#that was such a weird finale i'm confused

[herdarkestnightelegance]

Bedhead

Pairing: Astarion/ g/n unnamed Tav

Tags: the fluffiest of fluff

Length: 1k words

Summary: Tav wakes up in Astarion‘s tent for the first time.

A/N: I'm really starting to enjoy this whole Fanfiction writing thing! Thank you all for all the love on my last fanfic Magpie Stash 🥹 👉👈

Once again I have to thank @nyx-knox for the thoughtful beta-reading, helping me to smooth out the bumps in the story ✨

Shout out to @onlyancunin. You know why ❤️

::::::::::::::::::

A single strip of sunlight falls directly onto your face, waking you gently. You don’t stir but slowly, you open your eyes. For a moment you’re disoriented. This isn’t your tent, is it? Slowly you look around. No, it’s not. And then you remember. It’s Astarion’s. And now that your senses catch up you feel him next to you, his arm laid sleepily across your stomach. You blink almost in disbelief at the sight of him still beside you.

This is new. Yes, the two of you have spent many hours together, sneaking away for moments of passion both here and in your tent, out in nature, in a couple of caves and a temple even. But usually you went your separate ways afterwards. Occasionally, you had fallen asleep next to each other but you usually woke to find him gone or already awake and half-dressed, like that first morning after the Tiefling Party. Never had you woken up to feel him still slumbering beside you before. In his tent no less.

But then you remember. Arms pulling you closer as you were about to disentangle from him, a kiss on the delicate skin below your ear and a single whispered word. “Stay?” 

So you stayed.

You turn your head to look at Astarion. But to say what you see is not what you expected would be an understatement. 

Unable to stop it, the corners of your lips curl up in an adoring grin. Often have you seen Astarion meditate on this journey. Usually lying on his back, his head resting on a pillow, hair immaculate, the ruffles on his shirt laid out perfectly, face relaxed and his fingers doing that dainty fingertips-touching-thing you’ve come to adore.

But this was not that.

Beneath a mess of tangled sheets, Astarion is lying on his stomach, one leg stretched away from him and the other at a weird but apparently comfortable angle. One arm draped over you, the other one tucked under his head, barely resting on the edge of his pillow, which has somehow wrapped itself halfway around his head. He looks completely disheveled and … utterly adorable.

It’s the light chuckle you can’t suppress that seems to wake your lover. He opens his eyes groggily, their crimson color practically glowing in the strip of morning light that had also awoken you.

In the few moments before he fully wakes from his rather unusual meditation, you see it clearly on his face: a flicker of a pleasant surprise to find you still beside him. Followed by confusion. Then a moment of vulnerability. And finally you see his trademark cocky smile slipping onto his face.

 “You’re up early, darling.“ he says in a casual yet sleepy tone. “I thought I’d all but worn you out last night.”

“Good morning to you too.“ you answer back, the smirk lingering on your face. Slowly, he pulls his arm off you and turns onto his back. His slender body stretches deliciously, and you roll onto your side to face him, unable to take your eyes off all of his beautifully exposed pale skin. When he eventually sits up, you can’t help but let out a giggle.

“What?”, he asks, looking down at you.

“I’m sorry - it’s just …” You reach out your hand towards that mop of stunning white curls that look like an exploded feather-pillow, but you pause, waiting the slightest of moments before actually touching him. You realize you’ve never really… touched his hair. Sure, you had weaved your fingers into it, tugged at it in moments of passion, but … fixing these beautiful curls seems almost too … familiar? You can’t help but worry it’ll bother him. “May I?” you ask cautiously.  

Astarion leans his head towards your hand ever-so-slightly, signalling you permission to touch his hair. “I’ve just never seen you like this, that’s all.” His curls are incredibly soft, even in their disheveled state. Has anyone ever seen him like this, you wonder.

“Like what?” he asks in a relaxed tone but you detect the slightest hint of insecurity. Inspecting his beautiful face for a moment longer, you notice the red skin and creases the pillow has left around his cheekbone and the drop of dried blood in the left corner of his mouth from when he drank from you.

“… Tousled,” you finally answer, still unsure if the word captures how endearing he looks to you in this state.

He huffs a laugh. “Well, my dear, you too are looking rather unkempt.” he says as he plucks a tiny, honest-to-god pillow-feather from the tangled mess on your own head. The two of you look at each other - all messy hair, dried blood, squished faces and sticky skin. 

You wonder what the pale Elf is thinking, what he is searching for while he is studying your eyes so intently. Because all you feel in this moment is fondness. Fondness for him, for waking up together … for whatever it is that exists between the two of you. And you think he maybe feels  it, too. Because, to your delight, a smile spreads on his indented face, his fangs momentarily glinting in the morning light before the both of you let out a laugh. He is so beautiful to you in that moment. And your heart swells in a way it has not done before, to the point of aching within the confines of your chest.

It’s Astarion who leans in first to kiss you then, running his fingers over the bird’s nest that is your hair. “I do think you look quite delicious like this, you know?” he whispers against your lips before pushing you down, pinning you back onto the bedroll as his weight comfortably settles onto you. You feel him smile into your kiss and you know it’s sincere. “So let’s see if we can mess up this hair of yours a bit more, shall we?”

#astarion x tav #astarion fluff #astarion fanfic #ohoh ​herdarkestnightelegance wrote something #living the dream #astarion x reader #astarion fic #astarion fanfiction

[gojoidyll]

puzzle piece ch. 1

yandere ! aventurine x female ! reader

summary | all it takes is putting all the pieces together in order to go back to how you once were. though, it won't do you any good if someone is deliberately destroying the pieces before you can find them.

warnings | memory loss, paranoia, grammatical errors, etc.

puzzle piece masterlist

"Lost?"

