#I should finish the analysis I started last time I watched it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

vaginalvr · 7 days ago

Text

Temptations, nsfw

Spencer Reid x Reader x Aaron Hotchner

cw: Explicit sexual content, Domination/submission (D/s) themes, Threesome (M/F/M), Spit-roasting, Bondage and control (though not physical restraint, there is emotional control and dominance in the dynamic), Oral sex, Orgasm control and denial, Rough sex/Intensity, Emotional vulnerability and power play

a/n hello heres something nasty enjoy

You hadn’t meant to stay late.

Again.

But finishing the Vermont case report had taken longer than expected, and when the others had filtered out with quick goodbyes and tired smiles, you were still knee-deep in evidence summaries and behavioral analysis notes. You told yourself it was because you wanted your report to be perfect, but you knew it wasn’t just that.

Spencer was still here too, as he often was. He was tucked into his desk with one hand wrapped around a half-empty coffee mug, flipping through pages of a case file you’d both already closed. His brow furrowed the way it did when he got stuck in a loop of thought. Even exhausted, he was beautiful—quiet and sharp, soft in places no one else got to see.

And then there was Hotch.

His office light was still on, the blinds tilted just enough for you to catch his shadow moving inside. Occasionally, you’d see him glance out, eyes scanning the bullpen as if confirming who remained. More than once, your gazes had met. More than once, your stomach had flipped.

It had been like this for months now. Stolen glances, lingering touches that might’ve been accidents, the kind of loaded silences that made it hard to breathe. You didn’t know when it started. Maybe back in Boston, when Hotch had rested his hand on the small of your back just a second too long. Or maybe in Dallas, when Spencer had gently wiped blood off your cheek after you took a hit. Or maybe it had always been there, just waiting.

The tension wasn’t just in your imagination. You saw it in the way Hotch sometimes lingered when you spoke, his eyes dropping to your lips. In how Spencer’s fingers trembled the last time they brushed yours. In how your body seemed to know, on a visceral level, that something was building between the three of you—and had been for a long time.

You leaned back in your chair and stretched, letting out a soft sigh.

Spencer looked up. “You should probably go home,” he said, voice gentler than the words themselves.

“So should you,” you countered, smiling.

“I never do,” he replied with a tired little shrug. “Hotch either.”

As if summoned, the office door creaked open behind you. “He heard that.”

You turned, flushing slightly as Aaron stepped out of his office. His tie was loosened, top button undone, sleeves rolled. That alone was a rare sight—relaxed, slightly rumpled. Human.

Spencer blinked. “We weren’t gossiping.”

“You were,” Hotch said dryly. “But I’ll allow it.”

You laughed quietly, feeling the warmth in your chest spread. It wasn’t often that Hotch let his guard down like this, even less so that he engaged. But tonight, something felt different. Like the weight of the day had eased off just enough to let something else rise in its place.

Aaron’s gaze drifted over to your desk. “You’re still working on the Vermont file?”

“Just finishing up,” you said. “Didn’t want it hanging over my head tomorrow.”

He nodded. “I appreciate that. But don’t make a habit of staying this late.”

You tilted your head. “Why? You do.”

Hotch paused. For a second, something flickered across his face—amusement, maybe. Or something softer.

“Come up,” he said after a beat. “Both of you.”

Spencer looked at you, clearly questioning it. But you stood, heart starting to thud low and steady, and followed Hotch back into his office.

The air felt different inside. Quieter. More intimate.

Hotch left the door open, but the blinds stayed mostly closed. He leaned against the edge of his desk and watched the two of you file in, like he was trying to decide what to say. His fingers tapped lightly against the wood.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you both,” he said finally, voice low.

You sat, exchanging a glance with Spencer. “Is something wrong?”

Hotch’s brow furrowed. “No. That’s the thing.”

He looked at you for a long moment, then at Spencer. “I trust you both. More than I trust most people.”

There was a pause. Spencer’s eyes softened. You felt your chest tighten, not with anxiety—but something close to longing.

“This team…” Hotch went on slowly, “we live in a pressure cooker. And sometimes, the boundaries we put up don’t always stay where they should.”

You swallowed. “You mean—”

“I mean,” Hotch said, cutting gently through the static in the air, “that I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. And the way you both look at me.”

Spencer’s breath hitched.

Hotch’s eyes met yours. Steady. Patient. “And I haven’t done anything about it, because I wasn’t sure I should.”

Your voice came out barely above a whisper. “And now?”

Hotch’s lips parted, then pressed together again. He looked down for a moment before meeting your gaze again.

“Now I’m wondering if we’ve already crossed that line—and if pretending we haven’t is doing more harm than good.”

The room was quiet. You felt like you couldn’t move—couldn’t breathe—like something electric had settled over your skin and wouldn’t let go.

Spencer cleared his throat. “So… what are you saying?”

Hotch’s expression shifted—still calm, still in control, but something darker behind it. Something that had been restrained for far too long.

“I’m saying,” he said quietly, “that if this happens… I don’t want it to be confused. I don’t want it to be rushed. But I’m not going to act like I don’t want it.”

He looked at you then—fully, openly.

“And I’m not going to pretend I don’t see the way you respond when I’m near you.”

You couldn’t speak. Your breath caught in your throat, your fingers clenching into the arms of the chair.

Hotch stepped forward, slow and deliberate, until he stood in front of you. He didn’t touch you. Just looked. And then his hand reached out, brushing your jaw with maddening gentleness.

“I want you,” he murmured. “Both of you.”

Spencer was completely still beside you.

Hotch glanced at him. “I don’t have to guess with her. But you—”

Spencer finally exhaled, voice barely audible. “I want it too.”

Hotch nodded slowly. His hand dropped, the moment suspended by nothing but breath and restraint.

“Then we wait,” he said, softer now. “Until the right time.”

You swallowed hard. “When?”

His eyes darkened, and his mouth curved into the faintest smirk.

“When we’re alone.”

-------------------------------

Three days had passed since that night in Hotch’s office.

Three days since the unspoken had been spoken aloud—quietly, calmly, but undeniably. Since Hotch’s voice dropped just low enough to make your pulse spike. Since Spencer had looked at him—at you—with something between fear and hunger in his eyes.

And yet… nothing had happened. Not really.

No touches. No stolen kisses. No midnight texts.

Just… tension.

It threaded through everything now. Through every case briefing, every shared glance across the bullpen, every moment your fingers brushed as you passed Reid a file or walked by Hotch’s office. Every time Hotch said your name, your stomach clenched. Every time Spencer laughed near you—those soft, brilliant little sounds—it sent warmth straight to your chest and lower.

It was unbearable in the best way.

And yet, the waiting made you restless.

It was a Wednesday, and you were all running on fumes.

The case in Idaho had been brutal—three victims in as many days, two survivors still clinging to life in the ICU. When the unsub was finally apprehended—a man who barely blinked when Morgan slammed him into the pavement—everyone had been too exhausted to even speak on the flight back. Spencer had dozed beside you, shoulder pressed lightly to yours. Hotch hadn’t slept at all.

Now, hours later, the team had mostly cleared out, their bodies and minds in need of recovery.

You were still at your desk. Again.

“You know,” came a soft voice beside you, “some would say this is becoming a pattern.”

You looked up to find Spencer standing there, coffee in hand, his tie half-loosened, hair messier than usual.

“Some might,” you said, smiling faintly. “Those same people are also still here.”

He gave you a lopsided grin, then sat on the edge of your desk, long legs folding at the ankle.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he admitted. “Thought I might as well organize the Alaska reports.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Because that’s relaxing?”

He shrugged. “I’m not great at idle time.”

His gaze met yours, and the air shifted.

Something passed between you—an acknowledgment, unspoken and warm. The kind of look that, before three days ago, would have left you flustered and confused. Now, it left you wanting.

You leaned in slightly. “Neither am I.”

He was quiet a beat, then said, “Have you talked to him?”

You shook your head. “Not since.”

Spencer looked toward Hotch’s office. The light was on. Of course it was.

“Do you think he meant it?” he asked.

You didn’t have to think. “Yes.”

He nodded slowly. “Me too.”

He stood again, brushing invisible lint off his pants. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“I’ll walk you to the elevator. If we don’t leave now, we’ll never leave.”

You hesitated, eyes flicking toward the stairs.

“(Y/N),” Spencer said gently. “You’ll see him tomorrow.”

But when the two of you passed by Hotch’s office, the door creaked open.

“Reid. (Y/N).” His voice was calm, but direct. “A moment?”

Spencer froze. You did too.

Hotch stood just inside the threshold, looking far too composed for a man who hadn’t slept in 36 hours. His tie was off completely now, shirt unbuttoned at the collar.

“I—” Spencer began.

“Come in,” Hotch said, stepping aside.

Spencer looked at you. You nodded once. Together, you followed.

Hotch closed the door gently behind you and leaned back against it. The office light cast golden shadows along his jaw, down his throat. He looked tired—but in a way that made him feel real. Accessible. Still dangerous, somehow.

You stood near his desk, hands at your sides.

Spencer lingered a few feet away, eyes scanning the room like he was trying to memorize it.

No one spoke.

Finally, Hotch broke the silence.

“I meant it.”

You swallowed. “We know.”

He stepped closer—slow, deliberate—and your pulse thrummed beneath your skin.

“I’ve spent the last three days wondering if I made a mistake,” he said quietly. “If I pushed too far.”

“You didn’t,” you said immediately, voice soft but certain.

Hotch’s eyes flicked to Spencer. “You?”

Spencer hesitated, then shook his head. “No. You didn’t.”

Hotch exhaled slowly, like a weight had left his chest.

“Good,” he murmured. Then added, “Because I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”

His gaze dropped—to your lips, to your neck, then back to your eyes. Heat licked at the base of your spine.

Spencer took a step closer, voice quiet. “Neither have I.”

There was something trembling under the surface now—restraint, fraying fast.

Hotch’s eyes darkened. “Close the blinds.”

You didn’t move. Neither did Spencer.

Hotch arched a brow—commanding, but not unkind. “Please.”

That please hit differently. Heavy. Intimate. Laced with authority.

Spencer moved first, stepping to the window and twisting the rod until the room dimmed with slats of shadow. The noise was soft, but it sounded deafening in the hush.

Hotch’s hand reached out as Spencer passed him again. Not to stop him—but to touch. His fingers brushed Spencer’s wrist—barely there. Spencer’s breath hitched.

Then Hotch’s eyes found yours again.

“I don’t want to do this halfway,” he said quietly. “If this happens, I want you to understand—this isn’t a one-time thing.”

Your heart stuttered. “What is it, then?”

Hotch stepped closer, his voice dropping.

“It’s mine,” he said simply. “You. Both of you.”

Spencer made a soft sound, somewhere between shock and something far needier.

You whispered, “And you?”

Hotch tilted his head. “Mine to give. And yours to take.”

He stopped just in front of you now. Close enough that you could smell the soap on his skin, the coffee on his breath. His hand came up—slow, measured—and brushed your cheek.

Your eyes fluttered closed at the touch. Everything inside you stilled.

“Are you sure?” he asked softly.

You opened your eyes. “Yes.”

Hotch looked at Spencer.

Spencer licked his lips, nodding once. “Yes.”

Hotch’s smile was faint—but real. And unmistakably dark.

“Then you wait,” he said again, but softer this time. “One more night.”

You whimpered—quiet, involuntary.

Spencer gave a breathless laugh. “You’re cruel.”

Hotch’s fingers skimmed your chin. “No. I’m patient. And when it happens, I want it slow. No rushing. No interruptions.”

You nodded. You’d take the ache if it meant what you thought it meant.

Hotch stepped back—just a little. Enough to let you breathe.

“Tomorrow,” he said, voice deep. “After everyone leaves.”

You and Spencer stood frozen for a moment longer.

Then Hotch opened the door. The cool air from the hallway hit you like a splash of water.

“Go,” he said gently. “While I still let you.”

Your knees barely held steady as you turned.

Spencer reached for your hand as you walked toward the elevator, fingers brushing yours—light, grounding.

He looked over at you, eyes glassy with need, and whispered:

“We’re not sleeping tonight, are we?”

You shook your head.

“Not a chance.”

You didn’t remember a single thing you’d done that workday.

You showed up on time. You went to the morning briefing. You responded to Prentiss’s question about forensic linkage with a nod and a word or two. But none of it registered. Not really.

All day, your body had buzzed like a live wire. Every second dragged. Every time Hotch spoke, every time Spencer looked at you, it was like oxygen evaporated from the room. When you dared to glance at Hotch’s office, he was already watching. When you looked at Spencer, his cheeks were flushed before you could say a word.

It was unbearable. And perfect.

By 7:30, everyone else had filtered out. Morgan with a lazy goodbye, Garcia calling out that she’d “absolutely not be in tomorrow before 10.” Prentiss offered you a long look—curious, maybe knowing—but said nothing. And then it was just you three.

You didn’t need to be told to stay.

The bullpen dimmed. The silence stretched.

At 8:12, Hotch’s door opened.

You stood.

Spencer did too.

Neither of you spoke as you followed him in.

This time, the blinds were already closed.

Hotch didn’t turn around when the door clicked shut. He stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, as if he were still debating whether to speak first.

Then: “Lock the door.”

Your breath caught.

You reached behind you, fingers fumbling for the latch. It clicked into place.

The office felt smaller now. Closer. Like the walls themselves were watching.

Hotch turned slowly.

He looked at you first—then Spencer.

"Come here."

You moved first. Spencer followed, quiet and fluid beside you. When you stopped in front of Hotch, your hands were already shaking. Not from fear.

From the weight of how right this felt.

Hotch reached for you. His thumb brushed your bottom lip.

“You’re sure?” he asked, voice softer than you’d ever heard it.

You nodded, lips parting.

He looked to Spencer. “You too?”

Spencer’s voice came quiet and steady. “Yes.”

Hotch’s gaze sharpened at the sound of it—something hot and possessive passing through his eyes.

Then his hand dropped.

"Strip."

You didn’t move at first.

Not because you didn’t want to—but because hearing him say it like that, voice low and firm and sure, short-circuited something in your brain.

He wasn’t Hotch right now. Not in the same way.

He was Aaron—deliberate, dominant, the man you’d both felt beneath the surface for months.

“Now,” he said.

You reached for the buttons on your shirt, trying not to rush.

Next to you, Spencer pulled his sweater over his head. His hands were slightly trembling. His breath shallow.

Hotch watched. His arms folded. Calm on the surface, but you could see the storm underneath. His jaw was tense. His pupils blown wide.

When you stood in just your underwear, you hesitated.

He stepped closer. His hand came up—fingertips tracing the edge of your bra, then skimming the curve of Spencer’s collarbone.

“You’re both beautiful,” he murmured.

Spencer’s lips parted. Yours did too.

“On your knees,” Hotch said next.

You sank to the carpet without question.

Spencer hesitated—but Hotch’s hand tangled in his hair, guiding him down gently.

“That’s it,” he whispered. “Good.”

You felt Spencer beside you—close, steady—and reached for his hand without thinking.

He squeezed once. Held on.

Hotch looked down at you both—something unreadable in his expression. Reverent, maybe. Possessive. Proud.

“I’ve wanted this for a long time,” he said.

You swallowed hard. “Then take it.”

His eyes snapped to yours.

And then he did.

The carpet was rough beneath your knees, but you barely noticed.

Hotch stood before you, impossibly tall from this angle, his belt slowly sliding free from the loops with a measured pull. His eyes didn’t leave yours—not for a second.

The sound of the buckle clinking echoed in the office like a countdown.

Spencer knelt beside you, breath coming shallow, his chest rising and falling fast. But there was no panic in him. Just anticipation, bright and humming under his skin.

Hotch’s gaze flicked between you both. “You want me to touch you.”

It wasn’t a question.

You nodded. So did Spencer.

“Use your words,” he said, voice like a velvet blade.

“Yes,” you whispered. “Please.”

Spencer echoed you. “Yes. I want you.”

Hotch’s mouth curved just slightly.

He stepped closer, cupping your chin. “Look at me.”

You met his eyes.

His thumb brushed along your bottom lip, then dipped inside slowly. You closed your mouth around it, tasting salt and leather and control.

“Good girl,” he murmured. “Keep being good, and I’ll give you everything.”

Your breath hitched. That praise—his praise—lit something deep and submissive inside you.

He withdrew his thumb and turned to Spencer.

“Open,” he said.

Spencer obeyed instantly, lips parting without hesitation.

Hotch pressed his other thumb into Spencer’s mouth—slower, more deliberate—and watched him suck gently, eyes fluttering closed for a moment.

“Look at her while you do it,” Hotch said.

Spencer’s eyes snapped to yours. His cheeks flushed. You could’ve come undone right then.

Hotch stepped back just enough to unbutton his pants, sliding them down his hips. His cock was already half-hard, thick and gorgeous, the kind of thing that made your mouth water. Spencer let out the softest sound—half awe, half want.

Hotch chuckled under his breath. “You like watching, don’t you?”

Spencer nodded.

“I’ll give you plenty to watch.”

Then, to you: “Take him in your mouth. Slowly.”

