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#signs from the 1920s
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Very legible, thank you
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yellow-dejavu · 4 months
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#dark netflix#eva's world#erit lux#apocalypse family#1888 gang#dark netflix meme#even though eva's world is the one that received more attention there's still a bunch of things that they didn't show#i will never get over of Egon as a traveler#they show it one time and pretended that i didn't wanted to know everything about it#also all the characters that we never saw in their eva's world version#i'm gonna suposse that they all have bangs#shitpost#i posted this#s3 barely showed any interaction between the four and somehow I can't stop thinking about them#claudia was the leader and the only adult they have in their lives#jonas was everyone's favorite sad boy#the two of them learned sign language#elisabeth was the little one and she was adored by all of them#noah and his 1920s boy attitude was somehow the comedic relief of the group#they were like a sad sitcom and i'm sure they felt less sad because of elisabeth#claudia and elisabeth were the smart ones of the group#noah and jonas were smart too but they also were noah and jonas#they were like a family#i have no proof but no doubt either#poor agnes was born in the 1888 timeline and also had so little screen time#maybe baran and jantje realized that 1888 was the time period when magnus x franziska did something apart from loving each other#and inmediatley discarded the possibility of showing it because they went like “nope doing something onscreen defies their whole purpose”#i will always sound crazy talking about how beautiful Bartosz and Silja's love story is when they only have four scenes#this show had a weird 50something having to take care of a group of teenagers in the 19th & 20th century and decided not to elaborate on it#this show is so iconic
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utilitycaster · 2 years
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I've talked about this before but I work with radioactivity, and I need you all to understand that any DM or player choices to have characters cavalierly play with cursed rocks or enter clearly labeled hazardous areas are not only 100% true to life but are actually often MORE cautious than people would be in real life.
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guzhufuren · 1 month
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A Guide to Some of the Best Queer Asian Shows
The guide includes a show’s basic summary; main genres/tropes/themes and official streaming links (additional info on how to watch at the end of this post)! You can find some content warnings in the reply section of this post. Shows are listed by countries, numbered by the order I recommend watching in, not by rating. All shows have happy endings unless specified otherwise. The list will hopefully be updated regularly (last updated on 04/04/2024, 98 queer shows in total).
Most shows are about mlm, I specify with coloured notes those that are focused on wlw, polyamory, aromantism/asexuality, etc.
Tumblr does not allow large texts or more than 30 images per post at the moment, so you can click on every country’s list to expand them and view them fully in a separate post. You can access this guide in a google doc here.
Thailand 🇹🇭 (full list here)
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1. KinnPorsche mafia boss/bodyguard; action; kidnapper/kidnapee side couple
Kinn, a son of a prominent mafia head, is ambushed by an enemy, and meets Porsche, a bartender who comes to his rescue for a price, thus beginning their reluctant relationship as boss and bodyguard, which soon turns into something more.
iQIYI
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2. Bed Friend friends with benefits; office setting; trauma
King and Uea work in the same office. After a company outing ends in a drunken hook-up between them, Uea and King agree to keep seeing each other on a strictly physical basis. With no strings attached, will these two be able to keep things between them simple and carefree or will their emotions eventually get the better of them?
Uncut 18+ on iQIYI or GagaOOLala or cut on YouTube
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3. The Sign reincarnated lovers; fantasy; thai mythology; police
The story of the love between Phaya and Tharn who used to be mythological creatures Naga and Garuda in their past lives, and were forced apart. But fate intervened, and two men were reincarnated in new bodies. Now, they work together as partners in the Special Investigations Unit to uncover violent crimes and supernatural mysteries while their love is tested by mystical forces and past enemies.
YouTube
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4. I Feel You Linger In The Air period drama; time travel; bittersweet
Jom, an architect overseeing the renovation of a rundown villa, continuously dreams of a man he's never met. When a twist of fate transports Jom to Chiang Mai in the 1920s, he assumes the role of a servant to the affluent young master Yai, the mysterious man from his dreams.
GagaOOLala or YouTube
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5. You're My Sky sports; university setting; coming of age
Thorn, a young basketball player follows his senior Fah to university as a result of the promise they’d made — to become national basketball champions. However, to his dismay, he finds that Fah has already given up on basketball. --- Aai has to work in pairs throughout the semester with San, 1 year footballer; in order to receive a scholarship to study in Japan, Ai must be willing to do everything to get an A grade. --- Track running requires the compatibility of the team members to be very high. Vee, who became the new racquet 4, has to speed up training to fit in with the team as quickly as possible, especially with Dome, spending extra time together to train. Is love actually a major obstacle on the path of being an athlete?
Viki
> more tv shows from Thailand
GMMTV Thailand 🇹🇭 (full list here)
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1. My School President high school setting; secret crush; school president/rebel musician
Gun is the head of his high school music club. Tinn is a school president and Gun's long-term rival. The Principal wants to disband some of the school’s “useless” after-school clubs, especially the music club. Per school rules, the student council president is the one who has the power to dissolve clubs. Gun is now at Tinn’s mercy, so he attempts to do whatever he can to persuade his rival not to cancel the music club. Little does he know, Tinn actually has a secret crush on him. Could romance brew as Gun makes a desperate attempt to secure the future of his band?
Viki (MSP) & YouTube (Our Skyy special 33-40) & YouTube (special)
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2. Moonlight Chicken adult romance; age gap; deaf character
Jim is an ordinary guy running a chicken rice diner. One night, he meets Wen when he stays past closing drunk. Brought together by fate that night, intangible feelings arise. Neither can stop thinking about the other despite Jim's efforts to remain unattached. Jim also takes care of his nephew Li Ming, who is falling in love with Heart, a deaf teenager who is practically kept under house arrest by his affluent parents.
YouTube
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3. Not Me revolution; freedom fighters; secret twins
When his twin Black is viciously attacked and subsequently left hospitalised in unconsciousness, White is unable to endure the harm done to his brother in silence. He learns Black was a part of a gang of anti-capitalist freedom fighters, and it was one of them who betrayed him. White disguises himself as Black to discover which one of them betrayed him and put him in a coma.
YouTube
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4. 23.5 wlw; high school setting; secret admirer
Ongsa moves to a new school and meets Sun, a cute popular girl who she immediately falls for. However, she decides to approach Sun in instagram dms under the pseudonym Earth, leading Sun to believe she's talking to a guy. But Ongsa does not want to lose the opportunity to talk to Sun, so she decides to keep the fact that she is a girl a secret and continue talking as Earth.
YouTube
> more tv shows from GMMTV Thailand
Japan 🇯🇵 (full list here)
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1. Cherry Magic!   mind reading; secret crush; office setting
By still being a vіrgin at 30, Adachi gains a magical power – the ability to read other people's minds by touching them. At first, he’s overwhelmed by his new ability, and it’s not proving to be helpful to him. But that all changes when he accidentally touches their office’s most perfect guy Kurosawa, who he learns has romantic feelings for him.
WeTV (Cherry Magic) & no international streaming of Cherry Magic The Movie is available to my knowledge, so watch on bilibili or KissKH
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2. Kieta Hatsukoi (My Love Mix-Up!)   misunderstanding; high school setting
Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she's written the name of another boy — Ida — on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!
Viki
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3. Our Dining Table food; child character
Salaryman Yutaka finds it difficult to share meals with other people. However, his life starts to change when one day, his cooking attracts the attention of a young boy named Tane and his older brother Minoru. The two brothers are impressed by Yutaka's cooking skill and invite him to their house to cook together. Yutaka's dreary life begins to change, and soon he finds himself looking forward to the meals he shares with the Ueda siblings together, as well as developing a taste for romantic feelings.
GagaOOLala
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4. She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat wlw; neighbours; self-discovery; food
Nomoto loves to cook, but tends to make too much food and has no one to share it with. Luckily for her, turns out her neighbor Kasuga has a big enough appetite for the both of them.
No international streaming available, translated to english by Furritsubs, S1 & S2, watching instructions provided, please support translator on kofi.
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5. Takara-kun to Amagi-kun high school setting; relationship exploration
Takara is a good-looking popular guy in class, while Amagi is a simple but bright and pure fellow classmate. The two begin to date in secret after Amagi's blurted out confession.
Viki or GagaOOLala
> more tv shows from Japan
China 🇨🇳 (full list here)
Most chinese shows are adapted from explicitly queer novels, the shows are undeniably and obviously queer, but nevertheless the queer romance part is censured. The only exception is number 4 on the list, it is not censored.
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1. The Untamed period drama; fantasy
An epic fantasy led by a problem child who comes back from the dead 16 years later in order to fix the broken world he left behind — and finally unite with his soulmate.
YouTube
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2. Word of Honor period drama; fantasy
The leader of assassin organisation Zhou Zishu quits his position in pursuit of freedom with drastic measures. In his travels, he meets Wen Kexing, the leader of Ghost Valley who wants nothing but revenge. The two become entangled in various machinations within the martial arts world, and eventually become soulmates instrumental in each other's redemption.
YouTube & Special Episode on Tumblr or DailyMotion
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3. Couple of Mirrors wlw; period drama; socialite/assassin
You Yi is a kind-hearted socialite and a successful author. Her perfect life is turned upside-down when she discovers a betrayal by the two most trusted people in her life. With no one left to turn to, she finds refuge in the friendship and support of Yan Wei, a lonely female killer disguised as the owner of a photo studio.
YouTube. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 12 timestamp 28:02.
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4. Stay With Me enemies to lovers; high school setting; unconventional families; slow burn
Su Yu is a high school student who lives with his single poor father. Su Yu gets a new classmate Wu Bi. The two clash right from the start, and after getting off on the wrong foot, their explosive relationship takes a turn.
YouTube or GagaOOLala. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 24 timestamp 05:00. OR watch the full thing and look at this post after
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5. The Spirealm inside of a video game; mystery; fantasy; horror-ish; hopeful ending
A game designer Lin Qiushi is transported inside of a game he recently played, and now he must go through 12 horrifying survivor game doors to survive in the real world. Inside his first door he meets Ruan Nanzhu, a mysterious man who offers him to team up.
The show was taken down from streaming, download files here and subtitles here.
Various WLW mini web-dramas here.
Various WLW short films here.
South Korea 🇰🇷 (full list here)
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1. Love for Love's Sake inside of a video game; high school setting; healing
At the age of 29 Tae Myungha finds himself transported into a fictional video game, and now 19 years old, he meets Cha Yeowoon, who is in the darkest moment of his life. And a translucent window appears where he receives a mission — to make Cha Yeowoon happy.
iQIYI (better subtitles) or GagaOOLala
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2. Semantic Error enemies to lovers; university setting
A serious programmer and a rebellious artist clash over a school project. Their animosity keeps escalating to new extremes, defined by petty pranks and feisty arguments.
Viki
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3. Love Tractor farm setting; farmer/city musician
Sunyeol, a city man with zero ability to survive in the countryside, comes to his grandfather's rural home. In front of him appears Yechan, a passionate and kind young farmer. While learning about rural life and assisting with farming tasks, Sunyeol gradually finds himself drawn to Yechan's warm and straightforward nature, while Yechan helplessly falls for Sunyeol.
iQIYI
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4. Our Dating Sim high school friends to lovers; office setting
After 7 years, Lee Wan meets his first love, Shin Kitae, in a gaming company. When they were best friends in high school, Lee Wan was in love with Kitae. But he ran away and disappeared after confessing his feelings to Kitae after graduation. When the two of them begin working on a new dating simulation game and get more immersed in the project, old feelings are rekindled.
Viki or GagaOOLala
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5. She Makes My Heart Flutter wlw; bar setting; niece and aunt dynamic
The extroverted Gang Seol is hired by her aunt Jung at her only-women bar. Even though they are both lesbians, they seem to be worlds apart and have very different love stories.
YouTube
> more tv shows from South Korea
Taiwan 🇹🇼 (full list here)
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1. History3: Trapped mafia boss/policeman
The story of a police officer who becomes trapped in the underworld, as he develops feelings for a gang leader.
YouTube or Viki
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2. Kiseki: Dear to Me mafia; age gap
Bai Zongyi, an exemplary high school student with dreams of becoming a doctor, is one day unexpectedly drawn into the world of a charismatic and mischievous gangster Fan Zerui, who blackmails him into taking him in and treating his wounds. Just as their love story begins to unfold, Fan Ze Rui's criminal life catches up with him. On the other hand, Chen Yi and Ai Di are two orphans who grew up in the gang together. Ai Di has always loved Chen Yi, but Chen Yi only notices their boss.
Viki or GagaOOLala or YouTube
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3. My Tooth Your Love dentist/chef; trauma healing
Bai Lang is a successful bistro owner with an severe fear of visiting the dentist... until a toothache forces him to come face to face with the handsome yet cold dentist Jin Xunan.
Viki
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4. Anti Reset android/human
When Chu Yi Ping, an emotionless man, dislocates his hand in an accident at school, his uncle gives him Ever 9 as a caretaker, an experimental intelligent robot that his company is secretly testing.
