#i will not ever be over this scene so here we are

[meanbossart]

Based on the latest art/the famous graveyard scene, or at least my version of it. CW: The usual durge-isms. Astarion's sense of humor.

The graveyard is appropriately silent - there isn’t a proverbial soul to be seen as you stroll through the headstones with lazy strides. You’re so often in a rush to get from one place to the next, how novel it is to meander.

You wonder if either of your souls could tick up the counter; Astarion, a corpse-walking, and yourself something else entirely.

His head, battered and bruised as the rest of your bodies scans through the names etched on their respective places of rest, uncharacteristically quiet ever since you left the Inn. You’re worried. It’s been a dreadful day, and now he’s brought you here - you speak. “Are we defacing any graves tonight?”

Astarion humors you with a stiff grin - no, he says, then he changes it to a maybe, and then he asks you to be patient. His eyes land on a simple stone, half-sunken into the dry ground and overtaken by weeds and vines - a small thing forgotten amidst drunkards and urchins in a dark corner of the dead’s park. He sighs, pushes up his sleeves and snaps the foliage away with his own hands, dusts off the shallow writing and rubs the grime off on his knees - standing back a few feet to look over at his handwork. You squint to read his full name off the rock.

“Ancunin?”

 “Astarion Ancunin.” He scoffs. “I haven’t seen this in… Well, in centuries. I was beginning to wonder if I had an em somewhere in there.”

His amusement dies down.

“I had to punch a hole in the coffin and claw my way through six feet of dirt.

“He must’ve had someone come and smooth out the ground- Cazador, I mean. He was waiting for me here, when I finally surfaced.”

The vampire's eyes have risen from his name. He looks past the rows of gravestones and into the brick walls that surround them, sight glazed over, face drained from feeling. His words, so victorious in choice, just bear a numb uncertainty. He is so tired. “From that day on I was his. Until now.”

You shake your head. “You were never his. Everything he had, he took by force.”

“Maybe. But he did take it. And I can’t get it back.” Astarion shoots you an assertive scowl. “There’s nothing left of the person I was anymore. Just a name on a rock. I need to figure out who I am now - and what I want.”

You struggle to reach out to him. For the thing which he mourns. His words, when they echo within your own, perforated skull, sound to you like a statement of freedom, a relief; you’ve also left behind the person you were, and there is nothing there worth lamenting.

Astarion is different. As vague as his recollection of the past may be, or as favorably as you believe things have turned out for the both of you, eventually - you can’t help but feel like he would still trade it for a do-over. You don’t have it in you to ask if he would be willing to do it even if it meant your absence.

You know the answer.

You try to make your peace with it.

This person that your lover longs for, you didn’t know them, and you didn’t love them. But you do now; and so, you find yourself wanting for nothing.

“What is it that you want right now?”

“You.”

He’s caught in his own lack of hesitation, sullen face brought back to life by a small look of bemusement, of surprise. “I want you. Not just now, I… You were by my side through all of it - the bloodlust as well as the misery. You’ve shown yourself to be patient. And caring.” His words are staggered by chortles. “You are so sweet to me. A shock, frankly, given the most recent discoveries. I often wonder if this was always part of your nature, or just a happy consequence of your… ah”

Astarion’s finger prods uncertain around his own curly head of hair, prompting laughter to rumble up your throat. “Incident.” 

“Perhaps.” You’ve never wondered such things and you never will. “You’re beginning to sound awfully sweet yourself, mister concussion.”

He groans in response, reaching the short distance over to the throbbing bruise on the top of his forehead, next to his temple. It was a close call today, perhaps the closest yet - or you only felt the ever more desperate given what was on the line this time. “Anyway, I should probably fix this.”

You watch as Astarion crouches down in the dirt. With a small dagger he had tucked away in his waistband, he gets to work scratching irregular lines into his neglected headstone.

Astarion Ancunin

His father’s pride, his mother’s starlight, his friend’s joy.

229 NR - 268 NR.

He makes an addition below the numbers.

468 NR.

“Is that the year?”

“Yes.”

He pauses, then proceeds a little less confidently.  “... At least… I think so?”

You both exchange clueless looks before breaking into an ugly cacophony of snorts, Astarion leans with his hand on his memorial and hangs his head down in feigned exasperation, shoulders jerking. You kneel, joining him on top of his undisturbed plot. The vampire shakes his head “It doesn’t matter. I’ve been dead to the world long enough - whatever year it is now, I plan on living it. And I’m not letting anything stand in the way of that.”

He puffs his chest and breathes a lone sight - no subsequent following and no former to speak of. His body sits back onto his shins, hands fall limp on top of his thighs “Not him, not the sun, not some giant brain, and certainly not…

“Come here.”

There was less than a foot between your bodies that the elf now closed. He cups your jaw between his thumb and his pointer-finger, you feel a gentle pressure on your neck as Astarion uses you to leverage himself over - your mouths lock, you feel a scabbed-over cut on his otherwise soft bottom lip, a hard lump that splits and leaks into your gums. You turn,, grab onto him tight - hot palms on the cold nape underneath the collar of his shirt and chest against chest, a sore nose-bridge buried into his gaunt cheek. Your faces break apart and he presses his brow to yours, a passionate kiss turns into a tight embrace. 

You take a long whiff of the crook of his neck “You’ve got me in a kind of way I can’t begin to make sense of.”

Astarion’s hand becomes entangled with the hair at the back of your skull. “I love you too.”

You feel it. The desperation and the future echo of his cracking ribs, the hot, vivid flashes of your digits prying apart bone and reaching into the cavity of his heart - you can’t be close enough to him. You can never step into his skin and he can never leap down your throat. An anxious feeling sinks into your gut as you realise that there is one thing that you still want; even in your waking hours of clarity, even in crystalline sanity, even in moments like these, ones that you hold sacred and wish to shield from depravity.

He murmurs into the side of your face. “Lets have sex. Right here.”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you want me to beg?”

The playfulness in his tone is brief. He feels it in your tense shoulders and stiff back - you aren’t teasing him.

You only pull away enough so you can look at him, hands remain latched to his waist. “I’m still afraid of what I might do.”

“I understand.” He doesn’t seem disappointed, only sobered. “Well that puts a slight damper on my plans. No matter.”

“You can help yourself once you’ve tied me up for the night.”

“If I wanted to make love to a rabid mastiff I’d go find a new maniac to lord over me.”

“We could still just… Stay here a while. Together.”

You come off a little pleading. Astarion’s eyes squint when he smiles - “Yes, I… I think I’d like that.”

It’s a little clumsy, the way you sway apart and try to find your footing on the gravel, how your hands slide down each other’s elbows and then lock tightly at the fingers, refusing to let go, new amateur joints; as if men like yourselves who’ve more battles than many do in entire lifetimes couldn’t dream of standing up without the leverage - it’s ridiculous. You’re like little children bumbling to your feet, giggling, trying to catch each other staring as you dangle your locked hands over gravestones and step over rogue bouquets blown by wind.

Everything is fine, everything is well. Your future is certain as is your happily ever after - whatever it may imply. You peruse the cemetery, mocking the dead for the names their parents have given them, their uninspired eulogies and whether or not their dirt happened to smell of piss - you make up stories about the lives they lived and both the horrific or the banal circumstances in which they died. Astarion skips up the stairs to the coffin-maker’s abode, overlooking the scenery - he calls for you to come admire your kingdom, death prince. You laugh, and he laughs, and it all seems so awfully benign.

“That will be king for you soon.”

“Oh, gods - get away from me.”

He knows you aren’t serious. This world has brought you too much joy for you to end it. There hasn’t ever been a moment where you were tempted to do your fathers bidding.

But there’s been moments where you questioned what other choices you had.

Not tonight, however.

Astarion rolls his eyes and takes the hand you reach out to him with. You are yanked towards the paved terrace up the stairs, and you pull him into yourself in a lazy sway by the balustrades. “We will figure something out” You say.

“As always,” Astarion confirms with an emphatic nod of the head, but his gaze is low - he stares at your moving feet. Hand-in-hand and hand-on-hip he’s picked up on what you’re doing; “It’s - left forward, right back, close left, close right, right?”

“That is only if you’re leading.”

“Well then, I guess I’m leading.”

“Be my guest.” 

He places a hand on your waist, you put yours on his deltoid, your boots bump into each other on occasion as you both waltz over uneven stone tiles, first with careful attention until you’ve caught yourselves in a sound-less rhythm. When you raise your eyes you find your partner-in-dance staring on with a rivalling smirk.

“So, you remember how to ballroom dance, yet haven’t got a clue about your own name?”

You ask if that disappoints him, Astarion assures you to the contrary. You both rehearse a dance for an event you will never be going to, and you enjoy every second of it.

[web-three-point-ohhh]

Let's talk about why Google changed the Gulf of Mexico's name, and why all the big tech companies are bending the knee to Trump. This part is really important.

Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft all hold monopolies. Each are worth trillions of dollars thanks to the anti-competitive practices the US government has allowed them to get away with for two decades.

Remember when we were young, that cool older brother of one of our friends who drank tea and let us smoke some of his weed if we let him talk about how the Egyptians invented electricity? And how he'd tell us that the US government was fifty years ahead of consumer technology? That whatever the US military is using right now, we'd get to buy at Radio Shack when we're old and gray? Was that ever true? I don't know. But it certainly isn't now.

The US has privatized our technology efforts, and in many ways, our national security. Google and Microsoft provide AI technology for killing machines. Meta routinely hands over American data to the NSA, CIA and FBI, which effectively makes all Meta platforms government surveillance tools.

The US relies heavily on these companies for war, anti-terrorism efforts, and general national security. In exchange, our politicians have allowed these companies to grow to inconceivable sizes, destroying competition in the process. Of course, our politicians enriched themselves along the way, trading stock based on insider information about upcoming government contracts and regulations.

It used to be that big tech could just bribe our politicians to keep their monopolies. Sure, our progressive wing on the left has been screaming anti-trust, but they don't hold any real power so it's not a big deal. It's been a nice equilibrium where everyone got rich and everyone was happy; everyone except the poors, of course.

Anyway, here comes Trump—a dipshit chaos agent, who, like it or not, came to power on a populous message. Most people hate big tech, if they've been paying attention, and Trump could very well decide to break these companies up on a whim. Big tech is petrified of anti-trust, and even more, Trump's erratic behavior. Bribes are required, but that's not enough. They need to cater to his ego.

So we see these companies do goofy shit like change the names of bodies of water, or go on Joe Rogan to talk about masculine energy. But it's not the goofy shit we need to worry about.

What we should worry about, what is truly scary about these trillion dollar-companies with CEOs all on edge, is the invisible shit. What are the companies doing to appease Donald Trump's ego that the general population cannot see? These companies control our communications, commerce, businesses, and effectively the infrastructure for the entire internet.

What are they willing to do for Trump behind the scenes to avoid anti-trust?

Crying and puking, Google maps made the Gulf of Mexico say Gulf of America

[rafesbabygirlx]

can you do something with Rafe and a very naive reader who doesn’t know when a guy is flirting with her and she’s just super friendly? like rafe will get confrontational and possessive but he’s never mean to his girl because she doesn’t know any better and he drags her out of the bar angrily but then is super sweet to her and they have car sex and maybe like the guy walks by and sees them and Rafe smirks at him through the window.

Pleaseeeeeeeeeee??????

Oooooff YES

I feel like I might get a little carried away with this one (I just finished and yes... it is long lol)

𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎!𝚋𝚏!𝚛𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚡 𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚟𝚎!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚡 (𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚘𝚛𝚊��� 𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐)

𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝

The bar was alive with music, laughter, and the clinking of glasses. You were seated in a booth with Rafe, Kelce, Topper, and a few of your girlfriends, all of you were caught up in conversation, shouting over the music. Between stories and bursts of laughter, you finally glanced down and realized your glass was nearly empty.

Slipping away from the table, you made your way toward the bar, leaning in slightly to get the bartender’s attention.

“Vodka soda, please,” you ordered.

As you waited, you felt someone step up beside you. You turned slightly and saw a tall brunette guy—broad shoulders, sharp features, a confident stance.

“You here with anyone?” he asked casually, his voice smooth but loud enough to be heard over the music.

“Yeah,” you nodded, gesturing over my shoulder toward my group. 

You didn’t think anything of it, but he moved a little closer, resting his elbow on the bar. “Nice. You come here often?”

You shook my head. “Not really, just whenever my friends want to. What about you?”

“Every now and then,” he shrugged. “I’m Eric, by the way.”

“y/n.”

The bartender slid your drink over, and you picked it up, but you didn’t rush back to the table. Eric was easy to talk to, and after all, it was just casual conversation.

“So, y/n, what do you do?” he asked, taking a sip from his own drink.

“I’m a senior in college,” you said. “Studying fashion.”

His eyebrows lifted with interest. “That’s cool. So you’re into fashion?”

You laughed. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

He smirked. “Alright, be honest—do I look like I know anything about fashion?”

You gave him a once-over, eyeing his fitted black t-shirt and well-worn jeans. “You’re doing alright,” you teased. “No major offenses.”

“Good to know. I’d hate to be a walking fashion crime.” He leaned in slightly. “So, what’s the dream job?”

You hesitated for a second, taking a sip of your drink. “Marketing for a fashion brand, something creative. I love the behind-the-scenes of campaigns and branding.”

“That actually sounds really interesting,” he said, nodding. “Ever thought about starting your own thing?”

“I mean, maybe one day,” you admitted. “I’d want to work somewhere first, really get the experience before diving into anything myself.”

“That’s smart.” He tilted his glass toward me. “To future success, then.”

I clinked my drink against his, smiling. “To future success.”

“y/n.”

The sound of my name in a familiar voice made me turn, and there was Rafe, standing just a few feet away, watching the conversation unfold. His expression was unreadable, but his sharp blue eyes were locked on Eric.

afe walked up behind you, placing a hand on your waist. "Oh hi, Rafey!" you greeted, wrapping your arm around his waist as he moved in close to you.

"And who's this?" Rafe asked, his tone even but laced with something unreadable.

