#maybe a final ep table read

[hawkinslibrary]

[humanmorph]

btw if anything whack (read: extremely wild) happens in palisade tell me. just if not what

[agatharkn3ss]

Lilia Calderu is extremely important (Spoilers)

Lilia says in ep.5 that she "reads people" and she "reads time". But she is much more than that, she just doesn't know it yet.

I believe Lilia Calderu is Fate itself - or Fate of this coven at least.

You can see the background of Patti's end credit is the tarot table. This is going to be her air trial in episode 7. But do you also see the word "Fate"? Circled in red?

Now... Doesn't that remind you of something? Like maybe... "Circle sewn with Fate"?

Oh and what else does Lilia do? That's right, her side hustle "Lilia's Leggings"! The motif of sewing around Lilia is repeated throughout episode 2 - she has a sewing machine in her kitchen/bedroom and when she starts singing the ballad, there are big thread spools in her background. Could they be any more obvious?

Without Lilia, there would be no coven. She is the one who sends the list of names to her past self so that they can form their circle.

I am convinced she will do this as part of her trial. She will be doing a tarot reading and sending messages to the past events, trying to find the right time - just as she uncovers her tarot cards - and yes, that's including the broken line "Alice don't try to save Agatha".

If you want to know more about how I think those messages will be send, I have described the detail in this post.

The tarot cards that have been used so far give us insights into the story - not just because of their tarot meanings, but also because the images on those cards correspond exactly to the moments when Lilia said their names out loud.

These are the scenes as seen through Fate's eyes.

Three of Pentacles has the coven singing the Ballad. Three of Swords is the moment before Teen is healed - they are in the woods, on the purple Road and Lilia sees Agatha's heart being broken three-fold (because of Rio, Nicky and now Teen). High Priestess is exactly how Lilia first met Jen - with the rays coming out of the painting behind her. And finally, the Knight of Wands is standing in exactly the same stance as Alice was when she saved Agatha.

The rest of the cards, although not named in the show yet, will likely make appearance in her trial. Queen of Cups bears striking resemblance to young Lilia. Death is holding a dagger and a black heart, and is surrounded by flowers... And finally, there is the Tower card. Which is going to be about the her tarot (Air) trial.

You can read more about my predictions on how her episode 7 trial will go in this post.

But essentially, the members of the coven will be dressed up as the evil witches from the pop culture, while Lilia will be in white - like Glinda the Good Witch. So it looks like Lilia will need to confront those negative stereotypes yet again. She will also understand, that although she predicted tragedies in the past, she actually has the power to predict something good, even control it.

There will be swords sticking out of the ceiling and falling down to the floor - probably serving as a time reminder. You can see those swords in the poster above too. There is another poster - that resembling the cover of "The Crucible" - a play about the Salem witch trials. Again, we see the "thread" elements clearly here.

Unfortunately, we know that Salem Seven manage to get inside the trial too. I think once Lilia completes her task to finish the tarot reading and deliver the list to the past, she will then flip the sand timer - another reminder that she can, in fact, control time. Unfortunately, flipping the timer will also mean that the whole tower room they are in, will also flip upside down. We see Lilia and Salem Seven floating up. Sadly, I think that means that they will end up impaled on those swords? We can't see anyone else from the coven.

The Tower card seems to suggest people floating, but there is also a blue crown being toppled off the top. I wonder what that means for Billy.

That last shot breaks my heart!

But to finish on a different note, there is even more to Lilia Calderu.

You see, every tarot card has this little squiggle in the corner. Looks familiar?

I believe, after all this, that it is Lilia who puts the sigil on Teen - again, this maybe done in retrospect, when she sends her messages from the future. She knows that Teen's identity must be hidden or Agatha never becomes interested in what he has to say. And maybe others' decisions would change too if they knew. Maybe he needs protecting from the Salem Seven, because he is the son of the Scarlet Witch (that Salem witches call the Harbinger of Chaos and wanted to attack Wanda). Or even protection from Lady Death herself - because if she found out he was literally a ghost, reincarnated, she would want the body to restore the order?

So, in her true style, she literally SEWS the sigil onto Billy's mouth.

Lilia Calderu, what a legend. She is FATE.

[jadeee]

Living with Nanami

I get the feeling there'll be a part 2... I've never done anything note motivated but maybe if this gets 100 notes I will 👀 -> update: read part 2 here!

He habitually wipes the bathroom countertop after using the sink. It's ingrained in him. We all saw that ep in season 1.

Definitely has a modern aesthetic which when paired with yours is very... interesting. He'll eye whatever knick knacks you have in silence, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Your feet felt warm on the multi-colored rug you placed in front of the couch. The walls were decorated with art you picked out, a few pops of green from your many plants here and there. Then there was the odd trinket you found from a thrift store years ago which stood upright on the coffee table. The longer he studied the color blocked sections of your bookshelf, the more his set mouth morphed into an impressed smile. Your hands brushed against each other until he took yours in his completely.

His pet peeve would definitely be little bits of trash scattered throughout the house. He's not passive aggressive but he won't lash out or lecture you. Just a little "Darling, I noticed you forget to throw things out sometimes. Why is that?"

Another pet peeve I see for him is walking around brushing your teeth or flossing 💀 if you walk down the hall flossing, he just imagines bits of plaque flying onto the walls silently. I'm not sure if he'd say anything about this because he thinks you may find it silly and he knows it's not a big deal but a piece of him shudders just a bit.

Always has pads, tampons, and pain relief meds in stock. He'll get the special snacks you like around that time of the month. Whenever it hits you, he's there with everything prepped and ready to go. I imagine he'll secretly want you to ask him for cuddles just so he can spoon you 💗 he rests his hands on your low abdomen while talking to you softly, his breath tickling your ear.

Side note: He doesn't get into the habit of carrying these things around until one day you two are out and you're period suddenly comes out then he goes on the hunt for a pad or tampon.

He's very serious about going to sleep at a certain time and is lowkey bothered when he sees you staying up late - if it's for work, okay fine but if you're up on your phone or watching TV, expect a "you should really go to bed". If you're being a brat and he's really serious, he will haul you off to bed. He wants to give you a peck on the cheek so you know he's not mad but he won't because he's feeling petty.

The place would look very clean and organized nearly all the time except for the weekends. I believe in this 100% because Friday night is when he finally let's loose just a bit. Maybe he had too much to drink when you two went out but you look so cute and you smell so good and my God, your lips... Saturday morning rolls around and so does he in the sheets. His arms wrap around you as he groans softly against your skin, nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck. He knows the place is a bit messy but would rather clean tomorrow since he wants to spend the day with you.

Cleaning is a shared effort. He's not doing all the work and neither are you. I love him and I know he's all for taking care of you but I feel like realistically, this would truly be a shared task. Doing dishes can suck and so can cleaning the bathroom but it's enjoyable when you're playing your music. When he hauls the laundry off to the washing machine, he can't help but look in your direction and smile at the private show you're putting on for yourself.

No matter who cooks, dishes are typically done together. I think it'd become a tradition to bake on Saturdays. Ohh some cake with wine in the afternoon? You two sitting on the porch just giggling and talking about nothing and everything inbetween. Then when golden hours hits and the sun just casts that heavenly glow on you.

Kento leans back with a soft grin on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" you block the sun from your face.

"My light, my life."

Heat filled your cheeks as you dropped your head and crossed your legs.

Kento chuckled, "Did I make you nervous?"

"No." you snicker then glance up at him.

He filled your empty glass, "You're a better baker than you are a liar."

You grinned then looked off into the sunset to hide your embarrassment but it only highlighted the things Nanami loved about you.

He doesn't go to sleep mad or upset. He doesn't have the space for it or the time or the energy. Your relationship isn't perfect but it's worth fighting for and he makes sure to do that whenever you two have a fight. If you're both home that night, he won't invade your space but he'll make sure to let you know he cares in some way. Say you fall asleep on the couch? You're going to wake up in the bed and wonder how he ended up on the couch instead. If you haven't eaten, he'll bring you a small snack without saying anything.

This is really random but the security would honestly be multi-layered. Definitely a self insert bc home invasions TERRIFY ME 😭 he'd invest in a good alarm system and have the security cameras outside - yes, cameras to cover the front and back door.

Hmm, what else? Oh you'd have house shoes by the door. I like to think someone bought you two matching ones as a wedding gift or couple themed - like his and hers.

Fun fact: Sharing a bed with you the first night was weird for him. He didn't feel uncomfortable but he didn't feel comfortable either. He just laid there like a man in a coffin.

"Nanami?"

"Hm?" he turned his head to glance at you in the dark.

"Are you ok?"

"... I'm fine, why do you ask?"

The sound of you moving around made his ears turn pink and he was grateful for the dark for once. "You just seem so," he tried not to grunt when you poked his side "stiff."

"Hm, it's really nothing. You should go to sleep."

More rustling he wished would go away. Each second caused a slow heat to creep from his feet to his face.

"Can I hold you?"

He turned his head again then glanced up at the black ceiling. A sigh escaped his lips as he rolled over. Your limbs found each other in the dark and you rested your head near his. His chest deflated of anxiety then.

"Is this better? Do you feel comfortable?"

The sudden feel of lips against your forehead made you smile.

"Yes," he said softly then held you tight until he fell asleep.

Author's Note: I only saw him as the husband while writing this. You're already married in this headcanon.

[wiltedprayers]

i know Bastogne is universally recognized as the Best band of brothers episode and listen, I get it and also agree in the sense that the story portrayed is the most interesting and overall it's incredibly well written. but I'd just like to point out the excellence that's episode 5, "Crossroads."

(Crossroads is the episode that focuses the most on Dick Winters — ep 1, 2, and later 10 also do but it's not as centralized as it is here — We follow Dick through an anachronistic series of events, and the episode ends with E company moving towards Bastogne. It's directed by Tom Hanks.)