Viki or iQIYI or GagaOOLala
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5. History2: Crossing the Line sports; high school setting
When an injury sidelines a high school senior from the volleyball team, he develops feelings for a recruit.
YouTube or Viki
> more tv shows from Taiwan
Philippines 🇵🇭
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1. Sleep With Me wlw; radio; disabled character in a wheelchair
A science textbook writer with a sleep disorder meets a wheelchair-using radio host who runs the midnight shift. This chance encounter at the radio station quickly sparks their interest in each other.
GagaOOLala
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You can watch many shows for free on YouTube, and watch others on the streaming websites by setting VPN to one of the countries in the list. In other cases I recommend paying for subscriptions to show appreciation and support of content in order to get more of it in the future, but if you can’t, watch on KissKH (better quality), Dramacool or get files from MkvDrama. Enjoy!  🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
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simpforsoap · 2 months
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Monsterous Lovers- Part Two
Part 1 and Part 3
Hybrids weren’t uncommon. They appeared sometime during the 1300’s. No one was really sure where they originated from, not even the hybrids seemed to know, but as time went on their population started to grow. At first humans and hybrids lived amongst each other, those were known as the pre-war times. By 1401, there was an attack. The story has been told and reshaped over the years to fit the narrative of who tells it, humans saying that hybrids attacked their village while hybrids saying that humans attacked their kind first. No one knows what happened exact, but the war broke out in the spring of 1401, lasting nearly 105 years. For the time period, humans were unable to defend themselves against the hybrids that attacked and as a result the human population dropped significantly, into the low millions. Hybrids were not in any better of shape, their own population having dwindled due to the war and lack of neccesities that were needed for them to strive. In 1506 the Living Peace Treaty was signed, an agreement for hybrids and humans to stop attacking one another and allow their populations to regrow. There was a tense period of time after the treaty where humans and hybrids seemed to be at one anothers throats, but there was no more wars. 
As time went on, history notes there was always a separation between humans and hybrids, but the lined seemed to blur the more time carried on. During the 1920’s, when humans seemed to be at war with one another, hybrids took a stand and joined forces with humans alike. Lives were lost between both species but there was a mutual agreement that humans and hybrids could coexist with one another in peace. By the turn of the 21st century, you could walk the streets and see humans and hybrids living amongst each other, even some in relationships and whatnot.
Price and them were no strangers to the judgmental comments and borderline xenophobic tendencies some humans still had towards them. They had worked their way up in the military, creating their own little pack with one another throughout their years of working together. Despite their differences from one another, they worked like a well oiled machine. Perhaps it was all the endless deadly missions that never seemed to stop the killing of both humans and hybrids alike, or perhaps it was the lack of comfort they found when coming back to the base after those missions, but the four of them each longed for a sense of normality. To come back from a mission, not to the base where they couldn’t separate work from living, but rather a place where they could truly call it home.
That’s what Price believed as he stood in the driveway of your home; that this was a potential home to him and his boys. The entire drive to the property, Soap couldn’t stop ranting and raving about the photos he seen online with the ad you had posted and even though they were each wanting him to be quiet in their own way, it was a good thing Soap had seemed to love it so much just based on photos. Because in person? This home was immaculate and seemed like it was exactly what Price had pictured as their home. 
The house was ranch styled, a large porch with a covered entry way. A porch swing snestled to the right of the door, Price feeling like it was an idea spot to sit and enjoy a cigar while overlooking the front of the property. The 20 acres of woods surrounding the house were thick, Soap wanting nothing more than to shift into his wolf and take off into the woods for a run. The house was a little more secluded than they had thought, but it was perfect. And they hadn’t even seen the inside of it! 
As they toured the outside of the house first, Ghost insisting to ensure it was secure as he told you, Price felt more relaxed. There was a little garden on the south side of the home, something he could clearly picture you kneeling in and tending to during the summer months. You lead them around the house, showing off the small gazebo in the back yard, little lantern lights hanging around the inside. The four of them followed as you walked the small stone path to the back patio, Price taking note of the lack of patio furniture before leading them inside. 
“I know it’s kind of messy right now, I was in the process of cleaning up the house to make room when I had to leave.” You gave them a small smile, pushing some empty boxes against the wall so they wouldn’t trip on them. 
Soap just smiled with a small laugh, naturally throwing an arm around your shoulders, ignoring the glare Price gave him, “nah, it’s fine lassie. Though, I gotta ask, you really live here alone?”
You took a tiny breath through your nose, needing to steady yourself for the question you knew you’d have to answer, “yes, I do. I did have…someone living with me before but there was a..um..accident of sorts and I took over the house.” 
Ghost could pick up the anxious look in your eye from a mile away, the mask hiding his facial expressions from you, but you could see the way his eyes narrowed at your words, “anyways, the house itself is a 5 bed 5 bath home. Allows you some space to do what you please with. Shared living room and kitchen of course, but I can designate some spots in the kitchen for the each of you so you can have your own spot to put stuff in. The rooms are upstairs, do you want me to show you?”
“Yes, please love.” Gaz gave a smile at you, easing the tension from your shoulders a bit. You could tell both Gaz and Soap seemed to give you the natural ability to find a sense of familiarity in them. 
You showed them the upstairs of the home, the four of them taking their time in examining each room, taking mental notes on where the each of them could fit in and what they wanted to do with the space. You ended the tour in the kitchen, standing with your hands in your hoodie pocket. 
“Well, what do you think? I know it’s probably not super luxurious, but it’s a comfortable home and I’m not one to get into much of your business.” You give them a smile, watching the way the four of them seemed to have having a silent conversation with one another through their eyes. 
Right as you were beginning to worry they would decline the offer, Price spoke up, “we believe this is exactly what we are looking for. Would you like rent from all of us or just the overall 2500?”
“Oh heavens no, just the 2500. I know it’s a bit on the pricey side but--” before you could say more, Price cut you off with a smal wave of his hand. 
“Nonsense, we make more than enough to cover that. Now, we are active military as Soap here told you in the messages so we are in and out of the house a lot for missions, but we will always communicate with you on the duration of our leave will be.” Price crossed his arms, your eyes flicking to the way his scaled forearms seemed to glint in the light. 
You took a small breath to steady yourself before nodding, “of course. I have the lease written for a year at the moment, but we can extend it if you’d like to after that.” 
Price nodded, “of course. Now, I suppose I shall bring it up first. We are hybrids, each of us are our own beings. I, myself, am a dragon. Soap here is a werewolf, Gaz is a Harpy and Ghost is a wraith. Is that something you are absolutely sure you’re comfortable with? There’s no offense if you’re not, we understand there can be a bit of..troubles sometimes.”
You give a small smile nodding, “yes, I am completely fine with that. I do want to finish cleaning things up around here, but tomorrow morning if you’d like you can move your stuff into the rooms.”
You took a mental note of what Price said, wanting to search it up later so you knew just what exactly you were getting yourself into.
“Perfect. We will be here at 9:00 sharp then, love.” Price smiled and you shook his hand your hand feeling hot at his touch. 
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As Price drove back to the base, the car ride was mostly silent. Soap was practically buzzing in his seat, desperate to say something to fill the silence. Price glanced at him through the rearview mirror before letting a breath out, “speak your mind, Johnny.”
Soap wasted no time, leaning forward in his seat with a large smile on his face, “we just hit the jackpot! She’s absolutely stunning and that house? Perfect for us in every way…even with the scent of strawberries and mint..she smells devine.”
Gaz shook his head at Soap’s words, though the smile and slight ruffle to his feathers gave it away, “you’re hopeless, Soap.” 
“What? I’m not wrong, and you know it! The lass smells delicious…nearly want to sink my teeth into her and make her mine.” Soaps words make Price shift in his seat, glaring at him through the mirror.
“Soap. Watch it. You will do no such thing to her unless she gives approval. We will be within her home we are to respect that.” Price’s tone was firm, his eyes narrowed as he focused back on the road. 
Ghost was silent in the passenger seat, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed, but Soap’s words seemed to spark something in his mind, “for a human she’s awfully trusting of us…seems stupid if you ask me…inviting a pack of hybrids into your home without asking anything regarding that nature.”
Gaz immediately moved on the defense, his feathers ruffled a bit, “hey now. I think she’s a sweetheart..Seems to be one of the humans that doesn’t seem to mind the fact we’re hybrids…maybe she thought it was rude to ask anything on it.”
Ghost looked out the window of the car, silent as he thought over Gaz’s words. It took a few moments before he spoke up, voice a tad softer than it was before, “There’s something off about her…I think we should look into her background when we get back to base.”
The other three were silent for a moment. They couldn’t deny you had a strange story as to why you were suddenly renting the rooms out, but they felt it was something of your story to tell. Price spoke up after a moment, “we can look into a background, only to ensure there is no danger into this house. But it is her story to tell us, I will not look further than is required to.”
They seemed to be in an agreement, to find out a tiny bit about your background and make sure you truly were who you said you were, but they would wait until you were comfortable to tell your story to them on why you lived alone so suddenly.
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Tag List: @zoruxsblog @dontfollowmepleaseitsannoying
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afeelgoodblog · 8 months
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The Best News of Last Week - August 21, 2023
🌊 - Discover the Ocean's Hidden Gem Deep down in the Pacific
1. Massachusetts passed a millionaire's tax. Now, the revenue is paying for free public school lunches.
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Every kid in Massachusetts will get a free lunch, paid for by proceeds from a new state tax on millionaires.
A new 4% tax on the state's wealthiest residents will account for $1 billion of the state's $56 billion fiscal budget for 2024, according to state documents. A portion of those funds will be used to provide all public-school students with free weekday meals, according to State House News Service.
2. Plant-based filter removes up to 99.9% of microplastics from water
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Researchers may have found an effective, green way to remove microplastics from our water using readily available plant materials. Their device was found to capture up to 99.9% of a wide variety of microplastics known to pose a health risk to humans.
3. Scientists Find A Whole New Ecosystem Hiding Beneath Earth's Seafloor
youtube
Most recently, aquanauts on board a vessel from the Schmidt Ocean Institute used an underwater robot to turn over slabs of volcanic crust in the deep, dark Pacific. Underneath the seafloor of this well-studied site, the international team of researchers found veins of subsurface fluids swimming with life that has never been seen before.
It's a whole new world we didn't know existed.
4. How solar has exploded in the US in just a year
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Solar and storage companies have announced over $100 billion in private sector investments in the US since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) a year ago, according to a new analysis released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Since President Joe Biden signed the IRA in August 2022, 51 solar factories have been announced or expanded in the US.
5. Researchers have identified a new pack of endangered gray wolves in California
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A new pack of gray wolves has shown up in California’s Sierra Nevada, several hundred miles away from any other known population of the endangered species, wildlife officials announced Friday.
It’s a discovery to make researchers howl with delight, given that the native species was hunted to extinction in California in the 1920s. Only in the past decade or so have a few gray wolves wandered back into the state from out-of-state packs.
6. Record-Breaking Cleanup: 25,000 Pounds of Trash Removed from Pacific Garbage Patch
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Ocean cleanup crews have fished out the most trash ever taken from one of the largest garbage patches in the world.
The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit environmental engineering organization, saw its largest extraction earlier this month by removing about 25,000 pounds of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Alex Tobin, head of public relations and media for the organization
7. The Inflation Reduction Act Took U.S. Climate Action Global
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The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aimed to promote clean energy investments in the U.S. and globally. In its first year, the IRA successfully spurred other nations to develop competitive climate plans.
Clean energy projects in 44 U.S. states driven by the IRA have generated over 170,600 jobs and $278 billion in investments, aligning with Paris Agreement goals.
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That's it for this week :)
This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation here:
Buy me a coffee ❤️
Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.
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mariacallous · 5 months
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The great fault of the global left is not that it supports Hamas. For how could Western left-wing movements or left-inclining charities or academic bodies truly support Hamas if they were serious about their politics?
No one outside the most reactionary quarters of Islam shares Hamas’s aim of forcing the peoples of the world to accept “the sovereignty of Islam” or face “carnage, displacement and terror” if they refuse.  You cannot be a progressive and campaign for a state that executes gay men. An American left, which includes in its ranks the Queers for Palestine campaign group, cannot seriously endorse lethal homophobia in its own country.  They will turn a blind eye in Palestine, as we shall see, but not in New York or Chicago.
Finally, no left organisation proudly honours the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the fascist tradition that Hamas embraces with such sinister gusto, although in a sign of a decay that has been building on the left for more than a generation, many will promulgate left-wing conspiracy theories which are as insane as their fascist counterparts.
No, the problem with the global left is that it is not serious about politics. It “fellow travels” with radical Islam rather than supports it. The concept of “fellow travelling,” with its suggestions of tourism, dilettantism, and privilege, is well worth reviving. The phrase comes from the Bolsheviks. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 they looked with appreciation on Westerners who supported them without ever endorsing communism. Artists, writers, and academics who were disgusted with the West, often for good reason, I should add, were quite happy to justify Soviet communism and cover up its crimes without ever becoming communists themselves.
