#I really like her expression here so i kinda wanted to try capturing that + practice my rendering skills

[cacturnia]

ursula study(?💥💥💥

[hgfictionwriter]

Revelations: Part Twelve (and Epilogue)

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: Jessie and you continue to reconnect, and Jessie works out some lingering feelings about you being with other people. Then, a brief snapshot into the future that you and Jessie fought so hard for.

Warnings: G!P smut. Dry humping. Clothed sex. Premature ejaculation. Oral (r receiving). Teasing. Very possessive sex. Marking. Rough fucking. J going from kinda subby to kinda soft dom-ish?? Language.

A/N: You didn't think I'd end the series without one more chapter of smut (and tying up loose ends), did you? Rest of the series is here.

You stirred from your sleep, becoming vaguely aware of the heat radiating from the body wrapped up against you.

Jessie.

A smile crossed your face instinctively and you cuddled into her further.

When you opened your eyes, the room was still pitch black. As you quietly took her form in in the darkness, you were filled with a sense of gratefulness and awe at her simply being here.

This wasn't a dream or a wish. She was well and truly here and she was supposed to be. It wasn't a chain reaction from a drunken night and a temporary, forbidden escape. You two were trying again.

Officially.

She belonged here with you. You with her.

You remembered the first night you spent together. How it felt waking up and seeing her next to you. You had to stifle a laugh at the memory. She'd been so awkward and cute. She'd given you a wide berth in bed the night before; you hadn't slept together, she was simply spending the night. She was overly polite and considerate, blushing possibly the deepest shade of red you'd seen from her as you cuddled in to sleep.

In the morning, you remembered her laying stiffly, apparently waiting patiently for you to wake up, afraid to move and disturb your sleep. How she then beamed with nervous, giddy energy as soon as she realized you were awake. You remembered how she eagerly accepted you into her arms that time as you sleepily cuddled in.

During those first months together, you couldn't believe how much you liked her. How deeply you'd fallen. It was unlike anything you'd experienced before. As your relationship grew, so did your love for her. By the time you were engaged, both excitedly planning your wedding, your life together - before your world was shaken to its core - you couldn't possibly imagine loving her any more than you already did.

Yet here you were - watching her quietly in the dark, her expression soft and peaceful, the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slept - and the love you felt for her was somehow transformed and impossibly deeper.

Loving her in a way you only could after losing her and finding her once again.

You found yourself blinking back tears as you reflected on all of this. You couldn't help but wrap your arm around her and pull yourself in. You needed to be closer to her right now.

Her breathing subtly changed and you felt her begin to stir. She let out the sweetest moan as she slowly woke from her sleep.

She opened her eyes, blinking several times and taking you in. A slow smile crossed her face, but she frowned as well.

"Are you okay, baby?" She asked, her voice muffled with sleep. You nodded against her and gave her a long kiss she belatedly returned as she continued to wake.

You nodded as you pulled back, wondering if she could see your burgeoning tears in the dark or not.

"Hey," she whispered as her frown deepened and a hand came up to rest on your cheek. "What's going on?"

You smiled wistfully at her and gave a subtle shake of your head.

"Nothing. I'm just really happy," you told her quietly. "I love you so much and I'm so grateful you're here."

Jessie cracked a sleepy grin and leaned in to capture your lips in a kiss.

"I love you, too. And I feel the same," she said as she pulled back, now idly caressing your cheek with her thumb. Her expression grew somber a few moments later though. "I don't ever want to lose you again."

You pulled yourself tighter into her and kissed her. "You won't."

She let out the faintest moan as she kissed you back, her arm wrapping tighter around your waist.

"I couldn't live without you again," she told you, lips brushing against yours before she kissed you once more.

Between her moan, her words, her kiss and her body wrapped around yours, your core began to pulse with need. Desire and a need for intimacy and connection began to quickly rise within you.

Maybe it was the lingering haze of sleep. Maybe it was the veil of darkness around you. Maybe it was just her and what she did to you. But whatever mindfulness you'd possessed was steadily falling away and your unfiltered impulses made themselves known.

"Behave yourself and you won't need to," you whispered, a lilt in your voice as you kissed her deeper and your hand wandered down her back and under her shirt. She released a breathy moan into your kiss as her fingers curled into the fabric of your shirt.

"I'll be good for you," she promised in a heady whisper as she allowed her own hands to begin to wander. You moaned softly into her mouth as her fingers pushed up under your shirt. You could feel her beginning to grow firm against you already, within the shorts you'd lent her.

"Mm," you voiced as you rolled your hips against her burgeoning hardness. You leaned forward, taking her earlobe between your teeth and flicking your tongue across it. You smiled at how she shuddered in your embrace.

"I can't stop thinking about last time," you whispered into her ear while you purposefully ground yourself against her, relishing how quickly she was aroused. "The absolute best sex of my life."

She inhaled sharply and her fingers dug into your skin as she now began to subtly grind herself against you.

"God, you have no idea how wet I get thinking about it," you went on, feeling her jaw drop, her face flush against yours. "How many times I've made myself cum since then just reliving it in my head. Remembering how good it felt to have your hands on me, your lips, and, God, the feel of your cock inside me. Fucking me so good."

"Oh God," Jessie said, voice already shaky as she clung to you. "Fuck, babe," she nearly whimpered. "It felt so fucking good to be inside you. How tight you hug my cock. The way you move. The way you sound." She shuddered at the recollection, her hand now coming to your ass and pressing you fully against her hardened cock as she rut against you through your clothes.

"I love when you get hard for me," you praised as you hooked a leg around her and shifted you both so she was on top of you, your legs wrapped around her and her stiff cock prodding your entrance through her shorts and yours.

"Fuck," Jessie nearly grunted as she ground herself against you. "You're the only one who makes me like this. You drive me fucking feral."

You let out a pleased chuckle as your hands ran up and down her body.

"Please, baby," she pleaded softly as she grabbed your hands, lacing together your fingers with hers and pinning them to the bed. She leaned down and kissed your neck. "I need you."

"Do you?" You teased as you rolled your hips in time with hers to enhance the friction. She let out a muffled moan against your neck.

"I really fucking do," she whined as her restrained cock stroked against you rhythmically, desperate for more. You moaned, your heat pooling with want, but your desire to draw things out and push her to the edge was stronger.

"I'm not sure you do," you told her and her chest rumbled in complaint.

"My cock staining the inside of your shorts and straining to push inside of you isn't enough?" She asked.

"No," you answered simply as you continued to tease her.

She let out a pained moan while giving a particularly pronounced roll of her hips, her member pressing into you as much as it could with the barriers between you, but eliciting a moan from you nonetheless.

"Please, baby," she whined further, her pace picking up. "I'm so hard. I need you. I can't wait longer."

"I thought you said you'd wait for me," you said as you freed your hands from hers and caressed her body. She gave another pained sound and you felt her muscles tensing under your touch.

"I'm trying," she said, her voice high with need. She was close. You ground yourself against her aching member and she flexed above you. Her breathing grew quick and ragged.

"God, I want you," she whimpered. "I need to be inside you."

You kissed her hungrily, moaning fully into it and knowing what that would do to her. You clutched her to you and rubbed yourself into her with renewed need and purpose.

Her breathing hitched and her muscles of her back twitched as she rut into you and whimpered further.

"Y/N-" Her tone was urgent, a gasp cutting her plea short. She swallowed and wrapped her hands under your body, hugging you tightly against her, nearly holding you off the bed as she tried to pump into you. "I'm gonna-"

A high moan got caught in her throat as she ground against you firmer and held herself there, her body tensing up in your arms. She drew her hips back and drove against you once more, another muffled groan falling from her lips.

"Oh fuck," she whimpered, her voice shaky. You could feel her cock twitching against you even with the clothes between you.

Her body grew lax atop you, though she held herself up enough to not weigh on you too much. Her shoulders rose high and quick with each sharp breath as she lay in the wake of her orgasm.

Your hands roamed across her body in appreciation. Her head rolled against yours and she groaned.

"You're such a tease," she complained, still working to catch her breath. She nipped at your neck. "So mean."

You chuckled, very pleased with yourself. You reached down and shifted enough so you could push your hand between your bodies and under the waistband of her shorts.

"Mm," she voiced, more in complaint than anything. "Babe, it's going to be such a mess." She exhaled against your neck, sending a new wave of goosebumps across your body. "I'll clean up."

You held her in place and wandered further down. Sure enough, your fingers were met with a heavy load of hot, sticky cum plastered against her skin and staining the shorts. Your core pulsed even stronger than before and you moaned in appreciation.

"Now I really know how much you wanted me," you told her as you began to stroke her softening cock. Your fingers curled into the crown of her head as she moaned at your touch.

You worked your way up and down her length, using her cum and lubricant to massage her. You bit your lower lip in need as she began to grow firm once more in your grasp. Your hips involuntarily ground up against her, your core absolutely dripping wet by now.

"Mm," she voiced as she arched over you, her hands balling into fists as you worked her to full arousal once more. She slowly rocked her hips, thrusting languidly into your hand. She rolled her head back and forth, eyes closed in lust before nuzzling into your neck. "You fucking own me."

Your motions stilled, a pulse going through your whole body as you tensed. Your walls fluttered at her words. Still.

"I don't own you, Jessie," you told her as you began your movements once more. "But I do want you. And need you. And love you. And choose you."

A soft noise worked its way up her throat and she thrust into your waiting hand with a deeper stroke in response. You guided her head up with your free hand to kiss her slowly.

"I don't own you. But you know I love the thought of you being mine." You pulled her lower lip between your teeth and gave a tug. "But you're always free to leave. You're your own person."

"I'm not leaving. Being away from you is the hardest thing I've ever had to do," she affirmed as she returned a kiss, moving it from soft and slow, to hard and purposeful. "I'm yours."

Her cock was now fully hard. You pumped your fist over the head, focusing your efforts there, your thumb teasing the tip.

"Then show me," you invited.

A shaky moan emanated from her throat as she immediately pulled herself upright, shifting onto her knees and looking down at you with an intensity that made you throb.

She whipped her shirt off and shimmied back to push your tainted shorts down and off her legs, her rock hard cock springing up as she got rid of the constraining material.

Next her hands worked over you in a frenzy. Nearly ripping your shirt off, flinging it carelessly off the bed before pulling your own shorts down in urgent desperation along with your underwear that was surely soaked.

She inhaled deeply, sitting back on her heels as your scent filled the room. She pushed your legs apart, you moaning at the gesture as she dipped her head down and dragged her tongue up your slit, your excess of arousal pooling on her tongue as she flicked up past your clit.

"Fuck, baby," she said after she swallowed, wiping her face only to reveal a wicked grin. "You are dripping."

"I fucking know," you said with smirk as you gave her shoulder a teasing push. "You were really fucking hot."

She made a small noise before dipping her head back down and lapping at you again, her tongue travelling easily through your folds.

"Mmm," she voiced in appreciation as she swallowed once more. "God, you're so good." Your hands came to the sides of her head and she turned to kiss your palm before delving back into you.