"This is Eric," you said casually. "We just started talking. He's really nice. We should hang out with him."

Rafe raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, is he now?"

"Yeah, he is."

Rafe’s gaze didn’t shift from Eric as he spoke. "And what have you and my girlfriend been talking about exactly?"

Eric shifted uncomfortably under Rafe’s stare. "Look, man, she didn’t say she had a boyfriend."

Rafe let out a sharp laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Oh, so it's her fault you're a creep?"

"Rafe, we were just talking, I don’t understand," you said, your grip around his waist tightening as you started to feel nervous.

But Rafe broke your hold, moving around to the other side of you, stepping directly in front of Eric. His presence alone made Eric take a step back.

"Listen, man," Rafe said, his voice low and firm. "I watched the whole interaction. You saw her with a group, you saw her ring, and you still thought you had a shot?" He leaned in slightly, his jaw tight. "Next time, when a girl gives you a polite response, take the hint and walk away."

Eric put his hands up. "Dude, I didn’t mean anything—"

"Did I say you could talk?" Rafe cut him off, his voice steady but dangerous.

Eric glanced between you and Rafe, clearly realizing he was outmatched. "Alright, man. Chill. I was just being friendly."

"Then be friendly somewhere else, before I make you regret it," Rafe said coldly, taking a step closer, forcing Eric to back away further.

Eric muttered something under his breath before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

Rafe exhaled sharply, shaking his head. Then he looked down at you, his expression softening slightly. "You okay?"

You nodded, still processing the sudden shift in energy. "Yeah. Rafe, that was—"

"He was too close," Rafe interrupted, sliding an arm back around your waist protectively. "And I don’t like people thinking they can just walk up on you like that."

You sighed, resting your head briefly against his shoulder. "Let’s just go, okay?"

Rafe nodded, pressing a quick kiss to the side of your head. "Yeah, let’s go."

With his arm still around you, he led you back through the bar, his grip just a little tighter than before.

Rafe tossed you gently into the back seat, sliding in right after you. His eyes were dark, filled with something unreadable.

"You're too sweet for your own good, baby," he murmured before crashing his lips against yours.

You pulled away slightly, breathless. "I don't know what you mean."

He exhaled, shaking his head with a small smirk. "You see the good in everyone. So much so that you don’t even realize how he was coming onto you. I’m not mad at you, you don’t know any better, but he was taking advantage of your kindness. Thinking he could have you. Take you away from me."

You frowned. "No, Rafe, he wasn’t. He was just being nice."

You let out a small laugh, but Rafe’s hand was suddenly on your chin, tilting your face up to meet his. Your smile faded when you saw the seriousness in his eyes.

"See what I mean?" he muttered.

You swallowed. "No, Rafe, I don’t. Why can't someone just be nice?"

His jaw clenched. "It’s the actions, baby. He was no good."

You sighed, shaking your head. "Whatever you s—"

Before you could finish, Rafe leaned in again, kissing you deeply, possessively. His hands gripped your waist as if grounding himself in you.

"Show me who you belong to," he whispered against your lips, pushing you down to the car floor.

He keeps his eyes locked on yours as he unbuckles his pants. You stare up at him with those big sweet doe eyes of yours and grab a hold of him once he's free, peppering kisses on his tip. Rafe throws his head back once you lower your mouth on him.

"Fuck- just like that," he speaks through gritted teeth.

You bob your head up down, taking in as much of him as you can. He moans at how good you make him feel. But in a split second, the vision of - that guy- all over you pisses him off and he grabs the back of your head and begins to buck up his hips jamming himself into the back of your throat. He doesn't mean to take his anger out on you, his sweet girl, but that shit really pissed him off.

You gag on him and grip onto his thighs, trying to breathe through your nose as best you can. Rafe thrusts a few more times before releasing himself from your mouth. He lets you catch your breath for a second before lifting you back onto the seat and laying you down.

He bunches up your dress around your waist and pulls down your underwear, tossing them into the front seat. He puts his thumb in his mouth getting it wet and brings it to your clit, rubbing it softly. You buck up at the feeling but Rafe grabs your waist and pushes you back down.

"Baby, you are the sweetest girl I know," Rafe murmured while not letting up from your clit.

You moan at his sweet words.

"You mean everything to me. No man could ever take you away from me. You’re mine."

You find it hard to speak, but need to let him know. "Rafe, I’m always yours. You know that."

His grip on your waist tightened. "I know, but I don’t want anyone else thinking they have a chance. I love you too much for that."

You smiled, placing a hand on his chest. "I love you too. Always."

Rafe sighed, leaning down to you for a deep kiss. "Good. Because I don’t plan on ever letting you go."

He moves down and attaches his mouth to you. Swirling his tongue around your clit, replacing his finger. He then sucks on it and you put your arm over your mouth to let out a loud moan into it, considering you're in the middle of a parking lot. Rafe puts a stop to that quickly.

"Let me hear you, no one's around." He smirks up at you and you smile back.

He continues to eat you out before moving up and pushing his pants down more and lining up to your entrance. Wasting no time in wanting to be inside you. He slowly pushes in and you throw your head back into the leather seat. Rafe doesn't take a second to adjust before pulling out and slamming back into you.

He sets a relentless pace, his motivation- that asshole back in the bar and loving the way you squirm beneath him. After a few moments, there is chatter outside the car, you panic but Rafe doesn't let up. Someone comes by the window to the car next to Rafe's. You can't hold back your moans and go to move your hand, but Rafe pins both of them over your head.

Rafe notices that familiar face to be Eric. He's nosy and moves over to the window to see what the faint noises are. Rafe stares at him through it and smirks wickedly.

"Wanna come, sweet girl?"

"Yes," you cry out and let out a loud moan signaling your end.

Rafe continues to fuck you through your orgasm, finding his own coming deep inside you, all while that dipshit from inside stands and watches like the creep Rafe knew he was.

tags + some moots 💗

@rafestoothbrush @weluvwbb @itsforeverandalwayz @butterfly-ibuki @megiiite @maybankslover @siredbtches @bigenergy777 @percysley @aupernatural-teenwolflover @slut4you @rafegf-real @skywalker0809 @snowtargaryen @kieeslove @leather-n-velvet @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @rafesgreasycurtainbangs @diasnohibng @slut-4-gojo @akobx @jjmaybankmylovee @slurpdew @rafesheaven @cameronsprincess @littlelamy @inthelibrarybtw @frankoceanluvr11 @writingroom21 @v3n1ce-bxtch

[kashverse]

Hi ! What about babykuna's first fight at school or on the playground ? How would it happen? How would her parents react to the comments of the teacher or the parent of the child that babykuna fought against?

By the way I love your writing ❤️

Coming back on your page is part of my routine, now ❤️

babytoru was first introduced in this post, if you missed it out :P

the playground is truly a battleground of politics, alliances, and power struggles. the young rulers of the sandbox empire have their territories marked—some reign over the swings, some control the seesaws, but the slide? the slide is where real power is decided.  on this fateful day, all was running smoothly. the queue was in order. kids were waiting their turn, deals were being made—who gets the best spot in the sandpit, who gets pushed on the swings, and of course, who gets the ultimate first slide down. but then—disaster struck.

enter babytoru.

babytoru, the undisputed princess of the gojo household, struts up to the slide like a celebrity at the met gala. she is wearing a custom LV dress with designer shoes that probably cost more than someone’s mortgage, and she is here to take what is hers. babytoru, with all the grace and arrogance of a true queen, points at the slide. "i wanna go first."

everyone in the queue freezes. it is a declaration of war.

the kids exchange nervous glances. no one dares oppose babytoru—not because they’re scared of her, but because they know—somehow, she always gets what she wants. so naturally, the line parts like the red sea. babytoru hops onto the slide, smug as ever. but what she doesn’t realize is that in her moment of unwarranted self-glorification, she has landed in the worst possible place.

babykuna’s spot.

now, babykuna is not one for dramatics. but she is also not one to be disrespected. and right now, she is disrespected. babykuna’s chubby little arms cross over her chest. her lips purse. her four-year-old glare is burning with the fury of a thousand betrayed souls. babytoru, completely unbothered, smirks at her. "you can push me now."

the playground goes silent. the kids hold their breath. babykuna does not hesitate.

she shoves babytoru.

it is not a graceful shove.

babytoru goes tumbling.

she hits the slide at maximum velocity, flipping over like an olympic gymnast who wasn’t ready for their routine. and then—

SPLAT!

she lands face-first into the sandpit. the horrified screams of the playground fill the air. babytoru is motionless. for a moment, the world stands still. and then—

she wails.

"MY DRESS!"

babykuna immediately starts crying too. "you stole my spot!"

now there are two very loud, very distressed toddlers crying at top volume. the playground is in chaos. some kids have fled the scene. others are watching, fascinated. the sandpit kids do not care because they are deep in their own battles. meanwhile, the fathers arrive. 

gojo, upon seeing his daughter crying in designer fashion disaster, immediately crouches beside her, trying very hard not to laugh. “oh my baby—oh my god, you should’ve seen how you fell—wait, no, i mean, are you okay?” babytoru sniffles dramatically, lifting a sand-covered hand. "my dress is ruined."

gojo bites his lip to stop a grin. “it’s just a little sand, princess. we can—pffft—wash it off.” babytoru glares, lower lip wobbling as she lifts her sand-covered dress.

"this is LOO-WISS… VUHH… VUHEE… VU-TON!"

gojo loses it.

“pffft—yeah, okay, we’ll get your ��loo-wiss vuhee vu-ton’ dry-cleaned, princess.”

"DADDY!"

meanwhile, sukuna is having a different kind of breakdown. his daughter, his sweet babykuna, is standing there, red-faced, tears streaming, looking both guilty and furious at the same time.

"you okay, kid?"

babykuna, between deep sobs, hiccups, "she—she STOLE MY SPOT!"

sukuna, massaging his temples, exhales, "yeah, yeah, kid, i saw. and you, uh… handled it."

he takes out a tylenol. he dry swallows it. "you’re gonna apologize," sukuna sighs. babykuna stomps her tiny foot. "she should apologize!"

babytoru, still wiping sand off her precious LV dress, gasps. 

"you PUSHED ME!"

"YOU TOOK MY SPOT!"

"YOU TRIED TO MURDER ME!"

"IT WAS A SHOVE!"

"MY DRESS!"

"MY SPOT!"

gojo bursts out laughing. sukuna rubs his face in pure exhaustion. this is going to be a long day.

[queenjulia11]

The scene with Dorian’s mom. God. I love the way Matt plays parents of all kinds, but this was one of his best if you ask me. We learn so much about her just in her introduction.

This woman is a public-facing figure who very recently lost a child, and you can see it on her face right away when Matt plays her. That neutral expression of having to do a mundane task like making tea, because for some fucking reason the world keeps turning even when you’re in the worst pain imaginable. And then she sees her other son who ran away and has been missing for almost a year, and she is immediately overcome with relief and joy just to see him safe again. She doesn’t blame him or tell him she’s been worried sick. She’s just so happy to see him again.

And of course she says no when Dorian asks her if she hates him. Because he’s her baby, there’s no universe where she could ever hate him. But I really appreciate how she doesn’t go on a whole thing like “oh my gosh, sweetheart, of course not, it wasn’t your fault, etc.” Because even though all of that is definitely true, she knows it’s not what Dorian needs to hear right now. He won’t believe it.

She just says “no.” She just takes the weight off of his shoulders and gives him space to break in a safe, comfortable place.

And Dorian; sweet, noble, anxiety-ridden Dorian, who has been putting others before himself and pushing his emotions and grief all the way down because of more important work for so long, finally has the time to truly mourn his brother.

And his mother just holds him. No one else is here but the two of them. He gets to be her baby again for just a moment. She is so proud, and so sorry. She wishes she could’ve done more for him. But she is doing the one thing she knows she can do to help better than anyone else: and that is hold her son until he falls asleep in her arms, just like he did when he was small.

There’s nothing like a good, long cry when you’ve been needing one for a long time. It opens you up to so much. I really appreciate how Robbie shows that: how Dorian is crying through Orym’s whole speech to him, even if it’s a happy moment. It really shows how safe he feels with Orym now that he can just let it go. I love how Dorian says “yes” before Orym has even asked the question because he doesn’t feel guilty for wanting things anymore. I love how he asks if they can take it slow because it still hurts too much to be happy. I love how he kisses Orym, and how he lets Orym kiss him.

This character has grown so dramatically over the years, and it’s been a spectacular thing to witness. I’m so happy Dorian feels comfortable enough to live as himself now with the people he loves, and how he continues to exist in this beautiful world despite all the harshness he’s faced within it. I’m so happy he gets to heal, as messy and slow as it will inevitably be.

Fair winds, Dorian Storm. 💙

[letssofia3006]

Fanart from the most recent chapter of the fanfic: The harmony of the spark. Written by @just-joeja

The piano scene was super intense, thou, I couldn’t help but imagine Optimus literally fuming. He is a semi-truck altomode, of course he fumes when angry. It comes with the package and nonone can’t convince otherwise.

Additionally here I drop my thought process for the comic + 4 paragraphs worth of yapping:

The chapter never explicitly states how or why Megatron was there to listen to Optimus. What we do know is that Optimus, for once, didn’t bother checking the auditorium—he went straight to the piano. This means Megatron could have been there from the very beginning without Optimus noticing. However, there’s also no mention of Optimus closing the door behind him, so the sound of the piano could have easily reached his ears and drawn him into the auditorium. Both possibilities are equally plausible.

And since there’s no strong evidence to prove one over the other, I choose to believe the first option (as is obvious in the comic) purely for funny reasons.

Let me set you the scene. Megatron, after enduring 60 auditions in a row! He is bore out of him mind, he is tired. Perhaps, after judging the last pianist and finding no clear standout, he simply gives in and falls into a deep, deep sleep. And I mean very deep—so deep that the entire auditorium is vacated and the lights are turned off, likely by Soundwave, who probably gave up on trying to wake him.