I love this episode because of all the different creative choices it has and how it stands out visually and sonically in comparison to all the other eps. so in technical aspects, it's my favorite of the bunch. this distinction is exemplary in the sequences that go from Dick writing his report quietly in his office to him leading the attack on the SS companies. It's very interesting to me how loud and obnoxious the typing gets for both Dick and the audience after a while; in the battlefield, there's nothing to pull Dick out of his concentration, always the focused leader. he has a mission to do, and he intends to carry it out as smoothly as possible (as seen in this episode). in the office, though, he's distracted, losing track of time, almost physically feeling the noises of the typewriter as if it was the sound of a gun going off inside his ears.

the back and forth between time periods is amazing. the sound design in this episode is my personal favorite (in a show with explosions and rifles, you wouldn't think a clacking typewriter and a man out of breath would be the reason for this). the combined sounds of Dick writing with the gunshots going off, the change in paragraphs with the tearing of the tape? Dick and the company running towards the enemy (clearly screaming) with nothing but the sounds of their breaths and footsteps making noise? just excellent sound design.

also, the cinematography. I could talk for hours about how good this episode's photography and lighting are. there's this particular moment I love after Alley is shown to be hit and bleeding on the barn table, where we immediately cut to Dick writing about this in his report. it's all about the stark contrast between the lived experience of seeing one of your men badly wounded and then simply writing and reading about it.

the night shots as well. it's very easy to fail in making a night scene both properly lit but also indicative of the time (some shows make it look dark as shit basically), but band of brothers does it well: in the first pic, you only have the moonlight as illumination, which is not much, but it helps to get you into Dick's perspective of having to go through this mission in the depths of night with such a limited field of vision.

there's several night scenes in this episode, most notably the battle on the Crossroads, but also Operation Pegasus, the night Moose is shot, Dick in Paris, and then Easy company going into Bastogne.

finally, the color grading. band of brothers is a strange show that's always changing in its color grading — maybe the different directors had no prior discussion before filming the episodes, as it happened with the writers' room, but I doubt this — nevertheless, Crossroads' color grading stands out, specially in the long-awaited scene of E company charging against the SS companies.

the high contrast of the dark shadows with the desaturated greens (and later reds) make for quite a sight, especially if you compare it to the warmer tones of the present scenes of Dick writing. the show wants you to know how different these moments are for Dick, who under fire is collected and focused but is ultimately crumbling under the bureaucratic pressure.

also I freaking love all the shots and framing of the typewriter. nothing to say other than they're cool as hell.

and this isn't even covering the emotional and character-driven aspects of the story! (that's a post for another day, maybe). for me Crossroads is a masterpiece of an episode in what it means to use camera, lighting, and sound to make your story as immersing as possible; it connects beautifully all technical aspects of filmmaking and, in my opinion, delivers one of the show's best episodes (that's accompanied with a great script.)

[zumicho]

MOUSETRAP! ← IWAIZUMI / AKAASHI SMAU EP18: THE LAST STRETCH ･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄WRITTEN⠂⋆

cw: language, mention of sex

��･ﾟﾟ･ WRITTEN PORTION BELOW ✧･ﾟ: *

— [ slight timeskip ]

approaching the podium, you spot your roommates waiting in the front row, having walked before you—faces lit up with pride. the dean hands you your degree, and you grasp it, feeling its weight, curtly waving at the camera before running off the stage to your friends.

“WE DID IT BITCH!!!!” tanaka’s hollering as bokuto envelops you in a firm hug, kiyoko’s makeup is streaming down her face, noya’s doing cartwheels. they hand you a yearbook; you laugh at the memory—running your thumb over the same area and feeling.. a lump? as you peel back the edge, there’s a light tap to your shoulder. intervened, you turn around.

“h— iwa?” that’s a face you haven’t seen in a bit.

his focus is on his shoes, clearly nervous. his hands disappear into the pockets of his slacks. “hi.” he’s says, stiff. the best part of graduation is the suits, you thirst. whore.

“it’s nice to see y—“

“I was really pissed. not to mention how much I liked you. but that’s no excuse for not giving you a chance to explain. so I’m sorry.” he finally makes eye contact. “also for interrupting you just now.”

“I’m sorry too.” you smile.

he mirrors your expression. “don’t call me iwa ever again.”

“okay.” you elbow him.

he feigns hurt, wincing dramatically. “welcome back, champ.”

“it’s nice to be back.”

from afar, akaashi watches your exchange. he’s known her for less than a year but looks at her like it’s been a lifetime - he thinks to himself. he’s completely and utterly oblivious that he looks at you the exact same way.

haji side-hugs you a goodbye, and keiji walks up to you. in a suit. yummy. “I must've been in the injury zone last time we argued, because you left me breathless." you cringe.

“is that supposed to be a pickup line? a med student pickup line?” you gape at him in disbelief.

he just smirks, the kind that makes you wanna rip it off his pretty face. “you’re like a sports injury: challenging at first, but with the right approach, I know we can heal together."

“quit it.” you kick his ankle playfully. “what’s your point?”

“I didn’t mean to bother you. I just need directions and a chaperone to the nearest cat cafe, is all.”

entertaining him this time, you quip: “what makes you think I’m the right person to ask?”

“it was worth a try.” he shrugs. “you read my letter yet?” akaashi taps the corner of the yearbook clutched to your chest with his pointer finger. peeling back the paper, you find a sticky note folded up diagonally - the same color as the one he left on the table. he holds the book for you as you unstick it open.

we never had sex.

you kissed me and I let you. that’s it.

maybe YOU’RE just ignorant and insensitive,

ms. graduate (woo congrats).

— insufferable

author’s note: 😭 second 😭 to 😭 last 😭 ep 😭

TAGLIST — REPLY/ASK!

@needtoloveoutloud @rory-cakes @minaluvu @tenjikusstuff4 @cherrypieyourface @strawberrygloom1 @bows4life @dreamsofnaughtiness @suitstars @vivianne666 @this-is-me-lolol @kettlepop @giocriedpower @literaleftist @yuminako @kagtobis @wolffmaiden @gsyche @fllavviiaa @guitarstringed-scars @hibernatinghamster @ryuverse @muyyie @gra-eae @phoenix-eclipses @cnnmairoll @neuviloved @reneny @elliott0o0 @girlkissersco @aliensstolemyheart

bolded didn’t tag

😭 lyrics 😭 that 😭 inspired 😭 the 😭 title 😭 we’re 😭 nearing 😭 the 😭 end 😭

most of the music i recommended is nothing i listen to on the regular .. with some exceptions, but UGH IS THIS SONG PERF FOR THEM

[thefreakandthehair]

@eddiemonth prompt, oct 4th: Rejection | Arsonist’s Lullaby - Hozier | Lost a/n: pre-steddie post-s4, angst with soft, happy ending because I'm a marshmallow. un-betaed because I'm challenging myself to write these in under an hour. read on ao3 | link to series on ao3

All Eddie Munson has ever wanted to do is play music. 

That’s it. There are other hobbies, of course, other things that bring him joy– D&D, fantasy novels, art– but ever since he was a kid, whenever a teacher would ask what he wants to be when he grows up, it’s always the same answer. 

I wanna play music. 

As a kid, it seems less daunting. He just has to practice, he just has to play, he just has to have the passion to make it big. To be the next Kirk Hammett, or Eddie Van Halen, or Ozzy Osbourne if he can teach himself to carry a tune. 

Making friends is hard, but he manages to find a few in middle school who can play the instruments he can’t– drums, bass. Eddie takes the role of frontman, not exactly a singer still but he’s charismatic enough to get away with it at their school talent show.

High school comes, and Corroded Coffin is revamped. New vibe, new members. He’s older now, a little more jaded with each rejection. 

No one wants their EP, recorded by hand in Gareth’s garage onto cheap cassette tapes. 

No venue will let them play, and Eddie knows that it’s probably because they’re in high school but hadn’t The Cure started in high school? 

No one believes in them, trying to push them– especially Eddie– to consider more successful careers, safer paths. 

But eventually, they book a regular gig at The Hideout and Eddie’s certain this is it. This is their big break. Until they play week after week, staring at the same five plastered faces every Tuesday. If they can prove themselves though, the owner will have to let them play on a Friday or Saturday.

He never does. 

The final nail in the proverbial coffin comes after Eddie’s final senior year. Being accused of murder should have beefed up his credibility if nothing else– he’s already been traumatized, terrorized, and hunted like a goddamn dog, nevermind almost killed via hoard of angry mutant bats. Surely, he’ll catch at least one break. 

And then the owner at The Hideout tells him he can’t play there anymore. 

The hoards of people who still blame him for Chrissy Cunningham’s death are too much for him to manage himself and, in his words, Eddie’s driving away good business. His heart shatters, his breath catches, and Eddie leaves without a word because if he were to try to speak, all that would come out is either an enraged scream or a choked sob and Eddie doesn’t want to risk either. 

He drives around aimlessly for an unknown amount of time, just circles around the outskirts of Hawkins. Maybe I’ll just leave, he thinks. Indianapolis might be far enough. Maybe Chicago. Fuck it, maybe Argyle and Jonathan can put me up for awhile in California. Eddie wants to go somewhere that makes him forget just how lost he is, how unwanted and forgotten he’s become. Being the social pariah is only fun when he’s making speeches on cafeteria tables, not when it boots him out of his one and only career path. 

Somehow, he ends up in Loch Nora. He can’t face Wayne right now, he doesn’t want to bother Robin or Nancy, he’s already let Jeff, Gareth, and Freak down in the worst way imaginable, and if he goes to his mom’s or Chrissy’s tombstones with one more sob story, he’s afraid they’ll start haunting him. Steve’s become a friend over the last year or so it makes sense. Process of elimination and all of that. 

He doesn’t have the mental bandwidth to realize that he’d started driving that way before he ruled everyone else out. 

