#it's such a fascinating look into owen's head and what he's feeling and a good indicator of how truly traumatized he is

[fireinmoonshot]

Pairing: Tyler Owens x Fem!Reader (Twisters) Summary: You're a new addition to the Storm Par team and Tyler finds himself fascinated with you from the very beginning.

It’s been a long and stressful day, so you assume that the group of tornado wranglers hanging about the large red truck by the stairs are feeling the same way as you – exhausted – and will let you head upstairs to get some much needed rest.

You are, however, incredibly wrong. 

“Hey, you’re the one with the Storm Par team, aren’t you?”

You force yourself to a stop on the first landing and turn to the group, all of their eyes staring up at you, and nod. “And you are the ones that make videos on Youtube.”

Boone, one of the only ones who’s names you’d gotten earlier today, laughs. “You say that like it’s a bad thing, but I’m taking it as a win since you know who we are, as well as the other million people who subscribe to us.”

It’s hard not to smile at least a little at his cockiness. If you had a million subscribers on Youtube, you’d probably also have let it go to your head a little. 

You try and excuse yourself from the conversation then, assuming it’s over, and take a step towards the stairs, but yet again – you’re wrong. This time, it’s the tall, gorgeous blond man that speaks. Tyler Owens.

“I don’t think she’s subscribed to us, Boone.”

You can’t help it. You bite. “What makes you say that, Owens?”

He grins up at you from his spot on the back of the truck. “Am I wrong?” 

“That’s not an answer.”

The others in the group laugh and whoop, obviously enjoying the back and forward between the two of you. You assume that it’s rare for Tyler Owens to get that from anyone, let alone a fellow storm chaser that he’s never met before in his life. 

Tyler looks at you for a few moments without saying anything and you take that as your cue to leave, stifling a yawn as you turn away and head up the staircase. You can hear the others chattering back at the truck as you reach the top of the staircase and move to find your room, desperate for a warm shower and a comfortable bed. 

You’re so stuck in your own thoughts that you don’t hear someone bounding up the stairs behind you. 

“Hey, Storm Par,” Tyler Owens’ voice surprises you.

You look up from the key in your hand, having been checking your room number, and meet his eyes. “Were you that desperate for an answer on whether I’m subscribed to your Youtube channel that you had to follow me up here?”

Tyler chuckles to himself. “No, surprisingly not. Just figured I’d come and ask you how you’re doing and didn’t think you’d want an audience for that question.”

You’re a little surprised by his kind nature. Judging by what you’d seen of him so far, he was more of an act first, think later kind of person. And maybe he still was since he’d run after you so fast. 

“How I’m doing? I met you twelve hours ago.”

He flashes a grin. “I can’t ask someone I met twelve hours ago how they are?”

“Well…” You hesitate, a little lost for words. “I’m fine, just tired. I haven’t done this storm chasing thing in a couple of years and it’s going to take a bit of getting used to, especially working with a team like Storm Par.”

You don’t owe Tyler an explanation about everything, not about why you haven’t done it in years, nor why you’re a bit apprehensive about the Storm Par team. But you figure, since he’d been so kind to follow you up here to check in on you, a small explanation is the least you can offer him in return for his kindness.

Tyler nods. “Listen, I know my team can be a little much sometimes – in a good way, don’t get me wrong – but if you’re ever after a bit more fun than the suits and PhD’s of Storm Par, I’m sure we can squeeze you in.”

You snort. “They do not wear suits while storm chasing.”

“How do you know? You’ve only been here for twelve hours, Storm Par.”

Tyler smirks as you narrow your eyes at him. “Not my name, Owens.”

“Go and get some rest, you’ll need it for tomorrow.” He can see that you’re exhausted, and even though you’re happily playing along with him, he’s not the type to push it too far. Especially when it comes to you, apparently. “I’ll make sure no one disturbs you.”

“You gonna set up camp outside my room?”

“No, not for someone I’ve only known for twelve hours. But I will guard the stairs incase Javi or Scott come looking for you,” he smiles, amusement in his every word. “Go on.”

You listen to him, eyeing him carefully one last time before turning and heading towards your room, which you think is at the end of the corridor. Just as you’re putting your key in the lock, you hear him yell out behind you.

“If you can’t sleep, you can always look up Tornado Wranglers on Youtube!” 

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Lone Star Season 4 Thoughts: I love Season 4...mostly

With the prospect of season 5 filming beginning so soon, I've been thinking a lot about season 4 lately. I felt like rambling out some of my thoughts on here.

First, perhaps an unpopular opinion (?) but I love season 4. Sure, it has its flaws, but to me, the good far outweighs the bad. For one thing, I personally don't mind Gabriel's death. It's not what I would have chosen myself if I were writing the finale, and I think it could have benefited from a 3-5 episode arc rather than being squeezed into two already very busy episodes, but I appreciate a lot of what came with it and the potential it provides for season 5. Rafa's acting in the finale was incredible and the aftermath of Gabriel dying resulted in one of my top 10 Tarlos scenes of all time (the scene of them deciding to postpone the wedding at the beginning of 4x18) and one of my top 10 non-Tarlos scenes of all time (the Owen and Carlos scene). Season 4 also gave us the incredible soulmates scene, Lou II, lots of other excellent Tarlos scenes/episodes (4x02, 4x04, 4x08, 4x12, 4x16-18), some new love interests I really liked (Asha, Joe, and Trevor...NOT Kendra), a true showcase of Rafa's talent as an actor along with (finally!) the screen time he deserves, a Marjan storyline that wasn't perfect but had a lot of good stuff to enjoy, and a mention of the Tarlos wedding in every single episode. I enjoyed watching every episode (with the possible exception of 4x03...but even there I can find things to enjoy).

As far as the whole Iris/secret marriage storyline goes, yeah, it's not great. But I can still find a lot to appreciate within it. I love Iris, I love her friendship with Carlos (Rafa and Lyndsy sold me on their friendship with a single hospital scene in 4x03!), and I think it added fascinating elements to Carlos' backstory...like the fact that he was so lost and upset after his family's reaction to his coming out that he married a woman to try to be the man he believed they wanted and needed him to be. For the parts I don't like as much and that--let's face it, don't make much sense--I'm able to look past them or make up head canons to explain them away. (And the talented fic writers of this fandom have done a great service to help that process along...there are many great ones, but particular shout out to Where All This Love Comes From @carlos-in-glasses, which managed to make better sense of Carlos' backstory than I ever imagined possible...if you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do so ASAP). I certainly don't blame anyone who can't do this...that storyline was a mess, I can't deny that! But for me, there's enough to appreciate that it doesn't mess with my enjoyment of the season.

Aside from the secret marriage thing, I think the worst storyline of the season was the Owen/FBI storyline. The sad thing is that this one could have been ok had it been executed better. The biggest issues here were (1) too much Owen off on his own time, which is never good--Owen is at his best when he's in storylines with the other main characters--and (2) they completely failed to stick the landing. BADLY. If you're going to do a white supremacist storyline, you need to commit! Instead, they tried to throw in so many twists that they ended up trying to make us feel sympathy for and see the white supremacist gang members as victims. Yeah, not going to work for me when, in a previous episode, you told us they were literal Nazis! But ultimately I don't really care all that much about a solo Owen storyline to begin with, so it didn't affect my enjoyment of the season as a whole.

All of that said, the thing that irritated me the most about season 4 was the 8 week deadline for the wedding. The ridiculous Lone Star timeline has always been a bit of a thorn in my side, but it really got out of hand in season 4. What bothers me most is the fact that the whole 8 weeks thing is both so completely ridiculous and so completely unnecessary! It is clearly there only to slightly raise the stakes for the first few episodes of the season. It's "Oh no, they have to get married in 8 weeks, which means Carlos has to hurry up and get divorced from Iris to make the deadline, only now Iris has gone missing and she hasn't signed the divorce papers yet so they won't be able to get married!" The exact same thing could have been accomplished with an even slightly more realistic deadline--say 4 months. A 4 month deadline would have still been an incredibly short amount of time to plan a wedding and it would have still required urgency in the divorce process. And yeah, 4 months would have still been a bit unbelievable, but it would have been the ordinary tv show timeline kind of unbelievable, and it would have fit far better with the other markers of time in season 4, like the fact that it's explicitly stated that it's January in the beginning of the season and May at the end.

To make matters worse, the urgency for Iris to sign the papers--once again, the whole reason for the 8 week deadline-- isn't really even addressed after 4x02 because once Iris goes missing, her safety is the main concern. Then, once they wrap that storyline up, it is literally never mentioned again. I spent the entire season waiting for it to become an issue, but it never does. The writers essentially forget about it and spend the entire rest of the season providing dates and stating that amounts of time have passed that add up to way more than 8 weeks. It's just so RIDICULOUS and it means NOTHING!

Ok, whew, got that out. Probably no one is still reading at this point, but if you are, thank you for reading my essay and I love you 💜

[theendwrites]

I don't really know how to start this, but heya! I'm an artist that is currently obsessed with HL, and has WAY TOO MANY characters in it! I'm mostly on twitter, but I had a tumblr some years ago and decided it was time to come back... especially if I could get to see more content on this game especially Garreth because I have a need and there is so little in comparison to other characters! Character info below!!

I guess I should start by presenting my characters, so here they are:

(MC) Selene Nichols: Ravenclaw. Introverted, Curious, Adventurous and Caring. Loves puzzles and exploring. They teached her how to be a "proper lady" and sometimes has a hard time breaking out of that. (Estella's sister, I pair her with Ominis)

Estella Nichols: Slytherin. Extroverted, Charismatic and Bold. Beater on the Slytherin quiddich team. She has a bit lost for most of her time in hogwarts (not literally) but she little by little finds her voice. (Selene's sister, I pair her with Sebastian or Imelda)

Sofia Krowe: Ravenclaw. Introverted, Protective, Stern and Warm. She is the ravenclaw Prefect/head Girl of her year. She is a seer and uses her visions to catch troublemakers when they are in danger or putting others in danger. You'll find her mostly on the library. She seems cold and misterious, but once you get to know her she is more like a mom friend that you can count on. (I pair her with Garreth)

Silas Lacklan: Hufflepuff. Amvivert, Kind, Loyal and Calm. He loves rescuing and taking care of beasts especially dragons. He considers both his beast and human friends important and takes really good care of them. He will always bring extra snacks to give. He plays as a Chaser.

Sun Owens: Ravenclaw. Extrovert. Logical, Organized, Trustworthy, Optimistic and Honest. He is the other prefect/Head Boy from their year in Ravenclaw. He is less forgiving than Sofia when it comes to that, even if he doesn't look like that, but does not go overboard. Has a fascination for troublemakers. He lives alone with his father, and they are poor, his goal is to have the best grades so he can have a cushy job and just relax without having to worry.

(MC) Caden Sawyer: Gryffindor. Extroverted, Kind, Confident, Sensitive and Charming. He loves exploring and the outdoors. He always ends up helping people. He is very aware of people being afraid of him, so he tries his best to make people comfortable around him, even if that means to leave. Comes from a family of witchunters, but escaped and was adopted by the Hills. (Cyrus and Killa's adoptive brother)

Cyrus Hill: (+2 years than MCs) Hufflepuff. Nervous, Timid and mature. He is the Hufflepuff HeadBoy, but doesn't believe he deserves it. He is self-concious (appearance), mainly because of his scars. Has flashbacks and axiety problems from being kidnapped and tortured, so his personality has taken a bit of a toll, but he always tries his best to make the rest feel better, especially his family (Caden & Killa)

Killa Hill: (-4 years than MCs) Slytherin. Extrovert, Energetic, Loud, Friendly and Ceerfull. She admires his brothers very much, and wants to become strong to protect them. She is a bit of an airhead, and her determination has no bounds. She will get what she wants. She is adorable.

Passer Lestrange: Slytherin. Introvert, Obnoxious, Pridefull, Spoiled, Clever. He is from the Lestrange family, and has been taught that he is better than others (blood purity shennaningans) but then Caden arrives and kind of, withough knowing breaks all of that down slowly. But untill the end of his 6th or during his 7th year... yeah no, he is insufferable. He likes Cheese.

Relationships between them!! I have two parallel worlds with a different story and characters each. They do not cross over (except AUs and interacting with other MCs... you know.) So many of my characters do not exist in the same place! I made a badly written infographic to provide help😊 If you read all of that, wow, thank you! I really appreciate it!! If you have any question do not hesitate to ask! See ya next time!!

