#also they will probably ask what I’m doing with my life and I will have to say nothing and be embarrassed 😭

[onelastkiss4you]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Just Went From A Good RPG To One Of BioWare’s Most Important Games

In light of BioWare scattering some of its most foundational veteran talent to the winds, Dragon Age: The Veilguard sure reads like something made by people who saw the writing on the wall. The RPG leaves off on a small cliffhanger that could launch players into a fifth game, but I’m skeptical that we’ll ever get it. The quickness with which publisher Electronic Arts gutted BioWare and masked it with talk of being more “agile” and “focused” shortly after it was revealed The Veilguard underperformed in the eyes of the power that be makes me wonder if BioWare was also unsure it would get to return to Thedas a fifth time. Looking back, I’m pretty convinced the team was working as if Rook’s adventure through the northern regions of this beloved fantasy world might be the last time anyone, BioWare or fan, stepped foot in it. But that may have only made me appreciate the game even more.

Yeah, I might be doomsaying, but there’s a lot of reasons to do so right now. The loss of talented people like lead writer Trick Weekes, who has been a staple in modern BioWare since the beginning of Mass Effect, or Mary Kirby who wrote characters like Varric, the biggest throughline through the Dragon Age series, doesn’t inspire confidence that EA understands the lifeblood of the studio it acquired in 2007. The Veilguard has been a divisive game for entirely legitimate reasons and the most bad-faith ones you can imagine on the internet in 2025, but my hope is that history will be kinder to it as time goes on. 

A Kotaku reader reached out to me after the news broke to ask if they should still play The Veilguard after everything that happened. My answer was that now we are probably in a better position to appreciate it for what it was: a (potentially) final word.

The Veilguard is just as much a send-off for a long-running story as it does a stepping stone for what (might) come. Its secret ending implies a new threat is lurking somewhere off in the distance but by and large, The Veilguard is about the end of an era. BioWare created an entire questline essentially writing Thedas’ history in stone, removing any ambiguity that gave life to over a decade of theory-crafting. As a long-time player, I’m glad The Veilguard solidifies the connective tissue between what sometimes felt like world of isolated cultures that lacked throughlines that made the world feel whole. But sitting your cast of weirdos down for a series of group therapy sessions unpacking the ramifications of some of the biggest lore dumps the studio has ever put to a Bluray disc isn’t the kind of narrative choice you make if you’re confident there’s still a future for the franchise. 

Unanswered questions are the foundation of sequels, and The Veilguard has an almost anxious need to stamp those out. Perhaps BioWare learned a hard lesson by leaving Dragon Age: Inquisition on a cliffhanger and didn’t want to repeat the same restriction. But The Veilguard doesn’t just wrap up its own story, it concludes several major threads dating back to Origins and feels calculated and deliberate. If BioWare’s goal with The Veilguard was to bring almost everything to a definitive end, the thematic note it leaves this world on acts as a closing graf summing up a thesis the series hopes to convey.

Pushing away the bigotry that has followed The Veilguard like a starving rat digging through trash, one of the most common criticisms I heard directed against the game was that it lacked a certain thorny disposition that was prevalent in the first three games. Everyone in the titular party generally seems to like each other, there aren’t real ethical and philosophical conflicts between the group, and the spats that do arise are more akin to the arguments you probably get into with your best friends. It’s a new dynamic for the series. The Veilguard doesn’t feel like coworkers as The Inquisition did or the disparate group who barely tolerated each other we followed in Dragon Age II. They are a friend group who, despite coming from different backgrounds, factions, and places, are pretty much on the same page about what the world should be. They’re united by a common goal, sure, but at the core of each of their lived experiences is a desire for the world to be better.

This rose-colored view of leftism doesn’t work for everyone. At its worst, The Veilguard can be saccharine to the point of giving you a cavity, which is far from what people have come to expect from a series in which Fenris and Anders didn’t care if the other lived or died. It also bleeds into a perceived softening of the universe. Factions like the Antivan Crows have essentially become the Bat Family with no mention of the whole child slavery thing that was our first introduction to them back in Origins. The Lords of Fortune, a new pirate faction, goes to great lengths to make sure you know that they’re not like the other pirates who steal from other cultures, among other things. I joked to a friend once that The Veilguard is a game terrified of getting canceled, and as such a lot of the grit and grime has been washed off for something shiny and polished. 

That is the more critical lens to view the way The Veilguard’s sanitation of Thedas. To an extent, I agree. We learned so much about how the enigmatic country of the Tevinter Imperium was a place built upon slavery and blood sacrifice, only for us to conveniently hang out in the common poverty-stricken areas that are affected by the corrupt politics we only hear about in sidequests and codex entries. But decisions like setting The Veilguard’s Tevinter stories in the slums of Dogtown gives the game and its writers a place to make a more definitive statement, rather than existing in the often frustrating centrism Dragon Age loved to tout for three games.

I have a lot of pain points I can shout out in the Dragon Age series, but I don’t think one has stuck in my craw the way the end of Anders rivalry relationship goes down in Dragon Age II. This is a tortured radical mage who is willing to give his life to fight for the freedom of those who have been born into a corrupt system led by the policing Templars. And yet, if you’ve followed his rivalry path, Anders will turn against the mages he, not five minutes ago, did some light terrorism trying to free. In Inquisition, this conflict of ideals and traditions comes to a head, but you’re able to essentially wipe it all under the rug as you absorb one faction or the other into your forces. So often Dragon Age treats its conflicts and worldviews as toys for the player to slam against one another, shaping the world as they see fit, and bending even the most fiercely devoted radical to your whims. And yes, there are some notable exceptions to this rule, but when it came to world-shifting moments of change, Dragon Age always seemed scared to assert that the player might be wrong. Mages and Templars, oppressed and oppressors, were the same in the eyes of the game, each worthy of the same level of scrutiny.

Before The Veilguard, I often felt Dragon Age didn’t actually believe in anything. Its characters did, but as a text, Dragon Age often felt so preoccupied with empowering the player’s decisions that it felt like Thedas would never actually get better, no matter how much you fought for it. While it may lack the same prickly dynamics and the grey morality that became synonymous with the series, The Veilguard’s doesn’t just believe that the world is full of greys and let you pick which shade you’re more comfortable with. It’s the most wholeheartedly the Dragon Age universe has declared that the world of Thedas can be better than it was before.

Essentially retconning the Antivan Crows to a family of superheroes is taking a hammer to the problem, whereas characters like Neve Gallus, a mage private eye with a duty-bound love for her city and its people, are the scalpel with which BioWare shifts its vision of how the world of Thedas can change. Taash explores their identity through the lens of Dragon Age’s longstanding Qunari culture, known for its rigidness in the face of an ever-changing world, and comes out the other end a new person, defined entirely by their own views and defying others. Harding finds out the truth behind how the dwarves were severed from magic and still remembers that she believes in the good in people. The heroes of The Veilguard have seen the corruption win out, and yet never stop believing that something greater is possible. It's not even an option in The Veilguard's eyes. The downtrodden will be protected, the oppressed will live proudly, and those who have been wronged will find new life.

That belief is what makes The Veilguard a frustrating RPG, to some. It’s so unyielding in its belief that Thedas and everyone who inhabits it can be better that it doesn’t really entertain you complicating the narrative. Rook can come from plenty of different backgrounds, make decisions that will affect thousands of people, but they can never really be an evil bastard. If they did, it would fundamentally undermine one of the game’s most pivotal moments. In the eleventh hour, Dragon Age mainstay Varric Tethras is revealed to have died in the opening hour, and essentially leaves all his hopes and dreams on the shoulders of Rook. After our hero is banished to the Fade and forced to confront their regrets in a mission gone south, Varric’s spirit sends Rook on their way to save the day one last time. He does so with a hearty chuckle, saying he doesn’t need to wish you good luck because “you already have everything you need.” He is, of course, referring to the friends you have calling to you from beyond the Fade. 

Varric, the narrator of Dragon Age, uses his final word to declare a belief that things will be okay. This isn’t because Rook is the chosen one destined to save the world, but because they have found people who are unified by one thing: a need to fight for a better world. But that’s what makes it compelling as a possibly final Dragon Age game. Reaching the end of a universe’s arc and being wholly uninterested in leaving it desecrated by hubris or prejudice is a bold claim on BioWare’s part. It takes some authorship away from the player, but in return, it leaves the world of Thedas in a better place than we found it.

The Veilguard is an idealistic game, but it’s one that BioWare has earned the right to make. Dragon Age’s legacy has been one of constantly shifting identity, at least two counts of development hell, and a desire to gives players a sandbox to roleplay in. Perhaps, as Dragon Age likely comes to a close, it’s better to leave Dragon Age with a game as optimistic as the people who made it. I can’t think of a more appropriate finale than one that represents the world its creators hope to see, even as the world we live in now gives us every reason to fall to despair.

