#because covering the two of them in season five brings us back to season one

[dinitride-art]

Five Act Structure: Seasons vs. Acts

Reworking some thoughts and ideas here. If Stranger Things is set up in five act structure (which is so cool and I never want to stop talking about it also here’s this post where I explain what I’m talking about) then the parallels between season two and season four change a bit- but also viewing the story as a whole might change too (when looking at it in five acts).

Season one had a pretty cut and dry story: Will went missing, supernatural elements introduced, character introductions, banishing supernatural elements, Will comes back. If they didn’t get a second season the story would still hold up. This is also a really good set up for the rest of the story, it’s the ~prologue~. Also it’s ACT I. But just talking about the story within the season- it’s solid stuff. There’s stuff that’s unresolved yeah, but not to the point where you’d watch it and think, what’s next. We’re not done here- hey! Get back here- like you would think at the end of let’s say, season four. (Also season one has the first major death that effects the narrative later- barb)

Season two is more complicated than season one. We’re well aware by the end of it that this story is not done- the Mind Flayer is still a problem. The last scene where we flip over into the Upside Down tells us that this part of the story isn’t finished. Season two also starts developing Lucas and Max, and Mike and El’s (although really different from Lucas and Max) relationships. It also explores Mike and Will’s relationship.

The Snowball is a really interesting point in the season because it’s the last episode and the last scene. It’s also a weird sort of misdirection that’s telling us everything worked out okay. But it’s not okay. Bob is dead, El literally just ran away and was being confronted with her past, Will was just possessed, Barb is still dead, the Mind Flayers still alive- the Snowball is like a bandaid on you’re feelings for your best friend. Unhelpful and clearly hiding something. Season two is a good portion of ACT II, and it makes sense for things to be unresolved at the end of season two- because ACT II hasn’t run it’s course yet.

All characters usually are introduced by the end of ACT II, so Robin being introduced in season three would make sense if we’re actually still in ACT II at the start of season three. Season three also continues to follow the Mind Flayer. We’re still dealing with the same problem as season two. Character wise, we’re exploring Lucas and Max’s romantic relationships, El and Max’s relationship (continuing from Max’s interests in El in season two), Mike and El’s relationship, and Mike and Will. We’ve also continued on with Dustin’s focus on girls, and his friendship with Steve. We’re dealing with almost all the same problems for everyone, just continuing in a different season. Our main problem is the Mind Flayer, and that leads us straight to the climax- the Mind Flayer at Star-court and Hopper’s “death”.

Right before the battle at star court is where ACT II ends. Then we get to ACT III, the climax, where everything big happens all at once. Usually the climax is one scene so that’s why I’m saying it’s when they defeat the Mind Flayer, Billy dies, Hopper “dies”, and there are literal fire works going off making everything that much more intense. After the climax, the Byers move away, Mike and El (get back together?) have a relationship development and Mike seems all out of sorts about it, and everything starts going in a downwards spiral.

However, going back to ACT II for a second here, looking at where we are by the time of the climax (and during) everything has pretty much been resolved- Suzie’s revealed as a real person/Dustin’s girl problems stop, all party relationships are pretty okay again. Max and El are friends, Nancy and Jonathan are cool again, Hopper and Joyce were going to go on a date, Mike and El are cool again, pretty much every problem that’s had a clear cut story line from season two finds an end in season three. Of course there’s still things that aren’t resolved, but for the most part, when the season ends it’s okay. The cliff hanger comes separately from the end of the season (like Will in season one).

Season four is a lot like season two; it’s the start of and act but it also stops in the middle of that act. A new problem is introduced in season four: Vecna/Henry Creel/One. This is not the same guy as the Mind Flayer at all. Everything also starts going terribly in season four because now we’re in ACT IV- the bad one. After the climax everything falls to pieces- and where we’re sitting right now, in the middle of ACT IV, it’s still falling apart. Season four problems are going to carry over into season five, much like the Mind Flayer into season three, because it’s the same act.

So this all got me thinking about the act structure in relation to the story, and what if ACT II and ACT IV are paralleling each other, and not just season two and season four? That would mean that all of season two and most of season three could be seen as paralleling season four (and most of season 5). That really changes things for me because that expands the possibility of what’s actually happening quite a bit. It also messes with the idea that season two and season four could be related to each other in specific ways(like being inverted), because ACT II and ACT IV cover different things. However, it would make more sense for ACT II and ACT IV to be paralleled because of the Snow Ball scene in the middle of both of them.

Mike also makes a lot more sense as a narrator when looking at Stranger Things in acts. Season one was a single act, so we saw a lot of Mike. We focused in on him and Joyce because they’re guiding us in season one. In season two, there’s less of Joyce and more of Mike and other characters stories- but Joyce makes a return in season three where Mike falls a bit more off to the side. But looking at season two and three as a whole, it’s pretty well divided between all the characters in respect to their placement and roles within the story. In season four we got a lot more Joyce and a lot more of the other characters development. Mike fell a bit to the side again, but it makes sense for that to happen if ACT IV isn’t completed. We haven’t really gotten to Mike in ACT IV yet. Similar idea with how Will goes from being the focus of season two, to being sidelined in season three. They’re still there and present in the narrative but they’ve done their part of the act- and now are helping the others do theirs.

Season five looks like it’s going to finish the rest of ACT IV (the downwards spiral) and pick up the storylines that haven’t been covered in the act yet. Mike and Will, Jonathan and Nancy, Max and El, Vecna and the Upside Down, the consequences of Eddie’s death, what happened to Owens, mystery around the Upside Down- and everything else that season four started to get into but didn’t actually conclude.

[shadowbriar]

Five Hargreeves - Back To You

Pairing : Five Hargreeves x (she/her) Reader Word Count : 2.8k Warning : Angst. Season 4 references. Synopsis : After one too many subway trips, Five's plan of temporal refuge extended as he met someone he refuse to lose. Notes : I refuse to acknowledge what happened in Episode 5 and 6 though I use the gif of said episodes. Don't come at me if you don't agree. If you like this story and would like to support me, please visit my kofi page and perhaps get me a coffee?☕

Living in a small cottage by the lake has never been in his cards. To settle down and watch the sun sets everyday, hearing the rocking chair creak as he takes a sip of his coffee. This was beyond anything he could ever hoped for, anything he could afford. He knew that this wasn’t the life he’s supposed to lead. Lord, this wasn’t even a life he owns to begin with. But with each second passed in this universe, Five finds it hard to drag himself back to that subway and return to his own timeline.

“Enjoying the scenery, are we?” She whispers as she sits on his lap, clinging her arms around his neck “You know, I could really use the help stuffing that chicken. It is afterall your special request.”

The boy raised an eyebrow, “Shouldn’t I be off of any chores since it is my special request?”

“Just because it’s your birthday, doesn’t mean you’re having a vacation, big guy,” She reasoned “We’ve only got two hands and this house is only getting bigger than smaller.”

The boy couldn’t bite his grin when he leaned in to kiss her. His heart swells. She was right. The house feels like it’s growing along with them. They might not have much, certainly far from the wealth his father possesses, but it was much more than enough. Having her was much more than enough.

“You know that I love you, right?” Five asks as he pulls away, his left hand still cupping her cheek as his thumb caresses her gently.

“I know,” She nods, smiling “But you can’t sweet talk your way out of kitchen duty, Mister.”

Five chuckles, standing from his seat as he carried her in his arms, “Alright, Missy, let’s see what this chicken fuss is all about.”

—-

The muscles on his cheeks were aching but he couldn’t fight the need to grin as wide as he could. He was happy, watching her carry that awful looking cake out of the oven. The icing that supposedly spelled ‘happy birthday’ was crooked, its colour pale compared to the bright fondant covering it. Thank God the candles were their only source of light, otherwise she wouldn’t even bring it out, he reckons.

“It’s ugly, I know,” She says as she lets it rest on the table “But it tastes better than it looks, I promise.”

Five shakes his head, disagreeing with her discouraging comments as he steals a kiss, “It’s perfect.”

“Well, go on and make a wish!”

The boy closes his eyes. His hands holding hers as he whispers his wish: I wish for this to last forever. Her squeals of excitement was music to his ears as he blew the candles. It is indeed the best birthday of his life.

“I’d ask but I know you wouldn’t tell me your wish.”

“Who said I made any wish?”

“You did,” She says as she helps him cut the cake “You make that little frown everytime you say your little prayer, do you know that?”

“I don’t pray, Love.”

“You do. Well, not religiously, but sometimes you do. You say your little prayer, your hopes. You whisper them sometimes, but most times you just close your eyes and do that little frown thing.”

Five raised an eyebrow, “Have you been watching me?”

“I might,” She teases “I mean who wouldn’t watch such a handsome man like you?”

The night continues as the couple finishes their dinner. Fulfilled would be such an understatement for what he feels right now. Everything he ever wanted, everything he ever dreamed of, is served right in that room. He wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.

“So can I take a guess about what you wished for?”

“Really, Love?” He asked, putting down his glass of wine.

She shrugs, “We’ve talked about everything else, haven’t we?”

“You know, there’s a belief that if you say your prayers, it won’t happen.”

“Well, you’re not saying what it was, I’m just taking a guess what it’s about.” She argues, still persistent “And what’s so bad with it not happening? Do you really want it that bad?”

“I— Nothing, I just don’t—”

“What is it that you could wish for? What is it that you don’t have?”

“Nothing, I’m not saying that I want anything, I just—”

“Is it your family?”

Five pauses. It was as if he was stupefied. He hadn’t thought about his family in a while. Shameful of him, sure, but after one too many subway trips, he figured that a little rest shouldn’t be so bad. He just had to find a timeline where there weren't that many people shooting at him. Perhaps take a week or two to rest and gather his strength before jumping into another subway.

It just had to be her. The girl he bumped into right after he got out of the station. He remembers vividly the concerned look on her face when she saw him. He was littered with bruises, dirt and dust covering his body. He looked more like trouble than a lover yet she still found it in her heart to ask if he needed any help.

And here he was, feeling the happiness in his heart wither as the thought of his family returned to his consciousness. He knew that the universe is cruel, that he couldn’t have the best of both worlds in this lifetime, that he had to choose between his lover or his family. Some nights he wonders if his family had succeeded in preventing another apocalypse without him. Some nights he wonders if his family had found a way to another timeline. Some nights he wonders if his family were still alive. But most nights he tried his best to ignore these wonders. His family must have found a way to stop the apocalypse, or at least escape another one.

Taking a deep breath, Five reaches for her hands. Guilt and regret were evident on her face. He knew that she didn’t mean to sound as cruel. Perhaps it was the wine that made their blood more sensitive or that the fatigue of the day had clouded their minds. Either way he knew that they both would be sorry when the morning came.

“I love you,” He starts gently “I love you more than anything in this and every timeline.”

A tear left her eye. It was painful. To love someone you know doesn’t belong to you. To desperately grasp into the moments you knew would end anytime soon. To selfishly stay in a relationship that was doom from the start. Neither of them deserved this, yet neither of them wanted to let go.

“It’s been six years, Five,” She reasoned “As much as I love you.. We can’t keep living like this.”

“Time works differently there, my love. Six years here might only mean a couple hours there.”

“That doesn’t make it any less wrong for you to stay. Those couple hours might be the most crucial hours for your family. They might be fighting for their lives right now, they might be dying, for all we know! You need to come back to them, Five. You have to.”

Five forces a laugh, “Wait, what are you saying?”

She remained silent. Her tears were falling, biting her lips to conceal her tremble. A bitter feeling is brewing in his stomach now.

“Your family needs you and—”

“Okay, stop,” He stood from his seat with an offended look “Are you breaking up with me? On my birthday?”

She looks away, unable to meet his eyes.

“Goodness, you can’t be serious.”

“What choice do we have, Five? One way or another, you’d have to go back to your family. They need you—”

“And you? You don’t need me anymore?”

Her jaw clenches, “That’s beside the point.”

“No, that is the whole point, actually,” He argues, this time coming close to her “I love you, alright? Why is it so wrong for me to want to be with the person that I love? I’ve lived more than a lifetime alone, why can’t I have someone for once?”

“You don’t belong in this timeline. I—”

“I belong with you,” He cuts in “It’s not the timeline that matters, it’s where you are. I belong with you.”

If there’s anything she loves most about Five other than his gentle and caring nature towards her, it would be how adamant he is once he’s set his mind into something. There’s no doubt in her heart about the genuinity of his words. But as much as she’s grateful and touched over it, she knew that they could only spend so long before the guilt eats them whole.

She lets go of his hands softly, placing them on his cheeks instead. She admires him. The beautiful man that’s now standing in front of her with his heart on his sleeves, announcing his devotion to her on the day when he’s supposed to be the one showered with attention and love. His eyes were glossy, clearly conflicted.

“I love you, Five,” She whispers, gently caressing his skin as if it was their last goodbye “But I can’t keep you here, I can’t. I can’t keep you from your family.”

Five looks defeated, silent.

“Don’t you want to know what happened to them? If they’re okay? If they’ve figured out how to stop the apocalypse? Don’t you want to know?”

“I— I don’t know.” He answers “What I know is that I want to be with you.”

“I’ll always be with you, Love,” She reassures, kissing his cheek “I might not understand how this whole different timelines work, but I know that whichever timeline it is, whatever universe we live in, I will always belong to you. I will always be with you.”

And he finally cries. His tears flowing and wetting her palms. His heart shatters, finally succumbing to the guilt he’s tried so hard to bury and forget. He misses his family, he wanted so badly to get back and pick up where he left off, but would it be worth it? Would leaving everything here be worth it? Would leaving her be worth it?

“We’ll find our way,” She reassures, pulling the broken man into her embrace “You’ll find me in your timeline. Maybe we’ll meet at the grocery store, or at a bar, or perhaps at another train station.”

Five chuckles a little, letting a shaky breath as he asks, “And if we don’t?”

“We will,” She says firmly, giving a little space between them so they could gaze into each other’s face “I’m too much of a troublemaker and you’re too much of a problem solver for us to not meet. It’ll be too hard to ignore each other with our nature, Love. We’re bound to meet each other, in any timeline, in any universe. Trust me.”

