#such fun nighttime themed works!
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bean me up, scotty
pairing: coffee roaster!seungcheol x cafe manager!YN
word count: 2K
synopsis: you see seungcheol often enough at work. helpful daytime seungcheol, you can handle. but nighttime, arms fully out seungcheol? that's a problem.
themes: fluff, SFW, work crush/work acquaintances vibes. beefy seungcheol. SCOUPS RIZZ at the end, implied smut.
a/n: @wavelikewhat came up with this concept and we both had different ideas about how to approach it, so it was super fun to write and then read both versions! def check hers out here.
“Hey boss, Mr. Choi is here!” the voice of one of your baristas pulled your mind out of inventory suddenly.
“Hey I told you not to to call me mister, kid,” Seungcheol’s voice followed. You can practically hear the pout in his tone, which drew a smile to your lips.
“I’ll be right out,” you called back and tucked your pencil behind your ear.
You stepped out of the back room to greet Choi Seungcheol, head roaster at Brandywine Coffee Roasters.
“Hey Cheol,” you greeted him with a smile, “You can leave the delivery in the usual spot. I’ll put it up later.”
“You sure? I have time today, you’re my last delivery,” he raised an eyebrow at you, an offer to help.
“Well, I won’t say no, if you have the time. I’ll caffeinate you,” you shrugged. This was your typical offer and as usual he took you up on it.
“Okay,” he nodded and rolled his dolly into the back room.
Brandywine was the core coffee roaster that you used at your cafe. Seungcheol had been your point of contact for almost a year now, so he knew his way around without any direction. He set to work on replenishing your two pound bags of espresso blend and let you handle the retail, one pound single-origins.
“Oh? You found it?” your eyes widened as you read the label of the bag in your hands. “Restricted oxygen?”
You had mentioned this specific type of processing to Seungcheol a few months ago. The low oxygen processing conditions selected for a unique proportion of microorganisms, yielding an unusual flavor profile once roasted. It seemed quite niche, so you were surprised to be holding a bag in your own hands. You set one bag aside for your personal tasting needs before shelving the rest of the bags.
“Got time to try this with me?” you asked as you both left the back room. “I can set us up a French press.”
“Yeah,” Seungcheol nodded. “Let me just put this back in the truck.”
“Sure,” you smiled at him, setting about prepping. You were giddy with excitement as you ground the beans. The aroma was already quite striking.
“Are we doing a tasting?” your youngest barista, Chan, asked curiously.
“Yes,” you nodded surely.
“Oh yay! Seungcheol whips up the coolest stuff. What is it today?”
“It’s a restricted oxygen process Ethiopia,” Seungcheol answered, appearing behind Dino. “Experimental processing, but cool. I’ll be interested to hear what you think, YN.”
“Whoa, that’s cool! Like leaning towards anaerobic, huh?”
“Yes, exactly that,” you grinned.
As the timer counted down, Chan helped a customer. Seungcheol stood with his arms crossed, watching you watch the timer.
“Missed you at the roaster showcase,” you commented as you depressed the French press plunger and poured the brew into cortado glasses.
“Eh, you know I don’t like that stuff. Sam is way better at those events. I heard it went well though, thanks again for letting us use the space.”
“Of course,” you chuckled, handing the glass to Seungcheol. It was hard to ignore the jolt you felt when his hands brushed over yours, but you liked to think you did your best. “Chan!” you beckoned during a lull in customers.
“Oh interesting!” Chan’s eyebrows raised with surprise, “It tastes almost like…peachy gummy rings? Fascinating!”
“Hmm,” you hummed thoughtfully as you tasted the liquid in your mouth. “I don’t know that I get peach gummy, but I see what you’re saying. There’s like fruit and sweetness, but it’s not very high, if that makes sense.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Seungcheol nodded before taking another aerated sip. “Really neat, thanks for the suggestion, YN,” he nudged you gently.
You smiled sheepishly at him and ignored Chan’s pointed look. You could already tell that once Seungcheol left, you were going to get yet another earful about how you and the roaster were dancing around each other and denying mutual chemistry. You were overcome by an unreasonable desire to keep Seungcheol here longer so that you could avoid that.
“Something for the road?” you asked instead, shaking that thought out of your mind. “I have a seasonal cherry syrup and we’re doing a cherry cola espresso tonic that’s kind of fun for the summer.”
“Huh. Caffeine and caffeine?” Seungcheol considered the drink with amusement. “Sure, I’ll try it.”
“I’m assuming you’ll want YN to make it, as usual?” Chan teased, stepping back from the bar.
The roaster placed his hands into his packers and shrugged with a soft smile, but didn’t deny it. You laughed and set about crafting his featured beverage.
“I really think you two like each other!” Chan started practically before the door had swung shut behind Seungcheol.
“I do like Seungcheol. And his coffee.”
“I mean in a non-professional way. Please note I didn’t say unprofessional, because I don’t think it would be unprofessional. I just think you think he’s hot and he thinks you’re hot. He’s always taking your coffee suggestions and he looks at you a lot when you’re not looking.”
“Chan,” you planted your hands on your hips.
You didn’t want to talk about this with him anymore. He didn’t need to know that the reason was fear of it pushing your delulu brain further than it already was with this workplace crush. You liked Seungcheol, but you also only saw him at work, so it didn’t need to go further than that.
Outside, Seungcheol was grateful that he worked alone. If he’d had a Chan, they most certainly would’ve called him on the inordinately pleased look that had crossed his face when he’d caught the start of your conversation as he left. While it was a guess on Chan’s part, it at least reassured Seungcheol that he wasn’t the only person who had picked up on a potential something between you. Not that he felt ready to do anything about it yet, but he could at least be comforted that it wasn’t totally fabricated on his end.
…
“Eee, staff outing, I’m so excited!” Naomi and Chan squealed excitedly as they skipped towards the bar.
You smiled, thoroughly entertained, as you watched them. You hadn’t had a chance to do much prying yet, but you had a sneaking suspicion that they had started dating recently.
“The answer is yes,” Seungkwan, one of your higher seniority staff, clicked his tongue judgmentally at the pair.
“Huh?” your head whipped around to look at him more directly.
“They are dating. Just last week.”
You had to burst out laughing. For someone who’s life occasionally got quite messy, he could be quite judgemental, but he was also incredibly reliable and responsible in ways that made you grateful he’d continued to work with you for so long.
“Thank you for the updates as usual,” you smiled before grabbing his arm to pull him into the bar.
You spotted Naomi and Chan whispering to each other at the end of the bar and you made your way towards them.
“Okay, let’s thank Father Chip for bankrolling our annual staff outing. Please drink wisely,” you smiled at him. It was a sorry excuse for a grand speech, but it would do well enough to kick the night off.
You looked over the menu as Chan and Naomi waited to catch the eye of a bartender. You heard some commentary about a ‘beefcake’ as you wondered just what exactly Cynar was made out of.
“Oh, he’s coming, he’s coming!” Naomi bounced on her heels excitedly, which meant you had to decide what you wanted and quickly.
“Hey folks, what can I get-,” the bartender greeted you. You were just in the middle of recognizing his voice when he recognized you first. “Oh hey Chan, Naomi, Seungkwan! Is YN out with you?”
“Seungcheol?” you lifted your head, slightly bewildered, to meet eyes with Brandywine’s own head roaster.
“Hey,” he nodded at you. It was a normal greeting, but something about the way his eyes flicked over you afterwards made you impossibly nervous.
“Do you work here?” Seungkwan asked on your behalf.
“Not usually,” Seungcheol brought his arm up to scratch the back of his neck, “Sammy owns this place too and occasionally he needs a hand.”
Sammy was Seungcheol’s business partner at Brandywine, so this made some sense, but your brain and eyes were busy processing Seungcheol’s arm. Daytime Seungcheol was typically clad in a flannel or a solid Carhartt t-shirt, effectively hiding his build. Nighttime Seungcheol, however, was wearing a cut off t-shirt which favored you with a gratuitous view of his muscles. This was a problem for you.
“So what are we drinking?” Seungcheol asked, “Happy to make recommendations too.”
He held your gaze for a moment.
“I’ll do the Coco Bop,” Seungkwan ordered. Dino and Naomi quickly followed suit and before you knew it, Seungcheol stood before you, arms fully out, waiting for your order.
“What does Cynar taste like?”
