#memories. (though i also believe he was being honest when he said that he always hoped that hed find a way to settle things with wes with

[cuntstable]

i think one of the more insane pucci characterization moments is when he offers emporio, a child hes about to fucking KILL, a martyrs death, with the implication being that it would at least ensure that hed go to heaven after hes killed (like… the real one lol). like girl what are you fucking doing!!!!!!

[mamwieleimion]

I have this new take on Elrond and his looks/connection to his ancestry/how he's precived.

This is something of a cumulation of posts I have read that talked about things like:

How people see Elrond as physically most a like to people they want to see at first

How Elrond accidentally became a Patron of Unions/Marriage

How Men think he's incredibly Elven and Elves think he looks a lot like a Men

How no matter how he dressed in Valinor his always gonna turn heads and concerned questions (specially from the Noldor)

And of him being more Maia/Eldritch

Him being a Feanorian (I don't really know if that's relevant but I see him as one so that might affect how I write about him below 👇)

(some of these can be found on my profile/in my posts if anyone interested)

Alright, having said all that, I can now being.

So, men don't really have great memory of times past. But! Let's assume that some kind of knowledge of Doriath had survived long enough into the Second Age, that when Men generally knew about Rivendell they had accidentally between generations lost the distinction between Doriath and Rivendell.

Let's be honest, if the common folk have such stories, then somethings must get lost between generations. And the nobles also at some point might have for some time lost the distinction, I would totally believe that.

Anyways, and so, there is this legend/myth going around Men that the Hidden Elven City is and always was Rivendell (they might get a little fussed up with Gondolin but less so than Doriath I think). And they all agree that the Realm/City is ruled by a powerful being/spirit (they don't remember maiar anymore, but if they did, it would be a Maia ruling the Hidden Elven City/Realm).

So sometimes, when an injured man stumbles his way into Rivendell, and maybe they make the connection with our lovely Valley and their myths/legends. And then they are introduced to the healer who brought them back from the brink of death (Lord of the Valley Elrond). The men is pretty sure it was a woman ruling the Hidden Elven City, but it also could've meant Lord Elrond's wife (she probably passed away, the men mused later to justify his own thoughts. Because the death of a spouse isn't something new to men), or really, the Lord is beautiful enough to pass for a woman. The men doesn't say anything, he stays respectful. And when he leaves, he talks about the spirit who brought him back from the dead, saved him with a miracle from the heavens, of his kindness and beauty. The myth grows.

And maybe, along the way this belief becomes so strong something in Elrond awakens. After all, the blood of Ainur is strong, was strong in Luthien, almost overwhelming her elven nature. Was visible in Dior as all who looked at him found themselves failing to their knees in awe, feeling the fulfilment of their search for beauty. It had became stronger in Elwing, who used the Silmaril as the only light in her life, who as a small girl-queen only had this one thing left of her family. Elwing who unknowingly became stronger from this exposure, who feed her Ainur blood with light and strengthened herself until when she fell all Ulmo had to do to change her form was to give her a push in the right direction.

And it all came down to Elrond. Elrond who as a child, a newborn, was exposed to the light of the Silmaril, who after his kidnapping/impromptu adoption was nurtured by two powerful Elves of Valinor, by Eldest Sons of Feanor the Fire Spirit, who despite what some would like to forget had the blood of Finwë running in his veins alongs side the blood of Melian and Thingol. Elrond who held a Ring of Power and stood straight under its weight, who created a sanctuary in the darkness. The Lord of Rivendell who, knowingly or not, had created the only thing that could rival the Griddle of Doriath and even surpass it with it's complexity.

Elrond had became something more along the way. Even though many saw a man in him, others an elf. Elrond lived up to his ancestors and became more as they have. The Lord of Rivendell became a legend, a myth, a figure and an idea. And you can't kill ideas. So what if, he was something more? It didn't really matter at the end, because it was Elrond, kind as summer and wise as a wizard. And he protected his people.

So, when he sailed to Valinor, the only people who were suprised by his power/presence he had were those who never met him before. If a few Maiar were watching invisibly to elves as he arrived and he saw them then what? No one will call him out.

And even if he had became more elf than men, and then more Maia than elf along his long journey of life. It doesn't change anything at the end. Because the Lord of Rivendell was still the same.

[melithril]

[Adar] Moments of Peace

♫ - Alone -Burna Boy

A/N: I haven't seen the finale yet, but I just thought everyone could use some comforting Adar content, because I know I do. Also, my brain just said 'braid that mans hair dammit' so enjoy!

Peaceful moments were sacred, especially in times of war. Few and far between were times in which you could relax, truly relax. Every time there was a semblance of serenity, something had come along to ruin it.

It was quite a dim day, raining outside and for the most part, slow. Your husband, Adar, had been away almost all of the day, and so you kept to your home and tidied up, doing some small household errands. Well, as much as you could do in the camp's quarters. It never truly looked clean after you were finished,which made you chuckle. Little tasks like this allowed your mind to wander, and today it was a nostalgic jaunt through your recent memories. 

When times like this arose, your thoughts always travelled to Adar. For as long as you had known him, he was always kind and caring towards you, despite his past. This man loved you beyond words. A tortured soul, you knew the treatment he had suffered at the hands of Morgoth. The scars on his face were enough to tell you that. Though, in the beginning he feared you would be scared of him, that there would come a day you'd run. However, that day never came.

Marrying the leader of a band of orcs was not how you expected your life to turn out, but you were not complaining. Growing up, you were raised to believe orcs were bad, living for only violence and destruction. Since meeting Adar and being introduced to his children, you quickly realised that what you had been told was a lie. They were honest creatures, they and families and a delicate bond between each other. They were also fiercely loyal. The reputation they and was only because they were used as pawns by people like Sauron.

Your tidying was almost finished, and in perfect timing, your husband walked through the door. Snapping yourself out of your thoughts, you looked over to him as he made his way to the table, taking a seat.

You sighed, not unhappy to see him but not overjoyed at how he looked. Adar was tired, the weight of impending war and balancing the currently-stable ecosystem of his family was bearing down on him. He would tell you he was fine, and you knew he was lying.

"Adar," you called, making your way to your husband, who's head rested in hands. He looked up, and smiled, though his smile did not reach his eyes as normal.

"My love, forgive me," his gruff voice was quieter and more solemn than usual. "I did not mean to enter without greeting you. I have had a long day, and-"

You placed a finger to his lips, and he knew you understood.

"It's okay, you need not explain anything to me. Can I help you relax?"

Adar took your hand in his, pressing a kiss against the knuckles. In return, you cupped his face with both your hands, holding him gently as your fingers traced the scars on his face. Adar's eyes fluttered shut, still partially not used to how careful you were with him. He was always the one who acted headstrong, leading his people in battle and ensuring at all costs that they remained safe. He still was not accustomed to having the opposite at home. At home, with you, he could unwind and be his true self. 

Your fingers wound into his long, dark locks, and Adar sighed with content. The feeling of your hands on him calmed his nerves, and he wrapped his slender arms around your waist, pulling you closer between his legs. His gauntlet and chest plate were cold against the thin fabric of your clothing, but you didn't care. Right now, your husband was your primary concern.

"Adar, come here," you took his hand again and led him to your bedroom, pulling him in and closing over the door. Sitting him on the edge of your shared bed, you undid his chest plate and moved on to his gauntlet, discarding them both by the bedside. You lay on the bed, beckoning him to lie down with you. In a vulnerable moment, one you rarely saw and cherished when you did, Adar collapsed onto you, arms around your waist and head resting on your chest. He lay between your legs, and you felt his whole body relax.

"I have you, you are safe here," you whispered, making sure you were as caring as possible with him. "I love you, Adar. I will always be here for you."

Your words calmed him, and he felt, for the first time in so long, at peace. His mind was cleared, and he was grateful to you for everything you did for him. Adar wasn't easy to live with, and the fact you had married him was even more of a mystery to him. He felt unworthy of you, he never felt whole enough or handsome enough. But, you stayed and reminded him that he was neither broken nor too far gone, and that his beauty lay inside, not just in his looks. Which, as you always put it, were a massive bonus. 

"I love you, Y/N, more than I could put into words."

As you lay in silence, your hands fiddled with his locks again, occasionally placing a kiss atop his head, you wove a small braid into the side of his head, finishing it off with a tie you found on the bedside table.  You weren't sure if he had noticed. Staring down at him, you were in awe. It happened a lot, you often were struck by just how ethereal your husband was, and how lucky you were to stand by his side and receive his affections. 

"You are so beautiful, my love. Please, never forget that. No matter what happens outside of that door, in here, you are free of that. I will do everything in my power to see that you are well, and anything I can to remind you of the love I have for you."

A tear fell from Adar's eye, as he leaned up to look at you. To him, you were always his beacon of hope. The calm in the eye of a storm. He hugged you closer, the moment becoming emotional for him. Perhaps it was the release of negativity paired with the adoration he had been shown. Whatever the case, he sat upright and took you in his arms. You cuddled into his chest, and his warmth. 

"You know, I-" your lovers voice was cut off as he stopped mid-sentence. Curious, you glanced up to find his hand on the side of his head, confused. "What is this?"

You giggled, realising he hadn't stopped for anything serious. "A braid."

"I am aware of that, my light," his voice had softened, and his mood had lifted a little at the humorous situation. "Why is it in my hair?"

"I don't know, I was fiddling with your hair and before I knew it, it was there. If it helps any, you look very pretty with it."

Your bashful smile sent his heart soaring, and he could no longer even pretend to be mad. Looking at you, he shook his head with a smile.

"Just what will I do with you, melda..." Adar's voice trailed off, and you felt it through your whole body when he called you 'beloved'.

Bringing you back to lean against the headboard of the bed, you nestled next to your husband and held his hand. He tilted your head up to look at him with his free hand, and he leaned in, brushing his lips against yours. Even after all this time, Adar had the respect for you to ask for a kiss, should there be a time you didn't want one. Not that such a scenario had ever happened thus far. You closed the gap, and he kissed you with passion. The kiss was soft and loving, despite the feelings laced behind it. Pulling away from your lips, Adar kissed your jaw and down to your neck, his teeth nipping gently, not enough to mark you.

"Y/N, I promise with everything I have you will always be safe with me. I will protect you and cherish you forever."

Your heart leaped, and you settled in with him.

"As will I, you, Adar."

Adar never did take that braid out.

Thank you for reading! <3

[ryuichirou]

Why is Ortho included in ship art? He died as a child, and although he was rebuilt, his emotional intelligence and maturity level stayed the same as that of a child. Although I fully disagree, I do want to understand your reasoning. Especially since Ortho and Idia are related and I saw your art of them kissing. I am genuinely confused.

I’ll be honest, Anon: the amount of people who message us pretending to be genuinely confused while having ill intentions are more than I care to admit, and this is very tiring; this is why I might sound a little dry in my reply. But I don’t mind explaining it if you genuinely want to understand it. That being said, let this be the last time I am ranting about this topic because there is nothing new I can say.

Here is the short answer: Ortho is included in ship art because we ship him with other characters. Ortho having a maturity level, mentality and/or intelligence of a child is a myth that contradicts canon and only exists to antagonise people who view Ortho as anything other than Idia’s baby mascot with zero agency. The fact that Idia and Ortho are related is not a reason not to ship them: shipping is fictional and doesn’t reflect one’s views on irl matters. Exploring taboo and problematic dynamics and tropes in fiction is a part of natural human experience. What I care most about in shipping is characters’ dynamic that I find fun for shipping. Their relation to each other comes second, but I won’t pretend it doesn’t exist if it does exist.

Now I’ll give you a long answer. Starting with “Ortho is a child/8-year-old/5-year-old/toddler” argument.

We actually saw real 8 yo Ortho before his death in Idia’s flashback and, wow, we can see that AI!Ortho and flashback!Ortho aren’t the same Ortho. "My largest amount of birthday data comes from eleven years ago, when I was five” is the line that Ortho says in one of his Birthday vignettes, which indicates that even though he does have memories of dead!Ortho, he is not stuck in the age of 8 – he thinks and feels that his fifth birthday happened eleven years ago.

But also just in general, if you listen to him talk and compare it to how he talked in Idia’s flashback (both the voice and the manner of speech), it becomes pretty clear that he is older. He is younger-looking and has a high-pitched voice but it’s due to the fact that Idia designed him to look that way, and there are a lot of potential reasons why he could’ve done it (all non-canon and theoretical, so we won’t dive into them today), but he is definitely not 8 years old. Ortho’s AI constantly learns new information, learns more about being a human – he is clearly maturing as the story goes, thus showing that he is in fact capable of aging mentally, and he’s been doing it from the moment Idia first created him. He is naive and inexperienced, but that doesn’t make him an infant.

Plus, post ch.6 he is always being grouped with other freshmen who are also sixteen years old. This is his age group. This is how old Ortho would’ve been if he was still alive, and this is how old AI!Ortho feels. He’s a proper first year student just like Ace, Deuce and the rest of the boys, and the story keeps highlighting it in all the events that happened post ch.6.

