#I took some of these ideas from other analyses I’ve seen around

[sneakywingeddude]

I’m so obsessed with the relationship Ace Attorney has with the color blue so i wrote a really shitty underdeveloped analysis on it. Apologies if it’s out or character or wrong or the grammar is fucked up, I’m new to this type of thing.

I just think it’s so interesting how Phoenix is blue and edgeworth is red like obviously “oh haha redblue gays” trope but like I think about how blue specifically is the color of loyalty and red is the color of passion, and blood and aggression despite the fact that edgeworth cold and calculating(or he at least appears to be) and he’s passionate about prosecuting to a fault, he falls to fully consider the truth in his passion and pays for it with the blood on his hands of his possibly false convictions. He’s constantly draped in the blood of his past.

whilst blue is a calming color associated with high class yet Phoenix is loud and crude and a rookie nobody art student. I doubt I need to go into the specifics about his loyalty honestly lmao.

But the color language extends so much farther then just them.

I think so much about how Trucy goes from pink to blue as she aged and is no longer Zak’s daughter but Phoenix’s and adopts his signature color to visually establish this.

I THINK ABOUT HOW PHOENIX HAD A PINK SWEATER THE FIRST TIME HE APPEARS IN COURT I THINK ABOUT HOW HE WORE THAT PINK SWEATER WHEN HE DECIDED HE WAS GOING TO STUDY LAW.

I THINK ABOUT HOW KRISTOPH HAS A BLUE SUIT AND RED TIE AND SUPPOSEDLY HATES PHOENIX’S GUTS, THERES SO MUCH IMPLICATION HERE HOW HE DRESSES EXACTLY LIKE HIM. HIS JEALOUSY HIS ENVY HIS INABILITY TO BE PHOENIX, IN ALL HIS FAME AND RENOWN AND LOVE, HIS BLINDING LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM AND RENOWN FOR HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

I THINK SO FUCKING OFTEN ABOUT HOW THE PROSECUTORS BADGE IN MEJI ERA JAPAN IS BLUE AND THE DEFENSE BADGE IS RED.

I THINK ABOUT HOW KAZUMA HAS RED ACCENTS AND RYUNOSUKE HAS BLUE.

I THINK SO MUCH ABOUT HOW RYUNOSUKE HAS BLUE ACCENTS YET HES A DEFENSE LAWYER AND KAZUMA HAS RED ACCENTS DESPITE STARTING OFF AS A DEFENSE LAWYER AND TURNING INTO A PROSECUTOR AND THEN KEEPS THOSE RED ACCENTS…

I think about,

how the colors switched at some point.

[ursa-tan]

141 + König teaching Medic!Reader to spar

—————

141 + König & Reader

Short Drabble

Price decides that you need to learn how to spar. He doesn’t really explain it, but you go alone with it anyway.

It would be inaccurate to say you weren’t surprised when Price called you into the gym in the middle of the day. You were in the midst of getting as much paper work out of the way as you could before you took your lunch break when you got the call.

“Head down to the gym, need your help with something.” Was all you got from him before he hung up. You were expecting to have to supervise a particularly rough sparring session.

Once you’re in the gym, Price calls you over to stand in front of him. “I’ve never seen you in combat, so I want to know what you can do.” Lucky for you, you were already dressed in some workout appropriate clothes.

“Don’t worry. You’ll have a good teacher.” He says, gesturing to…

———Simon “Ghost” Riley———

Isn’t going to go easy on you and treats you like any other rookie in need of training

Doesn’t train like he would with Soap or Price, makes sure to treat you like you have no experience in fighting

Doesn’t spend time letting you get any “free hits” in, not a hardass but definitely not just gonna “let you win”

Believes in the “people out there won’t be nice to you, so it’s best you learn now with people who will be”

Ultimately just wants to see you learn and be safe

Ghost steps onto the mat in front of you, practically staring you down through the holes in the fabric mask he wears around base. His gaze is cold and calculated, already analysing you as you step on in front of him.

He drops into a low stance, feet spread slightly, looking relaxed. His hands come up to shield his torso and face, balled into loose fists, hovering still in the air.

You barely have the chance to try and mimic him before he’s stepping in and throwing you to the ground. It’s a clean and controlled takedown, nearly landing you on your front. You would’ve been winded were if not for Ghost’s hand balled up in the fabric of your shirt, holding you up.

The moment doesn’t last long at all, as he elects to drop you onto the ground. You manage to catch yourself on your forearms before rolling onto your back and staring up at him. He holds a hand out to you, eyes crinkling slightly with a smile.

“Get up, you’re not gonna learn anything on the floor.”

——John “Soap” MacTavish——

Mostly fun and games, even during this

He doesn’t feel the need to be absolutely serious, but will still point out areas where he feels you need to pay attention

Knows this is likely your first time ever fighting, so takes it easy - but not too easy

Kind of forgets you aren’t a solider at one point and gets a little too harsh with his hits - he feels so bad

Enjoys helping you learn

Soap is bouncing on the balls of his feet as you try and ready yourself. You haven’t the vaguest idea what you’re supposed to be doing with your hands or feet. Luckily, Soap is here to guide you!

“Hands up, protect your organs and your head - they’re important, ‘specially for someone that has to think all the time, like you,” he chuckles lightly, bringing his head up slightly, looking directly into your eyes.

His eyes sparkle with mischief as you follow his instructions. You find your body sinking slightly, easing into a lower stance that makes your thighs burn after a few minutes.

“I’m going to punch you - slowly - and I want you to try and block it.”

He does as he says and you do your pathetic and best attempt to block it. That attempt being you brining your hands up to shield your head and scrunching up your face.

“I think we’ve got a lot to learn.”

Despite his chaotic nature, he makes a surprisingly good teacher.

———Captain John Price———

Feels responsible to do this, seeing as he’s the one who called you down here

Very slow in his movements - a combination of him being a patient man and knowing you have little to no experience

Much like Soap, he tries to keep it more lighthearted so you don’t feel under pressure

Spends a lot of time correcting you, moving to grab your arms and tug them into place or kicking/tapping your ankles to get you to move your feet

Price doesn’t bother trying to fight you, instead opting to stand with his arms crossed across his chest before you. He looks at you with a look somewhere between disappointment and analysis - you can’t really tell. Something about him does, however, says ‘deep in thought’.

“Hands up, legs apart, relax your knees,” he speaks while moving to stand behind you, placing his hands in your upper arms. You quickly realise he’s doing this to support you as he gently kicks at your ankles. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s just hard enough that it causes your legs to shift and you to sink your stance.

“There. Much better,” he mutters, moving round to the front of you and taking your wrists in his hands. “A low stance means a low center of gravity. A low center of gravity if good for balance. Better balance, less likely you are to be knocked over. I’m sure you can infer why that’s a good thing.” He speaks as he moves your hands, placing your hands about half a foot in front of you.

“Keep your guard up. You got one head, if the enemy gets it, you’re gone. Don’t give them the chance.”

He stands in front of you, out of reach of any misplaced punch or pathetic kick you might try and throw.

“You learn quick enough, I’m sure this’ll go smoothly.”

———————König———————

He’s well aware of both his strength and size and is incredibly nervous to try this - especially when he thinks about the fact that you haven’t been trained to fight

König wants to do right by you, he really does, but his nerves get the best of him sometimes

He’s very hesitant to touch you, so ends up taking a very hands off approach to teach you instead, opting to stand next to you and have you copy him instead

König is fidgety as he moves to stand next to you, holding his hands up with his left hand in front. He waits, unmoving for a second, before looking down towards you.

“Could you copy me please?” He speaks, voice seeming to crawl out of his throat at the same speed that honey drips off a spoon.

You do as you’re told, trying your best to copy his stance. It takes a few minutes for you to get it right, not including you making tiny little adjustments to your position to try and be as accurate to your teacher as possible.

König can’t help but chuckle a little at your actions. He makes a small comment, asking you to raise your front fist up slightly.

“Put your non-dominant hand forwards, so when you punch, you can punch with your dominant hand.”

You do as told, holding your non-dominant hand further in front of you than your dominant one. This prompts another laugh from him.

“You need to also put the same leg forwards. Left hand forwards,” He pauses for a second, taking care to gesture to his left hand. “Left leg forwards.” He does the same thing, this time gesturing to his leg, planted sturdy in the ground, providing a solid support.

“You have to do the same,” he speaks with a hint of a smile but with nervousness dripping off of every syllable.

“Don’t worry, it gets easier with time.” He reassures you, and you’re almost certain you see his eyes crinkle in a smile.

[hall0wedwyrm]

sorry franklydear enjoyers i didn't mean to hit you with this one so soon (i did)

based on the idea i had when i was analysing the newest WH update so obviously spoilers for that. anyway enjoy <3

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

It had been a few days since Homewarming festivities had ended. 

Eddie had left the party abruptly that day, and no one had really seen him since. It was a point of concern for everyone... but also no one really knew what to do. 

Frank had spent the past day asking and looking around, clearly reaching his peak of concern. Initially, he thought that Eddie just needed some time for himself. He looked overwhelmed when the two of them had made eyecontact, and it was best to let him take some time off. But eventually he couldn't wait any longer. He started by asking some of the neighbours, but they came up with nothing.  

“He did look awfully tired...” Sally sighed, “But I don’t think even Eddie could sleep that long...”  

“Have you seen him leave the post office since?” Frank asked, using the question that he would proceed to ask every other member of the town. 

“Hmm... now that you mention it...” She pondered, “I haven’t no... I support the sentiment of going to check on him, though.” 

“Eddie was supposed to deliver some things to my shop!” Howdy threw his hands up in despair, “I haven’t had my batch of new stock... but Eddie is more important. I just hope hes okay.” 

“Maybe... he’s doing something that's taking a long time...” Julie remained her joyful self, “What if he’s making us a surprise?!” Frank appreciated her ideas, but this wasn’t helping. He thanked her and moved on. 

“Oh dear, I do hope he’s okay...” Poppy placed down her baking tray, “I’ve been so busy baking and trying out this new cookbook that it’s completely passed my mind... Would you keep me updated?” 

Barnaby seemed to be the most passive about the situation, “Eh. Maybe he’s just holed up in there for a reason.” He shrugged, “He’ll come out of there on his own. I’m sure of it.”  

“Very nice of you, Barnaby,” Frank rolled his eyes, “I’ll keep you updated, I suppose.” 

Frank took this as the last stand. He began his march towards the post office across town. It wasn’t that far of a walk, but it felt like hours. The dread building slowly, making Frank worry about what on earth he would find in there.  

He had to tell himself that Eddie was fine, and that he would walk into the office and find him doing something incredibly mundane, like organising the mail or sweeping up bits of paper from his latest craft. 

“Where are you going, Frank?”  

A voice cut through his panicked thoughts. He jumped in surprise, immediately spinning around to be met with a familiar empty stare.  

Wally Darling... 

“O-Oh! Wally!” Frank stammered, “What a... pleasant surprise...!” He tried to pull of his shock in any way that wasn’t a weird mild fear he suddenly had, “I’m... going to visit Eddie! I haven’t seen him since Homewarming so I was worried about him.”  

“Oh...” a very blunt response, “That’s very nice of you.” Wally pulled his best smile he could, considering he had some kind of permanent grin anyway. Frank smiled back, but it was more of a strained grin.  

“Good luck, Frank.” Wally didn’t move, hinting at Frank to make his own exit from the conversation.  

“Ah... Th-Thank you.” Frank hurries off, leaving Wally to watch as he leaves. 

The door to the post office was covered by the blinds that Frank didn’t know it had. It also looked completely dark inside, adding to the dread. Frank tried his best to peek inside, but it was futile. He thought it would be best to just go inside. 

Frank took a deep breath... and opened the door slowly. 

The lights were off inside, as he has suspected, but there was no sign of life either.  

“Eddie...?” Frank could barely speak, his nerves getting the better of him.  

He looked around the empty room. It wasn’t in any sort of disarray, rather that it was organised. Like it had been untouched for a while. Not a speck of dust though, as if something had been looking after it, or it had become stuck in time without Eddie. 

“Hello...??” He calls out again, standing in the middle of the main room. He had spun around a few times, hoping maybe one turn would help him find something he hadn’t seen before. Unfortunately, it didn’t work like that, and he knew it.  

Frank went behind the counter, into the back room. On the counter in front of him was Howdy’s parcel, wrapped and assigned to him. Eddie was going to deliver it before whatever happened to him or wherever he went.  

Panicking further, Frank rushed out of the back, and then trying to find an upstairs or where Eddie would have been living. Off in the corner of the room, there was a very plain looking door, leading Frank to suspect that it was potentially what he could be looking for.  

He approached, took another much deeper breath this time, and placed his hand on the door handle. He hesitated for a few moments, the dread lingering harder than before. He had a voice in his head screaming that something very bad had happened to Eddie... or he had done something to...

Eddie would never. He’s probably just having a bad spell, and he’s be fine... 

In a swift movement, he turned the handle and flung open the door.  

Silence. 

Eddie’s room was completely untouched. It has been perfectly organised and cleaned. Not an item out of place. It was unsettling, to say the least.

A shiver went down Frank’s spine... He was completely clueless.  

...

Where is Eddie...?

[fauna-a]

VII Forms

I can’t believe it.

It was a sound (a voice?) he knew well: it brought with it annoyance, but relief, too; irritation, and yet fondness.

Nathaniel, are you there?

Nathaniel! That was his name! Together with it, came an avalanche of memories: the spirits, magic, Kitty, the Staff, his decision to… and then…

Am I dead?

Absolutely you aren’t. Look!

He didn’t have eyes anymore, but when he took the decision to look, he saw; and he saw the freest and most beautiful chaos he had ever seen flowing around him, essences mingling in vortexes around him and he was mingling with them, or at least some part of him, and he felt thousands of presences, and one in particular, so familiar, and he grabbed on to it with his mind or his soul or whatever, because…

Calm down, Nat. You’re hurting me.

What’s happened?

Well. You dismissed me. Except that you must have stumbled on some syllables because… I’ve pulled you away with me. At least, your… essence, your soul, I don’t know.

Maybe it came from that, the feeling of lightness, and yet terror, of a freedom so pure it scared him to death. Sort of, of course.

Around him, the matter went together in spiral forms, then it seemed to blow up; Nathaniel withdrew, or at least he felt like that.

Oh, sorry. Your trauma.

So, this… all this… is you? And the other spirits?

You are, too. In the Other Place there aren’t precise identities. It’s complicated, but you’re gonna get the hang of it.

The matter twirled again, gushing flashes of colour, and Nathaniel tried to wrap his head around it all. Even if…

Wait a moment. Are… are you happy that I am here?

Oh well. You know how it is, I’m not totally ungrateful. You were saving my life, which was just due, with all the times I did that for you, but, you know, I don’t like owing to a dead, and…

You’re actually happy!

There was an explosion of colour, and Nathaniel realized it was himself creating it.

Good job. He felt Bartimaeus watching him, analysing him. It’s strange. Kitty and Ptolemy had a body which they had to come back to, so a bond with Earth… You are a lot more like us, now, since your body is, very probably, pulverized.

Thank you.

I’m just exposing facts, Nat.

And now?

Ah, I have no idea. Try and take a form, like us.

In the middle of the vortex, appeared the familiar Egyptian boy, radiant, with his usual cheerful grin.

Nathaniel hesitated.

Just do it. Don’t think too much.

A pale boy, few years younger that Ptolemy, took a hesitant step in the Other Place. In his eyes shone a light that wasn’t only human anymore.

NdA: That was clearly a What If where Nathaniel is not dead, but his soul "follows" Bartimaeus in the Other Place and he becomes... something else, not human and not spirit. Can he be summoned? Has he the same powers as spirits? I haven't a clue :) I wrote this in like twenty minutes.

[olderthannetfic]

Do you know what the origin of the "sold to One Direction" thing is? I know it's a common trope (or was), but, I have no idea where I first heard of it, where I learned it was a thing. How do weird tropes like that get started, anyway? Why do some concepts take off and become huge parts of a particular fandom, but others don't? (And does this particular premise show up in other RPF contexts as much?)

--

tl;dr - Wattpad circa 2013, probably

--

I'm only familiar with that from doing Wattpad research. I don't think it's a major RPF thing, at least not under that exact name. Horny f!sub is kind of the Wattpad way, so a lot of the popular tropes there make sense from that perspective. I've definitely seen plenty of badtouch sexy slave/kidnapping victim/stalk-ee stuff with BTS and other music groups. But maybe somebody reading has more specific 1D history knowledge?

As for why one thing takes off and another doesn't, the big answer is:

Historical accident

We can look for patterns, sure, but a lot of it is ultimately survivorship bias. That's the thing where we look at what's remaining (successful companies, popular fic tropes), and we assume they have some special property that made them survivors and then extrapolate from that. But maybe it's coincidence, or maybe it's a different type of causality than the one we're looking at.

For example, a trope in a popular fandom will spread farther faster than a trope in a dinky little fandom, so maybe fandom size is what matters and not the nature of the trope. Most analyses assume it's the trope itself that matters.

On an individual basis, many specific tropes get popularized by a particular famous author or fic that other people imitate. Some get popularized by a fanworks exchange or fest. (That's how 5 Times fic spread.) But why do they stick around long term? Why do they gain traction elsewhere?

Aside from random chance, it's probably something to do with broad applicability and easy entry points.

So, for example, the show The Sentinel doesn't actually have Guides as such, but the AU added an official role for the other dude to make the two of them super destined. Sentinel AUs took off across a ton of fandoms. (Less so these days, but I've even seen them in BTS, so they're definitely not gone.) The AU version is basically soulmates + potentially codified top/bottom roles + superpowers. People like fantasy AUs. They like frameworks to fit their ship into. The trope isn't highly specific otherwise, so it can be tacked onto many settings, both real world and sff. It fits two-person ships easily, which is most popular ships. One can do some worldbuilding about whether there's One True Guide for a given Sentinel or whether the bond is more a matter of choice. Guides might be equal in numbers/prestige/public visibility to Sentinels or not. The existence of all this can be openly known by everybody or a secret like in the show.

A/B/O has a similar level of "proof my ship belongs together" stuff with room to play around with worldbuilding. It also overlaps heavily with prior popular tropes people like for pretty obvious horny reasons. Same with plenty of tropes. They're often a slight remix of already popular stuff.

Sense8 AUs, however, never really took off as a thing. I saw some fans sadfacing about this, but in this case, I think we could have predicted it. Why? Simple: the concept involves OT8, and that's not going to apply to most people's fandoms unless they happen to like a kpop group or a superhero team with 8 people. The 8 also don't have specific roles that would make this simpler to write. If you're going for less OT8 and more of a complicated network of relationships, that's a complicated story to write and it has much less of a template to work from. So low applicability + high barrier to entry.

Hogwarts AUs, on the other hand, are super popular. Why? My guess is that the biggest reason is that a million bajillion times more people know Harry Potter than know Sense8. Hogwarts also has some canned roles that are more obvious: which house is your Fave? Shit that could be in a clickbait-y personality quiz is easier to write fic about than something that requires you to make up everything yourself. But also, four houses are easy to keep track of in a way that all those Myers-Briggs types are not. Add too much mandatory complexity, and it gets too confusing.

--

If I had to guess about the popularity of Sold To One Direction, I'd say a lot of it is due to the problem of getting Mary Sue or y/n into the room with them. Why is she there? This fic concept provides the answer in one quick title or tag. Sexy slavefic and dubcon have had broad appeal since forever. There's room to go really dark or fluffier. Some of the fics are nothing but ravishment fantasies, while others are more abuse recovery stories (where 1D are better than whatever came before).

I don't think there's some simple answer for why this specific thing and not a closely related trope became such a known trope in 1D. Probably, if some BNF had posted a ravishment fantasy with a different pithy title at just the right time, some adjacent trope would be big instead.

As for why I've heard of this trope, it's absolutely due to 1D being a fucking massive fandom such that its popular tropes occur very frequently in a sample of Wattpad writing of the right eras. It definitely owes its lulzy memeticness to fandom size: lots of people care enough about 1D and 1D fic to know what the trends are and make jokes about them.

Here's Huffpo being dicks about 1D slavefic back in 2013. They don't mention the exact phrasing though. Here's a pretty standard specimen from 2013-14.

I presume this was also a big thing on Quizilla (RIP) and I see extant examples on Quotev. Sadly, these and Wattpad are fucking hard to study, and a lot of the meta-writing types stick to AO3, so I don't see as many good analyses of this part of fandom.

Any 1D fans want to weigh in?

[cafeacademia]

His Favourite Gal | Part 1

Mob!Bucky x Shy!Reader

Summary: You begin working as a waitress at Bucky Barnes’ favourite club in town. Little do you realise that working on mob territory owned by the infamous King of New York, Bucky Barnes, comes with its quirks and you’re slowly pulled into the mobster life.

Warnings: Fluff, some mentions of drunk people, mentions of crimes (though nothing happens, it’s just mentioned).