“Oh, I don’t know actually. You want to try?” he asked before turning to grab the bottle. He poured out a partial shot and took a sip before handing it to you. When you set down the glass, you were both making mirrored grimacing faces at each other.
“That is foul,” you inhaled sharply, face warm from the overwhelming taste of the liquor. “Thank you though. I will have a glass of white wine, please.”
“Oh we have a skin fermented wine, I think you’ll like that. It’s got a little bit of that funk, like the low oxygen process. How’s that sound?”
“I’m sure it’ll be good!” you nodded, self conscious at the crowd that had built up behind you, eagerly awaiting their turn to order.
“This one’s on me,” he smiled when he returned with the glass.
“Oh no-, I-.”
“You comp me all the time. Let me get this one for you.”
“Okay,” you nodded before seeking out the rest of your staff. You just knew you were going to be teased about this interaction too.
Despite your best efforts, you and Seungcheol continued to cross paths and meet eyes the rest of the evening. Whether you were returning glassware, barreling into him as you left the bathroom, or feeling his gaze on you as you watched the others dance, it all seemed to affect you. Unfortunately for your brain, you liked this version of Seungcheol too and it made you curious for more.
Seungcheol watched you try to avoid his gaze and he glanced at the clock impatiently. He’d only agreed to take on the opening shift, so he had a handful of minutes left. He hoped that you’d stick around until then.
“You can leave now,” Sammy appeared at his side.
“Huh?”
“I’m worried your eyes are going to fall out of your head if you look any harder at YN,” Sammy rolled his eyes. He’d had a sneaking suspicion about you since Seungcheol had brought up the idea of participating in the coffee roaster showcase at your cafe.
“Wish me luck,” Seungcheol chuckled before heading towards you.
“And then she said-,” Seungkwan’s words trailed off as his eyes widened at you.
“What did she say?!” you demanded. You were surprised and confused when all three of them shook their heads and pointed at something behind you. Someone, rather.
“Hey,” Seungcheol was standing behind you with his hands in his pockets. “Are you hungry? I just finished up.”
“...I could eat,” you answered, heat zipping up your spine again.
“Did you drive?”
“No.”
“I’ll give you a ride then,” he smiled. He waved at Chan, Naomi, and Seungkwan before leading you out the staff entrance to his car.
“Should I plan to drop you off at home tonight or tomorrow?” he asked as he backed out of his parking spot.
If you’d been holding something, you most certainly would have dropped it. You bit your lip and still failed to hold in your gobsmacked grin at this line.
“...tomorrow.”
Seungcheol glanced over, eyes flicking over you again, before he smiled smugly and drove out of the parking lot.
#scoups fanfic#scoups fluff#seungcheol fanfic#seungcheol fluff#svthub#seventeen fanfic#seventeen fluff#scoups x reader#scoups scenario#seungcheol x reader#seungcheol imagines#seungkwansphd:writes
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F/O Take-Over Ask-Game ~ Rainbow Theme
(A rainbow themed ask-game was the first ask-game I ever made! So, I thought it’d be fun to revisit the idea!)
💋 [KISS] ~ What’s your favorite love language to practice towards S/I? What about your favorite to receive?
🎈 [BALLOON] ~ Do you ever like to surprise S/I?
💄 [LIPSTICK] ~ What’s your favorite outfit of S/I’s that they’ve worn?
🍑 [PEACH] ~ If you had to describe S/I with a flavor, which would you pick?
🧶 [YARN] ~ What’s your favorite activity to do with S/I?
🍯 [HONEY] ~ What’s your favorite nickname/petname to give S/I? How about your favorite nickname/petname that they call you?
🌕 [FULL MOON] ~ What aspect of S/I stands out to you the most?
🧈 [BUTTER] ~ Do you ever tease/flirt with S/I? If so, how do ya do it, and how well does it usually work?
✨ [STARS] ~ What does your nighttime routine with S/I look like?
🦠 [VIRUS] ~ How do you care for S/I when they’re sick?
📗 [BOOK] ~ What’s your favorite random fun-fact that you know about S/I?
🫂 [HUG] ~ How do you hug S/I, if you’re the type to give hugs at all?
🪼 [JELLYFISH] ~ If you had to pick an animal that represented S/I, which one would you pick?
🦄 [UNICORN] ~ What is something that you still wonder about when it comes to S/I?
#🧸Build-A-Backstory🧸#self ship#self shipper#self shipping#safeship#safeshipper#f/o take over#f/o ask game#safeshipping#f/ovember#gif#gif warning
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Collaborative question to pose to fellow fans (or anyone who wants to add their 2 cents):
If you were planning a Magnus Archive themed party centered around the 14 fears, what would you do for each one?
So far I've got,
The eye: a scavenger hunt maybe? Or charades? I'm not sure what fun activity would evoke "being watched". Fallback plan is eyeball cookies
The buried: I'm real lucky to have a cavern system relatively nearby that does cave crawls, so this one was easy. But I'd love to hear other ideas
The dark: nighttime hide and seek, flashlight tag, maybe a glow-in-the-dark art activity of some kind
The desolation: bonfire. Obviously. Complete with roasting marshmallows
The end: I think the easiest rep here would be skull and bone shaped snacks or candy
The flesh: again, I'm thinking like halloween treats here. That fake raw meat rice krispy treat thing, jello brains, candy corn teeth
The corruption: this is getting repetitive, but I was really struggling I'm sorry. So again, halloween snacks Bug and Worms Edition. Maybe mushrooms if you're feeling adventurous
The hunt: hide and seek tag or some other version of tag, or again a scavenger hunt might work better here instead
The lonely: I call this game "sneaky ninja". It's basically dynamic hide and seek, where you actively stay out of sight but otherwise as close as possible to the It person.
The slaughter: Nerf War
The spiral: nearly any bluffing or lying game will do, but this is another one I was kinda struggling with
The stranger: same as spiral, you can do a bluffing/lying game OR some kind of dress up/costume competition
The vast: indoor skydiving, parasailing or scuba would work Very Well for this, but if we're talking about accessible options that's a little harder. Maybe a stargazing session with a telescope, or some kind of diving game in a deep pool
The web: guess who's back, back again~ creepy/halloween snacks, my beloved. I think spiders/spiderweb treats are easy for this one
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How do you decide which animals to use as inspiration for your skyscraper god au redesigns? Do you start with a specific animal in mind and then base a character off of that? Or do you go looking for an animal that matches up with what you want in the pony?
Were you already familiar with all of the animals you chose?
I grew up on national geographic, so I'm already familiar with many many many animals that I can draw upon for design.
When I start a character, I think about what animal works for them either colorwise or thematically. I knew before I even started that Luna would be a Black heron, which is a bird I knew about and loved before the "nighttime! daytime!" meme. It's the perfect way to create night!
Rainbow dash was easy. Peregrine falcon because its the fastest animal on the planet.
Vapor Trail's choice was twofold. I chose a swallow because they're strong flyers, and her story is that she's an unexpectedly skillful flyer that people can't tell at first. Little puffballs being aerodynamic flight machines is a fun reveal. And then tree swallow (with a few things added from barn swallow for fun) come in about the right colors, AND that iridescence that the pretty shading in her mane seems to suggest
A lot of the other choices are based more on colors and aesthetics than themes, or just themes without color. Celestia is a tern/albatross for the long wings (and large size), Fluttershy is a barn owl for the barred markings and color, Twilight has flamingo wings for the color only. Cozy Glow has cockatiel cheeks for the "innocence". Cadance is a swan for its romantic symbolism.
And some aren't based on anything, just me going ham at the design. Sometimes I get help as well!
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𝐌𝐮𝐳𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
Halloween was coming up in a couple of weeks and you were excited for it. You wanted to decorate the Infinity Castle with Halloween decorations but since you were a demon, you couldn’t go out into town due to the sunlight, your demonic appearance, and that slayers could be in town when you arrive and eliminate you.
You however, didn’t let that stop you from wanting to get into the Halloween Spirit, so you took the art supplies that Muzan got you for your anniversary, sat down in your room, and started letting your creativity take you away. You began to create an assortment of Halloween themed decorations.
With some clay and a pencil, you rolled the clay into a ball and molded grooves all around it to make it look like a pumpkin. While it was set to dry, you began drawing ghosts on large sheets of paper and cutting them out.