In my review for The Veilguard I signed off expressing hope for BioWare’s future that feels a bit naive in retrospect. Would a divisive but undeniably polished RPG that felt true to the studio’s history be enough when, after 10 years of development, rich suits were probably looking for a decisive cultural moment? That optimism was just about a video game. Having lived through the past 32 years, most of the optimism I’ve ever held feels naive to look back on. I think I’m losing hope that the world will get any better. But even if we haven’t reached The Veilguard’s idealized vision, I’ll take some comfort in knowing someone previously at BioWare still believes it’s possible. - ken shepard, shepardcdr.bsky.social

[tortillamastersblog]

Back To You - Epilogue | Sam Carpenter

Pairing: Sam Carpenter x reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Sam is back for good and Ghostface is gone. Now the two of you just have to deal with the aftermath of what happened. . .

Previous Part | Masterlist

_______________________________________________

A fleeting touch on my hand makes my eyes flutter open. It’s bright and even though it takes a second for my eyes to adjust to the light, I know from the smell of hand sanitizer and the sound of a heartbeat monitor next to my head that I’m in the hospital.

“Hey. . .” A soft voice to my right makes me want to turn my head, but unlike back at the theater I can’t even do that anymore.

My chest tightens at the thought over never being able to move again, but then Sam’s face appears above me, a soft look on her face despite the dark circles under her eyes.

“Hi,” I say, my voice barely even a whisper.

She’s here. She’s actually here.

Six years ago I was in this exact same situation, but back then I was alone.

I was alone and my parents had just died, but now no one else is dead and she’s here.

“H-How are you feeling?” she asks, touching my cheek and taking a seat on the bed next to me.

I’m not in any pain, but I can’t move and I feel like I could sleep a thousand years.

“I dunno,” I answer honestly despite the tears suddenly welling up in my eyes. “I’m— I don’t. . . I can’t move. My head. . .”

“Your head? What about your head?” She furrows her eyebrows and brushes a strand of hair off my forehead.

“I can’t move my head,” I say, my voice breaking. A tear escapes my eye and rolls down my cheek, but Sam is quick to wipe it away with the pad of her thumb.

“Well, yeah,” she say. “You’re wearing a neck brace.”

I blink and swallow, only now realizing she’s right. I am wearing a neck brace. I can feel it pressing against the underside of my chin and into my shoulders.

“I—“ don’t know what to say. But luckily I don’t have to say anything because Sam shifts closer, bumping against my hip before bending down and brushing her lips against my forehead in a fleeting kiss.

“You. . . broke your back, but the doctor said the surgery went well and if everything goes as planned, you should make a full recovery,” she says with a watery smile.

“What?”

“You’ll be okay.” She takes my hand and laces our fingers together and I can’t stop a sob from escaping me when I realize I can feel it.

It dawns on me that I already felt her touching my hand when I woke up and that I felt it when she bumped against my hip.

I can feel it all, which means I can probably also move.

I hold my breath and focus on our intertwined hands before closing my fingers around hers. It works, and even though I have to concentrate a lot to do it, it works. I can also wiggle my toes ever so slightly which makes me close my eyes as unimaginable relief washes over me.

“The doctors say you have a long recovery ahead of you, but you’ve done it before and I’ll be by your side every single step of the way. . . Literally,” she says and I can’t help but smile and open my eyes again despite the tears now freely streaming down my face.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

Sam shakes her head and rests her forehead against mine. “Don’t thank me you idiot. It’s the least I can do.”

I scoff playfully. “Who are you calling an idiot? I saved your life.”

“You’re right,” she smiles and I manage to brush a tear off her cheek, “I’m sorry, My Love.”

I smile, too, and trace the edge of her jaw with my finger, making her shudder. “Mmm-hmm that’s better.”

When she dips her head and kisses me carefully, I’m not at all surprised, and I kiss her back with my heart fluttering in my chest, but then she pulls back with a weird look on her face.

Her lips are pressed into a thin line and there’s a familiar crinkle between her eyebrows.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. “Is it Liam? Or Gale?”

She shakes her head and exhales shakily, her breath hitting my cheek. “No, no. They’re both fine. They’re both out of surgery. Anika and Kirby are okay, too.”

I raise an eyebrow and wait for her to go on.

“It’s— Your back. . . The doctors said—“

The door flies open, making me look up as Sam whirls around.

“You’re awake!” Tara exclaims, and the sight of her in the doorway makes me smile.

“Hey, Sprout.”

Her face breaks into a smile and she rushes to my side, grabbing my left hand while Sam slides off the bed and takes a seat on the chair next to the bed without letting go of my right hand.

By the strained smile on her face I can tell that she’s upset that we were interrupted, but she doesn’t seem ready to say what she was going to say with Tara in the room, so she stays quiet while Tara asks me how I’m feeling.

“I’m okay,” I reassure her.

“You sure?” she asks with a raised eyebrow. “You’re not in pain?”

I chuckle softly and squeeze her jittery hand. “I’m sure. I’m on some pretty hardcore drugs.”

That makes her smile turn into a grin and out of the corner of my eye I can even see Sam’s lips twitch ever so slightly.

“Yeah, I bet. Man, I was so high last year when they gave me painkillers. . . Are you high? Oh you’re probably so high right now, I’m jealous,” she rambles, making me roll my eyes.

“I’m not high,” I argue playfully, “I’m just tired. I think the kind of drugs you got were different than what I’m getting right now.”

“Ah, that’s a bummer.” She pouts but shrugs and it all happens so fast, Sam shoots her an incredulous look.

“Tara, what the—?”

“I’ve had like five coffees since we got here,” Tara cuts her off and I suppress a laugh when Sam’s eyes widen.

“Five?” she shrieks and Tara just shrugs again, her eyes darting back and forth between me and her sister.

Well, I guess that explains why she’s so hyper active.

“Where did you even get all that coffee?” Sam asks and I can’t help but smile at the way she sounds like a parent scolding their child. “The hospital’s cafeteria is closed.”

My eyes dart to the clock on the wall.

It’s seven in the morning.

Less than twelve hours ago we were at the theater. . .

I shudder at the memory and force it to the back of my mind and focus back on Tara who takes a seat on the edge of my bed, swinging one of her legs back and forth. She’s still dressed in her clothes from yesterday, but she seems to have cleaned herself up somewhat since getting here because her hair is pulled into a ponytail that matches Sam’s and there’s no more smudged mascara under her eyes.

“There’s a vending machine in the hallway,” she explains, her hand squeezing mine absentmindedly. “And Paige and Jackson brought coffees for everyone when they got here.”

Wait, what? Jackson’s here?

I knew that Paige was coming, but I didn’t know he was coming, too. How did he even get here? Did he drive? No, probably not. I’m sure after he found out what happened he managed to convince Paige to pick him up in Boston on her way here.

Sam scowls, unimpressed by Tara’s caffeine intake, but before she can scold her for it, the door cracks open.

Ah, speak of the devil. . .

Paige and Jackson peek into the room and when they see that I’m awake, they step into the room completely.

“You’re awake,” Jackson notes with a small smile, his eyes flickering to Sam’s hand in mine before adding, “And I see that the girlfriend finally knows that she is the girlfriend,” he teases which makes me blush furiously.

“Shut up,” I hiss, ignoring the way Sam is looking back and forth between us with raised eyebrows and pink cheeks.

Jackson just laughs and high fives Tara before dragging an empty chair to the side of my bed and plopping down on it.

“Yeah, shut up, Jack,” Paige says playfully, coming to my defense with a knowing look before turning serious and taking a seat on the end of my bed.

Boy, this room is really getting crowded.

“You know, I’m getting sick of visiting you in the hospital all the time,” she says with a frown.

I cringe and tighten my hold on Sam’s hand. “I know. . .”

“Do you though?” she asks with a pained expression. She places a hand on my leg and squeezes it through the thin blanket. “You keep on almost dying, and it’s stressing me the fuck out. I swear, I’m aging prematurely because of you.“

I want to laugh at that, but I know she’s being serious, so I don’t. “I’m sorry,” I say honestly. I want to sit up and give her a hug, but I’m still too weak to do that and the neck brace would just be getting in the way. “I promise, I’m not doing it on purpose.”

Paige smiles sadly and gives my leg another squeeze. “I know, but it still sucks every time I get a call that you’ve been hurt again, and now Liam, he—“

“How is he?” I cut her off quietly.

Silence settles around us for a moment, and Paige averts her eyes when she finally says, “He’s awake, and in good spirits, but he lost two fingers fighting off Ghostface and he has a pretty big scar on his face. Almost lost an eye, too.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod absentmindedly, taking all the information in.

He lost two fingers and he’s going to be traumatized for the rest of his life. . .

How brutal was that attack? And how did Quinn even know about him? How did she find him?

It must have been she who did it because Bailey and Ethan were accounted for when the attack happened.

“It was Quinn, right? Bailey’s daughter?” I ask and to my surprise, Tara’s the one who says yes.

