#the absolute deliciousness of drama if we get to choose who to bring

[copias-sewer-rat]

COPIA'S SEWER RAT RECOMMENDATIONS PT.1

This has been a long time comming! I wanted to take the time to create a long post not only with fic recommendations but also other stuff. The Ghost community is so talented that I needed time to gather all of the amazing projects and ideas that flutter around.

(This even took longer than anticipated because just when it was almost ready some of the authors in this list posted some freaking MASTERPIECES and I needed to add them as well, obviously.)

I plan to do a post like this from time to time with new discoveries, so please if you don't follow/know these creators, please check them out. Furthermore, if there is someone you think I have missed or that you would like for me to check out, please, let me know. I am always eager to know more amazing creators.

(please be aware that some of the fics and artists I will be talking about write some very nasty, yet amazing, stories/art so please always check their tags and tws before diving in).

next part | my masterpost

📝WRITING

Let's start with one of the backbones of this amazing community: @da-rulah and her gorgeous and deliciously nasty fics. Please go read Rituale Septem and Confessional if you haven't already. Her hcs and drabbles are also so so good, you should read everything she has written, you won't be dissapointed.

Now, the wonderful, amazing writer that is @her-satanic-wiles. I have become her personal and most ardent supporter this October (if you could not tell by how much I have reblogged and liked her stuff smh). Her Kinktober challenge this year has been an absolute delight so I leave you with her mastrerlist so you can check her out on your own.

Now, my beloved, the amazing writer that is @writingjourney with my favourite fic to date I Knew Nothing but Shadows. I honestly get such joy when she posts, it is pure perfection. She puts such detail in her writing that it always makes me so incredibly happy to read her stuff. I also leave you with her masterlist, please check her out! UPDATE: SHE JUST POSTED THE MOST PERFECT VAMPIRE SECONDO FIC, you must read it: Friday Nights at the Vinothek.

The great @bupia is next!!!! I honestly adore everything they write. My personal favs are Barista Preferita, Love Letter, Bloodlust, their kinktober series and their new work is Serendipity. I am always in awe with how they write honestly. I want to be y/n so much with their fics (lol, cringe). Please read everything of theirs!

How can I not mention the absolute, amazingly talented, cowboy lover that is @ramblingoak ??? Her whole universe of cowboys (I love cowboys like yeehaw all day you know?) is honestly one of my favs, AND THE WAY SHE WRITES, let me tell you, the DETAILS, the EMOTIONAL backstories, THE ROMANCE, THE DRAMA?! Please go read The Cardinal's Bride and the other stories of the same au if you haven't done so already. You are missing out on one of the best AUs this fandom has to offer. UPDATE: A NEW FIC?! SKATING COPIA?! TIGHT SUITS?! Need I say anything else? Go read her new series: Copia on ICE!

Then, @molly-ghuleh !! I just started reading her stuff and now I cannot stop?! Camellia is SO GOOD you must read it!! It deserves much more attention!!! THE DETAILS?? The love at first sight trope leaving me in shambles???!!! I am seriously invested and I cannot recommend her more! GO! NOW!

Next, my lovely ghestie @discountdemonwarehouse/@eyeslikelilith who is so funny and so so nasty😈💜! Please go follow her here and on Ao3 for her amazing fics (I love her WWDITSxGhost fic What We Do In The Ministry the most hehehehe iykyk)

@leezlelatch and her amazing drabbles bring me so much joy, please go check her out and read everthing she posts, it is wonderful and insanely entertaining. (I cannot choose only one recommendation help, read everything!!!)

What can I say about @earthry other that she is amazing and I that I am obsessed with her drabbles and asks? I have read Watermelon Kisses so many times that you could lock me up.

Go check @zombie-rott out in general! Her stories are very comforting and nice!!! AND THE WAY SHE WRITES??? I love love love it. I highly recomend reading Pawprints, it is adorable, you should ckeck it out.

Please go read @bethbruttenholm's Seduce Me... I fell in love with this fic, so so good, and her writing is *chef's kiss*.

@anamelessfool in general is a master, like, her Omega3 fics are so nice *wink*, extra kudos for Reciprocity muhahahaha (it is delicious)

AAAAAA @gravehags and her curator!reader x copia series??? I AM ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED? THE HALLOWEEN CHAPTER? I WAS GRINNING LIKE A MADWOMAN ALL THE TIME. She also writes a lot about the Ghouls and Ghoulettes and it is SO SO NICE!

@the-curator1 In The Darkness of your Dreams ??? AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE oh my Satan, I LOVE LOVE IT!!!

🎨ART

This list is going to be long and I don't want to sound like a broken record or make this post eternal (because I could talk about all of them for ages if you let me) so I will make only a big recommendation for the following artists:

@vogelfreyh

@piaart

@vanmec

@comfysanda

@nocterish/@nocturnal-birb

@sirlsplayland

@risunsky

@blanchebees

@mardyart

@meowsaidmissy

@forgelokid

@novaiisk

@nekronyancer

@delulluart

@yollur

@quaildoodle

@oranpo

@doodleshrimps

@kabukiaku

@thew0man

@blackbird5154

Please, check all of them. They deserve all the recognition they can get. I adore how much love and effort they put in their art, WIPS or whaterver they decide to make. Every single one of them inspires me so much, I cannot explain with words how proud I feel to be able to look at their creations and share a community or even an interest with such talented creators.

👻OTHERS

This is the one that needs more creators. I need to find projects, creators that do other things such as theorising, gifs, big projects, whatever. Please, give me your suggestions and I will check them out and add them in following entries.

For now, I leave you with a couple of amazing people that deserve all the praise:

@stressghoul I honestly follow her EVERYWHERE. I love her tiktoks so much, she is so funny. The Brittany Brosky of the Ghost community you could say.

@slavghoul If you need any questions solved about our dear Satanic papas, go follow Slav. I have never seen a more dedicated person with such an amazing brain, it is honestly so inpiring to see what they have to say every single time. By the way, also check their videos on all the little isolated parts from Ghost songs, does not fail on lifting my feet from the ground as if possessed, every-single-time. You can check all the videos here.

@kabukiaku again??? YES! WHY?! BECAUSE I ADORE HER PAPA PLUSHIES I THINK THEY ARE THE CUTTEST!!!!

Lastly, I wanted to mention a YouTube creator that is making orchestral versions of Ghost songs. I found an orchrestral version of DATHOML on Tiktok and I had to find the whole song. Please check them out because they are doing more and it is amazing. Jamie Turton.

#gonst #the band ghost #ghost #the band ghost bc #ghost bc band #recommendation post #sewer rat recommends #amazing creators #papa emeritus iv #cardinal copia #ghost bc #ghost band #papa emeritus iii #papa terzo #papa secondo

[weebsinstash]

I just have to say I'm absolutely loving your yandere Thragg & Nolan stuff! Keep it up & I hope you have a nice day!! ♡

Thank you! And, also, gonna be using this post to talk about more yandere Thragg stuff because I was refreshing my knowledge on the comics and my YTShorts feeds are now filled with Invincible lore recommendations and, jesus I forgot how fucking nasty this man is

first off I'm using this image to just help kind of visualize how much of a unit this man is. Like. He's probably something crazy like 6'6 at the very shortest, maybe like 6'8, 6'9. But. Um. He's scary. He's tough. Viltrumites get tougher the longer they're alive and he's, not THE oldest Viltrumite but, maybe he's in like the top 10? But I think there's only something like an odd, less than 50 number of pure blooded Viltrumites left anyways lmao

Which is then my transition to "dealing with yandad Thragg as his child could be an absolute nightmare especially if you don't have powers"

Dying on my hill of "even if you do have powers he's super fucking possessive over who you're choosing as a mate or even just dating" because there's layers of 1. He has his own massive ego and your actions reflect on him and anyone you bring into the family will benefit from his lineage and achievements and he's defensive about who reaps those bounties or may even be suspicious of political intentions 2. If he hypothetically does let you date he needs to pre approve them first and I'm sure you can imagine how that goes and 3. .... you're his widdle baby, can't you spend more time with dad :( shut up about finding love, why can't you crush skulls with him? "Child why can't we go slaughter alien civilizations together like we used to 😩"

The last paragraph made me think of "Thragg with a child Reader who's actually a really spunky tough kid and he like is so proud of you and you guys have like An Actually Good Relationship (for Thragg's capacity to love anyways) but as you get older you start having ideological differences and you want more freedom but he just wants you to be Daddys Favorite Little Killing Machine for the rest of your life". Like you're just giving Thragg the cold shoulder because he won't let you leave the planet without his personal escort anymore and meanwhile here's thragg hovering over you with his arms crossed, internally scowl-pouting as he remembers The Good Old Days when you were like 6 and ran up to him, "Dad, Dad, look!! this is a note from my teacher praising me for how well I beat up another student! She says I'm 'extremely proficient at bludgeoning'! Did I do a good job?" "You did an EXCELLENT job. It says here the boy needed medical attention." "Yeah, he had to be sent to the hospital! His legs were totally bent the wrong ways! He shouldnt have tried to steal my toy!" "Fine work; you should never allow anyone to take what is yours. We shall feast tonight in celebration." And he pet your hair and you flew up to his chest height to give him a crushing hug. And nowadays you're like. The Viltrumite equivalent of being in your early adult years and everything is extremely cold and impersonal and you call him nothing other than Grand Regent and he "maybe" just wants his eager confident prideful Affectionate child back because all he has now is. A child that hates him and will barely make eye contact with him and will never accept his praise or medals for your achievements.

Like imagine being a notoriously powerful Viltrumite and you're actually widely accepted but him being controlling of you throughout your childhood eventually gave you a complex. Thragg summons you to like praise you for like, subjugating a nearby galaxy, and asks what you would like for a reward, and you just coolly reply some shit like "There's nothing you could offer that I want, Grand Regent" like you hate him so much you don't even want gifts from this man

AND THE DELICIOUS DRAMA OF, imagine if he finds out that while you hate him and want nothing to do with him, maybe you've become extremely attached to Nolan or some other older father figure in his place

THE SHIT THAT GOES DOWN IF THRAGG EVER HEARS YOU CALL NOLAN OR ANYONE ELSE "DAD" like the cosmic level beef that goes on, the BLOODSHED. Jesus. Imagine being on Earth and you've got Dad Nolan or he's like declared himself your dad/mentor and he sees you bonding with another human male who's a father figure and you call that man dad, like. That man is going missing and Uncle Sam is erasing his existence from the records just, gone.

Side note actually, idea for something yandere viltrumites do with a viltrumite/hybrid reader: loving to bear hug you super hard? Like almost painfully but they won't break anything. Just. Imagine yandad Nolan or Thragg or Mark with like, a lil sibling/ child/ age regressed Reader or whatever and you're having like, hugging contests to see who can hug the hardest, and play wrestling shit idk. Imagine the infamously grumpy genocidal Thragg and then here's his like 4 year old wanting to play wrestle and trying to pin him and you're no match for him of course but like it's not, real, he's "gently" deflecting you or breaking your hold but still actually praising you in that, Thragg dad way, "your stance is too weak to take down an opponent of my size, but you're improving" " your siblings usually tire by now; you seem to have more endurance than most of my other children your age. Excellent" and then your little baby mouth gives him a kiss on the cheek and he has to go subjugate another planet to feel manly again.

I feel like yandad Thragg and Nolan are unironically those characters that are like, they could be in the middle of a war zone and they're easily winning and you go upstairs to see what they're thinking about, surely they're thinking about something serious, and it's just "I need to hurry this up and get back to my child" or "I wonder what my little warrior is doing right now" like straight up like the father from Father I Don't Want This Marriage

Yandere Thragg and Nolan are all "oh it's part of the Viltrum way to mate and procreate and boost our numbers" and Reader comes along "hey dad this is my new boyfriend--" and suddenly they turn into like, Christian fundamentalists. "Um actually that Viltrumite male is even older than I am 🤓 you are still so young and should be enjoying the fruits of your youth 🤓 you are too young to have children"

I feel like though like if you ever did manage to sneak off and get pregnant or get someone else pregnant that, specifically Nolan would adore his new grand baby and would do anything for this chubby cutie 🥺❤️ also imagine the horror if he's not even your blood dad, just obsessive self proclaimed stalker yandere shit, but you can't run away from him and he's finds you and your baby and instantly declares himself grandpa, like. Now you have to worry about protecting yourself and your baby from "PawPaw"

So like. Future spoilers I guess? Not super significant in my opinion, but, there's a period of time where there's like a truce of sorts between Earth and Viltrum, right, to keep it vague and less spoiler heavy. Imagine being like, Nolan's kid, or adopted kid, or like, neighbor who turned out to be a hybrid that he yoinked into his house or whatever, and like, after there's been some fighting, Thragg is impressed with your strength and potential and seems to be scouting you out a little. Now you've got TWO older Viltrumite males trying to father you, "my apologies Grand Regent but I was just about to take this one out to teach them how to fly better" "that is unnecessary; i shall be the one to tutor the youngling" meanwhile you're just like uhhhhh I'm not actually a big fan of how EITHER of you treat me-"

bruhhhh all hell breaks loose when you finally lose it and fly straight off the planet to try and start a new life elsewhere without them cuz then these two are TEAMING UP and they're feeding into each other, "I bet they were convinced to leave by that one male, the one who we had to warn before" "and that's why you're weak Nolan. I wanted to kill him but you didn't want to hurt the youth's feelings, and now what's happened? They're probably eloping as we speak" "no, I won't make the same mistake twice. He'll die a slow death"

You're on like some alien planet surrounded by like simple little ewoks or some shit who treat you like a water god because you dug a well for them or something and here comes Thragg and Nolan touchdown slamming onto the planet's surface and leaving craters behind, scaring the birds, the animals, your new little cute alien friends huddling behind you for protection, and you're getting SCOLDED SCOLDED. like one minute your new little like moogle friend is teaching you how to bake some kind of bread and the next minute, "AND JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOURE DOING HERE" and you're jumping to see two pissed pissed PISSED Viltrumites

"O-oh, uh, I thought I made it clear when I left--"

"The only thing that you've made clear is that you're too unpredictable and naive to be left alone"

"What were you THINKING?! You could've gotten lost, hurt, captured, or worse! And leaving Viltrum for, what?! Are these your pets? We can enslave a few and take them with us if you like em so much"

"If you EVER leave without my permission as Grand Regent again I'll reduce whatever backwater rock you stumble off to into nothing more than rubble floating through the stars, is that understood?"

"..."

"Answer him!"

'*sigh* yes, sirs"

"That's FATHER to you"

" - and Dad!"

#yandere invincible #yandere x reader #sinprompts #yandere stuff #these two always at each othsrs throats and then one day you just catch them sitting down talking about you #bonding over their. uh. attachment and surveillance of you

[utterlyinevitable]

soo this scene in book 3 where eric invites the detective + a member of ub over for dinner... anyone wanna talk about the potential ? my minds been swirling all evening with thoughts 👀

#twc spoilers #twc book 3 demo #twc #mainly Mason thots #thoughts #the absolute deliciousness of drama if we get to choose who to bring #especially after that damn bakery comment #ofc id choose Nate #I would like to say it’s because he’d help verda the most but that’d be a lie #I’ve been all for a n x detective x m triangle since day one #ohhh and n having little flutters of feelings but knowing nothing will happen bc M has practically claimed mc #and Mc now ignoring m completely #and m 1. not realizing they hurt Mcs feelings 2. not realizing this is a lil more with mc 3. knows that n did have feels for Mc #and m noticing how effortlessly mc and n get on #and it’s not the kind of jealousy like with the dogs it’s a whole other pang he can’t seem to figure out #and n totally goes with mc just to help and with no other intentions #and back at the warehouse m can’t stop pacing and patrols extra and wanders around where they should be a little longer than necessary #and m doesn’t know WHY their body is doing these things. nothing makes sense #not me writing a hc in the tags 🙈 #twc hc

[hmslusitania]

nah the way that 5.06 synopsis had me so damn excited bc of the eddie/taylor conflict and the possibilities of it. buck being caught in the middle, having to choose between the them, having his own realisation about taylor and who she fundamentally is, etc etc. like the ~drama~ of it all would've been delicious. and in an instance it was all ripped away from us, i'm legit upset

look, no, absolutely, you're right, Anon, @evanbucxley and I were talking about it and, heck, since it was already (rip) a fanfiction episode, my premise for the conflict would be this:

They go on some call, and it's a troubling call, the police (Det. Lou Ransone who is also in that episode per BTS photos) are involved, and crucially, the key witness -- maybe only witness -- is a child.

Eddie, being Eddie, is immediately dedicated to protecting said child. Maybe whoever the kid's social worker is can give official supervision for the police interview, but not for a journalist, but Taylor charms her way past or whatever so she can follow up on the story -- and it'd have to be a dark one, because this is roughly the Halloween episode right? -- and Eddie, understandably, is pissed at this because that's all sorts of against the rules for interviewing minors etc. Taylor fires back that that's just a rule about quoting minors in publication or showing their image in media, etc., Eddie brings up the lack of human decency in it, Taylor brings up the importance of getting to the bottom of whatever the story is, Eddie points out that this is the detective's job not her job--

Anyway, it goes on, and Taylor eventually drags Buck into it, fully expecting him to back her play, but, well. He doesn't.

and so she's pissed at him, right, we get the whole, "I expected you to have my back since I'm your partner"

"Are you? Because I thought you said we made a bad team the last few times we teamed up on something like this."

anyway

That's how I would've written it.

#fake 5x06 my beloved #911 spoilers #the ghost ship answers questions #anon #anti taylor kelly

[batwhimpix]

An Interview with Former Takarazuka Top Star Asumi Rio: The Laidback Personality Behind the Handsome Face

(Translated by me 8/19/2021)

While still a member of the Takarazuka Revue, Asumi Rio was known for her sensitive acting which digs deep into the heart of each role, her crystal-clear vocals, and her captivating stage presence. As the top star of Flower Troupe, she gained an immense level of popularity. Now, it has been one year since her retirement from the company. She has expanded her repertoire from stage to screen, and continues to showcase new sides to her talent. In her first name-bearing variety program, the Hulu Original "Asumi Rio's Atelier," Asumi-san learns new tips and techniques to "step up" both her lifestyle and her design sense. Totally different from her intense onstage aura, this program offers a chance to get to know Asumi-san's soft and relaxed offstage persona.

It's been a year and a half since you left the Takarazuka Revue. How would you describe that period of time for you, Asumi-san?

