would have been so much more interesting.

Obviously she has to be there so Sanderson can have terrible things happen to her so she can be saved by Kelsier just like he saved the other raped scaa girl (let’s all take a moment to roll our eyes) and then her character can have a trajectory from passive victim to active hero - but that’s an excuse, and excuses don’t make good stories.

That said, as is, these two pages could be cut entirely and with very minor revision to the next session, nothing would be lost. It introduces a hideout we don’t need to know about, abuse that is redundant, over the top and unmotivated, and then Camon says “it’s time.” It’s just a prelude, in which nothing happens, before the actual scene. So just cut to the actual scene.

(36) we finally find out what the Camon job was supposed to be, I suspect because Sanderson finally decided what the details were. It would have been much more interesting to know this earlier, just like it would have been more interesting to understand about the particulars of Vin’s brothers betrayal earlier, so we could understand the context of the story being told.

But a LARGER ISSUE continues to emerge. First Camon tells Vin nothing about his plans. She says she is apparently the only crew member who didn’t know what was going on. Then, as they sit in the waiting room, in the vey belly of the obligator beast, he tells her everything. Why? Because Sanderson wants us to know even though he never decided who this character was.

He wants her to be a passive victim of inordinate abuses by a group of irredeemable villains, who only avoids constant sexual assault through the exhausting use of her secret magic so she can be saved and then learn how to be powerful later. But he also wants her to be a smart, capable member of Camon’s crew who is considered as such, because he knows passive protagonists aren’t interesting and because he wants us, the reader, to know what’s going on, and also think that Vin is cool. She can’t be both at the same time. She either needs to be less of an abject, pathetic victim, or she needs to be less involved in this big important scam - and that means she knows less about it and does less to make it work. As is, he’s done too little with either idea of her character and both Vin and Camon are an unmotivated mess.

(42) steel inquisitor. Cool, creepy, disgusting - something straight out of hellraiser.

(43) “Besides, I’m not about to let a possible Mistborn slip away from us” Ah!

Ch3 (45) after the meeting with the obligator (that was a trap), is the first time Vin ever expresses any interest in getting away. Much too late Sanderson gives us a much too thin reason why Vin hasn’t run away (considering the conflicting versions of her character as mentioned before). It’s little more than an afterthought.

(47) in no more than 2 pages Vin goes from never thinking she could make it on her own to leaving for good, telling herself she’d survived sleeping in alleyways before, she could do it again and - “Reen had taught her how to scavenge and beg. Both were difficult in the Final Empire … but she would find a way, if she had too.”

So far, this is all based on a bad feeling. More motivation conflict - Vin has no problem telling Camon directly how his plans won’t work and that he should change the way the servants are dressed, helps him succeed with her luck in both plans, but sees no reason to tell him “I have a bad feeling about this. That was too easy. Why did that obligator suddenly agree. Doesn’t this seem weird to you?”

Sanderson has many of the right pieces, but he hasn’t been able to put them together coherently.

(45)(And, just as an aside, I’m not sure why a girl who has spent to book so far reiterating to herself that EVERYONE WILL BETRAY ME is going out of her way to tell Ulef she has a bad feeling and to get him to come with her. Sanderson says “if he would go with her, then at least she wouldn’t be alone.” But he has also up until this point defined her character by a near constant desire to be alone - when she is introduced sitting in the window of the hideout thinking her brothers word “Vin wasn’t on duty; the watch-hole was simply one of the few places where she could find solitude. And Vin liked solitude. ‘When you’re alone, no one can betray you’- (37) at the “It’s just another betrayal, she thought sickly. Why does it still bother me so? Everyone betrays everyone else. That’s the way life is … She wanted to find a corner - someplace cramped and secluded - and hide. Alone.”

(47) "Bringing Ulef was a good idea. He had contacts in Luthadel." These after the fact explanations are no good. This isn't Vin thinking this, it's the author coming up with more justification for Vin's action, but in order for her character to seem active and motivated, this needed to be revised into the section where Vin decides to bring Ulef. Now it's just tacked on - oh, yeah, and, by the way, if you weren't sure it made sense for Vin to do this, Ulef probably knows people. So, there.

It doesn’t wash. Who is this girl? Can she not stand the idea of being alone, or is it the one and only thing she wants? Is she strong and resourceful in spite of her circumstances, or is she a passive victim? Does she believe everyone will betray her, or does she desperately want to believe otherwise because she can’t live in such an unkind world? Sanderson doesn’t seem to have been able to make up his mind. Maybe some of these details were added in revision on the suggestion of beta readers and the result is a checkerboard character. I’ve seen that before where you make a suggestion to a writer and they add your suggestion but they don’t make the necessary changes to the rest of the book so that the new material earns its place, they just throw it in and dust off their hands - job well done, gotta stay on schedule to publish! But now I’m just writing fan fiction about Sanderson’s process. I don’t know.

(55) Vin’s “weakness” - the contradictions/inexactitude of characters seems to be an ongoing issue for Sanderson, at least for Vin. Is she weak and has to pretend to be strong, or is she strong and often chooses to pretend to be weak (so far she has seemed to be weak and act weak, other than her Luck).

Well, that's as far as I got. Kel shows up just in time to be the wrath of justice for Vin. He's the superman who will make everything alright for this feckless girl. Our hero. Did Sanderson lay it on thick enough? Did you get that these people were all so irredeemably and stupidly bad? Aren't you so glad this strong man has shown up to be Vin's vengeance, just like had been telegraphed all along?

Sorry, I don't mean to be sarcastic. This part of the narrative really isn't so bad, its just been so heavy handedly and clumsily lead up to that there's no thrill in it for me. It isn't a bit satisfying. I'm just glad I don't have to read about any of these shallow side-characters anymore. Except, I have no intention to read on, so I don't have to read about any of them anymore.

Is this book bad? Yes and no. I don't want to read any more, and only read as far as I did as an examination of storytelling, so for me its bad. You only get so many eyerolls before I have to say that. The sentences are very clear and coherent. On their own, they are coherent. Together, they fail to paint of picture of coherent characters who drive the action of the story. If you don't have that, at least in my book, you've got nothing.

The images work. The setting, in its broad strokes, is eveocative. I'd love to set a DnD campaign in a world of ash and a dark lord and all that (I'm not the least mad about the cliché of the dark lord, by the way. Who doesn't love archetypical stories?) But, as near as I can tell, there are no human beings in this book. No one is real. The characters are just that, only characters in a book. They are paper cutouts. They fall flat when the hand of the author isn't pushing them around and making them do things.

