#it was just so good and jenna had an amazing performance

[derekhalesbitchface]

I spent the day watching The Cry and let me tell you, the name doesn’t lie

#the cry #jenna louise coleman #asher keddie #it was just so good and jenna had an amazing performance #i fucking sobbed #if anyone else has watched it please talk to me

[shoccolatine]

Do you feel comfortable with writing stuff about mental health issues. Like, MC being depressed due to a mission going wrong or something similar and hiding it from Zayne while they spiral deeper into it until he catches them doing something bad - like idk, self-harm, looking up suicide methods, something like that. Gender neutral reader would be great <3

If you don't want to write this for any reason, feel free to ignore my ask :)

mission failure.

⚘pairing: zayne x gn!reader

⚘summary: after one too many failed missions, you reach a breaking point. zayne comes to your aid. ⚘tags: sfw, 2nd person POV, gender neutral reader, mental health issues, self-esteem issues, depression, suicidal thoughts, non-descriptive/implied self-harm, mild descriptions of morbid thoughts, hurt/comfort, angst ⚘word count: 2k ⚘a/n: thank you so much for your request, i hope i did it justice! this was a very interesting write and i enjoyed it a lot. i tried to be as delicate and vague with the s/h descriptions as i could so as not to trigger anyone, but this fic still deals with sensitive content so please be safe and take care of yourself! much love 💜

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

This was it. You just couldn’t do anything right.

Another hunting mission had gone poorly. The third in a row, now. They do say all good things come in threes, but could the same be said of misfortune? It certainly seemed so. The first two mission failures had been played off as flukes, but this time…

You made the long trek back to Headquarters with the weight of a tail dragging between your legs, bearing a few cuts and bruises to show for it. Beside you was Tara, who was not quite so worse for wear and, although disappointed, didn’t quite seem to share the same sentiment as you. After all, she hadn’t been the one to let the Wanderer get away. Again.

“Hey, don’t look so down!” she says, in her usual cheerful tone. She pats your arm in an attempt to be comforting. “Can’t win ‘em all, right?”

You give her a look and a frown. “I mean, we should, shouldn’t we? It’s our job, after all.”

“No way! Those Wanderers were tough! I’m amazed we got as far into the Zone as we did!”

But we lost our main target, you thought, yet you held your tongue. There was no changing Tara’s mind once she was set on something. This mission was above her level, anyway, but with every other Hunter either stationed elsewhere or taking a well-deserved break, and Xavier being unreachable as usual, all you had was each other. It had been up to you, as the higher level Hunter, to uphold the team morale and guide you both through a successful mission. But lately, you just kept falling short. Even the most straightforward of missions went awry. Just what was happening?

The entrance doors slid closed behind you as you and Tara headed upstairs for the debrief. Your heart pounded with every step you took. Three failures in a row… Jenna was going to fire you for sure. She might as well do it now, to make space for a newer, better Hunter to take your place and finish your missions properly.

Instead, what came of your debrief was the offering of a week-long break. "Time off to clear your head and refresh," Jenna had said with hard concern, but it might as well have been an arrow to the chest. Just fire me now and get it over with, you thought. Stop wasting everyone’s time and resources and find someone else.

You didn’t need a break. You just needed to be better.

Getting better, however, came with a steep demand you placed upon yourself like a vase upon a pedestal, delicate and teetering. If Jenna wanted to give you another chance, then you would use this week to return to peak performance. You would train, and train, and train, until you were sure to succeed at every mission she threw at you. It was flawless. You’d be back at it in no time.

But as soon as you got off the train and back into your apartment, all you wanted to do was sleep. 

And sleep you did. You slept until you couldn’t think of those missions anymore, and when the thoughts inevitably returned, you slept again.

“You’re not eating enough,” Zayne said during your following check-up later that week. He stated it so matter-of-factly, like he did with any other diagnosis, never looking up from his computer as he typed something. You never knew exactly what. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a break right now?”

“How do you know that?”

“Word gets around,” he said, the beginnings of a smile etched on his face. You didn't like the idea of people knowing things like that so easily. People sure do like to talk... Zayne's hazel eyes lifted from the screen and over at you. “You need to take better care of yourself. Now is as good a time as any to catch up on your body’s needs.”

“I’m fine,” you snapped. Sometimes Zayne needed to mind his own business. Wait, but he was your doctor, and one of your closest friends… What was the matter with you? You really needed to go back to bed and stop being such a nuisance. 

Maybe it’d be better if you got out of his life, too.

You met his questioning expression and the heat of your response drained out of your face. At that, you decided you didn’t want to wait for a reply. Whatever he wanted to say to you with that curious expression of his, you didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t deserve to hear it. You quickly left his office and never looked back. If he called your name as the door to his office slid closed behind you, it went unheard.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

5 missed calls.

Your phone screen blares the message in your face, blinding against the darkness of your room and blurry against the tears that threatened to fall, that had already fallen, that fell and dried and fell again. Your fingers itch to reply, to call him back or send him a text, but what’s the point? He doesn’t really care. He’s probably just going to scold you for leaving your appointment halfway and being childish and not following doctor’s orders and being rude to him.

Not only have you messed up your job, you’re messing up your relationships now, too. When will you ever stop? Can’t it ever stop?

Your phone buzzes and lights up in your fingers as your ringtone sings into your sheets once more. It’s him again. Doesn’t he know when to quit? You watch his name as it waits idly on your screen. It gets tired of waiting, as it always does, and finally disappears. You sigh as another hot tear slips down your cheek.

Something new happens this time.

1 new voicemail, your phone screen reads. You start to slide the notification away, but against your better judgment, and before you can talk yourself out of it, you give in, tap the notification, and listen. 

The line is silent for a moment, and part of you hopes he gave up and left you nothing.

Finally, after what sounds like a throat clearing, he speaks.

“Hey, it’s me,” Zayne’s voice comes through the speaker. It’s got that usual muffled crackly phonecall texture laid onto it, but it sounds enough like him that it feels like he’s right there with you, underneath the blankets. “Are you alright? …Listen. Whatever it was I said, I didn’t mean it. You know that. I was going to ask if you wanted to get dinner, but you left so suddenly. Call me when you’re able?”

The silence creeps in again, and you can almost hear him consider saying something more, can almost see his expression as his thoughts thunder in his brain but refuse to leave his lips, but then there’s a click, and the call ends. The robotic voicemail message drones monotonously about saving the message, and halfway through, you hang up, too.

The back of your throat clenches and burns, and you barely fight back a sob as it wrenches itself out of you. Zayne was worried about you. You made him worry. You thought he was mad, you wanted him to be mad, but he’s not. He cares about you. Why…?

You dig the heels of your palms into your eyes, as if you could push back the sting of tears that rush, hot and salty, from your bloodshot eyes. It hurts, and you start to see flashes of bright white stars under your eyelids, but it’s better than succumbing to the pain in your chest. Your heart shares a galaxy with the stars in your vision, a dying star that’s fizzling out, or maybe even being consumed by the void of a black hole. How morbidly comforting. You suddenly want to rip it out.

You wonder, just how difficult would it be to separate the Aether Core from your still-beating flesh…?

You try to shake the thoughts from your mind but they hold fast. Throwing the blankets off of your body, you leave your room hobbling like a zombie, make a beeline for the kitchen, and pull open a drawer.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It’s late at night when there’s a knock at your door. A slight rap of the knuckles. A sharp one, two. Once, then twice, and on the third knock there’s another sound, too. A rattling jingle. And it’s times like these when you curse yourself for giving Zayne the extra key to your apartment.

He calls out your name as he steps in. You barely hear him. You’re not sure if it’s because he’s far away, or speaking quietly, or if you’re just that far gone into your own thoughts that everything else around you is muted.

He might have called only once, or a dozen times, by the time he reaches your room and spots your hunched figure on your bed. He says your name again, and this time you do hear him. 

You meet his gaze, steeled with concern, and immediately regret it. 

He sees you, really sees you, and all at once your façade crumbles once more. He approaches the edge of your bed, and you turn your eyes anywhere but at him as you brace yourself for impact.

“What are you doing?” he asks, but he already knows the answer.

Zayne grabs your wrist. Yet, his touch is gentle—firm enough to grip you, but soft enough that you could pull away if you wanted. You don't. You’re far too tired to fight anymore. You continue to stare at the floor with teary eyes, but there is resignation hanging heavy on your shoulders, like a wet blanket. Zayne takes your silent compliance as an okay to pull you along with him down the hallway of your dimly lit apartment and into the bathroom.

He sits you down on the toilet. The light clack of the lid hitting the porcelain beneath from your sudden weight seemed to jolt you awake a bit; your eyes refocus and follow his movements as he shuffles through the medicine cabinet. He pulls out a few things and then returns to tend to his patient.

"Hand. Here," he says as he holds out his own. You offer yours, and he meets you halfway. He always does. He’s as meticulous and calm as always as he cleans, disinfects, and wraps your wounds, ever the doctor, but there’s a certain softness in his motions that you’re sure he reserves for only his most cherished patients. 

Only for you.

The thought rolls a warm wave over you, the once wet blanket that had been dragging you down now fresh out of the laundry and wrapped carefully around you, cozy and hot and certain. There’s still a bit of damp spots here and there, but those will also dry in time. And you know Zayne will still be here when that time comes.

Your thoughts are broken when long fingers drag against your cheek, wiping away yet more damp spots and fanning through your shining lashes.

“You need to take better care of yourself,” Zayne says, repeating his words from earlier that day. Was that really only today? This day was lasting a lifetime. As with before, his tone holds no ice. You regret snapping at him when he was only trying to help. He must feel your tension, because he puffs a breath out through his nose just then, and the warm air tickles the hairs on your forehead. He places a kiss there, the barest brush of his lips on your skin. He pushes your hair back with long warm fingers, tucking a strand behind your ear. “If you need help with that, I’m here. Always. You need only ask.”

Later still and he’s tucking you into bed and giving your forehead another gentle kiss, making you feel like a kid again. He’s surprisingly good at that. You don't know how he does it.

Zayne follows you under the covers, and leaves you an open invitation to snuggle against him, if you wish. You gratefully accept, tucking your head under his chin as he envelops you. He’s very careful not to apply pressure to your bandaged skin. 

Right before you fall asleep, he whispers a promise of breakfast tomorrow, and dinner, and whatever else comes next. A promise of staying, no matter what.

#soft zayne is best zayne #change my mind (you won't) #love and deepspace #zayne #zayne x reader #zayne lads #l&ds #l&ds x reader #fics

[ornii]

Folie a Deux III: Trending

The shoots were getting more and more intense as time went on, from your magic, to faking being blind to shooting your own fight scenes, a lot of work with little downtime, but when you did, you spend it focusing on your music. Making samples and producing, one late night in your trailer, the sounds of a cello tuning cut your music time down, you couldn’t focus with it. You heard that melody so vividly, You placed your headphones down and stepped out of your trailer, you heard the sounds coming from inside one of the rooms for shooting, it was nearing midnight. You crept up the stairs as Paint it Black was echoing.

Jenna sat with a Cello, trying to mementoes the strokes for her character Wednesday but it was always off by a smidge. She sighs as she stops to tune it. You watched her, her dedication to her character, to the art. You were, admittedly amazed.

“Don’t tune it.” you say, her head jerks over to surprise, seeing you.

“Shit. I didnt wake you, did. I?”

“No I was just finishing some samples Metro sent me, you’re really good at that.” You walk over, trying to not be a creep you sit always away from her, Jenna shrugged it off.

“No I’ve.. only been playing for a few months for the role.”

“A few months?” You say, flabbergasted. You scoot closer.

“It took me a year to learn bass guitar! You’re amazing, can you play something for me?” You ask, as Jenna was fumbling around to form an excuse you had an idea.

