#the unconditional love that both of them have shown to each just got to me

[kumukuyakoy]

erehisu is my greatest love. i'll prob never get over them

[tarotbydelilah444]

pac: will there be a reconciliation

Happy Venus Day 🌹! I want to say thank you all for all the love you guys have shown me and my page. I am super grateful to each and every one of you and I am glad that my readings are resonating with all of you. This pac reading is a special one for all my followers as a token of my appreciation, so I hope you enjoy. Make sure to follow my Instagram because I am posting content and information on how to book with me, if you are interested in a personal reading, as always, sending you love & light 🤍✨ - Delilah pile one • 🌹

crystal | rose quartz • unconditional love & compassion

the real reason for the breakup | king of swords •  the tower 

Okay, so I am picking up that maybe communication was an issue in the connection. You and your person may have had lots of arguments throughout your relationship, and communication really sucked between the two of you. It got to a point where the two of you began to stop expressing how you truly felt to each other to avoid confrontation. You two seem like you couldn’t agree on simple things and it would lead into explosive arguments and harsh words being exchanged to each other. Lots of miscommunication, petty arguments, and drama caused the ending of this connection. Jealously and trust issues could have also contributed to the ending of this relationship.Both of you may have thought the other was being unfaithful.

how does your person feel about you currently | five of swords • queen of swords • retreat

Your person spends most of their time in their head thinking about the arguments that were exchanged between you and them in the past . This person feels like you had a huge ego and you always had to be right no matter what the cost. They also view you as very cold and cutthroat. This person is still upset or holds alot of resentment towards you about the outcome of this situation, but they feel like it was the best decision for them to walk away from you and that the connection run its course. Your person may have some unspoken words that they may say to you in the future when there is less tension between the both of you, but for the time being, they have decided to keep their distance and move on from you and the situation.

their perspective on the breakup| page of swords • it is safe for you to love 

They felt like you were very immature or you didn’t take things seriously when it came to the connection. They feel like you played a lot of games and you did petty things out of spite whenever you would get upset with them or just to get a reaction out of them. They feel like you were very reckless with your words and this caused this person to resent you for the hurt you caused them. They feel like your actions are defense mechanisms to avoid being hurt or being taken for granted, and this person tried to make you see that they were different from your past relationships, but they were unsuccessful to help you look pass your traumas.

how do you feel about your person currently |  five of pentacles • the judgement • honeymoon 

Some of you are focusing on self love before returning back to this person. So for most of you, I see that you want to reconcile with your person. The universe taught you a lesson for the part you played in your connection, and this required you to learn some harsh lessons and to take a deep look at yourself in the mirror to confront yourself and your mistakes. You had to go through these lessons to see your mistakes and I believe that you have learned those lessons to humble yourself and now you are hoping that your person can forgive you for things that transpired in the past between the two of you, and they will be open to the chance of getting back together. Even if you two don’t reconcile, i see you wanting to make peace with them and resolves any issues that still exists between the both of you, so you can move forward.

your perspective of the breakup | eight of swords • separation 

From your perspective, you and this person broke up due to many insecurities. I think those insecurities lie within you when it came to the connection ( let’s be real for a moment). You had a lot of fears going into your connection which didn’t allow you to fully give your person a chance, due to being scared to trust and be vulnerable with your person, so alot of the things you did in your connection triggered trauma responses out of you that originated in your past relationship. You self-sabotaged your connection and created a distance between you and your person because you may have felt unworthy of love for so long that when you got into this connection with your recent ex, you expected this person to act like people from your past.

will the two of you reconcile | two of swords • ace of wands • getting to know each other

It is up to the two of you. I feel like there is a chance for reconciliation, if both people get onto the same page. Hesitation and fear is holding both of you back from allowing this connection to come back together. One of you needs to make the first move, if you really want this connection back, so stop waiting for the other person to reach out and make a move. There is a chance for a reconciliation to happen, but it requires you two to open up to each other and make your intentions clear. You and this person are being encouraged to take it slow and get to know each other again.

random messages • eighth house placements/synastry, popularity, energy vampire, Asia, divine masculine, divine feminine, big decisions, mistress, “I am grateful for your presence in my life,” trust issues, family issues,  blockages, solar plexus chakra, braids/locs, muscular body type, 555, summer, tall, December, green eyes, “ don’t run from me,” Scorpio, Taurus, Capricorn, Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Virgo, Cancer, and Pisces, well endowed, experienced, sex toys, & oral