The boy forces a smile. He leans in, kissing his lover gently as if she’d burst into petals if he pushed too much. Her hold around his neck feels different. Like she wasn’t looking for support but giving one instead. He could feel her trembling a little as his hands pulled her closer by the waist. Her heart is breaking too, as much as his is, but they knew that it’s inevitable. It’s only a matter of time before time pulls them apart and it certainly would be much more painful then.

“I’ll find you,” He whispers “I promise.”

—-

Canada is certainly much colder than home. Five rubs his hands and blows some air to his palms in hope to gain some warmth, but it’s obvious that the only comfort he’ll find in this weather is to get in Viktor’s bar and ask for some drink. That is, if Diego could start the car and get them going.

“It says here that Viktor’s bar is only five minutes by foot,” Klaus says “Who wants to run to the bar with me?”

“No one is getting out of this car!” Diego says in frustration, irritatedly trying his best to start the engine “We’re going to get to his bar together, in this car. That’s the whole point of a family road trip. We go to the bar by car, not by foot!”

“Yes, but it’s freezing here, Diego! The heater is not even on!” Alison argues.

“Well, it won’t be unless the engine is on.”

“No shit, Luther,” Ben says “I vote to run.”

Lila raises her hand, “Second to run.”

“No! No one is getting out of this car!” Diego yells once more, hitting the steering wheel frustratedly “I just need to—”

And by God’s miracle, the engine turns back on. Though their trip would soon reach its main destination, the bicker done by the family persists. The coldness of Canadian weather and how the heater broke almost twenty kilometres ago has made the seven heads’ temper raise. They really need to get to Viktor’s bar before they start to kill each other.

“I’m out of here,” Five announce as the car gets into the parking space of the bar. He space jumped inside, finding himself on one of the empty stools “Good to see you, Viktor.”

“Five,” VIktor greets, a little startled but his smile grows “You’re here. Where are the others?”

“Still figuring their way out to get here. Can I get whiskey on rocks?”

“On it.”

Five taps on the wooden table as he waits for his drink. His heart was content, as much as it might mean now. Their plan to stop the apocalypse worked. Viktor managed to take the marigold off of Ben before the Cleanse happened and now they’re trying to get back or rebuild their life. For once they finally managed to stop the apocalypse from happening.

Right after they succeeded in preventing the cleanse, Five found himself running to the subway station. He could still feel his feet burning from how fast he tried to get back to the station, wanting to jump in the train and go back to her timeline, but once he got there, the station vanished. There was no trace of it, no matter how many times he tried to run around and look for it. The subway is gone. She is gone.

Perhaps it was the price he has to pay for saving the universe. One’s happiness in exchange for the lives of millions doesn’t seem to be a hard sacrifice to make, but it’s still a tough pill for him to swallow. He knew that she would be proud. That she would hug and kiss him for doing all the hard work in saving the world. But the more he thinks about it, the more it stings for such touch would only be as good as a dream now.

“You ordered whiskey on rocks?” A voice asked, breaking his train of thoughts.

Five’s mouth went agape. He couldn’t tell if he was daydreaming or if this was some sick new power he gained from the marigold, but she was there. Standing right in front of him with a glass of whiskey in her hand.

“Viktor said his brother ordered whiskey on rocks, I assume that’s you?”

“I— Uh, yes,” He stammers, getting off the stool “You’re here.”

Five couldn’t believe his eyes. In his heart he knew that they would meet again, that somehow the universe would let him keep both her and his family, but he never expected that it was true. He never expected that he would meet her again. Not this fast, not this way.

“Sorry?” She asks, raising an eyebrow “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes. Yes, I’m fine,” Five said, shaking his head and taking the glass “Thank you.”

The girl smiles. It was a different smile than what he’s used to seeing. There wasn’t much love in her eyes, but he wasn’t in the position to complain. The girl he’s staring at and his lover might be the same person but she’s yet to know him here. She’s yet to know that he’s hers. She’s yet to know that he loves her. She’s yet to know that he belongs to her.

“Sorry, but have we met before?” She asks, still staring back at him “You look very familiar.”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so,” He lied, offering his hand “I’m Five. Five Hargreeves. Viktor’s brother.”

She took his hand, telling him her name, “I didn’t know Viktor had a baby brother.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not really his baby brother. It’s— It’s complicated.” Five could feel his cheeks burning like a little boy, bashful “It’s a long story.”

“You mind telling me about it?” She asks, leaning on the table “I’ve got time. I love hearing stories.”

“I know you do,” He says with a big smile “Well, where do I start..”

[mangoshorthand]

Five Hargreeves Meagalist

I've realised I need to rejig my pinned post, so here we are. Hello, I write aged-up Five Hargreeves smut. Sometimes also not smut. But mostly smut. This is a compendium of my work.

Request status: Closed

One + Twoshots

Not Smut (G-M rated)

Tickle War | Five Hargreeves / GN Reader (Fluff)- Words: 1.5k

Dickhead Sugar Daddy | Five Hargreeves / GN Reader (Angst/Fluff)- Words 2.8k

Two Old Men | Five Hargreeves / GN Reader (Fluff)- Words 3.3k

No Blinking! | Five Hargreeves & 3 y/o daughter (Fluff) Words: 3k

Twelve Feet Away From the Mistletoe Part 1, Part 2 | Five Hargreeves / F Reader (Fluff, angst) Total words: 5.8k

Senseless | Five Hargreeves/ GN Reader 1.3k words, Rated T/M (Angst + steamy)

Strings Attached | Five Hargreeves / F Reader (Steamy angst)- Words: 4.8k

Smut (E rated/18+)

NSFW Alphabet | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader - Words: 2.4k

Two Items of Business | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader/ FReader- Words: 2.1k (kind of a crackfic. Not my best.)

Goddamn Darling | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader- Words: 2.1k

If Tonight Were our Last | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader- Words: 2.4k (mild smut, probably between M+E ratings)

Boy Wonder | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader- Words: 2.7k

Lucky Fucking Pillow | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader- Words: 3k

In Your Hands | Five Hargreeves / GN Reader - Words: 3.1k

The Birthday Boy | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader- Words: 3.8k

Your Desperate Man | Five Hargreeves/ GN Reader- Words 2.8k

Venus and Cupid | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader- Words 4k (inc. fluff, romance, hurt/comfort)

The Birthday Girl | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader- Words 2.8k

The Pandas and the Conservationist Part 1, Part 2 | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader - Words 11.8k.

My Kind of Deli | Five Hargreeves/ F Reader - Words 8k.

Series + Multichapter fics (best read on AO3)

Hard Feelings (E rated/18+) : 6 parts

You're Five's latest assassination target, but things don't go to plan and now he wants you as his fuckbuddy. What starts as a casual relationship soon comes to mean everything to him, but what can Five bring to a relationship? After 45 years alone, (or almost alone), how do you rebuild your understanding of partnership? Five has to listen, learn and face the future as well as his past. READ ON AO3 READ ON TUMBLR

The Neurosis of Five Hargreeves (M/E rated): 2 Parts

Covering Five's readjustment to society post season 3. This series uses prose, monologues, transcripts, and case notes to explore Five's mental health demons, delusions, and recovery from decades of apocalypse trauma.

Not canon compliant. In this household, season 4 never happened.

READ HERE

The Moth and The Spider (E Rated): Please heed tags.

Maybe it was the booze, maybe it was the fear, or maybe some sick, twisted part of him was titillated. Even looking back, he never knew. In the dark of nights years in the future, he couldn’t help linking how it turned out to this one mistake. Perhaps if he’d fought her just a little longer, it might never have turned into what it did- perhaps it would never have gone beyond that first night. In fact, it seemed likely: that’s how he knew it was all his fault really.

The Handler knows Five will be a difficult agent to control, but she also knows how to exploit his weaknesses.

READ HERE

Headcanons

Usually based on Tumblr asks:

SFW headcanons because I am capable of them y'know

Cooking

'Not like other girls' girls

Five hates himself

Five as the father of a son

S4 speculation

My dreams for Five in S4 (boy, was I disappointed)

Why Five's favourite word is "shit!"

What would Five look for in a partner?

Would Five be ok with not having kids?

A guide to flirting with Five

Five and Wordle

What did Five do in the apocalypse? (mention of masturbation- not graphic)

Five's enjoyment of murder

S/O stealing Five's jackets.

NSFW headcanons ah, safely back in my lane

NSFW alphabet

Five's relationship with the Handler (triggering content)

Five with a menstruating S/O (NSFW only because references sex)

Five + submissive pillow princess

Hargreeves brothers sharing sex tips

Five and flirtatious jokes (mild)

Mannequin banging: part 1 , part 2

Apocalypse sadwanks

Five eats pussy like a madman

[limonmelon]

armandaniel reclist

Because I really have to start putting these somewhere and because I need everyone to read these and give them the love they deserve:

outcast of all this night by gaypiratedivorce - "After a month in Dubai, Daniel Molloy is back home and miraculously alive, eager to get to work on his first draft. The vampire Armand has other plans." first in an insanely good (and complete!) series.

two truths and a liar by andrealyn - "Facing down the press junket for his book, Daniel Molloy is prepared to hype up his hit novel. He's less prepared to have Armand crash the tour to play bodyguard and doting assistant and he's definitely not ready to have his secrets spilled on a world stage because Armand wants to play games. The longer he sticks around to torment Daniel as he chases him across the country, the longer he stays. So, who's really winning this game?"

to the edge of the earth by andrealyn (you can tell I love her Daniel voice) - "There's nowhere that Armand can run where Daniel won't find him. Using the Talamasca's information, his own dogged determination, and eternity sprawling ahead of them, Daniel's going to find his maker and figure out why Armand keeps running. When he catches him (and he will), he's going to prove that it's going to be the two of them, forever, and that he's going to love Armand the way no one has before."

and then what? by andrealyn - "The droning hum of Louis' boredom is going to drive Armand mad. Instead of accepting it, Armand seeks out the kaleidoscope chaos that is Daniel Molloy's mind to learn why he's so special, so fascinating, so interesting. Every city he finds him in, he learns more before he makes Daniel forget. Every city, Armand grows a little more addicted. And every city, Armand does something he's not supposed to do -- falls a little more in love and eager to give Daniel the memories of who they are together."

his thoughts were red thoughts by spqr - "Daniel’s barely thirty; he can’t fathom one century, let alone five. It’s probably a wonder Armand doesn’t spend his time skulking in a cave somewhere, muttering to himself, covered in the blood and muck of his innocent human victims."

care and keeping by katplanet - "Louis shakes his head. “And now he's got you stepping on him.” Daniel picks his drink up and necks the last half of it. “I have not,” he says, “stepped on him, as of yet.” “But you want to.” “I think so?” Daniel puts the empty glass back on the table and scoots it out of their immediate limb radius. “I think I could want to. I want to want to.” “There you go,” Louis says, “tell him that. That'll set the mood.”" With some really great Louis/Daniel friends who love each other and also fuck too.

Endearments by Nothing_But_Paisley - "Daniel never compared him to a Botticelli angel or a Bernini cherub, never called him a demon or an imp. Such images scarcely existed within that wonderfully secular modern brain of his. Daniel was entirely a creature of the flesh."

open up your skull, i'll be there by typefortydeductions - "He shakes his wrist free and brings it to his mouth, licking up the trail of blood, his eyes never leaving Armand’s. He turns, and walks away, and spends a restless night in his own bed with his dick half-hard and the memory of Armand’s blood and Armand’s hands and Armand’s final whispered words before he upped and left Daniel sprawled newborn on the floor." this series floored me it's so good please read it.

mystic seaport is that way by exastris_scientia - "Daniel should really get more sleep and stop getting himself into these situations..." this series has it's boot on my throat. written pre-Season 2.

bend your dream with the road | VOTE TO END OTW RACISM by meronicavars - "Daniel is asleep dreaming of his own unreliable recollection of Louis at Polynesian Mary's all those years ago and Armand wants to dive into his dream and wrench Louis out, shake him until he realizes that Daniel is his, Daniel has always been his. Isn’t this something Louis should know? That Daniel was his gift to Armand. Why must you torture me with his presence? He wants to ask. Why would you bring him here if not to punish me?" also part of great series and written pre-Season 2.

the man who wasn't there by obstra - ""I just couldn't bear to lose you and Louis in one day.” Armand is looking away from Daniel now and picking more ferociously at the edge of his sleeve, like he's avoiding something big. He's almost afraid to ask, somehow he can tell this is going somewhere significant “Why would losing me be the same as losing Louis Armand? Just some kid you met decades ago in San Francisco, tortured a little bit then threw aside? Explain to me why. Does this have anything to do with the fact that my memory of the 70s has more holes in it than swiss cheese? I thought it was just drugs but I also thought San Francisco was just drugs and look how that turned out.”"

a haunting just for company by valkyrisms - ""I know what a breakup looks like," Daniel says. "The better question is, why are you coming to me about it? I'm the one who broke up your little sham." "This is what humans do, don't they?" Armand asks, letting his voice drop. "Crashing on their friends' couches when there's a blip in their romances?""

Simplicity by WendigoDreaming - "Daniel's memory is a gaping hole morphing slowly into the shape of Armand." also part of an ongoing series!

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning by trinityofone - "He should have left when he had the chance. But he wanted to see how it ended. His mistake. Because the story wasn’t done with him. All at once it was grabbing him by the throat. (A version of Daniel's turning featuring visions, sex, and sexy visions.)"

forever's gonna start tonight by trinityofone (actually just read all their IWTV fic thank you) - "I’ve lost my mind, Daniel thinks, still lavishing kisses to the chest of the creature that killed him. He says the next part out loud: “I fucking hate you. And you hate me. So something is making us do this.” “I don’t hate you,” Armand pants. “You mean nothing to me. Don't stop.”"

more to come!

[huggyhughesy]

slow mornings | quinn hughes

a little dad!quinn blurb for your sunday evening <3

The house was quiet. Too quiet for a Saturday morning.

Usually, Saturday mornings started early with Sophie climbing into Quinn and I's bed. This morning, though, I was the only one laying under the duvet. As I racked my brain, trying to remember if there was a reason I had been abandoned in the bed, I remembered that I'd never seen Quinn last night. He was supposed to get home after midnight, flying home from a five-day road trip.