Fans often hold Sanderson up as the gold standard of a fantasy author who produces work fast. And having read this far into Mistborn, I can say this about it: It reads like it was written fast.

Yes, Mistborn was an earlier book of his, so I can't judge him by it alone. But it is a work that is so often held up as a favorite by his readers. That's why I picked it up, to see what all the fuss was about. There were many things I enjoyed, but what I enjoyed wasn't the narrative. The story and the characters who moved it were the thing that I enjoyed least. The unique magic and broad setting details and description of places and creepy Inquisitors were what I liked best. The proper nouns were fun.

But proper nouns don't make a story for me. So I did not finish Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

If I were looking for a light fantasy read that I didn't have to take seriously and I could pick up and put down whenever I wanted because it was never that exciting or particularly witty or clever, but managed to string along one event after another and kept them going, more or less, whether it made much sense or not, until the end, I think Mistborn would be a fine book to dip into. Lots of people have read it. But then, that seems to me to be its major appeal. It’s a book you can talk about with other people.

It's not enough for me, though. There's lots of fun fantasy books out there that feel more coherent, and, well, INTERESTED in the story they're telling. Interested in violence and revolution and crime in an oppressively totalitarian, dystopian world. Interested in the plight of a young girl who only wants … well, what does she want? To be safe? But the only way she finds she can be safe is to go toward danger and realize how very strong she is? Maybe this story would like to be that, but it hasn't been for the first 60 or so pages.

Sanderson's novel felt more interested in the large and vague story shapes around the characters - a city, a dark lord, slavery, soot snow, bad mist, some kinds of magic, and (I cringe to say it) rape and thieving and beatings - but not in the world of their lives.

I've heard good things about The Way Of Kings from people who did not like Mistborn either, but its safe to say at this point that I have reservations about my reading tastes being a good match for Sanderson's work, at least at this point in time.

If I'm looking for fun I'd rather read another swanky, noir fantasy by Douglas Lumsden any day, or the next gothic gaslamp fantasy mystery by Morgan Stang, or discover my next favorite author, indie or otherwise.

I don't think Mistborn was terrible by any stretch of the imagination. Sanderson has delighted readers for over a decade now! He's prolific, hard working, and he delivers what his fans want, and he and they continue to be richly rewarded for his efforts. He is a Name in the genre, often listed alongside the greats. And why not? Isn't pleasing readers what this is all about? Taylor Swift has oceans of adoring fans, and she's no less deserving of her accolades. Brandon Sanderson is the Taylor Swift of fantasy, you could say. I just don't like her music either.

#books and reading #brandon sanderson #Mistborn #book review #book critique #dnf #fantasy books

[bi-bard]

Human Connection - Joel Miller Imagine [HBO's The Last of Us]

Title: Human Connection

Pairing: Joel Miller X Reader

Word Count: 1,210 words

Warning(s): mention of gunfire, mention of sex (really brief)

Summary: A loud noise from a neighbor's place sends Joel into high alert. When all is discovered to be fine, Joel and (Y/n) take the incident as an excuse to enjoy each other's company.

Author's Note: Fun fact: The Last of Us was the first game that I watched an entire playthrough for. It's kinda funny to write for it now.

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

It started with a loud boom.

Or a gunshot.

In all honesty, in my not-quite-awake state, I couldn't really tell.

The most distinct noise was the sound of my book slamming on the ground.

"Shit," I muttered to myself, picking it up quickly and tossing it on the couch next to me.

There was a loud knock on my door just a few minutes later.

"(Y/n)..."

Joel. Joel Miller.

I would've assumed he was passed out as a result of the pills and booze.

"(Y/n), open the door before I bust in," he continued. "I'm not leaving until I know that you're alright."

I sighed before pushing myself off the couch.

I don't know when Joel and I ended up being... whatever we were. I would say friends but I'm pretty sure Joel would fight that title with every fiber of his being.

But he was always there. When it really mattered, he was there. Like right now.

I pulled the door open. Joel had a gun out, waiting to aim it at something.

"Put that away," I said.

"Are you alright," he asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "Something happened outside, spooked me, and I kind of through my book when I jumped. That's what the noise was. The book hitting the floor."

"You always throw shit when you get scared?"

"When I'm half-asleep, yeah," I nodded.

There was a pause before Joel spoke again, "Well, just wanted to make sure you weren't dead, so... I'll leave you to your book."

"Joel," I called as he walked away. "Wanna come in for a drink?"

He didn't react for a moment.

"Are you gonna look me in the eye and tell me that you're gonna turn down free booze," I asked.

"Keep your fucking voice down about it," he grumbled as he walked back over.

I smirked as I stepped back inside. I closed the door behind me before going to get the only two cups I had and the bottle I had hidden in the back of an armchair.

"Clever," Joel commented.

"I always am," I did a dramatic bow before walking over to the little dining room table that I had. I placed a glass in front of him.

"Y'know, I go through a lot of trouble to get you those books," he commented as I poured our drinks. I placed the bottle closer to the middle of the table. "And here you are, just throwing them around."

"That's why I want the books," I replied sarcastically. "Just so I can throw them."

Joel chuckled.

"And you act like you don't like getting me. I didn't ask you to do that. It's just your character."

"What?"

"To take care of people," I explained.

"I'm out here to protect myself," he tried to correct me. "I think you're latching onto something that's just not there."

"Well, I think you're a big softy," I shrugged. I could feel Joel glaring at me. I looked at him as I put my glass down. "You act all tough and closed off because it helps you. But inside... you're a softy. Protective to almost a fault."

"Think so, huh?"

"You showed up at my door in the middle of the night because of a loud noise. You refused to leave until you knew that I was okay. Not to mention the books that you've been sneaking me. Either you're secretly a softy... or I am just really special."

He scoffed and took another swig of his drink. No response.

I pretended to gasp. "Is it both? That's just flattering, Joel."

Still no response.

I took the pause to study his face a bit. He was a good-looking guy. There was no denying it. I had a small crush on him, but in the world that we lived in, I just ignored it. I pushed it down and continued on like there was nothing going on.

But here... in my apartment, silently sitting together... something was different.

"Joel?" I said quietly.

"What," he asked, looking back at me.

I paused for a moment before leaning forward and pressing my lips to his. I felt one of his hands touch my leg as I did.

It was awkward. Neither one of us really moved. It was only a few moments before I leaned back again. I didn't move very far back. Just enough to properly look him in the eye again.