When I was in the Revue, because I had managed to enter the world of Takarazuka, which was my absolute favorite place, I felt strongly that I didn't want to have any regrets. So I was very motivated to work as hard as I could to polish my craft. I was completely lost in it, but within that, I always had my fans cheering me on, and the guidance of so many around me. In the last year and a half, I've realized all over again just how precious a thing that was.

Until I left, my only experience was on the stage, so stepping into the world on screen for the first time, a lot of totally new forms of expression were expected from me, and I felt a lot of anxiety. Parting from Takarazuka and living as just one individual human, every day is full of challenges. But that said, every day now is also rich with new experiences and new possibilities, so I've come to face that with a lot of gratitude.

While you were in Takarazuka, there was a very clear image, that of a perfect "otokoyaku," to aspire to. Now that you don't have that anymore, what kind of actress are you aiming to become?

There are a lot of qualities I have now precisely because I was an otokoyaku, and I think it's probably okay for me to just embrace that. As top [abbrev. "top star", the starring otokoyaku actress in each troupe], I was in a position where I had to lead the troupe, watch over and guide all the other actresses, and shape each production as the lead actress. I think I've picked up a lot of grit through that experience, and even as a woman, I think having a bit of a masculine edge in your lifestyle and how you deal with things can be a positive, right?

Even when I was playing otokoyaku roles, moreso than aiming for a particular ideal, I came at each role separately, like, this time I'm playing this kind of man, next time I'm playing this kind of man. It was like a gradual broadening of my horizons. Now I'm simply adding female roles to that roster, so it's kind of like the scope of roles available to me has doubled. When it comes to my outward appearance, as my hair grows out and I transition toward a more feminine look, I've been having all kinds of new discoveries, like, "Oh, this kind of styling makes me feel like this." Within my drama roles as well, I like those discoveries like, if I do it like this, won't it be interesting, or if I do this, I can get viewers to say, "Oh!" I want to keep digging to find those little moments where I can really surprise people within each role.

Since your retirement from Takarazuka, what overall on-set experience sticks out the most in your memory?

I think that has to be the first show I had the opportunity to take part in, "Ochoyan" [NHK serialized telenovella]. Until I was on that set, I always thought that the stage was the most incredible place in the world. I would never find anywhere else where every member is so unified in their vision, where everyone has so much pride in their troupe and so much love for the production they're building together, as in Takarazuka. Even now, I still think Takarazuka is a very special place, and my love for it hasn't changed.

But on the set of "Ochoyan," like Takarazuka, there were so many staff working to create this thing, who truly loved the work and brought all kinds of skills to the table to bring it to life. Among the cast as well, the atmosphere during recording, where all of us in the Tsurugame Family Theater [the name of the theater company employing main character Takei Chiyo as well as Asumi-san's character Takamine Ruriko] really did feel like a family, wasn't that different from Takarazuka at all. On the contrary, because our time together was limited just to the recording of this show, it felt like everyone valued that time all the more. Being on a set like that was a huge experience for me.

In Takarazuka, you had a very hectic schedule. As soon as one production closed you were already thinking about the next. I'm sure your lifestyle has changed in a big way since then. What kind of feelings do you have about that?

I retired and moved here to Tokyo right around the start of the pandemic. During the lockdown, when I was in my house all day, I realized how long the day really is. Suddenly it was up to me to decide how to spend all this time in the day. I could use it to rest or, if I had some area I was struggling with, I could use it for training too. I had a renewed realization that depending on my own feelings, I could choose to change myself in any number of ways.

These days, how do you find yourself spending the majority of your time?

These days, I'm doing a lot of types of work I'm totally new to, and working on sets with people I've only just met, so I'm still in a place where I spend a lot of time nervous. When I'm on a set I haven't gotten used to yet, my antenna is going in all different directions, so after I get home I try to relax as much as possible. In order to fully refresh myself and go into work the next day in high spirits and ready to face whatever comes, I've been making a conscious effort to be kind to myself.

What activities allow you to refresh your batteries the most?

Zoning out, and eating delicious food.

On "Asumi Rio's Atelier," you gave steaming rice in a donabe [TN: earthenware pot traditionally used to steam rice, supposedly more delicious than steaming in a rice cooker] a try for the first time, but what kinds of things do you eat most often?

As long as it tastes good, I'll happily eat anything. I like vegetables, meat, fish, and I love carbs, too. Ideally, I want to eat a good balance of a lot of different things.

Speaking of that program, how were the topics for each episode decided? Were you able to make requests?

For "Atelier" we had the general framework that I would be trying different activities I was interested in from the onset, so basically they asked me, "What kind of things are you interested in? What do you want to try?" And then...Yeah, first I had about 30, then we added about 30 more, so in total about 60, ideas that we pitched. The program staff wanted to include as many of my requests as they could, so actually, within each episode there are probably three or four different ones. In addition to that, there's an interview in each episode that relates back to that episode's theme. I enjoyed the chance to reflect on my Takarazuka era and memories from my childhood.

On the topic of your Takarazuka era, in your first interview for us, you said, "I wasn't necessarily aiming to become top star." But within the system of Takarazuka, to climb all the way to top star, you must have been aware of something within yourself that made you want to aim higher?

Let's see...Ever since I was an underclassman, I had a strong drive to improve as an otokoyaku. I wanted people to find my performance interesting, and I wanted to be seen as a necessary part of the production. I wanted to act a lot, and I wanted to sing a lot of songs that I love. I wanted to bathe in the spotlight, and I was happy when I got to wear more gorgeous costumes. If I really think back on those feelings now, first in the shinjinkouen junior performances featuring only actresses who have been with the company seven years or less, and then in performances at the smaller Bow Hall theater next to the Takarazuka Grand Theater, inevitably I started aiming for the lead roles that would allow me to stand on stage for the longest every time.

Somewhere along that road, when I was told I was being transferred from the troupe I was first inducted into, Moon Troupe, to Flower Troupe, this feeling that I had wanted to be the Moon Troupe's successor welled to the surface. And since that's the same as saying, "I wanted to be the top star of Moon Troupe," that was the first time I became aware of that goal. Every troupe in Takarazuka has its own character, though, so after my transfer, I was desperate to hurry up and become an otokoyaku befitting Flower Troupe first...

So as you worked to further your artistic development, there at the zenith was top star.

If you were to ask my underclassman self, the Top-sans are unbelievably incredible performers, and the more shinjinkouens you experience, the more closely you come to understanding just how incredible they are. Then as you spend more years with the company and find yourself in a position where you're working directly under the Top-san, you realize how much work they're really doing, and...The more you know, the more you lose the ability to say something like "I want to be the top star" carelessly.

And yet, you bore the heavy responsibility of a top star for five-and-a-half years. It's hard to imagine from your usual laidback attitude, but when it comes to your art, you're incredibly diligent and strong-willed. That gap is captivating.

When it comes to theater, I'm very picky. I mean, I'm way too stubborn for one thing. Especially in productions where I'm playing the lead role, I always have really strong feelings about how I want to perform things, and I'm not in a position where I can hesitate to convey that. It's important to listen to the opinions of various other people too, but when it comes down to it, if I have a clear idea of the direction I want things to proceed and direct things with that in mind, it makes things easier for everyone else, so I always tried to communicate my thoughts clearly and directly. If I'm delivering consistently good work, there's a persuasive power to that. Not only do the underclassmen naturally follow along, but the staff listen and respond to my requests as well.

But when you're making this kind of production, you do have to be pretty strict. But then, the real me is more of a people pleaser. I want everyone to like me, or more like, I don't want to be disliked. I didn't want the younger underclassmen to feel like I was unapproachable or like they couldn't talk to me because I was the top star. I wanted them to think of me like family. So outside matters relating to work, I tried to give off as relaxed a vibe as possible. Definitely, I think there was quite a gap between "on" and "off" for me.

Are there a lot of differences between "Asumi Rio the otokoyaku" and "Asumi Rio the actress?" How about between your stage name persona and your private self under your birth name?

I've lived under my stage name for so much longer than my birth name that I feel like, at this point, the parts of myself that belong to my real name are few and far between. I do have the feeling that, in some respect, I've grown up together with my stage name. In essence, while I was in Takarazuka, I didn't worry too much about creating a separate persona. Thanks to the kindness of my fans and the environment I was in, I felt like I could leave my otokoyaku persona on the stage and stay pretty close to my natural self everywhere else. I guess the only thing is, when I'm alone in my house, I revert to goblin mode. (laughs wryly) Like I'll have trouble getting myself to go take a bath, or I really should clean but my back hurts, etc., etc.

By contrast, now that I've graduated from being an otokoyaku, a lot of the things I'm doing as an actress are total firsts for me, so I think I feel more discomfort with my presentation now than I did then. There are times when I get really nervous, and then I get disappointed in myself for feeling that way. Like, until just a little while ago, I was in a position where I was responsible for keeping everyone's morale up. I would get up on that stage like, "It's alright, just leave it to me," so what am I all anxious for now? I often think about how much I still have to learn, and how badly I want to hurry up and learn it so I can show the results of my efforts.

Is there a particular ideal you're currently pursuing? What kind of actress do you want to become, and what kind of woman?

Since leaving Takarazuka, I've had a lot more opportunity to meet all kinds of new people. On every set I've been on, each of the actresses I meet has their own unique aura, and seeing their acting up close, I'm blown away by each of them. Among the staff as well, there are so many different kinds of professionals of all ages, and I often find myself inspired by their work ethic and lifestyle. I'd like to continue to enrich my life by learning from the amazing people I meet and experiencing many new things, and work to become a more fully rounded human being.

*Bracketed notes not marked "TN" (Translator's Note) were present in the original article.

#mirio #asumi rio #takarazuka og #takarazuka #this interview is super detailed so i've been wanting to translate it for a while #she's such a stubborn person but i kind of admire that about her?? #must have been hell to work with at times tho #but such a calming presence offstage lol #hanagumi #tkz #og #mytranslations

[jaesqueso]

The Bachelorette: NCT edition - Ep. 7

The season of love is finally here! An interactive series where you’ll get to choose who goes home each week and ultimately who Y/N chooses in the end!

pairing: nct(ot23) x fem!reader

summary: For the first time a week goes smoothly without much drama but could this make the bachelorette’s decision even harder?

episode guide

word count: 4,902

warnings: mentions of alcohol (all responsible!)

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

Last week on the Bachelorette:

The big mystery remains in the air with no one willing to step forward and make a confession,

Nevertheless some bonds were strengthened while others are stopped to save a broken heart.

Unfortunately at the end of the rose ceremony a heart did get broken leaving a not so pleasant goodbye that startled everybody.

5 bachelors remain on this love quest but after tonight one of them will be going home.

Who will she choose? Who will she reject?

Find out on the Bachelorette!

-

“Hi everybody!” Chris Harrison walks into the guest house. “Excited for another week?”

They all cheer for new opportunities to amaze you and get closer to that last rose and your love.

“Great because things are about to change!”

The boys look around at each other, what does he mean change?

“So far each date, wether individual or in a group, gave you the opportunity to win a rose ahead of the ceremony and secure your spot here for another week to compete for Y/N’s love, Well from now on there are no more date roses.”

“What does that mean for us?” Taeyong asks the question that’s on everybody’s heads.

“That means give it your all on the dates and the cocktail party because all roses will now only be handed out on the ceremony.”

Mixed feelings run around the room.

“But since there are less and less of you there are also more opportunities for alone time with our beautiful bachelorette as there will be no more group dates. This week you’ll have 1 one-on-one date and 2 two-on-ones. But don’t worry, since no roses will be hand out before hand that also means no one will be sent home on the dates too.”

Breaths of relief come out of everybody’s mouths.

“Alright, enjoy your dates and I will see you at the rose ceremony!”

As Chris leaves, the siren his heard and all eyes focus on the TV.

I hope you’re all having as much fun in this journey as I am. And I think it’s time we celebrate.

The bachelors look intrigued.

Jeno and Jaemin, hope you’re excited to join me tomorrow!

“Yes!” The two boys high five happy to be paired together on a date with you, over the weeks they not only bond with you but also ended up growing closer to each other.

“Wait, you’re going to celebrate without us?” Yuta groans.

“I bet you’ll get to celebrate too in a few days.” Jaemin comforts him.

“And don’t forget one of us will still be going on an individual date this week.” Jaehyun looks between Yuta and Taeyong,

“That’s right!” Taeyong excitedly says.

-

The following day Jaemin and Jeno get ready and enter their ride that’s already waiting outside to meet you. They are taken to a near by city where a parade is about to start and that’s where you’re waiting for them in a pair of light washed jeans and a cute flowy top.

“Hi guys!” You greet them with a big smile. “I found us a great spot to watch the parade, shall we go?”

“Yes!” They say at the same time following you to a nice place by the fence where you had an amazing view.

They stood by your side as you watched the marching band, the decorated vehicles and the big balloons being pulled by the villagers. You explained the guys what the parade was about along with a little story of the city and they actually seemed more interested in what you had to say than the parade itself.

You start to feel shy having all their attention on you, their piercing gaze, beautiful smiles and light touches on your arms. These two have definitely touched your heart and you can’t even imagine how you’ll make a decision if it ever comes down to the two of them.

Once the parade is over the three of you walk around the streets exploring the city. Everywhere you look is decorated because of the festivities and you’re having a great time.

You then decide to stop by a grocery store to get some food to go and watch the concert in the park. After finding a nice place with a good stage view you all sit down on the grass.

The sun starts setting as the band begins playing a nice smooth tune that sets a very romantic ambience all around. You look at the two boys sitting next to you and you couldn’t be happier with the choice you made today, even without saying a word their presence just makes you feel so comfortable, you can imagine your life with either one of them at this point.

-

In the guest house Taeyong, Yuta and Jaehyun talk about the changes in the game.

“How do you feel about no more roses in advance?” Yuta asks.

“Honestly I don’t know how to feel.” Taeyong starts. “This could be good or bad.”

“It definitely makes me more nervous,” Yuta comments, “those date roses were very reassuring and you could relax a bit ahead of the ceremony.”

“Absolutely!” Taeyong continues. “I feel like I’m a little bit of an underdog here, we only started to really bond recently so having to wait until the end of the week really makes me anxious.”

“I think you’re making a big deal out of nothing.” Jaehyun steps in the conversation. “We just gotta keep working hard on the date and the cocktail party just like we did until now. If we’re still here, there’s still a chance.”

“I guess you’re right…” Taeyong says before he’s interrupted by the siren.

“Let’s see who’s next.” Jaehyun gets up as they walk to the living room.

It’s good to go out and celebrate but it’s also nice to have a more chill and relaxed time.

They wonder if this will be another two-on-one date or the individual one.

Sometimes I just like to get on my car and drive around. Yuta, I’d love for you to join me on that ride tomorrow.

The mentioned boy cheers on his seat.

“Well, that means it will be us fighting for her attention after.” Jaehyun taps Taeyong’s back.

“Bring it on.” Taeyong tries to sound excited but deep down he’s scared about his future here.

-

As the band finishes their last song the crowd claps including the three of you and with the last beat of the drums a loud pop is heard starting a wonderful firework show. Your eyes sparkle at the splashes of color in the sky and you feel a hand gently overlapping yours. You look to your left and see Jaemin still looking up at the sky as if his touch wasn’t making his heart beat faster just like yours.

“Wow, that was amazing!” Jeno says as the last explosion disappears in the air.

“It really was.” Jaemin agrees.

“I’m glad you two enjoyed it, I’m so happy I got to share this moment with you.” You smile brightly as you look at them,

You let your back fall into the grass and they lay down too.

“You should be up there.” Jeno comments pointing at the night sky that now shows all the beautiful stars.

“But then I’d outshine them all.” You tease.

“Ok, you’re right.” Jeno chuckles.

“I think you’re good right here, next to me.” Jaemin lightly squeezes your hand making you turn your face to him as he does the same.

“Hey hey, I’m here too ok?” Jeno playfully says as he lifts up his torso separating your hands making you all laugh at his jealousy.

You lay there for a while talking and observing the stars until you decide it’s time to go back. On the ride home you almost don’t want this day to end but you try to calm down your heart thinking about the other bachelors back at the guest house.

“Can I ask you a question?” Jeno says as you exit the car.

“Of course.” You’re impressed with how talkative he is today, he’s usually quiet around other the other guys but you believe it helps that he gets along so well with Jaemin. Whatever the reason is you’re happy he’s loosening up.

“If you had a rose to hand out today who would you give it to?” Jeno asks.

You chuckle as Jaemin hits the other boy in the arm.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” You wink. “Thank you for today guys, goodnight.”

“Thank you Y/N, goodnight.” They both say as you walk to the mansion.

“She would totally chose me.” Jeno says as he and Jaemin go back to the guest house.

“Right, keep dreaming!” Jaemin ruffles Jeno’s hair as they both laugh.

-

The next day a car horn is heard and all the boys go to the front of the guest house where they see you inside a convertible.

“You ready Yuta?” You call out.

“Oh I was born ready!” He almost runs to the vehicle taking the passenger seat.

“Bye guys!” You wave at the others as you step on the gas.

You drive pass the town, headed to the coast, feeling the warm air run through your hair. You tell Yuta how much you love the freedom of just driving around without a destination, observing the life around you without a plan. The sea breeze relaxes you as the low rays of sunshine embrace your skin.

You two sing along to the random songs that come on the radio, laughing at the misspelled lyrics and lines out of tune. Maybe your lonely car rides could be fulfilled with some good company like this.

You stop the car on the side of the road next to some picnic tables facing the sea. You both get out of the vehicle and you get a bag out of the trunk walking to one of the tables.

“Hungry?” You ask him.

“A lit bit yes.” He smiles taking a seat as you take out some bento boxes out of the bag making his eyes sparkle at the delicious food. “Wow! Did you prepare all this?”

“Yes I did.” You proudly state. “Let’s dig in!”

You start eating watching the sun slowly go down.

“This was really good Y/N, thank you.” Yuta complements the meal.

“You know,” you start saying, “it’s been a while since we went on a date just the two of us so I thought I’d make something familiar, a little birdie told me you like this type of food.”

“Oh yeah?” He grins. “That little bird seems to know me well, you should keep him around.”

You two laugh recalling a conversation you once had where you talked about food where he told you this.

“But I’m really glad you chose me for this date.” He continues. “I was starting to feel us drift apart and that’s the last thing I want.”

“I don’t want that either.” You reassure him. “I really like your company, Yuta, and I’m enjoying getting to know you.”

“Good to know.” He releases a relieved breath making you giggle.

“But the date is not over, I have one more thing planned for us.” You wiggle your eyebrows. “Shall we go?”

“Let’s go!”

He helps you pack everything and return to the car, driving off to your next destination.