Channeled Songs • 🌹 Don’t Matter To Me • Drake ft Michael Jackson Vanish • Giveon

pile two • 🖤

crystal | larimar • renewed outlook • harmony

the real reason for the breakup | six of wands • ten of pentacles 

I think the two of you had conflicting values coming into the connection. The two of you could have two totally different personalities and views of the world. I think you or this person enjoys their independence and doesn’t like to be tied down nor smothered. The other person values security and stability. I see that you or this person could be use to causal relationships, while the other is more into relationships that has longevity and that are more serious. The reason for the breakup is because someone did not want a serious connection or wasn’t open to the idea of being in highly committed relationship and the other person wanted a serious connection with the other.  how do they feel about you currently | king of cups • ten of wands • past life relationship  This person feels like you are their soulmate, or they have a strong connection and attraction to you that is hard to deny. This person likes you very much and they still care for you, even after the breakup. Their feelings are still strong for you and they are grateful for your presence in their life. They feel like no one could ever take your place in their heart because they feel like their heart belongs to you. This person refuses to move on or accept that this connection is truly over for good, they are still holding out hope that you and them will reunite one day. This person is still hurt and they carry the pain of losing this connection and you. This person could possibly blame themselves for the reason for why the connection ended, even if they weren’t at fault.

their perspective of the breakup | four of cups • religious factors 

This person could feel like you were bored with them or you weren’t really that into them and invested into the relationship. They knew that you two had differences, but they were willing to still work on the connection with you and understand your and their differences for the sake of the connection. They feel like no matter what they did to make this connection work, they just couldn’t make you fully happy or give you what you really desired. They feel like you weren’t grateful for the connection or didn’t recognize their efforts. 

how do you feel about this person currently | • seven of pentacles • page of wands • make the effort 

you seem more willing to put the work or make the effort when it comes to this connection than you were in the past.  You may have some hesitation or you may be uncertain about your feelings about your person, but I see you are still open to reconciling with your person, if the opportunity presents itself. I think you want to take your time to get to know the person and explore your feelings with them because they are relatively new and fresh. I see that you find this person extremely attractive and amusing.

your perspective for why the connection ended | five of cups • finances & career 

I think you were grieving about something from your past, or this relationship may have triggered painful memories from your past in you, take it if it resonates. I think you were to focus on the cons of this connection rather than focus on the pros of what this connection could have offered you. For some, you could have been juggling your person and another person, who could’ve be a fire sign. You may have decided to leave your person and indulge in a fantasy with this fire sign masculine and you got feed a fantasy by this person and quickly realize the grass was not in fact greener on the other side, now you may feel regret for not fully appreciating your person and the connection that they once offered you. 

will you and this person reconcile | four of swords •  two of cups • heart to heart conversations

there is a chance for you and this person to reconcile, but give this person and yourself time before you two come together. There is still healing on your & their side that needs to be done before you two can reconcile. It’s important that you two be honest and upfront about your feelings for one another for this connection to fully blossom into something special. It’s important to rebuild trust within this connection and make sure that there is an equal give and take in this connection for it to work.  random messages • “I am grateful for your presence in my life, painful memories, sex-work, funny, 777, next month, September, December, invitation, different lifestyles, sponsorships, powerful, 12th house synastry, 11th house, friendships, community, wishes, June, tattoos, new job on the way, creativity, powerful, rewards from the universe, braids/locs, natural hair, new love alert, blocked communication, cut them off, Aquarius, Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, Capricorn, Virgo, simp for you, “you rock my world,” they imagine how good you taste

Channeled Song • 🖤 Missed You • The Weeknd

As You Are • The Weeknd

pile three • ♥️

crystal | pink tourmaline • healing & serenity

the real reason for the breakup | queen of cups (rx) • four of wands

You or your person was holding back their feelings out of insecurity or fear of being vulnerable and rejected. The fear was all in someone’s head causing them to be delusional when it came to this connection and sabotaging the connection. I feel like this pile should read pile one because they had a similar message and struggled with the same issue. This was a stable and secure relationship with a soulmate  or someone you share a past life connection with, but someone’s fears and self-sabotage ruined this great connection you had with this person. You & your person came into each other’s life to help each other heal these issues and were given the chance to experience a meaningful romance of a lifetime, but in the end, you or this person allowed all your doubts, fears, anxieties, and traumas to take control of the relationship and it resulted in the end of this connection.

