#AND ALSO. UNEXPLAINED NAVY TALKING.

[critdeeznuts]

edyn is 100% one of the special undercover navy op soldiers right. the real edyn is dead and gone? that’s what i think.

edyn.

[the-names-kam]

okay i’m sorry to beat a dead horse but i’m angry about this again. i genuinely cannot believe that we did not get an OUNCE of izzy backstory beyond “oh he and ed have known each for a REALLY long time” (and even then there’s inconsistencies in the amount of time implied). like. not one single flashback to his childhood, or to him and ed when they were younger

now, only three characters in the show actually get backstory flashbacks: ed, stede, and jim. why ed and stede get flashbacks is obvious, but jim is interesting because they only really get flashbacks because their backstory in season one affects the show’s plot. after that, they kind of just get pushed to the side

but izzy is an extremely important character from day one, and he becomes even more crucial to the plot in season two. and i think part of the reason why a lot of people still hate his character is because we never get an explanation for WHY he acts the way he does. we can infer, but without anything concrete it’s very easy to just dismiss it as him being an asshole

i really think a flashback to how his and ed’s relationship used to be was very needed, and an explanation for how everything went downhill and why the two of them turned out the way they did. we can gather that they were very close, and their relationship deteriorated due to ed getting bored of being blackbeard, but there’s so many little nuances to their relationship that are never really explained

not to mention that, in my opinion, izzy has more unexplained character details than any other character in the show. roach’s character design has a lot of details, but as far as i’m aware all of them have been explained, just not in-show. and of course wee john has all his tattoos, but those are just kristian nairn’s actual tattoos, so i don’t think they really count as character details

but we never get any kind of explanation (whether in-show or not) for izzy’s “x” tattoo, or the spade on his hand, or why he only wears one leather glove, or the RING ON HIS TIE, or the fucking LASH SCARS ON HIS BACK. those last two especially drive me fucking insane to think about

because with the ring, some people think that con o’neill requested to have it for his mother, but he actually only asked them to change the gem to an emerald. the ring was always going to be there. but, again, why? it’s so strange to me to have a pirate, and especially one who (at least in season one) totes being a pirate as this big, scary, masculine career, wear a dainty little ring around his neck with absolutely no explanation as to why

and with the lash scars, that is SO MUCH makeup and special effects work just for them to a.) never be addressed, even though stede could clearly see them; and b.) be barely even visible to the viewer because of the dim light and the lack of a clear shot of them

and idk if you guys have seen that BTS picture of the scars, but uh. there are a LOT of them. and again, where the fuck did they come from? i use them as fuel for my headcanon that izzy was in the navy, but is that what we’re meant to assume? is that what’s being implied here? or is it that he served on hornigold’s crew with ed and jack, even though that’s also never mentioned? did ed give them to him? we know he canonically enjoys pain (thanks for that at least, guys), at least to a certain extent, so is it meant to be implied that he had that done to him as a kink thing? is it supposed to be a joke and that’s why it’s never addressed?

i truly don’t know. i can talk myself in circles about this for hours, but at the end of the day the only good answers i can think of for why izzy didn’t get a backstory are budget and bad writing. and no, it really isn’t that serious, and i’ll move on eventually, but it’s still just extremely disappointing to me. okay, rant over

[conspiracytheoriesposts]

The Bermuda Triangle

For my 5th and final blog post, I am going to talk about a conspiracy theory that has baffled people for decades – The Bermuda Triangle, also known as The Devil’s Triangle. The Bermuda Triangle is a section of the North Atlantic Ocean where ships, planes, and people have mysteriously vanished. The three points that make up the triangle are in Miami, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda.

With a series of unexplained explanations, the phenomenon of the Bermuda Triangle has dumbfounded the world for years. In 1964, the story of the Bermuda Triangle took place. It was officially named The Bermuda Triangle when American author Vincent Gaddis created the infamous name when talking in a magazine about an area in the shape of a triangle just off the coast of Florida. This area became later known as the “Devil’s Triangle” due to the strange disappearances of at least 50 ships and 20 aircrafts. To this day, many still do not know exactly what happened to the ships and aircrafts, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle has caused many conspiracy theories about the triangle-shaped area.

Stated before, the hype of the Bermuda Triangle can be linked back to the mysterious disappearances of ships and aircrafts. In 1945, a routine training exercise went wrong when five US Navy planes and 14 men disappeared in the area. The US Navy investigated and explored the area only to announce back that the incident was reported “cause unknown.” From that time on until the 1980s, there were 25 small planes that disappeared in the area known as the Bermuda Triangle, the small planes were never seen again, and no wreckage of the planes were ever found. Rescue missions of the small planes were sent out; however, it is also reported that some of those rescue trips vanished as well. Multiple abandoned ships were discovered and some never sent out any distress signals. Some people have concluded that something unnatural occurred for all these ships and aircrafts to vanish.

The deadliest unsolved mystery in the Navy is the USS Cyclops. Built as a fuel ship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it was later commissioned to support American Forces in France during World War I. However, in the early morning in March of 1918, Cyclops disappeared with all hands while returning from a voyage to Brazil. The ship and its crew made an unscheduled stop in Barbados on March 3, 1918. However, the crew and passengers were never seen again, and it is still a mystery over 100 years later. To this day not a single piece of the ship has been found. Which led to many asking, “how did such a large ship carrying 293 men just disappear without a trace?” The theory is that the infamous Bermuda Triangle claimed their lives since the USS Cyclops reportedly went down in the Bermuda Triangle. Numerous ships were sent out to locate the Cyclops as it was thought to have been sunk by a German submarine. No one for sure knows what exactly happened to the ship which caused many stories and theories.

The stories of the mysterious area captivated the public. Some theories were created to explain the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. One theory is that wormholes explain the conspiracy behind the Bermuda Triangle. Wormholes are like a tunnel between two points in our universe that cut the time travel down between one point to the other. It’s essentially where space and time come together to allow for time travel. Now this theory may seem insane to many but many think this explains as to why the wreckage from the shipwrecks or plane wrecks were never recovered or why upon discovery of some wreckage, no person was found from these wrecks. 

The US Navy and the United States coast guard insist there are no supernatural explanations for the disasters at sea. They suggest it is purely just environmental reasoning why these ships and aircrafts have wrecked. Majority of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean pass through the Bermuda Triangle. Dangerous storms like these have claimed many ships that get in the way. Another environmental theory of what claimed the missing vessels are gigantic, deadly waves called Rogue Waves. These waves can reach heights of up to 100 feet, greater than twice the size of surrounding waves. 

These extreme storm waves theoretically could be powerful enough to destroy all evidence of ships and aircrafts, thus explaining why some ship and aircraft wreckage were never found. The ocean has and will always be a mystery to humans, no matter how experienced you are to sail a ship or fly an aircraft the deep ocean can be a very deadly place. 

           There are numerous theories as to why vessels disappear in the Bermuda Triangle, some theories as insane as some claiming that aliens take the shipwrecks and plane wrecks, and this explains why some wreckages never get discovered or some just say the ocean is a very dangerous place and the ocean all over have claimed lives before. Whatever you may believe, the wrecks in the Bermuda Triangle have and will always be a mystery. 

[skaylanphear]

Final Fantasy VIII: Reclamation

Summary: Squall Leonhart has known only one thing all his life—that he was born and raised to be a SeeD. But being an elite mercenary is no easy task. Having grown up sheltered beneath Balamb Garden’s ring, he soon finds himself scrambling to stay alive after his first real mission thrusts him and his teammates onto the political stage in a bad way. Forced to head out into the dangerous, unforgiving wilds or face execution, they find themselves unraveling the ancient mysteries of their world, all while another sorceress war looms on the horizon. Haunted by strange, unexplainable dreams about a man he doesn’t know, and bound to the might of the crystals by abilities he can’t explain, Squall finds himself walking blindly into an uncertain future, even as he’s assured that “fate” guides his every step.

Yet, as circumstances grow murkier, Squall can’t help feeling that everyone else knows more about everything—including himself—than he does, and that he’s nothing more than a pawn in a game he doesn’t know how to play.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The Quad was a crowded sea of navy combat uniforms by the time Squall arrived. Not that he was in any way late to the party, so to speak, but he definitely wasn't the only cadet anxious to start their SeeD Exam. Now that the mission had been announced, students were far chattier, to the point of excitement.

Squall stayed on the sidelines, peering around in attempts to orient himself and figure where and who he was supposed to report to.

The Quad itself was a large open park made up of multiple levels and was situated on Garden's northwest side. It surrounded both the auditorium and the adjoining ballroom, as well as abutting the dormitories to the north and the activity fields to the south. Scattered with ornate fountains, sculptures, picnic tables, and walking paths weaving between large shade trees, it was where students often gathered when not in classes. Well, students of a more social variety, as Squall never stayed very long. He passed through the quad on his morning runs (which he hadn't had time for that day or the day prior), but otherwise tended to stay away. Hanging out in the Quad invited people into talking, which he didn't much care for.

It was also where casual student festivals and extra-curriculars were held, so it was often dotted with event stalls and bulletin boards lined in posters.

To the west, it also joined up with Garden's underground train station, so it was a good spot to wait when wasting time was required.

Overall, it was the last place Squall usually wanted to be.

Read More

[timesnew7]

Mysterious Non-Human ''Alien Corpses'' Displayed At Mexico's Congress

The bodies were claimed to be 1,000-year-old fossilised remains of extraterrestrial individuals. In a never-heard-before incident, Mexico Congress on Tuesday hosted a rather unusual event in the capital city, sparking debates about the existence of extraterrestrial beings. During a congressional hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena that was live-streamed online, two alleged 'alien corpses' retrieved from Cusco, Peru, were unveiled in Mexico City, the Independent reported.  The ''non-human'' alien corpses, claimed to be the 1,000-year-old fossilised remains of extraterrestrial individuals, were presented in windowed boxes, by journalist and ufologist Jaime Maussan. Ryan Graves, Americans for Safe Aerospace Executive Director and former U.S. Navy pilot, was also in attendance. Mexico's Congress just unveiled two dead aliens estimated to be around 1,000 years old. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/Zr7z4FKenS ��� Kage Spatz (@KageSpatz) September 13, 2023 Mr. Maussan, speaking under oath at the San Lazaro legislative palace, said, ''These specimens are not part of our terrestrial evolution… These aren't beings that were found after a UFO wreckage. They were found in diatom mines, and were later fossilised.'' Several videos showcasing "UFOs and unidentified anomalous phenomena" were also telecasted during the event.  Mr Maussan told Congress that the DNA samples from the two corpses were tested and compared to other DNA samples and it was found that over 30 percent of the DNA specimen was ''unknown''. Further, X-rays of the corpses were also displayed which showed "eggs" present inside one of the bodies along with rare metal implants.  These are the actual slides shared at the Mexico UAP hearings today 😬#ufotwitterpic.twitter.com/Z81laHWfSr — Mindfuloflight (@mindfuloflight) September 13, 2023 ''The public has a right to know about non-human technology and non-human entities. We are talking about a topic that unites humanity, not separates us. We are not alone in this vast universe, we should embrace this reality, said Mr. Maussan, as reported by Metro.  Here's the full video:   The videos from the event have gone viral, stunning people and sparking fear, excitement, and curiosity among UFO enthusiasts.  However, it is important to note that Mr. Maussan has previously been associated with claims of ''alien'' discoveries that have later been debunked.  A few months back, David Grusch, a former intelligence official-turned-whistleblower said that the US government has possession of "intact and partially intact" alien vehicles. Mr Grusch, who led the analysis of unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP) within a US Department of Defense agency, alleged that the US has craft of non-human origin, that are being kept secret from the public. Mysterious Non-Human ''Alien Corpses'' Displayed At Mexico's Congress Read the full article

[babyonboard]

just hooking up. | jake ‘hangman’ seresin x f!reader

Summary: as a nurse for navy pilots at top gun, hooking up with one of your patients seems unprofessional. but for jake seresin, you’ll make an exception.

Word Count: 6,080

Warnings: mentions of, and a small amount of smut (minors dni), a little angst, slow(ish) burn, mentions of blood, intense medical scenarios.

I am not a nurse and I may get some shit wrong about hospitals. Also, I had to tweak some things about top gun to make this story work. Deal with it :)

It had just been a boring day in the office. Sitting silently in your room, you cleaned the medical table, the bed, and even got some organizing done for your cabinets. Humming a non-existent song, you were interrupted by the phone that sat outside of your door ringing. Swinging the door open, you answered.

The phone ringing usually meant one thing. Something had gone wrong in the field, and someone was on their way to you to get checked out. You hadn’t met anyone in the new pilot class yet, you had only seen a few of them coming in to get their physicals with the Doctor. Other than that, these new people were complete strangers to you. The thing about Top Gun was that usually, the problems were either very minor, in which you would receive a phone call that a pilot was on their way to you, or the problems were extremely major. You had only experienced one major problem, a couple years ago during your first year as a nurse at Top Gun. You didn’t like to think about it.

“Hello, medical ward.” You greeted, holding the old phone to your ear. Wrapping the cord around your finger, you mentally noted that, even though the hospital was tiny, you really needed a new phone.

“Hey, this is Captain Mitchel, I’ve got a pilot headed your way. We were fixing up his jet and a piece fell on him, he's got a pretty good gash on his arm.” He said. You could hear the muffled voices of other pilots laughing around him, making you almost sigh in relief at how small this problem seemed to be.

“Thank you Captain. We’ll take good care of him.”

“You’re the best.” You could practically hear him winking through the phone.

Seconds later, you heard the door in the lobby burst open, and two boys talking. You walked through the double doors towards them, and they both stopped talking to look at you. Fuck you thought. They were both cute.

“Hi gentlemen.” You smiled, suddenly self conscious about your decision to wear red lipstick this morning.

“Well what do we have here.” One of them said “I’ve never had a cute nurse before, I thought that those were a myth.” He smiled. You rolled your eyes and noticed the blood slowly running down his arm.

“Mav said he was gonna call you, but Hangman cut the shit out of his arm.” The other one said said, You noticed the dirty, oil stained towel they were holding to his wound on his bicep. Nice.

“I heard.” You said, stepping closer to them. Setting your hand lightly on the blonde's shoulder, you said, “Let's get you checked out.” You turned to the boy who had come with him. “Thank you Lieutenant, I'll take it from here.” He gave you a head nod and turned to walk out.

“Follow me.” You said. “Hangman, is it?”

“Yes ma’am. And you are?” He still had a paper white smile on his face. Unexplainably happy for someone with blood dripping from them.

“Y/N.” You stated.

“I like that name.” He said simply. You stopped in front of the door to your office and opened the door.

“Thank you.” you said as he walked inside. You walked in and patted the bed twice.

He got on the bed, his eyes never leaving you. He stared at your face, your red lips, and your figure. He started wishing he had cut his arm much sooner than today.

“So, how’d this happen?” You asked, turned around at the counter, wetting a new clean towel with sanitizer.

“I was fixing my jet. I scraped my wing on the side of a mountain and when I was replacing it, one of the pieces that got scraped came off and, well, this happened.” He explained. He seemed very nonchalant.