-

Back in the guest house the dates are the focal point of the conversation.

“How did it go yesterday?” Jaehyun asks the two boys.

“It was really awesome.” Jeno cannot hide the excitement that still runs through his body.

“It really was, Y/N has done a great job planning these dates.” Jaemin agrees. “You know Jeno, if it’s us two fighting for that last rose I don’t mind sharing.” He winks.

“Well I do!” Jeno protests making the others laugh.

“But hey hey!” Taeyong interrupts with a frown. “What do you mean you two fighting for the last rose? Should I just give up?”

“Oh c’mon we can’t all be in the final pretty boy.” Jaemin ruffles his hair.

“Are you two excited for tomorrow?” Jeno asks the two who are still waiting.

“Very much.” Jaehyun replies.

“And nervous!” Taeyong adds.

“Don’t be, it will all be fine.” Jaemin cheers him up before the siren is heard and the gather around the TV.

Taeyong and Jaehyun don’t think I forgot about you, there’s a special place I’d like to take you.

The boys brighten up.

Hope you like dark places with neon lights. See you tomorrow!

“You guys going to a strip club?” Jaemin widens his eyes.

“Of course we are.” Jaehyun laughs.

“What could it be though?” Jeno wonders.

“I guess we’ll have to wait for tomorrow to know!” Taeyong says still feeling intrigued by your message.

-

You turn to a drive in movie theatre as the night takes over. You get some popcorn and a couple of drinks before park right in the middle of the space having a great view of the screen.

“Should we get into the backseat?” You suggest.

“The backseat? Right here in front of everybody?” He smirks wiggling his eyebrows.

“To sit more comfortable you pervert!” You chuckle, playfully hitting his arm.

You two follow your suggestion right before the film starts. It’s a simple sci-fi movie that you recall him mentioning liking the genre.

Halfway through, the now empty bag of popcorn is put on the side as you snuggle closer to your date. Yuta wraps his arm around your shoulder as your heads rest against each other.

Once the movie is over you two stay in his embrace while all the other vehicles leave the place, wanting to savour this moment a little bit longer. You then get back into the front seats to drive back to the guest house.

You decide to take the long route so you can talk a bit more a discuss the movie that honestly you didn’t pay that much attention to as you almost fell asleep against the warmth of Yuta’s body against yours.

“Thank you for today, I had a really great time.” He says as you drop him off.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” You smile. “Goodnight Yuta.”

“Goodnight Y/N.”

He watches you drive off before entering the house with a huge smile on his face.

-

The following day Taeyong and Jaehyun excitedly leave the house to go meet you. During the ride they discuss what could possibly await them on this date. All doubts come to an end when the car stops in front of a museum where you wait for them in a beautiful short white dress.

“Do I hear wedding bells already?” Taeyong asks as they walk to you.

“Not yet!” You chuckle. “This museum holds temporary exhibitions and once I heard they were having a neon themed one I just knew I had to come. Are you excited?”

“Yes!” They both say.

“Well let’s go then!” You lead them inside.

As you enter the building you get into a dark hallway that leads into a purple themed room. It looks like something out of a dream, the lights playing with the mirrors on the walls making it look like there’s infinite space.

The next room is blue. Wavy lights decorate the space making it look like you’re under water.

“This looks like the aquarium we visited last week!” Taeyong excitedly says.

“It really does! Minus the fish.” You two chuckle leaving Jaehyun feeling a little bit left out. He tries to play it off by pretending to be distracted by the room setup that you don’t even notice the sadness on his face.

You then enter a room that looks like a fantasy garden. Neon green lights fill in the space with fake plants and trees. It almost feels like you’re in a magical forest where a mystical creature will pop out any moment.

The next area is yellow. The brightness almost blinds you and Jaehyun takes the opportunity to hold your hand to guide you inside. You’re startled by his action as you were not expecting it but let him lead you around. When Taeyong notices it he decides to hold your other hand making you giggle at the small trace of jealousy.

The orange room that follows the yellow one is very fruit having neon signs shaped like all sorts of exotic fruits. Your mouth gets watery at the sight.

As you walk into the following space it seems like you entered the red light district. There are suggestive images on the walls and even a pole in the middle. The guys seem to be too distracted by the spicy surroundings almost forgetting you’re there.

“C’mon lets get into the next one before you start getting ideas!” You pull them and they laugh realising they were staring.

Entering a a pink area the environment feels more tropical with flamingo light structures everywhere. Taeyong seems to really like that room and you recall a previous conversation where he told you this is his favourite color.

The last room of the exhibit is a combination of all colors making you feel like you entered a scene from Alice’s wonderland.

“Wow, that was really cool!” Taeyong sounds like a kid who just went on his first rollercoaster ride as you get out of the museum.

“I know right?” You agree. “But I gotta say, that orange room made me hungry, should we go somewhere to eat?”

“Yes, I’m starving!” Jaehyun supports your suggestion.

You all head off to a near by restaurant that seems to carry the neon light theme.

“Now I see why you wore white today, you’re shining brighter than all the lights in the room.” Taeyong complements you making you blush a little. Luckily they can’t see that over the lighting in the room.

You order some drinks that funny enough reflect the neon colors all around and come in glasses that look like lab material. You make a toast to having a good time together as the food arrives.

The conversation is cheerful but you can’t help feel like Jaehyun is holding back a little. Could he feel intimidated by the other guy who seems to be having the time of his life?

Taeyong really has changed is attitude and you’re glad he did. He gave you the chance to get to know him better and get closer to him, bonding over all the things you have in common and even the ones you don’t carefully listening and learning from each other.

Jaehyun seemed to have this fight in him before but now he seems to be too relaxed. Could it be that because you gave him a quick kiss on your last date he got comfortable and started taking his position in the competition for granted?

As you wrap up the meal the three of you go for a walk admiring the city lights before you head back.

You say goodbye to the boys  when you leave the car and enter the mansion taking a deep breath. This week all dates went pretty well making it harder for you to decide on someone to send home.

-

You join the boys in the cocktail party that are excitedly talking about all their experiences this week. They welcome you in, encouraging you to give your perspective on all the activities, which you gladly do before you start talking to them individually.

As there are less and less people in the house it’s easier to catch up with all of them before making the ultimate decisions of the night.

The first one to call you outside is Taeyong. You could still feel the rush from the date exuding out of him as he excitedly thanks you for taking him to the museum. You understood is a very cultured guy that enjoys these type of activities which is something that attracts you in him. Despite all the happiness he also discloses how worried he is thinking he might have taken too long to try and build a connection with you but he’s glad you were willing to take a chance on him which you assure him you don’t regret doing at all.

The next bachelor to talk to you is Jaemin. As always, your heart skips a beat when he takes your hand and leads you to sit outside. As always, he wants to know how you’re feeling and if there’s something going on inside your head. As always, you let it all out with him, this week went really well but that actually makes it harder for you to make a decision. As always, he comforts you and makes you feel like everything in the world will turn out alright as long as you’re by his side. And as always you feel like your heart is going to explode with this inexplainable connection you have with this guy since day one.

After a while you see Jeno walk outside and Jaemin calls him out leaving you two to talk. Just like Taeyong, Jeno still looks pretty excited from the date. You’ve been growing closer and closer to him and you’re not sure if this is a good things because everything is getting so messy inside your head. Nevertheless you enjoy every single second by his side and you appreciate all the efforts you see from him, trying to open up more to you and even around the others too. He does seem to be here for the right reasons and you definitely appreciate all the effort.

Next in line is Jaehyun. Now this is a hard to read guy. Sometimes he seems so in sync with you, other times so off. Some moments you spent together in the past drew you close to him and made you imagine a possible future but other times it feels like he’s not really here, or maybe he just got too comfortable. You start to regret going back and giving him that kiss. Maybe if you didn’t he would still make an effort to earn it. Tonight he talks to you like you’re the only person on the planet but in the date with Taeyong he didn’t feel like the same person. As you get closer to the finish line and choosing the man you want to share your life with, could this be a setback?

Finally you spend some time with Yuta. You’re glad you chose him for the only individual date you had this week because you haven’t had that much alone time with him almost since the beginning of this journey. Of course you talk to him in the other cocktail parties and in the group dates, but it’s different. When he mentioned he felt like you two were losing your connection you felt bad because you realised you felt the same way and you don’t want that. He’s a very nice guy and you’d like to keep him around. Even if he’s not the one you end up with you’d still like to keep him as a friend because he’s an incredible person to have in anyone’s life. You’re glad you were able to reconnect with him this week and realise that some of that initial sparkle between the two of you is still there.

After talking to all of them you feel as confused as ever. All of them have strong points on their favour and you’ll really have to evaluate what’s more important to you. It breaks your heart having to send people home week after week but you came here to find love. One true love. You just didn’t expect the production to do such a nice job casting and presenting you such amazing guys the make you more confused than you ever thought you’d be in this journey.

Before Chris comes to take you upstairs, you take some time to talk to all the guys in a group again. It feels good to be here drama free. The environment seems lighter and you all joke and laugh having a genuine good time. You like seeing them all get along despite being in a competition against each other. The good mood helps them focus on what they’re really doing here and that’s proving they’re the one for you, not bickering with each other and forgetting you’re the one they should impress, not each other.

Chris finally enters the room and you know it’s time to reflect on the outcome of tonight. You thought that by now you’d have your mind made up but you’re as confused as ever.

-

“One more week has passed, how are you feeling?” Chris asks as you two sit down in the decisions room.

“Mixed feelings inside me Chris.” You honestly say. “I feel like I’m really bonding with all of them so it’s really hard to think of someone to let go of.”

“Very understandable. How did you find it not giving out roses ahead of today?”

“It was weird but it was also good because I genuinely wanted to give a rose to everybody after the dates!” You two laugh.

“Well we couldn’t have that!”

“It’s really harder than it looks, I’m not only breaking their hearts but I’m also hurting myself a little bit by sending someone home.”

“Do you have any idea of how you’ll make the decision tonight?”

“I think at this stage I have to think about every single detail to be able to single some one out.”

“It is a hard and important decision as every week. I will leave you to it and be back in awhile so you can share the verdict with the nervous boys downstairs.”

“Thank you Chris.”

As he leaves the room you once again stare at the pictures on the wall trying to make sure you don’t regret whatever choices you make tonight. You feel like you can see a future with any of these 5 men but that’s not how it works, you came here to find the one and for that you’ll have to send them home one by one until you get to him.

-

You and Chris walk down the stairs joining the 5 boys that anxiously await to hear your decisions.

“Good evening gentleman. 5 of you stand before us but there are only 4 roses to be handed out tonight so that means one of you will be grabbing his things and going back home.” Chris then turns to you. “Y/N, whenever you’re ready.”

You thank him as he leaves the room and grab the first rose facing the guys.

“Before I start let me say I really like every single one of you and I feel like we’re building very strong connections. Unfortunately I can’t keep you all here. I want to find love and I’m modern and open minded but not that much.”

You all laugh at your comment and then you take a deep breath before starting calling them out.

“Jaemin.”

His eyes sparkle hearing his name.

“Do you accept this rose?”

“Absolutely.” You two smile as you pin the rose to his jacket. “Thank you, Y/N.”

He walks back as you pick up another one.

“Taeyong.”

The boy widens his already big eyes.

“Do you accept this rose?”

“One thousand times yes!” You feel him shake under your touch. “Thank you so much.”

You grab the next rose.

“Jeno.”

He sighs in relief.

“Do you accept this rose?”

“You scared me there for a second! Of course I do.” You giggle as you pin the rose. “Thank you.”

You bite your lip as you take the last rose on the bowl.

“Yuta.”

A smile opens up on his face as he steps forward.

“Do you accept this rose?”

“Definitely.” You pin it to his jacket. “Thank you so much.”

Chris walks back in.

“Jaehyun, that means that unfortunately you and Y/N are not meant to be. Thank you for being with us. You can now say your goodbyes.”

The other bachelors gather around hugging him. You patiently wait until he finally comes your way.

“I’m so sorry…” You mutter.

“It’s ok, Y/N.” Jaehyun wraps his arms around you, pulling your shaky body in for a hug. “I’d have to go eventually. Your prince charming is here but I knew I’m not him.”

“Thank you for everything, Jaehyun.” You say when he lets go, wiping a tear that fell on his cheek.

“I didn’t think it would be this hard to go.” He chuckles. “But it’s time, thank you, I had a great time.”

You watch him walk out with sadness in your eyes. The other guys gather around you understanding how hard these decisions are. As you get closer to the finish line it’s practically impossible not to get emotional when someone leaves. You only hope Jaehyun is right and your prince charming is really amongst these 4 men.

-

In the next episode:

4 guys remain on the quest for love and it gets harder not only for the bachelorette but also for the bachelors:

“You should be careful, you’re getting a little too cocky.”

“I feel like I’m deluding myself.”

“What are you talking about?”

And someone else will go back home.

“I knew it was only a matter of time.”

“I really don’t want to go.”

Stay tuned for next weeks episode premiering 01/08.

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

Episode 8

a/n: jaeeeeeeee T_T I know this chapter is way smaller than the other ones and I’m posting this later than usual but I was out of the country this week with zero time to write so apologies if this feels rushed… I promise to do better in the future! (for real this time) also want to wish a happy birthday to the person who commented on this episode’s voting that this will be their birthday 🥳 do give me some feedback please! ❤

taglist: @skrtbabe @yutahoes @yokshi-unbeliebubble @nakamotonudes @n0hyuck @negincho @love-and-other-possibilities @readers-posts @sylviacxt​ @tyongf-sunflower99​ @princessjunnie​

If you’d like to be included in the taglist for the series do let me know ❤︎

#cznnet #nctcreations #kpopscape #the bachelorette nct edition #nct imagine #taeyong imagine #yuta imagine #jaehyun imagine #jeno imagine #jaemin imagine

[upside-down-uni]

Hey! Idk if this is too much t9 ask, but could you rec me 2, 19, 20, 45, 55, 63, 69, 71, 72, 75, 86, 104, 111, 116, 131? sorry if it’s a lot but thanks in advance if u can rec me some! :)

Hi, you're in luck! I have an essay to procrastinate on and this ask is just the right thing to distract me! Here you go, I hope you'll find something that you like:

2. a book with a blue cover

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. When i read it for the first time I was just on the brink of going to uni, still figuring out what I even wanted to study and this book just wrapped me in a warm blanket and said "it's going to be okay". I love the main characters Frances and Aled, their arcs and especially the really nice and quiet queer rep in this book.

19. a book that put you in a reading slump

The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. When I start a book I generally have the feeling that I can't put it away until I have finished it. With The Knife Of Never Letting Go my problem was that I did want to read it but it didn't fit my mood, so I couldn't bring myself to read it but also beat myself up about not reading it until I put it back onto my shelf. So, I basically pushed myself into a reading slump over this book.

21. a book with a red cover

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers. I enjoyed this book so much but probably not for the reasons most people would think I enjoyed it? The wlw romance was definitely nice and I really liked them being dramatic but also kind of mundane? What really got me though was the strong theme of found family of young adults and queer friendships, that really yanked the yearning hours wide fucking open for me. (I also liked that in the end the book wasn't as much about romance as it was about finding yourself after surrendering yourself to academia for ages and working through your issues.)

45. a book featuring the friends to lovers trope

The Priory Of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I adore this book. It's so long and there's so much incredible world building and history in it that it made reading an untter delight! Coming in it was a bit hard to acclimate to the slow paste but after a while I just settled in and enjoyed the ride. It's a breathtaking story in a breathtaking universe and afaik there's a second part coming!

55. a book with a satisfying ending

Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi. Yolk doesn't really have an ending in the sense of a "happily ever after" but I really loved where the author chose to leave the characters and how she did it. The book is quite different from what I usually read, tonewise, but especially that ending made me leave the book with a warm feeling. (also the cover is yellow and really really gorgeous)

63. a book that actually made you laugh out loud

I would've reccd Red White and Royal Blue but judging by your url you've read that already...sooooo, it's Snapdragon by Kat Leyh! Super cute graphic novel, with a weird and adorable storyline and such lovable characters!

69. your favorite mythological retelling

I haven't read a mythological retelling in ages, so basic Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan will have to do.

71. your favorite LGBTQ+ fiction

now that's just rude how am I supposed to choose?? I'll say it's Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire and Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and Loveless by Alice Oseman. I feel very strongly and very distinctly about all of them, if you can get your hands on them my only comment is READ. (and maybe make sure you're okay with gothic sci-fi horror for Gideon The Ninth)

72. a book with a gorgeous cover

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. It's her adult gothic horror debut after The Miseducation of Cameron Post and not only is the hardcover just stunning in black and red, it also got illustrations inside!! (And all teh women are queer and it's deliciously fucked up!)

75 a book featuring the I'm not like other girls trope

I think the closest I can come to that is The Lady's Guide To Piracy and Petticoats by Mackenzi Lee. The main character has to unlearn a bunch of stuff really fast if she wants to get along with the only other people that will help her. We have road trips in the 16th century, kidnapping and asshole husbands to be, piracy of course and friendship!

86. a book with an insane plot twist

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand. Sawkill Girls was my first touch with horror and I have to say I have no idea whether there was heavy foreshadowing. I think I remember thinking that there was something else to come but when the shit hit the fan I just sat there with big questionmarks over my head because I had read the book in a frenzy in one evening and truly did NOT anticipate it. As someone who did not read horror or thriller before this I have to say I was already insanely confused and disgusted by a bunch of stuff that went down. But then...uh. the thing happened and I was just lost. (In a good way though.)

104. a fluffy sweet read

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann. It's been a while ever since I read it but it's essentially a cute summer story about Alice who's a disaster bisexual when she sees people she finds cute. Which is a little inconvenient because the new guy at her job is really, really, really extremely cute and she ceases to function around him. There's best friend drama, eating pizza iirc and figuring shit out!

111. a book writing a book

I assume it's either "a book about writing a book" or I am literally supposed to rec a book that is writing a book...I'm going to rec a book that is about books! (because I can.) It's The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury and it follows a young woman called Juliette wo gets sucked into an old bookseller's world of life saving, life changing books. A really quiet, really cute book.

116. a book with multiple povs

the Reckless books by Cornelia Funke! Simply divine stroytelling, a vibrant world and amazing characters! I have to say that I only know the German original so I don't know what the English translation might be like.