Leon Trotsky put it best when he said of fellow travellers that the question was always “how far would they go”? As long as they did not have live under the control of communists in the 1920s or the control of Islamists in the 2020s, the answer appears to be: a very long way indeed
W.H. Auden said, as he looked back with some contempt on his fellow travelling past, if Britain or the United States or any country he and his friends knew were taken over by a “successful communist revolution with the same phenomena of terror, purges, censorship etc., we would have screamed our heads off”. But as communism happened in backward Russia “a semi-barbarous country which had experienced neither the Renaissance nor the Enlightenment”, they could ignore its crimes in the interests of seeing the capitalist enemy defeated.
You see the same pattern of lies and indulgence in the case of Hamas. Journalists  have produced a multitude of examples of fellow travelling since 7 October but let one meeting of the Oakland City Council in the Bay area of San Francisco speak for them all.
A council member wanted the council to pass a motion that condemned the killings and hostage-taking by Hamas, who, in case we forget, prompted the war that has devastated Gaza, by massacring Israeli civilians. The motion got nowhere
According to one speaker Hamas did not massacre anyone, a modern variant of Holocaust denial that is becoming endemic. “There have not been beheadings of babies and rapings,” a woman said at the meeting. “Israel murdered their own people on October 7.”  Another woman said that calling Hamas a terrorist organization is “ridiculous, racist and plays into the genocidal propaganda that is flooding our media.” Hamas was the “armed wing of the unified Palestinian resistance” , said a third who clearly had no knowledge of the civil war between Hamas and Fatah.
“To condemn Hamas was very anti-Arab racist” cried a fourth. The meeting returned to modern Holocaust denial as a new speaker said the Israeli Defence Forces had murdered their own people and it was “bald propaganda” to suggest otherwise. A man intervened to shout that “to hear them complain about Hamas violence is like listening to a wifebeater complain when his wife finally stands up and fights back”.  
Anyone who contradicted him was a “white supremacist.”
Of course they were.
Now if theocrats were to establish an Islamist tyranny in the Bay area, I am sure every single speaker would scream their heads off, as Auden predicted. They can turn into fellow travellers as there is no more of a prospect of theocracy threatening them than there was of communism threatening readers of the left-wing press in the UK and US in the 1930s.
A serious left would have plenty to complain about. Consider the Israeli position after the breakdown of the ceasefire. The Israeli state is led by Benjamin Netanyahu, a catastrophe of a prime minister, who left his people exposed to the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. His war aims are contradictory: you cannot both wipe out Hamas and free the hostages.
Worst of all, the Israeli defence forces are to move to the southern Gaza strip where two million Palestinians are crammed. Just war doctrine holds that a military action must have a reasonable chance of success if the suffering is to be permitted. How, reasonably, can the Israeli army expect to find guerilla fighters hiding in a terrified population?  According to leaks in the Israeli media, Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of state, was warning the Israeli government that, “You can’t operate in southern Gaza in the way you did in the north. There are two million Palestinians there.” But he was ignored.  A radical movement worth having would surely be putting pressure on the Biden administration to force Israel to listen to its concerns.
The radical movement we have will not engage in practical politics because compromise is anathema to it. Any honest account of the war would have to admit that Israel has the right to defend itself against attack. It is just that the military position it finds itself in now may well make its war aims impossible and therefore immoral.
You can see why practical politics has no appeal. Where is the violent satisfaction in sober analysis,  the drama in compromise? Where is the Manichean distinction between the absolute good of the Palestinians and the pure evil of Israel?  
Meanwhile, ever since the Israeli victory in the Six Day War of 1967, you have been able to say that Jewish settler sites on the West Bank were placed there deliberately to make a peace settlement impossible, and ensure that Israel controlled all the territory from “the river to the sea” forever.
A serious left might try to revive a two-state solution by building an international consensus that the settlements must go. Once again, however, that is too tame an aim. For the fellow traveller watching Palestine from a safe distance, satisfaction comes only by embracing Hamas’s call for the destruction of Israel. Some progressives try to dress up the urge to destroy by pretending that Jews and Palestinians will go on to live together in some happy-clappy, multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state. But most must know they are advocating a war to the death. What makes their position so disreputable is that, if they thought about it calmly, they would know it would be a war that only Israel could win. It is the Israelis who have the nuclear weapons, after all.
The worst of the global left is dilettantish. It advocates a maximalist position which has a minimal chance of success - just for the thrill of it. David Caute, a historian of fellow travelling with Stalin and communism said that the endorsement of communism by fellow travelling intellectuals in the West “deepened the despair” of Soviet intellectuals. “In their darkest hours they heard themselves condemned by their own kind”.
The 2020s are not the 1930s. I am sure that, if I were a Palestinian in Gaza, my sole concern would be the removal of Israeli forces that threatened me and my family. I would either not care about demonstrations in the West or I would receive some comfort from the knowledge that people all over the world were protesting on my behalf.
Nevertheless, a kind of betrayal is still at work. By inflaming and amplifying the worst elements in Palestine the global left is giving comfort to the worst elements in Israel, which are equally determined to make a compromise impossible.
The New Statesman made that point well when it ran a piece by Celeste Marcus.   She came from the Zionist far right, and was taught doctrines that dehumanised Palestinians. She grew up and grew away from the prejudices of her childhood and became a liberal. But after she moved into her new world, she “recognised immediately that progressive leftists feel about Israelis the way radical Zionists feel about Palestinians: these are not real people.”
The result is that for all its power on the streets and in academia the global left is almost an irrelevance.
“To influence Israel,” she writes, “one must be willing to recognise it. Since leftist leaders cannot bother to do this, they cannot be of real use to Palestinians. This is a betrayal of their own cause.”
The dilettantism of fellow travelling always ends in betrayal and denial for the reason Auden gave: terror is always more tolerable when it happens far, far away.
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hotvintagepoll · 2 months
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Propaganda
Ann Sheridan (I Was a War Male Bride, City for Conquest, The Man Who Came to Dinner)—she was called 'the oomph girl' and i think that deserves a vote
Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express, Witness for the Prosecution, Morocco)—its marlene dietrich!!!! queer legend, easily the hottest person to ever wear a tuxedo, that hot hot voice, those glamorous glamorous movies.... most famously she starred in a string of movies directed by josef von sternberg throughout the 1930s, beginning with the blue angel which catapulted her to stardom in the role of the cabaret singer lola lola. known for his exquisite eye for lighting, texture, imagery, von sternberg devoted himself over the course of their collaborations to acquiring exceptional skill at photographing dietrich herself in particular, a worthy direction in which to expend effort im sure we can all agree. she collaborated with many other great directors of the era as well, including rouben mamoulian (song of songs), frank borzage (desire), ernst lubitsch (angel), fritz lang (rancho notorious), and billy wilder (witness for the prosecution). the encyclopedia britannica entry im looking at while compiling this propaganda describes her as having an “aura of sophistication and languid sexuality” which✔️💯. born marie magdalene dietrich, she combined her first and middle names to coin the moniker “marlene”. she was a trendsetter in her incorporation of trousers, suits, and menswear into her wardrobe and her androgynous allure was often remarked upon. critic kenneth tynan wrote, “She has sex, but no particular gender. She has the bearing of a man; the characters she plays love power and wear trousers. Her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men.” in the 1920s she enjoyed the vibrant queer nightlife of weimar berlin, visiting gay bars and drag balls, and in hollywood her love affairs with men and women were an open secret. she was an ardent opponent of nazi germany, refusing lucrative contacts offered her to make films there, raising money with billy wilder to help jews and dissidents escape, and undertaking extensive USO tours to entertain soldiers with an act that included her a playing musical saw and doing a mindreading routine she learned from orson welles. starting in the 50s and continuing into the mid-70s she worked largely as a cabaret artist touring the world to large audiences, employing burt bacharach as her musical arranger.
This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.
[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]
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"ms dietrich....ms dietrich pls.....sit on my face"
"First of all, there are those publicity photos of her in a tux. Second of all, I have never been the same since knowing that she sent copies of those photos to her Berlin lovers signed "Daddy Marlene." Not only is she hot in all circumstances, but she can do everything from earthy to ice queen. Also, she kept getting sexy romantic lead parts in Hollywood after the age of 40, which would be rare even now. She hated Nazis, loved her friends, and had a sapphic social circle in Hollywood. She also had cheekbones that could cut glass and a voice that could melt you."
"Did a bunch of humanitarian work during ww2, pretty sure a shot of her from Shanghai express was the inspiration for one of queens album covers and also her in the suit in Morocco (1930) CHANGED LIVES. I’m sure she’s already been submitted but I wanted an opportunity to submit one of my favourite pictures of her for the poll"
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Bisexual icon, super hot when dressed both masculine and feminine, lived up her life in the queer Berlin scene of the 1920s, central to the 'sewing circle' of the secret sapphic actresses of Old Hollywood, refused lucrative offers by the Nazis and helped Jews and others under persecution to escape Nazi Germany, the love of my life
Her GENDER her looks her voice her everything
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“In her films and record-breaking cabaret performances, Miss Dietrich artfully projected cool sophistication, self-mockery and infinite experience. Her sexuality was audacious, her wit was insolent and her manner was ageless. With a world-weary charm and a diaphanous gown showing off her celebrated legs, she was the quintessential cabaret entertainer of Weimar-era Germany.”
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"The bar scene in Morocco awoke something in me and ultimately changed my gender"
youtube
"Her manner, the critic Kenneth Tynan wrote, was that of ‘a serpentine lasso whereby her voice casually winds itself around our most vulnerable fantasies.’ Her friend Maurice Chevalier said: ‘Dietrich is something that never existed before and may never exist again.’”
"Songstress, photographer, fashion icon, out bisexual phenom (notoriously stole Lupe Velez and Joan Crawford's men, and Errol Flynn's wife, had a torrid affair with Greta Garbo that ended in a 60-year feud, other notable conquests including Erich Maria Remarque -yes, the guy who wrote All Quiet on the Western Front- Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Claudette Colbert, Mercedes de Acosta, Edith Piaf), anti-Nazi activist. Marlene was a bitch - she had an open marriage for decades and one of her favorite things was making catty commentary about her current lover with her husband, and her relationship with her daughter was painful- but she was also immensely talented, a hard worker, an opponent of fascism and the hottest ice queen in Hollywood for a long time."
youtube
"She can sing! She can act! She told the Nazis to fuck off and became a US citizen out of spite! She worked with other German exiles to create a fund to help Jews and German dissidents escape (she donated an entire movie salary, about $450k, to the cause). She looks REALLY GOOD in a suit. If you're not convinced, please listen to her sing "Lili Marlene". Absolutely gorgeous woman with a gorgeous voice."
Gifset link
"Bisexual icon and Nazi-hater. Looks absolutely stunning in the suits she liked to wear. 'I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men'."
"would you not let her walk on you?"
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alastor-simp · 2 months
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"A What Now?” - Alastor x Non-binary Reader
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This was requested to me by @dudeidontknowok
I’m sure you are all aware Alastor is not very up to date with new sexuality’s and genders, seeing he was from the 1920s, so this will be my take on him reacting to a nonbinary reader. Enjoy!
“Let’s see…the man said take a left here and the hotel should be right….” Walking through the narrow streets in the Pride ring, you were trying to spot the Hazbin Hotel. Your name was y/n and you had just arrived in Hell a few hours ago. It was a very odd experience, suddenly dying in an accident and ending up in a place with a blood red sky and people looking like something from a cartoon, but at least you were glad you weren’t fully dead dead. The streets were havoc walking through them, fires popping up everywhere, random people getting stabbed or robbed and some others were just high out of their minds. A little flyer had landed in front of you, saying “Come to the Hazbin Hotel!” Seemed decent enough, but there was no map on the flyer and since you just arrived, you had no idea where to look. Thankfully the first demon you asked was friendly and not psycho bonkers crazy, and he explained the direct path that led to the hotel.
You had reached your destination and in front of you was a huge building, neon sign flashing “HAZBIN HOTEL”. It seemed a little run-down, but there were some good qualities about it. Heading up to the door, you stared at them, feelings of hesitation in your stomach. You had no idea if this was just a trap to lure people like you to get killed or worse. Taking a deep breath, you lifted your hand to knock on the door.
Before it could make contact, the door had swung open. A very tall man was standing in front of you. He was almost 6 or 7 feet tall, wearing a red striped suit, accompanied with a bow tie and red monocle on his face. His hair was in a bob cut, and dyed red to black. The smile he had on his face was enormous, making your cheeks hurt from how wide it was. His slitted red eyes stared down at you, a hint of shock in them as he probably didn’t expect someone to be at the door. “AH!, A newcomer! Hello my dear/young fellow! Have you come to stay at the hotel?” His voice sounded like it was coming out of a radio. He bent down, his face leaning closer to yours, making you feel a bit uneasy, since he appeared very intimidating. Giving a small smile, you gave a nod, leading to him grabbing your hand. “Splendid! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Alastor! And you are?” he was very animated, given how wacky his reactions were. “My name is Y/N, and you don’t have to call me dear/fellow, just my name is fine.” He arched an eyebrow at that, as he pulled you in, allowing you to enter the hotel.
