#both of them SO deserving of unconditional love

[mymitochondriaforpresident]

The exposed skin.

The beautiful contrast of their skin tone.

The endless hearts.

And once again,

And most important of all,

The vulnerability.

The soft passion.

The absolute

…agency. 💜

One heart wasn't enough...♡

[a-flaming-idiot]

They're good kids, I SWEAR!!!

[caramel-ribbons]

I just watched Avatar for the first time all the way through, and yeah, it’s great, but the one thing that surprised me was how different Katara was compared to the fandom interpretation I’d seen and internalized before watching.

Like, before you watch Avatar, you’ve seen all these memes about Katara and her mom, and based on those memes, you assume it’s one of those lines you have to get used to hearing at least once every episode. But then you watch the show and realize that she only talks about her mom maybe five or six times per season and you also realize she only brings her up when she’s trying to comfort someone or empathize with them because that’s how she processes her grief and that’s one way she connects with people.

Or you hear the infamous line, “then you didn’t love [our mother] the way I did” and you prepare yourself for one of the worst character assassinations ever only to see the scene after nearly three seasons worth of context and realize she was kinda right. She’s been the mother, the nurturer, the comforter. She’s been patient, gentle, and accommodating where everyone else has gotten to be insensible and reckless and childish, and the one moment where she allows herself to feel her grief, suddenly she’s this evil bitch and not, y’know, a 14 year old girl whose been thrusted into adulthood in a way no other character has. A 14 year old girl who should be allowed immaturity and raw emotion and anger instead of the patience and grace she’s been forced to extend to every character without even the smallest amount of gratitude or even consideration in return.

Or you see all of the clips where Katara puts Aang in the “friendzone” and you expect to have this wishy washy back and forth where Aang is putting his feelings out there only to have Katara neither commit nor express any clear reciprocation or rejection. Then you watch and realize that, as cute as the ship is initially, that there’s never a point where Aang returns any comfort or grace to Katara despite her always doing this for him to the point of coddling. That for as much as Aang says he loves her, he never seems to outgrow his perception of her so he can recognize her as someone who feels grief, anger, and pain as much as she expresses love, kindness, and maturity. And instead of having moments where he learns to see her beyond her strength or compassion, you’re instead given moments where Aang forces his feelings onto her, both romantic and non-romantic, and Katara is expected to just…shoulder those feelings the way she shoulders everyone else’s.

Katara is the most misunderstood character in the show. As much as people recognize the complexities of Zuko, Sokka, and Azula, they struggle to do the same for Katara because they see her struggles as somehow lesser, and therefore, less deserving of sympathy. They can handle her so long as she’s being endlessly patient and loving and kind, but the moment her endless love, patience, and kindness runs out, she’s suddenly this annoying bitch who can’t shut up about her mother or reciprocate Aang’s feelings. But Katara’s trauma does matter as much as anyone else’s. No, she wasn’t banished from her kingdom. No, she didn’t lose her entire community, and no, she isn’t the only one who lost her mother. But the difference between her and everyone else whose experienced loss because of the Fire Nation is that she’s never given time to process her trauma. Aang gets to lean on Katara constantly. Toph gets to express her feelings to Katara, and yeah, Sokka also lost their mother, but unlike Katara, he isn’t put in the position of being a substitute for everyone’s parent. He even admits that he sees his sister as a mother. The only characters who ever comfort Katara or allow her to vent is Zuko and her father and that’s, like, three scenes in a show where the other characters are consistently given opportunities to seek out Katara for unconditional support.

The fandom interpretation of Katara has been so bastardized that even those who haven’t watched the show know her for this fanon version and not for who she is. She’s such an interesting character beyond her fandom limitations, though. She’s brave, hot-headed, and hopeful as well as gentle and caring. She wishes to learn waterbending, not only because she wants to fight in the war, but because she wants to continue her culture’s practices because, and people often forget this, she also lost an entire subculture within her already fractured tribe. And she wants to defeat the Fire Nation both because of her deep love and empathy for other people, but also because she wants to avenge her mother. But because some of the fans have reduced Katara to a bitch who constantly whines about her mother and friendzones Aang, you wouldn’t know any of this, and it sucks because she’s the only character whose been dumbed down to such an extent.

[dumplingsjinson]

List of “please don’t leave me alone” prompts

Using bodies to distract themselves from the fact that they don’t have someone to call their forever; that they aren’t worthy of anything more than just a one night stand or a casual fling.

Lying awake in the dark for the nth time, alone once again, the creeping dread of being alone forever eating away at them; the space next to them empty like it always ends up.

Finding someone and latching onto them for as long as they can, only to be left heartbroken, thoughts of things being this way forever so, so scary; wanting to believe they deserve love but perhaps they don’t and it’s something they have to be okay with.  

Hope at this point becomes false hope, because it’s starting to feel like they’re the reason no one wants to stay.

“Am I not enough of a reason for you to want to stay?” they would wonder on nights when nothing could distract them from their looming thoughts.

So when someone else comes along, they try to sabotage it because they think it wouldn’t work out anyway. As much as they like them, there’s a part of them that’s scared things won’t last, and they aren’t ready for another crushing disappointment.

Numbness is a self-defence mechanism at this point, and it’s quite clear to the both of them that that’s the case.

That person doesn’t leave, though. Not even when they’re being difficult as fuck. They go through many talks, and as frustrated as they are with them at times, they are very firm when they tell them they aren’t gonna leave and will be here for them through thick and thin; that they’re someone they do not want to lose.

Tears streaming down their face when they realise they’ve finally found someone who doesn’t want to lose them; that they’re worthy of unconditional love, as flawed as they are.

“You’re the first person to have ever told me that,” they whisper, voice thick with tears, as the other person holds them while they cry. 

Join my Discord server: Steaming Dumplings Nation

[artytaeh]

. . . this is a silly thought, but indulge me!

( i might write more elaborated headcanons about it, though. let's see, let's see. 🌷 )

thinking about reader having kids with mattheo or theodore. and despite these two being so similar in some things, they'd be the opposite on this:

because there's a vital part of your baby growing up, where they start babbling, threatening to say their first word. the silent expectation to see which of you the baby will call for first— their mama, or their papa.

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

THEODORE NOTT is a mama's boy; even at his adult stage, having left hogwarts with you and putting a ring on your finger, it's inevitable that theo's mother always had, always will have such a special place in his heart.

theo looks at you, looks at the baby created from the strong love you feel for each other— and his heart aches, somewhat bittersweetly, as theodore imagines his mother there with his little family; making the scenario even more perfect on his eyes. theo constantly thinks about how much his mother would absolutely adore you, and be the best grandmother possible for your baby.

so, being a mama's boy— and seeing the tenderness you have for your child as a parallel of the unconditional love that theo's mother had for him...

... theodore nott isn't competitive for the first time on his life, because truly, theo wants your child to call out for you first.

not because he's uninterested or doesn't care for your child! no, it's the opposite— theo loves you both so, so much, that his heart feels like bursting from so much love, so much tenderness and happiness. it's just that you deserve it more!

both of you made the child, of course; a human being isn't made alone. yet, as much as theo supported you as much as he could— it was you whose body developed this little human that theo adores so much. you went through all those morning sickness, all of those cravings and body changes; it was you who spent hours in labor to bring that child to the world— it was you who fed them on their first weeks of life.

so, seriously, with all his heart: theo felt like it was only fair for this little human of yours to call for his beloved wife first.

and he even makes sure that such a thing happens!

on a sunny day, you'd find theodore sat on the garden; during these first months of this little human's life, it was a joint decision to spend them in theo's childhood house— where he grew up with his mother, on these beautiful grounds of italy.

sat with his back against a tree, theo uses his knees to support the baby's back, as the little human giggles and trashes both chubby arms and legs, amused by the tenderness of their father; theodore nott. he makes sure that the baby has their beautiful eyes looking at him— pronouncing the syllables with patience.

'ma-ma. mama. maaaaaa... ma.' he'd say, slowly for the baby, exaggerating the movement of his mouth, so that in a way, it would be easier for them to imitate.

it didn't matter how long it took for the baby to properly say those two simply syllables— theo would keep mouthing 'mama' over and over again, carrying the baby on his arms, to then point at you: with a cheeky smile (proud to be the father of this little human, whose also your child. you're their mother. and his wife.), theo gestures to the baby.

'mama. that's your mama; the woman i love the most. ever since i saw your maaaa-ma, i knew that she would be la mia futura sposa.'

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

MATTHEO RIDDLE, on the other hand, doesn't know how to lose; unless his loss brings some sort of benefit to him, obviously.

however this time... no, there wasn't much of a benefit, of a reward to let you win this time. it was a question of honor, of duty! to get this child of yours to call for mattheo first. (as silly as it is, mattheo needs a way to subconsciously assure himself, that he'll be a better father than his. that he'll offer support and unconditional love to this baby— not fear, resentment, and vicious bad habits to deal with the damage.)

and despite this tiny human being days, weeks or few months old— that doesn't really matter to mattheo, because he'd sooner than later teach your child about this corrupted world you live in. that this society, the human beings are nothing but weak meat, meant to fall into temptation, to indulge corruption and...!

long story short: mattheo tries to bribe the tiny human into loving him more.

and mattheo riddle is a creative man, you see; bribe is not just made with money, no, no. bribe comes in various ways:

demanding to be the one to mostly change the baby's diapers, so that mattheo could have more time alone with them, to manipulate that little brain to find it easier to babble the letter 'p' instead of 'm'— and one day, he might oh-so-dramatically say that he was the one to bear with the smell, who had to do the dirty work of changing diapers! because this being said, he deserves more acknowledgement, seriously!

encouraging this tiny human to talk. and when i say encouraging, i mean that mattheo indulges all those gibberish as if they were proper words, ones that mattheo assures to understand, and so mattheo and the tiny human engage a serious conversation. when the baby is quiet (which is rare), mattheo disturbs the peace and quiet, so that he can trick the tiny human into saying that simple, easy word. 'paaaaaa.... paaaa... papa. paaaa! pa!' he sing-songs.

by playing so much with the baby, be it with the amount of toys they have on their nursery, or by tickling, making sounds, already teaching the tiny human how to throw punches (just like his father! 🎀)— mattheo believes that he's associating himself to the feeling of having fun. so if not him, who else would they call for?! (you. because you're the most amazing mother, and mattheo knows that; he tells you that every night, so proud of this beloved family of his.)

another silly thing he does is pronouncing the word 'papa' really slowly, mouthing with such a dramatic and exaggerated movements, that it always makes you laugh when you testify it. however, when mattheo points at you, he says the word 'mama' in a faster way, purposefully making it sound very confusing for the little human on his arms.

and when you caught mattheo doing all of these things, so that he gets to be called by this baby of yours first— well, mattheo is already expecting a lighthearted slap on the nape of his neck, but oh well, the punishment and the effort are worth the prize.

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻’

🪻 ; . . . fandom : harry potter.

— i'm on a huge slytherin boys brainrot. no, seriously, i have so many drafts about headcanons and drabbles about them; the comments and reposts of theo's drabble melted me into a puddle, i swear. :( tysm!

the headers + gifs + icons aren't mine. credits to the respective creators ! 🌷

[sunniques]

— 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞

➺ PAIRING: kim taehyung x female reader

➺ GENRE: brother-in-law au, smut

➺ SUMMARY: your sister’s selfish husband is unexpectedly sweet on you. maybe a little too much.

➺ CW/TW: brother-in-law!taehyung, toxic family dynamics, reader can be carried by taehyung, cheating, fingering, masturbation (m), oral sex (f & m), unprotected sex, creampies, (some) cum play

➺ WC: 4.4k

NOTE: don’t like, don’t read.

Taehyung has always been selfish.

Ever since he was young, he would go around taking toys from other children because he thought he deserved to have them. It’s a habit he never fully grew out of, and even now as an adult he still goes around taking anything he wants. His undesirable disposition is hated by many, but not by his wife. (That’s only because she’s the exact same way.)

As the first born daughter of her family, she grew up spoiled rotten. Constantly being doted and placated on made his fiancé into a bratty woman with a terrible temper. It didn’t bother him so much because she never acted that way with him.

The same could not be said for her youngest sister.