131. recommend any book you like

um. so knife gang members and people who follow my main, you'll once again be subjected to me being a mess because of lesbian necromancers in space! I've mentioned it before, it lives in my head rent free, it is the one, the only Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir! It's an insane sci-fi horror fantasy blend where Gideon has to play cavalier to Reverend Daughter Harrowhark I-love-being- an-absolute-pain-in-the-ass-to-Gideon Nonagesimus to help her become an uber-necromancer (like Harrow needs motivation to become even more of a nerd and shockingly good at necromancy) for the Necrolord Prime/Undying Emperor. There's BEAUTIFUL WRITING sprinkled with MEMES when you least expect it. There is incredible toxic codependency and repression. There's MURDER. There's fancy necromancy theorems and DUELS. There's enemies to begrudging allies to ??? Staple your socks to your feet or this book will blow them clean off!

#book rec asks #mo answers #thanks for asking! #idk when you sent this ask but it popped up in my inbox just today so here you go!

[chucklegigglechortlesnort]

Domestic Headcanons for the Obey Me! Demon Bros

bc these thoughts plague me and i need to get them out somehow-

Mammon sings in the shower

He thinks no one can hear him

however, everyone, in fact, is able to hear him

No one says anything though because his voice is actually amazing???

like duh they were all once angels, of course they’re all amazing singers

You definitely hear every one of them singing or humming a little tune every now and then

Beel has a super deep singing voice

that shit rumbles and it’s honestly hard not to be lulled by his voice

he sings belphie to sleep

they low key (but not really) fight over who gets to sit next to you for movie nights

mammon is always quick to use his “I’m her first man” excuse, but that get’s old really quick

Lucifer and Satan are hella condescending about it and absolutely roast him

“Mammon, I didn’t know MC mattered to you so much”

“N-NO! Why would I care about some dumb human?”

“Well, if you don’t care about MC then you wouldn’t mind if they sit by me tonight?”

“HEY WAIT-”

It’s too late, he’s talked himself into a corner

“Why does it have to be one of you? Let MC pick who they sit next to” - Levi, in a huffy tone

“Levi~ are you sure you not saying that because you want MC to yourself? Can’t say that I blame you, they’re just so nice to hold don’t you think?” - Asmo

Chaos ensues

Eventually Beel just calmly walks over to you, hoists you up from wherever you’re sitting and plops you on top of his lap, Belphie snoozing not too far away

He wakes up only to snuggle into your chest and then he’s out like a light

Beel loves to cook with you, but Satan makes a better cooking partner

Sorry Beel

He just ends up eating too much of the food

Satan is surprisingly lax in the kitchen, as long as you don’t get in his way too much

He’s definitely picky about how certain foods are prepared.

If you’re not chopping something to the right size, he’s quick to reach around you and guide your movements

does this subconsciously and doesn’t seem to understand the romantic implications of it

(he totally does, he just has an excellent poker face from thousands of years of practice)

rolls up the sleeves of his sweater to make sure they don’t get in the way of food prep

the sight itself is something to drool over, let alone the lovely aroma coming from the stove

Lucifer works really late into the night and sometimes forgets to sleep at all

I mean we all know this but more often than not he tries to get at least four hours of sleep a night but sometimes he just... forgets

so the mighty Avatar of Pride isn’t perfect after all hA

ok but bring him tea

He usually prefers to make it himself, but if you bring it to him in the middle of the night his heart melts, just a little

tells you to go tf to sleep but is actually really grateful

but as soon as you shut the door he has the s o f t e s t expression

It’s not often that he’s the one on the receiving end of care so it’s nice, even if your tea is a bit on the watery side

self care nights with Asmo

SELF. CARE. NIGHTS. WITH. ASMO.

Has literally every skincare product known to all three realms

but only the best of the best when it comes to the both of you

there’s a plethora of delicious but health conscious snacks to choose from, and some cheesy drama playing in the back ground that neither of you are paying attention to

Asmo loves giving you makeovers to get a rise out of his brothers

but he also loves the way you can’t stop looking at yourself in the mirror when he’s finished

Wants you to love yourself as much as he loves himself you

Levi swims in his fish tank when he’s upset

and just whenever he wants to in general really, but there’s something about being in water that makes him feel calm

...

Wants you to join him but he’s hella nervous about it

When he finally works up the nerve his face is beet red and he nearly runs away before you can answer

>is super confident when he’s in his element

He moves through the water so gracefully it’s hard not to fall into a trance watching him swim

notices you staring and it’s such a boost to his ego omf

definitely makes like he’s about to get out and when you reach out to help him he yanks your dumb ass in with him

your DDD is ruined and Lucifer is mad but in Levi’s mind it was all worth it, even if he got in trouble and is mildly embarrassed about it

Mammon is super receptive to affection when he’s tired

he fell asleep on you once when the both of you were hanging out in your room and woke up to the feeling of you running your hands through his hair

he’s so groggy he can’t find it in himself to muster up the tsundere act

he just nuzzles deeper into your hand

if Belphie finds you napping he is 10/10 times going to join you

You’re not “safe” napping alone anywhere that isn’t your room

he doesn’t want his brother’s disturbing you and he himself doesn’t want to disturb you

so he just cuddles up next to you

at first this was especially shocking, not only to you but to the brothers as well but it soon became such an often occurrence that everyone stopped questioning it

partly because Belphie would never answer any questions, opting to just nonchalantly shuffle away

honestly it happens so often and you’ve grown so used to it that it’s more of a shock when you wake up and he isn’t there

is oddly protective of you

has a sixth sense whenever you’re in danger and will straight up materialize to scare away the threat by looming over them with his intimidating aura

asmo does everyone’s nails

you think lucifer has the time to do his own nails??

or that beel would be able to concentrate long enough to finish his second hand with out wanting a snack??

or that belphie would waste hours he could spend napping waiting for nail polish to dry??

no

asmo takes it upon himself to do their nails for them

the only other person who does it themselves is Levi, who paints his nails while binging long running shonen anime that only requires a part of his attention

they use gel nail polish so it dries quicker and doesn’t chip as easily

you’ve never had a better nail salon experience than at Asmodeous’s at Home Beauty Parlor

He does the hand massage and everything, but only for you

He’s had millennia to practice his craft so if course you’ll be getting the best of the best with asmo

Satan is a closet weeb

now LISTEN- l i s t e n

he probably stumbled across one of levi‘s TSL collection and decided to investigate and was immediately enthralled by the plot and the amazing artwork they held

now he regularly checks out manga from the library and pre pre-orders new upcoming series that catch his eye

his favorited genre is romance, but he also gravitates to magical girl series

make no mistake tho, if you find out somehow, he will have to kill you

please give them affection, none of them are used to it and once you start being casually affectionate with them they’re hooked almost immediately

Obv some are less receptive at first than others - satan, belphie, luci - but that’s okay just give them time

Asmo and Beel are the most comfy with affection and are willing to initiate majority of the time

Asmo always has an arm linked with yours whenever he’s next to you, at the least. He likes to hug you from behind and rest his chin on your shoulder so he can nuzzle into your neck to tickle you

Beel will casually pick you up for hugs, and hold you in his arms to make you safe. he also likes to hold your hand just ‘cause

Levi and Mammon want in on the action once they see beel an asmo being so touchy with you, but are definitely in denial about it for like, a week before they give in and stop being so wussy about it

mammon likes to throw an arm around your shoulders just so others stay away, bc you’re HIS human ofc. also likes it when you play with his hair as previously stated.

Levi is a little more shy about it, but loves it when you link pinkies or choose to sit next to him at the dining table and link ankles with him. He’s also hella smug when you lean on him but is also a blushing mess.

Satan, Luci, and Belphie (for obvious reasons) take the longest to warm up to affection. Satan is the first of the three to warm up to it - he loves reading with you cuddled up beside him. not necessarily on him, but with your sides pressed together as you each read your own book or whatever it is you’re doing while he reads

belphie is next, before lucifer surprisingly. this is kinda when he starts joining you for naps and you’re kinda too scared to question it. also seeks you out to use your thighs as a pillow bc they’re the softest

Luci’s heart kinda melts when he sees you being so close with his brothers. His affection is typically head pats that are more him gently and barely combing his fingers through your hair and tucking it behind your ear

In short i love them all more than words

#obey me! #obey me! one master to rule them all #obey me satan #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me levi #obey me beel #obey me belphie #obey me asmodeus #obey me x reader #sfw #obey me imagines

[tragicallywicked]

ENDLESS NOTHINGNESS

[ CHAPTER ONE ]

Words: 1,528 Genre: Romance/Drama Rated: Mature Pairing: Alice + Jasper Summary: From the moment they met Alice knew she would watch Jasper die despite every attempt she’s made to change the future. She’s still grieving him when she meets Charlotte, a powerful witch able to change the past. Alice will stop at nothing to bring him back—no matter what it costs.

READ ON AO3

PROLOGUE

— * —

We let the waters rise We drifted to survive I needed you to stay But I let you drift away

— * —

She’s alone again.

She’s used to loneliness.

Alice never particularly had a problem with being alone. Since the very start, it had been just her all long. When her mother brought her to the coven, a young witch discovering her gift, she had been fascinated, the most dedicated in her studies. But she was always alone, even in a coven. Alice was not like the others and that wasn’t simply for her impeccable learning skill and precognition—an ability so rare it gave away just how powerful Alice was going to be. She was a threat to the other’s in the coven, but she was the daughter of their leader so she was there. But Alice was always cast aside, no other witch ever willing to teach her. But she preferred it that way, unattended and left alone with her powers. It was easy for it all to become dull as she grew, for the incantations to be below her skillset. Was it so wrong that she sought for more, that she dug deeper?

After the mess was made and the other witches were gone, murdered by her draining their powers and their lives, Alice always wondered why her mother had that book in her possession, the book of the doomed. If Alice and the others weren’t allowed to study dark magic, why her mother had the book in the first place? For the one that was nearly burnt at the stake by her own coven, her people, good and evil were blurred lines, two sides of the same coin serving an equal purpose. Was she evil because she made magic bent to her power, to her inexplicably gifted self? Was she good because later she helped guide other witches unlike her coven had done to her? Alice thought there was no good and no bad, there were just those wanting to get ahead, and she always did.

They were all dead and gone now, Alice was a sorcerer unlike any other, and it was all ancient history. But nothing really matter, did it? Not when Jasper had just been killed before her, a vision she’d had the day they met all these years ago when he had walked through a portal right into her study, around 1703. Unbeknownst to the both of them, Alice had summoned him. Her magic pulled forces from different dimensions and portals opened at times. He came through a purple haze of magic that settled in her basement, with the incantation calling up to his awake, looking smug and mischievous, and ready to attack whatever had brought him there. She’d heard of the legends of the Gods, she had read and studied about Asgard but it still took her by complete surprised to see one there, first hand. She had recognized the clothing style from ancient books that drew and described how they carried themselves and when the man was quick to shift his appearance to something alike her dress code, Alice knew him to be a trickster, a God of mischief and deception.

Jasper had his own affairs on Earth, searching for a certain infinity stone he’d gotten word it was lost in the universe, but Alice’s magic had been a sudden unexpected passage to exactly where he needed to be. He was impressed because mortals normally didn’t possess such powers, especially not Earth borns. They were the most weak and ordinary of the universes. But there was nothing weak about Alice, and certainly nothing ordinary about their relationship. They hadn’t started with the right foot, but they fell with ease in the grace of bantering with one another. It wasn’t just the sex at same time it was frequently nothing but it.

 Her magic messed up with his, and the other way around wasn’t any different. So, many nights, for nearly a century, Jasper and Alice threw spells and curses at each other, until the clothes were gone and they were just two beings falling into the charming delicious feelings of the flesh.

He was a God in the most quintessential sense of the word, tall and blonde and absolutely breathtaking with the perfect nose and the squared jaw, the manners when he saw Alice was a sorcerer herself—and a lady. He could choose who he wished and she was a witch and she could bend people to her own liking (Alice had been, after all, extremely great at mind-control incantations), but it was the conflicting agendas that made all so exciting for the two of them. He  had introduced himself as Jasper, son of Carlisle, whom the world knew to be the father of Norse mythology. Her magic messed up with his, and the other way around wasn’t any different. So, many nights, for nearly a century, Jasper and Alice threw spells and curses at each other, until the clothes were gone and they were just two beings falling into the charming delicious feelings of the flesh. Alice, unlike the rest of humanity, was aware Norse Gods were no legend even before Jasper showed up. But what always had intrigued her was what and why Jasper had been summoned to her. None of her books gave her plausible explanations for their imminent attraction either, but more so than that, not a single one had prepared her—or them—for the arrival of Aro.

Alice knew from the very first time, from their first meet, that Jasper would be killed by Aro in front of her, strangled to death, and in all their years together there hadn’t been a time she saw that vision changing. But what she didn’t know then was just how important Jasper would become to her, how much she would feel his lost, how the pain would break her to pieces. And there was nothing she could do to bring him back. He wasn’t like the rest, that she had lost for the blip, Jasper had been killed before, during Aro’s search for the stones. There was no book, no incantation that would bring him fully back. Even necromancy wouldn’t work in that case—it would bring him to her, but it would never really be him, just a ghost of the man she loved.

Love. Alice never imagined she could love someone, especially not Jasper who had gotten on her nerve for so long, not him who had tricked her so many times. But she did, she had opened her iced heart for him and he’d stolen it mercilessly. And now he was dead, he had gone and gotten himself killed trying to protect her. She was alone again.

But it was all right, because Alice was used to loneliness.

Well… She had been used to loneliness.

The first time Alice feels something other than sorrow is a five years after the blip. She feels the shift on the universe when people are brought back, and she sees on the news, reports of all the missing people returning, the fallen reappearing. But this is different, only a few days after people are brought back, after the Avengers defeat Aro, it’s magic that Alice feels. And there’s a considerable difference on the energy of the stones and the incantations, a difference only witches with abilities like herself can tell. But the afterglow of so many spells cast all at once is too strong, it pulls her toward a power she wants, needs to acquire, because what else there’s for her? What else is she going to do with if not go back to being exactly the evil one everyone cast her to be.

But why were the spells being cast? She couldn’t make heads and tails of it, not even after coming to Westview to find two Avengers—one who had presumably been dead before the blip and the other that had disappeared with it—living a perfect nineteen-fifties life, full of costumes and strange situations. It was like Charlotte was in a sort of trance and Alice didn’t know, nor couldn’t ask, how she’d done it. But she needed it, oh she needed it badly. Power was everything Alice had now that Jasper was gone, and she was going to take it away from Charlotte the same way she’d taken from so many other sorcerers along the line. But something happened, it stopped her. A vision of herself and Jasper, together again. It took her breath away entirely, how vivid and strong it was, she could capture every single detail of it, and one was a fallen Charlotte on the ground. She wasn’t in any fifties clothing and by the looks of it not in Westview at all.

Alice wasn’t quite sure yet how, but het gut told her she had to investigate further before she actually took action into taking Charlotte’s powers, especially if that meant it could bring Jasper back. She do would just anything for him to be brought to life, even if it meant ending Charlotte’s life. Nothing, and no one, was going to stop them from being together again.

#jalice #alice cullen #jasper hale #twilight #twilight fanfiction #twilight renaissance #the twilight renaissance #mary alice brandon #jasper whitlock #mine #fanfiction #ff: endless nothingness #edits

[canonicallysoulmates]

Hey! You can feel free to ignore this since it is a big ask but. As someone who dropped off the show by s8 and doesn’t really care about following the big plot points, can you recommend to me all the good Sam & Dean episodes that have happened since? (Not just angst or drama even, even just episodes with funny little moments or details?) I am like, solely here for these two being codependent and soulmates and not much else. <3 (Sidenote: thank you for your tagging system!)

Hi! Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to this; as you yourself said this was a big ask, lots of episodes to go through and remember but hopefully you’re still interested in my answer. 

Now the following are not every episode where there’s a brother moment for example the s8 premiere had a great brother hug where the boys reunite, episode 3 of that same season drew parallels between the boys and a couple, if I remember correctly,  but those episodes are not included on the list because I didn’t just wanna recommend every single epi that had a brother scene just because it had a brother scene. I took into consideration if it had moments, what they were, enjoyability of the episode and if the moment or moments were big enough to make a bad episode worth recommending, I don’t wanna recommend something to you without thought and have you spend an hour of your life just to see and enjoy a flash in the pan moment you can enjoy just as much or more through gifs and clips. 

In complete transparency I will also add that I did this mostly from memory so there is the chance that an episode with good moments slipped through the cracks and for that I apologize. 

I don’t know at what point of s8 you stopped watching or if you stopped before the season so I am starting this with s8. 

Season 8

Episode 4: Bitten. This epi doesn’t have a ton of moments or even a big one but it does have two students saying Sam and Dean give off workplace-romance vibes, and I’m a sucker for the boys being compared to or thought of as a couple.  

Episode 10: Torn and Frayed. Not gonna lie, not the biggest fan of this episode, but it does have the brothers choosing each other over Benny and Amelia so….

Episode 11: LARP and the Real Girl. I said it before in another post that to me this is the turning point of the season for the better, and it has the boys having fun. 

Episode 12: As Time Goes By. I wouldn’t call this one a Sam and Dean episode as in SamandDean packed with brother moments but we and the boys get to learn more about their legacy as Winchesters so if that’s something you’re interested in...

Episode 14: Trial and Error. This one has emotional brother moments with Dean wanting Sam to be safe and have a normal life and Sam asking Dean to believe in him, and praising him. 

Episode 17: Goodbye Stranger. To be honest, I don’t remember if this epi has other brother moments but I am solely recommending it because this is the one where Dean learns the trials are making Sam sick and at the end there’s a scene where he tells Sam to let him help carry the burden. 

Episode 19: Taxi driver. Great epi filled with protective!Dean, he kills Benny to save Sam, a beautiful brother hug. 

Episode 20: Pac man fever. They argue like a married couple and Dean’s fear is shown to be losing Sam. 

Episode 21: The Great Escapist. Pretty much the whole episode has little moments of Dean taking care of Sam. 

Episode 23: Sacrifice. “Don’t you dare think that there is anything past or present that I would put in front of you!” This is the ‘if you watch nothing else from this season’ episode to watch. If you watch nothing else from the s8 sections of recommendations, watch this one, it has one of the best, most emotional Sam and Dean moments in the show’s history.

Season 9

Episode 1: I think I’m Gonna Like It Here. “I made you a promise in that church. You and me, come whatever.” “There ain’t no me if there ain’t no you.” I live for the codependency and for these two going to extremes to save the other including tricking into letting an angel possess the other’s body, and I refuse to apologize for it. 

Episode 5: Dog Dean Afternoon. Okay, I’ll admit this one definitely falls more under the fun episode type but it does have Dean being all worried about Sam, clutching to him and threatening to lick his face if he doesn’t wake up. 