Word count: Approx 3700

Navigation

A/N: Hi loves!! This is a remaster of my own original fan fiction that I’ve decided to take from my old blog and (hopefully) improve. I’ve been slowly remastering fics that I am particularly attached to and I worked quite a lot to get this one overhauled and rewritten!! There’s actually very little of the original writing left, it was interesting to see how different my style is now compared to three years ago! This was also my first ever series I’d ever written on my old blog, so aside from the fact that I love the story, it’s special to me in that regard. Enjoy! 💕

If you’d like to join my taglist, you can do so using my taglist form HERE

It was raining when you finally finished your shift three hours later than when you were supposed to be off for the night. It was tiring working for the dingy old bar, it looked just as sad on the outside as it did on the inside, the old brick discoloured, old panelling slowly peeling off the sides of the building. It was a wreck and so was your boss too. He couldn’t have cared less if you worked yourself down to the bone, as long as he had staff doing a job, he didn’t care.

“I’m expecting you tomorrow, we’re opening early.” He had told you on your way out and it took everything in your willpower not to groan and roll your eyes and tell him so eloquently to fuck off. It was almost a relief when you heard the heavy metal door slam behind you as you stepped out of the back entrance. The air was just as bad. It was thick with smog and cigarette smoke and something pungent, an overflowing bin or perhaps an unfortunate street animal, you thought.

You were glad when it began to rain harder. At least it seemed to make most of the drunkards along the main strip try to find shelter instead of bothering you on your walk home.

Pulling your jacket hood up, you stepped down from the doorway and made your way out of the alleyway and onto the back street. It was never good to walk home alone, especially at night and especially in the part of New York you lived and worked in. It was on the edge of mobster territory and while Bucky Barnes, the King of New York owned it, it didn’t mean it was safe at all. It was quite the opposite, the district was prone to all levels of crime, from pickpocketing all the way up to armed robberies, arson and shootings.

But, you realised as you walked up the street, spotting a group of drunk men up ahead, drink men with rifles too, that never ended well, that perhaps mobster territory might not be a bad idea, especially when there were people working for Barnes along the entire street and they were known to keep the peace.

You heard the casino before you saw it, but as you rounded the corner you saw the lights, the late night rain distorting some of the huge party lights that lit up the sky above the building. Stark’s was not the most prestigious club in town, but it was the most respected and most feared. And funnily enough, for a place called Stark’s, the billionaire did not own his own named club. As far as you remembered, you’d seen it in the papers a few years ago that Barnes had won it off Stark in a game  of poker. You’d never know if that was really true, but it definitely seemed plausible.

As you passed the casino, you glanced over towards the dark tinted windows, watching as people came and went, mostly men in suits. But you noticed a sign from across the road that was taped onto one of the windows, huge bold letters making you stop in your tracks for a moment.

Waiting staff needed. And you stared at it for a moment, contemplating. You… A bar waitress, surely it was not wise for you to sign up to work in mobster territory. That would definitely land you in more dangerous places than you were already in.

But the longer you stood there and thought about it, you began to wonder if it was actually a good idea. You could at least try, what did you have to lose? And before you could even come to a full decision, it was as it was made for you, because a group of rowdy men walked towards you and you immediately took the decision to cross the road, putting you right in front of the casino.

How bad could it be? The worst that could happen was that you just had to return back around the corner to your miserable little bar job. So, with a sigh, you grabbed the flyer and walked towards the entrance.

The bouncer was huge and intimidating. Of course, you had expected as much with the club having the notoriety that it did. It wasn’t long before you were allowed to enter, the bouncer telling you, “speak to Natasha at the bar”, and as you headed through into the casino, you assumed the absolutely stunning woman behind the bar right ahead of you was Natasha.

The club was bustling with people, though it was not as stuffy and loud on the inside as you had expected it to be. There was a clear divide between people dining and drinking at tables around the bar and the casino side of the club which appeared to be behind a velvet rope and deep burgundy red curtains at either side of the bar. It was far more high end than you had expected, seeing as the outside of Stark’s resembled a kind of fancy nightclub, but you supposed the King of New York did happen to own it.

“Are you here about the job?” The woman at the bar asked as you approached her. You wondered if it was your very casual clothing in such a formal setting that gave you away or the flyer in your hand. Either way, you suddenly felt very intimidated and very underprepared. Perhaps this had been a bad idea. You were a girl dressed in the dregs of your wardrobe while trying to get a job in the most respected club in the entire city. Not likely.

“I saw the advertisement outside, I hope that’s alright.” You said as you lifted the flyer in your hand and she held out her hand to take it from you. “Are you sure? We haven’t had many applicants because of certain activities.” She told you, but you knew what she meant, it was obvious. This part of town, even outside of mobster territory was swimming in crime. “I’ve got nothing to lose.” You replied. And it was true, you did have nothing to lose. No family, no responsibilities outside of your current job, which this would replace, no children, no pets, no side hustles. Nothing. And that probably made you a good candidate.

The woman smiled at you, her lips curving up into a smirk as she took a moment to look you over before she extended her hand across the counter. “Natasha.” She introduced herself, smiling as you shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.” You mirrored her smile and gave her your name before she let go of you. “Let me just get someone on the bar and we’ll talk.” She told you.

And moments later, you were following Natasha through the casino, passing by all of the business men, mafia family members and rich men and women who were chancing it at gambling games. Suffice to say, you felt even more out of place than you had done just moments beforehand.

“Where do you work right now?” Natasha asked as she let you pass her into an office near the back of the building. “I work in an old bar just around the corner called The Rabid Dog.” It was not a pleasant name, it always made you cringe whenever you had to tell people where you worked and you didn’t fail to notice the way that Natasha seemed amused by the name of the bar too.

“So you’ve done bar work? What about waitressing?” She asked as she gestured for you to sit down on one of the chairs in front of the desk. Natasha didn’t sit behind the desk, instead she just dropped down into the chair next to yours and rested one leg over the other as if she was having a casual conversation with a friend. “My bar serves food, so I do it on a regular basis and I also used to work in a restaurant a few years ago.” You explained, but before either of you could say anything else, the door swung open and you nearly fell out of your chair.

“Who’s this?” Bucky Barnes, the King of New York himself asked as he walked through the doorway. What had you walked into? You knew he owned the club, but you’d never expected to actually meet Barnes. “This is our new waitress.” Natasha said proudly as she stood. You knew better than to interrupt, but you gathered that someone must have noticed the look of confusion on your face because just as a second man entered the room, he said, “Does our new waitress know she’s the new waitress?” The second man asked. He was blonde, just as tall and muscular as Barnes, though he looked at you with less of a poker face and more of an amused smirk.

“Really? You just hired her like that?” Mr Barnes asked as he approached you. “I like her.” Natasha countered, both men giving her pointed looks, though Mr Barnes raised his brows and nodded before turning back towards you. “She likes you.” He repeated what Natasha had said. You couldn’t help but send Natasha a questioning glance. She had just met you minutes ago and she’d already analysed you enough to know that she liked you and you wondered if Natasha was much more than just a bar girl.

“Have you done waitressing before?” Barnes asked. “I just asked her that.” Natasha huffed. “Yes sir, waitressing and bar work.” You responded. “And do you have any family?” He asked next. “No sir, none at all.” You replied. “And you know this isn’t the type of job cut out for ordinary people, right? This club sees a lot of things.” Mr Barnes went on. “I do, sir.” You nodded.

“Buck, maybe we should consider-.” But Mr Barnes casually held up his hand to silence his friend. “You’re hired.” He announced, the entire room falling silent and all you could do was stare at Barnes for a moment, stunned that he had just hired you right there on the spot. “I am?” It came out a little more hushed than you had intended, Bucky nodding as he smirked at you. “Whatever your pay is at your old job, I’ll pay at least double, more if it’s not enough. Natasha will contact your old boss and get you ready for your first day.” And with that, Bucky Barnes and his friend left the room and Natasha looked over at you, watching as the astonishment slowly dissipated.

“I’ll let you know when you start work.” Natasha broke the silence and you glanced over at her. “Just like that?” You asked, still surprised. “Just like that.” She responded. “Don’t worry, Barnes wouldn’t keep me around if I wasn’t a good judge of character.” She winked at you and you wondered again if she was something more than just a bar girl.

The job, you realised after your first couple of days working at the club, was far more interesting and a lot more rewarding than your previous job at the old bar. The club was a scene for all kinds of happenings and while nothing nefarious really went on, especially under Bucky Barnes’ nose, you did overhear an awful lot of conversation.

You learned as well in those first few days, that while this was not where Mr Barnes resided, he used the club as a place to carry out some of his business meetings and discussions as well as a place to relax.

Barely a week into your new job, you were getting ready for your shift in the little back room. Lockers lined the walls with a mirror at the side of the door and comfortable benches in the middle of the room. Dressed in a simple, but pretty black dress, you tied the strings of your little demi apron at the back, though you paused, a little startled when the door was abruptly pushed open and Natasha stepped in.

“Barnes needs you.” Nat announced with urgency and you frowned at her. “He does?” You asked. “He needs someone to waitress him and the family tonight, he’s asking for you.” She informed you. “I thought-.” “Yes, I know normally we have security taking orders to the waitresses, but he’s personally asking for you to waitress them tonight.” Nat told you and you paused with a slight air of confusion about you. “Alright, I’ll waitress Mr Barnes then.” You nodded, quickly fumbling with the ties of your apron before you shoved your jacket a bit more firmly into the back of the locker and shut it properly, letting Natasha walk you through the club towards the private dining space they were occupying.

Nat rushed you into the room and closed the door behind you, leaving you to stand rather flustered in front of a cosy looking dining room with a round table in the middle. Bucky was sat at the furthest end of the room, his chair seeming to have a higher back than all of the others. At his left was Steve, who you’d been properly introduced to on your first day at work and on his right was Sam Wilson, who you understood was a very close friend of his.

“Sugar, you made it.” Bucky enthusiastically greeted you as you approached the table. You hoped that you didn’t appear too flustered and intimidated, but you were aware that there was only so much you could play off with smiles when you knew your eyes might give you away. “Good evening Mr Barnes, gentleman.” You nodded, finally taking a step into the room and approaching the table, receiving polite hellos and smiles from all of them. “Are you looking after us tonight?” Steve asked, sitting forward in his seat and casually leaning his elbows on the table. “I am, Mr Rogers.” You nodded, lifting your notepad and pen as if it were proof. “Allow me to introduce you to everyone.” Bucky waved you over to him and you took a few steps towards him as he went around the table naming everyone. It was quite easy to distinguish that the people sitting closest to Bucky were of more importance to him as he listed Clint and Scott, who seemed to be his security and Pietro who appeared at first glance to be a mentee as well as the rest of the group.

“C’mere sweetheart.” Bucky motioned you to come and stand next to him once they were all done ordering food and drink. You stood where he’d pointed to and he turned in his seat to face you. You felt your cheeks warm intensely as Bucky smiled up at you, his eyes so soft and sweet and you questioned for a moment how exactly this man was the King of New York. He was incredibly sweet looking and for a moment you found yourself melting on the spot. “Is that everything, Mr Barnes?” You asked. “Not quite, sugar. Add whatever you’re having to the list, it’s on me.” He grinned at you. “I – uh, sorry?” You asked, a little confused. “Are you sure, Mr Barnes?” You hesitantly met his eyes though you immediately broke eye contact. “Absolutely, please eat with us, doll.” Bucky’s voice went soft as he tilted his head back a little to see you better, his lips pouting ever so slightly. “As you wish, Mr Barnes. Thank you.” You smiled at him, speaking softly before jotting your meal on the notepad and rushing out of the room.

You nearly bumped into Natasha as you made your way towards the kitchen. “He wants me to eat with them.” You blurted out before even making your presence known. “He what?” Nat frowned. “Mr Barnes wants me to order my food and drink and eat with them.” You repeated, more calmly this time. “Really?” She looked at you wide eyed. “Does he not do that with other waitresses?” You questioned, ripping the order out of the notepad and handing it to the kitchen staff. “No, he’s never done that before, never requested it either.” Nat shook her head. “Are you sure?” You surely couldn’t be the only one he’s ever asked. “I’ve worked here every night for three years and not once has he ever requested that.” Nat said with a single raised brow. It was definitely unusual. “I’ll get someone to call for you when the food’s ready. Let me get their drinks together.” She told you, waving you away before she went to look at the order you’d brought in.

You waltzed into the private dining room with a large round tray balanced expertly on one hand. The glasses on top gently clinked together as you walked. Handing out their orders, you took your drink last. You noticed quickly that all the men around the table had shifted and there was now an empty seat next to Bucky. “Come and sit with me, doll.” He patted the empty chair. Steve hopped up to pull it out for you and you obliged, gently sitting yourself down in the chair and turning slightly to face him. You didn’t want to assume you could speak unless spoken to, so you politely kept quiet while Bucky noticeably studied your face. “Tell us about yourself, sweetheart.” He smiled, sitting back in his chair as he picked up his drink and took a sip.

“I’ve been around and lived in a few different places. My parents passed several years ago and it’s just been me ever since, so I moved back to Brooklyn.” You did appreciate the soft look on Bucky’s face as he listened to what you said, almost like he felt sorry for you. Before you could continue though, Bucky rested his hand over yours and squeezed gently. “I’m sorry about your parents, truly I am.” He spoke just above a whisper. “Thank you, Mr Barnes.” You gave him a tight lipped smile. “Call me Bucky. We’re with family, which means we’re all on a first name basis, alright?” Bucky gripped your hand gently. “Alright, Bucky.” You nodded, mirroring his smile.

You told him more about yourself and for a moment, Bucky seemed anything but a mobster. He asked you about the books you liked to read and talked to you about the subjects that seemed to make your eyes light up and your smile a little wider. As the evening drew on, you became comfortable enough to share a few timid little jokes, which elicited chuckles and laughs from even some of the most scary looking men around the table. One of them, Drax, who was terrifyingly huge and angry looking, clapped his hand over his chest and roared with laughter the first time you told a joke, which completely took you by surprise. What surprised you more was how easy it was to make Bucky laugh and how down to earth and sweet he was.

By the time everyone had eaten and spent some time drinking and chatting and enjoying themselves, you had warmed up to all of them, especially Steve, Sam and Bucky. All of them though, were soft and charming on the inside, showing you a side to them you were unsure anyone else in the club was ever going to see. They were intimidating on the outside, exuding a terrifying confidence, but on the inside they were all sweet and gentle and caring and it absolutely melted you.

And after you had said goodbye to all of them and made your way back to the locker room, Clint, one of Bucky’s closer family members, followed you in. “Barnes wants me and Scott to make sure you get home safe.” He told you. “He’s requesting we give you a lift back in his SUV.” Clint added, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his middle. It definitely seemed unusual, especially to be personally driven home. As far as you were aware, not even Natasha, who seemed very close to the family was ever given a lift home. But then again, judging by her reaction to Bucky wanting you to dine with them earlier, you supposed this was all rather new for them, just as much as it was for you. “Alright.” You nodded as you opened your locker, pulling off your apron and putting it away before you took out your jacket and bag, quickly getting them both on before letting Clint escort your towards the back exit.

“Hey doll, hope you don’t mind the spontaneous ride home.” Bucky grinned, far too pleased with himself that he was having his men not only drive him, Steve and Sam home, but also you. Of course it meant he had a longer way home, but Bucky didn’t care. Seeing you all off to your houses was important to him and why seeing you off specifically was important, Bucky was starting to wonder why.

After sliding into the SUV and getting comfortable on the soft, plush seats, you were driven home with gentle, quiet chatter between Bucky and Sam, Steve joining in occasionally until you arrived at your apartment building.

“See you the day after tomorrow, sugar.” Bucky smiled, leaning towards the open door to speak to you as you got out of the car. “Thanks for the ride home.” You waved at all of the men in the car, Scott getting out to escort you up to the front door of the building, the car waiting until they had seen you safely into the building and the door shut behind you.

Sitting down in your bedroom, safely back in your apartment you laid down in the soft blankets, replaying the evening in your head, realising you were smiling to yourself when you remembered that Nat had said no one had ever been asked to dine with Bucky and his family before. It brought warmth to your cheeks as you settled in for the night, looking forward to your next shift at Stark’s.

Bucky Taglist (OPEN):

@losers-official @barneswidow​ @megantje123​ @anchoeritic​ @struggling-bee​​

[thornedrose44]

Supercorp prompt-

Lena takes an art class to de-stress and Kara is the nude model. Awkward semi- naked flirting ensues.

(A/N: So, I put my own twist on this (hope that’s okay), I made Lena a teacher just because I liked the idea of Lena having to keep her lack of chill under control and be professional in front of a class funny - though this fic went down just a really light, fluffy route which I hadn’t expected when I started it.)

Read on AO3

It had been going well, the first term had passed with only a few missteps and one trip to the emergency room - though, the Dean had told her that Zach had yet to make it through a single class without some sort of accident and had been preemptively banned from taking Chemistry classes for fear of taking out an entire graduation class. 

Lena had never expected to return to her alma mater as a lecturer but the stars had aligned at just the right time. The youngest Luthor had reached a stage in her career where she had finally proven her adoptive mother wrong about not finding success as an artist and had made enough money that she need never paint another picture in her life again. The lack of necessity and the return to a more Luthor-esque lifestyle - galas, fancy balls and paid talks - had subsequently impacted her inspiration. She needed a change. A return to her roots and some sort of stability without losing her ability to make a personal impact with her work. 

Her mentor - J’onn - was stepping down from the art department and had recommended her as his replacement; National City University had jumped at the chance of the world renowned Lena Luthor taking up a teaching position there. 

She was now a third of the way through the school year, settled comfortably into her new role, and absolutely loving it. Her spark was back, and she was enjoying being in one place surrounded by her old friends. She was reconnecting with skills and techniques she hadn’t touched in years whilst simultaneously giving advice and encouragement to students that reminded her of herself when Lillian had cut her off to force her into attending business school and abandoning her dreams. She was finally able to return the kindness J’onn had given her all those years ago to the next generation of artists. 

It was the second term that Lena experienced her first set of real nerves. 

Lena had an artistic weak spot, an achilles heel that she had been able to keep out of her signature artistic style but she would now be forced to confront. 

Life drawing.

It had been her lowest scoring class by a mile and she had avoided the advanced elective classes like the plague. Lena knew practice made perfect but she’d never had enough interest to develop her skills. Her interest had always lied more in natural landscape beauty - J’onn had said her true inspiration lied with trying to recreate her childhood memories of Ireland: emerald rolling hills, rocky cliffs, dense forests ensconced by a mystical fog that lended her artwork a fantastical element that she was now known for.

The problem lied in Lena’s lack of interest in people. 

She had never really seen the ‘art’ in them.

Kelly, Sam and Andrea had spent hours over evening drinks psycho-analysing just why that might be, their two favourite theories were Lena’s family (the loss of her mother and the general unpleasantness of the Luthors) or Lena’s truly terrible dating history (their favourite topic of conversation due to the sheer number of embarrassing stories it elicited).

Lena refused to acknowledge the accuracy of both theories. 

It was therefore with a sense of dread that Lena prepared for the first Life Model Drawing class that Tuesday afternoon. The one small silver lining was that she didn’t need to arrange a model - she had vague memories of J’onn trying to entice volunteers and grumbling under his breath about some of the less than pleasant eager volunteers. J’onn had a list of regular volunteers that he had accrued over the years that were reliable and just liked to help out - most of them older with an appreciation for the arts and more time on their hands than they knew what to do with. The University admin team had organised everything and simply told her to expect a Kara Danvers at the studio some time before the class.

Lena had finished prepping the studio well in advance, reviewed the relevant techniques for most of the morning and even phoned J’onn for a much needed pep talk over lunch. She had just convinced herself that everything might be okay, that she just might be able to do this, when the most beautiful woman Lena had ever laid eyes on burst into the studio.

A toned body that glinted with a light sheen of sweat barely covered by a white v-neck tucked in at the front of a pair of dark jeans that merely brought all of Lena’s attention to the bronze belt buckle that locked away a thousand dirty thoughts. Glorious golden ringlet curls bounced up and down as the woman stumbled to a sudden stop as the most piercing blue eyes imaginable behind thick glasses locked with Lena’s green ones.

“Hi, I’m Kara!” The goddess announced, swallowing thickly and stumbling forward in her hefty black boots as she extended out a hand for Lena to take.

Lena only reached out due to years of Luthor training that had ingrained politeness into her muscle memory - her brain still not firing on all cylinders at the sight of the woman in front of her. Kara’s warm palm connected with Lena’s, long fingers curling gently yet firmly around the edge of her hand and sending arcs of lightning through Lena’s body and causing her breath to stutter. 