From what Taehyung had gathered, you two weren’t particularly close. It made sense since you had often had to concede to your bratty sister. Being forced to share the doting attention and unconditional love from your parents had never sat well with her, and it didn’t change even now that you were both adults. As much as his in-laws tried to get his wife used to the idea of sharing, they simply couldn’t.

At least, not when it came to her things.

Taehyung didn’t often feel sympathy for others, but he couldn’t stand the way your parents and other siblings constantly indulged his wife at your expense. Being the sweet little angel you were, you never said anything. You selflessly accepted all the disappointments with that pretty smile he loved so much.

While your disappointment wasn’t always obvious, Taehyung still caught onto it even when your family didn’t. That’s why he took it upon himself to dote on you whenever he could. If there was anything you wanted, he got it for you. His praise and compliments were constant, and so were his affectionate hugs. Taehyung never cared that it bothered your sister because the fond way you looked at him made it all worth it.

That’s where his need to have you all for himself began, and the feeling only intensified when his wife demanded that he stay away from you. As a man who had always gotten what he wanted, Taehyung didn’t listen.

It’s the night of your college graduation, and you’re having the worst time of your life. Instead of the day being all about you, your family decided to celebrate your sister’s promotion. Originally, you were meant to go to a restaurant that everyone liked to celebrate both achievements. In a very unsurprising turn of events, your sister insisted that she wanted to go to her favorite restaurant knowing that you were extremely allergic to seafood.

You didn’t say anything even as your family left with the vague promise of celebrating your once in a lifetime accomplishment another time. The funny thing is, you don’t feel completely disappointed. You’re mostly irritated because you turned down celebrating with your friends because you thought your family finally wouldn’t act shitty for one night.

It’s a shame that you’re staying in because you look really good. Your brother-in-law bought you the dress you’re wearing as an early graduation gift. You could still picture Taehyung’s cute boxy smile when you told him how much you loved it. Thinking back, maybe seeing you in the dress is what set your sister off when you walked down the stairs.

Pushing that out of your mind, you walked up the stairs to your room. As you ponder about what to do with the rest of your night, you wonder if Taehyung is still asleep. In probably the only selfless act your sister ever committed, she suggested her husband stay home to sleep off his jet lag.

You furrow your eyebrows when you see you door is ajar. As you get closer, you hear soft sighs and what almost sounds like moans.

“Fuck.” A deep voice you recognize instantly groans deeply.

You’re being extremely quiet, and a second later you hear a soft schlick schlick schlick sound that grows louder and quicker as time passes. Through the small opening, you can see part of your brother-in-law. Even though you can’t fully see him, you can tell he’s completely naked. Your eyes practically pop out of your head when you realize what’s going on. Taehyung is actually jerking off in your room, on your bed.

Your eyes get bigger as the wet sounds get more lewd. It’s like your feet are rooted to the ground, and all you can do is stand there and listen to him like some sick pervert. The longer you stand at your door, the more turned on you feel. Your panties are starting to get slick with your arousal, and you’re about to leave to put a stop to your sick behavior until you hear a moan of your name.

It’s like you’re not in control of your own actions as you go to push the door open. In spite of knowing what was going on, you’re still not prepared to see Taehyung sitting on the edge of your bed with a pair of panties wrapped around his cock.

Your panties.

“It’s rude to stare, sweetheart.” Taehyung’s voice is deeper than you’ve ever heard it. His lustful tone has you pulling your eyes away from his dripping cock and up to his smirking face.

What you should’ve said is that he’s the rude one for his actions, but you’re too flustered and turned on to say anything reasonable.

“Tae!” You squeak out, eyes dropping back to his thick dick. “Th-Those are mine.”

“I know.” He says brazenly. “Your sister doesn’t wear cute little panties like this. You don’t mind that I borrowed them, right?”

Your mouth is watering. His cock is so long and thick—it’s undoubtedly the biggest you’ve seen in person. You can’t stop staring at it, and you can’t really think past the arousal you feel. The feeling is sickening, especially because you know it’s wrong that all you can think about is how badly you want you put your mouth on his pretty cock.

“It’s wrong.” You finally manage to say. “You’re married to my sister.”

Taehyung doesn’t seem fazed by the reminder. He raises an eyebrow at you as he stands from your bed. Your panties are tossed by his discarded clothes, and you have a sick inkling that you won’t be getting them back. Before you can say anything, he steps forward and grabs your arm. He effortlessly pulls you closer until you’re flush against his chest. You swallow nervously when you feel his twitching cock rub against you.

“Your sister has to learn to share sometime.” His smirk is wolfish as his big hands settle on your waist. “God, baby. You don’t know how long I’ve been holding back. Been jerking off to the graduation photo your mom sent into the group chat since I woke up.”

“You’re sick.” You try to sound disgusted, but Taehyung’s eyes only shine brighter at your words.

God, you’re cute. Especially because he knows how much you like it. Your desire is reflected in the way you gasp filthily when he pinches your nipples through the dress you have on.

“I am.” He agrees through a hum, not stopping his rough movements. “But you like it. I can tell how turned on you are that I stole your panties and used them to jerk off.”

You let out a breathy moan as you feel a rush of arousal so heady it makes you dizzy. His hands trail down your body until he’s playing with the hem of your short dress.

“I bet your little pussy is soaked.” His voice is seductive as he places his lips near your ear.

You can’t say anything because it’s true. You’re so wet that you wouldn’t be surprised if your arousal started to drip down your thighs. Lust and arousal are dictating your actions now, and it’s why you don’t stop Taehyung when he uses one hand to push up your dress and slips the other into your panties.

“Oh, honey.” He purrs in pure delight. “You’re so fucking wet—just like I thought. Want me to play with your pussy, hm?”

You don’t say anything, but your sister’s husband isn’t having any of it.

“Say it. Tell me how much you want me to play with your juicy pussy.”

Whining lowly, you buck your hips forward. “I want you to play with my pussy, Tae. Please.”

Of course you comply to his wishes easily. You’re always so good for him. Taehyung licks his lips hungrily. He was going to wreck you in every way possible.

“Such a good girl.” He kisses your jaw fondly.

You let out a quiet gasp when his fingers swipe over your swollen clit. They delicately trace your pussy lips down to your leaking hole. He repeats the motions until you’re writhing against him. His long fingers gently rub circles on your sensitive lips, gathering your wetness and smearing it all over your aching clit. You’re moaning loudly by now, not caring that you’re doing something so despicable.

Taehyung smirks and pulls away from you, loving how you whine in protest. “Want more sweetheart?”

You nod almost petulantly.

“Tell your brother-in-law what you want. You know I’ll give it to you if you ask nicely.”

Any morality you have flies out the window at that moment. “Want to taste your cock.”

Taehyung’s eyes become impossibly dark at your words. His cock twitches as he watches you slowly peel your dress off. He groans at the sight of your naked body, cockhead leaking with more precum. God, he’s never wanted anything so badly in his life. (Not that) deep down, he knows that once he has you he won’t ever let you go. And he definitely won’t let anyone else have you.

You kneel in front of him so you’re face to face with his cock. It’s so hard that it almost looks painful. You lick your lips as you greedily take in the arousing sight.

“Fuck.” Taehyung groans when he sees you pressing your thighs together. “I’m going to blow my load if you keep looking at it like that.”

“Can’t help it. You’re just so fucking big.” You moan out the last word as you try to put pressure on your throbbing pussy.

More precum leaks out of his tip and slowly drips down his aching length. Taehyung groans lowly, the sound reverberating in his throat as his pupils dilate. He knew having you for real was better than any fantasy he could dream up.

“Yeah? Then show me how much like this big cock, sweetheart.”

You lean forward and lick up all the precum leaking down his dick, moaning against the soft skin. Sucking dick has always turned you on, but the fact that it’s Taehyung’s cock you have your mouth on is even more arousing. You lick your way back up and softly suckle on the head, slurping up his precum like candy. Your brother-in-law pulls out to trace your lips with his drippy tip, smearing precum across your mouth to claim you as his. Your arousal is dripping on the floor as you press a quick kiss on his dick. With an excited moan, you start to lap on it until he’s fucking his cock back into your mouth

“Fuck, baby—that’s it.” Taehyung moans, gently thrusting his cock forward. “Suck that cock like I know you can.”

You quickly bob your head down with a soft mewl. Taehyung’s eyes roll back when he feels your tongue tracing the thick vein on his cock as you sink down inch by inch. The soft hum you let out has his cock twitching in your mouth, coating your tongue with more of his precum.

“Feels so damn good.” Taehyung groans as he goes to caress your head.

More juices drip out of you as you hungrily keep sucking his cock. Your tongue circles his head before dipping into the slit to taste more of his precum. The cute little moans and mewls you let out around his dick only drive your brother-in-law more crazy.

“You look so pretty with my cock in your mouth, honey.” His eyes are dark as he rocks his hips into your mouth, pushing himself deeper into your throat until you start to gag. “Fuck. I can tell you like sucking me off. Didn’t expect you to be such a dirty little slut.”

You whine cutely, sucking him deeper into your mouth. Taehyung groans when you lick his leaking cockhead before sloppily bobbing your head further down his dick. Never in his life has he had his dick sucked this good, and he can’t help but think you deserve a reward for it.

“Get ready, sweetheart. I’m gonna cum.” Taehyung groans lowly. “I want you to swallow my load like a good girl. Can you do that for me?”

He pulls his cock out until just his leaking tip is left resting on your tongue. Taehyung moans your name as thick spurts of cum fill your mouth. You swallow it all up eagerly, loving the taste of him. Your pussy throbs when you see his stomach flex in reaction to you gently leaning forward to suckle the head of his cock. It’s like you want to make sure none of his seed goes to waste.

You give his throbbing tip a quick kiss before pulling back and shakily standing on your feet. Never have you been so turned on, and for the first time in your life you want to be greedy and demand more.

Luckily, your brother-in-law is greedy enough for the both of you.

“Don’t think I'm done with you, honey.” His voice comes out in a growl. “I haven’t even tasted that cute little pussy yet.”

The next thing you know, Taehyung has you splayed out on your bed, face buried in your wet cunt. He’s eating you out with a vigor you haven’t experienced until him, and all you can do is whine and moan loudly.

“I fucking knew you’d taste as sweet as you look.” He moans, tongue lapping at your dripping folds as he maintains eye contact. “Such a sweet little cunt. Best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Taehyung’s large hands push down on your thighs to spread you open for his eager mouth. He pulls back to spit on your pussy before fucking his spit into your clenching hole. The moan you let out is so loud that you wonder if your neighbors are able to hear you. At this point you don’t care. You’re too lost in pleasure as Taehyung shoves his face back into your cunt, licking into your slick hole.

“S-Shit, Tae.” You mewl as you grind your pussy into his mouth. “I’m already so close.”

He loves how surprised you sound. Clearly, those college boys hadn’t been doing a good job at keeping you satisfied. Taehyung is going to rectify that. He’s going to make sure you know what true pleasure is by the end of the night.

Taehyung flattens his tongue and laps at your cunt, parting your folds and pressing deeper into your dripping hole. You whine loudly, lost in the pleasure your brother-in-law is giving you. He’s slurping up your juices like it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted, and that just turns you on even more.

Your hands pull at his hair as you start to grind against his mouth, toes curled and eyes rolled to the back of your head. Taehyung groans at the burning feeling. He eagerly sucks your swollen bud into his mouth and flicks his tongue against it until you’re writhing against him.

“I’m gonna cum!” You moan loudly.

Taehyung hums in approval. He starts to suckle your clit softly to keep you on the edge longer. It’s so satisfying to hear your pretty moans and feel you trembling against him. Taehyung groans into your pussy as he begins to lap at your hole with nice slow licks.

“Cum on my tongue, honey. Show me how good I make you feel.” Your brother-in-law moans against your sopping folds.

“Taehyung!” You cry out as you cum all over his face, juices coating the lower part of his face.

He moans along with you, suckling your clit back into his mouth until you’re writhing from overstimulation. Taehyung smirks against you as he presses a gentle kiss on your throbbing pussy. He starts trailing wet kisses up your body until he gets to your mouth.

“Such a good girl.” He whispers before pressing his lips on yours and shoving his tongue into your mouth.