You looked over at the person who spoke, lips pursed together as you shook your head. "No, I'm not..." which was a lie. You were, in fact, lost. Though, being lost was an understatement. You couldn’t remember anything, if you were being honest. Your name, where you are, where you came from, if you were with someone... all of it was just a blur right now. And it wasn’t helping that your surroundings looked so off. Lamps, chairs, and other items floated freely in the air. Not to mention that you always felt like you were about to wake but couldn’t quite do so.

"You sure? Because where I’m standing, friend, you do."

'Friend?' You finally looked over at him, your eyes scanning him up and down. His blonde hair and multi-colored eyes were the first things of his appearance that stood out to you.

"I’m sorry, do we... know each other?"

"Forgetting me already? We met this morning when you and the rest of the Astral Express crew got to Penacony and ran into some trouble at the front desk."

“Astral Express? Penacony?” The more the man said, the more confused you got. Nothing was making sense and your memories were not coming back to you no matter how much you tried. You looked him in the eyes then, but despite your confusion and your silent cry for help in understanding anything he was saying, he merely smiled.

"Something wrong?"

You wanted to answer him truthfully. Tell him that you couldn’t remember, that this place was apparently called Penacony, that you don’t know what an Astral Express is, and that you have never seen him before. But... something deep inside of you was telling you not to tell him a single thing. A deep part of yourself was telling you to lie.

"I-" You didn’t know what to do. Briefly looking around, you saw that no one was coming to talk to you like this man did. Which probably meant that no one else here knew who you were either.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember anything that you just mentioned. I don’t know the Astral Express or Penacony... and I don’t remember you either.”

Ultimately, you decided to tell the truth despite the alarm bells going off in your head. You were lost, had no memory of where or who you were, and you may or may not have friends that are also in this place. So, you decided to take a chance even if that chance is with this guy with a smile that could cut through any lie. And, little did you know, when you finished telling your truthful answer, his smile grew wider if only by a slight margin.

“You don’t remember? Well, that’s a shame. Weird too. I never heard of anyone losing their memory in the dreamscape.”

“The what scape?” The man chuckled, “you don’t even know that you’re dreaming? How tragic.”

You frowned, “I’m dreaming? That doesn’t make any sense. If I’m dreaming, then how are you here? You seem too real to be someone that I dreamed up.”

The man merely shrugged, “it’ll take too long to explain. For now, just accept that Penacony is a land of dreams where people go to escape reality. And everyone here shares the same dream.”

“So, you are a real person,” you tried to affirm.

“As real as you, I can promise that.” You sighed, “fine so I lost my memory then? How is that possible?”

“That, I am not too sure of. A case like yours has never happened before, but... since people can apparently die here, well, maybe losing one’s memory isn’t so far-fetched either.”

“Wait, what was that about dying here?”

The man waved his hand in a dismissive manner, “nothing you should concern yourself with. Trust me, even if you ask around about what I just said. No one will know. The Family, of course, is just trying to cover it in order to not cause a riot.”

“The Family? My family or yours?”

He smiled that same calculating smile of his, “it’s not that type of family... just see them as... an organization.”

You nodded along. Truth be told, this was starting to be too much for you. Trying to process all the new information being lightly tossed to you was starting to make your head hurt. You slightly wondered if you would even be able to remember this new info then the memories you have previously lost.

The man, taking notice of your worried expression, decided to leave it at that, “for now, let’s get you out of this dream so you can properly rest, and then tomorrow we can start looking into this little problem of yours together.”

“Right, thanks…”

“I’m Aventurine, and you’re y/n, just in case you were wondering.”

#hsr #honkai star rail #honkai star rail aventurine #hsr aventurine #yandere aventurine x you #yandere aventurine x reader #yandere aventurine x y/n #yandere aventurine #aventurine x y/n #aventurine x you #aventurine x reader #aventurine

[iris-black13]

In honour of Merlin trending for literally no reason today, I would like to share my theories that I came up with during my recent rewatch. (I'm only up to season 3 right now so there really aren't that many theories yet.)

1. Merlin and Arthur 100% fell in love with each other in season 1, but they aren't aware of it at all.

2. Merlin is so gay. I'm not sure if he knows it or not, but Merlin is not attracted to women. Every time he's seemed interested in a woman, it's because she's been a powerful sorceress or a magical creature. Speaking of Freya; his only real female love interest, what he loves about her is that he sees himself in her. He feels a sense of kinship towards her as someone who is trapped and hunted for something out of her control. I don't think he feels any actual romantic love for her. He loves her, sure. But I think he's confusing romantic love for something else. (But idk I could be wrong.)

3. I don't think the Morgana we got back after her disappearance is the same Morgana we had pre S2E12. I think she probably died and came back wrong. Because otherwise the personality difference is too drastic. Her relationship with Gwen for instance. It makes sense if she didn't forgive Merlin for what he did, but why is she so mean to Gwen?? Gwen was her best friend and maybe even her first love? Morgana was never classist before season 3, but afterwards she acts like Gwen is lesser than and it just doesn't make sense. Anyway that's my in-universe explanation for her terrible shift in character.

4. This is the most important one. Merlin doesn't realize he's in love with Arthur until some time shortly before the season 2 finale. Before the finale, Merlin is happy to cheer on the romance between Arthur and Gwen. Two of his best friends fell in love! Why wouldn't he be happy? Even if they think there's no future for their relationship, he's more than happy to help them get together because Merlin believes in loving who you want to love.

Now, I could go on about how falling in love with Gwen is basically Arthur's way of expressing his repressed feelings for Merlin since Gwen and Merlin are of the same social standing and since Gwen is a woman he can experience the love he could have had with Merlin if it was allowed, but I won't do that. This ain't about him. What's important is that Merlin, in the season 2 finale- knows he's in love with Arthur, and that Arthur can't love him back. After the finale, he's still happy to help his friends in their affections for each other, but his bright goofy smile is gone. It's replaced with this melancholy smile and a hesitant voice.