“The police went through her phone and found messages she sent to Bailey on the night of the first attack,” she explains, her leg still swinging back and forth. “She said she’d overheard you talking to someone named Liam while Sam was on the phone with Bailey and that it would be a good idea for Bailey to find out who he is and target him.“

“B-But, why?”

This time, Paige answers.

“They wanted to hurt someone close to you so you would be too preoccupied to help Sam and Tara,” she explains and the thought that Liam was used as a pawn in their twisted game makes me feel sick.

I chuckle mirthlessly and close my eyes momentarily. “Jokes on them, that didn’t work. I still helped Sam and Tara.”

Everyone hums in agreement, and a tense silence settles around the room until Jackson straightens up in his chair with a smile playing on his lips.

“Liam might have lost two of his fingers, but do you know what he said when we went into his room and saw him for the first time?”

I want to shake my head, but because of the neck brace I can’t, so I say, “No, what did he say?”

Paige and Jackson share an amused look before Jackson answers.

“He said, at least I can still do this.” He raises his hand and flips me off with a grin and I can’t help but smile and scoff playfully.

“Of course he did.”

Everyone laughs, and the mood lightens a little.

Who else but Liam would joke about almost being murdered, right after almost being murdered?

I glance at Sam to find her already looking at me with a fond look in her eyes and smile shyly.

She’s here, and she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Bailey is dead, and so are Quinn and Ethan.

They’re revenge plan didn’t work out after all, and I’m sure the media has already covered everything that happened last night, finally clearing Sam’s name once and for all and sending an indirect message to everyone out there who thinks they can fuck with us—no matter what anyone tries, we’ll always come out on top.

I have yet to see Mindy, Anika, Chad, Gale and Liam, but I know they’re fine and that’s all I need to know right now.

“Sammy?” I ask tentatively, touching her hand.

She’s once again sitting on the bed next to me, but this time her head is resting on my shoulder and it seems like she’s fallen asleep because for the last ten minuet she hasn’t moved or said anything.

I can’t imagine the position she’s in is very comfortable because her legs are dangling off the side of the bed, but she hasn’t complained about it yet, so it must not be as uncomfortable as it looks.

Tara, Paige and Jackson left a while ago to go out and find some breakfast, leaving us alone once again.

It’s peaceful and quiet, but I still want to know what she wanted to say right before Tara came in.

“Yeah?” she whispers, confirming that she has not yet fallen asleep.

I intertwine out fingers and run my thumb over the back of her hand. “What were you going to say before Tara came in?”

“Oh. . . Uh.” She sits up slowly and looks at me with sad eyes, her free hand coming up to rest on my chest. “The doctors— They—They said. . .”

I squeeze her hand. “They said. . .?”

She sighs and averts her eyes for a second. “They said after this surgery, your spine is pretty fragile. Yes, they put in screws and rods and stuff, but another bad hit could paralyze you permanently,” she whispers and I instantly know what she’s trying to say without actually saying it.

No more hockey. . .

I bite the inside of my cheek before tugging on her fingers to get her to look at me again.

“It’s okay,” I say quietly.

“What— No, it’s not. Hockey is your whole life and you worked so hard to get to where you are right now and—“

“It doesn’t matter,” I cut her off gently. I let go of her hand and trace a finger over her eyebrow and down the side of her face. She leans into the touch, and her eyes soften, but it looks like she’s about to protest again, so I go on. “I knew I wouldn’t be playing hockey forever. That’s why I got a masters degree. It’s okay, really. I’m alive, and I’m not paralyzed. That’s all that matters.”

Her eyes search mine for any doubts, and when she doesn’t find any, she gives in with a small nod and a sad smile. “Okay. . .”

“Besides,” I say lightheartedly, “I kind of already have a new job, if Liam is to be believed.”

“What?” Amusement and disbelief flashes across her face and I can’t help but laugh and tap her on the nose.

“When I called to warn him about Ghostface he said something about his boss wanting to hire me and how he already gave him my resume,” I explain which makes her laugh as well and rest her head back on my shoulder.

“Unbelievable,” she mumbles when our laughter dies down.

I hum in agreement and start running my thumb over the back of her hand again.

After a while, I’m pretty sure she’s finally fallen asleep so I close my eyes as well, intending on getting some rest as well, but then she speaks up quietly.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

I open my eyes and lift our intertwined hands up so I can press a kiss to her knuckles.

“I love you, too,” I whisper, getting lost in her dark eyes when she looks up at me through her lashes.

“What if— what if he comes for us again?” she whispers. “Ghostface, I mean. . .”

I grit my teeth and level her with a determined look. “We fuck him up,” I say and after a moment Sam nods, determination shining in her own eyes.

“We fuck him up. . .” she repeats quietly before letting her head drop back down on my shoulder.

_______________________________________________

And that’s a wrap, everyone!

If you got this far, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

All your comments meant/mean the world to me and kept/keep me motivated.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Soph ❤️

Tag list: @bella423 @artrizzler19 @btay3115 @canyonyodeler @quadofthec @pussyydestroyer @rqizzu @pithod @morganismspam23 @idontliketoread2137

[erinwantstowrite]

Hi! Purely out of curiosity because I am always interested in people’s thoughts on the subject, how do you feel about “batcest” in au’s where the children were never adopted/didn’t meet until adulthood/etc? Any pairing with Bruce makes me genuinely nauseous, but I feel like I’m more lenient with situational stuff with the kids since they’re closer in age/didn’t grow up together in my very loose understanding of canon/not actually related/etc. (ie: I think Steph and Cass are cute together even though they’re both “batfam” members, etc etc)

please feel free to ignore this if it makes you uncomfortable! I just really love your writing and this seems to be a subject you’re passionate about, so I just wanted to know more of your thoughts. Hope you’re having a wonderful day!

anon in the nicest way possible, it's disgusting even then.

because it doesn't matter if they didn't know each other as little little kids, they are family in every sense of the word. it would be the same as two characters who are siblings having being raised in two different households as children getting into a relationship even though they knew each other later. it spits in the face of adopted families by claiming that they aren't actually family, and the people who defend batcest are hurting people who are victims of the exact dynamic that they're shipping. it's gross, like genuinely vile. knowing their canon relationship and "changing" it to fit what they want is nasty because they *had* to change it. they know it's wrong if they had to "fix" it in order to ship it. it implies that this person thinks they should be in a romantic pairing in canon, too, but they're trying to justify it to themselves.

and with Steph and Cass, Steph is a friend of theirs. she dated Tim previously and they are not related. she didn't want Bruce to adopt her, she doesn't consider them siblings. yes there is a found family dynamic but it's not the same as the others, who are not only legally family in most cases, but have considered each other family for years and years and years. they call each other their siblings. yes, even jason and tim. tim and jason are only a couple years apart, but jason is still family even if he died? tim considered himself dick's brother and his relationship with bruce was rocky sometimes but he also considered bruce like a father figure, and later on he was adopted so that was always there. they are siblings.

and in some of their dynamics, it's pedophilic dick and damian, dick and tim, jason and damian, tim and damian, even dick and jason because dick was an adult when he met jason. automatically that puts you in a spot where you deserve the deepest pit of hell. truly. i'm not religious but i hope they get their karma. i don't care if it's fictional, this reflects who they are as people in the real world and that's why i know these people are gross monsters. not to mention these people don't understand boundaries (shocker) and have and probably will again, ask me to include a batcest ship in LoF or to draw batcest for them. they have asked for peter and damian. one person claimed that peter and jason would be "cute" because of peter thinks he's cool and has "an innocence" about jason's life and what he's done. another asked for peter and dick. the blood related father and son. so it truly doesn't matter to them, i can guarantee it to you. the way i look at it, no matter which way they are shipped, you are automatically associated with the rest of them. nothing justifies it and it's wrong

and because i know someone is going to try to start an argument with me: i can't stop them from writing it. i know that. and you can scream at me until you're blue about your opinion on the matter, but i do not care and you will be wasting your breath. i am not pro cecsorship because it is a slippery slope and people will dig their claws into that. however. i can let them know that they aren't welcome on my page, i can talk about my opinion on the matter, i have every right to block them and say whatever i want. if you don't like this post, i'm telling you to block me so i don't have to take the time to do it myself 🫶

[minteagalaxea]

blood . line (p. two) | jy.u

jey uso . part two

genre: smut (minors dni) . a modicum of plot content warnings: oral sex (male receiving) . unprotected sex (please use protection) . daddy kink . dirty talk . afab reader (she/her pronouns) . mild manhandling/strength kink . panty ripping (and keeping) word count: 2.52k inspiration: the concept of a glucose guardian/sucrose supplier . the accountants in the john wick series . the concept of friends with benefits . songs: do i wanna know by the arctic monkeys (slowed and reverb instrumental) (x) . love scene by baekhyun (slowed and reverb) (x) read also: "hot . line" (x) notes: thank you again for everyone who has been supporting the first part! i hope you guys are able to enjoy this part, too! special shoutout (again) to @lov3rla03 and @spiicii for endorsing my insanity <3

she was starting to look forward to her weekly…meetings with jey. she really was.

the routine was simple: every friday, after she finished her work, handling everything she had to for her boss, she would go home, settle and get comfortable, call the bloodline, greet quynh, and then get redirected to have a hot and heavy conversation with jey for about an hour or so. and it wasn’t a routine she was too keen on deviating from, given that her entire work life revolved around schedules and rituals to keep her from losing it whenever changes happened.

hence why she took it strangely when after her call with jey, he asked her to stay on the line, and transferred her back to the main line, where she heard quynh’s steady contralto.