And then, bam! He is suddenly awaken by the world angriest stumps he’s ever heard, accompanied by the most jaw dropping, tear jerking, breathtaking rendition of Prelude in C Sharp Minor from Rachmaninoff. And then, another bam! The source of the music is no other than Optimus Prime. The fragging maestro who Megatron spent the entire audition process internally mocking. But primus be damned, Optimus is good! Better than the 99% who audioned just earlier.

So now, Megatron has to put on his most professional, smug expression and act like he totally planned for this. But more importantly, he cannot let anyone realize that he literally just woke up. Least of all Optimus Prime

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

I'd actually love a midnights storytelling Timeline playlist? Like what order you'd place them to tell the complete story of the album. I love the idea of Dear Reader as track 1

OK so, one caveat is that generally I think Taylor's tracklisting works really well and often tells a story of its own (e.g. TTPD), so I'm a little reticent to mess with that. And next thing is that like, we don't always have firm dates about when songs were written/what events they refer to/even who they were about depending on the album, so like, you can't really pinpoint a timeline *chronologically* of events as they transpire most of the time, certainly on Midnights. And also writing/processing isn't linear. @likeadevils does however have excellent posts about album timelines and places the songs in order of creation if that's what you're after.

Now that that's out of the way...

There are a few different ways I could see organizing Midnights thematically, and I'm approaching here kind of, emotionally-speaking rather than chronologically, although there's kind of a weaving of the two. I've split them into "chapters" à la folklore playlists on Spotify.

Prologue: To a house, not a home, all alone 'cause nobody's there

Dear Reader

Act 1: A real fucking legacy

Midnight Rain Would've, Could've, Should've Maroon Question…? High Infidelity

Act 2: Love blackout

Labyrinth Snow on the Beach Lavender Haze Paris Glitch Mastermind Karma Sweet Nothing

Act 3: Sweet dream was over

The Great War Bigger Than The Whole Sky Vigilante Shit Bejeweled Anti-Hero Hits Different You're Losing Me

Epilogue: Yeah, you can face this

You're On Your Own, Kid

So this is how I see the chapters:

Prologue:

This is the introduction to the themes of the album, very much the same way that Fortnight does for TTPD. (I love me a "Two households, both alike in dignity / In fair Verona, where we lay our scene" setup.) Dear Reader does this really well, she's speaking directly to the listener, but also to herself, and touches upon the themes throughout the album: anger, loss, fear, self-loathing, self-destruction, but also the recognition that she "shines so bright." It's the push-pull between her private and public life, her personal and professional ambitions, and that is ALL over the album and each side informs the other.

I could also argue adding Anti-Hero and Midnight Rain into this chapter and nearly did. Anti-Hero because again, it touches the public image vs. internal struggle/self-loathing of it all, which she is ruminating on on this sleepless night. And Midnight Rain because "I never think of him except on midnights like this" because well, that is the entire conceit of the album.

Act 1: A real fucking legacy

Like I said above, I nearly put Midnight Rain in the Prologue, but it also serves well as an introduction to the theme in these songs. Because "I never think of him except on midnights like this" covers these relationships from the past that are haunting her in this dark night of the soul exercise. Remember what we said about the push and pull between her personal life and her career? The crux of the song isn't her pining for this former lover, it's that she's wondering if her pursuing her ambition relentlessly and joyously is diametrically opposed to the idea he represents. It's the spark that lights the flame of the pining we see later on. Which leads to the other Hes who have marked her life and set her on the path she's on now.

So in contrast to the bittersweet nostalgia, we have the darker side of that rumination. There's WCS about the trauma that continues to haunt her, and Maroon about a relationship breakdown that broke her. Question...? Kinda is just there for laughs as comic relief-- but in all seriousness is like, "you were a dumbass and do you ever wonder if you hadn't been such a dumbass if we could have made it work?" About something that never got off the ground. And then High Infidelity ends the chapter on another darker note about the threat within a relationship, but the "Do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?" is the segue for our next chapter...

Act 2: Love blackout

This is where we get a sense of the core relationship she's dancing around in the album-- the one that is driving all this rumination, because it's so intricately tied with the path her life took as a result. The "Do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?" to "I thought the plane was going down, how'd you turn it right around?" emotional parallel hits the ground running and tells you why this relationship and this phase is such a lifeline. SOTB is the honeymoon phase of the relationship, where everything is wondrous and exhilarating, and pairs well IMO with Lavender Haze in that the rush of new love is intoxicating, and she wants to stay on that high and block everything out to chase it.

The rest of the songs I put here kind of meander, but there was a method to my madness. Paris feels like the memories of a special time, with the emphasis of it being them alone, shutting the world out, which is a continuation of LH. Glitch is her continued disbelief that they've made it this far, but suddenly it's six years later and she's still yearning that high (... in spite of everything telling her this wasn't supposed to happen). Mastermind could have arguably gone earlier in the list, but I put it here because again, she's planning and scheming and doing all the work to keep this thing going against all odds. Karma feels very "happily ever after"-esque in that it's, "I went through all this shit, but it's totally fine because I got what I wanted in the end!" without giving away that it's a veneer, and finally we end with Sweet Nothing because it's the sweetest fantasy of running home to your lover and feeling content and complete. Which brings us to...

Act 3: Sweet dream was over

Our last full act, which is all about loss and the ways in which one reacts and deals with it. The Great War is the bubble bursting that Sweet Nothing dreamed up. It's a crisis point in the relationship, an entire life built that is potentially going up in flames; it hints at the conflicts that would prove to be their undoing. BTTWS is a raw depiction of grief in the wake of loss, and the questioning and despair that goes along with that, sinking someone into the pits of depression and loneliness. Vigilante Shit is another reaction to loss-- this time unadulterated anger in the form of a revenge fantasy. (It's fantasizing about agency in a situation where there is little of it because like BTTWS, in many ways it's out of her hands.)

Bejeweled is a bit of the odd duck because I kind of wanted to put it near-last because I think it's the best transition into YLM, but thematically it's not quite ready for prime time yet-- although the same conundrum applies to Anti-Hero here. But Bejeweled is part of this chapter because it's her grappling with her sadness and despair and wanting to break out of it. She wants to shine again, and it's a warning to the person that she won't stick around if they don't see that. (Broadly speaking, I know there's more there.) Anti-Hero is kind of clunky here, which is why I'm very tempted to put it in the intro instead, but my thinking is: she's in this pit of self-loathing, wondering why she keeps making the same choices and same mistakes and drives everyone away. She's the problem. And it's her persona, her big life, that's driving her to this madness-- or is it? (But also: one day I’ll watch as you’re leaving and life will lose all its meaning for the last time.)

Which finally brings us to Hits Different and YLM. Honestly, these two could also swap positions, and I went back and forth on them. I think "chronologically" HD makes more sense at the last song in this chapter, but "emotionally" YLM is SUCH a fitting end, so there we go. HD makes good on the threat of the break in The Great War, and a lot of the themes we've seen throughout the playlist here but specifically this section are present. The self-destruction and self-loathing of AH, the anger and lashing out in TGW and VS (in a very different form), the depression in BTTWS and even a tinge of the self-worth in Bejeweled.

But YLM is the true denouement of this all and reflects all those same vignettes in far more devastating fashion. There's breakdown, loss, anger, spite, self-destruction and standing up for herself too, however briefly. I think it really feels like the true crossroad of the album: Do I throw out everything we built or keep it? We've just spent a whole album wading through all of it, and now she's left to decide which path to take. Does she stay and fight, perhaps wondering what she has to give up int he process, or does she leave and risk the pain she uncovered in Act 1, only tenfold because it hits different this time? The empty house of Dear Reader in the Prologue (and incidentally in HI I've just realized) is blanketed in darkness in YLM, and it's up to her to decide if she's turning the light back on or out for good.

Epilogue: Yeah, you can face this

You're On Your Own Kid feels like the perfect emotional ending for this playlist because not only does the song travel through this entire time period, from an early young love that gave way to bigger dreams to the sheer devastation she put herself through to reach the very top and the subsequent crash. And it feels like it answers the question asked in the previous chapter: Yeah, you can do this. You've come back from every setback and you'll be able to do it again. You've always ultimately had to rely on yourself, and you'll do it again and again until you pull yourself out. The song is full of such sad revelations, but it also ends on a hopeful, if bittersweet note. She might be playing solitaire for now, but doesn't mean she can't handle it.

It feels wrong to mess around with Taylor's tracklisting like this, but it was so much fun 😂 I loooooooove delving into the themes in her albums and I really find like the emotional journeys within them become more salient as time passes on too.

Honestly, I can't say it enough, I loved the pre-release playlists for TTPD too, if you're looking into this kind of emotional deconstruction of her discography at large. The beats within the playlists themselves make so much sense, and I think frames the songs within them really well. Just my two cents!

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello my wonderful fandom! :) We've finally reached the ep we've all been waiting for. The gif below is pretty good description of how I felt when I turned Hulu on this morning LOL

OH my word. I knew this episode was going to be good but I had no idea how end to end good it would be. I mean obviously we were all racing toward that hotel scene. But holy hell. The journey to it was just as good tbh. To quote Sandy Cohen "The appetizer is as good as the main course.” That truly was the case here.

I saw 'S' in the rating and knew we were in for some GOODNESS. I wish the gif library would work for the amazing gifs right after an ep. I'm sure tons have been made. But that'll have to wait till my in-depth ones this summer.

Been trying to keep these brief since their first impressions. But I couldn't with this one. They made it impossible lol Also apologies for any errors that may be in this. I wrote this while having a fever and on cold meds lol. Let us get started on this fabulous ep before my head implodes any further.

7x06 The Gala

We start out at Tim's place. Please let us continue to return here. It's such a happy place for me. Also Genny is backkkkkk I'm so excited. We have missed you my friend. I hope you appear again this season. Makes me so sad Tim saying he’s single. He’s never ever said that in a sad tone before Lucy or post anyone else really. Only her. *sad sigh* This ep hurts so good.

Genny has come with a mission in mind though. Only thing is she needs Tim for it. LOL I am glad she didn't imply he needed to start dating as well. She sure as hell knows where his heart lies. Their sibling dynamic never ceases to amuse me. Wanting to use him to get into the Gala haha Shoot your shot Genny. Get it girl.

Tim of course tries to talk her out of it. Clearly he had zero plans to be there. But his sister is changing that for him. Begrudgingly accepting her plus one offer. Citing he wants to bed asleep by 11pm if he does lmao I love this man. If he only knew where his night would end. Definitely wouldn't be that plan...Such a good big bro doing this for her. I need more of them in my life. I really do.

Seth is MIA and I'm pretty ok with it. Need a break from the kid. The day starts out so great. Grey has them running the arrest your ex event. I'm dying. When I saw this I thought phew lord this is gonna be gooooood. I felt it in my bones.

When Lucy says happy to do it…Tim’s face kills me. I’m dying. If only she could see his dismay. I know she could sense it. She isn't jazzed but isn't going to cause a scene in roll call. So she runs with it. Despite Tim's annoyance.

Tim giving her grief the very moment roll call is over. Lucy is ready with her reply. Had that on deck really quickly there Luce lol Almost as if she had it saved on her phone already....#grumpycop says what? LOL Let the flirting goodness begin. Being married af no matter what. I love them so much. *happy sigh*

Oh my goodness I’m cackling right off the bat. Grumpy x Sunshine in all its glory in this first scene. ‘Really can’t think of another reason?' I'm dying. Tim is so very over this and it's just begun for them. This is classic banter vibes for them and I’m here for it. Lucy trying to be the kind empathetic one. Tim having ZERO patience or tolerance for this nonsense. Letting her know right away he's not a killer. Just a cheater....Lucy's face. Classic.

Lucy calling Tim ‘sir’ and then showing him grumpy cop I cannot you guys. This is so good. I'm grinning ear to ear. Even post relationship she has this man wrapped around her finger. He is at her mercy and will do whatever for her. We see him give in. Turn on his best fake smile and dole out some advice. I'm so giddy I could cry.

‘Was that so hard?’ ‘Pure agony.’ Their banter at it's finest. This is primo level stuff. I wanna inject it into my veins so I always feel this giddy. The level of happy I am right now, I can’t even tell you. Hard to put into words honestly.

I’m loving Lucy keeping him in line and smiling while doing so. All she has to do is tap her phone. Could you be more in love with his grumpy ass my friend? She is very much enjoying this. We all know she loves her grumpy old man. I can’t get over Tim just listening cause she asks him to. Only for his girl. He is beyond fed up with this situation. Especially this man with his puke in a jar. LMAO.

Only Lucy Chen could make this man be friendly to this idiot. He then gets some points back and says they’re super cute together. Why yes sir they are. Thank you for noticing. Anyone with eyes can see their chemistry. But props for pointing it out. Then asks if they’re dating? We’re trying get back there my man. Climbing our hardest. Slow and steady wins the race and all that.

Lucy saying they're just 'co-workers'. Mmhmm and John Nolan is my favorite character. This dude has the audacity to ask her out after that. ‘You’re holding a jar of your own vomit. I’ll pass.’ If you aren't laughing at this I can't help you. This is pure comedy gold.

They finally get a real one. Just as they're about to close shop. This woman comes up very ready to take down her boyfriend. Then she hits on a VERY specific note. ‘You don’t put your drama on someone you love.’ Lucy’s face...That definitely struck a chord. Giving her flashbacks to 6x06. Tim too I am sure of it. Their looks say it all if you ask me...

Of course Tim wants to make it a bet. It's part of their love language to do so. I love this episode so much I’m vibrating. Lucy says his guess is boring LOL I mean it is. I love you Timothy but hers about legos is way better. Tim has to give her hard time about that being her final answer.

She ends up agreeing with him that it’s jewelry ha She just had to throw a Lucy like answer in there before she gave into his logic. Agreeing with him but wanting to add some flare before she did so. heh God I love these dorks.

Oh my. Tim asking her if she’s going tonight? I love the look he gives right before he asks. Just keeps taking his shots with her. My man. She got a room for Galentines but Celina has her dude now…..Frees up the room…. ‘So who knows what’s gonna happen?’ I’m percolating with excitement at this point. I didn't even need coffee as I wrote this to wake me up this morning. This was doing the trick just fine.

