#episode tag: Lost In Translation

[star-trek-fandom-confessions]

Re: many of the various about the Gorn or listing SNW's handling of the Gorn as one of its major problems.

Perception not matching reality, what is/is not a monster is a huge theme throughout SNW.

Ghost of Illyria – Those light monsters didn’t murder the Illyrians, they are the Illyrians and were trying to save Pike and Spock all along. Everyone (except Una ofc) learns a lesson that Illyrians can’t be lumped in with the Augments and need greater understanding Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach – Turns out that nice lovely civilization is literally torturing children. The terrorists are actually trying to save those children. The Serene Squall – Surprise the counselor is a pirate Ad Astra Per Aspera – Continues with the Illyrians deserve understanding theme. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow – That helpful reporter is actually a Romulan. Even notorious tyrant and mass murderer Khan Noonien Singh was once a scared child. Lost in Translation – Starfleet is the monster, accidentally torturing and killing a life form they didn't know existed. Under the Clock of War – Turns out the lovely ship’s doctor is actually the Butcher of J’Gal and capable of murdering someone in cold blood. War can make a monster of anyone.

Yet so many people seem to think they’re not going to pull something similar with the Gorn? Even though the show has taken time to establish that the Gorn are intelligent and have a religion?

The thing about the Gorn is that people have died - La’an’s family, Hemmer, some other members of the Enterprise crew, nearly the entire crew of the Cayuga, multiple colonies - and possibly Marie will be added to that list before the two-parter is done. That creates an environment where it’s understandable that the SNW characters would not want to have their perception that the Gorn are monsters challenged, because the harm they have caused is so personal.

It creates a really interesting conflict for the crew, because how do you find understanding, how to you fight the will for revenge, when there’s been so much pain?

I could be wrong about this being the route the SNW writers are going down, but I’m really excited to see if they do.

Posting this as a response to several earlier confessions.

[pre-raphaelite-s]

this episode of snw i’m watching features practically every crew member aboard pike’s enterprise calling jim “james” and unfortunately the only thing i can think of is the james kirk clone in price of the phoenix ����😭

[hauntingblue]

Zoro being the one to warn the crew about marines coming ahdjahska

[sarshles-cheescake-li]

Link Click, internet slang, and Chinese culture

On the Chinese internet, there's a nickname for Link Click called Shiguang Daidaoren, meaning "the blade-bringers of time" instead of "the managers of time," the original title. Calling something "blade" is Chinese internet slang for something being angsty; whether it be derivative content or the originals themselves. Another meme is that Link Click isn't zhiyu (治愈，healing), which it is tagged as on Bilibili, but zhiyu (致郁，causing depression).

Link Click, especially its first season, is a deeply emotional and sentimental show. And it's a shame that so much of it gets not so much lost in literal, linguistic translation as much as it does in cultural, contextual translation. Many people can understand Emma's pain of being away from her parents in a new city, working a difficult job. But watching the scrolling comments on Bilibili, you get the cultural context of it -- the massive migration patterns within China from rural to urban, the children growing up and having to shed their local fangyan (方言) or, less formally, tuhua (土话)("speech of the locations" and "old-fashioned words," respectively) in exchange for Beijing Mandarin. This massive nation, nearly twice the population of Europe and only about 6% smaller in terms of area, is so diverse as to have created (what is close to) an immigrant experience for its citizens entirely within its borders. You visit your parents on Chunjie (春节）, lunar/Chinese new year, on packed trains during the largest singular human migration event on Earth, annually. And when you get home, you are faced with something different from the cities you now live in -- everything from the buildings to the furniture to the clothes they wear. I hadn't realized how deeply I missed the gaudy, garish mianao (棉袄，coats) and mianbei (棉被，cotton blankets) until I saw familiar shades of too-bright burgundy in the hands of Emma's parents. The concept of this original-home, laojia (老家, old-home) is so strongly baked into our lives that every time I meet another Chinese person, I cannot but help but ask them 你老家哪儿啊? Where is your original-home? And even though I know nothing about Chinese geography, every time I hear the answer, a little piece slots into place nonetheless.

In slang, if something made you cry or otherwise feel an emotion you weren't expecting to feel, you refer to it as pofang (破防，breaking defences). And maybe it says something that an expression of human emotion is viewed as a failure in some defences, but that's introspection for another time. Watching on Bilibili, with its hundreds of comments scrolling by "My defences have been breached" and sobbing onomatopoeia, people in the comments saying that they miss their mothers and fathers -- I, too, miss my family. When Cheng Xiaoshi, in Chen Xiao's body, tried to speak his host body's local variation and came up with butchered dongbeihua (东北话, words of the east-north), I nearly fell out of my chair. It was the sound of home, of my grandmother telling us to hush around noon because our neighbours were napping and my grandfather showing me how to play spider solitaire.

Cheng Xiaoshi's breakdown in episode 5 hits hard for its vulnerability. "I'm scared of the dark" has the same literal meaning as "我怕黑," sure, but there is something devastatingly childlike in that three-syllable declaration of fear. Where English so often derives meaning from complexity, from winding metaphors and beautiful prose, Chinese can derive breathtaking meaning from less breath than it takes to say the word analogy. 我怕黑 is stripped of any grown-up pretenses of control or dignity. It is the barest this statement can be: I. Scared. Darkness.

And what he says following, too. 我害怕一个人. Longer yet no less potent. Alone, or lonely, has many translations in Chinese. 孤独. 寂寞. 孤单. 单独. Many more synonyms for all the different ways you can be lonely. But 一个人 is, once again, an almost child-like way of saying it. Before you have the vocabulary to express these complex emotions, 一个人 is a perfectly working expression. Translating it character-by-character, it means one singular person. It is something you say when you've been left behind. When you've been made to face everything by yourself. When the world is so, so, big, and you are just one singular person, with no companions to stand with you.

And, ah, Li Tianxi's Chinese nickname, 小希. It is the last character of her full name, with a "little" shoved right in front. It is an affectionate way to call someone younger than you. It is different from Xixi, its English rendition, because a repetition of the last character is a more generalized, affectionate nickname, whereas diminutives are almost always reserved for someone younger than you, when used in real life. The diminutive says don't be scared. I'm here now. I'll handle it.

There are endless details in Link Click that make everything about it seem a little bit more like home. The word 面馆 which means something a little, subtly different than "restaurant" or "noodles shop," a difference lost without the context of the phrase 下馆子 and the way adults say it with the gladness of once-children who only ate meat on new years. The "honorifics" as English calls them, to me more of just -- ingrained parts of someone's name. Within the snap of Mandarin syllables there is meaning and memory in every character. Jie, mei, di, ge, lao, da, xiao -- they are more than their literal meanings. They are a relationship, a promise.

Perhaps I am overthinking this, awkwardly Chinese as I am: too localized to be considered first-generation, too stubbornly attached to relate to second-generation. Maybe these linguistic subtleties only exist and matter in my mind, a writer of both languages (though I must say, my Chinese prose leaves… much to be desired) with a knack for pedantics. Regardless, I hope other Chinese fans of this show share this feeling. And surely, other people will, too. All the rural children who left home to pursue higher education and opportunities in faraway cities; the raised-in-poverty who spent their childhoods dreaming of buying their family new coats; the speakers of languages long since abandoned by their childhood friends. What a delight it is to see yourself in stories, neither exception nor abnormality but a norm. What a joy it is to be one of one point four billion.

[slttygeto]

tags: fem! reader, tooth rotting fluff, cheesy proposal.

nanami knows he wants to marry you, but he’s always busy with work that he can never find the time to ask you properly to be his wife. it’s not until one night when you’re watching your little show on the tv in the living room and your boyfriend is sat on the couch, right by your feet with this big and confusing puzzle on the coffee table. you don’t pay much attention to it, very focused on finding out who is the killer in the episode of this season—until kento gently taps your leg.

“baby, have you seen a piece of my puzzle?”

you bring your arms out of the blanket you’re wrapped in to pause your episode and sit up on the couch.

“you lost a piece?”

“it must’ve fell—sorry my love, you must’ve been so focused on your show,” his rough hand gently rubs at your calf and you wave him off before removing your baby blue blanket.

“pshh, don’t be ridiculous baby,” you lean in and press a kiss to his cheek, enjoying the way his stubble tickles your lips. “lemme help you find it.”

you fail to notice that nanami is barely making any effort to locate the missing piece, too busy craning your neck to look under the couch and when you finally find the puzzle piece, you show it to your boyfriend excitedly.

“there it is! I found it—“ as you inspect the piece, you find the word “you” written on the back, and kento nanami holding a gorgeous ring between his thumb and index finger, hand shaky as he stares down at you so lovingly.

“wha–kento?“

“when we first met, something in my life just changed. I didn’t know what it was at the time, maybe I was too scared to admit it—that you make me feel safe, loved. that you give me a purpose, a reason to be alive and to keep going. I was too scared that you,” he grabs your left hand and kisses the back of it. “were what my heart, my life was missing all along. my love, will you give me the absolute honor of marrying me?”

and when you look at the sticky note sitting above the puzzle it says “my heart” and you were holding a piece of it. the missing piece.

2024 © all works belong to @slttygeto. do not repost, translate or steal any of my works.

[that-sarcastic-writer]

Mind Games (2)

Direct cntinuation to Mind games (til we lose control) (takes place before lost time)

Ben/Soldier Boy X Supe!Fem!reader

Summary: Herogasm proves to be a disaster for everyone involved, but at least you and Ben still have each other at the end of the night. Takes places during the Herogasm episode but like I did my own shit

Warnings: explicit sexual content, minors dni, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it mfs), p in v, shower sex (pls don't try to recreate this, SB has super strength, your man does not, you might break sum), oral (f receiving), fingering, multiple orgasms, creampie, dom!Soldier Boy, praising kink, Ben calls her mean things a lot (but she likes it), choking, hair pulling, spitting, Soldier Boy cause mf is a warning on his own, typical canonical violence for this show, no use of y/n, Violet isn't her real name, just a nickname.

WC: 6.9k I'm so sorry

A/N: WHAT DID I TELL YALL MFSSS. Took me 2 years to revisit it but yk what it's fine cause every year is Soldier Boy's year. So yeah here we are. I will warn yall im not too good at writing action/fight scenes, like it made sense in my head but idk if that image translated well into the scene. I only know how to write smut im sorry. But to my Ben/Jensen girlie's, this is for you. I'll see yall in hell <3

Gif is not mine I found it on Pinterest

Universe masterlist | I no longer have a tag list so if you'd like to keep up with updates follow @midnightreadinglibrary

Fucking Herogasm. Christ, you didn't remember the last time you were here. Funny, the last time you went to a Herogasm party it was coincidentally with Ben. And it was in fact the last one you ever went to. It never felt right to go back without him. 

"Fuckin' Herogasm," Butcher laughed and shook his head, glancing back at you with intrigue, "You ever been Violet?" 

Your lips curled up a bit and you licked your lips slowly, glancing at Ben for a second before you found two pairs of curious eyes on you. 

"Yeah, every year for like ten years." You responded, and you were met with a look of disbelief from Hughie, and even Butcher had a slight glint of surprise in his eyes. Perhaps they didn't take you as the orgy, drugs and depravity type of supe, not that you blame them, that never truly was your idea of fun. But you weren’t entirely innocent either. "I'm serious. You can ask Ben if you don't believe me." 

Both men gave Ben a long glance and he laughed, shrugging at you. 

"She ain’t lying, I took her to her first one, in 74' was it? Should've seen her, such a pretty doe-eyed lil’ thing, with a face like hers she fooled everyone." 

"Oh, yeah, you showed innocent little me all the ropes. It was very educational." You rolled your eyes, trying to hide the small grin on your face, and Ben had one of his own. 

For a moment you forgot neither of the other two men quite understood whatever was going between you and Ben, so you missed the uncomfortable look on their faces. 

"Oh, I showed you a hell of a lot more than just the ropes, sweetheart." 

"And I'll show you both the barrel of a gun if I have to endure another second of your trip down erotic memory lane. Can we focus here?" Butcher groaned, looking both annoyed and disturbed by your relationship, like a parent who was tired of keeping his two horny teenagers in line. 

You exchanged a look with Ben, eyes big and lips pursed as you tried not to laugh and you gave him a look of having just been scolded. He simply rolled his eyes and half paid attention to Hughie and Butcher as they went back and forth about who was going in first. 

You, as always, just stood there and observed, absentmindedly twirling your knife between your fingers as you listened to them agree that Hughie should go in first so you could be in and out as quickly as possible. In between your own priorities, Ben being the main one, you had almost forgotten why you were here in the first place. Despite the fact that you were picking off Payback's members one by one, you quickly realized this wasn't for you, or Ben and his plot for revenge. No, it was about Butcher getting his. And the two of you were simply there to make it happen. 

You had begun to wonder if this was all there was to it, a means to an end, and in reality neither you or Ben had much of a chance to make it out this revenge mission alive. But if there was something you knew for sure, it was that you would die before you let anything happen to Ben again. Deep down, you hoped he would do the same for you. 

"I'm gonna go check the area before we go in, make sure there aren't any surprises." Butcher announced after a minute or two of waiting, Hughie not being back yet. He started walking, but not before turning to glance at you both with narrowed eyes, "And you two behave, last time I left you cunts alone you broke a bathroom." 

You did a mocking salute to him and snorted when he rolled his eyes at you, grumbling something you didn't quite hear as he began to walk away. He was out of your sight pretty quickly and you could already feel Ben's intense gaze burn on your face. You ignored it at first, but when he stood in front of you, eyes never leaving you, you had no choice but to look at him. You stopped your fidgeting and you looked up at him expectantly as you leaned back against a tree.

"I don't need to read your mind to know you want to tell me something, what's up?" 

"What you said back at the motel, did you mean it?" He questioned, leaning close to your face as he placed a hand beside your head. You stared at him for a second, trying to dig in your mind for whatever it was that he meant. You found his green eyes and you realized. 

Ah. The three fucking words. 

"Seriously Ben?" You groaned, your head falling to the side with annoyance, but more of all you wanted to avoid his gaze, avoid the shame of having confessed your deepest feelings, knowing feelings wasn't something either of you ever talked about let alone ever admitted to. Because feelings meant vulnerability, and vulnerability meant weakness. And weakness wasn't something either of you would ever admit to.

He grabbed your chin, grip tight as he forced you to look at him, "Did you? ‘Cause I meant what I said, all of it." 

Your face softened and your lips slightly curved into a tiny smile. You never wanted to search his mind without his permission, it was like a line you never liked to cross, but you didn't need to this time. Just by looking into his eyes you always knew. You could tell a lot by looking into someone’s eyes. You searched his eyes for any kind of deceit or even manipulation, but you didn't find any. You knew what he meant, and coming from him, it meant everything. 

"Yeah," You sighed softly, "I meant what I said." 