“quynh…what’s going on?” from what she had gathered, any interaction with quynh beyond their initial greeting wasn’t generally good. lex, who gave her the business card, did tell her some horror stories: quynh holding you after your session could be anything, and if you got redirected to roman of all people without requesting it, then it generally meant one was fucked.

fortunately for her, quynh wasn’t giving her a warning, at least not in the traditional sense. “so, it’s been a few sessions, and i trust they’ve been going well?”

“yeah, it has, thank you for asking.” she wasn’t sure about why she sounded so formal, though quynh took it as it came as they explained.

“anyways, i was hoping if you recalled our initial conversation, about in-person interactions.”

her breath hitched at the realization, humming an assent so that quynh could finish the sentiment with long-suffering affection, “this is a bit unprecedented for me, but jey has requested an in-person session with you.”

speechless. that was what jey reduced her to. and apparently, that’s what he reduced quynh to. okay, so she didn’t know quynh that well, but the fact that this was unprecedented was enough. and so, naturally, she accepted.

“excellent, sweetie. since these work a little differently than your usual sessions, you send the session payment as a sort of down payment. i’m sure you know that there’s a bit of an upcharge.”

as she worked through the payment process with quynh, she found herself excited for the upcoming week as she notated the details—the same time as her usual appointment, only this time with a high-end restaurant and luxury suite to match.

it didn’t take her too long to settle on an outfit when the appointment approached—a warm gold dress that hugged her just right and had her undertones glowing, and a smokey eyeshadow and dark nude lip to match the mood of the evening. she felt powerful, pretty, and perfectly excited as she took the taxi to the restaurant downtown, letting the waitress lead her to her table.

and then, naturally, her jaw dropped when she saw the man in front of her.

because there was no way that whatever higher beings decided to bless him with a voice of crushed sin also decided to give him the same blessings to his entire existence like he was some fucking sex god—or well, he probably was, given his line of work. the wolfish, cheerful grin, the messy charm of his hair, and his voice. holy fuck, his voice sounded even more heavenly and hellish now that there wasn’t a phone line separating them.

she felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she shook his hand, admiring the casual outfit that did wonders to the tattoos she saw along his arms with the rolled-up sleeves and the texture of his beard when he went to kiss her hand, his lips warm against the cool sensation of her rings as they took their seats across from one another.

“so…thank you for taking me out,” she started, nervous as she took a sip of her water, “from what it sounded like, this normally doesn’t happen.”

jey responded, voice dripping with silk and poisoned honey, “i thought it would be nice to meet the woman who’s caught my attention these past few months.”

oh, how her skin flared in heat with that comment, internally loathing how she was progressively getting more delusional, falling for his words that may or may not be a reflection of reality. yet, she played along, “it is nice…getting to meet the man i’ve been calling ‘daddy’ for the past month and a half.”

if he noticed her nerves, he made no point to acknowledge it as he requested a bottle of champagne to celebrate after they placed their orders. upon the waiter’s departure, jey started questioning, “so, mamas, what do you do to afford phone calls and fancy dates with me?”

she laughed, his candor refreshing as she explained her career to him, working in her high-running career as a personal assistant to one of the most demanding bosses in the world (in her completely biased opinion). though, he did make an empathetic jest about her struggles as he quipped, “mamas, i work for and with my cousin. who’s also kinda my uncle.” she had never laughed harder as he jested, made her laugh over wine and deconstructed meals that she didn’t understand the premise of.

“waffle house might be more fun next time, mami. i think you’d like it if we went at the right time,” jey remarked casually, and she raised an eyebrow. it wasn’t inherently a bad suggestion, but perhaps, in her view, that it was even a suggestion in the first place.

“daddy, we haven’t even finished this evening and you’re already planning for another one?” she teased, voice incredulous as she tried to mask it with a sip of her champagne.

his response was as smooth as the pen she used to sign off on the receipt when the check came, “well, mamas, you make good company. and now that i’ve seen your beautiful face, i don’t wanna stop seeing it.”

oh fuck, if he kept saying shit like that, she wasn’t going to keep herself (or her body) in control. “daddy, you’re gonna make me delusional thinking you’re like this with just me,” she whispered as they both rose to their feet, his hand on her waist and heated like an iron brand as they strolled towards the fancy hotel a couple blocks away.

and just for him to nail the point home? jey had the actual audacity to whisper in the elevator on the way to the suite, “i am just like this with you, mamas. nobody else.”

her heart fluttered in her bones at the admission; by the time they entered the suite of the evening, she took the man by the shoulders, shoving him down on the bed to straddle his waist. perhaps with the same audacious nature that seems to waft off of the man like his delightful cologne, she inquired, “really? does that mean you’ve been coming every time we talk?”

jey didn’t have to even say anything to confirm her curiosities—the smolder, the firm grip to her derrière was confirmation in droves when he tangled his lips and tongue in a kiss so dizzying that it made her head swim in hues of gold and his scent. she could taste the champagne on his lips and the raspberry on his tongue from his cheesecake as her hips swiveled atop him.

licking off the string of saliva connected their parted lips, she moved down, kneeling on the ottoman at the end of the bed, unbuttoning his trousers and yanking his briefs down in one fell swoop. “shit,” she marvelled at his length, “this is so unfair.”

it was unfair, because this man had to be blessed with a dick as beautiful as he was, pretty and leaking and hard as steel at this point. she couldn’t stop herself from running her lips up and down his cock, whiny and needy as she started to suckle on the tip, wanting to make this excursion worth their while. and as she worked, tongue swirling around the tip and with gentle pressure around the shaft, she got to coax those sounds she became so attuned to over the phone in real life.

she was definitely correct in her thinking that he was going to sound so much more beautiful without technological obstruction. his groans sounded of concentrated lust and voracity, his hand holding her hair firm but not yanking as she attenuated to his cues: how his hips would buck when she ran her tongue along the underside just right, how his sounds grew more pronounced each instance she took him all the way down her willing maw, throat flexing at his girth.

it wasn’t difficult to get him to burst, even though he continuously warned her. however, she knew it was an empty threat of his, with how his lips wove words of absolute filth, about he was right. “knew you were gonna look so pretty on my dick, mami. so fucking good to daddy.”

the praise made her pussy so much wetter, propelling her to work harder to earn those sounds, his praise, because he was—quite literally—fulfilling her fantasies with him. and she nearly came on the spot when jey did, spilling his seed into her mouth with a fervent, heady grunt as he kept her nose brushing his navel, “take it all, mamas. make daddy proud.” she swallowed with pleading eyes, melting into his deep and warm gaze as she milked him for everything he had; subsequently, she let him swallow all of her sounds when he tugged her off of his shaft and slammed his lips onto hers when he deposited her back on his lap.

“shit, mamas, you’re so good to me, made me cum so hard,” he crooned against her swollen lips, one raking through her hair and cradling her close and the other already going down to hike up her dress and fucking yank her drenched panties off her frame. her gasp echoed in his ears, especially when he winked at her to shove them in his pocket before unzipping her dress, letting it pool at her hips before proper extrication. she could only gasp again when he lifted her up so effortlessly and deposited her on her back while he made haste to get all his clothes off, with the additional knowledge that her soaked panties now have a home in his pocket for perpetuity.

in the frantic, fervent pace of their fucking, jey offered a moment of respite, one desperately needed for them both to try and prolong their fun as he pressed his already-hardening length against her slick petals. she supposed there was a massive benefit of sleeping with a man with nearly no refractory period and all energy. “jey, daddy, you gotta fuck me, please,” her voice breathed into his mouth as he slicked himself with her wetness, “i’m clean, just put your dick in.” “i know, mamas—fuck, you’re so wet for me. all that from sucking my dick?” he teased, starting to nudge her opening with a finger, just to stretch her just so she could take him, though with how wet she was, she knew this would be easy.

her voice fell into gentle whines when he slipped in another finger, scissoring her walls, “it’s fine, i’m ready, i’ve been ready since forever.” and, she supposed, begging did give her everything, because when jey retracted his fingers from her heat, he brought them to his lips and licked her arousal off like it was the finest dessert on the planet—and to him, it was.

jey made that message clear as he slid that rock hard cock inside, sheathing himself into her receptive walls as he mused with no shortage of want, “shit, mamas, knew you were gonna look so pretty wrapped around my dick.” wrapped around him she did, hooking a leg over his shoulder as his cadence started deliberate, uncharacteristically slow in the grand scheme of how she’s always known him and his dirty talk.