His hand pulled away from my leg. I almost missed it. Such a small thing that felt so monumental.

I couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh after a moment of just looking at him.

"What," Joel asked.

"Nothing," I shook my head as I leaned back fully. "Just been a while since I kissed anyone. Didn't even realize that I missed it."

"I don't believe that for a second," he replied. I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "You expect me to believe someone that looks like you has gone for all that long without a kiss?"

"Shut up," I smacked his arm, laughing along with him. "For your information... it's been about fifteen years."

This time, his eyebrows furrowed.

The math didn't quite work. What was I doing during the first five years of the end of the world?

"I... I had this phase where I wanted to believe that human connection would save us in the long run," I continued. "Had a guy who convinced me that he believed the same thing."

"He didn't?"

"He believed that getting his dick sucked made him feel better."

Joel's eyes went wide for a moment.

"But nothing beyond that. I was actually lonelier."

There was a long pause between us.

"I fucked that whole thing up, didn't I?" I ran my hands over my face, forcing a laugh out. "Totally shit on the moment by bringing up some past bullshit."

"I don't think so," Joel replied.

I looked at him again. "Mr. 'Keep-Our-Pasts-to-Ourselves' is fine with trudging up my past."

"I said you didn't ruin the moment," he explained. "I still wanna kiss you even though you trudged up the past."

I bit my lip for a moment, feeling my face warm up. I took a deep breath before speaking again, "Then, why don't you?"

"Come here," he turned so his body was actually facing me. I pulled my seat a little closer to him, waiting for him to make the first move.

He held my chin with his thumb and index finger, studying my face for a moment before leaning over and pressing his lips to mine.

This kiss was less awkward than the first one. It was slow, careful, but not awkward. It felt like two people learning each other's habits. Not some rushed moment between two touch-starved neighbors, but a genuinely loving kiss between two people who had been hiding how they felt for God knows how long.

He leaned back for a moment, eyes scanning my face. He was probably looking for any sign that I didn't want the moment to continue.

"Softy," I teased, trying to keep him from questioning himself too much.

A grin pulled at the edge of his lips. "Hush."

I leaned over and kissed him again.

Maybe human connection was more important than I thought it was.

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

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

#joel miller imagine #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #the last of us imagine #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us x reader #imagine #fanfiction #x reader #pedro pascal imagine #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x reader

[sleepybabybees]

Some more ft kortac and Los vaqueros (Farah and Alex too-)

Alejandro : Who the fuck-

Rodolfo : Language!

Alejandro : Whom the fuck-

Rodolfo : No.

----------

Alejandro : This bloodline ends with me.

Rodolfo : That's the fanciest way I've ever heard someone say "I'm gay".

-----------

Rodolfo : You’ve got to learn to love yourself.

Alejandro : But don't you hate yourself.

Rodolfo : Yeah, but this is about you. Stay focused.

-----------

Alejandro : Look, I’m glad everyone’s on the same page.

Alejandro : But it’s the last page in a book titled “we’re all going to die”.

Rodolfo : That’s not even clever.

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Alejandro : BE A BETTER PERSON!

Rodolfo : WHY?!

Alejandro : BECAUSE SOMEONE NEEDS TO HAVE MORALS IN THIS RELATIONSHIP, AND IT SURE AS FUCK AIN'T GONNA BE ME, SWEETHEART!

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Alejandro , throwing his head into Rodolfo 's lap: Tell me I'm pretty!

Rodolfo , lovingly stroking his hair: You're pretty fucking annoying, that's what you are.

---------

Farah: What? I'm not aggressive!

Alex: Last Tuesday, you wacked me with a pair of crocs and stole my chocolate chips?

Farah: Survival of the fittest, bitch.

---------

Alex: Who's in charge here?

Farah, shrugging: Usually whoever yells the loudest.

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Farah, texting: Alex, will you please go to sleep?

Alex, texting back: What makes you think you didn’t just wake me up?

Farah, yelling: I CAN HEAR YOU CLAPPING TO THE FRIENDS THEME EVERY TWENTY MINUTES SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP!

Farah, texting: Just a hunch :) You goin’ to sleep soon?

Alex, texting: I’m trying

Farah, yelling again: TRY HARDER I HAVE A 5:45 AM MEETING TOMORROW BITCH

Farah, texting: Okay, don’t stay up too late or you’ll be cranky :)

-----------

Alex: Do you love me?

Farah: We’re literally married.

Alex: Yeah, but as friends or—

-----------

Horangi: It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s free: pouring river water in your socks!

Konig: Why would I do that?

Horangi: It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s free!

---------

Soap: Lol. Heads up if you try to make a candle with food coloring, the food coloring will just sink to the bottom of the glass, and when the flame eventually reaches the bottom all the food coloring will catch fire and become one giant tall flame that you cannot possibly blow out and the glass will start to crack and then you’ll throw your tea on it in a panic and then the extremely hot food coloring will boil and sizzle horribly and then the glass will shatter. Please take my word on this.

Ghost: What did you do, soap?

Soap: a Mistake.

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

Gaz: So... what would you do if you were in bed with me?

Roach: Depends. Is your bed comfortable?

Gaz: Yes.

Roach: I'd sleep.

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

Price: Wow, I feel happy and I’m having so much fun!

Price:

Price: *narrows eyes* Something’s wrong here.

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

Price: The dinosaurs didn’t rule the earth they were just alive. Stop giving them credit for administration skills they didn’t have.

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

Ghost: I don’t think our death ray is working. I’m standing right in it, and I’m not dead yet.

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

Farah: I ran into Alex in the kitchen at 1 AM last night and when I asked him what he was doing, he just shrugged, said “these are my roaming hours,” and wandered off, strumming vaguely on a guitar...

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

Soap: I’m gonna kill you.

Ghost: Get in line!

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

Farah: I'm gonna need a human skull but you can't ask why.

Alex: Only if you also don't ask why.

Alex: *pulls four pristine human skulls out of his bag*

Farah: ...

Farah, grabbing a skull: This one will do.

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

Alex: It’s nice to be wanted, you know?

Soap: Not by the law!

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

Ghost: I have an idea.

Alex: A good idea?

Ghost: Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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

Farah: If you get in trouble, I'm gonna be like... a lawyer to you. Ok?

Alex: Okay.

*later*

Ghost: Alex! Sit down on the chair, you're in trouble.

Farah, whispering: Deny everything.

