#and there’s tension here from working with the rules they established at the beginning when they didn’t know how things were gonna go

[darkwicks]

hello!!! The 'calling them by their real name' was so cute, gave me butterflies 💗 could I request how they would react to being offered a massage (or other pampering) for gekko, Sova, and iso? ;w;

pampering them

FEATURING Gekko, Iso, Sova (separate) | gender-neutral reader, female reader in Iso's; established relationship, fluff, softness all around. | wc: ~400 each

ao3. masterlist. request rules. | reblogs and comments are always appreciated!!

“Long day?”

Gekko drops himself down on the bed with a sigh, the fatigue from the day catching up to him. He’s been training with Harbor recently, learning about firearms and combat, and it would seem that Harbor is an active teacher. A little too active, perhaps. He looks exhausted, cheeks flushed and body weary from the labour he had to do. You spin around on your chair to face him, an amused smile playing at your lips. He rarely ever complains—he’s a determined person, but you can just tell from looking at him that he’s sore all over.

“We did endurance training today,” he says, his head thrown back against the pillow. “I swear he’s a monster.”

“Well, it’s Harbor,” you reply, making your way over to him. “Do you want a massage?”

He blinks. “You’d do that for me?”

“You look like you need one.” You chuckle and cup the side of his face, looking down at him with a tender gaze. “It might help with the aches.”

“Okay. Sounds… Sounds good. So how do I…”

“Turn over.”

He complies, rolling onto his stomach with a grunt. You make quick work of straddling him and reach for his shoulders, pressing your thumbs down on the stiff muscles and rubbing them in soothing circles. The action makes him let out a sigh of relief, his head dropping into his arms as you begin to relax the tension in his body.

“I’ve been learning with Sage,” you explain. “She said it’s important to stretch and massage our muscles when they get sore. Improves blood circulation and stuff.”

He giggles under his breath. “It tickles.”

Impulsively, you jab his sides, making him laugh out loud and squirm away. You wiggle your wingers against his skin, grinning when he tenses up and blindly swats you. His shoulders shake with laughter as he scrambles into a sitting position and playfully pushes you back with a huff.

“I thought you were gonna help me relax!”

You snicker. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Lay back down, I’ll do it properly this time.”

“I’m just gonna take a warm bath,” he huffs. “You’re evil.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You feign disbelief and shrug your shoulders, giving him a look of confusion. “I’m just trying to help.”

Before your hands can reach him again, he gets up and points an accusatory finger at you, still laughing. “I’ll get you back for this. Just watch!”

“Sure, baby. I’ll be waiting.” You breathe out, content with the outcome. Sure, you might not have helped that much, but he’s looking a lot less stressed than when he first came in. That’s still a win in your book.

“You do this every weekend?” he asks, peering up at you through his lashes. He’s seated in between your legs, a clay mask on his face as you massage his scalp gently, easing his tension. There wasn’t any special occasion. You just saw a video online of couples doing self-care day together and wanted to try it out. Surprisingly, he agreed, and now here he is, being pampered by you.

It’s quite a sight. Former assassin of the Scions of Hourglass, wearing a rabbit headband and holding a stress ball instead of a gun. There’s a reality show playing on the TV, courtesy of you and your insistence of “having girl talk.” It’s really just an excuse to gossip about the obnoxious people in the show, but sometimes this silliness is exactly what you need. Iso won’t admit it himself, but you know these shows are his guilty pleasure. He’s not good at hiding it. You always feel him watching behind your back with your hands on his hips, fully invested in the drama unfolding only to walk away when you turn to look at him.

It’s adorable, really.

“Not every weekend. Just whenever I feel like it,” you reply, moving to massage his neck. “I bought new stuff and wanted to try them with you.”

“But you don’t have anything on.”

“‘Cause this is about you.” Your hands move to his shoulders now, pressing hard against the stiffness and slowly undoing the knots with your touch, earning a quiet relieved groan from him. “You’ve been working really hard lately. I thought I’d treat you to something nice.”

“And this headband was necessary?”

You snort. “Very necessary. We need to keep your hair out of your face or it’ll get stuck to the mask.”

Not convinced by your reasoning, he narrows his eyes at you. “And?”

“And I thought you’d look cute in it.”

He leans his head back against your lap, eyelids fluttering shut as your fingers move back to his scalp to massage his temples. He’s sitting comfortably, squeezing the stress ball from time to time while he tunes out the rest of the world, only feeling you. Just to see what he’d do, you suddenly stop your ministrations and pull your hands back.

His eyes snap open. “Why’d you stop?”

“I wasn’t sure if you like it or not,” you lie half-heartedly, biting back the teasing grin threatening to stretch across your lips. “I’m tired.”

He reaches for your hands and brings them back to his head wordlessly, tapping twice as a sign to continue. You chuckle at his response and resume what you were previously doing, letting out an exaggerated sigh. He’s cuter than he realises.

“What a bossy client.”

He huffs. “Then do your job.”

And to think he was so indifferent when you first suggested this activity… your Iso is a total softie.

You hum a soft tune under your breath as you wrap the towel around Sova’s hair and gingerly squeeze, drying it off the water from the earlier shower. It’s still early in the evening—the sun has just gone down—and since he’s finally off work, you decided to treat him for the time being. He’s sitting on a chair in front of you, eyes trained on your form while you work. Feeling his gaze on you, you meet him in the mirror, slightly flustered from how intense it was.

“You okay?” you ask.

Hanging the towel elsewhere, you pick up the hairbrush and begin to comb it through his hair. The bristles glide through his soft strands with ease, the movements smooth and painless. He’s practically melting into your touch, his chest rising and falling with a breath of relaxation. You gently tilt his head back and lean down to press a kiss on his forehead, earning a small smile from him. 

“I like when you do this,” he says. “It feels nice.”

The corners of your lips curl up, heart fluttering at his honesty. “I’m glad.”

With a generous drop of oil in your hands, you bury them in his hair and massage his scalp, evenly spreading the substance across his strands. He doesn’t generally do much to it outside of using shampoo or conditioner, but with how sunny it’s been lately, you wanted to make things a little easier for him. 

“Your hair’s so nice naturally,” you hum, placing your hands on his shoulders and squeezing affectionately. “I’m jealous.”

“But you’re beautiful too, angel.”

Heat rises to your cheeks. You playfully swat him, pretending to clutch your chest in pain. “You can’t just say that, Sasha. You’re gonna give me a heart attack.”

He gently tugs on your sleeve. Taking the hint, you step around to take a seat on his lap and wrap your arms around his neck. His hand comes to support your waist, sliding up your shirt and caressing your skin lovingly. You rest your head on his collarbone with a content sigh, comfortably curling into him. You softly smile at him upon meeting his gaze in the mirror. He looks so much more domestic compared to his usual demeanour. With freshly combed hair and a loose sweater on his frame, you think he looks perfect—so handsome, so completely yours. 

“Let me take care of you too,” he murmurs against your temple, lips brushing against it in a chaste kiss.

Unable to stop the smile from growing wider, you nod eagerly. “Okay.”

[kiyo-cant-write]

Heyya saw you're open, so I would like to request my favorite character. Seeing how I saw you write the guy.

I've been seeing a lot of RSA!Silver. So it's about Silver and MC/Yuu still not in relationships. Then some shenanigans happen. Where there's RSA version Silver shows up(temporary). I'm sure he's still the same. But, RSA!Silver is more up front showing affection to Yuu but Silver is not. It ends up confusing Yuu's feelings and makes Silver try his best to show his affection too. It's making RSA!Silver and Silver fighting over Yuu. Hopefully no problem.

RSA!Silver (Magic) VS NRC!Silver (Canon) ✧･ﾟ

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Thank you for requesting! You're actually my first request on this blog! Congrats on that, anon! I love Silver so I hope I did this prompt justice! Enjoy! I tried my best for this ^^ !!

This is headcanons and a mini scenario. I don't take fic requests at the moment, and this is the length they max out at. Sorry if it's considered short!

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TW/CW: None

Notes: established crushes, Silver/Reader not yet together, gender neutral reader, they/them pronouns for the reader, there are two Silvers lmao, reader is Yuu/Ramshackle Prefect

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✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

Silver

Silver doesn't realize what is happening at first, to be honest.

He barely realizes he has feelings for [Name] yet and it's so off his radar that there could be another him.

He never could have imagined this.

He doesn't notice RSA!Silver until his [Name], who is already down bad for Silver, points out the situation, making it so obvious he can't ignore it.

It's almost sad that Silver doesn't realize [Name] likes him.

Though, [Name] doesn't point out Silver #2 so much as spend time with him only for Silver Prime to find them together.

Now he's confused. Why does that guy look like him?

Who the heck is this guy?

Is there magic at work here? (Yes, probably).

Silver is quick to jump into action, thinking he is "protecting" his crush from dangerous magic, he doesn't intend to make them mad. He doesn't understand why he jumps into action so quickly. [Name] is not his master, Malleus-sama is!

[Name] doesn't like that two Silvers are fighting, however. (Keep in mind that they are sword fighting, it's not exactly SAFE)

RSA!Silver is soft and sweet, always smiling and wanting to talk to [Name] or spend time with them. He's done nothing wrong!

[Name] finds it a bit jarring that RSA!Silver is so... radiant.

He is many words that [Name] thought only applied to Pomefiore.

Silver, after being told not to fight, sits down at the table with them.

He is trying his very best not to nod off.

He doesn't realize why this makes him annoyed.

[Name] is living both a fantasy and a nightmare, terrified about what might have caused this but enjoying two Silvers.

The peace doesn't last, however, because now there's tension.

Ultimately the radiant Silver disappears without a trace and [Name] opts to not tell a teacher if only to avoid more work for themselves since they already handle most school issues.

Silver uses the aftermath to make the most boyish confession.

"[Name], I don't think I liked you spending time with... shiny me..."

Also, yes, that is what Silver 2: The Silvering gets called, any assortment of weird nicknames.

Silver was not bothered by it, initially. He was calmed down after he was assured the other Silver was not dangerous (and after being told that sword fighting on campus was against the rules)...

But now? Now it was beginning to annoy him. A sharper feeling than when he wanted to scold Sebek for some kind of misbehavior toward the NRC student body, he felt a slight urge to throttle this man who looked like himself.

It was startling, actually, Silver never expected to see such a radiant version of himself, a young man with his same silver hair and unique eye color who was smiling brightly and happily chatting with [Name].

He wasn't sure how to feel about it. How does one respond?

"[Name].." he said, calling out to them.

There was no response.

He knew it was from the distance but something about it felt personal to him and it made his skin crawl. Why was [Name] paying so much attention to this other person? This person looked like him. He heard them comment about that very thing. So why did they choose this over the real thing? It was.... confusing.

He wanted to ask his father about it but the older fae was in a meeting in Malleus' place, likely off somewhere with Headmaster Crowley and the other housewardens.

"[Name]," Silver said again, a bit more volume added to his statement as he walked closer to the table where they sat, "I was looking for you."

"Silver!" [Name] said as they whipped around to look at him.

He didn't know who the professors had told about the incident where this other Silver showed up, but he was certain that [Name] knew it was not him... while it was still technically him, he supposed.

"Hello."

He greeted them in a deadpan tone as he sat down at the table with them, a serious expression gracing his features. The expression was opposite the glittering one the other Silver wore.

"It's so funny to see you two next to each other," [Name] laughed.

"Is it?" Silver questioned, raising a brow.

"I think it's funny too," the other Silver said, "But I am glad I got to meet you, [Name]. You're as lovely as any princess."

"Oh?" [Name] responded, face flushing at the compliment, "Thank you..."

Silver felt annoyance bubble in him, a vein about to pop on his forehead as he thought about it longer. Why was this version of him acting this way? He wanted to be the one to speak to [Name] during this free period. He did not need this.... this imposter here.

"!!!!"

His own thoughts startled him. Was he really so angry?

"Silver, what's wrong?" [Name] asked him.

"Nothing to worry about," he assured them.

"Are you certain you're alright? Do you need help?" the other Silver asked, a worried expression showing he was genuinely concerned.

"I am... fine," Silver told his other self.

[Name] returned to their conversation with the other Silver who was returning their comments with flowery words and compliments, the kind of language that Silver himself was often incapable of. It made something inside of him twist.

"You're the most beautiful person I have ever met, [Name]," the other Silver told them, "If you would let me, I would ask you to—"

A hand covered the other Silver's mouth. It was the true Silver.

"That is enough out of you," Silver said through slightly gritted teeth.

"Mnnfgph?" the other Silver managed.

"[Name], if you would excuse us, I think I am going to see if Professor Crewel has any updates about this situation."

It was said formally as if he was speaking to Master Malleus.

"Silver—" [Name] began, but Silver was already dragging the other Silver away, "I guess he has things to do..."

Silver and [Name] need to talk but that will happen later, we suppose.

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✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

Thank you for reading! Likes and reblogs are appreciated! Do NOT repost my writing/headcanons as your own >:c Check the top of my blog for the inbox status and read the rules before requesting. This is not a twst-only blog! ^^

[first-saturn-return]

Monday 30th, December: New Moon in Capricorn

At 17:26 EST time, we'll have the New Moon in Capricorn.

This lunation looks like the actual start of the New Year.

Capricorn is a cardinal sign associated with beginnings, and New Moons initiate a lunar cycle.

It will occur at 09° 43' of Capricorn. If you have planets or angles in your birth chart coinciding with that degree, this lunation will be extra vital to you. (It doesn't have to be exactly at the same degree. Two degrees up or down also works.)

The North Node at 1° of Aries, Pluto at 1° of Aquarius, the South Node at 1° of Libra, and Mars retrograde at 2° of Leo form an aspect pattern called Mystic Rectangle.

The two oppositions (Nodes opposing each other as usual, and Pluto and Mars in opposition) find resolution through the confidence and opportunities provided by the trines and sextiles of this pattern. The North Node in Aries trines Mars retrograde in Leo, while Pluto in Aquarius trines the South Node in Libra.

Since Air and Fire are involved, and these two elements complement each other, there are also some sextiles. The North Node in Aries sextiles Pluto in Aquarius, and the South Node in Libra sextiles Mars retrograde in Leo.

This Mystic Rectangle is a gift for finding creative solutions to complex dilemmas.