You can taste yourself on his lips as you arch up into his body. His dripping cock drags against your throbbing pussy, gently teasing you. The mewls you let out makes him thrusts his hips to rub his cock through the slick leaking from your cunt. You wrap your legs around his waist to pull his cock closer and grind up against it. A quiet fuck falls from your lips when you feel his hot cock glide through your messy folds. Eager hands run through Taehyung’s soft hair. You’re so turned on that you can’t think straight.

“So fucking good for me.” Taehyung coos after he pulls back. The pretty, needy face you have is one he keeps wanting to see. Eagerly, he starts to press sloppy kisses across your neck. “Can’t wait to feel your wet little pussy, baby.”

You whimper and pull him back up into another kiss. This time he licks into your mouth messily, spit dripping from the corners of your lips to slide down your jaw. You feel him grind his cock against you before pulling away. Taehyung takes his cock and slaps it against your dripping pussy, gathering all your slick along the length of it.

“Are you ready for me, baby?” His deep voice growls. “Ready for me to stuff your pretty little cunt?”

“Yes!” You mewl desperately. “Want to feel you split me open, Tae. Fuck—you’re so big.”

You can see his pupils expanding. “Yeah? You want me to stretch this tight little hole out? Show you what it’s like for a real man to fuck you?”

You nod, sucking your bottom lip into your mouth before sinking your teeth into the plush skin. Fuck. You’ve never wanted anyone so badly. Any thoughts of how wrong this all in disappears when you look back into your brother-in-law’s eyes.

“Shit,” he groans before he spits on to your wet pussy.

Taehyung pressed his cock down so his leaking tip slowly eases into your soaked pussy. He slowly rocks his hips to sink inch by inch into your pulsing cunt. Your mewls and whines makes his dick throb almost painfully, and it’s right then that he decides he can’t let you go. Never.

“What a tight little pussy,” Taehyung says as he licks his lips. He pulls back and thrusts forward harder than before. Your tight cunt clenches down on his cock as he bottoms out completely. “Such a treat.”

“God, Tae.” You whine, voice high. “Fuck me.”

Immediately, he starts sliding his cock in and out of your cunt. Taehyung’s rough thrusts make your lovely tits bounce. You moan loudly when his pelvis rubs over your swollen clit. It makes you keen and move your hips to meet his movements. Heavy balls against your ass with every thrust, the loud plap plap plap of skin on skin drives your arousal even higher.

“So fucking good!” You gasp out, whines and moans mixing in together.

You feel almost dizzy as Taehyung keeps spearing you open on his thick cock. He’s hitting your sweet spot repeatedly, and you can feel a familiar coil building in the pit of your stomach. Your brother-in-law groans when your wet cunt clenches around him. He lowers his weight on your body, wanting to get impossibly closer to you. Your skin starts to stick to his from the sweat building between your bodies.

Taehyung starts to place wet kisses on your neck, teeth grazing your skin with gently nips that make your pussy flutter around his cock. You feel so good that you can’t contain the wanton noises from leaving your mouth. Taehyung’s fat cock grinds into the spongy spot inside your cunt as he savagely ruts into your body. His pelvis grazes your sensitive clot, sending shocks up pleasure up your spine. Slick gushes from your pussy as he hammers into your g-spot, making you squeeze him tighter and tighter.

“God. You’re so much tighter than your sister,” he groans into your ear. “Can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this cute little pussy.”

His words do the trick and make you cum hard on his cock. You cry out loudly, chanting his name repeatedly as your pussy clamps down on his dick. Taehyung grins deviously. His hand slips down your body to rub and tease your clit. This prolongs your orgasm until it feels like you’re cumming a second time.

“Fuck, sweetheart. You’re so fucking hot,” Taehyung groans as you coat his dick with your cream.

A deep moan rumbles in his chest as he fucks you harder. He’s so addicted to your pussy that he can’t completely pull his cock out of you. Your brother-in-law desperately ruts into your slick walls, chasing his own orgasm. After a few more mind blowing thrusts, he’s pressing his cock deep into your cunt until thick cum is spilling from the bulbous head, stuffing you full.

“Got the tightest little pussy I’ve ever fucked.”

You mewl in content as Taehyung’s hips press against yours while he continues to fuck his cum into you.

Your slick walls milk his cock for all its worth. You can feel it pulsing inside you as he pants against your skin. Taehyung swivels his hips into you, smirking when you cry out for him. He pulls his cock halfway out of your cunt before sinking it back inside a second later. Your creamy arousal and his cum mix together and form a ring around the base of his dick.

“Feels so good, Tae.”

You’re so fucked out, but he can tell you want more. Being so used to only getting the bare minimum, he knows you won’t dare to ask for more. Luckily, he’s greedy enough for the both of you.

“Don’t worry, honey. I’m not done using your cute little pussy. Gonna keep you on my cock all night long.”

Time seems unreal from then on. You’re lost in the haze of pleasure, and you can’t be sure how many times you’ve cum all over Taehyung’s big cock. You know he’s came in you two more times after his first orgasm. Somehow, his cock is still so stiff and hard.

“Think you can take one more for me, baby?” Taehyung coos as he lifts your limp legs on his forearms.

You mewl weakly, hips lifting slightly. He smirks down at you, loving how you can’t get enough of him. Taehyung nudges his drooling tip against your entrance, dragging the leaking head to smear the cum from the last cream pie he gave you all over your messy cunt. The actions make you whine and shift against him, silently begging him to spear you open all over again.

“One last load for your greedy little pussy,” his smile seems more innocent than it actually is. “Be good for me, honey.”

With that, he sinks his dirty cock into your sore pussy. Taehyung leans forward to press your sweaty bodies together. Your eyes roll back of your head as the tip of his cock kisses your cervix, thighs shaking in his arms.

“The best pussy I’ve had wrapped around my dick, and to think it belongs to my sweet sister-in-law.”

Your pussy spasms and clenches down on his thick cock as you cry out. Brain melting pleasure seeps down your spine as he fucks into your cunt roughly. All you can do is cry out as he keeps hammering his cock into your sensitive hole.

“Fuck, sweetheart. I’m not gonna be able to give up this sweet little pussy. It’s so tight and wet. Makes me want it all the time.”

The way he whispers those filthy words make another orgasm slam into your body. You cry out his name as your pussy pulses and leaks with your arousal, sucking his cock deeper into your hole.

“That’s it, honey. Milk this cock like it’s yours,” he groans into your skin, thrusting into your pussy until you’re crying out from overstimulation.

Taehyung smashes his lips on yours, forcing his tongue into your mouth. He bites down on your bottom lip before pulling away from you.

“That’s it, baby. Take all of my cum like a good girl.”

As always, you do as you’re told. Your pussy clamps down on once again, milking his thick cock as he buries it inside your messy walls. He moans against your skin as he slowly grinds into you, spilling thick ropes of cum inside you. The sticky heat makes your clit throb with arousal even as you’re on the verge of being overcome with exhaustion.

Taehyung places a gentle kiss on your temple before he pulls his softening cock out of your leaking cunt. He sighs contentedly as he slaps his cock down on your messy pussy. The wet splat sound makes you whine out.

“Tae, I’m sore.” You pout at him.

“Sorry, honey.” Taehyung sounds sincere as he fingers him cum back into your pussy. “Let’s get you in the shower.”

Taehyung’s heart lurches as you reach out for him. He scoops you in his arms and helps you to the bathroom, whispering sweet praises when he helps you step under the warm water.

At this point, he can care less that this will potentially drive his wife over the edge when she finds out. He was being completely serious when he said he’s not going to give you up. Taehyung can’t care about the potential consequences. He’s selfish, even more so than his wife. She knew this and still wanted to unify herself to him. That’s why he can’t be entirely blamed. After all, everything that is his wife’s also belongs to him. And that includes you.

[silverflameataraxia]

Nesta very much gives off the same energy that she receives. She's never been mean to anyone who hasn't also been mean to her.

"If Nesta treated Gwyn and Emerie the way she treated the IC..."

Ahh, no. If the IC treated Nesta the way that Gwyn and Emerie treated her, maybe things would be different. The IC hated Nesta before they even met her, all because she "let" Feyre hunt. They've never once cared about Nesta as a person or what trauma she might have gone through as a child. All they care about is Feyre's trauma. Nesta sees and hears everything. The second she opened the door to the IC, she knew they hated her and she acted accordingly.

The big difference being Azriel. Az has never once said a bad word about Nesta, and Nesta has never been mean to him. He treats her like a normal person, and she reciprocates. Personally, I think this is because Az is the only one who can see that Nesta is like him. Both may have been raised by the same parents as their siblings, but both of them were the only ones to endure years of abuse.

When it comes to Nesta's friends, or at least those she is nice to (Emerie, Gwyn, the Valkyries, Clotho, the other priestesses, Eris, Helion, Bryce, Ember, Randall) none of their worlds revolve around Feyre. Some of them may be be aware that Feyre did the hunting, but they don't hold it against Nesta that she didn't. They see Nesta from a fresh perspective and Nesta responds accordingly.

When it comes to Emerie and Gwyn, they are what each other needed so desperately. Emerie needed someone like Nesta, a female who wasn't impressed with the male warriors in Windhaven, and a female who wasn't obsessed with marriage and baby-making. Nesta found in Emerie someone who sided with her against Rhysand (at least somewhat): "If you're cold out there, you shouldn't suffer...No matter what the High Lord may think." And someone who didn't fear her, someone who gave her naked approval of her spectacular beheading of the King of Hybern.

With Gwyn, Nesta taught her to stand up for herself, that she didn't deserve a tongue-lashing for her supposed failure, that she was someone worth defending. Gwyn taught Nesta that even in the midst of trauma, she could find joy and happiness, she could smile and laugh, dance and sing.

Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie found in each other unconditional love and acceptance. The ability to be vulnerable, to share their deepest secrets and scars. To open up about their "failures". What they gained was the knowledge that none of them have failed anyone. That they have each other's backs. That they're the rocks against which the surf crashes. Nothing can break them.

[fantastic-nonsense]

I think people who genuinely wanted Percy to rebel against the gods and overthrow the system kind of...miss the whole point of the series

The question is not whether or not the gods deserve to rule; the books are kind of unambiguous that they don't! That the gods are generally undeserving of their children's loyalty is the one thing that Percy and Luke both agree on! But PJO is less about divine right to rule vs. ruling via consent of the governed and more about improving dysfunctional family systems. It's not about whether unfair rulers deserve to continue ruling; it's about forcing the gods to be better, fairer rulers and a better, fairer family given limited alternatives.

Because what are the alternatives, as presented to us within the scope of the original PJO series?

Option 1: allow Kronos to topple Olympus and take over. Clearly not a viable alternative for all of the reasons the books show us.

Option 2: the demigods overthrow the Olympians and rule the world themselves. Okay. How's that going to work out long-term, given demigods are mortal and cannot control or protect their parents' domains? Demigods will die out within a generation or two, so that's potentially a one-generation short-term solution, and then everyone's right back where they started. Except worse, because now the world has been out of divine balance for a century and the gods have a completely legitimate bone to pick with all demigods. Materially worse outcome.

Option 3: demigods ignore the gods and their will entirely. They integrate into the mortal world, refuse to participate in quests or talk to their parents, and pretend prophecies don't exist. Except that's clearly not a viable option, since we see that demigods usually can't safely exist in the mortal world without monsters coming after them, the gods are cruel enough to use blackmail and engage in hostage situations to get demigods to act as heroes, and prophecies have a way of coming true regardless of everyone's best attempts to circumvent them. Again: materially worse outcome.

And for Percy, for the demigods at Camp Half-Blood, for Luke and for everyone else who defected....for the most part, they don't actually have an inherent problem with the gods ruling them. They just want to be acknowledged, valued, and loved by their families, to be treated as more than a tool for their parents to wield whenever their services are needed. That was the core thesis of the demigod rebellion, which was wholly separate from Kronos' specific motivations for overthrowing the Olympians, and it's why Percy's asks at the end of TLO were what they were.

The point was always that had Percy grown up in a slightly more dysfunctional family environment...had he grown up with Frederick Chase's seemingly conditional love or May Castellan's madness instead of Sally Jackson's steady, quiet, unconditional love...he could have turned out like Luke. Like Ethan. Like the dozens of demigods who defected from camp to join Luke's cause. Percy could have turned out just as a bitter and angry and vengeful. Just as ready to tear down the system. Just as willing to betray and kill his own family for the sake of making a point.