“Alright, well I’ll see what I can do, Lt.” You said, turning around. He still wore that award winning smile on his face.

“You can lay back.” You mentioned, lowering the back of his bed so he could lay down.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” He smirked. Classy.

The cut was on the underside of his bicep, sort of near his armpit. You lightly grabbed his elbow, moving his arm so it was by his head. You could hear him breathing, and you could see his eyes on your face out of the corner of your eye, and you could see the seemingly never ending smirk that rested on his lips.

You took off the towel they had used, and you saw the gash for yourself. “Jesus” you breathed. “Stitches for sure.” You muttered under your breath. He shrugged.

“How are stitches a shrugging matter?” You laughed, placing your new towel over his wound.

“Used to it.” He shrugged again.

Sighing, you continued to disinfect his cut. He never winced or tensed, sometimes he even laughed, which you thought was strange. At some point, he changed his position from holding his arm up by his head to putting his hands on the back of his head, leaving him in a seemingly relaxed position. Again, strange. As you worked on him, you couldn't help but admire his muscles. They were extremely defined, especially in the position he was holding his arm.

“You know, gorgeous,” He started.

“Y/N” You interjected quickly.

“Same thing.” He quipped. “I think I might need to start getting hurt more often.”

And that’s exactly what he did.

Over the next several weeks, he had come in for a number of reasons. Which, not that you minded. It added something interesting to your day. Also, you liked seeing him. He was cute.

He came in for any reason you could think of. A “sprained ankle” that he needed ice for, but he couldn’t put the ice on it himself because he was “really sore” so you had to sit at the end of the bed, holding it on his ankle. He came in for a headache, a stomachache, a “sore hand”, and he even came in for a paper cut.

You noticed that each morning, you spent a little bit more time on your makeup in hopes you would see Hangman that day. You noticed that whenever the phone rang or whenever you got a knock on your door, your heart would skip a beat. This was a problem. You knew that Top Gun pilots come and go. The class only lasts upwards of 6 months. It had already been almost 2. You had no idea where he would go after this, and you didn’t want to fall for someone you might never see again.

One particularly early morning, your coffee still hot, you heard a knock on your door. Standing up, you adjusted your hair subconsciously. You opened the door to Hangman leaning on the door frame, giving you a puppy dog face.

You sighed with a smile. “What is it today, Hangman?”

“Good morning to you too, princess. And what did I say about calling me Hangman?” He half scolded with a smirk on his face. Uninvited, he makes his way into your office and sits down in his usual place on the bed.

“Right” you shut your eyes “Jake, sorry.”

“I forgive you.” He smiled his signature smile. “Is that a new necklace?”

Instinctively, you touched your neck. It was a new necklace. “Yeah, it is.”

“I like it. Pretty necklace on a pretty neck.”

The color of your face had to have changed in a second. “So… what is it?” You asked, sitting on your stool, changing the topic so you didn’t have to blush any longer.

“Well,” he started, bringing his hand in front of his face. “I have a hangnail.”

You put your face in your hands. “You have to be kidding me.”

“I know, it’s very tragic, I’m not kidding you.”

Defeated, you lifted your head. Wheeling your stool towards him, you said “Let me see it.”

He looked at his pinky. He studied it for a second then met your eyes. “I think it fell off.”

You stared at him. He stared right back. It was silent for a moment while the two of you tried not to laugh. He broke first, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. It made you push away your own smile, and you had to look away, and before long, you both were laughing.

As the laughing died down, he took a deep breath to compose himself. “Okay, okay, the real reason I came in was for something else.”

“Really? I never would’ve guessed.”

“Well, me and my friends usually go to this bar across the street on Fridays, and I want you to come with me tonight.” He said.

You sighed. Bars. Not exactly your thing. “I don’t know Jake…”

“Come on, goody two shoes, it wouldn’t kill you to have fun.” He reached over and put his hands on your shoulders. Unintentionally, his grip was tight. He had huge hands.

“I am not a goody two shoes.” You crossed your arms, your shoulders adjusting under his large palms.

“Sure.” He scoffed. “Come with me, princess. Please?”

It’s nicknames like those that get you into difficult situations. Nicknames that you can’t say no to. And now, your difficult situation was that you were standing next to Jake in a bar, surrounded by his loud, sweaty friends. More and more just kept appearing.

“And who’s this?” A girl asked, giving you a sweet smile.

“This is Y/N. She’s my… well, she’s a nurse over at the medical ward.”

You quirked an eyebrow at where that sentence was heading, but you didn’t have enough time to question him about it, because that girl immediately dragged you to play darts with her.

You learned that her name was Phoenix. You sucked at darts, but she didn’t seem to care either way.

“So, you’re the girl hangman’s always talking about, huh?” She said, keeping her eyes on the board.

Butterflies erupted in your stomach at the thought. Sure, you talked about him non stop to your friends, but imagining him talking about you almost made your heart burst.

“He talks about me?” You looked across the bar at him, his eyes already on you. He held a pool stick, and he offered you a head nod and a wink. You smiled in return.

“Hell yes he does. He runs out of class like it’s a race and is always talking about how he’s going to see his “sexy-nurse-dream-come-to-life.”

You laughed. You knew what he thought about you, he’s not afraid to say it, but hearing it from someone else felt different. It felt more real.

Phoenix got bored with darts and she led you over to the bar. You half-pretended to not see Hangman’s eyes on you at all times. Without asking, Phoenix ordered two shots.

“Shots? Phoenix I’m not the best at-“

“Shots without me?” You heard Jake's voice over your shoulder. After hearing his voice, you felt his hand on the small of your back. His pinky touched the rim of your skirt. You had to close your eyes and take a deep breath in order to not lose your cool. His touch felt so good.

You stuttered to try and make a sentence, your whole focus on his hand on your back. “I was just saying I don’t know if I can do that. I haven’t done a shot in… well in a long time.”

“You’ll be fine.” Phoenix smiled and turned back to the bartender, speaking to her as she poured the clear liquid into two shot glasses.

Suddenly, Jakes grip got tighter, and moved to the side of your hip. It wasn’t set on your hip, he was grabbing it. “I like this skirt.” He spoke slowly in your ear.

You gulped. You wanted to make a snarky comment back at him, but you didn’t think your brain could form words right now. Phoenix turned around with your shot, handing it to you.

You grabbed it and turned to look at Jake. “I seriously don’t know if I can take this. What if I like, throw up.”

“You won’t.” He smiled. He grabbed it from your hand. “Let me help, okay?”

You nodded. His huge hand came up to the side of your jaw and cupped it. His fingers on the back of your head, he tilted your head back. His thumb moved across your cheek, and painfully slow, it made its way over your lips, coming to rest on your bottom lip. He tugged it lightly. “Open.” He spoke. Without thinking, you opened your mouth. His jaw clenched, he pulled at your hair the smallest amount to tilt your head even further back. You had subconsciously brought your hands to hold on to both of his elbows, completely trusting yourself with him. Your eyes were glued to each other, the eye contact never broke. A grip that had started out light was now intense. He brought the cool shot glass to your lips pouring it into your mouth with no warning. Keeping your eyes on his, you swallowed.

“Good.” He mumbled. You didn’t really wince or make a grossed out face, your entire mind thinking about his hands on you. His thumb came back to your lips to wipe them clean of any vodka. You couldn’t tell if it was the shot or his touch that made your knees wobbly. All at once, he let go of you and smiled, suddenly in a joking mood again. “See?” He laughed, “that wasn’t so hard.”

You had no idea where Phoenix went, but she had left you and Jake at the bar together. You blinked, standing completely still, your mind lagging while trying to process what just happened. Heart racing, you chose to ignore what was going on between your legs right now.

“This is a random question, do you wanna get out of here?”

The walk back to Hangman’s apartment was excruciating. It was a hot July night, your hair sticking to your neck and shoulders as you walked. It was a short walk, but it felt like it was taking forever. The conversation on the way back was normal. The two of you were back to playful banter, which made you question if he felt the same way about what had just happened at the bar. Is it normal for him to do that to girls?

Stepping through Jake's door, you put your arms out to feel the cool air conditioning. “Oh, my god.” You groaned as he shut the door behind him. “It was so fucking hot in that bar, I thought-“

Jake's lips were on yours. His hands on either side of your face, his lips were practically squished against yours. Shocked, your body completely froze for a second. You dropped your arms at your sides, and let your brain catch up to what was happening. His lips were searing hot, yet his hands were cool on either side of your face. Your legs almost gave out on you, and he must have noticed, because he moved to wrap his arms completely around your waist, pressing your stomach against his abs. Your body catching up to your brain (or vice versa) you brought your hands to his broad shoulders. You fought back a shudder as he bit your bottom lip lightly, but you couldn’t hold back the small moan you let out.

That must have flipped a switch for him, his hands moved down over the curve of your ass, landing on the back of your thighs. He pulled them up, picking you up completely. You wrapped your legs around his torso, and you could feel him walking somewhere. He stopped at some point to mess with the light switch, turning it on as he held you up with one arm.

He dropped you lightly on your back onto his bed, his hands were on either side of your head, propping himself up. For a second, he gave you a sweet smile. You giggled lightly, a “is this really happening?” giggle.

“Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?” He nearly whispered above you, his eyes scanned all over your face.

“I think you’ve mentioned it a few times.” You smiled.

Hooking up. That’s what it was. Friends with benefits. Well, friends who flirt and are obsessed with each other with benefits.

You really liked hooking up with Jake. You liked waking up in his bed, you liked how he would just come and see you at work now, no medical excuse at all. You liked the way he looked above you, and below you, for that matter. You liked holding onto his hair while he goes down on you, and you liked the way his hand felt around your neck. You like how fucked out and flushed he looked when you were done, and you liked how sometimes, he would kiss your forehead at the end. You liked that he started keeping a toothbrush for you in his bathroom, and you liked how safe you felt in his arms. And, you liked him.

The situation was sticky. You have heard multiple murmurs from his fellow pilots how you were his “girl of the month”. You knew his reputation, and you didn’t even wanna know how many girls have gotten this same treatment before you. The way Jake felt about you was playful. It was sexual, flirty, and fun. And for you, it was the same way. But recently, you felt like your connection to him was a little deeper. You had real feelings for him. You felt stupid that sometimes you would let yourself think that he felt that same way about you. But sometimes, the way he looked at you was not the way that “friends with benefits” look at each other.

One day in particular, he had you underneath him after a really long day of classes. He hadn’t been able to see you for a few days prior, practices on the field ramping up more and more. You’d think that after a frustrating day, he would be rough with you, but he wasn’t. He stroked your cheek lightly, his forehead pressed against yours and the tip of his nose touching yours. You could tell he was getting close by how sloppy his thrusts got.

“Fuck.” He gritted his teeth. “You are, fuck, Y/N, you’re so beautiful.”

You said nothing, you just looked at him with complete and total heart eyes. Your heart fluttered and you thought that if he didn’t have real feelings for you, he wouldn’t have said that. When he finished, he rolled off of you. You hoped for a kiss on the forehead, but unfortunately, not today.

He didn’t take a moment to catch his breath, or hold you, he got straight out of the bed. You visibly frowned.

He stretched and picked up his shorts off of the ground. “Fuck, my head hurts.” He mumbled as he walked out of the room and into the kitchen. You laid there, naked in his bed. You suddenly felt over-exposed, so you pulled the covers over you. Your mind raced. Why did Jake Seresin have to be such an emotional roller coaster? Now, seconds after being sure he had feelings for you, you were almost positive he didn’t. You wished that, just once, he would hold you after he was done. You heard a pill bottle shake from in the kitchen, and you contemplated leaving. You didn’t want to be annoying. Pulling your shorts up, you found your sweatshirt on the ground and pulled it over your body.

He stood shirtless in the kitchen, holding a glass of water. “You sleepin here tonight?” He asked

As badly as you didn’t want to seem clingy or needy, or reveal your feelings for him at all, you really did want to spend the night. You couldn’t tell if he was asking because he wanted you to, or if he wanted to know if he was getting rid of you. “I can.” You answered simply.

“We could watch a movie?” He smiled smally. Fuck, he was so cute. If he asked you to marry him right now, you would say yes.

Your heart lifted. He did want you to stay. After all, you were forgetting that you and Jake were practically best friends. He liked being around you. “Okay.” You smiled.

He was confusing. One second, he was telling you how beautiful you were while he finished inside of you. Next, he won’t even look at you when he’s done. Then, he wants you to spend the night.

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin had spent a good part of his life hooking up with girls. Usually, it was a bartender, or a sorority girl, or a girl he met in flight school. He had partaken in numerous friends with benefits agreements, had many ongoing hookups, and plenty of one night stands. He will admit, he has never met a girl like you before. A literal ray of sunshine, a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart. It kind of scared him. As terrible as it sounds, a lot of his hookups had been passing time, where he sees the girls only purpose as getting him off. Then he met you. He spent his time on you, making sure you were, well, real. He thought you were too good to be true. He didn’t really know how to go about it.

So, I guess he would say it started as meaningful hook up’s with you. He didn’t see you as someone who could get him off. The problem was Jake didn’t know how to do relationships. He knew hookups and one night stands. He didn’t know what crossed the line into relationships and how to tell if you wanted to be with him. As time went on, he had to remind himself that you weren’t in a relationship. You were hooking up. He had to remind himself that whenever you kissed him and he wanted to pick you up and spin you around. He had to remind himself when he found himself caressing your face, your eyes locked in his. He really had to remind himself whenever he saw you. Just. Hooking. Up.

He had to remind himself that night, while you were curled up under a blanket on his couch. He wanted to put his arm around you, but he didn’t know how. For about the first time in his life, he felt awkward in front of a girl.

He usually would know the perfect move to make, but that would be in a sexual, flirty situation. Now, he wanted nothing more than cheesy romance. He started out with his arm over the back of the couch, then he let his fingers touch your hair. He wanted to take this slow, he wanted to make sure you knew his touch wasn’t sexual, he just wanted to cuddle with you.

“You can lay back if you want.” He blurted out. Mentally scolding himself, he held his breath. So much for taking it slow, Jake.

You turned around and looked at him. He had to be horny or something. If he didn’t have feelings for you, would he really be asking you to cuddle with him right now? His back against the arm rest, he waited for your response. He was relieved when he saw that small, familiar smile on your lips.

You obviously weren’t going to pass up this opportunity. “Okay.“ you replied softly. You slowly leaned into him, resting your back on his abs, the back of your head on his chest. He adjusted his arms around you, bringing a hand up to touch your hair.

You couldn’t see each other’s faces, but you were both smiling.

It was nice to be touched by Jake, not because he wanted to fuck you, but just because he wanted to touch you. His hand lightly stroked your hair as the movie played, but neither of you paid any mind to it.

The two of you sat in silence in this position, and after a while, you turned over onto your stomach, wrapping your arms around his torso and laying your cheek onto his chest. His heart swelled.