"Good." His pink lips curved into a satisfied smirk as he squeezed your face and leaned down, capturing your lips into his own. It was slower, no rushed and desperate touches like before, but he still kissed you hard. There was nothing gentle about it, but was there ever anything gentle about him? 

His tongue slipped into your mouth as he dropped his hand, resting it on the column of your neck. He pressed his armored chest against yours, pretty much pinning you against the tree. His mouth was so skilled, like he knew exactly how to take your breath away in seconds, he knew you that well. You would never allow a man to have this much control over you. But it was always different with him. Your hands found his long strands as you explored his mouth, and you pulled hard. You felt him groan against your mouth and he squeezed your neck in response. You gasped, the sound quickly fading into a soft moan. He pulled back and watched with amusement the look of pure ecstasy on your face as he squeezed your throat. 

"You fucking slut, you still get off to me hurting you, don't you?" He bit his lip as he released your throat, thumb brushing over the skin he knew would bruise, just like everybody else's, even if it was for a little bit. 

You inhaled deeply, the short lack of airflow making you dizzy, but in the most delicious way possible. You opened your eyes, finding his green ones and god you wished nothing but to just ditch the mission and go somewhere where he could take you, over and over again. 

"Are we here to get revenge or are we here to get your dick wet? ‘Cause I'm getting some real mixed signals here." You mumbled, breath heavy and he chuckled. He leaned down, pressing his lips to your jaw before he moved them to your ear. 

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard I'm gonna break a hell of a lot more than just a mirror." He coaxed. The way he spoke in your ear made you rub your thighs together and the pool forming in your panties was impossible to ignore. It was embarrassing how quickly he could pull you apart and do with you what he pleased. "When we get back. Now pull yourself together, we're on a mission." 

And just like that he was standing a few feet away from you. He was looking behind his shoulder, almost as if he could hear someone. And of course, just in time for you to somewhat regain your composure, Butcher came back. Though it wasn't before you locked eyes with Ben one more time as you tried to control your breathing, and the cocky bastard winked at you, lips curled into a shit eating grin before Butcher actually approached you both. 

This motherfucker. 

"All clear. The twins are in there. You shouldn't have a problem going in," He said to Ben, but then looked at you, "You, though, you might get some attention. Pretty girl, dressed in black leather and strapped with knives, that's some BDSM shit if I've seen one." 

"Okay and?" You frowned, now standing by both men.

"Just stay close to him, people might recognize you and approach you. Do what you can to keep a low profile. You might have to get your hands a bit dirty." He looked between you and Ben. You stared at him with a small frown at first, but when he raised his eyebrows at you, you quickly realized what he meant. 

"Wouldn't be the first time." Ben commented with a chuckle when he caught on. You looked at him, slightly unimpressed by his lack of discretion but you simply rolled your eyes. 

Butcher sighed heavily, clearly done with your antics by then and he simply motioned you off with an unimpressed expression, "Off you go, ya dirty cunts." 

"Looks like you might get your dick wet after all." You commented to Ben as you both headed off to the house. 

He chuckled, shooting you a glance as you stood in front of the door. You were both eager to get this over with, you more than him. It was one thing for him to be able to face the assholes that betrayed him, and you were happy to do it with him. But the idea of being around dozens of supes, in an environment where there were no rules, no respect and no boundaries, made you uneasy. You didn't know if you could handle that many voices all at once. It had been a long time since you had been around other Supes, let alone that many, and you had made that decision for a reason. 

Almost as if he could feel the anxiety radiate from you, you felt a large hand fill your own. Confused, you looked down and saw he had intertwined his fingers with your own. "There's nothing to be nervous about, sweetheart, it wouldn't be the first time we do this." 

"I haven't been around other supes since…" You inhaled deeply, your throat slightly closing up at the memory. The last time you stepped foot at Vought Tower, when you realized you couldn't do it anymore. Ben looked at you, eyebrows slightly knitted into a frown, "It's been a long time is all." 

"Just stay by my side, nobody will lay a hand on you. I'll always protect you, remember?" He gave your hand a slight squeeze and the calm yet assertive ring in his voice made you feel almost at ease. Almost. 

You stayed silent, needing all your energy and focus to keep the dozens of voices beginning to infiltrate your mind one by one. The sound of Ben speaking as a very naked man opened the door sounded far, distant, you didn't catch much of what they said. You only knew to move when you felt Ben tug you along. Now the sound of your racing heart was almost as loud as the voices. So fucking many people here. So many Supes. So many voices. All at once. It was deafening. It disgusted you, to have to hear every passing thought these depraved beings had. You didn’t realize you started digging your blunt nails into Ben’s gloves.

It didn’t hurt, but your enhanced strength definitely made him feel the tightening grip of your shaking hands. He stopped and looked at you with a twisted frown.

“The fuck is wrong with you now? You look like you saw your father.” 

You eyes snapped up to find him looking back at you with both confusion, and his version of concern. You opened your mouth but you could only stammer but no words actually came out. You couldn’t think. It was so loud. Your lip quivered ever so slightly as you felt your chest start to grow heavy. Ben saw the look on your face, the way your eyes were frantically looking around the room, your jaw wound up so tight he thought you’d break it. The last time he saw you like this was when you first joined Payback and didn’t have full control of your abilities. 

“Stop that, right now.” He gripped your shoulders hard, really fucking hard, enough to make you shift your focus on him for a moment. You looked at him with wide eyes. “Hey, I need you to focus. Get your head under control. I need you to have my back here, okay?”

“I… I don’t.. I can’t get them to stop. They won’t stop.” You said, so close to being on the verge of tears. “There’s so many, I can’t get them to shut the fuck up. I--” 

“Hey,” He shook you ever so slightly, leaning in close to your face. “The fuck did I just say? Get. yourself. Together. You used to tune ‘em out, remember? So tune them out.” 

You breathed in, your chest rising as you tried to drown out the noise, focus on his face, on his voice. But you couldn’t. You hadn’t been around this many people in nearly a decade.

“I can’t. I just can’t. I can’t be here. I’m sorry.” You shook your head frantically and tried to slip out of his grip but he didn’t let you. 

“I need you here. Just—hey,” he grabbed your jaw, looking out of the corner of his eyes to make sure you weren’t bringing in too much attention before he met your teary eyes. “Just look at me. I’m right here. Remember you used to tune everyone else out and only focus on my voice, hm? Focus on my thoughts, okay? It’s just you and me, fuck everyone else.” 

You stared at him, the green in his eyes seeming more and more green the longer you looked. You even saw a ring yellow in there. His voice. His thoughts, they had always calmed you, centered you. The voices grew more and more distant the longer you looked at him. You listened to his voice as his thoughts became your own. Until only the sound of his voice was in your head. Your breath was shaky as you closed your eyes, a laugh of relief leaving your lips.

He held your face for a little longer, his deep frown less harsh as he watched your face slowly visibly relax and the tension left your body.

“Are we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” You exhaled deeply and nodded at him, feeling like you were slowly regaining control of yourself. “Let’s go find the terror twins.” 

You walked around this house for what felt like hours. But it didn’t help that you were being stopped every five minutes by every naked Supe you walked by. Ben was anything but amused.

“I swear to fucking Christ if one more of these slimy jizz-covered fuck faces asks you to use your knives on them I will actually shove my shield up their ass.” Ben grumbled with a look of disgust on his face.

“They’d probably like that.” You had to bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing at the death glare he shot you.

“Eat shit.” You actually snorted this time, and you were full on giggling when he started mumbling curses at you as he walked off. 

You ultimately decided splitting up was probably the way to go, the house was way too big and had too many rooms, you’d find the twins quicker if you each went your own way. Ben was reluctant at first, a bit apprehensive to leave you on your own after you almost broke down earlier. But you reassured him you were fine and perfectly capable of going on your own. You ultimately realized you made the right choice. You didn’t know exactly when or how but out of nowhere you heard a loud blast in the next room and you were launched right through a wall from the blast. Pain immediately started shooting through your body at the impact. You were a Supe, sure, but you weren’t Soldier Boy, you weren’t fucking invincible. You bled and you felt pain like any human. 

It took you a good minute to understand what the actual fuck had just happened. And when you did, you almost forgot about the throbbing pain going through your body. You pushed yourself up to your feet, stumbling and holding on to walls as you dragged yourself through the rubble and burned bodies. Your jaw slightly fell open at the sight of this much mayhem. You didn’t believe in God, but fuck were you praying to a higher power for Ben to be okay. 

You managed to stay on your feet despite the pain. It would go away eventually, in a day or so, but the first few hours were brutal. Still you pushed through, determined to find Ben. You stumbled into a hallway, the walls were falling apart and chunks of cement were all around the floor. But what caught your attention was the sight that fucking American flag and blonde head of hair you had grown to despise. Your heart stopped, you were frozen. You held your breath as you realized fucking Homelander was here. And he currently had Ben pinned to a wall.

This was such a bad fucking idea. You could die a very agonizing death. A bad idea indeed. 

Adrenaline kicked in, you sprinted and with a bit of momentum you landed on Homelander’s shoulders. You were surprised he didn’t hear you coming.You were thankful he was preoccupied with Ben. Your nails dug into the side of his temples and you used all of the energy and power you had coursing through your veins, and sent that straight to his brain.

You weren’t sure if it would even tickle. You tried using your shock powers on Ben once, a long time ago, just to test out how it worked on Supes with enhanced strength, he said it felt like being electrocuted. And right about now you were praying Homelander felt something, enough to stun him at least. You could kill an average Supe if you used enough power, but you weren’t so sure if you were strong enough.

You held on, but you were struggling, commanding your body to release this much energy was mentally exhausting but the sound of Homelander groaning in pain made you smile the slightest bit. The shocks of electricity weren’t going to kill him, but it sure did hurt, and it stunned him. Nobody’s brain was invisible afterall. 

“Hurts, doesn’t it motherfucker? Your body may be indestructible but your mind can only take so much before it breaks.” You spat. Sparks were coming from your fingers as your eyes flashed bright purple. “It’s fucked when its you being held down against your will, huh?”

He screamed, stumbling around as he attempted to grab at you, but this wasn’t the first time you tried to fry someone’s brain off while on their shoulders. You gasped when you saw his laser eyes go off as he screamed, leaving indents on the wall. This split second of distraction was enough to make your focus falter, and it gave Homelander the opportunity to find a grip on you. You cried in pain when he grabbed your ankle and tossed you off. 

You landed fucking hard, it knocked the air right out of your lungs. You coughed as you attempted to get up, but Homelander was grabbing you and pulling you up by your neck before you could blink. He held you up in the air as he levitated so you couldn’t find a way to escape. He held you at arm’s length so you couldn’t reach him, either. The way his empty, ice cold eyes stared you down with evil glee as you gasped for air was terrifying. 

“I always knew you were a fucking bitch. I should’ve killed you when I had the chance. Matter of fact, I’ll do that right now.” Your eyes widened when his eyes gleamed bright red. 

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Ben behind Homelander, with a grin as he grabbed Homelander’s cape and pulled down, and he pulled really fucking hard. Your body collided with the ground roughly, landing on your side with a pained cry. But you still saw Ben throw Homelander around by his cape, and had you not been mere seconds away from death, you would have laughed at the comedic irony. You were in and out of consciousness, an aura surrounding your vision. But in between your delirium you could see Butcher and Hughie had arrived, and the three of them were taking on Homelander. It wasn’t long before the three of them had Homelander pinned down. You could feel yourself fade, your muscles give out and your mind shut off. You hadn’t used that much power since you were in Payback. 

You heard indistinct voices and shouting before everything went black. 

“The fuck are you waitin’ for? Blast this cunt!” Butcher shouted and Ben grunted.

“I can’t! Just—Fuck.” His eyes found you in the corner, bloodied and passed out. You couldn’t run away and you wouldn’t survive the blast, he knew that. “You—kid, take her, and get out here. Now!”

“No fucking way!” Hughie shouted back, and Ben felt the urge to blast him instead. 

“Do what he says, take the fuckin’ girl and go!” Butcher shouted at Hughie, catching on to what Ben was trying to do. But before any of them could do anything, Homelander blasted his lasers, screaming as he overpowered the three of them while they were distracted. And just like that he was gone. 

The three men sat in silence, in defeat. They had a chance and they blew it. Ben knew it was mostly his fault, he shouldn’t have hesitated. But he refused to ever let you get hurt. In silent anger he glared at both of them and he stood and walked over to your passed out body. He clenched his jaw as he picked your limp body and carried you. He made eye contact with Butcher and Hughie and it took all of his power not to shoot both of them in the face. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your whole body ached, and your head was founding. It was unbearable. You winced in pain as you began to peel layers of clothes off your body. God it fucking hurt. You closed your eyes as you attempted to hold back tears, only snapping back into reality when you felt Ben trace his fingers over your back. He noted every bruise and every cut. He knew they would heal, sure but it still made him seethe with anger. 

“What the fuck were you thinkin’, taking on Homelander like that? Did all the fucking pills you take for your psychosis fry all of your neurons or what?” He was so angry, and he never was exactly kind with his words. You always knew that, but it still hurt when he talked to you that way, especially when you had only been trying to help him. 

Your back was turned to him, so he couldn't see the hurt frown on your face but he did notice you huff at him and move away from his touch, refusing to look at him. 

“Okay.. Hey, no. I didn’t.. I didn’t mean it like that. Fuck.” He bit his tongue, squeezing his eyes shut with regret of his choice of words. You kept your back to him as you continued to undress. He groaned. “You would have died. And it would have been on me. I couldn’t live with that, is all.” 

“Well, I was passed out so it would have been a quick death, if that's of any consolation to you.” You answered shortly as you stripped down to your underwear. You don't think he understood that you stopped caring whether you lived or died a long time ago. 

“Okay, could you not be a bitch for two seconds?” He sighed, already annoyed by your attitude. 

“No. If you want a girl who doesn't talk back to you, go find Countess. Oh, wait, you can't ‘cause she sold you to the Russians. Guess you're stuck with me.” You answered with even more spitefulness, just to tick him off a little bit more. You didn't need to read his mind to know he was beyond pissed. You weren't exactly in a colorful mood, either. Your back was still turned to him as you tossed your bloodied gear in a corner. 

He breathed in deeply, pitching the bridge of his nose, “Violet, look at me when I'm talking to you.” 

You turned around with exasperation, your eyes open wide with a ‘what’ expression as you motioned your hands around passive-aggressively. 

“I didn't mean what I said. I know you were trying to help me… And I know that you can't always control your powers. I sometimes can't deal with my own head, I can't imagine having to deal with everybody else's.” Ben wasn't one to apologize. He was actually allergic to the words I'm sorry. You knew that. But you knew he at least tried to apologize using other words. So you listened. You knew he was having a hard time, too. “But I'm not really one to talk. I think I'm the one that's fucked in the head.” 