The panic began to set in when I realized that I had no messages from Quinn, his phone wasn't on his bedside table, and -- most importantly -- he wasn't lying in bed next to me. Flinging the covers off, I made my way down the hall to Sophie's room, where I discovered that she too was missing. Deciding to venture downstairs, I could hear the faint sounds of music coming from the living room.

As I entered, my heart swelled at the sight in front of me. Laying on the couch, both asleep, was Sophie and Quinn. Sophie was cuddled into her dad's side and didn't appear to be waking up anytime soon.

I quickly snapped a picture of the two of them before leaning down and placing a kiss to the top of Quinn's head. His eyes fluttered open and a lazy grin came over his features.

"Hey," he mumbled. "Can I have a real kiss?"

I smiled at his request.

"You want me to give you a kiss after you abandoned me in our bed?"

He just continued smiling at me, knowing that I'd give in eventually. And I did, leaning back down to give Quinn a 'real kiss' before walking around the couch and sitting on the unoccupied side of Quinn's body. I leaned onto his side as his arm came to wrap around my waist. I was looking at the movie currently playing on the tv; Winnie the Pooh was currently one of Soph's favorites. She especially loved Eeyore.

"Eeyore's actually such an underrated character," Quinn said, as if he could read my mind.

"You and Soph are too much alike," I replied, earning a nudge from my husband.

"Who's your favorite then?"

I didn't reply, which was an answer enough for Quinn.

"There's nothing wrong with liking Eeyore, you know. His grumpiness is funny. And realistic."

"Fair point."

We both laid in comfortable silence for a while, watching the children’s movie, when I figured I’d bring up the potentially touchy subject of Quinn’s road trip, during which they’d lost two games and won one.  

"How was the trip?"

The involuntary sigh that escaped his lips was all I really needed to know. Quinn had already confided in me about how frustrating it was for his team to be having such an awful season, especially compared to Jack's, but to also have to see so many of his teammates and people he considered to be good friends get traded away. He didn't talk about it in front of his parents or his brothers, specifically Jack, because he didn't want to make everyone listen to his pity party when he knew they really just wanted to be basking in the glory of Jack's first really good season in the NHL.

"It sucked," Quinn admitted, his arm gripping my waist a little tighter. “But it’s over now, so it’s whatever.”

I looked up to him, communicating with just my look that it, in fact, wasn’t whatever.

“Fine, fine. It just wasn’t fun overall. I didn’t play very well, and I missed you guys.”

Quinn had a pout on his face when I looked up at him. I couldn’t help myself but to lean up and kiss his jaw.

“We missed you too,” I informed him. “Soph watched every single minute of every game.”

As if she could hear us mention her name in her sleep, Sophie stirred. Wiggling around and rubbing her eyes. Upon her opening her eyes fully, she looked at Quinn, then at me, and did a double take back to Quinn, letting out a little gasp.

“Daddy!” she squealed and wrapped her arms around Quinn’s neck. Quinn chuckled but pulled her closer to his chest.

“Hey sweetheart. Have a good nap?”

The massive smile on Sophie’s face and the hands that were still clutching onto Quinn’s shirt were enough indication that she was more preoccupied with her father than to answer his question.

“Daddy, are you home now?”

The grin that graced Quinn’s features wavered slightly. While Soph was asking if Quinn was home, she was really asking if he was going to stay home.

“No baby, not yet.  I’m home this week, and then I’m going to see Uncle Trevor.”

She tried to mask her disappointment. After a moment, though, her features changed to one of curiosity and excitement.

“Oh. But can you ask him to bring me some candy? He always brings me candy when you see him,” she informed us.

I raised an eyebrow and side-eyed Quinn, who looked guilty.

“Uncle Trevor always brings you candy?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “Daddy brings it, but Uncle Trevor gives it to him to give to me.”

“Ah, I see.”

I decided to leave the subject of Trevor and Quinn conspiring to sneak our kid candy another time. Right now, though, I was going to spend the morning watching Disney movies.

[sseastar]

✶ dream lover; kim seungmin.

info. seungmin x afab!reader. slight angst, fluff. brother’s best friend to ??? au. 1.6k words. warnings. mentions of food, reader eats fish and meat. listen to. 爽風 by tomofumi tanizawa.

[✧] — Seungmin could say he knew a lot about you. 

He knew how you always closed your door to your room because you didn’t want it to smell like food in case someone cooked. He knew how you could never bring yourself to watch full k-dramas and opted to watch clips of them on your for you page. Seungmin knew of your love for mint-chocolate (the two of you really bonded over that) and how Star Wars Rebels became your comfort show after you had watched all three seasons during quarantine. 

Hell, Seungmin even knew so many personal things about you, especially after having witnessed you grow up alongside your brother Jisung. Although you were two years younger, he still felt like he knew you well enough to call you his friend if it weren’t for his title of ‘brother’s best friend.’ Seungmin knew your shoe size, who your first dance was, even when you got your first period (he was the one to have noticed the small stain on the back of your jeans and the one to rush into his sister’s bathroom to grab you a pad the one time you had come with Jisung to his home).

And yet in the eleven years he had known you, Seungmin would have never painted you as a hopeless romantic. As far as he could tell, you never seemed the type to save your receipts in a box under your bed, never seemed the type to make playlists for your crushes with vague names so people couldn’t guess who they were for. Not once had Jisung mentioned a thing about his little sister having a crush on someone, nor had an overprotective Jisung ever mentioned his concern for you when you went out with friends (Jisung was an awfully protective brother, so Seungmin could imagine how his friend would react were you to ever go out on a date). 

Hence, Kim Seungmin had come to the conclusion that you were genuinely not interested in dating at this time in your life. Nothing he found weird, of course. He knew how serious you were about your studies - there were many times that Seungmin and his friends had invited you along with Jisung to join in on their plans to get boba or go bowling on a Friday, but you would politely decline with a smile and mention some assignment or project you wanted to get a head start on. 

So imagine his surprise when he found you out on your backyard’s porch one night when he, Felix, and Hyunjin were over, curled up with a knitted sweater and volume six of Kimi Ni Todoke in your hands. Jisung had asked him to come get you before you all headed out for dinner.

It was such an odd sight to see. The mug half filled with lukewarm green tea on the table next to you, the abandoned pair of fluffy bear slippers under the bench, the throw blanket that he swore hung on the arm of the couch in the family room when he first arrived. Your fingertips were gently covering your lips, an enchanted look in your eyes as if you had just witnessed such a heart-fluttering scene.

Seungmin thought it was such an odd sight to see. You had never once initiated a hug with him no matter how happy or ecstatic you were (even when you had gone to a baseball game with your family and invited him, and you had thrown your arms around your brother when your favorite player hit a grand slam…then opted to high five him excitedly). He was so used to your annoyed sighs whenever you saw any form of PDA, or your pursed lips whenever your brother would somehow connect his girlfriend to the topic of conversation, that he couldn't even fathom why you were out there reading a shoujo manga of all things despite the entirely possible reason that you just wanted to.

Yet Seungmin’s eyes softened as he watched you from the door frame, waiting until you finally realized his presence. When he realized you wouldn’t be getting your nose out of the story any time soon, he cleared his throat, smiling at you when you looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Hey,” you mouthed, for some reason unable to let anything audible out of your mouth. 

Despite your lack of an actual greeting, Seungmin answered back “hey,” watching as you marked your page with a photostrip of you, Jisung, and him that he remembers taking in the rusty old photo booth at the pier the last time you three went. Another thing Seungmin was surprised at – he always thought you were the type to dog ear your page or use a sticky note to mark your spot. “We’re heading out in a couple of minutes for dinner. Jimmie’s,” he clarifies, mentioning that the four of them would be heading to the diner they frequented and ordered to-go for you from. “Want the usual?”

A tuna sandwich with a side of french fries and a small vanilla milkshake. That was your usual. 

Your usual was staying at home to read or to get a head start on work you had to do. Your usual was catching up on sleep or accompanying your parents to the supermarket when you really did have nothing to do. And when those things didn’t need to be done, your usual would be spending time rearranging or redecorating your room, or reading romance novels, manga, and stories you find on the internet to replace your lack thereof in your own life.

Your usual was hoping that one day you would be loved, or even secretly loved - that someday, all your ideal date ideas would no longer be locked up in the diary you kept hidden in your sock drawer. Your usual was hoping that your firsts wouldn’t have to wait until after college - that someone would love you enough so that you no longer sighed at the cute couples you would see on dates when you were out with your parents.

Your usual was speaking only briefly to Seungmin in hopes that all the feelings you had for your older brother’s best friend would die down by itself. Your usual was silently hoping that those feelings would be returned. Your usual was making up scenarios that maybe one day, you would stop trying to find someone exactly like him. 

Your usual was getting boring. Your usual was getting you nowhere you wanted to be.

Seungmin watched as you swung the blanket off your lap, folding it roughly in your arms as you slipped your sock clad feet back into your slippers. “If it’s okay, can I come with you guys tonight?” 

Seungmin watched as you slid into the seat across from him. You usually opted to sit next to your brother on the end to avoid being in the way of any conversations, but you sat right in the middle of Felix and Hyunjin tonight. Seungmin watched as you excitedly answered Hyunjin’s questions about how your research has been and as you thoughtfully told Felix about your input on his new baking idea. Seungmin didn’t miss the warm smile on Jisung’s face when he realized how you were getting along with his friends (maybe he didn’t show it often, but your brother was often concerned for you - you never seemed to enjoy hanging out with people you knew, after all, and Jisung would hate for you to regret not allowing yourself to be more carefree in college). 

Seungmin watched as you agreed to go to his baseball game even when your brother couldn’t go and as you shyly laughed at the look of surprise on his face. Seungmin watched as you picked up the menu despite him knowing you already knew exactly what you wanted to eat.

Seungmin could say he knew a lot about you. 

He knew what your topic for your required research project was. He knew you couldn’t stand leaving your major even after you cried through the required classes that had nothing to do with your concentration. He knew that you always liked to eat the first slice of a peach and that you hated peeling tangerines. He knew how you couldn’t answer ‘what’s your favorite color?’ with a single-worded answer. He knew that you never put your left shoe on before your right and that you always muttered “keys, phone, wallet” every time you left your house.

Seungmin could say he knew a lot about you, but he was missing some of the most important things.

Seungmin didn’t know how you felt after you passed those classes you hated, or why you had so many unique habits when eating fruits. He didn’t know why you sighed when you saw a couple your age on a date the night you tagged along with your brother and his friends to the boardwalk. Seungmin sure as hell didn’t know why you decided to come with them tonight, but it was nice to see you interacting with everyone.

You smiled briefly when his eyes landed on yours, averting your gaze before he could even attempt to read what emotion was swirling through them. But Seungmin could tell that what swam through them was something more than what you wanted to let on. It was something you’d always held back so that you wouldn’t allow yourself to be vulnerable (you had done that enough). But your eyes weren’t enough to conceal it – what you felt was far too powerful for you to hide and parts of you began to filter into the room of people that loved having you around. Seungmin could tell something was there, but he would wait for you to embrace all that you were. He’d already waited this long after all.

So for now, Seungmin watched as you ordered a cheeseburger with a side of garlic fries and a Sprite.

⌕.  author’s note ;     something i most definitely wrote on a whim. the style is a little different from how i usually write and i like it a little more, but it was ngl extremely hard to do. haven’t posted much about seungmin in a while despite him being my ult, but i’m glad to be back hehe.

⌕. taglist ; @enhacolor @soobin-chois @koishua @chrysbibi

[minhyeong]

NCT DREAM + SIMPLE DATES !

[ mark ] 

huddling together by the dinner table building a 10,000 piece mini lego set that he impulsively bought on his way back

you think his knitted brows will create permanent wrinkles after he maintained the same expression for hours so you smooth your thumb along his forehead

he’s muttering curses every time he places the wrong piece down and has to jam his fingernail into the small gap to separate them

cutely scrunches up his shoulders and gives you a bashful smile when you take the pieces from him and pry them apart

you literally have to drag him away from the table or he will stay up all night to complete it

[ renjun ] 

sitting cross-legged on the bed folding fresh laundry together while a true crime podcast is playing in the background

you’re tugging your favorite hoodie of his out from the pile of clothes and mindlessly looping your limbs into the sleeves

he’s grimacing when the gory details come out in the podcast and giving you the most suspicious look when he witnesses you giggling

his eyes narrow when he hypothetically asks whether you would commit a crime while wearing his clothes

the neatly folded pile is all ruined when you launch yourself at him just to squeeze him in your arms because everything he does is stupidly endearing

[ jeno ] 

learning how to crotchet together because you spontaneously wanted to make a scarf instead of purchasing one

it becomes a race to see who can master the very basics first, and he quickly gets ahead even though he spent forever stuck on making the slip knot at first

doesn’t even realize that his limbs are all tangled up in the ball of yarn until he can barely move his elbow

drops everything to give you a hand massage when you start to feel it cramping up from all the practice

he completes his scarf first and excitedly wraps it all around you until half of your face is covered, and you can’t wait to wear it out despite its small imperfections

[ haechan ]

pampering one another with face masks and 92 layers of skincare on a rare self-care night

he sighs contently when he lays his head on your lap and you delicately apply some eye masks for his dark circles

absolutely refuses to get up even after you’re done and pretends that he’s asleep with loud, dramatic snoring (the “just five more minutes” repeats for an hour)

makes you run your hand through his hair while he’s at it

you flick him in the forehead when he gets playful and starts to tickle you in the waist

[ jaemin ]

packing food to go feed ducks at the nearby lake before the cold season hits and everything freezes

he starts naming all of the ducks and claiming them as his children and asks if you two can adopt one and bring it home

you have to steal the empty basket from him before he tries to sneak something in there

other people walking by probably give you a look when they hear him make cooing noises at the ducks but you just pull him close with a proud smile

you leave the lake with a video of a flock of birds chasing after him and he’s flailing around as he runs away

[ chenle ]

pushing aside all the furniture in the living room to do couples yoga together just because he saw videos on youtube and confidently thinks he could do all of the complicated poses

you hesitantly suggest to start off with something simple but he’s already eager to try the double plank pose and even jokes that you can be on the bottom

purposely shakes and drops his arms while he’s supporting you just to scare you but always catches you at the last second

uses this opportunity to annoyingly wiggle his hips in your face 

just ends up leaning on you when he finally gets tired and rubs his sweaty cheeks all over your shoulder

[ jisung ]

crawling under the covers with your phone and facetiming at midnight when he’s miles away

learning all about his day and him animatedly talking about a snack he had two hours ago as if it’s the best thing he tasted his entire life and how he can’t wait to bring some back for you to try

he definitely drops the phone on his face more than once or twice 

you run out of storage on your phone because all you do is take a billion screenshots of him and you just can’t delete any of them

the way he blushes when he mumbles something about missing you after he thought you fell asleep (it’s absolutely a jump scare for him when you suddenly open your eyes)

[babydollmarauders]

I’m the one who said gender reveal!