"Jesus Christ, Jess," you moaned as your fingers dug into through her unruly hair.

She released your throbbing clit from her mouth and looked up at you with a devilish smirk. "Never mind the fact that you're the only girl on this entire planet that could make me cum in my shorts. You drive me fucking crazy, baby."

She settled herself back down onto the mattress, making herself at home between your legs. She wrapped her arms under your thighs and gave a strong tug, pulling you down the mattress and further into her mouth.

"Oh fuck," you whimpered as waves of pleasure were already beginning to radiate from your core.

With all of the build up and anticipation, along with way Jessie always knew exactly how to please you, it wasn't long before your legs began to shake around her head and you clawed at the sheets below you, clutching bundles of the material into your fists as she licked and sucked you to your peak.

She climbed back up the bed, wiping her mouth and grinning down at you.

"Clear that I'm yours yet?" She asked as she kissed you.

You lazily shook your head, still reeling from your orgasm. You offered her a crooked smile.

"No, not yet."

"I thought you might say that," she said with a smirk as she sat between your legs, back on her heels, knees wide to position her hot, firm member at your entrance.

She rocked her hips forward, pushing the head of her cock through your folds and over your sensitive clit. Your legs bowed out wider, inviting her in and you let out a small noise as you buried the back of your head into the pillow.

She pushed down on her cock with her fingers to add friction and pressure over your clit as she thrust back and forth across it. The wet sounds each motion made had you throbbing all over again.

"Who's needy now?" She asked with a smug smirk, her lips parted as she breathed through her own arousal.

"I am," you confessed though a smile slowly spread across your face. "But we promised not to lie - you're needy too, baby."

"Mm," she moaned in agreement as she continued to rock herself along your slit. Your wetness continued to grow at the silhouette of her physique and sensual movements. "I do need you."

You reached down and wrapped your fingers around her length. She continued her thrusts, removing her own hand and allowing your control. You guided her down to your dripping entrance and tugged at her waist with your free hand. You pulled her down into a kiss and she slipped inside of you as she did so, both of you gasping at the sensation.

She exhaled heavily, tilting her head down and resting it against your shoulder. She remained sheathed inside of you to the hilt, her hips flush against yours.

"Jesus Christ," she murmured. "You feel so incredible every time."

You stayed conjoined for several moments, her cock stretching you and filling you in the most amazing way. Your hands tenderly caressed and explored her body. She remained still inside your heat.

She began laying slow, lingering kisses all along your chest, collarbone, your neck as her hands began to roam and worship you.

"I want you," she said longingly as she kissed her way up neck, her hand coming up to hold the side of your face.

"You have me," you told her, feeling breathless somehow even though she'd hardly started.

"Do I?" She asked as she tilted her head to kiss you long and slow on the lips. She thumbed your cheekbone tenderly. She rest her forehead against yours and her other hand nestled between your bodies until her thumb was on your clit. She circled it. "You've been fucking other women." She sealed her declaration with a hard kiss.

You hadn't expected that, but something about her tone made your heat flutter around her length. You dug your fingers into her sides.

"I'm yours," you told her unequivocally. You brought your hands up to caress her face as you kissed her.

Jessie hummed low and deepened your kiss, now finally drawing her hips back, the feeling drawing a gasp out of you. She thrust back into you to the hilt once more.

"I'm yours, Jess," you repeated as you rock your hips into her, trying to encourage her to move. She exhaled heavily and drew back before driving home once more, a small cry escaping you this time.

"Baby, please," you pleaded as you writhed underneath her, begging in more ways than one. "I need you."

She maintained her resolve, allowing you to wriggle and move, her thumb still slowly teasing your clit, but not fucking you the way you needed.

"This pussy is yours, Jess," you said.

That seemed to be the key. Jessie’s whole body tensed up atop of you and her chest rumbled with a low groan. She gave you searing kiss, before shifting quickly, planting her forearms next to your body and drawing her hips back before sinking deep into you. She didn’t stop this time though, instead immediately drawing out and pumping back into you right away, establishing a hard and fast rhythm that immediately had your bed knocking against the wall with every thrust.

You gasped at the sudden stimulation, tilting your head back, mouth agape before a low, delayed moan escaped your throat. She dipped her head down and immediately latched onto your throat, sucking and nipping at you possessively.

You could be mad about the hickeys later. Right now? It was fuelling some deep-seated need of yours. Your head was dizzy with desire and the way Jessie was fucking you fully invited you to lean in and forgot all inhibitions.

“Fuck,” you whined. “I belong to you.”

You gasped once more as she sucked particularly hard on your neck and began fucking you more roughly, the sound of your headboard banging louder against the wall.

She clutched you closer, one hand coming to cradle the side of your head as she began to kiss along your jawline until her lips brushed against your ear, her breath hot and heavy and adding another layer of arousal.

“I can’t stand the thought of you under someone else,” she whispered in a low voice.

You moaned deep in your throat at her claim and dug your nails into her back.

You’d always found it hot when Jessie was possessive with you. But the way she was speaking and acting now was a whole other level. It had you aching and throbbing anew.

You wanted more.

“Sometimes on top,” you panted, venturing to spark a further response from her.

Her reaction was immediate. She growled roughly in your ear and you felt her muscles tense up under your hands as she began to flex more powerfully above you, pounding you harder into the bed. The mattress bowed beneath you with each thrust and you were helpless to do anything other than gasp and mewl as she pumped in and out of you, her breath ragged in your ear.

When she lifted her head to look down at you, it took you a moment to comprehend in the haze of your lust, but you saw her eyes shimmer in the dim light of the room.

You were clutching onto her sides like a lifeline, but you unlatched one hand to rest it on her face. Your body struggled with the conflicting concern for her and the overwhelming physical sensations she was sending through you.

“Baby, I’m sorry,” you said, your mind unable to offer more in the moment.

“Don’t be sorry,” she said, voice curt and short of breath. “Just be mine.” She picked up her pace as if in emphasis and you buried the back of your head into the pillow, biting your lips in response.

You took a breath and nodded rapidly. You tugged her down, her rushing to meet you at your beckon and you kissed passionately until you had to break for air.

“You’re the only one,” you told her adamantly as you locked eyes with her. You pulled her in again, speaking through your kiss. “I promise. There’s no one else for me.”

She whimpered into the kiss, her rhythm faltering for a split second as she got caught up in the emotion. You caressed her and kissed her deeper.

“And nobody could fuck me like you do. Believe me, you’ve ruined this pussy for anyone else,” you said.

She let out a hitched moaned and she reached up, her fingers running through your hair before gripping it into a balled fist and tugging just enough to make you gasp and clutch her tighter.

“I feel like I was made for you,” she declared. You gripped her ass and pulled her in deeper, eliciting a faint grunt from her. "I want you forever," she panted.

"Jess," you moaned. She tugged your hair tighter.

"I want my name to be the only one on your lips," she breathed into your kiss.

You moaned anew as she suddenly wrapped her arms around you and she sat back onto her heels, pulling you with her as she remained buried in you. Your legs quivered as you wrapped them around her waist as she began to drive up into you again as you sat in her lap.

You let your head fall back, your eyes settling on the ceiling once more and she peppered kisses along your chest. Her fingers dug into you as she lifted you up and down on her cock, you hardly able to keep up.

You whined helplessly as she pumped into you. Slick, wet noises filled the darkened room punctuated by the sound of her hips slamming into you. Your hands wandered down her arms, back and chest in desperation, nails clawing into her skin. She let out a moan of satisfaction.

"Mark me up, baby. Show me I'm yours," she murmured as she continued to lay kisses along your chest. She hissed as you allowed yourself to dig in especially hard up her sides and along her ribs. She finished with a breathy chuckle and sucked hard on the skin of your chest, marking you further as well.

You looked down at her to see her now gazing up at you unwaveringly.

"You're so gorgeous," she said. "My sexy, beautiful girl."

"I'm not going to last much longer," you said with a whine as you dug your fingers through her hair. She smiled.

"Then let go," she told you. "I want you cumming on my cock."

"Yes, baby," you affirmed.

"Just make sure it's the only cock you cum on from now on," she warned in a low tone.

"Make sure I'm the only girl you fuck and knock up from now on and we won't have a problem," you countered teasingly, holding her gaze.

She didn't break her rhythm as she stared steadily at you, her eyes dark. You nearly squealed as she suddenly threw you both forward onto the bed, you on your back once more. She bounced her hips off of you, pulling out to the tip before driving back home with such intensity that your legs shook and your cries filled the room with every thrust.

Your mind was in a complete daze, your body entirely overstimulated as your core began to pulse and spasm around her cock.

"Ah, Jesus Christ," she nearly hissed as you tightened around her continuously. A muffled moan caught high in her throat before she slammed home and buried herself, pushing her hips as flush against your core as she could. Her noises evolved into a low groan as she began to twitch inside of you, dumping her cum deep inside your heat.

She rut into you a few times, a low grunt marking each motion before she let herself fall slack on you with a deep exhale.

Your mouth was open as your chest heaved up and down while you tried to catch your breath. She turned her head to kiss your cheek, her lips lingering. Her hand slowly and gently began to run through your hair as you two lay together.

"Was that a 'yes'?" You managed to say a while later.

"Hm?" She asked sleepily.

"That I'm the only girl," you prompted.

She recalled your demand with a low moan and an appreciative chuckle.

"1000%."

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Epilogue

Three years later

"Can we watch a movie?" Zoie asked hopefully as you both walked through the front door of the house you and Jessie purchased together a couple of years ago.

You placed your hands on your hips and gave her a mild look coupled with a smirk. "You know the drill. Homework first. Then, yes, we can watch whatever you like."

"Are we still making mama her birthday cake tonight?" She asked excitedly in what was probably meant to be a whisper, but was only half successful. You held a finger to your lips and stifled a laugh. She clasped both hands over her mouth as her eyes darted past you.

"Yes," you replied quietly as you took a quick look over your shoulder to see Jessie still grabbing things out of the car. "After she leaves for dinner with auntie Janine." Zoie gave a series of rapid nods of her head.

You heard Jessie's steps coming up the path. You spoke normally again.

"If you want to watch the movie with mama before she goes, you better get started on your homework," you said gently as you placed your hands on her shoulders and lightly turned her around towards the hall.

She was nearly nine now, and although her hair had lightened some to look more like Sara's, her physique and height was still very much like Jessie's.

"I finished my math homework in class," she relayed very nonchalantly - she had Jessie's scientific brain as well. "I just have to finish my book report. I'm nearly done though!" She said over her shoulder as she took a couple of steps before turning back to you. "Can you read it over for me when I'm done?" She asked.

"Course, sweetie," you told her as you put your jacket away. "Oh. Lunch bag," you said as you held out your hand to her. "I don't want another science experiment surprise."

She laughed and swung her backpack around to retrieve her lunch bag and hand it to you.

The screen door opened and Jessie stepped in, precariously balancing an arm load of groceries.

"Good one, Zo," she said as she nodded to the lunch box as she slipped off her shoes. "No more science experiments."