Lucy is surprised he is going. Then her anxiety asks the question she's scared to know the answer to. Does he have a date? His answer trails off before he can finish. Oh Timothy don’t do that to her. Leave her hanging. I mean he was gonna tell her it was Genny before he was interrupted. It wasn't intentional but ugh nonetheless.

Let’s take a moment to dissect her expression. Look how distressed and crushed she looks. My heart. So in love with this man still. This hurts so good. Before he can address her absolute panic their van pulls up….Oh Lucy. So distracted she doesn’t even hear him mention that.

Instead of jewelry it ends up being a friggin Tiger.... Her excitement is infectious and makes me smile. I would be the same way. I am Lucy she is me. Exotic animal that could rip my face off but I am still jazzed. Wanting to see it. Tim's face after she gets all excited is too funny. You love this goober of a woman don't deny it.

This scene is VERY VERY telling IMO. Also I am hoping a set up for things to come later this season for them. In terms of having THE talk. Tim your therapy hasn’t fully hit yet and it shows in how he reacts to this man's decision. At first he tries to empathize with him. Then turns his cop brain on. Saying he might as well throw her under the bus too. Get off a little easier. Telling him to just do it since she betrayed him anyways. That she's given up on him. No way he could still love her despite the betrayal...Careful Tim your trauma is showing my sweet.

Tim has grown in a lot of ways since 6x06. Truly he has. This is a sticking point he hasn't gotten through his lovely skull yet. That someone can love you despite the ugly stuff. Despite you not being perfect. Love you just the same and be deserving of that love even though you messed up. It's striking a emotional chord with Tim and he doesn't even realize it. Lucy can't stand it and that's why she tells this man not to do it. It's hitting far too close to home for her.

Lucy showing in this moment why we all love her. Why Tim is such a goner for her. That sunshine empathetic human shining through in this scene. Her forgiving spirit showing up in the most beautiful ways. It's the reason Tim fell so damn hard for her in first place. Why he fell in love all over again the second half of s6. The kindness and empathy shown towards him from her. When he thought he had betrayed her so deeply she would've thrown him to wolves.

What he hasn't figured out yet is she would NEVER ever do that. Regardless of the deep hurt, she stood by him when the chips were down. He still is a WIP in terms of that. it shows in his initial reaction to this situation. Lucy instructs this man despite the hurt not to do it. Tim's look reminding me of the one from 5x19 when she pleaded with her eyes to let the father go.

He ends up caving even if he adds some sass in. The way Tim looks at Lucy when he says 'Lock me up.' Looking at her smiling face. Oh Tim connect the dots my love please. If not now then in the near future. This scene gave me all the feels. We still have some work to do in terms of their relationship. Tim in particular.

Lucy’s relief at seeing Genny is written all over her face. You can see she is ecstatic she's Tim's 'Date.' Also just happy to see her in general. I have no doubt they hung out when they dated. Ganged up on Tim from time to time as well.

Genny forcing Tim to engage. Asking doesn't she look amazing? Tim melting like butter. ‘She always does.’ This man gushing about her in front of other people. This is the change I'm talking about right here. Gah I’m vibrating you guys legit vibrating. The sweet stares I'm diabetic at this point. Lucy can't hold his gaze long especially with company around.

Genny tries to lighten the mood with saying she is ready to flirt it up. Asking if Lucy wants to join her? Lucy’s shot about not dating people at work…Tim's cue to go to the bar. lmao I’m dying this is fanfic level goodness here everyone. I’m delirious. Genny's face is everything after he leaves. Even Celina's date realizes it after they depart. Asking something going on between them? Yes sir. it's been brewing all damn day.

Lucy coming to Tim worried about Balian is sweet. But Tim gives it all of two seconds of thought before he's pining after her. I mean look at those heart eyes. That smile. One I'm sure he flashed her anytime they were alone at home. The man is an absolute marshmallow for her. Lucy calls Tim out for his extreme heart eyes and Lucy smile. Holy cow is this real life?

She knows that smile so very well. You can’t look at her like that, Timothy. Especially looking like a damn snack leaning against that bar. It’s not fair. She has every right to tell you to stop devouring her with your eyes babe. There is a little bit of Tim Bradford Bedroom eyes in that stare too. Mercy. I would be a damn puddle if I was her. Why she has to call him out for it. Basically saying he can't stare at her like that anymore.

It's not fair to her heart to look at her like he loves her. *heart clutch* He then turns around and flirts some more with the grumpy cop thing. Making her laugh with him being the biggest goober ever. I love this side she brought to life. Their smiles as Genny approaches make me squee. I'm nuclear with excitement at this point. He really has softened for her it’s unreal. Making her laugh makes my heart so happy. I can't even. Had to pinch myself to make sure it was real.

Poor Genny can’t get a date cause of Tim. Lmfao I mean we can’t be that surprised? Still that’s hilarious and I’m laughing so hard. She just wanted to get a date and they're all too frightened of Tim to do so. He seems pretty proud of that fact. Cocky Tim coming out to play a bit. This ep has everything. The cute shared look afterwards is very cute.

If we didn't know they were apart you'd think they were together. Lucy turning down the invite out after Tim’s little joke. Stating it's because of an early shift. That doesn't seem to stop you later....Not that I'm complaining. Lucy is about to lose out on her room with Celina hitting it off with Scott...But Nolan’s suite becomes available…..I’m fine letting them rise out of the ashes of Balian's fight right now I really am. Sorry Balian shippers. lol

Just when I think this ep couldn't get any better. We get a sexy Tim takedown. *fans self* Not gonna lie I crossed my legs a bit when I saw this go down. *grabs some ice water.* This episode was gonna kill me before we even got. to that hotel room. Ovary explosion x1000. It's hard to keep Feral Caitlin in her cage with scene like this. Hot damn this is attractive. Lucy touching him instantly after he is done. I'm here for it.

Only reason for this gif is what's going on in the background. Look at Lucy jumping into wife mode taking care of Tim immediately. The attentiveness right out the gate has me reeling. Taking his jacket off for him. Checking him out. I’m lightheaded with happiness. I hope you are as well. I was on cloud 9 at this point and we hadn't even gotten to the hotel room yet.

We get to watch Lucy go into worried wifey mode and never leave it. The sweet way she touches his neck. I'm dead. I am posting from he grave. Lucy lets him know he has a cut there. Luckily Tim has a room they can go to.... Thank you Nolan. He tries to handle it himself but she isn't having it. So she comes up with him… I was getting all tingly with anticipation at this point.

Lucy has Tim take his shirt off make sure there’s no more glass or cuts. Mmmm won’t hear me complaining…. Was kinda relived the kit was there waiting for them. No chance for interruption if it wasn't. I honestly thought it would be the thing to stop them.

Mmmm shirtless Tim. Welcome back to my screen. Yum. God he’s gorgeous. Her resolve was crumbling when he had clothes on. Now he has no shirt….. God speed Lucy Chen lol

Heh calling Tim tough guy oh my word. The banter never stops and I don't want it to. The little joke of unfortunately he will live. Followed by his smile *screams into a pillow* I'm in heaven. The flirt train is continuing to barrel through this episode at mach speed.

My god it’s the soft thanks and you’re welcome in tandem. I’m a puddle. Suddenly he is all in her space and her words die out. She tries to replace them with a shaky ' We shouldn't....' The longing looks I cannot. Before it was bedroom eyes at the bar, with some heart eyes mixed in. This time it’s legit all heart eyes with intense longing he’s aiming at her.

He misses her deeply, and it's evident in the sadness that fills his expression when she says they shouldn't. Gah. Take a look at him after he says 'I know.' The depth of longing he conveys through just his eyes is truly unreal. Any resolve she has left looking up at him with those puppy dog eyes crumbles below.

The way he just tosses his shirt and devours her completely has me reeling. Nothing matters more in this moment than her. He gently envelops her in his arms. The soft way he cradles her face in his hands, like she is his greatest treasure. Because she is. The way he chases after her lips. I’m a damn goner. Feel like I'm in a fever dream.

Captures her top lip like he's done so many times before. Giving me 5x12 vibes with this make out. Lucy's hands all over him in the process. Touching her way down his body. Phew lord. Also like to note I think it's very important Lucy be the one to go for it in this scenario. He would’ve stepped back because she said they shouldn’t. Respected her bounds. But she can’t fight it any longer and goes for it.

And holy cow does she ever go for it. The impatient needy noises coming from her I’m dying. The desperations is real. The moment her lips meet his and her fingers graze his skin, she’s completely defeated in her struggle to resist him. Resist this pull of their's. Wastes no damn time undoing his belt buckle sweet lord. You can hear it. She is ready to go. As is Tim. She has lit a flame and he isn’t wasting a second of it. The needy desperation has me fanning myself.

I love the way he spins her around, savoring her with tender affection. All the while he relieves Lucy of the tie on her dress.*fans self* He is just burying himself in his hair and neck. Losing himself completely in her. I might implode with how tender and sexy this is. The music is on point as always. Tim is chasing after her when she turns around and brings him back to the bed. His desperation coming through ten fold.

Doesn't waste a millisecond before he's diving back in for more when she turns around. Lucy’s face. Holy hell. You can see how much she missed this. Missed him. They’re in it now and she can’t stop herself. There’s still some conflict playing across her features. Knowing they shouldn’t and yet she can’t stop herself from wanting this man. She is conflicted then his lips rejoin her neck and she melts into him. All logic flies out the window after that.

There is a song from one of my fav bands Digital Daggers. From their song ‘In flames.' This moment reflects it IMO.

'Keep your confessions 'Cause babe I'm no saint , We're playing with fire But I like this game And I know your devils I know them by name When you look my way Oh, I'm not afraid With your kiss on my skin And this mess that we're in

In flames (we're going down, we're going down, we're going down) '

Definitely playing with fire in this moment and we're here for it.

We get the morning after. I was not expecting this in the least. But this episode continues to surprise me in the best way. Also hello chest hair on Tim. They need to leave that for future reference. I’m very much for it. Holy cow everything about him just makes me so damn feral it's insane. He is sex on two legs walking. Man he looks good.

The awkward looks upon waking up have me cackling. Tim's face when she starts to get up LMAO. Eric the king of expressions came to play. Tim breaking the awkward tension by saying he's awake. Lucy replying 'Right. Of course he is. He's like a rooster she remembers.... 'Ugh my heart.

I love Tim being the one to wanna talk this out. Again. He's gotta be the one to bridge the gap. Especially this go around. Not wanting this moment to pass by without suggesting it. Lucy of course even with her lapse in resolve isn’t sure why they would. She is still hurting and with good reason. Tim you gotta make this right babe. Oh my lord.

We see Lucy retreat at this offer of a talk. Passing it off as 'Classic case of ex sex on Valentines.' Oh it’s so much more than that my girl. I'm getting 5x01 flashbacks of ‘It's basic biology right?’ Lucy trying to have Tim give her the out of talking about this just like she did then. Pass it off as something that isn't a big deal when it is.

Tim shies away due to this. Agreeing with her ex sex theory although his body language does not in the least. Hoping he can at least hide his disappointment if he turns around. Feeding her a line about it being a singular moment in time. Mmhmm...Sure. Lucy agreeing with his BS line.

That fear running through her and needing a way out to avoid this conversation. So she runs with it. Trying to talk herself out of it more by saying it needs to be in their rear view. Never to be talked about again. Tim's defeated and slightly hurt 'Great...' Lucy can sense it. You two are idiots but I love you.

Gah, you can watch the internal battle on Tim's face. Reminds me of 5x01 once again and him psyching himself up to talk. We get our first ‘Lucy.’ of the season. Definitely was not where I expected it to be. Sadly after he builds up the courage he just says 'See you at the station'…*forehead smack* Oh you two. Killing me softly. She wanted him to go for it and he didn’t. Disappointment just littered all over her body language when he doesn't.

Lucy looking like she wants to go back in but the door closes. UGHHHH. Effectively making the decision for her. It is a good she wanted to go back but this is Tim's fight ya'll. And he knows it. He's so frustrated with himself for not fighting more for her in this moment. Lord this is good but killing me. Hurts so good never felt more prevalent than it does in this scene.

Tim ever the gentlemen having her enter first. His chivalry never ceases to make me happy. The energy in that elevator is charged to say the least. So Lucy straight up says she didn’t regret their night together. I love this. Letting him know she has zero regrets about jumping him last night. Heh Tim replying right back saying him either. These two idiots in love. What am I going to do with you?

Lucy adding in it it can’t happen again. Ok sure…..you both messy. And I’m not mad about it. Tim's sad 'I know.' Not agreeing it can't ever happen again. Just he knows it shouldn't...Lucy following that up with it can't for a million reasons. I mean they haven’t had THE talk yet so I get it. I truly do.

That's definitely one of the reasons for me. As fun as that lapse in judgement was, it still needs to be followed up with a real convo. Tim coming up with his own reason of the Chain of Command issue. *Grumble* he is back in her chain of command again even with being her being a T.O. Le sigh. Even though their tones suggest they could give a single fuck that he is this time around lol That definitely wouldn't keep them for repeating the night before is my guess.

The flirting my god though. Tim using grumpy cop again to make her smile and laugh. We all know she loves his grumpy ass. It's one of the things she truly loves about him. That smile after he says that tells me everything. That most definitely is on the list of BS reasons for why they shouldn't. Tim keeping the flirt train going by saying he wasn’t grumpy last night though. Heh no you were not.

Her face my god you two. ‘No, you definitely were not.’ No transparency at all saying how happy he was last night with her. She doesn’t stop him either knowing she wasn’t 'grumpy' either. They're not even trying at this point. Basically saying they had a great night in bed together. No regrets. One of their many things they're so good at hehe. Imma need a fic of that night LOL The flirty smiles and stares. Tim almost reels her back in with it. The ding of the elevator breaking them out of their UST filled revere.

Lucy trying to keep it together as she exits. Tim hot on her heels. Ooooh lord I’m excited to see where this goes. Tim you still have some work to do. That much is clear. I'm glad them hooking up didn't serve as a fix all. Because this SL deserves more than that. They deserves more than that. The promo for 7x07 ‘Don’t make the same mistake I made with Lucy. Fight for her.’ Um sir you need to fight for Lucy right now. She is waiting on you for it.