Steve welcomes him like he always does and offers him a beer, sitting with him in companionable silence on the couch as they watch Monty Python and The Holy Grail and laugh at the same parts. Eddie knows Steve can see that he’s upset but instead of asking questions Eddie isn’t ready to answer, he just sits a little closer with their thighs touching and one arm strewn over the back of the couch, just barely grazing Eddie’s shoulder. 

The movie ends and Steve moves to switch the tape when Eddie finally speaks up. 

“The Hideout kicked us out. Can’t play there anymore.” 

Eddie sees Steve freeze from behind before turning, his eyebrows knitted together above his nose. “Are you fucking serious?” 

He nods and sighs, lifting one hand to chew on this thumbnail as he looks at the wall beyond Steve. 

“That’s bullshit, dude. Why? Because of the protestors or whatever?” 

He nods again. 

“Want me to go down there? I’ve still got my bat around here somewhere. It might be nice to swing at something that’s not trying to like, eat me.” 

Eddie huffs a small laugh through his nose and meets Steve’s eyes, their righteous anger blending with his own as he sees Steve cross his arms over his chest. It’s hard not to stare. 

 “Well, then at least I wouldn’t be the only guy in this town wanted for murder.” 

Steve shakes his head and just chooses another movie, Howard the Duck this time, before returning to his spot on the couch. It’s one of Eddie’s favorite movies but he can’t focus to save his life because Steve is even closer now, his arm draped fully across Eddie’s shoulders and creating a space for Eddie to easily just… rest. So he does. 

The title sequence starts and Eddie’s head drops to the side, resting on Steve’s shoulder. It’s one of his favorites but he can’t follow the plot to save his life. All he can focus on is the way Steve’s fingers trace symptoms and shapes against the cotton of his tee shirt, and the steady rise and fall of his chest, and the feeling of Steve’s head leaning against the top of his. 

“I had a new song and everything,” Eddie whispers, surprising both himself and Steve. 

Steve hums and tightens his arm around Eddie’s shoulders, a ghost of a hug. “Play it for me sometime?”

All Eddie Munson has ever wanted to do is play music. And maybe he still can.

[starmatzz]

uhhh imagine the members teasing hongjoong about his height in wanteez ep but seonghwa obv teases him the most, calling him short and feeling in charge but the tables turn when the recording is over and ykyk👀

umm yes please🙏🏻 i like the way your brain works😈

Small Victories

hongjoong x seonghwa

smut | mdni

1.9k

Seonghwa’s teasing about Hongjoong’s height takes an unexpected turn, shifting the dynamic between them. What starts as playful banter becomes a moment of tension, vulnerability, and quiet understanding.

nsfw tags under

rough sex, pet names, teasing, stimulation, crying, aftercare, degradation, humiliation, power play, dom!hongjoong, sub!seonghwa

Read on ao3

The members were in the middle of a lively Wanteez episode, laughter filling the room as they prepared for the next game. The task was simple: stand in order from tallest to shortest. Everyone eagerly got into position, but when they looked at Hongjoong, the teasing began.

“Look at this, our leader—finally the shortest one!” Wooyoung teased with a grin, nudging Yunho, who was a head taller.

“Yeah, Hongjoong, you’ve officially been dethroned!” Yeosang chimed in, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

The others joined in, laughter rippling through the group. Hongjoong just shook his head, chuckling at their antics, but there was a flicker of something more behind his eyes—something simmering beneath his usual calm demeanor.

And then, Seonghwa, usually reserved, decided to join in. His voice was playful, yet his eyes gleamed with something more mischievous.

“Seems like you’re the shortest one now,” Seonghwa teased, a smirk tugging at his lips as he glanced at Hongjoong. “Guess the rest of us are just taller… by a lot.”

The others chuckled, but the air between Seonghwa and Hongjoong grew heavier. Hongjoong’s smile tightened, his gaze sharp and unwavering as he looked at Seonghwa. The playful tone of Seonghwa’s words hung in the air, and the sudden shift in Hongjoong’s expression didn’t go unnoticed, though the others continued to laugh, oblivious.

Seonghwa felt the intensity of Hongjoong’s stare, but he kept his composure, shrugging casually and pretending like nothing had changed. “What? It’s just a joke,” he said with a carefree tone, though inside, his heart was pounding a little faster.

Throughout the rest of the episode, Hongjoong avoided Seonghwa’s gaze, his eyes lowering whenever Seonghwa looked his way, his expression guarded. But every so often, Seonghwa would catch a glimpse of Hongjoong’s hooded eyes, the sharp intensity behind them almost palpable. Despite the playful atmosphere, a tension lingered between them, unspoken and unresolved.

After the episode ended, the members went their separate ways, retreating to their own apartments to unwind. Seonghwa, feeling the warmth of a long day settle into his bones, slipped into something comfortable. His pajama set was soft, the fabric hugging him just enough to feel cozy as he settled into his favorite chair. The familiar soundtrack of Animal Crossing filled the room as he absentmindedly moved his character around, his mind wandering.

It was just after 10 PM when the peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by a knock on his door. Seonghwa paused, glancing up with a raised brow. His first instinct was to ignore it—maybe one of the others had forgotten something—but then his gaze drifted to the clock, wondering who could possibly need something this late.

He stood up, stretched, and shuffled to the door, still wrapped in the warmth of his pajamas. As he opened it, the figure standing in the doorway caused his heart to skip a beat.

The air felt heavier as the door to Seonghwa’s room creaked open, revealing Hongjoong leaning against the frame, his sharp gaze locked onto Seonghwa.

“Short, huh?” he murmured, his voice low, almost a challenge.

Seonghwa froze mid-motion, his hand hovering over the desk. “What are you talking about?”

Hongjoong stepped inside, the corner of his lips curling into a smirk, his eyes glinting with something dangerous, unreadable. “You called me short earlier. Thought I’d remind you who you’re talking to.”

The room felt smaller as he closed the distance between them, his presence overwhelming. Seonghwa swallowed hard, his pulse quickening under Hongjoong’s intense stare.

The door clicked shut with a soft finality, and Seonghwa’s attention snapped to Hongjoong.

“What's the matter? You looked so confident before.” Hongjoong’s voice was calm, almost too calm, as he turned the lock with deliberate slowness. The faint click echoed in the room, louder than it should have been.

Seonghwa straightened, his expression unreadable, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. “What are you doing?”

Hongjoong leaned back against the door, arms crossed, his smirk growing. “Just making sure we’re not interrupted,” he replied, his tone casual but carrying an edge sharp enough to cut.

He took a step forward, and Seonghwa could feel the shift in the air, tension rolling off Hongjoong in waves. The way his eyes gleamed, dangerous and playful, made it hard to tell if he was teasing—or serious.

“You’ve got something else to say about me, Seonghwa?” Hongjoong asked, tilting his head. “Say it now.”

Seonghwa shook his head, his breath hitching as Hongjoong took another step closer. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said, his voice quieter than he intended.

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow, his smirk unfaltering. “Didn’t mean anything, huh?” he echoed, the words dripping with mock disbelief. “Funny how it didn’t sound that way earlier.”

Seonghwa’s gaze darted to the locked door, then back to Hongjoong, who now stood just a foot away. The air between them felt charged, like a storm brewing.

Hongjoong had a playful smile on his face as he teased Seonghwa, his voice dripping with mock disappointment. "Well, well, look who's not so confident now that we're alone," he said, pushing Seonghwa onto the bed gently. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he looked down at him, enjoying the sight of him lying there beneath him.

"On all fours." Hongjoong ordered, his voice firm and leaving no room for argument. 

Seonghwa’s breath hitched as the silence stretched between them, the weight of Hongjoong’s gaze unrelenting. He glanced away, but it did nothing to ease the tension curling in his chest.

“Well?” Hongjoong prompted, his tone sharper now, a quiet command that left no room for argument.

Without a word, Seonghwa turned to his knees, his movements deliberate and slow, testing the reaction. His hands met the mattress next, and before he realized it, he was on all fours, his head slightly bowed.

Hongjoong tilted his head, his smirk widening into something unreadable, both amused and satisfied. “Now we’re getting somewhere,” he murmured, his voice carrying a hint of mockery.

Seonghwa didn’t dare look up, his jaw clenched. The situation felt absurd, and yet, the intensity of Hongjoong’s presence left him without the strength to protest.

Hongjoong crouched slightly to bring his face closer to Seonghwa’s level. “What happened to that sharp tongue of yours?”

Seonghwa swallowed hard, his fingers curling against the blanket. “I… didn’t mean to upset you,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Hongjoong chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Didn’t mean to,” he echoed, his tone dripping with playful malice. “Good. Keep that in mind.”

With a swift movement, Hongjoong pulled Seonghwa's pajama pants down. The sudden action made Seonghwa gasp, feeling the cold air brush against his exposed skin. 

"Since I am that short, I don't even need to prepare you, am I right?" he said, voice husky as he unbuckled his belt, kneeling behind Seonghwa. "I bet you won't even feel it."

"Hongjoong—" Seonghwa whined, feeling Hongjoong's hands cup and squeeze his ass. 

"Quiet." Hongjoong ordered, giving the other a sharp slap on his bottom. He watched the skin turn a light shade of pink, smiling in satisfaction. 

"Can I trust you if I ask you not to make a noise?" He leaned closer to Seonghwa's ear, teasingly rubbing his tip up and down Seonghwa's hole. 

Seonghwa's breath hitched in his chest, gripping the blanket under his palms. Not waiting for an answer, Hongjoong covered the other's mouth with one hand as he thrusted into him with one swift move. 

Tears rimmed Seonghwa's eyes as he felt the burn at his entrance, loud screams getting muffled by Hongjoong's hand. The stretch was insane, but he would lie if he said he hadn't experienced this already. 

Hongjoong immediately started to fuck into him, his hips snapping at quick pace. 