You were busy painting the now dried clay pumpkin when you felt Muzan’s presence behind you so you turned around. He was standing behind you attempting to decipher what exactly you were doing. You smiled brightly at him, placed your paint brush on a towel, got up and hugged him. He returned the hug and stroked your hair and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“Making Halloween decorations to decorate! I have to make them since I’m a demon and can’t go out to human stores.”
He looked back at where you were working and saw the drawings and clay pumpkin and thought it was adorable. He looked back at you with a slight smile and he patted your head.
“Since I have a human disguise and it is currently nighttime, I can go out and buy decorations for you to use so you don’t have to exhaust yourself too much, okay?”
You smiled brightly and hugged him again.
“Thank you! Can you also decorate with me? It will be so much more fun if you join me!”
He nodded and pressed a kiss to your head.
“Of course darling, I will leave now so that we have more time to decorate together.
You let him go and he grabbed your hand before placing a kiss on it and then left. You started cleaning up and organizing your supplies and walked around the Infinity Castle and started planning out where you wanted decorations. Almost 30 minutes later, Muzan appeared with bags of decorations and shifted out of his human disguise.
“I hope this is enough for you but if not, I can go out and get more.”
He said as he handed you the bags to look inside them. He bought red and black streamers, spider webs, fake little gravestones, candles, plastic bats, plastic spiders, and even some glow in the dark skulls.
“Real human bones would’ve been better but unfortunately they do not glow in the dark.”
Muzan said and you laughed a bit and pecked him on the cheek.
“Thank you for getting me decorations! I was thinking we should decorate the rooms that are the most used.”
You explained and he agreed and started helping you open the decorations and place them everywhere. He would cover the places you couldn’t reach and when he saw the excited look on your face when you both were done decorating made his heart warm. You both cuddled together and watched horror movies for the rest of the night.
Muzan could’ve never guessed that he would be decorating the castle but he didn’t mind it since he had fun with you and got to see you in a great mood. He enjoyed the feeling you brought to him and decided that he would do more activities with you.
#kimetsu no yaiba#kimetsu no yaiba x reader#requests open#feel free to ask questions#muzan x reader#muzan kibutsuji#October#spooky month
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Okay, so I watched one or two Rathbone Holmes stories back in high school and decided I didn't like Nigel Bruce, but I've also seen you talking positively about the Rathbone Holmes movies/ episodes. If you're willing, can you say why you like them and/ or which you would recommend starting on? Is it a series to watch in broadcast order, or are they more stand-alone? Which ones are your favorite? I want to give it a second chance.
hiya, thanks for the ask :D adding a cut here cuz this post got realllyyy outta hand- so so sorry xD
I wanna preface by saying that I totally get the frustration of Nigel Bruce Watson- as much as I've come to care for this portrayal, there are still moments of disappointment? I feel? Mostly once you see all the potential in him before it gets unceremoniously dumbed down for the sake of comedy, and it can be trying sometimes, but I've learned to breeze past those moments and! There are definitely movies where he shines brighter than others! In the end, you may warm up to him or you may not, but I fully commend you on taking another chance :D
I did not really start off in broadcast order (my ass still hasn't seen rathbone and bruce's HOUN- bloody disgraceful lmao) and mostly watched in order of vibes, which seems to have worked out alright xD
I started off with Scarlet Claw, and after rewatching it this morning, I feel like it's an alright place to start! It's a good sort of mystery and there was enough element of equal partnership to get me invested in Holmes and Watson. But, I'd say it's still pretty lukewarm, enjoy it as I do, so to compound this long ass post lemme throw a list at you real quick of rathbone movies i strongly recommend-
The Pearl of Death:
Starting off with Pearl of Death not only for the 'Watson gathers the braincells' quality but because it's one of the genuine classics in the series- a brilliantly crafted movie from start to finish, and in my opinion, one of the better shot ones. This one is a good start, it's a bit slow in some places, but it's a good, neutral film that showcases I think some of the more concrete themes and brilliancy of the movies.
House of Fear:
I honestly dunno if I'm biased about this one, but it is genuinely one of my favourite movies of all time. It's the very second one I watched, and it's still in my nighttime viewing collection- I fall asleep watching this movie, which is a compliment I swear. Watson has a more active role, is genuinely trying his best for most of the runtime and falls more in line with 'genuine failure to succeed' more than just 'bungled it up for a gag'. It's a really, really excellent mystery and I adore Holmes and Watson's dynamic throughout- 10/10, freaking banger movie.
Pursuit to Algiers:
Then, of course, the Big Daddy herself- Pursuit to Algiers. This one falls less in line with a mystery (our baddies become pretty clear at one point) and more suspense, but man is that a good thing. The dang thing takes place on a boat for most of it, Holmes and Watson are attached to eachother like pairbonded shelter dogs and have the most balanced, affectionate of interactions, Watson gets to sing! And not to give away any spoilers (yeah shush, i know the movie's old) but a particular plot point happens in this movie and as a result, Nigel Bruce gets to do a genuinely heartbreaking piece of acting- seriously, there is a shot where he goes out onto the deck, completely silent of music and just looks out into the ocean that still has me unwell even after all this time. Goofy moments still happen in the movie, but they feel more organic, and overall there is a wonderfully grounded approach to Watson here- he's still silly, but it's a fun silly, and a silly that Holmes indulges in with him. The depth of affection between these two is ASTOUNDING in this movie, bloody unhinged behaviour. Great movie, do watch it :D
I'd say those three are, at least in my opinion, the best of the best! I do enjoy the others, but I think it best to venture into those once an affection has been developed, they do strain the patience a bit at times I'm afraid. (And it goes without saying, some of the movies have a definite propaganda vibe to them, which is charming sometimes and sometimes just grating, really depends on the day i think- none of the three movies listed above fall under this category though- and the of course, general warning for all the really poorly aged 1940s stuff, but you know that :>)
Except The Spider Woman. In really the bluntest of terms, fuck that movie, all my homies hate The Spider Woman, do NOT watch it (i'm only half joking, oh god its so bad)
Anyways, uh, sorry lmao-
I really must thank you for letting me put this incredibly useless knowledge to use, I'm so goddamn sorry it came out in this absolute massive scrawl- I wish you all the luck in your rathbone holmes adventure, and I hope you have an illuminating time either way it goes for you :D
#jesus christ the size of this lad#anyways those are my two(hundred) cents i really hope it helps!#if anybody has any other perspective feel free to share#and i know i was kinda hard on my boy watson here#but it is only because i love him so much i must bully him (jokE A JOKE)#number one girlfailure in my heart <3#sherlock holmes#john watson#rathbone holmes
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hi again. could i please get a mood board and some names + pronouns. for me. :) ?
moodboard - being deep underwater, being a big mysterious sea monster underwater, a bit of night sky (with two moons,) uh. mainly dark blue. maybe perhaps greens or purples i dont really know im not the moodboard maker. have fun. :) !
names and pronouns - masc/neutral, oceanic, nighttime, just general Depths and Vastness. anything with Big Sea Monster. vibes?
hope this is uh. comprehensible. :) !
Sea monster moodboard, with themes of mystery, deep underwater, night skies, and two moons
Requested by: anon
Hope these work, anon! Names + pronouns are under the cut :> let me know if you'd like any changes!
Masc/neu names + pronouns, with themes of night, oceans, depth + vastness, and sea monster vibes
Names
Levi/leviathan (ofc)
Sean
Kai
Caspian
Dylan
Thallas (from thalassophobia)
Scylla
Orion
Nyx
Nova
Luca
Varen
Esra
Char
Star
Sirius
Ness
Pronouns
Monster/monsterself
Unknown/Unknownself
Anomaly/Anomalyself
Cryptid/Cryptidself
Night/nightself
Dark/darkself
Mid/midnightself
Nycto/nyctoself
Ocean/oceanself
Sea/seaself
Wave/waveself
Vast/vastself
Thalass/thalassoself (from thalassophobia)
Depth/depthself
#therian#moodboard#therian moodboard#kin moodboard#night moodboard#ocean moodboard#sea monster moodboard#name request#night names#ocean names#sea monster names#pronoun request#night pronouns#ocean pronouns#sea monster pronouns#sea monster kin#tw thalassophobia#cw thalassophobia
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It's no secret that MtG has a fair number of characters with BCGE (Big Catholic Girl Energy); Liliana, Thalia, Teysa, etc. For Easter, I'd like to spotlight one of MtG's earliest and lesser-known big catholic-energy girls: Helana, from the short story Dual Loyalties by Glen Vasey.