Since Mars is still retrograde, extreme action is not needed right now. The Nodes are involved, so solutions have to consider both the future and the past, where we are going, and where we are coming from, what we want to leave behind and what we want to nurture moving forward. Pluto in Aquarius definitely introduces the element of novelty.

Pluto in Aquarius is one of the most relevant changes of 2025. Pluto was briefly in Aquarius in 2023 and 2024, but then, this planet retrograded back to Capricorn. The difference in 2025 is that Pluto will be firmly established in Aquarius. It will retrograde (it does that every year), but it will be in Aquarius for many years.

Another aspect pattern in this chart is a T-square. The planets involved are Jupiter retrograde in Gemini in opposition to Mercury in Sagittarius and both squaring Saturn in Pisces.

Saturn in Pisces is the apex planet. This means that much of the dynamic movement brought by the T-square takes place here. Saturn in Pisces drives the reconciliation and synthesis of the opposition bewteen Jupiter retrograde in Gemini and Mercury in Sagittarius.

However, Saturn in Pisces can also exacerbate the tension between Jupiter and Mercury. This planet can be both a point of release and an obstacle.

In layman's terms, there's a debate between the big picture (Jupiter) and the minutia of everyday life (Mercury). Saturn invites us to take responsible, well-thought-out actions, but without forgetting our emotional side or creativity (Saturn is in Pisces).

Jupiter and Gemini are in each other's houses because Jupiter rules Sagittarius, and Mercury rules Gemini. They are on their best behavior when they visit each other's house, but may not display their full raw power because they must be polite and charming.

This gives me beauty pageant vibes: they are nice to look at, and they have manners, but maybe they cannot be true to themselves because they don't show us the behind-the-scenes or the nitty-gritty of all the processes that took them to the state of refinement they can display.

This mutable T-square generates restlessness and the need for movement and change. The Mystic Rectangle and the fact that the New Moon is in Capricorn say, "Not so fast."

Saturn in Pisces also receives the aid of the lunation itself since the New Moon sextiles this planet. Earth and Water are the other two complementary elements.

It feels as if the New Moon in Capricorn is dry soil watered by Saturn in Pisces. Both Saturn and Capricorn's "slow and steady wins the race" approach has to prevail here, even though Jupiter and Mercury want immediate change.

Change is coming (Pluto in Aquarius), but not quickly. Action has to be deliberate and genuine (Mars retrograde in Leo), while the past (South Node in Libra) and the future (North Node in Aries) are at odds.

If the whole "New Year's resolutions" vibe is your thing, you can do a ritual to write them down and infuse them with the energy of this New Moon.

But don't act on those resolutions immediately. Let them marinate for a bit. The time of action will come soon enough.

Thanks for reading, and happy New Moon! 🌑

[reelvibes91]

From Book to Screen- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

As with most sequels, the anticipation for more action and drama grows. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is no exception to this rule.

Immediately, the drama starts when Harry finds Dobby in his room. This is the exact same from book to movie, and rightfully so. It is one of the best introductions in all of the series. The way Dobby creates a chaos for Harry to simply try and stop him is very well written and well depicted on screen.

From there, we moved on to Ron and the twins flying the car, which was also the same thing. The scenes at the Burrow were shortened for the movie so it could move along faster. The only additions we could have gotten were some playful Qudditch practice and some wizard degnoming, but neither advance the plot.

While Harry is at The Burrow, we have them travel to Diagon Alley. There is a key difference here. Instead of the hand in the movie, we have Lucius and Draco Malfoy enter the shop. They are attempting to sell goods to avoid a Raid. We still get the explanation in the film as to what the raids are. We also still get the Malfoy sequence at Flourish and Blotts, and that is essentially a good enough scene to avoid slowing down momentum. Draco works best with a sly entrance as opposed to a meek one. This enabled the interpersonal drama to be the forefront and not have Harry hidden from view.

The flying car sequence adds a bit more to the drama in the movie which is great. It reminds us that Harry and Ron are kids outside of their comfort zone. They don't lose sight of the train in the novel and the addition of that adds a fun action sequence in the movie. The Whomping Willow remains the same.

Most of the films middle act sees minor changes to the story. In the book, we see more of Justin Finch-Fletchely, which does make his attack stand out more when it happens. The movie switches it out of the joint Herbology between the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs for it to be with Slytherin instead. Neville's fainting scene is added, which keeps it in character for him.

The Eat Slugs scene is slightly different as well. It happens out on the Qudditch pitch as opposed to the courtyard. The first attack and Harry hearing the voice is changed here as well as the movie opts to remove the entire Death Day sequence and have Harry hear the voice while in detention with Lockhart. They combine Mrs. Norrins being petrified into this scene. The Death Day sequence adds no real value to the structure of the plot and having it occur during the detention scene keeps the pace faster.

One thing the book does better is they create suspicion in the other students of Harry. This leads to some comedy involving the Weasley Twins, which would have helped lighten up some of the movies darker tones. The Weasley twins are misused in the movies, and any scene with them helps elevate the comedy.

Most of the third act of the movie is the same as the book. The diary is brought into the fold, and the severity of the attacks increases. One thing the movie changes is Hermione asks McGonagal about the Chamber of Secrets whereas in the book she talks to Professor Binns. Switching it to a more established and trust worthy character makes more sense and heightens the tension.

The final sequence beginning with Aragog and then leading the note from Hermione is essentially the same. The reveal of who Tom Riddle really is stays the same. As does the action sequences within the Chamber. The big changes to the end come at the end. The Weasleys are at Hogwarts when the children emerge from the Chamber. The converation about the diary belonging to Lucious happens in front of Dumbledore.

All in all as with the first movie removes the filler and, for the most part, makes the necessary pacing adjustments to have a better flow. Anything that was removed does not hinder the plot in any way, and this movie is long enough as is. The first two movies have a really good flow to them creating and establishing Voldemort as a credible threat to the Wizarding world moving forward in the series. It also firmly positions the Malfoy family as secondary antagonists with the introduction of Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy. Another stellar adaptation of the book is just on par or better than the original source material.

[jasper-tarot-reader]

Hi, I'm Khajiit, they/them.

My question: What should be my next step with my faith and practice?

The background: I've been at quite the crossroads and I'm not sure which of the hundred roads to take, and while I've been doing a lot of work myself trying to figure out an answer, I find myself wanting some outside input to see if any of the roads are advised by others or even if there's another road I'm not seeing (if that's okay with you).

(Also, do you prefer reviews through ask or replies, or even reblogs?)

The best thing about being a tarot reader is that I get to choose when I break my own rules. This is a huge, huge question, so instead of one card, I pulled three to illustrate three potential roads. I used the Skyrim Tarot (though my main complaint is that a good chunk of the cards have nothing to do with Skyrim...looking at you, Sotha Sil-as-Temperance) which gave us the High Priestess, the 3 of Spells, and the 2 of Arms, all upright. So with that in mind, let me present...

Three Potential Roads

Road One: Saint Alessia

Well well well, look who we have here. The High Priestess, the link between the seen and unseen, the one who gets what they want no matter if they have to go the magical or mundane route to get it. You may not topple regimes and found empires while following this road, but with a particular teacher, you could crack open paths to what you want...though sometimes you may find the price a little steep, or your teacher a bit too suspicious. This seems to be the road of initiation, following a particular paradigm with a particular lead.

Road Two: The College of Winterhold

Spells in this deck are analogous to Wands in other decks. This card speaks of established power and existing companions. This is the familiar, comfortable road of things going on as usual. You may become very good at what you do, but you may also become bored in your practice since it may feel like the same thing over and over again.

Road Three: The Companions

Hello suit of Swords but in the form of all kinds of weapons. This card typically refers to a stalemate caused by conflict without a clear winner, which then causes tensions in existing relationships. This is the indecision point, where you never leave where you are currently standing. If you don't decide what it is that you want out of your practice and beliefs, you will be stuck at this point for...well, maybe not forever, but for a long time. Perhaps it's time to look back and see what got you into all of this to begin with, and find out why you want to stick with it? That may illuminate the best paths forward for you.

These are not your only roads.

Just based on how much my deck refused to let me pull only one card for this reading, you have numerous roads leading from your indecision point. Perhaps too many to count, or I might run out of cards before then (which is very hard, as I own 60 tarot and oracle decks).

If you have sixty USD to spare and want a good overview of where you are currently standing, I recommend getting The Six Keys novelty reading from @windvexer. I helped test-run this spread and it did a lot for me and my practice, personally!

Regarding feedback, I prefer it in the form of a follow-up ask or a reblog of the reading. If you'd like to reblog my reading guidelines and add an additional comment for your followers, I would appreciate that too! I do these readings for free, so having my guidelines passed around by people who have gotten readings helps!

I wish you the best going forward, Khajiit!

~Jasper

[aro-geo-turtle]

TMA’s narrative structure and its reflection in character dynamics

With the end of @a-mag-a-day, I though it would be a perfect time to post this meta-analysis I’ve been thinking about for ages! Its always fun when a story’s ending wraps back around to its beginning in some way, and TMA dips into this a tiny bit via the “can I have a cigarette” moment, but I think the wider narrative structure and parallels in TMA actually get way more interesting than that. Long rambly analysis below cause I’m a writing nerd, and also remember this is purely my own personal interpretation.

I have three main points to make here.

A: season 4 is a twisted mirror of seasons 1 and 2, which act as a singular narrative unit, while season 5 is just like season 3 but more so in every way.

B: these parallels and mirrors between seasons are symbolized through Jon and Martin’s ever changing relationship.

C: the grand finale of Last Words feels like such an abrupt ending because it breaks the pattern established for how season finales are meant to work.

So let’s look at this chronologically:

Seasons 1 and 2 can be viewed a single unit in the overall narrative structure. They follow the same basic premise: Jon in his office at the Institute, alienated from his 3 assistants, trying to find out the truth about the supernatural. They both have a very slow pace, with only a handful of plot-furthering episodes among mostly world-building statement episodes. Then we have a cliffhanger leading into an action-packed climax, and then a calmer epilogue episode to clarify exactly what just happened and set up the new status quo for the next season. There are obviously differences (added supplementals, the paranoia, Gertrude’s murder, you know), but they follow the same general format. We also see the classic Jon/Martin dynamic established and shared between these two seasons: Martin reaching out to care for Jon, Jon rejecting and pushing him away. 

Season 3: Status quo? Out the window! Jon’s out of the Institute, traveling the world, we’re gone from the traditional 3 assistants to 4. The goal is no longer vaguely learning about the supernatural, we got most of those answers from Leitner. Instead we’re building towards the Unknowing from the very beginning. And the pacing here speeds up dramatically. So much happens, plot moving forward most episodes. This is where Jon and Martin’s dynamic first changes, too, finally becoming a lot more friendly. Some parts of the format stay the same, though. The ending is still made up of high-action climax episodes followed by an epilogue episode to set up the next status quo.

Season 4 is a return to the format of 1 and 2, but all twisted and reversed. Jon is in his office at the Institute, alienated from his 3 assistants, but it’s a totally different set of assistants (Tim, Sasha, Martin to Melanie, Basira, Daisy). We’re back to the slower pace, but after the mile-a-minute speed of S3, it feels agonizingly slow, a waiting game. The characters spend a lot of time sitting around. We know how the supernatural works, and now Jon’s looking for answers on what he’s meant to do about it. Of course, S4 also sees the reversal of Jon and Martin’s early season roles. Now it’s Jon reaching out and Martin rejecting him. And then we hit the finale and the tension that’s built up all season suddenly snaps. Once again, it’s a high-action climax followed by a slower epilogue that sets up season 5.

Season 5 is obviously the biggest status quo change of all. Literally all the rules of the normal world are shattered. It’s season 3 but even more so. We’re not at the Institute (there is no Institute), we don’t have the typical 3 assistants (that role doesn’t really seem to exist anymore). Like with the Unknowing, we have a clear goal from the very start: get to the Panopticon, kill Jonah, bring the world back. While the pace of 3 is rapid-fire, 5 is a steady march forward, episode by episode. Jon and Martin are once again friendly, and even more so, have finally connected and realized their feelings. And then we get to the grand finale. I think the reason the ending feels so abrupt to me and many others is because it finally breaks the format of season finales. Last Words is the action-packed climax episode but it has no epilogue episode. It just ends.

So, yeah! Those are my points. I just find looking at this all very cool.

[soursherbat]

hi hello i adore your dynamic with shamura and lamb can i just kick my little feet and ask for you to ramble about them?

ABSOLUTELY YOU CAN!!! do u know what you're signing up for. i have so many thoughts about them,

so!!! i believe this all takes place over at Least a few years, likely a decade- at first, their dynamic is rather strained. shamura's guilt causes them to repeatedly push the lamb away and lash out at times, though they cannot fully distance themself from it.

shamura starts off as a dissenter, but in my au that's mostly because they're confused as to where they are, and rather upset about their fate in general- if i were forced into the cult of the one who killed my Entire Family i would be pretty pissed too!

but shamura can't force themself to hate the lamb like heket and narinder do initially, i believe they're very forgiving. in all of my saves ive solved their dissenting with a meal- so ive made that canon here! the lamb and shamura share a meal to establish trust, after all if you believed someone truly wanted to kill you, why would you share a meal?

ramzi even apologizes to them for everything he's done- something shamura can't even bring themself to do. they're forgiving, of course, but now they just feel even worse about how they've acted and everything they've done in their past... ramzi could have figured out everything much sooner if he'd read their mind, but he genuinely prefers to not read them, feeling that it's too intrusive.

and i mean, ramzi is always so nice to shamura, even when they're short with it in response. not to mention they feel as if they owe him their life, and he doesn't even make them work! they feel horrible for wanting to get away from him, but guilt and regret make you do irrational things.

ramzi doesn't know which of the bishops had the initial idea to cull the lambs, and frankly he didn't want to know. he's actually the one to approach shamura and ask if he's done something to make them hate it, which- well.

it makes shamura lose their composure and explain everything to him, creating an even bigger rift than before. he truly didn't want to know, he would have preferred to be ignorant about it, and now someone he truly had been developing feelings for tells him they're the reason his entire family and even his species is gone?

they spend some time avoiding each other while ramzi gathers his thoughts and decides to approach them once more, telling them that while he cannot forgive them, he'd try to in time. it's reasonable in shamura's mind, although it does sting to hear it from ramzi directly.

even after All of this, the lamb is nothing but accommodating to them. even moreso after, actually! he takes all of the bishop's ailments and disabilities very seriously, and works his hardest to help them recover how he can, but he's always paid special attention to shamura...

i can't lie, ramzi does play favorites a little bit. something about them drew ramzi in, and in my timeline they're the first to marry, despite starting on possibly the shakiest ground possible!

he does forgive them eventually, and that's when their relationship truly begins. everyone had always had a feeling there was some sort of tension between them, but it becomes so compounded after sharing a bottle of ambrosia that they can't hide their feelings for each other anymore and they decide to give things a try.

shamura is rather repressed, in my opinion- as the former god of war, reason ruled over all. they couldn't afford to let emotions get in their way, and they kind've fumble their way through their relationship with the lamb.

ramzi finds it all too endearing, and finds out very quickly that he enjoys their 'courtship ritual' which just involves them gently drumming their pedipalps and facial appendages on him like a real spider. they also give the best hugs in his opinion, what with their extra set of arms and all-

okay i need to stop now or ill write you an entire novel but honestly i think i should just write fics abt them at this point

[elizaellwrites]

OC's Most Important Tag

Thank you @willtheweaver for tagging me here

Rules: Make a list (detailed or not) of the most important people, events, places, and anything else that shaped your characters into who they are, describing why.