"Look at you," he cooed, gripping Seonghwa's shoulder with his right hand, pushing his whole body back against his own roughly. "Making fun of me and my height, yet you are here crying, completely helpless." 

The slapping sounds echoed through the room, and Seonghwa was pretty sure he would be bruised from how tightly was Hongjoong holding him. 

With another sharp thrust, Seonghwa's body fell forward and he buried his face into the pillow. The action earned a chuckle from Hongjoong, who only grabbed his hips with both hands, fingers digging into the soft flesh. 

"Ho-ongjoong.." Seonghwa cried into the pillow, arching his back to allow the younger push deeper, hitting his prostate. 

"Fuck..Hwa.." Hongjoong groaned, pushing his head down into the soft pillow as he continued to snap his hips at an animalistic pace. He felt the tension build up in the pit of his stomach—and by the whimpering sounds of the man under him, he knew he was close too. 

He slapped Seonghwa's ass once again before his hips twitched, the muscles on his thighs tensing up as he came into him. 

The final slap was all Seonghwa needed to cum untouched, making a mess on his blanket with star print on it. 

After catching his breath, Hongjoong pulled out, watching his seed ooze of out Seonghwa's abused hole, dripping on the white sheets. 

"So messy.." he shook his head, turning him around. Despite the tear streaks on Seonghwa's face and his messy hair, Hongjoong only found him more beautiful. The sight of his boyfriend laid out before him, vulnerable and disheveled, sent a surge of affection through him. He leaned down, gently brushing away some of the tangles in Seonghwa's hair and tracing his finger over the tear streaks on his face.

Despite the roughness of his previous actions, Hongjoong couldn't help but soften at the sight of Seonghwa's tear-streaked face. He paused, looking at him with concern, and asked gently, "Did I hurt you?" Leaning closer, he began peppering Seonghwa's face with kisses, his touch becoming gentle and tender. Each kiss was a reassurance, a way of apologizing for any pain he may have caused.

Seonghwa shook his head, holding onto him as his eyes fluttered close. 

"Come on,” he said, his voice softer now, though the command lingered in his tone. “Let’s wash up. You look like you need it.”

He led the way to the bathroom, his presence still commanding even in the quiet of the night.

In the warm light of the bathroom, they moved around each other in comfortable silence, the earlier tension melting away with the sound of running water. Seonghwa splashed his face, stealing glances at Hongjoong as he washed up beside him.

“You’re quiet,” Hongjoong remarked, glancing at him with a faint smirk.

“Just… tired,” Seonghwa muttered, his voice soft but genuine.

Hongjoong chuckled. “Then let’s fix that.”

Once they were done, Hongjoong grabbed a towel and tossed it over Seonghwa’s head, ruffling his hair playfully. Seonghwa protested, swatting him away, but a small smile tugged at his lips.

Back in the room, Seonghwa barely had time to sit before Hongjoong scooped him up with ease, ignoring the surprised yelp.

“Hey!” Seonghwa protested weakly, but Hongjoong only grinned.

“Relax,” Hongjoong murmured, putting him onto the bed and laying him down gently before crawling in beside him. He pulled Seonghwa close, wrapping an arm securely around his waist.

“Better?” Hongjoong asked, his voice low, the edge from earlier completely gone now.

Seonghwa nodded, resting his head against Hongjoong’s chest. “Yeah. Better. And I am sorry for earlier...”

Hongjoong hummed in response, his hand tracing soothing patterns along Seonghwa’s back. "It's fine baby, I know you're a tease." he whispered—never being actually upset about it in the first place. The night settled around them, quiet and warm, the earlier tension replaced by a comforting stillness as they drifted off together.

[niki-phoria]

hello! is it possible if i req a fic based on drunk yeonjun? we all know hes a light weight so maybe the fic can be based around him calling out for his (m!) s/o? then taehyun just gives up and calls him for help😭😭😭 i hope this was understandable?? tysm! 🫶🏻

pairing: yeonjun x male!reader (no pronouns used) genre: fluff word count: 693

includes: probably innaccurate depiction of drunk yeonjun, this gave me an excuse to rewatch the ep so thank you lol, i strive to be as androgynous as this man

a/n: thank you for requesting !! i hope you like it :))

requests open !! read my rules first

you sigh as your phone vibrates violently against your table once again, stealing your attention away from the essay open on your computer screen. you glance back at the block of words before finally giving in and reaching over to grab it. yeonjun’s contact photo lights up the screen making you furrow your eyebrows as you slide to answer the call before pressing it against your ear. “hello?”

“y/n,” taehyun sighs from over the other line. 

“is everything okay?”

“yeah, yeah, we’re fine,” he says. in the background you can hear the muffled noises of some sort of scuffle. “i’m really sorry to ask but yeonjun’s a little drunk and he’s been asking for you.”

you chuckle, closing your computer as you stand up from your desk. “i thought you were filming something today.”

“we did. we were on suchwita with yoongi-hyung and he got a little drunk…”

“a little?”

“...okay, maybe more than a little. anyway, i’m calling because he keeps asking for you. i’ve been trying to get him to lay down but he keeps asking for you.”

“alright, i’ll be right there,” you chuckle. 

“thanks y/n.”

“anytime.” you shake your head with a small smile as you shove your computer into your backpack. you quickly swing it over your shoulder as you rush out of your stuffy apartment, running down the empty seoul streets to the txt dorm. 

the door swings open almost as soon as you knock on the wood. a very tired taehyun stands on the other side, quickly joined by yeonjun stumbling into view. “you don’t know how good it is to see you,” he chuckles as he moves to let you in.

“that bad, huh?” you chuckle. 

“y/n!” yeonjun all but pushes taehyun out of the way as he rushes to tackle you into a tight hug. you stumble backwards as he relaxes all of his body weight against you. 

“hi jagi,” you pat his back gently. yeonjun buries his face into the crook of your neck, keeping you firmly trapped in his arms. you turn to look over his shoulder as best as you can to look at taehyun. “i’ll take care of him. you can go get some rest.”

“thank you again,” taehyun smiles before he turns, disappearing into his room.

you sigh as you return your attention to yeonjun. you lean over to press a kiss against his cheek before coaxing his head away from you. “come on jagi,” you whisper. “let’s go sit down.”

yeonjun hums in acknowledgement, though he doesn’t make any attempt to move. you sigh as you wrap your arms around him, slowly guiding him towards the couch. he all but collapses onto the cushions, blinking up at you with half-lidded eyes as you grab a cup of water and some tylenol from the cabinet. “y/n,” he calls, reaching over to grab your hand. he rolls onto his side before he pulls you down to lay on the couch beside you. 

“jagi,” you whisper. you bring a hand up to brush a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. “you should eat something. or at least try.”

“don’t wanna eat,” yeonjun’s words slur together as he leans forwards once again, pushing you down onto the couch. you grunt as he shifts to lay fully on top of you; effectively pinning you down against the couch. “just cuddle with me.”

your protests fall on deaf ears as his eyes flutter closed. yeonjun hides his face into your neck once again. you finally relent with a small sigh, bringing a hand up to rub against his back. “fine,” you whisper, hiding a small smile of your own. “we can cuddle. but you have to take the advil when you wake up.”

“okay,” he mumbles. 

your hand slips underneath his shirt, causing goosebumps to arise on his skin. your other hand moves to brush through his hair. you twist the soft locks between your fingers until yeonjun’s breath evens out. he falls into a peaceful sleep on your chest as you lean down to press a kiss against his forehead before joining him in falling into bliss.

[zabala0z]

Hi welcome to “newbie suffers while listening to horror podcast” 🫶🫶 I’ve been trying to boot up my old family computer so I can write the notes digitally. I think it’ll be better formatted and easier to understand that way.

So! Mag 33! Obviously, the captain is a descendant of the Lukas family, who was present in Alone. They give money to the institute but I’m a bit skeptical on them just how they treated a grieving widow but could’ve been some…supernatural thing.

For Anatomy class, I just wrote down the names of the students. There’s been some recurring shit about teeth, (Mag 7, Mag 8, prob more I dunno and Mag 34) so yay.

Old passages is interesting cause 1. Gerard keay was there. The guy from First Aid who also had that pendant with the closed eye and he took one of Juergen Leitners books. Then he said his mom knows about all this stuff so now I’m wondering who tf his mom was 😭 also funny that Robert smirke was mentioned again. Dumbass last name.

Also another thing: when Harold was wondering the halls with blurred memories, he mentioned his skin burning, hot, choking on smoke in the dark which just reminds me of every other time some people felt intense heat. Like god.

Mag 36 had nothing to note but the whole skin rash reminded me of all the worms and the infection thing. George Baxter seems to know some shit so I’m keeping that name in mind. Plus, Nicole lost her left hand in a workplace accident like girl you work in a morgue, HOW.

Also, Jon was delivered a lighter and an old zippo with a spiderweb pattern. When I was reading over the transcripts, Gerard Keay had a zippo lighter with an eye pattern in First Aid, so my current theory is that Gerard sent that to Jon. Why? Man I dunno but Gerard seems chill so far. Plus, that table was from Across the Street. Wonder if fake graham sent it.

Mag 37! Jason North got intense feelings of heat SURPRISE SURPRISE. Also Gertrude on milk bottles. Maybe whoever put them there caused her death through like…voodoo?????????

Doing some minor research, everyone in the series so far who had these feelings of heat, were in an area involved with like…fire and shit. Like Evo was at the house on hilltop road which had burned down before (along with Father Burroughs), Lesere had burn victims with her, Jason North was in that forest that had those scorch marks and then all his shit started catching fire. Only thing I couldn’t do any connections was with Harold cause there were no links to fires but y’all I swear im like dying to know the lore. Like what the hell.