In a quiet, sleepy, middle of the night haze, your eyes fluttered open. A second passed and you weren’t exactly sure where you were or what was going on. Becoming aware, you opened your eyes fully, and you realized that Jake was carrying you. He was cradling you like a baby, almost tip toeing so that you didn’t wake up. You must’ve fallen asleep on the couch. You felt him gently lay you down on the bed and pull the covers up over you. His lips touched your forehead softly, then he climbed in on the other side of the bed. Climbing under the covers, he wrapped you up in his arms. You nuzzled your face into his neck and sighed.

It must have been because you were tired, or just because you were overwhelmed with the feeling, but without thinking, you opened your mouth to whisper “I love you, Jake.” The words never made it past your throat, your mouth stuck open like you were about to start a sentence. Part of you thought you should just say it, but the rest of you thought you were so stupid to think you could tell the boy you were hooking up with that you loved him just because he was cuddling with you.

That morning, you woke up early with Jake. He had to be up at around 6 to go to classes, and the absence of his arms around you had caused you to wake up.

“You could call in sick?” You crossed your arms at the edge of the bed.

He was changing at his dresser and he laughed at you. “You know, you’re cute when you’re grumpy.”

You frowned. He looked to you to see if you liked his joke, and he sighed. “Y/N, you have work today too.” He came to sit by you on the bed. “You can sleep here until you have to go in, and maybe I’ll come visit you today.”

In a silent agreement, you rested your head on his shoulder. He patted you back then stood up. Ouch.

You hoped that he would kiss you before you left, but he didn’t. He rushed out the door, leaving you with a mere “maybe we can chill tonight.”

When he was out the door, you slammed your back against the bed with a groan. He cuddles with you all night, then doesn’t want anything to do with you the next day.

‘Just hooking up’ Jake repeated in his head as he walked out of his apartment, leaving a bed headed, incredibly cute you lying on his bed. ‘Just hooking up. Just hooking up. Just hooking up. Just hooking up.’

It was almost time for you to leave the office, and Jake hadn’t come to visit yet. You couldn’t stop checking your phone, waiting for a “Come to my apartment after work ;)” text. You started to believe it wasn’t going to come.

Your moping was interrupted by the sound of the small radio on your belt beeping. Confused, you looked down. The radio was for emergencies. It must be a test.

You picked it up and held it to your ear. “We’ve got two pilots that need search and rescue. There was some sort of collision. Both ejected. We’ve got Bradley Bradshaw and Jake Seresin. Pull their files and be ready for treatment. EMTs, rooftop helicopter in 2 minutes.”

You stood there, frozen. Your mind couldn’t even process the words, and your feet took off out of mere instinct. You wouldn’t even let yourself think of the possible outcomes of this situation, and yet, there was only one thing on your mind as you climbed the steps to the roof:

Jake.

You made it to the roof where the rescue helicopter was. You weren’t an EMT, and you certainly weren’t search and rescue, so you knew they wouldn’t let you come. You technically should be getting ready for two pilots who will need medical attention in about 5 minutes.

Not even sure what you were doing, you ran up to the helicopter where the EMTs were loading on. “Let me on!” You yelled over the roaring helicopter.

Most of them didn’t even pay attention to you, but one of them looked at you. “Y/N? You’re a floor nurse?”

“I know, please let me on.” You nearly whispered. Hopeless, you felt tears in your eyes. You thought for a second about fighting your way on, but then you thought about how this hospital only had a handful of other nurses and doctors, and if you really wanted to help, you should be getting ready right now.

You took a deep breath and wiped your eyes. Pull. Yourself. Together. Put the stupid fucking hookups aside and do your fucking job.

Not having time to be embarrassed by the looks the EMTs were giving you, you ran back inside. Everyone was already bustling around, grabbing files, supplies, moving beds, and clearing rooms. You didn’t have a ton of time to get ready for whatever you were about to see, but you had enough.

A beeping sound came from your monitors, which meant that the EMTs had made it to the site. Everyone listened to hear the severity. You closed your eyes, dreading what you could possibly hear. “Both responsive.”

You seriously could have cried in relief.

The buzzing noise on the intercom meant that the patients were in the building. Half of you hoped you would be one of the nurses to help Jake, but the other half thought maybe it would be best if you weren’t. It was kind of a gamble on which patient you would get, it just depended on what room the EMTs were closest to and which patient made it in the building first.

When Jake was wheeled in through your door, his face bloody and his shirt tore open to reveal a dirtied up chest, your breath hitched in your throat. Do your job Y/N, forget about who he is and do your job.

The doctor started barking orders at you and the other nurse in the room. “Scissors for his shirt.” He directed the other nurse. “Y/N, hook up his vitals.”

Cautiously, you stepped up to his bed. Holy fuck. You couldn’t tell where the blood on his face was coming from, it looked like his head. His eyes were drooping closed, and his chest was heaving. You picked up the IV and touched his arm lightly. His eyes shot open.

“Y/N” he cried. His hands were shaking.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and blinked your tears away. “It’s okay, Jake. You’re okay.”

“Y/N” he croaked again. Tears mixed with the blood under his eyes. His lips quivered and his chest heaved even harder.

You couldn’t even respond as you slipped the IV into his arm.

“Jake?” The doctor said “I need you to tell me what’s hurting you.”

“My head.” He cried “Fuck, it’s my head.”

You heard the doctor say something about an MRI to someone in the hallway. The doctor was examining his head as you wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm.

“All set for MRI.” A tech popped their head into the room.

You turned back to Jake, who was looking at you. “They’re taking you for an MRI, Jake. It won’t take long, I promise.”

“No, please.” He shut his eyes.

“It won’t be bad Jake, it’s okay.”

“Come with me.” He said, reaching for your hand.

“I can’t. I’ll be here when you get back.” A technician came in to take him away.

“I’m sorry.” He cried. They started to wheel him out of the room. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I love you.”

You swallowed. “I love you too.”

They took him out of the room and you stood there, heart pounding. Honestly, you didn’t spend too much time thinking about how he said that he loved you. You didn’t have the time.

The only moment you had a small amount of down time to think was a few hours later. It was getting dark outside, and your shift had already ended. You obviously stayed. His room was lit up by a lamp in the corner and his head was turned to look out the window until you walked in.

You hadn’t gotten to talk to him since he told you that he loved you. Since then, he got 14 stitches and 6 staples in his head, and a brace put on his back. They were keeping him overnight for observation due to the trauma on his head.

“Hi.” You said as you walked in. His head turned towards you and he smiled.

“Hi princess.”

You sat at the edge of his bed, resting your hand on his leg. “How you feelin?”

He shook his head and shrugged. “Not great. Just crashed a hundred million dollar plane, almost killed another pilot. They’re never gonna let me go on the mission now.”

“I’m sorry.” You offered.

It was silent for a moment. Not awkward, but peaceful. “You know, when I went down and I was waiting for search and rescue, I was like ‘fuck I hope Y/N doesn’t see me like this’.” You giggled, which made him smile again.

“But I knew you worked today, and then when I got here, I was hoping I would see you.” He gulped and looked out the window. “I was scared. I didn’t wanna die and have a ton of random people around me.”

“I was scared too.” You said. “I don’t like seeing you hurting.”

In a moment unlike Jake Seresin, he was quiet. He messed with the blanket on his lap, looking down. “You know, I’m sorry if what I said made you uncomfortable. I just, I had a moment of like, realization, I guess.”

“Jake, you know how I feel about you, don’t you? I’m not very good at hiding it.”

He sighed. “I know. That’s why I said I was sorry. I feel like I kind of fucked with your feelings.” You nodded slowly. “But I’m done with that now. I’m just… not good at emotions, and all that shit.”

Confusing as always. “What are you saying?”

“I want to be more than just hooking up. I do love you, Y/N. I meant it when I said that.” He finally looked up at you.

You let out a breath of relief and leaned down to kiss him. For once, it wasn’t a kiss that was going to lead to something else. It was just a kiss. A loving one. “I meant it too. I love you Jake.”

You weren’t allowed to spend the night, so you went back to his apartment. You spent the whole night washing his sheets, making his bed comfy, cleaning his kitchen, and you even went and got some groceries early in the morning.

That morning, you drove Jake back to his apartment. You tucked him into his bed and made him breakfast. He absolutely adored how domestic you were, and he always begged you not to get out of bed, even if you were going to the bathroom. You laid in bed next to him as he ate his breakfast, and he tried to share some of it with you, but you insisted you weren’t hungry. You spent the whole day babying him, and he spent the whole day loving it.

The best part by far was the several “I love you”’s that we’re exchanged every 5 minutes.

As a movie played on his tv, he stroked your hair. “I have a question.” He stated.

“Okay.” You said, not lifting your head from his chest.

“So… I'm like… your boyfriend now, right?”

You couldn’t help but giggle at how awkwardly he posed the question. “Yes, Jake.”

He smiled widely. “I think that, since you’re my girlfriend and all, you should give me a kiss.”

You lifted your head to get close to his face. “Nothing would make me happier.”

[queenlybeastly]

Ya know instead of focusing on this college essay imma talk about something no one has mentioned(least what I’ve seen) about the movie Nope and that being not UAPs but USOs.

Heavy spoilers for Nope by Jordan peele IF YA HAVEN’T SEEN IT DO NOT READ THIS… or do, your choice

For the people who don’t hyper-fixate on alien conspiracy stuff let me explain: USOs stand for “Unidentified submerged object” and can range from unexplained structures to even UFOs underwater. Now how does this relate to Nope? A common theory or explanation I’ve seen is that maybe JJ(Jean Jacket) is actually of earth origin but has never been properly identified because of… ya know…*vacuum noises* but I digress. Now while people can say JJs species always stayed in the clouds I have always had this odd thought of ‘what if it actually came from the sea?’. Now we do see how similar JJ is to certain species of Octopus’ in terms of both physical appearance, adaptation and even behavior in some areas. With physical appearance JJ not only flares out like an octopus and consume humans like how a octopus takes in its prey but also with camouflage! Certain species of Octopi change their color, slightly, to match their certain environments such as the Mimic Octopus. so it���s not that hard to think of JJ as a more deadly octopi.

Now with the USO part, a lot of eye witness accounts from coastal areas and even navy sailors have told of seeing underwater UFOs for several decades now. Hell I used to live in a coastal town in Southern California and both the Channel Islands and Catalina islands have numerous UFOs sightings around and in the water. I can imagine that JJs species used to be/are underwater dwellers however either changed to hunt in the sky permanently or feast in a area before going back down to the nearest ocean. Clouds do hold gallons of water so flying through and disguising as one for a period of time could explain how they possibly don’t try out. JJ is probably an adolescent looking for a new water source to hide in like a lake, some USO sightings are indeed in and around lakes, or was pushed out by a rival UAP.

Then again this may all be wrong and I need to go back to this college paper. Might make a UAP oc or sona for nope, we’ll see.

[hercleverboy]

the waiting room

spencer reid x fem!reader

summary ↠ the three times Y/N waited for spencer, and the one time he waited for her. (based off of this blurb)

category ↠ angst

warnings/includes ↠ mentions of death as a result of potential illness, spencer’s headaches, mri scans, swearing,  indefinite ending. 

word count ↠ 2.9k

dedicating this one to two of the literal loves of my life, @voidsfilm + @ellesgreenaway ♡

“What is stronger than the human heart, which shatters over and over and still lives.” — Rupi Kaur

Spencer had always hated hospitals.

He found it so conflicting, how a place could hold so much hope for life and promise for the future, and yet also hold so much heartbreak and despair and agony.

The strong disinfectant smell wasn’t his favourite thing, either. He hated how the bright lights always irritated his eyes, and how the hallways all just looked the same, so bleak and lifeless.

Most of all, he hated the waiting room. 

The navy-blue carpet that lined the floors, wooden chairs that were always, without fail, extremely uncomfortable to sit in. The way that nurses and doctors would walk past the room, eyes full of pity and sorrow. With his job, he’d seen more waiting rooms than he would’ve liked. He spent more time than he wanted to in hospitals, talking to victims’ families, and even sometimes having to witness them receive such heartbreaking news. On one or two occasions, he’d even had to be the bearer of bad news himself, the one who had to tell expectant family that their loved one was gone. It only added to the list of reasons why he despised hospitals.

Then there was the other side of the coin. He took frequent trips to the hospital, but unfortunately more oftenly as a patient than an FBI agent. He wouldn’t say he was reckless, but he didn’t exactly put much value on his life. Or at least, he never used to. He figured it was because he was the only one on the team without a family to come home to, without people who were dependent on him. And so, if it came down to it, he would willing take off his Kevlar vest and put down his weapon while talking down a gun-wielding unsub. Of course, he’d get the third degree from Hotch later, but he could live with that. And then he met Y/N, and he realised that now he had someone counting on him, someone waiting for him to come back home to them, he couldn’t afford to be so careless in the field.

Though sometimes, despite Spencer’s best attempts, things still went wrong. Y/N had seen the inside of the hospital waiting room more than most, often because she’d get called by one of his team mates to alert her that he’d been injured in the field. And without him ever asking, she’d drop everything to be there for him, even if it was his own stupidity that had landed him in those situations. 

The first time was after he’d been shot in the knee. Y/N had been midway through her workday when she’d received a call from JJ telling her that Spencer had been injured. She knew that it was only a leg wound, that he would be absolutely fine, but that didn’t stop her from being worried. She’d been sat in the waiting room, waiting anxiously for a nurse to come by and update her. 

As soon as she got the all clear to see him, she’d breathed out a sigh of relief and made her way to his room,  catching his attention as soon as she entered.

He gave her a tight-lipped smile, grimacing slightly at the pain shooting through his leg. “Hi.” 

She chuckled at that, moving to stand at his bedside. “Hi baby, how are you feeling?” 

“I’m ok.” He smiled, reaching up to tightly grasp one of her hands in his. “You didn’t have to come all the way down here, you know.” 

“Oh, stop.” She mumbled with a smile. “You know how much I worry about you.” 

He grinned at that, the warm feeling that he always got when he was with her spreading through him. He used the grip he had on her hand to pull her down to him, so his lips could meet hers in a sweet kiss. “Hotch has demanded I take some time off to rest, or whatever.” He murmured against her lips. “So, I’m all yours.” 

“Hmm, and what you mean by that is that you need someone to take care of you at home for a few days?” 

“Well, I did get shot in the leg, you know. Taking down the bad guy...” He gestured to his bandaged-up knee, a pout on his pretty pink lips. 

She let out a laugh at that, amused. “Alright, Superman. Let’s get you home, shall we?” 

The next time Y/N found herself in the hospital waiting room was a year later, when Spencer had been suffering from painful, unexplainable headaches. 

Initially, Spencer hadn’t wanted her to attend his MRI scan appointment, but it didn’t take much convincing for her to assure him that she wanted to be there for him. He’d held her hand in a vice-like grip on the drive to the hospital, only letting go when the nurse called his name to tell him they were ready for him. She’d kissed the back of his hand before he’d left, a whispered promise leaving her lips before he went, “I’ll be right here waiting.”

She looked around the empty waiting room, took note of its greying walls and stained carpet, and how awfully uncomfortable the chairs were. She thought of anything and everything that could distract her from the way she was feeling at that moment- knowing how scared her boyfriend was that there was something was wrong with him. 