Helana is the adopted daughter of preacher who oversees a rural sun-worshiping church. She is an intelligent, well-read and devout (albeit sheltered) young woman who is steadfast in her dedication to the sun-goddess, her father, and the well-being (both spiritual and physical, via healing magic) of the small community they serve.
The tl;dr of her story is that her father is suddenly (though not unexpectedly) summoned by a planeswalker to aid in a fight against a rival 'walker, and during the battle ends up getting cast into hell (this is in keeping with a running theme of the short stories in Distant Planes, a book that could have been fairly re-titled as Oldwalkers are Sociopaths and Here's a Dozen Case Studies Showing Why). Helana, left in charge of the church, immediately takes off to find her father, armed only with gumption, faith, a few pearls of white mana (which the sun god and her nighttime counterpart, Gohrah periodically leave for the devout to find), and a celestial prism (which will turn out to be critical later on, since her knowledge of spellcasting is *extremely basic*, and limited to healing spells used to treat the church's small congregation).
(She's also accompanied in her journey by a flying miniature dog named Rorsa; he's not plot-critical, but a very fun element in the story)
At the battlefield where the 'walkers dueled, she meets Illith, a demon who was summoned for the same fight her father was taken away to participate in. Illith, needing a hostage to return safely to his home in hell (demonic bureaucracy, don't ask), but also fascinated and sympathetic to Helana despite himself, agrees to guide her to the castle of the archduke of hell who has her father prisoner. The exchanges between Illith and Helana are all quite interesting, and I've included a sliver below b/c I really like how their dialogue is done:
(Illith is, though never explicitly stated as such, clearly meant to be the demon depicted on the original art for Demonic Tutor, based on the descriptions of how he assists the wizards/ planeswalkers who summon his aid.)
What Helana does once in hell is nothing short of stunning. Starting with a group of dark dwarves, who she tranquilizes with a surgery-prep spell, she proceeds to take on several squads of black-aligned creatures using nothing but her instincts and a selection of white-aligned healing spells that do absolutely twisted things to the minions of hell. She uses a proliferation/virility spell to make a group of skeleton warriors copulate each other to pieces, a healing spell on zombies so their flesh grows back and causes them immense pain. A spell of charity to make a rag man give her its kneecap. A spell of compassion and self-reflection to cause (implied lethal) psychic damage to an archduke of hell.
The story ends happily, with Helana and her new demon frenemy having gotten what they wanted out of the foray into hell (she her father and he his previous scholarly position). Helana is left at the story's end to confront a new duality of loyalties that has blossomed over the course of the story - to the Sun, but also to Gohrah, Daughter of Night.
It's a very interesting short that touches on the complexity of B and W characters, as well as gives some fun illustrations on how different card mechanics would work in the in-universe fantasy setting.
Happy Easter ;)
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𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭!
this is an intro post for my current main (and favorite) wip, "the nona incident!" i've had this wip for about 2 months now and it's currently still in the development and plotting stage, but i'm kinda... obsessed with it... so i'm super excited to actually start writing it, whenever that will be! for now, here's a little bit of information about it!
𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ⋆｡°✩
genres: historical fiction, drama, romance, thriller
target length: novel
setting: the united states, mid-1980s (begins in 1985, ends in a currently undetermined year)
rating + content warnings: "the nona incident!" will be intended for a mature/adult audience. content warnings include strong language, drug/alcohol use and addiction, sex and sexual content, an abusive relationship, biphobia and homophobia, compulsory heterosexuality, misogyny, graphic violence, and death. there will be other content warnings i have yet to nail down; just know that this story will be on the (for lack of better word) grittier side, so if you aren't comfortable with some generally disturbing content, this probably won't be for you.
𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 ⋆｡°✩
it’s 1985, and there are two things on may costa’s mind, the same two things that have always been on her mind for as far back as she can remember: making it in the professional music industry, and being with her best friend since childhood, nona darnell. but as a guitarist with no band and few friends to speak of, stuck working as a local music store clerk, and with nona busy living an exciting life on the sunset strip with her too-cool boyfriend, duke strickland, may is about as far from those two things as is possible to be. that is, until nona invites her to accompany duke’s growing band, overconsumption, on their first tour—accompany the band, and her. with this opportunity, may is determined to carve out a place for herself in both the rock legendarium and in nona’s life, but success has unexpected consequences, especially in the untamed world of rock ‘n’ roll.
𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬, + 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬 ⋆｡°✩
the thing about tni! is that it's a very self-indulgent project—like, even more self-indulgent than usual, which is saying something—so the themes and ideas explored in it are pretty much all things somewhat personal to or specifically geared towards myself. for the most part, they all boil down to one of two things: bisexuality and rock 'n' roll. basically, tni! is meant, in part, to be an exploration of both the good and the bad of the 80s rock scene from the point of view of a closeted bisexual woman who feels out of place in the world she loves. this does make may somewhat of a self-insert, i suppose, but i don't really consider her a self-insert, because she's not meant to be me? she's more meant to be an avenue for me to express my feelings towards the concepts presented in the story. if that makes sense. to get back to the point, tni! is more or less just me projecting onto and living vicariously through a fake 80s rock band for an indeterminate number of pages. boom, there's the theme.
𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 + 𝐜𝐨. ⋆｡°✩
may costa: a talented but lonely guitarist from vermillion spring, california in search of a band and respite from her own dislike of herself
nona darnell: the treasured girlfriend of duke strickland with aspirations of becoming a photographer and filmmaker
duke strickland: overconsumption's charismatic frontman with a famously kind and humble reputation
tommy salem: overconsumption's reserved bassist with a penchant for nighttime motorcycle rides
logan vaughn: overconsumption's multitalented drummer who started it all in the first place
rj patterson: overconsumption's rhythm guitarist who loves stirring up conflict for the sheer fun of it
𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ⋆｡°✩
the short answer to what inspired tni! is music (shocker)! if you haven't put it together yet, i live for the rock music of the 80s (and 70s, and 90s and onward, but especially the 80s). a huge amount of the inspiration for this story came from me listening to my favorite music, and i specifically decided to make this an actual wip while listening to the use your illusion albums by guns n' roses on a drive home. from there, the ideas just sort of collected and collected, which has kinda... never happened for me before? So that was really cool (and probably only because i daydream about being a rockstar way too often).
beyond just the music itself, i've also gathered a lot of ideas and inspiration from researching my favorite bands! i went through a span of time a month or two ago where i was just obsessed with reading up on the history of the bands i love (and i still am, honestly), and a lot of the stories i discovered—there were some crazy-ass stories—had a big influence on some of the plot points and the overall "vibe" of tni!.
𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ⋆｡°✩
⋆ bad obsession - guns n' roses
⋆ nona - mötley crüe
⋆ magic touch - aerosmith
⋆ hide your heart - kiss
⋆ rocket queen - guns n' roses
⋆ detroit rock city - kiss
⋆ patience - guns n' roses
⋆ you could be mine - guns n' roses
⋆ thrills in the night - kiss
⋆ don't cry (original) - guns n' roses
⋆ mr. brownstone - guns n' roses
⋆ get in the ring - guns n' roses
⋆ sweet child o' mine - guns n' roses
⋆ too young to fall in love - mötley crüe
𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 ⋆｡°✩
⋆ the plot of tni! was originally going to be a lot more... extreme? it still gets pretty extreme as it is now, but may used to be a way different character in a way that made the plot much more horrific before i realized that that wasn't the kind of story i wanted to tell with these characters
⋆ may is probably one of my favorite main characters i've ever written, so you guys have that to look forward to <3 facets of her character are also inspired by slash (the person, not the fanfic, since i know this is tumblr lmao), because... i love slash... shock and awe, i guess
⋆ this is my first attempt at realistic and historical fiction
⋆ nona is the first of two ocs i have that unintentionally have the same names as characters from the locked tomb series (maybe you'll meet the second someday? who knows... not me)
so, that's "the nona incident!" if you read this far, thank you so much, i really appreciate it! i'm not new to tumblr, but i am new to writeblr, so i'm not 100% sure of how to go about connecting with people and making friends here, so if any of this seemed interesting to you, or we have some common interests, or you just wanna chat, feel free to reach out in any way you want, and i'd be super happy to talk!