“I hope you haven’t been waiting for me for too long.” Kara continued, a bright apologetic smile lighting up her entire face and grinding whatever gears were still turning Lena’s mind to a dead - permanent - halt. “I try to always get here early to help set-up but the interview I was conducting overran - I’m a journalist, by the way - and then my bike - motorbike that is -” Lena’s mind caught on the motorbike and turned it round over and over and over again, “didn’t start and… I’m rambling. Oh, golly! I mean heck, I mean sorry.” Kara huffed, cheeks filling with air before releasing into an adorable pout. “Sorry.”

It was then that Lena realised two things.

One, it was her turn to say something and there had now been at least ten  prolonged seconds of silence as they stared into each other’s eyes.

And two, they were still holding hands because that’s what it was now, it most definitely could not be considered a handshake.

“Umm… hi…” Lena choked out whilst simultaneously jerking her hand back to her side, hoping the somewhat stifling heat of the studio would hide the red blush perfusing her cheeks.  “Lena. I’m Lena, that is…”

“Hi.” Kara murmured, smiling soft and sweet at her causing Lena’s heart to flip and melt and dance and do a million impossible things all at once.

“Hi.” Lena repeated dumbly - so dumbly.

“I should…” Kara chuckled, hands miming grabbing the edge of her t-shirt and lifting it up, “You know?”

Oh, god the goddess is going to undress, Lena’s brain screamed in gay at herself.

“Yeah, definitely do that.” Lena encouraged with a flap of her hand towards the centre of the studio where a solitary illuminated stool awaited. “Do you need anything? Is the lighting okay? Stool… umm… sturdy?”

Kara grinned at her, blue eyes barely sparing a glance at the studio’s set-up, “Looks perfect.”

“Great.” Lena cheered, jerking her thumb over at her desk in the corner where she had prepped her teaching materials, “I’ll… uh… be over there.”

“And I’ll be right here.” Kara shot back with a cheeky wink as she walked over to the stool, a towel awaiting her to provide suitable covering until the class had settled, shucking her white shirt over her head and revealing back muscles that would star in Lena’s fantasies for the foreseeable future.

“Yep.” Lena popped, taking a deep breath and trying to work out if she should be murmuring a thank you to God or screaming a desperate why me.

***

The class had gone well - except for the long periods where her brain shutdown whenever she studied the play of shadows across Kara’s defined musculature. She managed to cover it quite well by making it seem like she was just assessing her students’ work closely, analysing their line work and shading rather than going through an extended gay crisis that eclipsed seeing boobs for the first time in college.

Kara, on the other hand, was a consummate professional, holding a steady pose throughout and utterly unfazed by the concentrated gazes on her - though, Lena could have sworn that she caught deep blue eyes tracking her movements round the half-circle every now and again. 

“So, you’re experienced doing this?” Lena asked, once the last student had departed and Kara was finishing re-tying her sturdy boots back up.

“Taking my clothes off?” Kara chuckled, shooting the teacher an amused smirk, getting to her feet and strolling easily over to where Lena was examining the product of her class’ efforts. 

Lena faltered, “I meant-”

“I’m just teasing.” Kara reassured, reaching out to squeeze Lena’s forearm in a half-apology that Lena could have sworn burnt Kara’s hand print into her skin, “I’ve done this for a while now. I did an interview with J’onn a few years ago and his model bailed at the last minute and I was here already and…” Kara shrugged casually like stepping in was the obvious thing to do, like kindness was the only option - which Lena didn’t doubt for a second was something Kara genuinely believed. “I like helping out where I can. And I just kept coming back…” Kara explained, clasping her hands behind her back as she took a tentative step closer to Lena, “I was never really sure why until-”

“Hey, babe, you ready to go?” 

Lena’s head snapped round to see Andrea strolling through the doorway, eyes fixed on her phone utterly oblivious to the moment she had just trampled all over. Lena wasn’t sure whether Andrea was naturally such a good cockblock or if she practiced at it - regardless of either option Lena’s sexlife had vanished into thin air since she’d returned to living in the same city as Andrea. (Not that Lena thought that her and Kara were heading that way but Lena had been enjoying the hope of it at least).

“Andrea, you’re early for the first time in.... well, ever…” Lena snarked, rolling her eyes before glancing over to Kara, only to find the blonde had taken a large step away from her and her expression was far more neutral and guarded than it had been only moments before.

“Wait, we weren’t meeting at 4?” Andrea frowned, still not bothering to look up.

“Ah, so you’re not early, you’re over an hour late.” Lena remarked.

“God, you’re such a drama queen…” Andrea sighed, finally lifting her gaze from her phone, her eyes immediately alighting on Kara with undisguised interest. “And who is this?”

“Andrea, this is Kara the model for our life drawing classes.” Lena introduced taking a protective step in front of the blonde, an action that did not go unnoticed by the other two occupants in the room. “Kara, this is my supposed best friend who is regularly trying to lose that title.”

“Oh, best friend?” Kara repeated; the familiar brightness from before returning to her expression as she looked excitedly between the two friends.

“Yes.” Lena answered, smiling shyly at Kara and immediately forgetting Andrea’s existence, let alone presence in the room.

“That’s great.” Kara grinned, blushing a light pink a second later as her hands fidgeted with her keys, “I mean… ummm…. That you have a best friend. My sister is my best friend, though I have other friends. I just mean that… friends are cool.” 

Lena laughed lightly at Kara’s ramble, leaning closer towards the blonde without realising until Andrea appeared at her shoulder looking far too pleased with herself.

“Kara,” Andrea greeted, holding out a hand for the blonde to shake (Lena was comforted to see their handshake was quick, almost professional in comparison to the lingering touch Kara and Lena had shared earlier). “The pleasure is all mine.” Andrea declared, winking surreptitiously at the teacher - Lena instantly dreaded the upcoming girl’s night.

“Nice to meet you.” Kara replied friendly and sincere, before smiling softly at Lena and muttering a hopeful, “I’ll see you next week?” 

“I’ll be here.” Lena reassured, watching as Kara nodded farewell to Andrea and departed, waving on her way out.

“Well…” Andrea murmured mischievously.

“Don’t.” Lena said sharply, holding up a finger to deter whatever torment Andrea had brewing. “Not a word. Not a single word.”

“Ooookay.” Andrea lied.

***

“You okay?” Lena asked tentatively, watching as Kara sluggishly slung her bag over her shoulder the pep to her step nowhere near as present as it had been last week. 

They hadn’t had a chance to talk before the class even though Kara arrived much earlier to help set-up - Lena had been helping a student struggling with deadlines and a sudden crisis of confidence which prevented them from interacting. Despite being occupied, Lena had seen the fatigue weighing heavily on the reporter, saw how her impeccable posture dropped and how her students added weary lines to her expression in their artwork. 

“I think you fell asleep on that stool for ten minutes at some point.” Lena murmured, brow creasing in concern.

“Pfft… what?” Kara reassured with a light-hearted wave of her hand. “Impossible.”

Lena arched an unimpressed eyebrow, “You snore. Quite loudly.”

“Oh…” Kara pouted guiltily, rubbing at the back of her neck, “My sister is going through a rough patch and I stayed up late with her last night.”

Lena’s amusement drained away to be replaced with soft, supportive care, “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s doing better.” Kara replied, blue eyes twinkling at Lena’s inquiry that had them both ducking their heads coyly and sharing furtive glances. “I should get going.” Kara coughed out, though she made no move to leave.

“Or…” Lena began hesitantly, heart fluttering in her chest, “we could go for coffee? You should probably have a coffee before driving,” Lena rationalised, nervously stepping back from the blatant romantic line she was toeing, “you know for safety…”

“For safety.” Kara repeated carefully, blue eyes glowing with warmth, “That sounds wonderful.”

***

It didn’t take them long at all to settle into a comfortable routine.

Kara came early to the life model classes, helping set-up the room as they talked about the students' progress and what Lena was going to make the focus of the class. During the class itself, Lena no longer needed to flit as regularly between her students, they had learned the basic techniques enough to practise for themselves, now only requiring light guidance which allowed Lena time to either do some marking or her own art. Kara posed perfectly throughout, though Lena was becoming more and more aware of Kara’s still gaze on her as the weeks passed by. 

After class, it was now custom for them to grab a coffee and go for a long walk around the university campus as they talked about everything and nothing. They would have been building towards a strong friendship if it wasn’t for the lingering touches, blatant flirts, blushes and wandering gazes. 

Lena wasn’t overly sure why they hadn’t crossed that line, made that final move, but she found she didn’t particularly mind the wait. She was convinced that they had both decided that the journey was making the destination all the more desirable.

It became abundantly apparent, though, that Kara thought differently if their conversation after the class midway through the term was anything to go by.

“So do you not like my body?” Kara asked, quick and fearful, eyes looking down at the sketch Lena had done during class of a vase of flowers in the corner rather than of the readily available model.

“What?” Lena muttered in disbelief looking up sharply from her desk to see Kara paling considerably having clearly not intended to ask the question that she had blurted out.

“I… uh…” Kara squeaked, mouth opening and closing rapidly, before lifting her bare wrist up with a jerky motion and whistling in exaggerated surprise, “Wow, look at the time. I’m late for… uh… this thing. Work thing. Interview! That’s a work thing.”

And just like that she was gone - Lena wouldn’t have been surprised if there was a Kara shaped hole in the studio wall with how fast she disappeared - leaving Lena with a sinking, twisty feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her she might have lost more than her regular coffee with Kara over that one interaction.

***

Lena had Kara’s phone number and they had taken to texting throughout the day; however, since Kara’s panicked question - which probably revealed some deep vulnerability in the blonde - there had been complete and total radio silence. No memes, no cute animal pics, no sweet check ins… Lena’s phone remained silent when it once vibrated with life. 

Lena wanted to text or call Kara the second she had left the studio but Lena didn’t feel like this was a conversation they could have over text, so she waited impatiently for them to be face to face again, counting down the days until the next class. 

Lena even took to repeatedly checking in with the admin office to confirm that Kara hadn’t pulled out of modelling; reaching the stage where Jess, the most senior admin in the team, had taken to emailing her every couple of hours to reassure her that Kara still hadn’t cancelled. 

When Kara appeared, nervously stepping into the art room, fingers playing with the hem of her shirt, it was like Lena could finally breathe easy again. The fear and loss eeking away in an instant, giving Lena the necessary courage to stride forward and bare herself in a way that Kara had been doing every week without Lena fully realising.  

“I don’t like drawing people.” Lena announced, shoving her hands into her pockets to resist the temptation to reach out to the other woman as the blonde blinked at her in surprise, listening intently. “It’s kind of a thing with me.” Lena winced, pushing down all the reasons for why that is. “When I draw something I… kind of let whatever it is into me, let it consume me and it… stays with me for a long time after that. It’s why I draw what I draw. I draw my home because it's a part of me already. Drawing someone means carrying them with me and… that’s scary for me.” Lena breathed, glancing at the blonde to see soft understanding in blue eyes. “I just wanted you to know it’s not you.”

Kara nodded, shuffling closer and dipping her head so that she could whisper into the still space between them, “Thank you.” 

“Right,” Lena murmured, swallowing thickly before jerking a thumb over her shoulder, “I should-”

“Do you want to get dinner?” Kara inquired earnestly causing Lena to freeze in hopeful surprise. “After class, that is?”

“Um… Yes.” Lena replied, nodding her head eagerly.

“Awesome.” Kara grinned brightly.

***

Kara took her to a tucked away italian restaurant that was one of National City’s hidden gems. The food was outstanding and the company was even better.

It wasn’t a date, but it wasn’t just friends going out for dinner either. 

Lena would call it a test-run but that would imply that Lena wasn't already one hundred percent certain that she wanted an actual date with Kara. It was more of a date-appetiser if Lena was going to call it anything, a taste to build interest before the real thing. 

Once they had finished their food, Kara didn’t hesitate to interlace their fingers as they went for an evening stroll around a nearby park, both wishing to prolong their time together.

“Can I see your art?” Kara requested; they had been sitting on a bench in front of a lit-up fountain for the last twenty minutes or so in comfortable silence. Lena had expressed an interest in sketching the fountain and Kara hadn’t hesitated to find them a seat and encourage Lena’s desire without complaint, occupying herself with people-watching in the meantime. 

“I’m pretty sure the images are all over the internet.” Lena replied drolly.

“Yeah, I know it’s just…” Lena’s pencil froze in it’s movements finally noticing how hard Kara was trying to act casual, “what you said about it being a part of you, I thought-”

“You want me to show it to you…” Lena inferred, setting her pencil down and closing her handy sketchbook in an instant. 

“It’s stupid, I’ll-” Kara laughed awkwardly, shaking her head in an attempt to brush over the request like it wasn’t a big deal

“I don’t have many pieces here in National City,” Lena said thoughtfully, getting to her feet and holding out a hand for Kara, “but I have some works in progress that I can show you… if you want that is?”  

“I would love that.” Kara beamed, jumping to her feet as Lena tugged her back towards her campus studio, already picking out her favourite pieces in her mind that she wanted to share with the blonde.

***

Lena and Kara’s ‘friendship’ continued to blossom into something neither could have anticipated that day Kara sprinted into the studio all those weeks ago. The weekly class they shared was now always followed by dinner, taking it in turns to share their favourite cuisines and restaurants. They had also grown beyond only seeing each other on their allotted class day, sharing lunches and movie nights and spontaneous coffees as they learned each other's schedule and needs. 

Lena read all of Kara’s articles and spent many an evening asking countless questions about the background to each of them. Likewise, Kara would appear for coffee with one of Lena’s artworks saved in her phone, burning with curiosity about what had inspired it.

Time spent with Kara flew by and, before Lena knew it, it was the final class prior to spring break. Her last class with Kara until the next school year and Lena was finally ready.

She had finally figured it out.

Why she had waited.

Why she had yet to seize the numerous opportunities to transition her relationship with Kara into a romantic one.

It was because she knew. 

She knew from the second that she had taken Kara’s hand in hers when they first met that this was it. That Kara was it.

And that was, and still is, terrifying. 

When they had first met, Lena hadn’t been ready for Kara. Hadn’t been ready for everything that Kara represented and would come to mean. She had needed the time, the time to lower her guard, to trust and hope. 

And now, she was ready and she knew exactly how to let Kara know.

The class came to an end with Lena giving her students a quick speech on how proud of their progress she was and wishing them a good spring break. Kara lingered behind as was now custom, helping Lena tidy up the area before they headed out together.  

“Kara?” Lena called out nervously, sweaty palms rubbing against her black denim covered thighs as her heart beat thunderously in her chest. “I was wondering…” Lena began, clearing her throat as Kara stopped what she was doing to give Lena her undivided attention. “Can I… can I draw you?”

Kara’s brow instantly furrowed in confusion, “I thought-”

“Yeah…” Lena laughed shyly, staring into deep blue eyes, practically begging for Kara to understand what she was really saying. “Can I?” Lena repeated.

Kara pursed her lips thoughtfully as she studied Lena’s expression - it was then Lena realised that Kara understood exactly why they had been waiting. Kara wasn’t replying because she wanted to check that Lena was sure, was giving Lena a chance to delay, was saying - without really saying it - that she could wait longer.

Lena didn’t take the escape Kara offered, instead she lifted her head higher and arched an eyebrow at the blonde.

A thousand-watt smile of excitement took up residence on Kara’s face as she nodded eagerly, “Of course.” 

“Clothes on.” Lena clarified - she had promised herself that the first time she truly studied Kara’s body it would be in a setting where touching would not break any professional standards. 

***

Lena had Kara sit opposite her in her private studio, their knees pressed tightly against one another providing a warm point of contact to keep them grounded. Lena’s gaze flickered from her sketchpad to Kara’s features; occasionally, she would reach out to adjust a lock of golden hair so it caught the light. Kara, meanwhile, had an ever constant soft smile that didn’t diminish for the entirety of the session even as she was forced to rein in her boundless curiosity to stop herself from sneaking a peek at Lena’s sketch until it was ready to be revealed.

Lena only drew Kara’s head because, though, she had spent countless hours in the presence of Kara’s naked body over the course of the last few weeks - when Lena thought of Kara (really thought about her in the way that made her heart skip), it wasn’t her abs or her biceps that Lena pictured (though she did think about them regularly when she was in her bed alone at night). 

It was Kara’s eyes that Lena thought about most. 

How they were so bright and hopeful whilst simultaneously melancholic and lost.

There were whole galaxies in those blue eyes and Lena knew that she could spend the rest of her life drawing them and never get bored, nor get them exactly right.

“What do you think?” Lena asked, slowly turning her sketchbook round for Kara to see.

It wasn’t finished. It was mere line work that would require further detailing but it was a good start and she hoped Kara could see its potential like she did with everything else in the world - like she did with Lena.

“It’s…” Kara began, licking her lips as she pulled the sketchbook closer to her chest like it was something treasured and infinitely rare. “It's incredible.” Kara breathed, the sincerity of her words undeniable due to how they were accompanied by a watery film to her blue eyes.

“I like your body.” Lena whispered, shattering the companionable silence they had drifted into as Kara admired Lena’s artistry.

“W-w-what?” Kara stammered, head jerking up at the out-of-the-blue declaration.

Lena reached out for the sketchbook, lifting it out of Kara’s hand and placing it on the nearby table so that she could take Kara’s hands in hers. 

“You asked if I liked your body a while ago,” Lena reminded the blonde, “and I just thought you should know that I do. I really, really do. I mean really.” Lena emphasised, glancing appreciatively down at Kara’s body prompting the blonde to blush a pleased pink. “But it's more than just that. It’s become more than that. Talking after class, getting coffee, going for dinner… it's the best part of my week. You’re the best part of my week.”

“Lena-” Kara began, her mouth suddenly snapping shut as her jaw clenched and her chin lifted in determination. Blue eyes studied Lena for a long moment and all Lena could do was hold her breath and wait. 

Lena made Kara wait weeks, she could therefore wait the stretched seconds that Kara needed in return without complaint

Kara got confidently to her feet, tugging Lena up with her, squeezing their hands once before releasing her so that she could reach up to tenderly cup Lena’s face. “I’m going to kiss you now.” Kara declared, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Thank fu-” Lena sighed gratefully, cut off from offering up her thanks by Kara’s perfect lips sliding over hers.

[mello-jello]

CAN I REQURST LRBI SYAIGN I LOBE YOU TO HANEG FOR THE FIRDY ITME?? 🌻🌻🤲🤲💨

ILOBEYOUSOMIHXTHATIAMVEINGSOFTFORYOU,PLEASEANYHTIGNYOUWRITEORDRAWAREABSOLTELYAMAZING,HABEANICEDSYBRO

I LOBE YUO MOON BRO 🌻

Okay… Okay, it’s okay. It’s just Levi, there’s no need to be afraid.

Hange’s parents were out for the night and they had given her permission to have Levi over for the first time, unsupervised. They would be completely alone. Hange wanted to finally tell him. She wanted to tell him that she’d slowly come to realize she saw him as more than a friend. More than a best friend.

But she had to admit to herself that she was nervous as hell.

The school year had come to an end and next year would be their last in highschool. So much was going to change. They would each be deciding their futures: where to go to college and what for. There was a nervous thought in the back of Hange’s mind, that grew more incessant as time went on. “What if we never see each other again?”

No, stop it!

She internally squashed the intrusive thoughts in her mind.

We’ve gone over this! Levi has been there since before I can remember.

She had looked at it from every angle, analysed every little detail. There’s no way Levi didn’t love her back. The evidence was plain as day. Hange was allowed to break Levi’s rules. She was allowed to touch him, she was allowed to share his food, she was allowed to push his buttons farther than anyone else. And on top of all that, Levi still chooses to hang out with her. If he was just being polite when she was around, he wouldn’t actively seek her out in the cafeteria. He wouldn’t have asked to be lab partners, and he wouldn’t have accepted her invitation for tonight.

He also wouldn’t have kissed her the other day.

Right, that’s right. We’ve already come to that conclusion, no need to second guess ourselves now.

Who’s “we”?

Never mind that now, we’re on a mission.

“We” again, huh?

Oh I get it, this boy is literally driving me crazy!

Us.

Stop it!

Hange checked herself in the mirror for the hundredth time that evening. She never cared before, but somehow she did tonight. She wanted everything to be perfect and go exactly according to plan. Levi would come in, they’d chat a bit, sit on the couch and maybe watch Netflix. Hange would make sure to brush up against Levi’s arm. Then, Hange would turn to him, sweep his hair out of his eyes and look into them as she said it. She was going to say I love you and demand a response.

Oh yes, she thought to herself. She would be cool and confident and this was going to be romantic as shit.

She heard a familiar knock on the door. She took one more deep breath and nodded to her reflection. Okay.

She opened the door to see Levi standing with his backpack casually slung on one shoulder.

“Hey Levi!” She exclaimed a little too excitedly than she would have liked.

“Hey,” he said, nonchalantly crossing the threshold of her apartment.

Hange’s smile was replaced with a scowl. UGH.

Levi kicked his shoes off and neatly placed them on the mat. “Well, shall we?” he gestured to the living room.