Spencer came back to the waiting room an hour later, both relieved to see that his girl was indeed still waiting for him but frustrated with what little the doctor had told him. 

“Hey!” Y/N sat up straighter, putting on a smile for the sake of her boyfriend. “How’d it go?” 

Spencer just shook his head. “He says there’s nothing physically wrong with me. He suggested I should consider that it’s something more mental, but he’s wrong- he’s wrong, Y/N.” He sat down in the chair next to her, seeking comfort in her arms as he whimpered into the crook of her neck. “I’m not- I’m not crazy, am I?” 

And the truth was, she didn’t know. She was so afraid for him, worried that he was sick, dying, perhaps of something that the doctors hadn’t detected yet. It terrified her. Her hands ran up and down the expanse of his back, attempting to soothe his weeps the best that she could. Spencer grabbed fistfuls of the back of her shirt and breathed in the scent of her hair as deeply as he could to try and ground himself.

“I’m scared, Y/N.” 

That broke her heart to hear, but all she could do was nod in understanding, hoping her words would offer him some form of comfort. “I know, I know. We’ll figure this out, ok? Everything is going to be alright.” 

The next time Y/N inside of a waiting room was on what she could only refer to as the worst night of her life.

There were no words that could encompass the plethora of emotions she went through when she’d received a phone call from JJ, “Spencer has been shot. It’s- It’s pretty bad, Y/N. You need to come quickly.” 

When she got to the waiting room, she saw JJ and Alex sat opposite one another, a worry that made Y/N’s stomach sink on both their faces. She hurried towards them, tears blurring her vision. “Have you had any updates? Is he ok?” 

JJ looked up, shaking her head sadly. 

“What happened?” Y/N asked, her voice wavering. 

“He got shot in the neck. He pushed me out of the way.” Alex sighed, as though she was still in disbelief that he’d done that to save her. 

Y/N stared ahead in shock, dropping down into the seat beside Alex. Of course, of course, Spencer would risk his life to protect Alex. Y/N knew how fond he was of his colleague, how he idolised her, saw her as a sort of mother figure, even. 

Eventually JJ got called back to work, with Alex insisting that she’d stay with Y/N and wait for Spencer to wake. 

Y/N was so sick and fucking tired of the waiting room. Before, she hadn’t minded it, it had even bought a sense of comfort to her- because she was in a hospital, where they saved lives. But now? The familiar walls and dull navy-blue carpet made her feel nauseous. Not knowing whether her boyfriend was going to live or die was incomparable to any other time she’d found herself waiting in the same four walls. She was feeling everything and nothing all at once, she wanted to cry and scream, curse the universe for once again hurting a man that had done nothing in his life but protect others. Hell, part of her even wanted to laugh- laugh at the absurdity of the situation. If he died, - god, if he died - the world would’ve robbed him of a lifetime with her, the chance to live the life that he deserved.

She barely registered that Alex had left her side to bring her a coffee until she sat back down beside her. Y/N looked over at her, giving her a small smile as she gratefully accepted the coffee. 

Y/N brought the cup to her lips, relishing in how the hot liquid brought her a sense of warmth, and she wondered if she’d ever feel Spencer’s warmth again. She sucked in a shaky breath, speaking the first words she’d said in all the hours they’d been waiting. “You know he wants kids?” 

Alex looked over at her, sad smile tugging at her lips. “I do.” 

Y/N nodded, sniffing. “He’d be a phenomenal father.” 

“He would.” 

Y/N let out a small cry, trying desperately to hold herself together. “What if I never get the chance to give him that, Alex?” She cried, body finally giving in to the painful ache that consumed her entire being. 

Alex placed an arm around her, allowing the younger woman to lean on her shoulder for support. “You’ll get the chance. Spencer is strong, he’ll pull through.”

And sure enough, Alex had been right. When Y/N had been told he was awake, she couldn’t describe the relief that flooded her. After meeting Penelope in the hallway and being given a much-needed hug, she took a few deep breaths before walking into Spencer’s room. When her eyes landed on him, she felt the tears start to well again. She had to remind herself that despite the bandage on his neck and the numerous machines hooked up to him, he was there, and he was alive. 

She came towards him with the best smile she could muster, and he looked up at her with a drowsy smile.

“Hi.” She whispered, standing beside his bed. 

He grinned up at her, reaching out for her hand just like he always did. “Hi.” 

She squeezed his hand gently, reminding herself again that he was ok, though she couldn’t prevent the tears that began to tremble down her cheeks. 

Spencer’s heart throbbed at the sight, and he allowed himself to imagine the pain she must’ve been through, having to wait for hours to see if he was alive. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially not the woman he loved more than anything else. “It’s alright, sweet girl. I’m alright.” He promised, wishing more than anything that he could pull her into his arms and soothe her, though the pain in his neck prevented him from doing so. 

“I could’ve lost you.” She whimpered, her other hand coming out to delicately trace the side of his face. 

“I’m right here.” He gave her hand three squeezes just to emphasise his point. 

She leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. “You can’t ever scare me like that again.” 

Spencer chuckled lowly, nodding. “Yes ma’am.” 

“Promise me?” 

And though it was a promise they both knew he couldn’t keep, he granted her the reassurance that she craved. 

“I promise.” 

Y/N knew that wasn’t the last time she’d be sat in the waiting room, scared and anxious and hoping that the love of her life was ok. She knew there would always be a ‘next time’, no matter how many self-serving promises she asked Spencer to make. What she didn’t plan for, was that the next time she saw the inside of a hospital, it would be her fighting for her life. 

It had been a slow day at work for Spencer, with him managing to complete a majority of his withstanding paperwork. He sat at his desk, focused on how he twirled his pen between his fingertips, willing the clock to move faster so he could go back home when his phone rang, Y/N’s name flashing across the screen. 

He answered eagerly, though all eagerness was wiped away when it wasn’t her voice on the other end of the line. 

“Hi there, I’m looking for a Dr Spencer Reid?” 

Spencer’s mind raced, and he swallowed thickly before squeaking out an answer. “That’s me.” 

“I’m calling on behalf of Y/N Y/L/N, you’re registered as her emergency contact.” 

“Is she ok?” He croaked out, begging and pleading internally that all the worst-case scenario’s running through his head wouldn’t come to fruition. 

“She was involved in a severe road collision. You’re going to want to come down here-”

Everything past that was drowned out by the sound of Spencer’s heart beating quicker, so loudly he could hear it. He hung up, gathering his things together as quickly as he could and rushing toward the doors of the bullpen- running directly into one Derek Morgan. 

“Woah, easy there, kid. You got somewhere to be?” He joked at first, but erased all hints of a smile from his face when he saw the tears filling the younger man’s eyes. “What’s going on? Talk to me.” 

Spencer couldn’t form a sentence, only managing to splutter out a few barely strung together words. “It’s Y/N, she’s- she’s been in an a-accident and I need, I have to get to her.” 

Morgan’s eyes widened, nodding in understanding. “Alright, ok. You’re in no condition to be driving, let me take you.” 

Spencer wasn’t about to argue, already making his way toward the elevator. 

*

Spencer had always hated hospitals. 

But he’d also decided that he really fucking hated the waiting room. 

The doctors didn’t have any updates for him, no matter how many times he asked. So, he’d been forced to sit in that damned room and wait. 

He thought of how cruel the concept of the waiting room was. Waiting for either good or bad news, waiting to hear the words that would either fill him with relief or dread, signify the start of his life or the end. How cruel was it that people had to sit and wait, with the weight of the world on their shoulders and just hope their loved one was ok? 

With the first hour brought Spencer’s upset, tears trembling down rosy cheeks and whimpered words of disbelief that he could lose the woman he loved. He’d sat in the uncomfortable blue chair with his head in his hands as sobs wrecked through his body, with Morgan sat next to him, a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

The second hour brought with it a slither of hope, as a doctor came out to update them. Though it wasn’t good nor bad news, just that Y/N was still in surgery and was expected to be so for the next few hours. Spencer had again buried his head in his hands, his thoughts racing. The rest of the team arrived, joining the sombre atmosphere of the waiting room. 

The third hour saw Spencer grow agitated, angry with himself for not being with her, for not protecting her, despite how many times the team attempted to reassure him that there was nothing he could’ve done differently. They brought him cups of coffee with gentle reassurances, empty promises that Y/N would be fine, that she would pull through, but how could they possibly know that? 

In the fourth hour, Spencer sat staring blankly at the wall. He reminded himself of the future he’d dreamt of time and time again, and how he couldn’t imagine himself having that life with anyone else but her. He recalled the location of the velvet purple box he’d bought just a few months prior, hidden amongst pairs of his mismatched socks in the second drawer of his nightstand. What if he never got the chance to propose? To give her the life that he’d promised her time and time again when it was 3am and he was holding the love his life as close to his chest as he could get her. After all he’d done, the years of his life he’d given to helping to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves, this was the thanks he got? What a sick twist of fate that was. 

By the fifth hour, he was exhausted. His eyes drooped but he fought to keep them open, choosing to ignore the pitiful looks JJ shot him when she saw him fighting sleep. He would wait for her, just like all the times she had waited for him. He recognised how the way that he felt must’ve been how Y/N had felt after he’d been shot the year before, and the thought almost made him sick. He ran over all the possible outcomes in his head, allowing his eyes to close for a single moment as he mentally calculated the statistical probabilities of each outcome. He despised how helpless he felt. For a man whose job was to help others in need, he’d never been a position before where he didn’t have the answer, where he couldn’t come up with a solution. His heart ached as the realisation that he could very well lose her settled over him, the statistic he’d calculated of her survival being a number that was way too low for Spencer’s liking. 

For the moment, he had no choice but to wait. 

It was all he could do. 

*

permanent taglist: @beyonces-breastmilk​ @pinkdiamond1016​ @itsmyblogandillreblogifiwantto​ @thelovelyrose​ @averyhotchner​ @cynbx​ @calm-and-doctor​ @reidyoulikeabook​ @katexrichardson​ @jemimah-b99​ @muffin-cup​ @shadyladyperfection​ @rigatonireid​ @amoeebaa​ @mggsprettygirl​  @alltooreid​ @s1utformgg @awritingtree

spencer reid taglist: @reidtome

[redacted-headcannons]

Obey Me! Headcanon: Most Traveled Locations in the Human Realm!

Where in the human realm do the demons go?

Lucifer 

always visits the exact same spot if its for him time 

a small village in Greece

which is once a year and he stays for a week

its the spot Lilith fell to 

he lovingly touches the ground 

sobs hysterically and loses composure to the point of bursting into demon form 

the locals here started offering him fruit at the entrance of the village

lucifer hated it at first 

local legend and translations call him the “Mourning Man” or the “Morning Man” bc of his wailing and tendency to stay from sunset to sunrise 

Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej definitely do a segment on him 

Mammon

as much we all might think its Vegas

its actually the red light district in Amsterdam 

hes a patron there 

not bc he sleeps with the workers but bc he has a shelter in the middle of the district 

its disguised as a sex shop but its just a front for mammon to run a school for uneducated workers in the district 

used to sustain it with all his gambling money but the graduates decided to become self sufficient 

the shop half makes a ton of money off of tourists AND humans give him a “principal” fee? amazing 

its something he’s actually really proud of and won’t tell anyone about

he honestly only visits every few years and very secretively 

Leviathan 

its Piss Alley in Tokyo 

though Levi will get mad if you call it by its English name. The Japanese translation is Memory Lane 

the tight alleyways made him extremely anxious the first time 

a kind restaurant owner who was smoking outside brought him in for tea and snacks 

they also happened to be streaming some anime 

Levi couldn’t get enough 

though he found it recently he travels there once a month 

recently for Levi is like 40 years ago though 

the couple who owns the joint think that levi is the spirit of their deceased son 

bc Levi only visits when no one is wandering the alleyways or inside the restaurant

their suspicion grows when levi mentions he was in the navy once 

Satan 

doesn’t have a favorite place 

travels through South America pretty frequently 

he grew bored of literature on Greco-Roman history 

decided to say f*ck it and travel to a random spot 

it was definitely Barranquilla

then discovered different dialects of spanish in South America 

ran into a language block in Brazil 

cannot understand Puerto Ricans 

but the countries he visits keeps his mind going and the cultures fascinate him

Asmodeus 

as the self-appointed part boi he loves South Korea and East Asia in general

something about a more or less conservative culture going absolutely ballistic with some alcohol and lust makes Asmo go feral 

one of the few brothers to exercise his sin while in the Human Realm

the country in general has a crazy range of seasons, which Asmo is really jealous of 

also likes it because people tend to compliment him in obvious ways here like taking pictures, giving him gifts on the street, or being scouted by entertainment companies 

no one can quite place if he’s a foreigner or not 

also likes traveling with Levi but mostly for the fashion scene in Japan 

Beelzebub 

it’s an American diner in Tucson 

its open 24/7 and run by a father-daughter duo whose trying to pay for her education 

the father is a big burly man with a kind smile and he thinks that Beel is probably what a son of his would look like 

the daughter has a crush on Beel 

Beel politely informs her that he’s “probably” around the same age as her dad 

understandably, they are shook

they talk about how they can’t tell where his accent is from and are weirded out that his bright orange hair looks like it actually grows out of his head

despite their suspicions, they feed him as much as his human form can handle

Beel returns the favor by tipping generously 

not like $100 tips kinda generously 

but like a few months of rent kinda generously

Belphegor 

used to go on yearly unexplained trips to Greece with Lucifer 

hated them 

when he finally got permission to travel on his own, he went to Mongolia 

it was an accident 

but the fresh air, the large open planes of grass, and the silence were really welcoming to him 

he could watch the stars for another 1,000 years there if his brothers stopped trying to retrieve him 

he avoids people like the plague here 

but its okay bc they don’t know he’s there when he visits 

actually the nearby village’s children think he’s just an odd cow 

Barbatos 

enjoys trips to countries that border the Alboran, Mediterranean, and Black Seas

there’s just so much to learn in these areas 

he can never really choose a favorite place 

frequents the ruins of the library of Alexandria, the island of Cyprus, and Gibraltar

was there when the library burned 

the food in these countries are also vastly different from each other with seafood often the common denominator 

he loves it 

unlike the stagnant nature of the devildom, the ever changing paces, cultures, and people of these regions and countries keeps Barbatos overwhelmed and happy

Diavolo 

he actually thinks that visiting random churches is super funny 

made it three steps in the vatican before feeling super sick 

not from the holiness 

but the stench of overwhelming human sin 

when leaving he cackles because its just so very human 

is interested in what humans interpret as sin within Christianity because their concept of good and evil is so grey

he doesn’t get to the Human Realm very often 

but stays for at least a month every time 

[hepaidattention]

I just wanna imagine a stydia wedding for like .2 seconds okay

like I have never been the kind of person to like it when shows and books get all cheesy with the weddings. Idk why but it's just too cheesy for me sometimes, we see them become that couple for so long and then they usually give us the cheesiest ending with the most cliche of weddings. However. I just want to think for a moment about it.

Because I love thinking about who will be the bridesmaids and groomsman.