You crawled forward on your knees, lips parting, and Hotch didn’t stop you. His hand rested gently on the back of your head—not pushing, just guiding—as you wrapped your mouth around the head of his cock.

He hissed through his teeth. “Fuck, yes.”

You took your time, dragging your tongue along the underside, savoring the way his thighs tensed. His hand tightened in your hair when you hollowed your cheeks and sank deeper.

“Look how pretty you are like this,” he murmured. “So eager.”

Beside you, Spencer’s hand moved to his own lap, palming himself through his pants.

“Don’t touch yourself,” Hotch said without looking.

Spencer froze, swallowing hard. “Yes, sir.”

Hotch groaned at that—low and rough.

You pulled back, catching your breath. “Sir?”

His eyes darkened. “Do you like that?”

You nodded, dizzy from arousal. “Yes.”

Hotch turned to Spencer. “You?”

Spencer looked wrecked already, hair falling into his eyes, lips red from biting them.

“Yes,” he whispered.

Hotch stepped back slightly and reached for Spencer, pulling him forward by the jaw. Then—gently, shockingly—he kissed him.

It wasn’t rough. It was slow. Almost tender.

Spencer made a small noise in the back of his throat, melting into it, fingers twitching like he didn’t know where to touch. Hotch cupped his cheek, tilting his head, deepening it until Spencer swayed on his knees.

When they pulled apart, Spencer was panting.

“I want you both on the couch,” Hotch said. “Now.”

You stood shakily. Spencer helped you, brushing your arm with a soft, grounding touch as you made your way across the room. The leather of the couch was cool against your skin when you sat. Hotch stayed standing.

“Spencer,” he said, voice calm but loaded, “undress her.”

Your heart leapt.

Spencer turned to you, eyes wide with heat. His hands moved to your bra clasp slowly, watching your face for any sign of hesitation. You gave him none.

It fell away.

His hands lingered—light touches over your chest, down your sides—until they found your underwear. He slid them off delicately, reverently.

You were bare. Exposed. Wanting.

Hotch watched every movement, every breath, like a man starved.

“Lie back,” he told you.

You did, reclining against the leather, eyes fluttering closed.

“Spencer,” he said again. “Taste her.”

You gasped.

Spencer didn’t hesitate. He moved between your thighs, hands gripping them gently but firmly as his mouth found you. The first brush of his tongue was tentative—soft, almost sweet.

Your hips bucked, and he moaned against you, gaining confidence instantly. His tongue flattened, licked a slow stripe, then circled your clit with exquisite focus.

“Oh, god—Spence—” you whimpered.

Hotch sat beside you on the couch, brushing your hair back from your face.

“Good?” he asked, voice low.

You nodded frantically. “Yes. So good.”

He kissed you. It was sudden, but somehow not surprising.

He tasted like coffee and command. His hand slid to your breast, cupping it, thumb brushing your nipple until you arched into him.

Between your legs, Spencer’s mouth never stopped moving. His fingers joined in—one, then two—pushing inside you with a slow rhythm that made your thighs shake.

Hotch watched your face as you moaned. He kissed your jaw, your throat, whispering filth in your ear.

“Look at you… falling apart for us.”

You whimpered, your body so close to the edge already.

Spencer pulled back just slightly. “She’s close.”

Hotch stood, his voice like silk-wrapped steel. “Then let her come.”

Spencer ducked back down, tongue flicking faster.

You shattered.

Your back arched, a cry ripping from your throat. Hotch caught your jaw, held it steady, made you look at him while Spencer licked you through it.

“Beautiful,” he murmured. “That’s it.”

When you finally collapsed back against the couch, shuddering and breathless, Hotch pulled Spencer up and kissed him hard—tasting you on his mouth.

Then he spoke again, voice deeper than ever.

“Now I’m going to fuck her. And you’re going to watch.”

Spencer nodded, eyes wide with reverence. “Yes, sir.”

Your skin was still buzzing from the orgasm Spencer had coaxed from you. Your legs trembled, your chest heaved, and your body still begged for more—strung out and aching in the best possible way.

And Aaron… Hotch… hadn’t even touched you yet.

He stood now, bare from the waist down, towering and calm and terrifyingly controlled. His eyes raked down your body like he owned every inch of it—and maybe he did. The way your stomach fluttered said so.

Spencer sat beside you, still flushed and breathing hard, his lips swollen from your skin and Aaron’s kiss. His hand had drifted back to his thigh, fingers twitching like he didn’t know what to do with himself now that he wasn’t allowed to touch you.

Or himself.

Hotch turned his gaze on him. “You did well.”

Spencer swallowed. “Thank you.”

“And now you’re going to watch me fuck her.”

Spencer nodded, lips parting.

Hotch’s attention shifted to you. “On your knees again.”

Your legs barely worked, but you moved, dragging yourself off the couch and turning to face it, resting your forearms on the cushion and arching your back. Exposed again. Open. Waiting.

Hotch stepped behind you. You felt the heat of him before he even touched you.

“You want this?” he asked, voice low and ragged at the edges now.

“Yes,” you whispered. “Please, sir.”

He groaned at that—just a soft, involuntary sound of hunger—and then his hands were on your hips, firm and grounding.

“I’ve been thinking about this for weeks,” he murmured as he lined himself up. “You. Like this. Taking me.”

Spencer let out a breath behind you that was almost a whimper.

Hotch pushed forward.

You gasped as he stretched you open—thick and unrelenting. Your hands curled into the cushions. He didn’t rush, giving your body time to adjust, but he didn’t pause long either. When he bottomed out, you felt full, stuffed to the point of shaking.

“Fuck,” he muttered, breath hot on your spine. “You feel even better than I imagined.”

You moaned helplessly.

He pulled back and thrust again—deeper, harder.

Every motion was deliberate. Powerful.

He wasn’t fucking you like it was new.

He was fucking you like he knew exactly how to break you open.

Behind you, Spencer was breathing harder, thighs shifting restlessly where he sat, clearly struggling not to touch himself.

Hotch noticed.

“You can stroke yourself,” he said, never breaking rhythm. “But don’t come.”

Spencer’s breath hitched. “Yes, sir.”

You glanced over your shoulder and saw it—Spencer’s hand wrapped around himself, eyes locked on the place where Hotch’s body met yours. He was flushed and wrecked already, so responsive.

Hotch grunted and leaned forward, one hand pressing between your shoulder blades to arch your back further. The new angle made you sob.

“Look at him,” Hotch growled. “Look how desperate he is. He wants to fuck you too.”

You met Spencer’s gaze, and it was electric. Raw. Unfiltered.

He nodded, unable to speak.

Hotch pulled out nearly to the tip and slammed back in. You cried out, gripping the couch for dear life.

“Tell her what you want,” Hotch said.

Spencer’s voice was wrecked. “I want to be inside her. I want to taste her again. I want… I want to make her come on my cock.”

You whimpered, thighs shaking.

Hotch reached under your body and rubbed your clit with two fingers, fast and tight. “She’d take you. She’d take both of us, wouldn’t you?”

You choked on your answer. “Yes. Yes, sir. Please.”

“Not yet.”

He fucked you harder, fingers unrelenting, pushing you toward another orgasm like he was determined to ruin you.

You came with a scream—legs giving out, body collapsing forward. Hotch caught you, held you, fucked you through it with ruthless control. You heard yourself sob his name, too far gone to care.

He didn’t let up.

Not until you were trembling and gasping and incoherent.

Then he pulled out—panting, sweating—and turned to Spencer.

“Trade places,” he said.

Spencer blinked. “I—”

“She can take it,” Hotch said. “Can’t you?”

You nodded weakly, still catching your breath. “Yes. I want to.”

Spencer stood slowly. His hands shook as he moved behind you, but his eyes were soft—checking in even as his cock twitched with need.

Hotch kissed you, slow and deep, while Spencer eased inside you with a groan that made your toes curl.

“God, you’re perfect,” Spencer whispered, bottoming out slowly.

Hotch watched you both, stroking himself lazily. “Make her come again.”

Spencer moved with a gentleness that was somehow just as overwhelming as Aaron’s dominance—deep strokes, little praises murmured into your shoulder. “You’re so beautiful like this,” “So tight,” “You feel like heaven…”

It didn’t take long.

Your next orgasm built like a tidal wave—wave after wave cresting under Spencer’s careful rhythm and Hotch’s sharp commands: “Faster,” “Touch her clit,” “Make her scream for you.”

You came again with Spencer’s name on your lips, your body clenching so hard it pulled a strangled groan from him.

“Don’t come,” Hotch warned.

Spencer’s voice broke. “I—I’m trying.”

“Pull out.”

He did, trembling.

Hotch stepped forward, caught Spencer by the jaw, and kissed him again—messy this time, almost violent. “Good.”

Then he turned to you.

“You’re going to take us both.”

Your eyes widened. “Both—?”

He nodded. “I’ll guide it. You’ll be okay. Just breathe.”

You nodded slowly. “Yes. I trust you.”

He smiled then, real and warm beneath the command. “I know.”

You were a mess—a beautiful, trembling mess—caught between them both, with no space left to breathe or think.

Hotch was still there—calm, collected, always in control—and Spencer, ever the attentive one, watched you with a mix of reverence and hunger. You could feel them both, their eyes on your body, as if deciding what to do with you next.

But Hotch spoke first, breaking the heavy silence that had filled the room.

“You’re doing so well,” he said, voice low, possessive. “But we haven’t finished yet.”

You trembled under his gaze, the words sending another shiver down your spine. You couldn’t stop shaking, couldn’t stop the ache in your core that had yet to subside.

Spencer was still kneeling behind you, catching his breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His hands hovered uncertainly near your hips, but he didn’t touch you—at least, not yet.

Hotch stepped closer, one hand resting gently on your back, grounding you. “I want you to turn around,” he said softly, his voice still rough from the way he’d fucked you earlier.

You obeyed immediately, moving to face Spencer, your hands braced on the couch for support. Spencer’s eyes were dark, the raw need and desire in them palpable. But he waited—patiently—for Hotch’s next command.

Hotch stood behind you, one hand still resting on your back, but the other moved down to your hair, gathering it into a loose fist. You shuddered at the feeling of his fingers in your hair, pulling you just enough that your neck exposed itself to him.

“Look at him,” Hotch said, nodding toward Spencer. “I want you to take him into your mouth.”

You felt your pulse spike as Spencer’s hand moved down to guide himself to your lips.

It was slow at first, the thick head of Spencer’s cock teasing your mouth. You opened, sucking gently, tasting the salt and musk of him. Spencer’s breath hitched. He let out a small, almost helpless sound. “So good…”

Hotch’s grip on your hair tightened just slightly, pulling you back until you were looking up at him. “She’s a good girl, isn’t she?”

Spencer’s voice cracked as he whispered, “Yes. So good.”

“Good,” Hotch muttered, as he stepped forward. He stood next to Spencer, his body angled to keep you pinned in the perfect position for both of them.

Then, without warning, Hotch guided Spencer’s hand away from your head, giving him an instruction you didn’t quite expect.

“Switch places,” Hotch ordered, his tone now commanding. “Spencer, I want you in front of her.”

Spencer’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t hesitate. He stood up slowly and moved into place in front of you, the head of his cock inches from your mouth, throbbing with need.

You blinked up at him, wondering if you should ask, but the look in his eyes told you everything. He was giving himself to you now, fully, without hesitation. The submission in his posture made your heart race.

Hotch moved behind you, settling in, his hand grazing over your back, before he spoke again.

“You’re going to take both of us at once,” he said, his voice dark and commanding.

You looked between them, your body trembling with anticipation. You could feel Spencer’s warm, trembling body just inches away, and Hotch’s presence looming behind you—confident, in control.

Then Hotch’s hand moved to your back again, guiding you to bend forward over the couch, your chest pressed to the cool leather.

“Spencer,” Hotch said, “take her mouth.”

Spencer’s eyes darkened, his fingers gently cupping your face. You felt the pressure as Spencer guided himself into your mouth slowly, carefully, as if savoring the moment. You closed your eyes as your lips sealed around him, sucking gently, trying to match the rhythm Hotch had set earlier with his fingers.

Hotch moved closer, standing between your legs now. His hands caressed your back before gripping your hips, pulling you forward just enough. He guided his cock to your waiting pussy, pressing forward with one slow, measured push. You gasped around Spencer, the sensation of both men filling you overwhelming.

Spencer’s hand slid into your hair, and he groaned as he gently rocked his hips into your mouth. You pulled back for a second to catch your breath. “Please,” you whispered, voice thick with need.

“You want more?” Hotch asked, his voice low and firm. “You’re going to take it.”

You nodded without hesitation, bracing yourself as Hotch pushed in again, deeper this time, making you gasp. The pressure of him filling you completely made your eyes water. It was intense, overwhelming, but it felt right.

Spencer’s hips started to move, a gentle thrust here and there, but still controlled. He was watching you—studying you—his gaze intense as he held your head steady, guiding you with a gentle touch.

Hotch’s pace quickened, and you could feel him pushing harder, the sound of his thrusts filling the air. His hands tightened on your hips, keeping you in place as he filled you completely, over and over again. Each thrust hit deep, the sensation of him inside you making your body tremble.

You couldn’t hold back anymore.

Your back arched, your mouth still working Spencer with slow, deliberate movements, as your orgasm built, coiling tight in your stomach. The pressure from both men, the way they both filled you, was too much to ignore. You moaned, unable to stop yourself, the pleasure building until you finally broke—your body tightening, releasing in waves as you screamed around Spencer’s cock.

Hotch growled behind you, his pace relentless as you came apart beneath him. Spencer’s hand tightened in your hair, pulling you back into him, his own release coming as you swallowed.

You were left breathless and trembling, still trapped between them, each of their hands on you—guiding, holding, keeping you close. Your body was sore but sated, a hot, electric feeling running through your veins.

“Good girl,” Hotch murmured as he pulled out, his hand resting on your back to steady you. “You took both of us so well.”

Spencer’s voice was soft, full of awe. “You were incredible.”

You swallowed hard, still trying to catch your breath, your body still trembling from the intensity. “I... I didn’t know... I could take that much.”

“You’ll always be able to,” Hotch replied, his voice a steady presence in the chaos of your thoughts.

Spencer’s fingers traced your cheek softly. “We’ll always take care of you.”

Hotch nodded, his eyes dark with satisfaction. “This isn’t over. Not yet.”

#criminal minds #spencer reid smut #criminal minds smut #criminal minds x you #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid x fem reader #aaron hotchner #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotch hotchner #aaron hotch imagine #aaron hotch fanfiction #aaron hotchner x female reader #hotch #bau team

220 notes · View notes

blackwidownat2814 · 9 months ago

Text

Steal My Thunder (T.Owens)

Pairing: Tyler Owens x female reader, Tyler Owens x shy!reader, Tyler Owens x insecure!reader

Word Count: 462

A/N: Welcome to my first Tyler Owens fic! I was throwing fic ideas around before I even saw the movie. I watched several interviews and other stuff on YouTube and took notes even. Then after seeing it the third time, I started working on this story. I don't anticipate this being a real long story, but I also will be a little slow to update because of work or writer's block or working on a crochet project I really need to finish. What I'm really saying is please be patient with me. Secondly, like in my other works, I'd planned to make this with a plus size!reader in mind, but I decided to go with insecure because I want to try and be a little more inclusive. Also, unless otherwise stated, my readers are always female readers. Lastly, I'm already working on Chapter 1, so keep an eye out for that. However, if you really like this, please let me know and I can tag you in future updates. And as always, I will be crossposting this to AO3. If you see this story anywhere besides AO3 or Tumblr, it's stolen Kthxbye! PS: Thanks to KJ & Jordyn for their help in beta-ing and title/chapter ideas! Love y'all!

Prologue

You were a Lead Meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. You should not be handling school age tour groups. You were just about DONE with being treated like a secretary. The rest of them thought that just because Kate was gone that they could go back to treating you like they did before her.

You were quiet, shy, and someone whose love language was acts of service, so you loved to help people out. The problem was that your co-workers abused that part of you. They asked to lead the school groups, bring everyone coffee, put together packets for meetings, etc. Complete nonsense…and you were done.

It was then, as you mentally typed up your resignation, that you received a serendipitous call from Kate herself.

“I believe the sayin’ is ‘No man left behind’.”

“You’re not an US Army Ranger, B.”

“Yeah, well…” You trailed off, not wanting to burden your friend with your issues. Kate always told you that it was okay to talk to her when you needed someone, but you were stubborn. You were very much of the ‘friends aren’t therapists’ mindset.

“Talk to me B.”

“I’m happy for you, ya know? You’re back to doing’ something I know you loved. I can see it in your eyes with each video or stream I watch.”

“Okay, keep your secrets…and thank you. I am happy.”

“So…what can I do for ya? Why are you botherin’ me on my lunch hour?”

“Damn! Sorry about that B.”

“You know I don’t actually care. Tell me what’s up.”

“I’m callin’ with a job off-”

“I’ll take it.”

“Woah, I haven’t even said what it-”

“I don’t care. Ever since you left, and because I’m a huge push over, everyone’s been walking all over me. You know I had to do three tours today?”

“We’ve talked about this.”