“Wait; let me help you, gimmie a sec.” (Y/n) darts off, leaving Jenna alone only for a minute, he enters with a keyboard piano and a violin, he sits across from her.

“It might Help you to recognize keys from songs you like and mentally implant them for your song, like this.” You say, you tap a few keys for drums and begin a simple beat, and with the lyrics she immediately recognizes the song

“I wish i knew you wanted me~ I wish I knew..” you sing, you then put the drums on repeat and take the violin and help with the bass line.

“Okay, take the keys, minor. Cellos a low register, I’ll pick up on high.” You say and begin a Violin and Cello rendition of “Bad Habit” by the one and only Steve Lacy, your eyes can’t stay off of her as you watch her play. The lyrics flowing like red wine from your lips.

“I bite my tongue, it's a bad habit

Kinda mad that I didn't take a stab at it

Thought you were too good for me, my dear

Never gave me time of day, my dear

It's okay, things happen for

Reasons that I think are sure, yeah…”

The keys started to come naturally to her, listening to the beat and focusing. While the music was amazing, it attracted more of the cast members who were unaware of what was going on, Peeking inside the Enid and Wednesday bedroom stage they saw the two performing and it was magical. The duo were reaching the chorus as they entered, actually impressed by the cover, and joined it.

You can't surprise a Gemini

I'm everywhere, I'm cross-eyed, and

Now that you're back, I can't decide

If I decide if you're invited

You always knew the way to wow me

Fuck around, get tongue-tied, and

I turn it on, I make it rowdy

Then carry on, but I'm not hidin'

You grabbin' me hard 'cause you know what you found

Is biscuits, is gravy, babe, ah-ah

(Y/n)’s eyes locked with Jenna’s. He couldn’t tear away from that gleam, those eyes, that smile.

“You can't surprise a Gemini

But you know it's biscuits, is gravy, babe

I knew you'd come back around

'Cause you know it's biscuits, it's gravy, babe

Let's fuck in the back of the mall, lose control

Go stupid, go crazy, babe

I know I'll be in your heart 'til the end

You'll miss me, don't beg me, babe..” He ends with a violin string, and the others watching immediately started berating them with questions, wondering if this was going to be in the final shoot. After some laughs and awkward chit chat, they all left, but Emma saw (Y/n) and Jenna chatting as the night was coming to a close, and couldn’t help but smile.

Wednesday had been a Commercial success, the internet going wild for it. Netflix had found lightning in a bottle and much of that was Thanks to Jenna of course, but much of the conversation was about the supporting cast. Mostly You. The Wenclair ship was trending, but it was #Healday that kept on the charts. The internet obviously went wild for the show and a season 2 was bound to happen, and of course there was the press tour, promoting the show and showing up appearances.

Exiting the Limo you kept a fairly calm demeanor, unbeknownst to everyone a little anxious, stepping out in a Notch Label embroiled Suit with a deep red scarf to boot. Wearing deep black shades your eyes were hidden to the crowd, you turn around and extend your hand and from the Limo Miss Ortega takes it, steeping out with a slim fit single shoulder dress with a thigh split for the thigh high leggings to show. Thank god for your shades, everyone would have seen just what you were oogling at. You kept composure as you lead your “Friend.” Out of the Limo to more flashes and cameras. Fitting a perfect example of a Modern Victorian Couple indeed. You walked with her slowly to let the Paparazzi get their moneys worth.

“Great dress.” You say to her, she attempted to hide the smile but couldn’t.

“I thought you’d like it..” she accidentally blurted out.

“What?” You reply, not entirely sure if you heard her correctly.

“I just meant It would go well with yours, we gotta keep this up, people really seem to like us.” She said, you shrugged it off and Jenna, taking a small risk leans up against your shoulder just slightly, the brush of her hair along your neck made you soul tingle. It seems this coverage was going swimmingly. You casually checked your phone and you see what’s treading. Both of you.

“Well.. that didn’t take long.”

When it came to interviews you kept things pretty professional, but always did your best to support your cast members and always talk positively about it. Your fame continues to grow and your friendship with Miss Ortega seems to be blooming so swimmingly, unfortunately for her; two words stuck a dagger into the heart of your relationship, making it bleed with jealousy.

This words.. Olivia Rodrigo.

Folie a Deux IV: Jealousy

#netflix #male reader #wednesday #wednesday addams x male reader #wednesday x reader #wednesday addams x reader #reader insert #wedensday x you #jenna ortega x male!reader #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x male reader #jenna ortega x you

[sage-nebula]

💫✨ people I’d like to get to know better ✨💫

thanks for the tag @caffernnn !!

last song i listened to: So I'm actually going to plug three songs that I've been absolutely obsessed with over the past weekend and have been listening on repeat as a result, all by the same artist -- Lydia the Bard, over on YouTube.

Lydia makes villain songs for the Disney princesses (among other Disney female characters). Her first handful were just lower pitched versions of their songs (or songs from their movies), but as she progressed she started changing lyrics, and now she's really grown and is making the songs more and more unique, culminating in finally creating a wholly unique villain song for Tinkerbell, which just came out and is my favorite.

"Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall" recontextualizes Tinkerbell's animosity toward Wendy. In this version, Tinkerbell and the other fairies of Pixie Hollow brought Peter Pan and the other Lost Boys there because, due to the nature of fairies' existence depending on humans believing in them, fairies were dying all around them as humans grew up and stopped believing. So the only way to secure their own lives was to make sure their humans never grew up. But Wendy threatens that by making Peter and the others long for human lives. Therefore, Tinkerbell sees her as a threat who must be taken out to save her own and her friends' lives. Not only does this song make Tinkerbell a far more compelling character, but the vocal performance is stunning, and the animatic that goes with it is amazing as well. Literally obsessed.

The other two I'm obsessed with are Meg's (where Hercules betrayed her as well & she kills Hades & takes his power) and Isabela's (where Mirabel doesn't get to her in time, and her resentment over the arranged marriage drives her to snap). Meg's is a bop and has a killer line in "In time they'll say I was cruel 'cause I cared", and I'm sorely tempted to use her final look at the end of the animatic as my Halloween costume this year. Meanwhile, Isabela's is also killer musically of course, and has equally fire lines like, "What could you possibly expect was gonna happen when you made me? / Tend to a plant with poison and expect a flower, are you crazy?" They're both just so good.

favorite color: Purple! Specifically cool shades, and especially cool shades that are more pastel, mixed with grey. I also like blues and greens that are faded like that, too.

currently watching: A little while ago I had started rewatching Sabrina the Teenage Witch since I hadn't watched it since middle school, but once I got to season four it got . . . bad . . . and it has continued to be bad . . . so I've kind of stopped watching lmao. I've lately been rewatching Jenny Nicholson's videos, but I finished that, so now I've gone back to rewatching Jenna Marbles videos. Oh, and I really love this series on YouTube called Bistro Huddy! It's hilarious, and Drew (the guy who portrays all the characters) is fantastic, he really melts into the roles so you almost forget it's one guy doing all of them. Highly recommend checking it out.

spicy/savory/sweet: Honestly depends on my mood, but I do have a strong sweet tooth, so honestly it's hard to go wrong by offering me ice cream or a cookie or something similar.

relationship status: Currently dating the lovely @skimmingthesurfaces 💜 She's actually going to be here this weekend for my birthday! (My birthday is on Tuesday, so I'm very blessed to have her with me for the whole weekend.)

current obsession(s): Aside from the songs mentioned above, I've been really thinking about one OC in particular of mine, and her story / novel . . . she's a character that I first created when I was about 13 or so, and has gone through a lot of development since then, but I've been fleshing out a lot more of her story and how she fits into this new original world I've created (since she was originally created for a Legend of Zelda role play, albeit even back then she came from a country outside of Hyrule). I really love and cherish her a lot, even though most other characters think she fulfills the "girl who is stupid" role in the adventuring party, and on some level she also believes this about herself, and to be fair she's not academically gifted at all, but to be even more fair the school and in fact overall society she was raised in was extraordinarily fucked up and no one actually tried to teach her in a way that would help her learn and in fact learning disabilities were seen as personal failings and --

Ahem. Anyway. I have long since described her as "pure of heart, dumb of ass," and in many ways she is, but for the second half, she's not in the way most everyone around her growing up assumed she was (including herself), or like, even if she is it wasn't 100% her fault (like yeah she slept in class and that was on her, but also she wasn't going to learn whether she was awake or not because her teachers were not going to be able to teach her the material because it was a One Size Fits All approach to teaching even when it really wasn't -- and that's only scratching the surface of the problems in her school / culture, it's a huge systemic thing). But yeah I've just been thinking about her a lot. Karin's my girl and I love her lots.

#the real way in which she's dumb of ass is that one tiktok that's like #''fool me once? shame on you. fool me twice? what the heck that's so mean. fool me THREE times? ohhh my god . . . fool me FOUR--'' #she has the worst judge of character #i mean to be absolutely fair to her she will remember that someone betrayed her trust. but will she give them another chance? yeah probably #her justification is she is watching them VERY HARD OK #(she's watching them fool her AGAIN tho . . . smh) #anyway thanks again for the tag!!!!! #caffernnn

[homosandhomies]

My favorite solo from each main character on glee (because why not)

SUE: Vogue. “WILL SCHUESTER I HATE YOU”

KURT: Rose’s Turn. Chris Colfer rarely got songs that highlighted ALL his vocal strengths. This song used everything. He had a strong head voice, an amazing mix, and he can EMOTE WITH EVERY INCH OF HIS LIFE. No wonder he got the Golden Globe.

QUINN: This Is A Man’s World. This scene is ridiculous, but out of context the song absolutely slaps. Diana can BELT and she deserved to do it more.

ARTIE: Stronger. Probably my favorite Britney song. Kevin ate. That is all.

PUCK: Only the Good Die Young. This song is so fun and I think Puck’s voice is very underrated. A good ol’ jam. Thank you for repping the Jewish community king ❤️

WILL: Sway. It’s a shame that we never talk about his voice because HOLY SHIT MATTHEW MORRISON IS INCREDIBLE. This man is so talented and we never acknowledge it because of Will Schuester’s shenanigans.

BLAINE: Somewhere Only We Know. You can hate Blaine all you want but you can’t deny the POWER of this song. The love in his eyes is sickening I am not okay right now

FINN: I’ve Gotta Be Me. Given the fact that Cory didn’t have any singing experience before, this song makes me so fucking happy because you can see how much he had grown as a singer, but also how proud he was of himself! Look at him go!!! (Bonus: If I’m bending the rules in terms of what qualifies as a solo I would 100% make his Paradise By the Dashboard Light. That was his undoubtedly his very best vocal performance. It’s SO FUCKING GOOD it makes me go batshit.)

RACHEL: My Man. “She may be difficult but boy can she sing.”

BRITTANY: Run the World. The dancing is definitely the more impressive part of this number, but it still sounds great! This song really highlighted Heather’s strengths, when most of her songs weren’t very memorable in my opinion.

MIKE: Cool. Maybe Tina should be a professional vocal coach because damn look at him go!! Idk why an Asian kid wanted to play the role of a leader of a white supremacist group but at least he sounds great 🤷‍♀️

MERCEDES: I Will Always Love You. Literally every single Mercedes song is perfect, so this was the hardest one for me. This means I had to base it on acting. And she DELIVERS here. It should be illegal to be this talented.

TINA: Because You Loved Me. The fact that this is one of TWO solos that Jenna actually got to finish infuriates me. She was ROBBED because she is an amazing singer.

SANTANA: Nutbush City Limits. LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, MISS NAYA RIVERA. HOLY SHIT. Finn saying before the song, “They say that true divas aren’t really mortal” is so true. This woman was an absolute icon and I will always be blown away by her talent.