I'm so serious right now. If you don't believe me, just go rewatch seasons 2 and 3 and see the shift in his demeanor yourself. He actively avoids them when they're interacting in season 3. In- I think it was the changeling episode, at the end, Arthur and Merlin walk into a hallway at the bottom of the staircase. They both see Gwen on the staircase, and when Arthur starts up the stairs, Merlin immediately leaves. It's not a "I'll give them their space" moment. It's a "I can't be here right now" kind of moment. He doesn't even try to stick around to protect Arthur on their date in the episode where Morgana frames Gwen for witchcraft. (and don't even get me started on that episode of my god.) Normally, he would stick around in the shadows to make sure nothing goes wrong and they aren't attacked or anything. It's weird that he doesn't try to stick around!

And oh my God. There are so many moments where Colin Morgan's acting just makes my heart ache. In the crystal caves, Merlin trying to banter with an unconscious Arthur while trying desperately to heal him makes me want to cry. And any time he's encouraging Gwen to follow her heart and be with Arthur just makes me ache. In the "...you still have feelings for him." And the "you like him. He likes you. Isn't that all that really matters?" I just can't.

Honestly, I could go on, but this post is already wordy enough. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

#merlin bbc #bbc merlin #merthur #merlin #arthur pendragon #merlin analysis #merlin spoilers #merlin 2008

[leggerefiore]

ive been marinating this idea in my head for a week and now i must request: ingo, emmet, larry, and cyrus (all separately ofc) when their beloved is hopped up on anasthesia after a surgery and when s/o finally awakens the poor thing temporarily doesn't remember who the stunningly handsome man at their bedside is but they sure don't mind when they get kissed by him... (bonus funny: confusing the twins for one another. hope emmet doesnt get too jealous...) its all the anathesia tropes in one lol

I can finally return to this after having gone under anesthesia and recovered from it....

cw: nondescript surgery mentions, temporary memory loss, confusion, fluff,

characters: Ingo, Emmet, Cyrus, Larry

The procedure went well to your poor boyfriend's (and your own) relief. He had stayed for the entire length, simply far too worried and ready to act as your medical advisor for anything that may arise. Thankfully, nothing had, and it had entirely gone to plan. Now, you were still under the effects of the general anaesthesia and thus unconscious. However, you had been otherwise cleared, and he was able to come in and wait for you to regain consciousness. Naturally, he did.

Sitting at your bedside, he quietly did things to pass the time until you began to awaken. He was a bit distressed to see you in such a condition, yet was happy that you had made it through everything so well. Everything moved slowly until… you began to stir. He put down whatever he had been using to distract himself to focus on you. Your eyes opened, and you sat up weakly. Blinking, you met his gaze. Something about your general behaviour told him that you were not entirely back to normal…

Still, he leaned forward to press a kiss to your forehead and grasp your hand.

● “… Emmet?” you asked, bewildered to see him at your bedside. Ingo blinked at your words and opened his mouth to speak. That was not an uncommon thing he heard, but it felt strange coming from you. “Emmet… Why are you here…?” you held on to his hand tightly, “… You kissed me, too…” Ingo felt somewhere between chuckling and losing his mind. He certainly hoped you were not letting Emmet randomly kiss you, but he supposed it was the anaesthesia causing your brain to not think logically.

▲Ingo▼

● “Emmy…” you called out to him again, “Your clothes are weird today…” Your hand began to play with his sweaters' sleeve. He sighed. You definitely were not in your right mind. “… I like you, Emmy, I really do,” you suddenly continued and looked a little embarrassed, “You're really cute, but… I love Ingo, you know? He's so sweet… A real gentleman…” Your gushing made his eyes go wide. His chest fluttered. Gentleman…? “Oh, don't tell him…”

● “… Dearest,” he mumbled, holding your hand again, “… I'm Ingo.” You blinked and opened your mouth. “I love you, too,” he chuckled and pressed another kiss to the corner of your mouth. You began to laugh yourself. “Emmet might pop in later… He mentioned something about getting you a cake…” Ingo's free hand went to sweep his hair back. Would your doctor approve that? He would need to ask and stop Emmet from wasting his time if you could not… Before he could get lost more in contemplation, you reached your free arm up to pull him in. It seemed that you wanted a hug now. Who would he be not to oblige you?

○ You stared at him for a long moment extra when he pulled back. Emmet tilted his head while you grasped his hand tightly. Your eyes squinted. For a moment, the twin debated if you were unable to recognise him. Before he could begin to fret, you spoke. “… Ingo?” you questioned, “Hey, Ingo! What are you doing here…? Where is… here?” You looked around the room in confusion. Emmet felt floored. Ingo? You mistook him for his brother? He blinked. “Did you kiss me, too?” you seemed to avoid his gaze. Emmet wanted to speak, but you moved to stare at your IV, confused. His hand tightened around yours before you tried anything.

▽Emmet△

○ “You aren't wearing your normal clothes,” you instead shifted your attention back to him, “… Hey, why are you wearing a Joltik t-shirt?” The print on the front of his shirt was a Joltik chewing on a wire. It was something that you had bought for him while out shopping. His heart hurt. Did you not remember? Why did you think he was Ingo? Why would Ingo be at your side after a surgery? “I'm sorry, Ingo…” you sighed, “I'm genuinely complimented you feel that way about me, but I love Emmet… You know that, right? Emmy is so cute… I just want to cling to him all the time…” The younger twin's eyes went wide. Oh… Oh, that was verrrry adorable.