Your lips slightly parted at his words and you looked at him with a tiny bit of sadness. You never asked him details of what happened to him. Sure, you could look, but you never wanted to dig through his mind without his permission. He'd tell you if he really wanted to. But you didn't need to know everything to understand that what he went through messed him up. And it messed him up a lot. What happened at Herogasm was proof of that. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened at Herogasm? Don't make me look through your head, I don't want to.” You sighed softly, ultimately giving in, like you always did. Your delicate fingers dragged over his vest as you absentmindedly began to take off his gear. 

Ben stayed silent for a long time. He didn't think he even knew what happened. You were down to the last layer of the top part of his suit by the time he opened his mouth. 

“I blacked out. I don't.. I don't know what the fuck happened. I was talking to the fuck twins and then nothing. Next thing I remember is the burned bodies and the place was all fucked up.” He breathed out a little unevenly, a frown knitted deep on his face. He looked down at you when you stayed silent. “I didn't mean to. You believe that, right?” 

You did. But did he? 

“Of course I believe you.” You pressed a soft kiss to his lips, hands flat on his chest. He brought one of his hands to the back of your hair, holding your head in place. After a few seconds, you hummed, parting your lips slightly. “Can I ask you a question?” 

He nodded. 

“Why didn't you kill Homelander? You had a shot. Why didn't you take it? You would have done the whole fucking world a favor.” 

Ben stared at you with confusion. Did you really not get it? Were you that clueless or was he just that bad at showing his devotion for you? Probably the latter. 

“You saw what my blast did to the house. You wouldn't have survived that. I should have, I know, Butcher won't stop fucking reminding me. But he has nothing left to lose. Can't kill two girlfriends in the same week, y'know?” 

Your mouth fell open with indignation and you shoved at his chest, but deep down you felt warm at the fact that he chose you over his mission, for once. You still pretended to be angry at him, though. “Fucking prick.” 

He brought his lips to your jaw, leaving blunt kisses and you pretend to hate it. But the smile on your face was inevitable. 

“Wanna shower now or what?” He eventually said. That was the reason you were in the bathroom after all. 

You nodded. You could use the hot water on your bruised skin. You finished stripping, Ben just watched you with a perverted grin and smacked your ass before he stripped himself. 

He got in first, turning on the water and letting it run until steam began to fill the small space. He knew you liked it boiling hot. He didn't mind. You got in and immediately went under the shower head. You moaned in relief, the hot water running down your tense muscles, alleviating the soreness on your body. Ben watched you with a surprising amount of patience as he stood behind you. He leaned down and pressed his soft lips behind your neck, licking along the skin before he moved down your neck to your shoulder. He rested his hands on your hips, squeezing the skin as lightly as he could. You had enough bruises for one day. 

“I'm gonna take care of you tonight, m’kay?” He mumbled against your skin before he made you turn around. 

He crashed his lips against yours, rough fingers gripping your jaw as he slipped his tongue into your mouth. You whined, already craving more. When he kissed you like this, you just couldn't help yourself. 

“Need you, please.” You were breathless against his lips, your blunt nails digging into his chest desperately. He gave your bottom lip a small tug as he pulled away. 

He made you stand in front of him, his back to the shower wall as he slowly sank to his knees. Your eyes followed him longingly.

“C'mere.” He pulled you towards him, his eyes were full of greed as he made eye contact with you while he directed you to rest one of your feet on his shoulder. 

His eyes stayed locked with yours as leaned forward and licked a long stripe from your hole up to your clit. He wrapped his lips around the bud and sucked. You gasped, instantly pressing your hand against the damp wall to keep yourself up. Your mouth fell open in delight as he dragged his tongue around your sensitive clit. 

“O-Oh. Shit. Shit, Ben.” You whined softly, your free hand falling to his wet hair. He held your hip with one hand, steady vice grip holding you in place as he pushed his tongue into your hole. You swore the cry you let out was heard in the entire apartment. “Oh, my God. Fuck. That feels so good.” 

Ben hummed in approval as you wrapped your fingers around his hair and held his face against you. As if he would go anywhere. He happily kept his mouth on you, head moving up and down as he worked you with his tongue, his nose brushing your clit with every movement of his head. To say that you were so close was an understatement. You could feel your leg start to give out under you the longer you felt that heat build in your stomach. Ben was more than happy to assist you with that, too. His free hand grabbed the underside of your thigh and forced you further against his mouth until your leg was dangling over his shoulder. His other hand stayed on your hip, vice grip holding you upright effortlessly. 

His tongue found your clit one more time, and the emptiness it left was replaced by two long fingers pushing into your cunt. Your eyes rolled back as your mouth fell open in a silent cry. You leaned your forehead against the tile as you dug your nails into his scalp. Fuck, you didn't remember the last time a man ate you out, let alone ate you out like this. It felt so good you wanted to cry, you didn't even remember the pain in your body, all you could feel was pleasure. 

“Feels good, doesn't it sweetheart?” He spat into your clit as he fucked you with his fingers. If the shower hadn't been running the lewd sound of his fingers dragging in and out of your wet hole would've been so loud. But he could still hear it, and fuck did he love it. He took a second to look up at you. Such a pretty little thing when you were so close. “Oh, you wanna come don't you? Mhmm, yeah, you do. C'mon, gimme what I want. I know you can do it.” 

His tongue was back on your clit, he licked harsh stripes as he slipped his thick fingers in and out of your cunt with urgency. The sounds of him licking and sucking on your clit were almost as filthy as the sounds coming out of your mouth. His fingers fucked you without mercy, there was not a single thing gentle about his touch. It was rough and relentless. Just like he was. And it had you seeing fucking white before you even realized. 

You squeezed your eyes shut, lips parting in a silent cry as you held his face against you. But it wasn't like he'd go anywhere, if anything he kept his tongue on your swollen clit and his fingers never stopped. Tears formed in your eyes as your thighs shuddered. And when he didn't stop you were pulling at the ends of his hair to pull him off you. He groaned at this. Quite unhappy to be leaving the warm place between your thighs. 

“I wasn't done.” He looked up at you with a frown. You took in a deep breath, blowing out a small laugh as you grabbed at his face, weakly attempting to pull him back up.

“You can be down there all you want later, I just..” You swallowed hard, somewhat regaining your composure as he stood up to his full height. You pulled him down by his face and kissed him, and you kissed him fucking hard. And the taste of yourself still left on his tongue made you need him even more. “Just need you, okay?” 

“Need me where?” He grabbed your jaw, fingers sprawled out over your throat as he held your face back. He stared you down, malicious eyes full of greed as he waited for your answer. And he wouldn't give you anything until you did.

“Inside me.” You muttered through gritted teeth, almost delirious as you rubbed your thighs together with anticipation. He didn't look satisfied. You breathed in deeply, the aching need between your legs unbearable. “Need your cock, inside me, right now, Ben.” 

He lifted his eyebrows up in satisfaction and gave you a simple hum before he switched positions with you, without a word pressing your front against the shower wall. 

“I fuck you once and you're already acting like a pathetic whore? Okay. But you better fucking take my cock like the good fuck doll you've always been, hm?” He kicked your legs apart with his knee, his back pressing you further into the wall as he pressed the head of his cock against your entrance. You took a deep breath. “Yeah, you're gonna take this cock like a good lil’ fuck doll.” 

You gasped when he pushed himself inside with a snap of his hips, but it quickly turned into a moan when he pushed himself to the hilt, hips rutting against your ass. You dug your nails into nothing as you closed your eyes, taking in the delicious feeling of his thick cock stretching your walls.

“What a tight fucking cunt.” He grunted, gripping your hips, not wasting any time. He barely gave you time to adjust. “So fucking wet. Just for me, huh?” 

You were nodding against the wall instantly, pushing your ass back against him as he fucked you without mercy. You felt his lips on your shoulder as he leaned over you. The lewd sound of slapping skin was drowned out by the shower running but you could hear it clear as fucking day. 

“Yes! Mhmm feels so good.” You moaned softly, mindlessly reaching behind you to touch him, any part of him. Your fingers found his beard as you ran your hand over his face desperate to feel him, then you found his hair, and you latched on for dear life as he drilled into you. 

“Yeah? Like how my cock feels in your guts? You missed it, didn't you?” He pressed the side of his face into your head, allowing himself to close his eyes and soak the feeling of your nails on his scalp, he could even feel the faintest bit of electricity shooting through your fingers. He fucking loved it. 

“Yes! God yes.” You couldn't even describe how much. 

Ben smirked at this as he wrapped his arm over your chest and his fingers found your throat. He forced your head back, making you look at him. 

“Open your mouth,” He ordered, he held his finger to your pulse as he felt the fast rate of your heartbeat. You did as he said, and with a huff he spat in your mouth. “Slut. Swallow it.” 

How he could so easily break you down to nothing and treat you like no other man could, truly was beyond your understanding. But your mind didn't have to understand it. Your body just did it. You felt a pool of wetness seep through you at the damn near animalistic groan that rumbled in his throat. 

“You're such a good fucking girl.” He spat, pressing his lips against yours in a messy filthy kiss. You could barely keep your mouth open, not with the way he was so determined to make you fall apart for him. “You're my good fucking girl.” 

“I want to come. Please I—fuck.”  Your words were broken as your whole body burned up, and it wasn't from the hot water. 

“Of course, you do. It just feels so good, doesn't it?” He squeezed your throat harder, only choked out sounds could leave your mouth as he slipped his other hand to your swollen clit and rubbed harsh circles. 

Your orgasm hit you so hard you didn't realize it until you were shaking violently, your eyes rolled back into your head as you fucked yourself on his cock. Not that he ever stopped. He moaned loudly at the feeling of your wetness seeping on him. The wet sound of his cock slapping against your cunt made him want to come, too. 

“Fuck. Fucking Christ Violet. C'mon, make me come. Fuck yourself on my cock just like that. Be a good fuck doll for me, that's it.” His hand left your throat to pull at your hair. He dug his fingers deep into your scalp as his face fell on your shoulder. With a deep grunt he held you down on him. “Fucking take it, that's it, girl. Just like that. Fuck.” 

You could feel your mixed releases slip down your thigh. You sighed deeply, allowing yourself to close your eyes in ecstasy as he pressed his lips to your jaw. You hummed softly, reaching behind you to run your fingers through your hair. 

“I never want to leave this cunt. Feels so fucking good.” He muttered against your skin. 

You laughed softly, eyes still closed, you breathed heavily, “You're gonna have to eventually.” 

“Like fuck I am.” 

Both of his hands were on your hips and he turned you around. You whimpered softly at the emptiness he left you, but it was quickly replaced by choked out gasp when he grabbed both of your thighs and effortlessly hoisted you up around his waist. Your back was pressed against the tile wall and he slipped his cock inside you without a warning.

“Ben—” 

“You wanted my cock inside you? Well you better fucking take all of it. Every fucking inch ‘til I say so. You want it, don't you?” He spat, already fucking into you like you were nothing more than a toy. He held you up by your thighs as he kept them wide open so he could take as much as he wanted. And that he did. “Of course you do, this cunt is all mine to with as I fucking want. That ain't never gonna change.” 

What a long fucking night you were going to have. But you'd take a million of this over another day without him in your life. And this? This was all you ever wanted. You didn't need anything else, just him.

[morganas-pendragons]

To be Held | Gil-Galad

Summary: You are Gil-Galad's most trusted warrior. With the centuries of history between you two - and the multiple wars you have both survived before and during his rule - it is hard for you to ignore the obvious: You are his complement, his other half, the shield to his sword. You two work as a unit. Everyone in Lindon knows it.

So what happens when he comes close to losing half of that unit?

Set during S2 of ROP - loosely AU to episode 8 (we don't go into the courtyards of Eregion)

tag: @wild-typo-turtle @celebrimbormylove @pentaghasm

You are one of the earliest memories of his younger years as an ellon. The years where he'd been living in the Grey Havens under the watchful eye of the Shipmaster, a young Elf named Artanaro who had nothing left but himself and the clothes on his back.

You had become a soldier at a very early age, taking to the spear with a gracefulness and poise unlike any of your other comrades who served alongside you in the war. You were raised in the heat of battle. Armor was your skin. Your weapon, your hands.

He admired you deeply. Your training commander at the time had noticed that the two of you were the only ones to take to the spear, and so it came to pass that you were often paired together for spars.

For sparring, for the front, for training. The other Elves whispered about you and how formidable you were as a unit the fields of war.

“What will you call yours?”

You watched him turn the weapon over in his hands. Once, twice, three times, long fingers flexing as it spun for him to properly admire the craftsmanship of the spear that had just been granted to him.

“Aeglos,” The Elvish word rolled off his tongue with an awe that made you shiver. You knew as well as he did that he would be known for being Aeglo’s wielder, among what other accomplishments he took to throughout his years. “It has a number of meanings, Mellon. For this one, however, I think snow thorn is more than appropriate.”

It fits him.

You averted your gaze away from him, desperate to keep your composure as you peered down at the spear in your own hands. He had such a deeply penetrating gaze. That unnerved you. You had to be unflappable. Something such as affection or love could not dare to make you weak.

You would not risk weakness on the field. You would not risk having something to lose.

“I think I have its name,” You announced. “I’ll call it Telmnar.”

Ereinion tilted his head curiously. He was not familiar with that term. “And what does that translate to?”

“Fire of Heaven.”

As the years passed, you took to chaos and disorder. Ereinion Gil-Galad took to the art of ruling much, much later in life with a firm hand and a soft heart. He never lost his spirit. Neither did you.

On the field, the pair of you were a force to be reckoned with. One unit. That’s what Elrond had said the first time he’d seen the two of you fight in the sparring yards of Lindon.

Gil-Galad just hadn’t expected the paralyzing fear that came with nearly losing the other half of your unit.

He sees you fall from across the battlefield. There are so few of you left, so many Elven bodies that litter the grounds of a scorched battlefield that Gil-Galad is sure will be their ruin. Elrond is catatonic over the Dwarvish army. You are fueled by your fury, helm hiding the fire he knows lights your eyes as you spin Telmnar with all the grace of poise of a practiced soldier.

Despite the destruction, you are the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. That is why Ereinion is so shaken when he sees the blade pierce your side through the gaps in your armor. A roar echoes across the battlefield as you twist your body to dismember the offending orc, Telmnar faltering in your grasp as it impales the body at the same time you fall to the earth.

Everything seems to blur together after that. Elrond is the one to rush toward you once clarity reaches him once again, removing the chest piece of your armor to better ascertain the severity of your injuries.

"Ereinion," You whisper. "Tell Ereinion..."

Telmnar gleams out of the corner of your eye as a hand reaches down to remove the spear from the body before laying it down beside Aeglos. They really are beautiful blades: A perfect pair for the best unit that the Elven armies had ever seen.

“Tell him what?” Elrond asks. He wants to keep you awake for as long as possible before blood loss sends you into unconsciousness.

Tears prick the back of your eyes. You’ve spent centuries trying so hard to keep your weaknesses out of harms way, to bury that secret you have kept of growing affections for Gil-Galad so he too would not come to be a name among the list of those you’ve loved and lost.