Alex, loudly: That isn't a chair.

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

*While the Squad is in a battle*

Alex, trying to warn about the location of an enemy: To the left!

Soap: Take it back now y'all!

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

Gaz: I told Roach that their ears turn red when they lie.

Price: Do they?

Gaz: No.

Price: Then why did you tell them that?

Gaz: Because I can do this.

Gaz: Hey Roach! Do you love us?

Roach, with their hands over their ears: No.

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

Roach: What have I done wrong?!

Ghost: Everything. For your entire life.

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

Soap: Hey! Wanna hear a joke?

Roach: Sure.

Soap: Your life!

Roach: Actually, my life isn’t a joke, jokes have meaning.

Soap: Roach, no.

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

Horangi: Don’t worry, I know exactly what I’m doing. Everything is going to be fine!

Konig: How can you still say that?

Horangi: Because sometimes, when things get tough, denial is all we have.

----------

Konig: Do you want to explain the text you sent me last night?

Horangi: It was autocorrect.

Konig: Autocorrect wrote "You're so hot. Please step on me."?

Horangi: Yes.

-----------

Horangi, texting Konig: Konig there’s a moth on the outside of the bathroom door can you get rid of it?

Horangi: Pls hurry because I’m going to cry

Horangi: Konig

Horangi: Konig

Konig: Konig is dead. You’re next. Love, Moth.

#call of duty #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #john price #alejandro vargas #rodolfo parra #sergeant kyle gaz garrick #gary roach sanderson #konig cod #horangi #alex keller #farah karim #my wifi is out so im bored #its been over 7 hours #that damn moth... #first the spider and now the moth... #incorrect quotes

[firedjinni]

what do u even call the slugcats cause they're "names" are fuckinfg BORING! "monk" "survivor" yap yap yap! thats why I call them flowerboy and ponyboy hunter is a cool fucking name but still WOLFBOY. is better I know theres... other slugcats the only ones ive seen are the fat one and the darker red one. and some weird... mutation looking slugcat... weird eyes... weird colors. whateverrrrrr ill enable the dlc after i do this damn wolfboy run 4 DAYs. LEFT.

okay, I understand this was probably not the intended point of this ask, but it is too late. you have activated my trap card. we are talking about Slugcat Worldbuilding Headcanons now.

(Spoilers ahead for… basically every campaign.)

For Hunter: I imagine "Hunter" is more of a nickname, and that NSH normally refers to them more as his courier or messenger. I tend to call them "Hunter" for writing convenience (even in their own POV, so far), but they don't really call themself that much. They have a lot of identity issues tied up in being created for a Very Specific Purpose and not really knowing how to think of themself outside of it; they're a divine messenger, but that's not really a name. Until their purpose is fulfilled, they don't think about themself as a person often enough to actually consider things like names.

For Survivor: I like the headcanon that slugcats (at least in Surv/Monk/Gourm's colony) are given simpler names as pups, and sort of "earn" a more descriptive title/adult name as they mature. In my usual read of them, they would have just been "white/pale one" when they still lived with their colony, and gave themself the name "Survivor" some time after their fall.

For Monk: their pup name, which they have during their campaign, is something like "yellow one", and they don't earn a title until later. Even then, they aren't ever "Monk" in-universe, as slugcats don't quite have an equivalent social structure or role for that term to translate directly. The name they take instead means something more like "pacifist" or "gentle/wise/peaceful one", though there are some loosely similar social connotations to early Ancient society's version of monkhood, with implications of spiritual attunement, insight, and vague otherworldliness.

For Artificer: I imagine this name to be a matter of in-universe translation jank. Their actual name is something closer to "crafter" or "clever one that makes things" (again, connotations are tricky to translate!), but those simply do not possess the same pizzazz. The Scavengers also call them "Red Death" or sometimes "Red Mother", which ends up becoming a sort of mythological figure later on, like a Scavenger boogeyman. Future slugcat colonies end up sort of adopting back the mythology of the Red Mother as a protective deity/spirit, so they mostly call her that in the future. "Red" was probably their pup name, too.

For Spearmaster: Seven Red Suns calls them "messenger" and "07" -- I like to think the former becomes a nickname (their character designer, Faeling, headcanons SRS calling them "Messy" as a nickname/diminutive which I think is adorable), but Spearmaster themself might have adopted the latter too at some point, maybe almost like a family name, because they like that it connects them to Seven Red Suns. I also figure that other wild slugcats might have various nicknames for them, especially since SM would have no easy way to introduce themself -- and the name "Spearmaster" might come from that, actually! But I also like the idea of a future folktale version of them similar to with Artificer, with various names depending on the opinions of the colony/culture in question: "Cousin Thorn-tail", "the Spear-sapper", "the Drinker", and so on.

For Gourmand: again, I imagine this as a case of translation jank, and whatever they're called has slightly different connotations, though I'm less decided on what it should actually be. "Gourmand" is just so… specific? I feel like whatever they've got going on should be equally untranslatable, though. It's something along the lines of "appraiser" and "crafter" and "skilled forager", with this implication of like… knowing about valuable/desirable things and how to find/make them, and also having a strong personal taste for them? "Connoisseur", almost? But not quite as fancy. Their pup name was just "big one", though -- pup Gourmie wasn't quite the absolute unit they are as an adult, but they were definitely always a big slugcat.

For Rivulet: I like the idea this really is just their name! Little-stream-of-water! It's actually their pup name, but they left their colony before coming of age (ran away to become an adventurer), and never really found a title they liked. They think Moon calling them Ruffles is cute, but it's definitely just a nickname.

For Saint: the name does translate directly, not because slugcats have a concept of sainthood, but because the title they gave themself is the literal term taken from the Ancients. I headcanon that they were raised by or around an iterator and know a lot of The Lore, and sorta borrowed some of these concepts for how they see themself… a sort of divine sufferer bringing peace to others, martyring themself for the sake of mercy. Their pup name was just "tongue" or something, though, if they had one at all.

#rain world #rw #asks #headcanons #not art

[elphabaoftheopera]

Top 5 musicals from the last 5 years? :3

Hi, thank you so much for asking! I'll always jump at the chance to share my opinions on musical theatre so thank you for the excuse!!

Hadestown

I don't say it lightly when I say that this show is a masterpiece. I was lucky enough to see it on Broadway with Eva and Reeve and also once on tour. It's spectacular.

2. Six

It's not a perfect musical in my opinion but I think it's just so clever and for some reason the title song always makes me cry. "Heart of Stone" is damn near always playing in my car.