Like can we talk about how Peter would somehow be the one marrying them?? Like yeah Stiles' dad or Deaton makes the most sense but something would happen and the only person able to marry them would be Peter - who probably was only certified online for fun.

And without a doubt Scott is Stiles' best man, and then the groomsman would be Derek and Liam, and maybe a couple guys he met in college. Theo is on the table, but I feel like Stiles would make Isaac and Theo be the guys who just stand around and bring ppl to their seats just because he could.

Now Lydia is hard, because if it was a perfect world Allison would be the maid of honor. However, that's off the table. I feel like Malia is the best choice, but that's also so awkward to be the maid of honor to your ex's wedding. I could also see Kira and Malia being co-maid of honors. Right now we're gonna just say Malia is the maid of honor, Kira a bridesmaid, and then to make it even the rest would probably just be college friends she had.

Melissa and Argent ended up having another kid, so Scott's little sister gets to be the flower girl with Lydia's half sister (from her dad's remarriage).

Stiles would dance with Melissa for the mother -son dance.

Scott's best man speech would make everyone sob, while Malia would make everyone laugh and she'd get mad because it wasn't supposed to be funny.

It would be a small wedding, that way all their supernatural friends could come and they wouldn't be in fear that someone random would get hurt by unexplained events. But Lydia and her wedding planner mother would make it the most beautiful wedding Beacon Hills had ever seen.

And Lydia wouldn't wear traditional white, but an off white dress, like a champagne color that makes her hair looks absolutely amazing. Her hair would be in beautiful braids and have flowers in it, and shed look like an angel walking down the aisle.

Stiles will have a scruff beard, and the suits would be a navy blue.

And Stiles would be crying before Lydia even walked down the aisle, but the moment he sees her walking down he would lose it. He'd barely even be able to say his vows because he kept choking up.

Lydia would be crying too, but like a beautiful cry that was just sparkling tears in her eyes.

Scott would have an endless amount of tissues to give to Stiles in his pockets ready, but he didn't expect to be using a lot of them himself.

Scott would pretend he didn't have the rings just to mess with Stiles. Stiles would look at him with bulging eyes and Scott would instantly crack and pull them out, and Stiles would just pretend he hated him for it.

Malia would fail at fixing Lydia's dress and vale so Kira would do it, Malia apologizing and saying she's do it next time. She'd be too busy trying not to cry though. Kira would cry, but only slightly, she'd mainly be grinning from ear to ear.

Derek would she'd a few tears and literally no one would let him live it down.

Liam would almost faint becasue he was so stressed about the wedding that he locks his knees.

They'd have their own vows prepared. Stiles would talk about his ten year plan and how much he's loved her since the third grade, only somehow loving her even more every passing day. He'd talk about how he thought he knew what love was sophmore year of hs, but it wasn't until he really got to know her that he really, fully understood love.

Lydia would talk about the dorky boy that came to visit her when she needed a friend, the one who told her she was beautiful when she cried, and how the boy she tried to avoid became the closest, most dearest friend to her - until one day she realized she loved him so much more than just a friend.

He would thank her for being patient with him when he was ridiculous and short tempered and insistent, and she would thank him for waiting for her, for never giving up on them, and for always being there when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

The wedding colors would have a lot of red in it, because that was one of Lydia's favorite colors, but also because red meant a lot to both of them.

They'd have origami birds strung on a red string throughout the wedding. It was decoration but it also was the red string that tied them together.

That was .2 seconds right?

[esotericworld]

‘This is urgent’: Bipartisan proposal for UFO office pushes new boundaries

“A bipartisan proposal to create a more expansive military and intelligence program to study UFOs is urgently needed to determine whether unexplained sightings by Navy and Air Force pilots pose a threat or are evidence of some “other entity,” the lead sponsor said Wednesday.

“If it is technology possessed by adversaries or any other entity, we need to know,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said in her first interview about the effort. “Burying our heads in the sand is neither a strategy nor an acceptable approach.”

Gillibrand is behind an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that is being debated this week to create an ‘‘Anomaly Surveillance and Resolution Office” with authority to pursue “any resource, capability, asset, or process of the Department and the intelligence community” to get to the bottom of the sightings of “unidentified aerial phenomena," or UAPs.

It would also require regular public reports about sensitive topics that until recently were considered to be on the fringe, including whether the government has any materials from the incidents of UFOs or data on any biological or health effects linked to any encounters.

“We’ve not had oversight into this area for a very long time,” Gillibrand said. “I can count on one hand the number of hearings I had in 10 years on this topic. That's fairly concerning given the experience our service members have had over the last decade.”

The measure goes well beyond a similar provision that was adopted as part of the House version of the bill, or previous public efforts to study UAPs.Gillibrand, a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, said she was heavily influenced by the “repeated reports over the last two or three years of these increased sightings by Navy pilots and Air Force pilots.”

She believes the fact that the possible explanations are so varied is why a dedicated effort is required.

“You have a million questions that must be answered for a million reasons,” she said, citing “the entire spectrum of unidentified aerial phenomena.”

“You're talking about drone technology, you're talking about balloon technology, you're talking about other aerial phenomena, and then you're talking about the unknown,” she said. “Regardless of where you fall on the question of the unknown, you have to answer the rest of the questions. That’s why this is urgent. That’s why having no oversight or accountability up until now to me is unacceptable.”

Her amendment also would create a separate “aerial and transmedium advisory committee” made up of experts from NASA, the FAA, the National Academies of Sciences, the head of the Galileo Project at Harvard University, the director of the Optical Technology Center at Montana State University, the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies, and the American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics.

“You have to have the smartest, most informed minds from the world convening on these issues so you know what you’re up against,” Gillibrand said...”

[army-of-mai-lovers]

Jet and Yue’s Deaths: Were They Necessary?

Two of the most common ideas I see for aus in this fandom are the Jet lives au, and the Yue lives au. I’ve written both of these myself, and I’ve seen many others write them. And while yes, fanfiction can be a great way to explore ideas that didn’t necessarily have to be explored in canon (I’m mad at bryke for a lot of things, but not including a Toph and Bumi I friendship is not one of them, even though I wrote a fic about it), it seems to me that people are mad that Yue and Jet are dead, to varying degrees. There’s a lot to talk about regarding their deaths from a sociopolitical perspective (the fact that two of the darker-skinned characters in the show are the ones that died, and all the light-skinned characters lived, is ah... an interesting choice), but I don’t want to look at it that way, at least for right now. I want to look at it as a writer, and discuss whether these deaths were a) necessary for the plot and themes of ATLA in any way whatsoever and b) whether it was necessary for them to unfold in the way that they did, or if they would have been more impactful had they occurred in a different way. 

(meta under the cut, this got really, really, really long)

Death in Children’s Media

When I first started thinking about this meta, I had this idea to compare Jet and Yue’s deaths to deaths in an animated children’s show that I found satisfying. And in theory, that was a great idea. Problem is: there aren’t very many permanent deaths in children’s animation, and the ones that do exist aren’t especially well-written. This may be an odd thing to say in what is ostensibly a piece of atla crit, but Yue’s death is probably the best written death in a piece of children’s animation that I can think of. That’s not a compliment. Rather, it’s a condemnation of the way other pieces of children’s animation featuring permanent character death have handled their storylines. 

I’ve talked about this before, but my favorite show growing up was Young Justice, and my favorite character on that show was far and away Mr. Wally West. So when he died at the end of season 2, it broke me emotionally. Shortly thereafter, Cartoon Network canceled the show, and I started getting on fan forums to mourn. Everybody on these fan forums was convinced that had Cartoon Network not canceled the show, Wally would have been brought back. And that is a narrative that I internalized for years. Eventually, the show was brought back via DC’s new streaming service, and I tuned in, waiting for Wally to also be brought back, only to discover that that wasn’t in the cards. Wally was dead. Permanently. 

So now that I know that, I can talk about why killing him off was fucking stupid. Wally’s death occurs at the end of season 2, after the main s2 conflict, the Reach, has been defeated, save for these pods that they set up all over the world to destroy Earth. Our heroes split up in teams of two to destroy the pods, and they destroy all of them, except for a secret one in Antartica. It can only be neutralized by speedsters, so Wally, Bart, and Barry team up to destroy it. It’s established in canon that Wally is slower than Bart and Barry, and it’s been played for laughs earlier in the season, but for reasons unexplained, the pod is better able to target Wally because he’s slower than Bart and Barry, and it kills him. After the emotional arc of the season has wrapped up, a literal main character dies. There’s some indication at the end of that season that his death is going to cause Artemis to spiral and become a villain, but when season 3 picks up, she’s doing the right thing, with seemingly no qualms about her position in life as a hero. In the comics, something like this happens to Wally, but then he goes into the Speed Force and becomes faster and stronger even than Barry, in which case, yes, this would have advanced the plot, but that’s probably not in the cards either. 

In summary, Wally’s death doesn’t work as a story beat, not because it made me mad, but because it doesn’t advance the plot, nor does it develop character. Only including things that advance plot or develop character is one of the golden rules of writing. Like most golden rules of writing, however, it’s not absolute. There is a lot of fun to be had in jokey little one off adventures (in atla, Sokka’s haiku competition) or in fun worldbuilding threads that add depth to your setting but don’t really come up (in atla, the existence of Whaletail Island, which is described in really juicy ways, even though the characters never go there.) But in general, when it comes to things like character death, events should happen to develop the plot or advance character. Avatar, for all of its flaws, is really well structured, and a lot of its story beats advance plot and develop character at the same time. However, the show also bears the burden of being a show directed at children, and thus needing to be appropriate for children. And as we know, Nickelodeon and bryke butted heads over this: the death scene that we see for Jet is a compromise, one that implicitly confirms his death without explicitly showing it. So bryke tasked themselves with creating a show about imperialism and war that would do those themes justice while also being appropriate for American children and palatable to their parents. 

The Themes of Avatar vs. Its Audience

So, Avatar is a show about a lone survivor of genocide stopping an imperialist patriarchal society from decimating the rest of the world. It’s also a show about found family and staying true to yourself and doing your best to improve the world. These don’t necessarily conflict with each other, and it is possible for children to understand and enjoy shows about complex themes. And in a lot of cases, bryke doesn’t hold back in showing what the costs of war against an imperialist nation are: losing loved ones, losing yourself, prison, etc. But when it comes to death, the show is incredibly hesitant. None of the main characters that we’ve spent a lot of time getting to know die (not even Iroh, even though he was old and it would have made sense and his VA died before the show was over--but that’s a topic for another day.) This makes sense. I can totally imagine a seven year-old watching Avatar as it was coming out and feeling really sad or scared if a major character died. I was six years older than that when Wally died, and it’s still sad and terrifying to me to this day. However, in a show about war, it would be unrealistic to have no one die. Bryke’s stated reason for killing off Jet is to show the costs of war. I’ve seen a lot of posts about Jet’s death that reiterate some version of this same point--that the great tragedy of his character is that he spent his life fighting the Fire Nation, only to die at the hands of his own country. Similarly, I’ve seen people argue in favor of Yue’s death by saying that it was a great tragedy, but it showed the sacrifices that must be made in a war effort. 

Yue

When we first meet Yue, she is a somewhat reserved, kind individual held back by the rigid social structures of the NWT*. She and Sokka have an immediate attraction to one another, but Yue reveals that she is engaged to Hahn. The Fire Nation invasion happens, Zhao kills Tui, and Yue gives up her life to save her people and the world, and to restore balance. Since we didn’t have a lot of time to get to know Yue, this is framed less as Yue’s sacrifice and more as Sokka’s loss. Sokka is the one who cares for Yue, Sokka is the only one of the gaang who really interacts a lot with Yue on screen, and Sokka is the one we’ve spent a whole season getting to know. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call Yue a prop character (i.e. a character who could be replaced by an object with little change to the narrative), she is certainly underdeveloped. She exists to be unambiguously likable and good, so we can root for her and Sokka, and feel Sokka’s pain when she dies. In my opinion, this is probably also why a lot of fic that features Yue depicts her as a Mary Sue--because as she is depicted in the show, she kind of is. We don’t get to see her hidden depths because she is written to die. 

In light of what we’ve established earlier in this meta, this makes sense. Killing off a fully-realized character whom the audience has really gotten to know and care about on their own terms, rather than through the eyes of another character, could be really sad and scary for the kids watching, but not killing anyone off would be an unrealistic depiction of war and imperialism. On the face of it, killing off an underdeveloped, unambiguously likable and good character, whom one of our MCs has a deep but short connection with, is the perfect compromise. 

But let’s go back to the golden rule for a second. Does Yue’s death a) advance the plot, and/or b) develop character? The answer to the first is yes: Yue’s death prompts Aang to use the Avatar State to fight off the Fire navy, which has implications for his ability to control the Avatar State that form one of the major arcs of book 2. The answer to the second? A little more ambiguous. You would think that Yue’s death would have some lasting impact on Sokka that is explored as part of his character arc in book 2, that he may be more afraid to trust, more scared of losing the people he loves, but outside of a few episodes (really, just one I can think of, “The Swamp”) it doesn’t seem to affect him that much. He even asks about Suki in a way that is clearly romantically motivated in “Avatar Day.” I don’t know about you, but if someone I loved sacrificed herself to become the moon, I don’t think I would be seeking out another romantic entanglement a few weeks after her death. Of course, everybody processes grief differently, and one could argue that Sokka has already lost important people in his life, and thus would be accustomed to moving on from that loss and not letting himself dwell on it. But to that, I’d say that moving on by throwing himself into protecting others has already shown itself to be an unhealthy coping mechanism. Remember, Sokka’s misogyny at the beginning of b1 is in part motivated by the fact that his mother died at the hands of the Fire Nation and his father left shortly thereafter to fight the Fire Nation, and he responds to those things by throwing himself into the role of being the “man” of the village and protecting the people he loves who are still with him. Like with Yue, he doesn’t allow himself to dwell on his mother’s death. This could have been the beginning of a really interesting b2 arc for Sokka, in which he throws himself into being the Avatar’s companion to get away from the grief of losing Yue, but this time, through the events of the show, he’s forced to acknowledge that this is an unhealthy coping mechanism. And maybe this is what bryke was going for with “The Swamp”, but this confines his whole process of grief to one episode, where it could have been a season-long arc that really emphasized the effect Yue’s had on his life. 

In the case of Yue, I do lean toward saying that her death was necessary for the story that they wanted to tell (although, I will never turn down a good old-fashioned Yue lives au that really gets into her dynamism as a character, those are awesome.) However, the way they wrote Sokka following Yue’s death reduced her significance. The fact that Yue seemed to have so little impact on Sokka is precisely what makes her death feel unnecessary, even if it isn’t. 

Jet

Okay. Here we go. 

If you know my blog, you know I love Jet. You know I love Jet lives aus. Perhaps you know that I’m in the process of writing a multichapter Jet fic in which he lives after Lake Laogai. So it’s reasonable to assume that, in a discussion of whether or not Jet’s death was necessary, I’m gonna be mega-biased. And yeah, that’s probably true. But up until recently, I wasn’t really all that mad about Jet dying, at least conceptually. As I said earlier, bryke says that in the case of Jet’s death, they wanted to kill a character off that people knew and would care about, so that they could further show the tragedies of war and imperialism. Okay. That is not, in and of itself, a bad idea. 