Episode 7: Bad Boys. We learn more about young!Dean and see him choosing Sam over having a normal life.

Episode 15: #THINMAN. This one is an angsty one and not just because it’s the last time we see the Ghostfacers, this takes place after everything goes to shit in the boys relationship with Sam finding out about Dean’s betrayal and it contains parallels to what Ed and Harry are going through in their relationship, a protective worried Sam over Dean possibly being killed (which let me tell you is delicious to witness after all the angst and Sam acting like he doesn’t care about Dean anymore), and a bittersweet moment of the boys reminiscing about their past.

Episode 16: Blade Runners. This one is being recommended because it has some protective!Dean and because Sam being Dean’s Colette bringing him out of his MOC induced rage. 

Episode 23: Do You Believe in Miracles?. The “I’m proud of us” moment, need I say more.

Season 10

Episode 1: Black.

Episode 2: Reinbach.

Episode 3: Soul Survivor. These three episodes are all being recommended for the exact same reason they have demon!Dean, and Sam going crazy trying to save him/find him. Plus, Soul Survivor has demon!Dean following Sam around the bunker. 

Episode 4: Paper Moon. It has a flashback showing us just how far Sam was willing to go to get Dean back plus some emotional conversations between the boys. 

Episode 5: Fan Fiction. I know people who like this episode. I know people who hate this episode. Personally, I think it has its good parts, it has some brother moments and some nods to wincest.

Episode 12: About A Boy. This one also falls more into the category of fun episode with Dean being turned into a teen, but it also has some good brother moments. 

Episode 14: The Executioner’s Song. The fight scene between Dean and Cain was amazing and it has Dean collapsing into Sam’s arms. 

Episode 18: Book of the Damned. Love this episode, this epi is probs the best example as to what I enjoyed the most about s10; usually we see Dean being codependent and going to extremes to save Sam but during this season we see the opposite and this episode really highlights that with Sam telling Dean he can’t lose him, telling Charlie he understands hunting is his life but he can’t do it without his brother, going behind Dean’s back and seeking help from Rowena to try and save him.

Episode 19: The Werther Project. More Sam being desperate to save Dean, protective!Dean, and Dean saying he and Sam are stronger together than apart. 

Episode 23: Brother’s Keeper. Sam and Dean literally choose each other over the world and Dean kills Death over Sam. 

Season 11

Episode 4: Baby. One of the best episodes, just our boys, the open road and all told from Baby’s POV. A must watch in my book. 

Episode 8: Just My Imagination. The last flashback episode we ever got -  *hits 15.16 with a shovel* like I said last flashback episode we got; it’s fun, has good Sam and Dean moments, we learn more young!Sam, Sam gets some love and praise, the boys wore cozy sweaters, good epi. 

Episode 10: The Devil in the Details. It has protective!Dean and Lucifer point out to Sam that he and Dean have chosen each other time and time again because they can’t stand to lose one another. What can I say, I like when the codependency is brought up. 

Episode 11: Into the Mystic. Here’s the thing with this episode, I have become sort of embittered towards it due this being the introduction of a character with whom there is an attempted romance in s15 which I heavily dislike but I can’t deny that before that I really did like it, it has some good brother moments and it has Dean telling Sam he forgave him for not looking for him in Purgatory which is major. 

Episode 15: Beyond the Mat. Another epi on the fun list, mostly being recommended because it has the boys having fun and that’s something we rarely get to see. 

Episode 16: Safe House. Protective!Worried about Dean!Sam!

Episode 17: Red Meat. What can I say about this iconic episode? It's one of the best episodes in the series, absolutely soul crushing, codependency times 1,000. Have tissues with you when you watch it because you will sob your heart out. They turned Sam and Dean into Romeo and Juliet but better. 

Episode 20: Don’t Call Me Shurley. Regardless of what a certain showrunner ended up doing to the character I do still love this episode and it has some great Sam and Dean content with Dean preferring to possibly die with Sam, telling him he’d never leave him and the return of the Samulet. 

Episode 23: Alpha and Omega. Emotional brother hug, Dean saying he and Sam need each other.

Season 12

Episode 5: The One You’ve Been Waiting For. I’m gonna be honest, I don’t remember much of this episode other than I enjoyed it and that it had some fun moments between the boys. 

Episode 9: First Blood. I’m truly only recommending this because it had,  Badass!Winchesters.

Episode 10: Lilly Sunder Has Some Regrets. Funny thing about this episode was it was supposed to be all about C but it ended up being enjoyable and filled with little Sam and Dean moments including some protective!Sam. 

Episode 11: Regarding Dean. Jensen’s acting in this episode is next level, and it is filled with little brother moments. 

Episode 18: The Memory Remains. The only reason I am recommending this one is because it’s the one where the boys carve their initials on the table which was a major moment. 

Season 13

Episode 8: The Scorpion and the Frog. Another fun episode that’s filled with little Sam and Dean moments. 

Episode 11: Breakdown. For so long I talked about Dean being Sam’s knight in shining armor it’d be wrong for me to not bring up the episode where it happened. Also, Dean tells Sam he’s there for him. 

Episode 12: Various and Sundry Villains. It had some fun brother moments. 

Season 14

Episode 4: Mint Condition. Fun Hallooween episode with fun,  little moments. Absolutely loved this one. 

Episode 11: Damaged Goods. This isn’t really a Sam and Dean episode, or at least I don’t consider it one but the ending scene between the brothers where Dean tells Sam he’s the only one that could have changed his mind about throwing himself into the box was beautiful. 

Episode 12: Prophet and the Loss. The brother hug to end all brother hugs. Absolutely amazing episode, packed with brother moments including what’s probably the best brother hug, will sing its praises till I die and then I’ll continue singing them in the afterlife. 

Episode 13: Lebanon. The 300th episode. It has some moments between the boys as well as some touching scenes of the boys with their dad. 

Season 15

Episode 4: Atomic Monsters. Is this partially on the recommended pile because Jensen directed it? Yes but nonetheless it’s a pretty good epi that while not super packed with brother moments does have them. (Also, this is the last season and I’m sad to report we are scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to find Sam and Dean content in this dessert.)

Episode 11: The Gamblers. Good brother moments and the boys get called heroes which I love. 

Episode 13: Destiny’s Child. The sole reason I am recommending this episode is for AU!Sam and Dean, they are the funnest thing this show has done in a while. 

Episode 14: Last Holiday. While this doesn’t really have Sam and Dean moments with the exception of Sam telling Dean he should have called him to let him know he was in trouble, it does have the boys being taken care of and getting to have some fun and that’s something we so rarely get to see that I am including it. 

Like I said, this is not a definitive list of every single episode that has Sam and Dean moments there’s episodes like the most recent one, 15.17, that had a beautiful moment between the brothers but I didn’t list the epi here cause I don’t think it’s necessary to watch the whole episode for it when it can be seen and enjoyed just as much by watching it through a clip. Which while I don’t recommend the whole ep I do highly recommend looking up the end and seeing the brother moment; point is, similar to 8.01 or 15.17 there were other episodes that had moments that weren’t included due to seeing the whole epi not being necessary to enjoy the moment.

#i didn't wanna just recommend without thought so this took a long time #and i put a lot of work into it #ask #sam and dean #spn related #emblian

[onetrainscifi]

Whoo. That pilot was--a lot to unpack. Parts of it were definitely 😬 *cringe* but I also find myself grateful that the network recognized its potential and liked the heart of it enough to bring on a new creative team.

Like, reading all the slides with Cleo I realized what I'd been missing in Zarah-this pilot really stressed the loving relationships of the murdered man's family and actually let Cleo react to his death while our Zarah told Layton a grand total of ONCE that Sean Wise was 'someone she loved' but then never mentioned/mourned him (or her other partners who just? disappeared?? They were led away in handcuffs, were they ever released? Were they drawered? Did they blame Zarah and therefore just never return to the home they'd shared? What side did they take in the rebellion? Like, what happened to these people?!) again. And from that moment on her character seemed so untethered--so unattached to the rest of what was taking place because she had no emotional center. This great, traumatic event that should have been both her character motivation and kept her tethered to the action/investigation was just kinda--swept to the side. Like, if we had gotten a Zarah who was more like Cleo, who pestered Layton, regardless of their thorny past, for updates on the investigation and had to be the rock for her mourning family and who stood solidly with Miss Audrey in righteous anger for the blue-eyed firstie who did this horrible thing--I would've enjoyed her so much more! And Ugh! Jinju and Till being supportive and cute From The Start(!) was 😍. Just--the fact that the focus on healthy love and affection happened to be centered on a polyamorous family and a lesbian couple was great.

But there were other things in the Pilot that seemed so-tonally different and just questionable. Like maayyybe making Layton a chronole 'stoner' was an indicator that parts of his character were drawn not just from the hero Curtis in the movie but also Namgoog, the security specialist. And mayyybe they weren't trying to be completely blind to the fact that their black protagonist deserves as much heart and conviction as his white counterpart in the movie, but. Yikes. Making him addicted to chronole and so...morose/spaced out all the time robs him of that drive and conviction that would make me believe any of the Tailies would rally behind him. Our Layton is a go-getter, a man of action and this guy in the pilot was...not. So...props to Graeme for making our Layton so much better!

But also--WHY would they choose to stress to us that Osweiller is a footballer JUST to freeze his foot off? In both the show and film the limb removal scenes really hammered home how cruel the HUMANS on the train chose to be to each other. And the freezing of the cattle car itself should've been enough to remind us the world outside is treacherous and inhospitable--they didn't have to try so hard to show us that any act of kindness or altruism on the train is futile. Like after seeing THAT, what the hell could possibly help move Till in the direction of choosing compassion and justice for the Tail?!

But I digress-I think the areas I'm most grateful for change were in regards to our season 1 powerhouses, Layton and Melanie. And some of it was so subtle but made SUCH a difference, like pilot Melanie's quirk was tapping her acrylic nails against her teeth--a sign that 1) she's perfectly happy reaping the benefits of 1st class life and 2) she's always thinking/conniving/SCHEMING. But OUR Melanie has a habit of rubbing her neck when she's stressed--as if THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD/HUMANITY IS ON HER SHOULDERS. Pilot Melanie is also uppity and shows up early to catch people off-guard. Our Melanie is quiet and studious when we first meet her-gauging the situation, letting Layton and others reveal their hand first-and she shows up late/after the main players are already gathered BECAUSE SHE HAS TO BE EVERYWHERE. But honestly I think the change I am absolutely most grateful for (aside from pretty much everything, lol. Like, I canNOT IMAGINE Alison Wright as Lilah instead of Ruth. And letting Miles actively seek the engineer apprenticeship to help the rebellion instead of having Layton(?) who is neither this child's father nor his active mentor (literally all they do is wrangle rats together in the pilot) make that choice for him WITHOUT his actual mother's consent was clearly a stroke of genius. As was just...not focusing so much on cow 18. Like. We get it. They're like animals crammed together in a cattle car. There is no reason to make so many Holocaust references in the first five pages of the script. There are other, far less jarring ways to convey human suffering and misery on this fictional show about a manmade Armageddon. -_-) is the ommission of the shady magistrate as part of the leadership/inner circle/cult.

Having him and that other guy making the decisions/embodying the ACTION of those decisions moving forward if this pilot had been their opener would've really detracted from the heft of Melanie's secret--like in the finished product, we have Melanie behind the curtain, an engineer by trade who clung to this cruel/unfair system all for the sake of keeping the train, the thing she built and the hope it represents, ALIVE and moving. It was a choice that didn't feel like a choice. A necessity. And yet she was changed by it. The mask of Wilford is harsh and she has to become harsh. She wears all these hats and leans on others when she has to (like Ben, Jinju, etc) or when a situation is truly dire, but there is no room for doubt that it is HER decision at the end of the day. She's the one who saves the train over and over when mechanics fail. And she's the one who decides to commute LJ's sentence. The Wilford mask/veil has allowed her the freedom to make these absolute decisions without oversight-so SHE alone bears the brunt of the consequences. There's no one else to blame, which made for some of the most delicious drama on the show when that secret was brought to light. How Melanie related to individuals (like Ruth, Layton, etc.) and how she related to the passengers as a whole was suddenly, VIOLENTLY, upended and allowed for really tense character moments.

And we wouldn't have gotten that if they had kept the shady magistrate stepping in to try to strong arm Jinju and others into doing the cult's will.

Like, maybe it could've panned out in a satisfying way but I will never forget how excited I was when we got the "I have the train" exchange in the first episode that revealed it was a WOMAN at the helm. A smart, cunning, hard to read but delightful to watch woman who'd been hiding in plain sight, in a uniform that screams 'subservient' and 'service' but had been popping up continually in places and spaces that seemed better suited to the men running the investigation and security/murder squad-this woman is shown to be in charge of it. ALL of it. The good (the beautiful aquarium, life in perfect balance, etc.) AND the bad (the Tail and it's horrors). THAT moment was really the one where I thought "I'm hooked. I wanna see where this goes." And so I'm so glad they cut the magistrate - and cult, honestly - out.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble! Thanks for sharing that pilot stuff! It has given me much to think about! :)

Breaking this down into parts again here we go!

1. Yes!! Exactly!! Cleo was given so much depth and room to grieve and have that actually be part of her storyline unlike Zarah. So I did really like that.

2. They made Layton SO much better good god. Like. Thankfully they improved his character.

3. I don't honestly know?? Like maybe to show what it does to humans?? No idea.

4. Y e a h exactly. We all love an unhinged woman but pilot Melanie was...yikes. Like...she genuinely seemed so happy to be in 1st class and have this power to be Wilford's chosen hospitality worker and scare people. And Alison Wright as Lilah would be so cute though, I wanna see it akdjsksi

5. YEAH THE MAGISTRATE GUY IS JUST REALLY NOT IT. He is not who we want he's just?? Seemingly one of the second in commands in Melanie's cult, which is odd but oh well.

#snowpiercer #snowpiercer tnt #asks #snowpiercer pilot

[sssshhhthefilmsabouttostart]

The best and worst films of 2020

Let’s be honest - 2020 was an extremely shitty year for moviegoers everywhere, as the Queen would say an annus horribilis.

Due to the Covid pandemic’s dramatic impact on nearly every facet of human life, cinemas closed, film festivals went virtual and film productions became an intricate mess of insurance and safety challenges.

Yet despite these dire challenges and an unpredictable future, cinema remained very much alive throughout the year, with a wide range of ambitious undertakings snaking their way into whatever form of release seemed viable. Blockbusters receded to the background, allowing a wide range of movies to trickle through an uncertain marketplace that would have been hostile to them even in pre-pandemic times.

So what cinematic gems and unmitigated disasters were dropped upon audiences during the year?

Ladies and gentlemen, may we please offer for your consideration...

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

THE CURRENT WAR - THE LIGHTHOUSE - IN FABRIC - BEING FRANK: THE CHRIS SIEVEY STORY (D) - BOMBSHELL - THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON - THE SOCIAL DILEMMA (D) - LIGHT OF MY LIFE - THE ASSISTANT - THE LODGE - THE GENTLEMEN - THE WAY BACK - DARK WATERS - 1917 - THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY - THE HUNT

2020′S TOP TEN BEST FILMS

10. THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW

Hot off the critical success of his debut feature ‘Thunder Road,’ writer-director Jim Cummings’ refreshing yet effective take on the werewolf genre amped up the dark comedy whilst delivering quite a few chills. Tinged with realistically flawed characters and clever scares, ‘The Wolf of Snow Hollow’ might not have been your typical werewolf flick but it successfully managed to bring that classic legend to life once again.

9. LET HIM GO

Previously last seen together as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents in ‘Man of Steel,’ Diane Lane and Kevin Costner were reunited onscreen as husband and wife again in writer-director Thomas Bezucha’s neo-Western drama ‘Let Him Go.’ Adapted from author Larry Watson’s 2013 novel, the film featured stunning landscapes, full-blooded moments of sudden violence and compelling performances from Diane Lane, Kevin Costner and, most memorably, Lesley Manville’s turn as a gritty and cunning matriarch.

8. COLOUR OUT OF SPACE

Based on the classic short story by HP Lovecraft and featuring another scene-stealing performance from Nicolas Cage, this clever adaptation was an effective horror film with an unrelentingly grim sci-fi bent. In addition to the truly disturbing and inspired images of queasy body horror, ‘Colour Out of Space’ also marked the eagerly-anticipated re-emergence of filmmaker Richard Stanley (his first time back in the director’s chair since being fired from his 1996 remake ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’).

7. THE INVISIBLE MAN

Who knew a remake could be so refreshing? With this updated take on the H.G. Wells tale, writer-director Leigh Whannell did just about everything right, delivering a tense, clever thriller with touches of both horror and sci-fi. As the fascinatingly flawed yet appealing tough protagonist, Elisabeth Moss gave a captivating performance in a film that was chilling in all the right ways, packed with plenty of twists and a deliciously nasty resolution.

6. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (NETFLIX)

Whilst the subject matter of ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7′ shared an uncanny relevance to today’s politically charged times, as a gripping courtroom drama with a stellar cast, the film ticked all the boxes. ‘West Wing’ creator Aaron Sorkin put his trademark traits - razor-sharp wit, rhetorical flair and political insight - to very good use in this masterful retelling of the trial following the 1968 anti-war protests outside the Democratic National Convention.

5. HEARTS AND BONES

In his debut feature film, Australian director Ben Lawrence created a spiritually rich and immersive drama about the relationship between a grizzled, broken war photographer and a Sudanese refugee. Whilst Hugo Weaving was note-perfect in his portrayal as a crumbling man wrestling with his past, equally impressive was first time actor Andrew Luri who delivered a quiet yet memorable performance in what was an affecting piece of cinema.

4. TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL (DOCUMENTARY)

Watching a documentary about the COVID-19 crisis in the middle of a global pandemic might not sound appealing but prolific filmmaker Alex Gibney’s latest work was easily the most essential non-fiction film of 2020. Shot safely in secret for five months, ‘Totally Under Control’ played out like a tightly-wound thriller as it placed the Trump Administration’s inept response to the coronavirus pandemic under the microscope.

3. BAD EDUCATION (HBO)

As far as crime stories go, embezzlement isn’t always the most thrilling subject. However, ‘Bad Education’ turned a relatively simple white collar crime story about a New Jersey school administrator caught stealing money into a compelling drama, thanks to an incisive and nimble script and spot on performances from Allison Janney, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ray Romano and especially Hugh Jackman.