Zoie made a face teasingly. "You guys sound the same."

"Great minds think alike," Jessie teased back.

"'Kay, go on, hon," you said with a nod towards the hallway. You glanced over at Jessie who gave you a barely concealed smile. "Oh, and we have a little gift for you in your room. But you have to come out here with us in the living room to open it."

Zoie didn't even say anything, she just took off like a shot around the corner and down the hall to her room. Jessie and you both laughed and gave each other knowing looks.

"Babe, give me something," you said as you held out your hands to take something from Jessie.

"No, I've got it," she said very satisfied with herself as she turned and went to the kitchen.

"Babe," you chided as you followed her in. "I'm perfectly capable, you know."

"They're heavy," she protested as she set them down on the counter with a small huff.

"Exactly," you said flatly. "So let me help you."

"Too late." She smiled broadly. You simply rolled your eyes fondly.

You heard footsteps stomping rapidly back towards you both and you held out your hand to her. The light in the room caught the ring and band on your hand. Your chest still warmed at the sight even though it was far from new at this point.

"Come on. We'll do that later," you said softly as you beckoned Jessie. She smiled fuller, walking towards you and stopping to give you a kiss.

"You ready?" She asked quietly as she wrapped her arms around your waist.

"What is it? Can I open it now?" Zoie asked in succession as she threw herself onto one of the sofa chairs in the living room and turned the wrapped box around in her hands, studying it with fervent curiousity.

"Don't think she'd let us take it away even if we changed our minds," you muttered with a laugh and a conspiratorial look to Jessie. You smiled. "And yes, I'm absolutely ready. How about you?"

Jessie kissed you earnestly. Her gaze was soft and adoring as she pulled back. "So ready."

"Can I open it?" Zoie asked again as you two walked hand in hand into the living room. Jessie stepped aside and let you take a seat first before joining you.

You looked to her and she gave you a gentle nudge with her shoulder. She gave a subtle nod and smiled in encouragement.

You turned back to Zoie who had the box at eye level and was studying it as if that'll give her some clues. You couldn't help but smile.

"Go ahead, sweetie. You can open it," you told her.

She didn't need to be told twice. She ripped open the paper to reveal a lidded box. She glanced briefly at you two before peeling the lid off and peering inside.

She pulled out a t-shirt and held it out in front in front of her, the fabric unfolding. She scanned the text on the shirt and her eyes went wide before they darted over at you and Jessie, back to the shirt and back again. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes fell back to the box. She dropped the shirt urgently to the chair cushion and retrieved the remaining item. A set of photos - scans to be exact. Jessie placed her arm around you and kissed your cheek.

"You're going to be a big sister," you told Zoie, feeling yourself get choked up.

Zoie's eyes snapped up to you, tears in them already. She shot out of her chair and threw her arms around you and Jessie with a watery, excited laugh.

"Finally!" She cried as her small arms squeezed you both tight.

She pulled back, simply beaming.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

You and Jessie looked to each other with soft laughs. Jessie kissed your cheek again and hugged you closer to her side, her other hand coming up to rest on your stomach, just the slightest bump making itself known the past couple of weeks.

"A girl," you told Zoie. "You're going to have a baby sister."

"Oh my God!" Zoie exclaimed, standing and stomping a foot in excitement and nearly pumping her fists. "A baby sister! Can I help name her? When is she coming? Can she sleep in my room?" A stream of words continued to flow out of her mouth as she grabbed the t-shirt and threw it on, momentarily holding the hem of it out to show off the "Best big sister" wording.

"-I'm going to teach her to dance someday. I'm going to teach her everything. I-"

More tears formed in your eyes as Zoie's enthusiastic questions and comments continued. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling if you tried. Despite the flurry of excitement around you, you couldn't help but reflect.

All the things and moments you'd once been so worried about losing, missing out on or being diminished weren’t true. Your firsts were Jessie’s firsts as well and each milestone had managed to be even sweeter than you'd hoped. This most recent one was no exception.

She was so proud and ecstatic. Doting and protective. And now Zoie added joy and anticipation - being so thrilled and excited at the impending arrival of a sibling for her to love.

The mere thought of a time where this seemed an impossibility, a timeline where you would've let this connection and this love pass you by, seemed incomprehensible now.

All those years ago, you’d been terrified. You'd mourned the loss of a future the way you’d pictured it. Jessie told you the future was different - not ruined. As you sat here surrounded by love - new, old, and still to come - you felt how right she really was.

Your future hadn’t been ruined. Far from it. It was so much better.

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Bonus:

Your phone buzzed incessantly as notifications came through on your socials. The Thorns had just posted your pregnancy announcement. To your surprise, Jessie had been all for the Thorns photoshoot. She wore her Thorns kit and you wore her jersey, Jessie beaming with her hand on the swell of your stomach.

Big news! Our tiniest playmaker is about to make the sweetest assist—baby Fleming incoming soon!

You smiled as you saw the post again, but your brow soon furrowed with surprise as you saw a long forgotten name in your notifications.

Melissa? You shook your head in mild disbelief as you were transported back to that night - the night - that corrected the paths you and Jessie were on. One moment you were trying not to watch Jessie play on the corner television of a local bar, to the next morning, returning to her arms and, thankfully, never looking back.

You opened the message from her.

"Guess you're a big soccer fan after all 😂 jk. Congrats to you both. I'm happy for you."

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Tag requests: @ryuushou @marvelwomen-simp @valuyhh

A/N: Well, folks. That's all! Thank you for enduring all of the heartbreak and melancholy. I promised a happy ending and hopefully I've delivered. Also thank you SO much for all of the comments and feedback you shared throughout. I'm so grateful I could share this with you and that you've enjoyed it.

If you have any last thoughts, I'd love to hear them ❤

[bktoluver]

Underground Heat

Dean Winchester x f!reader

Summary: while on a hunt with the brothers you and dean are captured and locked up. some teasing and banter leads to a fun time while waiting for sam to rescue you.

Warnings: 18+, afab!reader, unprotected p in v, no big o, classic male and female mc have sex at the most inconvenient time where the bad guys could def get them, against the wall, kinda nasty place to have sex, reader tries to act like she’s not interested, he clocks her so hard 🙏🏻

Word Count: 1,668

not proof read 🫶 im him but im also in love with him. also not sure if i want to use second person pov or third person pov which is better 😭

As you and Dean find yourselves trapped in the dimly lit sewer room, you can't help but feel a sense of unease wash over you. You glance around the damp space, your eyes adjusting to the darkness as you take in your surroundings. The air is thick with the smell of mold and decay, making it hard to breathe. You shiver involuntarily, pulling your jacket closer to your body for warmth.

"Great, just great," Dean mutters under his breath, running a hand through his messy hair. He looks around the room, his gaze settling on the metal door that's separating you from freedom. “Looks like we're stuck here until Sam figures out where we are."

You turn to face him, leaning against the cold concrete wall. "Well, we can't just sit here and wait for him to save us. We need to come up with a plan." Your voice echoes off the damp walls, the sound reverberating in the otherwise silent chamber.

Dean chuckles dryly, shaking his head. "And what plan would that be?" He crosses his arms over his chest.

"I don't know," you admit, biting your lower lip nervously. You begin pacing back and forth, your boots clicking against the wet floor. "Maybe there's something in here we can use to break down the door."

Dean raises an eyebrow at you. "Like what? A magic wand?" He scoffs, rolling his eyes. "There's nothing in here but mold and rat shit."

Your pacing comes to a halt as you turn to face him again, frustration creeping into your features.

"Well, thanks for being so helpful," you snap, letting out a frustrated sigh.

With a huff, you sink down onto the cold concrete floor, your legs giving out beneath you. You rest your back against the damp wall, closing your eyes as you try to think of a solution to your current predicament. Having been stupid enough to fall for the shifter’s trap, now stuck down in the sewers somewhere. The silence in the room is almost deafening, the only sounds coming from the distant dripping of water and the occasional scampering of rats in the distance.

As you sit there, you can't help but steal glances at Dean out of the corner of your eye. Even in this dire situation, he still manages to look incredibly attractive, despite the grimy surroundings. The way his clothes hug his muscular frame, the slight stubble lining his jawline, and those piercing green eyes that seem to see straight through you...

Snapping out of your momentary trance, you shake your head and push aside any unwanted thoughts. Now isn't the time for such foolish distractions.

As if sensing your gaze upon him, Dean turns to look at you, his expression unreadable.

"You know, if you keep staring at me like that, I might start thinking you actually like me," Dean taunts with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans back against the opposite wall.

You roll your eyes at him, a small smile playing on your lips despite yourself. "Fat chance," you retort.

"Oh really?" Dean challenges, pushing himself away from the wall and taking a step closer to you. "So you don't think I'm charming, funny, or irresistible?"

"Arrogant and delusional maybe," you say, fighting back a grin. You pull yourself up to your feet, brushing off the dust and dirt from your jeans. "But definitely not irresistible."

Dean takes another step forward, closing the distance between you. You can feel the heat radiating off his body, sending a small thrill down your spine and your breath hitches slightly as you catch a whiff of his cologne – a mix of sandalwood and citrus. . "Is that so?" He challenges, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Yup," you confirm, trying to keep your tone casual even as your heart begins to race in your chest. You meet his gaze squarely, refusing to back down from his intense stare. There's no way you're going to let him know that he's affecting you like this. That would just be embarrassing.

But as Dean continues to close the distance between you, towering over you with his broad shoulders and commanding presence, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain your composure. The feeling is disconcerting yet undeniably tantalizing all at once. And that smug little smile he's sporting isn't helping matters either – if anything, it's goading you on even further. Unconsciously, you take a half-step back, only for him to follow suit and close the gap once more.

He leans in close, his lips curled upwards in a lopsided grin.

"No part of you wonders what it would be like..." Dean trails off, leaving the insinuation hanging heavily in the air between you like a fog, waiting for you to fill in the gaps in your mind.

“Curiosity killed the cat...” you remark as you continue to study his features intently, noting with barely concealed amusement the way color has risen ever so slightly along his neckline and ears. “But satisfaction brought it back.” He grins reciting the rest of the idiom and raising a challenging brow.

With no reaction from you, save the dumb staring, Dean moves in claiming your mouth with his, tongue sliding past your open lips eagerly exploring every inch.

As his lips press roughly against yours, the rational side of your brain seems to evaporate instantly—replaced by sheer sensation washing over your body as he forces your lips apart, seeking entrance. A surge of emotion floods through you at the contact; lust bubbling beneath your skin causing your knees to buckle for a split second before you catch yourself, wrapping your arms around his neck to steady yourself. Time seemed to slow to a crawl in this cramped and humid underground tomb. Seconds seem like hours and you realize this may not have been your greatest idea but its certainly working towards sating your carnal hunger for him all the same.