I meant to put it to be a blurb! 😂

ahh okay! lmao!

*

Jack and i had our gender reveal planned and ready when we went in for our fourteen week ultrasound, however the baby was not having it. they refused to let the technician see a clear enough shot. so we waited.

we had the small get together set to happen in five weeks and our child was proving to be as stubborn as their father. we went to the ultrasound technician weekly to try and find out the gender and it wasn’t until the eighteenth week scan that the technician was able to get a clear picture and be confident in the sex of our baby.

pre-season has just started and Jack was able to receive permission to use the Devils practice rink for the get together. Ellen and Jim flew in a couple days ago, and Quinn was able to escape between pre-season games and arrive yesterday, and now the moment is here.

Jack has been bouncing of the walls all morning and twice i’ve had to smack his hand away from the box holding the colored powder filled pucks that his mother bought for the reveal.

we currently stand on the ice of the practice rink, about to tell them how we’re doing our reveal, as Ellen is the only one who knows.

“so, we wanted to have someone close to us slap-shot a puck, that will then release blue or pink powder.” i explain.

“however, it was kind of a hard decision to make because we didn’t wanna single out a brother, and we both have some pretty close friends on this team.” Jack carried on. Nico, Dawson, and John all smirk, knowing he was referring to them, which causes everyone else to laugh.

“so, instead, if we could have Quinn Luke, Nico, Dawson, and John come out on the ice please?”

the five guys skate on the ice, stopping in a group beside us.

“you each get a puck at random. there are three of one color, and two of the other. only my mom knows which color has three, but whichever one it is, tells us if we’re having a boy or a girl.” Jack tells them, making them nod in understanding.

“mom, hand out the pucks!” Jack cheers and i giggle at his enthusiasm.

Ellen skates over with the box, letting each guy pick out a puck before they all stand in a line, setting their pucks down gently on the ice and waiting for the go ahead.

Jack and i skate over to the wall, standing with our hands together and our backs against the glass.

“okay, from left to right, one at a time-” i yell, looking over at Jack to finish the sentence.

“let’s go, baby!”

Nico goes first, smacking the puck with the stick he was given by Ellen. blue powder shoots from the puck and everyone ‘oohh’s. i squeeze Jack’s hand once, resulting in a quick squeeze in return from him.

Quinn goes second, pink powder flying into the air from his and everyone jokingly ‘ahh’s.

John is next, slap-shotting the puck across the ice and making blue powder cover the white ice. Jack and i let out an in-sync exhale, growing more excited yet nervous by the second.

Dawson is up now, hitting the puck. pink powder coats the ice, even leaving some behind on his stick. i hold my breath, waiting for the last one.

it’s finally Luke, bringing his stick back and hitting the puck full force, pink powder shoots along the air as his puck hits the back of the practice net.

cheers hit my ears but i’m only paying attention to Jack. now cupping his face as we stare into each others glassy eyes.

“we’re having a girl.” i whisper. his hands grip my waist before one slides along to my stomach. pulling me in for a crushing kiss, his smile presses against mine.

we break apart as the cheering gets closer, our friends and family coming to join us in our celebration.

“my days are about to get a whole lot better.” Jack whispers back, laying his forehead against mine, our eyes closed. “just a couple months ago i vowed my love to you, and now i get to spend my life with two of you. i think i won.”

“better than the stanley cup?” i jokingly ask him, tears falling down my cheeks as i open my eyes while we pull away.

“so much better.”

[oneatlatime]

Zuko Alone

I'm hoping for some Appa this episode. It's been too long since he's gotten any good sight gags.

Zuko is cosplaying Clint Eastwood. He's also back to being stupid pale this episode.

You know it's a good thing that Zuko's not in the Fire Nation anymore because he really would have sucked at being Fire Nation. Robbing pregnant women is probably kindergarden level stuff for them.

How is Zuko in such bad shape? Last time we saw him he had a cave full of spoils robbed from rich people. Did he not bother to pack at least some of that stuff? Actually, not thinking far enough ahead to pack would be pretty in character.

Oof that would rub me the wrong way. Not enough money for a meal, but sure, let's use totally edible eggs as ammo.

Where'd the egg go?

Who is the scarred up hat wearing vampire and what happened to the real Zuko? Imposter Zuko just elected to not be provoked into a fight. Real Zuko would already be setting things on fire.

Just a bunch of thugs. Yep. It's consistently awesome how many of the facets of war this show can cover.

Imposter Zuko and Song's horse bird just got kidnapped. Did not see that coming.

Zuko kind of has arm bandages like Sokka has this episode. Also love the character detail that the boy has scraped knees.

Is the kid's dad the same guy as the man at the store? Or maybe this is a one haircut town?

So the guy who was near to fainting off his horse bird this morning is now turning down freely offered food? Could Zuko please shelve his pride for five minutes? Kudos to the mom for accurately reading his distaste for charity and turning it into a request for aid though. Although covering for the boy's egg trick is worth at least a meal.

Tangent!

I don't get Zuko. How can he still have so much pride when he's wearing rags and starving himself to feed Song's horse bird? I'm quite shameless when it comes to accepting help and I've never, ever been able to understand the whole 'too proud to accept charity' mindset. I'm always up for some charity. I have enough manners to offer to do the dishes after, but if you're offering free food I'm eating it. And I've never been in a situation as desperate as Zuko's. So I don't get this.

ok tangent over.

Peak rich kid behaviour. I hope those nails aren't expensive otherwise Zuko doing work for food might end up with this family out of pocket.

Is the wood grain on this ladder an actual photograph of wood grain?

Zuko has more patience this episode than he had for all of season 1 combined. He's also never gone this long without yelling. Either proximity to young children activates Zuko's otherwise mostly slumbering decency, or to fit him into a Fistful of Dollars homage the writers had to make him out of character.

If I had been in this situation when I was a kid, if I had been a) this visibly bored, and b) this nosy around guests, I would have been given a hammer and a bag of nails in three seconds flat. Also, nice to see a Sokka face from Zuko.

I get that 'a man without a past' is a staple of the cowboy genre, but the boy's father bringing up the privacy of the past twice in like two minutes makes me think he's done stuff he doesn't want to talk about. Seems both the parents have read Zuko right though.

Finally! Some pretty! I have been suffering! This may be the first really good pretty all season!

Bad news for the Appa decor on my blog. He may have been supplanted in my affections.

Two things: first, Zuko is a carbon copy of his mom. Second, That is way too much forehead.

Having Zuko's mom introduce herself by talking about the lengths mothers will go to for their children is not giving me foreshadowing anxiety at all.

Azula's been a bitch since birth. Noted.

Sir, your eyebrows. Also, yeah, I wouldn't want to play with her either.

Yikes this is making my teeth itch and my skin crawl. Calling it now, she's rotten to the core.

Zuko and Azula's dad has some weak ass genes. BOTH of his children are carbon copies of their mom.

Also, I was not expecting Zuko's very stupid ponytail to be a pre-scar thing. It is much better with a full head of hair.

If I had spent my childhood hanging out with an untouchable princess who set things on my head on fire for fun whenever I involuntarily displayed emotion, I'd be gloomy and apathetic in self defense too.

Sokka in this episode in spirit, if not in person.

Seriously that's the same face three times over!

Um, no? If Iroh doesn't make it back from the front, doesn't his son become next in line to be Firelord?

Can you hear all the unspoken "father thinks that" and "father says that" in front of every one of Azula's opinions in this whole scene? I stand by my assertion that she's awful anyways, but she's also obviously drunk much too much of her dad's koolaid, if you know what I mean.

This kid is going to get into so much trouble one of these days. Provoking the soldiers, nagging the mysterious stranger with the mysterious past, and now taking his weapons? Kid's sweet but he really needs to learn when to stop pushing his luck.

Stabbing dead, dried wood sounds like a great way to utterly annihilate the edge on those. Hope Zuko packed a whetstone.

Where is this patience coming from? I don't understand and it's BUGGING me.

Hold on. Technical problems.

My very basic DVD player sometimes has difficulty with these disks. Whatever happened between the above two screenshots, I've missed it. So picking back up from the one on the right...

Either these soldiers are impressively cowardly (which, yeah) or Zuko's really been working on his death glare, because they've got him outnumbered and out-armoured and they still back off.

OH it's parallels! Zuko's cousin and the boy's older brother. Got it. Kind of a false parallel though. Grandson of the Firelord does not equal earth kingdom conscript.

Give the demonstrably impulsive and nosy child a knife. That'll work out just fine I'm sure. Pretty sad the kid glommed on to Zuko so quickly, but it's also yet another realistic representation of the consequences of war. This show's good.

*shudders* theatre kids.

She's tiny! Do you know how darkly humourous it is to watch a two foot tall baby spout her father's murderous nonsense? Once again, in this whole scene, not a word out of Azula's mouth is actually Azula's.

"What is wrong with that child?" Apart from budding homicidal and psychopathic tendencies? Her dad. Her dad is what's wrong with that child.

Their dad has no subtlety at all. And also no brain? You think a day after the firelord finds out one of his family died is the right time to very boorishly make a play for the crown with you daughter as a prop? Could you possibly come up with a better demonstration of why this guy shouldn't be in charge?

How did this asshole land such a nice wife?

Yep. Siding with the old firelord on this one.

Does flashback Zuko sleep in his day clothes? Because that's not ok.

I like that their mom sees straight through Azula's lying here. She knows her daughter.

In a move that should surprise no one, everything Zuko touches turns to shit, as usual.

It's the Mexico filter!

Absolute truth from Zuko in that monologue. He's got them pegged. Too bad it fell on deaf ears. It's Zuko's curse, that whenever he approaches being remotely reasonable, he happens to be surrounded by people who will react in such a way that Zuko learns to equate being reasonable with failure.

An earthbender. The bare feet should have clued me in.

Last season Zuko and Iroh laid waste to like ten of these guys. And Iroh didn't even have pants. So what gives? Is he that starved?

Ursa pulling a Mufasa.

Don't answer don't answer don't answer

And he does.

Zuko is so very good at completely misinterpreting the point.

So we can add thief to the list of things that make Azula awful. Also that delivery of "who's going to make me? Mom?" is chilling. Zuko's lost his only defender inside this atrocious family and she knows it, he knows it, hell the turtleducks probably know it.

His dying wish? You guys buying that?

Ozai. That's his name. I'd forgotten that.

So... something something dead firelord something something missing mom something something maybe Azula wasn't actually lying this time?

Final Thoughts

The title wasn't kidding. Let's rename the show 'Avatar: the Guy who's Really Bad at Capturing Him' while we're at it.

There is now no way whatsoever that Zuko is not going to be redeemed. No writing team would invest that much energy and a whole episode into a character we're not ultimately supposed to root for. So somehow he's going to end up joining the Gaang. Don't know how he'll pull that one off. He's done some pretty not great stuff. And it's not like the Gaang watched this episode and unlocked his tragic backstory.

Speaking of, what prompted these reflections? I could understand if Zuko started to contemplate his cousin and the events surrounding his loss in the war after he learned about the family's older brother, but he was having flashbacks before he even got to town. Usually when there are backstory bits, there's a good reason to show them at that time, like how the Storm prompts Aang to think about the last storm he was in, or seeing a boat from his father's fleet prompts Sokka to remember what his dad told him. So what caused Zuko's memories to give him situationally appropriate flashbacks?

Pretty funny that he found the Nice Earth Kingdom Family that Azula predicted for him. And they are really nice! Either Zuko is an open book or the parents' social intelligence is off the charts because they're giving him exactly what he needs to feel at ease after barely a single conversation.

Speaking of Azula, I'm not surprised to find that she's always had deeply awful tendencies, even as a child of (I'm guessing) less than ten. But it cannot be ignored that, from the moment her father took a liking to her (as a tool to boost his own greatness, if not as a person), she didn't stand a chance. You can tell by the number of times that the stuff coming out of her mouth is a thinly veiled repetition of her father's unfiltered opinions, that she's been spending lots of time listening to him, probably while he puts down her mom and brother and talks about how she's the special one. You know what I'm getting at. Azula never stood a chance once her father got involved, and her mom lost the ability to influence her once her father started giving Azula praise for objectively wrong behaviour. That being said, Azula is awful even when she doesn't need to be awful for her father's approval, like when she's with her friends, so it's not all her father's doing. She's not a good person but she also had plenty of help to become that.

I guess Zuko and his mom are Fire Nation anomalies? And maybe Iroh has become that since his son died and he lost the war?

How on earth did Zuko survive as long as he did in the palace without his mom to protect him? What a no-win situation to be in. The only person in a whole nation with empathy.

This episode does makes Season 1 Zuko make more sense. He's been larping his dad as a defense mechanism for surviving the Fire Nation/probably a very futile effort to earn his approval. Although Zuko doesn't seem to care much for his dad if the tone he takes with him by the turtleduck pond is any indication.

Being banished was the best thing that ever happened to Zuko. The more distance between him and his remaining non-uncle family, the better. Between prioritizing his crew over capturing the avatar in the Storm, releasing the Avatar in the Blue Spirit, and now defending a random earth kingdom child this episode, it's hilarious how much Zuko HASN'T learned the lesson that Ozai banished him for not knowing. Don't get me wrong; that's a good thing. This episode plainly shows that behaviour that pleases Ozai is behaviour that should be unlearned as quickly as possible.

Zuko completely missing the point of his mom's last instruction is delightfully on the nose. But it also makes sense, which I may talk more about later.

How did Zuko hold on to his temper (and his volume) for a whole episode?

How did a show named after the main character get away with an episode that doesn't feature him at all? As a concept, this is such a strange episode. The writers were like "how can we kick start the woobification of Zuko? I know! A Spaghetti Western!" and it worked. Who comes up with that?