[heartstringsduet]

🍄 🍬 ❄️ for the weird writer asks, please!

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings I think that Carlos is an avid reader while TK is an occasional one but then completely gets lost and obsessed with the book he is reading. Also I have a feeling TK mumbles when he reads and it drives Carlos a little mad because he can concentrate best in complete silence. It's onyl the only disturbance he loves too much to really say anything about it. 🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character (meaan) (mostly because it took me a while to think of this lol) I think TK isn't completely a natural at supporting people. 🙃 That doesn't mean he isn't there for people or tries his best. I just rewatched how he dealt with Owen's depression and I get how he's angry for Owen cancelling the appointment and parent-children relationships are complicated, I still found it interesting to see how he isn't gentle in his approach at all. And while I feel the show does a disservice when it comes to the episode where Carlos accidentally was involved with the death of a suspect, in not showing TK being very warm or supportive, I can connect that to the aforementioned way he does more result oriented support like interventions or making his raging bull a salad. BUT: We do see that change in season 5 where he is nothing but understanding and soft toward Carlos from the Iris thing to the death of Gabriel. I like to think that this was an intentional growth and also the kind of grace and softness he's been shown season 1-3 by everyone in his life and that he is slowly seeing is something he needed. ...do I want to write a full story just about this now? Yes. But also feel free to argue with me. This is just an analysis done in like 5 minutes and by someone who's brain is a leaping frog. ❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best? Oh god don't make me say the WHO. I have sooooo many writers I admire and absolutely look up to and if I could I would want every single one of them to write the same story and see what everyone's approach would be. I am so FASCINATED by fandom writing. You're all so talented 😭😭😭 But okay as for the plot, I feel like I miss some good fantasy AUs and I do like a hurt/comfort and clever plot twists. Which...probably very few would even want to write 😂

[jakowskis]

Loved ‘an ugly picture, you & me’ so so much. Srsly I read it like 10 times and still won’t get tired of it. It’s such a great piece of writing. Now my question: Do you already if ur gonna post more Torchwood fanfic?? (no pressure obv, writing is so so hard and I admire everyone who actually manages to finish their stories).

oh my goodness thank you so much 🥺 that means the world to me im so glad you liked it so much

man ok so. heres the thing. djkfds aaa idek how to talk abt this it makes me feel stupid fdshkfj. basically i have dx'd ocd and it affects my writing process a Lot. im exceptionally critical n perfectionistic when it comes to my writing, and when my ocd's at its worse, i can reread things literally hundreds of times. this makes my editing process a fucking nightmare. an ugly picture was... a Journey, i wrote the bulk of it in like a month or two bc i was Inspired, and that period of inspiration just flowing was super nice - but then i spent literally half a year obsessing over editing and figuring out a few sections i couldnt get to work and it was. rlly rlly unhealthy and messy. like that was a stereotypical Mentally Ill Artist™ moment for me 😭 i was unmedicated during that process and honestly im still impressed with myself for managing to finish and post it anyway.

and after posting it... this might not make sense unless u have ocd but that fic is, like, tainted in my head, and im not allowed to touch it as a result. which is RLLY fucking annoying and sad bc i wrote it for Me and it was a labor of love yanno, and i am proud of it, like during writing i was like 'man this is one of the best things ive written, im genuinely proud of this' and ive gotten some absolutely wonderful reception - but i cant exactly place why, idk if it was the torment of the editing process or a fear of experiencing that specific brand of anxiety again (if i reread it and run into errors it might kill me 😭)... either way at this point in time im legitimately unable to revisit that fic. and its been like this since i posted it, so... for nearly five months ;-; and im kind of having a similar experience with torchwood as a whole tbh. like my whole fandom experience + relationship with this fixation has been bastardized to all hell bc of ocd issues. it all feels very... dirty right now.

which fucking sucks, cuz torchwood's one of my fav fixations ive ever had, it became so important to me so fast and it's probably hit special interest territory at this point - but it sucks what a thin line it is between obsessing over a hyperfixation, and compulsively engaging with something. it sucks when the serotonin u get from smth also gets laced with pervasive anxiety. my recent main issue with ocd has been avoidance - i went from obsessively going thru torchwood clips to being unable to watch it at all bc the very thought of doing so makes me so anxious.

(so, tldr? my mental illness garbage is interfering w my interests and my ability to engage with fandom, to my chagrin, and that's why i haven't posted anything else.)

that being said: between april 2023 and now i have written 180k words of torchwood fanfic. im endlessly fascinated and inspired by these characters, particularly by owen who has lowkey proven to be my muse lol. (he sits in my mind palace on top of a, like, literal fancy ass corinthian pedestal and his one job is to sit still n look pretty and sad but instead he snarks down at me every time i walk passed and in return i squirt a water gun at him and occasionally throw tomatoes at him. it's a very mutually loving relationship.) and 180k words in, and literally hundreds of hours spent thinking about and talking about tw/owen, and im still fascinated by it/him, there are still soooo many things i wanna explore through writing with these characters that i adore so much. 57k of the 180k words is part of what will eventually be a sequel series to an ugly picture (which is meant to be a stand-alone, for the record, but towards the end of the writing process i went "Hm. Actually I Have More Ideas", and it became a whole 'verse heh). problem is i dont rmr the fic enough to continue the first sequel and currently i cant revisit it and take notes 🤡 so that project's on hold. as for the other stuff, it's a good mix of misc one-shots and full-on projects, and several things are pretty much done and could, if i were anyone else, easily be polished and posted.

but, as ive made clear, unfortunately writing (well, revising + editing) is an absolute nightmare for me. now, im recently back on medication after nearly two years of rawdogging it, and ive been having issues with that fff (namely constant pervasive exhaustion) - but im working to figure out a happy medium, so im HOPING, hell, praying, that once i level out ill be able to open my docs and sit down and finish things without it being a goddamn ordeal. editing's not rlly fun for anyone, but it fucking sucks when your absolute favorite hobby + mode of expression gets terrorized by a wiggity wack disorder.

first order of business, once im able, is a 15k owen/andy fic that's literally 90% done. i wanted to post it in june, for pride month, and then my brain decided to convince me i wasnt being coherent in the slightest and i was like, nah, i cannot make myself soldier through the editing project this time, i dont want this to get ruined the same way. but hopefully soon i can drop that and it will be epic and such 😎

so in summation uh (sorry im a known babbler fdshk but this is what happens when u send an ask to someone who wrote a 30k fic where literally nothing happens KJFSD. also sorry for literally trauma dumping unprompted 😭 i did the white woman in the kmart thing) ive written a ton of torchwood fic and i 100% intend to write a ton more but mental illness garbage is trying to sabotage shit so basically im taking a break from trying to post any of it until my brain lets me enjoy my damn interest in relative peace 👍but i definitely have a lot more fic on the way. just might take a while for it to see the light of day. hopefully not that long

anyway thank you again so so so much for liking the fic enough to read it multiple times that means so much to meee. i hope to have more for u soon :))

[flovverworks]

hewwo. imma talk a little about ch15 & pt2 in general maybe so far cuz<3 i have still not read ch16. despite saying i would. it has been a week to say the least.

anyway<3

im not gonna get into my teehee liliana & the staff theories until ive read ch16 cuz. maybe ill change them after that who knows! either way my head was working SO hard at that part. usually i take breaks while reading to a) process b) sit and think about future akira scenes i think would be cool. so u can imagine what i did when it started dawning on me that it was rustica lili wanted to isolate. have nvr felt that much dread in my LIFE. told my friend about it and she went "hehe i purposely didnt tell u about chloe&rustica"....................... im GRATEFUL cuz it HITS but mein gott!!!

vent time but im So glad rustica & chloe went back to feeling 'old dude looks after young adult hes kind of the guardian of' for me..... 'look after (chara) for me' always reminds me gbf s1 when aarons dad asks katalina to look after gran (and katalina l8r calling herself 'grans guardian of sorts' HAAAUUGHHH anyway) ;-;. i was. kind of Rly upset during the ch where murr compared those 2 to lili n greg....LOL...did not like that writing decision all. and then gbf had a richard->therese thing again and im STTOOPPP STTTOOOOOOOOOPPP truly do hate having to expereince the same feeling twice in both games i love dearly

anyway i Did talk about that on twt while i was reading that ch but i nvr talked about it here so

DID cry at shylock comforting chloe. shylocks mindset is SO fascinating to me, i rly adored his pov......gonna carry that with me for a while it was a Rly good part

in general im always kinda 'wow!' at how theyre all characterized, its very beautiful. definitely think its a huge part of why im so attached to both it and everyone introduced. will always remain my hugest love & recommendation part of the entire thing. like, again, figaros pov......cain & arthurs reactions when owen was w/ oz.....very good.

fausts. pov. ????????????????????????????????? cried. thought about his last part nonstop. the way he viewed himself when younger......figaro leaving cuz figaro has his own issues....being betrayed by his bestie............still praying for them until he hits the point of 'wtf why should i'..............man its ssooooo good......theres that line in particular of the feeling of thinking somethings wrong with him that makes ppl leave him that.....man...........wanting to care for the trust the sage is handing him...........man hes ssooooooo..............faust everything to me levania........its rly good. also something i will carry with me for a while, the last part of the ch is just so so good

[chosesun]

Luke shakes his head in disagreement, reaching for Kylo's hand to reassure him as any young child would if they saw someone they cared about was upset. "you're wrong," he whispers. "death isn't the end. it's just another part of life that you have to accept. aunt Beru and uncle Owen are gone and so is my mother, but they're with me every day . . . i can feel them-" he lets go of Kylo's hand then, placing his hand over his heart. "-right here." he doesn't expect Kylo to understand; he's never lost anyone close to him, he doesn't know what loss does to someone. but Luke ? Luke knew what it was like. he's lost so many people and he could feel them all. every single one of them.

then he's looking away, fingers back to curling into fists as he listens to Kylo speak. he nods briefly, biting at his bottom lip. "i will be. i promise." he means it, too. he wants to be a good apprentice for Kylo, but he fears what that may entail. Luke may be ten years old, but he's still the old Luke, he's still there, and inside, he's screaming for Luke to wake up to the fear in his heart. there is a darkness in Kylo, but Luke, sweet little Luke, doesn't see it as vividly as older Luke would. while he knows it's there, he's intent on showing Kylo the light and perhaps, being ten years old, being a mere child, will allow him to open up his heart finally. perhaps now, Kylo will begin to trust Luke once again.

Luke allows a single tear to be shed as he listens to the hurtful words about Kylo's father. while he didn't know him at the age of ten, Luke remembers what Han Solo was like when he was nineteen years old and full of life. he remembers a Han Solo that was arrogant and cocky, but a man with a heart of gold that he didn't warrant to just anyone. it saddens Luke to hear that Kylo hates that man, because the man that Luke knew was nothing like the man Kylo speaks of. they knew two different people.

Luke carries his clothes and his food with him as Kylo shows him the rest of the ship. he's amazed by it- not having an real memory of being in a ship before this one, so he's fascinated by everything that he sees. he wants to touch, but his hands are full so he keeps his hands to himself.

when Kylo finally shows him his quarters, Luke throws his clothes and his food on the bed, a long with the water and looks up at him and smiles as he jumps on the bunk, acting like nothing but the child that he is. "this is great, Kylo!" he says, voice filled with excitement. "i've never had a bed like this before. we didn't have beds like this on the farm. i slept on a cot." he says, bouncing on the bed for a moment before settling down and jumps down so he can change.

"tomorrow?" he questions as he begins to pull his shirt over his head, the last remnant of what was Luke Skywalker. he takes it off and places it neatly on his bed. he then begins to change into his new clothes, worming his way inside of them. once he's changed, he looks to Kylo for acceptance, hands placed precariously on his hips. "what do you think, Kylo ? i look like you!" he asks, spinning in a circle to show him. then, he smiles. "tomorrow we'll start training. i can't wait."

when Kylo leaves, Luke begins to eat his food and drink is water and when all is said and done, he's curled up into bed and passes out, sleep hitting him hard. his dreams, though . . . are filled with terror and such horrible things that he wakes up screaming in the middle of the night.