#wip : the nona incident!#wip#my wips#wip intro#wip introduction#historical fiction#drama#romance#thriller#writeblr#creative writing#80s rock#rock and roll#queer fiction#wipsbymor
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Operation Sleepy Hollow
(Dieter x horror loving female)
Words: 1, 789
Summary: you and Dieter go somewhere special for your two-year anniversary and Dieter has something extra special planned
Warnings: failed proposals but not what you think, body injury, crazy shenanigans, Dieter being Dieter and lots of adorable fluff and some fun history! I did lots of research but if I got anything wrong, please let me know!
Check out masterlist here
Dieter looked again at the small box made out to be the key from The Mummy. He’d lost count of how many times he’d sneak a look at it over the past year. He was hoping to go through Operation Sleepy Hollow: take girlfriend to a place she’d enjoy for anniversary, propose in romantic spot, spend the night making passionate love, best boyfriend award guaranteed.
For your second-year anniversary, you were going to a place you’d enjoy, somewhere you always wanted to go: Sleepy Hollow, New York. Originally called North Tarrytown, it changed its name to Sleepy Hollow in 1996. It came to popularity but Washington Irving’s ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ where the author now lays to rest in the cemetery.
Still having time before checking in, you went to Tarrytown in order to just wander around the picturesque town. The Tarrytown Music Hall wasn’t open, but it was still beautiful in its exterior and Dieter adored any historic exterior and so adored this town. After lunch, you went to the Sleepy Hollow Souvenir Store and tried to not buy so much.
Dieter insisted you splash out for accommodation, so you were spending two nights at the Castle Hotel and Spa. The room was lavish with a four-poster bed and fireplace. Wrapping his arms around you, Dieter insisted on immediately trying out the bed.
As you had planned a few nighttime festivities such as the Pumpkin Museum of Art, the Pumpkin Carousel, the Pumpkin Windmill, and the Pumpkin Planetarium, you saw no problem in this.
*****
The following morning, you had breakfast at the Headless Bagel, purely because of its name. After picking up some Halloween themed pastries from a bakery, came all the walking. Starting on Beekman Avenue, you made your way along the Hudson River to find the lighthouse which was built in 1883. You then made your way to the Sleepy Hollow, originally the Tarrytown cemetery which changed its name to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to honour author Washington Irving. His monument was protected from picky tourists, but you went to honour him in passing. You found the Headless Horseman sculpture before making your way to the bridge. It wasn’t the bridge that was in the film or from the folktale as that was now a modern bridge commissioned by the Rockefeller family and now has a placard stating its historic location. This bridge was a beautiful wooden one and hauntingly romantic.
This was the perfect location for Dieter to propose. It didn’t want to do it on the bridge as he didn’t trust himself not to fall into the river. He waited until you both crossed the bridge. Your back was to him the moment he got down on one knee, he moved to get the ring out of his jacket pocket when something caught his eye.
“Ah! A snake!”
It was at this point you turned around to find your boyfriend running towards you in fear. He sort of glomped you but had enough sense to not fall to the ground. He pointed to where he thought he saw the supposed snake. You looked over to where he was pointing but only saw a stick.
He felt embarrassed at the blunder but was soon replaced by sadness that he missed out on the perfect opportunity to propose but he shook it off.
The next location the Union Church of Pocantico Hills held the last works by Henry Matisse. Dieter was mesmerised by the stained-glass windows, and he quietly explained the story of how Nelson Rockefeller commissioned the artwork for his late wife, Abby in 1948. He pointed out the Rose Window, Matisse’s last work and the nine windows which were designed by Marc Chagill, a Belarusian-French artist you hadn’t heard of, but you certainly found the windows beautiful.
It certainly cheered Dieter up and he thought of going to Plan B of Operation Sleepy Hollow: propose over a romantic candlelit dinner followed by a night of passionate lovemaking, bagging best boyfriend award in the process.
*****
After lunch, you went back to the hotel for a break before dinner. You had made your way to the bathroom, so Dieter knelt down to untie his shoelaces; he had the sudden thought of relocating the ring box, so he reached over to get it from his jacket but then something broke.
You heard a pained scream and rushed out of the bathroom. Dieter was on his knees unable to move with tears streaming out of his eyes. He was taking short breaths as moving any part of his body was causing immense pain.
“What happened?”
“My back!” he gasped. “My back!”
You put a hand to his chest, “Let’s try and get you up, okay?”
Putting hands under his armpits, you managed to get him sitting on the edge of the bed. You took his shoes off with no problem.
“I’m going to give you a painkiller, okay?”
He didn’t nod as he feared it would cause pain, but you gathered from his whimper that he consented, so you managed to administer it.
“Now I need to take your pants off.”
It was a gruelling experience for Dieter and the whole time he was whimpering in pain and mumbling how the removal of clothes should be sexy, but you managed to get him down to his boxers and lying face down on the bed. Leaving him for a few seconds, you came back from the bathroom with a hot towel and placed it on his back. He settled down after a few moans of pain. His back was very tense and twitched whenever you touched it.
The painkiller must have kicked in or the hot towel was working but Dieter was soon feeling less pain in his back. Soon after he felt a cooling sensation, the towel was removed from his back, and you were rubbing something in.
“What is that?” he asked.
“It’s Tiger Balm, it’s really good for muscle pain.”
He gave a groan of approval and soon you heard him snoring softly.
*****
Dieter woke up sometime later, he didn’t dare try moving and he worried that his back would flare up again, so he stayed where he was. He managed to follow you with his eyes as you came back into the room.
“How are you feeling?”
“A bit stiff,” he mumbled.
“Well, you are going to have a deep tissue massage tomorrow morning. I went down to the front desk and booked you in while I cancelled out dinner.”
“You did?” you nodded. “But what about the Farmers Market?”
“I can do that on my own. I don’t think you’d survive all that walking.”
He grumbled in agreement, “Unless there was lots of sitting.”
“Do you think you could handle sitting now?” He gave a mumble in place of a shrug, so you managed to slowly get him to stand up. After putting on his teddy bear coat, you moved him to a chair with good back support and placed an ottoman under his feet. He grumbled his thanks.
“I’m sorry I ruined our anniversary.”
“You didn’t ruin it, it’s not your fault your back died on you.”
“But we were going to have a romantic dinner and…” he couldn’t finish his sentence.
“Have a night of passionate lovemaking?”
Dieter almost started crying at the thought of all that was being missed out.
“We could try,” he shyly suggested.
“Sex won’t fix your sore back; it might make it worse.”
“It might. If I lie down the whole time and you can sit on my-“
“We’re not risking anything,” he pouted. “We can do gifts?”
He wiggled his toes in excitement, “Yes, let’s do presents!”
You moved over to where your bags were. Pulling out your present for Dieter, you moved over to his bag. He stopped you opening it, just letting you carry the whole bag over to him. Pulling out a wrapped gift, he handed it to you while you put his bag away and put your gift in his lap.
He gleefully but carefully unwrapped his present to reveal the glorious tie-die beneath.
“I’m Kenough?!” he held up the hoodie. “I love it!”
It was now time to unwrap your gift; it was a book.
“Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.”
“I figured you might want to learn all the history science stuff behind your favourite book.”
You hugged the book close to you and made your way over to Dieter in order to plant a giant kiss on his cheek. You gently hugged him.
“I love it! I’ll not to read it all in one sitting.”
“You want to read it now, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but how about some room service?”
*****
“How was the massage?”
“Amazing! My back is still stiff, but it doesn’t hurt like hell anymore,” he was sitting in the armchair donned in his new favourite hoodie. “How was the Farmers Market?”
“Amazing! So much lovely produce! I could’ve bought one of everything, but I don’t know if I can bring back fresh produce.”
“We’re in the same country.”
“Yeah, but isn’t there a rule about bringing food across state lines?”
“I don’t think so.”
You hmphed, “I guess it’s just an Australian thing. But I got lots of other great things!”
You pulled things out of your tote to show your smiling boyfriend: jams, soaps, various baked goods as well as…
“Cheese?”
“You bet I got cheese! If I can’t bring it back with me, I’ll eat it all on the spot.”
“I think you can bring it with us.”
“I also got you a handmade heat pack. They told me that when it heats up, it smells like pancakes.”
“So I’ll smell like pancakes?” he loved the thought.