“fuck, you’re in so deep,” she breathed, back arching into the hand he splayed there and the mouth he had on the junction of her neck to imprint marks and bruises onto for posterity. her hands latched into his hair, yanking and mussing up those soft strands with each powerful thrust of his, gasping with the perfect angle, the perfect amount of pressure from his mouth on her neck, the swipe of his tongue on her breasts when he ventured lower.

her cunt clenched around him with each of his strokes, her moans escalated into a wanton melody of his name, “daddy”, and begging in some combination, breathed against his lips when he swallowed her noises when he kissed her like he needed oxygen. it occurred whenever he ventured lower to deprive himself of said oxygen by burying himself in her chest and suckling and swirling that skilled tongue over her nipples until they prickled with sensitivity and perked with surrender.

“daddy, i’m so close,” she groaned hungrily, the recipient of his increasingly fervent thrusts and their sounds matching in passionate harmony as jey’s growls grew more guttural, becoming a symphony of carnal sex as he ramped up the filth in his words, “come inside.”

her walls clasped around him like a vice when he spewed out. “come for me, babygirl. you’re so fucking hot like this, gonna fill you up just right, mamas.” he punctuated each word with a stroke that felt like it was getting deeper and deeper inside of her, “gonna look so pretty gushing out my cream. so fucking tight ‘round me, gonna cum so hard for me, aren’t you?”

jey was right, as he generally had been throughout the night, when he rubbed her neglected clit and got her to fucking scream in what was supposed to be a respectable hotel room, staking his claim about how damn well he was making her feel as she came, lips parted and body arched into a tapestry of luxury and avarice as her pussy clamped around his cock without any opportunity for movement. that, in turn, triggered his own release, spilling inside with that long groan she had memorized from all their weeks of phone sex. yet, hearing it in person, with no barrier, just did something to her, had her walls squeezing around him like no tomorrow, prolonging their highs as long as possible, shattering them into new precipices of pleasure.

as she panted for air when his hips stilled and her eyes met his with utmost fondness as he pulled out, letting his essence trickle out of her core, she kissed jey again because she could. jey helped clean her with a damp towel, sparing no shortage of adoration in the form of kisses and sweet nothings of “mamas”, “mami”, and “babygirl” that left her floating on golden clouds of warmth and sugar. while she rested into his chest, their whirlwind excursion wearing them out in the best of ways before an undoubted next round, she allowed herself to savor how all those weeks of the phone crystallized into a night of explosive bliss

and another. and another.

taglist ⇢ @yana3sworld . @roseydoesypoesy . @fearlesschimera . @theusotwinzcom

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt behind the cut; “Cassie has a sexuality crisis, Kon has a gender one, and Circe makes everything worse”. tw: internalized homophobia, unintentional misgendering of a closeted character. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

This mission sucks in a lot of ways, the least of which is trying not to make eye contact with Tim during any of it, which the whole “being stuck in a small room with someone wearing a mask with opaque white lenses” thing makes way, way harder than it has to be, in Cassie’s opinion. 

“You do realize that blatantly projecting anxiety in every single conversation and constantly overcorrecting your behavior to try not to hurt Superboy’s feelings will upset him worse, right?” Tim says, which is another way this mission sucks. 

Stupid Bat-psych profiles.

“This seems like a conversation to have while we’re not breaking and entering for justice,” Cassie says to the door she’s watching for intruders, her arms folded and eyes locked on the doorframe. She wasn’t even weird this time, dammit. Like–not loudly weird, anyway. 

“Well, I tried to get you alone for it four times already and you dodged all four attempts with noticeably not-thin excuses, which means you’ve definitely been planning ahead to do said dodging, as opposed to actually just being busy,” Tim says. 

Dammit, Cassie thinks, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. 

“You are literally his best friend,” she says as evenly as she can, digging her fingers just a little tiny maybe-kinda-bruising bit into her arms.

“I’m your friend too,” Tim says. 

Stupid Bats. 

“When I went to Themyscira last month I met a girl that reminded me of Superboy without realizing that she reminded me of him until after I’d already screwed her,” she snaps flatly. “And yes, specifically all the things about her that reminded me of him were the things about her that I was attracted to, except because she had a huge rack and a big fat launched-ten-thousand-ships ass that her barely-tied peplos barely covered, well, this time those things actually turned me on. So also-yes, I am the worst and I am going to keep feeling like shit about this, thanks for asking.” 

“I didn’t even know I liked guys until I ran into you-know-who again,” Tim says. “Genuinely did not realize it was a thing, despite definitely having had a weird obsession with what, in retrospect, is a truly embarrassing amount of dudes for a straight guy to be weirdly obsessed with.” 

“Is this about Nightwing’s V-neck era?” Cassie assumes. 

“I mean I think I actually was crushing on him when I was, like, a literal toddler, which was much earlier than that, and also I was probably a little bit too interested in literally everything Robin 2.0 ever did in his career ever,” Tim says. “And, like, the time Red Hood beat my face in while wearing Robin’s colors was an interesting experience that I learned absolutely nothing about myself from.” 

“Um,” Cassie says. 

“Also I wasn’t trying to clone Spoiler in the basement,” Tim adds, half-tilting his head.  

Cassie . . . blinks. 

“What?” she says. Tim’s currently occupied with whatever he’s doing to the terminal, apparently, so just shrugs without looking up at her. 

“Ninety-nine times really does not seem like a platonic amount of times to try to bring someone back to life, I think,” he says. “Like, platonic cloning probably only covers about the first fifty attempts, max.” 

“Robin, I would believe your insane abandonment issues would try to clone literally anyone you were even passingly fond of ninety-nine times minimum,” Cassie says blankly, trying to . . . process that, kind of. Is that–like, that was not a subtle thing, what Tim just said. 

“I mean, I thought about it a few times,” Tim replies with another shrug. “But I only did it the once.” 

“. . . ‘the once’ times ninety-nine, you mean,” Cassie says, and Tim smiles wryly and finally spares her another glance. 

“That, yeah,” he says. “And I built an entire illegal cloning lab, memorized literally every single detail of the night I met the original Robin before the violent trauma happened, stole a codename and costume from the subsequent Robin not once but twice, and still genuinely just assumed I was straight ‘til a dude who I knew for less than six months in high school showed up out of nowhere and actually, you know, directly asked me about it.” 

“World’s second-greatest detective, huh,” Cassie says, then has to repress a grimace, because–well, that’s the joke Kon always makes, obviously. 

“I mean you don’t have to have your whole identity figured out from day one,” Tim says. “Superboy definitely understands that, if anyone does. All of us do. Impulse tried to make himself be Kid Flash and hated it, I assumed things about myself instead of actually thinking about myself, Secret was afraid enough of herself to end up becoming a supervillain over it, and Superboy’s been having an identity crisis since the day his cloning tube got cracked. Also, literally Arrowette’s entire life experience. Just . . . literally everything that’s ever happened to Arrowette. Ever.” 

“You didn’t mention Empress,” Cassie says a little lamely, trying not to grimace at herself, because–that’s all true, yeah. She knows it’s all true. Just . . . just it never felt . . . 

“I think Empress might’ve actually sprung into existence fully-formed just to embarrass the rest of us over the course of our respective self-discovery journeys, but all my supporting evidence is technically conjecture,” Tim says, which may or may not be a joke. Who knows, with Tim. “But the point still stands. Superboy’s not mad at you for not knowing something about yourself. None of us are, but especially not him.” 

“I knew,” Cassie says tightly, digging her fingers into her arms a little harder and staring at the wall. “Part of me, anyway. I just thought . . . he’s the perfect guy. I thought if the perfect guy liked me . . . I thought that’d–fix it. I thought that’d be . . . enough. Like–he was already the celebrity crush I lied to all the girls at school about having, just because I thought he was–you know, cool and everything, and so–and then when I actually got a chance to meet him, and then we all wound up teaming up . . . I just thought . . .” 

She’d thought a lot of stupid things, but the stupidest ones had probably been about Kon. 

Those were the things that’d actually gotten somebody else hurt, so . . . yeah. Definitely the stupidest things. 

[diekleinesuesse]

Being best friends with Felix:

Being best friends with Felix would be an absolute dream. It wouldn’t just be about the fun, bright moments though there would be plenty of those. It would also be about the quiet, comforting presence he brings, the way he makes life feel a little warmer, a little softer, even on the hardest days.

The Beginning of the Friendship

At first, Felix might be a little shy, especially if he doesn’t know you well yet. He’d be polite, kind, and considerate, but there would be a sense of caution until he starts feeling comfortable. Once that happens, it’s over for you. He’s going to attach himself to you like a koala and never let go.