I now want at least as much, if not more, of Sokka and Katara's childhood via flashbacks. And more Gyatso please. If they can devote a whole episode to the childhood of a guy who isn't even a team member yet, they can show me some Sokka childhood shenanigans as a palette cleanser.

I really don't know what conclusion to draw about this episode. The writers have given me a massive backstory/trauma dump and I'm honestly like:

[lace-coffin]

May I request some domestic Asa headcannons? Like, what are his cooking habits? The types of food he prefers to actually eat and not hasty ones he grabbed in a hurry? Thank youuu <3

What kind of meals does Asa Emory like to cook and eat?

Requests are open!

Asa Emory / gn!Reader

Trigger warning for power exchange/power dynamics/petplay

This is a super fun idea omg thank you! I’m still going to go with the whole owner/pet angle since this is Asa, I hope that’s ok! It will still be domestic but with the dynamic too💗

Asa doesn’t have much time to cook regularly, constantly caught between lecturing at the local uni about a twenty minute drive away and keeping up with his collection at the hotel.

On days when Asa has free time or is just determined to get something nutritious in his stomach he dusts off his recipe book he bought on a whim on discount and gets to work.

Asa likes to think he has a pretty good repertoire of kitchen skills, not exactly a five star chef but better than most men his age.

He prefers to centre either meat or fish in his meals, usually covered in a flavourful marinade or rubbed down in herbs and spices. Asa enjoys vegetables to be steamed as opposed to boiled, he thinks it makes them taste sweeter and softer, texture is important to him. Flavoured rice is always a good side.

He’s more fond of sweets than you think he would be judging from his standoffish appearance. Dessert is a must, Asa tells himself it’s all part of a balanced diet and he can’t skip it because it wouldn’t be right. In reality he just really wants the apple pie, enjoying the tartness of it and unable to deny himself this simple pleasure.

And then there’s you. Asa has always been one to care for his pets to the best of his ability, keeping their meals on a schedule. Even if he’s short on time meals will be prepared a day or two prior and put in the freezer. He’s stubborn when it comes to making the meals balanced, often erring on the side of health obsessed when it comes to his pets, like a dad telling you to finish your vegetables before you can have dessert. He’s not too bothered if he has to throw a microwave meal on and eat that when he comes home late but he always likes to make sure you have something good for you available. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t bring home takeout sometimes, he loves how excited you get at the junk food and the way you flop down on his lap afterwards, letting him rub your tummy as you try to stop feeling bloated.

Dinner is made as you watch from the floor on your dog bed, head resting on your folded arms, watching your master fondly but also a little impatient and hungry. Occasionally Asa humours you and wears the frilly apron you begged him to order under the guise of you wearing it, only to present it to him with puppy eyes at dinner that night. He’s a strict and sadistic owner but he can be a total dork.

“Dinners ready. Come”. Asa snaps his fingers and points to the three metal bowls on the floor near to the dining table, one bowl next to his seat. The two large German Shepard’s ears perk at this and they scamper over, sitting at Asa’s heals, tails wagging. He looks at you expectantly as you crawl over and join the dogs at his feet.

The two metal bowls are filled with a measured amount of dog kibble and wet food, water on the side. The two dogs eye the bowls twitchily. He raises his hand, all fingers laid flat for the dogs to see. “Wait” the dogs sit sternly in front of their master using all their restraint to not dig in until given permission. “Go ahead” he chuckles and the dogs immediately dig in, he pats over their heads with an affectionate smile and moves back to the granite counter, filling the final metal bowl with a healthy mix of seasoned vegetables, rice and finally chopped bites of beef, all in a Korean sauce. He plates the same onto his dish and takes it to the table, sliding onto the wooden chair and groaning at the relief it takes off his weary joints.

Asa places the final bowl on the floor next to his chair and click his fingers again, pointing to the bowl. “Come” without question you crawl over to the bowl, eyes switching between the delicious food in front of you and your master, waiting for permission. Wearing a smug and smitten look back at you he finally clicks again. “Go ahead, pet” he chuckles lowly as you start to eat from the bowl, used to using only your mouth as your utensil at this point. He leans forward and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear that was falling into the sauce. “Messy pup”

[hockeylovee12]

SOMETHING MINE-Luke Hughes

Part One

It all started on April 11th after the New Jersey Devils won 5-3 over the Buffalo Sabres. It was their last home game of the regular season and also the night 19 year old Luke Hughes made his NHL debut.

He did pretty well but was unable to wrangle up his first point, his brother Jack on the other hand had a fantastic night and managed to get one goal and two assists putting him one point away from reaching 100.

Jack was named the first star of the game and after he was finished with media he met up with Luke in the locker room.

“Hey so Nico, Dawson and Timo are going to Charlie’s it’s a sports bar down the street you coming?” Jack asked his younger brother.

Luke reluctantly agreed realizing the possibility of him being the only sober person the rest of the night. It sucks being the youngest.

The boys finished showering and changed into some more casual clothes and then they all left the rink and headed towards Charlie’s.

——————————————————————

You had been working part time at Charlie’s for the past six months after one of your roommates who was the niece of the owner helped you get the job. The pay was good and you made great tips. Surprisingly drunk people tend to over tip. The only thing that sucked is your coworkers who seemed to have an strong dislike for you.

You were only 19 and working part time because you were a student at a local college nearby. You were the oldest of four kids and came from a single income home so you were use to balancing jobs and school.

You had worked out your school schedule so you had all your classes on Monday and Wednesday and on Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays and sometimes Saturdays you would work.

On this Tuesday the restaurant was already pretty busy and you already had five tables in your section. Usually you only get regulars and a few others but tonight there were a bunch you didn’t recognize and unsurprisingly your coworkers were putting the largest parties in your section.

You were taking the order of a group of three when you spotted five men walk in. They waited by the hostess stand while you continued writing down your tables order.

As you took the menus from your current table and walked to put them back you noticed as your coworker Clarissa guided the group of five to a booth in your section. 

You rolled your eyes knowing know you had over 20 people in your section while the others had less than 10 but shook your head knowing there’s no use in complaining this is how it usually goes.

You walk over to the group of boys and introduce yourself.

“Hi my name is Y/N and I’ll be your server today can I get you all started with some drinks?”

“Could I get a bud light” the captain Nico Hiescher requests

“Make that two” Jack Hughes says

“Ya I’ll take a bud light as well” Dawson Mercer says with a smile

“I guess if everyone is drinking a bud light make it a fourth” Timo Meier says You turn to the youngest Hughes

“Bud light for you too?” You ask

“Just water for me please” He says

“Oh ya he’s not old enough” Nico comments making Luke blush a little embarrassed

You nod your head then finish writing down the order and walk to the bar.

“Hey I need four bud lights and a water” you tell the bartender

He places the beers and the glass of water on the table and you bring them over to the group before giving them a few minutes with the menu and checking on your other tables.

After a few more minutes you walk back to the group of hockey players and ask if they’re ready to order.

“Ya I think so” Dawson says looking around the table and receiving nods in agreement.

You write down the order for three all american burgers an order of wings and chicken tenders.

The boys order a second round of beers and you take away the empty bottles on the table and replace them with new ones.

You give the order to the kitchen then head back on to the main floor.

After closing up two more tables you ask a coworker to cover for you while you ran to the restroom.

Reluctantly she agrees and you dash towards the bathroom down the hall from the bar.

As you quickly walk down the hall towards the woman’s room a loud crash sounds and you lose your train of thought and walk right into the men’s bathroom door that had just swung open.

“Ow” you say holding your head you

“Shit I’m sorry are you ok?” A man asks

You look up at the much taller man and realize it was one of your customers the one who wasn’t drinking.

“Shit ya no I’m fine sorry I wasn’t paying attention I’m fine” you say feeling slightly embarrassed at the awkward scene that just occurred.

“Alright uh sorry again and uh you should watch where you’re going” The guy says before walking off

You scoff at the words said. Maybe you should watch where you’re going. You roll your eyes then shake off the thought and continue with your previous task. After you finish you check on your tables then deliver the food that was ready. Feeling still slightly embarrassed as you set down the chicken tenders in front of the boy who just smacked you in the face with a door.

———————————————————————

It was close to midnight when the restaurant was starting to slow down the only customers left were the hockey players who were a little drunk with the exception of Luke Hughes who was not drinking and a few regulars sitting at the bar.

You walk over to them and ask if they need any boxes.

“No I think we’re ok thank you” Luke says

“One check?” You ask

“Ya please”

You walk to the hostess stand and sort out the bill then leave it on their table.

A few minutes later you return and run the card given. The boys said thank you and then began heading out. You notice one of the guys was clearly drunker then the rest (not that the rest weren’t drunk as well) and you walked to the door to hold it open while two of his friends helped him out.

“Thank you and uh sorry again about before about your head” Luke says

“No worries you guys have a good night” You say before walking back inside the restaurant

———————————————————————

That was the first time you met him. The following Saturday you were working a three hour shift from 4-8 and a few minutes before it was time for you to clock out he came in again to pick up take out.

“Name?” You ask

“Luke Hughes”

“One second” You say then walk to the back you find his order and bring it back to the front and hand it to him.

“Thanks” he says with a smile

You return the smile and watch as he leaves out the door.

A few minutes later your manager tells you you’re good to clock out. You sigh relieved and head to the back to grab your things.

You begin walking towards the parking lot which is on the way towards your apartment. Usually you drive but your car had to go in for maintenance yesterday and you couldn’t get it back until Monday. It wasn’t that far a walk only about 20 minutes so you were fine.

Once you get to the parking lot you notice Luke standing by his car checking out the tire.

“Hey is everything ok?” You ask

“Ya I just got a flat” He says you walk closer to him and check out the damage.

“This is why you don’t park on a curb” you joke

“Ok I’m not exactly good at parking” he claims

“Ya I can see that” You joke

“Do you have a spare?” You ask

“Ya but I don’t know how to change a tire” he says slightly embarrassed

You laugh

“Relax I can help you” You tell him

He pops his trunk open and lifts the tire out and grabs the tool next to it.

You loosen the flat tire and replace the other one.

“Thank you” Luke says

“My pleasure” You say grabbing your bag from the ground and handing the tool back to Luke

“It’s Y/N right?” He asks

“Yes”

“How’d you know how to do that?” Luke asks

“My dads a mechanic I’ve been changing tires since I was a kid he didn’t want me to get stuck then have to ask someone for help” You explain

“Nice clearly my dad did not have the same mindset” He jokes

“Well there’s always time to learn” you tell him he smiles as you turn around looking towards the sidewalk

“Where you headed?” Luke asks

“I just finished my shift so I’m headed back to my apartment” You explain turning back around.

“Are you walking?” He asks

“Ya I don’t live too far from here” You explain

“Let me give you a ride” he says you consider it but your not sure

“Come on it’s getting dark out it could be dangerous” He reasons

“And letting a stranger drive me home isn’t?” You say

“Well no but I’m not gonna kidnap you or something come on you just fixed my tire it’s the least I can do” he says

“That’s exactly what a kidnapper would say” You joke

He rolls his eyes and you smile

He walks around to the passenger side of his car and opens the door

You smile at him and get in the car.

He closes it and walks around to the drivers side.

“Here do you wanna put your address in so I know where I’m going” Luke says handing you his phone with google maps opened.

You take the phone and type in your apartment building name.

The GPS starts up and he begins backing out of his messed up parking job.

———————————————————————

“So where are you from?” Luke asks

“I’m from a small town in Northern Virginia” You answer

“That’s cool so what brings you to Jersey?” He asks

“I go to school out here”

“Cool”

The two of you continue talking about different subjects until Luke pulls up in front of your building.

“Thank you for the ride” You say

“Your welcome see I told you I wasn’t a kidnapper” he jokes

You smile and gather your things

“Hey before you go how about you put your number in my phone you know in case I wanna learn how to change a tire or something” Luke offers

You smile and take his phone again and put your number in.

“I’ll see you around Y/N” Luke says as you walk into your apartment building you flash him one last smile and he drives off.

———————————————————————

The next couple of weeks you and Luke kept talking the two of you hung out a few times and you started learning more about each other. You guys talked about your families and you found he was in the NHL and you were a little taken back by that but still thought it was cool.

Eventually the two of you started dating but you decided to keep it a secret from your friends and family at least for the time being mostly because of his job but also because you both agreed that it was nice having something that you didn’t have to share with the world something that was just yours.

A/N this is so random but I thought it was kinda funny I hope someone enjoys it lmk if you want a part 2 and what you would like to see. Also I’m still taking requests

All images are from Pinterest

[mystic-writings]

remember the nights | chapter thirteen — welcome distractions

WORD COUNT — 1,435

WARNINGS — none

NOTES — i honestly can't believe that i didn't manage to get this chapter up on time, but i swear the next one will be on schedule !! for now enjoy this lovely fluffy filler

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

It’s been three weeks since you last saw Newt; since Christmas. New Years came and went, and school started back up, and nothing changed. Things were the same as they were two months ago, and that small flicker of hope died out halfway into the first week of school. 

New Years was fun, though. At midnight, when your father kissed Maggie and Thomas kissed Teresa, you gave Chuck an embarrassing kiss to the cheek, laughing as his already rosy cheeks darkened as he smiled and pushed you away. 

With the end of January approaching, you had new things to worry about. Finals, a new semester, and your dad’s wedding. You weren’t sure what you were more nervous about, the wedding, or having to take Algebra for the next five months. 

Things at home were getting better, and you were learning to live with the rift between you and Thomas — which, admittedly, got a bit smaller during Christmas and New Years. They were picking up, as well, considering the wedding was only a few weeks away. Your parents, ever the romantics, were getting married on Valentines Day, which meant that whatever final planning and preparation needed to be done as quickly as possible. 

Which, of course, led you to here, sitting in the car with Maggie on a disturbingly cold Saturday morning to help her with the rest of the errands she needed to do before the wedding. 

“Okay, I have the bridesmaid’s dresses in my trunk, we have to go drop them off, bring some of the decorations from the backseat to the hall, get some people to help us set up a few of the tables in the hall, and check on the cake at Jorge’s.” Maggie listed off the to-do list for the day as she drove onto the main road. “Your father’s taking care of all of the deliveries from the city, including his brother, who insisted on taking an Uber instead of just letting your dad go get him from the airport.” 