“Right! Come on in,” Hange led the way as if Levi hadn’t been to her place hundreds of times. She sat down on the couch, expecting Levi to take the spot beside her. But Levi opted instead to take the chair at the end of the coffee table. Hange’s mind was reeling.

OH MY FUCK-WHY IS HE LIKE THIS?

WHY CAN’T THIS BE EASY?

Levi, you dense fuck, I love you so much

SO TELL HIM

I will!

Levi placed this backpack between his legs and unzipped. He pulled out a small square container and placed it on the table.

“My mom made us brownies,” he stated plainly, opening the lid for Hange to see. They were cut into little heart shapes.

Hange gasped at the aroma: they were fresh. “Mmmm, thank you Kuchel!”

Levi paused for a moment, as if deep in thought. Hange stared back, not knowing what to do.

“I’ll uh… get us some plates,” Levi stood up and made his way to the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Hange slumped back onto the couch. She was such a bad host.

It’s okay, he just knows where everything is, this is fine. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Hange rubbed her palms on her knees, suddenly aware of how warm she was. She swallowed hard.

Get it together!

I’m trying!

Levi returned with two small plates and two tall glasses of milk. He silently placed them in front of Hange, and much to her delight, he sat on the couch beside her.

Oh thank goodness!

The plan was back on track. Hange did her best to hide her smile. They watched a random show together, and each time Hange leaned forward to grab a snack, she made sure she leaned back ever so slightly closer and closer to Levi. He didn’t seem to mind. The episode was coming to a close and now was the perfect time.

Oh shit, my hand is sticky. No! How am I supposed to sweep his hair back now?

Maybe he won’t notice?

This is Levi, we’re talking about, of course he’ll notice!

Shit, you’re right.

“Hey, Hange-”

“I’ll be right back!”

They spoke at the same time, Hange launching upwards and out of the room. She went to the kitchen to wash her hands. The cool water helped her feel less clammy. She poured herself a glass of ice cold water and chugged the whole thing. Resting her arms on the counter, she took a few more deep breaths to collect herself. She refilled her glass and poured a second one to bring to Levi.

When she returned to the living room, Levi was gone. Her heart sank.

Oh no, we weirded him out!

Calm down, his stuff is still here, he’s just in the bathroom.

Oh yeah!

She sat back down and waited for Levi before resuming the show. She sat in complete silence, just trying to stop sweating.

He returned and to Hange’s absolute horror, he sat on the very end of the couch, much further than before. Great, all that progress during the last episode, wasted. Clearing her throat, she reached for the remote.

“Hange, can we talk?” Levi’s voice sounded small and uncharacteristically nervous.

“Uh, sure absolutely,” she answered, putting the remote back down and turning to face him, giving her undivided attention. The look on his face twisted her guts. He looked pensive, apprehensive, and like he was about to tell her he didn’t feel the same way.

“Listen, I was talking to my mom about love, and we got talking about different types of love; familial, romantic, platonic, etc and while there are different types, there is certainly a spectrum…”

Hange starred, unblinking and completely bewildered. Levi had never said this many words in one breath before. He was looking everywhere but at Hange. She stopped listening to his words and just started sinking in her own thoughts of doubt.

This was so stupid.

She braced herself for rejection. Levi was rambling on way too long. She guessed he didn’t want to lose their friendship either, but there would be no going back after this.

“... and so after that, I realized...” he looked directly at her now, pulling her back from her reverie. He took one shuddering breath. “... I love you, Hange. I always have.”

Oh. OH!

Her jaw fell open as she processed his words. She was caught up between the disappointment of not getting to say it first, and the relief of knowing he felt the same. What does she do now? Kiss him? Make a joke? She should definitely do something, right? He was getting worried because Hange hasn’t moved.

Tell him you love him back, you idiot!

She blinked and remembered how to breathe. “I love you too!” She blurted out.

Levi’s face washed over with relief and he let out a nervous laugh-something Hange hadn’t seen on him before. She also laughed as the tension in the room dissipated.

Levi’s face turned a bright pink and he looked up to the ceiling. “Why was this so hard?” He asked nobody in particular.

Hange crawled across the couch, closing the gap between them. She sheepishly admitted, “I’ve been freaking out all day!”

“Same here!” Levi reached out, and cupped Hange’s face in his hands. He stroked her cheek with his thumb as he searched her eyes. “Although, I have no idea why,” he murmured before pressing his lips on hers.

It was the best kiss of Hange’s life. All the stress, anxiety, and doubt melted away with it. She loved him, and he loved her, and that was all that mattered at the moment. His lips on hers, pressing deeper and more passionately than she’d ever experienced before, awoke a strange feeling from within. It was warm and welcoming and she never wanted it to go away.

Alas, they were both humans that needed oxygen, and so they broke off their kiss for a moment to breathe.

“I love you, Levi,” she repeated, a little more confidently this time.

“I love you, too,” he whispered, before kissing her again.

[elriell]

A very big point of tension within the ACOTAR fandom currently is Elain & her ability to produce Illyrian children, and I am here to discuss it. I have no intention of pointing fingers at any one group just hopefully seek to clear up why this line of thought is so damaging and ultimately hurtful to many.

A woman’s worth or ability to be a viable romantic candidate should never reside in her uterus or in this case bone structure, whether that be in day to day life or shipping the principle remains the same, this is a very harmful narrative to those who cannot reproduce.

I don’t think everyone who is arguing this point is trying to be dismissive of infertile women, I have seen a few posts trying to rationalise it by saying they are just reading the textual evidence that supports their ship, but what needs to be understood is in doing so you are implying that having/not having biological kids is a solid reason for a woman not to be a romantic partner and that is not okay.

But if we must look at it and analyse it because it is soooo important textually, then fine, let’s;

“If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair.” 

The family you make, not “born in to”. Do you really believe Azriel is going to choose based off babies, he who has little connection to his biological family and has a whole paragraph dedicated to him finding his chosen family?

“Cassian looked over at Az. “You think you’ll ever be ready for one?” Ever be ready to confess to Mor what’s in your heart? “I don’t know,” Azriel said. “Do you want a child?” “It doesn’t matter what I want.” Distant words—ones that prevented Cassian from prying further. ”

While very sad words they are quite telling, this is after they are discussing Feysand’s baby, he is obviously aware of the risks it might pose Elain, but it doesn’t matter to him because he cares/loves her.

“But for them—for my family both of blood and my own choosing, for my mate … The idea that hit me did not seem so frightening.”

“A chosen family. Like the one Feyre had found for herself.”

Throughout the whole series the concept of found family is emphasised. 

The thing that makes me laugh most is the idea that further than adopting, it implies there is no way for Elain to alter her own body, do you really think if Nesta can change her and Feyre’s that Elain (who the Cauldron loves) wouldn’t grant her a gift too. That in a world of magic and faeries this couldn’t be easily explained if need be.

Using one line as justification is so bizarre to me.

 “My bones are slightly more pliant than ordinary High Fae’s, but who cares about that?”

This could very well have double meaning, could come in to play further down the line but we simply can’t say. 

Some people believe Balthazar might be a potential love interest for Gwyn and he is Illyrian, did Sarah add the line for their future children? See how easy it is for one simple line to be relevant to anyone depending on how you frame it. Of course like I said, I don’t believe it was intended to be associated with child birth at all, I am just making a point.

Sarah J Maas is an adopted kid, do you really, genuinely believe she would ever lay the groundwork for one of her couples based on them having a biological child? Does that truly make sense to anyone? 

To give you a little further emotional context, her dedications;

“To my parents: it took me a while to realize it, but I’m tremendously blessed to have you as my Number One fans—and to have you as parents. To my family: thank you for the unconditional love and support.”

“To my family (especially my parents): I love you to the moon and back.”

“To my parents: thank you for the fairy tales and folklore, for the adventures around the world, and for the weekend mornings with bagels and lox from Murray’s.”

“To my parents: it’s been one hell of a year, but we made it. I’ll never stop being amazed and grateful that I can even say those words. I love you both.”

“My wonderful parents and family: it’s been so long since we’ve been able to see each other in person, but I’ve felt your love even from hundreds of miles away.”

Yes, yes, certainly sounds like a woman who would hinge a relationship on biology. 

You can analyse textual evidence seven ways to Sunday and 9/10 I will never comment on it because theorising is all for fun, but this topic is genuinely concerning that people truly believe SJM would suggest such a thing in her literature. 

I genuinely believe she would be incredibly disappointed in her readers for thinking she would imply such a hurtful narrative.

[Infertility Article  &  How it Can Affect People] Some interesting reading if you want to understand a little more peoples pain, and trauma in this area but genuinely you can do a quick Google and find countless articles about it.

But that’s just my opinion. 

[mandoalorian]

Jealousy [Din Djarin x F! Reader x Cobb Vanth] Smut

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 2: EPISODE 1

Summary: You and the Mandalorian find yourself in Mos Pelgo, a bandit infiltrated part of Tatooine in search for a Mandalorian. Instead, you and Mando both welcome yourself into the only cantina and meet Cobb Vanth, the attractive and highly esteemed marshal of Mos Pelgo. You and Cobb Vanth find yourself in negotiations in order to get the Mandalorian armour he possesses, and Cobb strikes you a deal which you just can't refuse.

Word count: 3.5k

Rating: 18+ only

Warnings: Smut, threesome (Din Djarin x female reader x Cobb Vanth, slight degradation, oral (m and f receiving) unprotected p in v, possessive Din and Din being a little bit of a sweetheart if you squint.

Author's note: I will be writing a part two next Friday, based around the events of season two episode two! If you would like to be tagged in upcoming parts please just let me know! 

Update: Have you seen the second episode of season two yet? Here is a follow up chapter to this— based around the events of chapter 10! No Cobb Vanth unfortunately, but enjoy some Din x Reader, pleasuring each other in the hot springs of that ice planet. You can read that HERE.

MASTERLIST | SUBMIT REQUEST

"I want you to wait with the Crest." The Mandalorian bounty hunter instructed you, his voice gruff. You passed him his satchel containing his child and he swung it over his shoulder. The child cooed once he was back in the arms of his father.

"No, Din. I'm coming with you." You insisted, pressing your hand into his chest. The usual cold Beskar armour was burning under the Tatooine heat.

"Cyar'ika, you heard Peli, Mos Pelgo is no place for someone like you." Din shook his head and made himself comfortable on the landspeeder.

You dropped a hand to your hip and tilted your head. "Someone like me?" you raised an eyebrow. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

The Mandalorian turned on the ignition and raised his gloved hand to your jaw, brushing his thumb over your chin and tilting your head so he could get a look at your face. "Someone as… beautiful as you," Din lulled and you felt your heart freeze at his unprompted kindness. "If Peli is correct, and Mos Pelgo is a bandit hive, they'll eat you right up. I don't want anything to happen to you. If you stay here with Peli and the ship— you'll be safe."

"But you're taking the child." You pointed out and the little green gem poked his ears out of Din's satchel, his big eyes sparkling.

"Wherever I go, he goes." Din said simply.

"Yeah?" You sighed and clambered on to the back of Din's landspeeder. You wrapped your arms around the Mandalorian bounty hunter tightly and you heard a sigh puff out from under his helmet. "And wherever you go, I go."

The Mandalorian hesitated for a moment but he knew better than to argue with you. "Hold on tight." he instructed and you nodded your head obediently. With a few clicks of the exhaust, you, The Mandalorian and his child were off speeding across the sand dunes of Tatooine.

The Mandalorian opted to leave the child with the speeder, knowing that if something were to happen, the child would be more than capable of defending himself. You and Din made your way to the cantina which wasn't too far as it seemed like the town was only small anyway. Much like the desert that surrounded you, the cantina was desolate, not a soul in sight.

When the bartender, a rather older looking man of a different species, caught his eye on the Mandalorian, he stiffened up completely. You and Din graced the bar and you offered the bartender a kind smile.

"Can I help you?" He asked, unsurity in his voice.

"We're looking for a Mandalorian." You told him, your voice soft and gentle. You didn't want him to get the wrong idea. If the town was bandit ridden, it was likely he may be scared by your presence.

"Well we don't get many visitors around here." The bartender admitted. "Could you tell me what they look like?" 

"They look like me." Din replied, his voice rasp through his modulator.

"The marshal…" The bartender started, tilting his head to the side and analysing Din's armour. It shone just a little under the dim bar light. "He dresses like you."

"He's a Mandalorian?" Din asked, curiosity peaking in his voice.

"You tell me." The bartender replied, taking a step back as the Mos Pelgo's marshal entered the bar. You and Din both turned around, taking in the sight of the Mandalorian.

He looked a lot different to Din. You noted his smaller frame and his crimson red shirt underneath a choice of green armour and shoulderpads. It was covered in scratches and dents from battle, you presumed. Din didn't say a word, but you noticed his hand drop to his holster, fingers tracing his blaster pistol as the marshal got closer. He wore a helmet similar to Din's, but it was again, green, matching the chest plate he wore. You felt yourself go cold when you noticed his jet pack — or, what you had come to know as The Rising Phoenix, something Din had only just come into use with.

"I've been searching for you for many parsecs." Din was the first to break the silence. You had never seen another Mandalorian before, and whilst you trusted Din, you knew how dangerous they could be. Especially if this one was also a bounty hunter. Of course, you weren't sure. You gulped and slowly entangled your fingers with Din's. He gave your hand a comforting squeeze.

"Two sniffs of spotchka!" The marshal shouted. "And would the pretty lady like anything?" His voice lowered and a smirk swept across his lips as he approached you smoothly.

"She's good." Din snapped back, his hand tightening around yours. You felt your cheeks heat up under his touch and the way he got so protective over you. The marshal shrugged his shoulders and sat at a table, gesturing for you and the Mandalorian to sit with him. Still hand in hand, you and the Mandalorian both reluctantly sat with the marshal. The bartender brought the drinks over.

It was a vibrant blue drink, steaming. You knew Din wouldn't be able to have it anyway and you wondered how this other Mandalorian could possibly drink it. As far as you were concerned, Mandalorians couldn't remove their helmet. It was forbidden.

But the marshal did. He sat the green helmet down on the table and took a sip of spotchka. You felt Din tense up.

"You know," the marshal hummed, licking the blue liquid from his lips. There was almost something erotic about it. You couldn't help but squirm a little as you saw his tongue glide over, devouring and savouring the taste. "I've never seen a real Mandalorian before."

"Who are you?" Din countered. He moved his hand over your thigh under the table and gave you a gentle squeeze. It was always like Din to assert his dominance over you.

"I'm Cobb Vanth," the marshal introduced himself with another sly smirk. Although he was talking to Din, he was looking at you the entire time. "Marshal of Mos Pelgo."

"That armour— where did you get it?" Din's fingers clenched into a fist and you swore you could feel his nails dig into your thighs despite the gloves that he wore.

"Jawas sold it to me." Cobb replied nonchalantely with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I need it." Din said, his voice as stern as ever. You felt your stomach erupt into nervous butterflies. Under Din's touch and Cobb's gaze, you felt a heat resonate in-between your legs.

"No can do, Mando." Cobb chuckled, crinkles appearing by his blue eyes.

"I need the armour." Din repeated without question and you could feel the frustration pent up inside him. You soothed him gently, tracing small circles in his leg.

"Hmph," Cobb nodded, taking a final sip of his spotchka before raising to his feet. "Can we have some privacy?" He asked the bartender. The bartender nodded and sauntered off. "As you can see, I practically rule this town. Maybe I be kind and come to a negotiation with you."

"I don't do negotiations." Din growled and you stood up.

"What do you have in mind?" you asked Cobb, fluttering your eyelashes.

Cobb grunted and walked around the table. He raised his hand and cupped your face gently, stroking your cheek. You swallowed down the lump in your throat. Din rose to his feet and took your hand again.

"I give your boyfriend the armour if you, my dear, help me out." Cobb smirked. "As you know, we don't get many visitors around here. No Mandalorians and especially no fine women like yourself. I mean- are you from the moons of Iego? Your beauty is comparable to an angel."

Din scoffed at Cobb's flirtatious attempt but you felt your cheeks heat up again. You noticed that the ocean blue of Cobb's eyes were barely visible now that his pupils were so dilated. You wondered if the spotchka had been laced with spice. But then something was brought to your attention.

"As you can see, darlin', I seem to have encountered a problem." Cobb announced and he dipped his hand down to his crotch. You gasped as he ran his fingers over his length which was throbbing under his pants.

"Not a chance." Din raised his voice and pointed a finger at Cobb, dragging you away from him.

"Din," you shuffled out of the Mandalorian's grip. "Din please." you said and he finally let go off your arm.

"I can kill him," Din hissed. "You don't need to do this."

"No," you shook your head. "No killing. Din…" you let your fingers trace the curves of his helmet, wishing just for once you could look into his eyes. You didn't want to hurt him, but you wanted to help him. If Din was going to get the armour, you wanted to be the one responsible. Maybe then he would trust you enough to accompany him on more missions around the galaxy. "I want to." you whispered.

"What?" Din asked, his voice dropping an octave.

You turned around looking back at Cobb who was already touching himself through the thin material covering his bulge. "I want to help you get the armour," you told Din. "I'm wet." you admitted, your voice soft and sultry and Din felt his muscles tense up.

"Then-" the Mandalorian croaked out and you gave him a warm smile. He composed himself. "Then I kill him, we strip his body of the armour and I fuck you when we get back to the ship." Din felt himself begin to harden. His vision became hazy at your words and he struggled to focus just knowing that you were standing right next to him.

"I need a release," you moaned gently. "And I need it now."

Cobb approached you and the Mandalorian once more. "So? Have you made your mind up? Or do I have to pleasure myself."

"I'll do it," you told Cobb. "If Mando does it with me." 

You had never had a threesome before and you didn't know what exactly to expect, but you believed that as long Din was there, he would protect you.

You turned back to the Mandalorian, eyeing up his bulge. "If you don't want to Din," you whispered. "That's okay. But I have this under control." 

"Cya're," Din groaned. "Always so stubborn. Fuck....You're mine." He growled.

You smiled wickedly. "Show me I'm yours then." you told him and began undressing yourself, shamelessly, standing in between the two men.

You started with your cape, slowly unhooking it and letting it fall to the ground in a pool of fabric. The lack of material exposed your chest and Cobb noticed the way your corset pushed your breasts up. "May I?" he asked and you nodded as he walked over to you. He began pressing sloppy kisses down your neck and across your breasts, nibbling at the skin. He wanted to leave his mark on you. You knew Din wouldn't like that.

Din came up from behind you and wrapped his strong arms around your waist. You gasped, being taken by surprise and you let a sweet moan escape your mouth as the two men touched you. Din was holding you tight as Cobb bit at you softly. His greying beard tickled you and you imagined how his tongue would feel lapping at your clit. It felt like heaven.

After a few minutes, Cobb pulled away and examined the purple marks he had left all over your delicate skin. Cobb began to remove his clothing and as he did so, Din untied your tunic and let it slip down your body. He tugged down your soaked panties and let them pool around your ankles before you stepped out of them.  "Fuck, you're bad." Din cursed and spanked your bare ass with his gloved hand. You yelped and rolled your head back into his shoulder as he undone the ribbon that held your corset up. Once he discarded that, you found yourself standing in the middle of Mos Pelgo's only cantina completely naked in between two very attractive men.

Cobb began rubbing his manhood with one hand and massaging his balls with another. You and Din watched him as he masturbated himself. Light hair grazed his chest and you couldn't help but lick your lips as the precum began to bead at his pink tip.

"You like what you see?" Cobb asked as he continued to jerk himself off. Still standing behind you, the Mandalorian wrapped his arms around your naked body and began squeezing your breasts. He ran his gloved fingers over your nipples and you hissed at the sensation. He rested his head into the crook of your neck, the coolness of his helmet making a shiver run down your spine. Every now and again, Din would pinch your nipples. You closed your eyes in ecstasy as he worked his hands around your body knowing exactly how to please you.

"Please," you moaned, shuffling out of Din's release and falling to your knees. You crawled over to Cobb, making sure to stick your ass out and spread your legs out so Din could get a good look of your behind. Through his visor, Din saw the way your folds glistened from your wetness. You heard him grunt through the modulator of his helmet and knowing you were gaining a reaction out of the Mandalorian— only made you wetter. "Let me help you." you smiled at Cobb softly, taking his cock out of his hands and gliding your tongue over his length.

He was big— not quite as thick as Din— but still big. You looked up at him doe-eyed before taking the tip in his mouth and slowly beginning to suck. The moans that escaped Cobb's lips were delightful, and whilst you couldn't fit him entirely into your mouth, you spat into the palms of your hand and began pumping the girth that you could not wrap your lips around. When you began to feel his dick twitch in your mouth, you pulled away.

"Your turn," you smiled towards the Mandalorian who sauntered over you. You jumped up on the bar and spread your legs.

"I can't," Din whispered. "I want- I want to taste you. But not with him here." 