Speaking of post ch.6. At the end of the story AI!Ortho and real/blot!Ortho actually merged a little, as far as you can remember. Blot!Ortho, wow, is also 16. He’s been stuck in the Underworld since he was 8 and he existed all those years and grew up as well despite his terrible situation and more than unusual company, so we can safely assume his age. His merging with AI!Ortho also influenced him (AI!Ortho) in a way, making him more human as a result as well.

Not to sound mean, but I think the majority of people who still insist that Ortho is mentally 8 either don’t pay attention to his character, his story and how he interacts with others at all, or straight-up choose to believe that lie because it makes it easier to attack shippers or anyone who likes Ortho in general.

But also guess what, none of that matters actually because ultimately he is a fictional boy, and fictional characters’ ages are irrelevant. Just like fictional characters’ family relations are irrelevant. Even if you don’t think it’s right, that doesn’t change the fact that it is irrelevant, and the only thing that could be done about it is that you can block people and/or tags that make you upset. There is no shame about it: I avoid a lot of ships and tropes that make me upset.

I would prefer people to stop accusing me, a real person, of actual vile crimes (or having dark thoughts about them? What the fuck is wrong with you?) because of fictional, made-up things. If I want to, I can unrelate Ortho and Idia, and my fanart would stop being incestuous with a snap of my fingers. I can make them enemies, I can make them kill each other over and over again, I can kill Idia instead of Ortho. I say this to show how little it matters, and no, ~the implications~ don’t count. People make them up and choose to believe that instead of listening to the person in question. About a real person, let me repeat myself. You (plural/neutral you, not you, Anon) cannot make shit up about another person’s thoughts, ideas, and views just because you find it convenient.

As for why I personally ship Ortho with Idia despite them being siblings, you’re in luck because in addition to this already long post I have an even longer post for you to read if you’re interested! It’s been more than a year since I’ve written that post my reasoning is still pretty much the same, so I think it’s a pretty good one to read if you genuinely want to understand us better.

But if you don’t want to read another long post but are still interested, here is a TL;DR:

I love their deep love for each other and don’t want to just explore the platonic aspect of it – there are a lot of other scenarios that I want to play with;

there are a lot of tropes related to this ship that we love (us two against the world; AI in love; causing an apocalypse for the sake of your loved one; unhealthy and codependent relationship; obsession, etc);

their story has a lot of motifs that could be read as romantic (i.e. Orpheus and Eurydice analogy) that we really enjoy;

personal reasons; relatability (not elaborating on that; not related to incest though lol);

they’re sexy lol I love robot parts, size difference and a lot of other aspects that I won’t mention here.

I hope that explained some stuff. Just to be clear: I don’t want to force anyone ship Shroudcest, in fact I don’t care if we are the only people in the world shipping them (that will never be the case though lol). I just love Ortho very much, and I think he is a very fun character that has a lot to offer, and I really don’t like that people want to create this aura of “he’s just baby don’t touch him” that stops people for getting to know his character better. He is cunning, he is smart, he is caring, he is psychopathic, he is a lot of things, and all of those things make me want to see him bossing Idia around, acting cute around Vil, bonding with Malleus over their differences and similarities, all of those things.

[eggyboyoart]

Kuya Dating HCs

[RATED 18+ bc of the nature of the game, NU: carnival)

…HOW?

SERIOUSLY HOW??

Getting Kuya to admit he cares about you is like trying to pull blood from a stone – its impossible

Though some males can be polyamorous, Foxes usually mate for life

once they’ve picked their partner, they’ll stay with them for their whole life; even if their partner dies early – which is especially poignant for Kuya because of his extended lifespan as a yokai

because of this, Kuya is one of the people I can actually see being exclusive with you

In my Yakumo HCs, I said most likely it would be Yakumo dating both you and Eiden

But depending if you start dating Kuya pre-Eiden Era or even early-Eiden era – he’ll be much more devoted to you than the new grand sorcerer (although Kuya will still torment him, lol sorry Eiden)

Kuya’s love languages are (weirdly enough) quality time and receiving/giving gifts

I KNOW it sounds crazy but here he out

For quality time – he is obsessed with you, in every way possible

He wants to be around you by any means, even through some mischief and trickery

Hes the type to pretend to be bored while listening to you rant about something, but he actually commits every word to memory

He also never misses an anniversary or milestone in your guy’s relationship

He’ll make any excuse to see you, from ‘he was just bored’ to ‘he left something here last time and he might as well hang out while hes here,’

For gift giving – 1) he loves receiving gifts and 2) he loves your face when he gives you the perfect gift

Kuya knows that he is not a very ‘honest’ partner – he doesn’t verbalise how he feels and basically has never said the words ‘I love you’

Which is why his gifts are so thoughtful and sincere

Whether its your favourite flowers, or something important to you (art, work, etc) – or even just something you eyed for an extra second in the market, his gifts are so meaningful and you can always tell there is a large amount of thought put behind it

He will never give it to you directly but rather leave it in a spot he knows for a fact you’ll find it and probably write some vague, sarcastic note (which more often than not, clues you into the fact that its from Kuya)

He’ll be watching from behind a corner (or hidden in the room with magic) to see your reaction because – while he is a smug man – he wants to make you happy

Kuya is a smug kisser – he knows hes good

I truly believe that while Kuya is a smug bastard, hes also a huge softie behind all of the snark and smirks

He genuinely cannot resist putting his hands all over you, though he’ll frame it as him simply trying to tease you in classic Kuya fashion

Kuya is the type to rarely use your actual name, only referring to you by nicknames/petnames that are designed to rile you up

‘little one’ and ‘sweet thing’ are for when hes feeling particularly teasing

Though, in his softer moments – he’ll slip up and murmur a soft ‘love’ under his breath

He would actually appreciate his own petnames – something personal to him

In the forest, he has his own garden with magic flowers

something along the lines of ‘lavender’ or ‘wisteria’ when you’re feeling sweet – and ‘foxtail’ when you’re feeling a little mischievous yourself

[ririsasy]

Let’s talk about the first kill

How heavy everything was for Deva, and also for Varadha, their circumstances, the land they were born into, their people and their way of lives, their fates and how they eventually have to turned into this demon at some point, like their ancestors who always long for fight and blood.

The way Deva was regretful at the outcome of what he had done, of what he became, looking down tearfully and pitifully, his eyes wondering around trying to grasp the reality of it all, finally it dawned on him about what just happened, almost like he came back to his sense after losing control and going auto-pilot in killing spree.

This must be his first kill ever, because when he escaped Khansaar he was just a young boy and I bet living with Amma he mustn’t gotten into trouble that he need to kill anybody, perhaps he had gotten into a fight with someone over some misunderstanding, after all he’s a strong big man, but I am sure he didn’t need to go as far as killing anyone in his path.

He was just a blacksmith, hard laborer that did honest job for a living just to get by, though he probably always sparring in his spare time, preparing for something, for a war that he was sure that one day he would be called to but more than that again he never really need to kill anyone before.

And yet after he landed in Khansaar, it didn’t take him a week to kill, even Deva himself felt it heavy in his soul, the rage that he had kept inside himself, he finally unleashed it and let it consumed him fully because that kind of beast has always been dormant inside of him, because this land awaits for him to spill blood.

The way Deva look up like he was asking the deity or anything at all above that might look over him, “is this who I truly am? Why you created me this way, are you listening? Do you condemn the path that I chose to seek justice?” And after that I think he made peace with who he was, closing his eye and believed that he didn’t do anything wrong, that his action was justified, his rage was justified and accepted the fact with new clarity that a vengeful angry demon in his veins is needed to cleanse this violent land, the symbolism wasn't lost on me either here that Deva was fully covered in blood like he was baptized in blood and rebirth into this new person.

Gone was his "innocent", he was ready now to take the path that's truly meant for him, a path that nobody dare to take because it will consume him and he might lost himself completely in this road, as Nietzsche said "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." This is never easy for Deva. It's going to take tolls in his soul.

That's why later on when got into 2017 present deva we got glimpse of him being haunted by himself, the demon that he saw on the mirror, that even he couldn't recognize it and is scared of that reflection, even his mother was aware of his presence that she tried her best to re-tame it again by forbidding him from even getting close to anything that could be used as a weapon because it could and would awaken the sleeping beast.

Let’s also observed Varadha’s reaction when he finally opened his eyes to see what Deva had done, what he finally became, he was at the brink of crying because this was the same overwhelming side of Deva that Varadha remembered when they were young.

Varadha knew that Deva had it in him to turn into this kind of fearsome man. Varadha remembered that memory as clear as a it was just happened yesterday how Deva could frightened him by the intensity of the things he could do even beyond Varadha’s wildest imagination. This man is untamable beast and Varadha just brought him back to the place that literally would make him lost control.

That’s why Varadha tearfully told him in prison later on that he wished he didn’t bring him back to Khansaar, he regretted his decision because what Khansaar would do to a man like Deva.

Varadha said he knew that this is how it would end once Deva came back to Khansaar, what he meant by that was that he knew that Deva wouldn’t be able to hold back the way Varadha had done for the past 25 years living amongst the beasts who basically do whatever they want in Khansaar because the law only applies to the weak while the lords and people in power is basically can do anything and people would close their eyes over it but not his Deva, Varadha knew it all too well the kind of man his deva is in the face of injustice.

Imagine how many many times Varadha was at his last straw that he almost couldn’t endure it and wish he could call Deva back to fix, to fight, to change the tide of Khansaar but he hold himself back thinking that Deva would do great anywhere else but not here in Khansaar, this place is evil, too volatile for Deva’s hot blood and not to mention the history of how his people was massacred in this exact same land, that’s why Varadha only brought Deva back when he literally see no way out, not for himself but for his brother, he called him to protect the only thing that Varadha deemed Valuable in his life, because nothing else left for him in Khansaar, Deva and his hope and his love and his everything, he had brought it all with him long time ago.

That’s why I think Baachi’s death that we all knew and speculated was by Deva’s hand turn Varadha into entirely different person. 😭

.

.

PS. Anyone who said that Prabhas didn't emot much as Deva then tell me about the innocent Deva that played with kids and a good son to his mother, the tortured soul Deva haunted by his past, the Deva that was so devoted to Varadha, the Deva that's possesive, the violence Deva, the soft hearted Deva that's basically always have tears in his eyes, those are all in one movie 😭 my man is giving his best and people be blind about all of this just because they like to judge too quickly without actually trying to understand the material fully first. 😓

[futurecorps3]

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬

Masterlist<3

Summary: YEARNING WITH A READER HES ABLE TO TOUCH. Pairing: Kaz Brekker x fem!reader Warnings: Mentions of Kaz's touch aversion, death, slight OOC Kaz but I think only if you squint like he's a softie with Y/N and Y/N only. Let me know if I missed any!!! Word Count: 2.3K Requested: I guess? @kaldurahms-lover

A/N: The user tagged posted a general request to us Kaz fic writers. The concept follows the line of how our boy would need TOUCH from an s/o who he has known from before JorDIE died. Bestie I hope you like it and you don't mind I used fem!reader (I can change it if it IS an issue). I haven't started and I'm already excited about this piece being posted!!! Mwah hope I did justice to the concept.

˚ · • . ° .

Kaz didn't really know what it was. Maybe it was the weather, too warm for Ketterdam, or the way he was sweating under his gloves. Maybe it was how loud Nina and Jesper were being, too tipsy to care for the volume of their laughs, or how the last job had gone well even when they didn't follow the plan he traced. Maybe he just missed her.

Who was he kidding? Of course he missed her. Y/N had been gone two weeks on a little trip to Novyi Zem to pick up a shipment and get information from financial records kept in one of the properties belonging to their next target. He really tried getting his seller to deliver directly to Ketterdam, but they said it would be too much trouble. Y/N, kind as always, convinced Kaz offered to do both tasks.

And he missed her. The others could tell. The grumpy mood the bastard carried himself with had been even grumpier in the last couple of days and they all knew well what was going on, but decided against prying because he'd never admit it. They couldn't really blame him. After all, his girl was the only one who seemed to melt that inaccessible boy.

They found each other in akin situations; lost kids in a new city, all on their own and with the foolish dream of making a life with nothing but honest intentions and a kind heart. The boy could still remember those pretty watery eyes looking up at his brother with fear, fear of him being another person ready to hurt her. Instead, he made a silent promise to himself to always protect her, to never let anyone hurt her again.

Little did that boy knew he could not keep that promise, not for her, not for himself. He thought fondly at that memory, though. An image close to his heart that made him wonder that maybe he wasn't such a horrible person. Blame it on the innate capacity of kids to feel empathy towards virtually any living thing.

When Jordie died, Kaz was ruined. He felt like he had lost a part of himself, and he didn't know how to go on without his brother. He was consumed by grief and anger, early in age, and pushed Y/N far away from him. But Y/N didn't give up on him.