○ “Darling,” he cooed and leaned forward to peck your lips, “I am Emmet.” You gasped when he pulled away. A giggle left him. It was truly no mystery why he loved you so much. His free hand went to remove a few stray strands from your face. “You are verrrry sweet,” he continued, “Ingo said he would come later. The station needed one of us.” Emmet was truly grateful Ingo had offered to handle all of their work today so he could be by your side today. The older twin had also offered to bring food in for you both whenever he got off. You lightly tugged his arm. Right. You. He smiled at you and was ready to listen to you more.

🌌Cyrus🛰

☄️ You were silent as he pulled back. Your eyes seemed to stare right through him as you remained wordless. Worry entered his mind, but Cyrus quashed it quickly with a logical explanation. Your throat was likely parched. His eyes scanned the room for a water he had bought. Seeing it on a nearby table, he went to stand up and grab it for you. However, his actions were halted by you reaching out a hand to grab his sleeve. “… You're really handsome…” you mumbled. Cyrus nodded. That was not exactly what he expected the first words out of your mouth to be, but he could accept that nonetheless.

☄️ “… Who are you, mister?” you asked. The blue-haired man froze in his spot. The water was forgotten. What…? That question… You surely recognised him. He was your boyfriend. That felt like something impossible to forget with how often it weighed on his mind. “… You're quite a bit older than me, aren't you?” you continued. Cyrus was dumbstruck. Quite a bit… Older than you…? Were you messing with him? “You kissed me… But we don't know each other… Did you mistake me for someone?” you babbled, “I hope you didn't… I want you to be single…”

☄️ Cyrus sighed. That was quite enough of that. Clearly, the anaesthesia was altering your cognition and making you forget specific things. Fine. He was not bothered by that. Or you comment about his age. “… I am your boyfriend, so I am not single,” he explained, “My name is Cyrus… And I'm only twenty-seven, actually.” You gasped at his words. Another remark about his age was made. It was against his usual behaviour, but he leaned forward to kiss you on the lips and silence you. It working and being reciprocated calmed him. This would pass… He just needed to be patient. You gazed up at him with adoration when he pulled away. Suddenly, his confidence returned.

🍙 You squinted at him as he moved away to sit back down. His nerves tensed as he recalled the last time Geeta had given him a look like that. Larry did not understand what was going through your mind. Were you in pain? He hoped not. Though he was more than ready to call for someone if needed. You remained silent for an awkward moment. He supposed he had not said anything either. Maybe you were not sure what to say. Should he start talking? Asking you how your surgery went did not seem like an appropriate thing. Before he could open his mouth, you finally spoke, “… Hey, did I take your bed here?” Larry went still. What did that mean?

💼Larry🏢

🍙 “… This is a hospital, right, mister?” you continued, “Isn't this… like, your bed? You seem like you belong here…” There was no response to that from the salaryman. You were out of it. That much was more than obvious now. He also could not deny that there was some truth to that statement. Him falling asleep at his desk the other day was a bit concerning, certainly, but he wondered how you missed the IV in your arm. “Why am I in your room? Do I care for the elderly?” your words cut deeper each time you spoke. His trained facade was almost ready to shatter under your innocent harshness. “… You are kind of cute... In a non-traditional way, I think,” you mumbled to yourself.

🍙 You having apparently forgetting him was not the worst thing, he supposed. Larry was going to avoid thinking too much about the last words that you had spoken. Maybe a refresher would help you. He certainly did not plan on leaving your side. Geeta might make a surprise visit, and the last thing he wanted was her ire. Well, that, and he did not exactly want to leave you alone after surgery. “… I'm your partner,” he explained, “I'm Larry. We've been together for a few years now… You insisted on us dating, actually.” You nodded deeply and mumbled an acknowledgement. Somehow, this felt less exhausting than the league office. You tugged his sleeve and demanded another kiss to prove it. Now, he felt the exhaustion settling in.

#pokemon x reader #ingo x reader #emmet x reader #cyrus x reader #larry x reader #pokemon/reader #ingo/reader #emmet/reader #cyrus/reader #larry/reader #pokemon ingo x reader #pokemon emmet x reader #pokemon cyrus x reader #pokemon larry x reader

[another-goblin]

What I've got from the story so far is that Aventurine's plans on Penacony didn't originally include him dying for real.

From what I understand, his mission was to deliver two stones, jade and topaz, to Penacony and to fake his own death (it would expose all the weird stuff that's going on on Penacony to the galaxy and frame the Family for his "death"). I imagine that his agreement was something like "you'll fake your death, which will greatly benefit the IPC's cause on Penacony. So if you manage to survive, we won't pursue you, consider yourself free."

But then he starts slipping. He keeps having flashbacks, he nonchalantly mentions how he tried to kill himself several times. And that harmony curse was the last straw.

His past and future selves are the personifications of all his fears, doubts, and delusions. All these self-destructive thoughts he has been repressing for years finally came to the surface. I find his past self especially interesting, because yes, he's a cute kid, and it's heartwarming to see how gentle Aventurine is with him (or, should I say, with himself).

But. 

If you think about it, the kid Aven's message is basically, "You only deserved love when you were a kid, you were only happy with your family. Now that they are dead, you know that you'll never be happy again. You shouldn't even try, don't fight it, just die." Because it's not the blunt and sarcastic "future self" that tips him over the edge, it's his happy, innocent, and naive "past self" that does it.

And then there is Dr. Ratio, who witnesses Aven slowly losing it. 

Did he foresee how it's going to end and prepare the note beforehand? Or did he write it after the "betrayal"? I mean, Aventurine leaves Sunday's place alone, and Ratio joins him a bit later.

So imagine Aventurine leaves, there is an awkward silence, then Ratio asks Sunday to borrow his pen for a sec, scribbles violently, puts the note in that fancy capsule, and runs after Aven, leaving confused Sunday alone.

Then he checks on Aventurine in the last attempt to make him change his mind, but he's too far gone. It's time to take serious measures. Time for The Note.