“I know Kate. Just…what’s the job anyway?” Your friend was silent for a moment, before you heard her exhale.

“It’s storm data analysis really.”

“Elaborate.”

“We’re trying to really get down to the nitty gritty with the data from the EF-5 we got to dissipate last season and see where to improve, how to catalog it in our info database, etc.”

“I’m in”, you said. “Y’all won’t treat me like some secretary, I’ll be close to home again, and I’ll get to spend all my time with you.”

“We most definitely will not treat you like some secretary. We’re equal opportunity storm chasers out here.”

You tossed your empty sandwich bag into the trash and pulled up Word to start drafting your resignation letter.

“Say, what are the benefits as a Tornado Wrangler?” Before Kate could reply, you heard Boonie baby! Woo! in the background.

With that enthusiasm, what could possibly go wrong?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tagging: @buckysdollforlife @13braincellsonly

#Series: Steal My Thunder #Tyler Owens #Tyler Owens x you #Tyler Owens x reader #Tyler Owens x female reader #Tyler Owens x insecure!reader #Tyler Owens fanfiction

277 notes · View notes

luckyartdoll · 9 months ago

Text

Neytiri’s Fatal Flaw and Her Future Arc.

I was watching the deleted/original cut of the scene with Neytiri holding Spider hostage which — first off, incredible scene by the way like holy shit — but it made me think about how perfectly it served for Neytiri’s character.

Someone might’ve already talked about this already, but what I don’t think a lot of people realize is that this scene serves as the payoff for earlier Neytiri-related scenes as well as a starting point for her arc going forward.

If you haven’t watched the scene, here, it’s a far more impactful version of an already hard hitting scene and I’m going to treat it as what “really” happened in the story for the sake of analysis.

The first moment I’m focusing on is this one where Neytiri goes to pick up her bow after killing a few RDA grunts, only to find that the bow is now broken and unusable.

There’s a running theme in these two movies that I’ve seen people point out and that’s how Neytiri keeps losing things that are precious to her, whether they be people, places, or objects.

In the first movie, she loses a lot including but not limited to the Hometree, the Tree of Voices, her older sister, Tsu’tey, her Ikran, and her father. When her father dies, he grants her the Ceremonial Bow and that’s what she ends up using to fight in all subsequent battles.

In the second movie, she thankfully doesn’t lose as much, but she’s still forced to leave her home and her first born son is killed in the heat of battle, rough times all around.

You’ll note that I didn’t include losing her precious bow on the list of things she lost and that’s because she didn’t lose the bow, she broke it.

All the other losses I’ve described are caused by the RDA, but this one isn’t. Instead of her bow being broken by another grunt in the heat of the battle, she’s the one who breaks it by swinging it haphazardly at her enemies.

I may not know all that much about archery or making weapons, but I’m almost certain that bows aren’t designed to be used like that, which is why her bow broke the way that it did.

And it cannot be understated how important this bow must be to Neytiri. I mentioned before that it was given to her by her late father, making it an important connection to her family already, but it’s also made from the wood of Hometree. So not only is it a connection to her family, it’s a connection to her people and the home that was stolen from them.

All that and she still broke it, not because she didn’t cherish the bow, but because she just couldn’t control her anger enough to handle it properly.

And that’s what I feel Neytiri’s fatal flaw is, as well as what her arc will be primarily focusing on in the upcoming movies — Neytiri’s anger and hatred leads to blind rage, and she becomes liable to hurt those she cares about.

For the record, I am not making the claim that Neytiri’s flaw is that she gets angry. Being outraged by death and destruction, hating those who bring about injustice, these aren’t flaws and aren’t things she should be vilified for. What is a flaw is how she uses her anger, or rather how it uses her.

Jake spells it out pretty cleanly in a scene that happened a while ago. When Tonowari told Jake and Neytiri about the destruction the RDA was causing to the nearby villages, they immediately connect it back to Quaritch. Neytiri describes how they have to finish off Quaritch — “we have to hunt this demon, trap him, kill him” — and this is what Jake says in response to that idea:

“We gotta be smart…”

He’s not dismissing the idea of doing something, he’s just cautioning her on how they go about doing it. That’s the crux of Neytiri’s most prevalent flaw, it isn’t her becoming angered at the injustice she and her people face, it’s her not being smart about how she acts on it.

The last two moments I’d like to draw attention to are the one where one of Quartich’s lackey calls Neytiri a “wild animal” and the one where she actually acts like one.

For the record, Lyle and Quaritch are in the wrong for likening Neytiri to an animal and dehumanizing her in the process, especially when the reason they insulted her was because she was acting violent in the video where she was protecting her husband. However, it’s undeniable that during the fight on the Sea Dragon, Neytiri is the most violent and rage filled we’ve ever seen her.

It’s particularly noticeable right before she realizes she broke her bow, which is definitely not a coincidence I’ll tell you that much.

She screams in the guys face and stabs him over and over and over again, after which she gets up and starts growling, searching for anything else that moves. It’s not a stretch to say that, in this moment, she’s acting almost like a bloodthirsty animal hungry for vengeance, not too dissimilar from the wild animal the recoms painted her as.

And all of this, her accidentally breaking her father’s bow, being asked to be smart about it all, acting like a wild animal, it all comes to a head in the moment where she uses Spider’s life as leverage to save Kiri’s. It starts off good when she makes Quaritch let Kiri go, but when Kiri is freed from Quaritch’s grasp and she can turn her attention to the man himself…

…she puts the blade back against Spider’s neck and utters those infamous lines:

“A son for a son.”

I’ve seen a lot of people comment on how “powerful” of a scene this is, and while I agree that it’s a powerful storytelling moment and extremely important to Neytiri’s character, I think a lot of people miss the fact that this isn’t an admirable moment of a mother’s rage, but a scary and dark moment where Neytiri is about to fall to Quaritch’s lows.

Because if Neytiri had actually gone through with this decision, then she would’ve done the same thing to her family that she did with her bow — destroy it. What’s important to note about Neytiri’s hatred towards Spider is that; while it’s understandable considering all the trauma she went through at the hands of his father and the RDA, she’s the only one in her family that feels this way towards him.

For one thing, Spider is both Lo’ak and Kiri’s best friend and they know how much Spider hates being Quaritch’s son, there’s no way that they’d just accept Neytiri after she killed their best friend. We don’t get much development on Spider’s relationship with Tuk or Neteyam, but we see Spider protect Tuk, tease Neteyam, and cry during Neteyam’s death, so they must be friends on some level.

And finally Jake. Admittedly, Jake is pretty lukewarm towards Spider throughout the entire movie, but I’d argue that’s him keeping a respectful distance because of him wanting to side with his wife and not any malice Jake genuinely holds towards Spider himself. We even see him checking over Spider at the end of the movie like he does with Lo’ak and Neteyam.

As much as Jake unconditionally loves Neytiri, I cannot see a world where he’s able to look at her the same way if she killed an innocent child.

And I do mean innocent, because at this point in time Spider’s only “crimes” are being human(not his choice) and being Quaritch’s son(also not his choice). Even if Neytiri’s feelings towards him are understandable and valid, her actions at this point are not justifiable and Jake knows it.

That’s not even mentioning how she hisses at Kiri during this scene, she’s not acting with her family’s best interest in mind, she’s acting on pure rage.

If she had gone through with it and killed Spider, Kiri and Lo’ak would hate her, Tuk wouldn’t be able to look at her the same way again, and Jake probably would’ve left her. She truly did come a hair’s width away from destroying something precious to her once again.

Now let’s talk about Spider for a minute because he’s crucial to all of this, as Neytiri’s hatred for humans extends to her hatred of him.

We already know that, to the Na’vi, “I see you” is considered a respectful greeting, but it’s also a show of great understanding between two people; it’s why Jake’s two pivotal emotional moments at the end of the movies are him telling a loved one “I see you,” it’s because he’s come to understand them as a person beyond what he initially thought.

In contrast, Neytiri does not see Spider, her eyes are shut. Instead of seeing Spider as a person, all she sees is just another human who ought to be with his own kind, a demon. And this is honestly fine, Neytiri isn’t Spider’s mother or caretaker so she’s not obligated to try and understand him as anything deeper than her enemies child and her own children’s best friend.

However, because Neytiri refuses to see Spider as anything other than another human, she lets this hatred for him and his heritage fester until she feels comfortable to threaten his life and see him as a means to an end. And that, no matter how much one may argue it’s understandable from her perspective, leads to dire consequences.

Namely, Spider’s choice to save Quaritch.

Now, before anyone yells at me let me clarify — I am not saying that Neytiri is responsible for Spider’s choice, nor is she responsible for any harm Quaritch will cause in the upcoming movies. However, it’s undeniable that her actions influenced Spider’s decision, whether directly or indirectly.

When Neytiri threatened Spider’s life, Quaritch initially plays off the fact that he’s technically not his son, citing that they aren’t even the same species. But when Neytiri pushes even further, he breaks and shows that he does actually care about Spider, willing to let go of his hostage in order to protect him.

This is big for Spider as his only major desire is to have a family, specifically a parental figure who genuinely cared about him as he is. I’d even go as far as to say that this moment probably proved to Spider that Quaritch cares about him as more than just a mean’s to an end. He’d already helped Quaritch bond with an Ikran and find the Sully family(against his will), he had nothing else to offer but Quaritch still wanted him alive.

This, along with the months they spent together, are what pushed Spider to make his decision at the end of the movie, a decision he was explicitly conflicted about.

And this came about from Neytiri’s decision. I know a lot of people would argue that Neytiri had to do this because it was the only way to save her daughter, and I’ll agree that there weren’t many options for her. But this wasn’t a tactical move she was making, she wasn’t bluffing or putting on a show to force Quaritch’s hand, she was explicitly going to kill Spider just to make Quaritch hurt in the same way she was hurting.

Also, if we want to nitpick we could also say that the months Quaritch and Spider spent together also came about as a result of her actions. When they’re running away from the Recoms, Spider is the only one who falls to the ground and Neytiri doesn’t even think to try and go get him.

“B-But there’s no way Neytiri would’ve been able to save him and get away! She has her own children to worry about!” I hear you typing in the notes of this post, and to that I say you’ve got a point.

However, the fact that Neytiri doesn’t even consider going down to rescue him, doesn’t look over the branch and hesitate before making the difficult decision to prioritize Kiri and feel bad about it later shows that her reasoning is solidly NOT rooted in him being one of her kids or not.

She doesn’t even try, and because of that Quaritch and Spider end up forming the basis for a solid bond.

TLDR; Neytiri’s fatal flaw is that she allows her anger and hatred to cloud her better judgment and control her, leading to a destructive attitude that can ultimately hurt the people she loves and make things worse for her.

Now, what does this have to do with her arc going forward?

At this point, I’m pretty sure everyone has heard at least a little bit about the next movie, Avatar Fire and Ash. I’ve seen people theorizing that the fire tribe will be joining forces with the RDA, that they don’t believe in Eywa, and that Neytiri will have to infiltrate the tribe in order to rescue her children.

I’m not certain whether any of this is true, but what I am certain of is that — if these concept arts hold water by the time the movie is released — then the fire tribe we’ll be encountering in the third movie is going to be an extremely violent community, likely one that puts emphasis on anger and hatred.

And if the rumors are true and Neytiri really is going to be infiltrating them, then Neytiri’s flaws might be able to inform what narrative role the Ash People and Varaang in particular will have in the third movie.

I’ve already explained how in depth how her flaw is how she allows her anger to take control of her and close her vision; she’s volatile like lava and burns hot like fire, becoming liable to burn everything and everyone around her.

From that perspective, she seems more suited to be a fire Na’vi rather than a forest or reef one, no? The choice to take us to a volcanic, fire steeped region isn’t just James Cameron checking off the boxes like “oh we did forest and water, fire next!” its him taking us to a we might find uncomfortably befitting of our worst traits.

And that’s basically what I think Neytiri will have to face upon encountering the Ash People — they are the embodiment of all her flaws put on display.

Varaang specifically may work as her narrative foil, a literal funhouse version of her at her worst(from my perspective the concept art of Varaang actually looks a lot like Neytiri, so that’s interesting).

I also think it’s important to note that Neytiri is absolutely going to find out that Spider saved Quaritch in the third movie, or at least it’s incredibly likely if the Ash People really will be working with Quaritch. That means that her hatred for him and her need for revenge will come back into play, this isn’t over.

But this time things will be different, because in between Neytiri learning of Spider’s betrayal she will also get especially close to the Ash People and find that she is uncomfortably similar to them at her worst. Before she does something she might regret, Neytiri will be forced to ask herself some important questions:

Is revenge really worth it? Is this the kind of person she wants to be? If Jake wasn’t there that night, would she have the blood of a child on her hands? Will she hurt other people she loves because of her anger?

These questions are ones she likely never wanted to ask herself, but they’re necessary because she’s starting right in the face of people who didn’t.

Hopefully, she finds that the answer is no.

#avatar #avatar(james cameron)#avatar the way of water #atwaw #avatar (2009)#avatar analysis #neytiri #spider socorro #miles quaritch #analysis #avatar fire and ash #avatar 3 #gif

325 notes · View notes

sprinkler-ashes · 2 years ago

Text

begin again // aaron hotchner x reader

begin again

aaron hotchner x fem!reader

description: in which there are five times that aaron hotchner restores your faith in love and one time where you restore his. inspired by begin again by taylor swift.

words: 6.1k

warnings: cursing, a touch of angst, hotch in a quarter zip and casual clothes (yes this requires a warning), fluff, hurt/comfort if you squint, reader has an awful ex (gn pronouns for ex), mentions of violence and injuries

a/n: i’ve been working on this all throughout the week every night at like 3 am running on, at best, 4 hours of sleep so i’m very sorry if there are grammar/spelling errors – i will edit soon. also i fear i’ve been watching too much dharma & greg, and this was the product. enjoy!

i've been spending the last eight months

thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end

but on a wednesday in a cafe

i watched it begin again

One.

It was week one of your new job at the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit when you knew with absolute certainty that as soon as you arrived back at the bureau, you were going to hand in your resignation.

You were sitting away from the rest of the team who all sat together, though a little cramped, and deep into discussion about something that you couldn’t bring yourself to listen to. They were talking normally as if everything they just witnessed over the last few days didn’t affect them.

You knew that you were new to this – it was your first week on the job. But you felt like you should be… happier than the way you currently felt. This was your dream job: one that you’ve spent years working towards. One that you gave everything up for, including your relationship.

However, it was starting to feel like it wasn’t worth it.

The team was very lovely. From the moment the case had begun, each one of them made an effort all throughout the trip to Missouri to make sure you were keeping up and doing okay. They’d even tried to get you to come over and chat with them when the flight started, but you lied and said you were tired.

Your head was leaning against the window, your eyes peering out to see nothing but blue skies and clouds. This was everything you’d ever wanted, so why did you feel the way you did?

A voice in the back of your head told you that your ex was right; you weren’t cut out for this. You were going to fail just like they always said you were going to – this was a mistake.

You couldn’t help but be on the verge of a breakdown with all the thoughts running through your head, but there was no way you could cry due to the presence of someone moving to sit in the seat in front of you. A part of you didn’t want to look up because you knew exactly who it was. You didn’t want to look him in the eyes, but, reluctantly, you did look up only seconds later.

BAU Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner was sitting in front of you with his usual gaze that made you feel slightly intimidated. He seemed to be good at everything he did – or at least everything you had seen him do. He was well-respected, a damn good profiler, and so put-together that it made you feel like a mess in comparison.

“Can I help you, sir?” You asked, attempting to mask the conflicted feelings in your voice.

He ignored your question. “You just finished your first case. I wanted to see how you were feeling. You and Reid really helped by figuring out the geographical profile.”

You should’ve known he would know. This was a plane full of profilers – they probably all knew.

“I’m good,” you lied with an attempted smile that never reached your eyes. “I’m glad we caught the guy; I’m just really exhausted.”

Aaron didn’t say anything as he obviously did not believe you with his eyes still watching you, presumably reading more about you in mere seconds than you even knew about yourself. The two of you sat in silence for a moment, the chatter from the rest of the team filling the air.

“They’ve all been here for years,” he suddenly said. “It still affects them, but it gets easier.”

“I don’t know if I’m cut out for this,” you told him, your voice cracking in the middle of your sentence. You shut your eyes, cutting off eye contact. You didn’t want to look at your boss after you basically just told him you can’t do your own job.

This is so embarrassing, you thought to yourself.

When you finally re-opened your eyes, Aaron was still watching you. He moved forward, crossing his arms and resting them on the table between the two of you. He was looking at you with what you almost would’ve called sympathy.

“You can do this,” he reassured you, making sure his voice couldn’t be heard by the rest of the team. “You wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t. It’ll get better.”

The sheer honesty in his voice caused unshed tears to form in your eyes. No one had given you the affirmation you so desperately needed in a long time – not even your ex, who often said more unkind things than kind.

“What if it doesn’t?” You asked, blinking hard to get rid of the tears that were threatening to fall.