JAKE: Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself). It’s so EARNEST and HEARTFELT and Jacob Artist popped off with the acting. And the falsetto!! God it’s just beautiful.

EMMA: Getting Married Today. This is a trio, not a solo, but it’s so fucking good that I HAD to do it. That is literally one of the hardest female songs on Broadway, and for some reason they had Jayma sing it even FASTER than the original version? I can’t imagine the stress of trying to do that, but she was perfect.

SAM: Copacabana. This is just a really fun song! Everyone’s having a good time and Chord sounds amazing.

RYDER: Your Song. This is my favorite Elton John song, and boy was it done justice. The acting is really good in this scene. The mix of anxiety and earnestness coming from Ryder is adorable. He had great chemistry with whoever that girl was. (On a storyline note, I hated how this all developed though. If it had gone my way, Unique would confess it was her, then Ryder would sing this directly to Unique.)

KITTY: Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours. I just really like this number. Obsessed with Becca’s high notes.

MARLEY: Wrecking Ball. The cheating storyline with Bree was so fucking stupid and shouldn’t have happened. That being said, Melissa ATE what they gave her and left zero crumbs. She really came in like a wrecking ball.

UNIQUE: I Know Where I’ve Been. THIS SONG MAKES ME GO FUCKING CRAZY!!! THE TRANS CHOIR!!!! THE ACTING!!!!! THE FUCKING HIGH NOTE!!!!!! IT’S JUST SO GOOD I CAN’T HANDLE IT!!!!!!! This is the best part of season 6, full stop. THE most underrated Glee song ever. I will not accept criticism towards this opinion.

#glee #summer says stuff #sue sylvester #kurt hummel #quinn fabray #artie abrams #noah puckerman #will schuester #blaine anderson #finn hudson #rachel berry #brittany pierce #mike chang #mercedes jones #tina cohen chang #santana lopez #jake puckerman #emma pillsbury #sam evans #ryder lynn #kitty wilde #marley rose #unique adams

[therhythmafterthesummer]

Safe Haven ~Bang Chan | Day 17.

Pairing: SpaceRebel!Chan x WitchQueen!F.Reader Themes: Fantasy AU | Sci-Fi AU | Royalty AU | Soulmate AU | Slow Burn | Mutual Pining | Angst | Smut | Fluff. Series Warnings: Third person POV · Very loose and liberal usage of Star Wars concepts (mostly to refer to weapons and tech). you don’t need to know anything about SW to read this, trust me · Physical descriptions of the main female character such as: can visibly blush, having long hair, and being short · Violence · Swearing · Mature themes and language · Original characters · Graphic smut (later chapters) · Mentions of the members of other groups (later chapters) · No one is straight, beware · Each chapter will include its own individual warnings. Chapters marked as M (Mature) either include highly detailed violence, or smut.

Chapter Warnings: suggestive · mentions of weapons. Word Count: ~6k | AO3

Due to all the abovementioned warnings, this story is intended for a 18+ audience only. Minors do not interact. ✰This chapter has been reworked as of 16/08/2023

Previous Chapter: Day 15. | Series Masterlist. | Next Chapter: Day 60.

Disclaimer: the story presented in this work does not represent Stray Kids in any way; anything described in this story and all actions performed by the characters are purely fictional, this was created just for good fun.

“Wow, look at your head!”

Wang Eun ran from where he’d been standing on the training grounds towards Felix, whose blonde hair had turned orange seemingly overnight. The change had earned Felix a similar reaction from Chan in the morning when he came knocking on Chan’s door, to which Felix had simply given him a sheepish smile and a shrug.

“I know, right? I was learning potion recipes with Her Majesty and Jenna last night”, Felix ruffled his hair gently, only for the locks to fall back into place right after, as if he’d never touched them in the first place. “It’s not the colour I wanted, but I think I like it anyway”.

“You did this with a potion?” Changbin seemed to be both confused and amazed. “You think I could drink one of those too?”

“Yeap! You can get any colour you want!” Felix started to stretch and warm up, standing right next to Chan who’d remained quiet most of the way here, and even now as they stood there all together.

Truth was, Chan was still brooding. He didn’t see, nor hear from the Queen yesterday at all. He’d not seen her since they kissed in the pool. Well, since he kissed her in the pool, and he was, quite honestly, having the worst time about it.

He did try to find her, which was the worst part. She was just nowhere to be seen, and Chan was positive she was avoiding him, especially considering she did meet Felix last night.

He did see Freyja, though. The panther had run to him with her tail high in the air and rubbed her forehead against him, which did warm him up a bit. Even if she was on her own, Chan still provided as many pets as he could, feeling a little comforted by her purring. It almost felt as if she had been trying to encourage him.

“Are you ready for today?” Wang Eun asked Chan, pulling him from his thoughts.

“I… Uh…” Chan wasn’t sure he’d be able to train today. His spirits were too crushed, and there was just no way he’d be able to concentrate enough to avoid Wang Eun’s blows.

Plus, he hadn’t even been able to wrap the ribbons around his bare limbs that morning. Not like he hadn’t tried, it was just that the second the things touched his bare skin, it felt too much like the Queen was there and he couldn’t bear it. So, he decided to be half honest when he finally answered Wang Eun. “You think we could just… not train today? I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I think I’ll just lift some weights…”

Wang Eun was about to say something, but Changbin cut him off immediately. “You can train me! Show me some cool moves”.

Wang Eun looked more than happy to give Changbin a hand, so he didn’t press Chan further. Chan knew Changbin was doing it for him more than for himself–considering he knew very well why Chan was losing sleep. He was honestly immensely thankful that Changbin took it in his hands to divert Wang Eun’s attention from him.

So he moved away from them both, and picked up some dumbbells from the rack in the corner to start a simple routine, something repetitive that he could do without having to think much.

“Have you spoken with Her Majesty recently?” Felix was close to where Chan stood, running on the treadmill. His sudden question almost made Chan drop his dumbbells, but he recovered quickly.

“I… Not really. Didn’t see her yesterday. Why?”

Felix hummed, clearly thinking something over before he continued. “She didn’t look too good yesterday, I wonder if something happened on her trip… Did you know she’s got a ball in her study similar to the one you’ve got in your room back at the base?”

She didn’t look too good… Was that a good sign or a bad sign for Chan? He didn’t know, and he clearly couldn’t ask, so he decided to focus on the other piece of information Felix had provided. “I’m not surprised. Anyone who communicates with you-know-who has one”.

When people joined the Alliance, they were usually given a crystal ball to receive news and missions from Dall, and to communicate with other units. The thing came with a base attached to a keypad, and the messages would display on the ball itself. It was honestly fiddly to operate, which was why in Chan’s unit, only Minho and Chan were the ones that knew how to use it.

“You think she…” Felix looked at his surroundings, no one else was in the area, but he still lowered his voice, just enough so only Chan could hear. “You think her trip was a mission from you-know-who?”

Chan’s eyes widened. He’d honestly not even considered it. “No clue, dude. Why don’t you ask her since you’re so close and curious about it?”

“I was actually hoping you would ask her”, Chan’s left eye twitched at Felix’s request. “Plus, you’re closer to her, she might tell you”.

Was he? Was he really closer to her? If he’d been at some point, clearly that wasn’t the case anymore. Plus, he had kind of already inquired about her trip, and she dismissed him instantly. “She won’t tell me, trust me”, and Chan was completely sure of it.

Felix had pressed a bit more about it, until Chan gave him one final no. He might’ve been too harsh when he said it, but at this point he didn’t really care. He would combust right there in the middle of the training grounds if he had to speak about his friendship with the Queen any further.

Fifteen minutes after Chan started lifting weights, Changbin essentially crawled back from the open area of the training grounds to where Chan and Felix were. The man was sweating buckets, and his face lacked its usual colour.

Changbin plopped down on one of the vacant benches, panting heavily. “Holy fucking shit”.

“I told you, dude”, Chan hardly reacted, repositioning his body to target a different muscle group as he lifted weights.

“Man, you guys are too weak”, Wang Eun stood by the bench, staring down at Changbin. He looked exactly the same he did fifteen minutes ago, barely even sweating. “Good thing you’re all hot and pretty”.

“Am I also hot and pretty?” Felix asked, still jogging on the treadmill.

“You’re the prettiest”, Wang Eun reassured him, picking up a couple of dumbbells for himself.

Felix chuckled, adjusting the tilt on the machine. “Wow, thank you, Wang Eun. You’re handsome yourself”.

Wang Eun stopped his movements immediately, and stared at Felix with wide eyes. Chan saw it as if it played in slow motion, how Wang Eun’s face was getting redder and redder by the second. He couldn’t help but scoff. There was no way this man was blushing over this…

“Uhh… Excuse me. I’ve got to… I’ve got to… Yeah”, Wang Eun dropped the dumbbells right where he had picked them up from, and left faster than Chan could tease him about it.

“See? You owe me some credits”, Felix looked at Changbin who was still fighting to get air into his lungs on the bench. “Told you he was all talk”.

Changbin huffed out a laugh. “That guy just kicked my ass, and he’s getting that flustered over you calling him handsome?”

“Must be my charm”, Felix flicked his non-existent long hair off of his shoulder. Which, even in his brooding state, made Chan chuckle.

“You are charming”, the sudden deep voice startled them.

The three of them turned towards the sound to find the High King stepping into their area. He sounded genuine, which was the most surprising part.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Felix, too, sounded genuine in his reply. “What brings you here?”

“Just coming for some weights”, His Majesty shrugged, making a beeline to the rack in the corner of the room. He eyed Chan as he walked past him, and stopped in his tracks to turn to him fully. “Have you seen my dear sister, Chan?”

Chan tensed immediately, and the dumbbells in his hands suddenly felt ten times heavier than they were. “Not recently, Your Majesty”.

His Majesty hummed, scanning the features of his face. The Queen and the High King didn’t look anything alike, truly. But they moved so similarly that it almost felt as if it was her scrutinising every single one of his features, which did nothing to ease Chan’s nerves whatsoever.

“You hang out sometimes, right?” Chan’s left eye twitched at the comment, and he was suddenly unsure as to why the High King was asking him this. “So if you see her and she’s a bit… weird, weirder than usual, don’t hold it against her. I think the moons are making her go a bit nuts these days”, he emphasised, rotating his index finger around his temple.

Chan blinked slightly. “Uhh… I’ll–I’ll keep it in mind, Your Majesty”.

A cold shower did very little to ease Chan’s troubled thoughts. When he left his chambers after that shower, he, once again, caught himself trying to look for the Queen. Not actively, but his eyes would certainly wander when he crossed the many corridors of the castle.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d see a peek of her pretty face when he turned around the corner, or if he’d find a mess of paintings on the floor from one of her many outbursts… None of that happened, though. Instead, he just saw the many workers going about their day around the castle, carrying out all their day-to-day activities as usual.

Chan pondered on what the High King told him earlier. First of all, why would he say what he said to Chan? Second of all, was he trying to make fun of his sister, or was he trying to show real concern?

It was hard for Chan to tell, since His Majesty’s tone would often not match the words he said out loud. If he’d been trying to show concern, that’d mean two people had already seen the Queen recently and were worrying about her. Which, in a way, made Chan worry about her, too.

Chan was deep in his thoughts, his feet were taking him through the familiar way he took every day to go to his ship, almost like they were moving on their own. But, out of the blue, he felt hands on his body. The alarm bells went off in his brain a second too late for him to defend himself. He was tugged with force, and was suddenly pulled into a room before the door slammed shut loudly behind him.

“We need to talk”, the Queen stared up at him, with her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Chan just stared right back, blinking slightly as his eyes darted all around her face. He suddenly didn’t know what to say, he was too stunned to speak, even when it’d only been a day since he last saw her. Although, considering the last thing they did then, he shouldn’t have been surprised that his body wouldn’t react, really.