She knew how much he was hurting, and she refused to let him suffer alone. She was patient with him, giving him the space he needed to grieve, but also letting him know that she was there for him whenever he was ready to talk.

One day, as they were walking through the streets of Ketterdam, Kaz finally opened up to Y/N. He told her everything he had been feeling since Jordie died, the anger, the guilt, and most importantly, the emptiness. And as he spoke, Y/N listened, never judging him, but always offering a kind word or a gentle touch. A touch that did not bother him in the slightest.

Her hands didn't make him feel sick like the ones from officers in the Stadwatch. He realized that he could bear it, and even better, savor it. As they sat in that alley all those years ago, sharing a piece of bread and a dream of a better life, Kaz knew that he had found something special in Y/N. He had found someone who understood him, who accepted him for who he was, and who believed in him even when he didn't believe in himself.

And he knew that he would never let her go. No matter what challenges they faced in the future, no matter how dark the world around them became, Kaz would always have Y/N by his side, just as she had always had his. Together, they would face anything that came their way, because that was what they had always done. They were lost kids in a new city, but they had found each other, and that was all that mattered.

With time, he saw Y/N under a new light. Kaz admired the girl for her capacity to take the best out of situations while remaining conscious of how awful things could get. Her tenderness and bliss seemed to come from a bottomless pit, while his had run dry a long time ago.

It's okay, she had enough to spare for the both of them. Feelings developed, conflict ensued, and after three years of the perilous path of love, they became official. Kaz wouldn't have it any other way and Saint's know Y/N wouldn't either. They loved each other like only two young kids in love could; raw, endlessly.

And that's why Y/N's letter saying she needed more time to collect information had the barrel's bastard all sulky. He needed her embrace, and he needed it now. The more he thought about it, the less probable it seemed for him to be able to hold on a few more days.

"You okay, boss?"

Now, Jesper knew the answer to his question, and he knew why Brekker wasn't doing okay, but he was no expert on how to handle these types of situations, and it seemed like the right thing to ask. As far as Kaz goes, well, he had no idea when the zemeni boy had left his place next to Nina to walk all the way to him. He was too busy thinking about her, as he had been for the past two weeks.

No response came from him. Then a sigh from Jesper. "She'll be back soon, she's okay, Kaz. Turn that terrifying frown into the normal one, you're scaring the piggeons more than we want to". The frustration he felt seemed almost unreasonable; he gave her the job knowing exactly the implications it entailed, so why was he so needy? There was patience in any action of his, but he couldn't control how much he wanted a kiss from his lover at the moment.

To some, it might be cute. To him, it was thoroughly infuriating. "Get a hold of yourself. She'll be back soon, no need to get all mad about something that only time will fix", he thought to himself over and over again in that hot afternoon as he laid on a white blowy blouse in his room trying to go to sleep so time would somehow be faster since burying himself in paperwork and plotting hadn't worked.

With a deep sigh, Kaz closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. He knew that he had to get a grip on himself and not let his emotions get the best of him. Y/N would be back soon enough, and until then, he would have to be patient and wait for her return. And so, he lay there, trying to calm his racing thoughts and steady his beating heart, until finally, he drifted off to sleep.

˚ · • . ° .

First thing he heard was a soft hum. A too familiar song coming from a sweet voice in the bathroom. Was he so out of control he was now dreaming of Y/N returning? What love does to a man... The sun prickling his skin felt too real, the sweat on his bare hands ran freshly, tickling him ever so slightly.

He sat up quickly, his heart pounding with excitement. Had she returned early from her trip? He got out of bed and walked towards the door carefully, his bare footsteps echoing delicately on the wooden floor. As he opened the door a bit wider, he saw her standing in front of the mirror. Y/N's eyes met his, hers sparkling with a well-known happiness.

"Hi" she dared to say. Saints! She had no idea what an agony it had been without her, right? Kaz felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of her. She looked radiant, with her hair tousled and her cheeks flushed from the heat outside. A long walk from the docks, surely. Had he been awake and aware of her early return, he would've walked her back to the Slat with an umbrella to shield both of them from the suffocating light.

"Hello" he mumbled, still a little dazed from sleep. Y/N smiled and stepped closer to him. "I missed you," she said simply, reaching out to take his hand. Kaz felt a surge of emotion wash over him, and he knew in that moment that she had missed him just as much. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against him as he breathed in the scent of her hair. It was the same from before she left, just a little saltier.

For a moment, they just stood there, wrapped up in each other, savoring the feeling of being together once more.

Finally, Y/N pulled back and looked up at him, a soft smile on her lips. "I brought you something," she said, pulling away and shuffling through her bag before humming contently, pulling and holding out a small box.

Kaz took the package and opened it to reveal a delicate silver necklace, with a tiny crow charm dangling from it. He looked up at her, surprised and touched by the gesture. "Y-you don't have to wear it-" "It's beautiful," he said softly, handing it over to her as she carefully placed it around his neck with a content smile.

They both knew it would remain hidden under the various layers of clothing he wore on cooler days (or even the hotter ones such as this), but knowing it was there was enough.

"Looks pretty" Y/N beamed, tracing her fingers down his half-exposed chest and pulling him in for a hug from the waist. "I missed you so much," he confessed, feeling the commotion inside of him finally subside under her touch. "I missed you too much, never let me go away for that long again... no matter how stubborn I get".

Kaz felt his mouth turn up in a grin, almost letting out a giggle. "Never," He looked down at her briefly and found her looking at him already, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "don't think I could bear it".

As the heat of the afternoon persisted, Kaz and Y/N found themselves seeking refuge in the relative coolness of Kaz's bedroom. They lay on the bed together, cuddled up over the white sheets, with Kaz's arm wrapped tightly around Y/N's waist. Despite the warmth of the day, Kaz felt a chill run through him at the touch of Y/N's skin against his.

As they lay there, Kaz felt a sense of peace wash over him. He had spent so much of his life chasing after money and power, but now, in this moment, he realized that his number one priority was something much simpler: the warmth and love of the person he cared about most in the world.

Y/N shifted slightly in his arms, and Kaz tightened his grip on her. He could feel her breathing softly against his chest, and he knew that he would never tire of this feeling.

"I've been more... difficult than usual. Even Matthias got alarmed," he murmured, his voice low and husky laced with amusement. Y/N looked up at him, giggling, her eyes filled with love. "It's okay," she said softly. "I missed you too."

Kaz smiled, feeling a sense of contentment that he had never experienced before. He knew that his life would always be filled with danger and uncertainty, but as long as he had Y/N by his side, he knew that he would be able to face anything. Just like when they were kids.

They lay there for a long time, just holding each other, lost in their own thoughts. And as the afternoon turned to evening, they drifted off to sleep, safe and content in each other's arms.

˚ · • . ° .

Hi! Thank you so much for reading, hope you enjoyed:)

Remember, the best way to support writer’s works on here is by REBLOGGING WITH TAGS. I’d very much appreciate it if you did!

Thanks again, stranger. Hope you have a nice day<3

NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO REPOST AS THEIR OWN/TRANSLATE/OR COPY MY WORK IN ANY PLATFORM OR SPACE WITHOUT MY EXPLICIT CONSENT.

[cannibalisticdespair]

🔥 Despaircest (can't be unpopular as in "fandom hates it even though it's gr8"; we need to go weirder and deeper)

If those two fucking idiots ever had an actually honest and heartfelt conversation, things would have gone extremely differently because they actually did feel the same about each other.

The Despaircest plot is told out of order. 1-6's trial has Makoto's hope include the caveat of "we don't even know if Junko is lying!" Yes, he also goes "and if she isn't, we've got this", but that's just half of it and the other half is "nuh uh!" And here's the thing: SDR2 came out years later after DR1 was successful. DR1 never tells us if Junko was lying or not. So, view it with that in mind. DR1 leaves the question to us: was she full of shit?

Two years later, we get the answer. In 2-6. A whole game later, we find out the answer was "no, Junko was not lying". And that modifies the viewing of 1-6. Because now, you have to view 1-6 as "Junko is telling the truth here, she isn't lying to manipulate anyone, she's just being honest". When Junko says she loves her classmates? That's true. When Junko says the world ended? That's true. When Junko says Mukuro is just like her and loves despair the same way as her... wait, what?

Oh, but you're given a decoder ring. Beating SDR2 unlocks Danganronpa IF, where we find out that that is not at all true. But... if Junko isn't lying, but that isn't true, there's only one possible explanation. Junko's wrong. Now, how does that line up with IF? Perfectly.

In IF, Mukuro survives the murder because Makoto's memories start to come back and he warns her to dodge using her real name, so she does it on instinct, so she doesn't die, but he does get hurt trying to save her. Which leads to Mukuro turning on Junko. But importantly, there's the breakup.

"Say, sis?" "Oh! Junko, it's you!" Ikusaba's eyes brightened at the first sight of her sister in days, but they would soon go dim. "You know, I was always thankful to you, sis. I mean it." It was because Junko's voice, coming from the speakers, was terribly soft and gentle. "...Junko?" "I'm really sorry. I was being too harsh with you. I even tried to kill you just now, and I was about to make you do something horrible. Even though I know how you feel about Naegi." "I-I don't..." "Don't force yourself. You might not realize it, but it was really obvious. You never cared about those class pictures, but you looked at the camera properly that one time Naegi took the photo." From just the image on the monitor, the Super High School Level Despair looked like a girl with a sweet, innocent smile teasing her older sister. But that was exactly why Ikusaba was slowly falling towards despairing fear. "I always thought you should've put your all into it when you were in a picture with Naegi, but I guess that's all part of your disappointing self, sis." "But you know, you might be lackluster and disappointing, but I love that about you too." Ikusaba trembled. "I love you. How long had she wanted to hear these words from Junko? Ikusaba believed that, no matter what Junko said, she actually loved her very much. Ikusaba believed that she alone could understand the despair known as Junko Enoshima. It was a ludicrous notion. The moment Junko said, 'I love you', Ikusaba realized--to her agony--that she never truly understood her sister. Only now had she come to realize Junko's feelings. Junko was being kind. There was no lie in her gentle words. Perhaps she was being entirely truthful about loving her sister as well. This was precisely why this signalled the destruction of their relationship. Ikusaba realized that Junko was cutting ties with her. And before Ikusaba could say a word in reply, the girl on the monitor left her with a word of cruelty. "I know you'll make your dreams come true someday."

Do you get it? Junko really, truly loves Mukuro just as much as Mukuro loves her. And they never understood each other, but they both completely believed they did. Combine this with Junko in 1-6 talking about Mukuro and you have Junko's belief before the truth is revealed to her and Junko after the truth is revealed to her.

So, what was killing Mukuro? Trying to say "I love you" and make Mukuro's dreams come true without understanding Mukuro's love language or Mukuro's dreams. Consider how Junko describes how Mukuro "must have" felt. Why would she deny herself that despair? Simple: so Mukuro could have it, believing Mukuro wanted it just as much as she did. Her act of love in DR1 was self-sacrifice to give the greatest gift she could imagine to someone who she never realized didn't want it.

And what does Junko do when she does realize it? She breaks her entire sense of self and personality just to express her love to Mukuro. She realizes Mukuro has hope and everything, and she encourages it and fosters it out of love for her. She loves Mukuro enough that, even knowing they will now be enemies, she will speak Mukuro's love language rather than her own to make Mukuro truly know how much she loves her. This scene and killing Mukuro have the same meaning, and you can only come to understand this by combining 1-6 and IF to get two contradictory perspectives in order to recognize the before-belief and the after-belief.

Junko fucking loves her so goddamn much, but Junko expresses her love in a very particular way. Despair. Remember what she said to Class 78? She loves them all. She wasn't lying about that either. It's so personalized, so direct, so cruel, because she loves them. She loves Mukuro most of all, so she granted Mukuro the most intense despair imaginable, even though it meant losing it for herself, even though that is literally her entire modus operandi. It's fucking self-sacrifice when she kills Mukuro.

The twist is that she never understood that Mukuro didn't want it. Junko can understand and learn anything, except the one thing staring her in the face. But because of her talent, she can't imagine that there's something so blatant right in front of her she's failing to understand. Mukuro meanwhile? Danganronpa Zero gives us this:

Then, looking at the face Ikusaba-san showed me, I was suddenly taken aback. The ever so emotionless face was, ecstatic and smiling. "I don‘t know if...she is attracting despair or despair is attracting her but...she has lived her whole life with despair by her side. She lived while immersed in despair. That‘s why she began looking for despair in others. She learned to enjoy pushing people into despair. But you know, that‘s normal. It‘s the same as someone being cursed by misfortune fall into hatred for those who aren‘t. But what‘s special about her was that, she learned to enjoy inflicting despair onto herself. That‘s how the link to despair began. As she chased down despair, she pushed it onto others on the way. Doing so, it caused her to desire falling into despair even more...and because of that chain to despair, the Super High School Level Despair was born." While she spoke, it was like she fell into a fever, the expressions on her face turned into ecstasy. It was so completely absurd that it would have been hard for anybody to think of it as anything but a joke, but I understood that this was real. It might‘ve been because the memories of Junko Enoshima inside me led to that conclusion. "Hey, you don‘t get it right? I don‘t think anybody could. But you know, only I can understand it..." Consumed by ecstasy, even Ikusaba-san‘s breaths began to become ragged. "Only I am able of understanding her. That‘s why she needs me. She still hasn‘t realized that but, maybe she is only pretending not to realize. Ufu, that‘s because she‘s so shy. Ufufufu." Seeing this intoxicated Ikusaba-san continue to talk like that, repelled me. I knew that she definitely didn‘t have normal feelings for Junko Enoshima, but that sort of thing shouldn‘t have anything to do with me.