But instead, Percy openly reprimands the gods for abandoning their families and using them as cannon fodder in their own petty disagreements. He forces them to acknowledge and claim their children. He demands that everyone who is part of the godly family be recognized and accepted, not just those related to the Twelve Olympians. He asks for those unjustly punished (like Calypso) to be set free and accepted back into the family. Because that's the point at the end of the day: not forcing bad rulers to step down, but changing an insanely dysfunctional family system that the gods and demigods are all members of into a better, safer, and more accepting environment for demigods to grow up and live in.

Overthrowing the gods wouldn't solve the problem at the heart of the series, which is the gods' shitty parenting and family management skills. It would only exacerbate the massive familial fault-lines that Kronos exploited and leave the demigods open to more godly manipulation. Which is why the series ends as it does, with Percy using his wish to tangibly improve the lives of his family instead of selfishly improving his own life (via accepting immortality/godhood) or overthrowing the gods. Because the conflict isn't about the gods as rulers. It's about the gods as parents.

PJO's core thesis is Percy, who grew up knowing unconditional familial love, looking at this whole world of children who didn't and saying "that's not fair. Gods should be better than this!" But instead of destroying them the way Luke wants to, instead of overthrowing them and putting himself on the throne, he instead challenges them to be better parents and family members. To be part of the solution instead of the problem. And Percy's demands don't solve everything, but they were necessary first steps! Without forcing the gods to acknowledge a bare minimum floor of inclusion, the cycle would simply begin all over again the next time a major conflict popped up.

So that's the problem Percy solves and how he successfully fulfills the prophecy: by believing that the gods had the capacity to change and forcing them to break the cycle of familial abandonment, he preserves Olympus and takes the first steps towards a new status quo, one that is objectively better for demigods than the one he grew up in. That's why he succeeds, and it's why Percy overthrowing the gods would have made for a much less satisfying ending than what actually happened.

[stargirl-in-dilfspace]

It Will Come Back - Logan Howlett x f!reader

[a/n: hi!! It’s been a minute but your girl is back with some good ol’ wolvie. another joel fic is in the works, and possible a part two to this one depending on feedback <3 love yall]

Warnings: angst, brief smut (NSFW), cage fighting, alcohol, cigar, mention of cat death :(

Content/themes: angst! cage fighter!logan, bartender!reader, not really an age gap idk I see reader as a full grown established adult, based of the hozier song, reader & lo hookup in this chapter but don’t get together, fear of love, mild smut, big stray cat metaphor, possible mutant!reader, reader has a sexy car so, brief section on their backseat of her car sex, the claws come out (or did they?), idiots who deserve comfort and love and need to recover from years of trauma to love each other because they are meant for each other

Summary: A stray Wolverine finds his way into your bar looking for the cage fights. But you both find something you swore off a long time ago. [1.3k words]

You knew better. You’d known better since you were told at age 7 not to feed the stray because he’d keep coming back. But you never really learned your lesson, since that cat proved to be the sweetest of them all. He’d curl up to you when you left your window open at night, push up against your legs in the backyard when you’d come home from school, hiss at any other person or animal. That’s why they put him down, when the neighborhood decided he was too aggressive.

Love like that wasn’t something you'd ever find again. The unconditional protectiveness you received all from simply feeding a stray with your kindness. And that's how you got him killed.

Never again.

To say your love life was parallel to a nun’s would be an over exaggeration. No man had ever drawn in your love the way a stray could.

The tragedy that is a stray.

Maybe you gravitated to working in this bar because everyone here was a stray. Everyone an orphan, who was someone’s, once. It helped that the cage fights were rather entertaining. Watching grown men lose their shit over losing bets, dealing out drinks left and right, everyone who came through had a level of respect for you, everyone’s favorite bartender.

“What can I get you?” Your voice flowed with the familiar words, watching the new face turn up to make eye contact with you, a cigar hanging from his lips, a good head of hair and a worn face.

“You the lady to talk to about getting in on these fights?” He asked, giving you a questioning eyebrow.

“No, Jimmy takes all the bets around here, pudgy guy, beard, back right.” You pointed past him, to Jimmy. Instead of following your finger, he gently waved his hand, looking back at you.

“No, are you the lady to talk to about fighting?” He rephrased, and you grinned. Fresh meat, right?

“Sure, I need a name.” You replied with the grin still on your lips. He looked fit, you wondered if he’d be getting his shit rocked in the cage within the hour. Or preferably by you, and not in that cage.

“Logan.”

“I need a fighting name. Privacy, and whatever.”

“Wolverine.” He puffed out the cigar’s smoke, a smell that this place already reeked of.

“The Wolverine, that's a new one. Welcome.” You smiled more genuinely, waving over one of the announcers, alerting them to your newest competitor. “Can I get you a drink, while you wait?”

“No, just the fights.” He replied, observing you in a way that made it seem like he was taking all of you in.

“Sure you can take more than one round in the ring?” You tilted your head a bit, observing him in the same way, the tension something burning that you squeezed as you spoke, as if it’d choke him up.

“You’d be surprised.” He cracked a grin, you almost wanted to take that in a different way with the way his eyes lingered on you.

————————————————————

You weren’t exactly surprised that he was a good fighter, but it's been 3 hours of continuous beatings, without a cut or a bruise to show for it, he liked to make eye contact with you, doing some dance on that tightrope you were both walking this evening. You wouldn’t complain about the view, since he started he’d shed the jacket and shirt he’d had on. It helped that he won every fight, with a somewhat practiced ease, which made plenty of viewers upset for the losses of their bets.

As the night winded down, bets closed, drunks left angry or big winners. Some frequent patrons lingered on your stools, or in the seats. You watched Logan return to the same stool as earlier.

“Would our very own Wolverine like a beer?” You offered again, wiping up some spilled beer on your bartop.

“Logan’s fine. And yeah, hun, whatever you’ve got in a bottle.” You were used to terms of endearment used by men for you around here, but nothing like the way it fell off of his lips. It made something burn in your body, a sense of nervousness and excitement, that had you grabbing the first bottle you could for him.

You popped the top, moving it over yout bartop into his hand, and part of you wanted to ask how he was unscathed from all the beatings he’d supposedly taken.

“Anything else, Logan?” You asked, more soft than you intended, taking in his appearance. What was it about this particular stray that you felt needed you? Like the way your neighborhood one had? It felt pathetic, the way you tried to straighten yourself out after the slip of your voice.

“No, darlin’. Unless you’ve got a name for me?” He grinned the same way he had earlier, and you could feel the blush dusting your cheeks.

————————————————————

That’s how you made it to the backseat of your black 67’ Ford Galaxie, being fucked like you don’t think you ever have been. Something about digging your fingernails into his skin, the way you couldn’t even see any indents with how hard you pressed, maybe it was the dark? Your legs wrapped around his hips, secured by one strong arm, the other holding himself up above you, buried in your hair. He didn’t seem the affectionate type, maybe you were wrong.

You were so lost, you couldn’t distinguish the small praises and growls on his breath, even if they met your ears like a goddamn symphony.

Something made you make eye contact with him that night, making what should've been a regular hookup into something much more intimate than it should be.

————————————————————

Maybe he shouldn't have looked into your eyes that night. Maybe he shouldn't have given himself a taste of something he should never have deserved once in his life.

But he did.

And by the time you were asleep on him, maybe he should have woken you up, told you he should go. Maybe he should have denied himself the tug you had on something deep inside him, what could be a tug on the heart he swore he didn't have.

But he didn't.

And in the morning when you said goodbyes, it wasn't nearly as awkward as it should've been, at least to him, he liked watching over you that night. He craved that tugging he felt inside of himself to curl up with you, so close you couldn't ever leave him, so close that he would let nothing hurt you.

After years of losing every person he’d ever loved, some wall stayed built, a locked door that kept him out of the warmth of your embrace.

————————————————————

You figured you wouldn't see him again for a long time, he’d told you he was a wanderer, traveling from place to place, with no home to call his own.

He reminded you of that stray cat, and maybe you should've ran the moment you felt like you needed to give him comfort and the home he deserved. You swore you’d never let someone who needed you die again.

But this was a man, a man whose mind had to be wired differently than a cat’s. But something told you part of it wasn't wired differently, the something that heard to skint of metal in the dark of your backseat when he’d damn near growled and come with you.

If the man wasn’t like your stray, why did he have the claws to prove that he was? You reminded yourself that was your imagination, because just as you turned your head to the sound, the glimmer of metal was a figment of your fucked-out mind, not really slipping back between his knuckles.

Hung up on a hookup? How pathetic. You’d never see this man again, he'd never stumble into your bar again, looking for a fight, and finding you instead.

Finding something neither of you wanted to give a name, yowling at the door you stayed on either side of, pleading to come in.

————————————————————

[a/n: I LOVED writing this!!! PLEASE let me know if you enjoyed, it’s much appreciated PLUS it will help me know if yall want another part to their story <3]

[rustic-ghoul]

I love how unconditional Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship is.

Other than The Arrangement and dinner (which I’m pretty sure were just excuses in the early days to hang out with each other) and the odd apology dance (when it was deserved after one of them really hurts the others feelings) they don’t owe each other anything.

When Crowley asks for Holy Water he doesn’t say to Aziraphale that he owes him for saving his life in Paris. In 1941 when Crowley thanks Aziraphale for ‘getting him off the hook’ Aziraphale doesn’t say well you saved me earlier this evening so now we’re even. They never need to get even with each other. There are no conditions.

…which is why the final fifteen hurts.

They both feel like conditions are set.

Crowley thinks Aziraphale’s condition is he needs to become an Angel again to be worthy. Aziraphale thinks Crowley’s kiss was his condition/leverage. Using his own feelings against him. I kiss you so now you have to stay.

These ineffable idiots really need to talk it through

[book--wyrm]

You know, there's something here to like. Both Oz and Sofia engage almost exclusively in transactional relationships while deeply craving unconditional love, but they way they deal with that absence in their lives are totally the opposite.

"We got their love. You know why? 'Cause we pay them."

Oz seems to have on some level conflated the two, convinced himself that he can purchase love. That if he throws enough money around the community, if he pays Eve enough, that if he gives Vic a place to stay, as long as he's generally nice and friendly to them, that these people will give *everything* to him.

Of course he does. His ma raised him, loved him, put a roof over his head. And in return he owes her his entire life, and maybe then she will pay him back in affection.

Nevermind that he's always bitten the hand that paid him. Even Sofia, who was friendly and protective of him, even if she never saw him back then as a person with his own ambitions and fears and desires.

"He pays you, I presume, so... Can't be love."

Sofia, on the other hand, seems to have withdrawn entirely from the idea that things like love and family are for her. Transactional relationships are easier. Safer. The more you care, the more risk you invite. She can't survive that hurt again. "Whatever I was born into, I will never have that."

She and Oz both gather allies under the argument that they deserve better than they've had, but Oz is always talking about pride, dignity, loyalty, what they deserve. Making sure they know your NAAAAAME.

Sofia talks much more colder, more practical language. The Falcones cheated them out of a fair wage. She will pay them what they deserve for the services they render unto her. She will give them exactly what she promised, if they do the same.

No more, no less.

[daydreamer-in-reverie]

I want to put focus on how significant parents are in the Hunger Games franchise, most especially on the role a parent has in shaping their child’s psyche and I want to do this by using Katniss, Peeta and Snow as reference. 

In the books and the movies, parents are more or less background characters. We truly only see glimpses of them. Both of Peeta’s parents are alive yet we rarely see them featured prominently in the books/movies. Both of Snow’s parents are dead and we only get to hear of them in passing and while Mrs. Everdeen is alive, she’s often relegated to the background because of how dismissive Katniss is towards her mother. 

Yet these characters and the very essence of their beings are shaped by their parents. 

Beginning with Katniss, we saw how deeply her father’s death wounded her. He was their provider, the sole person responsible for bringing food onto their table. We know how deeply he was loved by his children and his wife and how beloved he was by the other citizens of 12 by Katniss’ stories. Mr. Everdeen was a well known figure in the Hobb and Katniss firmly believed that it was because of him that people took pity on her and allowed her to bargain with them. It was his death that served as a catalyst to Katniss’ journey to becoming a Victor. Without his death, without Katniss being forced to hunt to serve her family, she wouldn’t have made it out of the arena. To Katniss, her father was the hero deserving of being placed on a pedestal and it was his values and actions that she tried desperately to emulate to protect her family. 