Your head darted all around, taking in everything. It was very spacious, and the decor was pleasing to the eye, but there was some hints that it still needed some work, given the wall you saw that was being repaired and some bugs crawling. You realized there were other people staying at the hotel as well. There was a tall, lanky spider lounging on one of the couches, phone in hand. There was another female demon, speeding around the hotel with a broom in hand. It was hard to figure how what she looked like, but she was very cute. Noticing there was a bar, you gazed at it and took a look at the bartender. He was the definition of a grumpy cat, given the scowl on his face. His mouth was attached to a beer bottle, chugging away. He noticed you looking and gave a slight nod, while still drinking the beer. A giant snake man was sitting on the ground, appearing to be fiddling with some device, he looked up, smiled, and went back to work. Al had brought you over to the couch, where the spider was staying, and made you take a seat. "Wait right here! I'll go fetch the owner of this establishment!" Al said, as he snapped his fingers, disappearing. Well that shocked you, you had no idea he had powers, maybe you had some as well.
Your thoughts got interrupted when you felt two arms, grab at your waist, pulling you closer to the other demon. "Well hey there handsome/toots~. Never seen the likes of you before, you new in hell?" The spider smirked down you, letting you see his gold tooth shining." You nodded and said you were which made the spider smile more. "Name is Angel dust~. Now tell me your name, toots/handsome." This was making you a bit uncomfortable. "Um could you please not call me that. I don't identify with male or feminine terms. My name is Y/N, by the way." Angel's eyes widen at that, and he rubbed his neck with one of his hands, "Oh sh✪✪, my bad. Didn't mean to offend ya." Giving him a smile, you pat one of the hands that was on your waist, saying it was fine.
The sounds of feet clattering against the floor alerted you, making you turn your head. A women, dressed in a red suit had ran into the lounge. She had pretty blonde hair that was tied up, and her cheeks had two cute red dots on them. The smile on her face was radiant, it could make the sun jealous. "HELLO! Oh my goodness, another patient! My name is Charlie, its so nice to meet you!" She had extended her arms out, squeezing you with a hug while you remained on the couch. Letting out a laugh at her energy, you hugged her back. Looking over her shoulder, you spotted Alastor walking back in, along with another girl with white hair and an X on her eye? Strange.
Charlie finally let you go, standing up while grabbing the other girls hand. "Let me introduce everyone, this is Vaggie, my girlfriend. Angel Dust is the one next to you. Husk is the bartender. Niffty is the little one running around. Sir Pentious is another one of our patients, and I'm sure you met Alastor." You turned your head at all the new names you heard, giving a smile and small wave to everyone, which they gave back, except Husk as he still looked grumpy. The little one, Niffty, had rushed up towards you, jumping up in front of you: "Ooooo... she/he is very pretty." There it was again, that feeling of discomfort. Angel Dust noticed your expression, giving your shoulder a rub. "Niffty, they are non-binary. Don't call them he or she, ya got it? That goes for all of you as well." Angel said as he pointed at everyone. Niffty blinked up at Angel, seeming confused before smiling, letting out an okay.
"Pardon me, a what now?" a static voice had spoken out, letting you know it was Alastor. He had walked closer to where you were sitting, head tiled in confusion. Angel was about to say something, but Charlie chimed in. "Alastor, they don't see themselves as man or a women. They may have male or feminine features, but they don't fall into either of the categories. Does that make sense?" Charlie helped explained it to Alastor. His head stayed tilted, clearly still confused. "I'm afraid I still don't follow, my dear. During my time, there were only gentleman and ladies." His time? Your mind picked up on that
"Um, sorry for interrupting, but what do you mean by your time?" You copied Alastor, tiling your head. Alastor perked up at that. "Ah, I was born in the roaring 1920s! Ah how I miss it so!" Dang, he was from the 1920s!!! That must be why he didn't know. "Ahh, that makes much more sense. Don't think so hard on it Alastor, its fine." Alastor still seemed a bit puzzled, and he wanted to say something else, but he was cut off by Charlie. "Well since your going to be staying here now at the hotel, you'll need a room! Come! I'll bring you to it." Grabbing your hand, Charlie pulled you off the couch, and began to walk away from the lounge. Turning your head back, you gave a small wave to the others, which they returned back. Alastor was still gazing at you, as you left, along with his shadow that eyed you with curiosity.
Charlie had brought you to your room, also letting you know that your neighbor would be Angel Dust, which she hoped you wouldn't mind, which you didn't. The room was marvelous, all nice and tidy and it even had a outdoor balcony. "Welp I should probably head back down to everyone, I'll bring you some new clothes since I'm sure you want to freshen up, let me know if you need anything else, okay?" Charlie beamed at you, making you smile. Thanking her, you told her you would do that, earning you another hug from her. Soon she left the room, leaving you by yourself. Well, might as well take a shower.
**Later in the evening**
After your shower and wearing the comfy lounge clothes Charlie brought, you headed back down to where everyone was. It was time for dinner and on the menu for tonight was lasagna. Apparently, Angel made it himself, letting you know he was well versed in Italian cuisine. Dinner with everyone was nice, it was a bit chaotic, but your heart felt warm being around everyone. They were all a bit kooky, but still friendly. Soon it was time for bed. Everyone bid you a goodnight as they headed to their rooms, while you walked away with Angel next to you. "Night y/n." Angel said, giving a big yawn while stretching his four arms in the air. "Goodnight." you said back, as you went inside your room.
Sadly, you weren't very tired, so you decided to head over to the balcony and stay for a bit. The view was nice, and so was the breeze. Leaning against the railing, you gave a sigh, peering into the maroon sky. "Trouble sleeping?" a static voice appeared next to you, making you jump. Turning around, you see that it was Alastor, grinning with glee that he managed to frighten you. "Jeez, you nearly gave me a heart attack." your hand was placed against your chest, which was still racing. Alastor gave a chuckle, and leaned his arms against the railing, copying you: "Oh I wouldn't want that to happen! I have grown very fond of you!" His smile was mischievous, but his eyes gave away that he was telling the truth. You turned back to look at the sky, before you heard Alastor speak again. "May I ask something?" Turning back, you gazed at him, waiting for his response.
"Well, could you go into more detail about the whole non beanery, was it, again?" He lifted one of his hands in the air, spinning it around, as he was trying to come up with the word. You quickly broke into laughter. Non-beanery!?! What the heck was that?! Alastor watched you, as you continued to laugh, wondering what was so funny. "Its non-binary, Al. I basically don't see myself as a male or a female. Growing up, I felt different then everyone around me. In my soul, I knew that. So after a while, I came out as non-binary, it was odd to tell everyone I grew up with that, but hey, I was still me. Yes I know to you, it's a bit strange given you were born in the era where there was always two genders, but that's what I am and I'm comfortable with it."
After your speech, your irises kept staring into Al's. He had not said a word, gazing at you still. His smiled had relaxed more into a soft grin. "Thank you for explaining it. I'm not the type to apologize often, but I wish to offer my apologies about before. It wasn't my intention to come off as rude." Your heart felt warm after hearing the sweet apology, you told him it was fine. Alastor smiled and turn back to look at the sky, before he turned his head back quickly, causing it to emit a loud snap. "How would you like me to address you then? Now you must be patient with me, since it will take me a while to adjust!" You were happy that he was taking this very seriously, other people you have told usually brushed it off, but it was nice that he cared. "My name is fine, but if you are ever mentioning me in a conversation, say they/them, okay?" Alastor's signature smile returned, and he gave a nod. "Duly noted!" The both of you gazed at each other smiling, before turning back to stare at the night sky.
~END~
Tagging:
@pepperycookie , @yourdoorisunlocked, @ghostdoodlen, @aceofcards0-0, @jyoongim, @saturnhas82moons, @unholycheesesnack , @luujjvi, @forbidden-sunlight, @pinkcrystal44 , @veethewriter , @rains-sleeping@danveration , @demoarah, @cookiekyo , @iiotic, @delectableworm , @91062854-ka , @alastorsgoldie , @lokis-imaginary-friend , @themysteriousslenderman
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the1920sinpictures · 3 months
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1920's The William A. Clark mansion at Fifth Avenue, prior to it's demolition in 1927. It has a large sign on the side advertising that modern apartments are coming soon to 960 Fifth Avenue. From New York City-Vintage History, FB.
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To hunt or be hunted #5
Pairing: Alastor x Fem!Reader x Lucifer Summary: Bath time has proving itself to be a revealing process, specially when in company of someone else. Warnings: Angsty stuff, fluffy at the end.
Hazbin Taglist: @sakuraluna2468 @boogiemansbitch @mysterypotatoink @sibsteria @cherry-cola-100
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Walking around the hallways, now that you could freely do so, helped with your insomnia. You tried to minimize how often you did it, afraid to upset someone with the endless pacing noise.
Mindlessly you ended up in the highest floor. As you turned to walk down the stairs a sound made you stare at the light under one of the doors.
You knocked on it knowing the owner of the room, “Alastor? Are you killing someone or are you in pain?” the demon didn’t answered, worried you opened the door a little, peeked through a small crack as to not interrupt if he was busy.
Your heart raced when you saw the taxidermy hanged on his wall, the warm old ambiance made you feel like you were back to the 1920’s. Just at the end of the room there was this annex, something you didn’t noticed when you dropped his clothes a few months ago.
It was a forest, like the bayou you used to frequent to avoid the police. It had the same swampy smell. The next sound made you jump, it came from the bathroom, like the sound you can make by kicking water.
“Alastor?” your voice caused him such a surprise, that the next you heard was a shriek then a lot of radio static, “I’m not going to open the door, I just…Are you okay?” his shadow creeped out from under the door, pulled you inside the room and closed the main door.
“Yes dear, I’m okay” since you couldn’t exactly tell by his tone, you turned to the shadow, he slowly smiled in return, “Okay, pardon the intrusion” You managed to turn around, but stopped to see the bunch of "No" signs on the door, as if Alastor's shadow didn't want you to leave.
“The stitches got a bit lose” He spoke as the figure on the wall gave you an image of your previous suturing work and how it had come loose and deteriorated, until it was like a badly patched jacket.
 “Describe how the wound looks” Alastor made the mistake to move very suddenly, tensing the edges of the scab, he winced before giving you an answer, “Red, it’s mostly scab, but the stitches got lose and teared apart some of the scab”.
“How about you finish there and when you’re a bit decent, I take a look?” the handle loosened allowing the door to move backwards from the frame, “Come in” 'No way! He will be naked in the bathtub, no! But it could be serious, at worst I just keep my eyes on his torso and then turn around' you panicked internally, then took a step forward.
“Don’t be ridiculous, open your eyes, you’re going to hurt yourself!” you had your eyes covered, as you made your way to the bathtub, failing because you knocked your knee against the sink, “You have to remember what kind of upbringing we had; I only saw my ex-husband naked in his entirety” he was embarrassed, but seeing you being in a worse state, kind of reassured him.
Due to the water, parts of his fur stick to the skin and sometimes leave certain marks on the skin visible. In Alastor's case, his cream-colored skin was partially covered with short but spacious scars, since in contrast is a much darker color it made them stand out easier.
The worst thing about those was that they did not have a pattern that could resemble a “professional” torture technique, but it seemed as if they had stoned him, which is something that happened a lot to people whose skin color was darker at the time. The racists used to tie the person to a pole and throw rocks at someone.
A truly sickening activity.
“Oh those are…I didn’t noticed those scars, I’m so sorry” immediately you diverted your eyes, out of respect mostly, “You had seen the…process?” you shook your head, “I used to scare kids that planned it, no one is brave enough when they have an axe against their neck”.
After snapping out of it, you approached him, you thanked him internally for having his knees pressed together and up to the level of his chest, so you wouldn’t see his privates. Two old fashioned mannered persons on a room, or prudes, as Angel would said.
The stitches did got lose, but he was supposed to take them off at a certain time. You assumed you didn’t warned this to him, so that fell on you, “Mmh, I’ll get tweezers and scissors, if I use my claws I might make it worse” mindlessly you pressed your hand near the edge of the wound, it wasn’t hot nor red enough to be an infection.
“Your hand is so warm” he placed his fingers on the top of your hand, “Funny how you don’t shove me away” you were aware of his repulsion of touch, weird enough he was always willing to invade your personal space, like the other day, but he shoved any other person trying to approach him physically, except for Nifty and you.
“I think, if you wanted me dead, I wouldn't have been able to return to the hotel” being playful with life and death matters was a refreshing interaction for you to have with someone, Alastor made it fun.
“Charlie would’ve had my head if you hadn’t” literally.
“You had the chance to kill me three times, if I recall correctly” You had, but that’s not the thing that makes him curious, it lead him to ask an interesting question, “Why didn’t you?”.
“The first time, you were eating someone, it made me gag so I walked away” the image of you being with your axe ready to strike and then waking away repulsed made him laugh, you couldn’t resist a giggle either.