I hope this Balian crisis puts that into focus for Tim. Because if this ep proved anything it's that. He needs to fight for her more and prove to her why she should give them a second chance. The feelings are clearly still there. So much so she relapsed into her resistance to keep him at bay. Hot damn this was a good episode I am buzzing. I cannot wait to see what the rest of this season holds for them. Gimme Gimme.

Thank you thank you to anyone and everyone who loves, comments (love me some comments) and reblogs these. They are a true joy for me to make. So I am grateful for any and all engagement with them. I shall see you all in 7x07 :)

Side notes-Non Chenford

#grumpycop. Only cause it’s Vday and he has no Lucy. Also anniversary of the necklace…amazing though. Fantastic cold open.

Wes is too excited for that he’s tipping his hand. Glad Angela figured it out without Wes compromising his lawyer oath. Using that dude to get her stuff done LMAO.

Look at Celina just taking charge cause Nolan is distracted af at a scene. Proud of her. Scott dude seems tad needy don't love that.

Sad about Texas and his girl but realistic af. Appreciated that.

Bailey being pissed about the judgement. Can't say I blame her. I mean instead of understanding John jumped right to judgement but he is also right in being upset she didnt' share that with him. Shall see where that goes.

[dellamortethelesser]

The Wigmaker Job

Notes and Thoughts - Part 4

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4 | pt5

DISCLAIMER: These posts I'm doing are my own analyses and are done with the intentional eye to examine the relationship between Lucanis and Illario. I try to source all my assertions from what the text is giving me. This is not Lucanis critical nor should it be taken as such.

Despite his earlier jab, Lucanis had to admit, if only to himself, that his cousin looked at home among the local gentry. Illario winked at strangers as if they'd known each other for years, and the Vints were either too drunk or thought him too attractive to question his familiarity.

Starting off strong this time! As Lucanis circles from the roof, we get a chance to see Illario shine and Lucanis's perspective of it. This is actually one of the kinder remarks we've received so far irt: Illario's abilities. And we get more!

We watch as Illario takes the guard-captain's drink and downs it and somehow charms his way into getting her attention. This next passage actually expands on how Lucanis feels about Illario's work.

Lucanis groaned—not only at the line, but that it worked. Even from his position, he could see Camille was hooked. He shouldn't be surprised. This was old hat for Illario. But it was always amazing to see what one man's smile could accomplish.

This is one of my favorite passages re: examining their dynamic. It's some of the ostensibly kinder narrative we see from Lucanis towards Illario and it is exclusively aimed at praising his skills with seduction.

Illario goes on to deftly remove the key ring from the captain and give get it on track towards Lucanis via a waiter's tray. In his hurry to swipe the keys, Lucanis thinks as to why Illario couldn't have just held onto them? ← Fair enough I suppose he could've before extricating himself to join you.

One could argue that he's keeping the captain at bay and that the longer the keys are on his person the more risky it is, but that's me writing a defense not entirely based in the text so let's keep moving.

Lucanis pulls off some fun acrobatics and gets inside with the keys. I'm going to be brushing over details that aren't directly about the Lucanis/Illario relationship or that aren't particularly relevant to Lucanis's characterization in that context. Everyone cool with that? Cool, let's go.

Lucanis thought about securing the entrance—leaving it unlocked could raise suspicion—but decided not to in case Illario decided to work tonight. He could already hear his cousin's honeyed excuses—(But seducing a beautiful woman is work!) He snorted and pushed further inside.

All I wrote down in my notes here is "And yet dismissive? He got you the keys!" so that's all I'll say on that. I'm not sure how Lucanis ever feels at any given time about Illario's skills… he got you inside and is distracting the guard-captain. This does imply that Lucanis does not see that as 'work'—only the killing seems to count as work to him.

I'm also very obsessed with Lucanis's observations about the estate itself. He remarks on how similar it is to a Chantry(!) and that the opulence must have been costly in terms of coin and slave labor. He considers the ones that were blinded by gilding or broken backs from working with the stone.

"There was patriotism and there was obsession. Neither was worth it." ← really obsessed with this. It just isn't the sort of thought process that I predict a Crow is supposed to have whilst working through a job. (It also makes me wonder what he thinks of Teia's patriotism re: the Crows in Veilguard?)

"He had a rule when hunting Venatori. Follow the headache." ← Again I would have liked to have seen more of his sensitivity in Veilguard; someone pointed out that Spite took precedence over Lucanis's abilities and while understandable… rah.

That stupid fucking Crow rhyme. Goddammit. Okay brushing past the fight scene—all I'll say here is I actually do really enjoy the use of the garrote. It's a really impressive scene that highlights Lucanis's skills in quickly eliminating enemies while outnumbered, and I also have to give authorial credit because fight scenes are hard to write and keep entertaining.

"Eight marks the final kill. Do you still recite that old nursery rhyme? The one Caterina made us memorize during training?" ← Insane question in this moment Illario. Insane. Did she beat that nursery rhyme into you too? Also the Crows have nursery rhymes?! I would love to hear more about who is teaching this to fledglings.

"What can I say? It's catchy." / "That's a word for it." ← I did have a note where I circled Illario's dialogue here and wrote "resentful?" but I'm not sure I stand by that coming across in the text now. I think it's just more teasingly morbid than anything lol

Lucanis narrowed his eyes. "Your tunic's rumpled." Illario flashed a sheepish grin. "You weren't the only one tussling with guards." "Tussling, huh?" Lucanis shook his head. "That's a word for it."

Really interesting here to me that Lucanis, despite having previously having made plenty of mental potshots about his abilities, doesn't seem to think too much about Illario getting comfortable with the captain. Maybe because he thinks it's expected of Illario?

Illario wrinkling his nose and asking to clean up the bodies <3 ooohhh pookie who hates getting messy ily sooo much. cutie patootie. okay sorry back on track.

"Leave it." "What? Out in the open?" "You bring a mop?" Illario glowered at him. "No, but you've half an armory stored in that coat. I thought maybe—"

I really want to know what Illario thought Lucanis could've possibly brought for the express purpose of cleaning up bodies. IN Lucanis's defense I too would've made a snarky remark about a mop.

Oop! Elven woman walks in on them. I'm gonna pause it there because the next interactions between them are really important and will take up so much more space and time to go over.

Quotes are either paraphrased or taken directly from The Wigmaker Job, written by Courtney Woods.

[nr1sealuvr]

drv3 chapter 5 closing argument rant below because I am mentally unstable

btw this is not intended as a ship but if you wanna take it that way thats fine!! :3

So erm i think we all know that ch5 is PAINFULLLL man bc WTF :(( but there are a few panels in the closing argument that make me bawl (sobbing as i write this LMAO)

This one hurts the most because LOOK!!! 2 ppl that hate eachother HELPING each other at their lowest. AND THEY WERE BOTH DOOMED FROM THE START. AND THEY KNOW IT. Kaito with his illness and kokichi....well...FJKDKXJDNSSN

just like imagine the most stubborn little shit that you despise (except you dont, because Kaito is such a sweetie hes uncapable of doing so) telling you to kill them. that was the only time he was ever honest to him and really let Kaito see him. 2 FUCKING MINUTES BEFORE HE DIES. Imagine how much that HURT katio, being forced into killing someone in the killing game that you hate so much. He said it himself he KNEW it would fail and he knew he would get executed but FUUUCKCKXK HE STILL DID IT. That was like the last touch kokichi got holy shit being dragged across the floor BLEEDING wait hold on my vision is blurry okay im back AND GOD HE WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN and like. i can not imagine a life where I have to lie to myself that everything is gonna be fine. He had decided that he was READY to die.

WELL HE FUCKING WASNT BECAUESE LOOK AT HIM UZGGHHHSHSH he had to LIE to himself that he was to end the killing game. and he knew aswell there wasnt a high chance to do so BUT HE STILL DID IT JESUS DOES THIS NOT SHOW HOW MUCH HE CARES. He basically killed himself just because of a tiny tiny chance the killing game would end. Also Kaito going "you little..." while he had his little meltdown also made me sad call me delusional but IF YPU ZHINM ABOUT IT HES LIKE SYMPATHISING WITH HIM HES IN DISBELIEF BECAUSE HE FUCKING CARES AND HE KNEW WHAT WAS COMJNG AND THEY ARE FUCKING DOOMED AND I HATE THEM.

Heres him getting dragged because ouch. The silence was PAINFUL

Now this scene. Oh. My. God. Okay so first of that thing jn the bottom right corner. Kaito is looking at him and hes looking down. He just gave him permission to kill him and Kaito had no choice but to do it. Hes exposing himself to him and he cant even fucking look at him because they both know how bad the situation is. There was never any hope but they wanted to TRY. AND THEY TRIED AND THEY FUCKING FAILED Aaaanf my vision is blurry from tears again hold on okay anyway look at kaitos face. HE DOESNT WANT ZO. HE DOESNT WANT TO KILL KOKICHI. HE KNOWS KOKICHI DOESNT WANT IT. BUT THEY HAVE ZO. they fucking have to holy shit

This one also makes me sad because again imagine zhe SILENCE as your so called "worst enemy" takes out the wounds that he himself had made (ik one was from maki) and kokichi is NEVER quiet. He knew how serious and bad this was and they both stayed silent, not wanting to acknpledge it because they had hope. And it failed. Fuck.

Anyways i think its safe to say these little shits make me sick and IDJSJWN kaito being forced into killing has got to be the most painful thing ever oh and him pretending to be kokichi in the excisal. I know kokichi wrote a lot of the lines but still. Imagine having to act so cheerfull while pretending to be the one you killed. The GUILTTT GOOOSSSHHH

okay i gotta go now my dads picking me up in 2 min rant over:3

[ineffablywriting]

favourite crime - part iv

part iv - doctor's note

“Are you sure I won’t be intruding?” Alena asked anxiously as she played with her fingers from the entryway of the kitchen where Anne and Gemma were shuffling around getting dinner ready. She’d offered to help half a dozen times but they’d waved her off every time so she had nothing to do but stand around, anxiously staring at the clock and waiting for the front door to open. 

“Sweetheart,” Anne sighed, shaking her head exasperated. “This house is as much yours as it is ours. Have we done something to make you feel otherwise?” 

Alena felt only a little sheepish at that but she didn’t get a chance to respond as the door finally opened and Harry walked in and Alena’s heart rate felt like it tripled. 

She froze in place, stiffening to stop herself from spinning and facing the man who haunted her dreams and was the bringer of all her nightmares. 

“Hiya, Mum, Gemma,” Harry called without looking up as he kicked his shoes off. “I brought a salad,” he said, voice getting closer. He trailed off when he saw Alena standing in front of him with her back to him, shoulders stiff. 

There was an awkward pause in the room as everyone waited to see what he would do. “Alena,” he nodded at her when she finally turned to look at him, eyes staring unblinking over his shoulder. 

“Harry,” she whispered back, turning back and moving further into the kitchen, trying to get as far away from him as possible. She was already wishing she had stayed at home. But Gemma had threatened to show up at her door if she didn’t show up on her own. 

Alena eyed the bottle of wine she’d brought with her and wished so badly she could have a drink right now. 

She sighed, wringing her hands together, and turning pleading eyes to Anne. “What can I do?” 

“Why don’t you set the table, dear?” she said, finally taking pity on Alena and giving her something to do. 

‘Thank you’, Alena mouthed, turning to the cabinet beneath the kitchen island where they stored their dinnerware.

She crouched down, opening the door and staring at the different types of china Anne had hoarded over the years. Alena took this as an opportunity to try and sort out her scattered thoughts, closing her eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths. 

When she opened her eyes, her heart had finally slowed down to its usual rhythm. She took one final deep breath, psyched herself up and grabbed a pile of matching dishes before moving to stand back up. It took her a second to regather and rebalance herself with her ever changing centre of gravity as her stomach continued to grow, but she managed it. She was getting good at rolling with the punches and the tilting world the universe threw her way. 

“Should you be carrying all that in your state?” Harry asked sharply, hovering over Lena as she turned around and found him standing behind her. 

“I’m fine.” Alena moved to step around him, the plates clinking in her arms as she moved. 

“Just give it here,” he insisted, sounding put out. 

“I didn’t ask for your help,” Alena replied, voice sharper than she’d intended. She instantly felt guilty, her eyes flitting to look at Anne who watched her in concern. The last thing Lena wanted to do was cause a scene at their family dinner, so she took a breath and forced herself to swallow the anger and hurt building in her throat. “But thank you,” she forced the words out. 

“Setting the table was always my job. Just give them to me and go do something else.” 

“I’m pregnant, Harry. Not disabled. I’m fi-ine. Oh,” Alena froze. 

“What? What happened?” Gemma rushed over, noticing the spooked look on Alena’s face. Harry had instantly grabbed the dishes out of her hands, moved across the room and placed them on the table before rushing back over to hover. 

“Nothing,” Lena whispered, voice a little choked up. “I just, I think I just felt her move for the first time,” she glanced up, eyes wet and a small smile quivering on her lips as she looked from Anne to Gemma and back again. 

Harry moved back, feeling like he was intruding on a moment he shouldn’t have been a part of and leaving his family to have their privacy, trying to make sense of the feelings building in his chest. 

-

Harry Styles paced in his living room as his thoughts kept drifting to Sunday night.

Dinner had been awkward at first and then everything had simmered down into a background discomfort as everyone ate and chatted while Alena and Harry pretended the other wasn’t there. 

But now it had been days and all he could think about was the look on everyone’s face when Alena had admitted she’d felt the baby move for the first time. The tears in her eyes and the looks of identical love on his mum’s and Gemma’s were burned into the backs of his eyelids. 

A baby girl. She was having a baby girl. 

And all Harry could think about was what if it was his? 

It had hit him at that moment, just how much he’d already missed. 

He’d never wanted to be a father, had never even imagined himself as one until he’d found out Alena was pregnant. And then he’d gone out Olivia and her kids for some ice cream after filming and all he could think was this was something he could be doing with his own kid in the future. 