“Death is the fate of the weak, the fate of those who could not make it within the end, the fate of nothing other than failures.” As he paused for the moment, listening to him speak, the manner in which he spears as well, for the moment it takes him back, to the point that he does indeed take a step back in shock in how he handles himself, how he speaks, how he looks at him and addresses him. “Death is the end …” Was the only thing he could say to counter him, if that was the truth, if what he said was the truth shining through, why have they not come to him to lend him the aid he cries out for all the time.

“I have no doubt.” As he speaks. “That you will be a worthy apprentice.”

To him, that this chosen one, the one who had ended it all before, would excel, that he will become something else if he was trained the right way, right from the very start, if he was trained by someone who knows what they are doing and could guide them forward upon the dark path within the galaxy, then Luke had every single chance in becoming something of usage to him.

“That man is dead to me …”

Does Luke not understand, there was nothing there, he held no love for the man he calls father, none at all. He holds nothing more than complete and utter hatred for him and everything that has fallen between them both, Han Solo was a hero, he was a legend, but as a father and a man who had a child, he has failed on every single possible front, again once again, where is the want, the need, the drive and the fight within Han Solo for his son, he can sense none of it, not once did he ever believe his father had ever given a single shred of a damn about him.

“Get changed.” He would show him the ship, letting him walk through it, to see the rooms, a meeting room, a bedroom and then another as well, along with a bathroom and then more than enough storage and a hanger that could carry a handful of armed forces if he needed them, and that was it and nothing more, his personal ship, as he uses it to cut through the galaxy and complete his missions on his own. “This will be your room going forward.” Guiding him in and letting him see it for himself, as he laid the clothing out on the bed, before placing the food on the table for him.

“Get dressed, eat and then rest, and when you awaken, we will begin your training.”

[lotr-stuff-and-imagines-i-guess]

Predator

Summary: As a child, you were fascinated with animals. Especially predators. That's what lead to your being the trainer of the Indominus Rex, on the island where all the predators are.

Masterlist    Jurassic Park/World Masterlist

Owen Grady x Reader

Tagging: @weirdnewbie  @babblesoftheinsane @totallovelesson @dark-night-sky-99 

"Come on Sugar, that's it. Just a bit further!" You were coaxing the Indominus, or as you named her, Sugar, out of the trees so you could examine her with the vet. When she was entirely free of the trees, her head was down near you, and you lightly patted and rubbed her nose. She made a happy noise, as you did that, not paying attention to the vet who was examining her. After a few minutes, the vet left, deeming Sugar well for the next few weeks.

"Well, Sugar, you're all good! Let's get you some food before I go do some paperwork, hmm?" She made a soft noise in the back of her throat, as if she understood your words, as you gave her one last pat, before having the food brought in. Before you left, you gave her a kiss on her nose, leaving her then to eat in peace.

"Y/l/n!" Turning, you see Claire fast walking to you as she called your name.

"Yes, Claire?" Folding your arms over your chest, you stared at her, knowing that she always brought trouble around Sugar and you.

"I need you to go to the Raptor Trainer, Mr. Owen Grady. He needs to inspect the Indominus' holding pen. Make sure it's suitable for the asset. He-" You scoffed at the word 'asset', making her go silent.

"Sugar, is not some 'asset'. She is a living, breathing, animal. She is real. Unlike- well, I'd rather not lose my job, so I'll end my rant right there. But you treat Sugar, like an animal, rather than an 'asset'. She is more real than you ever have been. I'll go get Owen, but you better damn well not call my animal an asset." You turned your back, walking away, glancing one last time out of the windows at Sugar, who had finished eating, and was now back in the trees. She really liked being hidden, which made you shake your head at how stubborn she can be. You drove to Owen's little house in your truck before you did your actual work.

"Owen!" As you called out to him, he turned his head, still halfway focused on the motorcycle in front of him.

"Hey, I'm Y/n, uh, Claire needs you to check out Sugar's paddock. She just won't listen to me. I can drive us over there if you'd prefer. Uh, Owen? Hello?" He was spacing out until you waved your hand in front of his face, bringing his attention to you. His face was flushed red, for reasons unknown to you.

"Sugar? Who's that?" You grinned, hearing his confusion.

"A real softie when I'm around. C'mon. I'll take you to her." He followed after you into the truck, and then the two of you were off to the paddock.

"So, you work with the raptors?" You asked, glancing at him every so often, admiring his features.

"Yeah. I've got four of them. Imprinted on them when they were born. They were really cute when they could fit in the palm of your hand, but then they grew up. And are now so beautiful. Vicious, and deadly, but beautiful none-the-less. What about you? I've not heard of 'Sugar' before, so I assume she's one of the newer dinosaurs?" You grinned, hearing him so enthusiastic about the raptors. You could feel him staring at you in the silence before you answered.

"Well, Sugar, is what they call an Indominus Rex. She is, well, they say, that the base of her genomes is T-rex. But she doesn't look like the Rex. My guess is they added something else. Don't mention that please. But Sugar's my not-so-little baby. She really can be a softie. But around other people, she gets, aggressive. I don't know what would happen if people were around her when I'm not there." As you glanced over to him, you saw the shock, but understanding in his eyes. The silence following your slight rambling of Sugar was a little unsettling. You decided to turn on your radio to listen to music to fill the void as you drove. When you arrived, he looked up in controlled shock at the size of the fences already there, and how much higher they were building them.

"They stared building them higher when they realized quite how big she had gotten." You say, getting out of the vehicle.

"If she's that big, why do they think that number 1, she can be contained, and number 2 that it’s a good idea?" Owen asked, he just didn't understand it.

"She's really not that bad. You'll see."

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

As all of you were gathered in the office everyone else was searching for her. You, of course, knew where she was. She goes to the same places she did when she was much smaller. But it showed no thermals. No motion, no detection of anything. Granted those were just machines, you worked with Sugar for quite a while, so you knew her tricks.

"Where'd she go?" Claire asked.

"Have those scratch marks always been there?" Owen asked, pointing to some deep scratches in the walls.

"No, they haven't but she's still in there. Not only could she not climb out, but I know where she’s at. I'll show you." You reply, as you go down to the pen and hop on in.

"Sugar! Come here girl. If you come out now, I'll give you nose scritches and kisses!" You shout out, Sugar knows those words. She knows she'll get loved on and get those hard-to-reach areas scratched. Slowly but surely, she comes trotting out from the trees, low to the ground, her chest rumbling from being made to come out. As she leans her head down, you hear the door open once again, but instead out comes Owen.

"Don't worry, she won't bite ya." You giggle, as he takes in her massive beauty. While you turned your head to look at Owen, you realize Sugar went on high alert. She stared intently at Owen, not even the tantalizing thought of a scritch would draw her attention. "Owen, go back inside. I've seen her do this before and she became aggressive." Owen leaves and You pat Sugar on the snout before heading back inside as well.

"She is... big. How did they not expect her to get to this size? And why does she get aggressive to anyone but you?" Owen asked, intrigued but also wary of Sugar.

"I've essentially raised her from birth. I've kinda been her caregiver so she trusts me. Probably the same way your raptors trust you. You build a bond with them, that doesn't just go away." You pause, taking a breath with your mind racing with thoughts of if Sugar could smell his raptors and thought he was a threat. "But you seem pretty knowledgeable. Would you wanna go and have a drink? I'd like to pick that brain of yours about your raptors."

Owen laughed lightly as he grinned, saying, "Absolutely. I'd like to do the same."

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

As time passed on and you two talked and hung out more, you got to know each other in a way someone else may not have, You both worked with predators who could easily have killed you both. You got to share your displeasures when the animals were not cooperating and celebrate when there were new achievements. And there was one fateful day, that you will always remember. 

“She’s done it! She’s stopped being aggressive towards you! Well, more like your scent. Oh my god I have been waiting for so long for this to finally work.” You exclaim, pouring yourself a celebratory drink. You immediately went over to Owens after your accomplishment. You had begun to hang out over there not long after the two of you were introduced. You two always talked about something. Even when there were silent spaces in between, it wasn’t awkward. It was kinda peaceful. You’d watch as he worked on his motorcycle, or he’d watch as you cooked dinner for you both. 

Owen watched and listened as you raved about how you would take one of his shirts every day to get Sugar used to his scent. You always brought the shirt back though and replaced it with a new one. 

“She finally stopped huffing anytime I brought the shirt out! It was-” Youi had plopped down on the couch still talking, when Owen interrupted you by kissing you. Your world came to a grinding halt. You froze, as your body acclimated to this new feeling. His lips were soft, while the hairs on his face, not so much. He pulled away after a minute, as you never reciprocated his kiss. 

“I’ve been waiting for this for a while now. The fact that you want me around Sugar so much you got her to adjust to my smell is amazing. You’re amazing, and beautiful. Will you be my girlfriend?” Owen poured his heart out, while you still sat there in shock as he stood before you. 

Grinning, you stood back up, setting your drink aside. As you wrap your arms around his neck, you give him a soft kiss, lips brushing together as you say, “Yes.” Smiling softly, he picked you up, spinning you around in a small circle. As you were set back on your feet, he leaned close again and pressed his lips to yours once again. 

[twh-news]

We spoke to Tom Hiddleston about Loki, PowerPoint presentations and the nature of free will

Despite a decade of playing Loki in several Marvel movies and now a TV show, Tom Hiddleston isn’t tired of the role. “There is always something new to be found,” he says The edge.

This week is the premiere of Loki on Disney Plus, a six-episode series that marks the character’s first lead role. It is a story of time travel and branched timelines as Loki is captured by an organization called the Time Variance Authority (TVA). It combines action, humor and some old-fashioned detective work, while tackling serious topics such as the nature of free will. There are also some new faces on board as Hiddleston is joined by Marvel newcomers Owen Wilson, who plays a TVA agent named Mobius, and director Kate Herron, best known for her work on the first season of Sex education.

Prior to the show’s premiere, I had the chance to talk to Hiddleston about his time as a character, a presentation that made him feel like an “amateur academic giving a thesis on Loki,” working with Wilson and Herron, and whether our lives are predetermined. Typical Marvel stuff.

The following interview has been edited and abbreviated for clarity.

We are now at a decade where you play Loki. How have your feelings about the character changed or grown over that time?

I’m honestly just thankful that I’m still here. I find that I am always surprised and happy that I get another chance in it. Long before I was cast, Loki was just the most fascinating and complex character with such depth and range, and he’s been in Marvel comics in several iterations for 60 years, and he’s been in our thoughts, in stories we tell as humans, for hundreds, if not thousands of years. I find that even though it has been 10 years, every time I come back, there is always more to discover. There is always more to dig because these impostors are kind of mercurial and shape-shifting. So there is always something new to be found.

"“Loki is out of control. He’s a man on the run.”"

Now that you’ve focused this six-episode series on Loki, what were you looking forward to exploring with this? What were you hoping to dive into?

I think he’s really opening up and bringing out his many different identities and facets. In my preparation to play the character, I’ve always seen him have so many different and seemingly contradictory characteristics. You think, “How can all these characteristics exist in one person, in one being?” And yet they do.

Loki has always been a character in all MCU movies that seems to be very controlled. He seems to know what cards he has in his hand and how he is going to play them. And Loki, in the TVA – this organization that rules time – has gotten out of hand. He’s a man on the run. And he is motivated by a desire to understand. Suddenly he discovers that there is all this information that he does not have, and he has to get his hands on it. And that actually gives the series great momentum. Loki is on the back foot, everyone knows more than him, and seeing how he adapts, seeing how he improvises after that – if improvisation is possible in the TVA. That’s a question we’re trying to raise, whether you have free will.

I read about the Loki school you led to prepare the team for the character’s history. How did you prepare for that? Did you actually know it all, or did you have to do a lot of research?

I wish it wouldn’t be 10 hours long. I knew I had to summarize what I found useful to tell the crew. It came about thanks to Kate Herron, our director who has done an extraordinary job on this whole series, and he thought maybe it would be a good idea to get everyone together because there were so many department heads, different crew members – production design, costume design, cinematography, camera, sound, stunts – and wanting to make sure everyone had the same information about Loki, and it might be helpful to listen to my experience. I was trying to explain how we constructed Loki’s arc across the six movies he’s in the MCU and figure out what was useful in that arc and what we could leave behind.

I suddenly felt extremely nervous, as if I were an amateur academic writing a thesis on Loki. You’ll have to ask the others if it was helpful at all. But at least we synchronized the watches and we started from the same place.

"“If I were tall enough to use PowerPoint, I could retire and become a full-time professor.”"

So is there a PowerPoint file out there somewhere that will leak out one day?