Green for positive, Red for negative

Cameron Roiel

Important People

His Mother (Etesha)- Bold and determined, and a former member of Caldesaria's Royal Guard, Etesha was both a comfort and an inspiration for Cameron from a young age. Since his father was killed during the attack on their homeland, she did her best to raise him and his sister well on her own. Prepared to do what was best for her son, she supported him through his childhood health struggles and began training him herself once he was ready.

His Sister (Jaleya)- Jaleya was always someone for him to protect and care for, and while they had their disagreements like all siblings do, it was all put aside when Jaleya found their mother murdered in their home. Cameron watched as she devolved from her former self, struggling with her mental health after their familial ability allowed her to feel her mother's death at 14 years old. While he would support her as much as he could, watching her struggle so much was heartbreaking.

Amber Sagael- One of his earliest and only true friends at the academy, they were among the first of the younger generation to join the Observance system of the newly established Academy. A few years later, Cameron would serve as her second in command of their team, with their relationship only tested by her sudden resignation and distancing from their team.

Jacob Sagael- Starting as his junior on their team and annoying younger brother of Amber, Jacob would suddenly be thrust into the leadership position of their team following Amber's resignation. The leadership change and personality clash caused tension between Jacob and Cameron, which only grew worse with the news that Cameron's mother and Jacob's girlfriend had been murdered on the same night by the same person. Jacob soon fled the academy, dumping all his responsibilities onto Cameron while he was grieving his mother, amplifying the problems between them and forcing Cameron to be the sole foundation for their team as he was trying not to crack.

Important Places

Lietasae, Caldesaria- His childhood hometown, also the central capital of Ariya. His memories here were good, though few. He looks back at this time as the only stability he knew during his life.

Nelenai, Wotakour- As his family was just visiting the capital city of his mother's home territory, the attack that demolished their homeland and killed the majority of their people would occur. The streets of this city would go on to haunt his mind for years, stained with the blood of their people and crawling with dangers that they narrowly escaped with their lives. The trauma from this experience would have mental and physical effects that he worked for years to overcome.

The Academy- Cameron's family moved here during his recovery, seeing his improvement in the first few years they were there. Here, he would begin his training and would go on to follow in his mother's footsteps to defend and protect their people. He found purpose there and was well on track to becoming the most talented warrior the Academy's Observance system had.

Important Events

The Hecathian Genocide/Homeland Evacuation- Cameron was just shy of 6 years old when the attack on their people happened, sweeping across the territories and wiping out their people. In an unfamiliar city, and separated from his parents, Cameron would hold his sister close as he witnessed and felt death all around him. He had accepted that he would die that night too when an enemy warrior noticed them, but instead, she spared only their lives that night. After collapsing, he would wake up with his mother in a strange new world, with his father presumed killed during the battle.

Joining the Hecathian Observance (Defense Program)- The shock and trauma of the attack had chronic and long-lasting impacts on Cameron, leaving him nearly bedbound at times. For years, he would push to improve his own condition, challenging himself to have more mobility and to be able to truly live his life. Once he felt ready, he began the traditional warrior's training under his mother's watch. Empowered by his progress and finding purpose in the idea of defending their people, he would join the Observance system to perfect his skills and find more than the pain and turmoil he had known for years.

His Mother's Murder- His mother had always been his support and safe place to return to. As his surviving parent, mentor, and inspiration, the moment when he was called to her home that night was a walk of surreal despair. At 19, he was left alone, with his sister crumbling into herself. With his fragile world fractured, he had to go on, holding himself together for the sake of his sister and his Observance team who had also lost a member that night.

Tagging: @kaylinalexanderbooks, @illarian-rambling, @worldstogetlostin, @tildeathiwillwrite, and @paeliae-occasionally

[theuntitledblog]

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) - REVIEW

The unique and superb gimmick of seemingly invincible, blind aliens being drawn by the smallest of sounds was worked to perfection in 2018's A Quiet Place. 2020's A Quiet Place Part II, did what any good sequel should by expanding the world and upping the ante to compensate for the core concept beginning to lose its novelty. This film however serves as both prequel and spin-off and tells a story centred on a moment that A Quiet Place Part II gave us a look at in it's incredible opening sequence; Day One.

Of the Day One sequence in A Quiet Place Part II, I've previously stated;

"Our knowledge of what’s to come creates an edge of your seat tension that has us holding our collective breaths waiting for the inevitable. It’s no less effective when it does happen and director John Krasinski doesn’t hold back in an impressive set piece that is edge of your seat thrilling and intense but never sacrifices the scares."

One of my issues is that what Day One attempts isn't able to top what John Krasinski did in A Quiet Place Part II. What doesn't help here is that we already know what to expect and what's going to happen whereas in Part II we didn't know exactly plus we had familiar characters that we were already invested in. Director Michael Sarnoski tries to carefully to build to that moment with a clever and steady increase of activity both in terms movement and sound. But when the carnage began and the dust began to settle and the rules of A Quiet Place were re-established, I couldn't help but think to myself that I'd seen this before.

Don't misunderstand me, I love the concept and A Quiet Place: Day One is still a very good film that should be seen on the biggest screen as it has some superbly staged sequences that again make use of sound to provide some scares and tension. The most tense sequence for me involves a detour into the New York subway system. But my general feeling while watching this is that while offering solid thrills, I felt that it was lacking fresh ideas to the main A Quiet Place concept and just wasn't able to match the prolonged tension or scares that I felt from the first two films. Where the movie excels most and offers up something different is Lupita Nyong'o.

What the trailers didn't spoil beforehand is that Lupita Nyong'o's Sam has terminal cancer which instantly grounds the film in something that is emotionally relatable and connects us to her instantly. What's even more interesting is Sam's motivations given that for her survival is not an option. Survival however is an option for her cat and British Law student Eric (Joseph Quinn) whose chance encounter with the cat, brings him and Sam, albeit reluctantly together. Much of what they convey can only be done non-verbally and it's testament to both actors that you quickly become invested in them, their friendship and later on moved as Sam's condition continues to deteriorate. This is Nyong'o and Quinn's film and it's their story that gives A Quiet Place: Day One its own identity and reason to exist.

VERDICT

A Quiet Place: Day One lives up to its name with some tense set pieces and scares even though it's unable to bring anything new to keep its main concept fresh. It's elevated however by two great performances and an compelling and emotional human story.

4/5

ALSO SEE

[sloshed-cinema]

Saloum (2021)

There’s something exhilarating about when a movie grabs the viewer by the scruff of the neck and shouts, “Come along fucker, I know exactly what I’m doing.” The opening minute or so of Saloum, shifting from hallucinatory imagery of a boy wading out into the river with sun and moon arrayed overhead to a kinetic and immaculately choreographed handheld tracking shot of the Hyenas of Bangui retrieving a drug lord from Bissau shows in miniature the genre swath the film will explore. Much of the first half of the film adopts the energy of a sharp, stylish crime thriller with precise and breathless camera work accompanied by splashy graphics in an experience akin to what you might get in a Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie actioner. Nodding to but never leaning heavily on the tropes of the genre, Saloum traps its protagonists, already caught back on their heels and in the middle of nowhere, in a web of tension: the camp they find themselves at harbors many threats to their survival. A sequence of conversations builds a house of cards on a knife’s edge, any false move threatening to expose the Hyenas.

While it flits at the periphery in the form of nightmare sequences early on, the Hyenas’ arrival at a strange commune in remote Saloum isn’t actually wholly a coincidence. Ringleader Chaka reveals he has a dark past as a child soldier held captive by the man now running the camp. It’s here when the film transitions rather abruptly to a horror film: spirits are present everywhere here due to the cycle of violence and anguish in the space, of which Chaka’s child slavery/soldierdom is simply the latest iteration. The entities that plague the survivors are a little silly, resembling a swarm of bees or dense cluster of ash with horns, killed all too easily except for when necessary, and the exposition dump explaining it all is a touch rapid. But it’s almost impossible for these missteps to overshadow the raw charisma of the opening half. Let the spiritualism that has been hinted at in the flashbacks and in fellow Hyena Minuit’s shamanic advisory come roaring to the fore. A mere Western isn’t enough to contain this cycle of suffering, it has to be rendered even more operatic and exorcised.

THE RULES

SIP

A flashback begins.

Someone is knocked out by white powder.

Spooky specter!

BIG DRINK

Voiceover narration begins.

Location establishing text.

[journeydb]

April 6 2024 Barcelona

We love spending time with our friends Johanna and Joan and their sons Dawit and Ziyang. They are usually up for most adventures so today we visited the Ideal Center for Digital Arts in Poble Nou, where the King Tutankhamun exhibition was taking place. Bruce and I had attended this exhibition few months ago, before we went to Egypt in February and it fascinated us and helped a bit to prepare us for what we would experience on our Egyptian tour. We wanted to share it with our friends because we knew they also had an interest in Egyptian history. They LOVED it, especially the kids!

During the video presentations in the main theater the images were displayed on the four walls surrounding the room, giving viewers the feeling of almost being in the scenes. This 3-D experiences is one of my favorite things about the exhibitions here. There is also a Metaverse which is even more intense but I always enjoy this one because of the slower pace. It was exciting to recognize these obelisks from our trip to the Karnak temple in Luxor.

For those who might be unaware of the story of King Tutankhamun´s tomb, here is a short version from Wikipedia:

"The tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in the Valley of the Kings  in 1922 by excavators led by the Egyptologist Howard Carter more than 3,300 years after Tutankhamun's death and burial. Whereas the tombs of most pharaohs were plundered by graverobbers  in ancient times, Tutankhamun's tomb was hidden by debris for most of its existence and therefore not extensively robbed. It thus became the only known near-intact royal burial from ancient Egypt.

The tomb was opened beginning on November 4 1922 during an excavation by Carter and his patron,  the 5th earl of Carnarvon. The burial consisted of more than five thousand objects, many of which were in a highly fragile state, so conserving the burial goods for removal from the tomb required an unprecedented effort. The opulence of the burial goods inspired a media frenzy and popularised ancient Egyptian-inspired designs with the Western public. To the Egyptians, who had recently become partially independent of  British rule, the tomb became a symbol of national pride, strengthening Pharaonism, a nationalist ideology that emphasised modern Egypt's ties to the ancient civilisation, and creating friction between Egyptians and the British-led excavation team. The publicity surrounding the excavation intensified when Carnarvon died of an infection, giving rise to speculation that his death and other misfortunes connected with the tomb were the result of an ancient curse.

After Carnarvon's death, tensions arose between Carter and the Egyptian government over who should control access to the tomb. In early 1924, Carter stopped work in protest, beginning a dispute that lasted until the end of the year. Under the agreement that resolved the dispute, the artefacts from the tomb would not be divided between the government and the dig's sponsors, as was standard practice in previous Egyptological digs, and most of the tomb's contents went to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. . In later seasons media attention waned, apart from coverage of the removal of Tutankhamun´s mummy from its coffin in 1925. The last of the burial goods were conserved and shipped to Cairo in 1932.

The tomb's discovery did not reveal as much about the history of Tutankhamun's time as Egyptologists had initially hoped, but it established the length of his reign and gave clues about the end of the Amarna Period, which preceded his reign. It was more informative about the material culture of Tutankhamun's time, demonstrating what a complete royal burial was like and providing evidence about the lifestyles of wealthy Egyptians and the behaviour of ancient tomb robbers. The interest generated by the find stimulated efforts to train Egyptians in Egyptology. Since the discovery, the Egyptian government has capitalised on its enduring fame by using exhibitions of the burial goods for purposes of fundraising and diplomacy, and Tutankhamun has become a symbol of ancient Egypt itself.

The tomb was robbed twice soon after its construction. Officials restored and resealed it, filling the entrance passage with chips of limestone to deter further intrusion. During the reigns of Ramesses V and Ramesses VI, nearly two centuries after Tutankhamun's death, his tomb was covered by debris from the construction of their tomb, Tutankhamun's tomb was thus hidden from later waves of robbery so that, unlike the other tombs in the valley, it retained most of the goods it was stocked with.

The pharaoh Tutankhamum ruled during the Eighteenth Dynasty, during the New Kingdom. He died c. 1323 BC and was entombed in the Valley of the Kings near Thebes  (modern Luxor), like most New Kingdom rulers. Instead of a full-size royal tomb cut into the slopes of the valley, he was interred in a small tomb dug into the valley floor, probably a private tomb that was modified to fit the large amount of goods that accompanied a royal burial."

One of the fun activities of this exhibition was to enter a photo booth and choose to have your photo displayed as one of many Egyptian characters. Joan chose this guy and darned if it didn´t actually look quite a bit like him!

After visiting the exhibition we walked on the Poble Nou Rambla and then went to a cafe for an afternoon snack. It was a lovely, cool afternoon and we all enjoyed the exercise and the camaraderie.

Because I´m still fasting with the One Meal a Day fast to support the innocent people who are being starved, some of them to death, in Gaza, the Congo, and Sudan, by the greedy, selfish, brutal governments which are controlled by the multinational weapons industry and other aspects of the Patriarchy controlling our world, I was grateful to eat dinner early tonight. We went with our friends, who are also our neighbors, Antonio and his daughter, Carla, to Seasons Tapas, where the food is delicious and they have quite a few vegan options.