“It will,” he said firmly, emphasizing his words. “Go home, rest, and come back for a new day tomorrow.” With that, he stood back up, straightened out the sleeves of his suit jacket, and looked at you one last time before walking back over to where he was originally sitting. “You did very well this week.”

Aaron said everything with so much sincerity that for the first time in a while, you felt a little bit better.

—

Two.

You didn’t end up quitting.

It had been a little over a month since you almost quit your job after the first week. Things still weren’t perfect, but you had gotten more used to being a profiler and had gotten to the point where going to work didn’t feel like such a chore.

You were now in a small North Dakota town on a case. It was the second week of December, and the heat was out at the inn you were staying at, which all of you had, unfortunately, found out when arriving back from the police department.

“I probably know the answer to this, but is there any way we could go somewhere else?” JJ asked as she stood by the door. “It’s freezing, Hotch.”

“Actually, in order for it to be freezing, it would need to be–”

“Reid, not now,” Derek cut him off.

Aaron looked up from the folder he was reading. “We can’t go anywhere else. This is the only place to stay in town, and it’s the only place that was approved and booked.”

“They said they will probably have it going again in under an hour. Maintenance is working on it now,” Rossi announced as he entered the room, stepping past JJ. “They apologized for the inconvenience.”

It was eleven at night, and everyone was in clothes they were sleeping in except for Aaron who still wore his suit, minus the tie and jacket. You didn’t know how he wasn’t freezing in only his white dress shirt. The rooms at the inn were relatively tiny, but the team had all managed to cram into Aaron’s room, who got one to himself this time. They’d all flocked to his room in an attempt to figure out if staying somewhere else was possible, except for you, who had already been there.

You were sitting on the couch in the room next to Aaron as you attempted to help him figure out how this particular unsub was kidnapping his victims. The couch was particularly small, leaving no room between you and him. The entire side of your thigh was pressed against his, warmth radiating off of him despite the cold room.

Aaron sighed, laying down the folder and running a hand across his temple. “I’m sorry, but it’s out of my hands. Everyone, go back to bed. Hopefully the heat will be back on soon.”

“You coming?” Emily, your roommate for the duration of time you would be in North Dakota, asked as everyone filed out of the room.

You shook your head. “I’ll be there soon. I’m going to look over this one last time and see if there’s anything I missed.”

Emily told the both of you goodnight and left the room, leaving only you and Aaron still sitting together.

He made you very nervous.

Aaron was older, extremely accomplished, more experienced in the job, and working with him alone was nerve-wracking. You’d proven yourself immensely in the short amount of time you had been a member of the BAU. Still – he was wonderful at everything. The idea of being wrong around him was terrifying.

As you continued to look through everything laid out in front of you, you couldn’t focus. It was so cold to the point where you couldn’t feel the tip of your nose anymore, and you were slightly shivering, crossing your arms in an attempt to warm up a little.

“Looks like I should’ve brought a winter coat to sleep in,” you attempted to joke.

The left corner of Aaron’s mouth tipped upward as he stood up and moved to the small closet. “It is pretty cold, isn’t it?”

Before you knew it, there was a brown blanket being draped across your shoulders.

It wasn’t very thick nor was it very comfortable. In fact, it felt a little scratchy to the touch as it brushed over your bare hands, but Aaron situated it until it was entirely wrapped around you while his body hovered over yours. You stopped breathing momentarily, your heart picking up its pace every time his hands scraped over your own arms. Even through your thick sweatshirt and the blanket, you could still feel his touch.

“Thanks,” you muttered. Your heart rate had gone back down to normal now that he was moving to sit again.

“I can’t have one of my agents going hypothermic,” he joked and gave you one of his rare smiles; the ones that were usually reserved for outside of work.

You weren’t blind – Aaron Hotchner was a gorgeous man, and you wouldn’t deny that just the scent of his very expensive cologne alone was enough to make you feel slightly dizzy.

However, that's all you thought. He was your boss, and you were dealing with a breakup that was still laying heavy on your heart and constantly consumed your thoughts.

But even after the heat started working only half an hour later, you didn’t remove the blanket and temporarily forgot about the person who broke your heart while you worked next to him.

—

Three.

It was six months into your job when you found yourself having one of the worst days ever.

You’d woken up late and to a text from a friend letting you know that the ex you’d been getting over for half a year was now social-media-official with the person they told you not to worry about, you spilled coffee all over your car and your white top resulting in you being even later for work as you had to go back to your apartment and change.

You were a stumbling mess when you finally made it to the conference room for the meeting that you were six minutes late for. All eyes were focused on you as you mumbled apologies and sat down while trying to listen to Aaron’s voice. It was some housekeeping things and maybe you should’ve listened, but your head was elsewhere.

The rest of the day did not go well either. Halfway through the day, you had managed to screw up the fax machine, trip over your own shoes, and give yourself not one but two paper cuts. All of it sounded like minor things – a paper cut shouldn’t have set you off so badly, but it really did.

By the end of the day, you wouldn’t have minded if the ground opened up and swallowed you whole. Once you did one more thing, you would finally be able to go home.

“Come in.”

Aaron’s office was a place that you had grown to not fear so much. In the beginning of your job, every time you had to go in, it almost felt like you were in middle school walking into the principal’s office as he sat there at his desk with a stoic stare and hardly any emotion in his voice.

“I got your email about needing to speak with me,” you told him, coming inside and shutting the door behind you. “What did you need?”

He looked up at you as you moved closer to his desk. “I just wanted to know if you were okay.”

You frowned. “I thought you said in the email that you needed to speak with me about something important?”

Aaron nodded as if it was no big deal. “You’ve been acting off all day. How you feel is an important thing – even if you think it isn’t. So, are you okay?”

Your heart broke at his kindness. He was always nice to you, maybe nicer than he should’ve been, but calling you into his office just to make sure you were okay after a bad day made you wonder why no one else had ever cared about your feelings like this.

“I’m okay,” you told him. “It’s just been a terrible day.”

Still sitting at his desk with his full attention on you, Aaron asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

You wouldn't lie – you did think about his proposal for a moment. There weren't many people for you to talk to. You had friends, but not many in Quantico other than your co-workers. You’d moved alone without knowing anyone, and you worked so much that there was rarely time for you to go out and meet new people.

But Aaron was a busy man. He was probably just offering to be polite – there was no way he cared that much to hear about your miniscule problems when his job was as hectic and busy as it was.

“No, Hotch, I don’t want to keep you here any longer–”

He cut you off. “I’m already here; it doesn’t matter. You can talk to me. I’ve been rather concerned about you.”

At that moment, you couldn’t come up with an excuse as to why the idea of him thinking about you was enough to make your heart flutter.

“It’s… it’s stupid,” you started, taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk. “I had a bad breakup right before I moved to Quantico. My ex didn't really care when I went to the Academy, but they exploded when I told them how I finally got this job. It was constant fighting before they gave me an ultimatum: them or taking the job.”

“And you chose the job?”

You laughed, feeling a little pathetic. “No, at first, I didn’t. They really got it stuck in my head that I wasn’t good enough to do this. I was going to turn it down and stay, but I changed my mind last minute. I found out this morning they’re now with someone else. Then, I was late, I fucked up the fax machine, and I got a couple paper cuts. It’s nothing, really – it was just a bad day.”

Aaron moved around in his seat, leaning back a little and crossing his arms. “It isn’t nothing if it bothers you.”

“I didn’t know you were a therapist,” you tried to joke, squirming awkwardly in your seat. You were already feeling vulnerable and the way he was looking at you wasn’t helping.

“Only part-time,” he said. “Don’t tell anyone – someone may think I have emotions.”

His face was completely stoic when he said it, but as soon as you started to laugh, he joined in.

“Really, though, I’m okay – just exhausted. I think the universe just hates me right now.” You stood up to leave. “I want to beat the rush hour traffic, so I should head out, but thanks for checking on me.”

He nodded in acknowledgement and you were on your way out while thinking the interaction was over, when he called out your name.

You stopped, hand still grasping the door you were about to open. “Yeah?”

“It’s their loss.”

A frown appeared on your face. “What do you mean?”

“Your ex,” he explained. “You shouldn’t lose sleep over someone who doesn’t know how lovely you are.”

Lovely.

You’d been called a lot of things in your life, probably even some adjectives better than lovely, but the way it just rolled out of Aaron’s mouth as if it was a casual, every-day-like occurrence made you feel warm.

Aaron Hotchner thought you were lovely and knowing that kept a smile on your face for days after while the wounds that had been given to you by someone else slowly healed.

—

Four.

After a year of working with the BAU, you ended up with your first unsub-related injury.

You thought going to the hospital was pointless because you truly felt fine, but both Derek and JJ argued relentlessly for you to go due to the nasty gash on your head. Unfortunately, you were outnumbered and sent to the hospital for an evaluation after the unsub you were after thought it was okay to slam you on the ground a little too hard, resulting in a blow to your head when you went down and hit the concrete.

JJ rode with you to the hospital in the ambulance that you, very much, did not think was necessary. After seeing a doctor, it was determined that you had a concussion. With a thick bandage on your wound and a drive home from JJ who gave you strict rules on taking care of yourself while you healed like the mother she was, you were finally alone in the comfort of your apartment after a long day spent in Manassas – the location of the latest case.

Now that the adrenaline had worn off, you were starting to feel the symptoms and the sound of knocking on your door felt like nails being drilled into your head.

However, the person standing on the other side when you opened the door made your head spin faster than the concussion did.

Aaron was standing on the other side of the door, one hand holding a brown paper bag with a look of worry on his face. He was dressed casually in a navy blue sweatshirt and jeans, nose slightly red from where he had walked through the cold November air to get inside your apartment building.

In other words, he looked very good. It was hard to not grab and kiss him.

You’d developed somewhat of an attraction for your boss since that fateful day in his office. Not that you hadn’t been attracted to him before, but it now felt more like a serious affection and not some small crush – the first time you felt this way about anyone in a long time.

“Hi,” he said, shifting his weight from one foot to another upon seeing you. “How are you?” He paused after his eyes glanced at the very obvious bandage on your forehead. “Wait, I don’t think that’s an appropriate question right now. I’m sorry.”

You giggled despite the throbbing in your temple, moving to let him into your apartment. “I’m as good as I can be right now. Come on in.”

He walked into your apartment, following you into the kitchen after you shut the door and locked it. Aaron had only been to your apartment once after giving you a ride home from work, but this was the first time he’d ever been inside.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” He asked while you got a glass of water.

You nodded slightly, careful to cause any more pain. “Probably, but I can’t get any rest until my medicine kicks in and my head doesn’t feel like it’s about to bust.”

Aaron winced. “I tried to come to the hospital, but JJ had already taken you home by the time I got there, so I came here. I apologize for coming unannounced and so late, but I had to make sure you were okay.”

“You do that a lot,” you told him, leaning against one of the counters in the kitchen. “Making sure I’m okay.”

“I happen to care about you a lot.”

Hiding your smile behind the glass of water, you took a sip before focusing your attention back on the bag he brought with him. “What’s in the bag?”

It seemed as though he had forgotten he was still holding something. He raised it up and held it out to you, an almost-shy look dancing across his face that you’d never seen before on him. “I, um, made a stop at the store for you on my way over. It’s just over-the-counter medicine, extra bandages, and a couple snacks that I know you like. I figured it might help you out since you can’t drive for the next two days.”

You couldn’t stop the grin that appeared on your face. It was almost as if every time you thought Aaron couldn’t get any more perfect, he would prove you wrong.

He continued as he sat the bag down on the counter next to you. “I also wanted to tell you that Strauss said take all the time you need to recover.”

You gave him a quizzical look. “She did?”

There was only silence between the two of you as you looked at each other until he shrugged. “Well, I told her that you’re going to be taking all the time off that you need, and she didn’t really say anything so take all the time you need.”

“It’s just a concussion,” you told him. “I’ll be back to work soon.”

“A concussion is a serious thing,” Aaron said with a frown, not liking the way you brushed the injury off as nothing. “I’m glad you’re okay. Morgan said you hit the ground pretty hard before he cuffed the guy.”

You took another sip of your water before sitting it down. “I’m alive and well – Derek was just worried.”

As much as you were enjoying the feeling of talking with Aaron in your kitchen, the heaviness you felt in your eyes reminded you that it was nearly midnight, and you’d had a long day. The yawn that escaped your mouth didn’t go unnoticed.

“I should go and let you get some rest.”

You really didn’t want him to go. There weren't many other opportunities where you would get Aaron in your apartment like this. It felt oddly domestic, and you hated the fact that you loved it so much. But he was right – you did need the rest.

“Thank you again for stopping by,” you told him as the two of you walked the short distance back to the front door. “And for all the stuff you bought. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” he said, his hand lingering on the door knob. “If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to call.”

He was opening the door before you called out, “Wait,” your mind flooded with déjà vu from the time he stopped you on your way out of his office.

Aaron paused and turned to look back at you. His body hadn’t left the room yet, but the door was slightly ajar where he opened it.

Before you could talk yourself out of it, you walked over to him and threw your arms around his broad torso engulfed in the softest sweatshirt you’d ever felt.

“Thank you,” you softly said. “Not just for tonight, but for, well, just caring about me.”

He didn’t waste a second reciprocating the hug as he wrapped his arms around you even tighter, careful not to get near the bandage on your forehead and further hurt you. He was like a human heater – warm, tall, and you fit perfectly against him.

One hug from Aaron was like a band-aid healing any problem you had – even the external ones. Maybe this was what the placebo effect felt like and if this was it, you wanted it over and over again.

“Of course,” he muttered, arms still locked around you as if he needed this more than you did.

When you finally parted, his cheeks were dusted with a slight red shade as he wore one of his grins that you’d grown to love and receive more often. “Goodnight.”

Even though you had a raging headache and a painful cut on your temple, it had nothing on the big smile you kept on your face even as you drifted off into sleep that night still feeling warm and giddy.

—

Five.

It had been almost two months since you hugged Aaron in your apartment.

Since that night, something changed in the relationship between the two of you. You couldn’t really place your finger on what had changed, but there was a shift. Tension was thick – not in a bad way but in a way where you wanted to grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him to you any time you were alone.

You also had the feeling that he felt the same way. Aaron had been a profiler for many more years than you had been, but you liked to think you were good at your job. You could read him and from the way his eyes watched you, you could tell he was feeling the same tension in the air.

It was New Year’s Eve, and David Rossi had, after a lot of pleading from Penelope, agreed to host a small get-together for the team plus family including Will, Henry, and Jack – the latter two were currently running around the, very expensive, house, which was driving Dave insane as kept watch to make sure nothing got damaged due to the kids.

You were standing outside in the backyard, the late-December air hitting your face as you glanced down at your phone that told you it was almost midnight.

When you thought back to who you were around this time last year – a woman in a new city with a demanding job and hardly any friends, still crying yourself to sleep over someone who didn’t deserve your tears – it made you want to smile.

It had been a little over a year since you started working at the BAU and as you glanced inside through the large glass doors, you felt like you belonged. There was no more doubt, no more tears, and no more days where you wanted to run away.

“What are you doing out here? You’ll freeze to death.” You turned around to find Aaron closing one of the glass doors and moving towards you.

He was wearing a black quarter zip and jeans – a casual outfit but one of your favorites. For reasons that you couldn’t understand, Aaron Hotchner in a quarter zip made you feel things.

“I came out here because it’s cold,” you told Aaron, leaning against a railing and crossing your sweater-covered arms. “It’s so hot and stuffy in there. It’s like Rossi is trying to burn us all alive.”

Aaron laughed and walked over next to you. He leaned against the railing, his arm brushing against yours. “He does keep his house pretty hot.”

“Is Jack having a good time?”

Jack Hotchner was probably your favorite kid you’d ever met. He was a total sweetheart, and you instantly got along with him from the first day you met him.

You didn’t miss the way Aaron’s face lit up a little as you mentioned his son. “Yes, I think so. He’s a big fan of celebrating the New Year because he gets to stay up late.” You then watched his face fall a bit. “He’s been missing his mom a lot lately, so coming here tonight – it’s good for him.”

You knew of Aaron’s ex-wife who had died before you joined the team, and you knew the terrible way that it happened. You’d also heard that it greatly affected Jack and Aaron, even though he hid it more than he should’ve.

“It must be hard on him, but I’m glad he’s having a good time tonight.”

Aaron smiled. “He loves the team, but I think you’re his favorite.”

You grinned. “No way! I’m honored.”

A comfortable silence grew between the two of you with no sounds other than distinct chatter and laughs from inside of the house. You glanced over to Aaron who was pulling out his phone.

“Eleven fifty-eight,” he said. “You want to head back inside and watch the ball drop?”

You almost said yes at first because you actually did want to see the ball drop, but you also wanted a moment alone with Aaron considering you rarely got them in a setting outside of work. Maybe you were being selfish, but you didn’t care – a few more minutes with him wouldn’t hurt. “I think I’m going to stay out here.”

He didn’t say anything. Aaron kept his phone out so the two of you could keep an eye on the clock app, its tiny, orange hand moving around the twelve, now signalizing that it was eleven fifty-nine.