They both have failed to understand each other. Danganronpa Zero came out before Danganronpa IF. So,

Ikusaba believed that she alone could understand the despair known as Junko Enoshima. It was a ludicrous notion.

Is a callback to

"Hey, you don‘t get it right? I don‘t think anybody could. But you know, only I can understand it..."

Both of them are having their preconceived notions about each other shattered at the same time in that scene in IF. Because both of them just assumed they understood each other. Because of course they did. They've been linked at the hip so long, they're symbiotic. Except, no, they didn't. Because they both assumed, rather than ever actually talking and getting on the same page. And note,

Seeing this intoxicated Ikusaba-san continue to talk like that, repelled me. I knew that she definitely didn‘t have normal feelings for Junko Enoshima, but that sort of thing shouldn‘t have anything to do with me.

It was incest in 2011. Before SDR2 and IF released. It was always incest. DR3 just was going "now shut the fuck up, we've visually confirmed it for you".

So yeah, Despaircest was mutual love of equal intensity ruined by them both being arrogant dipshits who failed to get on the same page because they wouldn't just have a goddamn conversation about it because they both assumed that they would gain nothing from it because they totally already understood each other so goddamn well. It was mutual, and Junko actually really did love Mukuro just as much as Mukuro loved Junko. It turned tragic from a lack of communication.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Mini & Moni Music was... interesting, kind of concerning? We really know so little about the members - especially if you're like me and don't watch all the lives and documentaries, and read every book or interview. Even if I did all that, though, I wouldn't know much. The more honest they are, the more obvious it is they're "hiding" so much from us and how little we know them. This honesty unintentionally increases the disconnect between us and them, throwing every memory of them in a different light. A lot of the intimacy we feel/felt isn't real because, sometimes, when they look happy they're actually struggling while we enjoy ourselves and their "happiness".

The thing about RM for me is I've struggled to understand him, even if I probably have more in common with him than other members. The way he expresses himself is very opaque to me. I lack the sensibility, or context, I guess, to understand his thought process.

This special content between Jimin and Namjoon was a bit sad. RM doesn't seem happy. Every year, I feel like he reveals that he wasn't happy in the previous year. Has there been any year where Namjoon didn't suddenly reveal he'd been struggling? Because last year he made it seem as if he'd been doing pretty well, and I guess he was better at some point, while working on RPWP, but he'd been having a really rough time. Hearing him say he had to distance himself from BTS in order to heal (I think in 2023, after Indigo, but also applies to chapter 2 in general?) and Jimin saying the members thought he liked them less now... was sad.

RM really had(s) been struggling with the group. I know Hobi really wanted a chance to do something solo, but Festa dinner still feels mostly like it was brought on by Namjoon. I'm pretty sure Jungkook, Jimin, Jin, Suga, and V would've been fine carrying on with group activities with little to no solo activities, and Hobi only wanted a chance to do something different, not necessarily a big break from the group (I think; I haven't watched a lot of chapter 2 solo content, maybe I'm wrong). But RM was truly "done", to the point where the members felt him pulling away from them... RM popping up during one of Jungkook's live and their whole interaction kind of takes on a new meaning. Jungkook had been really happy to talk to Namjoon, and Namjoon said he missed Jungkook and that they needed to hang out. At the time maybe RM had already created distance between himself and the members so they missed each other a lot and there was a kind of uncertainty in their relationship.

I believe in BTS, but this content has made RM, the leader, seem the least excited about BTS, which may be untrue - contradictory and conflicted feelings can coexist. I kind of became concerned about how they'll return as a group (and what that will sound like...) if RM just looks so burnt out and even regretful about many things in their past (like his seriousness before). I know that each member struggled a lot, and for every hard moment there is a good one RM remembers, but I hope that when he comes back he learns how to enjoy being in the group again (or maybe for the first time; maybe he never really knew how to love the group without feeling weighted down by it). Like he says, RM speaks for the group. Most of Festa seems like him speaking for the group while the group itself didn't share his feelings completely but wanted to support him. It's ironic because RM said he feared that the group only represented his thoughts and not the group's, but I really want to know what the other members think. Suga, for example, has always blamed their hiatus on the enlistment, whereas Namjoon has made it clear that wasn't the main reason.

I don't know, I know the group has been through a lot, including the time they almost disbanded (I say almost, but how close were they, truly? Thinking heavily about something and having the intention of doing it are quite different), but this made me lose confidence in the group a bit, at least in RM. In the eyes of the members he's equated to BTS, but it seems like he's drifted apart from them. That's life, but as a fan it was hard to hear. Maybe they all feel the same, and I'm putting it all on Namjoon... This conversation with Jimin was very negative, but that's not the whole truth, and I shouldn't forget that.

[becauseimanicequeen]

I've used a lot of purple in my work today, and some yellow, and it got me thinking about Wandee Goodday (tell me I'm obsessed with Wandee Goodday without telling me I'm obsessed with Wandee Goodday, lol)...

Purple and yellow are contrasting colors (also called complementary colors) because they are on opposite sides of the color wheel. Contrasting colors are the definition of "opposites attract" when it comes to color because they are completely different but complement each other very well. When placed next to each other (or, as in my profession, somewhere within the confines of the same canvas), it creates high impact and contrast. They pop.

So, what does that tell me about Yak and Dee in Wandee Goodday? That their contrasts complement each other.

Dee (purple) is more mysterious and (let's be honest) a bit cold. Yak (yellow) is more clear/direct and warm.

Dee enjoys luxury. I mean, neon lights (at least the quality stuff) are expensive and we've seen how much he likes neon lights.

Yak seems to enjoy the simpler things in life like just being around the people he likes and having fun with dressing up in different costumes.

(I could be wrong about this, though, considering he can, somehow, get his hands on all those costumes and props he uses to disguise himself when he goes to Dee's place. Maybe that's a very expensive hobby/kink he has, lol.)

Anyway...

What's interesting about purple and yellow, in particular, is that they also have overlapping traits, and (not so) surprisingly, so do Dee and Yak.

Purple (Dee) is associated with wisdom while yellow (Yak) is associated with intelligence. But even with this overlapping trait, Dee and Yak's wisdom/intelligence is different and complementary.

Dee is a doctor and it has surely taken him a lot of studying to get to where he is now. The kind of intelligence he uses every day (because of his work) is scientific and analytical.

Yak's intelligence is, I would say, more of an intuitive and emotional kind. He took what Taem said about people not always being able to be strong, saw it in Dee, and was able to empathize with it.

Even though they're both wise/intelligent, they are so in their own ways.

(Yes, Dee shows empathy for his patients as well, but I feel like he lacks some of the other aspects of EI at the moment, like self-regulation, for example.)

Another interesting aspect of purple and yellow is that purple is the color on the color wheel that's closest in value to black while yellow is the color closest in value to white.

In other words, purple is the color on the color wheel that reflects the least amount of light while yellow is the color that reflects the most.

Even though black and white and purple and yellow have different qualities and symbolism, the contrast between dark and light is there in both pairs.

Black is often associated with the night while purple is associated with mystery (one of the reasons being that pure purple is so dark it was likened to the evening/night in the past). White is often associated with light while yellow is (in the West) associated with the sun. In Thailand, yellow is associated with Mondays, and Mondays are associated with the moon (the light in the night sky).

With this in mind, it could be that Yak (yellow) is coming into Dee's (purple) life to shine some light.

There was that hint (in the 3rd episode) of a car accident that (most likely) took Dee's parents' lives. Considering what we saw in that flash of his memory, he saw them dead. Whether he was in the car with them or not doesn't matter, the trauma was evidently deep either way.

While I don't believe in other people being able (or having the responsibility) to heal your trauma (you have to work on that yourself), Yak might still be able to give Dee some light through another perspective on life. Perhaps to work less (so he'll have the time to change the lightbulbs, lol) and make more time for fun and play (like their FWB relationship).

With the whole contrast in values between purple and yellow, combined with the reasons they're in this FWB/fake boyfriend relationship, I also feel like Dee might end up hurting Yak.

Yak seems to be the one who is mostly into this FWB/fake boyfriend relationship and it feels like that because he wants to be there (he clearly likes Dee). Dee, on the other hand, is mostly in it for his own personal gain (at first to prove that he isn't vanilla and then to show Ter and the gossipy idiots at the hospital that he’s not into Ter).

And let's not forget that he likes to win...

And will probably do whatever it takes to win over Ter (since he admitted that winning at all costs is a bad habit he has).

The question is how much Dee will hurt Yak on the way to winning (because I'm pretty sure Dee will win the scholarship) and how far he will go before he realizes what he's doing/what he's done and what Yak actually means to him.

Eventually, though, Dee will realize his feelings because I'm sure he will see the light that Yak has brought into his life (literally and figuratively).

Anyway, that was my rant about color. I'll shut up now...

[skullyragdoll]

Thoughts on episode 13 cuz i forgot to post earlier :P

This is so late lol, its a collection of my thoughts and ramblings.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! So much happened in this episode!!!!!

Levi is a murder and doesn't care for other people.

Ok, so I didn't see this coming even though there were a lot of hints. I just always thought he was bad at picking up on social cues and dealing with intense people like Ace, which I guess is still true just in a stronger way. The fact that his whole gentle and mild mannered act was fake is a little sad cuz I liked his fake persona, but I think him faking being nice is a cool twist. Although this does change the way I like characterized his previous actions in my head, I think that the new drama and angst it adds is really intresting!!!!! :D

2. Acevi getting torn to shreds ToT.

Every acevi shipper is like crying cuz of this rn, and I am too, even though I knew it was probably never gonna be canon. But I don't think its completely dead cuz Ace kinda implies one sided acevi might have existed during chapter 1.

3. Acevi Angst!!!! One sided Acevi!!! ToT

Ok so this made mee screeam!!!! The angst!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We finally get Ace angst!!!!!!!!!!!! This is what I've been waiting for since chapter 1!!!!!!!!! Acevi angst!! It hurts so much to see that deep down ace did really care about Levi ToT. Ace's sprite looks sooooo good!!!!!!! (Also this is so gay and i luv it).

4. Ace seems to mention his friend from the Q&A.

Ok so it looks like Ace mentions his friend from the Q&A that I forgot the name of lol. But here he says it would be "an insult to his memory" which to me, implies that his friend is dead, or atleast not his friend anymore. I can't wait for the angst!!!!!!

5. Hu and Veronika's secrets

Most people predicted the secrets correctly, it is sad :(. But its good that it seems that Hu has grown and seems to be in a healthier place. But I am also a little scared cuz Hu might be the killer and she is getting a lot of screentime and moments were she girlbosses.

6. Teruko's secret...

I believe that this is not Teruko's real secret as it seems like it's obviously about Xander. I think that David used this as a trap or something to try and get more information out of Teruko, which is why I think he made that evil face. I'm not sure how David knew that Min's clue was Xander's, maybe he told David in private in chapter 1? But Teruko's belief that this is her secret is interesting...

So, even though I don't think this is Teruko's secret, the fact that she thought it was means that she feels like the death of her family was her fault, likely because of her luck. But the most interesting part of this for me is the fact that the secret mentions the death of Teruko/Xander's parents and siblings. This kind of implies that Teruko might have been lying about her brother being alive, or she believes that he died after he got adopted. And yes, this could be a coincidence but the specific phrasing of "parents and siblings" seems like it was meant to imply this since it could have been phrased as family instead. But obviously this could also be a coincidence, especially since it also says siblings, and Teruko claims she only has one so Idk, its up to u whether u think its a coincidence or not.

7. WHY R THEY DOING THIS TO MY HEART!!!!!!!!!  😭😭😭

Arei's scene with David was so sad and so wholesome!!!! It literally made me so sad, I got so scared when she said that she was a bad person but then what she said about them being imperfect together cuz perfect people don't exist is soooo wholesome. This is extra cute cuz her whole arc was about being scared to be vulnerable around people but she was willing to be honest and kind with David even after she knew he was a liar. Also the next thought...

8. WHAT THE HECK EDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I literally screamed when I saw this, I was so shocked, draw dropped. And I didn't even notice the fork thing, I thought it was a wrench until I went to tumblr and saw everyone talking about the fork and xander connections!!!!!!! THis is crazy!! Eden what happened!?!