“He was never my weakness,” You whisper. “He was always my strength.”

"We may have lost many today, sweet friend," Elrond's voice is the only thing keeping you awake as he works to staunch the flow of blood from your body. "But you will not be among them."

You think of Gil-Galad, of Celebrimbor and Arondir, of Galadriel. They will not be able to take Adar on their own. They will need all the men they can muster.

Your innate desire to protect those you love is what coaxes you to move amid Elrond's healing, but not before a firm hand presses you back down into the ground and cradles your head in its embrace. Your eyes slowly shift across the open expanse of sky above you until your gaze falls on the dark eyes of the High King of the Noldor.

“Don’t move.” He commands, firm but soft as his fingers flex around your shoulder. “We will work diligently. Rest.”

Relief washes over you as you raise your fingers to graze his cheek. All you can see is blood and dirt, none of that smooth pale skin you’ve grown so accustomed to over the years.

He’s murmuring something low in Quenya as his hand comes upon your wound, and your eyes roll back into your head as Gil-Galad’s healing begins to seal what damage has been done. Elrond stands beside in waiting for the administration of bandages and salves so it will heal well.

The fingers of his free hand card through your hair as you fall unconscious in Gil-Galad’s capable hands.

***

When you first wake, there is a song on the wind. You’re being carried on a stretcher through what appears to be a path through a valley with elves on either side of you.

Panic rushes through your body until you recognize the voice that the wind carries. Gil-Galad has known since you were young that music was one of your only means of coping as it often brought you such serenity. Especially if the music came from him, his lips, his soul.

“Be well, my friend.” It is Camnir’s voice you hear closest to you instead as his face comes into view at your feet. Why the cartographer is here, you remain unsure, but your exhaustion is softened by the sight of his young face. “The High King is nearby. You are safe. I will wake you once we arrive at our destination.”

Your windpipe feels as if it has been pressed upon and your mouth forced open to swallow handfuls of sand. Despite that discomfort, you swallow and ask, “Is he safe?”

Camnir nods. “Indeed. Be peaceful. We are nearly there.”

You fall asleep once again with Aeglos and Telmnar on your mind.

***

There is warmth the next time you wake.

You’re careful not to aggravate your wound as you slowly shift your weight and rub your hands over your eyes to adjust to the dim light of the tent. Night has fallen, as you can tell from the shadows outside, but you did not expect to find The High King fast asleep with his hand gently laying on top of yours.

You smile. Not many are privileged to see him like this. It reminds you of your younger years, when you and Ereinion were just getting to know one another during your time in the Grey Havens. The pair of you had been far more curious than Círdan had cared for. The Shipwright had never complained. He simply remained grateful that someone cared as much for his charge as you did.

Gil-Galad shifts as you slowly kick your legs off the cot and reach outward to card your fingers through his hair. “Ereinion,” You whisper. Dark eyes flutter open and widen as he realizes you are awake, and it takes all of his willpower not to ask you a million questions as you hold a hand up to silence him. “Are you okay?”

The crease between his brow deepens as you run your thumb along his jaw.

“I believe it should be me asking you that,” He replies quietly. “You gave me quite a scare. I do not think I have experienced fear such as that watching you fall since we were young.”

Your earnest expression crumples almost instantly. “Gil-Galad-“

“You told Elrond to tell me something,” Now fully awake, the High King of the Noldor shifts his seat so that he’s planted directly in front of you, hands hovering over your thighs as he settles into the natural part of your legs. “What was it?”

Your mind shifts back to the early days. The days before the wars had ruined you, had cost the lives of so many people you loved, when it was just you and Ereinion against the forces of darkness and those who tried to tear you down.

The perfect unit, they’d called you.

Ereinion holds his breath as your hand, shaking as it may be, extends towards him to cup his face. “Do you remember all those years ago when I told you that the likelihood of me taking a partner was slim because I was not willing to have a weakness that could distract me on the battlefield?” You ask. He nods, transfixed by your face as your fingers gently trace the line of his jaw. “I’ve had one for centuries now. I have just never breathed a word about it.”

Hope flickers behind those dark eyes. “Do not utter that which you do not wish to come to fruition, nin meld.”

“Why?”

You dip your head down, fingers tangling in dark hair as he tips his head up to hover mere inches above your mouth. Your heart pounds with anticipation as you both waver against the line that was drawn centuries ago: the line that will forever change the two of you once you dare to take that risk.

“Because once you do, you can’t take it back.” Gil-Galad utters so softly you almost don’t hear it.

“I could not take back my affections for you. I would not dare. You’ve had my heart since Círdan introduced us. You are my weakness… and you are my strength, my hope-“

His kiss is bruising as he closes the gap between the two of you, surging upward to stand to his feet and cup your face in his hands. He is so much taller than you that you have to crane your neck to properly kiss him, but you don’t think you could ever quite tire of the fire behind which he kisses you.

“You are my salvation from this wretched life,” Ereinion whispers, relishing in the sweet sound of your whimper as he holds you there, helpless to do nothing but allow his mouth to trail across your jaw and down your neck. He is mindful to not aggravate your injury further lest Elrond have his hide for doing so. “And so I take that weakness willingly if it means I have the privilege to love you all my days.”

You smile sweetly at him and nod as his trail ends at your forehead before you part.

“You’re tired.” You point to the cot beside you that’s open. “Bring that over here.”

“I have to attend to duties elsewhere-“

You give him a pointed look. “Cleaning Aeglos and Telmnar can wait. There’s so many of us injured, and you cannot attend to your duties without having a few hours of sleep. You cannot function.”

He hesitates before acquiescing to your demand. Galadriel is being tended to by Elrond, Arondir is coordinating patrols, and the rest of Eregion’s survivors are taken care of at least for the night. He will sleep much more peacefully - and hopefully avoid nightmares about Celebrimbor - being able to feel your breathing under his fingers.

“Very well.”

When Elrond comes looking for his King, he is not surprised to find him with you, but he is surprised to find that Gil-Galad has indeed fallen asleep in the cot beside yours. You are sitting up in your own cot drinking the mint tea provided by the healers with a smug expression on your face as you meet his eyes.

Your other hand loosely cards through Ereinions hair as he moves himself closer to your leg, forehead pressed against your knee in sleep.

“Should I ask?” Elrond queries, laughing quietly under his breath as you playfully narrow your eyes.

“Keep walking, Peredhel. Nothing to see here.”

He will allow his King that respite for tonight. He deserves the comfort of being held by someone he loves.

[little-mari-on-a-roof]

Frenglish differences in Miraculous - Episode 5

Timebreaker/Chronogirl

Alix - Kim

En: Your ridiculous bets are over. I'm gonna leave you in the dust, meathead. - You're no match for me. My neck is bigger than your thigh.

Fr: Je vais aller tellement vite mon pote que ton cerveau aura même pas le temps de comprendre ce qui t'arrive. - J'ai pas besoin de mon cerveau, mes muscles suffiront pour te mettre la pâtée.

I'm gonna go so fast, buddy, that your brain won't even have the time to comprehend what's happening to you. - I don't need my brain, my muscles are enough to crush you.

"I don't need my brain". Ok Kim.

Alix to Marinette after she sees her broken watch

En: Did you do this?

Fr: Je te l'avais confiée.

I entrusted you with it.

Nothing's sadder than breaking a friend's trust :((.

Timebreaker after getting Kim

En: The dude was a pain anyway with all those bets.

Fr: Finalement il avait raison, ses muscles auront servi à quelque chose.

He was right in the end, his muscles did end up being useful for something.

Ladybug

En: Where on Earth is that cat?

Fr: Où est Chat Noir ? Il n'est jamais là quand on a besoin de lui.

Where is Chat Noir? He's never there when we need him.

Chat Noir to Timebreaker

En: Let me guess, we're all playing a game of tag and you're it?

Fr: Alors laisse moi deviner, on joue tous à chat et c'est toi le chat ?

So let me guess, we're all playing cat and mouse and you're the cat?

Once again a pun lost in translation.

Chat noir

En: Just a second too late.

Fr: C'en est fallu d'un poil.

This one is kind of hard to translate, but it roughly means "that was one hair away", meaning it was very close. It's a pun with the fact that cats have lots of hair (in French, we have different words for the hair on your head and the ones on your body/an animal, and the latter is used here).

Chat Noir about Timebreaker

En: Well she wastes no time, does she?

Fr: Nom d'un chat elle perd pas de temps, hein.

For cat's sake, she wastes no time.

A pun lost in translation once again. In French, we usually say "nom d'un chien", which roughly means "for dog's sake", but it was here changed to a cat.

[gh0stly-mp3]

dancing on the seaside

aka: mandando o passinho na beira do mar

lavinho x manager gn!reader

synopsis: the fc barcha team is invited to a beach day by lavinho, and you, the team's manager, is his special guest

tags: crack, beach episode, lavinho brazillian icon, fc barcha cast, fluff, male reader in mind

warnings: words in portuguese (w translation), mature language, kinda long fic

a/n: shout out to all of my brazillian mates! (you can send requests in pt-br if you want :D) + requests are open!

masterlist.

Managing FC Barcha’s business and marketing was a hard task, surely, but a satisfying one. You were once a player, but now took care of the team, and Lavinho recognised your job well.

You became closer to him, and his care-free personality revealed a lot of his mind. It was no surprise to you that, one day, he invited – almost dragged – the entire team to a beach day. While you were not a player, you were his special guest.

For weeks he searched for the right place, somewhere they could have fun, relax and, most importantly, have a barbecue. You helped him find and rent a BBQ spot, as he was quite lost on the process, being a foreigner. He promised a thank-you, a special one for you, but only on the beach.

The place itself was a beautiful stretch of dark sand that gave face to the japanese sea’s horizon, few islands and boats on the way. Behind laid a path of grass that was separated from the beach by a wooden fence. Some trees sprouted and leaned to the ocean, letting pink and yellow petals fall on the shore. A small, but long gazebo covered the grill and some picnic tables.

The photos taken from the rent place managed to convince majority of the team to show up, while Otoya convinced the last two or three people. Everyone was going, and you were the only person that knew how happy this made Lavinho.

When the day came, everyone was excited, but no one could expect how excited Lavinho was. The days inside the Blue Lock complex made him hunger for the sun, the sea and the wind. His lack of a shirt, the palm-tree pattern of his shorts and the amount of junk he brought showed it.

There were beach umbrellas, weird types of meats and other food for the barbecue, a sound box playing loud funk, and many beach towels made of a very fine fabric.

When everyone questioned his over-preparation, he and the spanish players were shocked to discover that japanese beaches were quiet and organized. And to you, he described the loud and colorful vibes of the south american seaside, promising to take you to Rio de Janeiro one day.

Everything was fantastic. Bachira managed to build a huge sand castle, while the rest of the team tried to pillage it with water guns. Otoya disappeared for half an hour, and came back after flirting with a couple of girls around.

Lavinho taught you how to grill steaks in brazilian style – or, better describing it, he gave some instructions and let you battle against the griller. And to his surprise and admiration, your cooking skills were wonderful!

The steak was perfectly medium, which managed to collect some compliments from the team. He grilled some cheese and garlic bread, along with meats you and the team had never seen before.

Later on, you all played soccer on the sand, and with such a different field, things got a bit hard. The dribbles were slower, but even without some years of practice, you managed to follow Lavinho’s pace, goaling for your team in a drawn-on-the-sand goal.

“Wow gracinha [cutie]!” - He said, examining you - “If you keep up like that I’ll have to upgrade your thank-you”. - You had already forgotten about it, but something on his face made you believe that, not only did he not forget, he thought about it quite some times.

Finally, when he was melting with sweat, Lavinho ran to the sea. Some of the players were already there, and they even played volleyball on the water, almost letting the sea carry the ball away.

Many of the spanish players, alongside the brazilian, wanted to stay until the sunset, so you all did. The evening was quieter, with the majority staying around the tables, grilling, eating and enjoying the view.

When everyone started to pack up to leave, Lavinho had somehow gone into the water without anyone noticed. - “Porra [fuck], I’ve been here for some time now, I can’t believe none of you noticed! Seus idiotas [you idiots]…” - You, who had stayed dry the entire time, was elected the one to drag Lavinho back to land.

It was no easy task. He seemed to dance not only on the field, but also on the ocean. Anytime you got closer to him, he dived and appeared behind you, scaring the shit out of you. - “Hey hey delícia [hottie], come on! Shit, what happened to you? You used to be faster!” - and again he dribbled, not a ball, but himself from you.

The sunset painted the sky pink and yellow, while the flower petals decorated the white ripples. And then a hand grabbed your arm, pulled you underwater and held you by the waist, letting you float above the culprit. Lavinho gave a simple smile, and as soon as your muscles understood how to keep your breath, you felt a kiss.

[nabi-unveiled]

Catching Up: Love for Love's Sake (Ep 2)

Other Reacts: Ep 1

When we left off Myung-ha was on a mission to make Yeowoon happy (and himself) in this alternate reality. The catch - he's got 300 days or bad bad stuff happens. I haven't really had any new epiphanies or insights at this point so I'm just going to jump right into episode 2.

(Note: I am filtering tags related to this show and these characters as I knew it'd start popping up more once I posted about it.)

We start off with a dripping faucet and a sighing Yeowoon. I get it. The boy has been through a lot in the past couple of days, and it looks like there was more in the past (like the bullying) that we aren't fully aware of at this point.

Myung-ha's sudden presence in his life has to be confusing. I do love that Myung-ha is using outdated emoticons. That's a nice dose of realism in an alternate reality. Different generations often use different emoticons and slang. I'm often the translator between my husband and our kids in that regard. Yeowoon is giving a small smile though so he must find it amusing.

We didn't continue with our episodes being named for emotions. So I'm going to go with the titles having something to do with the quests. The mission in episode 1 was to make Yeowoon happy ("Happiness") so maybe the mission in this episode will be to become friends. I do wonder if the mission will be to befriend Yeowoon or actually to make friends with some of our other NPCs. I feel like the latter could be useful. But I may just be biased because I want more of my adorkable cutie.

Our affection level is still at -7 the following morning and apparently Yeowoon lives in the rooftop apartment. So we will probably have more rooftop scenes. I typically enjoy them, but the jumping potential in episode 1 has me a little leery of it at the moment.

I love that we have translation notes! It's not something I see nearly as much now as when I first started watching dramas

Myung-ha was grinning over grandma, but then got an abrupt reminder. 299 days...or death.

That's my question Myung-ha. There are so many possibilities of what that penalty could actually mean. I have my preferred theories, but it's really pretty open at this point.

The fact that Myung-ha interpreted it as going back to the real world tells you just how negatively he views his "real" life. He doesn't want to go back. But crap. That was my preferred theory. If they're stating it outright like this, then it's not right. So Yeowoon's death then? That was my back-up. Delaying the jump. In some ways that feels like a more natural consequence since the mission is to make Yeowoon happy.