You were surprised you still had room in your suitcase after all your purchases, but you managed to fit everything in. Thankfully, Dieter brought his trusty Crocs with him, so he didn’t have to endure the thought of how he was going to put his footwear on.
The hotel staff were very helpful in getting your luggage and Dieter into the car and soon, you were both on your way back to New York City.
As Dieter watched the trees go flying past, his mind began to wander; he was rethinking his proposal plan. Halloween was approaching and you were both heading to a fancy costumed ball. It would be the perfect opportunity to propose as it was your favourite time of the year so you would already be in a happy mood. So now it was Operation Halloween Proposal: dress up and go to romantic themed ball, propose in super romantic setting, spend the night making passionate love, best boyfriend award guaranteed.
Films referenced: The Mummy (1999), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Barbie (2023)
Book referenced:
Lovingly tagging @boliv-jenta @simpingcowboy @ellenmunn @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @brilliantopposite187 @chaithetics @myloveistoolittle @cevans-is-classic @glshmbl
#pedro pascal#jose pedro balmaceda pascal#dieter x honey cakes#love of horror fanfic#love of horror#dieter x reader#dieter bravo#the bubble netflix#the bubble
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chapter seven: MOTH to a FLAME
Summary: Down in the Shenandoah Valley, there lay a court consisting of the Grim, the Drowned, the Witch and the Watcher.
CW: supernatural themes, mention of death, mentions of religious sacrifice, body horror, religious trauma, drowning
Every chapter will have a different cw section. This is Bad Omens rpf, so obviously I don't know all the little nuances of the members or their family members.
A/N: Some things are color-coded. If any of you are colorblind lemme know.
I had two requirements before I went out into the woods with Nick: a shower and a nap. I was filthy and exhausted. Nick agreed, as he was exhausted as well.
Despite the horrifying revelation of the past twelve hours, and Nick’s pseudo-involvement in them, I was fine with him napping in the same bed as me. I felt safer, even. It was still a little bit of a shock though to wake up curled against his back.
When I was ready to go, as Nick was packing a bag, I opened the door, expecting to see some horrifying Slenderman-esque figure to be perched on my porch. Instead, I was greeted by the same man I first met what now felt like forever ago. He wasn’t wearing two jackets this time, showing off the ink on his arms. He was perched on the porch railing, munching on the apple I had left before I blindly charged into the woods.
"All this time I was feeding you," was all I stated.
"You could switch it up occasionally. I do like beer," he said with his mouth full.
"How bout I just don't do it at all?" I asked.
"Please don't," Nick and Noah said at the same time. Nick came up behind me and placed a hard on my back, a gentle push to get me out the door.
"What happens if I don't?" I asked.
There was a glance between the two. "Take it one thing at a time," Nick said. "I will tell you why, but there's other things to be told first."
I rolled my eyes and looked up at the sky. It wasn't nighttime, but the sky was just starting to lighten. I checked my phone: 5:16 am.
"Here." Nick handed me a jacket. "You'll need it."
"It's barely chilly," I said.
"Where we're going doesn't get warm," he said.
"In the pines, in the pines, where the sun don't ever shine... I would shiver the whole night through…" Noah began to sing as he walked towards the woods. If it weren't for the creepy song, I would've said he had a beautiful voice; haunting, appropriately.
"Ignore him, he's being an ass on purpose to annoy me," Nick said, helping me into the jacket. It smelled of cigarettes, lavender, and lemongrass. "I promise you'll be safe out there with us."
"Promise?" I asked.
"Promise. Here, gimme your hand," he said, holding his own out toward me.
"What?" I asked.
"Trust me," he said. Something in me said that he meant it.
I held my right hand out. He took out a piece of red yarn out of his pocket, and tied it around my pinky finger. I could feel my face warming at the feeling of his calloused fingers brushing against mine.
"Do you know about the tale of Theseus?" he asked, snapping me out of my shyness.
"The guy who fought the Minotaur?"
"Yeah. It was said that Ariadne gave him a ball of yarn so that he could find his way out of the labyrinth.."
"So this is your way of making sure you got out of the woods?" I asked.
"We thought it was clever back then, before shit happened," he said, his eyes flicking over to Noah, before returning to mine. "Now it works as a quick charm."
I looked down at the string. It wasn’t anything fancy. He had left the extra string hanging loose. But it was the way he was still holding my hand that made me stare.
"What if we get separated?" I asked.
"This helps with that as well," he said, tapping on the yarn. I looked up from the gibbous moon tattoo on that finger and into his face. His lips curled into a sly smile. "Unless you'd rather I hold your hand the entire way?"
He could've been making fun of me for all I knew, but it didn't deter me from timidly nodding. He blinked, maybe in shock. "A-All right then," he said.
Turns out his hand was really helpful, because we had a lot of hills and rocks to climb. And I certainly was no mountain climber, with my hip. Noah, on the other hand, traversed everything with ease. It was almost like he knew every spot, and his mile-long legs didn't help either. Nick might've been as skilled a climber, but he was weighed down by me.
It felt like forever as we traversed through the woods. "How much longer do you think we have?" I asked.
Nick looked back at me. "Not long now. We're almost to the river," he said. His hand was still wrapped around mine. Earlier I had caught a glimpse of Noah staring at us - at our hands - but when he caught me staring, he just gave me a smirk and turned away.
"You probably didn't bring something to stuff their ears," Noah said to Nick.
"No, because you said everyone was going to be on their best behavior," Nick said. I caught the angry look he shot at Noah.
"Fine I'll tell him," Noah said, sighing with a huff.
"Tell who? How?" I asked.
LIKE THIS.
I froze, yanking on Nick's hand. "What the fuck was that?" I asked.
"A means of communication when I can't move my mouth to form human words," Noah said, easily leaping over a rotting log.
"When you… What?" I asked incredulously.
"Did you not see what I looked like last night?" he asked.
"I was a little preoccupied, you know, what with being almost eaten," I hissed. Nick squeezed my hand, whether in warning or sympathy, I didn't know.
"Well, I don't keep this handsome face," he said sarcastically. "And I can't open my mouth when I'm forced to transform."
"What a shame," I muttered, earning a glare from Noah and a chuckle from Nick.
Nick suddenly turned towards Noah. "Be nice," he said.
"What? I didn't say anything," Noah said in a sweet voice.
"What did he say about me?" I asked.
"I'm not repeating it," Nick mumbled.
Thankfully, Noah remained quiet for the next several minutes, at least that I could hear with my ears. I contemplated how it worked, like one-sided telepathy or two-way, until I heard music from up ahead. Really beautiful music.
At the same time, Nick's hand tightened over mine. "Taylor?" he asked.
"Yeah?"
"Do me a favor, and don't let go of my hand."
"O-okay."
"You haven't told them anything, have you?" Noah asked.
"One thing at a time, Noah," Nick sighed. "I told them about my practice and what Folio is."
"Not about the Näcken?" Noah asked. Nick glared at him. "Okay, okay. One thing at a time."
"What's a..." I tried to pronounce whatever Noah said, but it came out all wrong, making Noah laugh.
"You'll find out here soon," he said.
And that's when the cold descended over me.
It was like we crossed over some invisible border. My breath was visible in the air as I scrambled closer to Nick, moreso for warmth than safety. The leaves blocked the sunlight, casting a green tint over the dimness.
This... This was the Appalachia everyone warned about.
"Watch your step," Noah said before sliding down a rocky hillside, vanishing from view. "What up Jolleeeeeeee!" His voice faded.
"Just say the word, and we'll turn around and head back," Nick said. "No judgement."
I looked up into his eyes, which even in the dim light I could tell had faded back to their usual grayish-blue color. And despite the remnants of Noah's attempts to scare me, and the sound of what I now knew to be an acoustic guitar tempting me down the hill, I was ready. I mean, I had already come this far.
"Lead the way," I said.
After descending after Noah, the hillside evened out to a rocky riverside. There was one area where the sun was able to break through the leaves, letting in weak rays of sunlight, though I couldn't tell if it was because of the oncoming dawn or the space inbetween. That's where Noah and Nick were leading me.
In the middle of the river, where it was at its thinnest, a shirtless man sat on a rock, with his back towards us. The guitar in his lap revealed the source of the string music. His waterlogged hair was half up in a bun, half trailing down his bare back.
"He's in a mood," Noah said.