2. MANK (NETFLIX)

Director David Finch’s dazzling portrait of Herman J. ‘Mank’ Mankiewicz, the screenwriter who collaborated with wunderkind filmmaker Orson Welles to write the first draft of ‘Citizen Kane,’ was a cinematic jewel from start to finish. Similar to last year’s ‘Once Upon A Time in...Hollywood,’ ‘Mank’ delivered a layered depiction of the filmmaking process, whilst Gary Oldman continued to excel at immersing himself in playing real-life characters, this time as the hard-drinking, intellectual screenwriter.

1. NOMADLAND

Writer-director Chloe Zhao’s intimate drama about an unemployed widow living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad was a thoughtful, contemplative and reflective piece of storytelling. It may have touched upon mature themes about loneliness, financial instability and restlessness, but ‘Nomadland’ remained an uplifting and hopeful piece of cinema that captured the various bittersweet reasons people choose to live a life on the road.

With an outstanding performance from Frances McDormand, brought to life through the charm of the ‘real life’ supporting cast, great direction and Joshua James Richard’s mesmerising cinematography, ‘Nomadland’ was the perfect film for 2020.

...AND NOW THE WORST!

DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS

VAMPIRES VS THE BRONX - BAD BOYS FOR LIFE - THE OLD GUARD - PROJECT POWER - ISN’T IT ROMANTIC - THE RHYTHM SECTION - WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE - I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS - MIDWAY - YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT - BABY DONE - FORCE OF NATURE - CAPONE - THE NEW MUTANTS - DOOLITTLE

10. WONDER WOMAN 1984

To quote Red Letter Media’s resident film critic Mike Stoklasa, “this movie was the cinematic equivalent of the Bluesmobile.” Directed by Patty Jenkins, this 80′s-set sequel to the 2017 DC superhero hit was lethargically paced and featured a completely bonkers narrative that made absolutely no sense. Horribly scripted, disjointed and overstuffed (a runtime of 2.5 hours), ‘Wonder Woman 1984′ sadly jettisoned everything that made Jenkins’ original film so compelling. The result? An appalling misfire.

9. THE GRUDGE

A curiously talented and interesting cast were somehow lured into - and subsequently wasted in - this pointless, tired, reboot/revival of the long-running ‘Ju-On’ Japanese-based horror series. Despite director NIcholas Pesce’s attempt to disguise the rudimentary nature of the plot via back-and-forth timeline jumping, ‘The Grudge’ was just a formulaic paint-by-the-numbers meander through a poorly developed story that existed only to prop up a bunch of uninspired jump scares.

8. BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

There are many movies that have no reason to exist - and this latest misfire from DC Comics was one of them. Directed by Cathy Yan, ‘Birds of Prey’ was a mire of uninspired ideas and recycled genre conventions that got old real quick. Penned by Christina Hodson (’Bumblebee’ being the ‘highlight’ on her resume), the script was as simplistic as it was thin, with needless subplots merely introduced to inflate the film to a decent running time. Even Margot Robbie’s manic performance as the ‘Mistress of Mayhem’ couldn’t save this mess.

7. JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT

What could’ve been a dream film for fans of these two classic stoner characters instead was nothing but a string of cameos and callbacks in a plot-less bore. Director Kevin Smith sucked all the life and fun out of this watered-down story, that suffered from a constant series of awkward and forced jokes that were painfully unfunny. An unfortunate stinker.

6. AVA

This latest foray into the ‘female assassin for hire’ genre was about as cliched as you could get. An emotionally troubled female killer whose male mentor assumes the role of the surrogate father? Check. Pounding dance music score? Check. Obligatory nightclub fight sequence? Check. Confused love interest? You betcha! Humourless, dry and uninspired, ‘Ava’ played out like a poor man’s ‘La Femme Nikita.’

5. FANTASY ISLAND

Hollywood’s obsession with repackaging Gen-X childhoods continued with this absurd attempt to reboot the classic 1970′s TV series as a low-budget horror joint under the Blumhouse label. At a dangerously close two hour runtime, there was simply nothing interesting about the film’s characters or its inane plot about a mystical island that grants wishes (a’la ‘The Monkey’s Paw’). Our advice? Turn ‘de plane’ around if you ever plan to visit this ‘Fantasy Island.’

4. ARTEMIS FOWL

For every ‘Harry Potter’ that explodes into the public consciousness, there always seems to be a dozen or more failed franchises. Sadly, Disney’s ‘Artemis Fowl’ found itself in the latter category. Director Kenneth Branagh’s dull and superficial attempt to transfer this popular children’s book series from page to screen suffered from a lack of character development, an over-reliance in CG effects and featured a lifeless performance from newcomer Ferdia Shaw as the titular character. 

3. HUBIE HALLOWEEN (NETFLIX)

A month before last year’s Oscar nominations were released, Adam Sandler joked on ‘The Howard Stern Show’ that if the Academy snubbed him for his role in the film ‘Uncut Gems,’ he would make a movie “that [was] so bad on purpose.” And that’s exactly what happened. Supposedly a comedy, ‘Hubie Halloween’ was unfunny, disposable and completely devoid of any originality. Sadly for audiences, Sandler signed a four-movie deal with Netflix last year, worth up to $275 million - so we can expect to see more of this shit soon!

2. ALIEN ADDICTION

Aliens visit New Zealand and get high smoking human faeces? Someone should have advised Kiwi director Shae Sterling that audiences have moved on from such puerile comedies as this abomination. Suffice to say, if anybody ever admitted to finding this film remotely funny, they’d probably be outcast from society. An embarrassment to all those involved. 

1. THE BEACH BUM

Director Harmony Korine’s generic stoner comedy about a prolific poet who drifts through life in a drug-induced haze had all the natural high of an unfiltered, soggy joint and was easily, hands down, 2020′s worst film.

‘The Beach Bum’ was a pretentious and uninteresting movie whose lead character, considered to be an ‘artistic genius,’ was nothing more than a relentless shithead to everyone around him. As Moondog, the semi-naked, bongo-playing, pot-fuelled beat poet, Matthew McConaughey was insufferable and grating in his portrayal of a character you would quite easily want to punch in the face - repeatedly. Blazed and confused, ‘The Beach Bum’ had no plot, no class and no entertainment value whatsoever. 

MOVIE POSTERS

From the classic to the abstract, here is just a sample of some of the best poster designs from a highly unusual year of movies.

...AND FINALLY, WHEN WHEN IT COMES TO DIRE-LOG, THEY SAID WHAT!?

“I've never wanted anything more. But he's gone, and that's the truth. And everything has a price. One I'm not willing to pay. Not any more. This world was a beautiful place, just as it was, and you cannot have it all. You can only have the truth. And the truth is enough. The truth is beautiful” (’Wonder Woman 1984′).

And who could forget this little chestnut of advice...

“That is the only truth and truth is all there is. You cannot be the winner because you are not ready to win. And there is no shame in that. Only in knowing the truth in your heart and not accepting it. No true hero is born from lies” (’Wonder Woman 1984′).

[hoezier]

why do you not like jane the virgin season5?

Ah JTV season 5... where does one begin with JTV season 5? The utter disaster. The NERVE to call that flaming mess their best season in promotions. The insanity of thinking this the best that show has offered us when it was their worsT season.

Let’s break this down, shall we?

1. Michael’s return: I was against the idea of them bringing back Michael from the very start. One of the reasons for that was that I didn’t like the implication that the only way to validate Jafael would be by her choosing Raf over Michael in a parallel situation, ‘cause guess what, that’s a crappy message. And makes it seem like whatever relationship one enters into after the tragic loss of a partner is lesser because they didn’t choose that new relationship over the old one, which is not at all something that you want to send to any audience. But my main reason was that I didn’t think they could pull it off. And guess what? I was right. His amnesia happening and I was like okay, but what the fork are you gonna make Jane insist he remembers her only to be like but lol I love Raf so bye. And then she does exactly that but not once does she or anyone else question the rightness of such actions? Everyone is so blase about it? And speaking of memory loss, memories are such a weighty SL to take on and rarely do shows get it right. So I wasn’t expecting JtV to get it right, really. But they still royally forked it up. Because Michael with no memories = Michael is a dick and I’m like???????????? Why???? One’s personality is vastly complex???? It doesn’t hinge on specific memories and experiences only? And even in the absence of the ability to recall specific things you still can have a visceral reaction to things through simple cognition and internalization of certain habitual patterns which has nothing to do with memories?

But, okay, fine, he’s back. He has no memories. He’s kind of a jerk. Fine. Okay. But then he gets his memories back and it has absolutely no bearing on anyone who is not Jane? Rogelio loved him? He was a part of the family for over 3 years? HELLO? Does no one else care about the implications of this beyond the godawful (at this point) love triangle? Where are the emotional stakes? The drama? The fact that they lost but didn’t lose this person and now he’s back and he fits back in but also doesn’t fit in all the worst places and it hurts and no one knows what to do with it? Who the fork care about the love triangle, this person was family and he DIED and then got back and then lost his memories and now he has them back oh my god stop just standing there. DO SOMETHING.

But okay, fine. He’s back. He has no memories. He’s kind of a jerk. He got his memories back and no one cares about it meaning anything except about the triangle. Okay, fine, I’ll roll with it. Now give us some juicy delicious drama for the triangle. But they don’t? Michael doesn’t at all react to her being with Rafael. He doesn’t lose his sh*t in any way about the trauma that he had to go through. He doesn’t have feelings of anger or resentment that he lost years of his life and now he’s back only to find that the love of his life has moved on. And no one is saying that he’d be right in those emotions, but he’s a person, yes? And sometimes you feel things that aren’t right or aren’t fair because that what emotions are like and that’s where all the drama is and I’m just absolutely bAFFELD? that?? they?? missed????? such??? obviously??? ripe?? material??? for?? heartbreak???? that would have made even the most die hard Jafael shippers cry????? How?????? AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL THEM HOW TO DO THEIR JOB?? Do I have to do everything myself to get it right? Not once does Michael react in any recognizably human, non-angelic way. He acts not like a person but a cardboard cut of a man who can do nothing but tout “I just want you to be happy” and it’s like????????????????? why??????????? bring????????????????????? this?????????????? storyline????????? if you will not take full advantage of one of its most obvious emotional stakes???? whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

2. Rafael: Micheal’s return inevitably leads us to the utter garbage that was Rafael’s characterization in this season. Fork me did we get forked seven different ways with how this was handled. First and foremost, Jennie Urman kept saying that it was a huge sacrifice of Raf to bring Michael back to Jane’s life and basically, this is the act, this is the incredible sacrifice that we are supposed to hold as the criteria for everything romantic and that’ll lead us to believe that Raf is the one and I’m like????? dude??? that was basic decency? I know it must have been painful but like..... he absolutely had to tell her he had absolutely no choice???? But no, GREAT SACRIFICE. Said as such so must be taken as such.

But okay, fine, whatever. Great sacrifice. But then what? Then he gets insecure. Which makes sense considering the whole situation about Michael before. But it’s brought up in a way that just makes him.... how do I put this nicely? Makes him a dick, tbf. And I’m like Jennie wants me to root for you but you’re crying about your pain and about wanting to be engaged to the woman whose world just turned upside down and I’m like????????????? Hello?????? Can you calm tf down for twO seconds and let her figure out her way??????????

But okay, fine, whatever. Great sacrifice. Then he’s a dick. It’s fine it makes sense that he’s so insecure. The ghost of the past has crept back up and he’s so damn afraid to lose everything that he ever wanted when he was so close to having it all. And people aren’t perfect and they don’t always react in a perfect way and that’s fine. AND this is a great opportunity to explore his insecurity! And finally put him through therapy! And finally have him move on past his self destructive behavior! So they kind of do that but in the most laughable way possible. So the moment that he breaks up with Jane could have actually been a great character development moment. And it is. Kind of. It’s a moment where he acknowledges that, unlike the first time where he went as far as to try and sabotage Michael’s career to take him out of the competition and win Jane over, this time around he’s not willing to live through that charade. He’s putting his own self preservation and making it easy for Jane by taking himself out of the equation altogether. So, he breaks up with her and we seem to be on the right track, barring the whole Mateo walking in on them situation (we will get to Mateo in a second). Sure, he has that momentary relapse in the following episode where he wants her back but it’s quickly done and he starts to take anti-depressants., And I’m like YES finally, getting to the good stuff! But then... THE WHOLE STORYLINE HAPPENS OFF-SCREEN. Do you know how ENRAGING it is that something so essential to Rafael’s arc in the last season happens completely off-screen? Not once do we see him go through therapy. Not once do we see his perspective. NOT ONCE. Not to mention it happens off-screen in the span of one episode which is like 2 days at most and I’m like????????? (ALSO, an aside to writers: As a person who suffers from depression, the healing is not in the medication, the healing is in the therapy sessions. The medication is important to curb your symptoms and lift up your mood and help your brain cope with the chemical nightmare happening there. But it doesn’t address the root cause that’s made you depressed. THAT happens in the sessions. So you can’t simply throw pills at the issue. That’s only a half solution)

But OKAY, FINE. Great sacrifice. Then he’s a dick, but it sort of kind of makes sense. And then he breaks up with her our of self preservation, and then depression that happens off-screen. But then... but then NONE of his past behavior is acknowledges or talked through. Jane doesn’t confront him about it. And then, when that conversation does come up when they decide to get married in city hall, it’s half baked and doesn’t really delve into root issues.

(I could talk about Rafael’s career, too, but I Do Not Have the Strength)

3. Jafael: Which brings me to Jafael *screams into a pillow*. So like, they’re happy by the end of season 4, and it looks like they’ll make it. And they’re about to get engaged and all. And then Michael comes back to throw a wrench in the plans. Because as Jennie Urman would have us believe, conflict and choosing each other can only happen in the context of a triangle. Heaven forbid that we come up with new storylines. ANYWAY. So all of the problems of early season are discussed in Raf’s section. But then, okay, Jane chooses Raf, she tells him that he’s the one for her and leaves Michael behind. And he’s like lol, nope, I don’t trust you no more. Which, okay, makes sense. If he’s so insecure and has been spiraling, it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to be with her right now. So I go like, yeah, okay, fair. And you guys need to figure your stuff out before you can get back into this relationship. Jane understands that she needs to win him over again and that doesn’t work and I’m like, yeah, that’s not the problem. Let’s talk about the real problem. But then they don’t? We, once again, do not get to see Rafael’s perspective, not once managing to experience what’s happening in his head. So we’re kind of just left in the dark, wondering what he’s thinking and how he’s dealing.

But, okay, fine, I’ll accept that this is not what we will be experiencing. But then once they reunite, surely they will address his trust issues. Right? RIGHT? Well, guess what, I am the forking goddamned motherforking fool. Absolutely NOTHING gets acknowledged. Their reunion is not prompted by a change that Rafael feels about his issues of trust, but rather just him remembering that he loves her. Which we know. The lack of love was never the issue. The issue was, has been, is about his insecurity and there is no reason for me to believe that this has been cured by absolutely no acknowledgement.

But fine, okay, I’ll accept all of this. Fine okay, he remembered how much he’s loved her and doesn’t have the strong will to use his head anymore. He just wants her back. But, surely, once they get back together they will march their asses to couple’s counseling and figure that shirt out, yes? RIGHT? But once again I am the forking goddamned motherforking fool. It is absolutely NOT what happens. Instead, they hurtle head first into their previous arrangements, as if the past few months, ripe with trauma and emotional distress has not at all happened. And, guess what? It DOES, in fact, become an issue, when Raf wants to pressure her into a city hall marriage because he’s afraid he’ll lose her again. And I’m sitting here like...????????/ you think one conversation where she promises and swears that she’s committed to him will actually solve things? An offhanded conversation that you had like three episodes before the finale and will absolutely not acknowledge after???? And I’m supposed to believe that, what, they’re cured? Saying the right words was never the issue, it’s internalizing them??? And marriage is no guarantor of you not losing a person???? You not feeling secure in a relationship will not disappear once a wedding happens?????? hELLO????

All of what is mentioned above about Jafael is also compounded by two other bullshirt factors in their writing for season 5: Mateo and sparks/romance.

The heavy involvement of Mateo in Jafael’s relationship and storyline has got to be one of the most baffling writing decisions of this season. First, let me clarify that I understand that this would justifiably and understandably be hard for Mateo. But Mateo’s direct involvement in the emotional conflict is just... no. I cannot fathom why they had him walk in on Jane and Rafael’s break up. Having him there to heighten Jane’s heartbreak actually undercuts Jafael because it becomes more about the loss of traditional, nuclear family bliss than about the couple itself. And the continued use for him as the epitome of tragedy for this couple not reuniting only serves to reinforce the idea. Making this more of a case where Mateo is heartbroken but reassured that this doesn’t mean that they’re no longer family would have been a lot more effective, IMO.

The other thing: Sparks and romance. Usually, in big couple moments on JtV, there tends to be a big moment, a big realization before a decision is made. And that realization is usually the result of build up from that same episode if not several ones. But, this season, those moments fell short. Jane’s realization was... okay, but wasn’t caused by anything externally that happened between her and Raf. Which, I guess is fair but misses the epic romance factor. But the one that was truly anti climactic is Rafael’s moment of realization that led to their reunion. This is IT, JtV, this is your main couple reuniting. This is your main male character fINALLY ready to reunite with the titular character. No time to hold back now. But then they did? Him realizing he loves her and wants to be with ehr still is merely through a list of pros and cons that he makes about someone else only to realize that it doesn’t matter. This person is Jane. And I’m like... but what changed, really? What shift happened? What did Jane do that made those sparks fly again??? How did he make the leap to actually deciding it’s time to throw caution to the wind. A huge part of this problem is that we didn’t see any of Raf’s point of view. So it’s near impossible for us as audience members to really follow his logic.

4. Cordueva: Now, of course, talk of Jafael naturally brings us to Michael and Jane. I don’t have much to say in their regard except they were done such a huge disservice. One of the things that makes my blood boil is how not only Jane’s book about Michael had to flop, but they also had to make it so that she couldn’t at all get the deal for the book if it weren’t for regelio’s intervention. And it’s such an unnecessary extra dig at the couple? Like why do that? Why not leave it at Jane’s book being a commercial flop? Commercial flops in the book industry are very very very common for a variety of reasons, especially for young authors. In fact, debut authors especially are unlikely to earn back their advances so like, it’s not the end of the world. And it’s hardly ever an indication of the quality of the book if it doesn’t sell well. Just fucking let it be what the fuck Jennie?