On the other hand, Katniss scorned her mother. She hated Mrs. Everdeen’s inaction when she spiraled into a deep depression after her husband died. And though it wasn’t Mrs. Everdeen’s fault, I can’t blame Katniss for feeling this way about her mother. She and her sister were near the brink of death by starvation on the day she met Peeta. Even when Mr. Everdeen was alive, Katniss was partial to her father because he stoked the rebellion in Katniss’ heart while it was her mother who tried to stop it. Katniss perceived her mother’s depression as a weakness and even after she got better, Katniss was determined to keep her at arms length. The love she felt for her mother may have been unconditional but she constantly put her mother under the test. Waiting to see if she would disappoint her, fail her by abandoning her once again. And when Prim died and Mrs. Everdeen left for District 4, Katniss’s unconscious bias against her mother was once again reaffirmed. 

It’s why Katniss struggles to form a good bond with motherly characters like Effie but maintains relatively good relationships with fatherly figures like Haymitch and Cinna. Katniss openly admits that of the two people who guided them throughout the Hunger Games, it was Haymitch she was most alike. They grew up at the Seam, and shared similar features and she was adamant that should she have been forced into becoming a mentor like Haymitch was, she was looking at what her future would have looked like. Drunk and continuously intoxicated like Haymitch was. 

On the other hand, we have Peeta. 

Peeta was routinely abused by his mother. While we don’t know the full extent of what it was he had to endure, we know that it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Peeta’s mother took pride in the knowledge that District 12 would finally have another Victor, and she wasn’t referring to Peeta. We saw him take a beating to feed Katniss and whatever relationship Peeta had with his father was practically nonexistent. It was his mother that served to be the looming presence in his life the same way Katniss’ father haunted her. It’s why I believe Peeta got along so well with Effie and why Effie likely preferred Peeta over Katniss. Aside from the fact that Peeta was so much more civil to Effie than Katniss was to Effie, Peeta always deferred to Effie. He and Effie are similar in the same way Katniss and Haymitch are similar. 

Peeta was characterized to be of the merchant class, the “upper” class of District 12. As a given, Effie is from the Capitol, the upper crust of Panem. It was Effie who provided Katniss and Peeta with the script necessary to ensure their survival after the 74th Games and in return, Effie knew how effectively a person’s image and reputation could mean life and death in the arena and in this, Peeta is in agreement. While Katniss may have used a bow as a weapon, Peeta used his words. He always knew the right things to say and do to get people to side with him, so much so that he managed to convince the careers of the 74th Games, his biggest enemies in the arena, to ally with him. Had anyone else been in his situation, they would have been killed. Peeta craved Effie’s maternalism the same way Katniss craved Haymitch’s paternalism because these were the things they lacked growing up.

And then there’s Coriolanus, who lost both his parents and it is both of these parents who haunt him. His mother, described to be beautiful and kind, was represented by the powder compact he kept with him constantly. His father, harsh and cruel, represented by the handkerchief that Snow kept with him.

In TBOSAS, Snow has two mentors himself. 

Dean Highbottom and Dr. Gaul.

It’s not lost on me that in them, the characterization of the two are reversed from Snow’s parents. Highbottom, like Snow’s father is stern and harsh. He is Snow’s biggest critic and while I doubt Mr. Snow would go so far as to hate his own child, he would not have been kind to Coriolanus had he lived past the war. Yet Highbottom and Mr. Snow’s similarities end there. Because of Highbottom’s remorse and the kindness that he showed Lucy Gray after she won the Games, he takes after Snow’s mother in that regard. He is compassionate and filled with horror at the abomination he created.

On the other hand, Gaul treats Snow with a gentleness that Highbottom never had for him. Though Snow finds Gaul creepy, it is Gaul that takes him under his wing. It is Gaul who stitches up his wounds after he is attacked in the arena and retrieves Sejanus and Gaul who praises him for his ingenuity at suggesting the sponsoring system. Gaul genuinely likes Snow and begins grooming him to become her replacement in the event that she dies. But while Gaul may have been a woman with the capacity for gentleness, she is a terrible human being who threw children into the arena to fight for their survival. She is the same woman who hung a child for running away from the games and paraded the corpses of children on the streets of the Capitol. She is pure evil. She is exactly like Snow’s father. 

It isn’t loss on me that Snow, who has an abundance of maternal figures in his grandmother and Tigris, chooses to take after Gaul, who is externally like his mother but internally like his father, rather than Highbottom, who is the opposite. 

At every instance Snow had to do good, to choose to do the right thing and be like his mother, he intentionally continued to do the evil thing for the sake of his selfishness and be like his father. 

“You look just like your father, Coriolanus.” Were the words Tigris used to describe him at the end of the movie because that is precisely who he chose to become. 

And as Snow poisons Highbottom and becomes a gamemaker under Gaul’s tutelage, he kills whatever remnant of his mother he had left in him, fully embodying his cruel father’s ideals.

[jeonginsleftcheek]

The sun to me

Chapter IX. Blossom.

pairing: hwang hyunjin x afab!reader

word count: 6.8k

chapter summary: as the storm finally pours down, the doubts and fears get washed away for a moment, allowing the deepest of feelings to emerge to the surface.

warnings: lots of kissing and making out, a few angsty thoughts

~ Masterlist for the series

~ next part

🌷Tulip - deep, unconditional love

Your legs took you up the hill, right in front of Isaac's big wooden door, the one you knocked on a second ago.

Your body is buzzing with excitement as you swing back and forth slightly, you feel as if your heart is beating in your stomach, chest and throat all at the same time.

The door is swung open and you're met with Isaac's slightly surprised but delighted smile.

"Oh, y/n!"- he gives you a warm hug. "Come in, come in."- he moves aside to let you in.

"Hi, Isaac."- you greet as you smile at him.

"I am going to presume you are here to see Hyunjin?"- the man chuckles and your face gets instantly red, answering his question even before you say anything.

"Oh... I mean yes, both of you. Just wanted to visit."- you stumble on your words as Isaac smiles knowingly.

"Hyunjin ran out this morning, he isn't back yet. But, you're welcome to join me for tea while we wait for him."- Isaac suggests and you nod.

"Did he say where he was going?"- you ask, your chest constricting a little.

"Nope, he just said that he has to take care of something."

You sit with your lips pursed as Isaac brings you a cup of tea.

"You look worried."- he notices as he sits down too, both of you turned towards the window and watching the wind picking up, making the sea wild, a reflection of your soul in the water.

"It's just, I have to tell him something."- you swallow.

"Oh... Oh."- Isaac nods in understanding. "I think he also has something to say to you. But I won't interfere too much, it's really not my place. I'm just gonna wish you both good luck."

"T-thank you."- you giggle at Isaac's words.

"Let me show you something, though."- he says suddenly as he stands up.

You're confused but you follow him to his studio.

The wood creaks as Isaac opens the door slowly and immediately you're hit with the familiar smell of wood and varnish.

Looking around, you see Isaac's sculptures and furniture but as your head turns left, towards the big windows, you see a few canvases leaned against them.

You come closer, your heart beating faster.

There, leaning on the glass are a few paintings... of you.

You gasp, the paintings make you look so beautiful, so ethereal and you wonder if this is how Hyunjin sees you.

"He spends a lot of time working on his paintings now. He couldn't even hold a pen when he arrived. You really brought it out of him again, inspired him. I know he's only been here for barely two months but I came to care for him as if he's my own son. Especially because he reminds me of Leo a lot, and of me when I was younger. And I've known you since you were a little girl. I know your kind heart. You two really deserve to be happy and you deserve each other. You should go home y/n, I'm pretty sure he went to see you, so maybe he's waiting now. Go, before the storm rolls in."- Isaac ushers you out and you whip around quickly, tears filling up your eyes from the turmoil of emotions raging inside you.

"Thank you so much Isaac!"- you call out as you start running down the hill like a crazy person, your hair and dress flying around you as the wind rages, the clouds gather closer, distant thunder rumbling through the darkened sky.

Hyunjin has ran from the pier to your door, knocking repeatedly on it only to realize you aren't home. Panicked, he makes his way to your shop.

He knows you don't open on the weekend but maybe you went there for some reason and he rushes there, almost slipping in the process.

His heart sinks when he sees that the shop is locked and the lights are off. Where have you gone?

Hyunjin briefly thinks that maybe you went to get breakfast at the restaurant so he hurries to his next stop in an attempt to find you, only to again run into a locked door and a sign that says 'closed due to storm!'.

Hyunjin visibly deflates, slowly turning around and deciding to make his way back to Isaac's house.

Distant rumble of thunder comes in closer and he jolts for a moment, lifting his head up towards the sky. The dark clouds are closing in on him now and he decides to hurry, taking long strides to arrive home quickly.

Just as you run to Hyunjin, you feel a drop of rain hit your cheek, sliding down like a tear. Your heart skips a beat when you see him in the distance, his hands in his pockets and his head down as he walks up the street.

A few more drops hit Hyunjin's head and he keeps looking down to shield his face. You're about to yell his name but before you can utter one syllable the rain comes down on both of you like a shower, cold and big water drops getting you wet instantly.

Hyunjin looks up only to stop in his tracks, as he sees you just a few feet before him.

"Y/n?"- at this point he thinks he's dreaming, as he was looking for you, maybe he had manifested you from his mind to reality.

"Hyunjin!"- you chuckle despite the rain and both of you take hurried steps towards each other like you're two magnets pulled by some unknown force.

"I was looking for you."- he breathes out as he gets closer.

"Me too."- you say and the rain becomes heavier, the thunder louder.

"Shit! Come on, my house is the closest!"- you yell over the sound of rain, unconsciously you take hold of Hyunjin's hand as you pull him back towards your house, both of your feet splashing the puddles that have already formed on the street.

Hyunjin shivers, not from the cold rain or wind, but from your somehow still warm hand in his and he lets his fingers slot between yours so perfectly like that is exactly where they belonged.

Both of your hearts are beating hard and there is no going back now as the two of you start laughing like two idiots in the rain, running towards shelter.

You manage to unlock your door after some fumbling as the two of you stumble inside, giggles spilling from both your lips.

The door is closed with a click and the sound of rain and thunder becomes a little muffled, as the two of you drip on the floor.

"I-"

"Y/n-"

You both talk at the same time, shutting up before laughing again.

You shiver visibly and Hyunjin's hands lift up to land on your arms as he steps closer to you. You freeze as you look up at him.

"Are you cold?"- he asks gently and you nod.

"We should shower and get rid of these clothes or we'll get sick."- you say quietly, proud of yourself that you didn't stutter as he runs his hands up and down your biceps gently.

"Yeah, you go first."- he smiles.

"But what if-"

"No, it's fine, I'll wait. I can make some tea?"- he suggests and you nod.

As you stand in your bathroom and peel away the wet clothes, there are fireworks exploding inside you. Nothing has happened yet but his eyes have already told you enough.

It was on the tip of your tongues, a confession filled with gentleness, on the tips of his fingers against your skin, burning his imprints on the surface as well as deep inside your heart.

You step under the warm shower, exhilirated and nervous, thinking how Hyunjin is just one room away from you.

Hyunjin waits for the tea, shivering a little as his head turns towards the sound of the shower running. He gulps, the realization of you being in there naked dawning on him, and he becomes jealous even of the water that caresses your beautiful body.

He shakes his head fast, there are still things that need to be said first. And Hyunjin can't wait to tell you that his heart burns with love and passion just for you.

"I'm done."- you appear in the kitchen, like that day he barged in, in an oversized shirt and sweats, your hair wet as you dry it with a towel.

"Oh, good, the tea is done too."- he nods, butterflies dancing around in his stomach.

"I don't know if they'll be okay for you but um- I have some oversized clothes you could maybe fit in."- you smile shyly.

"Thanks but is it really okay if I take a shower here? I mean, I don't want to make you uncomfortable."- Hyunjin says and you quickly shake your head.

"No, it's completely fine, I'm not uncomfortable at all. I'll make some instant ramen while you shower, how's that sound?"

"Perfect."- Hyunjin smiles before he makes his way to the bathroom where you had set down some clean clothes and towels.

The warm shower is welcoming, as Hyunjin drowns in the sweet smell of your shampoo.