3. Come From Away

(technically came out 6 years ago but close enough)- I don't find myself listening to the music very much but watching it on tour was breathtaking. It just gives me hope in the goodness of every day people and was expertly written/staged.

4. Titanique

I am very biased because I saw the original cast in previews when it was still in the basement of Gristedes. I was in the front row Marla Mindelle as Celine Dion gave me a high five when she came out. I laughed so hard I cried. I've always loved the movie Titanic and it was a perfect parody. I'm glad it has continued to be successful. Also, it's the only jukebox musical I like besides Mamma Mia.

5. Schmigadoon! (Season One)

Okay so I know this isn't a "musical" in the traditional sense but HEAR me out. I think the show was across the board so perfect for me. A well crafted narrative, extremely catchy (almost too catchy) music, compelling characters to root for, and it both makes fun of and praises old timey musical theatre. I love golden age stuff and had so much fun picking out the references and themes. Cecily Strong plays a character named MELISSA (my name) who is a know-it-all about musical theatre. I have never ever ever felt more seen. If anyone needs to feel something again, or just kind of touch base with why you love theatre, watch Schmigadoon. I really loved season two as well, but most of this is about season one. Plus you can't go wrong with that cast.

Honorable mention: Beetlejuice (I just need to see it first, hopefully will see it on tour soon). I am also curious to see Kimberly Akimbo and Shucked but don't know enough about them yet to make a fully formed opinion.

What are your favorites from the last five years?

#personally not a fan of the onslaught of biopic musicals in the past five years like MJ and Neil Diamond #it's just not my style and it feels like those are the only new offerings #personally pissed because the shows touring near me suck this season #goodshowoldsport #broadway musicals #recent broadway #hadestown #six #schmigadoon #titanique #come from away

[goodluckclove]

Various "Failures" From My Google Docs

Good morning! I'm at my usual coffee shop and got inspired by the troubles of a few friends to embarrass myself.

Sit down with me. I'm enjoying my usual blended chai. There's room on the couch if you'd like to join me.

So I've written thirteen novels. I think thirteen, I've actually lost count. Let's say, like, five full-length plays and twelve to fourteen finished novels. Impressive, right? Maybe. I'm realizing that I consider that not much of a brag, if only because I know the amount of trips and stumbles it took to get to one completed project.

I've ditched a lot of ideas. A lot. If I need to I can dig into my old hard drives to find all the doc files from my youth, but I also have the same Google Docs I've had since middle school.

It's mostly plays and ghostwriting assignments, but if you did you'll find some snippets from my constant attempts at growth.

Some stuff like this is okay. The line "hair slicked back/suit black silk" is pretty good, but a little too the writer thinks they're clever for me now. I don't really remember where I planned to go with this. I think the narrator was somehow going to be given the identity of Roy Fontaine. I was really fixated on the surname Fontaine at the time. I don't know why.

But then there's also a lot of stuff like this:

Hey look it's Fontaine again! I guess he's a doctor, too! Also I am astounded by how casually the main character just pulls out the Necronomicon. He pulls it out? From where? His pocket? Is it a zine?

I don't know why, but something about how suddenly this jumps in terms of dropping specifics makes me think that Sonic the Hedgehog is about to show up. I can't explain it.

This is the only thing in a Doc titled "Psychosis". I have zero memory of what I was planning on doing with this. What's kind of crazy though is that I wrote this in 2014, and six years later I'll use essentially this exact bit in a finished novel without even realizing it.

Another bit from 2014. No clue what I planned to do with this. It's hilarious to me that something stopped me from finishing the sentence. What am I, Franz Kafka writing The Tower? I didn't die. I wasn't raptured. I just apparently tried to think of something a large oak door would do and immediately gave up. It was 2014 I had finished, like, four novels. And this idea was fully stalled by what had to be a fucking huge oak door.

My favorite part of this radio play I tried to write is that somehow, believe it or not - when I wrote this I did not fully understand the Quantum Suicide thought experiment. And for along time I still kind of thought that this could be salvaged into a good idea, until last night when I asked my wife to put on a video describing the experiment and I immediately found it so dumb. Just ridiculously stupid. The only good thing about Quantum Mickey is that the title kicks ass and I'm definitely keeping it for something.

I've written a lot. A lot. I've earned the severity of carpal tunnel I currently have. If I had to put it into a statistic, I'd say maybe seventy percent ends up finished. fifty percent ends up polished to be read or published. Thirty percent actually ends up being read or published. I'm okay with this, because I enjoy the work. But for me, part of enjoying the work is not panicking when a project doing work.

If I need to end a project in the middle of a sentence, I do. I've clearly proven that I do. Sometimes I write for thirty pages and lose interest, other times I get a paragraph in and get distracted forever. That's okay.

That's okay. As long as you're doing something.

I could've included segments of Carnation, my first novella that was supposed to be a novel but I never finished it. But I fucking guess that's getting it's own post when I hit 150 followers so I hope you're prepared for what the type of stuff I enjoyed in middle school.

There's an Irish child that speaks exclusively in slang. You aren't ready.

#writeblr #writing community #on writing #writers on tumblr #authors of tumblr #writing #writing advice #writing tips #writing inspo #writing inspiration

[shmolish]

can you do dark cacao vs affogato x male affogato's priest reader both headcanon and one shot

part two of dark cacao x male affogato's priest reader

extra: reader meet affogato again during reader's task

AN: When you asked for Dark Cacao vs Affogato x reader, I assumed it's like... romantic? I'll make a part two of that oneshot eventually, but I have some other things I need to get done and I don't want this post to be that long. I'll merge the last two requests into one a little later, I swear! I also feel like I'm better at writing Affogato cookie, even if the main focus is Dark Cacao, and I apologize for that ☆I tried to make up for it in the oneshot. Of course, headcanons first and then oneshot after. Enjoy ♡

(Also I know you wanted male, but the gender is never specified, at least not in the headcanons.)

Dark Cacao Cookie vs Affogato Cookie x M! Affogato Priest's Reader

Headcanons

Warnings: Meanie Affogato >:( (Manipulation)

By the way, this is pre Affogato exile, and placed in a different universe than the other oneshot I did. ♡☆♡☆

You always were a very bold and clever person

That's why both Dark Cacao and Affogato cookie has their eyes on you

Affogato was much more open with his affection towards you

Constantly referring to you as his 'favorite toy'

You'd expect him to give you less work, seeing that you are his favorite

That title held quite the opposite impact, though

He gave you extra work, and said things like;

"You're tough, I know you can handle it," or

"You wouldn't want to disappoint me now! I know what you're capable of, so I expect your 100%."