Finally Lost and Found. Nothing to note here except the ending where Jon TRIED to kill a spider and then accidentally let those shitty worms into the institute. Shit. I’m not gonna listen to the next ep until I write down all my notes digitally and even then, I might not be able to for a bit cause I got a con tomorrow!! My theory is that they’re gonna burn the institute down to get rid of them ‼️

[deer-carcasses]

somewhat an analysis of Alastor

I've been going over this multiple times while it was just some rambles in my notes, but I finally decided it might as well see the light of day. if you do read this all, thank you. if not,,, understandable. it's a lot.

if this whole things is not coherent at all and does some weird jumps, I'm sorry. I took multiple breaks writing this over the span of the whole day. it was even more of a mess, I promise this is the slightly cleaned-up version.

especially the later parts get less cohesive in my eyes since I had to take longer breaks in between them. they also might jump around more. but now, in case you do want to read this; enjoy.

obvious spoilers ahead

let's start with the most interesting aspect for me: we barely know Alastor. sure, we know a little about his backstory, and get snippets of interactions here and there, but it wasn't until well into the show that we got to know his character better. ep.5 was where we see something deeper than the shallow persona he puts on for everyone. he's been more of a helping hand to make the plot progress in an interesting direction than a character with obvious deeper meaning. I don't mean to say that he was not well-written, quite the contrary, I mean to point out that he seemed more like a tool in the story than a character we are supposed to connect with on deeper levels.

we all as viewers had no idea why exactly he was there, to begin with, he said it was for his own entertainment but even then, this seemed like an awful lot of work for him to come out more or less empty-handed most of the time. it's an unfair deal for Alastor if you ask me. and honestly, he does bring little less than "entertainment" to the table until then. being used to show that he is helping yes, but mostly doing it so he can pull someone else down with his help. double-sided blade. he loses, but whoever he helps also doesn't win.

let's talk about ep.5 though. in this episode it's the first time someone truly irritates him. he didn't really care much for Vox - seemingly finding his entire obsession rather funny and never seeing him as a true threat. and Sir Pentious he didn't even truly remember. but with Lucifer that changes. Alastor doesn't just see him as bothersome, he sees him as important enough to go out of his way to prove he is better than the literal king of hell himself. at first, you could argue that he's once again doing it for his entertainment. seeing how much he can push before he needs to get back in line. but looking closer, his body language betrays him.

the way Alastor holds himself shows a true disdain for Lucifer that is, from a viewer's perspective, totally unjustified. Lucifer did not start their weird rival dynamic, it was Alastor who from the beginning on looked down on the king. maybe it's a personal reason, maybe it's just the fact that Alastor is more than well aware that no matter how much power he gets, there's no way to get above Lucifer. his omnipresence might simply be an annoyance to Alastor because he knows as well as Lucifer that the king hasn't shown his face in a long time and his reputation and power over all of the pride ring, over all of hell, still stays in place. no real threat could shake Lucifer's power into crumpling and this thought alone might bother Alastor because he had to fight for his power, to keep his power. (see Vox having presumably more power with the modern media and all that before Alastor disappeared)

and there's also of course the whole bantering going on in Hell's greatest Dad. Are Alastor's words genuine when he speaks to Charlie, or is it just a tactic to get under Lucifer's skin, maybe not seeing his powers crumble but seeing the king's nerves being reduced to nothing by his hands.

I personally don't think he was being entirely truthful. he might not have straight up lied about everything, but I don't think he truly wishes Charlie to be his daughter. Charlie herself is more than a little surprised by how Alastor suddenly treats her, and that alone is proof enough for me that he wasn't being honest in his words. if it were true, wouldn't he have at least a slight fatherly touch towards her all the time? Later on, Angel Dust even somewhat points out that Alastor has never acted like this by asking what his [Alastor's] deal is. It shows me that no matter how badly he tries to make it seem real for Lucifer, it's not real for anyone else simply because they all know how he normally acts around them.

continuing to Mimzy for a short moment; she is proven to not be a reliable narrator at all so I don't want to really take what she tells about Alastor all too seriously. she even concludes her little tale about the radio demon with "That's the story most people know." which does not make it any true. something I thought is very interesting is that the only two people who might have any idea of how truthful Mimzy is in her story are both gone. Niffty, though she also does not seem like the most reliable narrator, is not part of this conversation, and Hus kates himself out of the scene almost in the same moment Mimzy starts talking about. Husk leaving is more important since he obviously knows more about not only Alastor but also the deal Alastor is bound to. Husk and Alastor might equally hate it, but Husk does seem to care about Alastor at least a little. warning the overlord about Mimzy and how she is known for only showing up when she needs something, and I'm sure Alastor is more than aware that Mimzy wouldn't show up simply to catch up with old friends, but still. the sentiment of Husk seeking Alastor out to warn him, and even mentioning how he [Alastor] has been gone for a while now, is in itself caring, especially when moments later the viewers find out how much more Husk seems to know about Alastor. it even seems as if he is aware of limitations, mentioning how it's "Big talk for someone who's also on a leash." coming from Alastor's deal, even if Alastor himself is ignoring them [see the line "Who in their right mind would cross me?"]

the whole fact that Husk even seems to know so much about Alastor's deal is confusing in a way. I can't see Alastor willingly going to Husk and telling him about not only the deal he made with someone above himself but also about the limitations of said deal, it just doesn't make sense for the character we know Alastor to be, and even when finishing the show my opinion doesn't change. it's even more prominent how he later hides away.

after this scene, Alastor isn't seen catching back up to Charlie, Vaggie, and Lucifer to continue annoying him simply by his presence. his outburst having left him apparently on edge - showing that he isn't as calm and calculated as he likes to pretend. he obviously struggles with his own anger, be it at Husk for bringing up that he knows about Alastor's deal, or himself for ever getting into the situation in the first place.

later we see Alastor taking care of Mimzy's problem -the loan sharks. he's not seen using his powers like he did when Sir Pentious attacked though, he willingly transforms into something eldritch to devour the threat instead of simply using the tentacles, which would've been just as easy for Alastor. in my eyes that's him getting rid of the last restlessness about his outburst at Husk. choosing to do it himself, showing he still has free will over what he does and doesn't do. if not proving it to Husk then proving it to himself that he can choose to do this. he goes all out, he even comments on it himself how he needs to let off steam and later on how he's important here and willingly choosing to be here, helping ["It's time to remind everyone [Husk] why I'm here."] Alastor needs Husk to know what happens when you cross him, and when you doubt him. because he took the comments about how long he's been gone and that he's also on a leash personally. I don't even think it's necessarily because Husk said it, it's that someone in hell said it. not a soul in hell is allowed to think that Alastor, the radio demon, is not strong enough to win every fight he chooses to start.

let me come back to Mimzy once more, as if this one scene scratching the surface of what lies underneath his smile-bright persona revealed by Husk wasn't enough we get Alastor being all buddy-buddy with Mimzy, who is not only acting like a friend to him but is also introduced as such. a normal friend to someone who is so obviously not normal.

but even with his more friendly behavior towards her, he ends up sending her away after the hotel has to suffer under the problem she brought along. ["I can't have that here."] If he was genuine with what he said then, why did he phrase it like that? I might be reading too much into it, but Alastor normally picks his words wisely enough to not let too much slip, and the sentence "I don't want this here." would've been better fitting for the situation, but he says can't have that here. new question, what can't he have here? Mimzy herself? someone who knows him better than the residence with maybe a habit of blabbering? or was it just the fact that it's her problems that he needs to fix? that he can't have her bringing more work than there already is at the hotel?

now making a bit of a jump, going from ep.5 to ep.7 this episode makes me mostly wonder about what Alastor could ask from Charlie later on based on the deal the two of them made. in terms of character, it gave us little besides his dynamic with Rosie and the entirety of cannibal city. though this was also not really anything new, more just what we already knew about Alastor in a new dynamic

there is one scene I do want to talk about though. his whole little speech around smiling. him actually standing by and admitting that he is hiding behind his smile did take me a second to actually realize what just happened, I did skip back to it because I was a little stunned by the absurdity of it all. after some thought it made sense that he might not mind it, Charlie does not know him well enough for this off-hand comment to truly affect anything for him, still it made me wonder. why would he reveal it to her? was he simply so sure that she wouldn't use it against him or did he think she wouldn't even think of using anything against him in this kind of way?

so it confirms that yes; Alastor uses his smile as a facade and also as a way to show he is above others who cannot hide behind a smile like he can. his smile means indifference to himself, neutrality. for him showing anything but the indifference that his smile represents is vulnerability. weakness.

let's move on to the actual "highlight" episode of "What We Learn about Alastor" ep.8

this surely was not the first time he got humbled badly by someone in a fight. it's what he wants to avoid most, the mask slipping, everyone seeing that he can be defeated, that he is not this otherworldly powerful being that not a soul in hell [or heaven] can touch. there had to be at least one very significant moment where he was powerless in a way. where he had to strike up a deal with someone higher, the one now binding him, now having him on a leash.