how do they feel about you right now | the star • three of wands • soulmate 

This person believes that you are their soulmate. They feel such a familiarity when it comes to you and the connection and they feel like you are their other half that they have been waiting for their whole life. You still hold a special place in this person’s heart no matter what has transpired in the connection. They find you to be very beautiful and you are their ultimate dream girl, the only girl they have eyes for. This person is very hopeful when it comes to a reconciliation and they are waiting for when you two will be able to see each other again and reconnect because they miss and love you so fucking much that their heart & soul cries that they aren’t near you at the moment. They hope that you are healing and growing since the last time they saw or spoke to you. Your person knows that you two will find your way back to each other when the time is right, so far now, they are choosing to stay optimistic and focus on their own path. 

their perspective of the breakup | ace of pentacles • trust 

This person may have felt like you didn’t fully trust them even when what they offered you was solid and secure. They feel like their intentions were good and clear, but it wasn’t enough to convince you that you could trust them and take a real chance on the connection. This person wishes that you had more faith in them and in the connection because they believe or at least still believe that this connection could stand the test of time and really bloom into something authentic and beautiful, if you would give this connection a real shot. This person also feels like this was a connection divinely created by the divine for the both of you to explore and allow everything to fall together in due time. This person feels like they invested a lot of time and effort into this connection and they wish you would have done the same.

how do you feel about your person currently | ten of swords • five of pentacles • engagement 

You are expecting the worst and looking at this situation from a pessimistic point of view. You feel the connection is over or that you fucked up so badly that you believe that there is no point of return, but I think that is just your self-doubt and fears getting the best of you and convincing you that this connection is not salvageable or there no chance in hell that you and your person will be able to start over & reconcile. I think you are still processing the pain and you are feeling remorseful for your past actions towards your person and the part you played in sabotaging your relationship. You are so deep in your feelings and focus on negativity that you don’t see that you have a chance to heal and fix your connection with your person, but it will require you to do the work and redeem yourself to be worthy of being given a second chance. You have all the tools in front of you to get out of this lack mindset or woe is me attitude, the time to start is now!

your perspective of the breakup | three of pentacles • new love 

You may feel like there was a lack of effort and trust in the past on your end. You can acknowledge how you weren’t showing up for your partner as you should in the past. You didn’t put in as much work and effort in the relationship, and you later realized after the connection your mistakes and how you can grow from them instead of repeating the same mistakes in the relationship. 

will you two reconcile | the judgment • seven of swords • retreat 

Yes, the both of you have a chance to reconcile the connection, but it will require your both to forgive yourselves, the mistakes done in the past, and forgive each other, if the both of you want this relationship to move forward. It will also be wise for the both of you to be honest and open when it comes to your feelings with one another in the near future, so no more hidden feelings and emotions from each other out of fear or insecurity. You both need to be fully invested into this connection for it to work out, so make sure there is an equal give and take on your and your person’s end to avoid the same issues that you guys dealt with in the past.  Honor and accept that both of you are very different from one another, but still make the effort and give your relationship a fighting chance. Also, keep your relationship private, there is no need for you to involve outside influences in your relationship. Trust each other & the divine to guide and protect this connection.

random messages • May, April, July, September, 111, confident, anxiety & doubts, entrepreneur, London, “ I know that I hurt you,” financially secure, invitation, finances improving, blocked communication, darker complexion, third eye chakra, summer, blue eyes, brown/black hair, stop looking, divine masculine, talking shit/messy, “ I love you,” “ I miss you,” I want to cuddle with you, Capricorn, Scorpio, Aquarius, Virgo, & Taurus, they want you to spend the night, backshots, your moans/groans turn them on, & up against the wall

Channeled Songs • ♥️ Soon As I Get Home • Faith Evans Out of Time • The Weeknd

[genderqueerpond]

(Second attempt, full and complete story this time, with the basically-happy ending I promised.)

Alright. I'll admit it: I couldn't quite buy the whole bigeneration-tenteen-gets-to-live-happily-ever-after-with-the-nobles thing, as much as I WANT the Doctor to have that. (it is SUCH an RTD thing to do though.) And I loved 99.5% of the episode, I really really did. But that just didn't quite sit right, and yet I loved it, and yet I want the Doctor to have that.

So! Ahead, my patch, featuring what I thought was happening at the last point during which it all still worked for me, which changes very very little and is, I swear, just as happy as what's in the show. (REALLY. if you saw me accidentally post this before it was done, no you didn't.)

The "bigeneration" does happen, exactly as shown. And boy, is the Doctor terrified. Because --- they were regenerating, they could feel it, and then it just.... stopped. Regeneration energy ebbing away, as if.... as if there's not quite enough of it to complete the process.