My issue lies with the execution of said idea. First of all, the framing of Jet’s original episode is so bad. Jet is part of a long line of cartoon villains who resist imperialism and other forms of oppression through violence and are punished for it. This is actually a really common sort of villain for atla/lok, as we see this play out again with Hama, Amon, and the Red Lotus. To paraphrase hbomberguy’s description of this type of villain, basically liberal white creators are saying, “yeah, oppression is bad, but have you tried writing to your Congressman about it?” With Jet, since we have so little information about the village he’s trying to flood, there are a number of different angles that would explain his actions and give them more nuance. My preferred hc is that the citizens of Gaipan are a mix of Earth civilians, Fire citizens, and FN soldiers, and that the Earth citizens refused to feed or house Jet and the other Freedom Fighters because they were orphans and, as we see in the Kyoshi Novels, Earth families stick to their own. Thus, when Jet decides to flood Gaipan, he’s focused on ridding the valley of Fire Nation, but he doesn’t really care about what happens to the Earth citizens of Gaipan because they actively wronged him when he was a kid. That’s just one interpretation, and there have been others: Gaipan was fully Fire Nation, Gaipan was both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation but Jet decided that the benefits of flooding the valley and getting rid of the Fire Nation outweighed the costs of losing the EK families, etc, etc. There are ways to rewrite that scenario so that Jet is not framed as an unambiguously bloodthirsty monster. In the context of Jet’s death, this initial framing reduces the possible impact that his death could have. Where Yue was unambiguously good, Jet is at the very least morally gray when we see him again in the ferry. And where we are connected to Yue through Sokka, the gaang’s active hatred of Jet hinders our ability to connect with him. This isn’t impossible to overcome--the gaang hates Zuko, and yet to an extent the audience roots for him--but Jet’s lack of screentime and nuanced framing (both of which Zuko gets in all three seasons) makes overcoming his initially flawed framing really difficult. 

So how much can it really be said, that by the time we get to Jet’s death, he’s a character that we know and care about? So much about him is still unknown (what happened to the Freedom Fighters? what prompted Jet’s offscreen redemption? who knows, fam, who knows.) Moreover, most of what we see of him in Ba Sing Se is him actively opposing Zuko and Iroh. These are both characters that at the very least the show wants us to care about. At this point, we know almost everything there is to know about them, we’ve been following them and to an extent rooting for them for two seasons, and who have had nuanced and often sympathetic framing a number of times. So much of the argument I’ve seen regarding Jet centers around the fact that he was right to expose Zuko and Iroh as Firebenders, but the reason we have to have that argument in the first place is because it’s not framed in Jet’s favor. In terms of who the audience cares about more, who the audience has more of an emotional attachment towards, Zuko and Iroh win every time. Whether Jet’s actually in the right or not is irrelevant, because emotionally speaking, we’re primed to root for Zuko and Iroh. In terms of who the framing is biased towards, Jet may as well be Zhao. So when he’s taken by the Dai Li and brainwashed, the audience isn’t necessarily going to see this as a bad thing, because it means Zuko and Iroh are safe.

The only real bit of sympathetic framing Jet gets are those initial moments on the ferry, and the moments after he and the gaang meet again. So about five, ten minutes of the show, total. And then, he sacrifices himself for the gaang. And just like Yue, his death has little to no impact on the characters in the episodes following. Katara is shown crying for four frames immediately following his death, and they bring him up once in “The Southern Raiders” to call him a monster, and once in “The Ember Island Players”, a joke episode in which his death is a joke. 

So, let’s ask again. Does this a) advance the plot, and/or b) develop character? The answer to both is no. It shows that the Dai Li is super evil and cruel, which we already knew and which basically becomes irrelevant in book 3, and that is really the only plot-significant thing I can think of. As far as character, well, it could have been a really interesting moment in Katara’s development in forgiving someone who hurt her in the past, which could have foreshadowed her forgiving Zuko in b3, but considering she calls Jet a monster in TSR, that doesn’t track. There could have been something with Sokka realizing that his snap judgment of Jet in b1 was wrong, but considering that he brings up Jet to criticize Katara in TSR, that also does not track. And honestly, neither of these possible character arcs require Jet to die. What requires Jet to die is the ~themes~. 

Let’s look at this theme again, shall we? The cost of war. We already covered it with Yue, but it’s clearly something that bryke wants to return to and shed new light on. The obvious angle they’re going for is that sometimes, you don’t know who your real enemy is. Jet thought that his enemy was the Fire Nation, but in the end, he was taken down by his own countryman. Wow. So deep. Except, while it’s clear that Jet was always fighting against the Fire Nation, I never got the sense that Jet was fighting for the Earth Kingdom. After all, isn’t the whole bad thing about him in the beginning is that he wants to kill civilians, some of whom we assume to be Earth Kingdom? Why would it matter then that he got killed by an EK leader, when he didn’t seem to ever be too hot on those dudes? But okay, maybe the angle is not that he was killed by someone from the Earth Kingdom, but that he wasn’t killed by someone from the Fire Nation. Okay, but we’ve already seen him be diametrically opposed to the only living Air Nomad and people from the Water Tribes. Jet fighting with and losing to people who aren’t Fire Nation is not a new and exciting development for him. Jet has been enemies with non-FN characters for most of the show’s run at this point. There is no thematic level on which the execution of this holds any water. 

The reason I got to thinking about this, really analyzing what Jet’s death means (and doesn’t mean) for the show, was this conversation I was having with @the-hot-zone in discord dms. We were talking about book 2 and ways it could have been better, and Zone said that they thought that Jet would have been a stronger character to parallel with Zuko’s redemption than Iroh and that seeing more of the narrative from Jet’s perspective could have strengthened the show’s themes. And when it came to the question of Jet’s death, they said, “And if we are going with Jet dying, then I want it to hurt. I want it to hurt just as much as if a main character like Sokka had died. I want the viewer to see Jet's struggles, his triumphs, the facets of Jet that make him compelling and important to the show.” And all of that just hit me. Because we don’t get that, do we? Jet’s death barely leaves a mark. Jet himself barely leaves a mark. His death isn’t plot-significant, doesn’t inspire character growth in any of our MCs, and doesn’t even accomplish the thematic relevance that it claims to. So what was the point? 

Conclusion

Much as I dislike it, Yue’s death actually added something to atla. It could have added much, much more, in the hands of writers who gave more of a shit about their Brown female characters and were less intent on seeing them suffer and knocking them down a peg, but, in my opinion, it did work for what it was trying to do. Jet? Jet? Nah, fam. Jet never got the chance to really develop into a likable character because he was always put at odds with characters we already liked, and the framing skewed their way, not his. The dude never really had a chance.        

*multiple people have spoken about how the NWT as depicted in atla is not reminiscent of real life Inuit and Yupik people and culture. I am not the person to go into detail about this, but I encourage you to check out Native-run blogs for more info!

[usafphantom2]

NASA launches UFO study as general interest grows

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/11/2022 - 11:14 AM in Space

This video capture image of April 28, 2020, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense, shows part of an unclassified video made by Navy pilots that has been circulating for years showing interactions with "unidentified aerial phenomena".

The U.S. Space Agency (NASA) announced on Thursday a new study that will recruit leading scientists to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) - a subject that has long fascinated the public and recently gained high-level attention from Congress.

The project will begin in early autumn and will last about nine months, focusing on identifying available data, how to collect more data in the future and how NASA can analyze the findings to try to move the needle in scientific understanding.

"Over the decades, NASA has responded to the call to face some of the most disconcerting mysteries we know, and this is no different," said Daniel Evans, NASA scientist responsible for coordinating the study.

While NASA probes and rovers search the solar system for fossils of ancient microbes, and their astronomers look for so-called "technosignatures" on distant planets for signs of intelligent civilizations, this is the first time the agency will investigate unexplained phenomena ?? in the heavens of the earth.

Image of a pyramid-shaped UFO is real - and part of 'examinations in progress', the Pentagon confirmed.

With its access to a wide range of scientific tools, NASA is well positioned not only to demystify UFOs and deepen scientific understanding, but also to find ways to mitigate phenomena, a fundamental part of its mission to ensure aircraft safety, said the agency's chief scientist, Thomas Zurbuchen.

Zurbuchen acknowledged that the traditional scientific community can see NASA as "a kind of sale" by venturing into the controversial subject, but he strongly disagrees.

"We are not avoiding the risk of reputation," Zurbuchen said during a webcast of the National Academy of Sciences. "Our strong belief is that the biggest challenge of these phenomena is that it is a field poor in data."

The announcement comes when the UFO field of study, which was once a poorly regarded backwater of research, is gaining more strength on the world stage.

Last month, Congress held a public hearing on UFOs, while a U.S. intelligence report last year cataloged 144 sightings that, according to him, could not be explained. He didn't rule out the alien origin.

Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald S. Moultrie testifies on the matter at a hearing in the U.S. Congress.

NASA's study will be independent of the Pentagon's Airborne Object Identification and Management Group, but the space agency "widely coordinated throughout the government on how to apply the tools of science," he said in a statement.

A shortage in the number of UFO observations currently makes it difficult for the scientific community to draw conclusions.

Therefore, said astrophysicist David Spergel, who will lead the research, the group's first task would be to identify the extent of data from sources that include civilians, government, non-profit organizations and companies.

Another comprehensive goal of NASA is to deepen credibility in this field of study.

"There is a lot of stigma associated with UAPs among our naval aviators and the aviation community," Evans said.

“One of the things we hope to do tangentially as part of this study, simply talking about it openly, is to help remove some of the stigma associated with it, and this will obviously result in greater access to data, more reports, more sightings.

Source: France 24 with AFP and AP

Tags: SpaceNASAUFO - Unidentified Flying Objects

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[jwillowwolf]

Magic and Miracles - Prologue

Tag List: @sandersidesbigbang @thomassanderssidesbigbang2021 @theimprobabledreamersworld

First Chapter > | Masterlist

This is a multi-chapter fic I've been working on for the last couple of months as a part of the 2021 Sanders Sides Big Bang. The original idea came from this post by @remy-please-come-back [thanks again for letting me use the idea 💜].

Summary: Ever present, never seen. Feared and admired by all beings. The life that bursts from the earth, the secrets hidden in stone. It dances in the fire’s flames; it gives the wind its mournful tone. Here it is, this is it. Defined yet unexplained. In the depths of the ocean, and of your own mind. In the veins of all creatures, including humankind. For magic is in everything, yet unknown all the same.

For the longest time, Logan wanted to learn magic. So, when he was offered the chance to study it at a new magic school, he decided to follow his dreams. Along the way, however, he'll learn about so much more.

Warning/s: food mention.

Characters: Logan, Emile, Remy, OCs.

Read on AO3

0 | The Underdog's Debut

Ever present, never seen. Feared and admired by all beings.

The life that bursts from the earth, the secrets hidden in stone.

It dances in the fire’s flames; it gives the wind its mournful tone.

Here it is, this is it. Defined yet unexplained.

In the depths of the ocean, and of your own mind.

In the veins of all creatures, including humankind.

For magic is in everything, yet unknown all the same.

Perhaps this was why people found it so intriguing from such a young age. They wanted answers to what magic was, and while they didn’t find what they sought, they did learn how it could be used to their advantage. Spells were created to do anything that their caster’s heart desired. From creating a small orb of light for reading in the night to manipulating a tidal wave that could crash down on your enemies.

Magic was something not easily understood, which was one reason why the Council of Wizards evaluated all potential magic users. They wanted to gage that these young mages could safely use the power they were wielding. If not, then they needed to be properly dealt with before things got out of hand.

This was a good thing, but also not because to learn magic safely you would need someone else to teach you first-hand.

Now that doesn’t seem like much of an obstacle, except the only established wizards were of the nobility, and therefore only worked with nobility. The system was pretty much rigged to make it hopeless for average people to learn and use magic. Or it was until our protagonist came along.

He rose from poverty to royalty, became a hero among heroes, and faced off against one of the greatest threats to humankind that ever existed! But I’m getting ahead of myself -sorry- let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Oh, but where to begin? Ah! We’ll start from his first test with the Council of Wizards when he was only a young lad of 15. It was the beginning of spring, which is when the COW always held the learner’s test. This test evaluated your magical potential and gave the council a heads up on how many new mages there were. Yes, COW, don’t ask me why they went with that acronym.

The ceremony was being held in the grand hall of the palace, and it was open for anyone from the Srednas Kingdom to come and watch. The test itself was rather simple but the festivities that came with it made things feel like a special holiday. Nobility and common folk alike were gathered to watch and see what new wizards would be taking on learning magic. There was even a small market of sorts set outside the palace to take advantage of the crowds and sell foods, drinks, and commemorative merchandise.

Inside, people were everywhere, talking excitedly to one another and trying to find good places to view the proceedings. At the end of the room, there was a dais with two thrones where King Thomas and his husband, Prince Consort Nico, sat to watch. In front of the dais were nine chairs for the COW members, who talked with the royals and amongst themselves. Even they seemed eager for what was about to happen, and yet no one knew truly how monumental today was going to be.

The event had begun the same as any other year. Noble children from across the land showed off whatever three spells they’d learnt for the test. Most were common tricks like lighting candles or making plants grow. A handful showed off with advanced versions of these spells, such as holding the flames in their hands or making entire trees grow. Still, regardless of how many times these spells were cast, the crowd watched in awe with each new user who passed their test.

And then a young man in a simple navy tunic and black trousers stepped forward. He looked to be in his mid-teens, the same as most of the young mages and walked with an air of subtle confidence. He had a slender form and soft features that pronounced his youthful appearance. His hair was raven black, swept neatly to the side, and his eyes were such a dark brown that they seemed almost black.

“Please state your name and title.” Silvia, the eldest council member, said.

“My name is Logan Picani.”

“Title?”

“I don’t have any.”

Silence fell over the hall. “Pardon?”

“I don’t have any titles.”

“How do you not have any titles?”

“I’m not a noble.”

Some people audibly gasped and began whispering conspiratorially to one another.

“Young man, you do understand what this test is, correct?” Allen, another council member, asked with a thinly veiled look of disgust.

“Yes sir, I do. I also know for a fact that there are no rules against my taking the test because of being a commoner.”

Allen frowned and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Silvia. “I suppose not. Well then, let’s see what you can do.”

Logan took a deep breath and then held up his hand, “Ignyght.”

The tip of his little finger began to glow with golden light. The crowd watched on in silence as he carefully moved his hand to draw the necessary rune with the trail of light that flowed from his finger.

Once the rune was complete, he spoke again. “Solhart.”

The rune turned stark white and then disappeared. For a moment nothing happened, then a small white orb appeared where the rune had previously been floating. This earned a few excited claps from the crowd and an approving nod from two council members. But Logan didn’t stop there.

“Groh.” This time the light from his fingers was bright green. He made a different rune then repeated the sealing word, “Solhart.”