Antonio is a widower and raised his daughter from the age of five by himself, after his wife, Christina, died of cancer. He has done a great job because Carla is intelligent, kind, thoughtful, and obviously adores her dad. Being a teenager she is forging as independent a life for herself as she can, while still spending lots of time with Antonio.

[drkarenhawk]

Dr. Karen Hawk’s Guide to Managing Family Conflict

Family dynamics can be complicated, and conflict is a natural part of human relationships. Whether it arises from misunderstandings, differences in values, financial stress, or external pressures, family conflict can be emotionally draining and, if unresolved, can leave lasting scars on relationships. Dr. Karen Hawk, an experienced psychologist specializing in family therapy, offers a wealth of knowledge and strategies to help families navigate conflict and restore harmony.

In her practice, Dr. Hawk has worked with countless families experiencing tension, dysfunction, or breakdowns in communication. Her approach focuses on understanding the underlying causes of conflict, improving communication, and fostering empathy and cooperation among family members. Here are Dr. Hawk’s key insights and strategies for managing family conflict effectively.

1. Identifying the Root Causes of Conflict

The first step in managing family conflict, according to Dr. Hawk, is identifying the underlying causes. While surface-level disagreements often revolve around issues like money, chores, or schedules, these conflicts may be symptoms of deeper, unresolved emotional issues. For example, one family member may feel neglected or misunderstood, or there may be a history of hurt feelings that have not been addressed. Dr Karen Hawk Psychologist Phoenix encourages family members to explore the emotional drivers behind their conflict rather than just focusing on the immediate issue at hand.

By opening up a dialogue about the root causes of conflict, families can begin to understand each other's perspectives and move towards resolution. This requires active listening, patience, and the willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

2. Practicing Active Listening

Dr Karen Hawk Psychologist Phoenix believes that effective communication is the cornerstone of resolving family conflict. One of the key components of healthy communication is active listening. In many families, misunderstandings occur because individuals are more focused on getting their own point across than truly listening to others. Dr. Hawk teaches that active listening involves fully engaging with the speaker, asking clarifying questions, and reflecting on what is being said without judgment.

Active listening helps family members feel heard and validated, which can diffuse tension and create a more collaborative environment for resolving conflict. Dr. Hawk recommends using reflective statements such as, “It sounds like you’re feeling…” or “I can see that this is really important to you…” to show empathy and foster a deeper connection during difficult conversations.

3. Managing Emotions and Reactions

Family conflict often escalates when emotions are allowed to take over. Dr. Hawk points out that it’s natural to feel angry, frustrated, or upset when a conflict arises, but it’s crucial to manage these emotions in a way that prevents them from escalating into destructive arguments. One of Dr. Hawk’s techniques for emotional regulation is teaching individuals how to pause before reacting. This moment of pause allows family members to reflect on their emotions and choose how to respond thoughtfully instead of impulsively.

Dr Karen Hawk Psychologist Phoenix suggests practicing techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness, or taking a short break from the conversation if emotions are running high. When people can regulate their emotions, they are more likely to engage in productive problem-solving and communication.

4. Creating a Safe Space for Open Dialogue

One of the reasons family conflict can become entrenched is because family members feel unsafe expressing their true feelings. Dr. Hawk emphasizes the importance of creating a safe, non-judgmental space where everyone can share their thoughts and emotions honestly. This requires establishing ground rules for respectful communication, such as avoiding name-calling, yelling, or interrupting.

Dr Karen Hawk Psychologist Phoenix also advocates for setting aside specific times to discuss difficult issues, rather than allowing them to surface in the heat of the moment. Family meetings or scheduled check-ins can be an effective way to address ongoing concerns while ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to speak.

5. Focusing on Solutions, Not Blame

When family conflict arises, it’s easy for individuals to fall into a pattern of blaming others for the situation. However, according to Dr. Hawk, assigning blame only fuels resentment and prevents families from finding solutions. Instead, Dr. Hawk encourages families to focus on problem-solving and finding solutions that meet everyone’s needs.

This may involve compromise, setting boundaries, or re-evaluating family roles and expectations. Dr Karen Hawk Psychologist Phoenix suggests that families ask themselves, "What can we do together to resolve this?" rather than "Who is at fault?" Shifting the focus to collective problem-solving helps everyone feel invested in the resolution and fosters a sense of unity.

6. Building Empathy and Understanding

Dr. Hawk believes that empathy is a crucial component of resolving family conflict. Family members who understand each other’s feelings and motivations are better able to work together to find common ground. Empathy requires putting oneself in another’s shoes and trying to understand their perspective, even if there is disagreement.

Dr Karen Hawk Psychologist teaches families how to practice empathy by encouraging them to ask open-ended questions and listen for the emotions behind the words. For example, asking, “How did that situation make you feel?” or “What were you hoping to achieve in that moment?” can help uncover deeper feelings and foster compassion.

7. Seeking Professional Help When Needed

While many family conflicts can be resolved through communication and problem-solving, some issues may require the assistance of a professional. Dr. Hawk strongly encourages families who are struggling with persistent or severe conflict to consider family therapy. A trained therapist can help facilitate conversations, mediate disputes, and provide strategies for improving relationships. Family therapy offers a safe and structured environment in which family members can address long-standing issues with the guidance of a neutral third party.

Conclusion

Dr. Karen Hawk’s guide to managing family conflict emphasizes the importance of empathy, communication, emotional regulation, and problem-solving. While conflict is a natural part of family life, it doesn’t have to lead to lasting damage. By identifying the root causes of conflict, practicing active listening, and focusing on solutions rather than blame, families can strengthen their bonds and create a more harmonious environment. Dr. Hawk’s insights provide families with the tools they need to navigate challenges and build lasting, healthy relationships.

[mskoreodyssey]

[TLOK] Book One: Air (Fix)

Original-Novel: Info [Buy]

First 6 Episodes // Last 6 Episodes

Fix Book 1 by Tim Hickson

Rules

12 episodes // Fixing (not a full rewrite)

3 main issues on Book 1

They didn’t establish or give enough consequences to the oppression of non-benders.

The love triangle conflict doesn’t really work, so we need something else.

Korra’s arc is meant to be about her learning who she is without her bending, and Amon taking it away is a huge part of that, but we don’t get enough time to explore it.

[Episode 1: Welcome to Republic City]

The season opens with Korra living a contained, controlled life under the watchful eye of the White Lotus. She has a good grip on fire-bending, water-bending and earth-bending, but not air-bending, and we see she relies a lot on her passion and anger and independence as she fights and moves. “She's strong”, says Katara, “but she lacks restraint”. Korra, on the other hand, is stoked three elements down, barely an adult and ready to fill face the world. She longs for freedom and to do what the Avatar is meant to do right, fight injustice. This is the foundation for Korra's character arc, she's a prodigy who has had most things come to her in life easily. She's the chief's daughter, the prestige, the power. It's made her impulsive, a little unempathetic and makes her easily frustrated when she can't get things quickly, as well as overly reliant on violence and action rather than listening and understanding. Tenzin and his family arrive in the Southern Water Tribe with Korra, expecting him to teach her about air-bending and the spiritual side of being the Avatar. Only to reveal Republic City is unstable with tensions between benders and non-benders. And because of that, her training will need to wait. Korra insists that just means that's where she needs to be, the place with injustice and imbalance, but Tenzin refuses and leaves. That night, Korra escapes with Naga on a ship bound for Republic City. (...) Upon arriving in Republic City, Korra is astounded she's never seen so many bright lights before. But she soon finds herself in the poorest parts of the city, filled with the homeless, the drug afflicted, the impoverished. She sees a bending police squadron clearing out a city park, first peacefully and then with more of a threat, the non-benders scatter. In another place, one group tries to light a fire and to announce herself as the Avatar. Arriving in the city she conjures a fire for them and cease to sit down. But when Korra asks why none of them started a fire because surely one of them must be a fire-bender, they scoff. “They're all non-benders. You think you'll find a fire-bender down here. Make do, make mend”, an old man says. The others look at her nervously, as if they're a little worried she might come after them. But Korra, confused as to why people aren't excited at her arrival, leaves only for a Triple Triad gang member to begin extorting the group. Korra, inflamed with righteous anger, turns back to save the non-benders and does so, but destroys the surrounding neighborhood in the process. The place these people clearly called home...  and nobody thanks her. Korra then enters a wealthier part of the city, but is stopped by a bender. “I saw where you came from. I don't want thieves around these parts.” The police close in around her, asking if there's any trouble. But when she threatens him with bending, the man backs off. “Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were one of them.”

(One of the major criticisms of season one was that it didn't show the inequality between benders and non-benders enough. We see a gang exploiting one person and that the council is maybe ruled entirely by benders, but not much else. We don't see real systemic issues that demand real systemic reform. This is one attempt to do that, to show a city divided into pseudo-classes with a deep cultural association of non-benders with stealing and crime. Something we see in the real world, leading to classist divides and creating stereotypes. I also wanted to show a systemic bias from the police to assist benders over non-benders being benders themselves. That it's not like the average bender is going out of their way to hunt down non-benders, but it's a lot more subtle in this society.)

The episode ends with Korra finding the pro-bending arena, this monolithic building that everyone seems to be heading towards. And she also finds one of a man's pamphlets, “Equality”, it reads. At which point Tenzin flies down to interceptor, blocking her path. “You know, word travels quickly when the Avatar is in town”, he says, a little frustrated. We then get a cutaway scene of Amon learning that the Avatar has arrived in the city as well, and that they must accelerate their plans.

[Episode 2: A Leaf in the Wind]

Tenzin takes Korra to Air Temple Island, away from the pro-bending arena. Much to her protestation, insisting that she return home. But she refuses, Tenzin storms away, frustrated. Korra then connects with Pema, Jinora and Ikki, who try to teach her some basic air-bending techniques. She doesn't learn much, but when Tenzin returns and spies Korra trying to learn, Pema comes up behind him and encourages him to let Korra stay. Tenzin goes to her, “I can't believe you followed me all this way when I specifically told you not to, but I'm impressed. So long as we can put that determination to good use with your studies”. Korra punches the air, fire bolts all around ecstatic. That night, Korra has her first dream of Aang in the past. Those flashbacks to Yakone, and like in the show, she's just going to get more of those dreams. The following day, Tenzin takes Korra for her first lesson. He impresses on her that air-bending is about attaining full control over yourself, your emotions, your body, by detaching yourself from the world and the things that affect you. Not holding on to the past and allowing yourself to change, not holding on to one idea of themselves. A freezing gust of wind hits them and Korra shivers. But Tenzin explains that they can even control their body temperature with careful use of their breath, which is why it didn't affect him.

(And keep that in mind because we're just going to set that aside for later.)

Korra tries to air-bend, but she doesn't move with the world around her, she relies on punching and kicking. Asserting herself on the world around her and as a result, she's beaten in that spinning boards test. She tries again and again and again, but fails every single time, getting more and more frustrated. She is not used to taking this long to get what is in her mind a very simple thing. At the end of the lesson, Tenzin tells her firmly that attaching oneself includes things like pro-bending, and he forbids her from going. Better from having tried and gotten nowhere, Korra sneaks out with Jinora to go and see the Pro-bending tournament. As in the show, she meets Mako and Bolin who are down a member, and she fills in. Tenzin arrives furious, but sees Korra putting the lessons he tried to teach her into practice in her own way during the tournament. And he starts to understand that she might have to learn this stuff on her own terms.

[Episode 3: The Revelation]

Tarrlok, another counselor in Republic City watched Korra perform and approaches her after the game. "You must be the Avatar. I've heard you're a natural, a true prodigy". He encourages her to join the council sometime, to sit in and hear about the politics of the city. "With the instability between benders and non-benders, that it'd be good to have the Avatar to help maintain order. I heard you dealt with this yourself first-hand, and I commend you". Korra wants to loving this praise, but Tenzin insists that she stay out of politics. It's here they're also approached by Asami, a non-bender and the owner of Hiroshi Industries.

(So there's no Hiroshi Sato in this rewrite, which I guess makes it Asami Industries, and that's because of our first major change. Asami is an Equalist, though she doesn't reveal that.)

She offers to sponsor them, noting it would be well worth having the Avatar's face for her company. Korra immediately hits it off with Asami, this charming, beautiful girl from a whole other world to her, who admires her skills and says that she sees value in the Avatar. And Mako initially refuses, insisting that they don't need her money. But Bolin presses that well, they're not going to make it very far without it. Reluctantly, Mako agrees. Korra wonders why Mako was so opposed to taking Asami's money, to which they explained that their mother was murdered by a group of Republic City non-benders during the riots a year ago. Apparently when this instability really kicked off, in that since then, Mako has found it difficult to trust non-benders. He describes a non-bender with a prosthetic leg and scarred arm, that he remembers the man's face and swears he will find him one day. Korra asks what he's going to do and Mako says nothing.

(I wanted to introduce this change because to be perfectly honest, Mako isn't that interesting. In the first series, Bolin is likeable and delivers comedic relief and heart to the story. Korra is an interesting conflicted character with a real arc. But Mako is brooding without much of a reason, no obvious flaw or goal to overcome in this story, he's a dollar shop Zuko. Here Mako's trauma in the past, and it's a trauma that does exist in the story, we're just modifying it a little bit. It really plays into the current narrative conflict and it provides a personal bias and arc for him to overcome his prejudice against non-benders. It's just enough to enforce those social divides and give a face to one side of it.)

Taking out Amon's pamphlet that she found at the end of the first episode, Korra insists that they look more into this divide. These equalists, this guy called Amon, especially if Tenzin isn't going to let her get involved in politics. As in the show, they piece together where it's happening and go to find the rally, here Amon reveals himself. He gives this brilliant speech about bending being the source of suffering and war in the world, and removes the bending of those same gang members who Korra fought at the beginning. As well as a couple of the policemen that she saw. Impulsively, Korra leaps up onto the stage to rescue the remaining victims. Horrified at the idea of losing her own bending, she fights Amon and his right hand man, referred to only as the Lieutenant. Who, like Amon, keeps his face hidden. But it goes terribly, and she has to be rescued by Tenzin, Tarrlok and Beifong's police force. In the course of that rescue, though, Korra witnesses some kind of police brutality. People are arrested for simply attending this rally. All of this only hardens Mako's resolve, that they need harsher measures to deal with the Equalists. In the aftermath, Lin Beifong rails against Korra for acting unilaterally like that. That they knew about the meeting and they were monitoring it from afar until she had to go and jump up and ruin everything. She coins it as typical teenage Avatar entitlement and ignorance, not knowing how things really work in a city like this. While Korra says that at least she did something, at least she tried to save people. Tarrlok, however, insists on forgiveness, "It is the Avatar, after all". Tenzin takes her away, but he's also angry, and although he empathizes with her frustration. He insists that the situation is complicated and it needs to be left to the professionals. "Professionals, I'm the Avatar. What's more professional than that?", she cries. But the episode closes out.