Feeling bold and wanting more—your fingers clench into fists twisting handfuls of fabric from his T-shirt as your thigh finds its way between his. Pressing urgently against his leg and eliciting an unexpected moan from the hunter entangled within this newfound intimacy with you against him—body melding against yours as you kiss feverishly ignoring all warning signs ringing in the back of your mind telling you now isn't the best time nor place to be doing whatever it is you both seem keen to act on. But none of that matters anymore as your world shrinks to just you and him.

His hands roam freely across your form claiming territory as they drift lower and lower until finally cupping your behind and hoisting you effortlessly into his arms, his strong grasp keeps you anchored there and your back pressed to the hard wall—a moan erupting from deep within your throat and vibrating through your entire chest cavity—inciting his grip on you further as he devours your gasps and moans mercilessly. Sucking your bottom lip into his mouth playfully before allowing a heated breath to fan across your swollen lips as they pull apart for air—only amplifying the growing hunger between you both—growing stronger by the second—making both participants acutely aware that restraint has officially lost this battlefield.

Dean relucatntly lets go of you as he lowers you back onto your feet. Leaning down over you, capturing your mouth in a hungry kiss which serves to draw another passionate whimper from deep inside you while he quickly removes your pants entirely unable to contain his desire for even a brief moment longer. Exposing the bare flesh of your legs; goosebumps littered across their surface and raising them as you kick them to the side haphazardly. Reaching for his belt impatiently after removing those pesky barriers - his lips remaining locked against yours as if worried you might change your mind at any second if given the chance—while freeing his rock hard erection from confinement at long last.

He grabbed hold of your hips firmly while lifting and hooking your legs around his waist to support you easily as your back hits the wall again.

Bringing his mouth down against yours savagely—as he lines up his throbbing shaft alongside your slickened entrance — rubbing it gently against you provoking a pleased purr from your trembling lips.

You hook your heels around the curve of his flexing buttocks and pulling him toward you desperately as you writhe against him attempting to coax that thick bulbous tip inside.

"Eager are we?" He teased; pressing upward with his hips and spearing into you slowly with one swift thrust that stole the breath from both of you simultaneously. “Shut up.” You gasp out, eyes closing.

You let out a choked cry of pleasure as he retracted his hips and then snapped them back into you; digging your fingernails deeply into the muscles of his arms.

The rough texture of the damp stone scrapes your back through your shirt fabric with every thrust sent rippling throughout your core. Your nails dig in deeper with each successive impact from his body impaling itself inside yours. Foreheads pressed against each other closely and steamy exhales mingle together in the chill damp air.

With sweat gathering at your brow, he leans into your body more intensely — crushing you between the unforgiving cement block wall behind you and the heavy weight of his torso pinning you in place against it. The forceful slaps of pelvises colliding and ragged breathing fill the otherwise quiet room.

Both you and Dean freeze immediately still locked in each others embrace as you hear someone calling out your names outside that closed door from somewhere down the corridor beyond it. You share a quick panicked glance before hastily pulling away from each other. Panic setting in and reality starting to settle back into focus as the sound of Sam's distant shouting reaches your ear drums. “Shit, Shit.” Disengaging hurriedly your movements jerky and erratic as you frantically begin to collect your discarded clothing from earlier, struggling to stuff limbs into holes and zippers moving at hyper speed. Once you have gathered everything up you dash over to the door making noise to attract Sam.

[hervygervy]

For today's KIU localization post, I'd like to talk about something a little more... mundane. There's a running joke of sorts in the Japanese version that isn't really carried over in its full extent in the English version. Let me explain...

Palutena's a bit of a troll. It's not uncommon for her to take part in some good old tomfoolery, you could say. In particular, there are a few moments in the game where she kinda just makes up random abilities to mess with the other characters. Both versions essentially share the same setup in these moments, but the punchlines end up being slightly different. This is because the Japanese version attempts to adhere to the "face fault" trope as it's called. You might have seen it before in anime--it's the comedic gag where a character reacts to an absurd remark from another character by falling over in a swift, exaggerated motion. It's kind of like an extreme version of a facepalm. Anyway, I've gathered here every instance of this gag in the game. Or, at least, I hope I did. More below the cutoff, as usual.

The first instance of this bit occurs early on in the flight segment of chapter 4. Actually, this specific exchange is highlighted during one overview video for the game in order to showcase how the game is funny. They must have been really proud of this one if that's the case... Here's the scene in question:

Oh, but there's a lot of extraneous stuff going on here in this file, huh? I'm only sharing the audio for the sake of allowing you to hear how the dialogue sounds for when I get around to the Japanese version, and I like leaving the English for the sake of comparison. And it's fun too, right? :)

But it doesn't change the fact there's a lot of fluff. Here's the gist of what I want to look at:

This conversation can never leave my mind because, not kidding, 12 year old me did NOT get the joke. But the overview video narrator told me it was funny so therefore it had to be funny. I was simply a profoundly stupid child. I will never let myself live this down.

I'm getting off topic. As you can see, we've got the setup of Palutena making up some ability. Pit just brushes her off here in the English version, but he abides by the face fault in Japanese:

"It can't be found by any means."

"Even though I have this 'Palutena Eye.'"

"Lady Palutena, do you really have such an ability?"

"No, I just wanted to try saying it."

"Guh!" ...well it's literally more like "ngah" but perhaps you can take a listen for yourself:

Oh, right, the extraneous stuff. I guess I'll translate the whole thing. Here I go!

Pit: I got it, I got it already! But why specifically are we going to such a place?

Palutena: To find Pandora, one of Medusa's subordinates.

Pit: Pandora... the evil goddess of calamity, right?

Palutena: The Trap Dungeon she's in is hidden by the reaper fort's magic powers. It can't be found by any means. Even though I have this "Palutena Eye."

Pit: Lady Palutena, do you really have such an ability?

Palutena: No, I just wanted to try saying it.

Pit: Gah!

Palutena: In any case, your mission is to capture the reaper fort!

Pit: R-roger that!

Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit is called the "Trap Dungeon" in the Japanese version which honestly sounds comically mundane by comparison. But they're using English words so it probably sounds cool and exotic to a Japanese audience, as English words tend to do. It's also fun to say English words in the Japanese sound system anyway.

Anyway, as you can see, identical setup, different punchline. Obviously, Pit can't really fall over in game, but his vocalization is pretty much identical to how a character would typically react when toppling over. It's evidently meant to evoke the face fault.

Another instance occurs in beginning of the ground section of chapter 13.

Once again a lot of fluff. Actually, if you'll allow me to get off topic for a bit, the last bit personally interests me. So "to gird one's loins" is just an expression meaning "to ready oneself" but Pit's line makes a joke about the "loins" part. It's in reference to how "loins" means "groin." Very curious that the writers would make such a joke considering that, according to an interview with the English script's cowriter, one thing they paid attention to when it came to regional changes were "things that were inappropriate for a little boy to say."

I believe I brought this up before in the possessed Palutena post. In the conversation in the ground segment of chapter 20 when Pit's talking about how loyal he is to Palutena, he blurts out that he "loves her," and the other characters react accordingly, thus prompting him to stammer that he doesn't mean in the romantic way. The idea is that what he's saying sounds like a love confession. I surmised that the line was altered because it could easily be taken the wrong way. So, what I'm trying to say, is I wonder how an unintentional "I love you" crosses a line but an added joke referencing the genital region doesn't.

I could honestly make a whole post on every moment that I think the English scriptwriters found questionable in that regard because believe me, there are a lot. But again, daily reminder that Pit's the equivalent of a thirteen year old. It might get weird really fast. If you're still curious, let me know if you'd want to see something like that.

Back on topic... here's the main part of the conversation we just listened to that I want to take a look at:

I think this exchange probably carries the same sentiments as the Japanese version the most out of all of these types of moments. It's just very blunt about it, comparatively anyway.

Of course, next is the Japanese equivalent:

"How irritating! Won't you do something, Lady Palutena?"

"Well then, allow me to activate the Palutena Super Sensor...!"

"Lady Palutena? Do you really have such an ability?"

"No, I just wanted to try saying it."

"Wha--!"

Here's the full audio so you can hear how it sounds:

We finally get to hear Arlon. Personally I think he sounds very silly in Japanese due to his goofy voice. I'll translate this whole thing too:

Pit: Is this...?

Palutena: An illusion? Or perhaps a hologram?

Arlon: Well, it probably wouldn't even be enough of an hors d'oeuvres for Lord Pit.

Pit: How irritating! Won't you do something, Lady Palutena?

Palutena: Well then, allow me to activate the Palutena Super Sensor...!

Pit: Lady Palutena? Do you really have such an ability?

Palutena: No, I just wanted to try saying it.

Pit: Wha--!

Palutena: Don't worry. Navigate the route forward by following the green arrows.

Arlon: Your relationship is remarkably close, huh? I admire you. However, it seems you've indeed seized the illusion control core. It's unavoidable. I'll harden my defenses and wait. Oh, and this isn't a trap or anything. I'm serious, okay?

Pit: There's definitely something, isn't there...

See? The loins joke is added in for the English version. It was totally intentional. I'm onto you, English writers...

You've probably caught onto it by now, but Palutena will say "I just wanted to try saying it" every single time, hence why I called it a running joke. The closest the English version seems to get is the fact that Palutena still makes up abilities.

Moving on! The last one is in the boss fight of chapter 22. Palutena's still able to be silly even in a situation as dire as this...

Personally I find it funny how Dark Pit's line is presented as so smug and snarky when he's saying something very ultimately mundane. It's probably as funny as Viridi's line. But that's unrelated. Here's the main bit:

Nobody really has any kind of exaggerated reaction. They're brushing her off, much like Pit did in the first example.

You probably guessed it: this time, it's Dark Pit's turn to face fault. Here's how it goes:

"Found you at last! You guys are awfully good at running away."

"That's thanks to my Palutena Stealth Barrier."

"Do you have such an ability?"

"No, I just wanted to try saying it."

"Gah!"

Oh, look, he fell over! What a perfect way to complete this running gag. If I remember correctly, I think that portrait is only ever used once in the English version. It's used a lot more frequently in the Japanese.

So you can hear it, here's the full audio. Oh, be warned, Pandora's whole bit is REALLY hammed up in the Japanese version. Just prepare yourself.

Naturally I'll translate the whole thing. Here goes:

Hades: Found you at last! You guys are awfully good at running away.

Palutena: That's thanks to my Palutena Stealth Barrier.

Viridi: Do you have such an ability?

Palutena: No, I just wanted to try saying it.

Dark Pit: Gah!

Viridi: Ah, is that really okay, goddess of light?

Pandora: Lord Hades, Lord Hades! It's been a while.

Hades: Hm? Uhh... Who're you again?

Pandora: It's me, Pandora! You know, from the Trap Dungeon.

Hades: ... No way!

Pandora: Oh I'm for real!

Hades: Hmm... That settles it! I shall completely plug up the Rewind Spring. Yeah? This is a dangerous thing, as you saw.

Palutena: That would be troubling!

Viridi: Put an end to Pandora and defeat her immediately!

Dark Pit: Leave it to me!