Your eyes kept watch on the clock as it got closer to passing twelve again. You were starting to get nervous. A part of you expected Aaron to go inside after you told him you weren’t going back in – it wasn’t like he was obligated to stay out in the cold with you.

However, he never went back inside and as the clock kept getting closer to midnight, only seconds away now, you wondered if he was thinking the same thing you were: the traditional New Year’s kiss.

You discretely searched for any sign on his face that gave away if he was going to kiss you or not. You so desperately wanted it but if he wasn’t thinking the same thing, there was no way you were going to embarrass yourself by trying to kiss him.

Ten.

Still no sign – you were starting to panic a little.

Nine.

What were you supposed to do?

Eight.

Would he rather have a handshake? He did have a pretty firm grip.

Seven.

No, screw a handshake. Who gives someone a handshake at midnight on New Year’s?

Six.

He put down his phone and was starting to turn toward you.

Five.

Was he actually going to kiss you?

Four.

“Forgive me if I’m reading this wrong, but can I kiss you?”

Three.

You couldn’t form words, only a nod, eyes slightly widened.

Two.

He was moving his hand up to your cheek and, oh dear, this was actually going to happen.

One.

Aaron’s lips were warm against yours, and you weren’t sure if you’d ever been kissed with so much delicacy. He was gentle and respectful. Your hands pressed against his chest before you finally moved them up to the nape of his neck under the collar of the quarter zip you loved so much, pulling him even closer to you.

You felt secure and safe pressed up tightly against him with one hand of his cupping your jaw as the other rested firmly on your lower back. Your mouth was opening up before you could even stop it. Aaron smiled against your lips as he felt it before he deepened the kiss.

This time, he was kissing you much more firmly and with the feeling of his tongue moving against yours, you couldn’t remember the last time, or if ever, you felt the way you did. His hand pressed even harder against your back, making you inhale sharply during the kiss.

There was a time in your life when you thought you would never find someone else – that maybe you were destined to be alone all because of one person who didn’t see your worth, but Aaron made all the pain go away to the point where you hadn’t thought of the person who hurt you in months.

Aaron made you feel like you were floating all the time. He reminded you of your worth instead of breaking you down. He was a man who did both the small things like throwing a blanket around your cold body and the big things like bringing you snacks and medicine after a hit to the head – the definition of “if he wanted to, he would” in the best way possible.

“Hey! You guys missed the – holy shit!”

You flung yourself off Aaron and looked behind him to see Emily standing there, her mouth wide open. You’d never seen her utterly speechless like she was at the moment. She opened and closed her mouth for a moment, glancing back and forth between the two of you before she finally found something to say.

“Morgan and Reid owe me fifty bucks.”

—

(+) One.

It was three months into Aaron Hotchner’s relationship with you when he knew with absolute certainty that he loved you.

His job was difficult, and today was no different but instead of shaking it off before going home, he couldn’t help but feel a cloud of emotion follow him all the way back home to his apartment.

He knew that you were waiting on him because the two of you were supposed to have dinner. You’d gotten to leave at a reasonable time and not, he glanced down at his watch, at nine at night. Aaron had a lot of duties and responsibilities as Unit Chief, but he sometimes wished he didn’t in order to come home at a normal hour.

Aaron saw you sitting on his couch as soon as he unlocked and opened his front door. You smiled sweetly as you looked over at him, no trace of frustration or anger at how late he was getting home.

“Everything go okay with those reports? I know Strauss was giving you a hard time,” You said as you glanced back down at your phone you were holding. When he didn’t answer, he saw you look back up at him again but this time with a frown on your face.

He knew the look he had on his face was giving him away, but he just couldn’t force himself to not feel the way that he was feeling.

You put your phone down on the coffee table and stood up to move in front of him. “Are you okay?”

“That’s usually my line to you,” he attempted a joke, but it never reached his eyes.

You responded with a half-smile. “Bad evening?”

Aaron nodded, not saying anything further. You moved closer as you wrapped your arms around his torso, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry, honey,” he said, instantly feeling a little better just from your touch. “I missed dinner. I’m not the one who should be upset.”

You pulled back and rested both hands on each side of his face as he kept his situated on your waist. “Someone told me once that how you feel is an important thing even if you think it isn’t.”

He chuckled a bit. “Using my own words against me, huh?”

You cracked a smile. “It’s okay that you missed dinner. I know you had a rough and busy evening. Don’t worry about me. We can have dinner another night – it’s not a big deal that you couldn’t make it.”

You were looking at him so sincerely and touching him with so much care that he couldn’t help but pull you back in again, eyes closing at the feeling of another hug from you.

“Let’s go to bed,” you mumbled to him. “You look like you could go for an early night.”

Aaron wasn’t sure what he did to deserve someone as good as you – someone who cared for him even on days when he didn’t care for himself. You were kind, understanding, and patient. Sometimes he couldn’t even believe he was lucky enough to be with someone like you.

So while he wasn’t sure of how deserving he really was, he was one hundred percent sure of the fact that he loved you and your lovely self.

#aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x y/n #aaron hotchner x you #hotch x reader #aaron hotchner one shot #hotch x y/n #aaron hotchner

663 notes · View notes

djarins-cyare · 8 months ago

Text

Din Djarin: The Contractor

I had no access to my WIPs for a few days this week, so my brain started inventing scenarios… ‘imagines’, I guess? This (totally unedited) one came about when I happened to scroll past the first two pics of Din on Pinterest, and the memory of Joel telling Ellie he used to be a contractor sprang to mind…

Well, your [SWU-techno-thingy] is broken. Great. Trying to keep your irritation in check, you call the repair company, who politely assure you they’ll send over their best guy immediately. It’s late in the day, and dusk is approaching fast, so you guess you should be happy they’re willing to send anyone out at all.

After a lengthy wait, during which your irritation seems to grow exponentially, your repairman pootles up to your home on his banged-up speeder, parking outside. Unhurriedly, he grabs his tools and trudges into your home, nodding a greeting but remaining suspiciously quiet and not even giving his name.

Perhaps doing a late job has made him grouchy. Yeah, well, not having a working [SWU-techno-thingy] has made you grouchy, too. Get in line, pal.

You show him the problem, and he spends a while trying to get a better look at it, peering into the inner workings and sighing. He mumbles “hmm” an awful lot, sometimes tutting and shaking his helmet at what he sees, and he takes plenty of readings with various tools.

Eventually, he concludes his analysis and tells you it’ll cost double what you were quoted when you called earlier because your [SWU-techno-thingy] is entirely dead. Apparently, he needs to replace your [thingamajig] in order to realign your [whatchamacallit] and get it running again, which requires brand-new parts and a lot of labour.

When you baulk at this, he simply shrugs and says he doesn’t set the rates; they’re determined by the Guild. Then he stands there, looking annoyingly smug, waiting for you to authorise him to start work.

You reluctantly agree and leave him to it, stomping off in the hope that you can find something to occupy yourself while he works.

Frustratingly, you can’t, and when you return shortly thereafter to check how it’s going, you find he’s taking a break. What the hell? A break already???

As much as you try to keep your anger in check, you virtually yell that he’s supposed to be on the clock and he’d better not be charging you for the time he’s spending sitting around doing nothing!

He grumbles something about missing dinner (with a womp rat, of all things!) for this, puts down the bowl he was drinking from, and huffily grabs his tools to get to work.

Finally, he starts the job you hired him for, and you stick around to monitor him, slightly worried he might try and push his luck again. But it seems like he’s pulling his weight at last — tools a-turnin’, sparks a-flyin’. He seems to know what he’s doing.

After a while, you start to realise that what he’s doing is actually pretty impressive. You can’t deny he looks skilled and competent — almost badass — as he expertly fixes your [SWU-techno-thingy].

Satisfied he’s now earning his fee, you leave him to it for a while, once again trying to find something else to occupy you.

But it’s not long before you find yourself back again, keen to know how he’s doing. For a moment, you think he might’ve fallen asleep because he’s lying down, and the bitter taste of annoyance returns, but… oh nope, he’s just getting a better angle for the repairs.

He keeps working diligently, so you let him continue without disturbing him.

After what feels like a lifetime, he finally tells you he’s all finished.

As you inspect his work, you notice him standing off to the side like a kid waiting for the teacher to grade his class project. It’s sort of sweet, in a way.

It seems like he did a decent job, and you tell him so, handing him payment with a smile, which he accepts with a nod. He then collects his stuff (an impressive display of strength), bids you goodbye and turns to leave.

You escort him to the door, thanking him again and watching your taciturn repairman walk away from your home.

Now that you have a working [SWU-techno-thingy] once again and have recovered from being quoted an extortionate price for its repair, you revise your opinion of your contractor. He’s skilled, and aside from being a little huffy to start with (though you concede he was probably just hungry), he seems like a nice guy.

Plus, as he walks away from you, you can’t help but admire his perfect ass, remembering how good it looked earlier when he bent over to grab his toolkit.

Almost as if he can feel your gaze, when he gets to the edge of your property, he turns back to look at you, lingering for a moment, meeting your stare in that intense way of his.

Your pulse picks up, and for a second, you think he might come back — that he might push you inside and have his wicked way with you, give you a decent seeing to with those skilled hands of his.

The moment you share is electric, and you imagine a plethora of debauched scenarios as you stare into his T-visor with hope…

…but it passes as he tears his gaze away, hurriedly loads up his rusted speeder bike, and climbs on. He gives you a final nod as he pulls away, departing from your life as swiftly as he arrived.

Oh well, it was surely a ridiculous thought anyway.

You return inside and try to get on with your evening, but your thoughts keep drifting back to your contractor. Why can’t you stop thinking about him? He barely even spoke to you.

Eventually, you cave and admit it. You’re attracted to him. He has a magnetism you don’t understand, yet you can’t deny its pull on you. But there’s nothing you can do about that… is there? And he might not feel the same anyway.

You keep thinking about the look he gave you when he left. There was something there, you’re sure of it.

So… okay. Are you really going to break something else to get him to come back?

Yes. Yes, you are…

88 notes · View notes

inchidentally · 1 year ago

Note

https://www.tumblr.com/piastrisms/738775293993549824?source=share

I NEED YOUR ANALYSIS OF THIS VIDEO! PLEASE <3

okay listen this has spun me out into a whOLE thing so let's take another trip down a road I like to call Why is the Non-RPF Real Life Relationship between Oscar and Lando So Endearing and Boyish and Sweet:

so my absolute favorite thing about Lando's face when he's relaxed or in his natural element is how absolutely every. single. emotion. he's feeling is broadcast at equal volume. his vulnerability is a massive part of his charisma. but! he has to have the right habitat! streaming, Youtube, his lifelong friends - those are the right habitat.

F1 is not naturally the right habitat.

when Carlos found Lando on his proverbial driver's doorstep he did not know what to make of him and Lando was barely able to squeak out a few words around anyone new or when a camera was around. but! Carlos trained Lando into how to bounce a dynamic between the two of them just like he'd been doing with his last awkward baby, Max. interestingly Max was much more excitable and eager to please of the two and Lando's intense shyness took a LOT of work to get past. but once Carlos had gotten the drift of Lando's super silly sense of humor it was smooth sailing. and then with Daniel it was even easier because half the time Daniel knew he was expected to carry the conversation. it's interesting because Lando allowed a bit of that old shyness to come back and it definitely disarmed Daniel a bit in a satisfying way. but thanks to those big personalities, Lando found his F1 self and even started to deal back and lead occasionally. of course DTS and a lot of media pilloried him for this because apparently what Carlos and Daniel do naturally is seen as snottish and bratty for him to do. the Youtube/streamer personality where he felt so safe did not at all translate onto other platforms and media.

so it hasn't been smooth sailing for Little Lando Norris to know how to be as a person in F1.

cut to 2023 and with the advent of Oscar we've seen a slow dismantling of Lando's F1 PR personality completely in his content with Oscar over the season. their very first unboxeds Lando was still wearing his guarded PR face and assuming he should lead and carry all the content. it was still sort of around for the Jenga/Garden Games challenges but had started to soften around the Austin filming (including the Finish the Lyrics classics). at some point, Lando truly realized that Oscar would still be fond of him even when Lando was in a terrible, low blood sugar type mood (Tic Tac Toe etc) and oh wow!

their content could really just be Lando being whatever he was feeling that day/that moment and Oscar smiling and finding him funny/cute/fascinating! that was enough! he didn't even know that was allowed! (and maybe it wouldn't have been if Oscar wasn't there to bolster him)

and that's when we started getting unguarded, authentic Lando instead of entertaining Lando. and it's because Oscar was the person next to him representing all of us, trying to tell Lando that we just wanted to see him. we didn't care if he was 'on' or not. he's just an interesting outdoor cat we want to watch go about his life.

which is why we got Lando letting himself sit and stare right back at Oscar like this.

where we can see his expressions do that slow blossoming thing, and right in full view of just Oscar. it's the anti-DTS material because it isn't open to the camera and easy to manipulate. narrative television hates when two people go into quiet, subtle communication because it can't be made into a false dramatic arc. (trust me they'll invent one using chopped up footage and even more chopped up commentary lol they always do but it'll be uphill work)

but when you contrast this with the nonstop, quick back-and-forth Lando has with Carlos and Daniel it's where we pick up on the something that's so unique to Lando with Oscar. it's wrong and making way too big an assumption to say it's a closer friendship bc you can't quantify other people's friendships that way. but it's very, very different to those friendships. and the biggest difference that we on the outside can see is that Lando allows himself to determine exactly How He Will Be. and that might change from one minute to the next! and that doesn't always go down well with most people!

but every time, no matter what, Oscar smiles and laughs and everything Lando does is alright. he gets it. Lando means no harm and he's got a good, warm heart. if he likes you then that won't change just because his mood changes.

like their end of season message. Lando went from doing a great job summarizing his thoughts for the viewers, handed it over to Oscar and just... watched. didn't get bored and stare at the camera or off into space. I actually compiled just how often Lando spends staring openly at Oscar into one long gif lol:

he fully knows he's still on camera but he turns himself into a viewer instead of bouncing around and off of what Oscar is saying. Oscar gave him that, he can give it right back.

and there's no specific Lando-Oscar dynamic like there is Lando-Carlos and Lando-Daniel. hell, Lando's got a dynamic with just about anyone. except! Max F, Martin Garrix (and probably quite a few of his friendships that we're never actually even shown) and Oscar. with those people we see Lando be precisely whatever he's feeling at that moment because they'll either indulge it or enjoy it depending on how good or bad the mood is. if it's Lando, it's all good.

I feel like there's a commonality with those people of being quiet but strong as opposed to the big and bold of most of the F1 drivers on the grid. Max F absolutely has obvious similarities to Oscar (I still love how much he sided with Oscar when he watched the 'most likely to' video). I don't know a lot about Martin but it's literally a DJ's job to be enough apart from the crowd to read it and they set the energy passively through what they spin. Oscar is a fun guy who loves being around the people he cares about but he's never The Guy that it all turns around.

and for their own reasons, they find Lando inherently fascinating and lovable. whereas Lando has to inhabit Carlos', Daniel's, George's, etc etc worlds because they are in themselves The Guy Everyone's Watching just like Lando. Lando has to share. he has to figure it out. but guys like Max F and Oscar do not have the energy or interest in being The Guy. they'd choose privacy over popularity every single time if they were made to. and actually come to think of it, they have actively chosen privacy at the expense of popularity quite a few times.

because let's look at Oscar's face when Lando teasingly brings up Oscar's sprint win:

Oscar gives Lando that genuine, affectionate smile and ducks his head because he wants Lando to know that he appreciates it. in truth, that Sprint win was hailed by wider F1 community as being a massive achievement for a rookie in the Max V era of dominance. they both know that it is. but Oscar didn't posture or show off about it and for that Lando has made sure to bring it up on his behalf time and again. Oscar gave him that, Lando can give it back to him.

which is even sweeter going back to that post race video because Oscar gives Lando that same affectionate, private smile. he's had to throw the video's content over to Lando and Lando gave him that big affectionate smile first because this is how they do these videos. it's always awkward - especially if their results that day weren't great - but they know that together they can do these videos and share a laugh over how absurd it feels sometimes.

and the hint of a private joke between the two of them is there early on and you can just feel Lando relax into it.

and when you skip all the way to their last race media duties and this interview, it truly surprised me how much Lando kept checking in with Oscar - the rookie! -as he was answering. when he found himself giving boring PR answers he threw in a joke that he knew Oscar would crease up over. sure enough it loosened them both up.

and like, that's where the vulnerability and openness comes from now with Lando. he's got a teammate who is basically the same age, who gets him and who actively wants Lando to just be Lando. who clearly threw Lando at first by inadvertently foiling those attempts to establish a dynamic or a bromance. who Lando probably at first thought was just shy and awkward. but Oscar stayed true to who he is and kept that door open for Lando to eventually walk through.

so when it's the two of them, it's everyone else who's on the outside looking in. they're just being themselves. if that doesn't make everyone else feel entertained or happy they honestly don't care - and will probably share a secretive little smile about it.

it's also why they sometimes do that twinning thing and creep everyone out asfgjlaflsgjf

#inchreplies #landoscar #I may have outdone myself this time lol #might actually test the patience of some folks #inch gets weird #mine #inchidentallyanessay

97 notes · View notes

sea-changed · 1 month ago

Note

Okay, okay, so. Just finished my first BoB watch after being a long time fan of your posts, and you’ve definitely found a fellow understander™️ to brainrot with because a lot of the points you’ve made in the past were ones I had in mind while I was watching, especially the last couple of episodes. I’d also seen your post about being “Jack Rackham 4x10 speech about BoB” and literally literally that, having also recently finished black sails. (But it’s interesting to me how in Black Sails, that moment comes at the end of the show, while BoB’s “a story is true, a story is untrue” thesis is there from even before the story starts, because the first thing we see onscreen are the old guy interviews)

Will I beat the absolute living daylights out of the 24 year old show to find meaning in corn plate details? Yes, yes I will. And by this I mostly mean the BoB gender studies seminar in my head, and its obsession with the narratives™️/asserting itself as a legitimate authority on the truth while also being aware of its own fictionality. If there’s any write ups on this besides the Emily Hoffman b(r) of brothers article, please point me in their direction because eye would like to see it

(Everything you have to say about Joe Liebgott makes me want to chew glass btw, in the best way, and I will say that he and I, at least the version you write in amazing adventure stories, are a lot alike in that the only Hebrew prayers we know off the top of our heads are the Shema and the mourner’s Kaddish)

P.S. are you familiar with the amazing adventures of Kavalier and clay at all? Because I want to lock Lieb and Joe Kavalier in a room together and see what would happen

Thank you! So much to respond to here, let me see if I can get it all:

I think constantly about the throughlines between Band of Brothers and Black Sails. I think the key difference in how they approach their own storytelling apparatus, though, is not where this thesis enters into the story but whether it enters into it. Jack, after all, isn't presenting a new idea in that speech but rather summing up a (perhaps The) theme that's been present since the first episode of the show. Whereas Band, for all that it's wonderfully fascinating to analyze on the back end, has always read to me as presenting its own narrative as accessing The Truth without a lot of selfconsciousness about the nuances of that. The veteran interviews, to me, are meant to bolster the "truthiness" of the show, not to complicate its own presentation of the "truth" or what story it's telling.