His mind had been jumbled ever since with what if, what if, what if this baby was half him? 

And he was starting to think that maybe it - she- was his. 

Jeff had been avoiding all his probing questions, encouraging him to distance himself from his family until ‘they could sort things out’ and to ‘take out a restraining order’ against Alena. That he shouldn’t focus on anything but his career as it took off. But all Harry could think about was the little ultrasound pictures he couldn’t bring himself to throw away, sitting on the dresser in his bedroom.

He ran a hand through his hair as he replayed the dreams that had been haunting him for the last week. 

Images of curly hair, green eyes and dimples running around with toothless smiles as laughter filled his mothers house. 

A family. 

Something he’d never really imagined having beyond his mum and sister and friends. But then there was Alena. 

Harry didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to do. 

He pulled out his phone for the tenth time and opened Alena’s contact, looking at the unsent text burning through his screen. 

Can we talk?

Three words. He hated how cliche they were, but every time he’d erased them to type something else, nothing had felt right. 

He sighed, clicked his phone shut and threw it onto the coffee table. 

“What do I do?” he groaned into his hands, rubbing his eyes. “Everything is a mess.” 

Great, now he was talking to himself. 

He was at war with himself. He knew he was wrong. Knew he’d been an absolute twat but he’d been so shocked - so was Alena, his conscious whispered back. 

But he’d just not expected it - and neither had she, it continued. 

But Jeff had told him it wasn’t his and he’d never lied to Harry before - and Alena had?. 

But…but…but…

But there was no excuse for his behaviour. 

Harry deflated, collapsing on the couch and grabbing his phone and once more opening his texts. He hit send before he could talk himself out of it again and then spiralled into a million different thoughts as he waited for Alena’s reply. 

-

Alena had just walked out of another doctor's appointment with Gemma when her phone buzzed. 

She pulled it out, and did a double take at the name on the screen. 

“What is it?” Gemma asked when Alena froze, jaw slackened in the middle of the sidewalk. 

Alena turned her phone towards Gemma showing her the message on the screen. She made a face and scoffed. “What the hell does he want?” she rolled her eyes. “Bit late to be reaching out now.” 

Alena allowed a small smile to grace her lips, even as her insides twisted together at the words on her phone. 

Can we talk? 

“You don’t think he’s sent someone to spy on you, do you?” Gemma asked as they started walking again, the text remaining unanswered. 

Alena shrugged, “I can’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind,” she replied, forcing herself to remain unaffected. “It’s pretty suspicious timing.” 

“Yeah, but also kinda convenient?” Gemma posed it as a question. “‘Cause now you don’t have to contact him first.” 

“Yeah,” Alena agreed, a little part of the anxiety that had wrapped itself around her heart unraveling at the thought. “Yeah,” she said again, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “What should I say?” 

Gemma shrugged. “I don’t think I’m the best person to ask,” she admitted. “I’ve got a lot of pent up frustration towards Harry - not that you don’t,” she was quick to add. “But you’re a lot more patient with him than I am.” 

“I don’t know how true that is,” Alena said. “I had to do some pretty strong practiced breathing Sunday night.” 

Gemma snorted, “like I said, you’re a lot more patient than I am. I would have knocked his teeth out,” she made some mock fists with her arms. Alena laughed before the two of them sobered up and Gemma said, “I don’t know, Lena. Maybe just tell him the truth.”

“Ugh, can’t you just sneak into his house and steal his saliva for me?” Alena asked and this time Gemma was the one laughing. 

“Ew.” 

“Yeah, fair.” 

“Says the girl who swapped spit with him. Too soon?” she grinned when Alena grimaced. 

“When you say it like that it’s always too soon.” She took a breath. “Ok, fine. Wish me luck.”

They stopped under the shade of a tree, Alena’s heart pounding nervously as she typed out a response, hit send before she could overthink it and shoved her phone into Gemma’s hands. 

Yeah, let me know when you’re free. My doctor said we can do a prenatal paternity test before the baby is born.  

-

We can do a prenatal paternity test before the baby is born.  

Harry read the text over and over again, his heart pounding loudly and ears ringing. 

He didn’t know how to respond. 

Part of him was relieved that he’d finally have answers, but he was terrified of what those answers would mean for him. 

He typed and retyped and typed a text again before giving up and dialling Alena’s number. It would be easier to do this over the phone and it had been hours since Alena had replied to his  message.

“Harry?” she picked up, just as he was about to end the call. Her voice was soft and breathy and Harry felt a pang shoot through him as he remembered nights they’d spent together, whispering in the dark, under his bed sheets trying not to wake anyone while his mum and sister slept down the hall. 

“Lena,” he swallowed the tightness away in his chest. “I - uh - I was hoping we can organise when to catch up.” 

He made a fist and raised it to his forehead, hating how awkward things were between them now, and realising for the first time just how much he really missed her. It hit him like a truck, the yearning for things to be easy again between them. 

He really fucking missed his best friend. 

“Yeah, good idea,” she spoke, voice crackling down the speaker as he heard a car door open and close. “When are you free?” 

Harry ignored her, checking his wrist for the time and frowning. It was late. “Are you driving?” he asked instead. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” she answered, and he thought he could hear the car’s blinker in the background. “I’m heading home from the hospital.” 

“What? Why? Is everything ok? What’s wrong?” Harry rushed out the questions, sitting up straighter and getting ready to rush over to her apartment. 

“Yeah, fine. So, when are you free?” she asked, and Harry noticed she didn’t bother to share any details with him. He hated it. The realisation hit him then, regardless of everything else he still wanted her in his life. 

Alena continued, unaware of his sudden epiphany. “My doctor said all we need is a saliva sample and she gave me the kit. I already sent in my blood work so all we need is your DNA and then you’ll finally have answers.”  

“Alena, can we just,” he sighed a loud breath. “Can we just please talk for a minute?” 

“There’s nothing to talk about, Harry.” 

“There’s everything to talk about!” Harry insisted. “I miss you,” he admitted, wishing he could see her face. “Please.” 

He could hear her breathing loudly down the line and when she didn’t reply, he wished he could swallow those words back, save them for another time. He knew it wasn’t fair of him to drop that on her the way he did. “Sorry,” he finally broke the silence. “I shouldn’t have -” 

Alena cut him off. “I’ll leave the test kit in your mailbox,” she told him, voice cold. “It has an instruction sheet in it. When you’re done, give it Gemma and she’ll give it to me. Please don’t contact me until we have the results back. Bye, Harry.” 

And she didn't give him a chance to respond before she hung up. 

“Fuck!” he cursed, slumping back in his seat, feeling defeated but knowing it was what he deserved. 

-

I miss you.  

Alena was furious. How dare Harry. How dare he! 

What right did he have to say those words to her after everything he’d done and said over the last few months. 

She hated him. 

She sighed. She didn’t hate him. 

But she wished she did. She really wished she did. It would have made things so much easier if she could just hate him. 

That way she wouldn’t be so affected when he seemed to crawl out of the woodworks every couple of months just to break her heart with words and an overwhelming presence. 

She huffed, collapsing back into her bed and staring off at the ceiling. It had been almost two weeks since she’d dropped off the DNA kit in Harry’s mailbox the same night he’d called her as she drove back from the hospital. 

She’d rushed herself to A&E with stomach cramps, panicked after she’d gotten home from the doctor’s appointment earlier in the day with Gemma. She’d seen the midwife who had been very kind to her, checked the baby and sent her back home again with the all clear. But Alena had still been frazzled and needed someone familiar as she’d answered the phone, forgetting for a microsecond that she and Harry weren’t friends anymore, weren’t anything anymore. So she’d answered the phone, feeling a little bit of relief at hearing his voice before she remembered the tatters their relationship was in at the moment. 

And then he’d said those stupid three words that had made her heart seize in her chest and then race like she’d just run a marathon. And while she didn’t hate him, she hated the way her heart still reacted to him, and she was worried it would never stop. 

Gemma had told her she needed to put herself out there again, get herself a quote-on-quote hot date. Alena had brushed her off and laughed. She was about to be a mum, who would want to date her? 

But now Alena was considering it. Maybe she just needed to get him out of her system, and the only way to do that might be to get herself back out there. 

She picked up her phone and dialled Gemma’s number. 

“Hey, Lena,” Gemma chirped down the phone. 

“Gemma. I’m ready.” 

“Ready?” Gemma asked, a confused question in her voice. 

“I’m ready to be set up with someone,” Alena swallowed back the little whisper in her mind telling her to stop talking. 

“No way,” Gemma all but squealed down the line. “What’s brought this on? Actually, I don’t care. I have this friend, James, he’s a single dad with a two year old daughter and I think you guys would get along like a house on fire - and not because you’re both parents,” she added. “I tried to set you up last year, but unbeknownst to the rest of us you were busy with He Who Must Not Be Named.” 

Alena laughed, “sorry to have ruined your plans.” 

“It’s ok, I got a niece out of it. Ok, so, I’ll send James your details and he’ll text you.”

“Thanks, Gem. Even if it goes nowhere, I think I need this.”

“It will go somewhere,” she said confidently. “But either way, let me know when you guys go out, I want all the juicy juice,” Gemma’s voice crinkled down the line, before she heard some shuffling on the other end. “Sorry, Lee, I gotta go. As much as I love talking to you, errands await.” 

“Go, go. And thank you. I’m getting another call anyway,” she said, pulling her phone back as the receiver beeped in her ear to indicate someone else was trying to reach her. “Bye, love you.” 

“Love you, too!”

“Hello?” Alena answered, not immediately recognising the number on her screen. “This is Alena.” 

“Hi, Alena. This is Dr Brenna’s room’s calling to let you know your test results are in. We have them at the front desk if you’d like to come and pick them up.” 

“Um, yeah, ok. Do I, um, can I just - I, uh, can I just come pick it up whenever?” she asked, mouth feeling a little dry, trying to ignore the ringing in her ears. 

“Yeah, as long as it’s during office hours,” the friendly voice joked. 

“Ok, thank you. Um, bye.”

“No problem. We’ll see you soon, bye.” 

And then she hung up, took a breath and let her brain race. 

She was expecting this call any day now, and had struggled with sleep for the last couple of weeks because of it - well, because of it and because of Harry’s three little words - I miss you - they still echoed in her head, suffocating her with their meaning.  

She was still stewing in her thoughts when her phone pinged, once then twice then a third time. 

She picked it up mindlessly, glancing at the three texts on her screen. 

Two from a number she didn’t recognise - Hi, this is James. Gemma sent me your number telling me I was to text you straight away lol. The first text read, followed by a second one asking her out. Are you free this weekend? 

She tried to compartmentalise, typing up a response before she allowed herself to think about the third text. Hi, James. This is Alena lol. Yes, I’m free this weekend. What did you have in mind?

She sent the texts off and then took a deep breath opening up the text from Harry. 

Did you get the call? 

She watched the screen for a couple of seconds, reading the five words over and over until three little bubbles popped up on her screen again. 

When did you want to pick it up?

Alena turned and screamed into her pillow, picked her phone up again and texted back: Tomorrow. 

The sooner they did this, the better.

-

Please leave me a comment/ask/anything regarding what you think! Also prepare yourselves. Major angst is coming your way as we start to wrap up!

The more feedback I get the more I write, I feed off positivity and hype hahaha

Let me know what you think should happen!

[nerdishpursuits]

Okay, this post is all over the place. Meaning it's a collection of thoughts that span over the last couple of weeks. Simply jotting things down as I watched and as they occurred to me. So, ye be warned. Here be a case of the verbose. It never ceases to baffle me, truly, how even the best content can trigger malcontent. And when it comes to this show the best example remains Twitter: the poster app for a flaming dumpster fire. Why people don’t just migrate over to BlueSky is just as dumbfounding. Oh well. Muting and blocking certainly helps curate the experience.

By all means, shall we vent (a little?)

1. Apparently Marta and Fina are too cringe-worthy in their dialogue now, as no one in real life would ever talk to their partner that way. Do I agree with this assessment? Most certainly not.

If anything, I find such scenes supremely satisfying. They reinforce the depth of their love and commitment to each other and manage to, somehow, always sound like wedding vows. At this point, honestly, I’d take this kind of scene over the more explicit ones reserved for the family values crowd. I prefer it because those other couples lack this in-depth emotional journey that we’re being treated to with Mafin.

The way Fina adores and cherishes Marta, how she supports her unconditionally. The reverence Marta holds for Fina, how she sees in her the embodiment of peace, of home, of love, of all that is well and good in the world. They are strong on their own, but together? Together they are invincible.

To me it’s obvious you can only have this kind of relationship with your partner if your level of comfort and trust in each other is absolute (nudge nudge wink wink @midniteowlet) And this is how Marta and Fina come across to me: beautifully at ease in each other’s presence, wonderfully supportive of one another, always nurturing and speaking a language of their own. A language of the heart that's intrinsically theirs.

So when they hold each other and confess their love in such a pure, unadulterated way, holding nothing back and simply allowing themselves to speak their truth? It’s a thing of beauty.

You are my example, Marta, my inspiration. You are the staff upon which I lean, whenever I feel myself fading. You are like a bird in flight, battered by the winds that try to bring you down. But always, always you soar again

You are a water lily, for the dirtier the water, the more beautiful the flower grows, so elegant, so serene

You are my strength. I need your embraces, your kisses. To rest in your arms, if only for a few hours, for they are the only place I find solace

To me these kind of dialogues and confessions never feel saccharine. It’s an expression of longing and love, of trust and admiration. And they stay true to the essence of a relationship between two women, where such displays of emotional and psychological authenticity take center stage.

And then we get a kiss. How nuanced the meeting of their lips. For Marta, the profound need to drink from this love that soothes her, cradles her, embraces her, ignites her and brings light and joy to an ever increasing darkness. For Fina, the selfless surrender, the ardent devotion, the intense admiration and the purest love. Theirs is a kiss that heals. A kiss that is home.

Bonus. Fina defending Marta against anyone who dares question her integrity and feeling so protective of her wife who often carries the weight of her family on her shoulders.