The Queen held his gaze for a moment too long. Chan didn’t really know who leaned in first, but they were certainly kissing now. Warmth and fire spread rapidly within him, he brought one of his hands to hold the back of her neck, while the other laid palm flat on the small of her back, so he could pull her as close to him as possible.

The Queen’s fingers threaded in his hair, the soft scratch of her nails against his scalp made him groan, enough for his mouth to open and for her tongue to sneak inside to find his own. It was desperate, and messy, and his head was spinning. His mind was suddenly blank, the only thing Chan could hear were her soft whimpers against his mouth, and that ever-present hum in his ears.

Chan vaguely realised he was moving, and his back was now against a wall as Her Majesty pressed herself to his body. He was probably letting out the most embarrassing noises, but he honestly couldn’t bring himself to care. Her warmth was too distracting, and too alluring, for him to think about anything other than her body against him.

In one swift movement, he flipped their positions, so he could now press her against the wall, and slot one of his legs between hers. The most delicious yelp escaped her lips with the motion, only for the sound to get lost inside his mouth, since neither of them seemed to want to pull away from each other.

For a split second, Chan worried he might’ve been getting too carried away, but that worry died almost as soon as it came when he felt a hand–her hand–find its way to his bum and fucking squeeze the flesh over his trousers. 

So he retaliated. Of fucking course he retaliated… Chan liked things to be fair, and it was only fair that he, too, got to cop a feel. His grip was probably a bit too strong, his neediness certainly got the best of him, but she didn’t seem to mind, if the sudden moan filtering between their kiss was anything to go by. Blood rushed from his head to his crotch with the sound, and all of a sudden his underwear felt unbearably tight.

The Queen was a strong woman, physically. Much stronger than Chan was, for sure. However, when she pushed him away, it was almost weak, like she didn’t really want to do it at all. Chan moved regardless, separating his body from her just enough for her to slip past him and remove herself from his space entirely.

Pacing around the room, the Queen’s fingers tangled in her hair, and she tugged the strands gently. “Shit, you’re dangerous”, her words came out in a breathless chuckle, and her chest heaved as she tried to get air back into her lungs.

“Me?!” Chan was just baffled, he just couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that flew past his lips, nor the question that came right after. “What about you, witch?”

The Queen looked at him, and Chan looked right back at her. Who had moved first? Chan didn’t know, and, at this point, he also didn’t care. All he cared about was the feeling of her soft lips against his own, and her tongue pushing against his while they kissed again.

There was a desk in the room, apparently. Chan realised it the moment he’d pushed her against it, when the thing dug on her backside as his hands held her hips in place, kneading the flesh over her clothes. When did the Queen move her leg? He didn’t know, but the warmth around his hip and the weight of her heel pressing on the back of his thigh awoke something within him, something primal and so incredibly dangerous if acted upon. 

His hand flew to her thigh, and he hiked her leg a bit further up on his torso to keep it in place, ensuring that her balance was secure with the desk behind her to stabilise her. He was dizzy. From the kiss, from her warmth, from the arousal that was close to burning him alive…

One of her hands tangled in his hair, and she tugged–not enough to hurt or pull him away, but enough for his body to react. His hips rolled forward for his very prominent erection to grind against her centre, which made the Queen moan loudly against his mouth, further making his head spin.

Chan needed to breathe. His heart was beating just way too fast, his breathing laboured further with every graze of her tongue and every minute roll of her hips, and the only active brain cell he had left was screaming at him to get oxygen into his lungs as soon as possible.

So, he disconnected his lips from hers, only to reattach them to other areas of her skin. He kissed the apple of her cheek, her jaw, settling on the soft skin of her neck. In a way, he felt ravenous, hungry. It was the type of hunger he could only satisfy with the taste of her on his tongue.

Every time his lips connected to her skin, every time his tongue got bold and prodded her exposed neck, every time his grip on her thigh tightened or his hand moved further up on it, the Queen shivered under his touch, which only fueled him more.

“Chris, listen–” Her words died on her tongue at the sudden roll of his hips. The movement had been almost involuntary, an almost instinctual reaction to his name coming out of her mouth. 

“Listen, I… I need you to stop”.

Chan froze.

That four letter word shocked his senses back into reality, as if a bucket of cold water had been dunked over his head.

He pulled back from the Queen’s neck to look at her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were swollen, kiss-bitten, and her eyes were closed as she took deep breaths. Right then, she looked probably the prettiest Chan had seen her as of yet, and the sight certainly made his heart flutter.

Their movements had stopped, but their positions didn’t change. His hand was still on her thigh, his fingers lightly dug into her flesh, sporadically squeezing over the fabric of her trousers, while he hands were still very much buried in his hair. 

After a few seconds, the Queen took a deep breath and finally opened her eyes. “I can’t think clearly if you’re touching me”.

Even after saying that, she didn’t pull away. She made no attempt to remove herself from his space at all. Her hands just simply remained mindlessly playing with the hair on the back of his head.

Chan huffed out a laugh. “Me neither, clearly”.

Her Majesty chuckled softly. “At the risk of bursting into flames right here, I really need to talk”.

Chan pressed a soft kiss to her cheekbone, only to finally step away from her, letting her leg fall to the floor. The sudden lack of her warmth made his head spin, but he decided to ignore it. 

“I don’t know for certain what’s your… your stance on it, seems like it’s similar to mine. But you… you make me feel things. Too many. And it’s honestly a little scary”, there was sincerity in her voice, the feeling she described was something that, if anyone could understand, it would be him. “But we can’t do this”.

Chan blinked for a couple of seconds, and then took another step back, unsure of what to do. He suddenly felt… confused, and much, much less confident. It must’ve been obvious on his face, too, as her eyes scanned his features with clear concern in them.

The Queen inhaled deeply, dragging her hands over her face before she spoke again. “There are things you still don’t know about me. Things I wish I could tell you, but I can’t without putting a lot of people and you at risk. Besides, the Big Bad Wolf’s repairs are going smoothly. What’re you gonna do when it’s completely operational again? You know I can’t leave for long periods of time. Are you gonna stay here with me?”

Chan felt it then, the sharp twinge in his heart. She was right. Soon, he’d have to leave, he couldn’t stay. His mouth opened and closed a few times, while he just looked at her, trying to find suitable words to reply to her, but no words came out.

“Exactly”, her words were steady, almost impassive, but her eyes couldn’t pretend like her voice did. Chan could see clear as day all her unsaid words, and complicated feelings, swimming in them. “You’ll leave and return to your base to fulfil your own moral duties, while I stay here doing the same”.

His stance on it she asked? It was exactly the same as hers, and of course she could tell, because against his better judgement, Chan would often wear his heart on his sleeve, even when he shouldn’t have to.

The Queen was right, and it irked him in a way… Not only because she was absolutely right, but also because she was so fucking level and collected when she talked about this, while his heart was doing summersaults in his chest. 

“I must say”, Chan started, crossing his arms over his chest, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “I really admire how you can be so rational about this”, he finished off with a dry laugh.

The Queen looked at him for a moment, and then sighed. It was a tired, defeated sigh. “I have to”.

She moved just a tad closer to him, close enough so he could hear her whispered words. “It doesn’t matter how much I yearn to hold you, to kiss you, to be close to you”, the Queen brought a hand to her chest, spreading it wide open. “Even if it hurts me, I’ve got to be rational, otherwise I’d just give in to this burning feeling in my heart without hesitation, completely shamelessly and carelessly”.

Her words reached deep within Chan, they rattled that annoying box of feelings in his heart. Her Majesty’s eyes scanned his face for a while, until she let out another tired sigh.

“I just… I’m too dedicated to the Alliance. It’s what I spend most of my time on when I’m not actually ruling my planet. As long as I can’t be fully transparent with you, as long as the Charmer is loose around the galaxy… I just can’t do this. I don’t have time for this… and you deserve better than that”, her expression changed then, and he could see it clearly in her face, the struggle within herself.

A few moments of silence passed, a few moments where  neither of them were really sure what to do or say to the other. Until Chan moved, until that intense urge itching under his skin materialised into existence, an action that had started before he could even stop himself.

He reached for her hand, and held it in his. It wasn’t a tight hold, but it was certainly firm, and his thumb started to lightly brush her knuckles.

Chan saw her façade crumble with his touch, and her body gave in to their inexplicable pull to each other. The Queen moved closer, releasing his hand and wrapping her arms around his waist, tucking her head under his chin. Chan simply wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and brought one of his hands to rest on her hair.

“I’m sorry”, she whispered, her voice almost muffled against the fabric of his vest top. “I must be giving you so many mixed signals right now”.

Chan chuckled. “A bit, yeah”, he caressed her hair. It was pretty much a mindless action he wasn’t sure he was doing to ease her worries or his own. “I did, uh, kiss you first, so I guess it’s my fault”.

The Queen hummed, the vibration seemed to reverberate against his skin, reaching those secluded areas deep within his heart. “Darling, I’m just as guilty, trust me”.

Oh, wow. A term of endearment. It wasn’t mocking, nor teasing, nor playful. It was just… real, it fell from her lips so naturally… And it affected him, a bit embarrassingly, even. So Chan tightened his hold around her frame, and decided to break the heavy atmosphere with one of his insufferable comments.

“Maybe you’re right… It’s all your fault, witch”.

Her Majesty weakly slapped him on the back, but she chuckled regardless. “You’re so annoying sometimes, makes me want to–”

A breathless laugh fell from her lips as she cut her words short and shook her head.

“Makes you want to what?” Chan taunted.

“Makes me want to shut you up”.

“How?” Chan was delving into dangerous territory. He couldn’t help it, the urge was too strong. He really, really wanted to annoy her, to get under her skin and get her to do something, anything…

Again, sometimes, he was just a bit shameless.

Chan felt the sharp intake of breath against the skin of his neck, and one of her hands moved from where it had been resting around his waist to lay palm flat on the small of his back. “Don’t tempt me”.

“But it’s so much fun”, Chan pouted, he fucking pouted even if she couldn’t see him.

She hummed, and when she spoke, her lips ghosted over the skin of his neck, making the hair at his nape stand on end. “Is that what you want from me, then? Just to have fun?”

Her tone was level still, almost impassive, but there was an undertone of curiosity to it, like she genuinely wanted to know. The Queen pressed a soft kiss on his neck, and the feeling almost made him shiver. Chan supposed it was fair, considering he, too, had kissed her there earlier.

“No”, now was as good a time as any to be honest, so he was, all while sprinkling a little term of endearment of his own, because, why wouldn’t he, if he felt like it? “Your suspicions are correct, love. You, too, make me feel things. Too many”.

The Queen buried her face further in the crook of his neck, and an appreciative hum vibrated against his skin.

There was just something so comforting about having the Queen in his arms. Chan knew he had feelings for her, he’d known for a while… He’d known how the feel of her hands in his affected him, how full he felt when they spoke, when she shared those bits and pieces of her knowledge with him, how his heart reacted to her laugh, her voice, her presence in general…

It was odd, but now that he held her in his arms, it was almost as if there was something in the back of his mind telling him that this was what he was supposed to be doing, that urged him to just do it, to continue to do it, and, as he pondered on it, Chan’s resolve was clear. With his cheek against her hair, with his senses full of just… her, there was no doubt in his mind when he spoke his next words. 

“I’ll wait”.

The Queen took in a shaky breath, and her arms around his waist tightened their hold ever so slightly. “I wouldn’t ask that of you. It’s not fair”.

“I know”, he was set on it, there was just no other possible option in his mind at this point, he was in too deep already. When Chan had a goal, he would strive to achieve it, regardless of how hard it could be, and for her, he decided right then and there, without hesitation, that he would wait. “But rebellions don’t last forever. Eventually, we’ll win, and I’ll come back. We’ll figure it out then”.