(I don’t have it in me to rant more about this couple though there is more that I can just reeeeeel over I’m sure)

5. Petra/Petramos: I’m kind of lumping these together because I do not have the strength. When it comes to Petra’s characterization itself, I think they did.. fine, for the most part. I think she had really good character development and has seemed to finally find her way through life in a balanced way, which i very much enjoyed. And her relationship with Jane, Raf, and the rest of the VIllanuevas became one of my favorite things by the end. Just so heart warming. The thing that puzzles me most about the characterization is her reaction to the triangle. The writers made her the writers’ stand in for Jafael which was a little ... eh? I know that she’s friends with both of them so she has a vested interest in the whole conversation, but it felt disingenuous in its representation. More of a way for the writers to validate their own approach to the couple than anything that seemed to naturally come from the character. Though, again, this is not really a huge deal, I guess, in the grand scheme of things.

Petramos is the one that really hurts. From the moment that we find out about Petra’s long lie to JR about the Anezka situation at the end of season 4, I knew we were in trouble for season 5. I couldn’t see how they could bounce back from that within the span of only 18 episodes that seemed already bloated with conflict and need to wrap up. I knew that while we were going to get some swoon worthy scenes between the two, the writing was going to be truly unsatisfying for the story. And that’s exactly what we ended up with: a half-baked initial reunion, followed by a quick relationship escalation, a brutal, traumatized and abrupt break-up, silence for the rest of the season, culminating in an endgame reunion that was anti-climactic and made no real sense. I have no reason to believe that what Petra and JR went through won’t happen again because the underlying cause that led them to a break-up never got fixed. And JR’s realization is far from effective because it happens off-screen, so there isn’t an arc that we’re following that would lead to the cathartic moment of their reunion. I’m glad we had that, don’t get me wrong. But it was not good enough.

6. Jane: This is the last character that I will go in-depth for. And even then, I’m not really sure how much strength I have for a deep-dive. I’m truly disheartened by the direction of Jane’s character by the end of the show. This is mainly due to the love triangle. Her SL was SO focused on the love triangle that she had very little else to do. And unlike season 1 and 2 where Jane’s love life worked in tandem with everything else that was happening in her life (being a mother to Mateo, her writing, her family, her friendships, her own inner world) none of these things truly shined in this last season. Her most satisfying interactions where with Petra. But all her other Storylines fell flat.

My main beef about this is her writing. What the actual fork happened to them this season when it comes to her writing? Jane has always been so good about incorporating Jane’s writing as a thread that holds the show together. They did it in entertaining and creative ways that weaved it seamlessly into the show without feeling too trite or too self conscious. But this last season just couldn’t seem to give a fork about Jane’s career as a writer anymore. Gone the magical realist elements stirred from her writing. Gone her alternate personas that she bounced ideas off of. Gone all the build up for the book. Instead, she writes the whole books, submits it, gets an agent, and gets a deal all within the span of like 3 episodes. There is no build up. It’s not thought through and has little bearing on emotional stakes beyond getting the deal. The show before has managed to somehow use Jane’s writing to propel forward storylines or plots. Sometimes, they were comedic goals (like her characters materializing and having conversations with her to offer insights, or the time when she messed up and sent a recording of her and Michael’s first time instead of her manuscript) or spurred on character relationships )the time when her story that’s based on Xo was accepted to be published and caused conflict) or were involved in a cathartic process for characters’ development (Her book about MIchael getting written and published). This last book that she writes feels so disjointed and has no bearing on anything else happening in the show beyond itself. It does not propel her into reconciliation with Rafael since it’s essentially the re-telling of their story. It doesn’t write into existence a different ending for the characters that would be interesting and imagine alternatives for their lives. It kind of just exist as a wink wink nudge nudge this is what we’re watching but how and WHY that’s important doesn’t really seem to matter all that much. And I’m like .. okay, cool.

The more disappointing thing about it is the lack of build up. For fork’s sake Rogelio’s telenovela had more build up than Jane’s book. That’s very confusing to me. Why would you not be so damn focused on this book that will bring Jane eventual success like it’s the thing that you’ve been building up to, because it IS the thing that you’ve been building up to?

Her wanting to give up after like three rejections is also confusing. Rejection is literally the name of the publishing game. Three rejections are nothing yo, you gotta be patient and have tough skin. And Jane does not seem like the kind of person who would not have that kind of resilience of that kind of faith in herself to become a hopeless mess after three (3) agents said no.

(Another thing that really salts my roots is how uninterested this show is in the publishing process. Absolutely nothing of what they did is realistic, starting from Jane’s belief that 3 rejections is catastrophic, to her agent putting the book on auction after ONE publisher is like idk :/ how would we sell it to the fact that Jane MAILS in her manuscript like we still live in the early 2000′s. Nearly no one accepts physical manuscripts anymore yo, it’s a near obsolete practice. Not to mention, the whole Michael must agree to the publication of this book is pretty bullsh*t, this is being published as a work of fiction. Not a memoir. There is no case for getting his permission because it’s a work of fiction, will be promoted and published as such, even if it says based on real life events, it’s still a work of fiction. Any problems that would arise out of a specific characterization done by the author will be personal problems between the writer and the Real Life person who does not enjoy the way they’re presented in the fiction. But from a legal stand point, it’s a work of fiction. Those characters belong to Jane because of that fact. But this is more of a personal beef because I work in the industry than anything else really)

The other SL that fell flat when it comes to Jane is the whole thing with Rose. That ending for Rose in itself was pretty anti climatic, but it is even more so by how completely ineffective Jane was in taking Rose down. I’m very confused by why the Narrator would say that Jane took down Rose. I’m like nah man she did shit.

7. Misc: These are just a few other scattered thoughts that made season 5 that much worse. Xo going to nursing school is confusing, out of character, and comes out of nowhere. Out of everything, honestly, this is not something that I imagined would be good for her. Alba and Jorge took so much time from everything else and were simply not that interesting. Jorge is kind of a dick, and Alba has nothing going for her beyond him this season. The other thing that I do not understand is how much time we spent with River Fields. I’m like but does anyone actually care? I know it’s Brooks Shield and all but I don’t give a damn about her emotional journey or her relationship with her daughter. Like just who cares, these realizations have no emotional bearings on our main cast why are we wasting time on this. The shoe-horned happy ending for Michael also felt disingenuous.

All in all, the last season of JtV was bad because the show forgot everything that it did well over the course of it’s earlier seasons. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

#jane the virgin #hello this is an essay #i did not think i'd muster the energy for this lengthy of a rant lmao

[utterlyinevitable]

another mason x detective x nate LT i want more than anything to be canon

Bakery Fallout for N/M LT

The absolute deliciousness of drama if we get to choose who to bring to the dinner date with Verda and Eric especially after that damn bakery comment from Mason. 

ok so n having little flutters of feelings for mc from the beginning but trying to be professional and not wanting to try anything. and then knowing nothing will happen because m has practically claimed mc. 

but after that damn comment mc is basically ignoring m at all costs. completely not dealing with any of his bs. boy bye. she likes him so much and knows she deserves better than this player. 

it’s my fault. i knew who he was from the beginning. oops. thank you next. 

and m is still sooo dazed by his feelings from that incident. like whyyy is he unsettled. why is he feeling guilty. he doesn’t realize he hurt her feelings because she didn’t really give much away as she walked out just a “see you later” that he ignored. he was much too distracted then to pay attention to her heartrate. 

and m doesn’t realize that this has all become a little more than either bargained for. 

what m does know is that nate has feelings for mc. he notices how effortlessly mc and nate get on, like actual friends and companions. and watching them from his perch is not the kind of jealousy mason feels with the dogs. it’s a whole other pang he can’t se to figure out. nate would know if mason only wasn’t too prideful to ask. 

Nate totally goes with MC to the intervention disguised as a dinner date. He goes with her just to help out and no other intentions in his back pocket. 

Back at the warehouse Mason can’t stop pacing. He patrols extra and wanders around the shadows of the town and ends up walking across the street from the house they’re eating at. wandering that road a little longer than necessary. he didn’t even realize that’s where he ended up at first. 

and once he’s there he figured he’d tune in to see how their “mission” is going. he hears two strong human heart beats, one a little faster and the pace unfamiliar. the other was known. hers. steady and without a care. 

and he listened intently. 

“Didn’t expect to see you here with that one.” it’s Verda’s voice. Spoken softly, like it’s a secret. Mason thinks they’re in another room away from Nate and Eric whom are further away by the sounds of their hearts. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You and the brooding one have been rather inseparable lately. Everyone’s been talking about how you’re finally seeing someone.” 

“They have names you know.” 

There’s a pause, longer than necessary. Now Mason’s invested in this conversation. 

“Nothing’s going on,” she says. 

Another pause.   

“It’s over.” 

“Good,” Verda sighs. 

And with that Mason checks out of the conversation and makes his way back home. His mind, head, body feeling worse than the aftermath of the bakery. and he still doesn’t understand WHY his body is doing these things. nothing makes sense. 

When Mason gets home he runs into felix who picks up on the change in demeanor. he doesn’t make a joke or give mason hell. just a pat on the shoulder and some small words. 

_____________________

A/N: SOMEONE WRITE THIS LT FOR ME PLLLLLEEEEEASE 

#twc book 3 spoilers

[vesuviannights]

10 seems kinda angsty....with Asra/Lucio/female or GNC MC? Please I adore your writing 😭

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR SOME ASRA/LUCIO/YOU ANGST??? oml my feelings are raging from Lucio’s most recent update, but also I’m just…an absolute fucking slut for angsty, slightly possessive polyamorous relationships? Like…two amazing people both want to smoosh me between them and fuck me senseless, spoil me with orgasms and love and soft kisses on my cheek aaaAAAAAHHAHHHHHHH!

anyway heres Wonderwall one for all you Asra and Lucio thots.

Lucio/You/Asra. Female or AFAB reader. Lemon.

Lucio drags you into a room at a palace party, suspiciously close to where Asra is, with every intention of making your Master back off. As with most of Lucio’s ideas and plans, that’s not how it ends up going.

Green Line Killers series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

**

The party is too quiet for this. For Lucio’s hands to be buried in your hair and pulling almost painfully tight, for him to be fucking you with abandon and without care for whoever may step into the room and see you, legs spread, bent over the desk, tears stinging your eyes from the delicious force of his throbbing cock ploughing into your aching cunt.

Normally raging into the early hours of the morning with drunken guests and the finest musicians Vesuvia has to offer, this party is unusually subdued. The guests are not quite as drunk, the music is not as loud. If it were any other party, you might blame the weather, the moon, the absence of Valerius and his thirst for drama.

But you know better. You know that when it comes to Lucio, everything is by design—that he chose to send Valerius on business, that he made the staff bring up the liquor with the lower alcoholic concentrate, that he kept his guests a little too sober with copious amounts of food.

And he most definitely chose the room closest to where Asra was lingering in the main hall, talking to Nadia about his most recent travels.

“Oh! Oh, fuck—Lucio—” His name is a hiss on your lips, your jaw clenched painfully tight from your efforts to keep your voice low.

He tugs a little harder on your hair to expose your neck. His teeth find the delicate skin just below your ear and sink down, causing you to yelp as a hot line of arousal shoots straight to your core. Outside, you hear Asra’s voice falter for a moment, trying to discern what he heard, before resuming his story.

“Lucio!” You gasp, voice hushed. “Lucio, please, he’s going to hear—”

You slap a hand over your own mouth to stifle your moan as he drops his hips, changing the angle but not the pace, still fucking you brutally and without reprieve. He growls and smacks your hand away, pinning it to the table with his own.

“I want him to hear us,” he hisses in your ear. “Maybe then your precious Master will get the message that I don’t share my pet.”

Your throat goes tight at the thought of Asra walking in and finding you, jaw open, beads of sweat budding on your collarbone, tits bouncing as Lucio fucks you from behind. From where he would be by the door, he would even be able to lower his gaze to where Lucio’s cock is stretching you open, your thighs slick with the evidence that you’re enjoying it, that Lucio’s cock—though it comes with no obvious declarations of love—is something you crave, something you could not live without.

The Count of Vesuvia is petulant at best, a child when it comes to you, his wicked little toy, his precious pet. Oh, he loves you, though he would never use the words out loud and chooses to show you in other ways. But his love, his petulance, means that no one else can love you, not even from afar and in no shape or form.

“Go on, pet,” he murmurs in your ear. “Call him in. Let him know exactly who is in here and what we are doing.” His golden hand connects with your ass with a painful smack, and you cry out Lucio’s name, strangled and raw.

You close your eyes before it can happen. Before you hear that final, permanent pause in Asra’s voice. Before you hear the curtain ruffle as it is moved aside. Before you hear his inscrutable intake of breath at the sight of you, flushed cheeks and swollen lips, and what is no doubt a proud, victorious smirk twisting Lucio’s lips.

“Asra!” His name falls from your lips in a gasp, faster than you can stop yourself. Your eyes open; he is just inside of the door, hands balled at his sides. “Asra, please don’t—” He looks like he wants to look away from the scene, but your gaze—the love and raw emotion he always found there, that he so adored about you—was keeping him in place.

Wordlessly, you reach out for him—because as selfish as Lucio’s needs to keep you to himself are, your heart in this moment feels too big for one person—and Asra steps forward, his eyes burning.

From the other side of the desk, one hand bunched in your askew clothes, he kisses you. His tongue delves into your mouth, claiming you there, marking you, while his other hand reaches down to delve into your folds and roll your clit between his fingers.

You keen, your entire body shaking, babbling, begging. Both their names roll off your tongue like a prayer you fear will never be answered. Lucio behind you, fingertips leaving bruises in the flesh of your hips as he fucks you hard enough to bruise you inside, too. Asra, his eyes soft as his words, encouraging you while Lucio fucks you, ruthless and unforgiving.

You feel Lucio’s hot breath tickle the sensitive skin of your neck as he leans in, catching your earlobe between his teeth and pulling on the small stud there.

“If you must have him, pet,” he tells you, voice laced with a lethal edge. “Then you can. I want you happy. I want you loved, cared for.”

You take hold of Asra’s wrist, leaning into his hand as he continues to draw you toward the edge with a touch that makes your eyes sting. It’s so careful, so slow, his words of encouragement—that’s it my love, so beautiful, so wonderful—countering Lucio’s pace almost violently.

You take Asra’s thumb into your parted lips, swirling your tongue around it, sucking gently. He watches with hooded, slightly unfocused eyes, the action drawing a quiet little moan from his throat.

“Touch him, pet,” Lucio tells you. You release Asra with a small gasp, your eyes moving down to his crotch. “Do you see how hard he is? He loves you so much, the sight of you getting fucked into oblivion—jaw open, tits bouncing—makes him ache for you, even if it’s all being done by a man he hates. Touch him. Make him come, and then maybe I’ll let you come.”

You reach down, fumbling with the button of Asra’s trousers before pulling him free, his cock heavy and hot in your palm. His head goes back with a whispered prayer in a language you don’t know, and he pushes his hips into your hand, murmuring your name so softly it makes your throat go tight.

You stroke him, two hands pulling in rhythm with Lucio’s thrusts into your aching cunt. The warmth in your lower belly is almost excruciating, your thighs trembling from your need to come. You wish you could lean forward and take Asra into your mouth, taste the saltiness of him on your tongue, but you can barely get the words out to voice your desires.

As though sensing your desperation, Asra places his forehead to yours, holding you there with a hand and his gaze.

“Yes, that feels so good,” he breaths, his hips thrusting up into your hand, his cock twitching as you run your thumb over the tip of him. “My love, make me come, make me—”

He lets out a strangled moan as his seed spurts over your hand, your stomach, your chest, his motions jerking, uneven as he whispers your name over and over.

As soon as he breathes out, Lucio releases a growl and pushes him away. Asra stumbles, falling into the chair behind him as Lucio rips you away from the desk and slams you into the wall, fucking you furiously from behind.

You come—screaming, shaking, crying—in a matter of moments, and he follows soon after, his warm seed filling you, dripping out of you onto your shaking thighs when he pulls out.

When he pulls away, you turn your head to find Asra’s gaze. You are both panting, both wide-eyed and shaken by the realisation of something new. The realisation of who you were now: not just two people joined by one heart, but two people joined by someone you never thought possible.

“Clean yourselves up before you come back to the party,” Lucio tells you as he tucks himself back into his trousers and fixes the collar of his coat. “Perhaps if you figure yourselves out fast enough, we can continue this once I’ve seen my guests off.”

He winks before he leans in to place a soft kiss to your cheek, one that tells you more about his warm heart than he’d ever be comfortable saying out loud. He makes his way through the curtain and back to the party, leaving you alone with Asra, come dripping down your thighs and stomach, lips trembling as you try to decipher what the future now holds.

#the arcana #lucio/you/asra #female reader #smutty drabble game #writing #asra #lucio #afab reader #lemon #Green Line Killers

[raendown]

@madatobiweek Day 5 Prompt: modern with magic au//soulmate au

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 4613 Rated: G Summary:  "What greater gift than the love of a cat" - Charles Dickens

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

What Greater Gift

Hashirama’s smile of greeting instantly melted away in to a pout when Madara gave him no more than a perfunctory wave as he passed by his friend, venturing further in to the house without a word.

“Madara! Where are you going?”

“Where’s your cat?” Madara called back, knowing another pair of ears would hear him as well. Just as he’d thought, a protesting snarl came from down the hall. He was smiling when he turned in to the immaculately clean room he usually found his other friend in.

Tobirama’s massive furred body was stretched out across the perfectly made bed he seemed to prefer for his naps. Madara had no idea if he had simply taken an interest in the guest room and claimed it as his own or if Hashirama had deliberately set up the guest bedroom as a haven for his feline pet when they had no one else to fill it but either way this was where Tobirama could be found most often, shamelessly coating the bedding with his fur.

Madara was smirking as he strolled in, dropping himself on the end of the bed and stroking a hand across the back of his friend’s neck. Tobirama purred even as his red eyes blinked open to glare at Madara.

“Who do you think you’re calling a cat?” the snow leopard asked him. Madara shrugged unrepentantly.

“You are one of the ‘great cats’ species, are you not? If you keep growling at me I won’t give you the present that I know you can smell.”

He waited for Tobirama to huff and look away, deliberately not rebutting that his species was not actually one of the great cats, before reaching in to his pocket and retrieving the packet of meat he had brought with him today. Years of bringing similar treats had inured him to the feeling of picking out a piece of raw pheasant and holding it out with a flat palm. Tobirama’s purring rumbled louder as he snatched it up delicately with his razor sharp teeth, giving thanks by being extra careful not to bite anything he wasn’t supposed to. Madara fed him all three pieces by hand and then resumed petting while Tobirama licked his jaws.

“An acceptable offering,” the animal allowed. Madara took his turn to huff.