Amon’s speech (Fix)

My quest for equality began many years ago. When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the water-bender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man, but when he did, that water-bender took my family from me. Then, he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since. As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City. And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world. But, she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world, is suffering. It has been the cause of every war in every era. But that is about to change. I know you have been wondering, "What is the Revelation?" You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity. That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make Equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away. Permanently.

- -

[Episode 4: To Fight or Not to Fight]

Tenzin tries to teach Korra more air-bending, but Korra can't focus. With everything going on, she just wants to go out and help with this stuff. She insists that the world gave her the four elements for a reason, not just air-bending. And at least she can use three of them to do something good and bring them on to justice, there are also further reports of benders disappearing off the streets. Korra sits down with Bolin and talks about how she just wants to help people, that she hates sitting around when she knows there's so much wrong in the world and she's just not sure how to help. Bolin tells her, “That sometimes you've got to fight, yeah, but sometimes you've just got to listen and learn, and sometimes you've got to wait before you can really make a difference”. Meanwhile, Mako tries to find an Equalist hideout. Asami comes across him while looking for Korra and offers to help, and he refuses it. But after struggling and getting nowhere, he reluctantly accepts the help. Beginning to trust non-benders again, he even flirts with her, and the two get along and laugh. And in turn, she provides a map of the city's underground infrastructure, tunnels and buildings, even the power grid, able to nail down where they might be by an unusual consumption of power. Asami insists that Korra and Bolin go with Mako if he really wants to do this, to help keep him safe. While Asami stays behind, insisting that although she wants to help them, she doesn't want her company to get caught up in a turf war. Sure enough, though, they find a huge weapons cache of these new electric gloves that the Equalists plan to use. But before they can call in Beifong, they're ambushed by the lieutenant who electrifies Mako and Bolin. Korra only just manages to fight her way out with them, and realizing the Equalists must be planning something big if they're collecting weapons like this. Korra challenges Amon on the city-wide radio system to a duel at Big Aang Face Island, which plays out exactly as it does on the show.

(It's a brilliant scene, genuinely one of my favorites in the entire show, with Amon taking her down easily and promising that he won't take away her bending yet because he has plans.)

Amon’s announcement

Good evening, my fellow Equalists. This is your leader, Amon. As you have heard, the Republic Council has voted to make me public enemy number one, proving once again that the bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution. But we cannot be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear.

Korra’s Challenge

Amon, I challenge you to a duel! No task force, no chi-blockers, just the two of us tonight at midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing, if you're man enough to face me. Guess you're a no-show, Amon. Who's scared now?

Amon’s speech

I received your invitation, young Avatar. Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature. Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your bending right now, I won't. You'd only become a martyr. Benders of every nation would rally behind your untimely demise, but I assure you, I have a plan. And I'm saving you for last, then you'll get your duel, and I will destroy you.

[Episode 5: A Voice in the Night]

Korra is shaken by her confrontation with Amon and returning to Air Temple Island. She's suddenly starting to internalize for the very first time that she isn't necessarily the most powerful person in the world. Tenzin counsels Korra and tells her about how fragile he feels as well that as one of the last air-benders in the world. And at one point the only air-bender in the world, that it was a big responsibility. And for a long time, there was all he could ever see himself as the last air-bender. Until Jinora and Ikki and Pema came along, and he started to see himself as more than that, as a father. He links this in with air-bending by explaining that it's a lot to do with finding peace with oneself, not defining ourselves by what we can do for the world, by the role that we are born into, but recognizing we are valuable outside of that. Korra internalizes this a little and even manages to learn some more air-bending movements but confesses that she doesn't know who she is outside of the Avatar. That is all she has ever been, that is all anyone has ever really seen her as, and she's terrified of Amon because of that. Even pro-bending is based off her powers, she thinks that Mako and Bolin would drop her without them. Mako and Bolin overhearing her, assure her that this isn't the case. “We love you because you're fiery, you're our friend.” And Pabu comes up and sits on top of her head. But following that very escalation, Tarrlok opens a special task force with more powers to deal with the Equalists. Beifong opposes this, but Tarrlok tells her that it isn't her business. This is a council decision, it's for the safety of the city. Mako joins the task force, but Bolin steps aside, saying “No! Hey, this is going too far for me”. That, yeah, he's scared as well. But this will only make things worse between benders and non-benders, and it'll only make him on bolder.

(One of the most common criticisms of Season One is that the love triangle between Bolin, Korra, and Mako is distracting. And to be honest, it doesn't actually take up that much time. I rewatched the series, it's not that invasive. And it does make sense for Korra as someone who is developing her independence for the first time. She wants these kind of experiences, but it is also the only real character conflict within the trio, and I don't think it's a particularly great example of that. And I think that this would be a more interesting conflict. It's drawing on their traumatic history together, but it also deepens that wider conflict, giving more room for growth and personalizing it. Especially because neither of those romances really come too much in the end.)

Feeling a lack of purpose and fearing failure, Korra joins Tarrlok in hopes of reasserting her sense of self-worth, her role as the Avatar. Bolin and Asami are disappointed, and a rift develop in the group. At an operation that night, they burst into an Equalist facility and once again they face the Lieutenant. Mako is initially happy to see some success rescuing several benders who are being kept for Amon. But he begins to question his feelings towards non-benders after watching more brutality at the hands of the special task force. Even targeting people who just happened to be in the building, suspicions of them being Equalists. With a group of harmless civilians also being rounded up for questioning. In the apartment building, their raiding itself also partially collapses during the fight. When Mako goes to Tarrlok about this though, the Council just insists that it's crucial for law and order. That they had intel that Equalists would try to hide like this, hide amongst civilians. Mako looks away, nods, but reaffirms his dedication to the Task Force.

[Episode 6: And the Winner is...]

This episode plays out basically exactly the same as in the show. I think it was pretty good. Amon warns that if the Pro-Bending final isn't cancelled, there will be consequences. Beifong and Tarrlok swear to protect the stadium, the Wolf-Bats with foul play and the Equalists attack. Amon ascends from the sky, removes the Wolf-Bats bending, and though they fight, the Equalists do escape.

(Only one tiny change I will mention.)

In the midst of the fight, Korra tears off a section of the Lieutenant's clothing, revealing a tattoo of a small white lop-eared rabbit. Korra would have gotten a hold of Amon if not for the Lieutenant, shocking her at the last minute. Watching her as they ascend into the sky before they escape.

Amon’s announcement

Good morning, citizens of Republic City. This is Amon. I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match, because it will be the last. It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences.

Amon’s speech

I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City. So once again, the Wolf-bats are your pro-bending champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow non-bending citizens just like the Wolf-bats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate. Now, to my followers: for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City. I'm happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the current tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You and your children will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! It's time to take back our city.

📖Hello👇Future👇Me✏️’s Legend of Korra

[seirudy]

Royal  meets  with  royal  with  tensions  high  enough  to  rival  the  sands  that  surround  Dorne.   Baelon  has  been  sent  here  with  a   simple  mission.          Get  the  Dornish  banners  under  his  sister's  name  by  whatever  means  necessary.   Within  peaceful  means  that  is.   With  a  war  happening  within  the  house  of  the  Dragon  ,  marriage  proposals  were  the   most  peaceful   of  options.   Rhaenyra's  sons  were  already  spoken  for.

Her  brother  however  …  Still  a  very  viable  option.

It  would  be  nice  to  be  able  to   marry  for  love.   But  the  young  prince  never  held  a  single  notion  within  his  heart  that  he  would  be   so  lucky.   The  best  he  could  hope  for  ,  was  that  she  would  at  least   hopefully   ,  not  be  terrible.   Princess  Arianne  was  no  hand  to  attempt  to  take   lightly.   And  Baelon  was  no  fool.         The  positive  to  his  years  of  being  weak  allowed  him  to  learn  a  sharp  mind  could  be  just  as  useful.   Knowledge  on  the  great  houses  became  his   specialty.   Even  when  he  was  finally  strong  enough  to  exist  with  the  rest  of  his   intended  peers   ,  knowing  the  working  politics  of  the  world  around  him  seemed  far  more  useful.

Because  of  this   regard  for  knowledge   ,         he  had  seen  it  coming  that  there  would  be  conditions  to  the  offer  he  brought  to  the  princess.   Kind  regards  pull  a   smirk   to  Baelon's  lips.   The  rumors  were  right  ,  the  Princess  Arianne  was  no  woman  to  underestimate.   He  had  expected   no  less   from  her.   Not  only  that  ,         he  had  expected  the  additional  condition  of  their  support.   He  had  discussed  it  at  length  with  Rhaenyra  before  coming  here.   What  gaining  their  support   might  mean.   A  strenuous  endeavor  to  be  sure.         Nobody  in  the  room  was  naive  to  the  sorted  past  that  had  transpired  between  their  people.   Baelon  had  always  seen  the  situation  as  one  where  peace   could  be  found.   If  only  the  right  solution  could  be  found.   Perhaps   this   could  be  a  moment  to  be  remembered.

❛  I  myself  have  always  found  the  Dornish  practices  to  be  more  preferable  to  what  might  be  found  elsewhere.   I  come  here  in  hopes  that  union  could  bring  about   exactly   what  you  wish  from  my  sister.  ❜   Hands  moved  behind  him.   Resting   clasped  together   behind  his  back.   ❛  Should  you  agree  to  our  terms  ,  I've  arranged  with  my  sister  to  set  forth  negotiations  between  you  and  her  for  a  cease  in  all  conflicts  between  our  nations.  ❜   It  was  a   big  claim.   One  he  knew  he  was  likely  going  to  have  to   prove   in  order  for  her  to  accept  the  proposal.         But  they  needed  her  men  in  order  to  have  a  stand  against  the  Greens.   ❛  Dorn  will  continue  to  rule  itself  ,  with  a  Queen  of  Dorne  ,  and  hopefully  the  beginning  of  a  long  standing  friendship  with  the  ruler  of  Westeros.  ❜   His  one  hope  ,  was  that  being  a  prince   championing   for  a  change  in  the  established  order  ,  may  yet  help  in  convincing  her.

The   sun   was   high   over   Sunspear,   spilling   molten   gold   through   the   colored   glass   of   the   Tower   of   the   Sun.   Heat   clung   to   the   stone   walls   like   silk   on   skin,   but   Princess   Arianne   sat   composed,   her   expression   unreadable   as   the   Targaryen   prince's   words   settled   into   the   air   like   desert   sand   after   a   storm. @seirudy

Arianne's   gaze   flicked   over   Baelon   Targaryen—his   silver   hair   gleaming,   his   violet   eyes   too   proud   by   half.   A   dragon’s   offer   was   never   without   fire   beneath   it,   and   she   knew   well   that   marriage   to   a   prince   came   shackled   to   promises   and   debts   not   easily   untangled.   "My   Prince,"   she   said   at   last,   voice   smooth   as   honeyed   wine,   "Dorne   has   endured   centuries   of   men   who   offer   thrones   and   crowns   like   they   are   trinkets   to   be   bartered.   You   speak   of   marriage   as   if   it   is   coin   for   loyalty."

She   rose   slowly,   each   movement   deliberate,   her   silk   skirts   whispering   around   her   ankles.   "And   yet,   we   are   not   so   easily   bought."   Arianne   stepped   closer,   her   chin   held   high,   the   sun   catching   in   the   copper   of   her   hair.   "You   offer   yourself   as   a   husband   in   exchange   of   Dornish   spears   and   loyalty   in   a   war   that   is   not   our   own."

She   let   the   silence   stretch,   savoring   the   tension.   "But   neither   do   we   turn   from   fire   when   it   suits   us.   If   Rhaenyra   Targaryen   seeks   our   banners,   then   let   her   do   so   not   with   offers   of   hand   and   bed,   but   with   respect   for   our   sovereignty,   for   our   pride."   Her   smile   was   sharp.   "Still...   I   do   not   dismiss   your   offer   entirely.   Only   know   this—if   I   wed   a   dragon,   he   must   understand   the   sun   burns   just   as   hot   as   fire."

[daydreamerdrew]

The Avengers (1963) #12

[blossomwritesthings]

𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐬

pairing: jisung x fem!reader (afab)

genre: idol!jisung. estranged!jisung. softdom!jisung. needy!jisung. nearing breakup. hurt/comfort. angst. smut - MDNI, 18+ only. reader pov. established relationship.

content & warnings: explicit & strong language. mild thematic elements. lots of angst. mentions of estrangement/breakup. slight possessive behavior from jisung. pet names (princess, babygirl/babydoll, etc.). smut warnings below cut!! 

word count: 9.4k

summary: things between you and jisung have slowly fizzled out within the past few months. the tension only gets worse after a heated argument that almost ends with your breakup, which ultimately forces him to prove to you how much he still truly loves you.

18+ warnings: dirty talk. oral (f. receiving). fingering. breast/nipple play. slight dom/sub undertones. strength kink. dirty thoughts. hair pulling. praise kink. slight dumbification kink if you squint. unprotected sex (keep it safe, my friends). slight perv behavior from jisung. mentions of masterbation. sweet lovemaking.

a/n: i randomly decided to write this this week after the idea popped into my head, and i was like... hmm, i wonder what would happen if ji's s/o was contemplating a breakup. and then one thing led to another and i found myself fangirling over the idea of jisung being an oral sex god lmao, so here we are!! 😂 also, YES, i'm FULLY on board with the idea of him loving the pet name 'princess.' 😩 lmk what ya'll think of this one... feedback and reblogs are much-appreciated! 🥰

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ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴛᴇs (ᴛʜɪs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇs ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs). © ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

Truly, your boyfriend was being very fucking unreasonable. Jisung had been working so hard, for so long, it was almost a miracle that he was still standing upright from all of the shit that he put his body through. 

Produce music, work out, practice, perform, film, repeat. 

Every. Single. Day. 