The Queen’s hold tightened around Chan’s waist a bit more, and all of a sudden, a thought passed briefly in his mind, a drop of doubt that had nothing to do with his feelings, but hers. “As long as you’d take me, of course. Otherwise you can just tell me to fuck off and I’ll leave you alone forever. And that’s a serious offer”.

He heard the Queen chuckle again, her breath fanning his neck made goosebumps rise at his nape. Pulling back from the hug, she laid her hands on his chest, and Chan’s hands moved from their place around her shoulders to rest on her lower back with her motion.

While Her Majesty looked right into his eyes, she had a glint of something in her eyes, something that Chan was certainly mirroring in his own.

Hope.

Bringing a hand to the back of his head, her fingers played with the curls there, before she offered him a soft ‘Thank you’.

Chan just regarded her with a smile. She broke eye contact, and once again, her eyes darted all around his face, until they finally settled on his mouth. He could practically see the cogs turning in her head, so he stayed still in their embrace, waiting for the Queen to make her decision.

Ultimately, she leaned in and kissed him, giving into the pull. That burning flame inside of him spread like wildfire all throughout his body as soon as her lips made contact with his, as soon as he kissed her back.

The unspoken words in her actions were very clear to Chan. This was a promise. A promise of a future… of a future together.

Chan could feel heat on his face, on his neck, and his chest. It was everywhere, and when the Queen pulled away from the kiss, he noticed a soft blush had spread over her cheeks as well. Her eyes focused on his kiss-swollen lips for a moment before she finally looked him in the eyes with a shy smile on her lips. 

“I have to go now”, the cursed words left her mouth as the fingers of one of her hands mindlessly tapped Chan’s chest, while the other twirled a strand of his hair.

“I know”, Chan removed himself from her space then, taking a tentative step back.

The Queen regarded him with one last, almost apologetic smile, and her words of ‘See you later’ were the last thing she said to him before she turned around and walked away, finally leaving the room.

Even then, after the incessant pulling sensation diminished only slightly the more she moved away, his resolve didn’t waver. Chan was absolutely sure of what he’d told her, about what he’d promised…

Now, he had something to hope for. A newfound goal that was quickly ingraining itself in his mind.

We’ll win, and I’ll come back.

“I just need to know where to connect the thing to. That’s what I’m missing and it’s driving me crazy!” 

Chan, Changbin, and Felix decided to stay back inside the Big Bad Wolf after repairs ceased for the day, just so they could talk to their friends back at the base. Jeongin had picked up this time, the man was completely stressed out of his mind as he couldn’t continue repairs on the Shining Starlight without knowing where a specific circuit board was supposed to connect to.

“Okay, describe to me in detail, where exactly are you trying to plug it into?” Chan was rubbing circles on his temples, there were no doubts in his mind that Jeongin was trying to connect the thing to the wrong connector within the console. He remembered quite vividly how Jeongin had ignored him ages ago when he was trying to show the younger man how to do this.

“Okay, so there’s the main unit, right? So, I crawl under the main unit, and open the farthest left panel–”

Chan cut him off. “Your left or the console’s left?”

Silence fell on the line for a few seconds, and eventually Jeongin let out an exasperated groan. “Oh, shit”.

Changbin chuckled from where he was sitting on the floor playing cards with Felix, meanwhile Felix just shook his head disapprovingly at his friend on the other side of the line, placing a card on the pile in front of him, forcing Changbin to pick up four cards from the other pile.

“You should pay attention to me when I show you things”, Chan sighed. “What’re you gonna do when you’re old and I’m gone?” He added with the most dramatic tone he could muster.

“Man, I’m sorry, okay. Sometimes you just talk too much and I get distracted”, Jeongin lacked any semblance of remorse, which made Chan scoff immediately. 

Chan was about to reprimand Jeongin, when, all of a sudden, Minho’s screams could be heard through the line, very, very far away. The man was surely running into the communication room, screaming ‘Guys, guys, guys, guys’ repeatedly, like a chant. The tone slowly increased the closer he got.

There was rustling, a ‘What the fuck, dude’ from Jeongin, and then Minho was talking right into the communicator. “Shut it, this is important!” He was clearly addressing Jeongin, who very gracefully swore at him in the background. “Guys! Who’s there?”

“All three of us”, Felix said–their game of cards now forgotten once he and Changbin stood up and came to Chan’s side, right by the communication system.

“Jaebum’s unit’s been rescued. Dall’s just sent a message to all units”, Minho was slightly breathless, but he sounded relieved, which was the same feeling that washed over the three men inside the Big Bad Wolf.

“Holy shit, do we have details?” Changbin asked, clutching Chan’s shoulder–for moral support, Chan supposed.

“Seems like four of them had been captured, obviously Dall didn’t specify who exactly. In any case, apparently a couple of days ago a few units were able to assist and the rescue mission went smoothly”.

Chan let out a sigh of relief, slumping on his chair. “Man… That’s great”.

And it was. It was great that they could rescue them. Chan felt a lot of respect for Dall, whoever or whatever the person–or thing–was, they had proved time and time again to be someone they could count on when things got really bad.

Not like it mattered much, anyway, but he wondered if at any point, they would come clean and show themselves, or if, once the Alliance’s goal was fulfilled, the person–or people–would never reveal their identity at all.

“Do you think Dall was there with the unit as well?” Felix asked. He had always had special curiosity towards the identity of Dall. Sometimes, he even got borderline annoying with his speculations and conspiracy theories. Chan would humour him most of the time regardless, even if he had no real interest in the topic.

“It’s not like anyone could tell anyway, no?” It was Jeongin now talking on the other side of the line. “No one truly knows anyone from Dall’s unit, either, so it could be any random guy”.

“Or girl”, Changbin offered.

“Does it even matter?” Chan asked, to no one in particular. “For all we know, Dall could be several people, they could be a man, a woman, a person with no or unspecified gender, or even AI. We’ve been following them for so long already, I don’t think it matters that much”.

“Dude, where’s your sense of curiosity?” Felix was pouting and everything, which made Chan chuckle.

“You mean my sense of gossip? Outside of the Alliance, clearly”.

“Anyway”, Minho cut them off. “There’s another thing they mentioned, kinda unrelated to the rescue mission”.

Chan sat up straighter on his chair, listening intently as Minho continued. “Seems like they’ve found some sort of material that’s highly effective against the Charmer’s creatures, and they’re working on developing weapons to use them against the damned things”.

Chan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and his two friends next to him looked pretty much the same.

The Charmer’s mutated creatures were incredibly difficult to beat, regular blasters of any kind hardly scratched them, and any other physical weapon would break if you tried to impale the things. So a breakthrough like this was huge, getting weapons that could beat the creatures would mean they could get even closer to their goal, to finally win.

Chan was very curious. “Did they say what it was?”

“Nope. Just said they’ll keep us posted–Yes, Jeongin, you can talk now, damn”.

“Guys, any news on when the ship will be operational?” Jeongin asked.

“I was told today the tentative end date of the project is around two months from now”, Chan offered, sounding less excited than he thought he was going to be.

Earlier, as soon as Chan had arrived to the ship, Talboot had given him the news. After assessing the ship fully, they determined the ship should be fully operational within two months, possibly even before that if everything went smoothly. It was something that both excited him and gave him pause. He couldn’t help but feel conflicted after his conversation with the Queen today. 

Chan had to leave. They had to leave. All three of them. They needed to return to their routines and continue their active involvement in the Alliance. Even if his heart was screaming at him to stay, he just couldn’t. So, knowing that he only had a couple of months at best to enjoy more of the Queen’s company made him feel… oddly distressed, to put it simply.

“That’s great, isn’t it?!” Minho sounded genuinely happy about it.

Chan decided then to shove his feelings as deep as they would go. There was no point in brooding about it now, much less in letting his friends know about his conflicted feelings.

“Yeap. It’s great”.

Maybe, if Chan said it many times out loud, he’d start to believe it.

Previous Chapter: Day 15. | Series Masterlist. | Next Chapter: Day 60.

© therhythmafterthesummer 2022-2023. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my stories.

#stray kids fantasy au #stray kids fanfiction #bang chan fanfiction #bang chan fic #skz fanfic #skz fanfiction #stray kids fanfic

[oswincoleman]

Let's talk about how fantastic Jenna Coleman was as Johanna Constantine and Lady Johanna Constantine in The Sandman!

Be warned: spoilers! But as it has been 2 weeks since it has come to Netflix, I hope most of you will have had the chance to see it by now. And if not; what are you waiting for?

This is a very unique role, the likes of which Jenna has never played before. Which makes it all the more amazing to see with what ease she embodied both Johanna Constantines. In the roles, she has such a powerful presence, she commands the screen, she immediately captures your attention and interest, and never lets go of it. She has such a lasting impression!

Just from the way she looks at other characters, you can immediately see who the boss is. It doesn't matter if you are an immortal. It doesn't matter if you are an Endless, the Lord of Dreams. It doesn't even matter if you are a demon from Hell twice her size. She knows she can, and will send you back to Hell if there is a profit to be made. Jenna really embodies the badass you really don't want to mess with.

Her reactions to meeting Dream, or performing the exorcism on the princess and her fiance (who turns out to be a demon) really showcase her amazing talent. She's tough, foul-mouthed, not impressable, and above all, incredibly awesome! I don't think anyone could look even remotely as cool as Jenna in the role of Johanna when saying the likes of "Get in line bruv, can't keep God waiting!", "Jesus fuck", or "Run along and fuck off back to hell", to name a few.

But what is brilliant about the way episode 3, "Dream a Little, Dream of Me" is told, is that we also get to see who Johanna really is, underneath all that defensive armor of deflection, badassery, and swearing. Once again, a single frame is enough for Jenna to show how strongly the trauma of the Newcastle incident affected Johanna:

Jenna also showed her acting ability through the way she set up her characters, not only in the way they interacted with others, how they carry themselves, how they style themselves, but also how they speak. Jenna always develops unique ways of speaking for all of her characters, and for The Sandman she took on a deeper pitch, to correspond to Johanna's history of smoking. She also distinguished between Johanna in the present day, and her memories of the Newcastle incident. Her story starts off with her in London working-class roots, and so she has a Cockney accent in all the flashbacks. But we learn that she has since moved up the ranks, earns money for herself, is trusted even by the Royal Family, and wears very fashionable clothes. To mark this difference, Jenna moulded present-day Johanna's accent to be posher, with only little traces of her Cockney roots left.

Not only does Jenna brilliantly portray Johanna's tough mask that she wears in public, she also depicts her soft true feelings. You can see the fear in her eyes when she knows she must meet Rachel again, the relief of reuniting with her on more or less good terms, followed by her despair when she sees how Rachel collapses into a mound of sand, and is actually on the verge of death. We see how this triggers a very different response from Johanna. She has come to understand Dream, and has accepted that there are things that she cannot do herself. And it is this realization that enables her to be so influential for Dream, for her message to him to resonate so well.

Jenna's portrayal of the complex range of Johanna Constantine is amazing throughout all her numerous traits. Jenna has yet again shown what an incredibly versatile actress she is. She is working class in the flashbacks. She is cool and tough when necessary. She is sensitive and emotional when necessary. She has such an amazing, and such powerful backstory.

Similar statements can also be made about Jenna's portrayal of Lady Johanna Constantine in The sandman episode 5 (The Sound of her Wings), even though we have only seen it very briefly so far. She yet again developed a unique way of speaking for the role. She is also very confident, but of a different nature; she still wants to have bodyguards supporting her in the direction that works for them.