(I'm sorry I just can't get over how confident and serious he's about that note, "Open it when you're on your last legs. You'll thank me.")

#honkai star rail #my stuff #aventurine #dr ratio

[venuslcver]

RELENTLESS PT. 4 ⋆

pairing: pushyex!rafe x kook!reader

synopsis: you find that the day after your encounter with rafe, your ex-boyfriend, both of you seemed to have different expectations for how your relationship stands.

tw: feminine described character, ex-lovers, pining, profanity, toxic love (no use of y/n)

any type of interaction including likes, comments, and reblogs is appreciated! but ultimately not necessary. let me know if im missing any warnings!

hearing the ring of the doorbell, you threw on your pink satin victoria secret robe, flying down the newly done, wooden stairs in your house. you must have finally got the package that you had been waiting at least five days for, it contained multiple new outfits that you would consider dying for. i mean it was the bare minimum considering how beautiful they were.

forcing the door open abrasively, you let a sign when you didn't find a large package on your porch, but flowers...

picking up the rather generously large bouquet, you searched for any type of identification for the giver of the breathtaking, hand-picked flowers.

it can't be from rafe

there is no possible way in hell it's from rafe. seeing the hand-written note, "a gift for making you sore last night- rafe"

letting out an obnoxiously loud scoff, it seemed to concern your mother enough to walk onto the main foyer, "oh wow! who are those from?"

quickly plucking the inappropriate note from the eye line of her, you began to walk up the stairs, "I have no idea"

"huhh, that's weird. anyways you need to meet your father at the golf course at arou-", taking a moment to look at her vintage watch, "around 12:30"

continuing your pace up the stairs through the entirety of the conversation, "sounds good, you meeting us after for dinner, right?"

"yes, dear"

laying the flower vase onto your dresser, sliding your robe off, you continue getting dressed for a round of golf with your dad and a couple of his friends. surprisingly they were actually were quiet entertaining, especially when they got a little drunk on the course. which naturally guaranteed that you would whoop their asses in golf.

pulling up in your own separate golf cart, you were greeted by the old men; your dad, aaron, mark, and ward. you met officially rafe through ward, he would occasionally join a game with his dad instead of just his buddies. and soon enough he was fucking you in a secluded part of the golf course.

"god i'm rusty" you thought.

you started to get into the rhythm by the second hole, just as you began to laugh at a joke that aaron, mia's dad, said, you see a distant golf cart edge closer and closer to the game that you guys were currently playing.

there is no fucking way in hell it's really him

sure enough, coming speeding up on one wheel, was rafe with a large smile on his face, and alcoholic beverage in hand. coming to a halting stop, rafe stalked closer, not before resting an arm around your shoulder, subconsciously fiddling with the straps of your shirt. there you stood, not able to move away from his touch. your dad looked utterly confused at the current situation unfolding in front of him.

"sorry guys, accidentally let time get away from me"

a synchronized "no problem" quickly left the older guy's mouths. hearing a deeper voice, you snapped out of your current thought process, "I didn't even get a thank you for the flowers"

purposefully speaking with a low tone while seemingly smiling, "i thought the fact that i left in a hurry, let you know that i regret what happened"

a little harsh

you saw rafe's face dropped quick to turn pale in color, though, only for a split second before putting up his usual cold exterior.

"baby, you want'a drink?", rafe asked loud enough for everyone to hear without question. simply because he knew that it would piss you just as much as you did to him. though his comment would never hurt you— unlike yours.

the five older men all glanced at each other for a brief moment before attempting to focus back on the game.

he has truly reached another level of douchebag

and that is exactly what you told him, propping your bodyweight on top of your toes, whispering into his ear, "your truly such'a dick, you know that"

before he could come up with a counterargument, he began to get heckled, "it's your turn rafe" "come on, it's your turn, man"

by the time that the game had concluded, rafe had somehow wormed his way into also having dinner with your family at the country club. and considering that rafe would be joining for dinner, your dad decided that he would drive home and get your mom, while you began getting settled at the reserved table.

which lead to the current moment— you and rafe sitting at the dinner table alone. looking into your eye line, the beach sunset through the wall of windows, which made you wish that you could slam your head into the window hard enough to get out of the awkward situation. clearing his throat, "soo, you got any idea of what your gonna order?"

looking over at rafe, you could tell that he had something else on his mind, something that caused him to soften his eyes when you made eye contact with him for the first time in hours, "no one is around, what's a 'matter?"

scanning the surrounding area, seeing that not a single soul was close enough to hear anything that rafe would say— when he potentially expelling his feelings. real human feeling. those of which he lacked for most of his life.

"w-why'd you b-break up... with me?" he leaned forward, eyes barely able to hold eye contact.

#rafe x you #rafe smut #rafe cameron #rafe x reader #rafe imagine #rafe obx #rafe outer banks #dark rafe cameron #outer banks #obx #rafe cameron thoughts #outer banks smut #outer banks rafe #outer banks fanfiction #⋆ rafe cameron fic ⋆ #pushyex!rafe

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

you get one condiment for the rest of your life (excluding mayo, cream cheese, and butter) what do you pick

Uh. What a question lmao.