If I was highly skilled enough to use PowerPoint, I could retire and become a full-time professor.

I did have a few clips. I thought there were some clips from the movies that could be helpful. It was interesting, even though it was about how the costume had changed over the years and why. And when does Loki wear the horns? Are the horns a casual thing? Are they a ceremonial thing like a crown? Is it an extension of an inner intention? Do the horns come out if he’s particularly evil? Why is her hair different? Sometimes he wears a cape, sometimes not. Sometimes he uses magic, sometimes he uses his own body to fight in combat. All questions that people were curious about.

I know this was meant for the rest of the crew, but was it helpful for you to go through this again as you prepared to jump back into the role?

Oh yes, absolutely, just to refresh myself about certain decisions we had made and why certain things were changed… sometimes you try to bring very elaborate and beautifully illustrated comic book panels into a physical reality on a movie set and figure out how to merge these two worlds. It was interesting. I got some great questions about how he moves the way he does and where certain things showed up in stunts, especially hair, makeup and wardrobe, how the clothes changed and why we made those choices.

It was interesting to refresh myself on the extraordinary input, because I carry the inspiration of great people with me. [Thor director] Kenneth Branagh and Alexandra Byrne, our costume designer; Bo Welch who designed the first Thor movie; Charlie Wood who was production designer on The dark world; the whole crew of Ragnarok; Mayes Rubeo, the costume designer of Ragnarok; and people like Douglas Noe, who has been doing makeup on Loki for a long time. So there was a lot to unpack.

Both Kate Herron and Owen Wilson are newcomers to the Marvel machine. Is it helpful to have such an external perspective?

Absolutely. Both Kate and Owen came in with so many questions because they hadn’t lived in Loki’s head for 10 years. They have a fresh take on it. Kate was so well prepared and so well researched; she even brought in new Marvel Publishing material that I’d never seen before, about Loki’s inner world. Owen came in and asked me a lot of questions about my experience. I remember him saying, “Tom, why should I?” you do you like to play Loki?” And I found myself saying, “Well, he’s just got this whole range. He can play the light keys, but he can also play the heavy keys in the bass clef. And somehow the character has both.” And he loved that way of thinking about it, he said, “I think I could say that on the show.” And so it was really his very intelligent question that took us elsewhere in the story.

Given the themes of the first two episodes, I have to ask: do you believe in free will?

I hope so. Free will is such an interesting, eternal question. I think people have asked to what extent we have the power of self-determination, self-realization, choice about our actions and whether we can control the course of our lives. It goes back to evolutionary or psychological arguments about nature and nurture and why we are who we are. Maybe it’s the journey of a lifetime to find out, to really take the wheel of your own life. Because we are set on a path in childhood, I think, often by accident – the misfortune of birth, where we were born and when – and we are propelled in many ways by the unconscious.

That’s a complicated answer. It’s a complex question. So I hope so. I hope true free will is possible. But for all of us, I think it can be a long journey of self-discovery.

[novelconcepts]

FOUND IT!!! Consider this an official ask for 3 and 14 combined! #wheee

smiling into a kiss and play wrestling

Having a best friend again is strange. She’d gone so long imagining the phrase as a sort of neon sign staked firmly in the past: Best Friend, already spoken for. Eddie had always been it; no other volunteers need apply. 

But Eddie’s gone now, out of her life, living out wherever his might go in another country altogether, and Dani finds the position has--slowly, without really planning for it--been filled once more. Not that she planned for it. Not that could ever could have. 

She didn’t come to Bly looking for Jamie, and if you’d told her the gardener who refused to so much as meet her eyes, much less introduce herself, would become the most important person in her life--well. Life is full of surprises.

There is so little of Eddie in Jamie, she sometimes wonders how both could have occupied the same shape in her heart. Sometimes wonders how Eddie--who prized cleanliness, routine work hours, dinners at his mother’s once a week--would look at Jamie, if he could see her. Jamie, all tousled hair, happiest with a cigarette between her teeth and both hands buried in soil. Jamie, who has never kept a nine-to-five, never craved Sunday afternoons with her parents, never looks at Dani like she expects firm posture, bright smile, neat clothes. 

They couldn’t possibly be more different--and yet, somehow, Jamie is her best friend. Unfair to think it, maybe, but she might be the best friend Dani’s ever had. Her sense of humor is dark, her vocabulary wallpapered with curse words and shorn letters; she smells of nicotine and sunscreen, dresses in wrinkled flannels and torn jeans. Where Eddie looped an arm around her shoulders, Jamie nudges her with bony elbows; where Eddie pressed his lips to her temple, Jamie leans carefully away. Different, in every measure. 

And it isn’t that she likes Jamie more. That wouldn’t be fair--not after so many years in Eddie’s company. It’s just that when Jamie looks at her, eyes bright, dirt smudged on one cheek, sometimes, she feels...

“You’re thinking,” Jamie observes. She doesn’t say it the way Eddie would--the way he always pointed out when she was clenching her fist under the table, or picking at her nails, his voice edged with concern bordering on condescension. Her voice is light, her lips curved in a small smile. 

Eddie never quite smiled at her like that. Or, if he did, it didn't pluck the same chord in her stomach. Not that that matters. Not that that affects the sincerity of friendship. 

Not that it’s making her feel weirdly flushed this afternoon. 

“Am I not allowed to think?” she asks. The sun, she thinks, is responsible for the goofy smile on her face. The heat of the day, which stretches on and on the way only early July knows how.

“Not arguing,” Jamie says. “One of us ought to.”

She’s on her knees, pulling weeds, her face shining with sweat. There’s something about days like this--afternoons where the kids are occupied helping Owen bake cookies, leaving Dani to nurse a glass of water and pleasantly-meandering conversation--that feels almost too good to be allowed. Eddie would have wanted to do something with a day like this: hike, or clear up the yard, or go visit family. 

Jamie, on the other hand, pushes to her feet and surveys the bed she’s spent all day working. “Think that’s good enough for a break. Here, budge over.”

Dani obediently scoots to the edge of her seat, amused when Jamie flops down half in her lap. A year of working at the manor, and Jamie’s gone from a woman who couldn’t make eye contact to save her life to this: gangly limbs tossed haphazardly over Dani’s, sweat-slick skin sticking where it lands against Dani’s shoulder. It’s too hot for cozying up like this, but she can’t seem to convince herself to push Jamie away. 

“There,” Jamie sighs, tilting her head back against the plastic of the lawn chair. “Christ, feels good just to breathe.”

“You breathe,” Dani says, “and I’ll think. Together, we make an almost-functional human being.”

“Almost,” Jamie says wryly. Her hand loops around Dani’s, teasing the sweating glass out of her grip long enough to take a sip. Dani nudges her. 

“Could get you one of your own, if you ever learned to ask politely.”

“Don’t like me polite,” Jamie says with a shrug. “My brand is prickly-yet-charming, and we both know I’m your favorite for it.”

“Technically,” Dani corrects, “Flora is my favorite. Mainly because she doesn’t make me remind her to say please.”

“Please,” Jamie says without missing a beat, “keep pretending you aren’t captivated by my winning personality.”

Dani laughs. “Oh, is that what I am?”

“Mm.” Jamie takes another sip, reaches over her to set the glass down on the table, closes her eyes. “S’what you were all pensive about just now, I’m sure. How entranced you are with my witty banter.”

“Entranced,” Dani repeats.

“Beguiled. Mesmerized. Drunk with adoration.” Jamie’s face is pink, a bead of sweat neatly lining her upper lip. Dani only realizes she’s staring a fortunate beat before Jamie rolls her head to the left, peering at her with lazy amusement. “Go on. Tell me how much you love me.”

“Love how ridiculous you can be, maybe.” And how sweet, and how unquestioningly soft, though she doesn’t see a need to put that into words--or a way to do it without sounding entirely out of her head. The heat, she thinks, is absolutely getting to her. 

It’s the heat, making her want suddenly to slide an arm between the plastic back of the chair and the cotton of Jamie’s tank top, pulling her even closer. The heat, making her want to displace the normal back-and-forth ease of friendship with something else entirely. 

She’s had a best friend before. She’s never quite wanted to do with Eddie what she is, more and more, thinking about with Jamie curled up beside her. 

Distract, she thinks, because Jamie is still watching her with that half-lidded expression she gets when the sun is particularly bright, the day’s work has been well-tended, and Dani’s shoulder is a cushion beneath her head. More and more, it’s been feeling like a dangerous sort of moment, Jamie’s face lingering near the crook of her neck. Jamie’s breath coasting down the neckline of her dress. Jamie’s smile sweeter than should be allowed, given the grumpy way she slouches around the grounds. 

“Thinking,” Jamie says, her voice almost soft. Dani shakes her head. 

“It’s not illegal.”

“Is,” Jamie says, “if you’re gonna just stare at me all googly-eyed while you do it. C’mon, what gives? Is today some holiday I’ve forgotten?” She sits up a little straighter, her face comic in its sudden concern. “Shit, Poppins, it’s not your birthday.”

She almost wants to say it is, just to watch Jamie turn fascinating new shades of maroon. “No--just--it’s hot.”

Jamie sags back with palpable relief. Her arm is freckled, Dani notices, beyond the norm; the summer is drawing all sorts of secrets from her skin, and it’s suddenly painfully tempting, the urge to trace her nail along these newfound constellations. 

Distract, she thinks again, more urgently this time. Without thinking it through, without considering the consequences, she dips two fingers into the glass of water and flicks the still-cool moisture directly into Jamie’s face. 

Jamie, to her credit, hardly jumps. She’s just blinking at Dani like their conversation has taken an unanticipated left turn into another language, water dripping from the end of her nose. 

“Okay,” she says. “If that’s how we’re playing it.”

Her arm reaches across without hesitation, replicating Dani’s playbook: two fingers dipped, flicked, landing back in her lap as Dani sputters. 

“You got me in the eye.”

“Cooled you off, though?” Jamie asks, almost politely. Dani laughs, and suddenly, it’s war. There’s barely enough room on the chair for the both of them to sit like adults, much less to squirm around, hips knocking, legs tangled up as the remainder of the glass finds its way--droplet by droplet--into Jamie’s face, down Dani’s neck, sometimes missing entirely and disappearing into the sizzling summer air. 

Dani is ultimately the victor, an upset decided when she grasps the glass--now containing maybe two inches of water--and upends it directly over Jamie’s head. She’s laughing almost too hard to breathe, particularly when Jamie gives a firm shake of her hair, looking like a rumpled dog after a bath.

“That,” Jamie says in a low, dangerous tone, “cannot stand.”

She’s up before Dani can stop her, sprinting toward the garden hose uncoiled in the grass. Dani twists in her seat, knees drawn up to her chest, arms extended.

“Don’t you dare!”

“All’s fair,” Jamie says, almost apologetically, depressing the trigger. 

They are, Dani notes somewhere in the back of her mind, full-grown adult women. They are thirty years old, gainfully employed, responsible for the upkeep of an entire house and the well-being of two small children. 

They are also now chasing one another across the lawn, Dani sopping wet, Jamie laughing so hard she nearly trips over her own feet taking a corner too fast. The hose is growing more and more tangled by the minute as she dashes in a zig-zag pattern, periodically firing a jet of water over her shoulder, and Dani has no prayer of catching up--not with her shoes squelching, slipping on wet grass, her lungs clenched around a soundless jag of laughter. 

Adults, she thinks, as Jamie makes the insurmountable error of trying to bolt past her like a quarterback dodging a tackle; she makes a successful leap over the tangled hose, but forgets at the last second to factor in the edge of the lawn chair. Dani has her around the middle before she can dart out of reach, the both of them tumbling over in a cackling heap of grass clippings, puddled hose water, freckled limbs. 

They’re rolling, shouting wordlessly around giggles, Dani struggling to pry the hose out of Jamie’s hands. It’s harder than it looks; Jamie is small, but strong in an annoyingly wiry sort of way. Even when Dani manages to get her onto her back, the water is inescapable, dousing in short jets across her chest, down her arms, pooling awkwardly between them. 

“You are,” she laughs, “a child.”

“Could a child do this?” Jamie replies, jerking upward at the hips with unexpected force. Dani rocks up with her, one hand grasping the sodden front of Jamie’s shirt for balance, and drops back down without budging from her seat. Jamie releases an oof as her back makes rough contact with the ground again, giggling too hard to successfully shove Dani over.