The dedication Jenna brings to this role is truly amazing. She only had a major role in one episode, one small role in another, and tiny appearance otherwise. But she still went to so much effort to make each character unique, and stand out. Her performances cover a large plethora of not only characters, but character traits as well. Jenna portrays it all so effortlessly and convincingly. It is always amazing to watch how vividly she brings her characters to life.

I gladly join the chorus asking for a new spinoff show for Jenna Coleman as Lady Johanna Constantine! Jenna's portrayal of the role is so amazing and enthralling, that it would be really fantastic to see her again. Go and watch it (again!) right now!

@neil-gaiman thank you for casting Jenna in these roles.

#jenna coleman #jenna louise coleman #the sandman #sandman #sandman on netflix #netflix #Johanna Constantine #lady johanna constantine #neil gaiman #acting

[jessamine-rose]

Hello there ^^ have you posted the list of books you're reading before by curiosity? If not would you mind sharing? I'm curious, if that's ok with you!

For those who haven’t seen this post, one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to finish my reading list. I picked 32 books/ stories from recs, classics, and titles which interested me. This is listed in ascending order, with my faovrites italicized (｀・ω・´)

I hope this satisfies your curiosity, Anonie!! I enjoyed most of the stories, and I’m excited that this resolution is almost complete. Pls excuse my ramblings bc I couldn’t help adding some subjective comments for each story :>

Edit:: Resolution accomplished!! The final three book reviews have been added~

♡ The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck

It’s the only playwriting script on my list, and I can only imagine how visually exciting the stage performance must be. I learned about this story from @/mcdonaldsnumberone :3

♡ The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen

This ended up on my list bc of Scaramouche. Need I say more??

♡ A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

Aahhh this was so exciting to read. After rooting for the heroine’s liberation, I am both sad and awed by the ending. You can thank @/bye-bye-sunbird for this amazing rec (◍•ᴗ•◍)

♡ Poetic Fragments of Sappho (translated by Julia Dubnoff)

The emotions, the imagery, the references to Greek mythology *sobs* Sappho’s poetry is so intimate and beautiful, and I will be the first to cry if more fragments are discovered one day.

♡ We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

I appreciated the story more after reading the literary analyses. It’s pretty good.

♡ Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

I was curious about Murakami’s work due to his popularity. I liked his writing style in Document 1, but I couldn’t properly appreciate the story bc of the male-gazey parts.

♡ The Hand of the Enemy by Kerima Polotan

Polotan’s writing style is *chef’s kiss.* I think she did a good job at explaining “the political is personal” through her characters.

♡ The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft

I’m not personally into Lovecraft’s writing style so I think I’ll stick to the summaries. It was nice to learn more about cosmic horror through the source material.

♡ Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The book isn’t my type, so I have no comments.

♡ Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

There are so many quotes which made me squeal as a yandere writer, and I can always appreciate a wlw vampire story. It inspired me to write for Yandere! Vampire Pantalone ( ´ཀ` )

♡ Heartless by Marissa Meyer

I love the whimsical writing style and Alice in Wonderland references. The food descriptions are so wonderfully written.

♡ Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch

My new favorite book by the author. Generally, I love how she writes about family, romance, and tourism. It helps that this specific story has connections to Greek mythology ✧˖°

♡ Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

A good satirical take on Gothic novels!! It was easy for me to fall in love with Austen’s writing and the character of Henry Tilney.

♡ Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I don’t plan to read the sequels, but I did enjoy Anne’s sense of imagination.

♡ The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

This book isn’t my type so I don’t have much to say about it ^^;

♡ Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch

Another wonderful story by the author. I love the magic and mystery in it.

♡ My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

After falling in love with Rebecca, I had to check this out and now the author’s other works are in my next reading list. Simply put, I adored this.

♡ Creepover: It Spells Z-O-M-B-I-E! by P.J. Night

I read this out of nostalgia for the series and was utterly disappointed. It lacks many of the traits which made the other Creepover books so enjoyable to my younger self -.-

♡ The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Honestly, what can I say?? Just read the story and see for yourself ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

♡ The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

Another story which I can’t rlly comment on since the writing style isn’t my type.

♡ The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal

The horror and aesthetics is so artfully written, and Silas is an excellent example of an utterly despicable antagonist. I couldn’t stop reading until I reached the end.

♡ Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal

The freakshow/ circus setting offers a different morbid aesthetic. I can’t wait to read Macneal’s future works >:3

♡ You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

A good story about grief. It has a brilliant detail about how Sam’s calls affect the heroine’s communication with other people. I do think the story would’ve been better if it were longer.

♡ And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

An excellent murder mystery which made me go “?!! :0” when the culprit was revealed.

♡ Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

I subscribed to the author’s YouTube channel, so I was naturally curious about this. I liked the mecha concept and historical references, but I have to agree with some of the negative reviews. The fact that I’m not into scifi also influenced my capacity to enjoy this book.

♡ A Wilderness of Sweets by Gilda Cordero-Fernando

Mere words cannot describe how good and sad this story is ;-;

♡ Grimms’ Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm

All those fairytales + the writing inspiration it gave me……..*rubs hands evilly*

♡ Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

Again, I can’t say much about this book since I’m not into scifi + I’m not the target audience. I will say that I liked it more than Iron Widow due to the historical trivia, contemporary setting, and creative premise.

♡ Bone China by Laura Purcell

I am officially a fan of the author and I can’t wait to read her other works. More Gothic horror, here we go ٩( ᐛ )و

♡ Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

I now understand why @/diodellet and a book heroine cried reading this. Props to the author for the effective changes in writing style!!

♡ Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

It’s a good story but honestly not my type. There were times I found it hard to read but that might be due to the long paragraphs :T

♡ Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Another excellent mystery novel!! I like the self-aware protagonist, Knox’s Commandments, and the attention-catching title >:3

#jessamine rambles #asks #anon #shooting stars

[sillyname30]

I just listened to the latest episode of and that's what you really missed on Glee. It seems like Jenna and Kevin really changed their attitude. They are positive. They are not complaining as much. Jenna seems to be really into it. They talked about Darren.

Matt Bomer suggested to Ryan Murpy that he should consider Somebody That I Used to Know as a duet on the show. A week later Matt received a text from Ryan asking if he wanted to come at the show and sing it.

Jenna and Kevin talked about the Cooper Anderson's audition tape and wished it was in the episode. The chemistry of Matt and Darren was unreached.

Kevin talked about working with Dianna. Some of the stuff at the steep ramp was ad lib. The hysterically laugh was really. Kevin catching Dianna when she starts to roll backwards was real. Kevin said that when they got to do scenes with people they weren't normally paired with it was so much fun.

Jenna said that Eric Stoltz was the only director that would call somebody in who wasn't written in the scene. She loves Eric Stoltz, but she didn't love that because they were never not in a scene. (I'm not sure what she wanted to say. Maybe that they did have less free time?)

Jenna said fiming at the amusement park was awesome. The whole parking lot was empty. It was just their trailers. She loves roller coasters, but she hurt her back really bad before that and had to sit out most of it.

Jenna said that if you're a really good actor (like Matt Bomer) you have to play against all of your instinct to be that bad.

Kevin said Darren got something to do. They all got into like a rhythm of the character, what their everyday lives and dramas are. And Blaine all of the sudden gets irritated the entire time. And it's so amazing to see somebody who is so likeable like Matt Bomer come in and then have a character that hates him. And Darren was so good at it.

Kevin said it was a showcase of Matt's abilities and range and also for Darren because they all got to do things that were outside the norm for them.

Kevin mentioned Matt's Instagram post of Darren in Little Shop of Horrors. (thanks to the anon who sent it to him.)

cringe moments: I'm Still Standing (in the context)

best dance move: Hungry Like a Wolf/Rio (Kevin), skate park (Jenna)

best song: Somebody Like I Used to Know (Kevin), Fighter (Jenna)

performance mvp: Matt Bomer

#and that's what you really missed on glee #big brother

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Week 2: I Have a Confession

So last night was week 2. And I was thinking of structuring this like last week, but only 1 and a half couples truly had me feeling energized about the night. So I guess we'll go back to the regular format. Because Jamie Lynn was eliminated, I'll just talk about her up here. After watching her dance, I wasn't shocked. With all the controversy that was following her, we needed to have at least one big week from her. We didn't get that at all. And outside of that one moment up in the skybox with Julianne when she redid that move from her cha cha, we didn't get much fun out of her either. So what happens when you have a controversial celeb (that people truly don't like) that has potential that is not even being scratched, who is kinda just there and not giving much in any department? You get a somewhat shocking (but not really when you think about it) elimination. If they wanted to stay, they had to do something to get our minds off of the Britney Jean sized elephant in the room. They didn't do that and I think I'm more shocked that they didn't vs the fact that she was eliminated. That being said, she went out on a positive note (for the most part). So hopefully she can internalize that.

The show itself was a snoozefest. Alfonso and Julianne have kinda been blah so far. The technique and performance quality of the vast majority of the stars was not good enough to have Latin night this early. I just feel like theme weeks should start week 4 at the absolute earliest. Week 5 is what I believe is ideal. Let everyone's skills get better so that we're not watching 4 couples stumble through a samba in week 2, all to fulfill a theme. And the dances that the pros have been giving to the celebs have been pretty ho hum across the board. So now let me start the recap.

Lele and Brandon- Samba (Score=21)- Lele did pretty well with this dance. This was the half a dance I was talking about and upon watching it back, I'm actually gonna up that to being fully impressed and I think this dance was underscored. It should've gotten at least one 8. I think Lele had an understanding of the technique and rhythm of the dance that none of the other samba doers truly understood. And her feet were pointed this time! Than you Brandon. I just want her to do some more refining things and she'll be set.

Tyson and Jenna- Salsa (Score=18)- What an improvement a week makes! Tyson was a completely different dancer out there. I just knew he wasn't a no hoper. We just needed him to get more comfortable out on the floor. What I want him to work on now is 1) getting the technique cleaner and 2) work on getting lighter on his feet. But he is definitely on the right path.

Barry and Peta- Cha-cha (Score=15)- Barry struggled a little bit more this week than he did last. But the foundation is there for him to give good Latin dances. He does have some rhythm and his technique is mostly nice. Those New Yorkers were really really nice. Now, we gotta get him to fix his pancake hands, work on the technique a bit more and loosen up them hips. But I really think these two could play spoiler to many couples this year if he keeps improving. And honestly, he might be a true dance contender.

Adrian and Britt- Samba (Score=15)- Mm. Okay so this was a challenge. So let me start with the good. His face was much better this time around. I also saw that he worked on cleaning up his footwork. Now, he struggled with the dance itself, he still needs to be lighter on his feet, the technique still needs work and he needs to do a better job of partnering Britt. Right now it's not working the way that it should. But if they stick around, I can see that getting better and him becoming a decent dancer.

Mira and Gleb- Salsa (Score=18)- Hmm. Okay. Mira has really nice technique. She has everything to be amazing. But she's currently petrified of the dances and she dances too light. I need Gleb to get her to realize that she's good. I also want him to tell her to dance through the floor and not just on top of it.

Xochitl and Val- Salsa (Score=24)- So I thought this was a good dance. It was missing something though and I can't really place my finger on what it was. Actually, I know what it was. It was too much and too fast. It's a critique I have of Val at least once a season. He jam packs so much into a dance that sometimes, his partners can't breathe. Xochitl did well enough, but I also felt like it might've been a little much and sometimes she got a tad behind. Also her arm in that last lift was not great. Very good dance though.

Ariana and Pasha- Samba (Score=20)- Ariana did alright for the most part part. There were several questionable moments where she either looked off balance or lost a bit of control. I'm gonna say it's her nerves right now because it's not bad. She's still a fantastic dancer and I'm also still worried about her fanbase. But she might benefit from the same things that Melissa Rycroft did in her first season. Only time will tell.