His body is electrified and he dares to grab the bottle and use your shampoo to wash his hair with it.

Everything around him and on him smells like you, the clothes you gave him, his hair and his skin and a feeling of warmth and comfort lights up his heart and settles in his bones.

He makes his way to the kitchen and sees you standing as you hold your cup of tea and look outside into your garden.

"The flowers are safe, right?"- Hyunjin asks as the storm becomes even wilder outside, everything is clattering and waving around in the wind.

"Yeah."- you chuckle a little as you turn around.

Seeing Hyunjin in your clothes stirs something inside you and you feel your face becoming warmer.

Hyunjin's stomach grumbles embarassingly and he laughs awkwardly.

"Let's eat."- you say and the two of you sit down to eat the instant ramen you prepared.

You eat without talking, both of you hungry and concentrated on the food.

A particularly loud sound of thunder spreads across the sky and the lights flicker for a moment, making you lift your head up.

"Electricity might go out. That happens a lot here."- you say. "But, don't worry, I have lots of candles."

"Okay, I- um, I don't like being in complete darkness."- Hyunjin swallows.

"You won't be, I promise."- you smile at him sweetly, his heart at ease immediately.

As soon as you're done eating, you suggest moving to the living room where it's cozier and Hyunjin helps you set up all the candles in case electricity gets turned off. You grab two blankets, bringing them to the couch, as Hyunjin brings your tea cups and places them on the coffee table.

"Thanks."- Hyunjin smiles, draping the blanket over his legs as you sit close to him, covering yourself up with your blanket.

Your knees touch and you look at him.

"Y/n... I was looking for you because there's something I want to tell you."- Hyunjin gulps visibly.

"I have something I wanna tell you too, but you go first."- you smile.

Hyunjin is so nervous, even though to any outsider looking in it's clear that you feel the same about each other, in his scared heart, Hyunjin can see the possibility of you turning away from him. He can't bear the thought of not having you in his life, even if you had only just arrived, he intends to keep you forever.

"Okay, well... Here goes. I'm just gonna say it."- he nods to himself and you let out a small giggle at his nervousness, reaching your hand towards his.

As soon as you touch him, he jolts and looks at you, then visibly melts as your fingers entwine together, palms pressed against each other.

"I know I've only been here for barely two months but I feel like I was searching for you my whole life. In every painting I ever made, in every love song I ever listened to, in every flower I ever stopped to admire, in every other embrace that felt distant and cold, I was looking for your kindness and warmth. I know you said you don't really believe in destiny, but I firmly believe that I was supposed to be here and that every decision I ever made and every step I ever took, lead me to you. Maybe this is too much or too dramatic but I already can't imagine my life without you."- Hyunjin talks, his voice shaky, his hand squeezing yours for support and comfort, and you run your thumb on his skin in an attempt to soothe him.

Your eyes water with happy tears the more he talks, his eyes now on you as he gets encouraged.

"What I'm rambling about is that I'm in love with you and I had to tell you that or I would burst into pieces."- he exhales and you giggle, a tear rolling down your cheek as you smile wide at him.

Hyunjin's free hand lifts up automatically to wipe away your tear.

"I hope that was a happy tear."- he says quietly and you chuckle.

"Hyunjin, I was coming to tell you the same thing actually. All my life, I got used to being alone and doing everything by myself, but then you came along and the more time I spent with you, the more I wanted to have you next to me. You brought a spark to my life, one I can say I've never felt before but it ignited something so tender inside me. And, yes I said I don't always believe in destiny but at this moment I believe that we were meant to find each other. I really... can't imagine my life without you either."- your eyes become teary again.

"I'm in love with you."- you finish, your soul bursting with fireworks.

Hyunjin had longed to hear those words, especially from you and he feels as if his heart had blossomed completely into a beautiful flower, touched by your sun and your love, saved from the withering state it was enveloped in.

"Can I kiss you?"- he asks gently, gazing at you longingly as you squeeze his hand.

"Please."- you almost beg as relief washes over your body.

Hyunjin is freaking out in the inside, his heart palpitates as he leans in slowly, his free hand cups your cheek, and you lean into it immediately as he rubs his thumb gently under your eye.

You lean in closer, so close that you can feel his warmth radiate off of him, you are enveloped by the smell of you on him, and the familiar sweet scent of Hyunjin under all of it.

His breath hits your lips and your eyes flutter closed, waiting for his lips to claim yours.

Boom!

The thunder crashes loudly, making the windows clatter and the electricity turn off, scaring the both of you as you clutch at each other.

"Fuck!"- Hyunjin squeaks and you're quick to get up and light a few candles.

There's still some light coming from the outside but the dark clouds make it look like it's evening and not the middle of the day.

"You okay?"- you ask him and he blinks up at you.

"I will be, when you come back here."- he pats the spot you were sitting on the couch just a few moments before.

You chuckle, cheeks heating up as your heart skips a beat and you make your way to him.

Hyunjin takes your hand and gently pulls you down.

"Now... I don't wanna be interrupted again even if the house falls apart around us."- he says and you let out a giggle as he cups your face and leans in again.

You scoot closer to him, your hand on his knee and Hyunjin's eyes close as he finally presses his lips to yours.

They're soft and sweet, even better than you had fantasized as he moves them carefully against yours, treating you gently like a delicate flower.

You savor his taste as you kiss him slowly, his lip falling between yours as you gently suck on it, one of his hands runs down to your waist and the other holds the back of your head. You lift your free hand up, tangling your fingers in his soft hair.

Hyunjin lets out a breath as your lips continue dancing gently together and you now understand those descriptions of kisses between soulmates cause that is what this moment feels like.

Not just butterflies, not even fireworks but it's the whole universe. It is every star that ever shined, every galaxy that ever formed, every rain drop that ever fell down to the earth, every 'i love you' that has ever been uttered poured into one single kiss.

It's not just physical, it's like you have reached into each other's souls and they're now kissing.

Your head is dizzy as he presses his lips harder against you, his fingertips gently scratching your head, holding himself back not to scare you away immediately even though a fire of burning passion runs through Hyunjin's body. He chases your taste, the sweet love dripping from your lips, one he longed for his entire existence.

Your whole body reacts to him, tingles running everywhere from the top of your head all the way to your toes, and you clutch onto his shirt, your other hand finding purchase on the back of his neck as you bite on his lower lip gently.

Hyunjin lets out a noise and his tongue swipes your lips and they part immediately, letting him in to taste each other, an addicting feeling overwhelming the both of you as your tongues crash together in a passionate dance.

Your heart beats fast, your eyes fill with tears, your core throbs and it's too much.

You whimper and jolt away, making Hyunjin stop immediately as he leans back and looks at you, his lips swollen and parted, even more red than usually. He's panting and looking at you with a mix of lust, endearment and confusion.

"Sorry- it's just- wow."- you say breathlessly and Hyunjin lets out a laugh of relief.

"I know."- he nods, closer to you again, his hands coming up to tuck your hair behind your ear and gently caress your face.

"What happens when you have to leave?"- you ask, thoughts are suddenly swirling in your mind.

"Hey, don't worry about that now."- Hyunjin quickly shakes his head. "Even if we were torn apart by space and time I would always find you and come back to you."- he says and you chuckle.

"Are you sure you're not a poet?"- you ask, as he pulls you closer to him.

"Isn't every man in love a poet of sorts?"

"And a philosopher, it seems."- you smirk and he chuckles with a timid smile.

"Come here."- he beckons you to find a home in his arms.

You lean your head on his chest, listen to his erratic heartbeat as his warmth embraces you.

"Hold me."- he whispers in your hair and you wrap your arms around his waist timidly as he wraps his around you, bringing you closer so that your legs touch. You hold him tighter, as the two of you melt into each other.

Hyunjin feels as if he could cry rivers in this moment, the love he craved for ever since he was a child radiating off of you and touching every part of his being.

"Don't you worry about anything right now."- he whispers as he gently caresses your head, his fingers running through your hair.

"Everything is gonna be okay."- he says like he knows those are the words you longed to hear forever. You squeeze him tighter, getting impossibly closer to him, the two of you becoming one person in your little bubble as the storm rages outside, the thunder loud and dangerous.

But, in each other's arms you feel safe from any harm.

Somehow, you managed to fall asleep in Hyunjin's arms, waking up with a little jolt as the thunder booms loudly again.

"Hey."- you hear his gentle voice before you look up at him.

"Hey, how long was I asleep?"- you ask, your voice a little groggy.

"About an hour."- Hyunjin says as he reaches for your tea cup so he can give it to you.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry!"- you apologize, cheeks instantly burning in embarassment.

"No, it's okay. Don't apologize."- he shakes his head as he gives you the drink.

You sip on it as he keeps looking at you like you're something so fascinating.

"What?"- you giggle, setting the cup down.

"I need to kiss you again."- he says lowly and a wave runs through you as he leans in.

You fall into him, your arms around his waist again, caressing his back as he holds your head and kisses you lovingly and passionately, his lips smooth against yours.

Being like this with someone is something you haven't experienced in a long time, besides you have never felt a feeling this intense with anyone but Hyunjin.

Usually scared to give in, you give into his kisses and caresses easily, melting in his arms as he keeps pouring his affection from his lips to yours.

The kiss gets heated again but you let it this time, even though your heart is beating hard and you clutch onto his shirt as his tongue savors the taste of you, swallowing every little noise you make.

His fingers tangle in your hair, his other hand gently runs down on your waist to your hip as he gently touches you.

You can't help yourself as you bite on his lip again and he lets out a little noise, leaning into you as he squeezes the flesh on your thigh.

Your body feels as if it's on fire and your core throbs with want and need again.

You part for air, both gasping and Hyunjin looks at your eyes, clouded with lust, your lips swollen and hair disheveled and he thinks you've never looked more beautiful than right now.

He leans in to leave kisses on your cheeks, gentle and slow like his lips are worshipping every part of your skin. No one had kissed you like that before, his lips on your eyelids, letting you know how precious every part of you is to him.

He leaves little kisses on your jawline, all the way towards your ear, kissing the spot beneath it gently, lingering there for a moment as you suck in a shaky breath.

"I saw your paintings."- you remember and Hyunjin leans back, his cheeks rosy as he looks at you with an innocent and surprised look on his face.

"W-what?"- he stutters a little and you chuckle.

"I went to look for you at Isaac's house. And he showed me the paintings you made."- you say as he keeps looking at you like a lost child, your hand lifts up to touch his face gently.

Hyunjin melts into you, pushing his cheek in your palm almost like a kitten.

He had no idea how touch deprived he was, how much he needed your kind hands to show him that the world isn't as cold as he thought it was.

You see how your touch influences him so you put your other hand on his face too, caressing him as he blinks at you, his lips pouty and kissable as you stare at them.

"Did you like them?"- he asks quietly.

"I love them. You made me look so beautiful."- you giggle.

"You are beautiful. I just paint what I see."- he says and you chuckle, your heart picking up speed again. Hyunjin's hands rest on your waist as he scoots closer to you.

"I was gonna show them to you soon, I swear. I was just scared you'll think I'm some kind of creep, painting you over and over again."- he says.

"No, I'm honored, really. I'm glad I inspired you."

"You really did. For the longest time, I painted only for money, for my exhibitions. I painted what I knew people want to see. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, taking something so beautiful and delicate and turning it into currency. They always look for meanings in those paintings but they're fucking meaningless. You gave meaning to my art again, y/n. My muse."- he whispers the last part, gravitating towards your lips again as you run your hands through his hair.

"H-Hyunjin."- you whisper before he presses his lips on yours again.

The storm reaches its culmination outside as you keep exchanging kisses and words of affection, your hands on each other, sweet and slow, mapping each other out, somehow new yet familiar, like you were in love in all your previous lives, like your hands have already touched, like you know exactly how to love Hyunjin.

You entangle from each other only when you realize you're hungry.

"Ugh, we can't really cook anything since there's no electricity."- you purse your lips.

"Maybe some sandwiches?"- Hyunjin shrugs and you nod, the two of you making your way to the kitchen, Hyunjin holding your hand as you lead him there.

You light up a few candles and try to find anything in your fridge just to make an edible sandwich.

"This is kinda romantic, don't you think?"- Hyunjin asks as you look out the window to see that the thunder has subsided a little, but the rain is still going strong.