“Down here, when you first arrived, I wanted to level how stupid you were, since you didn’t attacked me, I didn’t either” that was one hell of an intense staring session, in which Alastor walked away first, the implied threat was strong enough, so he moved away from you to continue terrorizing the city.
“And in the rubble, I just wanted to give you a lesson” he made what you could interpret as a pout, twitching his eye and his ear.
“Your hair is dry” You noticed, now that you looked at his ears.
“I haven’t washed it yet” Alastor saw a light in your eyes that meant trouble, leading to a back and forward: “Can I?” “No” “Please?” “No” “Please?” “No” “Please?” “No” “I’ll do whatever you want”.
“Then you’ll join me for my broadcast tomorrow night, you’ve been quite evasive about it”, Since your presence became public knowledge around the hotel, Alastor felt the liberty to approach you more often. The tension from the first interaction dissipated over time. However, he constantly invited you to spend some time in his studio, subject that you’ve been avoiding. Nonetheless, he doesn’t stop asking.
“I´m sorry” you materialized two cotton balls in your hands, then placed them carefully on the insides of his ears, before wetting his hair.
“Have I done something to provoke it?” he was genuinely concerned. He knows himself far too well to know he can be correct and at the same time be offensive, and doesn’t mind the reaction unless it affects him directly.
“No…I keep most of me to myself, force of habit. Also I fear that you may want to talk about past lives” No matter what topic you start the conversation on, he always handles it in such a way that you end up talking about the 1920s and the society or politics of the moment and compare it to the technological advances of the new generation.
It got old very quickly.
“We could talk about other things” it was unusual for you to hear him be genuine, but you weren’t complaining. “Like?” he relaxed once you started massaging the shampoo into his head, “This cotton ball method is genius” his ears rotated as your fingers worked the foam around them, “I had the same issue, until I saw videos of cat owners washing their pets, using cotton balls to protect their ears”.
“Did your husband also enjoyed this kind of attention?” You didn't have saliva to swallow, and even if you did, the knot in your throat wouldn't allow it. “Not with me” he laughed, clearly not reading your clear discomfort, “One of my main victims were men who committed adultery, maybe his body is now rotting in the bayou”.
You decided to swallow your pride and let his unpleasantness pass, “Unlikely, I cracked his skull open” he took your hand off his head and placed a kiss on your knuckles, “Deservedly so” you smiled for a second, before his next statement rose a bitter taste to the back of your mouth.
“Men are often asses, it’s no wonder that woman want them dead. Fortunately, my mother raised me accordingly” you rolled your eyes at his ego, “Remind me to lit a candle for her, she’s most likely in heaven” his heart, as black as it could be, fluttered by the mention of a lovely practice.
“You knew of her?” You were clearly older than him, he had a small hope you could speak of his mother, “No, but the way you talk about her, that’s proof enough”. It took you a few seconds to remember one of your husband’s so lovely gifts, a cookbook, given the fact that – according to him– your meatloaf was dry every time.
“I think I had her cookbook, Amaya Heartfelt, right?” his microphone made a crowd laughing sound before he spoke, “Ah, that’s why your Jambalaya tasted familiar” funny, you thought you saw a grimace when he ate, now that was the reason.
“I make a decent Jambalaya, accept it” rather than being playful, your voice turned to be a bit brazen, not by accident that is. “More than decent, but my mother wins against you by a landslide” you hummed in utter defeat, “Fair enough, mamma’s boy” he scoffed, but did not correct you.
“If we had met properly, we probably would’ve been best of friends” 'Oh Alastor, you're cute and all, but with your urges and my to-do list, we would have had more than one friction, the friction would have caused a fire, and not the good kind' you almost could imagine yourself being his wife at the time, certainly would’ve been better than your actual ex-husband.
“I don’t dwell in what could’ve been” he made a deer-like sound when you scratched behind his ears, “I mean, what’s the point? You can’t go back to do things different” you poured more water on his head to wash away the foam. “Do you regret something?” he spoke after you removed the cotton balls off his ears.
“Not shooting my parents when I had the chance” he visibly tensed, then turned his head around slightly, “How can you say that?” his brow was so closed together in his frown, that it almost seemed one.
“What do you mean?” his eyes shifted colors, his sclera darkened and the dials were bright red, “What could be reason enough to get rid of the people that raised you? The woman that birthed you? People that kept you safe and loved!” his radio filter turned on and off as he spoke, raising his voice as well in utter disbelief, “I have my reasons” shrugging your shoulders unlocked even more anger in him.
“Your parents must’ve had a hard time raising you” your mind fell silent, “That’s an ungrateful thing to say, no reason can be enough to want to do something like that” as you listened to his rant, your hands turned white against the edge of the bathtub, squeezing it tightly.
“Spoke the cannibal” you sillily thought that would put an end to the conversation, “But I had never disrespected the memory of my mother, nor I could ever” you laughed, anger burned the back of your throat, “You are a man, you don’t understand a thing” the radio static in the air and the tension provoked by the argument, was unbearable, blood would be shed if he didn’t stopped that instant.
But he went too far, “Then illuminate me then, what could’ve been so terrible?” his smile was one of mock, his tone sarcastic and his smile challenging. Something snapped inside of you, a bunch of words trapped inside your mind, now set free to burn everything they touched.
You closed your eyes, took a deep breath and allowed the poison escape your body, in the shape of the truth, “My father was addicted to the game, he sold my alcoholic mother, my sister and I to the mafia, to repay his gambling debts” you could still remember your mother screaming ‘BASTARD’ repeatedly, after receiving your father’s call about the situation.
“My mom was the first to shoot herself before the men broke the door, I shot my sister before they could take her, but I failed to it myself” they grabbed you and the gun before you could pull the trigger, last thing you saw was your sister last smile before the light left her eyes.
“You were belittled, sure, but you will never understand what it means to be sold and treated like livestock” your voice trembled and broke. Still with your eyes closed the tears burned the insides and leaked a few down your cheek.
You opened your eyes, looking down at him exactly how you would look at your father if you had him in front of you, “Now, Alastor, I believe my parents didn’t do a thing for me to be grateful for”.
“I…overstepped” he blinked a few times, his eyes normal and the static gone, “Indeed” the ceramic made a cracking sound under your hands as you released it. “Let me make it up to you” Alastor tried to grab your hand, “Don’t bother” you cut him off.
When his hand was close to your wrist, you tapped lightly on his skin, that single tap felt as a full slap. A shiver ran though his spine, his stomach burned painfully, “Y/n” he pleaded, he wanted to chase after you, but he was naked, wet, and the thought ‘I shouldn’t have spoken’ shouted inside his ears.
“Cut the strings on one side and pull gently, then apply antiseptic, do not cut in the middle” you then closed the bathroom door behind you, as well as the main door.
🍎📻
Making your way to the stairs, your steps were heavy as well as your efforts to avoid letting more tears come out. Almost blinded by them, and rage, you accidentally knocked against something, or rather, someone.
“Y/n?” Lucifer turned around, embarrassment rose and showed up on your cheeks, while you cleaned the remaining wetness of your face. “Lovely night, isn’t it?” despite your state he smiled, not making fun of you, nor pointing it out.
“Could I ask you for an embarrassing favor?” he was nervous, you even more so, “I don’t think it’s the time–“ he pulled you by your hand and guided you down the hallway on the opposite direction from Alastor’s room.
“I’m shedding, with six wings it’s a huge bother, specially with the ones closer to my back, I lost the stick I use for those and they really itch, could you lend me a hand?” he had this stare only puppies have when they are asking to god himself for you to give them a rub and a treat.
You were weak to that fucking stare, and if you had seen your daughter grow old, she with no doubt would’ve gotten everything out of you just with that stare.  
“Uhm, sure” anything to get you away from more suicidal thoughts, “Thank you, you have no idea how much I appreciate this” he was practically skipping as he walked.
He sat on the middle of the massive bed you put together, tossed his coat, vest, all possible garments away, then extended his wings for you.
15 minutes went by.
“Y/n? Your hands are trembling, is everything okay?” the silver carved brush shook along with you, of course he was going to notice.
You could say you were tormented by the memories of your past, that you blurted out the most horrifying seven years of you life to a man that doesn’t give a single shit about you, that you haven’t slept a proper wink in thirty years. That you feel under-fucked and alone, and could make a deal with any wretch that came your way for a bit of love and sympathy. Overall, you have no purpose, no will to live, nothing except the small praises you hear in the four courses of meals is a reason strong enough to get you out of bed in the mornings.
Sure, you could say that and look more pathetic than you already did. Mind the sarcasm.
“Yes, it’s just…I’m a bit overstimulated” again, understatement.
He didn’t understood that word, but he found you almost ripping your eyes out to stop yourself from crying, your hair frizzled and claws out. He had to give you a distraction, something your mind could be busy with.
“This doesn’t hurt, right?” he heard the concern in your voice, “Not at all, I feel a great relief, lighter even” he noticed how close you were to him, your tail was long enough to go pass his thigh, “Either way, let me know” he absentmindedly took it and worked his fingers against the pointy hairs at the end.
“These scars” the distinguish smell of his blood was clear, his milky-colored skin, pure and beautiful, was accompanied by a golden mantle, as if he had millions of freckles that are actually burns on his shoulders down to the lower back.
“They’re horrible, right? I got burned with hellfire during my fall, Lilith always commented how rough my back felt afterwards–” the sole way the was talking about himself made you want to cry, after a few self-loathing words out, your brain muffled his voice away.
Slowly you felt yourself drift, as well as you leaned forward, gently pressing your cheek on his shoulder. His warmth, the sweet smoked apple scent, even the sound of his heartbeat, overwhelmed you.
“Y/n?” the muffle went away; you heard his curious voice loud and clear though his skin. “The pattern reminds me of a swarm of fireflies dancing above the river” you laughed, painfully removing yourself from him, “I said something weird, didn’t I?” you smiled, but it fell as soon as you heard a sniffle.
“Sir, are you…” you tried looking pass his shoulder, but he composed himself faster than how the Dublin wall fell, not that you knew of that of course. “Sorry, that was beautiful, thank you” his smile, ear to ear, everything about him glowed.
“What do I do with the feathers?” you had collected them inside a pillow case, given the lack of plastic bags around, “I usually trash them” there was a big red one that was beautiful compared to the wilted looking ones, you saved it, sending it away with a smoke.
He noticed you saving one of his feathers, it in fact, sent a pleasant shiver up Lucifer’s heart and got him smiling like a teenager.
“How often do you roam around sleepless?” he folded all the clothing items he dismissed earlier, as he asked. You opened the bathroom’s trash can, poured the feathers down as you thought for an answer, but you just couldn’t lie, at all.
“Four to five times a week” he hummed, “So I gathered, nightmares?” you made your way putting the case back on the pillow you took it from, “Memories” you felt a poke on your back, that made you turn around, when you did, his face was almost at the same level as yours, he muttered “Quid pro quo” before a light went through his eyes.
“I know a spell that can help you, in exchange you become my cuddle buddy” he emphasized every damn word, like he was presenting a big opportunity, you were flabbergasted “Huh?” was the only thing you could utter that wasn’t a mental mess.
“Fun, right? Also you get out of that tomb you call a room” You weren't going to compare him to your friend in life Louanne, but the way the devil himself saw through you better than anyone had tried before was terrifying and yet strangely satisfying.
“Did I guessed?” worst thing is that he was right, he knew it, he knew you knew, and your face couldn’t be funnier to him, “You read me in a way I find distasteful” your annoyance was a  delight, “I get that a lot” no he didn’t.
“If you do anything weird–“ he cut you off, “You will be allowed to bite me to a breaking point” oddly enough, Charlie’s attitude towards you was the stinking reflection of his father, you couldn’t have guessed it in a million years. “You and your daughter will be my ruin…Fine” for the sake of finally sleeping , you agreed.
“Any specific area you’d like me to avoid?” he took your hand again, just to have your fingers on his palm, “The ones that are obvious, also inner ears and the base of my tail” a serious tone, a warning, regarding your tail, “Just the base?” he asked, puzzled yet loving that you said yes.
“Well it’s connected to my spine, so it hurts a lot when manhandled” he kissed your hand, “Got it, please get comfortable while I dust off my wings, part of the process I’m afraid” he disappeared around the bathroom wall.
Half a second it took you to process what he said, before asking: “You want to start tonight?” your voice breaking in the middle of your sentence. “Yes, you don’t?” utter disbelief all over again, that man was too straight forward.
“I haven’t slept near anyone for more than a century” walked up to the bathroom door, high voice like when you used to whine about the prices getting too high for everyone’s sake. “Then I’ll try to be gentle, I haven’t slept correctly in seven years, I’m really excited” as fast as he walked in he was out, towel on his hips, wings folded inside somewhere. He then went in the walk in closet, like a diva getting ready for her next show.