 Even you got sick of your job once in a while - so you couldn’t imagine what it was like for him, to wake up every single day and do the same grind over and over again. 

But to your utter surprise, he seemed to love it. Sure, it was stressful as hell and toxic at times, but that just made it all the more precious to him, it would seem. Plus, it was a bonus that he got to experience such ups and downs of being an idol with his seven closest friends in the entire world. 

 However, there were many drawbacks to his busy lifestyle. 

 And one of them was the fact that he never seemed to catch a break - never seemed to be home long enough for you.

 Even when he had a ‘day off’ on a rare occasion, he always filled his time producing new music, practicing a new choreo, or hanging out at the studio with Chan and Changbin. 

 And doing all of this didn’t help to make your relationship any stronger. 

 If anything, it left little time for the two of you to truly connect. Especially within the past few months or so. Mainly, you’d just see each other in passing throughout the workdays, as you came to and fro from your shared apartment. And when you guys weren’t rushing off to your separate schedules, you were fucking quick and effortless around the apartment. 

 At the beginning of the relationship, the sex had been amazing. Mind-blowing, even. Jisung knew his way around a woman’s body, and he wasn’t afraid to use his skills. His tongue was especially powerful - which you gave credit to his fast rapping skills for - and he liked using it on you to tease and tease until you were a sopping wet, begging mess underneath him. The flirt.

 But that was a long time ago. 

 And now? 

 Well, let’s just say that the sex wasn’t that… mind-blowing anymore. 

 You couldn’t remember when it had started to feel different. But then one day, it just lost its unique touch. And then, the sessions changed from long nights of lovemaking in the bedroom to quickies up against the shower wall or on the kitchen counter. 

 There was this odd kind of… distance that was floating between the two of you. You didn’t know if Jisung felt it, since his mind was always so occupied with thoughts of his work and Stray Kids. 

 You, on the other hand? It was all you could think about. And every time he walked through the doorway of the apartment after a long, arduous day at work, your heartstrings pulled just a little tighter at the sight of his slumped form. Droopy shoulders, mussed hair, skin sticky with sweat from a workout or practice. 

 It just didn’t feel the same anymore. 

 It didn’t… 

 Didn’t even feel like your boyfriend cared about you. 

 The passion that had been there between you two at the beginning was erased, and in its stead was an odd, shallow kind of companionship. 

 Yeah, companionship. That’s what it was. 

 But definitely not romance. 

 So when you awoke from the long nap that you had been taking one Saturday night, your first thought was to peer over at the other end of the bed. 

 Empty. 

 Void of any life- 

 Of Jisung. 

 You let out a dry, humorless scoff. Typical 

 Your week had been jam-packed with work and it was so exhausting, so the nap had been much needed. Sitting up from your pillow, you ran a few fingers through your hair. In silence, you shuffled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. 

 But you completely froze up at the sight of your boyfriend sitting at his desk that was placed in the corner of the small living room. You hadn’t expected to see him. It was only nine at night, and he was never home this early on a weekend night. He was hunched over his keyboard, nimble fingers flying across the keys as he typed, head bopping to a tune that was running through the large headphones he had on. 

 Just then your stomach rumbled, and you decided to pull your attention away from him. He was busy anyway, it’s not like he was going to talk to you. You made quick work in the kitchen and were soon sitting at the small, two-chaired dining room table with a plate of scrambled eggs and browned, pre-cooked sausages on a plate laid in front of you. You sipped on a tall glass of orange juice as you absently scrolled through your Instagram feed on your phone. Trying to pass the time away mindlessly.

 You distinctly felt your boyfriend’s presence in the corner of the adjoining living room, but he was apparently oblivious to you sitting there, eating dinner. Alone. Just like you had done for the last- God knows how long. 

 You honestly couldn’t even remember the last time you two had shared a meal. And all at once, the eggs turned sour in your mouth. You swallowed around the painful lump in your throat, the tears starting to prick at the corners of your eyes. 

 “Oh- Y/N, I didn’t see you there.” Jisung’s voice rang out across the small apartment, and the sound of it momentarily forced your spine to go rigid, making you sit up a little taller in your chair. He didn’t even use any pet name when acknowledging you then - like he hadn’t done for a long time now. 

 Just… Y/N. 

 “What are you still doing up?” He asked. Like he expected you to already be in bed. To be sleeping and dead to the world. 

 Like he didn’t even fucking want you around. 

 “Was having dinner,” you started, voice a little scratchy from the unshed tears. You pushed away from the table, standing from your chair. “But I’m not hungry anymore.” 

 As you made your way back over to the bedroom, Jisung’s voice stopped you in your tracks. “Wait- you’re just… leaving the food there?” Not, where are you going? I’ve missed you. Come here, let’s talk. He only cared about the damn food.

 You waved a nonchalant hand in the air back his way, “You can finish it, I don’t care.” And with that, you closed the bedroom door shut behind you with a quiet click. 

 Immediately, you sank to the floor. Face buried in your hands, violent sobs wracking through your body quietly. 

 Because where - and when - had it all gone so wrong? 

A week passed after that, blurring and bleeding together into so many other similar ones of the past. Wake up, watch Jisung leave the apartment at six in the morning for work, then get ready for work yourself, spend most of the day at your job before coming home at seven, then make dinner, eat it by yourself, get ready for bed, fall asleep at nine. 

 These days, it was rare for you to even see Jisung enter the apartment at night. Sometimes, you wondered if he even came home anymore. Because truly, what was here for him anyway? He had no regard for you. He didn’t care at all, it would seem. 

 You were bustling about the bathroom, finishing up applying your moisturizer just before you slipped into bed for the night. Then all of a sudden, the door opened, and in filed Jisung. 

 He was already clad in his pajamas - baggy cream-colored sweatpants and a thin white cotton t-shirt. You were dressed in a matching set close to his, but your pants were shorts and your white cotton shirt was a crop top. You two had gotten the set the year before, as a cute second-anniversary gift. Like it really mattered now...

 Jisung moved in silence, and then he was upon you, pressing your back into his muscular chest. He wrapped a loose arm around your waist and burrowed his face into the crook of your shoulder. “Need you,” he muttered against your bare skin. 

 For one indecisive moment, his words made you freeze up like a statue of stone in your place. Because frankly, it took you back so far in the past, you were suddenly blindsided by nostalgia. Of stolen kisses taken in corners, and heated whispers said in the dark of night, of hands exploring warm skin, and quiet pants falling from parted mouths. Of how he used to say such things to you when he was so desperate - so needy - for your taste. 

 But then you were brought back to the present. And you were reminded of the fact that he hadn’t said such words in so long, they now felt foreign on his tongue. And you two hadn’t been intimate with each other - quickie or not - in over two weeks. That’s the longest you had gone in… what felt like forever. 

 “Jisung- get off me,” you said in an annoyed tone, replacing your bottle of moisturizer on the bathroom counter. 

 He was still clutching onto you, pressing a few delicate kisses onto the skin of your shoulder. And against your better judgment, a quick shiver ran down the length of your spine. “Don’t play hard to get with me, now…” he said, his tone light a humorous. 

 Like nothing was wrong and everything was fine. As if he had been acting like the picture-perfect boyfriend for the past few months. 

 When in reality, all of those things were just downright lies. 

 “I said- get off of me!” The yell tumbled from your lips before you even realized what you were saying. And as you shoved away from his grasp, stepping back from the counter and out of the bathroom, the air around you instantly changed. From one of playfulness and slight desire on his part, to what you had been feeling at that moment. Bitterness, and… heartbreak. 

 “Y/N- what-” Jisung followed you out of the bathroom. His voice had an incredulous tone to it, as he was no doubt completely thrown for one from your sudden shift in mood. 

 “I’m just tired, alright? I want to go to bed.” You said curtly. You climbed into bed, resting your head on your cushy pillow, breathing in a sigh of relief at the comforting feeling of the thick downy comforter covering your bare legs. At least something in this hellhole of an apartment still gave you comfort. 

 And when you heard the bathroom door shutting quietly behind you, signaling that Jisung was finishing up getting ready for bed himself, the tension eased immensely from your shoulders. 

 Still, it showed that he had given up. 

 Like an absolute fucking coward. 

 And quite possibly, that hurt the most. 

 You fell asleep to the feeling of a single tear escaping out of one of your eyes, rolling down the side of your nose and across your cheek. Staining your pillow with wetness, just like every other night before, too.  

“Can we talk?” Jisung said the next day. He shuffled out of the bedroom, the large backpack that he always used to carry his extra pair of clothes for practice and other gear of the like in hand.

 It was early in the morning on a Wednesday, and you were busy in the kitchen preparing your breakfast to go. You didn’t have much of an appetite - for obvious reasons Jisung had no idea about - so you just decided to make some oatmeal and throw it in a thermos for you to eat when you got to work. The night before had left you in an odd sort of emotional limbo as soon as you woke up that morning, and your stomach churned painfully inside of you. With anxiety, and heartache. 

 Peering up from the strawberries that you were cutting to add to your breakfast, you shrugged your shoulders. “Yeah, what’s up?” 

 He took careful steps toward you, stopping when he reached a corner of the kitchen counter where he leaned one of his hips against it. “Did I… do something wrong last night?” 

 His question took you off guard so much that your head shot up from the cutting board. Because had he done something wrong? He hadn’t forced anything, but just the entire act of him expecting something from you after his poor treatment of you for so long… that’s what had upset you. Well, that and a whole host of other things. “No, Jisung, I already told you. I was just tired.” You lied to him with a straight face, as you turned back to your work, slicing through the red flesh of a strawberry with your sharp knife. 

 “You just acted like… I don’t know, you were mad or something,” he started, and out of the corner of your eye, you could see that he swept a hand through his midnight-black hair in a frenzied kind of way. Surely, his next words weren’t going to be ones you liked. “Are we… good?” 

 Your boyfriend had said a lot of stupid things in the past, namely when it came to telling absurd jokes. But this? Asking if you guys were on good terms when he had been sabotaging the whole relationship for the past few months with his shitty behavior? Now that was just downright ludicrous. “I don’t know Jisung, you tell me.” You decided to say, as you fit your cut-up strawberries in a clean glass container before placing it into your lunchbox. 

 “What does that mean?” 

 Your gaze shot up at his snippy tone, and immediately, it was like a switch was turned on inside of you. And then the words started flowing. “Well damn, Ji- I don’t know! How can we be ‘good’ when apparently, you despise me?!” You threw your hands up into the air exasperatingly, your voice rising and echoing across the kitchen. When you noticed him beginning to open his mouth to shoot back a retort, you rolled your eyes. “And don’t give me the bullshit of ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ because you and I both know that you haven’t done shit for this relationship for the past… I don’t know how fucking long!” 

 “Well every time I try to get close to you, you push me away!” Jisung shouted back, folding his arms across his chest. Almost like he was trying to protect himself from your words. Your blows. “Like last night- you just… shut down!” 

 “Did you ever think that I don’t want to have sex with a man who doesn’t even fucking care about me anymore?” You're clutching your fists together so hard that you feel your nails digging into the tender skin of your palms. But, you keep squeezing anyway. It helps ground you at the moment. Helps to keep the tears at bay that threaten to spill over with every word spoken. 

 “What the hell, Y/N-”

 “And don’t fucking call me that!” You screamed, your voice finally giving out and cracking desperately. The tears were freely flowing now, racing down your heated cheeks that were blooming with a furious blush. “Y/N, Y/N, Y/N! It’s all you ever call me anymore! Well, I’m sick of it, okay?! Where’s the old Han Jisung? The one that actually loved me and showed interest in me and made love to me sweetly and called me pretty names?!” 

 Your gazes were painfully locked, and on his face, at that moment, you saw realization dawn upon him. It was so evident in the way that his dark brows creased slightly, the way his bottom lip quivered a little bit, and the way his eyes shone with so many emotions, but mainly- sadness, and... vulnerability?

 Too embarrassed to stand there any longer and bare your whole, raw self to him for another second, you quickly grabbed up your lunchbox and made for the living room, where your purse was sitting on the edge of the couch. Then you were turning around and nearing the entryway, slipping on your shoes and coat - after all, it was the beginning of February and it was still cold as fuck out. 

 Funny, how Valentine’s Day was quickly approaching, and yet your long-time relationship with your boyfriend Jisung was falling apart right before your eyes. Just your luck, it would seem. 

 “Y/N, where are you going?” Jisung’s voice cracked with unbidden pain as you slipped your thick winter coat on. 

 And when your hand reached for the doorknob to leave, you felt fingers clutch desperately at your elbow. 

 “Please- let’s just-”

 “Just fucking leave me alone.” You said in a quiet, quivering tone. Your shoulders were still shaking, the tears leaving trails down either of your cheeks. 

 A tender part of your heart squeezed achingly when you yanked your arm out of Jisung’s grasp. And a tiny, hopeless, strangled sound fell from his lips from behind you, just as you crossed the door’s threshold and barreled out into the cold morning air beyond. 

 All day, you couldn’t focus at work. You trudged through your routine wordlessly, filling out documents and signing off on things. But inside, your mind was drifting from one thing to another. Would Jisung be there when you returned home to the apartment that night? Or would you come home to a barren place, with him having taken out all of his things? 

 Did your fight mean that you guys had broken up? 

 Where did you two stand with one another? 

 Everything was so murky and fucked up, that by the time you finished work, you were glad that you would be home two hours later than usual. Maybe that’d give your boyfriend enough time to hi-tail it out of there before you met him once more. Before you had to relive all of the trauma and hurt all over again from that morning - from the last few months. 

 You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself and steel your rising nerves, as you stood outside of your apartment’s front door that night. It was just past nine, and surely he’d still be at work. Surely, he’d be busy with the boys, practicing the night away, while you drowned in a pint of freezer-burned chocolate ice cream and tears on your bed. 

 When you opened the door, you immediately noticed how the apartment was quite dark. A tiny sigh of relief left your lips at the sight of shadows filling in the corners of the living room. 

  He wasn’t home, then. 

  Good. 

  And you couldn't remember the last time you had ever thought such a thing- 

 That your once-loving boyfriend wasn't home, and that that was a good thing. 

  The feeling quickly became sickening, and you swallowed around a thick lump in your throat. 

 After peeling your winter coat away from your sweater-clad arms and fitting your shoes back onto the small shelf that you kept near the door, you made your way out of the small entryway and into the kitchen. 