"A real candle lit dinner."- you say and he chuckles.

"I think the storm is calming down. We might get the electricity back soon."- you say.

"I hope so. I don't really want to walk to Isaac's in complete darkness."- Hyunjin says.

"You don't have to walk to Isaac's at all. I was kinda hoping you'd stay the night."- you say shyly and Hyunjin's eyes are wide, his cheeks red.

"Really? Would that be okay? I don't want to intrude."- he says and you laugh.

"You had your tongue in my mouth for the last hour or so, I think we're way past intruding."- you smirk.

"Oh, for sure."- he chuckles, his heart skipping a beat. "Well, in that case, I'd love to stay the night."

"Good, I'm gonna go prepare the bed."- you stand up and leave Hyunjin in the kitchen.

He looks out at the pouring rain, wondering if he's in some kind of dream. He's been longing for you since he first saw you in your flower shop, so sweet and beautiful, surrounded by the pretty flowers, no paintbrush could ever capture the beauty of you, not even if Hyunjin sat and painted you his whole life, you would still be more beautiful than anything his hands could create.

Moreover, he has wished to be loved his whole life. He felt as if his own mother has thrown him away, his college girlfriends dated him for his looks, the girls he slept with after he got famous were only after his money and fame, only infatuated with Hyunjin, the celebrity. It was all meaningless.

He was thrown into the sharp teeth of a beast, controlled by his manager and the media, what the people want comes first, never his own wishes, only to someday be chewed up and spit out when he's no longer young, beautiful, interesting, fruitful, trendy.

Hyunjin craved a deeper connection, one that transcends the superficial barriers, one that feels genuine and simple, natural and nurturing, someone to grow him to the sky, someone he can help grow to the sky too, to touch the clouds together.

And between all the darkness that enveloped his heart and mind, you are like a beacon of shining light as you appear before him with a smile that makes even the most mundane things in life look stunning.

"I found a spare toothbrush for you."- you lean on the doorway.

"Great, thanks."- he smiles back as you nod.

"I'll wait for you in my room."- you say and Hyunjin goes to the bathroom to get ready for bed, placing his necklace and rings neatly to the side.

He makes his way to your room and upon seeing you all cuddled up in your blankets, his heart swells with love.

"Come, join me."- you beckon and he doesn't need to be told twice, as he makes his way to you and gets comfortable under your sheets.

You lay close, turned towards each other and your hand is on his cheek again, gently touching his soft skin as he lays his hand on your waist and pulls you closer, his fingers caressing your lower back.

For a few moments, all you can hear is the sound of falling rain through your half opened window, as you let your hand explore Hyunjin's skin.

Your fingertips dance on his jawline, then slowly make their way to his neck. Hyunjin's breath gets stuck in his throat as you touch his sensitive skin, he leans his head back a little to give you more space to move. You scoot closer to him, your bodies heating up together as you trace your finger on his collarbone.

Hyunjin forgets everything in that moment, his hand is steady on your lower back, nails digging into your skin occasionally but just slightly, not enough to hurt you.

You lay your palm on his chest, over his heart as you feel it beating fast.

Hyunjin realizes he has never felt seen, cared for or safe as he did with you which was funny considering you haven't known each other for too long, but it seemed as if you understood him better than some other people who 'knew' him for a longer time.

"Do you believe in soulmates?"- Hyunjin asks, almost cringing at how vunerable his voice sounds in that moment.

His hand slides up and down your back soothingly as you snap out of your trance and crack a smile at him.

"I always wished they'd exist."- you confess, your voice audible enough only for him to hear.

"Do you think that's us?"- he asks, his brows lifted and lips parted and you can't resist touching his lip with your thumb.

Hyunjin inhales sharply, pulling you even closer to his body, your legs entangling together.

"I do."- you whisper and he smiles at you, his eyes sparkly and loving.

"Really? You do?"- he beams at you and you chuckle.

"There's no other way to explain what I feel when I'm with you."- you say.

"Ever since I first saw you I knew you were going to be important to me. They say there's an invisible thread connecting two souls and I feel like I saw it the moment I laid my eyes on you in your flower shop."- he says.

"Hyunjin..."- your eyes water again.

"Please, don't cry."- he pouts at you, his hand wiping your tears immediately. "If you keep crying, I'll start crying too."

You chuckle at his words, holding him tighter.

"It's just happy tears. I've never felt like this before and I'm really scared."- you confess.

"I've never felt like this either. And of course I'm scared too but we will figure it out together, hm?"

"Okay."- you smile and he leans in to kiss you for the nth time that day, never getting enough of your lips, addicted to your taste, to the feeling of pure love your kisses bring to him.

You kiss lazily and sloppily until you're half asleep and Hyunjin tucks his head in the crook of your neck as you hold him tightly.

The rain had stopped, but Hyunjin's eyes water at the feeling of being comforted in your arms, near your heartbeat as you keep him safe from the evil world.

You fall asleep, your nose buried in his hair, inhaling the familiar sweet scent of Hyunjin mixed with your floral shampoo.

Hyunjin's nose is buried in your skin and his arms hold you tight like he never wants to let you go, he falls asleep to the sound of your steady breathing.

They say soulmates have an invisible thread between them, they say that soulmates recognize each other from past lives, that they have loved each other for centuries and that they will always find each other no matter how far apart they are.

And now, you wholeheartedly believe that.

Hyunjin wakes up with the sound of birds chirping outside and in his half-asleep state, he forgets where he is for a moment.

His eyes are still closed, but he can smell you all around him and realization dawns on him. He had spent the night in your embrace.

A blissful smile spreads on his face as he reaches his arm in front of him, only for it to land on an empty spot.

A muffled whine escapes his lips as he keeps searching for you. He cracks one eye open and sees that indeed you have gotten up already, leaving him to wake up alone.

Hyunjin pouts a little, stretching his whole body, he hasn't slept this well... ever.

He sits up, it looks like it's still cloudy outside and the fresh air feels good on his skin, the smell of petrichor filling up his nose and tickling his brain just the right way.

Hyunjin makes his way to the bathroom first before he comes to find you, spotting you sitting outside in your garden.

He smiles fondly, pouring the coffee you made in a cup before he joins you.

You had woken up earlier, almost getting jumpscared when you saw Hyunjin right in front of your face.

You had forgotten he was there, but seeing his sweet sleeping face first thing in the morning made you melt.

Through sleep laced movements you had smoothed out his hair and caressed his cheek, he hummed in his sleep, chasing your touch but he didn't wake up.

You leaned in and pressed your lips gently on his forehead before you quietly untangled yourself from Hyunjin, tucking him in after you got up.

You assessed the damage in your garden, which was really nonexistent, the drainage system was made well, first by your mother and then you did all the upkeeping and made sure that the garden stays safe during storms like this.

You made some coffee for the both of you and found some fruit and cookies to serve as a little coffee snack before actual breakfast or brunch.

"Morning."- Hyunjin's voice brings you out from your thoughts.

"Hey, morning."- you smile as he sets his cup down on the table and rounds it to stand in front of you.

You're about to ask what he's doing but his hand cups your chin, tilting your head back a little as he leans in with a smirk and presses his lips on yours.

"Need my morning kiss."- he mumbles against your lips as he kisses you sweetly.

You smile into the kiss as he takes your breath away.

Hyunjin leans back and kisses your cheek once before sitting down on the other side of the table.

"Did you sleep well?"- you ask.

"Like a baby. Best sleep ever."- Hyunjin smiles, picking up a slice of orange.

"Me too. I actually didn't wake up during the night for once."- you nod.

"Mhm. But you left me this morning."- he pouts.

"Don't be dramatic."- you chuckle.

"I'll try not to."- he winks. "Nothing happened to the garden, right?"- he adds.

"No, the flowers just got a little more water than usually but they'll be fine."- you answer, taking another sip of your coffee. "You wanna take a walk? I always love taking walks after a storm."

"Oh, for sure."

You decide to grab a hoodie and his cardigan that was still in your closet.

"Here, it'll be a bit chilly probably."- you reach the cardigan to him but Hyunjin smirks and grabs your oversized hoodie.

"I think this goes better with my outfit."- he says and you chuckle as your cheeks become rosy.

"But I wanted to return it to you."- you motion with the cardigan.

"Keep it, it looks better on you anyways."- he says and you put it on, the smell of him still lingers, woven into the material.

Hyunjin can't help his urge to kiss you all the time and now that he's sure you reciprocate his feelings, he can't hold back anymore, especially when he sees you in his clothes.

His hands come down on your waist and you squeak a little in surprise as your body falls into his and your arms wrap around his shoulders.

With blissful smiles painted on your faces you kiss and kiss.

"We kinda have to get to the door and actually leave if we wanna take a walk."- you smile in between soft kisses.

"Mhm. In a minute."- Hyunjin keeps kissing you, your head tilted back as you both stumble and you almost his the wall behind you but Hyunjin's hand on the back of your head cushions you, preventing you from hitting the hard surface.

"Jinnie..."- you mumble and he chuckles happily at the nickname before leaning back.

"I'm sorry, I can't get enough of you."- his hands slide up and down your waist to your hipbone.

"We have all day."

"Not enough."- he shakes his head with a smile as you roll your eyes playfully, leading him out and holding his hand.

The two of you stroll in the rain covered streets, your fingers and hearts entwined.

Everything is clean and fresh, each dirty deed, dark thought and bad feeling have been washed away, leaving behind a clean slate, something to begin anew, a blank canvas to be painted by two lovers.

If someone had told Hyunjin a few months ago, that he will be hiding out on a little island and meeting the love of his life there, he'd laugh and say they're crazy.

You never expected either to meet someone you fell so hard for in such a short amount of time, but everything feels perfect, like it was made from your dreams.

Still, there's a nagging feeling at the back of your head and Hyunjin's heart, knowing life is never that easy.

The two of you look at each other, squeezing your hands together as you smile.

The black clouds are gone, but now something new stirs, preparing to rain down.

The next few days pass by in a rosy haze.

Hyunjin and you spend almost every waking hour together, your cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much but your lips never tire of kissing his.

Your hands constantly search for each other, relief in your souls when they entwine.

Of course, the whole island knows and they've expressed nothing but happiness, Isaac went as far as to hug Hyunjin so tightly that the breath from his lungs got squeezed out for a second.

Hyunjin has never felt this much genuine love for the person he is, not for his things or art.

His soul is lifting up to the sky, taking yours together with it as they dance among the stars.

But yours is a heavy heart and as Hyunjin spends another night in your bed, sleeping soundly after the two of you had a laugh together, sharing some funny stories from school days, as the laughter subsided and the dust settled, you start thinking.

Your thoughts swirl like colors on a pallette, bleeding into each other, not letting you close your eyes and sleep peacefully like Hyunjin does.

You're scared that he'll leave, go back to the city that has so much to offer and when he does he will forget about you, who has nothing but your flowers. You wonder what he even fancies about you, you're nothing special, just a lonely flower girl on a small island, doing the same thing every single day.

You think Hyunjin is beatiful inside and out, he is like a work of art, carved out by the very hands of gods, his soul radiating more than yours, you fall back into his shadow and you think he can do better than you.

Your mind starts picking everything apart like it always does, convincing you that it's too good to be true and something bad must happen because there is no way you deserve to be this happy, this easily.

Your tears slide quickly down your cheeks, a choked sob held back in your throat and you're afraid that if you sniffle or make any noises, you'll wake Hyunjin up and disturb him with your nonsense.

You get up as slowly and quietly as you can, making your way to your bathroom where you break down and cry silently, sitting in your shower and hugging your knees to your chest.

How do you tell him all of that without sounding so weak and desperate?

✨Taglist: @moonchild9350 @janepg @velvetmoonlght @hwanghyunjinismybae @jehhskz @laylasbunbunny @porangporangmeong @jeonginslefthand @sapphirewaves @simpforleeknaur @laughatdanger @lixies-favorite-cookie @linavc @quokkacidal @thisaintredwine @m00gyu @yaorzu-blog @skzfelixlove @tajannah-price1 @puccaaak @aft2rsexs @xxkissesforchanniexx @aprilmaejune77 @lilmeowneow @stayjinnie @astrobebba @danihwang882 @kaysungshine @nchhuhi @1810cl @chartrucewhore @babigriin @jisuperboard @alisonyus @minluvly @instantsoulnight @kkamismom12 @its-stayville-forever @s3ungm1nxxl0ve @painterhyunjin

[queerstake]

Good morning, Queerstake! Thank you to everyone joining us for our community fast and letter writing campaign in response to the 2024 Church Handbook update with regards to transgender people. The policy update has shaken all of us. It is exclusionary and degrading. But we will find strength in each other as a community and courage in our efforts to effect change in this church that belongs not only to the General Authorities who authorized this policy update but also to all of us. Change in the Church happens from the ground up. Harmful policies have been issued and redacted before in our own lifetimes! We deserve to be treated with respect.