“Are you…making fun of me?” that was a strange feeling, you weren’t in control at all, erratic feelings flooded you. “Nope” he made a pop sound, sticked his head out the door and winked with his forked tongue out. How is that the same man that had you nervous for your death in the kitchen the other day?
“I’ll get my nightwear” frustrated already you moved two steps, but he stood in front of you with a bag on his hand, “Already ahead of you, figured a two piece would be more comfortable” your mouth hanged open, speechless.
“You planned this ahead– know what? I don’t wanna know” you took the bag off his hands, in it there was a long sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts, both black with plastic cat images. “Little kittens? How cute, I can keep these right?” he nodded enthusiastically so. “Yes, look! Mine are ducks!” he made a little jump, opening like a starfish, “You look like a child!” you laughed, how long as it been since you did? “Hey don’t be mean, now who’s mocking who?” it was so contagious he ended up laughing too.   
After changing, you left your boots and uniform on a chair, then walked to the already tucked in king, sliding down the covers in the space he made for you. You weren’t sure who hugged who, but he answered that for you when he nuzzled under your neck.
“You have a lovely laugh” he purred, hugging your waist, “Thanks, I don’t do it often” the vibration of his voice right in your heart was a weird but delightful thing to have back. Also the warmth of having someone to hug instead of a pillow, which is amazing, “Neither do I, thank you”.
His tail, right you forgot he has one, entwined with yours, that never happened before, but then again it would’ve been weird that your husband had a tail, right? He felt you tense up, so he passed his knee in between yours, then placed a loving kiss on your cheek before nuzzling back in.  
“You can stop fighting now” words that worked almost like the spell that poured out of his fingers,  “No one will hurt you”, four seconds, knocked out cold for the first time in 30 years.
------------------------------
Stay tuned ;3
Part 6
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dilemmaontwolegs · 9 months
Note
Oof that Daniel and his best friend's wife hit the spot for me. I know it has a happy ending but if by any chance you'll come up with ideas for pt. 2, I'll be there reading it
NOT A REQUEST (you already have enough of those)
His Best Man || DR3 {2}
Summary: Two months later you uncover another lie James told you. (Just a little thought I had and decided to share) Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, pregnancy, smut WC: 2.1k F1 Masterlist || One || Two || Daniel’s Reaction
Song: Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts
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“Did you lie to me?” Your broken voice was hoarse as you sat crumpled on the cold stone tiles in Daniel's bathroom. A thousand thoughts raced through your head so fast you couldn’t cling to one long enough to make sense of what was happening.
“You woke me up for this shit?” James growled and you heard a soft feminine voice asking him who was on the phone, but it no longer hurt.
Your hands trembled as you reached for the impossible that was somehow staring you in the face. “The appointment I missed…did you lie?”
The silence dragged on for too long to be honest and you shook your head roughly, displacing the tears that clung to your bottom lashes. 
“I didn’t know how to tell you,” he admitted in a quiet murmur. “It was easier to believe it was your fault.”
“You’re a rotten bastard.”
“How did you find out?” You could picture the confusion as he sat up in bed and heard the lamp click on. “Unless…”
You hung up the phone before he could voice the connection he had made and dropped it at your side to pull your knees to your chest. That was how Daniel found you when he crashed into the room with his phone barely hanging from his fingertips, a look of dismay on his unusually somber face. He hadn’t even changed out of his fireproofs after finishing free practice on the famous Monaco street track.
“You said you couldn’t have kids.” The accusation and hurt was clear in his tone as he sank down the wall opposite you, his eyes unable to look away from the tests scattered at your feet.
You too stared at what you thought was a miracle only to find out that it too was a lie. “I got caught in traffic on the way to the appointment at the doctors. James said that his tests came back fine but mine were the problem. That’s when our relationship changed, when he started to pull away. I thought it was because of me!”
Daniel dragged his eyes away from the pink plus signs and narrowed them at you. “Why didn’t you double check?”
The back of your head thumped against the vanity but you didn’t feel anything as you screwed your eyes shut against the sight of his distrust. “He was my husband, I thought I could trust him. I don’t need you reminding me what a fucking mistake that was!”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I’m just a little shocked, okay. Fuck. A baby?”
You peeked out of your lashes to see him reaching for one of the tests, holding it up to the light despite the lines being clear as day. “Apparently so.”
He picked up the other two and blinked a few times as he waited for the punchline to come, but it never did. “Should we get hitched?” 
“Wow, Danny, just wow,” you muttered as you pulled yourself up from the floor and massaged your leg that had gone numb from sitting for so long. 
He leapt to his feet and caught you by the hips before you could leave the bathroom, but after a split second he moved his hands higher to your waist. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I’m not going to marry you because I’m pregnant, this isn’t the 1920’s, and my divorce isn’t even finalised.” You unlatched his arms from your body and stepped into the bedroom that overlooked Monte Carlo, grabbing your suitcase from under the bed to begin packing your clothes.
“What are you doing? You don’t have to go.” There was a hint of desperation in his voice as he fought the urge to drag your suitcase away from your hands. “Stay, please.”
“You didn’t ask for this and I had long given up on the idea, so I think we could both do with some time to think. You should be focusing on your race this weekend.”
Unable to resist any longer, he stepped between you and the suitcase and placed his hands on your shoulders as he bent his knees so he could look you in the eyes. “I may not have asked for it but I’m not some fucking bogan, I��m not going to let you go through this alone. I’ll be right by your side.”
“Don’t,” you whispered as you looked away from the sincerity in his eyes. “Don’t make promises on a whim. You might mean it now but…”
Daniel didn’t let you break eye contact for long as he followed your gaze, a small smile playing at his lips. “When have you known me to change my mind, love?” 
His smile grew at the pause as you mentally ran through all the years of knowing him unable to find an example. You couldn’t count the number of times James had changed his mind, but Daniel? He had none. 
Your answer was reserved and nearly silent but somehow he heard and his hands slipped down your body before cupping your ass and picking you up. His laugh warmed your neck as he buried his face in the crook while you wrapped your legs around his waist. 
“I never thought about having kids,” he admitted as he kissed your racing pulse. “It’s kind of exciting.”
You looked around the high end apartment and lingered on the balcony that opened out off the bedroom that was 15 floors off the ground. “It’s kind of terrifying. There is some serious baby-proofing needed to raise one here.”
Daniel chuckled and shook his head as he laid you gently down on the bed and continued his soft kisses across your body. “Then pick a house, baby, any house. Whatever you want, we’ll make it ours.”
“Just slow down a minute,” you panted as he brush the strap of your dress aside and sealed his lips over the swell of your breast.
“But I want you,” he groaned as he propped himself up on his knees between your legs.
You reached for his race suit hanging at his hips and tugged the zip down further so you could find the hem of the fireproof shirt. “No, not that. I meant the plans and grand gestures. You can definitely continue what you were doing.”
“I like grand gestures,” he said as he helped you to pull the shirt over his head and you saw a sheen of sweat coating his skin from the sprint he had made to get home. “From surprise tattoos to buying a house fit for a family, don’t stop me now.”
“How can I when you talk like that?” You pouted as you remembered your promise to him. “I won’t be able to get your tattoo for a long time.”
Daniel’s short beard rubbed across your shoulder, tickling your skin as he shook his head. “We have more important things to think of now but I’ll get it on you one day, baby.”
Your thoughts turned to everything those important things could be from finding a doctor and midwife to just how insane the whole situation was. Daniel could see you were drifting away as you got lost in your mind and knew one sure way to bring you back to the present.
“Eyes on me, love,” he ordered as he pushed your dress up and hooked his fingers into your panties to slide them down your legs. “Forget about everything except this right here.”
His fingers teased you as he slowly dragged them through your folds, feeling your body respond so quickly to his touch. You squirmed beneath him when he smirked and teased you again, almost but never quite going where you wanted him most.
“Please,” you whined when he missed your clit for a third time.
“Just checking you were still focused on me,” he chuckled. His eyes held yours as he curled two thick digits into your cunt and pressed his thumb to your clit, making your back arch off the bed at the sudden sensations of his ministrations.
“I’m always focused on you,” you moaned, reaching for his race suit to push it down his hips. “Now please fuck me…”
Daniel’s smirk grew as he shoved his boxers down his thighs and nudged yours apart wider. “You’ve been so needy lately, is this the hormones? ‘Cause I could get used to this.” He teased you once more as he fisted his thick cock and stroked the long length before tapping the head on your sensitive clit. “Are you sure you want me to fuck you?” he asked as he pressed himself to your entrance, your body slowly stretching to welcome him before he stopped an inch in.
“Yes! Please, Danny,” you whined, before taking matters into your own hands. You wrapped your legs around his hips and dug your heels into his ass, pushing him forward, and you both moaned as he filled you completely.
“That was naughty,” he chuckled in your ear. “If you want to be in control so badly, here you go.”
He caged you in his arms and rolled onto his back so you were on top. Tucking his arms behind his head, he winked and made himself comfortable. “Go on, baby, take what you need.”
Planting your hands on his chest, you accepted the invitation with the roll of your hips as your eyes fluttered shut.
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“He really is a cunt,” Daniel sighed as he lay beside you, his phone on silent after all notifications he had received overnight. The sun was beginning to leak through the gaps in the curtain and your eyes were weary from the lack of sleep. It worried you to know Danny was going to be driving in a few short hours when he hadn’t rested for long enough.
After James called Daniel to taunt him over the news that you were pregnant, and that as the father he wasn’t even the first to know, the asshole had then told every news outlet globally it seemed. He hadn’t stopped there though, he had spread the news on every social media platform he had, ensuring there would be no privacy for either of you.
“That was your friend,” you pointed out, only to earn an unamused side glance.
“That was your husband.”
“That was uncalled for.”
“Very.” Daniel rubbed his eyes and groaned as he stretched his arms out before pulling you into his embrace. “But it was also the truth. We can’t change our pasts, baby.”
He grabbed his phone from the night stand and avoided the apps with growing numbers of notifications in the corners. He barely had to look to find Spotify as his thumb hit the icon purely on muscle memory. 
“No, please, it’s too early for country,” you groaned as you saw him selecting a playlist and song. 
“Nobody can tell a story like a good ol’ country song, Roo. It’s like they can somehow bottle up everything I’m feeling and say it for me. Just listen,” he said softly as he hit play. The apartment came to life with the speakers that were built into the ceiling, the sound wholly encompassing as you curled into his arms and listened to what he wanted to say.
I set out on a narrow way many years ago. Hoping I would find true love along the broken road. But I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow and kept pushing through. I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you.
Daniel hummed along to the tune, his eyes closed as he rested his head against the cushions and you watched it rock gently side to side. He was always at peace when he listened to the genre and even with the chaos he had woken to he was able to let it saturate his soul and calm him. So you nestled in closer to rest your head on his chest and let his heartbeat join the chorus.
Every long lost dream led me to where you are. Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars, pointing me on my way into your loving arms. This much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.
Daniel’s lips pressed to your forehead softly and you felt them whispering along as tears stung your eyes, “God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.” 
I think about the years I spent just passin' through. I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you. But you just smile and take my hand, you've been there, you understand. It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true.
“You’re breaking my heart, cowboy,” you whispered as you idly traced the line of hair down his navel.
He smiled as he wiped away the dampness on your cheeks before his large hands cradled your face. “Then let me fix it.”
Request: Daniel’s reaction
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mamamangaka · 3 months
Text
(No one has posted this and I need it so I shall cook for myself)
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- Yandere!Alastor with a g/n reader who likes toys and art stuff -
Okay so here’s the thing I kinda see about Alastor:
Hes a fucking looney who will do anything and everything to keep you if he happens to fall in love.
But lemme tell you if you break past those walls and manage to ameliorate his aceness to the point that he’s yandere about you then baby you done.
You might as well have signed over your soul to him.
I like to think only one thing in particular would peak his interest at first.
Maybe your drawing outside a coffee shop -
Or reading tarot cards at the park?
Perhaps even reading under a tree, who knows?
But whatever it is, Alastor saw you and he froze.
He never once expected to fall so deeply in love (especially not at first sight) and I feel that when he did finally succumb after a bit of denial, it would be a quick realization and he’d make a decision to seek you out immediately.
He’d closely stalk you for some time but when he gets you, he’d keep you in his radio tower, where no one else goes and where his world really is.
He’d probably kidnap you mere weeks after realizing he’s enamored, it wouldn’t take long before he came up behind you out of nowhere.
He was someone you’d only seen once or twice in passing but found attractive each time, though you weren’t exactly thinking about a partnership.
He wouldn’t be asking you, he’d simply take you.
(You didn’t need to know he’d been admiring you anyway.)
You weren’t someone of great power or who was well known. You simply met a tragic fate and unfortunately ended up here by mistake due to being involved in “black magic”.
It was unfair, in your opinion, to be cast down simply due to your divination talents and history.
Never once did you misuse your gifts yet here you were.
When you come around, you’re in Alastor room in the hotel.
He explains the situation and gives you options.
You ask to go, not interested in whatever he’s offering and he explains that’s not an option so you need to pick another one.