Felix is the type of person who forms deep emotional connections, so becoming his best friend wouldn’t be a casual thing. He’d be all in investing his time, his love, and his energy into making sure you feel valued. He’d remember the little things you like, send you pictures of random things that remind him of you, and always check in to see how your day is going.

The Daily Life of Being Felix’s Best Friend

Felix is someone who thrives on making others happy, so expect a lot of cute gestures. If he hears you had a bad day, he’s immediately showing up with your favorite snack, a playlist of songs to cheer you up, and probably a warm hug. He loves baking, so you’d get to try all his homemade treats first, whether they’re perfect or a complete disaster.

“Try this one! I think I messed up the sugar, but it’s still edible, right?” he’d say, watching you closely as you take a bite. If you pretend it’s bad just to mess with him, he’d dramatically gasp and pretend to cry.

Felix would be the type of best friend who constantly hypes you up. If you’re feeling insecure, he’d shut that down real quick.

“What do you mean you’re not good enough? Do I need to fight you? Because I will,” he’d say, crossing his arms, his freckles scrunching up as he frowns.

But more than anything, he’d make sure you know how much you mean to him.

The Chaos of the Sunshine Energy

Felix has a soft, comforting side, but let’s not forget he’s also chaotic. If you’re his best friend, you’re not just getting cozy, warm Felix; you’re also getting the Felix that dances like a maniac to random music, who suddenly starts singing in a deep voice just to freak people out, and who laughs so hard at dumb jokes that he ends up on the floor.

“Did you see that meme I sent you at 3 AM?” he’d ask, as if that were a normal thing to do.

“You mean the one with the cat wearing sunglasses and breakdancing? Yes, Felix. I saw it.”

“And?”

“It changed my life.”

Felix would 100% drag you into random challenges, whether it’s trying to learn an impossible TikTok dance, doing “rock, paper, scissors” with the punishment of eating something disgusting, or making an overly dramatic music video to a song you both love.

And if you ever prank him? Oh, he’s coming for revenge. Be prepared for unexpected jump scares, your phone mysteriously disappearing, or waking up to find a ridiculous filter added to all your photos.

The Deep Conversations

For all the silliness, Felix is also incredibly introspective and deep. He’s not afraid to have emotional conversations, and if something is bothering you, he’d be the first to notice.

“Talk to me,” he’d say, voice gentle, sitting next to you even if you don’t feel like speaking.

He wouldn’t force you to open up, but he’d make sure you knew he was there. And if you ever needed to cry? Felix would let you, holding your hand or hugging you tightly, whispering soft reassurances.

He’d open up to you, too about his struggles, his fears, his dreams. And when he does, you’d realize that for all his sunshine and warmth, Felix also carries a lot on his shoulders.

“I just want to make people happy,” he’d admit. “But sometimes, I wonder if I’m enough.”

And that’s when you’d remind him, just like he always reminds you, that he is more than enough.

The Protective Side of Felix

Felix is a softie, but don’t let that fool you he’s also fiercely protective. If someone ever upsets you, he’d be ready to throw hands.

“Do I need to go talk to them? Because I will,” he’d say, eyebrows furrowed.

If you were nervous about something like an important event or a big decision he’d be right by your side, holding your hand (literally or metaphorically) and telling you you’ve got this.

Felix wouldn’t let anyone disrespect you, not even yourself. If he hears you being too hard on yourself, he’ll shut it down immediately.

“Hey. My best friend is amazing, and if they don’t see that, then they don’t deserve to be around you.”

Spending Time with Stray Kids

Being Felix’s best friend would also mean getting close to the other Stray Kids members. They’d tease Felix endlessly about how much he talks about you.

“Felix, do you have any friends besides [Your Name]?” Han would joke.

“Nope,” Felix would reply shamelessly.

The members would treat you like family, and Felix would love having you around during their schedules. You’d get to watch their rehearsals, joke around with them backstage, and be part of the fun.

And let’s not forget game nights at the dorm. Felix would absolutely drag you into Mario Kart battles, Just Dance competitions, and chaotic board games. If you beat him, he’d dramatically fall to the floor, claiming he’s been betrayed.

A Forever Friendship

At the end of the day, being best friends with Felix wouldn’t just be about the fun and chaos. It would be about unconditional love, support, and knowing that no matter what happens, you have someone who will always be there for you.

He’d be the kind of best friend who never lets you forget your worth, who makes life feel like an adventure, and who reminds you that even in the darkest times, there’s always light.

Because that’s who Felix is. A sunshine personified, a best friend anyone would be lucky to have.

[candiedcoffeedrops]

A Moment At Midnight

Nica Schwartz x Reader

Notes: Happy Birthday to @drachonia! Love you, twin!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and hope you like how I wrote your boy💜

WC: 1,162

SFW

Tags: Fluffy Goodness!!, Written from suitor's perspective because I really like doing that, apparently lol

CW: Nothing aside probably some OOC due to character being in JP. I read over bond stories that have been translated and whatnot but still acknowledge that there may be errors in characterization. And also my remedial knowledge of German along with Google German. I put translations at the bottom. :D

Also, obligatory no beta we die like men.

The palace was mostly quiet this time of night. Most of Crown were night owls, given the nature of their work, but a majority were currently out on missions, enjoying city nightlife, or had retreated to their own spaces for the night. I leaned against the wall of your room right beside the door, ankles crossed as I glanced at the pocket watch in my hand, the soft glow of moonlight illuminating the face of the small clock and the intricate hands. It was only a few minutes until midnight. 

Hopefully you won’t keep me waiting too much longer. Not that you knew I was here in the first place, but still.

Footsteps down the hallway made me turn my head towards the door, my eyebrows raising as a smirk quirked on my lips. That had to be you. I’d recognize the cadence of your steps anywhere. I straightened my posture right as the click of your doorknob sounded through the room and the door opened, slowly enveloping me in its shadow. 

You took a step into the room with a tired sigh and began making your way to your bed, ready to flop down into it and get some sleep. I managed to sneak right behind you, leaning down to speak next to your ear.

“Hello, Liebling,” I greeted as you jumped with a yelp, turning around to see me right before lightly smacking my arm, brows furrowed in a frown. “Miss me?”

“Nica you scared the shit out of me!” You chastised me while I laughed, my hand coming up defensively.

“Sorry, Schatz,” I responded. I wasn’t sorry though, not really. You looked so cute I couldn’t help myself. I decided to keep that to myself though, not wanting another smack to the arm. Lifting the watch to take another glance at it, I noted that it still wasn’t midnight. Close though. Very close. “What are you doing turning in so late?”

“What are you doing in my room?” You countered, looking up at me expectantly while I narrowed my eyes in amusement.. 

“What am I doing here?” I repeated the question before nonchalantly shrugging one of my shoulders. “Hmm, I could say I was just passing by, but where’s the fun in that? No, I’m here because I couldn’t wait to see your face when the clock struck midnight.”

A confused frown twitched on your brow as you looked up at me. “Why would you need to be hiding behind my door for that? And why midnight?”

“Did you forget already?” I asked teasingly, lifting the pocket watch once more. I noticed the hands were perfectly fixed where I wanted them to be as a pleased hum escaped my throat.

Midnight.

I lifted my hands to cup your cheeks and pressed my forehead to yours. “Alles gute zum Geburtstag to my favorite woman in the world. I wanted to be the first person to say it to you.” 

“I-” You started, trailing off as your eyes widened for a moment, surprise melting into a smile so radiant it made my chest ache. “You’re unbelievable,” you whispered, but your tone betrayed the warmth behind your words.

Ah. I loved that face so much. How much of a hold you’ve come to have over me. It isn’t fair really, but then, I find myself wanting to feel this way for the first time in my life. Wanting to feel this achingly tender feeling in my chest whenever I look at you or hear your voice. It becomes more familiar by the day, and I know now—I never want to be without it again.

“It’s the first time we’re spending your birthday as a couple. I wanted to make the most out of it and tell you as soon as possible.” 

“And you had to scare me to do that?” You challenged, eyes glinting in mirth while I suppressed a snort, lips twitching in a grin as I moved some of your hair away from your face.

“No, that was just a bonus.” 

We both laughed before I leaned in to capture your sweet lips with mine. The warmth in my heart swelled and I lingered there, savoring the feeling. I deepened the kiss slightly before pulling back with a smirk.

“Now, how does the birthday girl plan to thank me for my incredible thoughtfulness?” I teased, narrowing my eyes mischievously. You snort with your smile still in place, poking my cheek gently with your finger.

"You don't get a reward for making me scream in my own room," You shoot back playfully.

"Aha!" I laughed, "You say that like I've never done that before, Liebling."

I laughed harder as your cheeks flushed before you playfully smacked my arm again. I deserved that.

“Ow! You know I bruise like a peach,” I lamented, rubbing my arm with a pout that would make Dari proud. You paid no mind to my theatrics as you pulled your shoes off, setting them neatly nearby.