"I am not in a mood," the man said without turning around, but he stopped playing the guitar. It was only in the absence of the sound that I realized I had been leaning towards him.
Just then, there was a spray of water from nearby, and another man came running out of the water. "'Bout time! We were getting bored out here!" he said, grinning.
This one was recognizable. I'd seen him in the newspaper, as well as a brief glimpse into Nick's memories. The missing boy, the one that was sacrificed, Nick Folio.
The one who only several hours ago had had his teeth near my throat.
But when he looked at me, it was hard to believe that he could be that abnormally large wolf-creature. He was almost my height, if maybe a few inches taller. His face still held some of boyish wonder, even though he looked older than what I've seen.
But as he got closer. I could see the similarities in his hazel eyes. Those I know I would never forget.
"Hi, I'm Nick, he said, holding his hand out towards me. "Or Folio, as the others call me."
I don't know if I was on autopilot or not, because I let go of the other Nick's hand, and shook his. I could almost hear the collective sigh of relief. "Taylor," I mumbled.
"Sorry about last night," he said.
"Well, I'm alive still, so I guess it's all good," I said, earning a grin.
I heard another splash, this one smaller, and turned in the direction of the mysterious guitar man, who was making his way towards us. He sported a full sleeve of tattoos that crawled over his chest. Out of the four he had the most facial hair, sporting a short goatee and mustache.
His eyes were also completely white, like a corpse.
"This is Jolly," Nook said from beside me. "He doesn't get out a whole lot."
"I wonder why," Jolly grumbled. Somehow, I could tell he rolled his eyes.
"Why? I asked.
His milky eyes fell onto me, and I fought the urge to grab Nick's hand again. "'Cause I'm stuck here near the river," he said. He had a different accent; almost lilting in some words.
"Why the river?" I asked.
"Because this was where I died," he said bluntly.
I was stunned into silence for only several seconds. "So, both of you are dead, but alive somehow?"
"So is he," Nick spoke up, the first time since we arrived. He was pointing at Noah
Missing Resident Presumed Dead.
"Are you dead, too?" I asked Nick.
"On the inside," Folio said. Nick shot him a bored look.
Nick then turned back to me. "This is it; the Court of the Shenandoah Valley," he said. "You got the Watcher, the Grim, and the Drowned" He motioned towards Noah, Folio, and Jolly respectively.
"And the Witch," Jolly said, earning a glare from Nick.
"Why do you call it a court?" I asked.
My question earned me a wide, feral grin from Noah that sent shivers down my spine; chills that had nothing to do with the bitter air.
‘CUZ I'M THE FUCKIN' KING.
Tysm for reading! Next chapter coming soon!
#bad omens fanfiction#bad omens rpf#bad omens au#noah sebastian fanfiction#nicholas ruffilo fanfiction#jolly karlsson fanfiction#nick folio fanfiction#horror au#paranormal au#tag: non binary character#fic: lost in the labyrinth#series: lost in the labyrinth#cw: supernatural themes#cw: death#cw: religious sacrifice#cw: body horror#cw: religious trauma#cw: drowning
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*slamming hands on table* vampire au! vampire au! vampire au! vampire au! confetti!!!! new sannylity au dropped go crazy go stupid
love the idea of a blood soulmate and everything! theyre all mechanics that could be interesting to incorporate into the world. also FUCK foolish for turning mariana into a vampire. not cool bro wtf >:(
thinking about charlie being like "you know for ease's sake we should just be roommates. we are literally bound by blood and soul and whatever the hell you said anyways" and marianas nervous cause the last time she shared a place with someone it didnt go to well but he agrees. so they stay in an apartment together! yippie!!
mariana stays in the house most of the time because she usually sleeps or relaxes/does chores during the day and likes to do fun things at night! sometimes that means bothering his roommate and sometimes that means going clubbing. she attempted being a nighttime security guard for a week, but it was too stressful, so he quit after only five nights.
i can see this au definitely having nsfw undertones, with all the biting and ecstasy and the high from bloodsucking and stuff rftvgybuijm charlie cant lie hes kind of into it when mariana sinks his fangs into his neck, not knowing how much pleasure it gives her too.
god imagine charlies abusive dad who he ran away from is actually a vampire hunter, so he can never have mariana meet his parent- not like he would've wanted that, anyways. as many of his loved ones as he can keep away from his fucked-up father, the better.
originally it just starts off as their mutually beneficial relationship, being blood soulmates and everything. but it evolves into a blossoming romance, into a desperation to feel the warmth of each others bodies, into a reliance on one another.
i go feral whenever sannylity proposes new slimeriana au idea and this one is no exception.
-💫
Hahahaha yes! I’m surprised myself that I haven’t made a vampire AU until now sksksk
I like that Foolish is just the automatic choice for Mariana xD but yes, how dare he!!
And yeah, after the initial confrontation of Charlie catching Mariana and Mariana having to admit, they end up having to come up with living arrangements for their sakes. Did I mention vampires lose their minds if they don’t feed on their humans and vice versa for a long time? :D
So when Charlie didn’t believe him at first, he stopped coming into work to avoid Mariana and for a month, they don’t see each other. But why does he feel so agitated and snappy and angry and feel like he should break something or punch a wall or tear his hair out? He doesn’t know what to do and he’s panicking, ready to jump off his balcony apartment just to end this intense feeling all over him until Mariana somehow appears out of nowhere and bites into his neck again.
That’s when Charlie believes him and they settle for a living arrangement.
Mariana definitely does the chores during the day, his malewife role is still canon in this AU xD lolol
Also, yep! This AU was written to have NSFW themes on it. There’s no way around it xD they both find pleasure in blood sucking, what more with having physical and sexual attraction for each other? Sex would be a given and experimental on the biting and the clawing and the scratching. Hot gay men vampire sex, yes lmaoo
Having a family member of Charlie being a vampire hunter is really cool and adds so much drama and problems for the couple djjsjs I’d imagine the story would become lengthy for this, but the payoff would be amazing nonetheless :))
And thank you! I’m glad you liked this AU. It is surely one of my faves too because there’s a lot of world building involved when it comes to vampires ahhhh <33
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Hi, writing question from a struggling writer.
How do you write non action or romance in your stories that are full of both? I am struggling on how to write the main character in this book do normal boring stuff that does not relate to her night job. Or her flirting with her love interests. I can write action, flirting and stressful conversations and that seems to be it.
I tried to write her doing normal everyday stuff and it turned into her thinking about what she did the night before instead.
Please, I’ll take any advice at all.
Hey! I haven't heard from you in ages, I thought you dropped off Tumblr since you stopped showing up in my notifs!
Ummmm regular scenes in an action or romance heavy fic.
Okay so for the most part, I DO write those regular scenes with a background mental dialogue and/or flirty overtones. It keeps the scene from feeling like "filler" and it also can move the romance and/or action along without actually having to literally word for word move it along, as well as giving a great way to show character development.
Having the "regular scenes" fit in to an AU specific dynamic or the Characters Career can really help it flow easier too. Instead of it feeling like a break from the action or romance, it's just normal things that have to happen in a regular day so it still carries the story forward.
Examples:
In Lassos and Lilies, Marriage and Mate Chases, Shadowed Hearts & Winter Souls, More Than Words or any of my other historical AU's, I use the every day necessity of chores to show Character adjusting to life/maturing in his decisions/growing stronger or out of his pampered life. The chores can be described in pretty specific detail with a dash of internal dialogue (the horses had to be fed x,x and x, they didn't understand how such huge animals could survive on the diet, or how they could stink so much) and it also gives me a chance to reference/hint at Particularly Amorous Events, like "oh it would be so much easier to do *chore* if they weren't sore/if they could stop thinking about the heat of a kiss/if they weren't so distracted thinking about Other Character doing the same chore shirtless.
Doing Necessary Chores leads straight into Love Interest showing up to help or complimenting how good they did with a normally tough job or whatever the next scene is (nighttime)
BUT in my AU where Tony runs a bakery, all his chores are specifically bakery related which is fun for people to read, can take up a whole day from prep through selling through night time clean up and then leads to sweet treats being shared with Stucky.
In BABE, Bucky owns a mechanic shop so between seeing Tony he's working on cars. In He Loves Me (not) a major theme is the boys trying to turn this big dusty house into something warm and liveable so there's several scenes about how dismal the kitchen was and how they work to make it better.