"Hey it's alright," you cooed. You curled a finger and gestured Cobb to come over. "You can taste me when we get back to the Crest. But right now? I want to touch you." You hummed, sliding your hand down the waistband of the Mandalorian's pants and already pulling out his hard cock. You swiped the pad of your thumb over his wet tip and felt him throb in your hand. Pulling your hand off him for a second, you began to suck his precum off your fingers, eyes closing as you savoured the delicious salty taste.

Cobb clambered on to the bar with you and settled himself in between your legs. He held himself up on his elbows and licked a stripe over your glistening clit. Your hand tightened around Din's cock and you gave it another gentle squeeze as Cobb licked you again.

Cobb stopped, abruptly, and you furrowed your eyebrows together in confusion. After a few short moments, you felt the tip off Cobb's cock rub teasingly against your folds and you gasped.

"No." Din growled, unable to contain his jealousy. Cobb looked up in annoyance at the masked bounty hunter.

"What?" Cobb spat, ignoring Din's comment and continuing to rub his cock over your bundle of nerves.

"No." Din repeated and tucked his hard cock back into his pants. "She's mine." You closed your legs and shuffled away from Cobb and closer to Din. Din wrapped an arm around your waist and helped you down to your feet. "You understand? You're mine." he whispered darkly into your ear and you nodded. He let you go and you picked up your tunic from the floor, pulling it over your head before sliding your feet into your sandals.

"You didn't let me finish." Cobb growled as he stroked himself, cheeks turning red in a mixture of rage and embarrassment.

"You heard the Mandalorian," you smirked as Din picked up Cobb's discarded armour. Feeling just an edge of guilt, you picked up your damp panties from the floor. There was no point in keeping them now— they had been completely ruined by your own arousal. "Take these." you smiled politely and handed Cobb your scrunched up underwear.

Cobb snatched it out of your hand and gave them a sniff before grunting. He let his finger slicken with your wetness from your panties and continued pumping at his cock, turning away from you and slouching in one of the many unoccupied seats in the bar as he continued masturbating. With Cobb's eyes shut, you and Din managed to slip out of the bar unnoticed.

You and the Mandalorian continued walking down the valley until just before you reached the speeder. "Are we going back to the ship? I wanna finish." you admitted, clenching your thighs together.

"It would take too long to get back to the ship," Din muttered. "We finish here." his voice was dark and rasp.

"Here?" you asked, looking around at the deserted sand dunes. "But where?" Din took your hand and pulled you around a corner before pressing you against a stone wall.

"I will taste you when we get back to the ship," he promised, letting his hands roam your body. He pulled off his gloves and shoved them into his pocket and slid his hands under your tunic. "I hated watching him touch you. When I said you're mine, I meant it."

You loved feeling his bare hands on you and you savoured every moment of his touch. 

"I know Din," you moaned. You dipped your hand back into his pants and pulled out his cock, breathing a sigh of relief when you felt he was still hard. "I'm yours and yours only." you told him and stood on your tip-toes, resting your forehead against his helmet. You started pumping him again but not for long.

"Jump." Din commanded, gaining a firm grip of your waist.

"Huh?" you asked. Din stayed silent and it took you a second to understand what exactly he wanted from you. "Oh." You placed your hands on his shoulders and jumped up, wrapping your legs around his waist.

Your back was pressed against the stone wall and you let out a huff as Din pushed his length inside of you. In one slick movement, he was balls deep and you yelped at the contact. He paused, staying inside of you and letting your body adjust to his length. You felt every vein and every edge of him and the sensation made your toes curl in pure bliss.

"Move," you begged; voice just above a whisper. Din obliged and slowly began to thrust inside of you, his cock convulsing at the friction as your walls tightened around you.

"I won't last long," Din groaned, his big hands still holding you tight. 

"That's okay," you whimpered as his hips continued to press into yours. "Take what you need. I want you to cum inside of me."

"Fuck, cya're," Din grunted and you began to feel his cock twitch inside of you. "Are you sure?" 

"Please." you begged. 

With only a few more heaving thrusts, you felt the Mandalorian's warmth explode inside of you as he planted his seed. You gasped as your dripping cunt clenched around him, milking him of every last drop. Hearing his groans and grunts of satisfaction through his modulator was always so delightful. He kept you steady against the wall as he softened inside of you, eventually pulling out his sensitive cock and tucking himself back in.

He always handled you delicately. He helped you down from the wall and adjusted your tunic so you were all covered up. You laced your fingers in his once again as you headed back to the ship. "Thank you Din." you whispered sweetly. "Did you have fun?"

"I must admit, I've never had an experience quite like that before," Din grumbled. "When we get back to the ship, I'll set nav-course to the next system." Din explained as he took position onto the speeder bike. You clambered on behind him and wrapped your arms around his waist.

"Soo, will you let me accompany you on your next mission?" You poked his side slightly in a teasing manner and you heard the bounty hunter chuckle.

"We'll see." he replied.

You couldn't tell, but the Mandalorian was smiling under his helmet. You held on to him tightly as your little clan of three sped off into the sunset.

[poguesrforlife]

Polar Bear Wrestling | JJ Maybank

Hey, what’s up..it’s been a while! Second JJ fic I wrote even though I have an exam tomorrow but yolo am I right? Something like that (exactly that) happened to me last weekend with my friends and I just had to imagine what JJ would’ve done in this scenario. Enjoy! xx

Trigger warning: swearing, blood, angsty (kinda), fluff, and little bit smutty because I can’t help myself

Word count: ~ 2,220 words

You and JJ are just having fun in secret and everything seems smooth sailing until you get hurt at a party and JJ turns into protective™ mode!

You did not know who’s idea it was to throw a kegger in the middle of the week but at this point you were too drunk to care and quite happy about it. 

The chateau’s garden was crowded with people, mostly poques from your school, but also a few kooks and occasional tourons. Some song from the Cure was playing on the speakers and your gaze wandered over the string light adorned garden, drowning it in beautiful colours of the rainbow.

“C’mon Y/N we’re playing beer pong and I need you on my team!” Kie yelled from across the yard where they carried a table outside. 

You were quick to support your best friend, always down for a good drinking game. 

“Who are we playing against?” You scanned the garden looking out for a particular blond surfer dude.

JJ owed you a rematch after the last party where he beat you together with John B. You couldn’t deny that you maybe also just wanted to make sure that he wasn’t flirting with some random girl again. Ever since the two of you started hooking up in secret you started to get more than a little bothered by all the attention he got from other girls. You told yourself that no feelings were involved but sometimes you weren’t so sure.

“Sarah and John B,” Kie waved the couple over to take the other side of the table where she had professionally filled up the cups.

“Rock, paper scissors…winner starts,” John B announced and promptly won the match.

Kie and you sunk one ball after the other into the cups, although most of them unfortunately only hit the rim. Sarah was surprisingly good at the game and you had to down more than you expected. That didn’t really help your already intoxicated state.

Good for you and Kie however, you were even better at beer pong when you were drunk. And at this point you were too drunk to care about anything except winning this match. 

When John B’s ball went way over the table you picked it up and hit your head lightly on the table’s corner. It hurt a bit but you weren’t too bothered by it. You had to win that game and there were only two cups left on the opposing team’s side. 

You concentrated on the furthest cup and with a flick of your wrist the ball cleanly fell into the cup.

“And that’s how you do it!” You screamed and turned to an excitedly jumping Kiara to give her a high five.

However fell the happy expression from her face rather quickly after looking at you and was replaced with wide eyes and an open hanging mouth.

“Fuck! Y/N, you’re bleeding!” Kie exclaimed, already storming towards you and looking out for someone to help.

Your hand went up towards your forehead, where the dull ache was centered, and came away red. Good thing you weren’t one to faint at the sight of blood. 

“Shit,” You swore under your breath and made your way towards the bathroom inside the chateau. 

Kiara was hot on your heals, fussing over you and grabbing Pope on the way inside.

“What did you do?” He asked and immediately went towards the cabinet with the first aid kit. You were glad that you could always trust him to be the rational one. Because Kiara was close to hyperventilating at this point. 

“Kie, it’s gonna be okay. It doesn’t even hurt that bad,” You tried to calm her down while you grabbed some towel and tried to stop the bleeding. 

“It doesn’t look okay!” She pointed out her hands flying towards the reddening towel in your hands. 

“Baby, can you get Y/N some ice?” Pope distracted her while he was preparing some disinfectant.

Kie nodded vigorously, glad to be of service and hurried towards the kitchen.

You let out a relieved sigh and looked towards Pope thankfully, “Thank you. I love her, but sometimes she can be a bit…”

“Overbearing?” He finished for you and gave you a knowing smile. You laughed in agreement and went back to focusing on your little wound. 

“This is going to burn,” Pope warned before pulling the towel away and starting to clean the cut above your eye with a disinfected cotton pad. You hissed at the burning contact and would’ve rather pulled away but you knew it had to be done.

“Doesn’t look like you need any stitches,” Pope analysed as he took a closer look at the cut. At this point you were really glad that Pope invested so much time in his medical future. 

“It doesn't even hurt, I’ll be fine,” You agreed and looked at the towel that was quite red but the wound finally had stopped bleeding.

“I couldn’t find any ice but this will do,” Kiara showed up with a frozen beer can in her hand that had a kitchen towel around it. 

“I’m not gonna walk around all night with a beer can pressed to my head,” You argued and made your way out of the bathroom. You were here to enjoy yourself and this little incident wasn’t going to stop you from doing so.

“If you don’t cool it, you’ll have a black eye tomorrow,” Pope warned but it was clear that you wouldn’t listen to him. He knew his friends pretty well and when it came to you and JJ every rational thought went out the window. The two of you were perfect for each other but also the most trouble anybody could cause. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” You scoffed and picked up one of JJ’s snapbacks that was lying around the kitchen. You loved wearing his hats to get a reaction out of him, mostly that reaction him being annoyed with you for stealing yet another cap.

“See, you don’t even see the bruise like that.” You showed off your new look but Kiara and Pope just rolled their eyes at your carelessness. You grabbed the beer out of Kiara’s hand and opened it instead of holding it against your head.

“Well if you’re not going to listen anyways we might as well win the game,” Kiara threw in and pulled you back outside with a slight smile. 

And you did win graciously as ever, as drunk as ever. 

You were about to get another cold beer inside the empty kitchen when you felt a pair of arms around your waist. 

“I’ve been looking for you all night.” A familiar voice whispered in your ear and you melted against his chest.

“Should’ve looked better,” You mumbled and turned around to be met with JJ’s sky-blue red-rimmed eyes from the weed and alcohol. 

He gave you a sloppy grin and his hands wandered over your backside pulling you closer to him. If it weren’t for all the people and your friends outside who could catch you, you would have fucked him right there and then.

“You look good with my hat,” He stated cheekily and leaned in to give you a peck on the lips, “but I’ll take that back now.”

“JJ, no-“ You tried to stop him, remembering the cut above your eye but it was too late, the hat was off. 

You knew how protective JJ was about his friends but after the two of you started sneaking around it was even more intense than before. You were quite scared about his reaction.

He looked shocked at the cut just below your eyebrow and the already forming bruise there. His jaw clenched when he took a step back from you.

“Who the fuck did this, Y/N?” He seethed and was already making his way towards the door to beat up whoever dared to touch you. You on the other hand hadn’t even thought about JJ assuming that someone hit you.

“What?” You were too confused to move at first but then your reflexes kicked in. “JJ wait!”

You grabbed for his arm but he yanked it away, one foot already out the door. He was furious and you’d never seen him like that before. You tried another time to stop him, yelling his name repeatedly and succeeded with a strong hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t you try and tell me to not get in trouble, Y/N! I don't give a fuck right now. When somebody hurts you, do you really expect me to just stand by and do nothing?” He yelled at you and you could see the desperation in his face as his shaking hands raked through his blonde hair.

“JJ, no one touched me,” You explained in a low voice to calm him down. Some people were staring in your direction. You grabbed his hands in yours, making soothing circles with your thumbs, and led him back inside. “It was an accident, J. I was just drunk and a bit clumsy.”

JJ looked at you with scrunched eyebrows, like he was not really believing you, but you felt his hands relax slowly in your grip.

“What?” He breathed out and let his eyes wander over your left eye repeatedly.

“I tried to pick up a ball while playing beer pong and hit my head,” You told him and sat down on the kitchen table, pulling JJ between your legs. 

“Oh.” JJ’s gaze dropped ashamed at your interlinked hands before he mumbled a “I’m sorry.”

You lifted his chin with one hand and giggled at his pouty expression. “It’s okay Jbae.”

“I don’t know I just assumed…” He stopped mid-sentence to take a deep breath and his hands caressed the wound above your eye carefully.

“You have to be more careful,” He lectured you and pecked the cut slightly.

Butterflies rose in the pit of your stomach at the touch of his lips on your skin. This side of JJ was so new to you. He had always been protective but he had never been this sweet and caring afterwards. You really enjoyed having him all to yourself in these moments.

“And you have to control your temper,” You reminded him and saw the guilty grin on his face immediately.

“Yeah… the combination of both of our flaws together will probably only cause trouble,” He laughed and placed his hands on either side of your body as he leaned in.

“You love my clumsiness,” You argued and locked your arms around his neck. This close you could smell his undeniable JJ scent: cigarettes, weed, the ocean and freshly cut grass. It was intoxicating.

“I do,” He agreed softly and placed a kiss on your jaw which made you gasp lightly. “But let’s just say that you wrestled with a…uhm…what are they called again? Snow-bear?”

You giggled as he struggled for the word while peppering your jaw and neck with kisses. You guessed the adrenaline rush had stopped and the both of you were back to being just a little bit too drunk. 

“A polar bear?” You guessed and looked at his crystal blue eyes for a second.

“Yes!” He exclaimed excitedly, like a little child. “You wrestled with a polar bear and he jabbed at your eye but the bear obviously looks much worse.”

“Obviously!” You nodded and smiled at him. “So…polar bears in Outer Banks?”

“Oh shut up!” He complained and before you could retort anything his lips crashed onto yours.

You pushed into him as your lips moved against his. The kiss was fiery and you gasped slightly as JJ bit your lower lip. You couldn’t contain the moan that escaped you when his tongue entered your mouth. Your hands grabbed strands of his blonde waves while his grabbed your hips and pulled you closer to the edge of the table. 

“Fuck Y/N!” He groaned as his groin met with the spot between your thighs and attached his mouth to your jaw once again. 

You threw your head back at the feeling and swore under your breath. But when you heard John B screaming from outside you were brought back to reality.

“Fuck JJ,” You pushed him away slightly and he whimpered at the loss of contact. “Not here, not now Jbae,” You reminded him, your hands framing his disappointed face. 

“I hate that fucking rule,” JJ mumbled but brought some distance between you anyways. 

You hated the rule as well, but you knew it was made for a reason. No pogue-on-pogue-macking or you would risk the entire friend group. Even though everybody seemed to have broken it anyways.

“C’mon, let’s get back to the party,” You smiled at him and slipped your hand into his.

“Fine, but I’m not leaving your clumsy side.” He placed his hat back on your head with a smirk and pushed it down a little bit so the bruise wouldn’t be obvious to everybody. 

“Fine by me,” You grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. “And maybe later we can continue where we left off..”

At the sound of this JJ’s smirk turned into a thousand watt smile as he followed you outside, grabbing your hand a bit tighter. You couldn’t help the warmth that spread through your whole body as you looked at his gorgeous face and thought about his sweet protective side and what might happen later this evening. This boy would be the death of you.

[sokkas-honour]

An unexpected but welcomed visitor - Mako x kyoshi!reader

summary: for the lovely @biqherosix ‘s makyoshi writing challenge and the prompt used was Grandma Yin

word count: 2k

taglist (always open): @biqherosix @draqondance

notes: no tw here i believe, just a girl not knowing what the hell to name a fic and it’s unedited so my apologies

You stared out of Mako’s apartment window, watching the clouds slowly move across the sky above Republic city. You sat on the couch wondering when your boyfriend would return from his little rendez-vous with Kai on Air Temple Island. He’d promised the young boy that he’d help him set up a picnic for Jinora which was an absolutely adorable idea. Mako being close with the airbending monster, considering all the time they spend together arguing about obscure subjects. In theory, he did seem like the perfect choice to help him, you would have disagreed though considering he has a horrible track record with his romantic attempts going smoothly, which added to his charm in your opinion, but you hoped that he’d prove useful to Kai.

You had let yourself into the apartment what seemed like an hour ago. Bolin was visiting Zaofu with Opal which meant that his place was free for a date night hosted by the firebender, well more like a date afternoon but he still hadn’t shown up. He had promised to cook dinner for you and then you’d both play a game of pai sho with lots of cuddling and relaxing in between. You’d both had pretty busy schedules in the last couple of days with his job keeping the streets safe and your Kyoshi duties so a whole afternoon of just pure escape sounded amazing.

The sound of the door to the apartment slowly opening scared you at first but you quickly jumped out of your spot on the couch in excitement. 

“You’re finally here!” You exclaimed as you quickly ran to the bathroom to make sure you looked presentable. You called out to who you thought was your boyfriend from the washroom. “What took you so long Mako? Is Kai ready to absolutely blow Jinora’s socks off without airbending?”

When no one answered but you heard footsteps advancing into the apartment you closed the door to the bathroom and went to grab the closest thing to you to use as a weapon. You looked at the counter but only found someone’s toothbrush and since Bolin wasn’t in the city it meant it belonged to the firebender. As disgusting as it felt to use your boyfriend’s toothbrush as a weapon, you needed something fast. Before getting ready to exit the room to face whoever was outside you spotted someone’s comb and planned to use it as some sort of boomerang. With the toothbrush in close proximity, the comb in one hand, you went to open the door when an elderly voice emerged from the other side.

“Mako? Is that you? I hope I’m not too early. You might want to rethink the idea of leaving your door unlocked, stupid Mako, you take that after your dad.”

Your eyes widened as you opened the door, guard down at the voice that belonged to someone’s grandma. You still kept the comb in a tight grip as you opened the door. The newcomer made a sound that made you jump and throw the comb as you intended too. The now empty hand quickly went back to grab the toothbrush and you emerged from the bathroom when you heard a little yelp.

“My, my, Mako, where are your manners?” And then it hit you, you knew that voice, it belonged to Mako’s grandma, Yin. She looked at you with wide eyes and a shocked expression. “You’re not my Mako are you?”

You shook your head, surprised that she didn't recognize you. You had met when she was staying at the Sato estate and Wu had to hide during the whole Kuvira problem.

“No, I’m his girlfriend, we’ve met before.” You smiled slightly, cheeks turning a bit red when her gaze landed on the toothbrush that was in your hand. You shyly put it on a nearby shelf. “I was one of Wu’s bodyguards, we met when he was staying with you for a short period of time?”

She frowned, analysing you from your head to your toes, making you feel very on the spot and somewhat self conscious. She had a very puzzled look on her face as she just stared at your face in confusion.

“His majesty, prince Wu, only had Mako and some beautiful girl in a warrior’s uniform as a bodyguard. You don’t look like you’d be a bodyguard.”

“I am that warrior girl though, I’m a kyoshi warrior, I’m just out of my uniform.” Now it was your turn to be slightly confused at her words, you remembered not wearing makeup the one time you met so wouldn't she be able to recognise you?

“Oh, that’s very possible though you are very muscular for a woman.” She stated very bluntly and you suddenly regretted just wearing a simple tank top and casual pants for your date, not that you expected to see your boyfriend’s grandmother before even seeing him for the day.

“Uh, thanks?” Your thanks sounded more like a question, unsure how to respond to what you thought was a compliment from the elderly woman. You watched as she slowly made her way back to where you were sitting just a couple of minutes ago.

“Come, sit.” She looked at you with a smile and patted the spot next to her on the couch, inviting you to sit down. You made your way to your previous resting spot and took your place next to her.

“Please, tell me about my Mako. I haven’t seen him in a while and didn’t know he had a girlfriend, I’d love to hear about you two’s relationship.” Her warm, inviting smile made you relax which made you realise your shoulders were a bit tense from wondering what she’d say.

“Oh, well Mako and I met working for prince Wu-” You had barely started before she interrupted you, taking you aback.

“I don't want to know about how you two met, that's just boring. Tell me about a moment that makes you smile whenever you think about it, tell me how he makes you feel.” She stated as if it was the most obvious thing ever and made you feel a tad bit stupid for wanting to start at the beginning.

“Oh well, there’s this one time a couple of weeks ago that I’ll never forget.” You started with a smile on your face as the memory of the story you were about to tell came to you. You continued, a slight euphoric feeling was laced with your words which Grandma Yin most likely picked up on. “I’m sure you know that Mako and Bolin used to be a part of a pro bending team, their whole lives revolve around it for a while. I didn't meet the brothers till long after their pro bending careers had met but they’ve always told me stories about how exhilarating their matches were. I’ve only ever heard them through radio and they never really interested me until I found out the guy I loved the most used to be a part of a pretty reputable team before traveling the world with the avatar. So, Mako decided that as a surprise, he’d take me to see a pro bending match, it was the Laogai Lion Vultures versus the Ember Island Eel Hounds.”