“Yes, actually, I think a child would be exactly that effective,” Dani informs her. Her body has never felt quite this alive, her muscles aching with the effort of an unplanned run. Jamie, chest heaving for breath, is practically glowing. 

“Just want to remind you,” Jamie says, “you did start this.”

“Does that mean I win?” If she hasn’t, she can’t imagine it would feel any better than this: straddling Jamie’s hips in the soft grass, cool water seeping down her back, her dress sticking pleasantly to warm skin. Jamie allows the hose to drop from her grip at last, her head tipped back, eyes closed.

“Call it a draw.”

“What if I wanted to win?” She slides a hand up without thinking, pinning Jamie by the wrist before she can decide to take up her watery weapon again. Jamie draws a deep breath, face flushed, grinning. 

“Guess you’d have to work harder for it.”

Children, Dani thinks--but suddenly, it doesn’t feel childish anymore. Suddenly, she’s overly aware of her dress rucked high around her thighs, of how short Jamie’s shorts really are, how her body is considerably less obscured than usual with her shirt plastered to her frame. Suddenly, she’s aware of Jamie’s hand flexing against the grass, pinned beside her head with a loose enough grip to break--though Jamie isn’t breaking it. Isn’t even trying.

Jamie is, instead, gazing up at her with hair mussed, eyes bright. Jamie, whose free hand is sliding up to rest along the curve of Dani’s hip. 

She’s Dani’s best friend, like he was, but this doesn’t feel like it belongs in the same category as late-night stories swapped by the fire, or letting each other steal the vegetables the other doesn’t care for off their plate. This feels like a category all its own: the way Jamie licks her lips as Dani’s head lowers, the way Dani’s fingers graze the freckles painting her wrist on the way up to notching her palm against Jamie’s. 

Her hair is wet, and Jamie’s face is sweaty, and there’s so little romance to the whole picture, it takes her by surprise. She’s always thought there should be talking before a thing like this, at least--a decision made on equal footing. 

“I don’t have to,” she says, even as Jamie is saying, “Do you want to?”

Children would laugh again, go back to wrestling, go back to how it all felt just a few minutes before. They are not, Dani notes as she lowers her head--as Jamie shifts up at the shoulders to meet her--children. 

She’s hyper-aware of all of it now: the sun beating against her shoulders, the hand Jamie is using to grip the back of her dress, the exact angle of Jamie’s mouth parting beneath her own. Her tongue is gentle, brushing Jamie’s, and the sound Jamie makes into her is anything but. 

She’s smiling, she realizes, so hard, it hurts--that deep, wonderful hurt of laughing too hard for too long, of slipping in the grass and landing in a heap with someone who couldn’t help catching her on the way down. She’s grinning into Jamie even as she’s kissing her, even as she’s letting her body stretch out to press Jamie more firmly against the damp ground. 

And Jamie, fingers curled between her own, making soft sounds of appreciation into the kiss, is grinning right back. 

“This was your plan all along,” she accuses, brushing the hair from Dani’s eyes when they break for a breath. “Awful lot of work, for a kiss.”

“All’s fair?” Dani suggests--and she genuinely, honestly cannot decide which she likes more: the way Jamie kisses, or the way Jamie kisses and laughs at the same time. All of it, she feels, goes a country mile beyond best friends. All of it goes a country mile beyond anything she could ever have dreamed up, walking away from him the way she did. 

It couldn’t possibly be more different.

[smytherines]

Honestly I'm so delighted by this conversation. This will probably sound weird, but I'm a big admirer of your art, and you are one of the handful of people who I really feel aligned with in terms of how we view these characters, so it's been amazing to get to talk about it with you!

And I think you're right. I think Curt is careless, and cruel. Even before his big trauma, he is consistently kind of an asshole in A1P1. There's also the tendency for the fandom to minimize or ignore Curt's alcoholism in a way that really undercuts what makes his character so full and real and fascinating to me.

I see him as being very ADHD, leading to him being overly defensive and showing off as much as possible to 1. Prove to himself he is good enough, and 2. Prove to others that he doesn't care what they think about him (even though he obviously does). I also see him as having this... I dunno, masculinity crisis?

Maybe I'm just too in my head because this is basically what the next chapter of my fic is about, but having that push and pull between being what a super spy should be (this like ideal cold, cruel, brutal, cocky Bond-style masculinity) and being a man who loved another man and has more sorta... femme traits (?) than he wants to admit to himself.

Like he's spent so long sanding down all those soft parts of him to be able to be a spy (aka be a killer on the payroll of empire- totally agree that he is utterly brainwashed by the US govt and has a black and white sense of morality) that he instinctively rejects care and tenderness from others, and when he finds himself caring about something or someone too much he cuts them down just as brutally.

I think Owen was the one person he allowed to see him as he really was, so when he kills his own safe harbor it really destroys him. Not just because he loved Owen, but because Owen was the one person who actually knew him and accepted him. And in some horrible tragic cycle, when Owen comes back into his life he kills him again. I think it's an impulsive choice that comes from pain and anger and confusion. But it also reads almost like he's killing off that part of himself that can love another man, if that makes sense?

It's hard for me to look at the staircase scene and not think about this being a gay man killing his ex-lover ostensibly on behalf of a government that would put him in prison or otherwise ruin his life if they found out he has relationships with men. It feels like Owen has long since accepted this reality and is now ideologically committed to Chimera because of it, but Curt can still only see in that Good guys vs Bad guys mentality. Owen's trying to explain that the surveillance network is happening regardless of whether Chimera controls it or not, but Curt just hears "I'm the Bad Guy. Here's my Bad Guy scheme."

Anyways during the show he gradually starts to become... not exactly a better person, but to at least let people in a little bit. He's still obsessed with winning (him going rogue and telling Barb "I need a win here" is such a big character moment to me), he is still desperate to be The Guy, but he's a little less hostile about it. Which is why what he does on the staircase feels emotionally disconnected to me, because it feels like when he's with Owen again he becomes the guy he was at the start again.

And if that's the way the show ended that would honestly be fine. Sometimes you just stay an asshole. But A2P7 very much tries to imply that actually he's fine now. Yes he's drinking whiskey in his coffee at 9am but he's fine. He's going to go take Chimera down on his own, but he's fine. He's asks his mom to restock the bar, but he's fine. I mean, even TCB have said that they added Spy Dance at the end because otherwise it's kind of a bummer ending. And while it's a bop, that basic issue is still kinda there.

It's just... I don't know, I'm getting so far in my own head that I feel like I'm not communicating clearly anymore. So before I ramble any more I'll just end it here and say that it has been an absolute pleasure to talk about this with you, thank you!!

this screenshot lives in my bones I swear. Like... Owen looks so devastated and uncertain, and Curt looks so determined, and I just want to stop that bullet Max Jagerman style and send them both to therapy

[lonestarbabe]

So you've said alot of things about TK but what about Carlos.. I think he has some mental health problems as well...

See the problem is we haven’t seen a lot from Carlos because he’s never really shown as an independent character. Even in episodes that should be Carlos-centric, they just aren’t. Or even when TK is kidnapped they kind of teased that Carlos was looking for him and following they clues but still portrayed Owen as the hero in the end. I do think, though, that Carlos has anxiety. And I also think that he tend to keep his issues to himself and tries to push aside his feelings in order to help other people to the point that it can hurt him. Carlos is very selfless but in a way that I think is a little pathological, and I really think that him and TK have the same kind of issues of feeling inadequate and as though they are not enough (especially to their dads) and I think it would be really cool to see that common ground. Their trauma comes from different places, but they meet in interesting ways. For example, Carlos’ parents not talking about his sexuality was harmful for him because they never really acknowledged who he was, and I think that’s an amazing LGBT perspective because while parents may not be actively homophobic, they can still fail to be supportive and make their kids feel secure through action or inaction, which was the case with Carlos. I kind of love how Carlos’ parents are loving but they’ve still failed him because shows often tend to take coming out as either the reaction is villainous or amazing when there’s a lot in between. I would guess that Carlos still deals with a lot of the anxiety and worry that comes with his sexuality, and that worry very well can leech into other areas of his life.

For example, I head canon Carlos as being a perfectionist and I think that he likes to feel in control. Most people like to do things well and have some degree of control, but I think Carlos’ life is much more regimental and he likes to keep things in little boxes. And that’s the fascinating thing about Carlos. People like him seem like they have it all together, even to those close to them, and as a result they become the people others lean on. Unfortunately, they also will take so much weight and emotional heaviness from others that they might not set the emotional boundaries they need, and it can be exhausting. I would guess that Carlos is a giver and he does so to the point that it hurts himself. Evens when he’s in pain, he probably tries to focus on others as a defense because caring for others is easier than facing his own demons.

Because of how he handles hardship, it can be hard for other people to realize that is anything wrong with Carlos, and it could be very isolating at times because he has all that pain that he’s keeping to himself. Like, I truly think he dutifully went to family dinners hiding a part of himself for the sake of others’ comfort, and I can’t even fully fathom how hard that would be because through hints in the dialogue we can guess his family is pretty close. Yet, there’s this gaping, unspoken emotional distance. And that would make it so hard for him to even deal real because he would have to pretend to be a different person basically. Sure, he could be somewhat be himself but he’d have to censor some core parts.

Anyways, I basically think that Carlos probably has a lot of pain, and I really don’t think he recognizes it all or even considers his hardships as hardships. I could definitely see him being like “oh well others have it worse” to kind of minimize his pain when such minimization can be really harmful! I just hope they address some of this or at least give us more to work with, even if it doesn’t match what I’ve outlined. But the bottom line is that Carlos didn’t and maybe still doesn’t feel safe being himself and that problem doesn’t heal overnight (like things aren’t magically good with his parents… they might not have intended to be quiet to be hurtful because they could have just been letting Carlos process things at his own pace, but the relationship issue on lone star always seem to come down to the idea that intentions don’t change the results). Honestly, it wouldn’t take a lot for the writers to build on what they have already established for Carlos, but they just need to dedicate the time for that because Carlos is a character separate from TK!

[sparktls]

Awakening The Legend Of The Chalk Castle Chapter 7 | Event Story Translation

Translation under the cut!

Elmer: There was damage done around here as well. Buildings fell, the earth split, and a part of the lair collapsed.

Perhaps he was reliving that disastrous time - his voice falters as if in pain. I feel a pang of sadness.

Elmer: Of course, I worked to help the people. I saved the injured, stopped landslides, repaired the buildings…

Elmer: …But I am not Oz.

Elmer: With magical power weak as mine, there was no possible way that I could save everyone. I was powerless…

Arthur: …Do not blame yourself. You did all you could.

Arthur: And to do so is an action only the brave are capable of. You are not powerless in the slightest.

Arthur’s voice is full of compassion as he speaks for all of us.

But Elmer shakes his head from side to side, an expression of frustration on his face.

Elmer: That… That is what I wanted to believe. That I had done all I could, that the fact I didn’t turn tail and flee was good enough…

Elmer: …But that was when I found it. A fang of Oz.

Cain: Oz’s fang?

Elmer: Yes, there were many of them. They must be fangs that Oz had left behind - I found them under the collapsed lair.

Shino: Fangs are everywhere in the forest. It’s probably just some animal tooth.

Elmer: It is not a common animal’s tooth! It had strong magical power and shone as a mana stone would.

Elmer: That fang fascinated me. Though I am weak, perhaps if that fang became part of me, I would be able to become like Oz.

Akira: (But that most likely isn’t Oz’s fang.)

Akira: (Because the Oz that he admires so much… He’s right here.)

Oz: …..

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow them back down. To him, in his want of power, those beautiful, shining, mysterious fangs must have appeared to be Oz’s.

Arthur: What did you do with that fang? …Did you swallow it?

Elmer: …I didn’t. I debated whether or not to for a while, but I wasn’t able to do even that.

Elmer: Perhaps it would have given me strong magical power. But what if I paid the price and became like Oz - a terrifying beast? The mere thought scared me.

Elmer: Instead, I…

Cain: What did you do?

Elmer: …I held it up to the moon. I polished it with my magic out of respect for Oz.

Elmer: The fang in the moon’s light was truly beautiful. I prepared a box worthy of holding it and then buried it all in the soil.

Elmer: And then… The next morning, this castle had appeared.

Is such a thing even possible? It sounds so unbelievable that I find myself at a loss for words.

Elmer: It’s all because of my weakness of mind! This wouldn’t have happened if I had just swallowed it…!