I don't know what your character does as her night job or what the romantic arc is like, but you could even have a "she has to get xyz done before work tonight" and then have her go through her errands, with maybe hints of "oh that makes her think of Romantic Interest" and "that color is the same shade as the lipstick she'd left on his collar" or she sees another couple out and it reminds her of the previous night-- It helps keep the sexual tension high even when they aren't in the same scenes.
TLDR: Don't worry about needing the scene to not feel flirty or whatever. Craft the domestic boring scenes to be directly in line with the AU (like necessary chores for historical au's or job related chores) and let the character be reminded of the romance/action in little ways through out the scene, even if it's something quick like "oh maybe he'd like this for dinner sometime if i ever get brave enough to invite him" or "(thing) looked just like the evidence from the crime and she sighed as her mind inevitably turned back towards the case"-- or something along those lines that actually fits your AU.
The domestic scenes are where we really learn about the character and often where the AU is fleshed out in background details and setting so don't skip them!
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-It’s pretty up there
-Lose everything you never had to gain
-A different kind of bittersweet
<- the titles of fics I am currently working on, I think it would be fun to see what you would come up with using them. (You don’t have to respon to all of them, I am simply giving you ✨options✨)
It's pretty up there:
When asked what prompted his desire to join up and head out into space, Fischer almost always offer the same answer: "It's pretty up there." He keeps the rest of it to himself- that planetside life had always felt suffocating, restrictive. Earth was solid and stationary- space could be anything and everything! Gorgeous as it is, he can't help but know the other side of space- cold and lonely. Just like the captain's quarters, when he goes to crawl into Cade's bed- his would-be caregiver was still held up in medical. The bed seems too big and too cold, and Fischer can't help but add a word into his usual answer: "It's pretty lonely up there."
Lose everything you never had to gain:
When a malfunction of the ship leaves Cooper and Ward stuck in a turbolift, Ward immediately makes a joke about this being the best excuse to avoid bedtime. When Cooper gives him a mildly miffed look, Ward doesn't hesitate to explain the nighttime routine with Bones and him. He ends up telling Cooper a lot - about how Bones takes him to play "outside", in the holodecks, or how Bones begrudgingly sits through lecture #74 about the basic formation of the different types of clouds on Earth and how they compare elsewhere. Cooper can almost briefly imagine he's right there- dozing off on Bones' shoulder, chasing a frisbee or playing catch with Bones.
It ends, of course, with Ward heading off with an exasperated Bones, and Cooper heading off with himself and a deeply-buried wish to be part of that.
A different kind of bittersweet:
Running his own shop means Toby could make any accessory he wants. A little shirt for Mr. Pasta? No problem! A deco paci themed after the Lion King? Easy as pie! He loves sending out the custom or pre-made pieces, loves when he gets a picture or a review back. It's sweet, too, when he gets a hand-written letter. Half in crayon, half in pencil, it's from a little one and their caregiver, thanking him for the paci they'd bought. It's sweet, especially with the matching review left. But the leftover twist in his chest is bittersweet, especially when he logs off and pins the letter on his corkboard. He loves Mr. Pasta, loves his independence in regression, but... sometimes he wants someone else to buy him a paci, or a blanket. Sometimes, he wants his regression to be the thoughts of someone else. It'd just be nice, that's all. When he goes to get himself ready for bed that night, there's something a little bittersweet about the way he tucks himself in.
Send me a made-up fic title, and I’ll tell you about it! (Inbox)
#character: toby#character: Fischer#character: ward#character: cooper#Toby's started rolling away from me i think i went off track |D#ALL OF THEM >:D!!!!
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What does Bat's typical day look like?
What a fun question lol
A typical day for Bat is they wake up, get out of bed, and go to take a shower. The water comes from a cloud that they store it in! They take a very long shower because they're still having to wake up.
And they might accidentally fall asleep in there.
Once they're finished with their shower, they get dressed! They put on their bat themed hoodie.
After that, they go and get breakfast! They make it for Cloud and go to wake her up, normally making her annoyed with them until they tell her the time.
After that, they both get ready to go to work! Bat goes around checking on everyone and everything while keeping track of it, since they're supposed to help the royal guard. (Nobody knows that they're the royal judge, funnily)
After that, they have a break where they go to see Nimbus! They love going there because Nimbus has such good food… Cloud hates that place, so she never bugs them and everyone where likes Bat.
and it goes about that for a while until it's nighttime and they go home where they cook dinner, take a nap, and then get ready for bed by taking a shower again and read a book.
#Fellswap Sky#Fellswap Sky Sans#Fellswap Sky Papyrus#Fellswap Sky Grillby#Bat#Cloud#undertale alternate universe#undertale alternate timeline#undertale ask blog#undertale au#undertale headcanons#undertale imagines
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9-1-1 episode 6.14 "Performance Anxiety"
You know what? I love this show. And I’m not embarrassed about it. But what is it about a network procedural that makes me feel the need to say that? Yeah it’s kinda silly and most of the things that happen seem pretty unrealistic, but it’s fun and heartwarming and genuinely diverse and unique. I’ve been watching this show since it premiered; I was drawn in by Peter Krause’s captain Bobby Nash (I’ll do anything for Peter Krause) but the quality of the show itself is what’s kept me along for the ride. I’m always impressed by a bold pilot, and I was enamored right away by the 118 pulling a newborn out of the wall after a secretly pregnant teen gave birth on the toilet and flushed it.
We’re now nearing the end of season 6, and this show is still taking me by surprise. Its characters, tone, and theme have remained consistent, but part of that tone includes zany 911 calls with twists I never see coming. What endears me to this show over say the Chicago franchise is the way it’s kept itself from descending fully into nighttime soap opera territory by maintaining a healthy balance between serious character-driven episodes and its trademark lighter, feel-good emergency episodes.
This week’s “Performance Anxiety” is a classic lighthearted episode that also capitalizes on the time we’ve spent throughout the series really getting to know the characters. It’s performance review season in LA, including at the 118. In between a dramatically heartwarming review at a bakery and a father-son breakthrough at a bodybuilding competition, Bobby gives the team evaluations of his own.
Of course, the 118 is a dream team, so the reviews are really a thinly veiled vehicle for Bobby to get evaluated himself- as Athena says, “the man craves feedback”. But Bobby is still wise, kind, and playful as ever in his dad-energy way and finds ways to help the team grow in ways beyond the job. Through his encouragement of Eddie to let himself have a life beyond Christopher and work, genuine no-notes praise of Hen, and gentle treatment of Buck post-lightning strike, we get a fun, rapid-fire sub-plot that lets us reap the benefits of the character development the show has been building from day one. And all through Bobby who, true to his own character, knows them better than anyone.
Despite Chimney’s near-perfect review, Bobby notes a lack of leadership and, in an ambiguous display of tough love, sends him back to the academy. There, Chimney is forced to step up as an instructor alongside Ravi (remember him?) who seems to be stuck in a rut of his own. They process some things together, and Chimney reveals that he started firefighting with his best friend, who he encouraged every step of the way. The friend died putting out a house fire, and Chimney vowed to never pull anyone into danger ever again. As he and Ravi talk through things, Chimney realizes that Bobby sent him here to do a little more than lead, and the end of the episode finds the two of them walking triumphantly back into the 118.
One could argue that Maddie’s split screen musical number with a panic-stricken caller was a little much. But if you don’t like that, I think the show’s already lost you. Would a 911 dispatcher get a round of applause from the rest of the call center after bursting into song with a nervous college applicant? It’s another one of those times where the answer is no, but isn’t this fun? And that seems to be the mantra of the whole show.
There’s not a ton of meat to 9-1-1, but I don’t want to sleep on these kinds of shows. It’s the only first responder show I know of to feature dispatchers so prominently and create such a well-rounded depiction of emergency response. And finding creativity within the procedural format is a different kind of creativity that I don’t think is inferior to the deep, heady streaming shows that I also love. Without procedurals, there’s no gems like House or Medium, and I think 9-1-1 is doing a solid job keeping the format alive and even doing it justice.
What do y’all think? Do you watch or are you too good for it? Have you seen the spinoff? As much as I love it, I will not set foot in 9-1-1: Lonestar, but if you’re obsessed with it maybe you can change my mind!
#911#buck#bobby nash#chimney#maddie buckley#eddie diaz#hen#tv review#tv#tv criticism#peter krause#kenneth choi#oliver stark
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