In more seriousness, since I believe Teruko's secret is about her being the reason for the killing game and who appears like Xander says all this stuff in episode 1, I wonder what happened. Did Teruko accidentally cause the killing game and Eden tried protecting Teruko from Xander, or were Teruko and Eden like evil/manipulative. I have no idea, I also don't know who was the one telling Xander to kill Teruko. (The phrasing of "end the killing game" could imply that they were in a previous killing game, but I think that's probably me reading too much into it since he's probably just trying to end it before it starts.)

Anyways I'm so interested in what Eden did since she is one of the kindest characters, and that was one of the best twists in Drdt.

9. Why is Whit so upbeat and why does he know so much about hanging?!?!

Whit is always upbeat during trials, he even made a joke about Min's execution earlier in chapter 2. I understand that its probably cuz he's comic relief and its probably a coping mechanism for all the death but it is still kinda suspicious. He also knows a lot about breaking necks through hanging like Veronika, so that's either sad or suspicious. Anyways I don't think he is the killer but I know some people think he could be the mastermind and yeah is kind of suspicious. But based on what he said in episode 7 in the movie room about Teruko grieving its probably just a coping mechanism.

10. Nico!?!?

Ok, so I don't think that Nico is actually the killer, especially since there would probably one of those selection screen thingies. But I know that a lot of people suspect that Hu assisted with Nico's murder attempt because Nico used a wire while Hu's special weapon was a wire. (I'm obviously not the first to say this I saw people talk about a bunch of months ago). This kinda makes me think that Hu could be the killer since she could have helped Nico plan the murder and she could have reused the methods for Arei's murder. Hu was also the most reluctant to give up her secret, so if she wanted to keep her secret safe she could have committed the murder. Hu does have an alibi but it is with Nico in private. (Also now after the time reveal it may not have to do with the secrets since it was the morning after). Also I don't think Hu was the one who actually tried to kill Ace because Nico admits to it in part 1 of chapter 2, and that would also kinda takeaway from Nico's agency and possible character arc and stuff. Anyways I kinda hope it isn't Hu cuz she ate David up last episode and I don't want her to die.

That's it, hope u enjoyed my ramblings lol :P

[noses-in-winter]

Hey, She Has To Wake Up, Anyway (18+)(F sneeze, F/M, tickling into sneezing awake, foreplay)

These characters are Lor Sheldon, awkward nonbinary guy who is terminally horny, especially about noses and everything they can do! He has a hard time not feeling shy about that. He's extremely bisexual and gives off that energy, don't worry. I've written about him here and here. Feat. his total soulmate Piper (who I just wrote about here!) who is also terminally horny and is SO pumped about getting Lor to explore his kinks. They're both mid-30s in this which is when they're peak obsessed with each other.

In this fic, Lor wakes Piper up from a nap by making her sneeze (it's cool, they've talked about this, she's into it). Lot of detail about how he's touching her nostrils and stuff. Went kinda wild there.

please don't reblog to non-sneeze blogs, minors do not follow or interact THANKS

She had encouraged him more than enough times for Lor to believe that Piper meant it when she said she would be happy to…indulge him, with anything he wanted to do regarding her nose, and the fantasies he had associated with it. Christ, he had a lot of fantasies. Thank fuck he hadn’t divulged them all the last time they were stoned together. Even so, Lor still cringed at the fuzzy memory of spilling such an intimate detail of his life. Willingly! No gun to his temple or anything! 

God, he told her so…so…so much about it. “It” being sneezing. How it made him feel…something. Especially about her…something. And sometimes his…something, if he was being honest, but that was not a something that Lawrence Sheldon was willing to face. 

 Her positive response to his confession was damn near intoxicating, though. Piper had been so…supportive. Happy, even. Cradling his face with one hand and using the other to lace her fingers with his. 

She’d made a few changes since then that would seem uneventful to the man who found these actions completely vanilla. Lor didn’t have the courage to comment yet but, Jesus, did he notice. He noticed how she evidently skipped her bottle of daily antihistamines once or two mornings a week. Piper’s allergies didn’t knock her down the way Lor’s could unmedicated, but she still sneezed more often with heightened intensity. She also started to let her voice go a little high as she was gearing up for a sneeze in a way that made his dick so fucking hard--

Shit, shit, he needed to cool it. Piper still slept soundly with her head in his lap. The last thing he needed was for his needy cock to stir her. 

They’d had a few conversations on the topic since then. None that lasted long, before Lor felt too shy to continue. Piper never rushed him. She simply made sure he always knew that she was 100% ready whenever he wanted to explore this fascination together. 

“Surprise me, Sheldon. I’m up for anything. You’re in charge.” 

Woah, fuck, why did that turn him on so much every time he remembered it? 

Piper would answer favorably if he were able to ask her permission. No doubt in his mind about it. There would be zero hesitation. So it would be…okay, right? To just do it? 

He swallowed, the light of the television casting shadows around the room. He had to get Piper’s head out of his lap, anyway, right? She never wanted to stay on the couch too long after falling asleep. They both always seemed to sleep better when they drifted off in each other’s arms in bed. They woke up apart, reliably, but that much-needed intimacy while fading into sleep was…also intoxicating. Still foreign to the both of them, certainly, but also welcoming and comfortable. Safe. Loving. Home.

Yeah. Yeah, she’d want him to make a move. 

Lor took a deep breath before beginning.

He started by lightly setting an index finger on her pointed nose. Piper simply continued to breathe in and out steadily as she lay facing the television. With a little more pressure, her nose started to scrunch. Piper sniffed once, nestling her temple into his thigh. Fuck, she was cute.

Lor swallowed, watching to see if she was stirring awake. Weed typically turned her into a pretty deep sleeper, but he was too paranoid not to check. Once Lor was satisfied with the low rumble of her snore, he continued. 

He rubbed the tip of her nose in small, slow circles. Fuck, okay, he was already sweaty just watching the way her nostrils moved with the teasing little pushes. He added a touch more pressure when Piper seemed unbothered. Hmm. Okay. Rubbing wasn’t all that effective, was it? Maybe…something else? External?

Lor glanced around at his surroundings before his eyes settled on the down blanket draped over Piper’s sleeping form. Perfect. He already saw the quill of a feather waiting to be pulled out of one slight snag in the fabric.

Lor pinched the quill and eased it out of the pillow. Ohhhkay, it was lengthy and perfectly fluffy. His stomach gave a flustered little flip at the sheer mental image of each delicate little tuft brushing against the equally delicate inner walls of Piper’s--

Hoooooo, fuck. Focus on the mission, Sheldon.

 After tracing around Piper’s nostrils a few times, Lor watched carefully to gauge a reaction. Again, she mostly sniffled and scrunched her nose. It wasn’t until he took a deep breath and managed to ease the feather into her nose that Piper’s nostrils flared in response to the stroke of afterfeather. Oh. Not only did her nostrils flare, they goddamn quivered. 

Piper sniffled sharply. Made a little noise in the back of her throat. Her hand moved. Lor pulled the feather out of her nose just before Piper could knuckle at her nostrils. He supposed the way the feather brushed the walls of her nose on the way out wasn’t helping things, judging by the little snag of her breath. 

She grumbled, now half-asleep as she rubbed at her nose. It didn’t seem like Piper was aware of Lor’s intervention, but he held his breath, anyway. 

Piper’s lashes fluttered, but she didn’t fully open her eyes in the light of the television. She stopped scrubbing so aggressively at her nose, but the back of her hand now lingered a few inches before her face. She sniffled with mounting congestion, nostrils now a quivering pink. She breathed in slow, sleepy pants. 

He tried again. Piper reacted sooner this time, almost the exact moment that the tender feather stroked at her septum. One nostril scrunched with a snort as she murmured wordlessly. Piper pressed the back of her hand to the underside of her nose, scrubbing and scrubbing until Lor heard a truly shiver-worthy squelch. When she lowered her arm, there was a streak of dampness on the back of her hand. Lor fought an eager little squirm at the very vision. 

Gauging how far he could go this time, Lor once more considered his options as Piper settled again. Even as she rested comfortably beneath the quilt, her nostrils still scrunched and spasmed with sniffly breaths. 

….Huh. 

He moved slowly, carefully, to give Piper’s nostrils a light pinch with his thumb and index finger. Lor’s stomach dropped pleasantly, as if he were on the best roller coaster of his life, when Piper’s nostrils fought to flare against his fingertips. He didn’t budge. She took in a truly nostril-quaking sniffle in response, eyebrows beginning to knit together.

Nostril-quaking. Jesus, he was going to have to incorporate that one into his internal Horny Lexicon. 

Piper’s breath finally started to snag, now that her nostrils weren’t allowed to squirm out of her control. That tickle progressed rapidly before his eyes.

This was the greatest idea of his life. 

Lor eased his fingers off of Piper’s reddened nostrils. They immediately widened, taking up as much space as they could. Though her nostrils had as much freedom to quiver as possible, the damage had been done. Lor watched for several beats, waiting until the perfect moment to give the underside of Piper’s nose one slooooow stroke with the feather.

That pushed her over the edge. She convulsed with a sneeze covered by nothing but the back of her hand at a distance. Piper’s head bounced slightly in Lor’s lap as her whole body shuddered, buckling into itself. “Hed’DTSCHH’ooh!!”

Lor’s stomach flipped at the vision of a fine mist bursting from her urged nose. Jesus, he could write an entire thesis on the way the sheer strength of that sneeze was increased by her nose’s initial resistance alone. Piper took in one gulping breath before sneezing again, completely uncovered this time, nostrils shuddering out another expulsion of mist. 

Piper let out the littlest moan of relief after that second sneeze tumbled out of her. She fanned lazily beneath her nose, using the same hand that she had just sneezed against. Piper sniffled and finally opened her eyes. Her gaze was fixed on the television for several moments before she sneezed again, taunted by the glow of the screen. “Addh’DTSHH! Hh…hh! HuhHHD’schoo!”

“Bless you…” Lor said quietly, cheeks burning. He could lean over to the end table to grab the box of tissues, but the thought didn’t even occur to him. At the moment, he was nothing but thoroughly enchanted with the way Piper’s nose just…moved. When she sneezed. When she was gearing up for or recovering from a sneeze. When she was just relaxed enough with him to be so comfortable with letting her nose control her for a moment. 

Piper didn’t say anything straight away. She started to ease up from her place on the couch, letting out one uncovered sneeze halfway through the process. F-Fuck, the mist of that sneeze in the light of the television was mesmerizing, wasn’t it? 

Piper took in two rapid, gambling hitches as another sneeze crept up on her. Oh. Oh, she just wasn’t stopping. This time, Piper was able to yank the collar of her shirt over her nose. She kept herself steady with one arm on the couch, but was promptly knocked off-kilter when she sneezed damply into her shirt. Lor wrapped both arms around Piper’s torso, keeping her as steady as possible. He leaned back into the couch, bringing Piper with him. 

“Bless you,” Lor breathed, blinking at Piper in a lovestruck gaze. Feelings of affection and attraction flooded him as Lor dipped his head to set a kiss in Piper’s hair. “A lot. You okay, babe?”

“Mmm..sdf! Fuck, sorry…” she exhaled, finally managing to sit up fully on the couch. Lor dutifully let her go. Piper started to blink slowly, adjusting her eyes to the light. “Didn’t mean to sneeze like a spray bottle there. Jesus, I really needed that, though. My nose f-feels---sdf, ugh, I dunno…itchy….”

“I-It’s okay,” he answered too quickly. Lor gulped and fumbled for the tissue box on the table. “I don’t mind. I mean, you know I don’t, but…y’know.” 

Piper nodded, rubbing lazily beneath her nose. She seemed to be flaring her nostrils consciously, as if testing if there was another sneeze hidden anywhere. “Yeah, I do. I dunno, I dreamed something was…in my nose? And it tickled like a motherfuck, like a-...” 

She trailed off. Lor followed Piper’s gaze until it reached the feather that sat in his lap. Lor was quiet for several seconds before a low chuckle rumbled in Piper’s chest. She gave him a knowing little smirk as she reached for him. 

“Shel. You beautiful slut. Did you…?”

He felt like he was shrinking beneath her gaze. Lor gulped and glanced away, shame flooding every inch of him. “Um. I-I’m sorry. It was…”

“Hey, hey. Don’t be,” Piper hummed, reaching for him with ease. “That’s hot. Seriously. No idea you had it in you, Sheldon.” She snorted with laughter. This, apparently, stirred another tickle in her. Piper sniffled sharply, reaching to pinch at the freckled bridge of her nose. She massaged up and down. “Hoh, fuck. It’s right there.” Piper eased her free hand down to his thigh, delivering a squeeze to it. Her other hand continued to rub up and down the side of her nose with steady care.  

“...C-Can I help you?” Lor asked on a nervous breath. 

She gave him a slow, sexy bat of her eyelashes before her expression crumbled with a shaky hitch. The sneeze seemed to back off almost immediately, allowing Piper to scoot closer to him. Oh, fuck. Okay. Yeah. He could do this. Piper tilted her head back as she faced him, nostrils exposed perfectly to Lor. She moved closer to him on the couch, hand still in contact with his leg. He swallowed fiercely, enchanted with the way her nostrils squirmed and flared with each breath she took. Was she doing this on purpose? Or was this just naturally happening to her body? Both were incredibly sexy explanations. 