You laughed and nodded, “Uncle Mark hates when dad offers to do stuff for him. Some sort of older brother complex, I’m sure.” 

The car fell silent as you looked out the window. You wished the weather would cooperate with the season and make for a wonderful, winter landscape, but instead all you were left to look at was slush covered roads, and dirty snow piles on the sides of the roads from the plows that ran through yesterday, just before it rained the entire night. 

Dropping off the dresses was a simple enough task, and with a small town and only a few main roads, you were able to get it all done in just about an hour. The bridesmaids picked out their own style dresses, but all of them matched in color; a lovely sage green, which all of the groomsmen would have as their tie color. You were able to put faces to names this way, and being in a bridal party of older women was actually pretty fun. All of the dresses had sticky notes on them to determine what dress belonged to who, and by the end of that errand, the only one left was yours. Maggie had, a long while ago, decided that you were going to be her Maid of Honor, and got you a darker, emerald green dress to make sure that you stood out. 

You remembered when she told you her decision, and how she explained that it was because she saw you as her daughter from the moment you’d first met. She also explained that you wouldn’t be the only young person in the bridal party, as both Chuck and Thomas were serving as your dad’s best man, and would both walk down the aisle with you, as well as wear ties that matched your dress color. 

The decorations were next on the list, and you finally got to see the inside of the Hall, a great tall building on the other side of town, old brickwork and some pillars and balconies dotting the outside. There were some stairs leading up to a pillared front porch, all concrete and really old. It looked like an old-American style house, one that someone important would’ve lived in during the 1800s. 

Maggie’s backseat had been occupied by the boxes of decorations for weeks now, and she was finally able to give them over to the people who worked at the Hall, who would set everything up a day or two beforehand to take some trouble off of Maggie and your dad’s backs. 

The inside was fairly nice. It’d been gutted and remodeled long ago, and probably never updated since. White walls, a staircase leading up to who knows what, an industrial kitchen, built in bar, and public washrooms. The windows made sure that the sunlight lit up the room perfectly, but it looked odd to see it so empty. 

You could see down the hall where the bathroom was that there was a different door, probably one that led to the side of the house, and another one by the stairs that likely led into the backyard. Tables and chairs littered the outside of a double doorway on the very right side of the hall, so you assumed that’s where most of the storage was kept. 

The few people inside the hall helped bring all the boxes in and put them by the stairs, while another few went to work on packing away the tables and chairs into the storage room. Every sound echoed in the hall, the slight scrape of metal against the polished wood floor, the exertion of bringing in all those boxes, everything. 

From there, you went to Jorge’s cafe to check up on the cake and pastries, only to find him and Brenda taste testing the macarons and frosted cookies. They spent almost an hour talking about what was going to be served at the wedding, along with the final touches of the cake and frosting. 

It was heading into the late afternoon when you got home, and you found your father in the living room, hanging up the phone just as you stepped inside. “Everything go okay?”

“Yep,” Maggie nodded. “Everyone got their dresses, Malcolm and Jack came by the hall to help bring in the decorations, and Jorge is working very hard on those pastries.”

You held up your garment bag as proof, and your dad nodded at you with a smile. 

“Well, everything on my end went well. Everything should get here on time.” He walked up to Maggie, pressing a kiss to her cheek before side-hugging you. “I called and confirmed everything with the florists, the chair guy, the table guy, the dress lady, the suit tailor, and arranged an Uber for my brother. Tables and chairs are getting here the morning before, dress and suits that afternoon, and the flowers the morning of, which my brother said he would take care of.” 

Maggie smiled bright, pressing a kiss to your dad’s cheek and patting his arm. She grabbed your dress and took it upstairs, leaving you and your dad alone in the foyer. 

“Are you excited, dad?”

“You have no idea, kiddo.” He sighed, ruffling your hair. “I haven’t been this excited since you were born. But I should be asking how you’re feeling about all this. I haven’t exactly had the chance to talk to you—” 

“Dad, I’m fine. I’m 110% okay with this, you have nothing to worry about.” You assured him. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. She’s a great woman. You chose good.”

“I know.” He said. “Sometimes, though, I feel a bit… weird, but I don’t know why. Your mom’s been gone how long, now? I’m happy, but I still miss her.” 

“So do I, dad.” You told him. “I miss her a lot. But marrying Maggie doesn’t change that mom was a big part of your life, you know. You have enough room in your heart to love them both.” 

Your dad smiled, eyes wet with tears, before pulling you into a hug, kissing the crown of your head. “I love you so much, kiddo.” 

“I know, dad.” 

He let you go and made his way toward his office, and you watched him go. You couldn’t stop the overwhelming feeling of pride for your dad filling your chest, mixing with the love that was already there. No matter what your relationship with Thomas was by the time your parents got married, you were determined to not let it ruin anything. 

Not if you could help it.

series taglist: @heliads @ghostofscarley @badbatch-simp24 @virginia-peters @third-broparcelicito @lamolaine @yes-fangirl-things (open!)

[s0ft-d3cay]

The Eyes of Cain, Love Violently

Shigaraki x Male Reader | Bro...my brain has been mush for the past few weeks, car shit aside. The creative worm has exited, but i have needs...so here's a little fic i wrote last year but never posted.

WARNINGS: War implications(nothing graphic), set during season ,right before the ACTURAL war arc, reader has super speed, flirting, reader gives Tomura a sort of mute against AFO’s influance(because FUCK AFO!!), mentions of infiltration, reader is mentioned to be a Lieutenant, Y/N is used, not beta read

WC: 775

Morning came not long after, that nagging in your gut only grew as he made his way up to the second level. Seating up at his radio, turning it on to listen to any chatter. Running into a private line, one Y/N figured out was filled with heroes.

Gut twisting at their conversation of infiltrating the hospital. Switching the radio over to the PLF immediately, receiving a quick response and told to stand by. Then nothing for the next five minutes static came through instead. Heart dropping, quick switching back to the heroes line.

"We have both the Doctor and Shigaraki in our curtsied…"

That was it, catching a glimpse of his phone blowing up with texts and news alerts, turning on his earpiece only confirmed his theory. Overwhelming shouts and pinpointed bombs of war sounded over. "What the hell’s going-“

"I’ll catch you up when you get here, I need you to inform your squad and the others immediately!”A woman’s voice cuts him off, her voice desperate and commanding. That’s all he needed to hear to speed up. “Alright, I’ll see you in five..” Replying back, switching on the earpiece.

Running back towards the mansion, now face to face with a destroyed hideout, completely…disintegrated. "Lieutenant, what are your orders!" Looking towards his comrades, (Y/N) immediately ordered them all split up in groups, two in the sky, six on the ground, and three out to the perimeter.

They all split, quickly leaving him in the oceanic silence. The mansion had been breached…the lab had been breached. Not good. It hadn’t been even twenty minutes and things have already gone to shit. Dust clouded his vision to the sounds of destruction, the echoes of both heroes and villains.

Without a second thought, Y/N ran straight to Tomura. He speeds over to the scene within seconds, seeing the now white haired man right in front of him, standing towards his destruction. Faced away, a red cape curved around his still frame. The utter image of the man before he made him grin, deep down he’d missed his leader dearly.

"You’re out quiet early, Grand Commander..." Y/N playfully cut the silence, watching him perk up and turn around. His white hair flowing in the wind, covering his pretty face partially. Ruby eyes gleamed soft, his expression a breathless of relief. The slight breathy exhale of his name as the villain leader walked towards Y/N.

Smiling wide, he speeds over to Tomura. The two men embrace for a moment, breathing in each other presence within the chaotic atmosphere. "…I like the cape, it really brings out your eyes.." Y/N commented quietly, a rumbling chuckle vibrated against his chest in response. A sound he’d grown to miss over the last few months.

Tomura bizarrely flinches and curves towards Y/N, whining in pain as his arms tighten. Softly, he strokes the man’s head, continuing to embrace him. His heart sinking as his worries grow. Trembling, his voice fluctuates between whispers and his low tone. "…It-it hurts, I-I can hear h-him.." He pulls away, eyes frantic over Y/N’s. His breath heaving, and stuck in his throat, strained in his words.

"I-I thought it wouldn’t I…I thought I’d be stronger than him. Then mast-" Tomura sighs out in a gutter groan through clenched teeth.

"I have something that can help..” The other man reassured, bringing up a small vial of vibrant indigo liquid. Gently taking the vial in his shaky hand, Y/N grasped his wrist, steadying the white haired man. Popping off the top, he nods towards the other before drinking it. Blinking a few times, his shaking dissipates at a slow rate.

“Better-“ A flash of orange light in the distance tears the two villains towards the unfolding war before them. Both glancing over to it, Y/N’s earpiece goes off immediately. "Lieutenant, we need your assistance-"

"Y/N we need you here now!"

"I’ll be there in five." He replies, glance back at Tomura, his red eyes on his own with the same intense stare. Knowing the chance either of them had in the moment of chaos, no longer giving them the time to reconnect. "Your welcome party might need to be set back a few hours, you don’t mind right?” Y/N jokes, walking backwards with his arms shrugging to his sides.

The white haired villain watches with a crazed expression, "I better see you when this is all over, you still need to 1v1 me." His raspy sarcastic tone pulled a laugh from the other man.

"If we’re lucky enough, I might be back in time to fight with you." He retorted back with a softened smile.

"I’d really like that, Lieutenant."

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights of any of the characters I write about, all the rights go to their respective creators.

[rose-sophia-isabella-rogers]

A Steel That Went Through Hottest Fire: Chapter X - Red as a Ruby

Chapter Summary: You see Genya for the first time since she's tried to escape. It causes you to argue again with Aleksander, which leads to a surprising revelation. Kirigan has another one after he finally confronts Alina after the events in the Fold. What else? Oh, you find a lead on a cure for the Darkling.

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Ivan/Fedyor Kaminsky, Alina Starkov/Mal Oretsev

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Ivan, Fruzsi, Genya, Baghra, Vladim Gulav, Fedyor Kaminsky, Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev

Word Count: 4144

A/N: This chapter contains some plot and dialogues from episodes four, five and six of season two. Inspired by prompts: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089794820/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089794836/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089794968/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089798500/

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

After changing into fresh clothes, you hurry to the workshop. You try not to think about what happened last night. Because while you're happy with what happened, the fact Aleksander didn't say he loves you is worrying you. You can't get it out of your mind.

You enter the workshop and immediately feel a ping in your heart. Not seeing David here pains you. Now it's just Vladim here, Baghra and-

Morozova's journal falls from your hands and hits the floor with a thud. You stare at Genya in a cage with shock. You walk slowly toward her. She's sitting on the floor, chained, so she has to raise her head to look you in the eyes. You barely manage not to gasp at her face. It's covered with scars. Black scars. Same as the ones on your back. But since there are no Volcras here…

'This is how he treats those that were loyal to him,' Baghra speaks up. 'Do you think he would treat you any different if you were in her place?'

Genya looks down. Ashamed. She's ashamed. Because she-

Your look hardens. The cages hiss. Baghra and Genya have to move away from them because they become hot to the touch. They look at you with surprise.

'Excuse me,' you say, turn on your heel and march away. A moment later you burst into Aleksander's room. Besides him Fruzsi, Ivan and a few others are here. They all look at you.

'Get out,' you say harshly. Grisha take one look at your face and hurry away. Kirigan raises his eyebrows at that.

'Is everyone more afraid of you than me now?' he asks and looks at a report in his hands.

'For some reason they believe I'm your second in command,' you explain. Aleksander smiles slightly.

'I'm glad I didn't have to spell it out for them,' he says. 'Now, what brings you here?'

'Genya,' you spat. Kirigan freezes. He sighs after a second.

'What about her?' he asks. You look at him with disbelief.

'What did you do to her?' you ask.

'I didn't do anything to her,' Aleksander denies. You grit your teeth. You have enough of his half-truths.

'Let me rephrase it,' you say. 'What did your nichevo'ya did on your order?'

'Stopped her from running away,' Aleksander answers. You scoff.

'You hurt her,' you say. 'And she- Why? Why, Aleksander?'

'She's a traitor and a useful lesson for others who might consider crossing me,' Kirigan answers, finally looking up at you. He stares at you calmly. You shake your head.

'She served you loyally since she was a child, endured years of abuse on your orders, and you reduce her… to an example?' you ask.

'What else was I supposed to do?' Kirigan asks, narrowing his eyes. 'Let her go?'

'Yes,' you answer after a minute. 'After everything she's done for you, you should have let her go.'

'So she could join our enemies and tell them our secrets?' General scoffs. 'I don't think so.'

'Then you shouldn't have hurt her like this at least! You can't lead by fear alone, Aleksander. You used to know that. You inspired other Grisha. Helped them. Cared for them. And now? I'm not surprised Genya and David wanted to leave. They didn't see the kind of man they used to admire. And what you did to Genya proves they were right.'

'Maybe this is who I'm really am. Did you think of that?'

'No, it's not. I know it's not. It's a part of you, yes. But the man we used to know is still inside you. Just buried. You have to bring him to the surface. For all our sakes. And you can start with releasing Genya. And Baghra. Let them go. Show everyone you're still that compassionate man.'

'And made them think I'm weak? I think not.'

He stares at you coldly. But his fists are clenched. He's as much angry as you are. You glare at each other for a moment.

'Then maybe I should do it,' you finally say and turn on your heel.

'[Y/N], don't you dare!' Aleksander says and rushes after you. He grabs your elbow… and suddenly nichevo springs between you two, forcing him to back away in fright. You both stare with shock at the creature that is growling at Kirigan and hovering over him.

It hits you after a minute. General created it to save you from Volcras. To keep you safe. And while he is their creator and they're bound to protect him… their primary objective is still to save you. Even from Kirigan himself.

For a moment you feel the power you've gained from it. You could do so much with nichevo'ya at your command. And judging by the terrified look Aleksander gives you, he's well aware of it as well. It causes you to let go of that thought. Of power.

'I'm going to free them and let them go,' you say quietly but sternly. 'End of discussion.'

You turn and march away. Nichevo disappears. Kirigan touches his chest, terrified about what it means.

You enter the workshop a few minutes later. Vladim is not here. Good, because you don't want to explain this to him. You simply march to the cages and open them with your powers. Two women stare at you in shock, which only becomes bigger after you release them from their bonds.