 But you stopped in your tracks upon the sight that you found there. 

 Your entire body seized up in surprise, 

 Spine going rigid, 

 Hands clenching and then unclenching at your sides. 

 For there, at the small dining room table, sat your boyfriend, Jisung. 

 A satiny, maroon-coloured cloth lined the wooden table, and you noticed the fine china that was placed on either side of the thing. The white proclaim plates were filled with what looked like Italian food - loaded with saucy pasta, roasted vegetables, and thick breadsticks. There were two crystal wine glasses too, filled to the brim with velvety red wine. 

 And at the centre of the table was a vase of flowers - it was bursting with a bouquet of crimson-red and baby-pink roses, sunset-orange daises, and pure-white baby's breath. Around the vase of flowers, laid a handful of candles, their bright wicks flickering in and out with the heat that quietly blasted throughout the apartment. No wonder why all of the lights had been turned off- to give way to the romantic ambiance of such a spread. 

 In an instant, your heavy purse slipped from your hands. You felt your heart leaping wildly inside of you, thumping against your ribcage in an almost painful kind of way. And only then, did your eyes find your boyfriend’s form in the dim lighting. He was dressed in a simple black long-sleeved t-shirt, the fabric tight around his toned chest. You noticed the black, tight-fitting jeans that wrapped around his legs, hugging every corded muscle flawlessly. His midnight-dark hair was styled messy, hanging low in front of his eyes, and your gaze caught on a thin silver chain that hung around his neck, showcasing his milky-smooth skin. 

 “Welcome home, baby girl.” Jisung’s voice came out soft and silky. Your eyes locked on his lips, as they moved to form the words. Then, he was standing up from his seat, nearing you ever so slowly. Like you were an animal he was hunting, and he was afraid he’d scare you off with the slightest of movements. 

 Your eyes found his in the darkness, and there, you saw an abundance of emotions- fondness, love, and… hesitance. “W-What is going on?” You managed to get out, limbs a little shaky as he came so close to you, you caught his scent. He always smelled of a mix of maraschino cherries and sweet lollipops. The smell was so lovely, yet it always did wonders to calm you down. 

 “Sit, baby.” He whispered. Reaching out, he took ahold of one of your hands and slowly pulled you towards the dining table. He pulled out your seat for you and helped you ease into the plush chair. Then, he was rounding the table once more and taking up his previous position across from you. 

 “What is all of this, Jisung?” You asked, brows raising in question as your eyes perused the spread in front of you. You hadn’t noticed the small tiered cake before, but the dark pink buttercream frosting seemed to glimmer against the candlelight, and instinctually, your stomach rumbled with hunger. 

 “An apology,” he began quietly. His stare was locked with yours across the table, and when he leaned over and grasped one of your hands, fingers sliding between fingers, your heart leaped in the pit of your chest. He squeezed your palm gently. “After… after you left this morning, I was a total fucking mess. Came into work practically bawling my eyes out like a stupid baby. The boys were so worried, and after they managed to get everything out of me, they helped me plan all of this.” 

 You squeeze his hand back, offering a tiny smile. A little kindness wouldn’t hurt, right? At least you could give him what he hadn’t given you in so long. “The setup is lovely. I… I honestly don’t know what to say…” Your voice trailed off, cracking at the end of your words. When you felt the tears welling up in the corner of your eyes, you bit down hard on your bottom lip to quell them from spilling down your cheeks. 

 Jisung cursed under his breath, shaking his head once, before speaking lowly, “You don’t have to say anything, darling. I’m the one who messed up, who fucked up colossally,” he said, shoulders quaking just a little bit from the sentiment of it all. His eyes were dancing with so much hurt and heartbreak, and at that moment, you wanted nothing more but to get up from the table and envelop him in a long hug. But no- for once, you weren’t going to give anything… for once, you were going to take. “I had no idea what you’ve been going through these past few months. I’ve just been so… caught up - obsessed - with my work that I failed to acknowledge the one thing tethering me to it all. And I’m so sorry. I realize my mistakes now, I understand what I’ve done. 

 “But… I know that you have no obligation to accept my apology. You’ve been putting up with my bullshit for so long, I wouldn’t blame you if you called it quits right now. And if you do decide to do that, you must know how I feel. I have enjoyed every moment that I've spent with you, while we were friends and lovers. And I’d never give it up for anything else in the world. I love you so, so much. And I never want to hurt you again, not like this.” 

 You were squeezing onto his hand so tight, you were sure your nails would leave imprints into his palm long after you pulled away. The tears were racing down either of your warm cheeks, your heart cracked open and bleeding with pain. Because the apology was truly genuine. You knew Han Jisung - had known him for so many years now - and you could automatically pick up on when he was telling a lie. But this? This was pure, unadulterated sorrow. He was so remorseful for what he had done, and the distressed look on his face clearly showed how he truly felt. The furrowed brows, the firm press of his lips, the sallow-colored cheeks, the misty eyes. 

 And suddenly, everything was made so very clear to you. 

 You knew exactly what you had to do. 

 “I forgive you.” The words left you quietly, but Jisung heard them nonetheless. Butterflies erupted in your stomach at the confession. Because you loved him too. And all at once, you understood that leaving him, ending the relationship, would just create even more pain for the both of you. And you weren’t a mean person. You cared for your boyfriend deeply and wanted to make things work out. “You really hurt me, you know? All of the late nights away from home, and then the heartless quickies. It became so… tiring, to not have a connection with you anymore. But, I want to try again. I want to make things right, and try and revive the relationship.” 

 You offered him and minuscule smile, and he mimicked your expression tenfold, the happiness blossoming across his face like an infectious disease. “Yes, yes, I’ll do anything, baby. Anything to save us.” He exclaimed faintly, bringing your hand up to his mouth and pressing a gentle kiss against your skin. A ripple of fire cast through your body at the contact of his lips. “But first, before we work out the details, can we please eat? I’m so hungry, I think I could eat an entire cow right now!” 

 A hearty laugh escaped past your lips at his absurdity. And almost instantly, it was like you were back to how things used to be - how the old Jisung used to be, the one that would crack jokes all the time around you, the one that would flash you a cheeky grin every other sentence, the one that always made your heart race wildly. 

 “Yeah, sure,” you looked down at your plate, trying to hide the smile that was practically lighting up your entire face, “the food looks great, the boys did a great job in helping you.” 

 “Mhm, I did most of it though,” he said in between a huge bite of pasta. “But you know how they get… especially Seungmin, always needing the credit.” He rolled his eyes at you, and you both burst out into a fit of laughter. 

 It felt good to let loose in front of him. To laugh your head off, without feeling like you were a burden. And in no time at all, you were digging into your serving of pasta, savoring the salty sauce as it coated your tongue in a mouth-watering kind of way. 

 “Can you hand me that knife over there?” Jisung asked an hour later, as he slotted a bowl into the dishwasher. You two were currently cleaning up the kitchen from the bomb that had been left off in the wake of him and the boys trying to make a romantic dinner for the two of you. 

 You leaned across the granite countertop and passed him the knife, before going back to wiping down the stove with a damp towel. You guys had passed the dinner with a mix of serious conversation and silly jokes. Over the meal, you guys had decided on what the future looked like. Jisung promised that he’d talk to Chan and his managers about it, but he was positive that he’d be able to leave work at least an hour earlier than he usually did every day. And you promised that you’d keep in touch with him if you were ever running late because of work. You guys planned to set every Friday night aside for the two of you to have a date, even if it was just staying at home and lazying around together, it was a time you'd get to spend together, just the two of you.

 Neither of you had brought up the sex during dinner, and to be candid, you were a little too embarrassed to talk about it with him. You had no idea why, when you had been dating for so long. But, the idea of explaining your true, most-inner feelings about it all was quite… daunting, to say the least. 

 “Well, the cleanup is done, at least. I’ll have to clear the table tomorrow,” he said a few minutes later, just as he closed the dishwasher and started up a new cycle. You were leaning against the counter on the opposite side of him, your focus on your hands, as they wound and unwound the damp cloth between your fingers. “Thanks for all of the help, baby girl.”

 At that, your head shot up, eyes wide as your focus locked with Jisung’s. “W-Why do you keep calling me that?” You stuttered out, mouth parted just slightly in surprise. 

 “Why?” He raised a dark, quizzical eyebrow your way, “you don’t like it?” 

 You felt a deep blush wash across your cheeks at his question, and your eyes flicked away from his that were slowly darkening. “N-No, it’s just… I’m not used to it, I guess.”

 “Oh, so then you do like it…” His serious voice resonated out across the kitchen. And then he was moving closer to you until he was standing just a hairsbreadth away from your form. Slender fingers reached out, fitting underneath your chin and turning your head so that your eyes locked for what felt like the millionth time that night. “What else do you like, baby girl?” His pupils were dim and blown wide, the shadows in the room seemed to cast across his shoulders, cloaking him in unbidden desire. 

 “J-Just you, Ji.” You breathed out, as his fingers traveled away from your chin, before cupping your cheek. 

 “You’ll have to be more specific than that, darling.” Your boyfriend mused. His nails grazed across your feverish skin, sending a shudder to course down the length of your spine. “We never talked about the sex… but I assume there will be no more quickies?” 

 You swallowed, once. “No, I don’t like them. They’re- they’re not you, babe.” 

 “Really?” He asked, the heady scent of him filling your nostrils as he stepped closer to you. His hand left your face, as he clutched at either of your hips and helped ease you onto the kitchen countertop that was just at your back. Slotting himself between your parted legs, his fingers dug into the fabric of the tight jeans at your waist. “Then, what is me, baby?” He leaned into you, pressing a tentative kiss against your lips. 

  And holy fuck, did it feel good. 

 To have him so close to you, 

 So intimate. 

 Holding you so tightly to him. 

 The safety you felt in his embrace seemed to overwhelm you, and your shoulders shook a little bit with the love that radiated from his face just then. “Y-You love me, wholly and completely,” you began, as he pressed another kiss to your mouth. This one was a lot more passionate than the last and swirled the pool of fervency that was slowly building deep inside of you. “You m-make love to me sweetly.” 

 You leaned into him then, as his teeth ran along your bottom lip. Your mouth opened, and his tongue swiped at yours. A strangled moan flew from you, and he swallowed it whole with a groan of his own. 

 “Do you want me to make love to you sweetly now, baby girl?” He grunted in between your kisses. His voice was silky smooth, like the darkest of chocolates. And when your mouths unlaced from one another, a hot string of saliva trailed after his pretty, swollen lips. 

 Nodding your head desperately, you almost surprised yourself with the sudden earnestness that flooded through your entire system. Because truly, you had been waiting - wishing - for such a thing for months. And finally, your boyfriend was giving it to you. Not out of spite or hatred, but because he loved you. “Y-Yes, I want that so much…” You breathed, the blush erupting into a furious heat across your cheeks. 

 When Jisung’s lips spread into a knowing smirk, eyes alighting with a certain kind of fire, you had to forcefully press your legs together to quell the rising arousal that had been building in your core. In all honesty, it had been building since the moment had said he loved you, back at the dining table over dinner. 

 “Well, because I love you so much, and you've been so good for me tonight, I'll give in to you, darling.” Your boyfriend’s hands gripped your waist, hoisting you up from the counter and into the air. You wrapped your legs around his torso, as he led the two of you out of the kitchen and into your shared bedroom. The whole way, you clutched onto his shoulders tightly, heart racing with anticipation. 

 He laid you down atop the bed, and the silence took over. He said nothing, as he reached forward, taking ahold of your jeans zipper and single button and pulling them free. Then, all at once, he was shucking your pants off in one fluid movement, his eyes never leaving yours as he cast them aside on the ground. Jisung reached behind him, clutching at his shirt before hoisting it over his head and discarding it somewhere next to you. 

 You swallowed audibly at the sight of his bare chest. The only light shining in the bedroom was a dim nightlight plugged into the far wall near the bathroom, and its amiable hue cast an ethereal kind of glow across his tanned skin. The well-toned muscles on his arms seemed to shimmer in the light, the definition of his abs rippling with every breath he took. For the most part, during your quickies within the past few months, he hadn’t undressed that much. It mainly just consisted of him tearing his pants down, pushing your panties aside, and finishing within ten minutes. There was nothing romantic about it, which is why you absolutely hated it. 

 Biting your lip at it all, you squirmed underneath him. He liked your reaction to him, liked the way you ogled his chest. It was evident by the way a lazy grin broke across his face. “Your turn,” is all he said, before diving into you and pressing a fervent kiss against your mouth.

 Within a few breaths, he had your shirt off and was working at unclasping your bra. At the thought of him seeing you naked save for your panties, panic suddenly started to rise into your throat. You hadn’t fully laid out in front of him in a very long time. What if he didn’t like what he saw? What if you were ugly to him after such a prolonged period of not seeing you? 

 “W-Wait,” you managed to get out, swallowing thickly. Jisung’s fingers instantly stopped at your bra clasp. 

 Worry started to fill his eyes as he said, “Do you not want to-” 

 “No!” You blurted out, a little too quickly for your good. Your hastiness was made clear then, and a tiny, pleased smile spread across Jisung’s mouth at the sight of it. “It’s just… what if you don’t like what you see?” 

 His eyes narrowed as he stared down at you, a frown darkening his face. “Why in the world would you ever even think that?” 

 Your breath turned shallow, limbs shaky at the swarthy look he was leveling your way. He had always hated when you doubted yourself- when you questioned his attraction to you and your body. “I-I don’t know… it’s just been, a long time since you’ve seen me like this, that’s all.” Your eyes pulled away from his defined chest, locking with his once more. “I’m worried you won’t… like what you see.” 

 Jisung didn’t allow you to say anything else then, as he tipped down into you and pressed a feverish kiss against your mouth. “Baby girl, don’t ever say such things like that again, I love you so much. You’re the hottest woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” He rumbled against your lips before his kisses began to travel around your face. He pecked the tip of your nose, both of your cheeks, and your forehead, before coming back to your lips. “Now, may I see you? Will you allow me to show you how much I care about you - how much I love you?” 

 You found yourself nodding your head in a frenzy, sucking in your bottom lip in anticipation. Your boyfriend flashed you a pleased smile before his fingers made quick work of your bra. Not five beats later, he had it off of you and laying on the floor near the bed. At the feel of being completely naked underneath him save for your soaked panties, you fought the urge to squirm and cover yourself up. 