I've had very little luck finding anything intelligent about this show in the realm of media criticism; there's some mildly interesting stuff about Speilberg's oeuvre (especially Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List) that can be extrapolated to include Band, but even that, a much more well-populated realm, I've found to be pretty sparse when it comes to interesting analysis. I've been sort of half-assedly creating a bibliography of this analysis, but the only article I've come across so far that I'd actually recommend is "Subject Positions, Speaking Positions: From Holocaust, Our Hitler, and Heimat to Shoah and Schindler's List," by Thomas Elsaesser, from the book The Persistence of History: Cinema, Television, and the Modern Event. (Obviously not about Band itself, but interesting especially vis-a-vis Why We Fight.)

(I'm so pleased people have responded they way they have to my version of Liebgott and to that fic in particular; thank you for your note here.)

And I am familiar with Kavalier and Clay! I started a reread a little while ago, I should get back to it. I haven't fully contemplated crossover fic but I really should, the possibilities are fascinating.

#leftenantjopson #ask #band of brothers #wwii book club

11 notes · View notes

mrs-monaghan · 2 years ago

Note

Hi ☺️ you make me happy

Just read your post of Jungkook being the best boyfriend. Can you please make the same for Jimin,,,,?))

Absolutely. It would be my pleasure

Lost diamond is talking about this post.

We can start with a moment I've never seen until 2day....

But we already knew this yes? It's not the first time JK has said Jimin treats him the most. Even during one of the unfortunate moments when JK rated Jimin last, the latter was sure to remind him that he's the one who spends on him the most. So Jimin has always been generous with his baby since the very beginning. Which is why our next moment should come as no surprise.

-Jimin travelling across the world in 2019 for JK's birthday and then doing so again in 2023 for JK's solo debute. Anything for the love of his life it seems. #allthefeels 🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍

Next I just wanna bring this back real quick

(Thanks @chicknbunny13 )

It is not an underrated moment by any means whatsoever. In fact you will see this clip every few weeks on twitter on your timeline. Jikookers love this moment. But, we mostly talk about Jimin feeding JK which it's fine. Really. Its sweet and really nice to see. But all members feed eo it ain't a big deal. So what I like to talk about is what happens before Jimin feeds JK.

JK wants pizza. He stands, looks around, they've ran out so he sits back down. He glances at Jimin's one, but its whatever, pizza is finished. But here's the part I like; Jimin without even looking at JK, just knows what he wants and thats when he feeds him a bite from his own. So either a) He was watching JK on his periphery, or b) He is just that in tune with his boyfriend. I'm going with the latter coz it ain't the first time he's come through for JK even without him asking. That's what sets the moment apart from all the other times members have fed eo.

Next moment that proves how much Jimin loves JK applies to both since it also involves a whipped JK. Analysis time guys. 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾

This is so fun guys I highly recommend watching it

youtube

I went there for this one moment coz I'm a big fan. BTS countdown Jikookery:

JK is the king

and other members are supposed to go appeal to him so he can choose one of them. Jimin of course is very eager

He was adorable saying that. He is calling himself hyung but he's totally baby in that moment 🤭🤭 Suga starts singing this one song and Jimin is the loudest shout-singing how crazy he is for JK

Wbk 💅🏾😏

He leaves all other members in the dust, in his rush to get to his JK. Eager much? 🤣🤣

While waiting JK closed his eyes and looked so blissful. I didn't fully understand why he was in this state

Or why editors put a heart there 😂 so I chose to read that as him praying and hoping his baby gets to him first 😌😌

Since Jimin took off before the others, of course he arrives first

So now JK has 3 options; suga, jimin or rm

Suga makes his case

Jimin wants to make his case with this one thing and JK is ready and waiting

But Jimin only gets to say one word:

Before Suga tramples all over his pitch

So in the end Jimin doesn't even make his case 🤭

RM then makes his case by way of poem

And now its time for the King to pick his partner

Remember Namgi both had chances to appeal to JK and why he should choose them. While Jimin essentially said nothing. So.... the king makes his choice.

But of course 😌😌😌

Editors with the hearts thou 🤭🤭

Jimin was really happy that JK chose him. 🥺🥺 However, anyone who really pays attention to JK during BTS games could have predicted who he would choose 🤭🤭 This is definitely a whipped JK moment seeing as Jimin won unfairly. Definitely some boyfriend privilege involved here. He he heee.

Members play the game and Jikook proceed to win

At some point JK raps and Jimin praises him immediately

If you've ever noticed Jimin praises JK ALOT. I would say he praises JK the most. He is always telling us how good JK is, how talented, how he's good he is at everything. Even though we already know. Jimin never hesitates to praise JK and I for one love to see it. Most recent being the flying yoga episode when first thing he said was how good JK was gonna be at it

Even though we all know he was the king of said flying yoga. Jimin seems to be extremely proud of JK's talents and prowess. Here we saw him drooling over JK bungee jumping so yeah... he definitely likes that JK is so good. Jimin has always been super proud to have JK as his boyfriend. Its a shame antis don't care to see it.

Another thing that shows how much Jimin loves JK, is always being there for him when he needs comfort

What i love about this moment is that Jimin thought JK was puking when he ran over. And yet the first thing he does is grab JK's face to check on him. Vomit be dammed 🥺🥺🥺

Jimin is always there for the members when they need comfort. Yes. But I love love love how soft he's always been with JK. Remember during summer package when JK wrote a letter for Army and then got emotional? I love how Jimin wrote a poem for him after

"My Jungkook" he said 😭😭😭😭😭

And we haven't even talked about how Jimin has always rubbed the back of JK's neck since time immemorial.

When JK is in distress, when he makes a mistake, when the rest laugh at him, when he's confused, when the others talk over him and introvert JK can't get a word in. Jimin is always there to rub the back of his head to make him feel better since satellite Jikook are always next to eo.

Emotionally supportive Jimin is a huge dynamic in their rlship

That last one brings us to our last point since I've ran out of image space; Protective Jimin that one time Suga did the thing. They were reacting to that last concert and JK who as we all know cries the most was being comforted by Jimin. Once again.

Jin is the one who pointed out that JK was crying.

immediately Suga was like;

Yeah... Jimin wasn't having it. He was like; bro you'd better shut tf up.

Pointed a finger at Suga, his hyung and everything. Suga picks on Jimin all the time. It's the most popular Yoonmin dynamic. And usually Jimin doesn't care. But he drew the line at Suga picking on his bae. 🤭🤭🤭 I love this moment sm!!! He seriously wasn't having it and that was so hot of him 🥵🥵

Look at his adorable worried face 🥺🥺 caught JK right on time too.

These moments are endless really, but i will stop here since there's no room for more imagery. But Jimin really is the best boyfriend and you can tell by JK's loyalty and how JK has always made Jimin his priority. He wouldn't do that, wouldn't be so head over heels if Jimin didn't treat him like a king.

Long live Jikook ✊🏽

#whipped jimin #jikook analysis #whipped jungkook #Protective Jimin #ask shaz #bts ask #jikook #kookmin #minkook #jimin and jungkook #bts #jimin #jungkook #park jimin #jeon jungkook

158 notes · View notes

accirax · 10 days ago

Text

Who Will Win the Disventure Camp Comeback Challenge?

Hello Disventure Camp nation!! It's been a while.

While I haven't had the time or motivation to cover Carnival of Chaos with weekly speculation, I have continued watching and enjoying the episodes as they release. In my opinion, this season is definitely shaping up to be their best so far, though there are certainly still milestone benchmarks they'll have to hit before we can say that for sure.

Speaking of which, between the latest exit interview confirming that the most recently eliminated player is the final premerger, and the YouTube community post stating that we'll be seeing eliminated players again come Saturday, it seems like we're finally at the point of this season's comeback challenge! A returning player seemed basically guaranteed given this season's huge episode count, but I'm still excited to see it play out.

So excited, in fact, that I'm coming out of my pseudo-DC-writing-retirement to speculate about which of the 8 eliminated contestants will be the one returning to the competition! Hoping to make this short and sweet, but... well, we'll see, lol. Onwards!

Spoilers for all of Disventure Camp through DC4 Episode 12, plus all of DC4's exit interviews up to that point.

This is going to be formatted much like my old DCAS Power Rankings, with a few exceptions. Firstly, there won't be a section recapping how last week's elimination impacted my overall score, because I don't have a prediction from last week, nor an overall score. Secondly (and more importantly), I won't be doing a trailer analysis section either.

Yes, this means that there's technically some information that I'm leaving on the cutting room floor, such as potentially what sort of challenge will be featured, but I have my reasons. The CoC trailers have typically been much more revealing than the DCAS ones. While that would actually be beneficial for the sake of this analysis, I've found that when I do wind up watching the trailers, I enjoy the actual episode less, because I've already seen a good chunk of the episode. I'm not willing to risk that for the sake of having slightly better predictions. Plus, I'm writing this post 100% for fun's sake, and analyzing the trailer doesn't sound fun at the moment.

So, basically all that to say, we'll be doing a numbered list, starting from the person who I think is least likely to come back, up to the one who I think is most likely to come back. That means our first ex-competitor will be...

#8: Amelie

Sorry Amelie fans, but I think there's basically a 0% chance that your girl will be back in the game. There are just too many things working against her.

Firstly, Amelie's arc already nicely wrapped up. She's sufficiently finished her journey of learning to value others, and I don't currently see any other loose threads in her character that a return would benefit. As compared to Alessio, her fellow super-early boot, I also think there's more fun and mystique in bringing back the first boot of the season than the second.

Amelie's return doesn't seem like it would benefit anyone else's development, either. Hannah was the only character she had a particularly well-developed relationship with, but I don't think that her return would help Hannah's character in any way, either. Amelie has likely already imparted whatever wisdom she had for Hannah, and if she hasn't, whatever's left could probably be covered in a finale/Loser's Motel episode, or in this very challenge.

And, perhaps most damningly, Amelie has already been teased to appear in TomJake season 2, should that series be funded. I suppose there is an argument to be made that ONC would like to flesh Amelie out further before giving her a cameo in another show, but to me, it feels like Amelie is already booked for her return elsewhere. All of these reasons combine to make me very confident that Amelie will not be returning to the competition.

#7: Marissa

It feels weird to put Marissa this low, because I feel like there are other characters out there who have more disqualifying traits than she does. Yet, I've chosen to put Marissa below them.

Truly, it's just a vibe check. Marissa is among a large rank of characters whose arcs seem to be complete, though they have some ongoing relationships with other characters that could be tapped into. We've already seen Marissa's aha moment with questioning whether the military is truly her calling, but she still has her relationship with Anastasia and the remnants of the girls' alliance as potential plot threads were she to come back.

Although, really, I think her relationship with Anastasia is the main reason she's this low. Don't get me wrong, I certainly think the anarissa ship has room to grow, given that the two of them didn't even officially become a couple, much less discuss anything deeper about how their relationship could grow. It just seems like Anastasia is going off on this corruption/villain arc of sorts that just began with Marissa's departure. Having Marissa come back would revert Anastasia to the state she was in before (or better, even, with Lynda gone), which would be kind of a bummer.

I don't think Marissa returning is impossible, but personally, I don't see the vision.

#6: Lynda

Speaking of "characters who probably have more disqualifying traits than Marissa," here's Lynda!

Lynda has one big obstacle obscuring her prospects of returning: the fact that she already just had a chance to get back into the game. Which, you know, she already failed.

Lynda was already facing accusations of plot armor prior to her first elimination, and if she came back now, I think we'd have to call those allegations accurate. All things considered, Lynda is pretty bad at the game of Disventure Camp, so giving her so many chances would start to feel pretty hokey. Stretching her non-elimination out over the course of four episodes would be a very perplexing move, from a writer's perspective.

However, Lynda seems like enough of a writer-and/or-fan-favorite character that I can see much more motivation behind bringing Lynda back than Amelie or Marissa. It could even be good for the story, in some ways! For Lynda's sake, it would be nice to give her a concrete win to show off to her family, and it would be pretty funny to watch Anastasia fully lose it over having to take Lynda out of the game for a third time. Especially if it was in a situation where Marissa was on the verge of coming back, but then Lynda snaked the win away from her last minute.

However, I don't think those minor upsides are enough to cancel out the downsides of giving Lynda yet another extra life. Fly high flop queen; I look forward to watching you be a hater from the bench.

#5: Ivy

Obviously, the elephant in the room (or the corner, as it were) is that Ivy was just eliminated. Bringing her back now would sort of feel like a "gotcha!"-- all of the drama involved in her elimination, such as Hannah's "big move" and Zaid's stated quest for revenge, would feel a little cheap if Ivy was out of the competition for less than an episode.

However, I dunno, I just see more potential in bringing Ivy back than I do with Marissa or Lynda! If Ivy were to return, it's not like every aspect of her elimination would be cancelled out. Zaid would still be pissed at Benji for trying to vote his girlfriend out, and Hannah still would have chosen to side with Isabel and Jade over Zaid and Ivy. The actual mechanics of the last episode would be undone, but the consequences wouldn't fully disappear.

That being said, I still don't think that Ivy will return. I'm just attempting to justify why I have her at 5/8 instead of even lower. Ivy could be brought back with a creative ploy, but there are better options out there that feel much more likely.

(I notice I've put all four eliminated women at the bottom. I'm sorry, women (/j))

#4: Alessio

I don't know how Alessio managed to wind up in the upper half of characters I'm considering for a comeback, but... here he is!

Logistically, there aren't any problems with bringing Alessio back. Although he did have a complete arc of finding his inspiration, he was such a minor character in his appearance that bringing him back could essentially be like introducing a new character into the show. His exit interview even mentions that he might decide to take a break from painting for a while, so I think it'd be funny if returned!Alessio had a new lease on life, and suddenly became an adrenaline junkie willing to try anything.

Alessio also has the benefit of having a relationship with Logan that could be further developed, while also starting on ground zero with the entirety of the Red Tribe (sans Isabel, if you count her). Tell me it wouldn't be funny to have Benji commission Alessio to draw him and Zaid being besties as some sort of treatise.

However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for Alessio's prospects. His first issue is that Alessio is not very good at the game. He wasn't shown to have any aptitude for challenges, and he wasn't particularly social, either. If he's teamed up with Logan for the return challenge, that could help him win the comeback. But, I don't think he'd be much of a mover or a shaker in the game proper were he to come back, which isn't as fun as a character who would cause a major shakeup or revelation.

Even more pressing is the question of "who cares?" From what I've seen, Alessio is regarded as an excellent first boot, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the people want to see him do anything beyond that. Or, even if the fanbase wouldn't be opposed to seeing Alessio return, I can't help but feel like there are characters they'd rather see; characters who have more to do.

Alessio's return is likely to remain a pipe dream, but the lack of issues raised by victory are enough to leave him in plausible contention.

#3: Diego

Screw everybody else-- if you ask me, these remaining three characters are the only ones who have any real chance of being the one to come back into the season. I can say with 99% certainty that either Diego, Ted, or Tristan will be Carnival of Chaos' returnee. However, choosing between those three is, in my opinion, surprisingly difficult, and the main reason I was inspired to write this post. So, let's go through the pros and cons of each of these characters returning, starting with Diego.