Alastor went into the fight with Adam overly confident, underestimating Adam's powers to the point he barely got away. he is, after all this, still a mortal soul. a sinner. Adam on the other hand was the first man which gives him roughly the same power Lilith must have. that in itself makes me think Alastor lasted a good deal longer in the battle than I would've thought. pure angelic powers far surpassing his own and he still 1) got away in the end and 2) was able to get in a few hits.

let's quickly touch on the fact that when Adam broke his microphone he seemed to be completely stunned, apparently not having thought that he could easily break his possession without any real resistance. I personally don't think his power is necessarily in the microphone [the was the simply gave it away to Charlie in ep.7 being my proof for why it can't be. he would never abandon his power just for Charlie to sing a song for a few cannibals] but what if it maybe is some kind of amplifier for it? maybe it's also pure placebo and Alastor was simply too stunned that Adam would go for the piece of equipment instead of for a deadly blow right away. the microphone surely was a confidence boost, feeling of being 'on air' the feeling of having his broadcast behind him while doing his everyday tasks giving him the boost he sometimes needs, his ego being constantly stroked by the knowledge that there would be countless sinners bowing to him if he simply said the words into his microphone. no longer being able to do that made him stutter in more ways than one, being momentarily careless, not prepared for Adam to strike again, deadly this time. he lost where he was in his performance, in his own show, and it made him mess up.

one interesting sentence is when Adam comments on how Alastor is just a mortal soul. "You should know better than anyone what a soul can accomplish when they take charge of their own fate." which makes me want to believe that's exactly what Alastor did, taking charge of his own fate. but the thing is that we know he did not. he made a deal with someone, and he doesn't have the ability to take charge of anything about his own being anymore. he's as much on a leash as he has Husk on one. that would only mean that he isn't at his full potential, held back by the deal he so desperately wants to get out of, and is actively looking for a way to get out of it. which turns this line into something else completely. Alastor reveals that he knows what he is capable of, but cannot parade his power due to his deal.

another interesting detail is his ears before he dissolves into his shadow. they are pinned back, showing not only agitation or fear but disorientation. he opens his mouth for no sound to come out and it frightens him to have come into this situation at all.

a big part of his mental disintegration in this moment surely is also the fact that if he had died at this moment, if Adams's hit was slightly more fatal, he would've died bound to the deal still. Alastor would have gone without being able to fulfill his own goal - getting rid of the chain around his throat. getting control back over his own afterlife. if he had died at Adam's hands, he would have died being possessed by someone else which we can assume is what Alastor sees as the lowest he can fall. the people bound to him by a deal mean nothing to him as it seems, we only ever got to see those who were needed for the Hotel.

while also, dying in this moment would have proven to everyone that he stayed to protect the hotel, his friends, but retreating and not being killed in a heroic death-wish battle be had proven to especially the audience that Alastor is not ride or die for these people.

in his breakdown ballad, we can finally see where he went to to lick his wounds. his entire breakdown also shows once again how scared he truly is of being inadequate. this wasn't just a reminder from Husk that he is indeed also on a leash, being pulled to where whoever holding it wants him to go, this is a rendezvous with death, barely escaping the situation that would have proven that he is too weak, at least while being bound by this deal he is [no longer] profiting from.

the place not only reeks of death for him, like he says in his song, but it also reeks of shame at the fact that he had nearly not made it out alive. it would've been seen as a noble act had he truly died in this scene, he had not died protecting himself, he had died protecting others. it is worse than dying on a leash even since at least almost no one knows about that, it would allow him to save some face. but dying for these people? he cannot even stand the thought of it.

in his mind he needs to keep up the smiling facade, the indifference in this smile he holds obviously so dear, for eternity. him dying should not allow the indifference he stands for to evaporate, he needs to play the act even after being killed in his afterlife.

even if this now ends rather abruptly, my work here is done. see you next time I start writing and simply don't stop for a while.

it truly is "Good to be back on the Air." with a newly cleaned-up space to talk about fandoms

this might be edited later on, nothing major, maybe just to have some actual continuity in it.

[wanderingwomanwondering]

911 Season 7 Critique

This is a long post. If you don’t make it to the end, I totally understand.

I know we all have lots of feelings about this season and most of what I’ve read from others in the fandom here on tumblr has been overwhelmingly positive, but I have serious and persistent concerns. Here me out, if you’re willing and able.

This entire season something about 911 has felt off for me in a big way. I couldn’t quite put my finger on exactly what the problem was until recently. All I knew was that season 7 was weird out the gate. Now I finally think I have something coherent to say about this season now that it’s over. The whole season’s main plot(s) have been overblown and overworked. All season long, the characters have felt bodysnatched by extraterrestrials being just similar enough to our beloved characters to not raise total alarm - at least initially - but different enough to snatch some epic side-eye outta me. Then ep 4 happened and the whole time I was a mix of elated and confused. Anybody who’s been paying attention for the last 7 years knows that Buck is queer so that wasn’t the shocker. For me, it was the way everything went down in ep 4 with the characters that felt heavy-handed and untrue to who they are. The weird strange bizarreness through the season just kept on coming like a freight train with no breaks or relief. By the finale I was scratching my head and kinda irritated because the tiny bit of actual character work that we saw over the course of the season was odd as hell and now it’s over and I’m not really excited about much of anything that’s supposed to be coming in s8. The characters feel too ooc and the plots feel too uncharacteristic of 911. Like for a bit there I thought I was watching Days of Our Lives meets Miami Vice meets The Walking Dead, and that’s not what I signed up for with 911.

Season 7 left me earnestly wondering: Where are the family feels, the tight bonds, the heartfelt connections, the vulnerable conversations, the healing community that is the 118, the fucking togetherness? Everyone feels like they are adrift and alone without the found family support that they enjoyed in previous seasons. This season has been a trauma fest with little to no emotional payoff. Drama for its own sake. Problems resurrected, rehashed, blown way out of proportion, repackaged, and sold as authentic current issues. This season I felt like I was watching a completely different show.

Yes we are on a new network. Yes Tim is back. Yes a bit of shake up can be good. But this doesn’t feel like a good shake up. I feel like I’m being jerked around for sport. Like past BS is being thrown in my face instead of laid on the table and worked through by the characters that I know and love. Season 7 was mostly just trauma porn and I did not enjoy it.

Yes we could argue that Tim is trying to grab the attention of new viewers on a new network. But honestly that kind of feels like a cop-out explanation given what he delivered. If I were new to this show, I would not feel like I have any idea who these characters are beyond the wild crap that happens to them. I feel like I know more about how to sink a cruise ship or how to traverse the desert than I do about how the characters relate and connect with one another.

As someone who’s watched 911 from the very beginning live and in real time, the plotting, pacing, and character choices in season 7 feel like Tim is putting on a show instead of telling stories. Shows are a wacky wild ride with little cohesion and/or progress; characters take a backseat to whatever the ptb can cook up for the weekly plot. Stories center characters and what’s happening to them is processed by them and moves their arcs along in mostly coherent ways. A show is ‘shit happens’. A story is ‘shit happens TO ME AND I DEAL WITH IT in ways that show the audience who I am and what matters to me’’.

Maybe season 8 will feel more like a story since it won’t be a truncated season, and season 7 has reintroduced people to - aka dredged up long-past but somehow present again - character issues. I don’t know. I hope season 8 is more coherent, character-focused, and progress/healing-oriented like previous seasons have been. Honestly the show has been running too long to act like rehashing the past over and over again is enough to carry it for 7 more seasons.

Anyway, my specific concerns with season 7 are below the cut.

The main plots have just been hilariously bad. Soap opera levels of wtaf.

The cruise ship disaster had pirates, cheaters, and poorly-developed conflicts between lovers all of which (mostly) came out of the thin blue sea air and/or were handled in incredibly ooc ways. MIssing groom because of viral encephalitis. Hospital wedding like its a good thing and preferable to the warm fuzzies that Madney deserved. Long-dead wife put on such a high pedestal by Eddie that she walks the earth once more. Bobby chasing a random man from his past into the desert to say/do what exactly? All while mixing it up with a literal Mexican cartel. A desert crossing complete with traumatic flashbacks, a car crash, and a makeshift stretcher. (Bobby should have left Amir where he was after the crash and just walked the mile to the road without him in tow. But instead he slowed himself down and risked sunstroke in the process. That was a drama choice made by the writers, not a paramedic/firefighter choice made by the character.) Post-house fire Bobby’s heart stops for 14 whole ass minutes and he wakes up fine and perky as meringue. Athena Grant choosing cold-blooded vengeance over holding vigil for her allegedly dying husband. Racist and misogynistic Gerard returning for absolutely no narrative or character-related reason at all, at least not for one that couldn’t be more effectively accomplished by some/any other means.

The women have been side-lined in their own stories, and/or their characters altered in problematic ways.

Hen dismissed the councilwoman’s son in the season’s opening arc and ignored his potential injuries because he was being an asshole. A lesser paramedic would do that, but NOT our Hen. Also that plot point was unrealistic af because if someone is not in their right mind to make a life-saving decision for themselves, like in the case of intoxication, medical personnel can ethically treat them anyway. It was such a weird plot/character choice to Hen use that guy’s intoxication as a reason NOT to treat him when it’s actually a great reason to go ahead and check him out. She should have and would have worked the problem (poised and professional) instead of storming off in a huff (emotion-driven and unethical) because that guy was being a dick. Hen is not easily unsettled, nor is she unprofessional!

Hen and Karen were oddly clueless about Mara’s trauma and the fact that it was actively relevant to her behavior when they took her in, despite the fact that they have fostered several children at this point in the story. They considered “returning her” before they considered the trauma factor. Unreal. Our Hen and Karen were not born yesterday, are no strangers to hard times with foster kids, and have hearts the size of the 7 seas. This writing choice made no sense to me and made Hen and Karen feel like extraterrestrials to me. Ignorant ones at that. In the finale, Hen didn’t tell Karen she was going to see Mara. Like. Why? They talk about everything. Hen claimed it’s because Karen would have tried to stop her but we all know that would have been a half-hearted comment while she put her shoes on and grabbed her purse. No. Hen and Karen are partners and they act like it. The one woman show era between them has been over for a while. Especially when it comes to their family.