“You’ll be fine,” you replied simply, and I watched your movements slow as you sat down at the edge of the bed before falling over to your side, head landing against your pillow with a tired exhale as your eyes closed.

I walked up to you, my footsteps shushed by the soft carpet. I brushed my fingers over your cheek, the metal of my rings glinting in the silvery moonlight. “Tired?” I asked as your eyelids fluttered open, your pretty eyes looking up at me before you nodded slightly.

“I’ve been tired,” you yawned.

My face softened and I took that as my cue, shrugging off my jacket and folding it neatly at the foot of your bed before removing my shoes and placing them next to yours. 

I walked to the other side of your bed and laid down next to you. You immediately turned toward me as I wrapped my arm around your shoulders and held you close to my chest. You sighed again, this time content, nuzzling closer as I pressed my cheek to the top of your head. Your hair was so soft, your warmth fitting against me like it was meant to be there. How cute.

“I have a whole day planned for you, starting with a surprise in the morning, so,” I paused to lightly tap the tip of your nose with my index finger. “Schlaf wohl, birthday girl.”

“Mhm, goodnight,” you mumbled, already lulling to sleep. I chuckle through my nose and press a kiss to the top of your head, drawing patterns on your arm with my fingertips. I heard your breath begin to slow and even out as my eyelids started to feel heavy. I guess I was more tired than I thought. I stifled a yawn, my eyes slipping shut as I breathed in the scent of your hair. It felt warm– familiar, like falling asleep at home. I let myself fully melt by your side as sleep settled over me.

Lemme know if you wanna be tagged in future stuffs!

Alles gute zum Geburtstag - Happy Birthday!

Schlaf Wohl - Sleep well

Liebling - Darling

Schatz - Treasure/Sweetheart

Banner was done by myself, dividers done by @strangergraphics

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

FINAL PREDICTIONS

Here are my final predictions for where each character will end up as the series comes to an end! I mostly believe that things are going to be ending happily for everyone. This is at least somewhat informed by a September interview with Rashad where he said their goal was to give us an "incredibly satisfying" ending that will give the audience the feeling "that we are leaving all of these people right where they should be at the end of their journeys." (More recently, Rashad has been hyping the possibility of characters dying, but he's never actually said with 100% certainty that a main character would die.) I may be too optimistic here, but WE'LL SEE.

If anyone wants to discuss, my ask box is open! Tell me your predictions!

TK—quits his job, adopts Jonah, happily ever after with his husband and

Carlos—adopts Jonah, happily ever after with his family 🥰

I think during the final episode he will be helping out at dispatch in some way, but there probably won't be any additional major events for him to end the series with, aside from becoming a dad.

Owen—There are 2 possible options, but he leaves his job regardless.

Option #1: He takes the New York job as planned.

Option #2: He gets offered a similar job in Austin.

I’m leaning towards Option #2 at this point because it felt like they were setting him up to change his mind. However, I don't feel entirely confident.

Tommy—did not die at the end of episode 11, suits up for what she'll believe to be the last time to help out post-asteroid, but will discover by the end that miraculously her cancer isn’t as bad as the doctor thought and she’s going to be ok.

Maybe the scan was read wrong. Maybe it was just swelling and the swelling went down. Maybe she goes in for another check and her tumor shrunk. I don't know. But if she isn’t dead now, I really doubt they’re going to kill her at all. She basically already had a death scene, so I don’t think they would do what would amount to killing her off twice in the span of two episodes! I feel fairly confident about this.

I guess there's also the possibility that they'll leave it open, since Rashad did say that they left some doors open to continue. If that's the case, I imagine that they will leave us with Tommy at least doing well enough that we can imagine her cancer quickly goes into remission.

Judd—becomes captain of the 126 when Owen takes a new job.

Maybe there will be a mention about Grace coming home soon, or maybe that will be left open since they did have a slight hope for a season 6 renewal as they were finishing up. They wouldn’t have known whether Sierra would be able to be part of that at the time they were filming, so they might not have wanted to promise Grace's imminent return.

Mateo—2 options: he either dies or has an NDE. If he survives, he won't be deported.

Leaning towards NDE right now based on some things said in interviews and just the general feeling that it would be too depressing to kill him partway through the final episode.

If he survives, I feel pretty sure he won’t actually be deported, so that just leaves the question of how he gets out of that. One possibility is that he and Nancy get married (even though this definitely wouldn’t stop deportation in real life). It seems like they probably brought up Nancy’s opposition to marriage for a reason. That reason could have been to set up Nancy changing her mind after Mateo almost dies…I think this is possible, but I don’t know if it’s most likely. They also may have brought it up simply to answer potential viewer questions if the general audience started to wonder why they didn’t just get married to stop the deportation.

Another possibility could be that they decide not to go through with the deportation after Mateo and the rest of the 126 save the city. This is again not something that would likely happen in real life, but it seems like something that could happen in the Lone Star universe. I think this would probably be my preferred outcome.

Nancy—Potentially marrying Mateo, if not then probably happily ever after in a long-term relationship with Mateo and as a member of the 126.

Since we see Tommy in captain dress uniform in BTS, Nancy probably won't be captain anymore at the end of the series, but I assume she would be poised to take over for Tommy when Tommy eventually retires.

Or if Mateo dies, Nancy will have a bittersweet ending mourning the man she loves yet still being part of the 126.

Paul—maybe a little more with Jax and then a happy ending as part of the 126.

Marjan—I think Marjan basically already got her happy ending in episode 10 so probably there won’t be any major new developments with her. Like Paul, it will probably just be a happy ending as part of the 126.

[livmightlive]

Aurora Headcanon/Lore

Like my Dawn headcanon but reverse, I think Aurora would also be like a sister to Hyrule, but younger. When Hyrule wakes her up, I think she would be right around 13 years old.

I personally don’t ship Hyrule and Aurora. I really want to make it clear that I don’t judge people who do, like at all. Tbh I try really hard not to judge any shipping bc unless I see my name in there or if it’s like, really morally vile, it really doesn’t affect my irl life whatsoever so why should I genuinely care yknow?😭 I wanted to mention my lack of judgement though because what I’m gonna say next might sound a bit ranty? Preachy? And that’s not my intention, I’m just trying to say my piece (I hope this makes sense 😭)

I don’t ship Aurora and Hyrule bc it doesn’t really line up logically for me. I’m pretty sure anybody who does ship them makes their own lore to make it work though because I’m ngl, a concealed kiss at the end of a gruelingly difficult game doesn’t give us much to go off of. The rest I think will come together and make more sense?? 

Anywho- I think waking up hundred of years in a post apocalyptic world would be really scary. Aurora is a very smart girl, blessed with wisdom by the goddess, but in my headcanon she’s also only 13. I think she would recognize that she’s ill equipped to survive in this world. As she and Hyrule make the trek back to the castle she tries firmly to attach herself to him and to win his affections in return. She’d first do this by trying to make him her boyfriend, which is probably really awkward for Hyrule. He definitely thinks he’s too old for her and treats it like a childish crush she has. He doesn’t realize that the poor girl is TERRIFIED. No family, a lack of survival skills, she’s on her own. She has a deep gratitude for her hero but the romantic affection is greatly fabricated. She thinks that if she can make him her boyfriend, she won’t be alone.

Hyrule takes her to the castle where he stays to be a familiar presence for her. There she meets Dawn, a Queen now, who takes her under her wing as she did for Hyrule. Slowly, Aurora learns that she has two people who care for her without strings attached. Slowly, they form a little family and now Hyrule has a big sister and a little sister. 

After Aurora adjusts, I think she would LOVE this new era. In her time, I think she had a hard time. From birth she was chosen to protect the Triforce which led to people trying to control and manipulate her entire life. Namely her brother who would eventually cause her demise. In this era the triforce is no longer her responsibility. She’s free. She can finally learn new hobbies, explore some, and focus on her people. Her knowledge of the past provides greatly helpful and her historical knowledge also fills a lot of gaps left in the annuls of time. 

She’s surprised but very pleased when Dawn and Hyrule shyly ask her if she knows any stories of the Hero of Legend. She’s very proud to say that’s she’s MET the man because he was her great great great uncle. (I have a separate headcanon that Legend lives a very long time. He dies at age 121) She loves her Grunkie Link <3 her stories of him are wildly inaccurate because by the time she was born, Legend was already over 100 years old. He didn’t have the best of memories and enjoyed lying for fun at that point. Dawn and Hyrule eat it up. 

I think I still have more but that’s about it for now. I really just like the idea of Hyrule having a family to return to and that Aurora can have a good safe space after waking up. 

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

The whole discourse about the privacy/secrecy/support thing has been sitting with me for a few days (I mean other than it always does to a certain degree) thanks to all the excellent discussion happening and I know I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said a million times before, but I think what we're seeing and what we're going to learn (e.g. from TTPD) is that it wasn't just the support issue, but how it was shown/handled.