And there you have it. It's not surprising that the Japanese version of Kid Icarus Uprising would use this trope as part of a running gag considering how common it is in comedies over in Japan. I think it's a fun trope, anyway.

Evidently the English writers liked the bit of Palutena making up powers enough to keep these scenes intact in some capacity, but I think the ultimate lack of this trope in western media is what probably led to these punchlines being altered. Personally, I don't think it would have been too weird to retain more of it. The way it was executed in the English version of the chapter 13 convo works well enough I'd say. Besides, we do have the facepalm in western media, the general idea of the trope still exists over here. Heck, I watched the Pokémon XY anime as a kid and I'll say younger me absolutely loved it when the gang would fall over upon hearing whatever nonsense Clemont had to say.

...well, it probably doesn't translate as well when you can't do any falling over, huh? Maybe there was no avoiding change.

As usual, thanks for sticking around. Feel free to leave a message in my inbox if there's any specific line or scene you'd like me to look at that I haven't done already. If I'm feeling like doing another mundane post, I think I'll take a look at differences in fourth wall breaking jokes for next time. See you then!

[marvelousazula]

a little draft on how this AU could start (basically: people think Azula is being stubborn for not speaking to anyone, meanwhile her vocal chords are just terribly damaged – kinda want to write it in Azula's POV actually, but Katara's sorta my default for some reason). (buy me a coffee)

In every interaction of theirs, Azula was polite enough when she wasn't trying to kill them. Or trying to capture them, actually, in hindsight it didn't quite look like she was going for the kill. (She was too deadly, too efficient, for not having killed them if she wanted to.) Surprisingly pacific for a perfect princess soldier.

Which means Katara isn't that surprised by Azula good behavior in the asylum Zuko sent her to. She's more annoyed by how long it took him to bring her home, being stuck in a place where she was locked up in her room all day, forced to take teas to keep her malleable and with her bending weakened didn't seem like the ideal way to deal with yet another child soldier.

It's ironic, really, that knowing Zuko better is exactly what made Katara feel any sympathy towards Azula at all.

Knowing more of Zuko's childhood is also why she's here. It took not much convincing for him to believe that if Azula is behaving well, maybe she doesn't need to stay stuck in there. Reports say she's quiet and cooperative, there are group activities and she seems to tend to have a teamwork mentality – that explains why she's that good at strategy. The only issue is that she doesn't talk.

She never talks. Not even back in the palace, not to servants that have been around her her whole life. She silently acknowledges them, with nods and glances. There are no threats, and no fire, even after a few weeks and there's no trace of that chi-weakening tea. She's not even hostile towards her, and she had been expecting lightning in her face instead of a nod before Azula went on to do whatever she was going to do.

In one of her walks around the palace, late at night, Katara finds herself in that courtyard. It has been over a year, the ground is still scorched. It's disturbing to look at the grate and remember the chains – it's a weird feeling, knowing she did the right thing, stopping Azula, but feeling so bad for the way she did it.

The chains, the armor, had been deformed where Azula's fire touched. Fire hot enough to soften metal.

She blinks, fire hot enough to soften metal.

Firebenders aren't immune to fire, look at Zuko's face.

She's not surprised that Azula is up when she knocks at her door, the princess just frowns at her and tilts her head. It's kinda cute- what? She's quite expressive, actually, Katara had formed the image of cold and stoic, when Azula says more with her eyebrows than with her words.

"I want to test something, I-" this is something they should have checked, yes? Treated, like they treated the burns on her wrists and her chest and shoulders- "You can't speak. It's not that you don't want, or that you're this stubborn, you just can't."

Azula looks astounded for a second, like she expected nobody to notice it. She didn't seem to mind that people thought she was a stubborn brat, letting it slide and just being... a quiet presence. Like she was tired of fighting, of taking up space, like she wanted some peace.

You know, like she was exhausted from a life of being someone's pawn in a senseless war.

"Does it hurt? Your throat?" Azula blinks, like nobody has asked her if anything hurts- then she nods. "I can try to... soothe it a little. I can't really heal anything..."

Azula seems to calculate the risk of allowing someone to bend water on her throat, but maybe it hurts enough to be worth the risk. She nods, steps aside and allows Katara into the room.

Not in a million years Katara thought she'd be in the Fire Nation's Crown Princess chambers to offer her relief for her pain, but here she is.

The war is over, everyone deserves their pain to be soothed, their wounds healed.

[avatar-legends-confessionblog]

I wish they would because it'd be funny as fuck but it might kill the mod

Lets put this in terms you might understand. Im going to repeat what you said, and then make a Katara 'critcism' of equal value

zk: aang is kind of inattentive and gets distracted easily

"Katara is kind of mean and gets really prideful and self-righteous"

These are two things Aang does, and two things Katara does, but if we made this Katara's entire fucking personality, that would be anti Katara

zk: aang yelling at toph was kinda shitty

"Katara making the blind comment at Toph was kinda shitty."

"Katara saying Sokka didnt love their mom like she did was kinda shitty."

The statement about Aang is true, as are these statments about Katara. If we were to call Katara a bad friend because of these, or toxic, or bring it up as reason that Katara isnt deserving of Aang, that would be anti Katara

zk: aang getting so jealous at the idea of Katara being with someone else that he would go into the Avatar state is kind of problematic

"Katara getting so jealous of Aang she says shes not going to come watch him ride the unagi to make sure hes okay is kind of problematic"

Neither of these statements are true. Both are ignoring the larger context and making their behavior out to be jealousy when its not. Aang was upset about the play as a whole. His comment about the avatar state was clearly not a literal thing, but him trying to express how upset the play as a whole has made him. Katara was upset Aang was being irresposible and letting the praise get to his head and didnt want to come watch him show off.

Aang doesnt even show any jealousy in this scene, zutara shippers just like making it about themselves. Aang doesnt mention Zuko once. Hes not thinking "Katara might have feelings for someone else" hes thinking "I dont know where I personally stand with Katara as she has been sending mixed signals." Which is, frankly, reasonable, even if he went about trying to express this in the wrong way. Thats not jealousy, thats a basic desire of wanting someone to communicate with you.

Painting Katara's frusteration and refusal to care about the potential of Aang getting hurt as just toxic jealousy would be anti Katara.

zk: here's a fic where aang faces consequences for burning Katara

Now, before I go into this one, lets remember the real consequences Aang faced, like getting jumped and slammed into the ground, like feeling so guilty as to swear off something he needs to save the world, like this incedent shown to be one of the things that haunt Aang the most when hes opening his chakras. Like this insident (incident? Im not looking it up rn) literally being the context in which he allows Zuko into their lives as he believes Zuko can help teach him firebending in such a way as to avoid ever hurting someone again.

Heres a list of things Katara did and did not face consequences for: abandoning Aang along with Sokka because Aang withheld a map for a few hours, stealing a waterbending scroll and sneaking to use it despite agreeing not to and putting everyone in danger, (she got saved and still got to keep the scroll, even made it very obvious she felt no remorse for this, I consider that not facing consequences), making Aang think Appa was sick, telling people Aang is the avatar because shes proud of it despite that putting Aang in danger many times, encouraging Aang to throw himself at problems with no help like Hei Bai and the NWT invasion, stealing appa after Aang said he did not want her to.

If someone were to write a fic where Aang's mistakes are ignored, and these mistakes of Katara's were emphasized and used as reasoning shes not good for Aang, to the point where they add consequences that didnt happen but could have happened, like Aang getting captured and/or hurt in order to make her feel guilty, that would be, say it with me, anti Katara.

When someone ephasizes or exaggerates a characters flaws while ignoring their good deeds and qualities, that is being anti, not fair criticism, especially if they do it while ignoring most of the flaws and mistakes another character has made and treating them as near perfect and a victim of the first character.

Most zutara shippers are not interested in analyzing the show for the sake of fair criticism of characters. If they were, they would be pointing out Katara's mistakes just as often as Aang's. They are only interested in justifying their dislike for Aang.

X

[quijotine]

Thoughts on NATLA so far (up to ep 5)

I'm really loving it!!! There are some parts where the pacing gets a bit slow but it makes up by hitting you out of left field with the feels.

Episode 4 is my favorite so far.

I absolutely LOVED this rendition of Sukka. What bisexual disasters, the pair of them.

ON THE FIRE NATION:

I absolutely LOVE the background story on the fire nation family, particularly the bond between zuko and iroh. It is presented completely different than in the OG, since the 'show don’t tell' of the original happens in Book 2 and here they use flashbacks, but it works. Still ended with me in waterworks. Also, I understand the logic behind showing all of the cards from the very get-go being that Netflix can cancel the show before it is renewed for another season, so it needed to make the best impression possible, show all the stakes but not reveal them in ther completion. I think they did that very well so far.

ZUKO IS SO AWKWARD I LOVE HIM

his expressions and reactions are just peak comedy. He is the embodiment of "😫😟" and I love that for him.

Dallas' performance is definitely one of my highlights.

ON KATARA AND SOKKA:

The thing that is the most foreign to me so far is the decision to improve Sokka's emotional stakes at the expense of Katara's. I like it but this has to be the element where the adaptation departs the most from the og. Like, in the cartoon it is Katara who bears the brunt of the responsibility taking care of the water tribe and her brother, which is why Sokka's sexism as a character flaw worked there. I can see now why they chose to drop that. With the script flipped like this, with Sokka being the main caretaker and provider between him and Katara, making him stay sexist would've been a bit too much. It is very different, but I like how they flipped the script between them.

What I did not like about this flip is that the change seems to affect Katara's character for the worse. She is not as outspoken or short-tempered as she was in the cartoon. It's almost the complete opposite. But I can definitely see the shyness and insecurity being the deliberate starting point of her arc. Now in ep 5, you can see her becoming more confident both in personality and bending. I think this was a conscious decision, but I still wish she had been written to be more headstrong from the very beginning.

That being said, I really appreciate how different the dynamic between Sokka and Katara is. I love how Katara is trying to get her independence while Sokka is still caught on the fact he has to be her protector, almost parent figure, which is a cool change of pace. One of the things that kinda bothered me as a young girl watching Avatar was that Katara was always stuck being the mom and sort of getting teased for it despite the fact no one else could or wanted to step up to that responsibility. It's cool to see Sokka bearing that responsibility as the eldest in the adaptation.

ON THE BLATANTLY MISSING KATAANG

You know, I don't hate this change. Aang and Katara's interactions are still pretty wholesome, and once they start catching feelings for each other, it will be super cute because you see where the love is truly coming from. It's not just Aang's childhood crush/Katara's "destiny", as it was presented it the cartoon. Besides it would have looked a little weird, considering that the age gap between Gordon and Kiawentiio is way more obvious on screen than it is right now when you see the interviews with the cast, because that kid Gordon is growing up SO fast.