I figure he's asking these questions to determine how to make Yeowoon happy, but it makes me love him a little that this is the route he's taking for information. I disagree with many, many things the elders in my community believe and promote, but I do love hearing their stories. And those stories get lost if they're not told.

Lol. He's like war? Nope. I'm out.

Myung-ha, I need you save my cutie. Apparently he has no friends and talks about himself as "someone like me". 🥺

Thank you for speaking facts and telling him to stop talking nonsense. Other people may not see your worth, but it's important to be your own biggest fan. That's hard in high school though. It's hard at any age. This line made me love Myung-ha even more than his interactions with Yeowoon so far. This move wasn't just about the mission. He's befriending Kyung-hoon and offering to defend him just because he feels he should and he wants to do so.

I do find it interesting that he has these kinds of beliefs and yet seems to dislike his real life so much. It makes one wonder what all has went on in his real life.

Lol. Myung-ha bolted when he got the Love Zone warning.

Yeowoon has Myung-ha's number though. Both literally and figuratively. He knows that he's being avoided. I do love a smart man. I'm reminded again just how direct he is with Myung-ha. It's refreshing.

Myung-ha says he wasn't avoiding Yeowoon.

I already said it. Yeowoon is smart. You're not avoiding me? Fine. Let's eat lunch together. He asks for a treat from the snack store.

So not only is Yeowoon living in the small rooftop apartment. He can't afford the school's meal plan. Which sucks. But it also makes me remember how he still gave money to Myung-ha yesterday and paid for his bus fare. I'm really hoping Myung-ha found some money in this alternate world. It looks like our boy Yeowoon needs support.

Myung-ha getting run over by the horde as he went to the snack store was funny. I guess he found his money, but I'm also amused that he bought pizza bread. That's also the type of bread discussed in the last episode of Let Free the Curse. I swear I see so many things that remind me of that show now. And just like when they discussed it in that show, I'm jealous. That sounds so much better than the beef jerky I had for supper.

Roughly "Why would you risk your life?" "I'm just trying to feed you well." "Why?" "Because I like it." Yeah...that's not going to cause any misunderstandings. There's an air of sadness to Yeowoon that seems to do with something more than his grandma passing.

Myung-ha asks Yeowoon why he dislikes him. I feel like a broken record, but they are so direct with each other.

🤣 Ok Yeowoon - so you are one of THOSE people. You know what. I get it. It takes me a really long time to warm up to people in real life. In general, I just don't trust people. I hope for the best. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I assume people do things with good intentions and mean well with their asinine comments. But actually trust them? Nope. There are very few people that I'm comfortable enough around to relax fully.

I'm not sure whether that trait will make Myung-ha's mission harder or easier. Because he's already been creeping up the affection scale. Once that door is open and you start to let someone in, it's hard to shut it. Yeowoon is already leaving the door cracked which is a positive. However, it makes me nervous too. It means Yeowoon is going to be very easy to hurt if he feels his trust has been betrayed. I'm figuring that's going to happen at some point.

We could start a whole collection at this point of things Myung-ha says that are going to be taken the wrong way even though he's being completely sincere and direct.

Oof. This feels very true to what we know of his character so far. Especially now that the one person he relied on is gone. It also tells us something about his past. He's been hurt in the past. I'm not sure why, but the bully from ep 1 is coming to my mind. I'm wondering if they used to be friends and he betrayed Yeowoon. It's very likely that I'm just building a fanfic-style head canon in my mind though.

This line could also be foreshadowing. I figure Myung-ha's reliability will help the affection score go up initially. But will it come to pass that he doesn't see Myung-ha as reliable? Or rather will Myung-ha have to do things in pursuit of the quests/missions that cause him to actually be unreliable. I need to keep moving. I'm developing a lot of hypotheses without solid evidence at this point.

"Isn't that totally me?" I love Myung-ha's little grin here. It seems so different than what we saw of him in the bar scene. I still feel like this is foreshadowing that he's going to be unreliable at some point.

Myung-ha states he is Yeowoon's fan again. Yeowoon does not seem to like that answer. That's definitely an interaction I could make a list of - people who do not like someone stating they are their "fan" when they want a different style of relationship. And Myung-ha comes out with another romance line that is not meant to be a romance line. I'm just rolling my eyes at this point. I don't think I could say such things without cringing.

Aww. The cringe is working though. His affection level is up to -5. But a debuff is now in play. A falling leaf? That seems mild. There has to be more to it than that. My brain is quickly flipping through possibilities, but I'm not landing on anything that feels right. Maybe it's mild because the levels are not very negative. That doesn't feel right though. Because why is a falling leaf an issue really? Moving on.

All I do know is that the longer I think about it, the more annoyed the gamer in me is that the debuff impacts Yeowoon. In a game, the debuff should impact the player (unless it's a whole group debuff). So Myung-ha should be the one impacted by the debuff. He should be the one experiencing the negative consequences.

Regardless, I'm not liking that the purple aura is now around Myung-ha's arm. That feels like absorption of negative energy which could mean all kinds of bad things. However, it says nullification so I'll go with that mechanic for now. In games, nullification magic has a cost. Sometimes it's a material cost. Sometime it's energy. There are always limits. So what are the rules in this game? It remains to be seen.

Cutie is calling. But this seems like bad news. We cut to a scene where a "fight" is going to occur. Someone asks if Myung-ha messed with the bully.

Ah, this must be our mystery top dog. Anyone want to lay bets that we break our word earlier about fighting kids? And will this type of interaction make Myung-ha seem more or less reliable in Yeowoon's eyes?

Ok. I know we're early in this show, but I can see why Myung-ha was on so many people's lists in the tag game. He really does have a delightful energy. Our top dog says that the bully is his brother, and Myung-ha says "love knows no bounds". LMAO. This feels like full-on shade of the step-brother trope.

Ah. This isn't top dog. Top dog must be the one whose pink-clad feet was shown. I'm kinda glad. This dude seems lame. It makes me nervous that we're up on the roof and fighting though. Why are the rooftops making me so nervous in this show??? I might need to ponder what in the set-up is causing me to have that gut reaction. It's probably something in the camera work.

It does seem like Myung-ha does have fighting skills. So that must have been true in real life too. The music is hilarious to me. Very old movie duel. And Myung-ha hits. Called that one. The hits are mild though. You can see that he's largely controlling himself. Enough to defuse, not enough to cause real harm.

🤣 I already said that fighting on the roof was foreboding. However, I definitely didn't expect this type of kdrama twirling save. Way to melt my anxiety down to nothing in the funniest way possible. I like that they didn't prolong the save. The comedic timing is better this way. I'm hoping Myung-ha just drops him now though.

Aww. No such luck.

It's top dog's turn to play. I do love that he's wearing pink shoes. It's a bold choice in this scenario. He threatens Myung-ha and apparently has "crazy eyes" while calling him "bro". I'm not really caring.

I'm more concerned by why our resident cutie, Kyunghoon, seems distressed. There's more to this than being taken hostage. There's something personal going on. But we aren't going to advance any further for now. Teacher has interrupted.

I'm torn between being proud of Yeowoon for calling the teacher and being distressed that he was dumb enough to stand beside the rooftop exit door so everyone knew it was him. Except we already know he's not dumb. This is purposeful and a public act of solidarity with Myung-ha. I just don't know why he's making this choice.

There are rumors about him being a loyal friend? Interesting. Who was the friend? That's another hint that something has happened in Yeowoon's past. Shouldn't Myung-ha already know about whatever event is in the past? Or was the cause of the rumors not part of the book? Is the game an unfaithful adaptation perhaps? 🤔 I'm probably overthinking this 😅. Either way, this action shows that Yeowoon has already made a choice about Myung-ha. He cares.

And now my favorite NPC is giving us all of the necessary backstory for Sangwon. He gets to bend the rules, because his mom is a bigshot at a sports brand. He's famous for fighting too. Although it seems odd that two "famous" fighters at the same school wouldn't have run into each other previously. I mean - I guess it's possible? My high school had over 2100 students and included a really wide geographic area. I didn't know everyone. But I didn't think schools were generally that big in S. Korea.

Myung-ha calls Sangwon a thug. But cutie disagrees. I recognize Sangwon from the intro. Is this thug going to join our gaming party? Snap judgment is getting me here. I'm neutral about thug as a person, but I feel like they're setting this up as a side couple. I just want to yell "No!!! Cutie you deserve better!". But it's not like I really know the dude yet. I guess I'll give our "bro" a break for now.

It's intriguing that "bro" goes to Yeowoon for information about Myung-ha. It hadn't seemed like he had known Yeowoon either. He recognized his nametag not him.

Sangwon asks Yeowoon why Myung-ha is hanging out with him. I'm trying to figure out why Sangwon is curious. Is this idol worship of some kind? Admiration for an older fighter? Is that why he keeps calling him "hyung"? Hmm. Things to think about.

Yeowoon is not direct with Sangwon in the same way he is with Myung-ha. His walls are up. He's not giving information for free. The flashbacks do remind us that Myung-ha called himself a fan, and that Yeowoon does not like that. It feels like Yeowoon is already falling for our boy Myung-ha. Boy? Man? He's 30, but he's 19? Ahhh. Not important. Time jinks are in play.

I can't imagine walking with someone like this. Note, I don't see it as romantic or saved for romance. I'm just not a touchy person. The thought of someone's arm slung around me like that causes me no small amount of anxiety. Anyways, it's nice to see that their friendship is off to a great start. My lovely NPC is already predicting some of Myung-ha's thoughts and knows he wants to watch the runners.

We've zoomed in on the blocks. I'm just not sure why. Is it the shoes? Or does he have issues coming off of the blocks that slows his run times? Or is this foreboding a future injury coming off of the blocks? This shot feels important. It's out of line with the other camerawork so far.

Apparently, it was the shoes. We already knew Yeowoon had financial issues. But this right here makes me see red. 😡 Any coach worth his salt should be helping him out and getting him better shoes if that's the problem instead of berating him. I know that's cultural bias on my part though.

Side note - I really like Yeowoon's running outfit. I'd take a screenshot...but I'm only halfway through. I doubt I have many screenshots left. Yikes. Better choose sparingly.

Oooh. A side quest. Although this really feels like a subquest within the main quest. Not important. It does appear that the "Friends" in the title was about the quest. Except now I'm thinking that it has more to do with getting Yeowoon some friends.

The fact that the answer is in Myung-ha's handwriting is REALLY interesting. He's writing the book in a way. He's determining what's important. Senior had asked him how he would've written it. And we all know that this is really about BOTH Yeowoon and Myung-ha. It's his quest to become happy too. He just doesn't know it. Wait...did I mistake senior's intentions? DOES he care about Myung-ha and sent him on this quest for happiness? 🤔 I don't know. I still don't like his vibes.

I love that there are hints. The gaming aspect really is well integrated into the show. LOL. EVERYONE is at -20 or lower. That really does mean that Myung-ha was pretty high. Bully is at -60!

😿😿😿 My giddy mood over bully being at -60 has very quickly dissipated. Our boy Yeowoon hates himself. This means our potential jump wasn't just over grief, feeling trapped in circumstances, etc. Does it have something to do with the rumors? Idk. I do know - Myung-ha's task just became Herculean.

Myung-ha is dragging Yeowoon to dinner with Kyung-hoon. Yeowoon is being grumpy about it. I want to laugh, and the video game music is probably supposed to lighten my mood. But I'm still stuck on that -100.

WAIT!! The -100 is in red. Myung-ha's numbers are in white. Is THAT why the debuffs are happening to Yeowoon instead of Myung-ha?!?! Hmm. I don't know that it makes sense on second thought. Bully should be getting debuffs in that case too, and I'm not sure why Myung-ha's presence would trigger it. 🤔UNLESS we're only seeing the debuffs that occur when Myung-ha is around and they are actually happening at other times too. At times when Myung-ha isn't there to nullify the debuff. And ok...I'm now scaring myself and spiraling. I need to rein myself back in before I go 100 mph into conspiracy theories based on nothing but video game mechanics 😅.

Anyways, back to the tteokbokki. Myung-ha strong arms the two others into eating and insists Yeowoon likes tteokbokki (even though he says he doesn't). A debuff has been cast.

Kyung-hoon and Yeowoon are awkward with each other. Myung-ha tells them "this isn't a blind date". I really do appreciate his sass. I love tteokbokki. This is the second time this episode that I'm jealous over the food.

But NO! The purple aura is poisoning the tteokbokki. How rude! Don't mess with food like that. Shared meals are IMPORTANT.

Well, I guess we can bond over bad food too. No nullification notice this time.

Myung-ha gives Yeowoon milk and asks him if he's dead/come back to life. Yeowoon tells him to watch his words. I'm with Yeowoon here.

Yeowoon says he's going to quit running. Myung-ha asks him if he's ever been happy running. Yeowoon says yes. But Myung-ha says Yeowoon is lying. Is this why Yeowoon doesn't like it when Myung-ha says he's a fan? Because he doesn't actually like running?

Cutie's home, but the pictures of the kids in martial arts uniforms has me curious. I guess it's the sister.

Aw sad. Yeowoon has to keep running, because it's the way he gets to stay in high school and go to college. Eesh. Society sucks. Myung-ha tells him when he reaches the point he wants to quit and even forsake his scholarship to let him know. He'll help.

It's actually really important that Myung-ha states this directly. When I was regularly working with teenagers, it's one of the strategies we taught them. To go ahead and identify who their people were. When they lost hope or wanted to give up on everything, who were they going to reach out to about it? It sounds odd, but it's something you need to know before reaching your breaking point. When you're at breaking point, it's hard to think. OK. Getting off my soapbox now. Suicide prevention is just a really big and personal deal to me.

Affection level is 0. Guess we'll get to test my random (and likely incorrect) theory about the debuffs being related to Yeowoon's level rather than Myung-ha's soon enough.

Myung-ha overestimated how much money he had back in the day. I'm sure it felt like a lot as a teenager. I do really appreciate how the show is balancing the more intense moments with these comedic beats. And the actor playing Myung-ha is doing a great job of transitioning between the two tones.

Kyung-hoon is wealthy. He offers to help Myung-ha. Myung-ha refuses money, but he agrees to a part time job.

I love it that our cutie is still acting like the informational NPC. Presenting options and letting Myung-ha chooses between them. They aren't directly framing it as gaming behavior, but the elements are still there if you know them.

Sangwon has busted into the house. Kyung-hoon's sister seems like a delight. Read the sarcasm there. If we're relying on my snap judgments, I already dislike her. But then she got riled up on her brother's behalf when she thought Myung-ha was bullying him...so she'll probably grow on me.

I'm actually liking Sangwon's energy here, and his interaction with the sister. Fine, I guess you can get with cutie. I'm still getting the "hero worship" vibes when he's interacting with Myung-ha.

Yeowoon calls, and Myung-ha rushes out.

Oh wait...is he actually INTERESTED in Myung-ha? Him getting tiffed about being ignored definitely isn't hero worship. It's a different type of worship. Yeah, I had missed that cue.