Lor set one hand on the small of Piper’s back before easing the feather back into her nostril. This just sent her nostrils quivering further. Her chest started to rise and fall at a faster pace than a moment ago. 

Lor didn’t stop. He continued to steadily twist it around in her right nostril. Her breath snagged as Piper gave her head a shallow nod. Okay. He could see it in her face. That tickled. He was--he was going to make her sneeze. And she was helping him do it. And she was okay with that. 

Piper let her head loll lazily to one side. Lor followed her motions with his hand, feather still held tight between his fingers. He carefully stroked down the inner walls of her nose before Piper let out a stuffy little chuckle. “Th-That feels kinda good, Lor...” 

“Y-Yeah?” Lor clarified, a smile starting to twitch at his lips. “Think I can…make it better?” 

Piper could only nod, jaw slack and nostrils squirming with an impending sneeze. He continued to give the inner walls of her right nostril taunting little strokes with the feather. It wasn’t until he started to ease the feather out of her nostril did she react with one heady, desperate hitch. Lor quickly released the feather, allowing it to linger in her full, damp nose. He then watched Piper shudder out a…truly unprecedented sneezing fit. 

The feather wasn’t completely expelled with her first sneeze. It was powerful, sure, and misted the front of Lor’s sweater, but the feather remained lodged in her overactive nose. In fact, the fourth sneeze of the fit was what finally expelled the feather from her nostril. It lay, damp and useless on Lor’s thigh. 

Piper let out a quivered little breath, nose scrunching with a much-needed sniffle.

“Bless you,” Lor said on a weak exhale as Piper started to clean up the underside of her nose with a group of hastily grabbed tissues. She tossed them carelessly to the floor without a second thought once her nose was somewhat tidier. 

Her nose, clearly, wasn’t quite finished with her yet. She sneezed again, disastrously, as soon as she threw the tissues aside. Piper gave one stuffy groan. She gazed at him through eyelashes heavy in maroon glitter from the day. “Hey, Sheldon,” she breathed, nostrils flaring with a lazy inhale. “You….sdf! You still wanna shower before bed?” 

Lor didn’t even question her motivation for this seemingly unrelated question. He just nodded, eyes fixated on her nostrils. 

 “Good.” Without looking away from Lor, she drew the bottom of his sweater up until it lingered just before her nose. He shivered, both at the sudden chill on his abdomen as well as the vision of Piper’s nose hovering desperately above the fabric of his turtleneck. That he was wearing. Right now. 

Again, Piper’s nostrils fluttered. Her chest rose and fell with taunting hitches. Fuck, she had to sneeze. She had to sneeze so badly, didn’t she? He wanted her more than anything.

Piper buckled into his sweater with a sneeze. Oh--and then another. She let out this lasting moan of a hitch that Lor knew was added dramatics. He didn’t mind. He liked that she was adding dramatics for him. That kinda made this even better, right? That she was so excited to tease him? Jesus, and tease she did.

She took in a slow, testing breath through her nose. When she didn’t immediately sneeze, Piper rutted her nose into his sweater, rubbing with quiet desperation. After several seconds of this, Piper groaned and dropped his sweater. Instead, she leaned forward to trail her nose along his jawline. Fuck, the tip of it was still damp.

“I still have to sneeze…” she murmured, starting to kiss at his neck. Almost instantly after, she leaned back with a gasping snag to her breath. “Hh! Hhh--!” He’d have to take this sweater off in a moment, right? 

Folding the sleeve of the oversized sweater over his hand, Lor pressed it right beneath Piper’s nose. There was no hesitation on Piper’s part as she clamped his hand firmly over his. She shuddered out a muffled sneeze. 

Yeah, he was hard. He was very, very hard. 

A moment later, Piper left out three more rapid sneezes into the fabric. They all sounded absolutely desperate, even while being quieted by his sleeve. Lor’s breath was stuck in his lungs the entire time. The warmth of those productive sneezes met his palm through his sleeve almost immediately. 

After one final sneeze that was particularly cushion-shaking--”AhHYD’SCHuhh!”--Piper exhaled through parted lips. Her knitted brows slowly began to relax, now only twitching slightly. “That’s better…” she murmured, using Lor’s covered hand to rub beneath her nose. Lor was expecting her to realize that his hand was, in fact, attached to this convenient fabric that she had turned into a tissue, but…Piper met his eyes, teary though hers were. She knew exactly how he would feel about this. 

She started to move his hand, up and down against her nose. Lor watched in absolute awe as Piper’s jaw started to slacken again. Was it possible that he could feel her nostrils flaring from beneath his sleeve?

When it seemed like Piper was just about to sneeze, she let his hand go. Lor blinked as she leaned back from him, her activated nose continuing to scrunch and twitch. She reached for the damp bottom of his sweater, beginning to pull it up. Lor could think of nothing he wanted more in that moment than to comply.  “C’mon…” Piper said with a damp sniffle. “L-Let m-hh!--me sneeze on more of you.” 

“Fuck, I love you,” Lor exhaled with adoration in every syllable as he carefully removed his sweater. He tossed it aside without fanfare. There were barely a few beats before Piper leaned forward, nestling her nose against his bare shoulder. Her nostrils were damp and squirming and right. There. 

“I love you, too,” Piper said quietly, sniffing congestedly along his collarbone. 

Lor shuddered and gulped, placing his hands on her shoulders. Despite everything in his body screaming at him to stay just like this, he gently pushed Piper back so they could meet eyes. 

“I--I want this,” he said on a shaky gasp. “I really, really want this. I just--I’d feel better if I could go, I-I dunno, shower, and get myself kinda ready for--for everything this is gonna lead to? I-I just prefer those kinds of…experiences to be, um. Clean. Me, clean. Y-You clean, too, actually. If that’s okay.” 

Piper leaned back from him at Lor’s prompting. She sniffled, knuckling one nostril as she offered him a teary smile. “Me, clean, too, don’t worry. I could use a shower, now, anyway. Helps to…unstuffify me. Add that to your horny lexicon.” 

She knew him so well!

Lor nodded. “You can go first, if you want.” 

Piper snorted, her lips pulling upward into a smirk before the expression crumpled again. She sneezed down towards Lor’s now-bare chest, making him shiver at the feeling of the uncontained sneeze making direct contact with what felt like every inch of him. 

She sniffled lazily and finally completed that smile, taking both of Lor’s hands. “I mean that I could use a shower with you.” 

Oh. “Oh!” Lor gasped, a snaggly smile immediately spreading across his face. Lor started to stand, offering his hands to help Piper up as well. “Okay! Let’s--yeah! Let’s go!” 

Piper laughed, starting to pull off her own T-shirt as she followed Lor. “Hold your horses, buckaroo. Take a breath. You’ll be able to rob me of my treasured virginity in a sec. Lemme at least blow my nose first…”

[anakinsgirlfriendreal]

Parts Of the Truth

masterlist

Chapter Eleven

Warnings: mature language, reader had a bit of a tumultuous childhood, reader is actually insane(not at all projecting). I wrote this chapter in light spirits to undo the wrong I did to you all the last time, I'm sorry😔. Also maybe some spelling errors (let's not talk about how I never ever proof read ever, just keep that to yourself)

Growing up you were always loved as a child, between your sister and yourself you weren't afraid to say that you were more favoured. You weren't rich at all but your mother always made sure you had everything you wanted. You'd say your life was perfect up until your father left. He had come home one night, drunk and heated, announcing that he was leaving your mother.

"I met someone else and I love her" he had said. You were young then, but the memory never left you. You remembered how torn up and shattered your mother was. You remembered how your sister lost her way after that, following friends and throwing her life away. How you'd sleep near your mom and listen to her soft crying. You also remembered she had told you to never be the woman to cause another woman such pain because 'you lose 'em how you get 'em.'

You recalled how some woman did to your family exactly what you did to Padme. You remembered how a few years later your mother had seen her in a grocery store, a little girl at her side and the ring your father took from your mother's finger and gave to her, nowhere in sight because he had done it again, he had found someone 'better' and she had lost him just how she got him.

In a way, you found it funny. The way history repeated itself was laughable, if you didn't laugh you'd for sure cry. You sat in the tub, back pressed to his chest as he kissed your shoulders, massaging your sides. You think back to the night he had told you he was leaving his wife. He was leaving her for you, or so he'd had you believe. The way he confessed his love for you and begged to be with you had you convinced even though you rejected him at the time you knew what you wanted. The way he had been focused on being nothing short of an excellent father to Darcy recently, had you believing that he was being honest. You'd convinced yourself- no lied to yourself that he only wanted you, a person simply couldn't make up the things he had told you. And yet as you contemplate the text on his phone you realized that you weren't special, mother of his child or not, you were another notch in his belt. A play thing that he would get tired of and trade for a newer model.

He nudges your shoulder, the water around you splashing slightly, "You okay? You spaced out on me."

You nodded, smiling as he washed the soap from your back.

You laid on your side, ears perked up as you listened to the faint sounds of his movement downstairs. He was making some quick snack, it was apparently a thing for men to get extremely hungry after sex. So once he'd helped you bathe and got you set and comfortable in bed he went to look after his own post-sex needs. As you laid there your mind was quieter than usual, focused on one train of thought instead of the fifty different tracks it normally ran. You couldn't believe your own stupidity, your mother always told you "No matter how many times a man says he will, he probably won't leave his wife and if he does, he'll eventually leave you too, you lose 'em how you get 'em."

You won't say you didn't expect this, subconsciously you probably did you just didn't expect it so soon. I mean literally minutes after you decide to be with him, now without the barriers of his marriage? Why did Padme have to be right.

His ringtone pierces the air and ceases when he answers, you creep closer to the bedroom door, opening it just enough so you can hear what he was saying.

"No she doesn't know" his voice is faint but you can make it out well.

"Kate, would you just trust that I know what I'm doing. I'll see you Friday. I love you too."

Your heart drops, jumping back into bed when you hear his footsteps ascend the stairs. Damn Kate, who is this Kate anyway, was he cheating on both you and Padme with Kate before, and now he's just cheating on you? Who the fuck is Kate?

You picked your own brain for answers, nobody at the company went by Kate that you knew, there were some Katherine's but they went by Kat you were pretty sure. He had no business associates nor business associates' wives who went by Kate, so who the hell is Kate? Where did she come from, and why was she ruining a relationship that you decided to properly commence an hour ago. You were so deep in thought now you hadn't even realized he was talking to you.

"Y/n? Seriously what's going on" he sat up, "Are you having second thoughts about this?"

Maybe, who's Kate?

"Look I know Friday's-"

Your brows furrow, Friday? As in 'our getaway' Friday?

"Did you say something about Friday?" You ask, lost.

He looked at you confused now, "Yes. Did you hear anything I just said?"

When he's met with silence he sighs, "what's the matter with you?"

"Why don't you ask Kate?" You roll over, turning your back to him.

"What?" He turns you over to face him again, and you just get out of bed.

"Did you forget? Should I jog your memory? 'Got Friday off, extra day for our getaway' winky face" you closed an eye and then scowled again.

"oh, I can explain that-"

"I'm sure you can, because you always have an explanation for everything. How do you keep up with your lies oh my God" you begin to rummage through your closet, putting on jeans, why you were preparing to leave your own house? You had no idea but you were too heated right now.

"Kate's my-"

You cut him off before he has time to lie again, "Your what? Your second side chick or is it third, I lost count since you sleep with half the fucking city! Oh don't tell me she has a kid for you too, you really just sow your royal oats anywhere, you bastard. You know Padme really dodged a bullet, cause you're such an ass. She's lucky she couldn't have kids because I can't believe that I have to know you FOREVER" your voice raised, you zipped your boots and pulled on your coat prepared to slam the door in his face but he stops you by holding you still.

"sister" he says.

"what?"

"Kate. She's my sister" he says again.

You feel so embarrassed, you had over thought yourself into pure insanity, it's official. You think for a moment, which you probably shouldn't be allowed to do ever again.

"You're lying. What sister texts her brother in that tone?"

"Tone? Texts have tones?" He laughs at you, "You're insane."

"I am not insane. Sisters don't text their brothers with that winky face emoji okay. That's what I text you when I send a pic of my lingerie or when we're gonna have sex later or something so I am not crazy. You're just a liar"

He sighs, he unlocks his phone, going into Kate's chat and handing it to you. You moved over to sit on the bed, scrolling as far back as you were able to.

"She's not my 'side chick' she's my sister" he says.

You scroll through the texts, your jaw hung slightly loose as you read through them. "Oh, someone really needs to teach this girl how to text, 'Dad's been riding her' winky face. Who even says that?"

He sits next you on the bed, "She's...odd."

You look at him, and you have to laugh at yourself, "Ani, I'm so sorry" you hugged him, "What's Friday?"