After demanding to leave, trying to open the door, banging and calling for help and eventually pleading and sobbing with him, you realize you aren’t going anywhere.
You wheep and hoarsely beg as he carries you into the wooded area that seems to pocket into another place.
You realize later that it was a path to the radio tower.
There’s a wooden door that leads to his own personal “home” in that tower.
And inside, I’d expect it’s quite nice.
Greenery everywhere, plants and/or herbs hanging from the ceiling and a cozy woodstove. Lovely flowers and pretty trees surrounding the outside, blocking the view of the horrors that hell had naturally.
A earthy, modest but very comfortable and exquisite environment and cottage style house with at least one library on hand.
But he can take all this beauty away quite easily, so don’t forget or step out of line. The view is a luxury he gives based on your behavior; do not tread lightly.
Now, he’s very commanding and strict with his darling, often times dictating what they eat and wear, bossing them around and physically moving them to where he wants.
• “My little doe, you were simply taking too much time to get to me, I was just helping you along.”
• “Oh darling, don’t you know I’m doing this for your own good? Don’t cry, come here: give me a kiss.”
• “No no, little doe. It’s best if you rest right now. Ah, yes, I can see you don’t want to sleep. How about I read to you or turn the radio on, hm?”
But he’s also super old timey and you would immediately be considered his spouse, and he would pamper and treat you with such respect (at least as much as he could)
If he found out you liked dolls or soft toys, well he’d be all over that and try to use it to his advantage.
I feel like it would be a rag doll copy of himself or a porcelain/ball jointed doll (dressed in 1920-1950 attire) as a Victorian styled Queen or what not.
• “You seem so lonely honey bun, so I picked you up something nice. Hopefully it will warm you a little when you think of me.”
• “I can see you fiddle with your hands a lot, mi amor. Here, have a doll to dress and play with for when your pretty hands need a break from the books.”
• “Oh my, it seems a nap is in order for your crankiness. Where is your toy? It’s better for you to have something to sleep with while I’m doing the broadcast.”
But he wouldn’t have bought it for you, oh no, because the only thing he buys you is the most pristine art supplies and most flattering jewelry and clothes —
— he’d have made this himself for you, from his own power.
And he’d use it to keep an eye on you no matter where you happened to be.
Needed a moment alone? Not without the doll he gave you.
Was hiding from punishment? Not without the doll.
If you left it somewhere in a vain attempt for distance, you’d find it on your person the second you reached in your bag or turned around.
And when Alastor found out you left it? He’d be livid.
But you wouldn’t know he was mad by his face, only his voice and the static crackle in the background.
• “Don’t you ever leave that doll again sweetheart. Do you understand me?”
• “This is how I protect you, darling. It’s best for everyone if you follow direction.”
• “Now honey, you don’t want to lose your privilege to wander around the hotel and mingle with the others, do you? Then you best keep that doll close, hm?”
If you possibly took a liking to the doll he gave you, well..
His heart might soar, he won’t lie
How cute and innocent you were, so completely unaware of the horrors he possesses — the doll possesses — if you step out of line
It’s something he really loves about you; you trust him (mostly bc you have to)
And if you took up sewing to make outfits for the doll?? He’d be so over the moon and even conjure up a little wardrobe for them if enough clothes are made.
And your drawings??? Oh don’t even get me started
too late I did it myself here I go
He would parade you around like you were the messiah of the demonic art world
It didn’t matter if you or anyone else thought you were good
You like doing it? Hes gonna over indulge you.
You drew something just for him???
Then it’s getting a golden frame and you’re getting the radio host fame.
He wouldn’t let anyone touch your sketchbook. He’d actually kill anyone who destroys any piece of your work.
He always coos over you, he’s literally obsessed with you.
Admires you while your drawing like you are the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.
Always begs to see your drawings.
Does everything in his power to help you with inspiration or getting out of art block.
Hangs up his favorite pieces you’ve done around the hotel and talks you up to everyone.
• “My my, who would have guessed my little doe was so full of talent? Ah-ha, well me, of course!”
• “Oh yes, they’re nothing short of extraordinary and excel in everything they attempt. It’s absolutely magnificent.”
• “Quite the looker, aren’t they? It’s no wonder I fell so hard, they made this old withering heart beat once more.”
NOW LETS ADDRESS THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM:
What if you broke a rule? Either accidental or on purpose?
*rubs palms together deviously*
I mean it’s hell, so it’s not like you could actually die and he’d permanently lose you, but I could see him considering killing, traumatizing and horrifying you to make a point for when you came back. If you broke the rule on purpose or left the hotel without a damn good reason or asking him, I definitely think he’d ponder on it.
But I honestly don’t know if he’d be able to go that far if he’s to the point that he’s fallen for you.
I definitely think he’d be the kind to chain you away for a bit and ignore you for a while after really scaring you though, having only come in when you cry out for him or need to be attended.
He’d be condescending and emotionally manipulating for sure.
• “Well dear, we wouldn’t be in this predicament if you would have just listened and been good, hm?”
• “No no, you can’t come downstairs. I told you this time out is for two weeks. It’s been only two days darling.”
•“Now that’s not the way one of such class as ourselves behave. Shush your crying, my sweet.”
He wouldn’t tolerate a darling openly defying him, he’d put you over his knee and bruise your behind so quick and wouldn’t think twice.
And getting off punishments easy? Nah.
Good behavior or not, you’re gonna be going through the whole thing every single time. He won’t let you have even an ounce of wiggle room on that.
Your bottom stings after only thirty spanks? He isn’t stopping. He said 50 and he meant it, so buckle up buttercup, this is gonna be a long ride.
You don’t want to finish your plate? Well that’s a nice opinion, quite cute! .. but he doesn’t recall asking you what you wanted, so eat up ~
You aren’t tired? Well, allow him the pleasure of wearing you out and soothing you to slumber.
I think he’d allow the darling to cling to him though, that’s the kind of yandere I see him as. He’d maybe mock you a little at first and seem patronizing but all in all, he finds the need to touch him endearing and he does become fond of it.
I think he’d make you dependent on it, really. He’d always encourage you to cuddle up to him, always making sure you sit or stand directly next to him and that’s he’s always got his arm around you or you hanging onto his own.
He’d be tolerant of your crying. I think he’d find you cute while in distress, so that would be his favorite time to hold you tight. He’d caress your tearstreaks and kiss away the droplets.
•“Sweet sugar plum, you’ve been so emotional lately.”
• “Pretty crybaby, what can I do to make you feel better? Come now, there must be something your husband can whip up for you.”
“Oh, my poor, darling y/n..” he’d tsk, stroking the side of your face and nuzzling noses, “don’t cry, hush now, it’s alright, your faithful and devoted protector is here.”
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itsbubbleteataro · 2 months
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Ok I've had this idea for maybe the past what, two weeks? No time like the present to write it so here we go!
My thoughts have been plagued by a little story. Alastor and reader have known each other for a while now, since they were alive. So what happens when the pair find themselves in hell? It will start as Human!Alastor and end up with the hellish Alastor we all know and love. It will be a fem! Reader. Hope that's ok with yall!
Part two
The Radio host and the Reporter
Paring; Human!Alastor x Human!fem!reader
Warnings; Alastor being Alastor, mentions of murder, sexism (I mean come on it's 1920-1930 what do you expect)
Description; As a woman working as a reporter from 1920-1930s was often frowned upon, resulting in works not getting published. In order to get around this, (y/n) writes her stories under a pen name, Roger. One of your stories ends up being covered by New Orleans own radio host, Alastor. Using the fact that you write under a pen name to your advantage, you grow to know him closer. The two of you end up close, however each keeping secrets from each other. You keeping your pen name under wraps as well as the amount of petty crimes you've done to get your story, and him, the fact that he is the bayou butcher. What happens then the pair grow close enough to live together, both find each other in hell? Will the bond grow with their power or will they simply leave each other alone?
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New Orleans - 1920
You were standing outside your family's publishing company with a frown on your face. Your own father had rejected another one of your stories claiming that a woman's place was in the home and not in the workplace. With a grumble you kick a rock down the sidewalk as you start your way home, deciding that then and there you will get your father to publish one of your works no matter the cost.
A few months later you were running down the street, some of your hair tucked into a typical paperboy's cap with just enough hair out for you to pass as a man. You wore a pair of khakis, with black dress shoes. You wear a plain dress shirt with suspenders over your shoulders connecting to your pants. A notebook and pen tucked under your arm.
Your shoulder comes into contact with a man with chestnut brown skin, his hair in tight curls as his deep brown eyes look at you with surprise. He wears a suit with a red suit jacket. A pair of glasses are perched on his nose. Shouting an apology over your shoulder at the dapper man you continue on your way running all the way down to your to your father's publishing company. Opening up a hatch on the side of the wall, you quickly sign your notebook with the name "Roger" before ripping the pages out and sending them down the hatch.
With a smile and a sigh you stand up straight, adjusting your notebook and cap as you spin on your heel and make your way back to the home your brother had so kindly bought for you.
Unlocking the door to your little home you push the door open, closing and locking the door behind you. Placing the cap on your coat hanger by the door, you sigh as you kick off your shoes.
You are in your early twenties. With a hum you let your hair tumble down your back. You are quite lucky to live on your own, without any family in the home despite the fact that you are single. Pushing the door to your bedroom open you are quick to strip yourself of your clothes, starting the shower.
With a hum you step into the hot water. Tipping your head back you let the water wash through your hair. You turn around letting the water hit your chest as you scrub shampoo into your scalp.
"Oh my word ain't I just feeling like the bee's knees(1)! And here I thought turning in that story would have me behind the eight ball(2)! I thought I'd have to be the one to hand it in person. Thankfully we had that little shoot installed!"
You almost sing to yourself as you wash the shampoo out of your hair before conditioning your ends. Soon enough you step out of the shower after turning the water off, wearing a towel around your person and your hair.
With a spring in your step you take a seat at your vanity. Unwrapping the towel from around your hair before starting to brush your wet hair.
"I hope that fella I bumped into is alright. I hope he didn't mind that I just blew(3) him off like that."
With that, you set your brush down, picking up a headband to keep your hair out of your face you set to work doing your makeup for the night. You start from your eyes, doing your eyeliner on your top lid, gently placing some black eyeshadow on the outer corner before blending it in towards your inner corner. You open your eyes wide to apply your mascara.
You then tend to your brows, taking care to pluck them before making sure they appear arched and thin. Moving to your cheeks you apply a rosey color to your cheeks, taking care that it is applied in delicate circles. You finally move to your lips, taking care to overdraw your Cupid's bow as you brush a matte red onto your lips.
Smiling at your reflection you stand up and let the towel drop from your figure as you go ahead and adorn your favorite flapper dress, its gold colors serve to make you stand out just enough as it hugs your curves. You then throw on a pair of kitten heels before going off to your favorite speakeasy with a spring in your step as you go celebrate your little personal accomplishment.
A few weeks later you open up the crisp newspaper that had been tossed on your front step by the local paper boy. Much to your surprise, you find that your little story on a local politician who you had exposed for being an abuser was on the front page. My you ends up doing a spit take with your cup of coffee as you ended up beaming with pride.
You had done it, you had gotten your father to publish one of your very own works, even if it was under the pen name "Roger". Plus the feeling of knowing you had made the first page was enough for you to want to keep writing.
So you did.
1921
The night was still young as you sipped your glass of brandy. Your hair was up in a sort of updo as you wore a flapper dress, one that clung to your curves in all the right ways. You sat at the bar, watching the people around you, your keen ears listening in hoping that you would be able to find your next scoop
A shrill voice ripped you from your thoughts.
"Oh Yoo-hoo! (Y/n) darling!"
You turn to go look at the person who had called your name. A familiar short blonde came walking over. A gentleman walking next to her, holding his own drink.
"Oh hello Mimzy. A pleasure to see you tonight"
You pull yourself off the barstool you were seated at in order to give your friend a hug. The alcohol had served to make your already present accent much thicker. The band in the background playing a smooth jazz as you stepped back from the hug. Mimzy had been your friend for the past six months by now, befriending you as you often came here to learn about people, hunting for your next scoop. She knew a little about what you do, but kept it under wraps, happy to supply you with information in exchange for you staying a patron of her establishment.
"Oh (y/n) it's always a pleasure to see you. Oh here, there's someone I'd like you to meet"
Mimzy stepped to the side allowing you to see the gentleman better. He wore a red pinstriped suit with a black dress shirt underneath. A matching red bow tie hang around his neck. Fine black dress pants adorns his long lengthy legs and black dress shoes his feet. His hands are behind his back. He extends a gloved hand for you to shake, so you do.
"(Y/n) this is Alastor, Alastor, (y/n). She's a regular here at my place. Alastor here is a friend of mine, only makes sense for me to want to introduce two friends. Oh-"
A crash catches Mimzy's attention. With an apologetic smile she turns around to go deal with whoever just broke a glass.
You look over at the man, taking in his looks when it hits you. It's the fella you had bumped into on your way to drop off your first story. He had changed some but not too much, the only one you could really tell would be his now pin straight hair.