'He… he's letting us go?' Genya asks with disbelief. You look at her.

'I am,' you correct her and take a step back. 'Now go. Quickly.'

Baghra and Genya hesitantly leave their cages. Once out, the Tailor throws her arms around your neck and hugs you. You embrace her back.

'Come with us,' she whispers in your ear. 'Run away with us.'

'I can't,' you answer softly. You pull away.

'He will hurt you for this,' Genya says. You smile slightly.

'He can't,' you deny. Women frown at you. You motion at the door.

'Go,' you hurry them. The Tailor walks to the door. Baghra looks at you sadly.

'He doesn't deserve your loyalty,' she says.

'Maybe not,' you agree. 'But he's all I have. I have… no one.'

Baghra shakes her head at you. She squeezes your hand and follows Genya.

'Thank you,' the Tailor says at the door. You nod at her and you watch the two women disappear. You hug yourself and sigh. You can't help but wonder… have you just made a mistake?

*

You're working at the workshop. Only Vladim is here with you. He keeps sending you nervous glances. What you've done is already being discussed around the mansion. Yet no one dares to confront you about it.

At some point, Aleksander enters the room. He stares at you but you don't even look up from Morozova's journal. He puts his hands behind his back.

'Leave us,' he orders Vladim, his voice emotionless. The Alkemi wastes no time and hurries out of the room, not keen to be in the middle of it. But he joins others who are listening in outside the door.

Kirigan walks slowly toward you. You still ignore him. Even when he's right in front of you. It's funny. That's exactly how you met. He was standing in front of your table and you were ignoring him. Only then Fedyor was with him as well. You feel a ping of sadness. You have no idea where the Heartrender is. It is even more painful for Ivan, of course.

'When we first met, I had no idea you would be this important to me,' Aleksander, who's also been thinking about your first meeting, says. The words cause you to look up in surprise. You two just argued and he says that? He smiles slightly, satisfied to get your attention.

'Which is why I hate to be at odds with you,' he adds. You eye him warily. You sigh after a moment and look away.

'I hate it, too,' you agree. 'And I… I'd go into the fire for you. For the last weeks I've crossed the line of my morality. But what you did to Genya, who's been so loyal to you and tried to leave because she couldn't cross the line… that was too much for me.'

'I understand that,' Kirigan says, nodding. 'You've already done so many things against your beliefs. I appreciate that. And I'm sorry you have to do this. But… you were right about Genya. I shouldn't have done that to her. Not after all she's suffered for me.'

You look at him, baffled. You don't think he's ever admitted to be wrong. And with what!

'You've always been my peace,' Aleksander says, caressing your cheek. 'Every decision I make after talking about it with you is a right one. And now… I'm falling more and more into the darkness inside me. You're the one who's pulling me away, reminding me who I really am.'

He presses his forehead to yours and closes his eyes. After a second of surprise, you close yours as well, relaxing.

'You are the part of me that I will always need,' Kirigan whispers, his voice a bit shaky. 'And after our argument… I was afraid you may have enough. And leave me. I don't know what would happen to me if you left.'

'Good think I'm not planning to go, then,' you say and cup his face, both of you opening your eyes. 'I promise to always be by your side. Or under you. Or on top.'

Aleksander laughs. You grin. You love to make him do that so much.

'I'd love to test that now,' he murmurs, leaning to your face. 'But I'm afraid it would be too much to everyone outside the door.'

'Yes, that's true,' you agree. 'Can I get a kiss, though?'

Instead of answering, he cups your face and kisses you. You sigh and answer the kiss hungrily. Saints, how you adore kissing him. It was so worth the wait. But it ends much too soon to your disappointment.

'I should go,' Aleksander whispers. 'Before I'll have you on that table.'

'I wouldn't mind,' you assure him. Kirigan looks at you darkly and forces himself to pull away.

'Maybe another time,' he promises and clears his throat. 'So… we're good.'

You nod. He smiles at you, relieved, and kisses you one last time. Then, he turns and leaves. Everyone outside pretends they've been just walking past. When Aleksander leaves, they look inside and are relieved to see you smiling.

Some time later, you get a wonderful news. Thanks to Prince Vasily inviting his 'noble' friends to an engagement party of his brother, Nikolay, and Alina (something you believe to be a sham), you now know where they all are hiding.

You're to stay behind. You want to go, but Ivan and Aleksander convince you that while you can protect yourself and they wouldn't have survived without you in the Fold, you're still not much of a fighter. Seeing their point, you agree to wait, albeit nervously.

You're relieved when they finally come back. But Kirigan just stops to briefly to kiss your cheek as a greeting, and shuts himself in his room. You look at Ivan with raised eyebrows.

'I take not everything went as he wanted?' you guess.

'We did manage to kill the King and Prince Vasily,' Ivan answers, causing you to look at him with wide eyes. 'But Prince Nikolay, Starkov and others have escaped. But there's also other small success.'

Just then a familiar face joins you from outside. You brighten up.

'Fedyor!' you say and crash your friend in a hug. He chuckles and embraces you back.

'It's good to see you alive and well, too, [Y/N],' he says and pulls away. You frown, seeing a hint of sadness and fear in his eyes.

'You weren't a prisoner, were you?' you ask quietly. Fedyor shakes his head slightly and glances at Ivan. You understand. Like you, he's here for the person he loves. You share a knowing look.

'[Y/N],' Fruzsi says, joining you. 'I'd like to give report to General.'

'You don't need my permission for it,' you say, puzzled. Ivan sighs.

'You're second in command, meaning you should be there as well,' he explains.

'Oh! Right, let's go,' you say and turn to the door. You knock on it.

'General,' Fruzsi calls.

'What?' you hear a sharp response. You two exchange a look and enter with two Heartrenders.

'Our scouts found no sign of the Sun Summoner, nor Prince Nikolai's group,' Fruzsi reports.

'So keep looking,' Aleksander says, not turning to you. He pours himself a drink. The four of you exchange a look.

'Sir, we've nearly rid Ravka of the Royal line and have Prince Nikolai on the run,' Ivan says. 'We'd diminish him further by shifting our efforts towards dismantling what is left of the First Army and their encampments.'

'It would be the more strategic move,' Fedyor agrees.

'Except that the Little Prince and his caravan are with my Sun Summoner,' Kirigan says, finally turning to you, and you hear nichevo snarling, then see them forming behind him. 'Alina Starkov is worth more than any army. So at the risk of sounding repetitive... find her.'

Fruzsi, Ivan and Fedyor glance nervously at the nichevo. They leave. You stare calmly at the creature. It seems to become smaller under your gaze. You turn to follow others.

'[Y/N], wait, please,' Aleksander stops you. You wait for Fedyor to close the door. The moment he does, you feel a hand grabbing yours.

'I only need Alina's power now,' Kirigan says, squeezing your hand. 'Please, believe me. That's all that is about.'

'I trust you,' you say and look at him to give him a sad smile. 'But I can't help feeling insecure when you talk about her.'

Aleksander cups your cheek and looks you in the eyes sincerely. You lean into his touch.

'You're the one I want by my side,' he says. 'I swear. And I promise to spend as much time as I need to help you beat your insecurities. Because you're the one thing I have left. I… I talked with Alina. She said that I didn't want her to destroy the Fold because that's the last thing I had left. She's wrong. I have you to lose as well. But I won't. I swear this to you.'

He leans down and gives you a kiss. You melt into it. When you pull away, you're both panting.

'Spend the night with me?' Aleksander asks. You nod and take a step back. You stare at each other for a moment longer, then you leave his chambers. And your heart does feel a bit lighter.

Later, you're working in the workshop, alone this time, when you hear it. A scream. Aleksander's scream. You freeze, at first, but then you bolt to his chambers. You don't see anyone on the corridors, probably no one else have heard it. You burst in and freeze again, surprised and very confused.

Kirigan's engulfed in his shadows. He looks as if someone is forcing his right hand down. But then he suddenly raises, but as if fighting with someone over it, and then it almost seems as if he is pushing someone away from him. The shadows disappear. He stands in place, panting and shaking.

'Aleksander?' you ask hesitantly. His eyes snap to you. He takes a step forward but then collapses. You thrust yourself to him and manage to slow down his sudden fall.

'[Y/N]…' he gasps. He grabs your kefta, holds on to it, and buries his face in your neck.

'You… only you… only you… I'm sorry…' he babbles. 'I'm so sorry… only you… all I have… you…'

You sit on the ground, stunned. You understand nothing of it. But you hold Aleksander close to yourself and comfort him. You want to be his shelter as he has been yours. He calms down after a moment and tells you what happened.

There's a connection between him and Alina. He's been showing himself to her as a projection. A moment ago, she's done the same for the first time. She tried to make him believe she starts to understand what he's been telling her, but in reality, she tried to destroy that bond, by removing the fragment of the Stag from his hand. She failed. He pushed her away.

'I didn't trust her,' he says, his look haunted. 'Nor fell for her flirt. You're the one I want. But still… it made me understand she will never willingly join our cause.'

You squeeze his arm comfortingly. You know how much he wanted her to join you, understand you. Finally realising that she doesn't agree with his methods… it really has hurt him.

A few minutes later Fruzsi, Ivan and Fedyor walk in. Aleksander has called for them. Now he's sitting by his desk, his back to them, with you having a hand on his shoulder.

'General?' Ivan asks.

'Take down the First Army encampments,' Kirigan orders. They're surprised by this change of heart. But also pleased (well, maybe beside Fedyor).

'Understood,' Fruzsi says, satisfied. 'We will refocus our efforts.'

'And what of the Sun Summoner?' Fedyor asks, his expression grim.

'The whole world will hear it… when I make her scream,' Aleksander answers through gritted teeth, while putting his hand on yours that is on his shoulder. You eye it. It looks worse because of Alina. Earlier you've wondered about- But no. You're ready to do anything to save him. Even something you've ben conflicted about before. But not anymore. Because you can't lose him either.

*

Thanks to Morozova's journal, you've found your way to his old workshop. You haven't told anyone about your plans, but you did leave a note explaining them on the bed. You doubt anyone would read it, though. You suspect they will panic and start looking for you frantically. Well, you did inform them in a way. The only way that guaranteed no one would stop you.

You pass a room with two coffins and enter the workshop. Your eyes light up at all the notebooks, journals, papers, writings on the walls… You immediately start looking through everything, hoping to find a cure for Aleksander. You're so focused on it, you only notice that you're not alone, when someone gasps.

You look up, alarmed. You stiffen, seeing stunned Alina, Mal and Baghra. But Starkov's look quickly hardens.

'Where is he?' she demands. You blink.

'I want to ask "who", but I feel you mean Aleksander,' you say. 'Well, he's not here.'

'Then how did you enter here?' Mal asks, puzzled. You look down, nervous.

'I… may have stolen a bit of his blood,' you admit guiltily. You almost feel Baghra's gaze on you.

'You've deciphered it,' she guesses. 'Morozova's journal.'

You're silent for a moment. You sigh and look at them.

'Some of it,' you confirm. 'I still don't understand most of it. But I did understood how to enter this workshop.

'And how did you find this place?' Baghra asks, putting their lantern away. Your gaze falls on a basket full of rare metals in the corner. The Shadow Summoner scoffs.

'Of course,' she says. 'He always bragged about his booty. Very rare. Rare enough for you to feel it if you knew more or less where to look for it.'

'But why did you come without him?' Alina asks. 'Surely, he would like to find out where to look for the Firebird.'

'I'm not here to find a clue about that amplifier,' you say, frowning. 'You can have it, for all I care. Hells, you can tear down the Fold and I wouldn't be bothered.'

Alina and Mal stare at you, surprised. Baghra just assesses you calmly. They start to talk quietly with each other. You ignore them. You only focus on them again, when Baghra says:

'Follow me. You, stay. Start sorting through his journals for any mention of the Firebird.'

She leaves and Mal follows her. Alina glances at you, then runs after them. But she returns after a moment. She eyes you warily and starts doing what you are.

'Why are you here, then?' she asks. 'If not for the Firebird?'

'Find a way to save him,' you answer. 'How are David and Genya?'

'Fine,' Alina answers after a moment, surprised, but then gets angry. 'If after what Kirigan did to Genya she can be fine.'

'For your information, we argued about it after I saw what he did,' you say, rolling your eyes. Alina is silent for a moment.

'Baghra and Genya did mention you're the one who let them out,' she admits. 'Which is why I don't understand why you're still on his side. Why after everything he's done, everyone he's killed, what he did to Genya-'

'He regrets it,' you interrupt her. 'He agreed he shouldn't have done that to her. Not after all she did for him.'

Alina stares at you, shocked. Your look softens.

'He's not as evil as you make him to be,' you say quietly and return to your search.

'You have a good heart, [Y/N],' Starkov says after a beat. 'You felt for me, when he tore me away from Mal and talked with him on my behalf. You are not someone who would commit horrors that all of Aleksander's follower do.'

'Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two different things,' you say flatly. Alina scoffs.

'You don't need to,' she insists, annoyed. 'If you'd stayed that day on the skiff, you'd be welcomed in the Spinning Wheel. Among other Grisha. Because they are. Nikolay is going to be the King now. He believes we can live together. He can make Ravka whole.'

You chuckle, amused at her naïve dreams. You don't think this country can ever be mended. It's too late for that. Not that you care.

'So can Aleksander,' you say.

'With terror and murder?' Starkov scoffs. 'He won't rule for long. You know it. You know fear is not enough. So, why are you-'

'Damn it, Alina, how many times?' you snap. 'I'm in love with him! That's why I don't hesitate to bend my morals. And don't you dare judging me for this, because I'm pretty sure you'd bend yours for Mal.'

'But does he love you back?' Starkov asks, her voice low. 'Or does he even know you're here?'

You stiffen and your heart skips a beat. Because he still hasn't said it. You clench your jaw.

'Not unless he read a note I left,' you answer, skimming through a journal in your hands. You freeze a second later. Your eyes quickly scan the words on the pages. Your heart skips a beat again.

'Alina!' you hear Mal's panicked voice at that exact moment. You and Starkov look at each other, surprised.

'Okay, maybe he read it after all,' you say, surprised, and snap the journal shut. 'How about we save Mal? You care for him and I'd hate to see what you're capable of if he's hurt. Or dead.'