The gaming interface has designated Sangwon as a potential friend. I wonder what his affection level would be.

Yeowoon has collapsed on the floor. The conspiracy theorist in me says that a debuff has been cast, and Myung-ha wasn't around to nullify it. I'm fully in a clown car at this point that the debuffs are related to Yeowoon's levels and not Myung-ha's. It makes the gamer in me happy as the debuffs are impacting the relevant player, and that puts Myung-ha in the "magic" role with healing abilities. Which...he is both magical and playing support to Yeowoon at this point. This clown car theory is probably complete bs, but it's fun to think about.

THE DOCTOR SAID IT'S MALNUTRITION. Have I said how much society sucks? This is really emphasizing again that it was a big deal for Yeowoon to help pay for the ice cream and bus fare. The boy doesn't even have money for food. Let me also say - malnutrition is a legitimate reason to have subpar athletic performance. I'm getting angry at coach again. People may disagree, but adults in those types of roles have a duty to care for their kids.

This is a BIG problem. It's may be the first time I'm glad that Myung-ha is actually 30, because he'll have more experience to figure out how to handle this type of issue. Actually, I better not think about him as 30 when Yeowoon is a sophomore in high school. That way lies a lot of ick and insanity. This is why alternate realities and time jumps can be so tricky. He's 19. With a preloaded database that gives him more insight, but he's 19. Got it brain? Good.

Myung-ha asks Yeowoon to stay with him. Yeowoon is wondering if this is pity. Myung-ha asks if he needs a reason to care. He starts to get emotional, but then stops himself to regroup. I'm not sure if I can express how much I loved that part of the discussion. Because that's what happens naturally. Emotions start to get the better of you.

Myung-ha says it's just something that happens. He says people sometimes care "unconditionally". All I know is that this has got to be an emotional roller coaster for Yeowoon who just wants someone to rely on but who doesn't trust that he actually CAN rely on anyone.

AHHHH. There's ICE CREAM again! Food symbolism is in the house!! But I'm out of screenshots. Dang. It's okay. I'll delete an earlier one.

Myung-ha asks if he wants to go for ice cream. Yeowoon asks why he likes ice cream so much. Myung-ha returns with this line that not's meant to be a line but could be perceived as a line. That said, considering that Yeowoon hates himself, it's absolutely necessary that Myung-ha keeps stating that he LIKES Yeowoon. It's going to cause cognitive dissonance for Yeowoon, but the boy needs that dissonance to face himself and hopefully heal.

Sangwon is waiting on the rooftop. I doubt Yeowoon is going to like that. It's HIS personal space. The framing and music here cue that this is actually a love triangle of some kind. I'll just be over here hoping that Sangwon gets a clue pretty quickly.

That said, I actually think that Kyunghoon may be the only one of our current trio of friends with any romantic feelings at this point. I'm predicting he has feelings for Sangwon. Myung-ha/Yeowoon may be intrigued. They care about each other. But we're not deep diving straight into a romantic relationship which...I appreciate. That feels natural. Both Myung-ha and Yeowoon have a lot of stuff to unpack and process.

Overall, I enjoyed this episode. It looks like we'll be officially adding a fourth member to our gaming party soon. I just want Sangwon to bring more of the energy he had with the sister and less of whatever this energy is on the rooftop. Let the countdown to consequences continue.

[star-trek-fandom-confessions]

#328

"My favorite thing to come from NuTrek is definitely the building up of Kirk and Uhura's relationship. Their friendship in both the AOS movies and SNW show has alway been enjoyable to watch."

[yingdu-lover]

Rough Translation of a Few Questions from the Link Click Art Book Interview with Director Li Haolin

many many thanks to @whispersoflullaby 🐥

I will attach the full interview in Mandarin (if any Chinese speaker is interested in producing a proper translation 🙇🥹 jajsjsdj please do) These google translations give me headache, tbh.

Q 10. Regarding the female character Yang and others, how did Director Li adjust the role relationship and atmosphere between them?

-

The audience has always cared about this role. Although she doesn't have many roles, her presence is still very important. It better reflects the tacit understanding between the two boys. There is no problem, but it is not so easy to get the two boys to get along. I want to set up a bond for emotional communication between boys. For example, Lu Guang wants to know what Cheng Xiaoshi thinks of "me", Cheng Xiaoshi wants to know what Lu Guang thinks of "me"--these ideas can be transformed through Qiao Ling. q. Is it equivalent to balancing each other's opinions among them and balancing the relationship between them? - It's not about balancing their relationship, but it's about her being a channel for them to communicate. The communication I am talking about is inner core communication. q. The more emotional part? - Right. For example, in episode 10, Cheng Xiaoshi possessed Xu Shanshan and listened to Qiao Ling talk about how Lu Guang viewed him at that time. This kind of plot can only be transformed well through her.

(if only I could get the Chinese sub *sighs*)

|| In Chinese ||

Q 10. 关于养等这位女性角色,李导是如何调整他们之间的角色关系和相处氛围的? - 养等这个角色,观众们一直很在意。虽然她的戏份不多,但她的存在还是很重要的。更体现两个男生之间的默契,这没什么问题,但是要让这两个男生交起心来就不那么容易,我想设置一个让男生和男生之间有情感交流的纽带,比如陆光想知道程小时怎么看“我”的,程小时想知道陆光怎么看“我”的,程小时对“我”的想法是怎么样的,随光对 “我”的想法是怎么样的,这些想法通过乔等是可以转化出来的。 q. 相当于养等在他们中间平衡相互的看法,平衡他们两个之间的关系? - 不算平衡他们俩的关系,而是说她是让他们两个交流的一个通道。 我说的交流是内心的内核交流。 q. 是更感性的那部分? - 对。比如第10集,程小时附身在徐继继身上,听乔苓讲当时陆光东样看待自己的,这种桥段只有通过她才能很好地转化出来。

Q 11. Among all the characters, which one do Li and others like the most? - It's like asking your own child who he likes. It's a bit difficult to choose. Which one do you like?

-

I can only say that I like them all: But saying that I like them all, this answer seems a bit boring. I will tell the truth. I still like them all, each has its own characteristics. Let’s talk about the shining points of the three protagonists. Cheng Xiaoshi is righteous and very real. He is very naive. Innocence is hard to spend. In the real society, innocence has become more and more scarce. Lu Guang is calm, knowledgeable, very bright, mysterious, and a perfect boy. Qiao Ling...cannot simply be said to be a girl next door, but an image of a big sister who can hold the trio together. Although rational, she has a strong part, but she also has a very soft part, and these advantages of her will be reflected in the subsequent plots.

|| In Chinese ||

Q 11. 在所有的角色中,李等最喜欢哪位? - 这就像问自己家的孩子,到底喜欢谁,有点难选。你说喜欢哪一个。 我只能说都喜欢:但说都喜欢,这个回答好像又有点无聊,我实话实说。 还是都喜欢的,各有各的特点。 那就聊聊三个主角身上的闪光点吧。 程小时就是正义,而且也很真实,他这个人很天真,天真是难能可费的,现实社会中,天真已经变得越来越稀缺。 陆光是沉稳、高知、又很黎明、神秘、是一个街完美的男生形象。 乔等,不能简单说是一个邻家女孩,而是一个大姐姐的形象,能够 hold住三人组。虽然有理性。刚烈的部分,但她又有很柔软的部分,后面的剧情中也会把她的这些优点体现出来。

And that "why did we have a male duo rather than a female-male duo" question. Pasting the question in Chinese first.

Q 9.可能这个问题在其他的场合也被问过很多遍了,就是李导是怎样确定用程小时和阳光这样的双男主配置的? - 前面说到,我希望主角的能力是不完美的,能力必须分成两半,分给两个人,这是第一点,第二,我们当时讨论过,如果是一男一女的配置,两个角色放在一起会面临一个问题:到底给不给他们情感线?后来发现横竖摆不平这个事情,还有各方面的考虑,最后才会有现在的双男主。 关于程小时和陆光的性格,我前面也有说到过:程小时是不稳定的因素,因为他能进入照片却不知道将来会发生什么,而陆光是稳定的因重。二人必須搭配互补起来,才能完美发挥他们的能力。

I can't help but tag you @croded 😭 could you please take a look- like, what are the implications? a lot can be lost in translation if context sensitivity is not taken into account.

09. This question may have been asked many times on other occasions. How did Director Li determine the configuration of dual male protagonists like Cheng Xioashi and Lu Guang?

-

As mentioned earlier, I hope that the protagonist's ability is not perfect, and the ability must be divided in half and divided between two people. This is the first point. Second, we discussed at the time that if it is a male and a female configuration, the two characters will face a problem when they are put together: Will they be given emotional lines? Later, I found out that this matter is uneven, and there are various considerations, and finally we have the current dual male protagonists. Regarding the characters of Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang, I have mentioned before: Cheng Xiaoshi is an unstable factor because he can enter the photo but does not know what will happen in the future, while Lu Guang is a stable factor. The two must complement each other in order to fully utilize their abilities.

For the full interview in Chinese...I am still working on it so

[poppitron360]

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

But this fanfic was written in one! This is a continuation of this post that I made (suggest you read it first for context). Basically Jason and Leo had a baby through divine intervention and Piper is the surrogate. I literally started adding to it this time yesterday and now it’s over 3,000 words long. Whoops!

Credits to @xixovart for helping me with the Spanish, I also used google translate for some, so please forgive any mistakes that I made (there are probably loads).

Tagging also: @fictionalmenaremytype @lavenderfairiez @sleepyycapybara @puzzled-pegasus @im-always-lost-in-a-book @keefessketchbook @imnoturfriend-im-a-swiftie13 @hollow8007 @euryvices @ottpopfic @child-of-helios @ginnyluna

Summary: Lost Trio Baby is born, and it doesn’t go well.

Disclaimer: I get everything I know about childbirth from watching episodes of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I have no idea if this is accurate or not.

CW: The Miracle Of Birth™, Potential Major Character Death (Or maybe not! No spoilers!!)

Word Count: Approx. 3,870

The Birth

(…Part 1?)

"FASTERRRR!!!!!!" Piper screamed, straining against the seatbelt in the back of the car.

"I'm already pushing the speed limit!" Leo screamed back, his voice just as panicked as Piper's.

"Stay calm, everyone!!" Jason shouted.

"AAAAAARRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Piper roared. Jason and Leo joined in the yelling as they barrelled down the highway.

Then Piper caught fire.

"Piper!" Leo yelped. He began to turn to check on her.

"WATCH THE ROAD!" Jason yelled, pushing Leo towards the steering wheel.

"But-"

"I'll check on her," Jason assured him. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned into the back. Piper's whole body was aflame- luckily Leo had fireproofed the leather seats of the car- she was writhing in agony, but she seemed unharmed by the fire.

"Piper, just breathe, okay? We're gonna get through this."

"Is she okay?" Leo yelled.

"She's fine!" Jason called back.

"No I'm not!" Piper screamed, "I've got an angry demigod baby trying to destroy my uterus!"

Jason slipped on a dragon-hide glove and reached out, gripping Piper's flaming hand. He felt a jolt of electricity shoot from Piper's grasp. “PUTAIN ÇA FAIT MAL!!” Piper shouted in French.

"WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Leo shouted. The tires screached down the road. Jason let go of Piper's hand and sat back down, throwing his seatbelt on before the car skidded to a halt on the country path. Leo threw open the driver-side door and walked over to Piper. Jason did the same, and together they unbuckled her from the back and heaved her out. She wrapped her still-flaming arm around Leo's body- which was also starting to smoke. The three of them stumbled up half-blood hill, where Will Solace waited for them, alongside Kayla, Austin, Nico, and Chiron. They rushed them into the infirmary.

Jason watched through the window of the delivery room. The fire was getting dangerous now, so only Piper, Leo, and Will were allowed to be present. Will was wearing a full-body dragon hide suit and a welder’s mask to protect him from the flames. Leo was half of the problem. Every time Piper yelped and he became more agitated, fire crackled and spit around him. The flames were up to the ceiling now. Jason couldn't see what was happening exactly through the inferno. He paced outside the door.

“I should be in there,” He muttered, “I should be with them.”

Nico put a hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay, Jason. Will’s got this, he’s delivered babies before.”

“No but-“ He gestured towards the blaze in the delivery room. He continued pacing, running his hands through his hair, “What if Piper doesn’t make it? What if the baby gets hurt? What if-“

“Look, just stay calm, Jason,” Kayla soothed.

“I’m not helping anyone worrying out here! I should be in there-“

“Jason…” Chiron chided.

“It’s not safe,” Nico urged, “Piper has some sort of magic protecting her and the baby. Leo’s… Leo. Will has these fireproof potions from Hecate cabin, but still, he shouldn’t be in there, he has to-“

Suddenly, Leo rushed out the door, still aflame, breathless and panicky. The fire outside the window was swirling wildly, and Jason could sense strong winds circling around Piper.

"A storm..." He gasped, "Piper..."

"Is she okay?" Jason asked.

“I… I hope so.”

"Is Will okay?" Nico asked.

Leo looked back at the door.

"It's getting too dangerous in there," Chiron said. He threw open the door and entered the burning room.

Leo put his back against the wall and sank to the floor. Jason sat down next to him.

"It's not looking good, Jason."

"What? Is she-"

“Sh-She might not make it,” Leo said, shakily, “There’s a chance… but that magic around her isn’t strong enough. It’s meant to protect the baby, not her.”

Jason rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes in despair. He heard the inferno whirling inside the room behind them.

Nico walked over and punched him in the arm, "If Will gets hurt in there, Valdez, I'm gonna..." He trailed off when he saw Leo crying.

"It's my fault..." Leo whimpered, "It's because of me..."

"No, cariño, no..." Jason soothed.

"It's my power, Jason. It's my power that's killing her."

“That’s not true, Leo. It’s mine as much as yours, for one thing. Also, it’s not your fault. You didn’t choose-“

"This is what I did to my mom," Leo continued, "She must’ve went through all this giving birth to me. And she was mortal. And she was on her own- she couldn’t tell anyone… oh, gods, what did I put her through? What am I putting Piper through? And what about this baby? Am I cursing them to have the same miserable life as I did?”

“Leo…”

“I don’t what this kid to turn out like me, Jason. If they’re anything like me we’ll be going to their funeral sixteen years from now. But with this fire… I don’t want Piper to suffer the same fate my mom did. If something’s wrong with the birth-“

“She’ll be fine,” Kayla cut in. She walked over and sat by Leo, “Chiron will help. Will knows what he’s doing. We’ve got ambrosia and nectar on stand-by. And Piper’s strong. She’ll get through this.”

Jason wrapped his arms around him, "Happiest day of our lives, remember? Focus on the positives. Let’s review baby names.”

“No dead people,” Leo recited, “At least no-one who died young. Names have power.”

“That’s right,” Jason agreed, “If it's a girl..."

"Isabella. Or Daniella.”

"And if it's a boy?"