You snap at him a lot and refuse to go on some of the absurd missions

He says he honestly loves you, but everyone knows he just enjoys the thrill of a hard-to-get.

Affogato's affection is fake and used mainly for his own benefit

He rarely gives gifts, unless he wants something

Dark Cacao's affection is different though

He isn't nearly as open with his love, but people still notice it

He isn't a man of many words, so his love language is gift giving and acts of service

Dark Cacao is also constantly looking over you, as well

When you two are in public, he always makes the point to stand next to you

He is also much less cold

And people swear they see him smile

If you show the slightest interest in something, it's yours

Affogato sees how much Dark Cacao is interested in you

He is not happy about it.

Next time he calls apun you, he starts manipulations the life out of you

"Do you not love me as I love you? Seeing you act that way with the king.. it feels like a betrayal. Are we not made for each other?"

Affogato just wants you on his side so he can use it against the king if something goes wrong in his plan

You make it very clear in that interaction that you have no interest in him.

Affogato became more passive aggressive after that

Sending you on harder missions, making your tasks start at annoying times like 3:00 in the morning, or just making you the cleaning maid.

Though the king is oblivious to many of Affogato's plans, he does notice this

He apologizes and gets you a bunch of small trinkets that he thinks you'll like

Thunks it was worth the money after seeing you smile

All in all, both Affogato and Dark Cacao are interested in you, but everyone knows who's love is real. (It's Dark Cacao's.) NOW FOR THE ONESHOT!!!

Dark Cacao vs Affogato Cookie x M! Affogato Priest's Reader. ONESHOT.

Warnings: not proof read

-Better-

Today was slightly different than most. It wasn't snowing as hard as usual, and most importantly, the king set aside this day specially for you! A few weeks prior, the two of you had agreed to spend a full day just touring the town. The only problem was your 'boss'.

Affogato Cookie was totally against you taking a day off, especially since it was going to be used to spend time with the king. You would beg, and pleade, until he eventually broke... kind of.

"Alright doll, let's make a tiny deal. You can get the day off if and only if I am allowed to accompany you for your outing," he would explain.

You would sigh, but ultimately agreed to the deal. You didn't want to cancel plans, after all.

You, along with Affogato Cookie would make your way to the agreed meeting spot. Waiting there already was Dark Cacao.

"Oh, what is Affogato doing here?" He would ask.

"I just thought I would come along. You don't mind, right?" Affogato would ask, having a mischievous smile on his face.

"I guess not," sighed Dark Cacao, but it was obvious that both of you minded.

"Wonderul! Let's get going then, yes?" Affogato would start walking in front of you without waiting for an answer. Not want to be left behind, Dark Cacao and you followed suit.

It was supposed to be a day where just you and Dark Cacao would be together, but Affogato had other plans. He first stopped at a stall, where there were many small bracelets, keychains, and small things like that. The twist was that they were meant for couples.

"Oh look doll, we should get these! My treat of course." Affogato would show you two pairs of rings. Silver, of course, since gold didn't really match his aesthetic.

Dark Cacao would scoff, but not say anything.

"Go ahead," you would mumble, not really caring all that much.

He swiftly purchased the rings and handed one to you. "Now we match~" He'd chime while putting one on.

That was when someone nudged you slightly. When you turned around, you saw that it was Dark Cacao. He had purchased more expensive and much more extravagant rings.

"For you." He'd say, giving you one.

Affogato was clearly displeased and sent a glare towards Dark Cacao before regaining that sly smile.

"Let's go get lunch at that one diner near the edge of town," suggested Dark Cacao.

"No no no, that diner is for the commoners! We should go to the new one. It's much more fit for a person like you~" Affogato would say while looking towards you.

He didn't wait for an answer before taking your hand and leading you towards the restaurant he had mentioned.

Dark Cacao was the one glaring now, but didn't dare say anything for fear of upsetting you.

The restaurant was nice. Affogato knew what he was talking about when he said this place was fancy.

You threw were sat down at a table immediately, seeing how you were with the king himself.

The food itself was fantastic, though, it would have been nicer if Affogato didn't blatantly flirt with you so often.

Dark Cacao would roll his eyes after each thing Affogato said, and decided to talk about much more engaging things. Things you were more interested in.

Affogato paid no attention to it.

Once that whole ordeal was over, Affogato went to another stand and bought flowers for you- To which Dark Cacao immediately bought a bigger bouquet. The two of them were non stop spoiling you with things.

It was the same. Someone would suggest or buy you something, and the other would suggest or buy you something better.

This was going to be a long day...

#cookie run kingdom #cookie run kingdom x reader #crk #crk x reader #dark cacao #dark cacaos headcanons #dark cacao x reader #dark cacao cookie crk #dark cacao cookie #Affogato Cookie #Affogato Cookie x reader #Affogato Headcanons #Affogato crk #Affogato cookie run kingdom #affogato oneshot

[password-door-lock]

“Don't you ever get tired, boss?” You ask, peering over Unknown's shoulder at his screen.

He turns around to scowl at you. Yes, of course he gets fucking tired. That's by no means something he's proud of, and it's by no means something he wants to hear you prattling on about. Unknown has discovered that he likes having you around— it's nice to have someone to talk to, and even better that you're usually able to entertain him, at least to some degree— but he could do without the constant questions. You always want to know what he's working on (which is classified), what you can do to help (nothing whatsoever, unless you're sitting on a bunch of useful skills that have somehow managed to escape Unknown’s notice thus far), and, worst of all, how he's feeling (which is none of your goddamn business, actually). Unknown has no interest in anything even remotely resembling a conversation about emotions with you, let alone one about his physical state. 

“Hm,” he says eventually, not caring how you interpret the sound. It's none of his business how you interpret things, at least as long as you're keeping those interpretations to yourself and staying out of trouble.

“Then you should sleep,” you suggest, “I'm sure that it'll help you work better.”

“Oh, is that so?” Unknown hums, still not looking up from his screen— truth be told, he's barely listening to you. He couldn't care less what you think about his methods, though that certainly doesn't stop you from peppering him with moral qualms and concerns about his health under these working conditions— as if Unknown has any control over that, anyway. Why do you want to make him feel so powerless? Can't you just stay securely under his thumb and let him go about his business? 