We've all gone out of our way to show that introversion =/= lack of support. Someone can be shy, reserved, etc. and still show up for their partner, whether in public or at home. To chalk any of the differences up to the clash between introversion and extroversion is unfair to folks who count themselves among either tbh.

@thisisctrying said something the other day that hit the nail on the head about how if that support had been offered in private, there very well may not have been a Joever to begin with, or at least not at this point in time. (Sorry for loosely paraphrasing, and for namedropping you! Long time listener, first time poster.)

If this were a case where the "shy" partner said, "I am really uncomfortable with the spotlight personally and do not want to court it, but I will support you in your ambitions and offer you whatever you need to make them happen and make the glare bearable," I suspect that would have gone a long way to making Taylor feel seen and comfortable in pursuing her goals in the way that she now has. Again, that might have been more akin to the balance that seemed to have been struck around 2019 from what we can see, but even speaking in a general sense, there are lots of couples out there, celebrity or not, that have similar approaches where there are highly driven people and busy careers involved.

(A famous example being Dolly Parton's marriage. Tbh I know next to nothing about her and Carl, but she's always heralded as an example in this regard, because her husband is famously uncomfortable with the spotlight and hasn't accompanied her to public events in decades, but she's said that she never minded that because that was always work to her, and what was important was that he supported her in pursuing all her career goals and basically ensured she had a place to call home to return to at the end of the day.)

We're kind of in a brave new world with her current relationship because it felt like, at least at the start, we were maybe watching her figure out her boundaries in real time as to what she was comfortable with or not and adjust accordingly. Like so many have said, I fully believe the extreme privacy thing was initially driven by herself and her experiences in 2016, and she needed that quiet time to recover from all of the things and figure out how to exist in the world again.

Stating the obvious, it seemed like eventually privacy was equated with secrecy, turning the relationship and the celebrity into the elephant in the room and something to never be spoken of to the outside world. People are free to choose whatever works best for themselves and their relationships, and for some the separate public lives might work, but the “kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath” theme is all over her work and it’s clear that it’s a sore spot for her, because she’s been made to feel shame just for the life she leads so many times in the past.

What I’m trying to say is that it’s pretty obvious something Not Great was happening behind the scenes, which didn’t just amount to “she wanted to be a public celebrity and he wanted to be a private hermit.” (Also, in case anyone forgot, this is a person who also chose a public-facing career who also has to engage in press for it, but I digress.) As her career reached new heights post-folklore, if she had the support at home to do all the things without judgment and with encouragement, and in turn offer the same support to her partner, she may have very well lived just fine with that, not unlike Dolly Parton’s case.

By reading between the lines in all the press since, as well as comments on tour and general ~vibes~ with TTPD teasers, it seems like one of the issues was that that was likely not the case. There was all the stuff that we saw — the reticence to acknowledge each other in the media (particularly on one side), the lack of public support even at events at which they were both in attendance for their respective jobs, the great lengths they went to not to be photographed together at events they attended yet no problem taking pictures with other friends and coworkers, the jobs that separated them, the withdrawing from the public even for work accomplishments, etc. Which could all be manageable if a couple chooses to do so together and are not inherently a sign of trouble in themselves.

But what we’re seeing now I think is a reflection of the things we weren’t seeing then, and it seems to indicate some very deep hurt. (I know, call me Captain Obvious.) And like so many have been saying, it feels likely that that part of that hurt is rooted in that very lack of private support where a person would expect it from their partner. Obviously as a Taylor fan blog I’m going to be more inclined to understand her side of a story, but tbh, it’s also because… this is sooooooo common, and something I’ve experienced in my friend group. (@taylortruther is right when she says most breakups are the same one way or another lol.)

One partner is resentful of the other’s success, or resentful that the other’s priorities begin to evolve as new experiences unlock new goals, or feels the other’s ambitions are not worthy of pursuit, and coupled with perhaps their own struggles in the same domain, it’s easy to see where that can chip away at the other partner’s morale and faith in the relationship. I know I’m just speculating here, but I also don’t think it’s totally unfounded. (Again, because a) I’m picking up what she’s putting down and b) it happens to sooooooo many women even among us dull normals.)

With all the pointed mentions about how much Taylor feels supported in her current relationship and how she in turn loves to offer the same show of support to not only her partner but other loved ones, how she’s stepped out more in the last year to a whole host of events, how she’s mentioned feeling like she locked herself away for years and she’s just proud of her partner and happy she can show up for him even if the chaos around it is unsettling, it paints a picture of what perhaps was happening before last year.

To feel like you’re all alone in carrying the weight of the relationship (or burden of it), of twisting yourself into knots to accommodate the other person’s boundaries (or insecurities) but not feeling reciprocity for your own has to be so painful. (The idea that it may have been even darker and to have a partner not only be unreceptive to your own needs but even perhaps resentful/dismissive/belittling of them is even more painful to think of. I guess we’ll find out when TTPD comes out if that was the case, too.)

At a certain point, that lack of acknowledgement will force your hand to be able to reclaim yourself. And it feels like the further removed Taylor in particular is from it, the more she moves from being sad about the life she felt she gave up by leaving, to angry at the life she felt she was giving up by staying. Especially being in a relationship now where it seems like everything comes much easier, where she can be open about the person she’s with and show up for them, all the stuff that seemed as challenging as climbing Mount Everest in her past is nothing more than a molehill at best in her current life.

TL;DR: I don’t think it’s privacy that inherently spells doom for a celebrity relationship like this; it’s the mutual support and respect that does. If Taylor had felt that in the later years of her previous relationship, I think we could be seeing a different, though not necessarily unfulfilled, person right now in 2024, who’d be happy on tour but whose personal life would look a little different. But it seems like by losing that support she lost parts of herself, and we’ve seen her reclaim that in spades in the last year, and perhaps to degrees she didn’t even realize she could from before all the Bad Stuff started happening in her young adulthood.

I know this was extremely long-winded and unnecessary, especially about total strangers we only know through scraps fed through the media, but I just always bristle at this idea that issues like these boil down to “personality differences,” as though one person wants to live in a city and the other on a remote island, or some shit like that. The whole support (and gender tbh) issue is one that’s just very close to my heart because again, I have seen it play out with so many of my friends in long term relationships and marriages and I just think people in relationships (and women in particular in some circles) deserve better than to feel like they’re being, well, tolerated.

[itsalwaysforyou]

jay not asking coach about letting lonnie onto the team bc he doesn’t want to do anything coach might disagree with…….

[askchilchuck]

What do you think of Chappell Roan, Mr Tims?

I’m not really the type to care about musicians if I’m being honest with you. If the info that one anon gave me is true, she has a good head on her shoulders from what I can tell. Then again, there’s a lot of stuff I don’t really have context for, so I could be wrong. The girls seem to like her music, at least.

[m0nsterteeth]

To elaborate on my other post, but being a monster to me is being ‘bad’. Not necessarily objectively bad, everyone has to eat, predators are not evil for existing, but the average person would see certain behaviors and be like yeah that’s bad. That thing looks dangerous, it’s bad news. And it being totally in line with being a monster so it’s a valid thing to be. No one is disappointed in a large dangerous beast for not behaving socially acceptable, it’s not judged by human standards. A monster can behave aggressively and it’s a Problem and a Threat, not Rude or Criminal. I am physically human and do bad things (lie, steal, cheat, manipulate) and I feel guilt (or guilt for not feeling guilt) and like to imagine a world where I am mostly guilt free about my behavior and be set up to successfully be Very Bad to my heart’s content and get away with it. Like shapeshifting alone could get you out of a lot of situations. I am extremely non confrontational, sometimes I wish to make my feelings someone else’s problem and not feel shitty about it. Getting me mad would have Consequences.

What I’m saying is I want to steal loads of money/things and eat people and it not be possible to trace it back to me.

[dailyautophagy]

I can’t imagine being so young I need an audience to feel real

[nicoscheer]

Ending it with Miles 😭🫶🏽🥹 we’re gonna cry so bad.

But also I love this so much cause like obviously the band and the management heard all the hateful ‘fans’ back when they had to cancel Marlay Park because Alex dared to get laryngitis and this; giving them not only one but 3/4 shows with Miles and an access code is so hilarious to me cause like yeah you very fuckin nasty and disgusting but here ya go ya lil shits now what do you say (pretty please) like this makes all those haters look sooo incredibly dumb and childish (like no patience at all obviously they need time to schedule and arrange all the venues and what not, like have some faith in them just lean back and trust) anyways long story short love this move

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miles Kane (@mileskane)

I’m having a mental breakdown

Miles via email

[fingertipsmp3]

People find out about shit I’ve put up with in the past and are like “how did you not punch this person omg” and I just need to explain one thing to you about me. I can store up things indefinitely if I have to. I am capable of rational thought in even the most insane of circumstances and if I decide it’ll be infinitely more satisfying to get back at someone at a later date when I’m more coherent than to yell at them now, by God I’ll do it