"Either Antonio, Benjamin, or Leo Jr-"

"I said no to that one."

"I think we should keep our options open."

Jason laughed, and Leo’s mood brightened a little. Jason could tell he was still terrified- they all were- but their hope kept them going.

“How about Jason Jr?” Jason suggested.

“I don’t know… I just think “Leonidas Valdez the Second” sounds badass,” Leo said.

“That’s if it’s a boy, though.”

“Leonidas could be a girl’s name,” Kayla pointed out.

“Gender is relative,” Austin added, joining Kayla on the floor next to them.

“And what will the baby call us?” Jason asked.

“You’re Dada, I’m Papa,” Leo recalled.

The fire in the room behind them increased in rage. Nico sat to the side of Jason, and closed his eyes in silent prayer. The four of them sat in silence, listening to the burning room behind them.

Then, suddenly, the door to the infirmary swung open, and Percy, Annabeth, Frank and Hazel rushed in.

“Is the baby born yet? Did we miss it?” Hazel asked, excitedly.

Leo looked down and stifled a sob.

Percy saw the blaze outside the window and rushed to take a closer look.

“What’s going on?” Annabeth asked, “Is Piper-“

“She’s got magic protecting her and the baby,” Austin explained, “But the exhaustion might be too much for her to take. And Will’s still in there- he’s got protection, but he’s-“

Without a word, Leo stood up, walked over to the other end of the room, and burst into flames.

“Chiron’s helping, though,” Jason continued, “And he’s immortal.”

“I’m going in,” Percy said, “I’m a little fireproof.”

“And I’m a big fireproof, and I couldn’t even go in there, with the storm,” Leo retorted, “That’s not a little fire. Percy-“

“Do you think a huge water-pipe bursting above their heads would hurt the baby?”

“Let’s not risk it,” Jason warned.

Hazel had walked over to Leo and was trying to soothe him. Frank was standing uncomfortably in the middle of the room, looking back and forth between the fire that was Piper, and the fire that was Leo.

“Wait- what’s happening?” Frank asked.

“Leo and Jason’s powers,” Kayla explained, “The baby has both of them. It’s currently trying to burn its way into the world at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, complete with atmospheric thunderclouds. It’s a spectacle fit for the likes of my father.”

“So does that mean-“

Suddenly, the fire inside the room died. The windows were blackened with soot, so they couldn’t see through. Everything was quiet. They were all still. Leo stood up and rushed into the room before Jason could stop him. Jason followed.

Will, covered head to toe in fireproof gear, stood, looking very shaken. He was holding something sticky with blood and covered in soot. It was wailing at the top of its lungs. A shrill, high-pitched sound. Piper was unconscious on the bed, but breathing.

“Let her get some rest,” Will said, nodding towards Piper, “She’s exhausted.”

“Is she gonna be okay?” Leo asked.

“I th-think she’ll be fine.”

Chiron carefully took the child from Will’s arms. “You need rest too, young man,” He ordered, “I will get the baby cleaned up.”

Will nodded, sleepily. He walked over to the door, but before he left, he turned to Jason and Leo. “It’s a girl, by the way,” he told them.

Jason walked over to Leo, and gave him a massive hug.

“Holy Hephaestus, I just had a baby,” Leo muttered.

“We just had a baby,” Jason agreed.

“We are parents to an actual human child…”

A few moments later, Chiron trotted back to them, and handed them a freshly de-sootified newborn baby.

“I give you three some time to get aquatinted,” he whispered, then he left.

Leo sank into a chair, the child cradled in his arms. The world was so quiet.

“A girl,” Leo whispered, “Mi bebita.”

Jason pulled up another chair next to the bed where Piper was asleep.

"Hi!" Leo cooed, "Hello! Aw, you caused quite a blaze there, didn't you? You take after Tu Papá."

The man who had been so tense merely seconds before softened so much when he held the child.

“Hola, mi estrella,” Jason said to her.

Leo looked up at him and smiled. The most joyous smile Jason had ever seen. “Mi vida, mi alma, mi hermoso fuego,” He whispered.

He rocked her in silence for a few seconds.

“She looks like my mom,” Leo said, “Don’t you think?”

“I-I never met her,” Jason reminded him.

“She looks like Mom.” Leo decided, “Her Abuela. But she’s got your eyes.”

Jason looked at the child. She did have piercing, ice-blue eyes, just like his own.

Leo passed the baby over to him. She was warm to the touch, cooling down from the oven. He stared at the tiny thing. Her beautiful face, her slightly pointed nose, her winning smile, her dark skin, all like Leo’s. But those eyes were Jason’s. He held her in his arms, his daughter. She was his, and she was Leo’s. She was made from their love and their partnership. He looked at Piper, his best friend, snoring quietly in her bed. He looked at Leo. The three of them had made this, together. They would always be together.

The four of them stayed there, in that ash-covered room, peacefully. And for once in their lives, everything was as it should be.

[…]

They stepped out, Piper with the baby, Jason and Leo either side of her, onto the porch of the big house, where a sea of campers and friends were waiting.

“Guys,” Leo announced, “Meet Isabella!”

The campers around them gasped.

Suddenly, Chiron’s knees buckled into a bow. The others began to kneel too.

“All hail Isabella Valdez,” He boomed, “Legacy of Jupiter, king of the Cosmos, Lord of the Sky, Bringer of Lightning, Ruler of the Gods. Legacy of Hephaestus, Bringer of Fire, God of Creation, Master of the Forge, King of Volcanoes. Hail Isabella Valdez, daughter of Jason and Leo Valdez.”

As they watched, two floating symbols appeared over the newborn’s head. A still image of glowing gold eagle mid-flight- and a glowing red, fiery hammer. Jason smiled, recalling the same hammer floating over Leo’s head all those years ago, and then just about remembering the eagle above his own head, when he was barely a toddler. The symbols hovered next to each other for a few seconds, then vanished.

Percy, Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel approached.

“So you’re okay?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah…” Piper said, “They wheeled me into recovery, gave me ambrosia and nectar. Still a little sore from being on fire and summoning storms. Leo, how do you do it?”

Leo grinned, “I’m a special boy.”

Suddenly Jason was attacked by a hug. He turned.

“Thalia!” He cried, and hugged her again. Then, she pushed him off, and turned to the child in Leo’s arms.

“Is that my niece?” She demanded.

“Yup,” Leo said, holding Isabella up. Thalia came in close, and the baby reached up and grabbed her pinky finger with her whole fist. Jason watched his sister melt with pure joy.

“She’s got her auntie’s strength, I see,” Thalia said. Jason could tell she was fighting back happy tears.

Chiron trotted over. He nodded to Jason, Leo with the baby, and Piper.

“I’d like to speak to the three of you. Privately.”

The others nodded and left.

Chiron led them into the Big House, and gestured for them to sit down on the couch facing the fireplace. Piper took the armchair and began to breastfeed the baby. Leo and Jason respectfully turned away from her. The Centaur’s back legs compacted into his wheelchair, and he wheeled it towards the furniture, so they were sitting in a semicircle around the hearth.

“Wh-what is it, Chiron?” Jason asked.

The Centaur’s expression turned dark.

“This child…” Chiron said to the three of them, “She has power never before seen in this century… storm and fire…”

“What are you saying?” Piper asked, looking up from her task, “Is she-“

“We can’t know anything yet,” Chiron said, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to worry you, but-“

“Is she…” Leo began. The fire began to crackle more. Jason squeezed his husband’s hand, “Is she dangerous?”

“We… we can’t be certain of anything right now,” Chiron said, “But, considering how rare it is to inherit the godly powers of both parents- particularly of powerful demigods such as yourselves- this clouds the future somewhat.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked.

“Well, usually the most powerful demigods only appear when something big is about to happen,” He looked directly at Leo when he said this, which caused the fire to spit violently, a spark narrowly missing the carpet and fizzling out on the stone hearth, “And I haven’t seen a legacy this powerful since… well, not for a long time.”

“Something big, you say? Something… bad?” Piper asked, tentatively.

“Well, knowing our luck, then… it’s quite probable,” Chiron said, “Her power might be linked to the fact that she was birthed by a third very powerful demigod. It could just be that, or-“

“But even then, I barely survived that delivery,” Piper said, “Chiron’s right, I don’t think this is just a random occurrence, I think-“

One of the logs in the fireplace burst from the heat, splintering the wood.

“Look, however my daughter turns out, I’m gonna love her,” Jason said.

Chiron put a hand on his shoulder, “I’m not saying that at all, Jason. I just think the future-“

“Yeah? Well, the future’s not now, is it?” Jason didn’t mean to snap, but he could see Leo was getting agitated. If the conversation continued much longer, the fireplace would explode, “Right now, I’m gonna focus on looking after my baby. We can worry about the future- about paying for college, about demigod life- we can worry about it all another time. I’ve spent my whole life worrying about saving the world. Can I please, for once, live normally? Can I put my baby down for a nap and watch vine compilations with my husband and my best friend- who both seem to know all the words to them for some reason? Can you hound me with the future tomorrow? Please?”

Chiron’s eyes twinkled with understanding. He nodded, “Of course, of course, I shouldn’t have put this on you right now. You can go.”

But of course, the future couldn’t wait forever.

The next day, Nico, Will, Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, Thalia, and Reyna, who had arrived that morning, plus Nyssa and Harley from Hephaestus cabin all crowded around Jason, Leo, and Piper with the baby. Several more onlookers began to approach the gaggle, including Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

“Aww, is that Isabella?” She asked, joining the circle of people around them.

Suddenly, she shuddered, and swooned. She collapsed, and Annabeth caught her. Several campers rushed to her side.

“What’s happening?” Hazel asked.

“A prophecy!” Percy gasped.

Rachel’s eyes began to glow. Green smoke poured out of her mouth. Will found a stool, and lowered her onto it. She sat upright, swaying slightly, like some sort of freaky zombie. Then she raised an arm, and pointed.

Directly at the baby.

She opened her jaw, and began to recite.

“To three of the seven a child is born,

Crest and laurel wreaths adorn

Turn and face Olympus’ might

In sixteen years, her final night”

Pandemonium ensued. Campers hurried around, some running to tell Chiron, some bringing Rachel water, some turning to face them. The world erupted with the sound of a billion questions. Jason began to feel light-headed. He felt Percy’s hand on his shoulder, “Are you-“

He stopped. Amidst the chaos, Leo had crumpled to the floor. He was crouched down with his hands wrapped around his head, rocking backwards and forwards. Jason hurriedly knelt down beside him. Percy rushed off to help Annabeth, who was escorting Piper and the baby out of the crowd.

Several campers formed a circle around Jason and Leo, asking a barrage of questions.

“Give them some space!” A voice yelled. It was Rachel. She got up off her stool, and waved her hands to disperse the congregation. She knelt down, and put a hand on Leo’s shoulder.

“Shoot- I’m so, so, so sorry you guys,” She said to them, “I didn’t mean- I know you don’t- I just-“

“Wha-What did that mean, her f-final night?” Jason stammered.

“I don’t know…” Rachel said, “Prophecies are tricky, it doesn’t necessarily mean… Look, I know that was NOT what you wanted to hear. At all. But we don’t know it was definitely about her!”

“To three of seven a child is born,” Jason recited, “Me, Leo, Piper. Three of the seven half bloods from that other prophecy. You started glowing green as soon as you saw her. You pointed at Isabella.”

“But that doesn’t mean it has anything to do with the last line! A couple Great Prophecies ago, there was this line- “A Hero’s soul cursed blade shall reap”- we all thought Percy was gonna die, but turns out a totally different guy died instead, so it’s fine!”

Leo began to sob.

“No- it’s okay, the guy that died was totally evil. He killed loads of people,” Rachel explained.

Jason wrapped his arms around Leo and cradled him, “Shh, Leo, mi cielo, it’s gonna be okay.”

The thing was, Jason didn’t know if it was gonna be okay. But no matter how terrified he felt, his first instinct was to always comfort Leo.

“Sixteen years…” Leo muttered, “That’s what she said. Sixteen. Just like… Oh Gods…”

“Leo, no-“

“I was right!” Leo cried, “I was right, wasn’t I, Jason? I was cursing her. I told you. I said “If she’s anything like me, in sixteen years we’ll be going to her funeral.” I told you, didn’t I?”

“Leo…”

“It’s all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault, amorsito. I know that much. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that whatever happens, you’re not to blame.”

“Yeah, Leo, don’t think that,” Rachel agreed, “This isn’t because of you.”

“Except… I died at Sixteen. And if she’s like me… if she has my powers…”

“That doesn’t make it your fault,” Jason said.

“I don’t believe you,” Leo replied, simply.

“Leo-“

Suddenly, Piper came rushing over, breathless. “Annabeth is watching the baby,” She explained. She sat down next to Rachel. “What… happened? Was that really a prophecy?”

“Afraid so,” Rachel said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to land that on you guys like that. And Leo, it’s not your fault.”

Piper raised an eyebrow, “Is Leo blaming it all on himself, again?”

Jason nodded.

“What’s his excuse this time? “I should’ve preempted this and invented an anti-prophecy device!””

“No it’s “The baby has my powers and therefore will die at sixteen because I died at sixteen!” Which, I have to say, is less plausible than the machine thing,” He turned to Leo, “You don’t control genetics, hermoso. You couldn’t have had a say in what powers she got.”

“But still…”

Piper reached forward, and grabbed Leo’s hand, “This is not your fault, Leo. How many times do we have to tell you that before you start to listen?”

Leo sighed, and said “Okay.” But Jason could see in his eyes that he wasn’t buying it. He would still always believe it was his fault.

The seven of them, Nico, Reyna, Will, Thalia, and Rachel all gathered around the cot in Cabin One.

“So… what do we do?” Frank asked.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Rachel said, sadly, “Thwarting Prophecies is never a good idea.”

Leo glanced at Jason.

No, Jason said, with a glare, I know what you’re thinking, and no. It’s not your fault.

I thwarted a prophecy, Leo seemed to say back with his eyes, And now I’m facing the consequences.

Leo… Jason glanced back. Leo turned away, not wanting to have this conversation any more. Piper shot Jason a look, like she had read the discussion perfectly.

“We can wait, we can hope. And when the time arises…” Rachel trailed off.

“I will fight for my daughter,” Jason said, “Her fate is not set in stone, it never is. We still have choices to make. I don’t know what this prophecy means for my girl, but Gods help me if I don’t go to the ends of the earth to protect her.”

“Yeah!” Leo said, and Jason saw his face harden into a determined grin, “She may have a difficult future, but she has two dads who are both willing to do anything for her.���

“Not to mention her Auntie Piper,” Piper added, stepping forward.

“And me!” Frank said.

“Me too,” Hazel promised.

“We’re in,” Percy announced, his arm around Annabeth’s shoulder, “We’ll see to it that no harm comes to her.”

“Us too,” Nico spoke up, grabbing Will’s hand.

Reyna put a hand on Jason’s shoulder, “She has my full support, understand? I will lend her all of my strength if she needs it.”