OVERALL:

I am enjoying it very much! The adaptation is excellent. Despite some changes being quite big, they managed to capture most of the show's essence. I do believe it could have benefitted from a bit more balance between the comedy and the seriousness, particularly when it comes to Aang because he is mostly just weighted down by his responsibility in the adaptation, I don't see him joke as much, but in general and all limitations considered, I think they did an excellent job! It won't be for everyone, for sure, but I can say it has managed to bring back that feeling of watching the show for the first time again on some parts :)

[maddrumsticks2]

Just finished Skyward Sword! And I finished A Link Between Worlds a few days ago.

So, double post time! I'll start with ALBW because I had a few days to sit on that one.

Also just realized that with the completion of Skyward Sword, I have officially played and completed every 3D Zelda game! YIPPEEE!

(Long post below the cut!! Along with major spoilers for both aforementioned games!)

Ravio is SO SILLY. Though, he's already talked about a lot. Anything I could say about him has probably already been said.

But hey, I can't help but really like this silly guy who stole my house and all my rupees, okay? He's a little rascal.

So instead, I love Hilda having a clear motivation behind her actions. She is just trying to restore her kingdom. She wants her people to thrive. But she turned to the triforce instead of trying to find better meds to maybe help her people. Though the place was literally breaking apart, so maybe there really wasn't anything else that would've worked.

The story of this game is really heavy in the last 30 minutes, and that's really it. Before that it's just dungeons. Oh, and helping Ravio retire. I absolutely LOVED that XD

So, the distribution of the story could've been done better. But really, this game is so underrated for a Zelda game. Also, the whole moving through walls thing is super fun. LOVED that mechanic. Altogether, great game.

Okay, on to Skyward Sword!

SO good. This game does NOT deserve all of the negativity the surrounded it for some reason. Sure, I used button controls (I couldn't figure out motion controls for the life of me pff) but STILL! I think the Switch version definitely made it easier on me. Though idk what the Wii version is like so I shouldn't be trying to compare them lol.

On to non-gameplay stuff, the dungeons were so cleverly designed. As someone who is not particularly smart, I never found myself super stuck in the dungeons. Instead, I had a lot of fun with them! That's always a plus with me, but I don't find too much shame in looking up a walkthrough here or there.

Story! So fun! I loved Groose's character arc especially. I totally despised him at first but he reached silly status pretty quickly. His character was handled really well, too. He didn't just flip personalities. He showed his flip through his actions, not his words. Which for Groose is a perfect choice.

Also, Ghirahim is SUCH a theatre kid. Nothing can change my mind on that. (And before anyone gets mad, I'M a theatre kid. I know what we act like.)

I find it interesting that the whole game only takes place in three regions that you visit over and over again. Other Zelda games have done this before, but I think Skyward Sword does it the most. I loved all the regions, but tbh I think the forest was the most boring to me. The Ancient Cistern was cool though. I won't deny that. Also, Eldin was probably the most traumatizing for Sky. SO many bad things happened there lol. Like being burned because of how hot it is, then finding chains Zelda has definitely been bound in, being told he was too late. Then he comes back later and not much traumatizing stuff that time. Maybe getting chased by lava, probably not lasting trauma, just scary for a minute lol. But when he comes back a final time, the volcano erupts, covering the sky in ash and leaving him with no return to the sky. To make matters worse, he gets beaten up and captured by monsters and all his stuff was stolen. Wow I just wrote a lot about Eldin pfff

Sadly, I already knew about the whole Zelda is Hylia thing. I kinda wish I hadn't known that. That cutscene probably would've been cooler if I played this game in the complete dark.

Also, Link is so subtly expressive in this game. He actually has facial expressions! I love how at the end of the game, you can SEE Link's determination. You can see his desire to cut Demise down and save his world. I LOVE his expressiveness!

One thing I didn't know was that Demise was the Imprisoned. That actually surprised me.

Then there's Impa. I already figured out that the Old Lady was Impa before the reveal. So that was just "I called it." But here's the silly part about that cutscene: I read fanfic saying she died once. But of course I let my guard down. I believed that the author had Impa die from Ghirahim hitting her. And so, literally one text box away from the scene, I sent my sister in law a text like "lol, idk why I thought Impa dies. She's literally been here the whole time."

I had to send a text probably two seconds late saying "nvm, she died."

Whoopsies, silly me XD

Last thing I wanna say! (I think.) The whole lightning in the end battle is SICK! And now all the lighting scars people give Sky make sense. That's probably one of my favorite scar headcanons, honestly. That and Wild's blast scar. Also love giving Twilight a nasty arm scar, but I'm getting off track.

So yeah! Those are my silly disjointed thoughts on both the games I finished recently! Now I only have 2D games left to play. My list became so much smaller! It went from having ten games to just five.

Just have the Oracles games, Link's Awakening, the original and Adventure of Link to play! (I'm debating which one to start with. Probably the Oracles games to I can get Legend's character down better.)

Yay! Wall of text!

[ethanhuntfemmefatale]

fuck it. ethan hair ranking

it's saturday im bored i don't want to practice mozart anymore. let's go

I'm gonna rank bottom to top this time and include visual aids. none of my choices are going to be much of a surprise to anyone who knows my particular tastes I think.

7. Dead Reckoning Part 1

Ethan is just gorgeous in this movie but his hair doesn’t do it for me. It’s short enough that it can’t have the same personality as it does at Fallout or MI1 length. It looks good on him! But it’s kinda flat. It's just fine. Also it doesn’t strike me as being a character choice so much as a “McQ likes TC’s hair better short” choice

6. Fallout

I would like to formally apologize to arc @callmearcturus i am sorry for slandering your boy like this. I love him too. fallout ethan is objectively the finest look that ethan has ever had I love him even above my dearly beloved MI1 ethan. He's deeply beautiful and i love him so much my heart hurts. but for me it's not the hair it's the Vibes. the vibes are here but the hair is just. it's a haircut. It's just normal to me, it’s floofy which I appreciate but. still. It’s a nice looking cut. Good for cosplaying a man. Utilitarian. It works well on Ethan but it doesn't capture my fascination.

5. MI3

it might also be time for me to formally apologize to mar @malewifebillcage for slandering her boy.......mi3 ethan's hair is also just a cut to me. and objectively i think the fallout cut even looks better on him. but I love MI3 hair dearly and deeply for character reasons because it’s such an aggressively rom com cut it really feels like Ethan googled “house husband” for reference pics. so i like it better cause it amuses me

4. MI1

I'd like to formally apologize to myself for slandering my own boy. (Also Luther in the back hi Luther I love you.) Ethan's hair in this movie is also excellent characterization and provides a perfect baseline for all my Ethan Hunt hair meta thoughts. And it’s so expressive! I love how spiky it is! That being said while it has a lot of personality it is simply not as aesthetically gorgeous to me as some of the cuts I ranked higher. MI1 Ethan I’m sorry

3. Rogue Nation

rogue nation Ethan literally takes my breath away at times with how beautiful he is. I am obsessed with the subtle length and swoop and the way it falls over his forehead. It’s the kind of hair that says “I had my gender crisis years ago and decided my gender was Gorgeous”. And yet it isn’t Character Driven enough for me to have it at the top

2. MI2

mi2 hair i think about you all the time.

both rich in Character Implication and mind-blowingly pretty. This is his hot girl summer hair his cherry bomb by the runaways hair it’s his ‘blew up my dad who wants me’ hair. It’s so far from the MI1 ingenue that it leaves manwhore in the dust and wraps back around to ingenue again. This is the hair of a man (????) who is trying so very hard to be absolutely anything other than what he is that he becomes exactly what he doesn’t like being. Every single image of him with this hair is like a masterclass in gender and rebellion and trauma and self discovery. and I Want To Run My Hands Through It.

But! there is something about the MI2 hair that feels. Styled and calculated and superficial. Hair for an Effect. Which is part of what I love about it! It’s also why this hair isn’t my absolute favorite. That title goes to:

Ghost Protocol

Ghost Protocol hair my absolute fucking beloved. What tips this hair over the edge for me is the way it looks when he’s tired and disheveled, in the prison breakout scene, in the car after the Kremlin, etc. This hair feels so natural for him, it’s a bit wild and floppy and makes him look kinda like a Creature instead of a man (I mean this in the most flattering way possible). He’s not trying to claim gender the way he is in MI2 or MI3, he’s…doing his own thing. It’s somehow both a utilitarianism and an indulgence. He’s not trying to fit in anywhere, he’s not trying to be anything, he’s in his base state and it’s fucking gorgeous. I guess for me this is the thing—MI4 is the movie where Ethan doesn’t have to function as a member of society, and has been free of functioning as a member of society for a while now. And this is the result. I could stare at him forever<3

[butterflydm]

wot rewatch 1x2: shadow's waiting

Continuing my pre-s2 rewatch with the second episode, Shadow's Waiting. <3

spoilers for all of season one plus through The Fires of Heaven in the book series

The way the Whitecloaks are set up here does feel like Rafe & co were pulling a lot from how they were portrayed in New Spring, where the newly-raised Sisters get warned that an arrow in the back kills Aes Sedai as easily as anyone else. But this cold-open is brutal and also sets up the stakes for Moiraine later in the episode - this is the kind of death she would get from Valda if he were able.

Valda's special bird breakfast was a gift from the "Lord" to congratulate him on his "victory". Which Lord? Presumably not Bornhald, given the way he behaves around Valda later. The victory is, presumably, the capture of this poor Yellow Ajah Sister.

Since I was recently thinking about forkroot in my story... I wonder if it'll get introduced via the Whitecloaks in the show. Ronde was a Yellow's eyes-and-ears in Amadicia (Whitecloak country). But I don't think the Whitecloaks have forkroot yet, or he would have just dosed Egwene with it when he has her prisoner.

I love the credits sequence so much. <3

The scenery is just so gorgeous.

It makes a lot of sense that the kiddos don't challenge Moiraine until after they've both a. reached a measure of safety by being on the other side of the river and b. saw what happened with the ferry. They are village kids and the ruthless calculus of war is not something they've had to think about in their lives. Of course they'll think "there had to be a better way".

So now all the kids have a chance to breathe and to actually think. Rand wants a plan so that they can try to keep each other safe if that stops being a priority of Moiraine's -- and that is a worry of his that kinda does get proven true at the end of the season when the Red Ajah is sent after Mat by Moiraine.

Poor Rand is also very much not ready to think about one of them being the Dragon especially because, well, he's already suspecting that it would be him and desperately not wanting it to be.

And Egwene is already embracing the idea that maybe it is one of them, so maybe they can help save people.

Mat trying to break the tension and play peacemaker.

Here is where we get the difference between Egwene and the others -- it isn't that they doubt Moiraine and she doesn't, it's that Egwene gets an explanation when she expresses her doubts to Moiraine during their nighttime conversation. Moiraine actually walks Egwene through her thought process here so that Egwene will understand why she made the choices that she did.

Moiraine's explanation of the Oaths also puts Valda's "victory" from the cold open into perspective -- unless she knew her life was in imminent danger, that Yellow Aes Sedai could not use the One Power against Valda. Some "victory".