Today, we will fast together as a community that the Lord softens the hearts of the First Presidency. We will also write and send letters expressing our grief. Please don’t be quiet about your feelings today. Share your heartbreak with as many of your fellow ward and Queerstake members as you feel comfortable doing. Please post your feelings as well so we can inspire and uplift each other as we write our letters. It’s important that our grievances are heard.

Please send physical letters to:

The Office of the First Presidency

47 East South Temple Street

Salt Lake City, UT 84150

If you are unable to send a paper letter to Salt Lake, because I was not able to find an appropriate email, please instead email your letters to me at QUEERSTAKEONTUMBLR@GMAIL.COM. I’ll print and mail them myself.

Edit: @nerdygaymormon found an email address! Please feel free to send email to lgbt@churchofjesuschrist.org. However, you are still more than welcome to send them to me to print. In fact, why not do both!

A quick word of caution: Of course, no one can guarantee the type of responses we might receive for these letters. In fact, I urge you to consider using a pseudonym in order to avoid potential church discipline. Please take care to note what legal name or return address might be associated with your membership records. I don’t want to scare anyone, especially because we’re doing nothing wrong, but it’s always good to be very aware of what might make it back to your bishop.

Thank you again to everyone for joining. I’ve always felt so supported and uplifted by Queerstake. I know that our Heavenly Parents love us just as we are and that they don’t want us excluded and humiliated in our wards. We have unique and valuable testimonies to share. We don’t go unheard by our Heavenly Parents.

I’ve included a few sample letters and templates below the cut for people who might need a shortcut for one reason or another. You are welcome to send them verbatim or modify them.

#1

Dear First Presidency,

I'm writing to express my grief and concern over the 2024 handbook policy update on transgender people.

I believe that Christ invites all to come unto him and that as Christ's church, we have a responsibility to embrace people from all walks of life. No other demographic within the church is being treated with such severity as our transgender siblings under this new policy. I fear our transgender siblings in Christ will feel excluded and degraded, and we will lose many great members.

I believe it's of the utmost importance that we express Christlike love and charity even to people we don't understand. There is no excuse for asking transgender youth to leave activities with their peers as though they are a danger. There is no excuse for not allowing transgender people to work with children or humiliating them in our bathrooms. This is a demographic of people who have suffered in our society and Christ would want us to reach out to them with open arms. I humbly and respectfully ask that you reconsider these policy changes with regards to the doctrine of unconditional love that the church espouses. I beg you to consider the church experience of our transgender siblings in Christ and to prioritize their feelings over the feelings of people that wish to hurt them.

Thank you for your time.

#2

Dear First Presidency,

I feel deeply grieved by the Handbook update on transgender people. As a transgender member myself, I am doing everything I can to remain in the church and exclusionary policies like these make me feel deeply unwanted and deeply unloved.

I understand very well the church's position on gender, but I hope that despite that position that I might still be able to feel Christ's love at church. Our Heavenly Parents put me on this or Earth as a transgender person. I am not a danger to children and I am not a predator in bathrooms. I am your sibling in Christ. I want to serve in church. I want to serve in teaching positions. I want to serve the youth. I believe that we attend church with the purpose of uplifting each other and studying our religion together as a ward family. I want to be edified and I want to edify.

President Hinckley said every member needs a calling, a friend, and the word of God, and if I'm treated this way at church, I'm not receiving any of those things. If I can't have a real role to play within my ward, then I have no responsibility. If I am treated as an outsider and an enemy and a predator by policy and by my fellow church members, then I don't have a friend. If I can't also receive Christ's gospel through the love of the people around me, then I'm not receiving the real word of the Lord.

I seriously urge you to reconsider this policy update. I beg you on behalf of myself and my transgender siblings in the church to not hate us and to not exclude us.

Thank you for your time.

#3

Dear First Presidency,

I felt ______ when I heard about the new policy update to the handbook about transgender individuals. I believe we should treat our transgender members with the love and respect they deserve as our siblings in Christ.

I urge you to reconsider this policy update because ______

Thank you for your time.

#4

Dear Leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,

I'm writing to express my grief and concern over the 2024 handbook policy update on transgender people, which I have been made aware of due to the negative impact it is having on my [friend(s)/family/loved ones].

The reputation of love, kindness, and family values that your church fosters with its programs, teachings, and community outreach is undermined by your continued exclusion of LGBT+ members and specifically with this policy change of your transgender members.

My [friend(s)/family/loved ones] have expressed _____ in regards to the August 19, 2024 changes to the handbook that relegate transgender members of your church to second-class citizens within the organization, and deny them the full capacity of worship and belonging within your church; all because of something so insignificant to their capacity to worship and belong to a community as their gender being different than the gender that they were assigned at birth. This decision _____ me/ negatively impacts my view of your church.

Thank you for your time.

I believe that there is no excuse for asking transgender youth to leave activities with their peers as though they are a danger. There is no excuse for not allowing transgender people to work with children or humiliating them in your bathrooms. This is a demographic of people who have suffered in our society and I believe that every person needs to reach out to them with open arms. I respectfully ask that you reconsider these policy changes with regards to the doctrine of unconditional love that the church espouses. I beg you to consider the church experience of your transgender members and to prioritize their feelings over the feelings of people that wish to hurt them.

[dreamsagain]

I figured it would be a good time to share an update with you. I completed 5 radiation treatment sessions in 10 days. I had a new Pet Scan today but no results yet. I wish I could say I'm confident of what the outcome will be. You see when I had the scan prior to the radiation, three new growths were discovered. The cancer in my body is very active. Honestly I was never supposed to live this long but here I am.

Each day I struggle. I can't walk anymore or use my legs. I have become quite the wheelchair master though. My dear friend Holly once told me to keep all four wheels on the ground. Sorry Holly. You get a little bored in my situation. I have come to accept some things that I never thought I would have to. I can't feel the sand of the beach on my toes anymore or the cool ocean water. I can't dance anymore not that I was every very good at it. No more hiking on our trips to northern New England. These may seem trivial to all of you. You never think of these things until you can't do them any longer.

The bigger issues exist. I know my survival chances are slim. I will never give up though till my last breath. I know I will never fall in love with that special girl or settle down or even have a family. Why would anyone want a cancer ridden cripple? My days are consumed with doctors, physical therapy and trying to keep my head up.

Through all of this I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the people that try every day to lift my spirits, to encourage me and support me and most of all love me.

So to the following people, I say thank you and I love you forever.

Lauren @callmenonames my best friend in the universe. I have no words to describe the love you have shown me and the love I have for you. You sacrifice for me every day even at the cost of your own health. You are truly amazing.

Ellie @everylittlethingshedoesismagic my sweet London friend and her beautiful partner Sarah. Not a day goes by that I don't get a sweet message or picture. Unconditional and unwavering support and love. I have dreamt so many times about coming to London to just give you a hug and tell you thank you. I hope some day I can do that. I love you my friend

Karen @karenpillagain where do I begin. You are sweet and kind. Very silly and quirky and I think a little crazy too. You make me laugh and smile. When you had your accident I cried for days. Your partner Kate is a very lucky girl as are yo to have her. Two beautiful Aussies that deserve life's very best. I love you both and do hope we can make that Disney trip someday.

CJ @crystaljaydeinside1 Another incredible Aussie. You never hold back your care and encouragement. Always a sweet message, encouraging word or song to lift me up. I'm glad we connected the way we have and always love our chats. You have become very special to me and Lauren as well. I do love you my friend.

Breelynn @breelynnxoxoxoxo Where do I begin? You were a big support to my sister till the end. You remained close to Lauren and have always supported us. One of kind with a heart bigger than your body. Caring, loving and beautiful. Thank you for your continued support and love. I love you girl! You are amazing

Holly @hollys-coffee-cafe I fell in love with you so easy. You are beautiful, caring, and very special to me. I know we had our moments but there are no conditions on my feelings. You are an encouragement to me to never give up and I never will. I will always love you.

Last but not least Sadie @bambibrowneyes when I met you thanks to Holly, you were dealing with your own issues. Your beautiful wife Shelby sick with the same awful disease as me. There was an instant connection with the three of us. Shelby has since passed and your life has gone on. New career, new city and new love. I'm happy for you my friend. Love you

Okay that's it from me. I probably missed several people. I'm sorry for the long worded post. If you remember, say a prayer, send me you good vibes or whatever you believe in. I need them all.

[cringeworms]

I'm writing an analysis of gender performativity in The Silence of the Lambs for my gender and sexuality class and in the course of my research I have encountered so many bad takes!! I can't not say anything so I've come to Tumblr to rant.

The most common criticism I see is that the ending of "Hannibal" discredits, undoes, or diminishes Clarice's feminism, autonomy, or power, or that it ruins the message of SOTL. That indicates a complete misunderstanding of Clarice and the point of the books! The point of "Hannibal" is to show that it does not matter how amazing, powerful, or how much of a feminist you are: if you are a woman in a career, especially a federal career, the system is designed to put you down and keep you quiet. I think there is nothing more she could have done and nothing she could have done differently to prevent her disgrace. When the system is set up to put men in power and keep them in power, your talent and integrity do not matter if they decide they don't want/need you anymore. There is nothing she can do to prevent the label of "female officer" from haunting her credibility. Even Crawford, who respects her and fights for her, sees her with the caveat of "woman." The one man who does not consider her gender any sort of detriment or a reason to treat her differently is Hannibal Lecter. They have genuine mutual respect. When she chose to be with him, she chose respect, love, and comfort over a life of fighting to be recognized, respected, or listened to. Just as much as it is respectable for women to fight for their right to be recognized in their careers, we must also recognize that that fight should not need to exist in the first place. So, why should there be any shame about choosing not to fight that fight anymore? She spent years in an uphill battle, and she probably never would have escaped it (to no fault of her own!). The ending of "Hannibal" is Clarice raising a middle finger to the system, the FBI, misogyny, and the patriarchy by recognizing that she deserves unconditional love and respect and that the system she fought so hard for was, in fact, completely undeserving of her talent or presence. Her decision is powerful and empowered!

"She was brainwashed!" she literally wasn't. Hannibal tried that (I believe because he was so unfamiliar with the idea of love or family that he didn't know how to understand Clarice outside of the lens of Mischa) but he was unsuccessful. If she was able to resist his efforts of brainwashing while in an altered state she certainly had the strength of mind to make her own decisions. Her decision was not impulsive. Also, I think it serves as a testament to her influence and power over him. She gained control of the situation and he didn't resist that. Ultimately, Clarice chose to spend the rest of her life with the one man who ever truly saw her as more than just a woman, who admired her intellect, and who respected her enough to challenge her. That is not weak, submissive, or misogynistic. Quite the opposite. She chose to leave behind the life she put years of effort into building (because she knew it would be fruitless) in favor of being finally honored and appreciated. That takes courage! She knew her worth, and she knew the FBI didn't deserve her.

Also, anyone who paid any attention to the books saw the romantic tension throughout the story. It didn't come out of nowhere. She really just needed an opportunity or an excuse to be with him, and she was finally presented with it.

I think reading the ending to "Hannibal" as anything other than empowering is a mischaracterization of both Clarice and Hannibal and shows a lack of understanding of the message of the books. I think it reflects a shallow understanding of not only the books, but of how feminism operates IRL (especially during the 80s/90s).

I also must give the disclaimer that I do not think these books are epitomes of feminism or representation. The transmisogyny, racism, queerphobia, etc., are obviously inexcusable. Just because I interpret their message as a story of caution about how misogyny operates, and how it is respectable to choose a path that does not work within that system, does not mean I agree with everything presented in them or any of their harmful rhetorics or stereotypes. I have a STRONG love/hate relationship with these stories and I don't ever mean to undersell the "hate" part of that lol.