The reason for bringing Diego back into the game is obvious: ONC wants to make more of those sweet, sweet yaoi dollars. Joking phrasing aside, the reason to bring Diego back would be to get more closure for his relationship with Spencer.

Or, maybe "closure" isn't the right way to put it. Their relationship does, at the moment, have a genuine ending: they didn't wind up together, with Spencer instead leaving Diego heartbroken, voting him out of the game. However, this bittersweet goodbye begs for some sort of continuation.

If there's any hope for diencer's happily ever after, they'll need more time to work things out than a Loser's Motel episode and/or finale can probably provide. (Yes, I know that Tom and Jake did it in that amount of time, but 1) Tom and Jake had a prior season of build up together, 2) Tom and Jake spent more of DCAS at least both in the game, even if they weren't on the same tribe, 3) Jake didn't actively orchestrate Tom's vote-out in DCAS, and 4) I at least felt like Tom and Jake's makeup was rushed, and I wouldn't be surprised if others agreed.) And, even if Diego and Spencer aren't meant to be, watching Spencer navigate the game with his greatest misdeed come back from the grave would obviously be compelling. I'd love to see them work out trying to rekindle an alliance, or watch Spencer grapple with having to vote Diego out again after everything he's done.

Given that, why do I still have Diego as my lowest ranked of the true contenders? Well, for one, Ted and Tristan are putting up really good fights, too. (It's almost like this is a really good cast or something :P) But also, I do think that, if Spencer and Diego are done for good, whatever conversations they'd need to have together could be fit into this comeback challenge, and/or a quick chat at the end of the season. So... let me make a quick case for why I'm not sure that Diego and Spencer will be an endgame couple.

The quickest case I can make against diencer is one word long: Logan. I may be biased towards believing that Logan and Spencer could be a thing due to predicting that it would happen pre-season, but after laughing at myself for thinking it was ever on the table when Diego and Spencer so quickly linked up, I was shocked to see that there's been a lot of support for the relationship since Spencer swapped on to the blue tribe!

The most obvious hint is that Logan blushed with sparkly eyes after Spencer touched his shoulder, which certainly implies that Logan is attracted to Spencer in some way. But I could definitely see a world where that's just a further step in Logan realizing that he likes men in general, and doesn't have to do with Spencer specifically. Alternatively, Logan could also have an unrequited crush on Spencer, should Spencer not be interested in Logan for whatever reasons.

However, Spencer's been dropping his own subtle hints that he's fond of Logan as well. My favorite comes from Episode 12, where Spencer goes from looking agitated to smiling softly as Logan explains the drama of Anastasia and Lynda's battle.

The fact that his expression changed as Logan continues talking shows an attention to detail on Spencer and Logan's relationship that implies its importance. Richard and Anastasia, two other characters that Logan is highly tied to, don't change their expressions in this sequence (even when Logan grabs Anastasia), but Spencer does.

I'm fully willing to admit that this may just be my bias talking, as I (at this point) prefer logancer over diencer, but I do actually think that diencer may be over, and we're moving towards a logancer ending. If that is the case, then bringing Diego back might be more of an awkward obstacle than a benefit to the story.

This episode is going to be a big one for all the shipping scientists out there. If Diego gets back into the game, then it seems almost guaranteed that he and Spencer will be endgame. If Spencer tries to apologize to Diego, and Diego says something along the lines of "it's fine, I've moved on," then keep an eye on Logan and Spencer moving forward. And, if the returnees don't meet up with the current players at all...? Well, then maybe it won't actually be a big episode for the shipping scientists, haha.

I feel like I've gotten off track. My point is, Diego is certainly a candidate to come back into the game due to ship potential with Spencer, but since I believe that diencer may have sunk, it leads me to rank Diego as but the third most likely.

#2: Tristan

Hope you aren't completely sick of me talking about ships yet, because I will need to bring up another one when discussing the possibility of Tristan coming back into the game-- that ship, of course, being trinji.

I mean, trinji is basically canon at this point, right? Combining Benji's thoughts about what it would mean to date a nonbinary person with Tristan's over-the-top reaction to Emily asking if they had a crush on Benji makes it pretty clear that there's mutual attraction there. And yet, the ship feels very unfinished, or underexplored. I don't think I was alone in not realizing that Tristan and Benji were intended to have romantic undertones until Tristan's boot episode, at which point their on-screen time together was abruptly cut short.

Now, it's definitely possible that Tristan and Benji's relationship "ended early" for reasons that don't include Tristan coming back. Maybe trinji was never meant to be 100% canon, and little easter eggs of their relationship was all the crew wanted to leave behind. If characters from DC4 are already planned to be in the next returnee season, perhaps there are plans to further trinji in DC5+. Maybe the crew didn't realize that Tristan and Benji would make a cute couple until later in development, and only had the chance to squeeze in a couple of hints in Tristan's last few episodes. Maybe whatever conclusion their relationship is meant to reach can be successfully communicated in just a few more meet-ups. However, their relationship feels like it should have more to it to me, and that could be a sign that Tristan has more game left to play.

Speaking of, Benji isn't the only character that Tristan has an unfinished dynamic with. It definitely struck me as odd how Tristan's boot episode established their rivalry with Richard, only for it to seemingly never be relevant again. At the time, I figured that it was just a way to lower the audience's guard about a potential Tristan boot, enhancing the blindside later on, and that could very well still be true. But if Tristan does come back, it would make total sense if they and Richard have some sort of great duel once they're both on the merge tribe.

Funnily enough, however, the two characters that Tristan was perhaps most connected to are also the reason why I most struggle to see them coming back into the game. Last episode, Ivy said this:

I just think that's a really weird thing to have Ivy say literally right before Tristan would reenter the game. I actually think that Tristan coming back into the game would be more detrimental to Zaid's character development than Ivy doing the same. At least if Ivy comes back, it would just be rewinding the clock by one episode, just with some additional information. If Tristan comes back, it would mean that Zaid is still in the game, devastated that Ivy is gone and burning with Ivy's final wish that one of them win the game for Tristan's sake... but also Tristan is right next to him, playing the game for themself, and trying their best to give him some awkward condolences. I feel like it would deeply confuse Zaid in the midst of his angst, and that confusion therefore extends to me as well.

Other than that, though, I would love to see Zaid and Tristan interact again, because their goofy dynamic was really fun to watch. Tristan still comes in at #2 most likely to me, but their prospects are actually looking much brighter than I originally thought at the time they were voted out. The reason for that, I'll discuss with my #1 choice.

#1: Ted

If I had been making episodic updates about my thoughts on this season, it would have become apparent that, from Episode 4 to Episode 10, I was dead certain that Ted would be the contestant returning to the game. It just made sense to me. Ted seemed to have so much untapped potential. Diego, Tristan, and Marissa's eliminations came and went, and I hardly batted an eye. Then, it was time for Lynda to be eliminated, and my faith wavered.

After Lynda somehow survived the first few boots of the Blue Team, I figured that, contrary to my initial projection, she'd be in the game for the long haul, and factored that into my projections for who the returnee would be. And, for Ted, that was really important, as his dynamic with Lynda was easily the relationship of his that I'd most want to see expanded upon with a return.

However, with Lynda gone, where does that leave Ted? He has a relationship with Richard, and kind of with Logan, but given how entrenched those two are with other characters (Richard with Natalia, Logan with Anastasia and Spencer) and each other, would Ted really be able to fight through those bonds to become truly important to anyone who's left? Given that the returnee will be thrown straight into the merge, is exploring relationships between Ted and Hannah or Ted and Zaid something that's worth spending the returnee slot on?

(Okay, actually, I can actually kind of imagine a Ted/Jade dynamic, so maybe something could happen there.)

Still, despite my aimlessness, Ted remains my #1 contender based on one simple, unchanged fact: Ted has no argument for having completed a character arc thus far. Alessio found his inspiration. Amelie learned to respect others more. Diego didn't learn anything, per se, but he had a conclusive rise and fall in which his unwavering pursuit of Spencer led to his downfall. Tristan gained a family. Marissa learned to ask herself what she really wants. Lynda found a reason to respect herself. Ivy decided to take a chance on romance over her career.

Meanwhile, Ted was unceremoniously voted out for reasons that were barely even his fault, and was also ushered out of the show with the least dramatic fanfare of any DC4 contestant thus far. He has the best argument out of any eliminated character that his story is straight up unfinished. And while it's possible that Ted's story is intended to be finished on some other season in the future, I still believe that this argument is strong enough to leave Ted as my top contender for the winner of the returnee episode.

And, that's it! DCAS' returnee was one of the few predictions that I got 100% correct, so I have high hopes that I've managed to repeat that trick for DC4. However, as stated, I really think it could be any one of Ted, Tristan, or Diego who returns, and reserve Alessio as an unlikely-but-possible dark horse candidate.

... I don't know how to end this post. Um, watch Reality Resort if you haven't already. Bye!

#disventure camp #dc4 #carnival of chaos #disventure camp spoilers #amelie pierre #marissa xulu #lynda anderson #ivy berki #alessio castelli #diego olivo #tristan vik #ted gordon #won't tag the currently playing players although i do think i managed to mention pretty much all of them #maybe not isabel. what can i say: queen keeps all of her allies in the game #this is not a post talking about my current winner picks but i just want to share that i do genuinely believe that benji is winning rn #if not benji then probably still spencer but like dude benji is going to pull it out trust #my theories

8 notes · View notes

honeyspeeches · 5 days ago

Text

THE BLACK PALADINS & ALL GOOD THINGS

On my rewatch of the Black Paladins episode, I had a weird feeling throughout the fight, but I shrugged it off, because I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was. I thought it was just my old feelings of wishing everyone was involved in the fight, and so I didn’t think more about it. But then I watched the next episode, All Good Things. This is where I got my first clue, and I started growing very suspicious. I’ll take you through it all in the order in which I found the clues.

Before we begin though, I have to say that I haven’t watched the Black Paladins since January 2019, which I couldn’t even finish because I felt very strongly that everyone should have been a part of the arc, because I was working under the presumption that this was a found family story. I argued in the main analysis why I no longer believe this, but I’m telling you this just to let you know the state of mind I was in when I rewatched the Black Paladins episode this time around, because it means that I haven’t watched All Good Things since Season 6 came out 7 years ago.

So, imagine my great surprise and shock when I rewatched All Good Things, and I could finally put my finger on what was bothering me.

First of all, on my first rewatch for this analysis, I was very surprised to see that the Black Paladins arc/fight doesn’t happen until midway through the episode. I didn’t remember that it was so short, in fact I remembered it as a full episode. But no, the arc starts around the 10-minute mark, when Keith lands on the other side of the wormhole that Shiro disappeared into. This was a strange choice to me, given the importance Shiro and Keith’s relationship has had to Keith as a character, but also to the whole show, so I found it odd that they only gave that whole arc half an episode. Compare it to the Blade of Marmora episode which lasted all 20 minutes, as well as Pidge’s episode in season 4, where she finds her brother, Matt.

Second of all, this is how All Good Things starts

With Keith opening his eyes. Huh. Why would he open his eyes at the end of the Black Paladins, just to close them again? Strange choice, but not entirely suspicious, let’s keep watching.

Then Keith starts by saying this: “Where are you, Shiro? Show yourself! [...] What is this place? Where are we? You—You were trying to kill me. The others! You— You said you…”

ummmm sorry but what the hell is Keith talking about here?? The last episode ended with Keith holding on to Shiro, and trying to save him. He had already cut his arm off, so he was out of danger. So why would he open with saying that Shiro was trying to kill him?? And why does he look and sound so scared and hostile?? I tried to excuse it, saying it’s probably because he woke up in a strange place and he’s still high on adrenaline from the fight.

But then Shiro disappears mid-sentence:

And I realized that what we are hearing is dialogue from their original fight before it was edited. That’s right. The Black Paladins episode was edited and so was this episode.

And it’s not just the dialogue. Let’s dive into it.

#voltron #vld #vld analysis #voltron analysis #vld meta #voltron meta #shiro #keith #the black paladins

14 notes · View notes

w1ldthoughts · 8 months ago

Text

AJ’s Analysis- Week One Preview⚡️:

Raiders at Chargers

Disclaimer: I am a Chargers fan so this will obviously be biased BUT I have been a football fan for the last 12 years and absolutely love dissecting the game and making comments so I figured I would give this a try! Please feel free to make comments and let me know your thoughts in my inbox!

Players to watch:

Los Angeles

Justin Herbert QB- Oregon- Year 5🩵

Pookie. Angel. Perfect prince. Idk. He’s just my favorite player in the NFL to watch. The arm talent, the decision making, the…everything. Ok so, this is honestly his coming out year. He’s finally got a coaching staff that is competent and hopefully working in an offense that doesn’t put the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s also coming off of finger surgery and a minor foot injury so he should be healthy and ready to take over the league. Simple. I can’t wait to watch.

Stats: carried the team on his back pretty much all of last season, lost a finger nail, lost most of his sanity and then lost his season to a broken right index finger. Best game last year by far was the week 10 loss against the Lions where he threw for 323 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Cameron Dicker Kicker- Texas- Year 3

Little angel bean. Best kicker in the league. No further comments.

JK Dobbins RB- Ohio State- Year 5

Coming off of an Achilles injury and trying to shed the “injury prone” rumors, Dobbins is set to make his Chargers debut. One important thing to note, he’s only fumbled twice in his career…iykyk

Joe Alt RT- Notre Dame- Year 1

Here we go people! Fifth overall pick, mixed reviews from the audience. I’m rooting for him and the entire o-line to be much improved so I hope this first test shows that this investment in the “trenches” was worth it.

Khalil Mack EDGE/LB- Buffalo- Year 11

Recorded six sacks the first time these teams met last year. Was drafted by the Raiders in 2014 and has 100 career sacks, last season being one of his best in the last five years with 45 solo tackles and 17 sacks.

Joey Bosa DE/EDGE - Ohio State- Year 9

Also trying to shake injury prone rumors but seems to have taken on a new outlook and a new sense of excitement and motivation due to this new regime. Played in 9 games last season, starting 5 and still finished with 6.5 sacks. Honestly, looking forward to Joey making a big impact this season.

WR Room

I’ll preface this by saying I still miss Keenan Allen BUT ready to move forward. Very excited for Josh Palmer to get his time to shine hope he can stay healthy. DJ Chark excites me I’m gonna need to see some big plays from him. Quentin Johnston needs to have a breakout season. Ladd and Brenden are rookies but I need some huge contributions from them. Simi I know will show out when his number is called and if Derius the punt return king gets some targets I know he’s gonna put on a show. Nervous but excited to see how this goes!

Las Vegas

Gardner Minshew QB- Washington State- Year 6

Played in all 17 games for the Indianapolis Colts last year, made 13 starts and somehow always seems to know exactly what a team needs to get a win when his number is called. On his third team in his NFL career, looking to prove himself so he should come out looking to make a statement to keep his starting spot over AOC. Made the Pro Bowl last year with 305 completions and 3,305 passing yards, both career highs.

Davante Adams WR- Fresno State- Year 11

Your favorite wide receiver studies his film. Six Pro Bowls, three-time First team all pro, 39 games with 100+ receiving yards and has 9,637 receiving yards over the span of his career. Will get targets, will catch the ball and will probably score a touchdown (hopefully not two but who knows) this weekend.

Brock Bowers TE- Georgia- Year 1

Rookie Tight End making his NFL debut. Voted First Team All American by just about every single sports outlet in the country last season. Had 56 catches for 714 yards and six touchdowns for the Bulldogs in a 13-1 season falling short of a 3-peat not making the college football playoff but defeated Florida State 63-3 in the 2023 Capital One Orange Bowl.

Maxx Crosby DE- Eastern Michigan- Year 6

AKA Mad Maxx, neck tats can play football. Played in all 17 games last year and started. Heart and soul of the Raiders defense with 48 solo tackles and 14.5 sacks. Did get shaken out of his shoes by Justin last time and I’m sure he didn’t forget so he’ll be coming for vengeance.

Christian Wilkins DT- Clemson- Year 6

Entering his first season with the Raiders after a very successful five years in Miami. Recorded an NFL high 9 sacks for defensive tackles last season, started all 17 games and recovered two fumbles. Wilkins makes this Raiders defense a lot scarier and this will be a great first test for the often shaky Chargers o-line.

⏳FLASHBACK⌛️

Last time these two teams met, we all remember where we were…

1. Justin was injured, fresh off of surgery and Easton’s presence in the pocket is like a kid running late for curfew, very rushed and deer in the headlights

2. Defense quit and was ready to start fresh having lost faith in the entire coaching staff

3. We were all praying on the Charger downfall on this day and got what we wanted so sorry Coach Staley but…not sorry

Had to include this because baldy is gone and I couldn’t stand him. This was very embarrassing.

That’s it for week one!!!