Mauricio and Emma- Salsa (Score=12)- Mauricio actually started out doing pretty well. The problems that most of the other men dealt with this week, he did not deal with it. That was up until he forgot everything. And then the routine crashed. I'm actually shocked that Mauricio didn't get eliminated this week. But I guess people really pulled through for them. I still don't think Mauricio will last long, but hopefully he can come back strong next week.

Alyson and Sasha- Tango (Score=19)- Alyson also had a major improvement this week. I have to admit, I didn't think we could get this level of dancing out of Alyson. But we got it and it was a legitimately good dance. Now, I want her to dance with more intention. She placed everything pretty well, but it wasn't as strong as it could've been. I also want her to relax a little bit more throughout the dances. But we're moving in the right direction.

Charity and Ezra- Cha-cha (Score=21)- As we know, Artem had COVID and had to sit out this week. So we got Ezra as a fill in and I'm glad we got to see Ezra in this capacity. I would not mind seeing him as a pro next season. Ezra is also gay and we're lacking that representation with Louis gone (even though Louis is a bitter and hateful ass bitch and I don't get that energy from Ezra at all) and I don't think we've ever had that on the women's side of things (please correct me if I'm wrong). Now onto Charity. It was cool. Technically, it was a great dance. But I feel like she was timid and stiff. I'll chalk up a lot of that to having a new partner and just being nervous in general. She'll be better as the show goes on, but this just wasn't her best.

Harry and Rylee- Salsa (Score=15)- Harry moves very small and is still terrified of these dances. I think he handled this one better and I saw some improvement. He stayed on time more. But it's still not great. I don't think he can get to a great or even a good level. But he is improving and he can shock us. I mean Alyson definitely shocked me this week.

Jason and Daniella- Rumba (Score=24)- This was the best dance of the night. I think Jason might be the one to beat. I have to see a ballroom dance from him but I do not have any reason to believe that he will really struggle with those based on what he's shown and the past work of Daniella. I did see the misstep that CAI was talking about, but wow, what a dance. I was incredibly impressed.

So that's what I thought about the show. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon.

#dancing with the stars #dwts #jason mraz #harry jowsey #charity lawson #alyson hannigan #mauricio umansky #ariana madix #xochitl gomez #mira sorvino #adrian peterson #barry williams #tyson beckford #lele pons #jamie lynn spears #alan bersten #brandon armstrong #jenna johnson #peta murgatroyd #britt stewart #gleb savchenko #val chmerkovskiy #pasha pashkov #emma slater #sasha farber #ezra sosa #rylee arnold #daniella karagach #cha cha cha #samba

[veilingofthesun]

I've had a great combined musical theatre and concert weekend in Linköping. Initially we booked tickets to see First Aid Kit's Visions of the past tour. After we'd bought the tickets for their tour we decided to buy tickets for Waitress too. Which, in hindsight was a good idea ( we were supposed to see Waitress two weeks ago, but the performance got cancelled)

*I'm so glad I finally got to see Waitress. It's a wonderful, very well performed musical. It's such a well synced cast filled with great performers. All of the main performers and the ensemble were amazing.

I can't praise Mercedesz Csampai enough. I had a feeling (based on a tiny clip of She used to be mine) that she would be a great Jenna and she did not disappoint. Her performance blew me away. Her emotions seemed so raw and real and her performance really draws you in.

* First Aid Kit is one of my favourite bands and I loved seeing them in this intimate setting and hearing many songs that they have never played live or that they don't play a lot. I just love seeing and hearing the two of them harmonizing and singing so beautifully together. A real highlight was hearing Ghost Town unmiked.

It's been a lovely weekend. ❤️

#waitress #waitress the musical #first aid kit #emmas theatre thoughts #best weekend since our stockholm trip #i had a great time

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

ooh i love that post about vm’s first roles in the broadway au. what do you their favorite roles they’ve played would be?

ooo good question!

Keyleth: I think it's Belle in BATB, her first leading role and proof to her that she is capable of being a leading lady and she didn't crack under the pressure.

Scanlan: I think it would be hard for him to pick a favorite, but I think he absolutely loved doing Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, especially doing it with Pike.

Grog: I can absolutely see him being one of the brothers in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat and just having the absolute best time ever.

Vex: It's gotta be Jenna in Waitress. It's the role that's the most personal and means so much to her and she associates it with such good memories and a great time in her life.

Percy: I meannn Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd because he just gets to let loose and be fucking crazy. But he also likes being the doctor in Waitress for the same reasons as Vex.

Pike: Lovett in Sweeny Todd, I think it's the role she had the most fun with but I could also see it being the role that jump started her career as a broadway performer instead of an opera singer.

Vax: Dimitri in Anastasia. It combines everything he loves, the romance, the drama, the comedy, and the songs are well within his range.

#broadway au #critical role #vox machina #tlovm #the legend of vox machina #lis makes hcs

[juniperhillpatient]

'Wednesday' Review (no spoilers)

Well, I'm always complaining that I get too many show recommendations when everyone knows I usually just re-watch the same 5 shows or watch YouTube & I also complain a lot about binge culture & say I like to watch shows slowly but I literally watched it in one sitting so...I must've liked it! Honestly, the Tim Burton style was perfect, the dialogue was witty, & the plot was fun & addictive.

Jenna Ortega is amazing. Wednesday Addams is such an iconic & beloved character, & this show relied heavily on her demeanor & presence. So, a strong lead actress was the most important element of the show in my opinion. I honestly can't even imagine the role being pulled off more perfectly. This is only the second thing I've seen Jenna Ortega in, & she's blown me away both times. The other thing I've seen her in is Scream 5, & as a huge Scream fan, I would argue that she made that movie what it was with her performance too - & that was a very different character. Clearly, she's just a fantastic actress with a huge range & an amazing screen presence.

Also, most of the rest of the cast did a fantastic job too. Emma Myers and Hunter Doohan (I had to Google both those names, but Enid & Tyler) both had fantastic chemistry with Jenna Ortega & so did Joy Sunday (Bianca) (yes I had to Google that too) both as a rival & frienemy. I don't want to rub anyone the wrong way but just to be honest as I think back on the series, my biggest criticism is that Percy Hynes White (Xavier) just had no charm or chemistry with the lead. The actor can hardly be blamed entirely for that, though I do think either he's part of the problem or the way he was directed is. But really, the issue with Xavier was mainly a writing problem for me, because I just found his character way too bland & that's a pretty huge weakness in a show where so much of the plot relies on this sort of love triangle. Like, I need to either hate one of the guys or struggle with who to root for or something but Xavier just gave me nothing. He had no personality or interiority as a character outside of pining after Wednesday & sometimes being sus like....literally just nothing going on with him to make him feel like a real person & give me something to latch onto as a viewer.

I thought that the rest of the family had the perfect amount of screen presence for a show focused on Wednesday going off on her own where her family is still important to the plot & to her character. They did a really great job playing that balancing act. My biggest criticism of the family aspect of the show is that Morticia's wig made me want to die. Everything else - the backstory, the plot itself, was fantastic. And I loved Fester & Thing's roles both so much as well as the element of Wednesday being protective of Pugsly. The dynamic between Wednesday & Morticia is well done & explored, & I like that they gave them a little tension & how the story used it. Gomez Addams continues to be an iconic character in every incarnation.

The mystery itself was fun, although I think maaaybe it's possible they introduced a few too many elements? This is a cursory "I literally just watched it" review, so maybe not, but it felt like there was just a LOT going on & it could sometimes be a bit much to keep up with. That said, the show is clever. It's not just witty dialogue, it's a detailed & smart mystery plot, overall. I had at least part of it - not solved, but figured out (I knew something was off with a certain character because of clues) I should say - very early on. And I did solve at least part of the mystery well before any of the characters. I think this is a sign of strong writing because a good mystery should be giving you clues early on to figure things out, so this is meant as praise.

I think that it was a very fun & satisfying show. It's 100% worth checking out if you like acerbic humor. The directing style almost reminded me a bit of Wes Anderson. The general pace & dialogue & style reminded me of 'A Series of Unfortunate Events.' I thought it was a super fun show & I hope it gets a season 2, which it's definitely set up for. But, either way, it was a fantastic ride & I had a great time.

#wednesday #wednesday netflix

[akajustmerry]

why is the eleventh doctor your favorite? /gen

i was gonna try n be funny like "cos he's just like me fr" but anyways its a mix of reasons honestly!

a big one is i just have a lot of fond formative memories tied up with that era so there's a nostalgia element. especially because I feel that was the height of dw's popularity in recent memory so it was really fun to be a fan at that time, particularly around the 50th anniversary. idk if I've ever had more fun as a who fan than being a who fan between 2010-13. if you weren't a fan or involved with the fandom then, it's one of those things that's hard to explain because it really was event television.

and then there's um............[checks notes] i'm bisexual and matt smith, karen gillan, alex kingston, arthur darvil, jenna coleman, etc. they were all, you know, very beautiful and adorable and talented and sometimes right? sometimes............i just watch things with my coochie as much as my eyes. also, i now recognise that i had immense gender envy for the 11th doctor so there's that too.

there's obviously some bias in this next part but i genuinely think that matt smith's performance as eleven is insanely good. the way he totally embodied the "old man pretending to be young cos his body is young" complex sooooo well. like the way he could drop that silly goofy awkwardness facade and switch to just being an angry vengeful old man was really haunting honestly. i remember reading a quote from someone that was like, "matt smith plays the Doctor like a young man built by old men from half-forgotten memories" or something and it's so true. 

he also just had really fun chemistry with literally every person/character (i BEG ppl to watch eleven’s guest appearence on sarah jane adventures because the way he interacts with sarah and jo is absolutely perfect!! i fucking CRY). obviously he’s from the only Doctor Actor™️ to do this well (Capaldi and Tennant also do this compellingly), but he made it very easy to believe that you were watching the Doctor, the same character that's been here the whole time, and not just a version or interpretation of the Doctor in the moment. a joy to watch as someone who grew up with classic who!!

and eleven is just..........kind, you know? like. yeah he got grumpy and genocided some bitches but that's just the gig being the doctor. eleven and his era was just so full of love and wasn't afraid of that and i loved it!! i love 12's era for this too ftr. like if I could travel with any of the current Doctors, I'd pick 11 or 12 because they're kind, not always nice, but kind!! 

He’s a great Doctor, especially considering some of the nonsense material moffat wrote. the whole first half of season 7 and middle of season 6 has some of the most mediocre writing in the show’s history, but matt smith did an amazing job of making it fun and compelling anyway and idk if he always gets the credit he should for that. 

I think it’s easier to be a great doctor when you have great material to work with (Eccleston and Tennant), or easy to just roll with whatever content you’re given because fuck it (Whittaker), but Capaldi and Smith did not have good shit to work with a lot of the time, and they put their whole hearts into being a great character anyway, even at the show’s lower points. i’ll always walk through fire for them both for doing that. but especially eleven, because that’s my blorbo, my manic pixie mass murderer 🥺🥰

#matt smith #peter capaldi #doctor who #anon

[a-fragile-little-teacup]

Actors that Could Convince Me to Watch (almost) Anything

Here's a cute list (in no particular order) of actors that could tempt me to watch pretty much anything... no matter how shit it is.

(This also is a way to call myself out)

David Tennant

I've been a fan of him since I was nine. I have watched so many shows and movies just because he was in them. He is incredibly talented in every role he has been in. I think his very dedicated fanbase supports that. He is unbelievably talented (I will be saying that a lot in this post). He can take the smallest things and make them feel important. He could read a shopping list as a monologue, and I would be entertained.