Lennox: That is not weakness of mind. It’s self-preservation.

Lennox: It is not any regular fang if it created this castle. If you had swallowed it, who knows what could have happened to you. You made a good decision.

Elmer: …..

In the face of Lennox’s honest words, Elmer’s eyelashes quiver and he hangs his head.

Snow: ‘Tis exactly as Lennox says. None would have been able to predict events such as these.

Snow: Yet if there were a large amount of fangs buried here… It must mean that many creatures baring those fangs were slain here long ago.

Snow: There are not many capable of accomplishing such feats. It must be the work of a wizard such as Oz with strong magical power.

Oz: …..

Snow: Oz, can you say with utmost certainty that you have no recollection of this place?

Elmer: …Oz?

Elmer follows Snow’s gaze and looks up at Oz, a dazed expression on his face.

Elmer: I heard that Oz wore white clothes, just like the clothes that you happen to be wearing.

Owen’s mouth forms a mocking smile.

Owen: You’re right. With his white clothes, he’s like a snow leopard, and he has so many fangs that they almost don’t all fit in his mouth.

Elmer: Yes… A monster, with ten snake-like tails… That is the Demon King Oz…

Shino: No, you’re wrong. The real Oz is right in front of you.

Elmer: …!? No, it can’t be…

Elmer’s gaze flits to and fro in his surprise - he must find it hard to believe. Meanwhile, Oz slowly opens his mouth to speak.

Oz: I do recall… in the past, I did come across some magical beasts with that appearance.

Oz: Nameless creatures with fur white as snow, sharp fangs, and snake-like tails.

Snow: Come again?

Oz: My memory of them is not clear… But I do remember they would form packs in barren lands and devour all that came across them, wizards and humans.

Oz: I too was attacked by them when I went to those lands, but I vaguely recall exterminating them all with magic.

Oz looks around at all of us as if to tug at the threads of his memory.

Oz: …I believe the creatures were creating a lair. A lair with tree roots in every part of it.

Cain: Tree roots? Same as this castle!

Snow: Oh, Oz, why did you not recall such important memories earlier!

Oz: They are insignificant memories. And I require time to recall them.

Shino: So defiant.

Shylock: You see, the key to a long life is to forget from time to time.

Snow: White-furred magical beasts…

Snow: Now that I am reminded of them, I do recall their existence. Why, their beauty caught one’s attention, but they were quite vicious.

Akira: Really?

Snow: Indeed. Which does mean it took place in these lands.

Snow: Oz and the beasts met here. The people must have mixed details of the beasts and Oz together in their telling of stories.

Shylock: That could very well be true. The features of a nameless beast changing into that of the Demon King Oz’s throughout years upon years of a legend being told.

Shylock: After all, the beasts were vicious; worthy of being called a symbol of terror. They must have matched the peoples’ image of Oz rather well.

Elmer: So you are truly Oz… Then what is that fang I buried…?

Snow: ‘Tis the fang of the magic beast. If they truly lived here in their packs, built a lair, and were destroyed here as well, then it would be understandable as to why you were able to find so many.

Snow: And the reason for the current state of affairs is not Oz’s magic; ‘tis the affects of the Great Calamity coming so close.

Snow: Thoughts of Oz must have lingered in the fang. We were, after all, attacked by the walls when we entered this castle.

Cain: !

Arthur: Master Oz!

At that very moment, the wall behind Oz moves.

-

next

[torchwood-99]

Gwen Forgets Rhys, Rhys Hates Gwen

So how Gwen cracks under Torchwood, the ways that pressure highlights her flaws, has been pretty well explored. In terms of her relationship with Rhys, I think Gwen shows a thoughtlessness towards Rhys. She gets carried away in the drama and excitement of Torchwood, she prioritises her work (which is arguably fair, as it concerns saving lives) but also her need for comfort and adrenaline and gratification which she doesn’t always get from Rhys (see her affair with Owen). This means that in getting so carried with Torchwood and everything it is doing with her, Gwen forgets Rhys and overlooks him.

With Rhys it’s different. He also has his flaws as a person drawn out by Torchwood, but instead of getting distracted by Torchwood, neglecting Gwen or forgetting her, it’s the opposite. Rhys is only brought into Torchwood through Gwen, therefore his attention isn’t split between Torchwood and Gwen. His priority is solely Gwen. So when Rhys starts to struggle under the weight of Torchwood, he doesn’t become thoughtless like Gwen does.

Rhys can become mean. 

Because Rhys is a great husband and boyfriend and stays with Gwen through a lot hurt and danger, it can be forgotten that he isn’t a 2D perfect boyfriend/husband who is constantly understanding and forgiving. Rhys has an explosive temper and he directs that at Gwen. 

Look at him in Adrift, crouching down and getting right into Gwen’s personal space, telling her that if she’s got a problem at work she should leave it at work, that she’s forgetting what matters about normal life as though she isn’t sacrificing a normal life so she can protect others and allow them to enjoy what she is missing out on. Telling her outright that he ‘really hates her sometimes’.

Gwen, for all her failures, has never told Rhys she hated him. She has never been mean like he was in that moment. She hasn’t said something to him with the intent to hurt him as much as Rhys did in that moment. 

At their worst, Gwen forgets Rhys, while Rhys hates Gwen. And this makes a lot of sense. Gwen’s attention are divided between her obligations to Rhys, and her obligations to Torchwood. Rhys meanwhile is entirely focussed on Gwen, so when Gwen doesn’t reciprocate, his response is of frustration and resentment, 

This is really highlighted in a moment, in Adam, where whilst dealing with Gwen having forgotten him and their life together, his best friend and the woman he adores more than life, Rhys gets a little spiteful and says ‘you’re not the only one whose lost something’. Something about his manner there indicates to me that Rhys wants Gwen to feel guilty for not considering his feelings, when here Gwen has a fair reason to be pretty preoccupied with her own worries. 

So Torchwood distracts Gwen, Rhys is overlooked, and Rhys resents Gwen. 

There is also a moment in Miracle Day, where Rhys quite firmly tells Gwen not to talk about her happier memories of Torchwood to Anwen. Of the wonderful things she saw, of this amazing time in her life where she worked with people she loved like a family. He told her quite firmly that her ‘life was a nightmare’ not allowing any mention of important and precious that time was for her. Because he knows that Gwen still misses those days and will jump back in head first given the opportunity, dragging him and their baby and herself back into terrible danger. (Baring in mind, in a fairly short amount of time Rhys saw all of Gwen’s mortal teammates killed, dying at a young age.)

So Rhys is terrified, but that terror partially comes out in Rhys stifling Gwen and shouting and snapping when she tries to process those happier memories, tries to celebrate the good times instead of just dwelling on the past. 

Rhys is so much more interesting that the ‘poor put upon husband’. Like every other member of Torchwood, he’s got his faults and flaws and the stresses of Torchwood does a lot to bring them out. He is the ‘nice, normal bloke’ of the series, used as a foil to the more glamorous teammates. But one of Torchwood’s strengths is how well it writes people, as flawed and complex and fascinating, and Rhys is very much the same. 

Rhys and Gwen have a great relationship. Filled with love and support and genuine pleasure and happiness in each other’s company. Not because they are perfect, but because they work through their imperfectionsmea and build something together worth fighting for. Most of all, they are friends. They like being together, they have fun and have their jokes and they have an easy chemistry. 

Torchwood never shies away from how flawed and cruel humanity can be, and yet it isn't nihilistic because it doesn’t define people by their flaws and how they get it wrong. Instead it acknowledges these flaws, while at the same time still insiting that they can still be happy and still be good and still be worthy of love and friendship. And Gwen and Rhys really are such a great example of that. 

[kuronanox]

My own fae - Fuegoleon Vermillion

(Author note: Reader is a fairy with wings, you can imagine however you wanna look. Warning not edited)

It was a cold winter night; Fuegoleon was just about to head to bed when there was a loud thud from outside his window. He was a little grumpy because of how late it was and he would be enraged if he finds to see some of his men just pulling a friendly prank.

Opening his window the strong gust of wind flowed through his hair as he looked around to find nothing. Assuming it was a branch or so till he saw a shimmering light from below.

It had wings and fair skin, back faced towards him the creature seemed distressed and weak as it only had a cloth wrapped around its body.

Heading down below the creature had features that were fairy and elf like to him.

"Miss are you alright?" Fuegoleon ask offering a hand but she looked at him in the eye and tried to fly away only to fall back down as she hissed in pain.

Gazing over to her back it seemed like a part of her wings were fractured. "Cold." She finally says looking back at him desperately.

Fuegoleon a bit mesmerized by the fairies beauty realized she only had a cloth that hid very little. Clearing his throat he took his cape off and wrapped it around her.

Before he could she somehow hid her wings as it disappeared.

Waiting on the floor she looked up at him. "I need help." She then says staring at her feet.

Fuegoleon being a gentleman as he is effortlessly picks her up bridal style. "May I get your name?"

"(Your Name) my name is (Your Name)." She says and stares into his eyes.

Fuegoleon was royalty and considered high in social status so looks from men and women usually didn't bother him, but the way she looked at him made him self conscious. He didn't know why but she was definitely different.

Luckily it was late at night and everyone had a curfew so no one was out, he would have to place her at his private quarters.

Dropping her softly on his bed he placed a robe for her to use.

"We'll talk in the morning. Good night." He says and leaves to his main office to sleep on the couch. (Your Name) doesnt say a word and watches his back leave.

It was early morning as Fuegoleon awoke he peaked into his room to find the fairy still sound asleep. Her hair was splattered and on her back was deep scars he had missed to see last night.

Awaking her eyes she turned to see him peering above her. He had never seen such eye colors before, they were dream like and ethereal.

"I-" he begins to explain but she giggles a bit and leaps out of bed in front of him. (Your Name) examined his face and features. He had royal blood running through his vain. Reaching up to his face she cupped his cheeks and closed her eyes before opening them and meeting his eyes.

"You were asleep for a long time." She finally says and then reaches to his arm that was cut off. "But you've grown stronger."

Fuegoleon lost for words stuttered "H-how did you know."

"I just know things." She simply answers as there was a long silence between the two. Not one moving an inch.

"Um well follow me." He says and brings her to a closet filled with Mereoleona old clothing she didn't wear anymore. "Just pick whatever you like."

After situating her clothes she followed him out and into the clover kingdom. She didn't say one word and followed silently and obediently. Fuegoleon didn't think she was a threat.

They met with the Wizard king. "Julius she is the lady I told you about." Fuegoleon says as the man... well boy at the moment eyes brighten up.

She hesitantly stepped up and showed the Wizard king her scars and wounded wing.

"Interesting, I've never met a fae in real life. What brings you to Clover kingdom?"

(Your Name) didn't know she just knew she was banished from her home.

"I- Well I was banished from home, I don't know how to get back. We aren't suppose to show ourselves to anyone but unfortunately I had to pay the consequences for that."

Fuegoleon studied her features, it was no wonder she was dreamy like.

"I see well! I don't see any harm coming from you. But we do need to place you somewhere safe do you have magic?" Julius asks curiously.

(Your Name) nods and lightly touches Julius forehead. He slowly turned back to a 40 year old man until she moved away he became tiny again.

"Interesting! It seems like you can see through most things. Luckily for you we are a kingdom based on magic so I think you will fit in just well." He assured as she smiled at him.

"I wish to stay by his side." She then says looking back at Fuegoleon.

"That is if he wishes so too?" Julius says looking back at the Crimson Lion captain.

"Of course. However our guest feels most at home. Then you will join my squad."

On the way out (Your Name) was shown to Owen to help mend the scars. The wings would have to heal over time.

"So you really don't know how to get back home?" Fuegoleon curiously asks the fairy as she looked around the kingdom.

"Not one clue but I don't mind. It is a beautiful place where I come from but, rules were super strict there. It doesn't seem to bad here. And if nothing works out I can always find my way home in nature." She assured him as they head to the market.

He doesn't say anything else as they shopped around the market so she could find her essentials. Observing her Fuegoleon could see she was a free spirit and nothing was holding her back as she helped a lot of the commoners.

He saw that she noticed a little girls flowers were dying. (Your Name) wriggled her fingers as yellow sparks came out and the flowers grew 10x healthier.

By sunset he would have to tell his squad that another member joined.

Dinner time came and the hall was rowdy as usual, he silenced the hall and made a few announcements.