"Well, Thanksgiving's on Thursday but we're all working people, so everyone decided that we'd go up to my family's lake house for the weekend and celebrate then, and I thought it would be a good time for you to meet them."

You felt terrible, count on yourself to jump to conclusions.

"I thought since you and I were actually gonna do this thing for real, you know without me being married to someone else and all, it was time for you and Darcy to meet them. My mom's been going insane about having a grandchild and never meeting her" he continues.

"That's so sweet, well now I feel terrible. It's just, Padme said that if you cheated on her then you'll cheat on me too because it's a hard habit to break, and I just felt so stupid, when I saw that text I didn't think- I'm sorry."

He brushes stray hair from your face, "That marriage was a mistake. I told you that. Look I hate what I did to Padme...all those times but, she wasn't the one I wanted, you are. I remember when you first started working for me, and you sat in on one of my meetings. You were wearing slacks and a knitted sweater cause you said it went best with your shoes, and you called an engineer pretentious and asked if a kid drew his plan-"

"Oh Aaron, he fucking hates me" you chuckle.

"Yeah, he still asks if I'm gonna fire you soon. I remember because I knew in that moment, that you were who I wanted" he finished.

"what? You decided in that moment? When I wearing a sweater my mom made with her cat on it and slacks?" You laugh.

He nods, "I just knew. I knew everyday for a year until I asked you out and then you finally said yes" he takes your hand, "You're stubborn and headstrong, you jump to conclusions better than an Olympic athlete, you're dramatic and I want it all. You, your fifty personalities and our Darcy."

You shove his shoulder, trying to contain your blush, you were a grown woman and he had you blushing like a school girl. "It's actually fifty-one"

"But you know, uh given all the things you said earlier, I'm kinda having some doubts" he looks at you with a serious and unreadable expression.

Your face drops, until he breaks into a smile, "Maybe you can change my mind again if you get out of all these clothes" he gestures to your fully dressed figure. You totally forgot you were gonna storm out of your own place earlier just to make a point.

"Oh? Perhaps Mr. Skywalker would like a dance?" You stand pushing him back onto the bed.

"I'll make it rain baby" he kisses your lips.

Let's pretend he has living family members, because anything can happen in fanfiction!!😘

[sophieinwonderland]

The Plurality of... Blue Beetle! (Movie)

Plurality: A state of multiple self-conscious agents, or "headmates," sharing a single body.

Oh, this one is going to be a little rough!

If you know the Blue Beetle, it shouldn't be surprising that they're a plural character. We've never read Blue Beetle comics, but my host was pretty familiar with Blue Beetle from Young Justice, where Jaime had a pretty big role in season 2.

I went into Blue Beetle with high hopes and, if I'm honest, ended up a little disappointed.

But before we can get into why I felt that way, let's first talk about their plurality!

Spoilers for the Blue Beetle movie ahead:

Jaime Reyes and Khaji-Da as plural characters

In the movie, Khaji-Da, often referred to as just "The Scarab," is a world-destroying weapon that found its way to Earth.

It bonds with Jaime Reyes when he touches it, fusing to his flesh and turning him into the Blue Beetle in an elaborate body horror sequence.

Khaji is established as a sentient being, and is able to communicate with Jaime mentally. Now, it's not actually clear if Jaime can communicate back mentally like many real headmates can. Every time he talks to Khaji is aloud, which I think was also how it was in Young Justice too. It's possible that while the Scarab can send messages to Jaime's mind, it can't read it. But that seems kind of a strange limitation when the movie shows it gaining access to a person's full memory after connecting with them, and is at least able to figure out Jaime's name through their connection.

It would seem weird to me if talking out loud to Khaji was necessary to be heard, but that's how the movie presents it. (This could be a comfort thing too. As part of a plural system, I'll admit we'll often talk out loud through the body when nobody is around to hear us. Words can be clearer than pure thoughts.)

A small part of the movie is dedicated to the two learning to get along, with there being some conflict around Khaji wanting to kill an enemy, and Jaime saying that they aren't killers.

This leads to an important moment later in the movie where Jaime is enraged, believing he's lost multiple family members, and is going to execute the villain.

The word "execute" is important here, because while other good characters have no problem killing (their nana took great joy in it, in fact), it's always against active combatants. Not someone who was disarmed. The movie doesn't make this distinction directly, but I think it's an important one.

It's one thing for superheroes to kill to protect themselves and others, most heroes are willing to these days, but it's another for them to kill someone who isn't actively a threat anymore.

Kahji takes just enough control to hold Jaime back from doing something he would regret, repeating back that they aren't killers, showing itself capable of learning from Jaime.

It's a cool moment, and I appreciated this little character growth.

Despite Khaji being sentient and capable of learning though...

Khaji isn't treated as a character

This was my disappointment with the movie.

Blue Beetle should have been more of a plural story, but Khaji is hardly ever treated as a character by the narrative or the other characters.

Yes, Khaji gets some funny lines here and there, ("Host overreacting" being a favorite of mine) but doesn't seem to have any real motivation, interests or really anything going for it.

And what's worse... there's not even a REAL CONVERSATION between Jaime and Khaji. Even when they really should be discussing things.

Like...

The Rooftop Scene

At one point, the bad guys have found Jaime's family. Jaime tried to activate his powers. They don't work. What's a Beetle to do?

Well, Jaime decided that since the Scarab will try to protect him, the best bet will be to JUMP OFF THE ROOF!

And while this is sorta well-reasoned, I found myself internally screaming this entire to time to just ask it to change.

Like, Khaji can talk. They literally said in the scene right before that Khaji was sentient.

And while jumping off the roof made for a dramatic scene, it eliminated what could have been a great moment with Jaime explaining the importance of his family and his need to protect them to Khaji.

It forced Khaji to help, when Kahji may have been perfectly willing to help if Jaime just talked to it, instead of trying to make Kahji to do what he wanted.

And you might wonder, does Khaji get offended at Jaime risking his life to force Khaji into doing what he wants? I wonder that too, because this moment is never mentioned again in the movie.

For a film so much about family, Khaji is never part of that

Blue Beetle is a movie centered around family.

It's about Jaime's relationship with his family who is very close, almost suffocating but in a good way. Jaime is driven to protect and fight for his family at every turn, and his family will do anything to protect him.

This is contrasted with the Kord family which is dysfunctional and broken, and Carapax who lost his family and sees familial love as a weakness.

These themes are intricately woven into the narrative.

So it is so disappointing how utterly divorced from that theme Khaji-Da ended up.

There is a great story to be told about this extraterrestrial machine that crashes to Earth, never having a family of its own or a concept of what family means, only to be bonded to Jaime and go from being treated as something to be gotten rid of to be welcomed as another member of Jaime's family.

That would be really cool. And they seemed willing to tell a similar story with Jenny Kord, being brought into the family group hug after everything was over.

But Khaji is treated less like a valued member of the family and more like an accessory. And even when Jaime fully bonds with Khaji, it's not about agreeing to integrate and share a mind so much as it's accepting his heroic destiny.

This feels like a huge missed opportunity for the type of story they were telling, and a betrayal of that story's central themes.

Jaime's Mother Addressing Khaji

This is the one exception where a character who wasn't Jaime actually treated Khaji as a person.

She first asks what Khaji's name was. Then says...

I know you can hear me, Khaji-Da. I want you both to get it together. Find your strength, mijito. Use the pain we’re feeling and turn it into power. I want you to go back in there… And kick their asses!

I love this so much. I love the mother's character for thinking to acknowledge Khaji as its own person and talk to it directly, giving her pep talk to both of them at once.

It's a fantastic scene. An incredible moment.

But it's also still treating Khaji as a weapon. The one and only time a character who isn't Jaime talks to Khaji, it's telling Khaji to go fight people.

I'm glad to have gotten this. But I feel they could have done so much more.

Khaji's feelings are never explored

We're told that the Scarab is a planet-destroying super weapon. How does Khaji feel about that?

We don't know. It never comes up.

Does Khaji have memories of worlds it's destroyed?

Does it know why it was created or who created it?

If it doesn't know those things, does the lack of awareness scare it?

Can it feel fear, and if Jaime asked if it was scared, would it understand the emotion?

The fact that these things weren't explored at all leaves me with one important and sad conclusion.

The writers weren't interested in writing a plural character

Blue Beetle's plurality is an afterthought.

The Scarab was sentient and Blue Beetle would use "we" pronouns occasionally because Khaji is sentient in the comics. But the relationship between the two wasn't a priority of the writers.

And in my opinion, the film suffered for it. Not just from a plural perspective but from a writing perspective. The film would have been so much better had Khaji been treated more like a character rather than just a weapon and plot device.

Khaji stopping Jaime from killing needed more build-up, and Khaji needed and deserved to be better integrated with the story's central themes of family.

Conclusion

All in all, I feel that Blue Beetle was a good movie. But I also feel its treatment of Khaji held it back from being a great movie.

I hope I don't come off as too hard on this particular movie. There's a lot of media that, when less explicitly plural, I might be more forgiving of. I once wrote a whole post about why I thought Kronk was plural based on his angel and demon Kronks who never get any sort of character arcs. But those aren't intended to be sentient people by the writers. Instead, they're plural by happenstance, simply by being more developed than other shoulder angels and demons in cartoons.

Meanwhile, Khaji Da is supposed to be a full character, I went in expecting a lot, and I feel Khaji just didn't live up to its potential in this movie.

I look forward to seeing what DC does with the character in the future, and if Khaji can get more development.

And I'm sad that, given the box office, it's probably not going to get a sequel of its own. I'm sure the planned Reach story would have given Khaji some much needed character development.

For more of me rambling about the plurality of DC superheroes, see: The Plurality of... Batman (Failsafe).

[afreakingdork]

Writing Request: OC x Donnie Past Mementos 🗝️

Choo-choo, I'm a chug-chug-chugging down this request train, next up we got @celestialiron with their OC, Kira, and Mr. Donatello himself.

From now until the poll closes, if you can prove to me that you voted Hassan/Mikey in this poll then I will do any short story writing request like the one below or draw you any doodle of your choosing!

ᴰᶦˢᶜˡᵃᶦᵐᵉʳ: ᴵ ᵃᵐ ⁿᵒᵗ ᶦⁿ ᵃⁿʸʷᵃʸ ᵃˢˢᵒᶜᶦᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵒʳ ᵉⁿᵈᵒʳˢᵉᵈ ᵇʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵐᵖᵉᵗᶦᵗᶦᵒⁿ ᵒʳ ᶦᵗˢ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉˢᵗᵃⁿᵗˢ.

Sweet, established all ages relationship doting below:

"Alrighty!" Donnie heaved another box out from an overstuffed closet and set it on the floor. "I believe with that, we have excavated all the fossils you have been storing."

"Thanks for your help." Kira responded where she was looking through a box.

"Give and take, my darling!" He chirped and danced around the plethora of boxes. "You helped me tidy my lab and I'm obliged to help with cleaning of your own."

"We're looking for photographs." She reminded him.

"Yes, of course." He was very clearly not convinced. "Totally not getting rid of some of these old and unnecessary artifacts."

She quieted and sent him a look as she held a letter to her chest.

A letter he had written.

One that was only a few lines when he had given her a wrench set after he found she only had one adjustable one.

It was a scrawl about how hers was unsuitable.

It was more.

Just like him, whenever he was cold, it was always calculated. He was both startlingly honest, but also self conscious to a fault. The two personality traits were often at odds with each other, but she had long seen through them. She had watched his tangible growth from meeting him to dating him and these mementos represented each step he had taken in loving her.

She cherished them as much as him.

"Shall I start on a box over here?" He prattled off as he sensed his mistake.

"Sure. Anything that looks like old family photos." She tucked the letter amongst other leaflets and continued her search.

"I hope to find some of your baby pictures before you do."

"Donnie!" She protested though her tail swayed with affection.

He caught the move and felt he had rectified the situation as he opened a container.

For a short time, they fell into a groove of shuffling articles.

Then Donnie snorted a single sharp time.

Kira was reading an old supplies list from The Fiery Troupe when he ear twitched in his direction.

He said nothing more, but she felt compelled to glance.

He sat there waiting with a key chain dangling from his fingers.

"You still have this?" He tried to keep his guffaw down.

"Of course!" She tried to snatch it from him, but he held it higher.

"This is junk! It's embarrassing! I bought this for you...!" His eyes darted. "Oh...!" He wilted with the memory. "Before we started dating. I don't know why I thought this would impress you. Some random bauble in comparison to your beauty!"

The word junk hit her swiftly.

His thoughts on the time being embarrassing struck her next.

Is that what he thought of their early years?

They had never really discussed it in that way.

For her those were precious memories.

She had finally began to emerge from her shell and learn that the world had joy once again. Where he was ashamed of this trinket, she had kept it safe in this box with the rest of her memories. The day he had given it to her was precious. She had friends prior, but Donatello had always held a special place in her heart. She had fumbled her friendship with him early on, but they had only grown stronger for it. Him buying her this gift, some key chain or not, was representative of that foundation.