Bolt the absolute fuck up

#nfl #nfl football #los angeles chargers #las vegas raiders #justin herbert

23 notes · View notes

bronx-bomber87 · 1 year ago

Text

Happy Wednesday amazing fandom. So Next ep (4x22) will be on Friday this week. So I'll post Sunday for 5x01. Didn't want to post my usual next Monday on Christmas just as an FYI. Let's get started. Ahhh we only have 2 left in this season. Last two are huge. This one is more geared towards Lucy and her feelings. With Ashley thrown in the mix. Lucy’s feelings for Tim that are getting harder to conceal by the day. This is a good one heavy content after such low one for last two. So let’s get going.

4x21 Mother’s Day

We start off with problem number one. I mean Chris. Lucy telling him it’s a hard pass on meeting his parents. Not just no. 'HARD PASS' Damn Lucy straight up shutting his ass down. Her commitment issues are glaring in this scene. You can tell by her body language alone. Look at how uncomfortable she is as they’re talking about this subject. Touching the back of her neck. Her hand lingering near her tattoo. She is not feeling this conversation one bit.

To her Chris isn’t serious enough to be even remotely near that. Also she doesn't care enough either. Never close to that kind of commitment. Never was… i.e. 5x08 and all that. He is the definition of a convenience relationship. Also the man is blind when it comes to reading her properly. She says no and he pushes it. Then when he doesn’t get what he wants basically scolds her for it. Her face when he says ‘I figured you’d say that.’ Like why you asking then mofo? He gets under my skin like no other…

This next portion is jealously personified oh my lord. Mostly on Lucy’s part. Clown and Lucy walk up to Tim/Ashley discussing a trip. Lucy immediately needing to know if they’re planning a vacation. Chris being clued in for once is shocked she’s asking about it. Look at the man's eyebrows in the first gif. They say yes Hawaii. Chris goes right back to being the clueless idiot. He says he loves Hawaii but never been.... Why do you even speak man? Useless info from a useless human being.

Ashley starts spouting on about beaches and crap no one cares about tbh ha Lucy is not really listening anyways. You can tell she’s tuned out and is in analysis mode. Melissa is conveying so much with just her eyes in that second gif. She is jelly belly. Look at her watching them and trying to digest this moment. Her jealously starts here and doesn’t end till we reach Tim’s prank.

Chris tells her to call him if she changes her mind. Lucy just wards him off and says she won’t. No means no schmuck. Tim tries to ask her about that comment and Lucy deflects. She doesn’t care about Chris’s parents. Her one and only focus is about him. Needing to know whose idea it was for Hawaii? Tim being clueless to her inquiry just says mine I guess why? Lucy doesn’t get to finish her thought because they run into Harper.

Lucy mentions she thought she had the day off? Nyla says she did but Donovan is being a prick about the holiday. That he took Lila to see his mom for Mother’s Day. All the way in Santa Barbara. Leaving Nyla childless for Mother’s Day. Doing it as revenge. What a dick. Lucy says that’s really cruel even for him. Harper mentions James is taking his boys to see his ex-wife cause he’s a decent human being LOL

That at least she’s being paid time and a half to plot her revenge. Tim having slight respectful fear of her says he can wait to see what she comes up with haha Lucy joining him saying they should sell tickets. Their faces in those gifs are primo. I also love their shared looks as they leave. Damn they’re cute together. The most married looks as they’re leaving I cannot stand it. Knowing not to mess with Nyla today of all days. Best they can do is just get the hell out of there ha

We rejoin them in the shop. We watch Lucy struggle with wanting to get her thoughts out. You can tell she is nervous and scared of the answer she might get. Watching her body language alone during this scene is so telling. It's showing she is dying inside. That this is eating at her so much. Not once has Lucy ever thought Ashley was the right one for him. Now there is this potential he could be thinking about proposing to her... and it's making her sick to her stomach.

She is trying to contain her meltdown about this as best she can. Also like to note while Lucy builds up her courage in the first gif Tim is not stressed whatsoever. LOL Just thinking it's a normal day as they get out on the road. Living his best life while Lucy has her internal battle in the first gif. Lucy finally gets the guts to ask the question burning a hole in her stomach.

One that is making her nauseous. If he’s proposing to Ashley? She says it all high pitched. Clearly so very nervous of his potential answer. Tim seems blind sided by the question. The way he raises his eyebrows kills me. Saying no... They’ve only been dating a few months. Interesting you date Lucy for a few weeks and give up your career path to stay near her…Almost like she isn’t the one but we’ll get there haha

Lucy tells Tim he needs to be careful of the signals he’s sending. He asks her what she means? What kind of signals? She says the kind that makes her get a manicure. So that she can send pictures of a ring to all her friends. The way his eyes bug out in horror. Yeah there’s a man ready for the altar… The thought of marrying Ashley putting him in an absolute panic. That’s your soulmate right there Tim…better lock that down....They get interrupted by dispatch before they can continue. Lucy is enjoying his panic about it though. To her that means that’s not where they’re headed. So for now her freakout simmers down from a boil.

They return to the station to sync up with Angela. Their earlier call is linked to her situation from this morning. She was at a Mother’s Day brunch with Patrice and they got held up at gun point. These punks stole her Mother’s Day gift and terrified her MIL. Harper comes in like a bat out of hell. It’s pretty hilarious tbh. I love how Tim and Lucy just stand there as they plot Donovan’s demise. Her deserves it.

Talking about curses and such. They’re so chaotic together and it makes me so happy. I always enjoy their scenes though. Tim saying they should leave before become accessories. heh I love him being low key scared of Angela it’s the best. Also could they be any closer to each other as they leave? It’s like you guys want me to point this stuff out haha

Lucy is visiting with Patrice and she’s giving her solid mom advice. I love it so much. Saying her mom has to be the one to make the amends not her. Lucy seems so grateful for the advice. It's a super sweet mini moment. Tim walks in complaining about hotel prices. Lucy comes over and he has her look at his phone. (not a wifey thing to do at all...)Then tells him that’s not a bad deal. That if he wants cheaper he's gonna have to do Honolulu motel 6 LOL How romantic.... Patrice says Oh, Going to Hawaii? Congrats on his engagement.

Lucy is loving being right. She is beaming with smugness really. Saying ‘Ah told you!’ Tim tells her he’s not getting engaged. He’s so adamant about it. Patrice asks if his GF knows that? They have serious old married couple vibes in this scene. Especially when Patrice asks if he’s really this clueless? Her reply is absolute gold. Flirting with him right in front of Wesley’s mom LOL

I’m sure she’s thinking why aren’t these two together? The chemistry from their banter alone is enough to think that. He doesn’t even fight her just sighs. Accepting his fate with her in these situations. God they’re so married and adorable I cannot stand it. Soulmate material right here folks. Front and center. Lucy smiling as he walks away. She loves her goober so very much. Splashed all over her face.

Angela gives them an update on their crime spree couple. Saying their next target was a bridal shop. Lucy makes a pot shot at Tim. Angela perks right up and is confused as hell. Tim wards Lucy off and says to ignore her. We watch Lucy get agitated. The whole idea of Tim getting engaged is not sitting well with her in the slightest.

Now this is what I find the most interesting about this scene. After Tim says that Angela isn’t watching Tim’s reaction. She’s watching Lucy’s. Look at how she gauges Lucy. Can see she is deeply irritated. Her Chenford radar going off. She’s intuitive af I mean she’s a detective she has to be but still LOL She is reading what Lucy is projecting in this moment and is surprised Tim isn’t….

When they’re back in the shop Lucy continues to push her luck with this subject. Poking the bear just a little bit more. Saying the website she’s on says Hawaii is the #1 place to get married. Tim retorting back there’s no way she thinks he’s proposing. Lucy presses on because she can’t help herself. Say he’s of a certain age LOL His reaction to that is too damn funny. Like excuse me love?

Lucy adds in that Ashley is in her prime. That on paper this makes sense. That it’s a no brainer really. (Love the little tongue flick in that gif btw. Yum.) It’s coming off as teasing when Lucy low key needs to know. She has to have answers to all this. Also she is in quite the panic. Not hiding it well at all in order to get them. Lucy puts the final nail in the coffin of her anxiety with her next question. Asking if he can see himself married to her?

It’s the hesitation that says everything to me. He takes a few beats before replying. Lucy is anxiously awaiting his reply. Fidgeting with her phone as the silence stretches. Hoping its more of the 'No' he was giving her earlier. He finally answers like it’s a business transaction. Not someone he loves...Saying yeah he can. Lying liar who lies Timothy Bradford. SMH. This response it’s like wanting a specific meal and the restaurant is out. So they offer you something of lesser value. You’re hungry so you go with it. That’s Ashley. She is the lesser value of Lucy. Tim knows it. So he is settling with this relationship.

Why you ask? Because it’s safe and comfortable. Just like Lucy is with Chris. Also in the back of his head he knows he can never be with Lucy like that. Or so he thinks. He too felt that spark in 4x01 too. Has also been suppressing those thoughts all season. So what helps? A distraction. I.e. Ashley. I looked up settling just to have a good definition. "Settling isn't a choice people happily make for themselves. Often, people settle out of fear. It could be the fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, or even fear of rejection, and, in light of that, settling can feel like the safest choice." Definition of his relationship with Ashley especially going forward after this ep.

He sounds so unconvincing I don’t know Tim even believed what he just said. What Tim is doing here the epitome of settling at this point with Ashley. I don’t think one bit he actually wants to marry her. So much as he needs the companionship. Something he thought he could live without before Lucy. Then she brought Rachel into his life. He realized he could do this again. That he even missed it. So he may put off this lone wolf vibe but our boy just wants to be loved. So he will settle for any love he can get even if it’s not right for him. Which hurts my heart on a deep level.

We shoot back to Lucy. His reaction seems meh but hers is another story. She very much believes him and looks devastated. This episode is her epiphany episode IMO. Where all these feelings she felt launch for Tim during the 4x01 hug are bubbling up to the surface. She's been trying all season to tamp it down. To push it away thinking if she did it would just go away. Not how feelings work my friend.

I saw the funniest tag(s) for this set when I was looking for gifs. Couple people used it actually. Said it felt like Lucy was playing stupid games and winning stupid prizes LOL That is this scene. She went hunting for answers and only came up with heartbreak and sadness. Her plan was to validate her feelings about this whole thing. All it did was blow up in her face. She’s teased him the entire episode. She inadvertently made him seriously think about this.

She then got an answer she did not want… (none of us did) This is the absolute opposite of how she was with Rachel. She truly wanted Tim to be happy with her. News like this would’ve made her happy back in S2. Because Rachel was Lucy 2.0. Sad fact is Ashley is no where near right for Tim and she knows it. Also so much as transpired between them since S2. Her feelings being one of them. That makes this reaction she is having even more intense.

If Tim looked over he would’ve seen the devastation. It’s the most transparent she’s been all season long. Lucy has been a clear glass window this entire season with him. Yet this moment stands out as her most telling IMO. Lucy asked what she was scared to really get an answer for. Then got back a reply she was dreading. The last one above gets me the most. Melissa I commend you for it. So much being expressed here.

The way she is processing what’s he’s told her. The emotions coursing through her body. The twitch of her mouth trying to keep herself in check. Looks like she wants to scream or cry or possibly both. Shake Tim and say WTF are you thinking? Most of all she is just hurt. Not taking this kind of info in stride and realizing she is not. Like that dog with the house on fire sitting there with his coffee. ‘This is fine….’ I feel like sums up her emotions for this inquiry she made.

These are just great action shots of our couple in the field. They catch up to the crime spree couple. They're getting married in this really pretty church. Hijacked someone's wedding. Look how close they are as they fire back. Could take his own position but no lets share cover hehe I love the unnecessary touching she does on her way to catch the wife. It wasn’t necessary to touch him Lucy. Yet I’m here for it 100 %. That building is so beautiful BTW What a lovely place to get married. I hope whenever they get married someplace pretty like this. Or maybe won't be a church at all. Idc where as long as they're married ha

Ashley is waiting for him outside the station after his shift. She asks how his day was? He says good but Lucy was particularly annoying today. Please Timothy. Like you didn’t enjoy all of that attention from her. Do like Ashley defending Lucy and saying 'I'm sure that's not true.' Tim notices her new nail color and mentions it. Ashley says yeah she just got them done. The panic on this man’s face. LMFAO You’re a liar sir about wanting to marry her. 'Yeah I can' my ass.

Tim tells her he needs to clear the air about something. That there was a reason Lucy was so annoying today. She was convinced taking her to Hawaii meant a proposal. He panics some more and says 'You don’t think that right? Cause I’m not... 'Crashing and burning you handsome fool. She puts a finger to his lips and tells him to shush. That this isn’t what she was expecting at all.

That if he had she would’ve just said no… because she has no interest in being married ever. That she doesn’t want kids either. She's not wired that way. Now to me this should’ve been the end of the relationship for Tim. These are all things Tim wants out of a relationship. She is basically telling him exactly what she wants out of this. What she doesn’t want as well. She’s being honest and upfront. It’s up to Tim to tell her he wants those things out of a relationship. That this isn't going to work based on that.

He wants marriage and kids. I’m not an Ashley fan don’t get me wrong. I know the fandom didn’t like her. I sure wasn’t pleased with her being around. But she tells him right here and now she doesn’t want marriage. Not only that she doesn’t want kids. I don’t think that makes her selfish. It just makes her incompatible with Tim. It's actually self inflicted wound for Tim to continue dating her. Knowing he wants those things. She is a woman who knows what she doesn’t want and is telling him as such. That's what you do when you're dating someone. So you see if your values and life goals align. Their's very much don't.

I do think this moment is on Tim 100 %. We’ve seen him have communication problems in past relationships. Not telling his former SO's exactly how he is feeling. This relationship is extended due to lack of communication in this moment. Look at this man. He is deflated she doesn’t want these things. His response and body language is screaming disappointment. Unfortunately Ashley fails to read this. He should’ve told her he wants all those things.

Sadly he doesn't... the reality is he’s settling as I stated before. He is faking it with her. Saying that this is ok with him. It’s one thing not to be ready to marry someone. It’s another to realize this relationship has no future for him. He doesn’t want to be alone. This is a safe enough relationship to commit to so he does. Even if it’s stealing all his dreams away from him. Which makes me so sad for him. Because he thinks this is it for him. Which is why S5 is huge for him. But I'll gush about that when we get there. You know I love my Tim but staying in his relationship and having it last longer is on him. Instead of walking away because they aren't right for each other.

Tim sees Lucy is watching and is a little shit. He asks Ashley if she’ll do him a favor? First off kudos to Melissa once again for conveying so very much with just a look. Tim is making sure he’s looking over at her as he ‘proposes.’ If you look at his face you can see his eyes flit over to her. Pranking is their love language. But if Tim had looked over after he 'proposed' he would see a heart breaking. I think it’s here Lucy is realizing her feelings for Tim.

Because she is reacting like someone who is in love. Lucy is now heartbroken thinking Tim is getting married. Her person is getting married. To the wrong person. She is beyond crushed really. If you looked up devastated in the dictionary that gif should be there. Lucy is so gone for him at this point and its hitting her like a ton of bricks. I mean her behavior this entire episode reflects that. This is a painful epiphany for her.

It was something that was on a low simmer in the back of her brain all season. Now its been pulled to the forefront and is boiling over. I think she is having a million thoughts racing through her mind right now. That he is far more than just her friend and co-worker. He is her best friend and she's in love with him. That is the face of someone who is crushed her person is going to marry someone else. Be bound to Ashley. When she is the right person for him not her.

Chris comes up babbling about his mom and Lucy has checked out. She is there in body but her mind is outside with Tim. In the first gif we can see her trying to reset. To care that her current BF is in front of her. That she isn't having a emotional spiral about her best friend getting married. She’s scrambling to assemble her thoughts and emotions. Lucy is so flustered and trying to give a crap about Chris's existence. She’s so visibly upset and Chris once again doesn’t read her well.

It’s then she gets Tim’s text we see relief flood over her. Then instant anger as Tim waves at her as they leave. If I was Ashley I would be questioning why my boyfriend wanted to trick his ‘platonic aide’ into thinking they’re engaged…but ok. She ignores Chris further and goes to hunt down Angela to curse Tim LOL Once again how Chris and Ashley didn’t see how in love these two idiots were I’ll never know. Especially Chris my god. Lucy was so very transparent this entire season with Tim.

Also she just straight ignored you son. So focused on wringing Tim’s neck after upsetting her. But sure man bring up your parents she didn’t want to meet LOL Not once did she acknowledge his conversation. Her only goal getting back at Tim. Leaving Chris just standing there like clueless dope he is.... Such good episode though. Especially for Lucy. This is her 'Uh oh epiphany moment.' about her feelings for Tim. All came to a head when she thought he was getting married. So good.

~~~~

Side notes non-chenford

I love Donovan’s mom bringing Lilah to Nyla. Acknowledging want a douche her son was being. Couldn’t allow them to be apart on Mother’s Day.

Also Patrice spending the day dispensing advice to everyone LOL Loved it. Wish could've included her advice to Lucy but ran out of room.

Thank you for everyone who’s been on. This journey with me. I can’t believe next ep Is the S4 finale. Insane. all of your like, comments and reblogs make my entire day. I love every single one of them. See you all in 4x22 :)

79 notes · View notes