2. Optical delusions during the Marta & Pelayo scenes? Mind boggling. Personally, I'm quite enjoying them. I mean ... Fina's gentle touch has rubbed off on Marta 😌

3. Marta sarcastically saying she'll have to meet her future mother in law? Apparently not sitting well with some people. Sarcasm and irony have always been Marta's way of dealing with stressful situations. She's always been shown to awkwardly crack a joke, especially when things feel overwhelming and depressing. Seeing anything else in that? Claiming that she was all happy at the prospect of meeting that woman? Way off mark, imho. Marta and Fina are trying to make the best of an unpleasant reality. They have accepted this is the path they need to walk, but they also admit it's a painful one. I wish people would stop seeing things that aren't there. Considering they've done nothing but reinforce how much Marta & Fina are married to each other? Maybe one day it'll resonate that Marta's marriage to Pelayo is solely for convenience and something to, hopefully, offer protection.

Will they suffer because of it? Yes. Will they be dealing with the contraptions of a marriage, even though it's a fake one? Yes. Will their time be cut short, leaving them desperate to interact with each other? Also yes. In theory, this marriage will solve x and y. In practice, it will bring a host of problems they've not dealt with before: Pelayo's political career will place them under a microscope, Marta will be expected to play the dutiful wife in public, Fina will again feel like the odd one out (even though she is the sole reason Marta agreed to remarry). The world they want to fence out is very much pressing in, invading a space they want to call their own. The world will always demand its pound of flesh. But as long as they hold steady, hold fast and hold onto each other? They can make it work.

On to greener pastures.

Marta wanting to help Gema because she understands her need and desire to work, to feel useful and in control of ones life? I really loved their scene together and I don't think they've ever had a tête-à-tête before. I also love the fact that Gema doesn't aim for a position where she'd be in charge and doesn't shy away from hard work. I think that speaks well of her character. That being said? While I love Marta interceding for Gema with Joaquin, once again proving that her generosity and kindness knows no bounds? I do worry abut one thing with Gema: she's made of gossip. She'll be poking her nose into everyone's business, soon learning that Marta & Fina are together and who knows what she'll do with that information. To be frank, I'd been hoping Gema becomes the store overseer and robs Carmen of her position. That would have made for good drama and would have served as another lesson for Tasio, given he was loudly proclaiming he voted against Marta to secure Carmen's position. We shall see what this move holds in store and if Fina warms up to her. Gema is not a bad person. Let's trust she'll make the right choice. At least we got some peak comedy from the scene between Gema, Claudia & Fina.

Speaking of. Marta is too kind. Too kind to Andres, to Joaquin, to Tasio. However, in the long run she stands to win more if she's gracious and understanding. Hatred never leads anywhere good and Marta? Marta simply isn't made that way.

Still? Team Fina here. Fina and her perpetual hatred of anyone who hurts Marta. True to her feisty nature, Fina's there, representing, staring daggers into traitors. She's strong enough to hate them all, for the both of them. Forza, Fina!!!

Honestly though, I'd dearly love a scene where these a-holes apologize to Marta. But, hey. She's smarter than I am. Picking her battles and all that. Certainly not worth it to rage against the windmills. Better to sit it out and bide her time. Her moment will come again.

I suppose it just irks me somewhat when certain plot-points, that carry weight, seem to fall to the wayside. Or do they? Time will tell.

Curious about Irene. I suspect, long-term, she'll be against her brother. It would seem she does not approve of his methods.

Best thing about the Andres drama? Not seeing Andres. I guess Marta lost the directorship so she could play detective in his case. Too bad he's back now and comes up with brilliant ideas like the families rotating leadership every 6 months. The one great thing about Marta not being in charge was Joaquin having to struggle with the damn bathhouse on his own. Remains to be seen if anything comes of that. I'm not much of a business mind but this suggestion seems off to me. It can only work if there is trust and a willingness to cooperate. Given all the bad blood between these families right now? Maybe it's not such a good idea. Curious if they'll take this idea and run with it. Oh, well. Some Mafin goodness today. A sprinkle of sour'n'sweet, a pinch of shared concerns, a dash of comfort and some good ol' domestic ribbing.

[thataaabattery]

Rewatching Link Click

To preface: I never watched Yingdu or finished all of season 2 despite being spoiled for the end of s2 and some minor ones for Yingdu.

That said, here are some of my ramblings:

Also, old men yaoi? Pfff get on my level, old women Yuri is far superior (especially in donghua).

1: Noodle Lesbians

2: Noodle Gays

MANY parallels including these scenes. For context on the second pic, it’s right before the outro during the noodle episode.

Evidence:

Episode 2:

Cxs: “By the way, if we ever get into a disagreement would we -break up- too?”

Flashes to LG not telling Cxs the news of Emma’s murder

CXS: “If you dare go behind my back, I’ll mess up that -handsome- face!”

NL (noodle lesbians):

Brunette: “Today was our grand opening, its like our first night married.”

Black-haired (BH):

“You just said tonight was our wedding night. Shall we..”

Puts her hand over her’s suggestively

BH: “Back in our dorm, you’d beg to sleep together after watching scary movies.”

CXS: ‘They were even roommates in college.’

Guess who else are roommates and went to college together? And they were roomates!!

Boss lady standing up to misogny

And showing her belief that men are useless & reliable— perhaps even hinting at UNDATEABLE-

The classic spaghetti string shared, but with ramen

BH: “My happiness is the look on your face when you eat my noodles.”

OMG SO PRECIOUS .. and sapphic

CXS talking to LG

Driver who hears:

“I’ve seen many women who talk to themselves after they argue with their HUSBANDS”

“They say the smell of flowers awake the most fragrant memories”

Shows the back of LG

Ah.

In conclusion: I love a women-focused episode, yay. Wait, is it woman focused if it is CXS and LG inherently involved.. and CXS is a man despite possessing her body at the time-

You know what, shhhhhhh. Noodle Lesbians. 💕 🍜

[cars2-renaissance]

Oh shit you guys I woke up this morning with another headcanon. Ughhhhhhhh this one really fucked me up. I’m gonna post it under a cut cause theres discussion about death and su*cidal ideation and it’s just super depressing. So please don’t read if you’re not in a good headspace.

I think this is the worst one yet. It's just pain.

So I always noticed that Finn is really quiet in Big Ben when they're tied up. Mater is talking back to the lemons and engaging with them but Finn is COMPLETELY silent.

Now maybe it's cause he's an experienced agent and knows not to open his big mouth. But when has Finn ever not been on the spot with these jokers? Why is he so quiet and resigned here?

He's resigned! He doesn't even try to escape. He's glad that Mater makes it out (maybe??) but after that, he's just like oh well guess I'll die?

Finn is incredibly crafty with cheating death. I mean just look at the oil rig scene. Even after the extreme shock of seeing Leland dead, he's still able to make split second decisions to save himself and make it out. And that was when it was just his life on the line! He doesn't even seem to care about Holley's life at all in this scene! And this is the same car who seemed genuinely gutted by seeing the wgp racers getting their engines blown in the second race, these random strangers he doesn't know. You can't tell me he doesn't care about others!

So what the FUCK did they do to him to break him that much??

Well. They had him prisoner and while they kept Mater gassed the whole time in between races, we don't know what happened to Finn or Holley. We don't know that they were unconscious the entire time. But we do know certain among the lemons are complete sadists. I've wondered for a while if they filmed what they did to Leland. Zündapp wasn't there for it and he seemed to take personal satisfaction in the aftermath. It's completely plausible that Grem recorded the whole thing even to just show the professor later.

But you know who they would take particular delight in showing a snuff tape of Leland Turbo to?

Finn.

And that would be enough to keep him quiet in Big Ben, to want nothing more than to die there, crushed to death just like Leland, because he deserved it after not getting there in time to save him. He wanted to die there so bad that even Holley's life didn't matter. And when he did get out of that situation (thanks to Holley), the only thing on his mind was going after Zündapp.

They just found out there is an actual bomb attached to Mater and he's heading for a highly populated civilian area IN LONDON FOR CRYING OUT LOUD; this is likely Finn's home town. You'd think he'd stop at nothing to go take care of that situation and not leave it to the total newbie.

But no. He is out for BLOOD against Zündapp. Holley can save London—who CARES about London or any of these cars he's gotten close to over the past two weeks—Zündapp is on the loose and Finn is not going to let that slide. He puts himself in deaths door yet again to catch this motherfucker. He barely flinches while getting heavy artillery shot at him. And his grand solution at the end is to blow them all the fuck up.

The size of that explosion SHOULD have killed them all. Finn was more than willing to kill himself if it meant Zündapp died with him, plus Tony Trihull who at this point he probably knows is the location of Leland's death. They can all just get blown to hell.

But he and Zündapp survive somehow—I don't think the same can be said for Trihull—and we see them later, finally pulling up to the races. We also see that Zündapp is completely tangled in Finn's grapple lines in ways that could only be possible if he was flipped around multiple times in all directions. Finn got him to the bomb site but not before beating the ever loving shit out of him. He is FURIOUS and doesn't bat an eye when Holley tases a car in full custody. Because it's Zündapp, and Finn only just stopped short of killing him.

Finn is a hot mess throughout the movie. He takes unbelievable risks and pulls ridiculous stunts. BUT he always has it pretty under control and above all, he shows genuine care for those around him. But there is a definite shift in his values and goals after Big Ben. There's a real possibility that it's because he had to watch Leland die in that window of time.

I hate this headcanon so much but I had to write it out this morning

This was all just off the top of my head a few minutes after waking up, haunted by this headcanon, so I’ll go back and rewatch the scene to see if anything sticks out to me. I’ve combed over the opening of the movie so many times to analyse it but I want to go over the Big Ben scene again to comb over it too cause it’s got a lot packed into it.

But yeah. Happy Valentine’s Day y’all!

[ruins-of-tragedy]

Going to continue the RWBY watchalong textposts. 'Cause I will probably need them to cry over simpler times once I finish the show.

Thoughts on just the first three episodes of season one here because I had too many...

- Very reminiscent of "I will show you fear in a handful of dust."

Season 01 Episode 01: Ruby Rose

- That crime boss was in Yang's trailer. Now we know why he was there. He wanted it to rain men.

- The way Ruby made sure to check in with the shopkeeper before leaving. 🥹

- OOOOOOooooooooh! NOICE fight scenes!

- Hmmm. Villain with an obscured face. A mystery is being developed. Betrayal imminent.

- Blonde huntress. I too would want her autograph. She looks so pretty.

- The way she goes, "If it were up to me..." somehow reminds moi of both McGonagall and Snape.

- Silver eyes are worth calling attention to. Huh. If I remember what my sibling had mentioned once, this is important. Professor Ozpin notes it as well. I can't recall why though. Good thing, I guess.

- Cookies be so good Ruby can't help but stuff her face. Relatable.

- Ahhh. Uncle Qrow. I hope he didn't get too bullied for his name.

- Ruby is freaking precious. I love her. Noble little kiddo. Plus that high-pitched excitement... Cinnamon roll alert!

- Professor Ozpin's glasses are so extra. The heart monitor like thing beside the frames. The small little spectacles. The arch between the viewing bits akin to a parabola. I MUST HAVE THEM.

- Yang. Such a great sister. Almost suffocating her sibling with her love. Adorable!!!

- Ruby doesn't want bees knees. Do bees have knees?

- Yang coming in clutch with the truth. Special ladies, the both of them.

- I can't. Love how the headshots for Roman Torchwick look like the sketch equivalent of our world. Gave me a good laugh.

- Faunus rights. Must be important. Don't like the White Fang's disruption of the peace, but their logo is cool.

- From Signal to Beacon... They really want to shine a light on the guiding forces. Appreciate it.

- Blonde huntress is Glynda Goodwitch?! Is Elphaba coming too?!?!

- "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace..." Way to jinx it. Now we know where it all went wrong. 😂

- The ending credits song is so gooooooood!

- Looks like the vomit guy has a legacy to live up to. At least his team has his back. That's nice to see.

- "Victory is in a simple soul." Really honing in on the simple part. The introductory bit also stressed on it.

- Consider me intrigued. Who will Ruby and Yang meet in Beacon? How shall the peace be discarded? And will "Vomit Boy" ever get rid of his initial impression and nickname?

- Wait. Is Ruby the youngest because 'Little' Red Riding Hood is her character backdrop?

- This opening song. Ugh. So good. Chef's kiss!!!

Season 01 Episode 02: The Shining Beacon - Pt I

- Beacon is here. So are Yang and Ruby. And fangirl Ruby as well.

- Her weapon is called Crescent Rose?!?! 🤩👏🏻😍

- Pulling Ruby by the hood of her cape. Using it to cover her face and be an annoyance. Yang knows exactly why it was made and how to use it.

- Oh my Gods. Yang left Ruby spinning and she fell for Weiss. Well, her suitcases I guess. But still. Meet-cute!

- My bad. This is a meet-disaster. I love it! Plus, Weiss' points sank in a little too well. Both for Ruby and her. That sneeze proved it.

- Blake being buried in a book and finding the vial of dust with what can only be the Schnee logo. Huh. It's the same one which was present on the boxes Adam and her were looting. Snowflake. OOOOOOooooooh!

- Ruby is not just a dolt. She is a "complete dolt."

- Listen. Ruby called Weiss princess. Of course I am shipping it. TriMberly in a different bottle... Jokes aside though, I can't wait for Yang and Blake to meet soon!!!

- Whoa. Blake is really giving it to Weiss. NOICE!

- Weiss is pouty heiress baby, as well as a lowkey bully. Blake left. And Ruby is sad and lying on the floor. What a day.

- Vomit guy is Jaune. Ahhh. Motion sickness really out here kicking his arse. And now he is thinking of giving Ruby a nickname; "Crater-face." Is this what they call banter?

- Jaune wants the ladies to love him. Samesies my dude.

- The sword and shield fall out of Jaune's hands. That's what they do. 😆

- Wait. Ruby made that weapon?!? Holy mother of shirtballs. Does that mean Yang also forged hers? Coooool!