She was worthy.

He would be there.

He was making light of her memories again.

The thought chilled to the the point that her tail came swishing around her folded legs.

He should have known.

He should have known that was all she had.

For everything she had suffered, each one of these items grounded her. They reminded her there was more. From the inside jokes coded into group messages to birthday cards, they were tangible forms of the times she had. In many ways, they were the final existence of happier times and knowing that not everything was doomed, that there had been pockets of joy, had helped keep her going more than once.

She stood straight up with her eyes on the floor.

"Kira...?" She felt Donnie shift where he was still on the ground.

She shot him a single look.

She refused to let the tears fall.

She saw it in his face.

They sharpened her icy glare.

In a single glance she sent him all her displeasure with his attitude before she turned and ran.

"Kira!"

He screamed out after her, but she was in motion.

He could catch her.

It was his trackers and goggles.

She also long knew enough to evade them.

When she needed to tuck into peace.

When she fell back on old habits that kept her safe.

She ran.

She needed that moment to herself.

That moment to breathe.

Twisting far from the apartment and doubling back to confuse his sensors, she broke through one empty building out out multiple hallways until she found an alcove that was easy to miss. This was it.

A dirty decrepit room that was perfect.

She slunk inside and curled up with her tailed tucked around her.

When she was young she would hold it if she could get a grip on it.

A soothing mechanism, just as this was.

Self isolation to keep one safe.

If she was alone then no one could leave her. If she was here then she couldn't know something else inevitably got hurt. If she stayed then she would never have to deal with that burden.

She would be shielded.

She sank into her own fur and her own scent.

There was Donnie there.

Her scent was not longer fully her own.

It hadn't been in years.

Cohabitation and trading products.

Sleeping in bed and early morning cuddles.

Long days hold one another.

Notes of flowers from her shop.

The bitter essence of medicinal herbs.

Donatello.

He was as much a part of her as those memories.

He was etched not into her fur, but her skin.

He was more than just that keychain.

He was more than her thoughts.

She carried him.

She hiccuped on the thought.

She carried him in her heart.

Just as she did all her loved ones.

She unfurled for a breath.

Time changed her too.

Long ago she used to disappear for weeks on end when she ran.

That shortened to days.

Which shortened to a few hours.

She wasn't sure how long it had been this time, but it as at least the same day.

She didn't feel better, but she did feel like going back.

Back to her home.

Back to her memories.

Back to her heart.

She wondered if she could get away with it, she wondered as she got onto her paws. She sort of hoped he might let her little outburst slide so she wouldn't have to burden him. They could quietly carry on in searching for the photos and he wouldn't bring up trashing her belongings again. They'd have a nice dinner and that would be good enough. They would move on and he would carry that this was not a territory she wanted trifled with.

That was progress and she crept long the hallway.

Etchings on the walls greeted her as she passed.

They were memories of their own of when this building was more.

Eviction notices and graffiti.

Tales of hiding away and trying to disappear.

They weren't healthy reminders.

There was a difference, she decided as she got out into the open air.

The mementos she kept were ones that brought about happy memories. She didn't keep the ones that brought about ilk. It might have been hard from someone outside the sphere of her head to notice that and she could acknowledge that was something she forgot. The two of them moved with such cohesion these days, she forgot Donnie couldn't read her mind.

He was being his usually dry, sarcastic self.

He had said that thing about being compared to her beauty.

Her cheeks were warm as she returned to their apartment.

It was a drop down and she expertly slipped through the window she had fled from.

It was still open.

It was her invitation.

Waiting for her to return.

Please come back; I'm here.

She only looked up from the dim bedroom to see something very obviously laying on the ground in the doorway. She padded over to it with a tilting head and found it to be an old Run of the Mill leaflet. She had grabbed it from her first trip to the restaurant with the brothers to remember the night they had all gone out.

She immediately spied something else.

Another memento, this time from a few months after the pizza place for a play Mikey had helped out in.

She had highlighted his name in the program so she would never forget who she had gone there for.

There was more.

A photo was next, one from one of those overpriced booths.

Everyone had piled it and most of pictures were blurry, but she adored them.

The trail continued.

It was a walk through her relationship with Donatello.

The memories conjured were a step wise process.

She was getting closer to him as she collected bits and soon found the keychain laying propped up with a new origami heart. When she turned it over, it had been stamped with the date along with a note that said 'the day Donnie apologized yet again.'

She puffed a watery laugh at that before continuing on.

She wound through their apartment and found all the boxes were cleaned and stowed.

She had a feeling who was at the end of it all, but she let herself move slowly through first dates and first kisses.

Their hearts drew closer and closer, until she was nearing the kitchen and Donnie ducked a little too obviously behind the counter.

There were only a few more pieces.

A cute napkin from a place that had crepes.

A program from a dine and watch movie.

Last week when she perfectly peeled a sticker off a package that Donnie had ordered.

It was innocuous, but it was cute.

It was stuck to her finger when she rounded the counter.

He didn't bother getting up and instead was bowed down in apology. "Kira."

"It's okay..." She moved to meet him.

"No." He cupped around her hand and mementos. "You've never made fun of what was important to me. I shouldn't have done that to you. I just... hate thinking about how I used to be. So dramatic."

She gave him a sly look that said he still was.

He gave a guilty grin before he softened. "What you've collected is amazing. Things I barely remember. Things I don't know if they mean anything, I don't think I even got everything that suitably represents us, but I did my best to construct our timeline. I'm glad we did it. Every second."

She nodded and the weepy nature was back, but she was trying to shake it free.

He pulled her close. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"I found the photos too. They're on the counter."

Kira chuckled. "Good."

"Do you...?"

He didn't continue and she looked up at him.

"... still want to make more... with me, I mean?"

"Always." She told him with full certainty and leaned up to meet him in a kiss.

[misshoneyimhome]

Ahhh okay normally I’m a reader that loves to enjoy your writing and not a requester but these Willy fics and how well you bring others ideas to life have inspired me! (I apologize if this is a weird ask) I am obsessed with the pictures of him with the lil journalist kids and the article that came out about him and Alex as kids playing hockey and being BFFs and was wondering if you’d write something about being in Sweden and having it be the first real moment when you realize you want Will to be the father of your kids and although you know neither of you are ready for one yet the admission of you wanting kids with him, being around family and not having a lot of alone time with you since landing down makes him broody and want to get some baby making practice in with you🤭

Oh honey, I am living for this! 😊 Willy with kids is just beyond what my ovaries can handle (in a good way of course) ❤️ and love, thank you so much for your sweet sweet comment and no requests are too weird on this page 😉 I’m always open for inspiration! (Sorry I didn’t include the smutty part; let me know if that’s a wish 😉)

*

"I swear, those two were inseparable!" Camilla beamed, sharing heartwarming childhood memories of your boyfriend Willy and his brother Alex. "They competed in everything, and I really mean everything.

"That's so adorable," you chuckled, absorbing every detail of the proud Swedish mother's story.

"It truly was. These boys always shared something special between them. And watching them grow up while maintaining that connection makes a mother incredibly proud," she said, trying to hold back tears of joy.

"You have such an amazing family, Camilla," you expressed with genuine admiration. "You all seem so close; it's just truly wonderful." Your voice resonated with sincerity.

"Well, y/n, you're part of this family now," she chuckled. "We're all thrilled that William found you. He absolutely adores you."

You couldn't help but smile at her sweet words.

"Well, I adore him just as much."

"I know, we all can see it," Camilla remarked. "And who knows, perhaps one day, you and Willy will also contribute to this family," she teased with a playful wink, though her undertone hinted at a hopeful sentiment.

And as both of you smiled and chuckled together, observing William with his father Michael, you sensed a subtle shift within yourself.

**

You knew you loved William deeply. That much was certain.

And over the past couple of years of being together, you sensed that your relationship was slowly evolving into something more profound.

Initially, meeting Willy was meant to be a casual hookup, as you'd weren’t really looking for a long-term serious relationship. But things quickly shifted.

The more time you spend together, the deeper your bond got, and both of you found it difficult to let go.

Yet, being a typical young man, William struggled with expressing his feelings. Coupled with his demanding hockey schedule, being together simply wasn't easy.

And with those challenges, you had to gather the courage to bring it up. Through tearful eyes and a trembling voice, you knew you had to confront him.

"Either you tell me how you feel, Willy, or we can't continue like this! I have strong feelings about you, and I'm trying my best to adjust to your busy schedule. But if you don't want this, I need you to be honest with me so I can move on."

Those had been your words, which naturally had caused you a lot of discomfort and anxiety, yet deep down, you believed it was necessary and the right course of action.

And luckily, William had no intention of losing you. It took him a few days to realise and find the right words, but eventually, he found the courage to express his feelings.

And since then, you've been together, supporting each other through thick and thin.

And tonight, you were there with his family.

From the moment you met them, they welcomed you wholeheartedly into their arms. William wasted no time introducing you during one of their family video calls, and his pride in you was heartwarming.

Following meeting them in-person during the offseason was a truly wonderful experience. Right from the start, Alex and their sisters naturally teased William about you, and before long, you became an integral part of the Nylander inner circle, which became clear when the banter extended to include you.

However, you didn't hold back in returning the teasing, and the family absolutely loved your lively comebacks.

***

But something became different tonight, as you accompanied Camilla while William attended media engagements during the Global Series tour.

While observing your boyfriend amidst his bustling schedule, his broad smiles, infectious laughter, and his genuine radiance in his Scandinavian home of Sweden didn't escape your notice. It was clear that Sweden was where he truly belonged.

However, a new sensation emerged when a group of children approached the hockey players for a journalistic interaction. A sudden yearning for a child stirred deep within your abdomen.

Which was an unfamiliar feeling for you.

But watching your boyfriend exude such happiness and warmth around those children triggered a vivid image: a miniature version of Willy Nylander (or perhaps two), accompanying you both as you grew old together.

Maybe Camilla's words had triggered something, but regardless, you could almost hear your own ovaries clapping.

And your lingering gaze didn't escape the Swedes’s notice.

"He seems to be having a good time out there," she remarked, flashing a warm smile.

"Yeah, he truly does," you replied, trying to mask your thoughts with a deep breath, yet failing to conceal them entirely.

"He's always had a way with kids, you know," she winked before heading off to meet her husband.

Well, that did not calm down your uterus…

****

Later in the evening, you found yourself back in the hotel room with William after a day brimming with interviews, conversations, and hockey training - a schedule that left him longing to be with you.

Since their arrival in Sweden, he had yearned for your company, yet his packed schedule hardly allowed for it. However, witnessing your radiant smile around his family had put him at ease, and made him even more sure of the fact that you belonged with him.

And as you were getting yourselves ready for bed, you paced between the bathroom and the bedroom, seemingly indecisive. Abruptly stopping, turning, then hesitating before retracing your steps back to the bathroom.

"Babe," William chuckled from the bed, casually lounging under the covers. "What's going on?" His playful tone filled the room.

"Nothing... it's nothing," you replied, attempting to sound confident. But with a raised eyebrow, William sat up on the bed, prompting him to question you further.

"Come on, I can tell something's up," he insisted from the bed.

With a small sigh, acknowledging that he was on to you, you slowly approached the bed.

Glancing down at your palm for a moment, you then met his expectant gaze.

"Do you... ever... think about us... as a family?" you asked, a tinge of uncertainty evident in your voice.

The question itself didn't necessarily embarrass you, but a part of you wondered if it might be too early to broach the subject.

But William's response caught you off guard.

"Of course," he chuckled. "I mean, it's not a daily thought, but seeing the other boys with their families has made me think about it once in a while."

His smile exuded pride and confidence, yet a hint of embarrassment lingered beneath the surface.

William had never been the type to envision himself having children, not with his previous girlfriend or at any other point. However, witnessing more of his teammates embrace parenthood and witnessing the joy of family moments at the rink and in their homes reminded him of his own time with his family.

All the cherished moments he had experienced over the years with those he held dear, moving across North America and spending summers and holidays in Sweden.

In fact, something had happened a few months ago, during the off-season when he had taken you along to travel with his family; he realized that you were the one he wanted to build his own family with. However, he hadn't voiced these thoughts. Uncertain of your feelings on the matter, he struggled to initiate the conversation.

With a wide smile adorning your face, you joined him on the bed, pulling him into a deep kiss. In that moment, you were more certain than ever that this man would be the father of your children and the person you'd spend every day with.

Pulling back slightly, you maintained a smile, keeping a comfortable distance between the two of you.

"But, just to clarify, it doesn't have to happen right now... right?" You asked with a light chuckle.

"No, not right now. But I'm glad we both agree that it's in our future," he replied with a smile, gently tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as your eyes locked.

“Good.”

"But... how about we practice for it? You know, just to make sure we'll be well-prepared," he teased, wearing a mischievous expression.

"Oh, I definitely like that idea," you chuckled.

William returned your smirk, drawing you in closer by placing his hands on your waist and connecting your lips once more.