 “Fuck,” he practically growled out the words at the sight of your bare form. “You’re so pretty, sweetheart,” his eyes trailed away from your exposed chest, locking with your eyes once more. “Love you- shit, love your body so fucking much.” He murmured against your skin, as he pressed a few kisses against your jaw.

 “J-Ji-” you mewled at the feeling of his mouth traveling down the column of your neck. His teeth bit into the warm flesh, leaving love marks for the next day. His lips sucked down on your clavicle, fingers digging into your bare hips. Your hands found their way into his hair, pulling at the black locks hard as his mouth moved down the centre of your sternum. 

 “Always thinking about you- you know that, princess?” He mused against your skin, mouth circling one of your breasts with a smattering of kisses. “My mind always comes back to you in the dead of night, when I’m alone in the studio. I daydream about this very sight- having you under me, quaking from my touch alone.” Then his lips were hovering over one of your pebbled nipples, hot breath fanning against gooseflesh. “Because only I get to do this, right? Only I get to see you utterly bare like this…” 

 Your focus was completely on your boyfriend, as he pressed an open-mouthed kiss against your breast. “Y-Yes, only you get to have me.” You mewled out, clutching at his roots a little harder when his hot tongue darted out and drew a long stripe across your raised nipple. A hiss left your lips at the action. 

 “Shit, baby- love your tits so much,” he muttered in a quiet voice. His tongue swirled around your sensitive bud, then he was fitting his entire mouth over your mound, taking in as much of you as he could. He lapped and licked at your breast, teeth coming down to graze against your puckered nipple. You felt one of his hands leave your hips, and travel up your side until just stopping at your other breast. There, he filled his palm with your enflamed flesh, rolling your throbbing bud between his fingers. You were a groaning mess under his tongue, writhing with pleasure. 

 “F-Feel so good, babe,” you whispered, yanking on his hair and pressing his face closer to your chest as he continued to pay ardent attention to your breast. 

 After a few beats, he pulled away, mouth red and puffy, leaving a trail of hot saliva around your breast. “I fantasize about these all the time- imagining what it’d feel like at that moment to take your gorgeous nipples into my mouth.” His eyes flitted up to yours, which were still locked on where he was pleasuring your chest. “Fuck- almost every day, I pump myself dry to the thought of your beautiful tits bouncing up and down as you ride my cock so perfectly- as I spread your legs and take you fully, as I pound into your flawless little cunt from behind.”

 “Y-You thought about me like that, even after all this time?” The surprise drips into your tone, cheeks heating up with rosiness as his head moves over to your other breast that his hand had been playing with. Your heart leaped wildly in your chest at his movements, and you felt the juices practically dripping out of your core, skating down the inside of your thighs. Because truly, you had never known. You had just assumed that, for the past few months, you’d never crossed his mind… after such a long period of the intimacy waning between the two of you... 

 He smiled against your skin, pressing a fiery kiss against your nipple that had yet to be lapped at by his tongue. “Of course I did, babydoll. You’re always on my mind- you never left it, not even for a single moment.” 

 You squeezed your eyes shut, savouring the way that he fit his mouth around you in a perfect kind of way. Your fingers shook slightly as you carded them through his silky locks, trying to get as close to him as possible. The moans fled from your lips freely, and the breath caught in your throat at the feel of his clothed bulge pressing against one of your thighs, close to where you needed him most. He was still clad in his tight skinny jeans. 

 “Baby- n-need you,” you whined after he had pulled away from your breast a few beats later, his face flushed with so much lust. His gaze locked with yours, pupils like twin pools of fire that were so fucking scorching, as he stared down at you, studying your kiss-swollen lips and fluttering eyelids. 

 “You need me, hmm?” He traced a single index finger down the middle of your chest, nearing your waist. “Where do you need me, princess? Tell me…” His finger trekked down one of your legs, starting to draw tiny shapes in the skin of your inner thigh. “You need me right here, on your thighs?” 

 “N-No-” you managed to say in a quiet voice. A velvety hush came over the entire bedroom, as you watched his finger slowly trace up your skin until the slim digit was just outside the line of your panties. 

 “You need me here, baby girl? Between your legs, touching your warmth?” He pushed the nude-colored panties aside a bit, and immediately, his finger was slicked with your arousal. “Damn it- you’ve soaked through this shit.” Jisung grabbed ahold of your panties and dragged them down your shivering legs before discarding them somewhere behind him. 

 “Wanted this for so long, Ji,” you started, a low buzz humming in your ears at the way his pupils darkened at the sight of your completely bare form. Finally. 

 He tipped down towards you, beginning to pepper light kisses against either of your thighs, nearing your throbbing core ever so slowly. “Oh, yeah? What did you want for so long, darling?” His voice was hushed against your skin, and you felt the desire churn in your core at the way he said the words in such a low register. The tone he only used on you - for you - late at night, when it was just the two of you, and he was filled with so much passion. 

 “Wanted you- face nestled into me, kissing my worries away, licking me clean.” A surprised squeak fled from your lips as soon as his mouth landed on top of your cunt. 

 “You’ve always had a thing for my tongue, haven’t you, princess?” Jisung said, his voice rumbling against your sensitive flesh and shooting a zap of energy to course throughout your veins. You felt him smirk against your lips, just as he delved into your heat. 

 And all at once, you were reminded of what you had been missing for so very long…

 Slender fingers prying you open slowly, 

 Practiced thumb pressing against your puffy clit, 

 Kisses peppered up the length of your warmth, 

 Tongue drawing a stripe down your lips, 

 Before thrusting into you, tasting your very essence. 

 You bucked your hips against your boyfriend’s face, loving the way he twisted his tongue inside of you, the way he used his fingers to pry you open for better access, the way he traced circles around your clit. Every nerve ending in your body felt like it had been set on fire, and loud pants fell from your mouth every time he kissed you, every time he tasted you, every time he hummed against your exposed core in approval. 

 “Taste so fucking good, babydoll… like the sweetest candy on earth,” he growled after he had pulled away from you to catch his breath. This face was messy with you, lips glossy with your slick. The sight of his flushed cheeks and blown pupils alone was so fucking hot, a choked moan escaped from deep inside of you, and your hands frantically traveled down to the waistline of his jeans. 

 “N-Need you right now, baby,” you said, voice hitching slightly. It felt like your heart was beating a mile a minute against your ribcage, thoughts moving slowly inside your head like they were trapped in a thick vat of molasses. Your fingers flew at his zipper and Jisung was silent, as you worked his jeans and boxers off completely.

 His cock sprung free instantly, the head red and swollen, precum dripping out of the slit and splattering onto the bed haphazardly. You swallowed audibly at the sight of his girth. It had been a while since you had gotten a clear view of… him. And, it was mouthwatering, to say the least. You reached out, palm open and supple, as you took hold of him. 

 “Damn it- baby… you intimidated by me?” He chuckled dryly, noticing how your mouth was slightly hung open in amazement. You pumped your hands up and down his length a few times, earning a string of curses from Jisung. “Fuck- any more of that and I’ll be a goner, princess.” He ripped your hands away from him and moved so that your fingers were positioned above your head. 

 Without any guidance, you opened your legs wider, as he slotted himself between you. He clasped down hard on your hands with one palm, while the other found its way back to your core, fingers caressing your inflamed clit. You held your breath in bated silence, waiting, and watching, as Jisung’s tip neared your entrance. 

 Then, he was sliding in with one fluid, effortless movement. Your mouth fell open, breath falling in short increments, at the fullness you felt slowly taking over your entire body. It was like absolute heaven, with him slowly bottoming out, the tip of his cock hitting that fiery, gooey spot deep inside of you.

 “Alright?” Jisung’s deep voice broke you from your daze of lust. You hadn’t realized you had closed your eyes, and when they met your boyfriend’s face, there was a single crease in his brow. Like he was worried that he’d hurt you somehow. 

 “Feels so good- please, just, fuck me, Ji-” you whined, throwing your head back onto one of your pillows, a loud cry falling from your mouth as you felt him begin to move inside of you. 

 As he thrust in and out, in and out, the lewd sounds of your lovemaking overtook all of your senses - filling the room with skin slapping against skin, the smell of sex heavy in the air. Jisung set a fervent pace, reaching so far into you that every time he pulled back, and then shoved himself between your lips again, literal stars danced against the blackness of your vision. 

 “You like this, baby girl?” Jisung rasped out, as he pushed into you vigorously. You were a sopping wet mess, which made for slippery work between your legs. Still, Jisung didn’t mind, and it only seemed to edge him on even further. “Like when I fuck you nice and sweet? Is this what you’ve wanted all along, hmm?”

 Nodding your head frantically, a scream tore from deep inside of you at the feel of his fingers pressing down hard on your inflamed clit. You were practically writhing from head to toe underneath him, your arms shaking as he held them up above your head. “Y-Yes, please… don’t stop…” Your voice came out breathless and airy, as he hit a particularly fiery spot inside of you. 

 “Oh trust me, babydoll, I won’t.” His hand continued to play with your reddened bud, as he rutted into you like a man who had been starved of sex for a fucking millennium. 

 Then, you felt him move on top of you, face nearing yours and lips kissing their way up the expanse of your neck, nearing your chin, before stopping at your mouth. He stopped just then, seductive breath fanning across your face. 

 “Kiss me?” You asked, voice high and squeaky in your throat. Because at that moment, with him so close to you, his cock buried so deep, his fingers abusing you so well, you suddenly felt so fucking vulnerable.

 At the way you peered up at him with big, innocent eyes, your boyfriend immediately let go of your hands that he had been holding above your head. “Ah- baby, how can I ever say no to such a beautiful face- such a sweet voice?” He cooed down at you. Your fingers found their way into his onyx-colored hair again, slightly pulling at the roots. 

 Jisung’s scent - of maraschino cherries and sweet lollipops - overtook you, as he bent down, invading your space. The way his mouth captured your lips, tongue lapping at your own, did wonders for your throbbing heart. And all at once, you felt your high quickly approaching. 

 “Love how supple you get when I fuck you like this…” He whispered against your lips when you had both pulled away to catch your breaths. The charming, gentleness of his voice was a stark contrast to what the rest of his body was doing - how his hands now dug into either side of your hips, how he pounded into you so perfectly with a relentless pace. “So pliant and adorable- princess lets me take care of her well, yeah?” 

 He pressed another few kisses against your lips, smiling in between them at the nods that you gave him. “L-Love when you call me that… princess…” you confessed, a furious blush creeping over your cheeks at admitting such a thing. You had missed all of the pet names over the past few names. But that one? Princess? You didn’t exactly know why, but it just did something ethereal and magickal to your soul every time he called you by the endearing name. 

 “You are a princess, baby… my princess.” Jisung gripped onto your hips harder just then, slamming his cock into you so fiercely that a tiny, pathetic whimper left your mouth. “Now… can you be a good girl and cum for me, sweetheart?” He kissed you again and again, and you felt your heart swell up inside your chest from the gesture. 

 So charming. 

 So loving. 

 So soft. 

 And all at once, you were letting go. Squeezing your eyes shut desperately, galaxies exploding across the inside of your mind. Skin heating up so well, so quickly, that it felt like you had been doused in a pit of flames. Limbs shaking irrevocably, your core clenching around Jisung’s cock, as he chased his own high. You pulled at his silky waves, a string of moans rising from deep within you as you reached the peak of your arousal. 

 “F-Fuck, you take me so well- so perfect,” Jisung grunted somewhere close to your ear. In your daze of orgasmic bliss, you faintly heard him mumble praises. Praises about you, about your exquisite body, and your enchanting personality. But it was all lost on your ears amidst the dizziness of your fall. 

 Then you felt your boyfriend stiffen up inside of you, and his entire body shuttered from above as he finally found his release. You felt his seed coat your still-clenching walls, and a content sigh left you at the familiar feeling of it all. Jisung was a moaning mess on top of you, his voice growing so loud with his release, you were sure the neighbors could hear him. He hadn’t cum inside of you, without a condom on, in what felt like ages. And it felt like pure, utter euphoria. 

 Jisung continued to say soft praises into your ear as he rode out both of your highs, his thrusts turning shallow and sloppy. You moved your head, eyes opening, so that you could see the expression on his face- the tips of his ears were bright red, dark pupils were blown wide, a thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead, and his lips were pink and kiss-swollen. 

 “You’re so pretty, babe…” You surprised yourself by actually voicing your innermost thoughts. You had told him such a thing in the past, and almost always, he always batted it away. You reached up to tuck a stray piece of his messy hair behind one of his ears. 

 “You’re even prettier,” his tone was raspy from all of the groans that had fallen from his lips. He pulled out slowly then, and a small cry left you at the sudden absence of him. If you could, you’d love to live the rest of your days out with his cock buried inside of you. But alas, your dreams never seemed to come true. “Always look so celestial- like a little pixie faerie, whenever I fuck you…” Jisung flashed you an effortless grin, pecking one of your reddened cheeks, before stepping off of the bed and flitting over to the nearby bathroom to grab a towel for cleanup. 

 When he came back, the fuzziness around the corners of your mind was finally gone, and you were able to get somewhat of a grasp on your surroundings. On the way that he leaned down into you, so very close, to wipe a damp cloth against your sticky thighs. 

 “Love you.” You said at that moment. Silence had enveloped the room, as he made quick work of cleaning the two of you up. But your words seemed to crack open a little warmth into the sex-filled air. 

 Jisung’s head turned up and his gaze found yours, his sparkly, doe-like eyes widened slightly in surprise. A smile that mirrored yours just then cracked on his lips, and he was soon trekking over to you, where you were still sprawled out atop the bed's rumpled sheets. 

 “And I love you, too.” The last thing you saw before he took your face into either of his hands was his grin, and how it looked maniac-like. The last thing you saw was the look of pure adoration and love shining across his face, as he pulled you close to him and kissed you sweetly. 

 Because even though things hadn’t been that great between you for the past few months, 

 And even though he had been absent for a long time, 

 And even though your guys’ sex life had gone down the proverbial drain, 

 Things had somehow turned around. 

 He had turned things around. 

 With the beautifully-planned dinner, the delicious food, the tender words, the sweet kisses, and the much-needed lovemaking. 

 So things could only go up from here… 

 As long as you two guys had each other, 

 And as long as you kept fighting for what mattered- 

 For the relationship- 

 For each other- 

 Things would somehow work themselves out, eventually. 

Fin. 

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