Athena and Bobby had a conversation at the end of season 4 about cutting each other out and leaving each other emotionally stranded and since then have been actively committed to communicating and staying a team. So what the hell was that vibe between them on the cruise. Athena was evasive and weird the whole time and in the most banal gender stereotyped way possible. In addition, Tim seems obsessed with women as damsels in distress this season which is not and has never been Athena’s vibe. Even with the Jeffrey arc in season 5 while she coped with the trauma of that encounter, she displayed agency. So I’ll never understand her indirect approach to dealing with Bobby running off to ‘Step 9’ Amir or her decision to turn right around and talk to Amir about Bobby instead of talking to Bobby directly. Athena is a direct person, especially about her family. She cuts to the quick and gets to the heart of things. The drama I needed was Bathena working through Athena’s fears for Bobby and Bobby working through his trauma/recovery with Athena…not a Mexican cartel and shenanigans in the desert. Then there was the way Harry talked to Athena when she discovered that he ran away from Miami. Athena’s response to Harry would have been understanding but corrective. She wouldn’t have stood there and let him disrespect her. Not in a million lifetimes. She also wouldn’t have left her allegedly dying husband at the hospital to reenact a revenge plot from some B movie. Plus what was up with her blaming herself for Amir supposedly burning the house down, and her doing no police work to puzzle out what happened? She just went on an emotion-fueled rampage. That’s not how Athena operates. Remember her namesake, goddess of WISDOM and warfare. Come on bffr.

Maddie. Oh where do I even start. From ep 1 she was treated like a means to an end instead of the first responder former nurse badass that she is. This whole season, she comes across as ‘just another dispatcher’ instead of the focused problem-solver and active agent that we know her to be. Prior to season 7 Maddie would have had her thinking cap fully on right along with Hen in the first episodes as they worked out a way to get in touch with the cruise ship. Calling Tommy could have even been Maddie’s idea since Chim and Tommy are still in touch but Hen and Tommy don’t seem to be. Then there was the whole Maddie hearing what she expected to hear with the abuse victim on that one call. Like. What?! This is not Maddie’s first rodeo, she is not easily unsettled, and she’s a damn professional. She would have done what she had to do to emotionally regulate and help the woman in danger before she let herself ‘hear what she expected to hear’. Admittedly she would have cried the whole time because that’s JLH’s jam and she’s good at it but Maddie wouldn’t have fallen down so hard on the job (especially not after what happened in season 3 with Tara and Vincent). And the wedding stuff! Maddie was just watching and waiting instead of using what she knew about her partner in life Chim to deduce where he might go or what he might do. Instead of collecting information about their previous calls and how they might be playing into Chim’s disappearance, she was busy being insecure about whether Chim actually wanted to marry her. Mind you, Maddie was the one who was originally reticent about marrying again AND she’s the one who proposed to Chim. After all the drama with the ring, there is no world in which Maddie would have imagined Chim was running from her. She would have known something bad was up and that it had nothing to do with their love for one another. In the finale Maddie calls Chim to talk about Athena’s suss behavior but Maddie has more connections and professional wherewithal than just ‘call my husband he’ll know what to do’. She would have called the precinct and asked about 727-L-30 in a discreet way and put most of the pieces together herself and then actually sent Chim and Hen to stop her. And she would have been ready at a moment’s notice to call the cops on the rogue cop. The way that scene actually played out felt more like gossip on the high school bleachers than Maddie doing her actual job.

The relationships seem plain odd/ooc, distant, and/or superficial. Very few vulnerable emotional conversations happened and when they did they felt generic, shallow, and/or incomplete.

Bobby and Athena on the cruise. Athena just didn’t feel like herself because she refused to talk to Bobby. When they did finally talk it was when they were about to drown and it was more of a mini-therapy session for Bobby. After Amir was introduced, Bobby pulled away again and Athena let him. Then Athena chose to approach the traumatized stranger rather than have a talk with her own damn husband. When they finally confronted each other about that situation, she walked away from Bobby almost like she was punishing him for walking away first instead of them both leaning into the conversation as partners. Really? Bffr.

Buck and Eddie having a bro convo about womanizing in the early episodes of the season. The ‘hey pal please talk to my kid bro because you have experience with these issues’ rather than the all important ‘there’s no one in this world I trust with my son more than you’ vibes of it all. Eddie making limited eye contact with Buck and ignoring him in ep 4. Eddie’s physical demeanor in ep 4 being bro-ed up and distant. Yeah I know we can argue that was all from Buck’s perspective in the moment but that explanation seems insufficient to me because it was so extreme, and was kind of maintained in some ways throughout the season. The ‘i’m gonna maim my best friend’ energy of the bucktommy origin story despite the fact that buck is not violent at all and definitely not towards loved ones. (Tim seems determined to ruin everybody just enough to generate unnecessary and ooc drama.) Buck’s weird dudebro conversation with Eddie while on his date with Tommy as if the foundation of buck and eddie’s relationship has ever been conversations about women solely to assert their heterosexuality * facepalm emoji * The super textbook sterile coming out scene in ep 5 like these guys aren’t besties and don’t actually know each other deeply. I wanted that coming out scene to have 504 patio conversation energy, not whatever it was we got in 704. Like that coming out conversation could have played out the exact same with one of the no-name background firefighters at the 118 or with Connor or some other rando. It felt so impersonal to who they are and to their particular brand of vulnerable courageous conversations. Honestly even the hug in 704 was weird. I was happy to have it but it was still weird. The kitchen conversation in ep 9 at Eddie’s place felt odd and incomplete for buddie. We get queer sexual innuendo (‘skulking around my back door’), basic mutual acknowledgment of worry about the dead wife doppelganger, and that’s a wrap? Okay I guess * eyeroll emoji * Then we had the finale where Eddie is obviously losing his mind and Buck is just sitting on the arm of the couch like ‘i dunno what to tell you man’. Like they’ve never had a (chris) conversation before in their life. Like buck wouldn’t have been the one to VOLUNTEER to go talk to chris without eddie spelling it out. Like buck wasn’t the person who stayed with chris talked to him and took care of him when eddie got shot and when eddie lost his damn mind in 513. The buck in the finale was not the buck who did all those things. He was so bodysnatched it’s not even funny. Also, in what world would buck have snarked that chris can’t keep eddie out of his room??? Buck, my good sir, if eddie wanted to break down chris’ door he wouldn’t have called you over bc he can do that on his own without a consult. That scene felt ooc af plus the dialogue was just plain dumb.

Hen and Chim have barely had a meaningful friend moment this season. It’s mostly Hen razzing Chim, a polite smile, or nada. Let’s not even talk about the ‘betrayal’ in the beginning with the councilwoman’s son and then the deeply meaningless drama that ensued after. So much so that they commented on it in a joking way on the helicopter. That’s not how Hen and Chim roll. They give each other clear and unapologetic honesty at all times. Not the cold shoulder for sport which is what it felt like when Hen finally said she wasn’t actually mad. The gender and racial implications of how that played out are not lost on me. It felt like a 180 from how these characters normally interact in serious circumstances. Complete waste of time and invented drama for drama’s sake. I don’t blame Hen and Chim for that, like everything else I’ve mentioned in this critique of the season, it’s pure writing room weirdness.

Bobby’s locker room conversation with Buck in ep 9 was more like mentor-mentee than father-son. We’ve stated that as their dynamic several times but that’s not what we got in that locker room. They were standing several feet apart, Bobby and Buck smiled politely, no hug, no shoulder pat. Just textbook sterile ‘you’re okay kid’. Bobby could have given that speech to no-name firefighter number 12 and it would have felt the same.

You mean to tell me in the finale that Bobby was just gonna stroll back into work in uniform after quitting like nothing happened? Like he’s still employed. My good sir, you didn’t even call headquarters before showing up to be like ‘just kidding i want my job back’. You mean to tell me Buck and Ravi were at work, in uniform and clocked in, but didn’t already know Gerard was there? You mean to tell me Bobby was supposedly that allergic to having a real emotional/vulnerable conversation with literally anybody that he strolled into work WHEN HE NO LONGER WORKS THERE like he was gonna get to actually work??? I just can’t -

Anyway, this post is long af so if you made it to the end, thank you. Honestly, I'm still processing this season but as of now, in the words of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, “I take no leave of you, [Tim Minear]. I send no compliments to your [season 7 showrunner decisions]! You deserve no such attention! I am seriously displeased!”

[octoberland]

In which Zabel confirms that he does not understand the characters, nor his audience.

I'll put a little asterisk here to say that, of course, we all come to the table for different reasons. Some people ship Caryl. Some people don't. Regardless, I think there are unifying themes that go beyond friendship. So here's my take through my personal lense:

We aren't here because they're friends. We're here because they're survivors. Because, like us, they survived the really real world in all the messy ways humans do.

Carol survived by learning how to take a beating. She learned her husband's moods. She watched and she listened and, not dissimilar to Daryl's ability to track, she learned to read people. She could probably tell from the first moment she woke up each day what that day would bring.

Daryl learned all the practical stuff. How to hunt and fish and survive on his own. Because he had to. Because no one was there to take care of him. He learned that he didn't matter. He learned that the devil you knew was better than the one you didn't.

Do you see the parallels there? Dear, Zabel. Have you heard of trauma bonding?

But TWD went beyond that. It showed us something magical. Something few media properties ever get to show. Because it takes too long. And it takes work. And failure. And then getting back up again.

Through the lens of the apocalypse it showed us that no matter how broken we are (and they were both broken) we can survive our pasts. We can grow from our pasts. We can break our pasts.

We watched Carol and Daryl do this over YEARS of storytelling. Real time healing with all of its stops and starts. And we saw their relationship grow stronger as they each grew stronger.

And while we love their bond, really, truly love it, I think what resonates for many of us is that message that it's not too late for us. That the monsters from our past don't have to win. That we have a choice and a chance. No matter how old we are or how alone we feel.

Theirs is a story of hope.

And that is what you don't understand.

In this season and in this finale you tried - repeatedly - to dumb down the process of trauma healing. You reduced Carol to motherhood (along with Marion). You reduced Daryl to some lovelorn man entirely ungrateful of the magnitude of what Carol did.

And honestly? Your show running sucks. The last good thing you did was ER. No offense but maybe you should move on from such an important property as TWD. Take your mid life crisis elsewhere. The ONLY reason I am watching at this point is for Melissa/Carol. I can confidently say this is the worst iteration of the TWD verse I have watched. And that's saying something.