“Yeah,” you reply, “It is. If you're tired, you should sleep. That’s kind of, like, basic knowledge 101, you know?”

“I can't sleep, prince(ss),” Unknown grits out. He’s annoyed that this is even a discussion. 

“Oh, you mean you can’t fall asleep?” You ask, probably trying to be helpful. Normally, Unknown wouldn't give a shit about anybody's intentions but his own or his Savior's... however, lately, he's begun to pick up on the fact that people can mean very well while somehow managing to remain insufferably annoying. He wouldn't have thought that this combination was possible until he met you— you should be proud of yourself, Unknown supposes, though not too proud— that would be a bit much. “Then that might be because of all the monitors. Maybe you’d be able to rest better if you turned a couple of them off.” 

“No,” he growls before you can give him another useless suggestion. Just because Unknown understands your motivations doesn't mean he's going to entertain any more nonsense from you. After all, he's your boss, not your friend— and honestly, boss isn't the term he originally would have selected, but it would be too much of a hassle to change anything now that you seem married to the idea. “I can't sleep unless that redhead sleeps, get it? He’ll attack and undo all my progress while I’m wasting time in dreamland.” And if that redhead is sleeping, then Unknown isn't going to sleep, either, because it'll give him an opportunity to get a leg up. If he rests only when his exhaustible body forces him to do so, then eventually, he’ll arrive at his revenge. 

“Well, if you're not sleeping, I'm not sleeping,” you declare, “And if you think I'm annoying now, you're just gonna love me when I'm sleep deprived.”

Unknown rolls his eyes at your sheer audacity. “Aw, do you think you're being clever?” He coos. “You can't control me that easily, assistant.” Lately, Unknown has gotten into the habit of calling you by your title as if it were a pet name of some kind. He likes the reaction that it gets from you, though he doesn’t understand it— if you’re so proud to be his assistant, then why do you constantly question him? Can’t you just leave well enough alone? 

“I’m just showing you how ridiculous and stubborn you’re being, boss. What are you gonna do about it?” You ask.

You’re challenging him, trusting that he’ll humor you as you test him in a vain attempt to prove a really useless point. Unknown isn’t sure why you couldn’t have applied this determination to chatting with the RFA, or at least going into that apartment. Maybe you would have been happier there, with people who would accept and embrace your affection and concern. But there’s no point in thinking about that now— you’re stuck with Unknown, and for all intents and purposes, he is equally stuck with you. 

Unknown just rolls his eyes at you again. Honestly, maybe he is starting to get tired, if you've managed to get under his skin so easily— but it doesn't matter whether he's tired or not. Unknown will get his work done regardless of his physical condition, and you should get that through your head as soon as possible. “You're gonna go lay down on the couch and shut your mouth,” he intones, “Or else I'll send you to your room, and you can stay there alone. How does that sound, cutie?”

Even if you insist on staying awake to prove some useless point to him, eventually, you’ll drift off if you’re laying there not doing anything. That way, Unknown won’t have to worry about you while he’s working— of course, he isn’t at all concerned with your well being, he reminds himself. He just doesn’t want to have to waste time thinking about what kind of trouble you might be causing behind the scenes. 

“Wow, so cruel,” you pretend to lament with a pouting expression as you throw yourself onto the couch. You’re just joking, of course— you don’t actually think that about him. If you did, you wouldn't be able to say it so flippantly. You’re convinced that he’s a good person somewhere deep down, but Unknown might very well be cruel— no, scratch that. He knows for a fact that he's a bad guy to his core, a monster in every sense of the word. Unknown is by no means a nice person, but he knows how to get what he wants. That’s got to count for something, right? “But just promise me you’ll rest eventually, okay?” Your concern is evident in your voice, even if you try to hide it behind that playful tone. 

“Mhm. Maybe I’ll be able to rest when my assistant isn’t causing me so many problems,” he hums. It’s best to just humor you, to keep you from wasting time worrying when you could be helping Unknown with his revenge. Besides, he’s not even really lying— he’ll have to sleep eventually. No matter how many times he pushes his body to its limits, it never seems to get any stronger or better at staying awake when he needs it to.  “But if you want to stay with me, then you should start being quiet now.”

You don't respond, and for his part, Unknown counts it as a win.

#I've been thinking a lot lately about Unknown's relationship with rest #And how profoundly difficult it would be to convince him to take care of himself at all #mystic messenger #mystic messenger drabble #choi saeran #saeran choi #unknown mystic messenger

[fuckyeahizzyhands]

Con: I think the show deserves a season three whether I'm involved in it or not. It was always David's dream to make three seasons. I would be gutted for him if season three didn't happen. As far as Izzy being involved, that's entirely up to David Jenkins.

Screen Rant: I did some Googling, and I found articles. One of them was titled “Our Flag Means Death Season Two's Best Character Isn’t Who You Think”, and it was talking about Izzy. The other one was “Izzy Hands is the Real Star of Our Flag Means Death Season Two”. Those were both headlines I found. What was it like to find out what Izzy’s journey this season was going to be? It’s had such an impact on so many people.

Con O’Neill: David and I spoke about it quite a lot before we shot, about the redemptive qualities, and I was delighted that we didn't suddenly turn him into a saint overnight. I was delighted that the redemption was complicated and layered, and I don't feel that Izzy disappears in any of it. I think he's very much who he always was, but with slightly more of an open soul. I was so grateful to David and the writers for creating an arc that was playable rather than Hollywood-ized and too easy. It was challenging; it was a very, very lonely shoot for me. I found myself gravitating towards my own company most of the time, mainly because of the hours. And, because if I wasn’t shooting, I was learning to walk on that f***ing leg. If I wasn’t doing that, I was sword training, and if I wasn’t doing that, I was body training, and if I wasn’t doing that, I was recording a song in French. So, I was busy. Our group is a group of beautiful people, and we would meet every Sunday for lunch. Christine used to arrange that. I found myself initially quite hesitant to join that, because it felt like I had this weight on my shoulders, certainly for the first four episodes. I loved it as an actor. I found it really challenging as a man on his own in New Zealand, where it rains [a lot].

Screen Rant: I'm a music nerd, and kind of a musical theater nerd; my favorite episode of this is the one where you're singing in it. I love those sequences so much, your voice is insane, and it's such a good character moment. How did the decision to make that happen—singing, and specifically that song--come about? Did they write that for you because they knew you were a singer?