The orb multiplied until nearly fifty of them were floating in a cluster before Logan.

“Stahwynd.” A deep blue light flowed from Logan’s finger as he drew the final rune. “Solhart.”

The orbs burst apart from one another like birds flying off a tree in fear. Some people from the crowd shouted in shock as the balls of light zoomed off in all different directions until finally, they stopped. Now they were floating all around the room above the spectators who gasped as they realized what Logan had done. The hall’s ceiling was pitch black, so the lights looked like stars in the night sky. It was a breath-taking sight that inspired many to cheer and clap for the young mage.

“Alright, please settle down,” Silvia called over the noise before looking at Logan with a thoughtful expression. “Where did you learn this?”

“I taught myself.”

Silvia nodded then turned to talk with her fellow council members in hushed tones. Allen and two others seemed upset, while the rest of the council were neutral if not mildly impressed. After a few minutes, she looked back at Logan with a soft smile.

“Mr Picani, you are officially granted your learner’s license. I hope when we see you again in a few months time, you will once more surprise us all.”

The crowd cheered and Logan nodded before walking away with a look of pride. As he made his way through the crowd, he received congratulations from many strangers. And then he was tackled to the ground by an enthusiastic brown-haired girl.

“You did it! You did it! I knew you could do it!”

“Everleigh, my ribs.” Logan wheezed, causing the girl to release him.

“Oops, sorry. My bad. Is your chest okay?”

“It’s fine.” Both youths got up with smiles on their faces. “I did it.”

“Yep. In a couple of months, you’re going to be an official grand wizard.”

“Considering I just got my learners, I don’t think I’ll reach such a title that quickly.”

“You just created a night sky in the palace ballroom! I think you’re underestimating yourself.”

Logan smiled softly, “Come on, we should head back to the bakery to celebrate.”

Everleigh nodded in agreement and linked their arms so they could walk side by side. As they walked, Everleigh excitedly told Logan about how incredible it had looked from the crowd, and what kind of reactions the people around her had had.

Logan was uncharacteristically grinning by the time they’d reached the bakery. Walking inside only made his smile widen as the smell of fresh bread and sweet pastries filled his senses. It was after all the smell of home, so of course, it made him feel warm and welcomed. His father, Emile Picani, was standing by the counter helping an elderly customer when Logan and Everleigh walked in.

“Thank you, dear.”

“Oh, I should be the one thanking you, Mrs Goldstone. The brownie recipe you gave me has become a bestseller.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Have a nice day dear.”

“To you as well, ma’am. Oh, Logan, Everleigh, you’re back. And smiling,” Emile gasped, “did you get it?”

“He’s a wizard!” Everleigh dramatically announced.

“Not yet, I still need to finish the second test in a couple of months. I do have a learners’ license though.”

“Well, I think this calls for some celebratory tarts,” Emile said, ushering both youths into the back of the shop where the Picani’s sitting room/kitchen was located. “I’m proud of you logan. That hard work really paid off.”

“Speaking of hard work, you are going to take a break, right?” Everleigh asked.

Logan looked away from her sheepishly. “Well…”

“Come on, Lo. You’ve been working hard non-stop for months.”

“Yeah, kid, you work with me in the bakery all day, then study well into the night. And don’t think I haven’t seen you pull an all-nighter here and there.” Emile chastised.

It was true that Logan had worked long hard to get to where he was. it wasn’t exactly a simple task when books on magic were hard to find, and what knowledge they had was even harder to grasp. Figuring out pronunciation for the initiation/sealing words and learning to keep his hand steady as he drew the runes.

It had taken him many long nights of studying by candlelight to figure out the spells he’d performed. But with Everleigh’s library apprenticeship and his own persistent nature, he’d managed to learn a good deal about the basics. And now it was paying off. He officially had a learner’s license and would get a chance to become a genuine wizard.

Then he could use magic to help so many of the villagers who couldn’t afford the high-priced assistance of other magicians. Medicinal potions? Enchanted prosthetics? Transition spells? He would be able to give all this and more at prices his peers could afford.

Logan knew that what he was doing seemed near impossible, but he was going to do it or die trying! …okay, so maybe Emile and Everleigh were valid in their concern for his health, but this was his best and only way to study magic.

Before Logan could argue this, however, a stranger walked into the bakery. He was tall and slender, with a bronze tan and confident bearing. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a clean white tunic, black trousers, and dark brown riding boots. His short curly hair was the same dark brown shade as the boots, and his eyes were hidden by black tinted glasses.

“New customer, how do you how do?”

The stranger smiled. “Hey there, gorgeous. Sorry but I’m not a customer today. Is this where Logan Picani lives?”

“Yes, that’s my son.”

“Son? No offence honey but you look too young and handsome to be a dad.”

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?” Logan asked, taking over the conversation for his blushing father.

“Ah, yeah, I’m here to offer you a very special opportunity on behalf of the crown prince.”

Logan and Emile gaped. “The crown prince?”

The stranger nodded. “My name is Remy Animosni, and on behalf of his highness, I’m here to extend an exclusive invitation to the Srednas Magic School.”

Logan frowned. “I wasn’t aware that there was a magic school here in Srednas.”

“Well, that’s because there wasn’t, not until now anyway. It’s something that the prince arranged to start this year with a few students to show how good it could be to the council. You particularly caught his interest today with your starry spellcasting, hence the personal invite. You would learn alongside six other students under me about everything there is to know concerning magic, from the full basics of spells to how you can modify your own enchantments.”

“That sounds incredible,” Emile said.

Remy nodded. “Yep, and not only that but you will be given your own room at the school and anything you may need or want during your stay will be provided by us, free of charge. The location of the school is just an hour out of town, so you could visit home on weekends if you desired. So how about it, kid?”

Logan was gobsmacked. The crown prince had not only seen him but was impressed enough to send an invitation to learn magic at a special new magic school.

“Wait, what do I have to do for the prince in return?”

“Absolutely nothing. The offer is completely free of any fees or deceptive dealings. I promise. The prince even sent this with me to make sure you could have physical proof if so desired.” Remy stated, producing a scroll from inside his jacket.

Emile and Logan both looked over the document and found no problems. It was a straightforward invitation for Logan to study magic at the prince’s new school, with promises to provide anything he could need while he was living at said school, and nothing more. The father and son shared a thoughtful glance. It was definitely an opportunity.

Emile smiled. “Do it.”

“Really? You think I should accept?”

“A chance like this only comes around once, and I can always hire someone if I need the help. Follow your dreams kiddo.” Emile said with an encouraging smile.

Logan bit his lip as he considered things. He really hadn’t thought today could get any better, then this happened. He was worried about leaving his dad, but Emile had told him to take this chance. And he was right about this being a once in a lifetime opportunity. Besides, Remy had said he could still visit the town on the weekends…

“Okay. I accept.”

---

A/N: thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this. I'll be posting two chapters a day until the full fic is up, so if you want to be tagged, you can just ask. [Also, here's a link to chapter 1]

I'd love to hear what you thought about the chapter if you wouldn't mind commenting. Thanks again for reading! Here's hoping you have a magical day 💜

[collectsfallenstars]

Gravity: A Summary of the Development of Jeong TaeEul’s Feelings for Lee Gon in “The King: Eternal Monarch (Part 3 of 3)

EPISODE 7

Back in her world, Jeong Tae-eul plunges into another murder case while still working on her last one.  Days, possibly weeks pass without any word from Lee Gon.  This is a long distance relationship taken to the extreme, without the comforts of technology to ease the longing.  Thankfully, she is kept busy by her work. However, during a quiet night at the precinct while filling out a form, she remembers their first meeting. She smiles and pulls out his old file.  It gives her a thrill to see “Name: Unknown, Date of Birth: Unknown, Address: Unkown, Contact: Unknown” because now, she knows all the answer to them.  She even tries to fill it out using his name, Lee Gon. She is affirming his existence, and it is now precious to her.  This is her missing him.

And then she deletes his file.  This is her going from soft and then back to her hard exterior. And Kim Goeun is absolutely wonderful here with the camera up close to her face, catching the minute her soft eyes turn sad, and then hard while she grits her teeth ever so lightly before pressing her lips in a tight line.  Jeong Tae-eul is all in in this relationship yes, but she’s still a pragmatist and hasn’t forgotten that they belong to different worlds.  And she is bracing herself for the tragedy she senses is just around the corner.

When he returns to her, she realizes how intense her feelings have become after their separation.

“HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR ME?”

She smiles at him when he asks how she’s been. The moment Lee Gon asks her if she waited for him, she gives him a different smile, a sadder one.  It was probably the exact moment when she realized she had been waiting for him.  And waiting for him meant she had been missing him all this time.  She probably never had time to think about it because she had been so busy with murder investigations in her world, and trying to solve the mystery of the unexplainable recordings she suspected was from his world.  And when she did have time to think of him, like that time in the precinct with his file, she would only allow herself a few moment of happiness, and them push them down.

So this is what it has come down to.  I hear a lot of people saying she went from hating him to suddenly running into his arms.  That isn’t the case as you can see.  All the development happened beneath the surface, behind the words that they were saying to each other.

After their reunion, they go on their fantasy everyday, normal life of a couple.  The have dinner, they have couple phones, they hold hands, they walk with his arm around her, she winds a teddy bear/stuffed lion for him in a shooting gallery – essentially, a date like normal couples do.  This is them stealing moments in time.  

As Lee Gon says on that fake phone call,

“I ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY THIS WITH YOU. CALL YOU ON THE PHONE. ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR DAY. TELL YOU I MISSED YOU.”  

This is them trying to cram in whatever happiness and sweetness they can to make whatever fate has in store for them a little more bearable.  

Keep in mind that although this was Jeong Tae-eul showing her softer side, she was still very much like herself. She didn’t turn into a mindless, giggly little doll.  She was a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to show it.  She got them the couple phones.  They went on a date that she thought of. She won the stuffed animal. She was the one who promised him the moon and stars if he asked them.  This is not typical k-drama female lead and it is very exciting to have an alternative image of femininity.  It’s a good thing Lee Gon’s ego is as big as it is, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to handle someone like Tae-eul.

But in true Jeong Tae-eul fashion, she moves from cool/sweet soft girlfriend to business-like detective.  She tells him she had been waiting for him as herself, but half of it she waited as her detective self.  They go back to her house and exchange information on their respective cases.  And he shares his theory that his power hungry uncle, Lee Lim, has been hiding in her world and building an army.  She confirms that a recording from one of her dead bodies is from his world. They agree to cooperate with each other for the sake of both their cases.  Now, when Lee Gon notes that this investigation will take her to even more dangerous ground now that they know it involves his world as well and Tae-eul replies,

“THIS WAS MY CASE BEFORE I EVEN MET YOU,” it does three things.

One, it reinforces the idea of fate.  Their first meeting at Gwanghwamun Square was not where they first began.  Things have been going on in both their lives that wound up putting them in each others’ paths long before they even met. As I said in a previous video of mine, that short meeting on the last 6 minutes of the first episode was deliberately put in last to show how the events of both their worlds have resulted in their fated meeting that night.  Everything that happened to them had to happen so that they would meet each other.  And it’s the same for Tae-eul with all the cases she had been getting before even meeting Lee Gon.

Second, and makes her realize that her murder investigation and his investigation into the treachery and treason of his uncle are inevitably tied to each other, the way she and Lee Gon are tied to each other.  They are each others’ answers to the mysteries they’re trying to solve. As Lee Gon said before, there must be a simple and beautiful formula for how she was involved in saving his life but he is sure that she’s the answer he has been looking for.  In the same manner, she could never solve the murders that have been falling into her lap without him and his world. He is also the answer to all the mysteries she is trying to solve.

Which brings us to the third point.  Her murder investigation and the evil plot his treasonous uncle are a mirror of their relationship.  And this realization plays an important part on why she told him she loved him in the very next episode.  When Tae-eul spoke of the dead bodies in her world coming from his world,

“THE TWO WORLDS SHOULDN’T GET MIXED UP LIKE THIS.  THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO STAY ON THEIR RESPECTIVE PATHS.  BUT, THE TWO WORLDS ARE ALREADY COLLIDING AND I’VE DISCOVERED IT.  SO WHAT ELSE COULD I DO? I DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE. I’M A POLICE OFFICER OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.”  

she might as well have been talking about the two of them.  This is very much a reflection of what she thinks about their relationship.  It shouldn’t be happening. But it did.  Like all the cross-world murders falling on her lap that she has to solve.  In the same manner that she can’t ignore them because it’s her job to solve them, she also can’t ignore this thing she has with Lee Gon.  Call it fate, destiny, gravity.  But there it is.  She’s a detective, she will solve murders, no matter how dangerous they become.  She is Jeong Tae-eul and she will love Lee Gon, because she is who she is. She is someone who would choose to love him, no matter how difficult things could get.  But then, she ends the statement with,

“I AM A POLICE OFFICER OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.”  

This is the equivalent of her seeing Lee Gon in his navy uniform with his imperial robes behind him.  She is reminding him that she is still planted firmly in her world, with her own responsibilities.  They may not be as big as his, but they’re just as important.  She can’t just leave everything and go live with him in his world.

As they enter into a new phase in their relationship, they are now faced with this conflict. Neither of them can just up and leave their world. So they made rules for each other, 2 from Lee Gon, and 17 and pending for Jeong Tae-eul, as a way to bargain with the universe. They’re trying to right the wrongs that have happened prior to them meeting. The only thing they’re asking is that the universe would let them them be together, for now.

The very fact that Lee Gon had only 2 rules and they were what they were is significant, and kind of true to their character. His two rules mean that his solution to their situation is to continue going back and forth between the two worlds. It would be this decision that will be challenged much later I suppose, when the gateway to both dimensions would eventually crack. But as for now, he has decided to split his world into two, a world of responsibility in the Kingdom of Corea, and the world where his only dream and desire resides, Republic of Korea where Jeong Tae-eul is.

Jeong Tae-eul plays it loose by beginning with 5 rules and a pending 13 more, making it up as she goes along.  And that’s essentially how she has always been since the beginning of the series. She starts with what she can confirm, what she can believe, and then change by adding or taking from it with every new information she gets as she goes along, just as what she did with Lee Gon.  Her route to a decision is circuitous, while Lee Gon’s is a straight line.

At this point, they’ve already solidified their relationship AND their plans to investigate murders and treason. And neither of them have told each other that they love each other.  Which bring us to the next episode.

EPISODE 8

They begin to share less screen time here as the reality of their two worlds and Lee Lim’s plans begin catching up to them. More of Lee Lim’s plot is revealed.  Jeong Tae-eul slowly begins to unravel their cases.  There is no time to cross worlds to go on dates.  And I suppose this is one of the major complaints of people – that they don’t spend enough time with each other.  At least long enough to give us heart fluttering moments.

Well, the thing is, two parallel worlds are about to collide into each other, there’s a barrier between worlds that freezes time on both sides in the number or seconds of frozen time keep rising, and in the meantime, people are disappearing and getting murdered.  We have here two characters who aren’t free to go on dates and flirt whenever they want.  You know, like actual adults with real world responsibilities.