Anyway. I miss writing fic. All this has me thinking back to my old Caryl fics. I wish real life wasn't so damn busy.

[onthecrescentofthehill]

i love the dunmeshi anime bc it got me to finally read the manga and on the whole it’s so much fun, but i really dislike whenever an ep starts and im like “man i hope studio trigger deemed this scene important enough to give it to someone that makes things look visually interesting” i know that high budget/low budget styles aren’t uncommon but the gap feels huge in this show and switches in the middle of scenes sometimes…

esp when it comes to kabru who’s maybe gone “off model” once, just bc his first scenes are exposition heavy they don’t bother bringing him to life at all and just go “yeah this is boring. shot reverse shot for 5-10 minutes” even for ppl who dont outright notice the style changes it makes his scenes so much less dynamic, like the team has deemed him a filler character and idk. it feels like the job of an adaption to bring more to the table.

i accept it as a budget constraint and unequivocally prefer this over animator burnout but the inconsistency is more than i’ve ever seen in an anime and it’s so frustrating. sometimes i seriously feel like i’m watching one of those youtube videos that recreate a movie as a shot for shot anthology from different animators.

[time-is-restored]

hi guys, now that we're all collectively processing the season finale of tmagp.......... anyone have any idea what these little letters in each statement file number is?

i think everything else about the system is more or less solved. category 1/2/3 for person/place/thing, the four numbers after the letters are the DPHW complex binder thing that has the key words (transmutation - human / isolation - urban), then the incident date followed by date of recording.

but I haven't been able to find any pattern at all in the letters. All of the options (barring the fact that ive made a few mistakes) so far are:

RBC

RAB

C

RB

RC

RS (one instance, in the finale)

and here's a brief summary of all the episodes and what they featured (out of context spoilers):

I know I've personally been reading 'RB' as 'recorded by', but that leaves 'C' and 'RS' as nonstarters. I also don't think there's a correlation to what type of statement it is/what part of Freddie reads it out (the two 'C' statements, for example, are read by Augustus and Norris, are in different categories, and take place in wildly different times + places). 'RS' could possibly be something along the lines of 'recorded in situ', like how tma sometimes prefaced its statements...? But that's all I've got.

(also, this is maybe chasing shadows, but when alice talks about an example case in ep 1, she says that the table indicates '2-C' and the statement is then filed as "CAT2RC..." but where did the 'R' come from? It's not in every statement, so is it a 'always there unless [xyz condition' is met?

AND ANOTHER THING!!! Why is episode 15 the ONLY one that has a hyphen AFTER the letters? is it a typo? or is that just what they WANT US TO THINK!!!!!)

. anyway. who up pepe-ing their sylvia...

[romeactivelycries]

Note: First post 😳😳😳 Sorry if this is bad yall i literally havent written for like 3 years and its proofread by me myself and I but inspired by Angel ep 2x9 angel goes undercover and you walking in on a meeting with demons

Pairing: Angel x Reader

Request: Nopee

Gender: Hopefully neutral 🤞 (lemme know if i fucked up)

Warnings: 18+, some biting and blood but nothing crazy just like vampires u know 🥴

———————————

A yawn broke your daze as you glance over at Wesley turning the page to some demon grimore, hand covering his mouth as he glances at Cordy filing her nails instead of the papers in front of her. This awful torture had lasted all morning and well into the afternoon, research and books and files and guess what? Even more research!!

Groaning you slam your book closed, folding your arms on top of it and laying your head down on them as you mumble out a string of profanities and grievances to no one in particular.

“Got anything?” Wesley grumbles closing his own book and pushing it aside in favor of his now cold cup of tea.

“Just a headache,” you whine. You guys were trying to find out what powers were being held inside an amulet the demon of the week was wearing. It had given him enough strength to take out you, Gunn, and Wesley, he probably would have killed you all if Cordy didn’t have a vision leading Angel to drive by and pick you up. So now he was out scouting for the demons while the research led to dead end after dead end.

“I think I might go for a walk, maybe get us coffee,” you headed towards the doors grabbing your pager off the charging dock and shrugging on your jacket.

“Oo yes! Coffee sounds perfect!” Cordelia perked up, looking at Wesley who nodded in agreement. “Two mochas please!”

You move to open the front door when everyone’s pagers go off, glancing down you all read the message from Angel. It’s a location and the name of the amulet you’ve been searching for information on.

“We can finally focus our research! This is great, Cordelia can you-“ Wesley glances over at you looking at the pager and then meeting your eyes, he instantly knew. “Y/n don’t-“

You smile, running out the front door before he got the chance to tell you not to rush in head first. You were tired of the research, it was time to meet up with Angel.

By the time you reached the location it was nightfall. There was a hidden door in the alley between a nightclub and a liquor store, a brick wall amongst the cobblestone one, and when you knocked three times it slid open. Almost too easy.

As you walked through the door slide closed behind you and various half-burned candles were illuminating the staircase you descended. Looking around the small room you see 5 demons sitting around a table, one by one looking up at you.

Perhaps you had made a slight mistake.

“Look what we have here boys,” One of them begins to say, you glance over at them and see the amulet hanging around their neck. At least you were at the right place?

The demons all move to lunge at you, but before they get the chance the one sitting closest to you stands, chair shrieking as it scraps across the floor.

“This one’s mine,” He’s at your side before you can even blink. Angel. You open your mouth to say something but his eyes warn you not to as his face contorts into its vampiric appearance and he smiles, making a big show for the audience behind you. “Scream for us now.”

You feel his teeth before you even register them pricking into your neck, body paralyzed in fear as Angel moans at the taste of your blood on his tongue. Your eyes fill with tears as your body goes cold, the demons behind you grinning as they cheer him on, yet you can’t hear a sound. It’s almost pleasant to feel it all slip away, as Angel holds you in his arms, withdrawing his teeth as he gently guides you to the floor.

“Stay here, pretend to be dead please.” His voice is a stark contrast to the one he was putting on before as he turns back the demons.

Everything after is a haze, you remember seeing him tear the amulet from the first guy and putting it on himself, before turning to slay the rest of the demons. You can feel his arms wrap around you as he pulls you against his chest, whispering apologies and sweet words as he carries you through the night back to the motel.

You wake up to a train passing by, the horn blaring you from the warm comfort of sleep into the cold of night. Your hand finds its way to your neck, gently gliding over the mark left by Angel’s teeth as your memories flood back to you. Sitting up, you quickly slid out of bed and down the hall, your hands gliding along the walls and wooden doors. You had to see him, see Angel.

213, 215, 217.

You twist the knob, finding the door unlocked as you open it. Angel is sitting in his chair in the corner, turning from looking at the window to you as you close the door behind you. You both go to speak at the same time, saying each other’s name, and he motions for you to go first.

“Angel, I-“ you don’t even know what to say. Thank you? It’s okay? I’m sorry?

“I know,” he moves from his spot by the window over to you, reaching for your hand and gently pulling you to sit with him on the foot of the bed.

His hand trails up to your neck, brushing his fingers along the marks, closing his eyes and leaning his head against yours.

“Do you wanna do it again,” your voice is soft and it snaps him out of his trance as he just looks at you mouth agape, eyes flitting between back and forth between yours. “I want you to, if you want to, but if you don’t I understand-“

His fangs cut you off as they sink into your neck again. That pleasurable pinch of teeth against skin as he laps at the blood that pools there. It’s more gentle this time, more angelic, he rubs soothing circles on your shoulder and pulls back after such a short taste.

“I’m sorry,” he begins, just the faintest whisper as his lips hover near yours. Cradling his face with your hand, your bring your thumb up to his lips swiping away the remains of your blood that stained the corners of his mouth.

It’s as if your on autopilot as he opens his mouth slightly to capture your thumb, his eyes never leaving yours as he sucks and swirls his tongue around it. When you pull your thumb free, there’s just a brief moment where the world stops turning. The air is still and you can both hear your heartbeat. Once. Twice.

His lips are on yours as it skips the next beat, hands tugging at your sides as he pulls you to straddle him. You gasp at the sudden movement letting him take control of the kiss, sliding his tongue into your mouth and moaning as you entangle with one another. You wrap your arms around his neck, holding onto him as his kisses trail down your cheek and neck, bruising a path leading to his bite.

You both know it can’t go further, that it’s already gone too far, but neither can let go as he pulls you in to another intoxicating kiss. You rock your hips against him, feeling his hard on pressing against your sweet spot as you continue to roll your hips and moan into his mouth. He responds with the same urgency, hands tugging at your waist as he grinds up into you, soft moans escaping from his lips.

“Angel,” your voice is a broken whimper as you continue to press into him, trying to get as close as you possibly can. You feel his body shake and writhe the way yours does as you desperately grind against one another. “Please.”

Your not even sure what you’re asking for, but he takes it as an invitation to bite down on your neck once more and he pulls you down against him, rutting up into you as he openly moans and whines against your neck, desperately sucking and biting at whatever he can find. Your hands find their way to the nape of his neck and tangle in his hair pulling his head back as you both see stars, lazily falling back onto the bed and panting against one another.

“You’re not gonna go all crazy town on me now right?” Although you’re mostly joking there’s a hint of concern lacing your words as you pull back gently to look Angel in the eyes.

“I guess since my dick stayed in my pants we’re good,” he pants out, smiling down at you before his face contorts into one of concern.

You sit up, hand pressed against his chest as he continues to stare at you, “What is it you’re scaring me.”

“I fear Cordy and Wesley might think the opposite.” He gestures to the small mirror on the desk across from his bed and you rush over to it, catching your reflection your eyes go wide at the state of your neck. It almost looks like a rabid dog attacked you the way it’s covered in bite marks and bruises, no amount of make up would be able to cover this up.

Turning back around to him you offer a small smile and bite at your lower lip trying to think of a solution before an idea pops into your head and your smile turns into a grin. “I hear turtle necks are in right now!”