"As many of you guys know now we have a new edition for the Crimson Lions. I would like you to welcome (Your Name)."

Curiously she hid behind him and poked her head out. "It seems as she is shy in larger groups that draw attention."

"I won't disappoint, please treat me kindly." She then says and gives a small smile.

"ANIUE! Something about her seems so dreamy. How did we get so lucky!" Leopold yells excited for the new member.

"I wonder the same." Fuegoleon says as the hall went back to a loud musical room.

"What troubles you?" (Your Name) asks as they entered his private quarters. Although it seemed scandalous Fuegoleon was drawn to her since the first time he set eyes on her.

"Just work, you are welcome to stay until the guest bedroom is prepared."

She walked from behind him and grabbed his two shoulders and laid him down on her lap. "It's about the demons right?"

Fuegoleon didn't even question how she knew but he nodded. Running her hands through his hair and braiding them she hummed. "Don't worry. Even the fairies fear them but that doesn't mean there isn't hope and courage." She soothes him as he closes his eyes and embrace the moment.

"You have trouble sleeping because you're afraid you won't wake up again when you were in a coma. It was dark and scary for you." (Your Name) says as he sighs.

"It scares me how much you know about me. It seems like you're the only who understands." Fuegoleon says as he looks up to her hues.

"Don't trust all fairies you come across not all of them are like me." She warns slightly.

"What if I don't wanna met any other fairy when I have one already?" He questions and she laughs kissing his forehead.

He was a grown men but physically touch hadn't been in his library to do list in a long time. Fuegoleon liked how gentle she was with him. "Are all fairies like this?"

"Hmm maybe, maybe not. I put a spell to make you sleepy. Get some rest." She whispers as he drifted off only remembering her looking down at him.

It had been a few months since (Your Name) was welcomed to the Clover Kingdom and she learned the culture simply fast as she fit in hiding her nature identity.

Fuegoleon and everyone that were magic knights were having a celebration. There would be a feast and party along with music and games it was a celebration for all their hard work and a break to have some fun.

He really wanted to invite (Your Name) as a date but was to shy to ask. Usually he was very straightforward but something about her made him smitten.

"What's wrong Aniue?" Leopold ask as they trained one morning. "Something on your mind?"

"It's nothing concentrate on your target don't get distracted!"

"FUEGOLEON!" (Your Name) yelled running towards them carrying a basket of fruits and flowers. Her dress flowing as her hair wrapped tight in a flower crown.

"Aniue watch out!" Leopold shoots as Fuegoleon fell onto the floor. "Ha! I knew it! You were distracted and I got you!" The younger Vermillion cheered.

(Your Name) helped Fuegoleon up as she then patted Leopold head. "Good job little one."

"Thanks! Well I'll leave y'all two to be!" He says running off giving Fuegoleon a wink.

The older Vermillion grumbled and looked towards (Your Name). "Your day off?"

"Yeah I went out and picked some stuff up!" She showed him the different varieties of fruits and flowers, placing a white one in his hair.

"You have a question for me?"

"Huh no I don't!" He denied and looks away as she giggles. "Yes you do. Just ask me. What is it?"

He sighed in defeat. There was no hiding from her. "Well we are having a Magic knights celebration and I wanted to bring you as my date..."

"I'll go! I was going to go anyways."

"But you'll go as my date?"

"Yes I will!" She assured and walks past him to set the fruits down in the dining hall. He grinned like a teenage boy and followed right after.

That night there were many people out and (Your Name) had a bright smile on her face. She was fascinated with the food and music that were surrounding her.

Fuegoleon smiled down at her as she pointed to many different things.

"Fuegoleon." Nozel says from behind as they turned around. "I see this is the commoner you've had in your squad.. you've been hiding her. No one know what she looks like."

(Your Name) looks at Nozel up and down and says "Aren't you his rival? Interesting."

"Why does she speak to me like we are the same level?" He sneers looking down at her and she tilts her head.

"I'm the fae he's been keeping a secret. I'm pretty sure we know who's more of a higher status." She then says and excuse herself.

Fuegoleon sighs and gives Nozel a look. "Seriously?"

"Hmph shes a know it all I see."

"You don't know how literate she can be sometimes." Fuegoleon says and smiles at her back as she plays with Leopold and his friends.

"So she isn't a commoner but rather a fae. Quite interesting how you came across one. I've never seen one in real life."

"Me too, she told me they aren't allowed to show themselves but she stuck here now. (Your Name) doesn't know how to get back home."

There was silence between the two as the two royal men watched her curiosity along side making new connection with other Magic Knights.

"So no one knows?"

"Only a few people know. She knows things on her own. She knew about my coma, the elves and demons. She even transformed Julius back for a few minutes."

Nozel eyes widen and then narrowed. "You sure she isn't a spy?"

"I highly doubt it."

Although she was Fuegoleon date she couldn't help but venture off and get to know more people.

"You are Nozel younger sister." She says to Noelle as the young teen watches Asta and Leopold afar dance to the music.

"I-I'm royalty yes!" She blushes at the older women. Noelle felt a sense safe in her presence, almost like a motherly figure.

"You like him." (Your Name) looks at Asta and smirks.

"I do not!"

Grabbing Noelle hands they dance together with Leopold and Asta. Noelle shy at first blushes and looks down but gains confidence because (Your Name) guided her.

"Ahh Noelle!" Asta yells as he and Leopold connects arms with her. "Yuno! Mimosa come join us!"

(Your Name) backed away and watched from afar, they seem happy.

A arm snakes around her waist as she looks up to find Fuegoleon watching the kids. She smiles at him and grabs his hand. "Let's dance too. We are known to like music and dancing."

He hesitantly follows. "I'm not sure about dancing."

"Just follow my steps." She encourages as he nods and follows her pace.

There was a comfortable silence between the two as they moved back and forth the ballroom. Looking around (Your Name) saw a lot of people were staring at them. She shyly hid her face in his chest.

"Why are people staring at us?"

He chuckles and takes the initiative moves now, twisting her around to wrap his arm around her.

"It's because they are jealous. I haven't been seen out with a lady in a long time."

Turning herself back around she touched his chest. "You are nervous, your heartbeat is fast."

He takes her hands with his and kisses it lightly. "You can see everyone else's feelings but always deny mine."

(Your Name) blushes and grip his hand tighter.

"I do know your feelings. I make you feel like a teenage boy chasing after a girl."

"Well if you put it that way..."

"You aren't allowed to be with someone not royal. Isn't that by law."

Fuegoleon smile fades as he caress her scar back and pushes some of her hair out of her face to see the little tiny pointy ears before hiding them again.

"You already know I don't care about status. I don't care what other people think about us either."

"Fuegoleon has been smitten over me since the first day we might." She teases as he grins a bit.

Pushing herself up she brings him down for a kiss that shook the entire kingdom.

"Does that answer your question?" She asks as he sheepishly nods and gives her another kiss.

"Oh I might go blind." Nozel says in disgust as he slightly smiles for his rival.

"Tch that means it's time for you to find yourself a girl." Mereoleona says crossing her arms and watching the two new lovers embrace in the crowd.

"As if, no one here is worthy!"

"Worthy of the braid." Yami cuts in as Nozel sends him death glares.

Meanwhile on the side Charlotte is staring at Yami hoping it would be them one day.

"Let's go aniue! I knew it was from the start!" Leopold cheers running between them and hugging (Your Name).

The night came to an end perfectly for them as the two new lovers left impatiently to discovering new beginnings.

[mediocre-writerr]

supermarket flowers [jamie taylor]

Jamie Taylor x fem reader

Requested:  We all know flowers are one of Jamie’s love languages so she likes giving the reader flowers as gifts to tell her things and to mark points in their relationship (bonus if one time it’s the reader that gives jamie flowers)

*not my gif*

Saying that Bly Manor is beautiful would be an understatement: the amazing architecture, the people, but especially the gardens. 

But you maybe a little bias on that front because of Jamie...the beautiful beautiful gardener and your beautiful wife. 

And it all started when your sister Dani got the au pair job. Obviously, you had to get a job there as well, you couldn’t live in Bly without having a job. So you took up an apprentice job with Owen as his little chef in training. That’s how you two met. 

“You see we don’t use a hand mixer in this house because of the glucose levels in the dough. They need to be in tip top shape or else they won’t taste as good.” Owen explains and you’re about to respond when a beautiful brunette walks into the room. 

Your eyes never left her figure as she walked into the kitchen, barely acknowledging your assistance, “What is that?” she asks. 

“We’re making dough for our pizza tonight!” Owen exclaims, “I was just giving Y/N here a quick lesson dough chemistry.” 

She finally locks eyes with yours and you’re drowning in them. Her beautiful brown eyes were captivating. And it was up to you if you decided you wanted to sink or swim. There was a spark there and she had to have felt it too. 

“Although, I’m sensing this dough is not the only thing that has chemistry.” Owen says with a little smirk on his face. 

You laugh nervously, speechless as what to say, “I’m Jamie,” the gardener says extending her hand out and you gratefully accept it.

There were sparks, electricity coursing through your body at this point and Jamie releases a deep breath, “Y/N Clayton, Dani’s little sister.” 

“Oh so you’re Little Poppins.” she says with a smirk and you chuckle at the nickname, “Or should I call you Chef Poppins?” she adds on.

“Either one is fine with me thank you.” you smile at her and she nods her head.

“Alright then, I have some more flowers and bushes to tend to.” Jamie says and leaves to go back to the garden.

You turn back to look at Owen and he’s smiling at you, “Awe you’re still blushing.” he says poking your cheek before getting back to kneading the dough. 

Flash forward to five years later and now you’re married as happier than you ever thought you could be despite everything that happened. 

Bly was an interesting case to say the least. The whole Lady in the Lake situation was quite a scary scene. We lost Hannah and day by day Dani is losing herself. But you still have her here, your sister is still here with you and that’s all the matters right now. 

You found yourself at the farmer’s market. Jamie was back at The Leafling helping everyone who wants flowers. You had big news for her and wanted to give her a flower to show your love. You just had to find the perfect one. 

All of your relationship Jamie has taught you so much about flowers. The most intriguing part of it to you was all of the various meanings. 

You stood in the kitchen as you began to cut the pizza you and Owen made for everyone into slices. Owen was tossing all of the salad together as Hannah was making the tea. 

Flora, Dani, and Miles were setting the table up. Jamie comes walking in with a handful of different colorful flowers. 

“Flowers for delivery!” Jamie announces and Flora squeals in excitement, “Here ya go Flora.” 

Jamie hands her Flora’s own flower before giving one to Miles. You though it was sweet that she was giving the children flowers. But your joy turned into a quick confusion when you realized that she was giving everyone one. 

“Is this still a gerbera daisy?” Flora asks putting her flower in a vase. 

You saw small little vases lined up along the window sill with everyone’s names on it. You didn’t notice until now that both you and Dani have your own little vase. A small smile started forming on your face. 

“Yes it is, do you remember what it means?” Jamie asks staring at Flora intently.

“Of course I do! It means innocence, cheerfulness and joy!” Flora exclaims and she smiles at the young girl before giving a nod.

“Nice job little rascal.” she says booping her nose before handing you your flower. 

You are presented with a beautiful flower they were pink and very swirly in the middle of it, “What kind of flower is this? And what does mine mean?” you ask realizing that everyone had different flowers probably all meaning different things. 

She smiles to herself before putting a bite of salad in her mouth and eating it. After she finished eating she clears her throat, “It is a ranunculus, also known as buttercups. It symbolizes charm, radiance, and attraction.” she whispers the last part, but everyone at the table heard.

You smile to yourself looking into those beautiful brown eyes before looking down to take a bite of pizza. Dani nudges you and mouths the words ‘Oh my god!’ as you smile at your sister. 

“Seems like Jamie pepper-only has eyes for Y/N.” Owen murmurs and the whole table groans in response, but as you catch Jamie’s eye she sends you a wink. 

You’ve searched this whole farmer’s market twice to try and find the flower you’re looking for. But none of them seemed to be the right match. How hard is it to find daisies? It’s not that hard they’re in season and they’re all over The Leafling, but I can’t take it from the store. 

However, you did come across pink carnations. A flower you know very well and is embedded deep into your heart.

You and Jamie have been dating for about six months now and each day your relationship is growing stronger and stronger.

“Someone looks excited for their date tonight!” Dani teases as she walks into your shared bedroom.