But they have done the essentials of a relationship without even doing much of that.  They’ve learned each other’s way of thinking and haven’t tried to change each other.  They’ve learned how to empathize with each other, which wasn’t that hard considering they’re both emotionally strong people.  They’ve gotten to know each other.  She knows of his traumatic past that has shaped the kind of king he is now.  He knows of her girlhood dreams that have shaped the kind of detective she is now.

They’ve opened their eyes and assessed their impossible situation.  They reacted differently, talked it out, and arrived at the conclusion that decisions about the two of them should be made together.  They were able to do all that without going on “normal” dates.

She acknowledges how they have done everything in reverse, skipping over some parts and getting right to the nitty-gritty of a relationship that challenges the rules of the universe without even saying things to each other. That’s why she’s now backtracking, and trying to do things properly.

“IN THE BEGINNING, YOU ASK ABOUT EVERYTHING. WE JUST SKIPPED TOO MANY THINGS.”

The only thing left to do, really, is to make it official. To say the words. And even that feels anti-climactic, knowing that everything she has shown him surely let him know how she feels already.   And even if he hadn’t literally said the words I love you to her, his entire existence and crossing over to her world was an entire love letter to her. So she knew it was her who had to say it first, just to be as clear, as he always had been with her.  

And ultimately, this is what attracts me to her as a viewer.  She’s a strong-willed, independent, no nonsense woman.  And she’s the same, even in matters of love.  She doesn’t suddenly turn into a blushing 13 year old who doesn’t know what to with her feelings.  She had doubts about Lee Gon even if something was brewing between them.  When the doubts were are dispelled, she dealt with how she felt with him. And when she understood that she loved him, whether by fate or her own decision, she told him.  There was no teenage angst of wondering who should say it first, no annoying ancient mindfucks of men should always do the chasing.  True to her form and character, Jeong Tae-eul felt it, so then she had to say it. It was that simple.  Their situation was complicated enough. There was no need to

So she goes to see him before a stake out on a beautiful sunlit afternoon.  There’s nothing more poignant than verbalizing a hopeless love with a slowly setting sun in the background.

She begins it with a string of questions of “What if”?  It is her way of questioning the role of human choices when fate is at play.  Lee Gon insists that no matter what she would have done, he would still have fallen in love with her.  It was his fate to love her.  It mirrors what she’s thinking in the voice over that would come next.

She had tried to deny the existence of his world, his feelings for her, and his own very existence.  They had all turned out to be true and she had found herself unexplainably drawn into his life. And she couldn’t pull away, even if she had tried.  So she had arrived at the same conclusion as well.  It was also her fate to love him.

“IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO REALIZE THIS. WHEN IT’S FATE, THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES.  YOUR FATE IS DETERMINED BY THE CHOICES YOU MAKE, BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOUR FATE CHOOSES YOU.”

And the thing is, she has never lost track of how dire their circumstances are.   She’s fallen in love with her eyes wide open. That’s why, as she walked back to her car, her internal monologue ran,

“THINGS THAT ARE BOUND TO HAPPEN ARE TAKING PLACE EVEN AT THIS MOMENT. I WAS STRUCK WITH A SAD PREMONITION THAT THIS WILL BE SHORT-LIVED, BUT I DECIDED TO LOVE MY FATE THAT CHOSE ME.”

This gut feeling that she has about their love being short-lived didn’t come out of nowhere. Once the murders and treason are solved, they would have to go back to their own lives and worlds, if they don’t die while trying to solve them.  At this point in time, she knows she won’t leave her world, and he won’t leave his. She knows heartbreak is waiting for her. And the audience knows too, that if one of them do decide to give up their world, it will create ripples in both timelines, which will no doubt affect them. At every turn, there is heartbreak waiting for them.

That’s why she told him she loved him.  She knows every moment they spend could be their last and what was the point of feeling all that love, if she wasn’t going to say it out loud? So, she said it.  In the most unromantic tone possible. 

“I LOVE YOU.”  

And then, Paul Kim’s “Dream” swells in the background.  The first two lines say it all, “You are my dream. You are my love.”  Because for the longest time, she was all he ever dreamed about.  And here she was, finally, telling him and showing him that in loving him, she was surrendering to her fate.  But in choosing to surrender to it, she also makes it clear, that it was also a decision on her part.

It took 8 episodes to hand him this gift in small, measly little parts.  Theirs was never going to be a love with murder in the background to prevent people from being saturated with sweetness. Theirs was a love that had to bloom in the dark. Their love had to find little spaces in between murders, parallel worlds, and evil plots.  The long wait between encounters gives them a sense of urgency, allowing them to dispose of games people play in love and just simply be loving towards each while dead bodies pile up and gateways to other worlds collapse around them.  It was an optimal situation for two people who speak plainly, who say what they want to say and mean it. No words are wasted between the two them.  Because if their fate is to steal moments in time for them to be together, then there’s really no point

in playing games, pretending to be coy, giving chase, and other expected k-drama behavior between couples.  It was also never a journey about discovering how they fell in love with each other and realizing that they were in love.  It’s going to be about finding that love and what they’re going to do with it, when murder, treason, an ambitious Prime Minister, powerful magical flutes, parallel worlds, and time challenge that love.  

That’s why the love confession happens early on in the middle of the series. The next 8 episodes would then be used to hammer at that love, testing how far it can go and how much it can withstand.

Hopefully, this helps those who are still confused as to how Jeong TaeEul’s character develops romantic feelings for Lee Gon and why she had to verbalize them on the 8th episode.

[azulamakesmeblank]

After [Kataang Oneshot]

GENRE: fluff, slice of life (?) 2 years post series

PAIRING: kataang

SUMMARY: Sitting atop the Jasmine Dragon during sunset, Katara and Aang talk about this, that, and what their life together will be like.

ahhh, I haven��t written anything for kataang in months. Motivation is hard to come by, especially with everything going on recently. I hope you are all keeping safe! This is just a random Drabble I wrote for the dialogue prompt “whatever we do now, we’ll do together” so kindly suggested by @painted-in-ink - thank you!!!

Me from the future in 2023 redacts my previous statement of not being happy with this, because this is my favourite fic I’ve ever written, I don’t even remember writing it but I know it was during the first covid lockdown and i’m pretty sure I blacked out during the process lol hope anyone reading enjoys this plotless little story!

Happiness came in many forms and every person felt the emotion differently. Aang couldn’t be sure how Katara felt happiness though he hoped that somewhere along the line she’d come to see him as a reason to feel happiness, just as he had come to see her that way. Airbending made him happy, as did custard tarts, fully realising that both those things were in no way like the other. He felt true happiness in his heart now that the war was over and believed his friends must feel that way too; a commonality between them, so to speak. He also felt happy now sitting atop the roof of the Jasmin dragon, watching how the sun slowly dipped beneath the horizon and washed the Earth kingdom city below in an orange glow. If he turned around he would no doubt be able to see the white stars speckling navy that was slowly but surely spilling across the sky like a puddle of ink. The last rays of sunlight kissed the edges of every fluffy cloud and made them blush a dusty rose, everything about the sunset scene resembling that of a painting. If he turned his head to the side, then he’d see the most beautiful painting of all. Sometimes Aang found himself marvelling over the fact Katara looked so prisitine, so angelic, like a sculpture crafted from ice, devoid of any imperfection, and she was his girlfriend by some crazy, unexplainable twist of fate - one he was not going to argue with any time soon.

“I can see why you like sitting up here,” she whispered as quiet as the breeze. “It makes everything seem so... small. Like the war.”

“Well, the war’s over,” came Aang’s reply, not just as quiet but carrying the same kind of soft tone that conveyed calmness. Calmness that what he said actually was true. The war was over and had been for almost two years. “But I get what you mean. It’s like every tiny problem we’ve ever had, any trouble we’ve faced, it just doesn’t matter up here.”

“Mm,” she nodded in agreement, the chocolate waves of her hair blowing gently in the wind and also through the orange fabric of his robes. Everything was serene and at peace, they had nothing to think about today except what they wanted to eat for dinner, and that was the kind of relaxation neither of them wanted to take for granted. With push came pull, with light came darkness, and with good came bad - it was almost inevitable that while revelling in the joy that engulfed their hearts, their mind would prod at the possibility of everything going to shit again. After the trials they’ve been through, they couldn’t ignore the notion in their heads that, some day, things could get bad again and sitting on the roof of the jasmine dragon, watching the sunset would be a moment of happiness forgotten, a privilege they no longer possessed. They didn’t have to voice it, though. All that would do was ruin the mood and Katara didn’t really want to put a damper on things. She instead decided to scoot closer to her boyfriend and simply lay her head on his shoulder just as the golden glowing orb disappeared completely beneath the horizon, a slight chill carrying the breeze now that night time was fast approaching. “Wanna go soon? it’s getting chilly,” shivered Katara for emphasis while wrapping her arms around his and leaning into his body heat. She felt him shake his head, a slight chuckle spilling from his lips.

“You literally grew up in a house made of ice.”

“It’s not like i’ve been spending any of my time there anymore. I’m not used to the cold,” she countered, thinking of the south pole, though, oddly, not missing it. She’d grown to like the warm weather so much more, the change of the seasons, the grass, the mud, streams she could dip her toes into without fearing they’d fall off afterwards. Most of all, she’d grown to like the nomad life style that Aang slipped into so easily. 

“...Maybe you should go home for a while, visit the tribe? I’m sure they miss you and Sokka, it’s been a long time since you last saw them,” Aang suggested. The feel of her head softly shaking a no almost made him stop talking, and he pulled back slightly to look down at her in question, watching as a small almost nostalgic smile pulled at her blush stained lips.

“Aang, the south pole isn’t home to me... it hasn’t been for a long time. Besides, they’ve got their own lives now - just like i have my own life, with you.”

At her last two words Aang felt a swell in his heart, the beat skipping not once but twice, and that was nothing compared to the pure love and adoration swimming in her eyes, staring up at him, the blue depths drowning him more and more with every passing second. “You don’t miss them?”

“Yeah, i do, but... i’d miss everyone here way more if i did go,” she shrugged, intertwining their fingers together as she spoke, her thumb stroking mindless patterns over the back of his hand, “If i did go, you’d stay with me, right?”

Aang nodded, a playful smile quickly taking over his face, “I’d even take you penguin sledding again.”

“We’re definitely too old for that now, Aang.” she giggled, bright enough to light up the now dusk space surrounding them, “Also have you seen yourself lately?” she asked, a teasing tone to her voice as she pulled back and dragged her eyes up and down the length of him, making Aang look down at himself in bemusement, a nervous breath slipping from his lips as he wondered just what her pointed look could even mean, the teasing way she was staring at him now shaking the butterflies in his stomach to life.

“I- What do you mean?”

Like his reply was absolutely ridiculous, she kissed her teeth, voice dropping an octave. “Aang.” Katara dead-panned.

“What?!” 

“You’re like- gigantic, Aang! You’d crush the poor thing!”

“I’m not-? I’m not fat?!” he pulled back, his hand ripping from her soft one and his frantic hands patting down the expanse of his lean frame making her laugh loud enough for the people walking along the street to hear and look up, none surprised to see the Avatar sitting up there.

“You’re not fat, silly!” She managed to get out with a slap to his leg, “You’re like a head taller than me now! And not to mention all the muscle,” she said with the raise of her eyebrow, poking one of Aang’s biceps and causing a deep, crimson blush to rise on the apples of his cheeks, his eyes comically wide and still keeping Katara’s laughs coming. She was highly amused at how shocked Aang seemed to be that he didn’t look like a little kid anymore. Then again, Katara was shocked at how much she’d changed in the past two years. Its hard to notice change when it’s you who’s changing. Amused, she watched as he felt his own arm for a while, poking and prodding, flexing and un-flexing, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise though the smile on his face only grew wider the more the realisation sunk in - oh no, Katara thought, now he’s gonna get all cocky about it. 

“That’s pretty cool...” he grinned smugly back at Katara who rolled her eyes playfully, “Hey, you’re the one who brought it up.” he chastised half-heartedly, a smirk on his lips.

“No, you brought up going back to the south pole, not me,” she corrected and almost stubbornly took his hand again before leaning herself against him, the nippy breeze still something she wanted to shield herself from, and his body heat was the quickest way to do that. Aang obviously didn’t complain. “Still... i don’t think i wanna go back any time soon.”

“Well, if you ever do, you know you can just tell me and we’ll go.”

“I know.”

There was a comfortable silence that passed soon after and their eyes both settled on the horizon that was gradually changing from a dark shade of orange, to an almost teal, a light navy and then a midnight blue, the moon a crescent tonight and hanging beautifully above their heads. Looking down upon the stone streets, it was clear that the tea shop residing below them was still open, not only by the customers walking in and out but by the warm glow of fire spalying out across the paths, wonderfully contrasting the dark. They watched that horizon line until the sky above was monotone and speckled with twinkling silver, an almost hypnotising sight if it weren’t for the drop in temperature that not even Aang’s body heat could shield Katara from. “Now can we go inside?”

He must have been in a daze since she felt him startle slightly at her words and that idea was entirely endearing to her. When she lifted her head to look at him, she felt herself enraptured by how the street lamps and the stars reflected off his eyes - it was in such a way that made her want to stay up here all night, despite the cold. “Sure, but um, i was thinking and... well...”

He’d been deeply lost in thought for that moment of silence. Of what they’d been through, what they’d done and how they’d grown together. How much he loved her. How much small moments like this meant to him and how he wanted them to last forever. Sometimes Katara would tease him for making a big cheesy statement when they were together, however the girl found herself looking forward to it since the older he got, the less he allowed himself to succumb to all the fluffy and teeth rottingly sweet declarations he so badly wanted to give to her. Part of Katara worried that her constant teasing actually got to him more than he let on and thats exactly why she urged him forward now, noticing his nervous stature. Nerves over nothing, she mused, since what he was going to say would most likely be the simplest thing in the world. Wanting him to continue, she tilted her head at him. “What is it?” 

He sighed. Aang didn’t want to run the risk of being too serious too soon, but he had to admit that when he thought of the future, he could see nothing except the one who held his heart in her hands, the very girl who sat by his side now, staring at him expectantly - desperately he hoped that look would never leave her eyes. “It’s just... you asked if i’d stay with you and... i will. Not only if you wanna go to the south pole, or the market, or anywhere else on the planet, but... always, okay?” he took both her hands in his and squeezed, turning to face her fully, and it was like her figure acted as a beacon of light in the dark. “I know i’m being all mushy, you can laugh if you want,” he chuckled softly and heard the light hearted giggle of her own, “I just really hope you’ll stay with me, too, Katara.”  

At his last words, she softened. Cheesy or not, he was everything and more to the girl. She had thoughts much like his - the difference was that Aang had the guts to say them out loud, and she would forever be grateful. “Of course, sweetie,” she smiled brightly, squeezing his hand right back to which the corners of Aang’s lips tugged upward in a toothy grin that shone with some kind of relief, the featherlight feeling of happiness making both their hearts sing a symphony that would be sung until the end of their days. “Whatever we do now, we’ll do together.”