Hugh Dancy

If you asked little me what her favorite movie was... Ella Enchanted would've been like number four on that list (little me had priorities). I have been a fan of his for as long as I can remember. He's been brilliant in everything I've seen him in. Hannibal, Law & Order, The Path (he's the only reason I even knew that show existed). He carries every performance brilliantly and I love watching him. It takes a lot of work to tempt me to watch a show with twenty seasons and he did that. Probably my favorite actor currently.

Alexander Calvert

He is the reason I kept pushing through Arrow for as long as I did. He commits whole-heartedly to every role he takes on and you can see it. I adore his acting. Each character does truly feel different and unique. I admire him greatly for that. Lonnie, Jack (and Belphegor), Alex, and the rest of his characters are all distinct. What an incredibly talented guy.

Jenna Coleman

I'm pretty sure she was part of my bisexual awakening (the other part of that is later on this list). I adored Clara. She's always been my favorite companion. Jenna was the reason I started paying attention to The Sandman (and thank goodness I did). She is brilliant. She can be emotional and funny and clever and sassy. I just adore her.

Anya Taylor-Joy

She is so cool. She had proven time and time again why she deserves the attention she gets. Every performance just grabs your attention. It's hard for me to define what makes her so brilliant because there's just too much. She is just so amazing, and you can see that when she cares about a role, she puts everything into it. She never disappoints, I adore her.

Taron Egerton

I've been a fan of Elton John since I was little, so I have very high expectations when it came to Rocketman. Taron hit it out of the park. He deserved so much more than he got for that role. His other roles are just as brilliant and listening to him talk about his work and how much he loves it just makes me enjoy his performances more. He's an amazing actor and I wish I knew about him way earlier than I did.

Andrew Garfield

So many people gush about this man, and I understand why. He is so talented and brilliant. I adore his work. And listening to him talk about his work is so amazing. He is just so passionate and dedicated, and I know I'm saying that a lot but it's that kind of trait in an actor that makes me such a fan. A clear love for what they're doing.

Matt Smith

Hey, look, another actor that was on Doctor Who. I have been a fan of Matt Smith since I was nine. He was and still is my favorite Doctor. He's the master of micro-expressions. Every single movement on his face has a purpose. He is brilliant and I hope that he just continues to get more popular. I just think he's neat, y'know?

Cory Michael Smith

Gotham. Holy shit. Gotham. It's the reason I consider myself a D.C. fan and there's no doubt that Ed Nygma was a major reason that I continued watching and enjoying the show. In that performance alone, you can see that Cory can easily carry an incredibly complex character. He's also the only reason I started watching that Prime version of Utopia, which is cool.

James McAvoy

I remember watching the U.K. version of Shameless when I was like 12 or 13 (I shouldn't have been. It was a terrible idea on my part) and he was the only person I gave a single shit about. James is unbelievably talented. I have watched so many movies just because he was in them, and I truly don't see that changing any time soon.

#i might do another part of this #i have a lot to say about a lot of people #james mcavoy #cory michael smith #matt smith #andrew garfield #taron egerton #anya taylor joy #jenna coleman #hugh dancy #alex calvert #alexander calvert #david tennant

[bowtiesnmusicals]

Here is my recap of the Not Quite As I Remember (Hairography) episode of the podcast.

Sorry, I know I am really behind on these recaps. I am going to fix that today.

Hairography was ALL Ryan Murphy.

Kevin said it is an interesting episode.

Ryan loves hairography and every time he directed an episode he would tell them to flip their hair more and he is a big fan of the act of literally doing hairography.

The #1 song at the time, November 25, 2009, was Empire State Of Mind by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z.

Everyone on set was obsessed with Empire State of Mind. It ended up on the show and on tour in the encore.

Kevin and Jenna argued about Safety Dance and True Colors.

The #1 movie was Twilight Saga: New Moon.

This was the biggest premiere Jenna and Kevin had been to at this point. It was at the same theater they had the Glee 3D Movie premiere.

The red carpet for Twilight was filled with crazy obsessed fans that spent the night to get as close as possible to the stars of the movie. There were two different screenings of the movie. The glee cast was in the second room and the cast of the movie was in the first screening.

This was the first time Kevin had gotten free clothes. It was a red shiny suit from Topman and he thought it was so cool. It didn’t fit.

The #2 movie was The Blindside.

Hairography runs the gamut of genres of music.

There is a callback to the Grease number.

There was a new director for this episode Bill D’Elia. He wore suits like Eric Stoltz. Kevin and Jenna were both scared of Bill. He was so sweet. He works on a lot of serious shows.

This episode aired the night before Thanksgiving.

Jenna and Kevin think they watched this episodes with their families.

Kevin’s parents still have their ringtones as some of his songs from Glee. One has Let it Be and the other has PYT. They have their rings on full blast. Kevin is embarrassed by his parents. Jenna said it’s really embarrassing and that her parents still hold on to that glee stuff too.

Kevin’s dad talks to everyone and likes to ask if they have seen Glee. A firefighter saw Jenna’s mom’s collection of Glee stuff and asked her about it.

Glee’s hair department was nominated for an Emmy for this episode.

Michael Hitchcock is in this episode. He was also a writer on Glee.

Eve’s part was originally meant for Whitney Houston.

Jennifer Aspen was also back in this episode.

The words distract, distracted, and distraction were said 20 times in this episode. This is from the Glee Wiki.

Kevin would like to know who found this and who counted. He is worried for them.

From Entertainment Weekly - This episode opened in a familiar place, suspicionvile, population Will.

They do a recap of the episode. They talk about a funny moment with Brittany where she gets caught filming rehearsal and saying Sylvester didn’t tell me to do this.

The Jane Adams Academy stuff didn’t age well at all.

A lot of the dancers in the Jane Adams group were friends of the glee cast.

Jenna was starstruck by the dancers from So You Think You Can Dance. She loves SYTCD and went to some takings with Kevin.

The Jane Adams performance makes Kevin happy to watch. It is amazing to watch professional dancers. Tim Davis and Adam Anders created an incredible arrangement of the song. This number was so good and Kevin loved watching it.

Rachel was a weird voice of reason at this point saying it was all just smoke and mirrors to Mr. S hue.

Crazy In Love brings the Beyoncé song count to 3.

Jenna was there when Kevin recorded the rapping part of the song.

Kevin went in twice to record the song.

They had Cory and Mark record the intro and they ended up only using Kevin.

Michael Hitchcock was hilarious as Mr. Roomba. The subject matter may not have aged well.

Kevin’s wig is not funny anymore. Kevin said it is all wrong.

Kevin said they need to have a sound effect that says it was a different time.

The Crazy In Love and Hair mash up was another number where Jenna got injured.

There was a move Zach called heads and holes in this number. Zach always had great little sayings to help them remember the dance moves.

Zach came up with dirt on your knees during the Journey mash up.

The Haverbrook Deaf choir were sweet and they were amazing. Kevin said they would fight about who they had crushes on in that choir.

Months and months after this Jenna, Kevin, and Lea all got Imagine tattoos. Lea convinced them at dinner one night to get tattoos together. Jenna and Lea already had tattoos. Chris was with Kevin when he got his tattoo and asked him what his parents would think of the tattoo. Kevin said he doesn’t think his parents care.

Kevin had to fight to get to be apart of this song because this song means a lot to him.

Originally it was just Cory, Lea, and possibly Amber. Kevin managed to twist some arms and got to be a part of the song.

It was a really moving day when they filmed Imagine.

Jenna said everyone was so nice and talented. It puts things in perspective for the show for the storyline and just in life. Everyone is a storyteller and everyone can be an artist. It puts things in perspective and makes you feel grateful for the big and little things in life.

They got to spend a lot of time with the deaf choir.

It was two numbers but they shot it kind of like one continuous number.

Jenna and Kevin forgot that True Colors is in this episode.

This is Tina’s first number.

Kevin said Jenna sounded great in this number.

Jenna said it was really fun. She was nervous to record her first big number.

Kevin said it was nerve wracking doing solos.

Kevin told Janna to ask Amber about how to do the ad libs.

Amber gave her some tips and Jenna took them.

The day Jenna recorded True Colors it was the day that Michael Jackson died. Adam Anders said lets do this for Michael.

Tim Davis wasn’t there the day the filmed this episode and so they didn’t have anyone to teach them the background vocals. No one had heard the backgrounds before and people were stressed. Brad Ellis was trying to teach everyone. He didn’t know them so he was teaching them off the cuff.

There are a lot of looks and background story going on in this song.

We then have the scene of Sue sitting across from Eve and Michael Hitchcock characters trying to give them the New Directions set list .

The other storyline is more of the Quinn baby drama.

Quinn, Kendra, and Terri in the car is hilarious. You don’t drink diet soda do you because it can cause male pattern baldness. Quinn says the baby is a girl. Well girls can go bald too. Kendra then says you worry too much Terri, mom smoked a bottle of vodka on ice every night when she was pregnant with us and were totally normal. The three of them are so funny together.

Quinn basically auditions Puck and Finn as dads. She schemes with Kurt to get Rachel a makeover to distract Finn so she can have time with Puck. e don’t see Quinn and Kurt together a lot.

We then go back to Terri and Will. Will is trying to get intimate with Terri. Kevin said they are always in bed. Terri is like please don’t touch me. She needs a distraction and comes up with a plan to get him the blue bomber two as a project to work on. At the same time Kendra is sneaking Quinn inside. Quinn has decided to keep the baby. Kendra has a plan to get Quinn to babysit her kids to get her to want to give up the baby.

Quinn and Puck babysit Kendra’s kids. Quinn sings Papa Don’t Preach. It’s a weird scene. Dianna can sell anything. There are some weird edits of this song. One of them has Puck hitting one of the kids and another doesn’t have the kids in it at all. Kendra and Terri come home to find the kids asleep and bathed. Kendra says what are you an exorcist. Quinn and Puck sort of nail it.

Kendra’s husband gets Will thinking about how the blue bomber isn’t really a family car.

Naya has her first snixxy scene in this episode. During the babysitting scene Puck is sexting Santana. Snixxy comes out and Santana tells Quinn to check Puck’s phone. They gave her one scene and she just smashed it. Quinn confronts Puck.

Puck basically says he wants to be the dad but he isn’t going to change who he is which can get added to the things that didn’t age well list.

Will sells the car for a minivan. Jenna said the van looks like the van you would get in a doll house set.

They went back to talking about the Rachel makeover. Kurt sabotages the makeover making Rachel all sexy.

The scene in Rachel’s room is great.

Finn’s line about Rachel looking like a sad clown hooker is so funny.

The scene with Rachel and Kurt after the makeover is also funny. Rachel says I thought we were friends and Kurt says what made you think that.

Quinn and Finn apologize to each other. They decide they are going to do this together.

Tartie Takes:

Cringe moment/Ouchies - Papa Don’t Preach is Jenna’s and Kevin said their are a lot in this episode

Worst Dance Move - humping in the mash up, heads in holes,

Best Dance Move - Jane Adams girls jumping into the splits.

Best Song - Kevin said True Colors and Jenna said Imagine

Best Performance by a Prop - wigs and hair

Didn’t Age Well - A lot of stuff in this episode, the other glee clubs

Best Quote - Kurt saying Rachel manages to dress like a grandmother and toddler at the same time. Sue with the magazine saying Will I’d like my magazine back.

Tiktok

Someone showed off all of the Glee merch they have and the video is two and half minutes long. Kevin and Jenna were surprised by all the merch. Kevin would like to know how much they spent on all this stuff.

The 02 gave them an award for selling out the arena for two weeks in a row. It was a slushee. Kevin and Jenna never got theirs. They also never got their plaque for selling so many albums in the UK.

Kevin has a wii with the casts faces on it from when the wii glee karaoke game came out. He wants to send it to the person on tiktok.

The next episode is Mattress.

#and that’s what you really missed #atwyrm #jenna ushkowitz #kevin mchale #podcast #hairography #glee