“Aww, hell yeah, that’s my niece!” Thalia cried, punching her fist into her palm, “She’s got the most powerful demigods in the world protecting her. If some prophecy wants to hurt her, I’d like to see them try.”

“You guys…” Jason said, addressing the group, “This will be hard. There will be troubles ahead, things we’ve never had to face before…”

He looked around at his friends, all standing, ready to fight. He looked at Leo, the love of his life, who he’d do anything for. He looked at the little girl in the cot, staring up at the thunderclouds in the ceiling of the cabin.

“But with your support, we can make it through this. I can feel it. Things might arise that we might not be able to deal with, but Gods damn us if we don’t try.”

————

Guys...

Should I write a Part 2?

[thecoffeelorian]

Fandom Friday, 11/15: Fanfiction!

Hello again, everyone…and welcome to another installment of Fandom Friday, the two-post series where I go off to find new and interesting fanworks that might need a bit more visibility.

Before we begin...let me first do a little check-in with everyone, so that as many of us can start off with a fairly good morning as possible. In other words, if you haven't had any glasses of water yet, please do; if you're able to get yourself some breakfast, go ahead...and if you haven't taken any necessary meds yet, please take them.

Now...if you're all ready to go, here are my picks of the week.

THE CLONE WARS

The Clone Wars Fanfiction--By @threebea:

The Clone Wars Fanfiction--By @sinfulsalutations:

THE BAD BATCH

The Bad Batch Fanfiction--By @im-no-jedi:

The Bad Batch Fanfiction--By @rex-meshla:

ANDOR

Andor Fanfiction--By @ghostofskywalker:

THE MANDALORIAN

The Mandalorian Fanfiction--By @violetwanderer:

The Mandalorian Fanfiction--By @echoingbirdsofprey:

AHSOKA

Ahsoka Fanfiction--By @kalevalakryze:

Ahsoka Fanfiction--By @illuminatedquill:

In conclusion, as part of my mission to poke around the Star Wars fandom and, on Friday every two weeks, highlight those writers who might otherwise go unnoticed…I hope you will check out the links I have included for yourselves and like, comment on, and reblog them, as well as also giving the writers a few more followers to their Tumblr pages.

Please also like and reblog this latest installment so that these links can be spread around to as many other fans as possible, just in case not all of them can tune in at the same time.

An additional thank you goes to @djarrex for making the divider I used earlier in this post, but still want to give credit for.

And finally, so that I do not forget…thank you to my friends, thank you to this fandom, and if it's a little longer between updates, please stay safe out there.

No Pressure Tags: @melymigo @algo-o-nada @theosb0rnway @everybirdfellsilent @skellymom

@leos-multifandom-corner @maggie-dylan @leenabb104104 @gun-roswell @tazmbc1

@bluedeedeedoop @its-time-to-rise-above @tlmtwelve @snoowply and anybody else who might be on the lookout for new SW fanfiction.

[dick-chugger]

Ok, I own seasons 4 and 6 so here are the Finnish names for all those episodes too. Had some trouble with some of the translations but whatever, they're under the cut.

Season 4:

Welcome to Korea = Korea Calls

Change of Command = The New Commander's Child Pains

It Happened One Night = The Trembling Camp Is a Mess

The Late Captain Pierce = Poor Connection to Homeland

Hey, Doc = The Camp of Card Sharks and Tank Fanatics

The Bus = A Five Man Trip to the Forest

Dear Mildred = Communication in the Fields of War

The Kids = A Truckload of Children

Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler? = Good Heaven, What a Case!

Dear Peggy = Letter to Beloved

Of Moose and Men = Paranoid Burns' Nerves

Soldier of the Month = Sick Men in the Rat Nest

The Gun = Colt Klutz Burns

Mail Call... Again = Shocking Mail to the Field Hospital

The Price of Tomato Juice = Major Burns' Shower Company (obsessed)

Dear Ma = Walter's Letter to his Old Mother

Der Tag = Toe Tagged Wet Major

Hawkeye = Surgeon Pierce's Survival Show

Some 38th Parallels = Trash Back Home, March! (The word "mars" is really hard to translate for some reason. It's like a weirdly specific command to get going.)

The Novocaine Mutiny = Mutiny Surgeons in Court

Smilin' Jack = The Smiling Helicopter Pilot

The More I See You = The Newly Dating Hawkeye and Carlye

Deluge = News Segements from Far and Home (or like Near and Far)

The Interview = Colonel's Men in/on Aether

Season 6:

Fade Out, Fade In = The Replacement Surgeon Winchester (there's a typo innthis title I think)

Fallen Idol = The Wounded Brothel Boy (???)

Last Laugh = The Visit of MPs

War of Nerves = War Nerves in Pieces

The Winchester Tapes = The Shouting Major's Tapes

The Light That Failed = The Torn Mystery

In Love and War = Hawkeye Softened by a Korean Woman

Change Day = Dollar-Sure Days

Images = The Quick Exit from the OR

The M*A*S*H Olympics = The Original Olympics (slightly off topic but Finland is mentioned in this episode for hosting the real Olympics)

The Grim Reaper = Victims of Caviar

Comrades in Arms = Surprise Tenderness in the Midst of War

The Merchant of Korea = The Whistling Verdi of the Poker Table

The Smell of Music = The Smell of Horns

Patent 4077 = Lost Stuff from the Junk Stand

Tea and Empathy = Tea and Empathy

Your Hit Parade = Medicinaries Lost in Music

What's Up Doc? = A New Family Member for one of the Campers? [people at the camp]

Mail Call Three = Fan Mail Powered by Joy

Temporary Duty = Surgery in the Texan Way

Potter's Retirement = Colonel Potter's Retirement Bomb

Dr. Winchester and Mr. Hyde = Of Mice and Addicted Men (Putting the "of" there 'cause it's a reference to the book, grammatically it isn't there. "Hurahtanut" is more like addicted metaphorically but I'm going with this.)

Major Topper = Morphine of Many Problems

[ruvviks]

// oc deep dive.

tagged by; @aztarion and @devilbrakers, thank you so much!!

tagging; @mojaves, @deadrlngers, @ordinarymaine, @claudiawolf, @adelaidedrubman and YOU!

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Nathan has a lot of fears stemming from his paranoia. Tangible ones such as getting captured or killed by MOBIUS, his friends walking away from him, or someone following him home; as well as more unrealistic ones, such as somehow ending up back in STEM, or getting stuck in a time loop, or a giant sinkhole all the way to the core of the earth opening up right at his feet.

It also happens often enough that certain actions don’t necessarily scare him, but make him uncomfortable or highly on edge (often with good reason); think of someone locking the door of the room he’s in– especially when it’s just them two– or getting too close without warning. He often fears people he gets too close to will end up treating him like the Administrator did, which is why it takes a while for him to let Sebastian get any closer physically, despite warming up to him relatively fast.

A more uncommon fear he has is waking up one morning and having lost one of his senses or his ability to speak. Aside from the mental erosion that had become a growing issue among Union citizens, MOBIUS observed a similar kind of process in its agents who regularly jumped in and out of STEM for general maintenance and the like– presumably caused by the constant changes in brain activity, which more than often led to exactly what Nathan’s fear mentioned above describes. While he was among the agents who worked both in and outside of STEM on the Union environment, he was lucky enough to never suffer the consequences.

Lastly, he is deadly afraid of Anima. Despite not having shown any other symptom of succumbing to the STEM domination process, Nathan would have started seeing her around sometime before Lily vanished– presumably got her attention after some of his escapades in the secret labs in the Marrow– and he has not been able to sleep soundly in STEM ever since. While his fear of her mostly acts up when he’s in a STEM environment, it definitely translates over to the real world as well; during bad mental health episodes he has auditory hallucinations of her, and she makes regular appearances in his nightmares too.

Do they have any pet peeves?

When people are too passive. Nathan can’t stand it when he’s expected to initiate everything, from conversations to taking action, both in a work context (scheduling meetings, deploying new code) as well as personal context (scheduling to hang out, doing household chores). He also doesn’t like having to constantly ask people to do what they’re supposed to do– though this irritation more than often extends a little too far, to things he is expecting of people but never told them about.

Loud and unexpected noises, especially when done on purpose. Fireworks would be a great example of this, and they piss Nathan off no end. He gets snippy when people raise their voice at him for no reason, or when they keep banging their fist on a surface to get others’ attention.

Getting cut off in traffic. Nathan’s road rage is easily awakened and he can get a little drastic with it. His reflexes are fast enough to brake on time to avoid ending up in someone’s trunk, but will in that same breath speed right back up to crash into them on purpose as revenge for pissing him off.

What are three items you can find in their bedroom?

A large ring binder full of old code snippets, notes from various projects he worked on back at MOBIUS, and all his research ranging from neuroscience all the way to electrical engineering. Nathan is a little old-school in that regard– he’d much rather have all his research physically with him than save it all to some online storage platform and risk losing it like that.

A jigsaw puzzle, made entirely out of different pieces that he’s collected over the years (stolen from others’ puzzles, found in various locations, stolen directly from the store, etc). The full piece would total up to nearly 2000 pieces, though it is still missing a large chunk in the center; the result is an abstract piece containing mostly darker colors, though with various bursts of color scattered around like flowers in a field. Nathan isn’t the artistic type, but the project keeps him busy and he considers it a type of self-expression.

The knife he killed his parents with when he was sixteen years old. He’s not entirely sure why he kept it all those years– perhaps to remind himself what got him to where he is now, or because it’s the only thing he still has from that time of his life. Either way, it’s kept safe in the top drawer of his nightstand, easy enough to reach in case someone breaks into his apartment.

What do they notice first in a person?

First: State of mind, overall mood. How approachable do they look; can he afford to lower his guard or does he need to tread with caution, can he get close without worrying about a knife to the stomach or should he keep his distance? Nathan rarely shows immediate interest in someone’s overall personality, he would rather want to know which of their emotions he’s gonna have to deal with during their interaction(s).

Second: Body language. Ties in with the first thing mentioned– cautiously watching for threats, waiting to see if they make a move to touch (or harm) him so he can step out of their range. But it also extends a little further; Nathan tends to mimic others’ body language in conversation to make himself appear more approachable. If someone gestures a lot, he will do the same.

Third: Their smile, if relevant. Smiling is an eye-catching action to him, since he’s not one to quickly do so himself. It’s attractive to him; if someone smiles at him, you’ll be able to catch him staring.

Fourth: Scars, and other (skin) details. Nathan isn’t one to ask about them, of course– but they’ll catch his attention anyway, for a brief moment, since some of them already tell a story on their own even without words.

Fifth: Nervous tics, if relevant. By this point he’s been in conversation long enough to pick up on the little details– a slight thrill or shakiness to their voice, a thumb running over the side of their index finger, a nose twitch. In some cases it eases his mind, knowing the other person isn’t confident in their conversation either; in other cases it sets off alarms in his mind, and makes him wonder if there’s more going on than what they’re showing or telling him.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Physically: 7. While he doesn’t quite look like it, Nathan can take a hit or two. Most of his injuries happen in STEM– though with the way the technology works, the pain is very much real, and in some cases the scars are lasting even in the real world despite the damage having been sustained in STEM. To an extent, Nathan even enjoys the pain; it’s grounding for him, and keeps him from dissociating. When it gets too much to handle he simply drinks it away.

Mentally: 10. Nathan’s life has been a constant downward spiral; sent to a youth detention center after being wrongfully accused of killing his younger sister, and he was bullied relentlessly there, which continued until long after his release both at school and at home. At MOBIUS, he was required to work shifts in their HQ as well as in the Marrow, in the Union STEM environment– he was required to be mentally strong, or he would have already started suffering from mental erosion by long-term STEM exposure after his first few trips in. It takes a lot to break him (or so he likes to believe).

Emotionally: 4. Once you get past all the barriers, Nathan is pretty sensitive. He doesn’t deal well with rejection or misunderstanding, and is prone to assuming things are all his fault the second something goes wrong. It’s easy to upset him, though he won’t easily show; but the damage often takes a while to repair.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? (Or freeze or fawn?)

Fight, more than often; though it may appear as flight at first, since Nathan’s favored combat approach is stealth and he will always find cover before doing anything rash. In certain cases, however, he would be more likely to freeze; especially anything related to Anima or an enemy type like her, where fighting is out of the question, and he knows that a single wrong move can mean his demise.

It translates to non-combat situations too– often willing to talk to people but his initial response is to get defensive and close himself off, and if not given a moment to regain himself it can lead to either fighting or freezing; biting back with similar ferocity or shutting down altogether, unable to pick up his rational train of thought in the heat of the moment.

It really depends on the type of confrontation, though; taking his own state of mind and who else is involved into consideration. He’s known to fawn when a situation starts feeling a little too familiar– generally surrounding the abuse he suffered from partially his parents, but mostly the Administrator.

What animal represents them best?

Wolf; bordering on dog motif, but cautiously so, requiring infinite patience and understanding to win his trust. Nathan is loyal and guarding to those he cares about, but he values his freedom– his choices and decisions are his and his alone, and anyone who tries to take that away from him will suffer the necessary consequences.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Curious, above anything else. Distant, reserved; surprisingly well-spoken, almost technical in his interactions with others as if the whole conversation is pre-programmed in his mind. Nathan isn’t necessarily cold towards others, but people would also not be quick to describe him as kind; though there is a certain warmth to the way he speaks and looks at people, despite the fact he very rarely smiles and isn’t one to quickly compliment someone else.

Appearance-wise, people tend to notice the white strands in his black hair first. They’re clustered at the front of his head, and match with the white hairs in his left eyebrow and the white eyelashes in the outer corner of his left eye. Nathan has very pale and rough skin, patchy but dark facial hair covering up most of his acne (/scarring); and part of the skin around his left eyebrow is lacking pigment, though it’s a little hard to see. He has very pale and bright blue eyes, which can be a little unnerving when staring at them for too long. Many people cannot maintain eye contact with him for very long.

Do they have any hobbies?

Nathan’s career is directly intertwined with his hobbies, and he enjoys working on code even long after cutting ties with MOBIUS. Software development, application optimization– his laptop runs on an operating system that he coded entirely himself, and whenever he has some time to spare he can be found tweaking and optimizing it and adding new features.

To no one’s surprise, he’s a gamer. Shooters, roguelikes, survival horror– he does not play all too often as his schedule often doesn’t allow for it, but he generally doesn’t have a hard time playing on higher difficulties and enjoys the challenge. Nathan has tried his hand at game design and development too, but stopped quickly when he found it too similar to developing the Union environment in STEM.

And last, surprisingly, would be writing. Journaling, some sort of attempt at poetry, or articles he would want to send in to some website or appropriate magazine but never does– a lot of Nathan’s writing is for his eyes alone, but it helps as an outlet, it keeps him grounded. For a while after leaving MOBIUS, he worked on writing tech manuals for various employers to earn some extra cash, which also ties directly into his interests.