Moiraine must have been so relieved when she realized that Egwene can channel. It made it that much more likely that they were lucky enough to have the Dragon reborn as someone who would not fall to the corruption. Like, I 100% understand why Moiraine wants Egwene to be TDR but, in her eagerness to have the less dangerous choice as the Dragon, she treated the qualms of the boys too carelessly and dismissively. They all deserved the explanation that she was willing to give Egwene.

Poor Rand. Poor Egwene. I understand both sides of this -- Egwene was seeking familiar comfort but... you literally JUST broke up with him. Rand is not being an "asshole" to want some space.

Moiraine is demanding information but not giving them sufficient answers when Rand tries to press her in return. And tbh I think part of Egwene's anger here is because Rand rejected her last night and she's hurt over it. But Mat is the one who is able to talk Rand down and get him to play ball.

Once again, how similarly Rand and Egwene are costumed really stands out -- brown coat over a blue top. Mirrors! Co-protagonists!

The encounter with the Whitecloaks accomplishes several things: we see that the Whitecloaks feel free to act as an authority in lands that are not their own; Valda sees their faces so that he'll recognize Perrin & Egwene later; and we see that there are other Whitecloaks who appear to disagree with at least some of Valda/the Questioners beliefs (Bornhald telling Moiraine to seek out Aes Sedai healing). Plus there's a lot of tension in the scene because we saw the cold open.

Love the Manetheren song scene. And it's another example of Mat working to help the emotional state of the group. And I love hearing the story from Moiraine. I teared up on rewatch too.

Timing note: "I haven't seen any Trollocs for days", Lan says.

Again, we get to Rand and Egwene's further discussion and I can see both sides: Rand would like to be given space to process but Egwene wants reassurances that in a world that has changed so much Rand still cares about her. But Egwene has been the one sending mixed signals, not Rand. I understand why she has but it was definitely absolutely baffling to me when I hopped online and saw Rand being taken to task for holding on and being 'clingy'.

Perrin gets wolf healing and we get a hint here that Something Supernatural is up with Perrin but it's now been explicitly linked to wolves.

Love pretty much the entire Shadar Logoth section and Mat is a lot less randomly treasure-hungry and naive in this version. It accomplishes what it needs to do in splitting the party and there's a great creepy vibe.

It also gives us some nice character moments. Perrin and Mat's conversation about Laila is really sweet, and again shows us that Mat is very emotionally sensitive to others. And Rand and Egwene's silent moment together is also sweet.

Rand really likes to go the high places to think. Chills on the mountain in the first episode and seeks out a tower with the view of the dead city in this one.

Giving Perrin a weapon that is primarily a tool is also very thematic for him. That's part of the struggle for him -- between choosing a weapon that he sees only as a weapon and one that is primarily a tool but can be used as a weapon if needed. Knife here rather than a hammer but it still fits the themes for Perrin.

So many of the criticisms of the show baffled me and here's another one: did the people who said it was "too clean" watch past the big village festival? They are showing wear and tear already and it gets worse in upcoming episodes.

Poor horse. Being eaten by a tendril of darkness and dissolving into dust seems a rough way to go.

I also like the choice of darkness as opposed to fog, partly so that people don't associate the fog of the Heroes of the Horn with Shadar Logoth lol.

Party split successfully accomplished!

Weapon as tool: we see Rand use his sword not as a sword but as a crowbar to help him and Mat escape Shadar Logoth.

And Nynaeve (not dead) shows up as our surprise ending!

<3 <3 <3 <3

[nights-nonsensical-ramblings]

okay so I watched the knuckles series (by following the example of the pirates of course ) and I have to say while it was a very enjoyable watch, I have no clue what I watched and I’m mostly confused and have come away feeling mostly neutral. I don’t hate it, but it hasn’t dug its hooks in like other sonic things have for me.

Like some bits I very much enjoyed watching and would happily see again and others I couldn’t stand and dread the idea of watching again.

there were plenty of moments where Knuckles went against what I adore about him, and others that perfectly capture what I adore about him. Boy was so adorable though. Loved lots of the expressions he made.

okay I’m gonna get a bit more specific from here and cuz I got no clue what’s going on with the tagging and it gets long I’ll put it under a cut.

So it’s kinda hard for me to remember what happened, but I will say I love wades mother, she was amazing, loved her and Knuckles’ dynamic and would welcome it if she appeared again. (Also, new headcanon unlocked that knuckles is such a mamas boy he’s a magnet for motherly figures)

I really am not a fan of his sister Wanda tho. The childish sibling banter did entertain me at first (and made me think that knuckles was going to reflect on his relationship with his brothers) but it went on too long and just made Wanda feel like she never matured past being a bratty teenager. (And judging by what I’ve seen I think she’s gonna be on ‘top _ worst sonic characters’ lists for a while)

my opinion on Wade himself hasn’t really changed. I have no strong feelings towards the guy

We didn’t get as much as I wanted, but I loved the Wachowski family stuff. I needed so much more of knuckles being the trouble kid and the family trying to help.

It’s pretty annoying that the start of the show set up Knuckles learning to chill, be a kid on earth and settle in with his new family. Only to drop it basically immediately and the closest thing it has to a resolution is Knuckles finding his jam.

and yeah, I could see plenty of moments where they had the perfect opportunity to explore knuckles on a deeper level but chose not to. But I am glad they at least hinted at it with those expressions I keep raving about

On that. Cuz Pachacamacs appearance was what springboreded what was going on in a different direction. What is going on here? Is this a Knuckles thing? But Wade speaks to him to, but that was under knuckles’ guidance? I think? So can anyone in this world talk to spirits? Can only certain people be spirits? I mean. One Knuckles got over the initial shock he accepted the fact he was talking to a dead tribe member (I’m also sad that nothing was done with the idea that in this universe Knuckles and Pachacamac were alive at the same time) I got so many more questions on how spirits work in here, but I’m just gonna move on. (Although, maybe this sets up knuckles speaking to Tikal 👀. Or maybe his dad or even his mum.)

But considering what Pachacamac’s role is in the games making him so comedicly focused felt weird. Yeah this universe has different events. But still feels weird cuz of how we know Pachacamac.

I don’t even know what to say about the whole fire powers fire demon (who’s heavily implied to be iblis) I need way more time to think what is going on. Like does any of the pre existing lore apply? If so those are some WILD implications. If not, did that mean they just made this guy like iblis cuz it’s a fire creature that fans will recognize??

A minor thing but I can’t hear our house without thinking of the chemist warehouse add. And a few of the other songs are strongly associated with other things and I couldn’t help but think of them when they played. I don’t see this as a good or bad thing. It is just a thing.

hmm. I had more thoughts but after that ghost tangent I can’t really remember them. I guess I’ll have to come back later with another post if I get them back.

So, for now my closing thoughts are: it’s not a terrible show. Lots of writing choices I disagree with, but I don’t nessicaily think they’re bad. And there’s definitely enjoyment to be found (more if you watch it with some friends) but it’s not really to my taste. Especially with how much irs advertise as about knuckles and then not. Some moments made me very happy some made me want to nope out some I don’t even know.

congratulations to Wade fans, I’m gonna find what bits I wanna cherry pick and I’ll be on my merry way.

[practically-an-x-man]

9 and/or 10 for Peter/Ophelia? (Either of them can be A or B, whichever order you like!)

Ooooh thank you so much!!

I think I'm gonna go with #9, since I already wrote #10 for Eris and I feel like both Ophelia and Peter would keep their first-aid kits stocked up anyway

9. Person A is so intent on taking care of Person B that they get a little helicopter-y, and Person B has to remind them to take a step back

30 Prompts on the Comfort Side of Hurt/Comfort

____

"And you've got everything, water, snacks, ibuprofen- d'you want me to set up the Nintendo for you?"

"Peter." Ophelia huffed, though she was nearly laughing, "I had surgery, I wasn't hit by a train. I'm fine."

Her knee was swollen and swathed in bandages after her third reconstructive surgery - hopefully a little more successful than the last two, though she'd come to learn that Charybdis had done quite a bit more damage than she'd bargained for. The experience left Ophelia bedbound and in pain, vaguely fuzzy-headed from the painkillers, but from the way Peter had been acting, she might as well have stepped on a landmine instead of simply come home from a planned surgery.

"I know, but- y'know, I'm here, and I think you should... or, you could... I mean, I want to help you. I wanna take care of you."

She thought it was cute, the way he stumbled over himself like this. What was cuter was the way it didn't happen all the time: put him out on the battlefield and he had quips for days, put him in a lab and he could wax poetic about science for hours, but put him face-to-face with her and he still got all... dorky. Like even months of living together weren't enough to keep him from getting flustered around her.

Absolutely charming. She hoped it continued for years. She hoped it continued for the rest of their lives.

She hoped the rest of their lives amounted to years, but that was a different story entirely.

"-and I'm kinda the whole reason you got into this whole thing in the first place, that's not why I want to take care of you but it is part of it-"

"Peter." Olly cut him off, somehow both charmed and exasperated by his stammering, "Babe, I know you want to help, but right now you're kinda breathing down the back of my neck."

Peter ducked his head, running one hand over the back of his neck in a sort of nervous tic. Something a little self-conscious had come into his face - not exactly guilt, but a mild and self-aware embarrassment - and his posture reeled back a little in time with his face. He was expressive like a stage actor, she thought, every emotion captured through his entire body, and that was just as fun to watch as the flustered stammering.

"Yeah... I know. Could kinda feel it happening. I'll stop crowding you."

Ophelia's mouth twisted in something almost like a frown.

"I'm not trying to send you away, I just... I really don't need anything right now. I'm fine."

"Really fine, or Olly-fine where you say you're fine because you want to deal with it yourself?"

She snorted at that - mildly insulting as it could have been, he'd read her like a book and she knew it - but shook her head and held up her hands in surrender.

"Really fine. I promise. I'm just tired - all I want to do right now is sleep for a while, so I really don't need anything." she said, "Except maybe for you to lay down with me, if you want."

The good news: that was a suggestion Peter could definitely get behind.

The bad news: his exuberance got the better of him.

"Ah- hey, knee, knee-" Ophelia hissed, clutching at the bandages as Peter's motions made the mattress bounce and jogged her leg a little too roughly. He froze at once with an apologetic wince, then tried again - with much more delicate movements - to find his spot beside her in bed.

There wasn't much Ophelia could do by way of movement (read: by way of cuddling) with her battered knee still leaving her effectively immobile, but she took Peter's hand in hers and tucked her head down onto his shoulder. It reminded her of the first time they'd shared a bed: a position much like this, just after the battle with Charybdis, both of them too injured to move but still needing to be close to each other. It was the first time they could, back then, after months spent isolated by the multiverse.

"Would it still be hovering if I offered to make dinner for you later?" Peter asked, and gave her hand a brief squeeze. Ophelia hummed.

"One less thing I've got to think about." she murmured, "I'll allow it."

"But now it's time for me to stop talking and let you sleep?"

"You know me so well."

[ly-art]

Chapter 24—A Dangerous Agreement (this time Solas is on the waiting bench lol)

Even though I'm sick with a cold, I managed to finish my newest Solavellan chapter. Solas is still unconscious so this time it's only Amatisha. She and another character finally face off, (kinda) and the consequences will only be revealed in the next chapter (I think?). As always here's a little snippet from the chapter!