Does soy sauce count? Because I'm doing soy sauce. If it doesn't count, then ketchup because I'm basic

#is cream cheese a condiment? #Also #is butter a condiment? #I think I may be confused on the definition of a condiment #is this your weird midwestern food thing #that cream cheese is a condiment to you? #Anyways I still have that chili and cinnimon roll thing in my back pocket #and by Hylia I will be tagging you the day that I finally gain the courage to try it #you'll be getting a play by play XD #isn't cream cheese an ingredient? Sorry I'm still thinking about this #cheetoanswers #also #cheetoasks #as in cheeto asks what the heck you're talking about

[frozenartscapes]

I would love a scene in Spy x Family, post-reveal, where Anya gets kidnapped/is in danger and all the highly dangerous adults she's met and endeared herself to all team up to save her in a high-intensity, super satisfying series of fights all set to No Sleep 'til Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys

#highly unlikely i know - at least the beastie boys part is anyway #and i'm not just talking loid yor and yuri #bond's obviously there too #handler very clearly has a soft spot for her #hell i wouldn't be surprised if even fiona/nightfall comes around after she simmers down a little on her twilight crush #franky perfects his super suit just in time #hell as unlikely as it is maybe even the shopkeeper or mcmahon #obviously this would be like...a finale scene #something that only comes after relationships with these characters are all well-established #but just imagine it: outside some sketchy laboratory some guard just looks through the front gate and quits on the spot #and his coworkers are all confused until they see who's walking slowly toward the gate #culminating with anya being rescued by her weird and wonderful murder family #spy x family

[ectonurites]

SUPER DARK TIMES (2017) DIR KEVIN PHILLIPS

#tragically had to skip the 'are you afraid of me' exchange i love at the start bc. this scene is Long #super dark times #josh templeton #zach taylor #sam edits #btw i'm firmly in the 'Josh didn't kill John' camp. bc to me THIS scene is the point that... makes the most sense as Josh's breaking point/ #'villain turn' if that's what you'd want to call it. because this is really when Josh... sort of 'officially' loses Zach. from early on in #the movie it becomes clear how much Zach is like... an anchor for him—the way Josh is just fucking *chanting* his name in distress during #the Daryl accident. The way Josh begs Zach to believe him that it was an accident. The way Josh turns to Zach for answers/clarity/direction #Like even if we want to take a cynical approach and think of it as Josh just latching onto Zach in the Daryl situation because he was There #rather than that being an established thing w/ them... in the aftermath of that same incident Josh is still looking to/depending on him! #Josh self isolates at first... but after they talk & Zach tells him they shouldn't act weird Josh goes back to school. (yes #he lashes out there because He's Dealing With The Crushing Guilt but *all* of 'em are acting off then—Charlie specifically calls attention #to the idea they all probably are) Josh goes to the party just like Zach said they should and is *visibly confused* when Zach seems mad to #see him there. He goes to Zach's house to talk and you can SEE how caught off guard he is by what Zach says. Even though the script version #of this scene is VERY different from the final version I do think this one bit of description from it is... insightful: 'Josh seems sincere #almost vulnerable. But Zach is too focused to see it.' LIKE in this scene Zach is already convinced Josh has lost it! He's trying to act #more neutral about it (claiming they could just 'draw a line') but we saw his phone call with Charlie. Because of his own guilt-fueled #paranoia—something shown pretty clearly through the assorted dream sequences and like tht scene of him walking in the hall hearing people #gossip about Daryl—it seems like everything lines up too well! that '*of course* it's Josh and what if it's *been* Josh all along and well #then the role *I* played in the situation really isn't *my* fault because it was all *Josh* and...' etc. even if that's more subconscious #But like... this scene is really when it hits Josh! from the moment he asks if Zach's afraid of him now like... there's a shift. although #Zach says he isn't... i mean he fucking stumbles on the word 'afraid' (like... he hangs on the 'f' sound a moment too long to sound natural #its very subtle but like Noticeable). But Josh sees right through him. Zach doesn't trust him anymore. Zach thinks he's the bad guy. the #monster. Josh feeling like he lost the last person he had in his corner feels like the most realistic thing to... push him over the #edge. like that's a compelling tragedy to me—the idea that these two poorly coping with the Daryl situation in these separated ways where #they *aren't* talking/communicating ends up CREATING the feedback loop that makes everything get worse and worse. #But for that to be the case... it wouldn't make sense for Josh to have just randomly killed John before this scene. I think it's a more #interesting story if certain things really ARE just coincidences but it's that Zach's paranoia won't let him see that 🤷

[welcometogrouchland]

[ID: digital fanart of Luz and Eda from the owl house set after the season 2 finale King's Tide. The image depicts a crying Luz, sat on the floor and holding an acoustic guitar as if to play it. She's looking down with a frustrated expression, and a dark shadow is cast over her. Behind Luz and faced away from the viewer is Eda playing the lute and kneeling down. She's smiling and is drawn with lighter colours and lineart. There's a soft light coming from off screen illuminating Eda and Luz. The background is white, except for a minimalistic depiction of a floor, which is done with a peach gradient. End ID]

It's not time to make a change / Just relax, take it easy / You're still young, that's your fault./ There's so much you have to know

Things she never got to teach you

based on the HC of Luz having learned guitar from her dad, and me realizing how similar it is to Eda's lute. Perfect recipe for musical angst </3

#the owl house #toh #toh spoilers #(i know its been a couple weeks since the finale but just in case) #luz noceda #eda clawthorne #eda the owl lady #this started as a quick posing practice that then evolved into colouring practice that THEN became lighting practice #it spawned from the hc that luz plays an instrument of some sort #i love projection so i hcd that she plays guitar and that her dad taught her (tho she didn't really pick it up again after he died) #which was all fun and games until i remembered that Eda canonically plays the lute #(which is kind of like an old timeu guitar if you think abt it. kind of) #and suddenly post kings tide the thought got VERY angsty. I'm a big fan #anyway tried out something new for the shading/colouring here and actually ended up pretty happy w/ it??? #I've never done it outside of sketches so i was worried it'd look weird w/ lineart but it doesn't!!! huzzah!!! #anyway put father and son by cat stevens on more toh playlists. its thematically relevent!!! #edit: added in the hc context from the tags cause i felt like the post was confusing without it lol

[achillean-knight]

JUST watched a video about the Afton's and I really love their British accents, but I've seen people dislike it so.... I'm curious. Reblogs or comments welcomed, I really want to know people's thoughts on this!