You paused for a second to see if she seemed at all interested and to your surprise, she looked as if she was listening intently so you proceeded to continue your story. 

“Mako knew this guy from the Laogai Lion Vultures, their earthbender Ruohar, and managed to get him to let us see the match from the best seats in the house, the last spot where players go before being brought to the main platform. We had a direct view on the game. Before the match started, Mako told me a couple of stories of Bo and him, what they’d do before a game, a time they both messed up that they found hilarious, their old member Hasook. It was just so nice to see Mako smiling fondly at memories and just opening up about his past. Neither of us are great at that but seeing him just being nostalgic and saying absolutely everything that went through his mind just made my heart warm. Anyway, the game started and I could barely hear what the commentator was saying because of how much Mako was yelling at both teams. You couldn't go two seconds without him screaming ‘You had that!’ or ‘I could beat them in my sleep!’ and everything in between. Every once in a while hed realise what he was doing and would turn to ask me if it was bothering me and of course it wasn't, seeing Mako being passionate about something just brings me so much joy, he’d even show me how’d he do a play differently when he was really mad at the Lion Vulture’s execution. When the match was finally over and we’d congratulated the Lion Vultures on their win, he gave me a tour of the arena, showed me where he used to train, where he used to live and just let every single one of his memories come back. I’ve probably already said this but just seeing Mako be so open and just so giddy about his stories and anecdotes really made it a date to remember.” You finished, a pleased and content grin graced your features as you still felt stuck in your memory, finding it hard to get yourself out of that moment.

“That sounds absolutely delightful my dear, it makes me happy to see that my Mako is making you so happy.” She looked at you with a soft gaze.

“I have another fun story if you’d like?” You volunteered to tell another story, maybe even multiple if she wanted to because of how much you enjoyed just being able to gush about your partner and to your luck, she nodded eagerly.

You told stories that jumped to your mind from when Mako and you first went on a date, your last date together and everything in between. Before long, you heard the door open again as the sun was slowly setting out the window but you were both so engrossed in the story that you were telling that you failed to notice whoever entered the apartment.

“Y/n? Grandma?” The newcomer just so happened to be the subject of your tales and he seemed very confused as to why his grandmother and his girlfriend were in his home.

“Oh Mako! It’s so good to see you! I came by to tell you something but it seems like I’ve forgotten. I won’t keep you two lovebirds for too long.” Yin was the first to greet him as she stood up to hug her grandson who returned the gesture happily.

“Y/n, it was lovely to meet you, hopefully we can do this over tea sometime?” She suggested and you eagerly nodded, excited to share more stories of your stupid boyfriend and hopefully you’d learn a thing or two about his father if you stuck at it long enough.

You bid each other goodbye and watched as she closed the door behind her before turning back to your boyfriend.

“I’m just going to assume that something went wrong with Jinora and Kai. You can tell me all about it while you make that dinner you promised.” You said smugly, giving him a hug as he groaned, realising he’d forgotten all about your date.

“Shit y/n, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot about tonight. I was gushing about Jinora and Kai with Pema and got caught up, I’m so sorry.” You simply smiled, having forgiven him as soon as his grandmother and you started talking. 

“What happened between my grandmother and you? You both seem extremely happy.” He asked, suspicious of what embarrassing things you might’ve told her but you simply shook your head and teased. “What happens with Grandma Yin, stays with Grandma Yin my dear.”

He rolled his eyes, setting his head on your forehead as you both stayed in each other’s embrace as his eyes trailed around the room and found some misplaced toileterry.

“Hey, why is my comb on the ground and why the hell is my toothbrush on the bookshelf?”  

[captain-josslett]

Broken Melody - Part Twenty

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen, Part Nineteen...

Summary: Grammy Award winning Emma Danvers is the first to say she has a pretty good life. But what happens when it implodes around her and it looks like things will never be the same again?

Words: 5.8k+

Warnings: Angst, Fluff.

Pairings: Emma Danvers x Lena Luthor

This Part: Emma tries to work through everything and continues to struggle with not seeing her sisters.

So, so, sorry it’s been a while since updating. I’ve started a full time job and my mind just hasn’t been able to write 😅 But I do get to daydream when I work so I have loads of ideas stored away and hopefully will be able to update quicker.

Thank you for reading and let me know if you wanna be tagged or any general feedback will be greatly appreciated. Please! I like knowing your thoughts.

Taglist: @finleyfray​​, @life-is-hella-unfair​, @natasha-danvers​, @supergirl-writingz​, @camslightstories​, @thinking1bee​, @aznblossom​,

Ten year old Emma Danvers jumps awake when she hears a blood curdling scream. For a few moments she blinks into her dark room, confused at the noise that woke her. But when a softer wail fills the silence Emma quickly rolls out of bed. Recognising the cries coming from her recently adopted kryptonian sister, Kara.

Emma pads out of her small room and into the hallway, yawning and tiredly rubbing her eyes as she gently pushes Alex and Kara’s bedroom door open. Kara’s whimpering increases in volume as Emma enters the room. She softly closes the door behind her and quietly tiptoes over to Kara’s bed.

Emma sadly looks over at her oldest sister, Alex, who is turned away from the crying alien. Seemingly ignoring Kara’s pain. This annoys Emma greatly and the sisters have already argued over it. The blonde had even offered to swap rooms with Alex but the redhead stubbornly refused saying it was her room.

“Kara?” Emma whispers softly and waits for the crying figure to respond. Tearful blue eyes peer over the shaking duvet before quickly disappearing again.

Emma looks mournfully down at the other blonde as she thinks of ways to help her. After a few moments Emma lifts the corner of the covers and climbs into Kara’s bed. She gently reaches out and hugs Kara close, remembering how her Mom would comfort her after she’d have a bad dream.  

Her new sister flinches slightly at the touch but soon Emma feels Kara settle and maneuver around to hug her back. The alien starts to shake as she tries to stifle her sobs into Emma’s shoulder.

Emma’s heart aches at the sound. She pulls her head back so she can see Kara’s face. The night light illuminates Kara’s flushed cheeks and bloodshot eyes. “No, it’s okay to cry. Mom said you get sick if you try to keep your tears in.” Emma tries to encourage the alien. Though she doesn’t know if Kara can fully understand her yet. However, Kara’s face scrunches up and fresh tears fall.

“It’s okay.” Emma says soothingly while stroking her hair.

“S-s-sing?” Kara gulps out and buries her head back into Emma’s little shoulder.

“Which one?” Emma asks softly and Kara thinks for a moment but shakes her head as she sniffs heavily. “Okay.” Emma purses her lips forward as she thinks about the other songs she has sung to Kara. “I got it.”

Somewhere over the rainbow, Way up high, There’s a land that I’ve heard of, Once in a lullaby.

Emma immediately feels Kara relaxing as she continues to quietly sing. The sisters had recently watched ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with Kara because Emma wanted to show her new sister one of her favourite films. The alien had truly been fascinated with the movie and Emma couldn’t help but watch Kara’s reactions to certain parts. How Kara’s face lit up when Dorthy opened the door to a world of colour or how freaked out Kara got when the Wicked Witch appeared in a plume of red smoke and disappearing in a blaze of fire.

Somewhere over the rainbow, Bluebirds fly, Birds fly over the rainbow, Why then oh why can’t I?

As Emma nears the end of the song Kara’s sobs start to die down, being replaced with shuddering breaths. The twelve year old alien clings tightly to the little human, the pressure hurts Emma slightly but she knows Kara doesn’t mean to hurt her and she is not use to her super strength yet.

Emma stares over at Alex’s back. Not knowing if the redhead was awake or asleep. But Emma guesses she is awake by how she is breathing. Silently Emma hopes her oldest sister will come around to Kara.

Yes it had been a shock when Superman brought his older, but now younger, alien cousin to them but Emma was overcome with curiosity and intrigue over the other blonde. She tried to communicate with the alien and found a way through hand gestures and persistence. Repeating words for Kara and pointing items out. Mainly important things like water, food, Star Wars and everything a ten year old finds important. Once Eliza found Emma talking to the Kryptonian about the different plants and vegetables in the garden and Kara patiently listened. Fascinated by the texture of the leaves and the words Emma was saying. Both missing the scowling glare Alex was giving them from her bedroom window.

Emma then presented the wooden swords her dad had made. Giving Kara Alex’s and demonstrating how to sword fight. Soon the two blonde’s were giggling while twirling around and bashing each other’s swords. Until Alex furiously stormed over to them and took her sword away from Kara. Grumbling it was hers and she was going to break it. Jeremiah immediately set to work making Kara one of her own. Which the two blonde’s watched with tilted heads.

But when Jeremiah told them to go play and leave him to concentrate Emma took Kara back into the house, trying to figure out more things to show her new sister. She had already displayed her seashell collection, which Kara analysed deeply and Emma noticed a crinkle appearing between the other blonde’s eyebrows.

Emma looks around the house and her eyes fall on her art supplies. Making Kara jump when she claps her hands together in excitement.

“I hope you like art! Alex doesn’t really, which is sad but she likes her own things. Like reading. Reading is okay but I much prefer doing something.” Emma smiles at Kara who smiles politely. “Have a seat.” Emma points at the dining room table and Kara complies. The ten year old then pulls out all of her art supply to show Kara. She watched as the alien’s blue eyes lit up behind her glasses.

“Did you do art on Krypton?” Emma asks, happy that she may have found something Kara enjoys.

Kara nods and the pair quietly sit for hours as they draw and paint. Emma didn’t mind Kara using most of the red paint and was pleased she thought of a good idea.

She hardly sees Alex, seemingly too moody that she wasn’t the centre of attention in the Danvers household anymore. Keeping to herself and barely talking to her baby sister.

Weeks turned into months and slowly Alex seemed to warm up to the new addition to the family. Especially when Kara defended Emma against a group of bullies. Standing with her little sister and ready to defend her. Alex marched over and stood next to her side, ready to punch any bully in the face that hurts either of her sisters. This was the moment Kara uttered her family motto, explaining they were stronger together.

The three started to become closer over time and would regularly be found in the forest by their home playing and having adventures.

On one such occasion a fifteen year old Alex and twelve year old Emma teamed up together as heroes to try and take down the evil villain that was destroying their town of Midvale.

“Psfft I don’t see the target. Over.” Emma quietly talks into the walkie talkie and holds her wooden sword tightly in her other hand.

“Please tell me you did not just make the static noise?” Alex laughs while rolling her eyes.

“Ah come on Al! Plus you need to say over. Over.”

“Fine.” Alex sasses back. “Over.” The redhead continues to look around, listening intently for the fourteen year old Kara. Having a sneaky suspicion that her alien sister was using her powers. Which was against the rules.

“Psttf I have an idea. Over” Emma’s voice whispers out from the walkie talkie.

“And what is that?” Alex responds quickly. “Over.”

“What if we do what that guy did in that movie. Over.”

“Vague… We watch loads of movies dork.” Alex rolls her eyes again at her little sister’s comment. She twirls her bow in her hand as she waits for Emma’s response.

“You know he sacrifices himself. Draws the evil guy out and gives the hero a chance to defeat them. Over.”

“Not a bad idea. Especially if you are the bait.” Alex chuckles and shakes her head. “Over.”

“Let’s do it by the fallen tree in the clearing? You can hide and I’ll call for her. Over.” Alex smirks at the excitement within Emma’s voice.

“Sure Peanut. Over.”

Alex quietly jogs to the huge fallen tree. Constantly on the lookout for Kara. But her adopted alien sister is nowhere to be seen. As Alex approaches the clearing she sees Emma step out of the other end and start to look around. Their eyes immediately connect, as if Emma could sense where she was and Alex quickly hides within some bushes and waits. Readying her bow and arrow. Making sure the arrow was a dummy that would only sting Emma slightly if she got in the way.

Emma waits for Alex to get into position and cups her hands over her mouth, yelling loudly. “Kara?! Hey Kara!” She waits and soon enough a blur appears before her. “Hey! You used your powers!”

“Well as a villain of course I would!” Kara bites back slyly with a grin.

“You really are evil!” Emma gasps dramatically, raising a hand to her chest.

“And when I am finished with you I will hunt your sister down and hurt her! And your little dog too!” Kara slowly takes a few menacing steps towards Emma who stands her ground.

“No! Not Alex and Toto!” Emma’s eyes fill with tears. Alex is always blown away that her baby sister can cry on demand and would often use her sister’s talent to get extra treats from their Mom or sitter.

“Little one?” Kara asks, concerned enough to break character.

“They are fake, keep going! You’re doing really well!” Emma gives Kara a smile before filling her eyes with tears again. “You will never get away with this!” Emma yells dramatically, pointing at Kara.

‘Give her the damn Oscar!’ Alex thinks with a smile as she watches the blonde’s.

Kara nods and puts a sly smirk back on her face. “But I already have!”

“No! You will never win! Good always defeats evil, you piece of bantha fodder!”

Alex snorts at Emma’s Star Wars reference and readies herself, knowing she’ll need to spring out at any moment.

“How dare you insult me! Me the mistress of all evil! You are nothing but the dirt on the bottom of my shoe!” Kara yells as she reaches for her wooden sword. Emma circles around so Kara’s back is to their eldest sister. “Now prepare to meet your doom!”

“Not if I can help it!” Alex suddenly appears behind them and fires her bow and arrow at the blonde. Hitting Kara’s right shoulder where it harmlessly falls to the ground.

“No! Ow!” Kara screams and collapses to her knees. “Damn you!” She coughs comically and falls to the floor.

Emma snorts and places a hand over her mouth.

“Emma! It’s rude to mock the dead.” Alex scolds her little sister.

“Sorry.” The blonde tries to wipe the smile off her face and make her expression natural.

“Who says I’m dead?” Kara’s muffled voice pipes up from the ground.

“Well the arrow would have been made out of a substance that could kill you and due to my excellent marksmanship it went through your heart. Killing you instantly.” Alex explains as she twirls the bow around.

Kara lifts her head up and smirks at the redhead. “You hit me in the right shoulder. My heart is on the left dummy.”

Emma snorts again which erupts into loud laughter when Alex glares at her. “Great shooting Alex!”

“Which means… Sneak attack!” Kara yells while pulling Emma onto the floor and starts tickling her.

“Nooo!!” Emma screams with laughter and tries to get out of her sister’s grip. “Please! Stop! Argh! Alex! Help!”

The redhead watches the pair with amusement before stepping in. “I’ll help you!” Alex yells theatrically. But instead of aiding Emma she joins in with Kara.

“Traitor!” Emma gasps out. “You’re… My sister!”

“And? Maybe I purposefully aimed for Kara’s right shoulder to take down the real villain!”

“Dun dun dunnnnn!” Kara laughs out as she continues ticking the thrashing blonde.

“Please stop! I’m gonna pee!” Tears of laughter stream down Emma’s face and the sisters finally stop their attack.

Alex smirks at her baby sister as Emma wipes the tears from her face, the redhead then looks up at the sky. “It’s getting late, we better head back.” She stands to her feet and holds out her hands for her sisters to take, helping Kara and Emma stand. The sister’s turn towards home and walk together in unison, laughing and joking together. Ready to take on the world.

-- -- --

Present day Emma stares out of the DEO window while plucking at her guitar while her mind wanders through her memories with her sisters. Though she can’t really remember the time before Kara came. To her Kara has always been there.

Slowly her mind starts to filter through the session she had with Alistair. They had worked on her fuzzy memories of the attack. How they are slowly coming back into focus but seemingly her brain was protecting her by blocking most of it out. Emma had projected the hurtful words spoken by her sisters that Emma does remember. That a part of her believes making her insecurities bubble up to the surface.

Lily, Alistair’s white german shepherd, had almost instantly jumped up on Emma’s bed and placed her head in Emma’s lap. Staying there throughout the session. Helping to ground Emma and when she got emotional or experienced a flashback, Lily had been a comforting presence.

A noise by Emma’s open door draws her attention away from the window. Standing in the hall was a transfixed Winn with Brainy and Nia behind him.

Emma smirks and waves at the trio. Stopping the music seemingly snaps them out of their trance.

“Hi Em.” Winn smiles brightly as he approaches one of the chairs around Emma’s bed. Emma returns his smile but it is more subdued. “You okay?” He frowns at the blonde, noticing her lack of a smile. He places the food container on the tray table by Emma and she nods while pulling the table closer to her. Her smile brightens slightly when she sees the sausages, vegetables and mash potato.

“Doctor Hamilton said you can start trying some form of solid foods and as I know you like that British restaurant down the road we thought lunch could be a bit more international.”

‘So the Tai food the other day wasn’t international enough for you?’ Emma wants to say but doesn’t write it down. Instead letting out a breathy snort as she starts cutting into the food.

“Oh yea Doc also said to cut it up real small. Chew lots before swallowing” Winn lists off the instructions Doctor Hamilton had told him while opening his container. Watching as Emma nods in response. “Enjoy your bangers and mash!”

Emma lets out a breathy laugh, remembering the weird names the Brits call their food. ‘Spotted Dick’ being her favourite by far. Not believing they would call a fruit, sponge dessert by that name, but had been proved wrong when the amused waiter brought the pudding out for Emma to try. Despite the very off putting name, Emma thoroughly enjoyed it. Almost having to fight off her bandmates to eat all of it in peace.

“Have you been to the UK Winn?” Nia asks, filling the silence.

“Yea I have. Both future and present.”

Emma lifts an eyebrow in response. Wondering what life is like in the future and being frustrated that Winn was keeping so tight lipped about it all.

“Awesome! I haven’t yet but it’s on my bucket list.” Nia replies enthusiastically, a longing look fills her eyes.

“Did you know the British public consume over sixty billion cups of tea a year. Around 100 million each day.” Brainy chimes into the conversation, causing Nia and Winn to gape at him about the statistic.

Emma continues to listen to her friends talking. Wishing she could join in and tell them about her time in the UK. But also being aware of how painfully slow conversation flows when she has to write everything down.

Sighing deeply Emma shoves more food in her mouth. Thankful that Winn chose something she enjoys. To be fair Emma likes anything. Other than Marmite… A disgusting yeast spread that half of Brits like. One of her stage managers in the UK dared Emma to try it. Making the blonde gag and causing her to drink loads of water to get rid of the horrible taste in her mouth.

“Emma?” Nia calls out, breaking Emma’s train of thought. “You’ve been to the UK many times right?” Emma nods. “Have you seen the Queen?” Emma nods again.

“What when?” Winn asks with a mouthful of food and his eyebrows almost up to his hairline.

Emma quietly sighs and grabs her notebook, keenly aware of the silence in the room as she writes.

‘The Royal Variety Performance.’

“Ah yea!” Nia smiles remembering the video she found on youtube after Kara first told her about Emma. She had been transfixed by Axis’ music and Emma’s performance. Singing a powerful ballad that moved the brunette to tears. Nia had spent hours upon hours going through Axis’ social media and debated about whether to send Emma a friend request. The brunette had squealed loudly when Emma had accepted and immediately messaged her,

A knock stops Nia from asking more questions as Emma looks over to see Lucy standing awkwardly by the door. Emma can’t help but shift uncomfortably in the bed, hoping Lucy has calmed down from earlier this morning.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to yell at you.” Lucy says as if she has read Emma’s mind. “May I come in?”

Emma nods before turning back to her meal. Though she feels like she has lost her appetite.

Lucy glances at the three friends who give her looks of encouragement as she cautiously approaches Emma’s bed, watching the blonde push her food around.

“Can I sit here?” Lucy points to the end of the bed and Emma nods without looking up at her. Lucy lowers onto the bed and takes a deep breath. “So, I’m sorry about earlier. I overreacted when I found out you were missing and you are like a sister to me and I got so scared-” Lucy lifts a hand to her head trying to find the words to how terrified she had felt when Emma wasn’t in her room or in the building. She immediately rushed down to the cells but when there was no sign of Emma anywhere the brunette really panicked.

A hand grasps her knee and Lucy’s green eyes snap up to Emma’s. “Sorry.” Lucy breathes out and Emma gives her a timid smile. “So, we also need to discuss the next steps. Mainly the timeline of your recovery because we cannot disclose the Phoenix serum.”

Emma nods and leans back against the bed.

“How long would this timeline be?” Winn asks with a frown.

“We are trying to not make it overly long. Doctor Hamilton did say wounds like Emma’s would have taken at least 3 months to heal fully and she’d be bed bound for a while.”

“But Emma isn’t bed bound.” Nia blinks in confusion. “Would Emma need to stay here?”

“Or in her apartment.” Lucy looks at the blonde mournfully, who deeply swallows in response. Not liking the sound of that at all. Not feeling at all ready to go back to the apartment. Even after J’onn had told her a crew had made it good as new, with no evidence of the incident.