- Jaune does not only seem like a good guy, but also someone who has a name to live up to. Hmmm. Is he okie?

- "Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." So sweet! Jaune's mom should consider adopting me.

- Basically Ruby and Jaune are those biatches who look at each other and go, "Exactly!"

- The end credits song... 😍

- Opening song. Love you always... Ruby is behind a white caped lady emitting white roses. Her mum am assuming. Also, the winged figure and other assorted monsters with what I think are bones at their back are giving major zombie vibes.

Season 01 Episode 03: The Shining Beacon - Pt II

- Yang saved Ruby a seat. Of course. She be a good sibling. The cycle of leaving folks behind continues... Jokes!

- Poor Jaune though. He really be complaining out loud. Someone heard him it seems. Maybe she is "nice and quirky."

- Yang really thinks Ruby is dramatic enough to call a possible meltdown an explosion. LoLL! I can see it.

- Ruby's snort was cute and now she is recalling her encounter with "a crabby girl," while said crabby girl is right behind her... Why is this so funny. It's been done before. But this is somehow better.

- "Oh my God. You really exploded." That line delivery was goooood.

- Weiss just carries a pamphlet titled "Dust for dummies and other Inadequate Individuals" on her at all times?! And of course she has the disclaimer memorised.

- Jaune is catching strays, Ruby is a sweet bean who cannot understand sarcasm and Weiss needs to be not so mean.

- Why did I just realise Professor Ozpin is supposed to be the Wizard of Oz? Still don't know what fairytale character Jaune is though...

- This isn't a first day toast. It's a roast paired with an almost sinister call for action. Hmmm. Maybe Ozpin sounding like he isn't there will play a major role later.

- Jaune. You lovable dork. Who questioned your natural blondeness?

- Sleepover alert!!! Ooooooh! Love Ruby's eye mask.

- Not the boys showing off and preening. Ugh. At least Yang likes it. Also, Jaune is actually wearing a onesie?! Little baby!!!

- Ruby writing a letter to her friends back home is ADORABLE!!! Awww. She is also feeling lonely.

- Yang's pause when trying to describe Jaune isn't fooling anyone. And Ruby. You precious kiddo... Negative friend. 😆

- "You just made one friend and one enemy!" Yang really does not pull her punches. 😂

- There should have been a drinking game going on in that hall for every time Yang gets hit by a pillow. The doggie cushion was extremely cute though.

- Yang giving good advise. Love to see it!

- Oh my Gods. Ruby is the reason Yang meets Blake for the first time here?! AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! If this somehow parallels to Weiss and Ruby also getting together, I will throw a party.

- Just realised Blake is reading by the candlelight. This girl. What a nerd. (said as affectionately as possible)

- On an unrelated note, I really like both Yang and Ruby's tanktops. And what Blake's wearing. The fashion in this show is on point.

- Ruby was so nervous she almost asked Blake to call her Crater-face... Been there.

- Yang is extrovert extraordinaire. Blake will not budge. War of attrition, anyone?

- This "lost cause" will be your future girlfriend Yang! Funny how that works... 🤩

- I would totally read the book Blake's reading. Sounds pretty interesting. Is it a real thing?

- Awwww. Ruby has such a good heart. Happily ever afters for everyone. Gods. I hope she never loses her belief system.

- The fact that Yang used to read to Ruby as a kid reminds me of how the blonde practically raised her sister. She should be proud. Of both Ruby and her own self.

- Weiss and Yang saying the 'you again' dialogue together, while aiming it at someone else entirely was so good. Made me laugh.

- "...that's how I met your mother. And aunt." Blake someday, probably.

- Different ending song. Featured only Weiss. I want to hear all of it. Why did it stop like that?

- Wait. Is Jaune supposed to be Joan of Arc?! If so, NOICE!!!

(Don't spoil stuff pwease! Or I will find you, and I will make sure you witness my not-so-particular set of skills that will end with you having an existential crisis. Toodle-oo!)

Edit: If you saw the original 'Juane,' which I then proceeded to turn into Jayne here and there when I tried to fix his name... No you didn't.

Edit Edit: Added the 'Season 01' prefix along with episode names to each header of them thoughts and changed their colours to blue... 'cause am nice like that.

[goldenlionprince]

It's been a long time coming

Here it is, the long teased smut for @sorenphelps The Bodyguard AU (with some art right here). It's the first sex scene I have written in a long time, so please be nice to me 🙈 (aka don't tell me if you hate it)

@neverenoughmarauders @lovelymasks

.

It's another sleepless night for James, only this time he's buzzing with energy that zaps through his veins. Maybe the fifth coffee of the day was a bad idea but at the time it sounded like the right thing to do when he had to finish that project for the client on time.

What Sirius' excuse is to still be awake at this hour James has no idea though.

“Go on a run with me,” James says as he steps into the living room. It's not really a question.

Sirius looks at him like he lost his marbles somewhere throughout the day. “It's 2 a.m.”

“Sounds like it should be perfectly safe for me to be out there,” James says with a grin and turns back to his own room to get dressed. “All the bad guys sleeping and all that. So if my strong, buff bodyguard would prefer to lounge around at home while I'm gone...”

“Don't be a prat,” Sirius calls after him.

It only takes them five minutes to be out on the street.

The city at night is something else entirely. It's not really quiet, not totally asleep, but still it has something hushed, like the city is holding its breath for a little bit to let everyone get some rest.

Running in this atmosphere feels strange and freeing.

They find an easy rhythm, running alongside one another like they never did anything else, and finally the buzzing in James' veins subsides, the energy finding an outlet. His knee twinges a little but James ignores it. It's not bad, he'll be fine.

They make it to the park before the first raindrops fall.

It's not just a drizzle, it's big splashes and James and Sirius are already wet when they stop under one of the trees. James laughs and rakes a hand through his wet curls. Just then the rain really starts and it looks like it won't stop for a while.

“Looks like I had a great idea,” James says with a grin.

Sirius chuckles and looks out at the curtain of rain. “Looks like we won't need a shower.”

James steps closer to him. There is energy buzzing under his skin again when Sirius looks at him. James leans in and kisses him, because he wants to, because he can, and then steps backwards out into the rain. “Race me home?”he asks and doesn't wait for an answer, just sets off in a sprint.

He can hear Sirius come after him, splashing through the quickly filling puddles. The thrill of the chase sizzles through James like a lightning bolt, propelling him forward even faster.

His hair gets plastered to his head in no time and the white t-shirt he's wearing clings to his body, almost see-through. James doesn't care. His lungs burn with the run and he feels free.

He risks a glance back over his shoulder and sees Sirius gaining on him quickly through the absolute mess his glasses have become with the rain. He grins and takes an unexpected turn, hearing Sirius curse behind him as he has to adjust quickly. James laughs, loud and breathless, and takes another narrow turn into a shortcut that leads straight to the front door of his apartment complex.

The second or two it takes James to get the door open is what dooms him in the end. Sirius catches up with him just inside the door. He grabs James and James is laughing until his laughter is swallowed by a greedy kiss.

James groans against Sirius' lips when his back hits the wall next to the entrance door, his hands tugging at Sirius' wet shirt, pulling him ever closer. He tastes of rain and the wildness of the night and James can't get enough.

His head falls back against the wall when Sirius' lips start trailing down the side of his neck. James shivers when Sirius' teeth scrape over the sensitive skin, his hips buck forward, seeking friction on the thigh that Sirius has pushed between his legs, a moan falling from his lips.

He's easy, he knows it, but he's so very hungry for this.

“We should probably get this party upstairs,” Sirius murmurs against James' skin and yes, that's a good idea. It's just hard to let go.

Sirius brushes another kiss to the underside of James' jaw and then steps back. James looks at him through his fogged up glasses, satisfied that Sirius looks just as much of a mess as he feels like he does. He tries to get some much needed air into his lungs, breathing hard as he peels himself away from the wall. He takes one step and then another over to the stairs, his eyes never leaving Sirius who's watching him like a hunting dog ready to pounce.

James smirks and then he's off again, running up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

Sirius is hot on his heels.

They race up the apartment complex, floor after floor, and James curses himself for his choice of the top floor. Legs burning, he finally gets there, having barely enough time to get his front door open with fumbling hands before Sirius is on him again.

James won't complain. Not at all.

The door crashes close behind them. James' back hits the door and then Sirius' lips are back on his own. James groans into the kiss, his hands reaching for Sirius, but Sirius catches them and pins them to the door over his head and, yes, please.

James makes a sound that's embarrassingly close to a whimper. Sirius' body heat feels amazing against his rain chilled body.

But then Sirius pulls back and the sound becomes one of protest, but only for a moment. Sirius' hands slip beneath James' soaked shirt, peeling it off his damp skin, and James is very much on board with that idea. He leaves his arms raised against the door until Sirius is done getting him out of the clingy shirt and then lowers them to return the favour.

Wet fabric hits the floor and there has never been a better sound to James.

They are back to kissing within seconds. Sirius' hands slide under James' arse and with absolute ease lift him up. With a little squeak of surprise James wraps his legs around Sirius' middle as Sirius pushes away from the door and manoeuvres them through the dark apartment. James is absolutely ready to do anything and everything for that man.

The bedroom door crashes against the wall when Sirius kicks it open but James barely hears it, too focused on the skin to skin contact he's getting right now, until Sirius drops him off on the bed, bouncing.

James can't help but laugh. He pushes up on his elbows but before he can sit up properly Sirius has stepped up between his legs, kicking them apart to make room. A shiver runs through James' body as Sirius grabs the waistband of his sweatpants, his fingers brushing against James' hip bones, but he doesn't pull them down just yet. He looks at James, waiting, his thumbs brush against James' damp skin again until James nods, giving him permission. Only then does he pull the wet sweatpants down and off James' legs, taking his underwear right with them.

James' cock springs free and he should probably be embarrassed about how ready and leaking he already is, but embarrassment is the furthest thing on James' mind. There are other things he has to do right now.

He struggles up into a sitting position and hooks his fingers into Sirius' belt loops, pulling him closer, so close his knees hit the bed frame between James' spread legs. Of course the weirdo was running in cargo pants.

His mouth finds the skin above the waistline, kissing and licking raindrops from Sirius' skin as he works the cargo pants open. A rush of air escapes Sirius' parted lips and his fingers tangle in James' curls as James pushes his trousers down. James wishes he would tug just a little harder.

Well, if you want something you should go for it, that has always been how James approaches life, so he kisses his way further down, his mouth moving over the fabric of Sirius' pants and the clothed cock beneath.

Sirius hisses and tugs at James' hair and James probably shouldn't feel as proud as he does about the wet spot that's quickly growing at the front of Sirius' underwear, but he is. He's very fucking proud.

Taking pity eventually, James finally hooks his fingers into Sirius' pants and pulls them down enough so he can drag his tongue properly along Sirius' length. It earns him a moan and a few curses and another sharp pull on his hair, one that makes James a little cross-eyed.

“Hold your horses,” Sirius mumbles, his voice low and husky and doing funny things to James. He pushes James back onto the bed and steps out of his underwear before he follows.

James uses the time to toss his glasses onto the nightstand and opens the drawer, searching for the bottle of lube he knows is in there. Sirius' lips on his skin are just so distracting that he nearly drops the bottle once he finds it, but Sirius' clever fingers catch it before it can roll away, never to be seen again.

James reaches for him and pulls him into the next kiss, his fingers tangled in Sirius' wet hair that came loose from his bun. It's intoxicating, having him this close, the feeling of Sirius' skin against his own. The weight of Sirius' body on top of his own is both comforting and maddening at the same time and James almost shakes apart at the first brush of Sirius' fingers against his cock.

It should be embarrassing, really, his eagerness, but James doesn't have the time or energy to care, too carried away by the feeling of Sirius' palm. There is lube on his fingers, making the glide more smooth, but James has no idea when that happened.

Sirius' graces him with another slow stroke from base to crown, swirling his thumb over the head of James' cock in a way that makes James almost bite right through his bottom lip, before he shifts his hips a little closer and then closes his fingers around them both.

James whimpers. There is no way he will be able to keep going for much longer. Sirius kisses him, nipping at his lower lip and soothing the sting with his tongue. “Don't hold back on my account,” he murmurs into the kiss, a hint of teasing in his voice, and James is a goner.

He comes with a moan loud enough that even the neighbours might hear it. His back bows off the bed as much as Sirius' hips pinning him down allow, clinging to Sirius so hard he's probably leaving marks. He would apologize but he's too busy seeing stars.

Sirius curses under his breath and buries his face in the crock of James' neck. The rush of new warmth right next to his cock tells James all he needs to know and sends an awful lot of pride through him.

Getting air back into his lungs feels like a bit of a struggle but somehow James manages. He feels boneless in the best way, warm and tingly. He sighs, content, eyes closed as his heartbeat slowly calms back down, dropping his arms to the bed only when Sirius starts to move.

“There should be a box of tissues somewhere over there,” he says, waving into the direction of the nightstand, his eyes still closed.

“Classy,” Sirius chuckles, the bed dipping as he moves. James can't help but smile. He probably looks a little ridiculous, blissed out and grinning like a lunatic, but what else can he do, really?

Sirius is successful at locating the tissue box. He cleans them both off and James is grateful for it since he's not willing to move.

“Come here,” James mumbles when Sirius is done, opening one eye to look at him, even if all he sees is a blurry shape. “Don't you dare leave now.”

“I wouldn't,” Sirius says, laughing softly. He fishes his phone and gun out of the pile on the floor, dropping one on the nightstand and pushing the other underneath the pillow. James lifts his arms until Sirius chuckles and slips back into bed. With a sigh, James wraps his arms around Sirius like an octopus and closes both eyes again.

“You're not clingy at all, hmm?” Sirius asks amused, his lips brushing against James' forehead.

“I've warned you,” James mumbles. He can already feel sleep tugging at him, trying to pull him away, but James tries to hold on to consciousness just a little longer. He just needs to feel a moment more of this.

Sirius' fingers slide through his hair and it's really not helping with staying awake.

“Sleep,” Sirius finally says, barely a whisper in the dark, and damn him really, because who is James not to follow his every command.