#fnaf #five nights at freddy's #Afton #the aftons #poll #I'll be honest I love them being british it feels intimidating and makes them unique amongst all the american accents. #I'm also notoriously known for liking British voice acting over American because rarities like the amazing work for the aftons and #final fantasy 16's whole bloody cast feel much more familiar and nicer to me. Probably because the amount of american accents I hear in.... #EVERYTHING feels like it's a little too much all the time. #I'm not british but maybe it's because my accent (being australian) is very close to it that I feel more connected to characters with #foreign accents rather than American. Plus I love the evil Bri'ish stereotype. #About that actually I love how Wiliam doesn't SOUND like a cliche British villain. He sounds just like any other bloke and it's terrifying. #Michael having that british accent that was well executed and full of emotion added LAYERS to his character #and ELIZABETH oh my god I can't imagine her with an american accent. #It's so weird to me that there's a chance that they're going the American accent route with the Afton's after so many years of bri'ish. #Was the yelling in the trailer (I believe) for Security Breach actually Afton talking to Vanessa or something? MF sounds like Monty #I have nothing against the new VA for William I'm just very confused and actually genuinely sad at the loss of PJ being William :') #Correct me if I am wrong and that voice ISN'T william (I could see it being spring bonnies voice instead??? kinda like how Baby is american #but I'm afraid we'll loose the british Aftons WAAA #ALSO ADDING TO THIS #It's driving me nuts who was the british lady in Matpats timeline video #WHO WAS SHE AND WHERE CAN I FIND HER VOICE AGAIN (Was it in the VR tapes?? I'M SO CONFUSED)

[meownotgood]

me and you know who (aki) ........... ahahahha aa

#I mean what. #who would make themselves and a fictional character like this it's so. weird #I'm just happy because I finally found a pic maker that has options that actually look like aki....... wah #I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WITH THE WATERMARKS #I think you have to pay to get an image version without the watermarks all over it? #this website confused me #coughs and sputters and grumbles #aki <3

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: A formal apology to Last Night In Soho

People who have followed me for a while, or done some serious backreading may remember an early essay I wrote about the Edgar Wright film Last Night In Soho and how I couldn't make myself to watch the thing again. I've been trying to dig the thing up again so I could do a good follow-up, but Tumblr's search function continues to be Like That, so I'll just have to go by my memory of the thing for now. Last Night In Soho spoilers and some dreaded nuance below the cut!

In short, I struggled with how mean-spirited the film felt to me. Protagonist Eloise Turner gets chewed up and spitten out by a London that is sleazy, cruel and unforgiven even in the genre of "country mouse goes to the Big City and has a Terrible Time of Things" stories. It's a morally messy and gray kind of tale, where our hero narrowly evades a victim turned villain by the cruelty of the world around her by confronting her with the cruelties she herself indulged in. It's a real Bad Vs. Evil kind of situation, and just thinking of how much of an exhausting, terrifying experience the story would turn to for young Eloise made her early scrappy, if naive, enthusiasm turn to ash in my mouth.

The thing is, upon actually watching the thing again, and through explaining what's going on to my parents that, bless 'em, weren't quite following along on the plot, I came to realize something. All of the things mentioned above are true, that is what happens in the movie, and that's ok.

Eloise gets the utter shit kicked out of her by the plot. She falls down the tree of Moving to the Big City and hits just about every branch on the way down. Her natural empathy gets hijacked by a tale more sordid and violent than she's ready for, and there's no pot of golden rectification at the end of that rainbow, just a sad, twisted murderous grandmother dying in a house fire surrounded by the ghosts of her murdered abusers. It didn't have to end this way, Sandie didn't have to try killing Eloise to cover everything up. If she wasn't so warped from the abuse she suffered she might've even understood that Eloise has a lot in common with her, even when you ignore that she has, through her paranormal powers, Eloise has literally BEEN her. Eloise has literally felt her pain, her fear, her desperation. There is nobody in the world, maybe not even Sandie herself that has as good of a reason to be charitable and kind fo Sadie. It's no good, though, Sandie is too far gone to even consider empathy a possibility.

This is, of course, bleak as shit, and how bleak it is kind of blinded me to the point the movie was making. Upon a rewatch it seems almost absurd to me that I missed it in the first place, but the movie actually has a pretty clever thesis on Nostalgia built into it. Eloise goes to london, expecting it to be as magical of a place as she imagine it being in the late 60's. It is not, of course, even if the 60's was a stylish wonderland like she imagines it, the wear and tear of time and several generation-defining economic crisises (and entirely too many Tory governments if you permit me to talk politics for a hot second) have changed the place up. That is, however, just the starting conditions, the base camp from which Eloise's nostalgic dreams get confronted with the nastiness of reality.

Sadie is in many ways the perfect person for Eloise to project onto. She strides into the world of late 60's Soho with the effortless confidence of youth. She's not from around here, but she is going to make her dreams come true withher gumption and her beautfy and her unflinching confidence. Sounds a lot like Eloise, except Sadie is more of a girlboss than Ellie ever gets to. Of course, Sadie also falls out of the tree of moving to the Big City and hits a whole ton of branches on the way down, but that's not all there is to it. See, if the takeaway of the whole thing was "the protagonist thinks Before was better, but she learns that Before Was Pretty Terrible Actually," Last Night would truly be too cynical, full of pain and suffering, signifying nothing.

That's not what's happening though, if it did, Eloise would take half a look at what Sadie's life turned into and gotten the fuck out of dodge. It'd be a tale of the depravity of the city that a good soul narrowly escaped. That's not the movie Last Night In Soho is, and it's not even close. If anything, Eloise's obsession with South London and the sad life and assumed death of Sadie only deepens as she learns of just how bad things get for the doomed starlet.