“There would be a huge media frenzy if any photos come out of you like this. The world thinks you can barely open your eyes and hardly move due to the amount of broken bones you have.”

Alarm fills Emma and she quickly grabs her notebook to write.

‘Robyn?!’

“Ah yea. I had her sign a NDA.” Lucy rolls her eyes. “She was annoyingly persistent. I thought you hated each other?” Emma shakes her head and lets out a breathy chuckle. “Jack isn’t far behind, though I’m trying to hold him off for as long as possible.”

Relief starts to filter in and Emma nods before starting to write again. She bites the inside of her lip at the thought of returning back to her apartment. Not sure she’s ready or even wants to go back there.

‘How do you propose we move forward?’ She holds the pad up and watches her friend’s face as she reads.

Lucy hesitates slightly before unlocking her tablet to bring up the timeline. “We will need to stage photos and videos showing your recovery and release them at the right time.” Lucy looks down at her notes. “We do have some already but I’d be happier if we do more.”

Emma glumly sighs causing Lucy to glance back up at her.

“I’m sorry Em but we need to do this to keep the media off our backs. J’onn and I had hoped it would have died down but everyone is still up in arms about what happened.”

Emma’s expression morphs into one of shock and disbelief. She quickly writes one word before showing the lawyer.

‘Why?’

“Because those that listen to your music feel a powerful connection towards you. Even though they have not met you or know you personally.” Brainy explains simply.

“And the attack has brought your music to the attention of more people.” Winn points out.

“Tell me about it.” Lucy says exasperatedly and runs a hand through her hair. “I had a three hour debate with your record label as they want to release the work you’ve done on your new album. Even the covers you’ve been sending Lena.”

Emma immediately shakes her head quickly at the idea. Causing a ringing in her ears.

“Yea I told them they can shove it.” Lucy agrees and quickly takes a piece of sausage from Emma’s container. Almost getting her hand stabbed from Emma’s fork.

Emma playfully glares at the brunette and Lucy sticks her tongue out before popping the meat into her mouth. Emma shakes her head and starts writing.

‘So I will be under house arrest?’

“I’m afraid so.” Lucy says softly, causing Emma’s shoulders to slump and her expression becomes sullen.

“I may be able to help with that.” Winn pipes up, causing Emma and Lucy to stare at him. “I, with Brainy and Lena’s help, could develop a face modifier. That way Emma can move around freely and not disrupt the timeline.”

“That could work.” Lucy squints her eyes as she considers the idea.

“May help Alex and Kara to know Emma is moving around too. I’ve never seen them so broken, I mean poor Alex, you would have thought Kelly would have stood by her and not run away-” Nia comments passionately and Emma freezes.

Horror fills Emma's whole body. She remembers Alex telling her the morning before the attack that she and Kelly were having problems but Emma never imagined Kelly would leave Alex like this. Especially with what her sister is going through.

Immediately Emma leaps out of bed and sprints to the door. She needs to see her sisters. Her heart aches knowing they are both in pain. That they are broken.

“Emma?!” Her friends yells fill the hallway as they chase after her. Agents seemingly appear ahead of her but the blonde easily sidesteps them. Using the training Alex had taught her in self defence.

As soon as she reaches the end of the corridor the blonde slides into the wall and repeatedly slams her hand on the elevator button. When it becomes obvious the doors won’t open quick enough she dashes towards the door to the stairs. Her determination gives her tunnel vision and she ignores those around her.

Until someone leaps on her back.

“Emma stop!” Lucy yells as she clings to Emma, wrapping her arms and legs around the blonde. Halting Emma from leaving the floor. “I’m sorry but they aren’t ready to see you. I’m so sorry.”

Emma tries to get Lucy off her back but the brunette has too good a grip. The blonde heaves in heavy breaths and her face scrunches up as she starts to silently cry. She longs to hold her sisters. To reassure them they are okay.

A ping announces an elevator has arrived. Emma turns her head to gaze longingly at it but feels Lucy’s grip tighten around her chest.

“Emma please.”

The blonde watches mournfully as the doors close.

When it becomes apparent that Emma won’t be running down to the cells Lucy slides off her back.

The brunette sadly looks at the tears streaming down her friend’s face. Placing a gentle hand on Emma’s shoulder Lucy guides her back to the room.

“Emma.” Nia squeaks out with wide eyes as she walks with the pair. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think-”

The blonde reaches out and squeezes Nia’s hand. Giving her a barely there smile which Nia returns with an encouraging one of her own.

Emma re-enters the room and sits heavily on her bed. Staring out of the window.

“Em?” Winn asks softly, causing Emma to slightly move her head and focus on him. “Are you gonna finish that?” Winn points at the half eaten food.

Emma shakes her head before turning back to the window. She ignores the yelp of pain from Winn when Lucy slaps his arm as he reaches out for the discarded food. Purposefully tuning out the conversation in the room.

Instead, focusing on the world outside of the DEO. The airplanes that zoom across the sky, the birds that flutter past the window and settle on the sill. The traffic down an avenue she can see. Anything to try and keep her mind from acknowledging the pain she’s feeling. The thoughts that are screaming in her mind about her sisters.

“-ma?” Winn’s voice breaks through as she recognises he’s calling out to her. Slowly she turns to look at him. “We’re going back to work. I- er- left your food.”

Emma looks down at the tray and sees that Winn hasn’t touched it. She nods and lifts the right corner of her mouth slightly to show her appreciation.

Emma eyes flick to Nia as she cautiously approaches her. “Can I give you a hug?” Emma nods and opens her arms. Nia immediately dives into them. “Message me if you need me.” Emma nods again and squeezes the superhero. When Nia steps back Winn is already there with his arms open, waiting for a hug. Making Emma voicelessly snort.

“Ah come on!” Winn whines and Emma motions for him to hug her. He does immediately and Emma can’t help but feel more of her anxiety melt away. “If you need anything just give a shout.” Winn says as he pulls away. Emma raises an eyebrow at him and can’t help but smile at the look of horror that comes across his face. Especially when Brainy, Nia and Lucy lower their heads into their hands. “Em. I’m so sorry I-”

Emma immediately lifts a hand to his lips, silencing him. Thankfully he complies, instead gaping at her like a goldfish.

“See you later Emma.” Brainy nods at her before quickly leaving the room, already analysing his tablet at ideas for a face modifier. Nia forcefully grabs Winn’s hand and pulls him out with her.

“I can stay if you want me to?” Lucy asks as she hovers by the bed and massages her shoulder.

Emma is tempted to shake her head but instead she nods. Not wanting to be alone right now.

“Okay great!” Lucy beams at her. “Do you want to do anything? I mean I have work I can be doing but I can watch a film with you or we could play a card game? Chess?”

Emma looks over at the chessboard on the coffee table by the sofa. Lena had brought it in to give Emma something else to do. But the board is currently being taken up by an intense game the girlfriends were playing. Emma reaches for her notebook and writes a response.

‘Lena will immediately say she’s won if we mess the board up.’

“Ah! We can’t have that!” Lucy jokes and sits on the end of Emma’s bed. Her expression becomes sombre as she studies the blonde closely and Emma stares right back. “Are you okay?”

Emma looks between Lucy’s questioning green eyes and slowly shakes her head.

Lucy reaches out and gently holds Emma’s hand. “I’m here if you want to discuss it.”

Emma’s eyes start to glisten with tears and she wipes at them in exasperation.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Lucy grabs Emma’s hand to halt her rubbing. “It’s okay to cry. God knows I’m done my fair share recently.”

Emma tilts her head and frowns slightly.

“What?” Lucy mirrors Emma’s expression. The blonde lets go of Lucy’s hand and starts writing.

‘What do you mean?’

“About what?” Lucy asks, confusion written across her face.

‘What have you been crying about?’

“About you! And Alex and Kara! This whole shit show!” Lucy says bitterly and watches Emma move her pen to paper. “And don’t even think about writing that you are not worth my tears cause you fucking are!”

Emma eyes’s snap up to Lucy’s and her mouth drops open. She was going to write exactly that.

“I’m right aren’t I?”

Emma shuts her mouth and shakes her head.

“Bull.” Lucy narrows her eyes. “Have you forgotten I am a lawyer? And a damn good one at that?”

Emma smiles sadly and looks down to write. ‘Yea you are. Frustratingly so.’

“Unless I’m the one defending you right?” Lucy raises an eyebrow and Emma nods, her smile turning more genuine. “So, do you wanna write about it? You don’t have to, I just-” Lucy hesitates, sighing deeply as she chooses her words. “I worry about you and I wish I could make everything better.”

‘I know.’

“You totally wrote that with Han Solo in mind didn’t you?”

Emma lets out a breathy snort and Lucy laughs loudly.

“You're such a nerd.” Lucy teases and Emma just shrugs. But her smile fades and the blonde gazes down at the paper as she thinks about her sisters. “Em?”

Emma takes a breath and starts writing. Lucy watches her and the expressions Emma makes as she scribbles her thoughts down. In these moments Lucy really misses Emma’s voice and her anger bubbles up at whoever did this to her friend. But before Lucy’s anger simmers up anymore Emma turns the notepad around.

‘I just feel so helpless. We’ve always done everything together and I’m happy they have each other but I want to be there with them. Dad always joked we were like a three legged stool. When one of us wasn’t at home we almost couldn’t function. I get what you are saying that they aren’t ready to see me... But I just miss them so much.’

“Aw Em.” Lucy says sympathetically after she reads. Her eyes flick back up to Emma’s. “It will get better. I know that doesn’t help right now. But, it will.”

Emma nods and leans back against the bed.

“So, what do you want to do?”

‘Okay if I paint?’

“Of course it is! I’ll just work here on my tablet.” Lucy smiles reassuringly at Emma and hops off the bed. She pauses and turns back around to Emma. “Hug?”

Emma smiles and opens her arms. Lucy wraps her arms around the blonde and tries to convey how much she cares for her in it.

After Lucy sits in a chair to work she can’t help but watch how Emma morphs into her creative mode. How the blonde focuses solely on what she’s doing with her paint brush. The way Emma’s eyes squint and her tongue slightly pokes out to the side.

Lucy smiles and tries to concentrate on her own work. Leaving the pair in peaceful silence.

-- -- --

Many hours later there is a knock on the door. Lucy glances up as Lena and Sam enter the room.

“Hi!” Lucy greets the friends happily and turns to look at Emma. The blonde is still so busy with what she’s doing she hasn’t noticed the new arrivals.

It’s only when Emma cleans her brushes, happy with what she’s done, does she sense Lena’s presence in the room. She quickly looks up towards the sofa where Lena, Sam and Lucy are sitting. Seemingly halting their conversation as the trio notice Emma’s focus on them. Lena can’t help but greet her girlfriend with a beaming smile.

“Hi love.” Lena says while standing and approaches the blonde. Emma waves at her but gives her a questioning look. “I didn’t want to disturb you.” Lena gracefully sits on the bed next to Emma and softly kisses the blonde’s lips. “You were so engrossed in what you were doing.”

“Sorry.”

“No don’t be! I’m glad you are painting.” Lena smiles reassuringly at her girlfriend. Her smiles then morphs into a shy one. “I- er- got you something.”

Emma tilts her head and her eyes bulge when Lena lifts a huge bouquet of flowers up. Having not noticed them when the raven haired beauty walked in or when she came over to the bed.

“Wow!” Emma signs and she reaches out to touch a red rose. Feeling the softness of the petal and admiring the colour.

“The florist told me the roses mean love, obviously. The baby breath is everlasting love. The-” Lena pauses as she tries to remember the meaning of the other flowers. Emma starts kissing her cheek making Lena beam and lean into them. “Em! I’m trying to think!” Emma pulls away and rests her chin on Lena’s shoulder. “So, the daisies are my love is pure and the tulips all have different meanings, the red being eternal love, the orange desire and passion, yellow happiness and sunshine and the cream tulips-” Lena gently moves her girlfriend’s head so she can gaze deeply into Emma’s slightly bloodshot eyes. “I will love you forever.”

She watches as Emma melts and her eyes glisten with tears. The blonde tilts her head and slowly leans towards her girlfriend. Lena copies her and they gently kiss but before they can deepen it further and noise fills the room.

“Blurgh!” Lucy yells out, pretending to heave. Emma furiously pulls away and flips her off. Glaring at the brunette before turning back to her girlfriend.

“Thank you. I love them.”

“I’m glad.” Lena smirks at the blonde and Emma carefully places the bouquet on the tray table. Making sure not to knock any of the other stuff on there. “So, how's your head?”

“Haven’t had any complaints yet.” Emma signs cheekily and Lena roars with laughter.

“What did she say?” Sam looks between the two girlfriends, wanting to know why Lena reacted the way she did.

“Haven’t had any complaints yet.” Lena responds while continuing to laugh, causing the two brunettes to join in with her and Emma just smiles happily at them as she snuggles into her girlfriend.

(Part Twenty One)

[life-rewritten]

1000 Stars Ep 1-6; Tian and the Consequences of past mistakes.

This has been long coming. I’ve just been very weirdly conflicted with writing about this show because I tend to find speaking about it for hours more appropriate. But because I didn’t have time to create a video focused on this topic, I decided to write it out the way I know how. First of all this has been just an insane experience, this show is... well how  can I describe it?  It’s incredible, and not like the oh this is really good incredible, I mean like it’s mind blowing how outstanding this show is, the fact that this show is the first Thai bl show of 2021 that was original is blowing my freaking mind, it’s put a standard to everything else, it’s standard is excellence, there is no mistake, no errors, no issues with this show unless you’re someone who loves to find something wrong about something. This  show is so inspirational, representative, deep, and important in this genre. First of all it’s a unique type of storyline, it has meta everywhere, it’s incredibly filled with dimensional characters that are so human and real and make mistakes but learn and grow, and it has an incredible realistic love story brewing. Like what else can you say about this show? The cinematography? Excellent. The directing. Even more great. The acting; So incredible. Everyone who has joined to make this show mean something, mean something to me. Because this show is now my hiding place, an escape from the realities of the world, and the grim aspects of life, a show that makes me learn about the value of life, the importance of love, and just the inspiration of finding meaning to who you are and why you should be here. This show is so incredibly written and planned with so much effort, direction and energy. If GMMTV can keep on with this energy with all their other BLS this year is going to the biggest, greatest breakthrough for this genre. This show makes my Fridays. And I wanted to first start with that because it’s hard to write thoughts about this show, because there’s so much to flesh out and explain, every scene, every dialogue, every thing means something to the overall story brewing, to the subtext hidden, to the themes and messages the show is trying to teach. Everything can be explained. And I think that’s so incredible.

 So what do we have in this essay then, we have a focus on Tian, and his actions from Ep 1-6, it’s incredible how our little sunshine is finally going through self discovery and finding who he’s meant to be, also it’s just amazing to see him find his soulmate through all of this; who just means so much to him and influences all of his greatest things in life. However this show toes between the line of a really sweet love story, with some humour, some laughter, some cheesiness and flirts but also a darker, sadder and realistic portrayal of some issues in the world, and also some parts of the human psyche that represents or relates to us in some way. Whether this show is about how easily depression can make us fall into this well of self hate, and self destruction, or make us forget the value of the people around us and the value of even our selves, or this show is a message and warning to consequences of recklessness, corruption and selfishness, this show has so much to say and show whilst still presenting it in a format that’s a BL; that’s still hopeful and beautiful and sweet. And how Backaof has gone and done this is incredible to me. This essay is going to be breaking down each of the hints and clues that point to the serious aspects of the show, what are we to expect? Why is this a repeated theme in the show, what does it mean for our characters, what does it mean for us? So Let’s break down the foreshadowings and clues to  the plot twists in the show that’s upcoming and how Backaof has laid a very meta plan for each of these clues to take place.

 Tian and The Consequences of The Past

Mostly episode 5 really is the episode where these clues are hidden in subtext. So much is troubling immediately we begin the episode. We start of with a realisation that we’re being bamboozled, the show is hiding information from us, it’s twisting our perspectives on certain storylines and there’s still truths that we need to unveil to piece together. The most important connection of this story is the demise and removal of Torfun. In fact her accident is the catalyst that causes this story to begin, she’s a guide to Tian to lead him to this new renewal of life, and purpose but also she’s the family and friend to many people who have been touched by her presence, she’s also the person connected to our love interest. In so many ways her demise means a lot to the plot of the story. And it’s shocking to think that there could be more to it. It’s not just this plot that is a convenience to the story, it means more, it’s connected to every single thread of the plot, connected to the love story brewing, because it’s her heart that’s being confused at first with Tian’s feelings, it’s her presence that’s being emphasised on with Tian’s guilt of replacing her, it’s her words that’s being valued by Tian to want to be better and do more for himself, but it’s her mystery that keeps us all on edge including Tian who is slowly unveiling memories that he doesn’t want to accept. It seems like deep down Tian knows something is of about Torfun’s accident, it’s like he can’t rest, he can’t help shake when he questions his flashbacks, his memories, there’s this desperate need for him to attempt to make it up to her, to ensure she’s happy and rested with her wishes coming through, it’s such a desperate need it drives him to self sacrificial methods, he completely leaves his own needs and care for her goal to be realised. 

And it is sweet but Tian is also someone who is incredibly hurt, and destructive, he’s been so pushed into this mindset of thinking he’s not worth it, his life is not worth it, his presence is not worth it. For so long he has been shackled by the idea of deth (wrong spelling on purpose) following him all around, one day he was meant to leave the world, unexpectedly, no hopes, no dreams, no freedom from this and so he became numb to this premise of life, of value, of self care. Tian is incredibly reckless and self destructive because he lost the meaning of why he should be self protective and self loving. And it breaks my heart everytime we have to relive or even remember his state of mind in the past episodes from 1-4. Now this begins to change once he settles and realises he has meaning, and he’s needed and he’s worthy. It starts to change when he realises he wants to be protected by the man he loves, it starts to change when he’s found something to protect, his new family, friends and lover. It starts to change when he also wants to make a difference and be of importance. So Tian is finally going through this self discovery of Purpose, Love and Happiness, which are all connected to this meaning of life, that he wanted to uncover when he read Torfun’s diary at first. But as much as he is on this path, he still has remnants of his mistakes and his past mindsets that prevent him from moving forward, it eats him up with guilt, it paralyses him with fear that one day he could lose it all, but also it makes him run into the claws of danger and deth time and time again. So Episode 5 really is a map of all the dangers that Tian has to get through, connected to his own faults, flaws and development needed to be unpacked to get to his destiny/fate with Pupha. These worries and foreshadowings show a grueling yet important journey to overcome, he needs to overcome his self doubt, his self hate, his numbness to life and his guilt and shame of the past. So Let’s analyse and break down these clues.

Consequences of Recklessness

Episode 5 starts with immediately a shift, it’s a plot twist to see that Tian didn’t faint. It’s odd for me to be watching this scene in the beginning and screaming Faint please faint, why isn’t he fainting. Immediately he stands up assures Tul he’ll be okay and then proceeds to discuss about his car as his baby and pride, you know it’s a problem. The emphasis of Tul feeling uneasy brings up this worry that Tian is about to attract trouble through his lack of care for himself, and his lack of value for others and things connected to him. This is the moment we’re hit with the wave of realisation that Tian may have to deal with the consequences of his recklessness, and that means that this event is connected to the source of everything the one thing we still have questions about; Torfun and her accident. And it’s a terrifying lesson don’t get me wrong, but it’s like Tian to be reckless, he’s reckless about everything, his life, his heart, his self, he’s just constantly putting himself at risk. 

Immediately he opens his mouth and pushes for an illegal car race, we know there’s going to be consequences, this is connected to how powerful he is, (they can close the road and cover up the truth), this is connected to how corrupted his background is as we’ve seen in episode 1, how little they value others for themselves, it’s connected to the ease and way he can be privileged and thrive of chaos and get unscathed whilst people like Torfun end up victims used and forgotten. Now I’m not saying Tian is the actual person who took Torfun’s life, although he does end up in possession of her heart, he doesn’t drive and I do believe he wasn’t the one in the car, maybe in the passenger seat next to the driver, or maybe hitting another car from behind that ran into her, or Tul managing to get him out of that situation before he could be the one who caused it. But it’s still his words, his actions that lead to this accident, and that’s a terrifying fact both he and the audience has to deal with.  And this is connected of the value of life and people and how this can be lost with recklessness, and corruption  and selfishness. 

Consequences of Evasion of the Truth

Tian literally had to evade and run away from this world to go to the village to find the real meaning but it doesn’t erase his past, he has to deal with that, and I do think he will think he’s the one who is the person at fault mostly because he’s starting to get flashbacks of that event, he knows he’s hiding a secret and It’s more than just the fact that Torfun gave him his heart, it’s because deep down he’s scared he was involved in that in a different way. And this leads to Pupha and his secrets, the way he was actively trying to conceal the truth in episode 5, because of his fear of losing it all, and hurting the person he loves. The fact he’s hiding secrets means that those secrets will come to light and we do see an example of this a bit less painful when Longtae stumbles on Torfun’s diary, this is still going to be happening because Pupha still needs to know the truth and the way Tian has covered up the secrets and truth for so long means there’s consequences to hiding the truth. 