They entered Bull’s tent, and there she was—Silassan, tied up and gagged, her rose-colored eyes gleaming with defiance. The sight of her, like a captured animal, sent a ripple of unease through Amatisha. Silassan’s eyes reminded her of something precious, yet here she was, restrained like a prisoner ready for interrogation. Amatisha folded her arms across her chest, her gaze flicking to Bull with a raised eyebrow. "Was this really necessary? She looks like she's about to be executed." Bull nodded gravely. "It was. Trust me, Boss, I know what I’m doing." His voice carried no trace of his usual joking tone, and Amatisha knew she had to trust him. But as she studied Silassan’s face, something flickered in those wild, rebellious eyes—confusion. The realization hit Amatisha like a punch to the gut. *She wasn’t expecting me. She was expecting Solas.* Her breath hitched at the thought, but she masked it quickly, crouching down to meet Silassan at eye level. Bull stood behind her, his massive figure looming like a protective shadow. "I’m going to remove the gag," Amatisha said, her tone calm but firm. "And I’d strongly advise you not to scream. Drawing attention isn't going to help you." Silassan’s gaze blazed with fury, but her expression remained impassive. Amatisha removed the gag, only to have Silassan spit directly into her face. Amatisha blinked in shock but didn’t react, wiping the spit away with the back of her arm. "*Really? Spitting? Wow,*" she said with a calm that even surprised herself. "You really must hate me." She felt strangely detached, almost bored by the insult, as if the act of aggression had no impact on her whatsoever. Under different circumstances, she might have retaliated, cursed, or lashed out. But right now, it was like watching a scene unfold through a thick pane of glass. Instead, she leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Let’s skip the bullshit. You’re here because you're hiding something, and I need to know what that is. But first, let's start with this: *Why did you try to kill Bull?*" Silassan remained silent, not even the flicker of a blink betraying her thoughts. Amatisha sighed internally. She knew the truth—the elf wouldn't break. But she gave it a shot anyway, taking a few pages from Leliana’s playbook. "I already know why. Bull filled me in on your little conversation with Solas." Nothing. Not a twitch, not a blink. Amatisha smiled, a cold, calculated gesture. Of course there wouldn���t be a reaction. “You’re a disgrace to the Elvhen. Go ahead, kill me if you must, but don’t expect me to say a word. I will not break,” Silassan finally hissed, her voice as cold as the frost biting at dawn. Amatisha cocked her head, watching her closely. “Do you really think I’ll torture you? Or is it because you acted alone when you tried to kill Bull—knowing damn well if he survived, it would lead back to Solas? Whatever you are to him—friend, family, or something else—Solas wouldn’t want that kind of attention. That's probably why he's kept you hidden, right? He seemed pretty pissed with you in that forest. Did you join the Inquisition just to watch *him*? I could ask him when he wakes up. I'm sure he'll love hearing, right after nearly dying, that you tried to kill one of his companions and failed. Guess the cat’s out of the bag now.”

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 187: Francis Goes to West Point

Release date: July 1952 

Studio: Universal 

Genre: comedy 

Director: Arthur Lubin 

Producer: Leonard Goldstein 

Actors: Donald O’Connor, Lori Nelson, Alice Kelley, Gregg Palmer 

Plot Summary: With the help of Francis the talking mule, Peter becomes a hero by saving an atomic plant from a bomb attack. His heroics capture the attention of the US Government, and he is offered a spot at West Point. But can this bumbling hero really make the grade there? 

My Rating (out of five stars): **¾  

By making my list 200 films long, I’ve included a lot of things I would never purposely choose to watch. So, I’ll be real- I hate talking animal movies. I can’t stand them. I love animals, but I loathe when real live animals talk in movies. (If it’s a cartoon animal, that’s a different story.) If they are older films, I especially worry about how the animals were treated on and off set. So... I did not want to put this film on my list! I finally gave in because it was a hugely popular and culturally significant series of movies right dab in the middle of 1952. Hell, Francis was even a guest on an episode I saw of What’s My Line? I like Donald O’Connor too, so hearing he starred in these helped push me to give it a try. 

The Good: 

Donald O’Connor! He is utterly charming and impossible to hate. He can always make me at least giggle or smile. 

For once we got a moderately realistic portrayal of a military school or basic training! All the other films I've seen from 1952 made joining the military seem like a summer camp or a class trip. Here there was tough discipline that characters could not talk their way out of. 

The real life footage of the military drills was wowing. 

I also loved the bona fide footage of a college football game. Seeing a real stadium filled with thousands of people... even seeing the parking lot teeming with vintage cars and buses was a weird nerdy highlight for me! Those snapshots of the actual world at the time are so fascinating. Still. 

I was kind of ambivalent to Francis, but I did find it amusing that he seemingly randomly knew everything there was to know. When he was tutoring Peter in French, that did make me smile. 

The Bad: 

I didn’t find the film terribly humorous. I smiled a few times, and maybe there was a giggle here and there, but was it funny? Not to me. But I also know I am not the audience for this. 

The whole premise was so ridiculous, sometimes it was too hard for me to set aside.  

The plot was relatively loose. A lot of these kinds of comedies can turn into a succession of gags bound together by the thinnest of threads. This movie wasn’t that bad- it did have a rough plot at least, but sometimes it was still too erratic. 

I try not to be mean to actors, but the actress who played Cynthia, Peter’s possible love interest, was not good. Her line delivery wasn't too bad, but her expressions were off. She kept her eyes so wide open it looked like she was having an eye exam, and it was just kinda weird. I’m sure she was a lovely person, though. ;-D

And speaking of the possible romance- what happened at the end? We never found out anything about Peter and Cynthia being together or not. 

The characters were not developed at all. I know that is expected from a comedy geared toward kids, but it made it hard to actually care about the people in it. For example, I kept getting Peter’s two roommates mixed up because they were almost indistinguishable. 

Who designed that horrible horrible poster?

[midnightfire830]

I’m bored, it’s late, and I’m not feeling great (like usual), but I don’t have the energy draw anything for asks so imma just hammer ya’ll with headcanons and ideas from cyberpunk because I feel bad I haven’t been talking about it as much. I have so many cussing ideas for this AU but I’m running out of ways to express those idea. Yay. ✌️

Anyway! Here’s some thoughts and little tidbits about Cyberpunk!

- Dr. Flug is a genius cybernetics designer and helped create all the tech that the cupbros use. And he’s behind all the programming. As instructed by the Devil. Hat of course helps Flug a lot with the tech. (The demon race is especially well known for their advancements in cyberware technology. The other races also specialize in certain things of course, but demons are known for cyberware.)

- Black hat also does own a casino. Although the tables are usually operated by androids plus a lot of gambling machines and coin slots. And an antigravity dance floor that Bendy really, REALLY wants to try.

- Mugs has a literal teleportation device that works with his dash charm. It gives him a larger range and more control on direction. It’s powered by his magic and his charm and it only requires him to throw down a specific piece of tech where he wants to go and he’ll teleport there. He can only carry one person.

- Mugs also has a support item. I drew it a few times in some drawings. You’ll notice in his character designs he wears two scarves wrapped around his forearms. Hat imbued his favorite scarf with some cyberware tech (and some magic) to turn his scarf into a capture weapon that works a lot like Aizawa’s capture scarf in My Hero Academia. He uses it as a non-lethal way of fighting. And for better range.

- Holly is the guy in ther chair. Whenever anyone goes on patrols she’s on commas tapping away on her screens. She hacks cameras remotely so that the boys don’t get caught, listens in to police radio and tell them where any crime might be happening.

- The Devil had decided to cut off majority of the Quester’s money access. He put pressure on the Quester’s usual buyers to not purchaser their products, so money is currently tight.

- Tho they get by by mostly selling to smaller companies and oftentimes regular people anyway so it doesn’t really matter.

- Food in their world is kinda crap. Oftentimes they have to buy prepackaged food to reheat. Everything is always processed food bc they can’t afford much more than that. (That is to say fresh produce is RIDICULOUSLY expensive). Only the rich can really afford it. I wonder who’s fault THAT is…

That’s a few little tidbits for now. Enjoy!

[zannolin]

For fic ask game: F, M

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

oh HELL yes i've written so much dialogue i love lately. this never happens (i fucking hate writing dialogue).

“Amanda’s mom unfriended me on Facebook, you know,” he tells Johnny one night, as they sit on the back deck with their feet in the grass. He doesn’t know why he says it. Maybe he just wanted someone to know. In the light glowing through the paper paneling of the door behind them, it’s hard to make out Johnny’s expression. Not that Daniel’s looking, or anything. “That blows,” Johnny finally says. He takes a swig of beer. “You should unfriend her back.” Daniel can’t help the laugh that bubbles up at that. He feels oddly light. Better. “That’s not how Facebook works, Johnny.” A huff, rendered softer by the darkness. “It should be.” “Yeah, everything’s a fight with you, isn’t it?” There’s a pause before Johnny says, “Not everything, LaRusso.” They don’t say anything else for a while after that.

this section from objects in motion is one of my favorite exchanges i wrote in the Entire piece. it just has like. the vibes. like (i hope) as a reader it's obvious with the context that johnny has changed, and johnny is talking about daniel here, and daniel hasn't caught on so there's two completely different levels of conversation going on. plus it's got johnny attempting to be supportive (he's so dumb i love him) and daniel trying to lighten things up with a joke that completely misses the mark and they just kind of sit there because well. what do you say after that. what do you do! they don't know! for me it really captured the essence of where they were in their developing relationship at that point in the narrative.

was also very happy with how the sam and daniel "are you getting a divorce" conversation turned out, but even more so how the subsequent kata-with-johnny one went because there's a lot of subtext there about sam starting to figure things out and she's not sure how to feel about it but she's sort of hesitantly giving a kind of blessing, or the hope of one someday, with the "miguel said you were good together"—like she's asking are you happy and daniel's maybe saying i think so and inviting her to be a part of it. if she wants. i could write essays about my own fics man i've thought about this so much. i love them. BUT ANYWAY i'll stop now.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

so many. sooooo many. i have one where sam and johnny get yeeted back to 1985 to witness the all valley that year since daniel's an eternal knot of repression; ft lawrusso kinda sorta, sam and johnny bonding, sam being her father's daughter, and mr miyagi my beloved. i have a concept where daniel from canon universe (somewhere in s1-3 i think) gets swapped with daniel from a different universe where mr. miyagi is still alive and lawrusso is canon, which is an absolute fucking disaster but also great because i get to explore more damanda marriage issues and hey here's a daniel who will actually COMMUNICATE with johnny, and here's a johnny who will actually COMMUNICATE with daniel, and it's not even ooc because i make the rules. there's a vague sam and johnny bonding werewolf au knocking around in my head also, and i really really want to write a johnny and ali fic eventually. i have like a million more but i think that's enough for now.

ask game!!