It's one of those plot things that effectively illustrates that the difference between a character strength and a character weakness is highly dependent on context. Eloise is an emphatetic person, mirroring her openness to ghostly visions by her openness to other living people. It does her no favors in most interractions with her new classmates, but Eloise can no more stop feeling sympathy and openness to experience and feelings any more than a tiger can change its spots.

So, Eloise is an admirable character because she can not stop being kind, even when it's a disadvantage. She could no more fire back at her queen bee bitchy roomate than she could walk on water, and so she choses to resolve the solution by moving out entirely. It's that kind of "too nice by half" personality that's mostly present in fictional characters to give them a place to grow out of, to learn to stand up to themselves and so on. That's not the angle Last Night goes for though, I'd argue what it does is a much more nuanced take on such a character.

I would argue, though, that throughout Last Night In Soho, Eloise's empathy is in fact her most grievous character flaw. She almost ruins her life and her future by actively seeking out Sadie's tragedy, soaking in it like she can redeem the time period she is so enamored by absorbing Sadie's misery and quote-unquote saving her from her ignoble end. The world does not require this of Sadie, she puts this unreasonably huge demand on herself because it's the only way her unquestioning love for the time and place of Sadie's life can remain unexamined. Sadie's tragedy can only be an emergent flaw in the system of that time and place. If late 60's Soho chewed up and spat out young ambitious women like her and Sadie as a matter of course, how could it be the magical place of the movies and music that Eloise loves so much?

It's with this in mind that the ending scene where Eloise displays her new clothes designs goes from being a "oh, nice for her I guess" kind of denoument into a pretty powerful thesis statement. Eloise stil loves the things she loved about the 60's, she still loves the music, the aesthetics of it, the style of the clothing, but it is tempered by a distinctive and conscious sense of anachronism. This isn't the 60's coming back, this is Eloise, a modern young woman, showing the world what she loved about those bygone times filtered through her own experiences. This is, the movie says, what Nostalgia should be, an ongoing conversation with and about the aesthetics of the past without attempting to restore some sort of prelapsarian way of things that never existed in the first place.

In a world where an increasing amount of people start looking at the 50's with a worrying level of fondness, I think a movie like Last Night In Soho is important. It's ok to like rockabilly, it's ok to like stepford housewife chic, it's ok to like three-piece work suits, the movie all but says, but don't try to make today like the times when these styles arose. They weren't the Good Old Days the way it's tempting to think of them. They were Days, and depending on who you were they could be the farthest thing from good. Love the things and looks you love, but let the thoughts patterns and politics that informed them remain in the past where they belong.

So in short, I fear that in my initial piece on this movie, I did the Classical Tumblr Mistake of reading ill, conservative, will into a nuanced work that deals with complex topics in a surprisingly elegant way. So, that's my bad, and I'm glad that actually getting off my ass and giving it a second look has opened up my eyes to a lot of beautifully shot, artfully presented nuance. Last Night In Soho is a great move y'all. Go see it. Hell, if you've only seen it once, maybe see it again?

#last night in soho #film friday #also I haven't even gotten into how much of a trippy giallo-esque delight this movie is visually #or the clear and apparent love that's been put into the soundtrack #and the camerawork? Oh lord #I have to write a third damn thing about this movie now don't I? #stay tuned for that I suppose #Also I'm starting to wonder if the fact that I first saw this movie on a date that went to a kinda weird place may have biased me against i #Keep an eye out for my confused thoughts about The Boy And The Heron in that case #I'd say iykyk #but you don't so I won't #Finally (do anyone ever read all of these?) I'd apologize for the pun with the first gif #but I'm not sorry #not even a little bit

[ilgaksu]

anyway! if any other of my headcanons has become popular fanon since i last looked, now is your chance to be the funniest person possible this sunday and inform me. i'm going to go take a nap.

#npss go ahead and canonise trans xiao hua or something #for real though just. i think i was trying so so hard to be good-humoured about it and focus on the funny side that just #the hurt and confusion underneath kept trying to rise to the surface and finally did today? #i just didn't want to seem like a killjoy. but now i guess i do. #because guess what this has been deeply deeply weird to experience as a writer in a way i'm struggling to articulate #and you know what. that's fair and reasonable of me. #it is unreasonable to expect someone who made something to feel nothing about a situation like this.

[necromoonstar]

Me: hmmm I got an idea for a character that's different than the ones I'm already working on. let me write down my ideas and then look up some tutorials. I know I do constantly but still. Very first tutorial I find:

Me: oh right there's a weird (promotion? rule? expectation?) appearance = personality for some reason

#bagged a post #negative #this post seems weird but it's a general vent #why /is/ it that it's very sometimes even forceful that people push characters appearance = personality? #like if your character is bubbly they wear bright colours if they grumpy dark #that hair color = personality #on that end also if your character is a certain color palette for some reason they also push the clothing must match?? #yes character has green hair b ut why does that mean they should wear green? I don't wear a lot of yellow just because I'm blonde like-- #it's such weird 'rules' I keep seeing and I finally just want to verbalize a confused vent against it #I look up tutorials because I'm new and want help but damn #screw these tutorials I'm making my gothic punk depressed edgy looking dude who's a bubbly dork

[bare1ythere]

Uh oh. I fucked up big time

#Somehow my math for my studying schedule was wrong? Or Something? #My statistics final is on monday.... and Im only halfway through the material #despite carefully planning a quota to study per day ?????????? #I'm really confused and now tomorrow is gonna be fucking AWFUL. I did NOT want to cram for this exam #Ive managed to do all the premidterm material which is like....... cool.......... most of the final is on post midterm stuff #I know I had to skip One day of stats because I had a bad day but I have like 8 more topics to do this is so fucking weird #Yay hurray yippee! This is really really bad!!!!!! #shut up me