This is also another theme of the show, connected to the fact that Torfun’s accident is being covered up as just that, connected to the fact that maybe Tian’s father and mother tried so hard to evade the truth and move on and pretend nothing happened, by selling the car and forcing Tian to not think about looking for her. That’s why it’s worrying because the parents are obstacles and in my opinion are also one of the hints episode 5 leaves for us the audience to notice. Already it’s uncommon to hear that Tian’s mum isn’t as worried about him in the village, when her love for him in episode 1 is suffocating and protective, she won’t be okay with his choice to be reckless, to push his heart, to come to a place with distance, and so it’s a red flag.

Consequences of Corruption and Power

It’s a warning, his parents are connected to a plot twist, they’re going to be an obstacle because they represent right now Corruption and Power. And the consequences of corruption and power removing the value of life is also shown in episode 6 when we see our villain Sakda. In fact it’s because Tian tries to evade Corruption that we see the value of all the villagers earnings, work, life, burn so cruelly at the end. Sakda’s cruelty has no bounds, he doesn’t take the people seriously; he sees them as liabilities, obstacles, unimportant, he doesn’t value them just like Torfun was also unvalued by her aunt because of money/recklessness and also probably by Tian’s family because of corruption and power. It’s all about the darkness of privilege; the very lesson Tian is learning about and also growing away from. Episode 1 shows the stain of corruption in Tian’s life, how it suffocates him and makes him feel unsafe and unhappy in his own home, how it shrouds him in the dark compared to Torfun who found light in Pu Phan Dao. And that wine stain on his chest that carves the same length and shape as his scar is a reminder that he’s been stained and affected by that Corruption. And that’s why he tries to escape and start anew. But there are consequences and lessons of forgiveness he needs to learn, a way to relearn about his own meaning and value but also a way forgive himself and Torfun to find peace with the truth unfolded. Okay so a bit dark but this is a theme, the way corruption and the rich and power don’t care about the value of life, even in Pu Phan dao, Phupha is tagged with protecting the home, the trees, the forest because they have value, but the rich come and poach and cut down the source for the people, they misuse and scam the people because they don’t know or treat what they do as valuable. That’s why Tian as he learns about value finds a way to help the villagers regain the value of their tea leaves and more, he adds innovation and a creativity to everything to make the villagers be strong enough to know their worth and yet the rich and the corrupt manage to burn it all down in episode 6. The theme is recurring; the question is how do we come out of it with forgiveness, peace and understanding.

 Consequences of Carelessness

I can talk about this theme and the value of life linked to this show for ever. But there’s more shown in episode 6 that hints at the worrying obstacles we still have to face. There’s Social media mentioned, Tian repeatedly warns Tul to not take a photo of him, he lies to Nam about his facebook and he finds Torfun through facebook in episode 1. He’s so desperate to hide his past and his truth that maybe that’s how some of the truth will be unveiled. Social media can be easily tracked if a person has it out for him, but also Tul takes a picture with him that holds such a warning to it, it just seems important to notice as well. Because it could be Sakda who unveils it but he’s also connected to so much more. 

His power also puts Phupha at risk, because Phupha is the one tasked with preventing these type of influences hurting the village. Phupha’s job requires his life to be at risk for the value of others, the people he deems family, and the place he deems home so his job is going to also lead to him being at odds with Sakda and his minions. Especially since we have seen how violent they can get, and in episode 1 we are shown a bunch of people who are currently a danger to the forest with one escaping and boss connected to them. That’s Sakda. So if Phupha has to stop Sakda his life may be in danger as he risks it for the village but also mostly Tian who is the target of them now. 

Again that’s the consequences of Tian’s recklessness because even though it was good for him to defend the village and do what’s right, he was warned repeatedly what it could bring. And it brings Phupha’s life in danger. Especially the foreshadowing with him running in episode 6 to bring out a symbol of Phupha’s presence in his life. His actions have unfortunately led to the endangerment of the one person he wants to protect more than himself. The one person who truly shows him the value of life. That’s why episode 5 jokinly repeats also warningly that Tian is a trouble magnet, it’s a joke because it seems him being reckless and attracted to trouble is not important because with his status and privilege he can come out unscathed, however it can lead to catalysts of drama and more pain in the future. Hence again the consequence of recklessness. Tian acts before he thinks, it’s a good and bad quality, first it leads to him being brave, being determined, being creative with how he tackles solutions, it comes to him immediately at the same time packed with his self destructive mindset, at times it leads to him causing trouble and harm. This is why I say another theme to his self acceptance journey is forgiveness this is not just him learning about the best things in life, it’s also about him embracing the mistakes of his past. Because it’s only if he learns, will he become his best self, the one that loves everything about himself, and the one that can move forward and heal past scars. Also because I’m sure people are like what about Torfun our victim essentially, I think Torfun is definitely making Tian also feel this uneasiness and determination to unfold the truth for peace, she gives him permission in the episode 1 for him to take over her heart, to take care of Pupha but probably also to take care of the village. I think she’s at peace but you know we’ll see if the show mentions her again in a different manner.

Consequences of Insecurity

But this brings us to the next obstacle mentioned in Episode 5: Torfun vs Tian. Head vs Heart. Especially also connected to Phupha. From episode 3-6, Pupha and Tian have given their hearts to each other, in subtext it’s really obvious they both know how they feel however it’s always distracted by insecurities, logic, and questions in their minds. There’s a lot in their heads they have to deal with that makes it hard for them to confess. Although Tian is basically still willing to fight over those thoughts and choose him and show him he’s open. This is why I don’t think Tian fully thinks it’s him behind Torfun’s incident, mostly because if he truly thought he was behind the car he won’t let Phupha near him. He won’t forgive himself to even let love in. So I think he has inklings something is not right but he pushes down and isn’t fully aware of what happened that night. But apart from those worries, there’s more things he and Pupha deal with that is hinted in episode 5 and we see is preventing both of them  just coming out and saying what they feel.

The things in Pupha’s head vs heart

The first worry which he kind of removes in episode 6 is distance. Phupha says it in episode 5, he doesn’t want to be the reason for why Tian stays in the village and not return back for his degree in college. He doesn’t want to hold Tian back though he’s worried that him returning means he won’t come back to the village. Infact Tian returning home has been Pupha’s biggest fear since he first met him, it’s why he teased him harshly each time he saw him pre ep 3, because he didn’t want him to leave so he always angered him and tested to see how determined he wanted to stay. Because of this looming distance/long distance relationship that could occur in the future, Pupha shies away with his other insecurities and prevents himself from confessing rather keeping their relationship in this unknown stage than facing the reality of what they are. He doesn’t want to get in the way of Tian’s potential, it’s obvious Tian is finding Purpose in the village as a teacher and helper but for Pupha where people of the village dream of going to the city to get their dreams, and live a better comfortable life it’s better for Tian who’s frail, and smart to go back and unveil his potential by staying in college for however long he has to.

 But also Pupha notices Tian is secretive. This is why although it seems Tian is open to him and obviously flirting and hinting at a way to elevate their status, Pupha shies away because he has insecurities, one he still doesn’t trust how Tian sees him, there’s this idea of him being different to Tian because of age, personality, and maybe even sexuality, and he worries about all of that, what if Tian is more matched with others his age, and finds more happiness and comfort with people who speak like him and act like him, what if Tian hates strict and moody people, what if Tian isn’t queer? These are the insecurities he battles with in his head even though his heart thinks Tian may reciprocate.

The things in Tian’s head vs heart

And we know the big one for Tian is Torfun. She’s Pupha’s prized, valuable connection, someone who really meant the world to him, someone he and the village is struggling to let go of. Tian feels like an impostor holding her heart, it fills him with guilt, shame, worry about him not being worthy enough to replace her, but also to help them deal with her demise. And For Pupha especially who doesn’t have a lot of family members; who cherishes every single thing as like the most important valuable thing, he doesn’t want him to be hurt with that realisation. He doesn’t want him to compare Tian with Torfun, he doesn’t want to always see the hurt in his eyes when he looks at Tian and misses her.  

It’s also the fact he’s been lying for so long, and so that worries him even more as days go by, because he lied (as his subconscious of Pupha told him in the dream In episode 4) it makes it worse, he should have just told them immediately to take away the betrayal and the hurt. So this is all also in his head. Before he accepted his sexuality he also questioned if it was her who loved Pupha not him. Because sometimes people say things to him that makes him feel again like she’s there controlling him, or changing him to become like her etc. It’s hard for him to not think there might be a chance he likes Pupha because it’s her not him. However the most important one is the guilt of holding her heart, of basically stealing her life, he basically took the guy she loves, the job she loves, the place she loves and replaced her. So he’s not really particularly comfortable with that truth; in fact this is the reason why he’s desperate to make her wish her come through to give her some sort of validation and make her still have meaning. To also ask for her forgiveness for being the one who took her heart. That’s why I think if he’s any way close to her demise as in the accident the guilt and determination to run to the cliff and just beg her for forgiveness is even more desperate and intense. That’s what I’m dreading. Because the journey to the cliff isn’t an easy one, and if Tian desperate and reckless runs away to go make it happen what happens to his already overworked heart?

Consequences of Deth

And that’s the last thing we really have to overcome in the show, the closeness and link to deth both our characters have, like it’s insane, Phupha’s life is constantly in danger, and episode 5 reminds us of the violence of people like Sakda he has to face. Meanwhile Tian is just close to it because of a chance of his rejection, luckily episode 6 reintroduces his medicine and now Nam knows the truth, his heart may finally be taken care of well, but there’s still a chance that he’s pushed it too far, there’s still a connection to his numbness of life, and his self destructive way he sees himself when he’s filled with guilt and pain. So there’s still this tangle with this, which is worrying as we saw in episode 5, his heart is pushed so many times over the limit and in episode 6 even more when he runs into the fire forgoing his own safety yet again. So that is important to note. However I think this is just probably going to be more of a warning for Pupha though Tian’s life is also endangered by Sakda since he’s a target so it’s both, they’re both again in danger of sacrificing themselves to help the other. This doesn’t mean a sad ending I don’t even worry about that, but it’s an obstacle, it’s a consequence of the themes of the show, and another lesson for Tian to learn and grow from.

The themes of Identity, Self love, Purpose and Renewal of the meaning of life all are lessons that Mr Tian needs to learn as he discovers himself through the show. However Tian’s past doesn’t just disappear as we see mechanisms and mindsets constructed from his past environment, situations and hurts can show up as consequences, but this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world for our couple, in fact it’s opposite, it’s a healing message of embracing your past and healing your scars, and becoming a better person knowing you’re still worth everything good despite your mistakes if you’re willing to grow and change. Knowing actions have consequences but you have a chance to learn from them and grow. It’s a self acceptance and self-forgiving journey, to embracing your fate and finding the meaning of life again. So yes in this show there’s a reason for why the characters act the way they do, there’s a reason why Tian constantly puts himself in harms way, a reason for why Pupha is the opposite and is strict and filled with order to prevent recklessness, to protect the value of people, life and more. Both Tian and Pupha come into each other’s lives to offer perspective, to help each other grow, with making Pupha embrace vulnerability and weakness of himself, and to make Tian embrace meaning of life and purpose and love; all the things he thought he had lost. So yeh Episode 5 was a rollercoaster, I kept on smiling but then worrying each time below the surface another clue popped up showing we still have a lot of obstacles to deal with. But if we don’t have these obstacles then these real life messages and call outs won’t matter, we need to see the price of privilege, we need to see the consequence of recklessness, the selfishness of corruption and how it can bring  harm to others, we need to know why it’s important to value your self, and know your truth, and fall in love, So we’ll be fine, this show is incredible already and it deals with everything well. No matter what theories we have Backaof has a full map for how everything ties together in his head, how Tian deals with his guilt, how he confronts his parents, how he chooses Pupha overall, we’ll see it all unfold. It’d be a journey, sometimes painful but we’ll come out smiling. Anyway here’s the analysis of the consequences and dangers in the show. Let’s discuss? What are your theories? How do you feel about the show? Let me know. Ciao.

[wouldduskwood]

Descendants of Despair Part 2

Duskwood - JakexMC fanfic part 2

Contains Swearing

I had just pulled my pants up when I heard a twig snap under a heavier foot than an animal would make. My instant reaction was to scamper up the tree I had been leaning on. I slid onto a thick branch and lay as quietly as I could, just as a faint smell of male body spray reached my nostrils. I took a breath in and waited. My phone buzzed and I hastily tried to mask the sound as I worked to free it again. I tried to cover the light as best as I could as I unlocked the phone and read the new message. “Where the hell are you? I am at your location.” A wave of relief washed over me as I realised how stupid I had been. Jake. I had known full well he had been on his way and could track my movements. 

I swung down from the branch I was on and landed in front of the hooded figure, wincing as pain twinged from the raw wound on my thigh. “Look, I can’t really explain why I am here but I can tell you I am safer here than there at the moment…” I began then paused. Jake’s still form was shrouded in the fading light of the darkening evening and his lack of visible reaction when I had appeared was unsettling. Analysing the form in front of me, I could see that he was taller than I was and well built. He could probably easily overpower me if it came to a struggle. The bright white of his mask gleamed out from under a black hood and the dull evening hid his eyes, preventing any view of his emotions. His pants and shoes were also black. My full assessment unnerved me. I liked to be in control and to have some form of interaction or sense of a person so I could judge what was happening.

With heightened nerves, I found myself backing away slightly. Jake appeared to notice and he put up his hands in apology. "Sorry, I just realized.. this is the first time I've seen you in person…I’ve never even seen a picture of you" his quiet yet strong voice was at odds with his intimidating appearance. “Likewise,” I replied. The darkened figure nodded in agreement. “Now what?” he asked softly. “Now, I think we need to be very real about the situation we are in.” I declared. I couldn’t afford to let emotions take control and Jake even less so. “What do you mean?” he asked quietly, his head lowered. “I mean, you are being tracked by some pretty powerful people and can’t afford to let your defenses down...and neither can I.” I sighed. “I have already taken too many stupid risks and now you are doing the same. I can’t let that happen.”

Jake’s head snapped back up as he considered what I had told him. “Spill it,” he murmured. I shrugged.

 “I made a series of stupid mistakes and got what I deserved from it. I won’t make the same mistakes again and things will be fine.”

 “No, I won’t accept that as a response. I told you who is after me, now it’s your turn.” Jake growled darkly. 

I stepped back and winced again as my thigh brushed the trunk of the tree. Jake sighed. “You don’t have to be scared of me. But tell me what is going on...you owe me that… and what the hell is wrong with your leg?” he asked. 

“I’m not scared of you...well not exactly..” I mumbled. “I’m finding you hard to read, that is unnerving. My leg...I grazed it in my escape” I admitted, owning up to half the truth. The forest seemed to close in around me. Despite knowing my way around a small portion of it, I felt trapped. Weighing up my options, I decided the best way out was to own up to at least a portion of the truth and hopefully make a getaway as soon as the conversation allowed. “Okay, there is a group of people after me because I have something of theirs. I can usually stay ahead of them but this time I was slack and didn’t move on as fast as I should have. They don’t tend to catch up with me. I guess you probably wonder why I don’t have social media, this is one of the reasons. One of them is a cop…” I admitted then cursed softly under my breath. “Sorry…” 

The figure shook his head. “Why are you apologising?” he asked.

 “I didn’t intend to let that much information slip. You have more pressing matters than I do. One cop is nothing compared to what you are facing.” He groaned.

 “What the fuck is the plan then?” Jake asked roughly. 

“The plan…” I paused as I refined the best option I had. “I move on from here. I can continue searching for Hannah but my phone will be dead for a while. You go back to your existence and get yourself safe. It is the only way we can ensure we don’t bring our own crap onto the other...right?” I asked hesitantly. It wasn’t a brilliant idea but if it meant keeping Jake safe, I had to take that risk. His pursuers were way smarter than mine, but I could pretty much guarantee mine were far more deadly.

Part 3

[kn1feinthec0ffee]

picking it apart - spencer reid

spencer reid x reader

warnings: fluffy fluff and like one? curse word 😌 also final destination spoilers if you haven’t seen it? do i need a spoiler alert for something that came out 20 years ago?? idk

word count: 859

notes: this is a little segment i like to call flora watches 3 seasons of a show and thinks she’s qualified to write something true to the character but she’s gonna write it anyways

********************

tonight was one of the rare nights spencer hadn’t been overworked into a nearly unconscious state, so you decided to make the most of it.

“wanna watch a movie?” you slid into his lap with a grin. you gave him a kiss, relishing in the deepness of it, but subtly using it as a tactic to get him to say yes to you.

he almost immediately gave in (of course) and got up to pop some popcorn. you were scrolling through the horror section on netflix, jumping when you heard his voice behind you. “you know, all these films have extremely vague titles that invoke the feeling that something’s wrong, therefore convincing the viewer to click on it to find out the relevance of the name.”

“thank you for the lesson in marketing, doctor,” you giggled. “now get your ass over here.” he took a seat and balanced the popcorn on both of your laps as you cuddled into his side. “hmmm, what are we feeling tonight?”

you continued to browse through your choices, finally deciding on one. “i think you’ll like this one, spence,” you muttered as you clicked on final destination. “there’s so much to analyse.”

  “i’ve analysed enough today, my brain is tired,” spencer whined, dropping his head onto your shoulder. 

you pouted at his statement. “aww, poor baby. this one should be perfect for you then, it’s pretty mindless.” you hit the play button, eager to get the movie started. 

the two of you laughed at some of the cliche teenager moments, but you could’ve predicted that when it came to the inciting incident, spencer would most assuredly have something to say. 

  “did you know 49% of all plane crashes are caused by pilot error? and that crashes are 95% survivable?” you turned to look at him, the orange from the flames on screen illuminating his features. 

  “no i did not,” you grinned. “but you’re gonna have to suspend disbelief if you want to enjoy these kinds of movies.”

the survivors of the plane crash lamented their loss as some new faces entered the room, two of them introducing themselves as fbi agents. “look, it’s you!” you nudged him playfully. 

  “wow, they definitely picked the coolest names to represent such a high profile government organization.” he murmured sarcastically. 

  “you’re right, spencer reid is a much cooler name, why didn’t they use that one?” you teased. he gasped in offense, crossing his arms and letting go of you. “hey, i’m kidding! i think you have the coolest name!”

  “alright, alright, you are forgiven, come here,” he sighed, uncurling his arms to wrap them around you once more. as the investigation played, you could practically hear the gears in spencer’s head whirring as he memorized the student’s statements. you were tempted to remind him he didn’t have to look at this like a case, but he seemed pretty invested at this point. oh well, that’s just a profiler’s brain, you thought. 

the parents of the survivors rushed into the room to console their children while some of their parents didn’t show up. you looked over to spencer to see a pang of remorse on his features, clearly sympathizing with many victims he’d seen before. “bub, i can skip this part if you want?” you offered.

  “no, it’s okay, i don’t want to miss a minute of this enthralling storyline.” he smirked. “it’s interesting, but i think it could’ve been thought out a little more.”

  “ooh, i didn’t realize one of your three phds was in cinematography, doctor reid! please, tell us more.” your giggles were quickly tuned out against his lips. with the cheap gore of the movie having become background noise, you indulged in the closeness of each other. 

the sudden sound of a train rattling across the tracks emanated from the tv, scaring you both apart with a jump. as you tried to calm your racing heart, spencer looked over to you with a knowing gaze. “wanna call it quits?” 

you nodded quickly, switching off the tv as the room became swathed in darkness. you stumbled into the kitchen, bumping your hip against the table as you blindly walked. 

  “you scared death personified is coming after you?” spencer cooed in an eerie tone. you scoffed and reached for the flashlight on your phone. “oh please, why should i be scared?” 

  “because horror movies trigger the fight or flight response which can often cause people to have nightmares.” he offered simply. you rolled your eyes, though you doubt he saw in the pitch blackness. 

  “how did i know you’d have a fact about that?” you mumbled, reaching for your doorknob. 

  “maybe you’ve somehow avoided death in the past few days and its working its way to get you, now!” spencer shouted suddenly, gripping your shoulders tightly.

  “what the fuck, you dork?” you squealed. “do not put those ideas in my head this late at night.” you flopped onto the bed, pulling your boyfriend down with you. 

  “no more talk, only sleep and cuddle,” you groaned, wrapping your arms around him. all was silent for a few minutes until:

  “you never know, though, the statistics o-”

  “spence!”

******************************

in case you were curious, here are my sources for any statistics/facts mentioned: planecrashinfo.com, businessinsider.com, bustle.com

also idrk who to tag and i’ve also never written for spencer before soo @sojournmichael @linguinereid