"My that Mimzy sure is as busy as a bee, wouldn't you agree Cher(4)?"
Alastor asks you as he raises an eyebrow before once again extending his hand.
"I suppose we should humor our shared friend and go speak some. Let me buy you a drink?"
He asked as he motioned his head to an empty table. You take his hand and nod your head, the two of you ending up sitting together at a corner table. You make a quick note of his transatlantic accent that seems to fade to his natural New Orleans accent. You chalk up the ending to him being relaxed due to the drink that remains in his other hand.
"I will admit Alastor, not only do you sound familiar, but your name is to. You don't happen to be a radio host now do you?"
You ask as you slip into your seat, setting your half empty glass down infront of you. Alastor chuckles as he joins you, placing his glass down as well.
"You'd be correct about that. My I am curious how did you ever come to such a conclusion?"
He asks with a smirk playing across his face. You let him know that you've heard him on the radio a few times, much to his delight. You also add in that your father's publishing company had published an article on the up and coming radio host in town.
Unknown to the two of you Mimzy was watching the two of you talk with a smile across her lips. She watched as Alastor's eyes had a slight twinkle in them as the two of you spoke for hours on end, ending only when you had gotten up to leave, declining Alastor's offer to walk you home.
Mimzy leaned over the bar to speak with her bartender,
"Alright John, how much are you gonna give the two before they end up with eachother?"
She asks the bartender with a smirk on her lips, a plan forming in her head
-----------------------------------
"The bee's knees" - the best
"Behind the eight ball" - in a difficult situation
"Blow"/"blew" - to leave
"Cher" - Cajun and creole slang, usually for 'dear'
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correlance · 2 months
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Remember that one fan theory I wrote about Alastor having a rivalry with Thomas Edison in the 1920s? Well, I decided to do a bit more research; it turns out that, not only was I right, but Edison really hated radio. He loathed it so much that he wrote not one, but several articles railing against the "radio fad" in 1926, to the point where an anonymous person wrote "letters to the editor" to argue with Edison.
Gee, I wonder who it could be doing that in the Hazbin-verse? /s
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GIF and art originally by karumkin on Twitter/X (2019).
There was also a slew of increasingly aggressive telegrams sent back-and-forth between Edison and radio proponents, with Edison penning thinly-veiled insults that offended even mild critics of the "Wizard":
"The radio is a commercial failure, and its popularity with the public is waning. Radio is impractical commercially, and ethically distorted, and is is losing its grip rapidly in the market and in the home. There is not 10% of the interest in the radio that there was last year.
Radio is a highly-complicated machine in the hands of people who know nothing about it. No dealers have made any money out of it. It is not a commercial machine, because it is too complicated. Reports from 4,000 Edison dealers who have handled radio sets show that they are rapidly abandoning it; and, as for its music, it is awful.
I don't see how they can listen to it. Thousands of people have signed a petition asking that sopranos be kept off the air. Of course, most of them don't know that the soprano voice distorts the radio. The phonograph is coming into its own because people want good music. The fact is that the radio never had a high peak of popularity.
In towns where 25 or 30 dealers were handling radio sets, only one or two are now handling them. A farmer 5 miles from town buys a radio, perhaps on the installment plan. A wire becomes loose. The dealer has to arrange to fix it. This happens time and time again. The business becomes unprofitable for the dealer to engage in. He does not make any money out of it. None of them has. They are giving it up as fast as they can. It is not a commercially successful machine, because it is too complicated.
Static is awful, and the difficulties of tuning out--and now, they're stealing each other's wavelengths! It is too bad that the radio has to be too complicated. It was a big and interesting thing, and the people responded to it, but they want good music, and they found it is not to be had on the radio. That is why the phonograph is reclaiming its own."
Quote from "Edison and Radio", Radio News, December 1926, "in which the Editor takes issue with Mr. Edison's claim that radio is a failure; yet it is pointed out that the radio industry owes Edison a great debt; wherein facts are figures are given to show that radio is on a steady increase; granting that neither radio, nor the phonograph, is yet perfect; how the interest in radio is steadily increasing, and radio dealers are now making good money":
"Since the publication of the famous interview with Mr. Edison, the press, and particularly the radio press across the entire country, has been more or less agitated...I do believe that Mr. Edison has not been recently in-touch with radio sufficiently to appreciate fully the tremendous advances that have been made. Mr. Edison is a busy man, and a tremendously busy inventor. It would be well-nigh impossible for him to be in-touch with all of the various commercial phases of radio all over the country; and, like other executives, he obtains his reports from his subordinates, and such reports often as not may be highly colorful, and even wrong...[thus, the radio industry is unwilling to accord Mr. Edison anything]...as to Mr. Edison's remarks, the statements that follow are facts, which can be checked up by anyone who is unbiased."
Imagine Alastor and Vox with "Stayed Gone" in Episode 2, and Alastor and Lucifer with "Hell's Greatest Dad" in Episode 5, but happening entirely over letters and telegrams, because mass media and television didn't exist yet. The closest musical numbers would likely be "Farmer Refuted" and "Your Obedient Servant" from Hamilton.
Per the book The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World by Randall E. Stross:
Page 276: "[Edison's] phonograph business faced a challenge in the 1920s unlike any that had come before: the advent of commercial radio stations, and the wide availability of free music broadcasts and other entertainment. By the end of 1921, an estimated 1 million listeners had access to radios, and listened to programs broadcast from the Eastern seaboard. A single station in Roselle, New Jersey, which offered the voices of operatic stars among its musical programs, had a broadcast range of a thousand miles, covering New England and the mid-Atlantic states, and reaching as far west as Missouri. A contemporary newspaper account explained to readers not yet acquainted with the phenomenon that those who owned radio sets could enjoy entertainment that was 'literally as free as the air'. Charles and Theodore Edison [proposed a combination phonograph-radio]...their father need not feel slighted because the vacuum tube, a key component of the radio set, was a modern descendant of Edison's experimental work on the incandescent lightbulb. Edison did feel slighted, however; such, at least, was the opinion of Thomas Cowan, a former Westinghouse employee...[who conducted experiments in radio broadcasts with the aid of a phonograph Edison was willing to loan him in 1921]. Cowan had several conversations about radio with Edison, who became upset and recalled the loaner when he heard the Westinghouse broadcasts...[Edison's sons were embarrassed, humiliated]."
"Edison calls radio a 'failure for music', thinks phonograph will regain its own": The New York Times, 23 September 1926. Underlining the usefulness of radio for purposes other than musical programs, Edison did tune in to a radio broadcast of the Dempsey-Tunney fight in 1926, which he was too deaf to hear. He had to rely on family members [usually his wife, Mina] to summarize what had transpired at the end of each round.
"Radio satisfactory on bout, Edison says": The New York Times, 24 September 1926. Defending the quality of musical broadcasts, the radio industry offered expert testimony to rebut Edison's claims [in the next week's newspaper]. See: "Broadcasters disagree with electrical wizard", The New York Times, 3 October 1926.
The "radio fad": A few months later, [after much outcry from the radio industry], Edison was willing to grant that radio might not disappear, but he had a new criticism: listeners' aesthetic sense would be damaged. "Undistorted music, in time, will sound strange to those brought up on radio music," he predicted, "and they will not like the real thing." See: "Thomas A. Edison sees a menace for music in the radio", Musician, January 1927.
"Edison's fears [about the Edison Company not succeeding in the radio business] were realized, though it had been Edison's intransigence (refusal to change one's views) that put the company at such a great disadvantage as a late entrant...on 9 October 1929, Charles Edison prepared a report for his father that showed a loss of $1.3 million due to start-up costs for the [Edison] radio...he could not know that, two weeks later, the stock sell-off would begin with Black Thursday, on 24 October, followed by Black Monday and Black Tuesday...a few days later, Thomas A. Edison, Inc., announced that it would cease producing [music] records [altogether], and refit the factory for the production of radios. The announcement was accompanied by a mention of regret, as the phonograph was 'one of Mr. Edison's favorite inventions'."
"An employee reported observing Harvey Firestone tearfully explaining to Edison that the collapse of business due to the stock market crash of 1929, and the Great Depression, meant that he could no longer continue to financially support Edison's laboratory. Edison was heard, sneering, 'He's a Goddamned lightweight.'" ("I saw your fiasco on the picture show, and I just couldn't resist. What a performance! Why, I haven't been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929, hahaha! ...so many orphans.")
Edison's death at the age of 84 on 18 October 1931 was also, ironically, commemorated through radio broadcasts: "[The next] night, two radio networks, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and the Columbia Broadcasting Company (CBC), jointly broadcast an 8-minute tribute that ended on the hour, when listeners were asked to turn out the lights. The White House did so, and much of the nation followed, more or less together, some a minute before the hour, others on the hour. On Broadway, 75% of the electrified signs were turned off briefly. Movie theaters went dark for a moment. Everything seemed connected to Edison: the indoor lights, the traffic lights, the electric advertising, everyone connected via radio, which Edison now received credit for helping to 'perfect'. In the simple narrative that provided inspiration for posterity, one man had done it all..."
Some numbers provided for how much radio was making:
1922: $46.5 million (~$860 million in 2024)
1923: $120 million (~$2.2 billion in 2024) (156% increase)
1924: $350 million (~$6.3 billion in 2024) (186% increase)
1925: $449 million (~$8 billion in 2024) (27% increase)
1926: $520 million (~$9.1 billion in 2024) (14% increase)
Overall, per another source:
1922: $60 million (a little more than the previous statistic)
1929: $842.6 million
From here, we can tell the biggest gain was in 1923-1924. Per another source: "Total cost was about $120.00 to buy a new radio in 1926; in today's money, that is about $1,500 to own a radio." That would mean that 7.6 million radios were sold by 1926; an impressive feat, considering that the United States only had a population of a little over 117 million people at the time.
Percentages of United States households with radios:
1925: 19% (5 million households)
1929: 35-40% (200% increase)
1930: 12 million households
1939: 28 million households
The number of licensed broadcast stations surged from just 5 in 1921 to 500 by 1924, per yet another source. In the early years, household radio ownership was highest in the Northeast and on the West Coast. In large sections of the South, Midwest and Great Plains, stations and radio sets were scarce. However, there were notable exceptions.
There were 732 radio stations total across the country by 1927, and the average radio was on 2 hours and 25 minutes per day. People who couldn't afford radios purchased them on installment loans, through which the full price of a new radio could be paid over time. Radios had even more advertisements for washers, dryers, and refrigerators, causing people to use even more merchant credit and installment loans to purchase these shiny, new technological devices.
However, radio sales also took a hit with the Great Depression, as average income levels fell from $3,270 per year in 1920 ($53,300 in 2024), to $2,300 per year by 1929 ($41,500 in 2024), then to $1,500 per year by 1932 ($35,500 in 2024). However, buying a radio also became cheaper, dropping from a costly $200 ($3,200 in 2024) in the early 1920s, to just $35 ($630 in 2024) by 1929-1930.
By the time Alastor died in 1933, 3.6 million radio sets were sold that year alone. By the mid-1930s, 67% of American households had radio sets, and by 1939, about 80% of Americans—over 100 million people—owned radios. Radios were in almost every house, and some Americans even had radios in their cars. The Golden Age of Radio lasted from the 1930s to the 1940s, before being eclipsed by television in the 1950s. Radio hosts went from being paid $10 per broadcast in 1921 ($180-200, 1-2 hours per night, 3-4 nights a week, for a weekly salary of $720-800; monthly salary, $2,900-$3,200; annual salary, $34,800-$38,400; modern-day annual salary range for a radio show host is $30,000-100,000, depending) to making triple-figure salaries in the later 1930s.
Another source lists the following salary ranges for radio hosts:
$2,500-2,700 a year to be an announcer in 1927* (~$45,000-$48,000 range in 2024)
$2,400 a year to be a dramatic director (~$43,000 in 2024)
$4,000 a year to be a program director (~$72,000 in 2024)
New Orleans' first radio broadcast was on 31 March 1922, with WWL. The station wasn't started as a commercial one; but rather, "more of an experiment, started as an interest in wireless communication picked up nationally". The station did not go commercial until 1929, meaning that Alastor also probably had at least one other side job.
Also see:
"Early Radio Announcers Invented Their Profession in the 1920s"
"The History of the Radio Industry in the United States to 1940"
"'A Godlike Presence': The Impact of Radio on the 1920s and 1930s" by Tom Lewis
American Babel: Rogue Radio Broadcasters of the Jazz Age by Clifford John Doerksen (see excerpt here)
Race and Radio: Pioneering Black Broadcasters in New Orleans by Bala James Baptiste (Note: The earliest Black broadcast in New Orleans was in 1945, meaning Alastor was white-passing.)
"Golden Age of Black Radio - Part 1: The Early Years" (Note: The first Black radio announcer, Jack L. Cooper, hosted in 1929.)
"How African Americans Entered Mainstream Radio" by Bala James Baptiste, the author of Race and Radio: Pioneering...
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