“Hah! Acceptable my ass, you love pheasant.” He scratched briefly behind the animal’s ear before getting up. “Coming?”

Tobirama stood and stretched before leaping gracefully from the bed to lead both of them back down the hall where Hashirama was still pouting about being passed over. Madara felt no guilt. He was as much friends with Hashirama’s unique pet as he was with the man himself.

He’d been awed at first when he met Tobirama. Hashirama wasn’t even a witch, it was incredible that he had managed to acquire a familiar. Yet as time went on he came more and more often to the conclusion that Tobirama must have been the one to choose his master rather than the other way around. He was a proud animal and Madara had never seen proof of any partnership between them other than a friendship similar to the one Madara had been blessed with. He couldn’t imagine what had drawn two such opposite beings together but it was hardly his place to question it; bonds like the one between familiar and master were sacred and very personal, certainly not to be asked about as one casually asks what’s for dinner.

“Tobiiii!” Hashirama whined. Tobirama wound between his legs and wrapped his tail around the man’s waist like an approximation of a hug.

“Don’t call me Tobi,” was all he said.

Madara snickered as he washed his hands and when he was done began rooting through his friend’s cupboards for a pre-dinner snack. Mito wasn’t home to reprimand him about ruining his appetite before they ate so he could afford to break a household rule or two – as long as she didn’t find out. Mito was a witch and a powerful one at that. She was fully capable of hitting him with some very uncomfortable curses if she discovered he’d been eating only an hour before dinner. Or she could just banish him back to his own cold and empty home for a week, that was always punishment enough to remind him how to behave.

With a handful of crackers in hand Madara retreated to the living room where he sat down on the floor with his back to the couch. Tobirama paced a few circles around the coffee table before curling himself down on the carpet and dropping his great head in to Madara’s lap, purring when the petting resumed immediately. Hashirama followed after them but tucked himself in to the other end of the couch instead, snickering in their direction.

“Feeling affectionate today, Tobirama?” the man asked in a teasing voice. Tobirama gave a short snarl but didn’t bother to move and went back to purring almost seamlessly.

They passed the rest of the hour until Mito returned by watching some stupid popular television drama. When his friend’s wife arrived she brought dinner with her, one large paper bag of take out for the three adults, already knowing she would come home to find Madara there as well, and one medium sized package from the butcher for Tobirama. All of them moved back to the kitchen the moment she stepped in the door, following the smell of whatever deliciousness she’d brought for them today.

Madara had also thought at one point that Tobirama might be Mito’s familiar. She wasn’t as obvious about her skills as most prominent witches tended to be but someone as powerful as her should have endless trails of unbonded creatures begging to be her familiar; that she didn’t had made him thoughtful when he first started spending time with them all. He’d never been boorish enough to ask but in the end he hadn’t needed to as their behavior had made it obvious many times over since then that Tobirama did not stay here for Mito’s sake. Certainly they got along but they could barely be said to be any sort of friends. Their relationship began and ended at mutual respect. If anything, he would have said they acted like distant relatives.

He simply couldn’t see Mito getting away with the sort of things Hashirama did. Things like sitting on the floor to groom Tobirama’s nails or pulling him in to tight, cuddling hugs with no warning or fear of mutilation. Each time something like that happened Tobirama would huff and snarl and wriggle in protest, yet his escape attempts never seemed to have much heart in them and he was always very careful not to injure Hashirama in the struggle. Most telling was the way he inevitably gave in to these random affections after making it clear that he objected in some manner.

“Oh, Madara!” he was pulled from his musings by Hashirama’s teasing tone. “I ran in to my cousin the other day. Tetsuo? He asked about you.”

Madara groaned at the same time Tobirama let out a quiet growl of displeasure.

“Tetsuo? You mean that idiot who kept fawning all over me at your Christmas party? Spare me.” He shook his head, stopping when he noticed the glint is his friend’s eye and the evil smile hovering around Mito’s lips.

“Does that mean you wouldn’t be excited to go on a date with him this Friday?” Hashirama tried to look innocent and Madara didn’t believe him for one second.

“Excited? Of course I wouldn’t be excited!” He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “What have you done, bark-for-brains?”

“I didn’t do anything! Except maybe tell him that of course you would be willing to meet him at the restaurant near his work.” The stupid fool began to cackle over his own joke as horror quickly filled Madara’s face, dread settling in his stomach. Tetsuo was an absolute idiot and Hashirama was very aware of his disgust for the man. Unfortunately his friend had been in the mood for pulling all sorts of terrible pranks lately. He always had thought he was funnier than he actually was.

A hefty swat expressed his feelings on the matter rather succinctly. He was extra satisfied to see Hashirama nearly face-plant in to his plate of dinner. Sitting next to him on the bench that had been pushed up to the table specifically for their shared use, Tobirama made the distinct coughing hissing sound that denoted his feline laughter. While many might have found it odd to see a giant cat sitting up at the table with the rest of them, it had been so long that at this point Madara just accepted it as normal. This family was weird. If it bothered him he would have stopped visiting so many times a week.

“You owe me big time,” he growled at his friend. Then he turned to Tobirama and screeched, “It’s not funny!”

“Of course it is. You having to spend an entire evening listening to that idiot’s drivel? We should take bets now on how long you last before throwing your drink in his face.” His fangs glinted in the light of the tame spirit Mito kept in place of candles. She always said it gave dinner a more intimate mood but Madara just felt like he was being watched while he ate.

Everyone else at the table ignored him when he crossed his arms and fell back in to a sulk. Throwing his drink in Senju Tetsuo’s face sounded grand but they all knew he wouldn’t do it. An idiot the man might be but he was also a powerful witch, odd considering Madara had never met any other true blooded Senju with so much as a drop of magic in them.

Actually that wasn’t true, according to Hashirama they all had magic in their blood. It was just that in most cases it refused to manifest in to any sort of ability. Their bloodline was considered excellent for breeding but it was always a gamble whether the child would take after their Senju ancestors or their other parent, stronger than the previous generation or completely powerless. Mito herself had delivered the news only a week before that she was with child and with that announcement she had also firmly declared that her child would receive the same love no matter which of their families it took after.

Madara let his eyes roam over the pair of them and wondered for the hundredth time if Mito was hiding the ability to read his thoughts, watching as she lifted one hand to caress the belly that had not yet begun to grow. The urge to fall back in to sulking returned when Hashirama reached over to entwine his fingers with hers. Seeing the backs of their hands next to each other with the identical marks they had both been gifted with at birth only soured his stomach with a disgusting kind of longing sadness that he tried his hardest to push away. He knew very well that there was little point in letting their happiness affect his own but it was hard sometimes.

Finding one’s soulmate was something everyone yearned for despite knowing how rare the phenomenon was. If there was one thing he envied the Senju clan for it was their odd knack for finding the ones fate had chosen for them. Hashirama and Mito had been disgustingly in love since the day he met them and that hadn’t changed in the years since. If anything they might have actually gotten worse, holding their heads close together as they talked about the future, debating potential baby names without regard for how little other people within earshot cared. Madara liked to think that he would have that strong of a bond with his own partner but to find out he would need to meet them and to do that he probably needed to put himself out there a little more. Which meant accepting dates with perfect strangers and getting to know them well enough to share marks.

The very thought was abhorrent. Sharing his mark with someone it wasn’t meant for? It felt akin to baring his very soul for an unworthy person to judge.

“I think I’ve lost my appetite,” he murmured, recognizing that he wouldn’t be able to stop the landslide of thoughts trying to drag him down. Better that he removed himself before he could bring down everyone else’s mood as well. Hashirama called after him in confusion but Madara waved him off. “Nothing, I’m fine, I just…got a little stuck in my head. Leave me alone until I get back out.”

Without further explanation he disappeared down the hallway and headed for the back door. He never heard the footsteps padding after him but he did hear the startled yowl when he let the door go and it closed on Tobirama’s shoulder. The cat huffed and butted him in retaliation until he sighed and reached down to ruffle fluffy ears.

“Thought I said leave me alone.”

“I don’t count,” Tobirama announced loftily. “You were talking to him.”

“Mn. True.” He had to admit that it was. Hashirama’s particular brand of cheering up had never been his favorite and with how suddenly the mood had hit him it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to let himself be smothered under the perpetual cheer of such a bright person. Sometimes he just needed to let himself be grumpy.

Tobirama, at least, understood that. Neither of them said anything as the leopard padded ahead of him and slipped in to the natural spring just passed the edge of the porch. For a cat he sure did seem to enjoy the water, so much so that Madara had once tried to look in to whether snow leopards were in any way distant relatives to tigers. He wasn’t generally a studious man, though, so he’d give up before reaching any sort of conclusion one way or the other.

Settling himself cross-legged at the edge of the porch, Madara was grateful for the companionable silence that fell between them, using the time with his thoughts to sort through them and compartmentalize while he watched his furry friend do laps around the spring. Watching Tobirama swim was just the sort of amusement he needed at the moment. His movements were a combination of his usual grace and the innate ridiculousness of a cat in water, paws clawing at the water to propel himself forward and head tilted back to keep his nose above the lapping waves, willing to dunk every part of himself but his nose. It was surprisingly easy for Madara to let go of other worries in favor of smiling at the picture he made.

After several minutes it occurred to himself that he would probably relax even more if he went for a quick dip himself. Mito’s charms buried all around the pool kept the water at a pleasant temperature akin to a lukewarm bath and lounging in the quiet waves created by Tobirama’s paddling sounded particularly lovely at the moment.

His friend paused and stood on a submerged rock to keep his balance when he noticed Madara pulling at his sweater.

“What are you doing?”

“Joining you for a swim, what’s it look like?” The wide collar betrayed him by catching in his hair anyway but he managed to struggle out of it eventually and reached for the hem of his t-shirt.

“Isn’t your soul mark on your chest? You’ve always been so careful not to show it off to anyone.” Tobirama shifted and nearly lost his footing on the rock he was using for a perch. Madara snickered at his clumsy scramble to right himself before his whiskers could be soaked.

“Actually it’s on my abdomen,” he corrected. “But you’re a cat. Don’t care if you see it.”

He tugged his t-shirt off and shoved his pants down while Tobirama was still struggling to find better footing, setting his clothing aside and checking to make sure he hadn’t chosen white boxers that morning. Nothing would be more embarrassing than having to walk by Hashirama and Mito with his bits on full display when he went in to find a towel. Once he confirmed that today’s choice had been a pair of solid dark blue he felt safe to dip his toes in to the water and wade out passed the edge.

Then he stopped when Tobirama turned to look at him and yowled in surprise, sending himself toppling headlong in to the deepest part of the pond. Madara was bent double with laughter when the poor leopard surfaced.  So distracting was his laughter he didn’t even have the self-preservation to run when Tobirama headed straight for him despite knowing intimately how deep those claws could gouge when truly angered. It wasn’t until his friend reared up on his hind legs that Madara stopped and braced himself, surprised when he got two paws on his shoulders instead of claws in his gut.

Even more surprising was Tobirama’s fascination with his soul mark, utterly motionless as he bent his head to stare at where it rested an inch or so below his bottom rib.

“I’m not just a cat, I thought you knew that.” Tobirama sounded oddly breathless in a way Madara had never known felines were capable of. The confused question he was opening his mouth to ask died on his lips when he heard, “Apparently I am also your soulmate.”

“You what!?”

Tobirama blinked at him once and then Madara’s jaw almost unhinged itself when the shape of his face began to warp, less and less feline by the second. Whiskers receded, ears folded and melted away, fur retracted, and when it was all over he was staring at a very human man with snow white skin and hair like an untouched winter, eyes the same red as they had always been with three lines tattooed on his face to match. In a word, he was devastating. He was also so unexpected that Madara found himself reeling backwards from the shock and crying out when he put one of his feet down only to find nothing there to step on.

Water exploded around him as he crashed down in to the deeper parts of the pool. The last thing he saw was a pair of wide red eyes and then the world was nothing but darkness and wet. It took a moment of fighting through his instinctual panic to figure out which way was up and when he broke the surface he had to reach blindly for the shallow rocks so he could catch his balance to stop and claw the hair away from his face. Tobirama was where he had been before, still staring in awe.

“You’re a fucking person!?” he screeched, still trying to process.

“I thought you knew that! Did you really think I was just a leopard that happened to hang around the house?” Even having never seen this face before Madara could tell that eyebrow was being lifted with heavy judgment.

“Of course I did! You’ve never been anything else! What the hell!?”

“Ah, I suppose that is true. I prefer my other form over this one. It’s much more comfortable and it excuses many behaviors – like naps. Everyone expects a cat to nap.” He seemed to be taking this revelation much more calmly than Madara.

Though that may have been because this wasn’t actually a revelation to him. What was keeping his attention the most was the mark now dripping wet where it sat just below Madara’s ribs. Through the haze of his own shock it occurred to Madara that the last person to see his mark was Izuna several years before when it was just the two of them enjoying an empty beach on a rainy day. So protective was he of the mark that was meant only for his soulmate that Madara hadn’t even removed his shirt for his last two boyfriends, short relationships both and probably for that very reason.

Still gaping, he watching as if in slow motion as this man – this very human man, he still wasn’t over that bit – lifted a hand to trace the mark below his own ribs that, incredibly enough, was indeed a match for Madara’s own. His entire brain felt as though it were screeching to a halt when he finally saw what was had apparently been right there under his nose for years. This was his soulmate. Standing before him was the match he had been quietly waiting his entire life to find, would have waited the rest of his life to find, the one his soul was fated to bond with the most strongly. Here was the one that rumor said was supposed to make his soul feel like he had finally found home.

Oddly enough, he did. Being with Tobirama had always felt like coming home, although he’d never quite thought of it like that before. Even as an oversized feline Tobirama had been something more than a friend that he’d never bothered to define because until now it hadn’t mattered. Now he finally understood. What he had felt was potential, the connection between them forming whether they knew it or not, though it was impossible for him to have felt any sort of romantic yearning when he’d thought Tobirama was nothing more than an intelligent beast.

Madara’s cheek twitched.

“You fucking bastard,” he ground out. “I knew you looked familiar – you’re in all the photographs in Hashirama’s living room!”

“Ah, those. He always insists I return to this form for family photos.” Tobirama’s expression scrunched up with distaste and Madara twitched again, incensed but unable to pinpoint why.

“Just how much time do you spend as a damn cat?” he demanded.

Tobirama’s eyes dropped to stare at Madara’s mark again, his voice distant and distracted with other thoughts when he answered. “Most of it. Actually Mito has been trying to convince me to take this form long enough to find employment but it’s hard for her to talk when I have the ability to just fall asleep as soon as I hear her coming.” He shrugged one shoulder, fingers twitching, reaching halfway across the space between them and then snatching his hand back just before making contact. Madara stared at him.

“You’re a bum.”

“Well that’s rude.”

“An unemployed freeloader napping in your brother’s spare bedroom because you can’t be bothered to get a damn job! Oh for spirit’s sake! What have I gotten myself in to?”

“I’m not a bum…”

“Yes you are!” Madara blinked and the tirade he’d been about to unleash was abruptly cut short when Tobirama finally worked up the courage to reach out and brush his abdomen with hesitant fingers. His thoughts scattered and redirected back to the other issue at hand, leaving him off-balance yet again.

For a few moments neither of them said a word. They were standing quite close to each other still, enough so that Madara was able to watch the slightest changes in the other man’s expression as he traced warm skin, admiring the shapes and the colors that no tattoo could ever replicate. It took a while but after a few minutes of watching so intensely he slowly began to see it, that spark of familiarity, all the expressions he was used to seeing on the face of a leopard translated in to human form. Not that he had in any way doubted that this was his friend. Having just watched the transformation happen right in front of his eyes disapproved that theory before it could even form as an option. But it was enough of a connection that the face before him now seemed less of a stranger, less of the right person in the wrong skin.

It was enough to make him press a lightly shaking hand over the one exploring his skin, shocking Tobirama in to realizing just what he was doing though he didn’t let him pull away, and lift his other hand to explore the match to his own mark where it was framed in pale white skin.

“At least,” he murmured, “we get to skip over the whole awkward ‘getting to know you’ phase. Though I have to admit it’ll take some getting use to, seeing you like this. And I better be seeing you like this!” Tobirama gave vent to a very put upon sigh but the corners of his lips were twitching with the shadow of a smile when he answered.

“Yes, yes, fine. I promise to take this form more often if it will make you more comfortable to know that I am indeed human. Now, would you like to head back inside or have you calmed down enough yet?”

Madara turned to eye the pond. He’d been looking forward to a proper soak but discovering his soulmate had indeed calmed the sadness in him that he originally came out here to combat. A flash of triumphant amusement rose briefly when he realized that he now had the perfect excuse to reject that idiotic Tetsuo and avoid sitting through a few hours of misery trying not to offend such a powerful witch. Anything that kept him out of Tetsuo’s clutches was cause for celebration.

Finding his soulmate felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his chest; knowing that it was someone he already got along with was an extra bonus he could not have anticipated and he was doubly grateful that he got to skip over the awkward phase of dancing around each other, worried over whether or not they might be put off by his volatile temperament or some other bad habit. If anything Tobirama seemed to enjoy his crankiness. Whenever he was upset and needed someone to vent to without unnecessary advice being offered Tobirama was the first one he always turned to. And after he had wound himself down he was usually rewarded with a massive furry head in his lap purring loudly and demanding pets because Tobirama knew damn well how calming Madara found it to comb his fingers through all that soft fur.

His thoughts were definitely getting off track. Shaking his head to bring himself back to reality, he turned back to Tobirama with a smile as gentle as his naturally grumpy face was able to accommodate.  

“No, I’m fine now,” he said. “Let’s go back inside.”

Without thinking he held out one hand – and seemingly also without thinking Tobirama took it. They headed back towards the house with their fingers entwined in a loose grip, already striking up an easy conversation about something interesting Tobirama had seen on one of the television channels he insisted Hashirama put on for him. Upon stepping inside they turned down the hallway towards Tobirama’s room rather than head back to the kitchen.

They made it almost an entire hour before Hashirama was brought hurrying in to the room at the scream of “WAIT, BROTHERS!?” that echoed all throughout the house. It was a peaceful hour, at least, filled with open offers and possibilities that Madara would be more than happy to look in to as soon as he got his head wrapped around the fact that he was apparently soul matched to Hashirama younger brother rather than just a bum that lived in the house. He was going to be part of that idiot’s family in some way or another for the rest of his life.

Madara wondered, not for the first time, why fate had to be so cruel.

#rae writes #madatobiweek2019 #madatobi #madara #tobirama #hashirama #mito #fanfiction #soulmate au #modern with magic au