You look over yourself in the mirror and show her your outfit, “Yay or nay?” you ask as you do a little spin.

“You look beautiful Y/N!” she says as she embraces you in a hug, “Well you always look beautiful, but Jamie is gonna love it. If she breaks your heart, I’ll end her.”

You pat your sister on the shoulder, “Dani I love you, but we all know that she will beat the living shite out of you.” you say trying mimick Jamie’s British accent.

She laughs and nods, “Yeah you’re right! But still!”

There was a knock on the door and Dani let out a little squeal. She opened the door and revealed the beauty that is Ms. Jamie Taylor. 

“Hello Poppins, is Little Poppins here?” she asks and you smile at the nickname. 

“Yes she is right here.” Dani opens the door a little wider and Jamie steps in with a bouquet of flowers in her hand. 

She looks at you up and down before smiling at you, “You look absolutely beautiful. These are for you.” she says and you smile taking them from her.

“Thank you. What’s the story behind these?” you ask sniffing them before placing them in a vase that you always keep by your bedside now. 

“The story is for a later time, in more private.” Jamie says sneaking a glance at Dani who was still standing there with a big smile on her face. 

“Oh me! Right! I’ll see you when you get back!” Dani exclaims as she pushes you out of the door. 

You get into Jamie’s car as she drives you into the little village of Bly. She knows a nice little restaurant that she has grown to love. As she parked the car she leans over the middle console and places a soft kiss to your lips. 

“Wait here, I’m gonna grab our food.” Jamie says.

Before you can ask her what the plan was for tonight she left the car and went into the restaurant. Your head was spinning from the kiss. It may have been a short and sweet kiss, but it was still intoxicating. 

Every kiss with Jamie no matter how short or soft it was, it still had so much passion and love behind it. Every day you find yourself falling more and more in love with the gardener. You haven’t told her yet, but gosh you loved this girl more than life itself. 

Jamie came back into the car with a bag full of food. She placed it into the back seat and started the car back up again, “Where are we going love?” you ask her.

“Back to the manor of course. I know a little spot we can eat there.” she says before intertwining your fingers together. 

The two of you made it back to Bly and you went to the greenhouse. You meet there every morning and share a small coffee before you have to get to work. You placed yourself on the couch as she sat down next to you placing another kiss to your lips. 

The two of you started eating as you embarked on the most simple yet beautiful conversations. As you two finished eating you look at her with a smirk on your face.

“What?” she asks smiling back. 

“The story behind the flower you never told me.” you say sitting criss-cross applesauce on the couch and turning to face her. 

She laughs nervously, probably the first time you’ve ever seen her nervous, “Carnations, a lot of people don’t like them and I don’t know why. In my opinion, they’re beautiful. But they mean fascination and new love. Which is what I feel about you. However, it’s not new love. It’s love that I’ve felt since the first time I laid eyes on you. I love you Y/N Clayton.” she says and you smile at her widely.

“I love you Jamie Taylor.” you whisper back.

You didn’t think her smile could widen even more, “Fuck yeah.” she whispers. 

She crashes her lips onto yours as you thread your fingers through her hair. You place your hand on the back of her neck pulling her as close to you as possible. Her body pressed against yours and you were drunk off of her love and kisses.

Your big brick of phone began to ring from your purse. You took it out and answered it already knowing it was one of two people, “Hello?” you ask as you pull out of your parking spot in the farmer’s market.

“Hi darling,” you hear Jamie’s voice fill the phone. 

“Hello my love, what’s up?” you ask as you begin your drive to your little apartment about The Leafling. 

“Are you still at the farmer’s market?” she asks.

“No why? Do you need something?” you answer. 

“Yes unless you got more cereal at the farmer’s market.” Jamie replies.

You chuckle slightly at the sarcasm, “I’ll stop at the supermarket and grab a couple boxes. How’s Dani?” you ask.

Dani has been living in your guest bedroom of the apartment. Jamie doesn’t mind knowing how much she means to you and how much Dani means to her. Whatever the hell went down at Bly was really taking a toll and you just want to be there to take care of her and keep an eye on her as much as you can. 

“She’s having a good day today. She has helped out with the shop, there was a little jump when she looked into the window, but I helped her out.” she explained and you nodded sighing a little bit, “She’s gonna be okay.” Jamie reassured you already reading your mind.

Your sister mentioned that something was gonna take over one day. And it already started back up again. She’s scared and so are you. She was the only family you have ever known and you don’t know what you’re gonna do if she goes. 

“I hope so. I’ll see you when I get home.” you say.

“Okay love, drive safe. I love you.” she says and you smile at those three little words.

“I love you more.” you respond before hanging up and making your way to the supermarket.

“Jamie, baby, where are we going?” you ask as her hands covers your eyes guiding you to a small little place in the gardens of Bly. 

“Shh-it’s a surprise love. You’re not supposed to know that’s the whole point of a surprise she expresses and you internally roll your eyes, “I can sense that eye roll.” she says and you giggle lightly. 

“How did you know?” you ask laughing.

“Y/N, we’ve been dating for three years now. Of course I know when you’re rolling your eyes.” she explains and you laugh even more.

She releases her hands from your eyes to see a beautiful secluded area with a beautiful flower growing on the bush. The moonlight hitting it just right causing to have this sort of glow effect. 

“That right there is a moonflower. It’s a lot of effort, but it’s worth it.” she explains from behind you as she’s sitting on a small bench. 

There’s a nice little picnic basket set on the ground in front of her. You go and sit down next to her, the cool air brushing against your skin causing goosebumps to form on your arm.

Jamie immediately notices your chilliness and wraps her arm around your waist. She pulls you deep into your side and you smile softly, resting your head on her shoulder. Jamie reaches down slowly to open the picnic basket revealing another bouquet of flowers.

“Hey I actually know these ones!” you exclaim as she pulls out the bouquet of tulips. 

She laughs before handing them to you, “Yeah a little too cheesy for my taste, but I thought it was fitting for this.” 

“For what?” you ask and she smiles shyly.

“This.” she says softly before getting on knee in front of you and pulling out a ring.

You release a small little gasp before a huge smile breaks out onto your face, “Tulips mean true love, never in a million years Y/N did I ever think I’d find someone like you. My life has been filled of exhaustive people, but you made all this effort and time worth it. And I want it to last longer. I want this feeling to last a lifetime and even after. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

Small tears were falling down both of your cheeks. Nothing sad, but everything happy. You cup her cheeks wiping away the falling tears and smile at her. 

“It would be my honor.” you whisper to her and she nods. 

“Yeah?” she asks smiling so wide and it’s so bright you think you might go blind.

“Yeah.” you let out and she immediately crashes her lips onto yours. 

When you pull apart she slides the ring onto your finger. The two of you rest your foreheads together, the smile never fading. 

You reach the supermarket and immediately go to the cereal aisle. You reach up getting Dani’s favorite cereal and Jamie’s favorite. When you’re about to check out your eyes are caught by a bouquet of flowers. 

The white little daisies that you have been looking for were right there. Jamie always rants about how much she hates supermarket flowers since they have loads of bad things, but you need these flowers to surprise her. You also see anemones, something that would be perfect for Dani. 

You grab both of those bouquets and place them in your basket. After you checkout you make the drive to The Leafling. Opening the door of The Leafling you see Dani standing there, sweeping up the floors. 

“Hi welcome to The Leafling!” Dani says with some enthusiasm and you laugh.

“It’s me Dani.” you say and she laughs.

“Oh hi Y/N!” she says embracing you in a hug. 

She takes some grocery bags from your hand and helps you bring them upstairs, “Where’s Jamie?” you ask.

“She went to go grab something from the hardware store. Something about not having the right screwdrivers.” she explains and you nod. 

The two of you proceed to put all the groceries away. Once you’re finished you grab the blue anemones from the bag you had and gave them to her.

“These are for you.” you whisper and she smiles widely.

“Thank you Y/N! They’re beautiful! What do these ones mean?” she asks and you chuckle. 

You take Dani’s hand in yours and give it a small squeeze, “I know you’re struggling Dani. Everything that happened at Bly, what happened to you. You’re my best friend even if Jamie is my wife you will always be my best friend. I don’t want to lose you Dan.” you whisper tears glistening in your eyes, “These mean protection against evil. I can’t lose you.” 

She takes you into a big tight hug. Dani holds you close as she rubs your back, “I’m gonna be okay Y/N/N. I promise.” 

“Good because you need to be here to meet your niece or nephew.” you whisper and she pulls back from the hug staring at you. Her eyes wide and her mouth agape in shock, “Jamie and I tried the IVF thing that came out. It was a lot of money, but it was worth a shot. I went to the doctor’s before the farmer’s market and it worked Dani.” 

Dani immediately hugs you again before letting out a squeal, “No way!” she exclaims, “I am so happy for you!” 

“Thank you!” you say smiling and letting out a small chuckle. 

The front door unlocks and you know that Jamie is home. She notices the two of you sitting on the couch as she proceeds to wave at the two of you. Jamie puts away her bag of department store gear into the respectable places before noticing the supermarket daisies on the counter.

“Love, how many times do I have to tell you about supermarket flowers?” she asks finally coming over to sit with you guys.

She gives you a chaste kiss and you smile into it. Then she makes her way to Dani before ruffling her hair, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find them at the farmer’s market. Plus I couldn’t take them from the store. They are for you.” you mention and she smiles. 

“For me?” she asks intertwining your hands together and you nod, “What’s the story?” 

“Well I remember you telling me that daisies mean innocence, purity, new beginnings-” you begin before she cuts you off.

“And motherhood.” she whispers barely audible and you nod a huge smile on your face.

“I’m pregnant Jamie.” you say and she looks at you like her eyes are about to pop out of her head. 

“Baby really?” she asks her voice breaking a little and her lips quirk up into a smile.

“Yes really. You’re gonna be a mom Jamie.” you say nodding and she immediately kisses you deeply and passionately. 

She places her hand gently on your stomach before leaning down to talk to him or her, “Hey little fella. I’m your other mom. I can’t wait to meet you.” 

8 - m o n t h s - l a t e r

You found yourself at the farmer’s market yet again, your baby bump now visible and you were due any minute now. 

Your phone began to ring and you immediately answered, “Hello love?” you ask.

“Y/N...” you hear from the other line, Jamie’s voice was somber and you can tell that she has been crying. 

“What’s wrong? What happened?” you ask. 

“I think we need to drive to Bly.” she whispers into the phone.

“What? Why? Jamie what’s going on?” you ask frantically making your way straight to the car, whatever you needed to buy was long forgotten. 

“It’s Dani.” she whispers on the other line and you felt your heart drop into your stomach. 

So the two of you found yourself at Bly once more. The lake looking more and more ominous as you stared at it. Jamie kicks off her shoes and starts making her way into the lake. 

Jamie shouldn’t have to do this. It’s you. You’re the one who needs to do this, but you can’t. The lake is far too cold and the weather outside wouldn’t help the baby’s health either. 

A few moments later Jamie resurfaces from the water. She finds herself on the shore as you immediately wrap a towel around her. Tears flowing down her eyes before she shakes her head. 

You let out a sob as she hold you tight. Your sister was gone. 

Two weeks later you found yourself at the cemetery in Bly. It was small, but the two of you thought it was fitting. Owen, Henry, Flora and Miles were all there with you. 

All six of you stared at the grave before placing flowers onto the tombstone. Jamie thought we should put crocuses onto the grave. It means hope after darkness. After struggling for so long, hopefully this allows her to find rest. 

She was buried right by Hannah. Two people you lost to weird place that is Bly Manor. 

1 - m o n t h - l a t e r

You sat on the hospital bed holding your newborn baby in your arms. Jamie is standing there smiling at you widely. 

After all the darkness and craziness that has been happening, this was the first time you felt hope in a long time. Even though your sister isn’t here physically, you know she’s always here. 

“Welcome to the world Danielle Hannah Clayton.” you and Jamie whisper. 

The name seemed fitting and you couldn’t help, but feel lighter. She leans over and gives you a small kiss to her forehead. 

White jasmine flowers in a vase by the window sill. It means unconditional and eternal love. Jamie picked out the flowers yet again.

It had to be your favorite of all.

The unconditional and eternal love that you and Jamie felt towards each other. The unconditional and eternal love you felt towards your newborn daughter. And the unconditional and eternal love that you, Jamie, and now your daughter Dani felt for the two people you lost. 

They aren’t here physically, but you know they’re always here besides you.