Con O’Neill: We’re all walking around backstage, telling jokes, playing music, and singing; that’s just what happens when you shoot a show. David called me up while I was in Wellington. I was in Wellington for a week shooting something else. He called me up and he asked me if I knew “La vie en rose”; I knew it, vaguely, but I don't speak French at all. Then, he mentioned that they wanted to do it in an episode. So, I learned the English version, Dean Martin’s version, and then they asked me if I could learn the French version. I don't speak a word of French, not a word, but my partner does, and I had a friend who just played Edith Piaf piano—Jenna (Russell)--and between the two of them, they taught me the French version of the song. If somebody had asked me prior to this, “What song would Izzy sing?” “La vie en rose” would never have entered my head. And now, there's no other song that fits. That's the genius of David. David's very clever with music. We know that--we’ve all experienced how clever he is—but to pick that song for him, at that point in his life? Yeah. F***ing hell. That was genius.

Screen Rant: Your character died this season. How far in advance did you know that, and did that affect how you approached or thought about the season?

Con O’Neill: No. I mean, to be honest, I felt it was going that way. I've been around a long time, and when a character starts this kind of arc, especially in something as interesting as our show is… When David took me out for dinner, I kind of thought this was where it was going, and, partly, I was relieved. I'm not an actor who likes to just repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. And, I knew that Ed and Stede were going to end up together at the end of this season, so Izzy, as he stands, wouldn't make any sense to still be there. So, it was a relief that the decision was being made. I was a bit upset because I love playing him, but leave them wanting more, you know? I will be eternally grateful for what they gave me; how they played him out in the show. The beautiful speech they gave me, the opportunity to do “La vie en rose”, and the opportunity to die in Taika’s arms and to be able to honor that relationship… I couldn't have asked for a better play-off, really.

Screen Rant: This season did introduce, with the Gravy Basket, the potential for someone who has passed on to return. If there was a season three, do you think your character would have anything else to impart on Stede or Blackbeard in a similar scenario?

Con O’Neill: You’d have to ask David Jenkins. I don't know where David wants to take it, and I wouldn't preempt that with me making up stories for Izzy in a flashback or ghostie Izzy, or whatever. I have no idea where David wants season three to go. I think the show deserves a season three whether I'm involved in it or not. It was always David's dream to make three seasons. I would be gutted for him if season three didn't happen. As far as Izzy being involved, that's entirely up to David Jenkins.

Screen Rant: So much of this season and Izzy’s journey is his relationship with Edward and his love for Edward, and so much of the conflict is about how much Edward is changing. Did you have an understanding of what version of Blackbeard, or Edward, that Izzy was looking for, and wanting to be around?

Con O’Neill: That’s a great f***ing question. Between season one and season two, in the interim, Izzy experiences a broken Blackbeard, and a Blackbeard that's never going to go back to what he was, because he's heartbroken. Everyone who's been heartbroken knows that you never go back to who [you] were. He just wants to fix Blackbeard. That's why he takes his life in his hands by confronting Blackbeard; he just wants Blackbeard to be fixed, to find his soul again, [and] to find his heart again. Whether he's involved in that is not relevant. What's relevant is, he loves Blackbeard so much that he wants him to find himself again. So, it's never Izzy’s version of Blackbeard that Izzy’s looking for. He's looking for Blackbeard to find himself again, and that's only through Stede.

Screen Rant: I was looking up the real-life Izzy Hands, who testified against allies to get a pardon and supposedly died a beggar in the streets of London years later. Would you have been interested in that, dramatically, if that was how his story ended on the show?

Con O’Neill: No, that's not our show. We're not historically [accurate to] those times. If we were, they wouldn’t have cast a guy who is 50 to play a 16-year-old pirate. I don't know. I'd love to be able to tell you what area that season three, if it ever happens, would go, but I literally have no idea. I don't think we're going to go down the historical route. I’d be very surprised if we do that.

Screen Rant: I don’t know if you’ll have an answer for me, but I saw that you initially auditioned for a different role. I love Taika so much; I feel like you would have also made a great Blackbeard. Is that who you were going for, initially?

Con O’Neill: Absolutely not, but thank you for saying that. I don’t see anyone else as Blackbeard but Taika. When Taika was announced, I knew what our show was. But no, it wasn’t Blackbeard. And no, I’m not going to tell you.

Screen Rant: Okay. Perfect. Well, clearly it all worked out for the best. I mean, you're incredible, and the whole cast is so perfect in their roles. It's been a pleasure to watch you and… yeah, congrats on the show.

Con O’Neill: Thank you so much.

#our flag means death spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd #con o'neill #izzy #izzy hands #con interview #interview #season 3 #video transcript #david jenkins #screenrant #Youtube

[foibles-fables]

I love how emily pope provides a sense of peace in the totally bonkers situation jesse’s found herself in. She’s just as intelligent and clever but believes in jesse fully and wants to help as much as possible while still maintaining a safe haven for her to return to when things get too crazy. It’s canon to me

you hit the nail on the HEAD with this, nonny. I totally agree. Both of my current ship obsessions (Jesse/Emily and Aloy/Talanah) epitomize this top-tier dynamic to the letter: the traumatized, burdened, stoic, beyond-capable Heroine/Chosen One and the equally-capable, compassionate, steadfast, loyal person she can rely on for a momentary place of safety and peace amidst the storm. It's the kind of relationship portrayal that makes me want to turn myself inside-out in the most positive way imaginable.

To your point, I often think about two specifics related to Jesse and Emily in this way:

The Emily-Polaris connection is so compelling to me I almost can't stand it. That moment during Foundation took me out at the knees. The fact that the higher-order being attuned to Jesse's consciousness not only recognizes, but actively responds to Jesse's thoughts/latent desires re: Emily--the same way she protects Jesse from the Hiss? And not only that, but the way she uses harmonic synchronicity to communicate with Emily as well to lead her to the Foundation when Jesse needs her? It's too much. I can't do it. I'm gonna go insane.

This one is definitely a gameplay thing, but I'm gonna run with it on the meta level as well. The fact that Jesse's powers don't work in Central Exec lights my brain on fire. There alone--and especially in the board room, stolen away with Emily--is where she can symbolically hang up the mantle of her powers, even if she can't shed her title, and find some time to simply be Jesse Faden and not P7, Paranatural Eventuality.

I don't know, dude. I'm in so deep for these two. Your ask lit up all my synapses at once. How am I supposed to survive.

#losing my MARBLES #control #control 2019 #control remedy #jesse faden #emily pope #jesse x emily