You both hurry outside. You stop dead in your tracks. Mal is on the ground. Baghra is standing in front of him, preparing a Cut. Facing them is Aleksander, desperately trying to stop his nichevo'ya from attacking his mother. One is holding him back and the other is about to throw itself on Baghra.

'No!' Alina screams, already summoning light.

'Stop!' you shout at the same time, panicked. And just like that, the nichevo that was about to attack Baghra… stops. Everyone stares in stunned silence, as it turns its head toward you. You shake your head. Both nichevo'ya disappear.

Baghra, Alina and Mal stare at you in shock. You use their confusion and hurry to Kirigan. You grab his shoulder and drag him toward the horses.

'Come on, we've got what we needed,' you urge him.

'Indeed,' Aleksander says, his eyes on Mal. The tracker gulps, staring back. Kirigan smiles slightly and follows you to the horses. You mount them quickly. You glance at Alina. You share a sad look, both of you regretting that you're on the opposite sides. She wants to say something, but you already ride away with Aleksander.

'What was that?' Mal asks, turning to Baghra. 'Why it listened to her, while it didn't listen to Kirigan?'

Baghra is silent. In her mind she replays the last time she saw you.

'He will hurt you for this.'

'He can't.'

'That's why he let us go,' Baghra whispers, understanding slowly. Mal and Alina look at her, confused. Old woman chuckles.

'A bit more time… and it won't be Aleksander calling all the shots,' she says and sighs sadly. 'But the question is, whether we have that much time.'

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could. Every comment makes my day!

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52696933/chapters/134444428

[evolutionsvoid]

(Eucella, I realized there was a section I need to add to my Harpy entry! I knew I was forgetting something! I know you don't like adding more to things, but please! I will keep it short, I promise!)

When it comes to mating for harpies, these birds rely on song and presentation to woo a partner. As the season grows near, the males will go out in search for nest materials, looking to build a fine home that would attract a female. They start with the basics: sticks, grasses, leaves, cloth and other mundane building blocks. They start construction up in the trees, in the higher branches where terrestrial predators cannot reach, while also sticking to some cover so that they remain out of sight of flying carnivores. A flock of harpies tends to stick together when it comes to nesting and raising young, so these nests will be built amongst others, typically staking out a chunk of trees to call their territory. After getting the basic structure of a nest built up, the male will then look for decoration. Colorful objects and shiny trinkets will help make his home eye catching and appealing, so this is when harpies get to their tricks of stealing baubles and other small things. Each male tends to have their own definition of "pretty" so no two nests look alike. It is better that way too, because some times neighbors may like a certain decoration and try to steal it for their own nest!

In time, the mating season will roll in and hopefully the male will have completed his nest by now. At this point, the single females will be on the look out for a potential mate, so the male harpy needs to let them know they are available. They inflate their air sacs and use them to sing out to the females, who will then listen to the song to see if this suitor is up to snuff. From their performance, the females get an idea about size and health, which will let them know if it is worth checking out or passing by. If the female likes what she hears, she will swoop down to the male and be ready for the next step. At this point, the male leads her to his prepared nest and shows it off. He will eagerly hop around it and even pick up special pieces to give her a closer look. She will move in for a close inspection, often pecking parts and testing structural integrity. If the nest fails to impress her, she will fly off and leave the male to try again on another female. But if she likes what she sees, the two will take part in a little song and dance, which is the final part in choosing a mate. They follow one another in singing and playful hopping, which is meant to forge the bond between them. If all goes well here, the two shall mate and it will be for life. Harpies keep the same partner for their entire lives, only ever getting another one if their mate dies. Once this is complete, the united pair than work together to further build up the nest, with the female adding her own touches to it as well.

Then the day comes when she lays her eggs, typically laying two to five of them. Once they are laid in the nest, the male will be the first to incubate them, while she goes out to get food. At this point, the two harpies will switch back and forth, with one going out to gather while the other stays to keep the eggs warm and safe. Partners often bring food back with them to share, even when taking over the nest shift. After enough time passes, the eggs will hatch and out comes the little harplets!

There are many cute things in the world, but harplets have to be near the top of the list. Look at them! They are so round and poofy! All that down makes them such chubby little things! Ooooooh, so cute! Now where are the stuffed animals of these?! I would buy a dozen of them! Ack, Chlora, stay on track! Anyways, the harplets will emerge from their eggs and the time comes for raising the kids. The role switching will continue, with one parent staying at the nest while the other gathers food. But this time, they're hunting to bring back grub for their little ones, and they are quite hungry! Harpy parents work hard for the first few weeks, constantly bringing back food to give to their chicks. But eventually, things start settling down and a good schedule is set. Once the harplets have grown a little bit, it comes time to teach them the ways of the harpy!

While the other parent is out getting food, the other will start to show the young ones some tricks and performing in front of them to watch. It can be simple things like preening or picking up sticks, but then it starts growing more complicated as they pass on all that they have learned. In some cases, the parent that returns home will also bring back "difficult" food, like thick rind fruit, hard shelled nuts and insects with special defenses. They will then show the harplets how to tackle these situations, demonstrating right in front of the nest how to get the good stuff on the inside. And all this time, the harplets will watch with endless curiosity! That is another thing that makes them so cute! They are always watching and wondering, keeping their eyes on anything that draws their interest. I remember when I climbed up a tree to get a closer look at harpy nests for observation, and all the harplets just stared at me for hours! The whole time I was there, they would hardly look at anything else, always following my every move! It got to a point where I think the parents were shooing me away because I was ruining lesson time!

It should be noted that while harpy nests have two parents to raise the young, the entire rookery puts in an effort for every harplet. Harpies that have not gotten mates will often help around other nests, and even take part in training the young. It is pretty much practice for when they raise their own chicks, as they watch the parents and see how it is all done. Harpies will also band together to defend their territory from predators, everyone teaming up to scare away threats from any nest. And if one mated harpy loses their partner, others will step in to help keep their young fed. It is an incredible system of teamwork, and goes to show how intelligent they are! Be warned, though, that this same smarts and working togetherness can be used against those who wrong them. Threaten their nests or kill their young, and the whole flock of harpies will label you an enemy for life. They will attack you on sight and cause all sorts of mayhem if they find your own "nest." Birds of prey who have taken their chicks will have their own nests harassed when their season comes, as the harpies dish out revenge. As cute and wonderful as harpies can be, do know that they can get nasty if you give them reason to! I don't blame them, as I would do anything to protect those precious little harplets!

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

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

"Harpy and Harplets"

[the-conversation-pod]

Winter 2024 Teaser

And we're back!

We have been recording so much for you all this season! We completed the first year of the show, and what a year it has been!

We've made a lot of friends through this show, and even picked up some help from @ginnymoonbeam and @lurkingshan who got to produce their own episode!

To complete the year, we are opening our longest season by discussing the big shows from the Fall, including Only Friends, I Feel You Linger in the Air, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? 2, before wrapping up the year with a packed Grab Bag episode.

As is our tradition, we will then have our Five-Part Very Important Internet BL Awards, covering our awards for Acting, Ships, Production, Best in Class, and Special Class Awards.

We'll then close out the season with our Lagniappe episode as always and hear from some of the listeners.

Enjoy teaser for the season.

The Conversation Transcripts!

Thanks to the continued efforts of @ginnymoonbeam as transcriber, and @lurkingshan as an editor and proofreader, we are able to bring you transcripts of the episodes.

We will endeavor to make the transcripts available when the episodes launch, and it is our goal to make them available for past episodes (Coming Soon thanks to @wen-kexing-apologist). When transcripts are available, we will attach them to the episode post (like this one) and put the transcript behind a Read More cut to cut down on scrolling.

Please send our volunteers your thanks!

[The teaser opens with the pod team chatting in a bar together.]

NiNi

Okay guys, so we are alive on the site of our annual–hopefully it's annual–podcast team staff meeting.

Ginny

Ohh! 

[Shan laughs]

Nini

And we just gonna give us, like, a little five-minute live about, like, what's—what's occurring? What's going on with the peeps? So, everybody say “hi.” Ben, say “Hi.”

Ben

“Whaddup?”

NiNi

Shan, say “hi.” 

Shan

“Heyo.”

Nini

Ginny say “hi.” 

Ginny

“Heyo!”

NiNi

And here's NiNi! So…

[Cut back to the normal recording booth.]

Ben

And we're back. Welcome to year two of The Conversation…

Ohh, let me try it again. [Strums fingers on desk. NiNi laughs]

I got this.

NiNi

Do you? Do you?

Ben

Yeah, I got this.

NiNi

Okay.

Ben

And we're back. Welcome to year two of The Conversation! Hello, NiNi.

NiNi

Oh my God, we've been doing this for a fucking year. How did we survive the last year? We did? I don't know how? But we did.

Ben

We survived it through sheer gumption and the Type-A planning of all of your lists that keep us organized between seasons.

NiNi

[laughs] I do be doing a lot.

Ben

This show is a BL podcast featuring two goofy-ass Millennials from the Caribbean who watch way too much BL.

NiNi

I mean, that's a good description.

Ben

NiNi, how would you describe me to the viewers?

NiNi

How would I describe Ben to the viewers?

Ben is… an intellectual. Ben is the kind of man who enjoys French film, I think.

Ben

I do. I actually watched one, like, two weeks ago.

NiNi

You see, I knew it. I knew it. Ben’s always getting me together, and that's the best part of our friendship. Ben is gathering me gently at all times—and I need to be gathered—sometimes, should be told, because I just be going off in too many different directions. 

So, a whole year with you. I have had a fabulous time so far, sir. And here's to many more.

How would you describe me?

Ben

You are a Thai BL girlie set upon by my goddamn queer cinephile sensibilities, who continues to put up with them.

[both laugh]

NiNi

I’m sorry [laughs]—I like other things!

Ben

I'm sorry. The Philippines is out of commission.

NiNi

[laughs] Rude. Accurate, but rude.

Ben

You're somebody with a really strong background in theater and dramatic storytelling who really appreciates the heightened drama aspects of the way Thailand approaches BL. The more telenovela BL becomes, or the more like big-romance-dramatic BL becomes—particularly in Thailand—the more fun you seem to have. 

And over the course of the last year when we've been unpacking these shows, we've been talking about where these shows really land emotionally for NiNi, who's into this for a lot of the fun and some of the camp and the way the romance plays out. And how I end up mostly focused on the queer truth that I can get out of these stories, and how strongly they resonate, and also how well put together these things are. 

We are the podcast for BL viewers who care about BL being genuinely good and not just fun.

[cuts back to the bar conversation]

NiNi

We are just doing like a little bit about—let's, let's pick a topic that's not gonna, like, piss off anybody too much.

Ben 

No! Let's start where we were—

[Shan laughs]

Ginny

You turned it on right when we were pissing people off!

[Shan laughs]

Ben

I am six drinks in. We're going in. Only Friends sucks— 

[NiNi laughs]

—and it made us like First and Khaotung less.

NiNi

Oh no…

Shan

Listen, it's the truth. 

Ben

Like! 

Shan

They were not the moment in this show.

Ben

Going into this show, Ginny and I were very quietly FK girlies.

[Shan and Ginny laugh]

Shan

Not that quietly.

Ben

You were not in our DMs!

[Everyone laughs]

Shan

I could feel the energy coming from your DMs!

[cuts back to the recording booth]

NiNi

It's been an interesting year for us. There have been highs, there have been lows, there have been arguments—very polite ones. There have been agreements. There's been a lot happening in the last year in the BL space and we're gonna talk about it really all through the winter season.

Season 5. Five seasons of this.

So we're going to talk about the things that we watched in the fall. We are going to talk about 2023 as a whole and what we got out of it. And it's winter, so you know what that means? We're going to give out some VIIB Awards.

Ben

I'm very excited for the VIIB Awards. It is the most contentious I think I have felt with you since we started doing all of this. Normally, I'm just excited to talk with you about things. I have never felt more antagonistic!

NiNi

Ben put on his eye black and he said, “What we not ‘bout to do!” 

[Ben laughs]

“These vibes you be feeling, that's all well and good. This is not the Vibes Awards, okauy? This is the VIIB Awards.” [NiNi laughs]

Ben

These are the Very Important Internet BL Awards.

NiNi

He's like, “You're gonna have to come with actual arguments.”

Ben

We will! We say these things are better than the rest? You better be specific, because there is a wide field of contenders!

NiNi

A very wide field, and I think that's part of the story of this year as well. For all the ups and downs, it has been a big year, I think, for BL. I don't know if you feel the same way.

Ben

I do. I mean, that's the problem for this year that we'll get into as we talk about this. This year has had some of my favorite good productions that the genre has ever produced, and that has made it really difficult for the things that are not.

We are not lacking for choice in the good.

[cuts back to the bar conversation]

Ben

And this show made me hate them.

Ginny

To be, to be clear: I still, like, this show did not make me hate either of them individually. Like, Khaotung did some phenomenal performances. First matched them. Maybe you disagree, but I did not feel that way about it. Yeah.

NiNi

[waves at Ginny to continue] All right! We’re getting it! 

Ginny

But I—

NiNi

It's going to be quiet, but I'll get it.

Ginny

—something about the way it was set up, I just did not. I came out of it feeling less hype about them as a pair.

Shan

Mhmm. I was never really a FirstKhao girlie. Like, I'm not into the pairs in general. You all know that I like ‘em to mix and match. But, I'm just like—

NiNi/Ben

Yeah, that's better.

Shan

—I just feel like they're both… They've both been better with other people, especially First.

[cuts back to the recording booth]

NiNi

We've got a packed season for you. Ten! Count ‘em: ten! It's our longest season ever. Ten fabulous episodes.

Ben

[laughs] Wait. What the fuck, really?

NiNi

Yes. 

Ben

Okay. 

[NiNi laughs]

So, if you want to hear people be kind of sassy and way too serious, and be more than a little bit drunk about BL—

[NiNi laughs]

—for about 15 hours over the next, like six weeks, we are your show!

NiNi

This is the Brown Liquor Podcast. [laughs]

[cuts back to the bar conversation]

NiNi

All right, I think we're gonna see if we get, what we get out of that. I don't know how much we're gonna get out of that. We will see. We had to try. [NiNi laughs as the audio trails off]