Is this it? Are they just too old, can they run out if regeneration after all, oh god what if this is the end end, and they just die, and abandon their friends, all of humanity, all of the the universe, to this nightmare?

But... no. They can't allow that to happen. And they can feel it, the presence of the new self inside, the energy bubbling.... it just needs a little encouragement, that's all. It must. They can do it, even if it turns out they're doing it for last time. They HAVE to. So they get their friends to pull, to encourage it, and it works, or does something like working, because, well, that happens.

And the new doctor feels GREAT. How could they not, born surrounded with such unconditional love and support?

But ten....fourteen....ten is still dying. The regeneration energy didn't heal them, it just slowed things down. Slowed it down enough, to pretend everything is fine. Enough to do what needs to be done, to team up and defeat the toymaker at his own game.

Also, they each only have one heart.

This, too, is fine --- for now. They can function. They don't even notice, at first.

But a time lord (whether or not they really are one) isn't built to sustain health with only one heart. Especially not one who's still actively dying.

So, once it's all over, ten begins to crumble. Not outwardly, not too much. They'd never let everyone see that. But inside, physically as well as emotionally.

And when their new self hugs them, pulls them into their arms and says "I'm here, I've got you", the thing the Doctor has said to hundreds of people but never before heard back.... it's true. It's true on every level.

The worn-out, defeated Doctor lets go. Relaxes completely into their other self's arms. Begins to cry.

And the new Doctor just holds them. Holds them both up. Holds on.

And ten finally lets themself be DONE.

At first it is subtle. They couldn't break away even if they wanted to (they don't). They don't know where their body turns into tears turns into their other body. It simply melts away into the new one, and is absorbed. Regeneration energy burns softly around them.

"Right... okay." Donna breathes, mostly to herself, watching.

"Okay?" says the Doctor, the one, whole, united, fabulous new Doctor, turning to their best friend and smiling at her - for an instant, it is a sad smile, a soft, sad smile, ten's smile. Only for an instant. Then it transforms effortlessly into their new bright, joyful beam.

"Yeah." says Donna, grinning back.

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

The fifteenth Doctor doesn't fly away. They do something really, truly, completely new: admit they need a break.

So, it's the fifteenth Doctor who stays with the Noble Temples, and honestly that's a perfect name for them, and their home, and the whole dinner scene goes down more or less as shown, just with fifteen.

Donna takes the job at UNIT, and she and Mel are natural besties instantly.

Her salary is enough to live comfortably in that house and neighborhood on the same level as their neighbors, making one less way Rose has to feel like an outsider, and still consistently give a large chunk of it to charity. (The Doctor helps her make sure she's picking them wisely.)

The Doctor also helps out at UNIT, but they don't need them, not the way they did when UNIT was new, and frequently shoo them away, reminding them that they're on leave, reminding them to take care of themself for once, and "we've got this, Doctor. Really."

"Right.... right." The Doctor will say with a smile, any of the ten million times this happens. Kate and Shirley don't mind reminding them again and again and again.

And they go on trips every so often, because it's the Doctor, and they can't resist. Every single one of them gets to see at least a little of the stars. The universe chills out enough, for now, for it to be mostly fun, and only occasionally terrifying.

But, mostly, the Doctor stays.

("You don't have to stay forever." says Donna, and in that, what she's really saying is I love you.

I will not hold you here. I will not force you into anything you don't want to do.

"We'll see." says fifteen.)

The fifteenth Doctor uses their newfound ability to actually talk about things with every member of the Noble Temple family, and with Mel and Kate and Shirley. But ultimately the one they talk about things the most with is Wilf.

Wilf, who has felt stronger somehow ever since the Doctor joined their family, ultimately lives to the ripe old age of 117. The presence of the Doctor's shiny new regeneration energy might have something to do with that. Or not. The Doctor never admits it.

But all of the family age gracefully and live long, although not that long.

Ocasionally, stuff does happen on Earth, as it always will, and in the end Donna lays down her life to save humanity and save the Doctor, as she was always going to do. As we all saw foreshadowed that she would. But she's 89, so it.... well, no. It hurts. It always will.

But the Doctor stays for the funeral, tells everyone who knew her how special Donna was. Then says goodbye to their family, which has lost people over the years but also, mostly, grown, hug Rose, hug Shawn.... and THEN they're off. It really hasn't been that long, not by the Doctor's scale, but it's been good enough for some healing to take place, at least, enough to be that perfectly joyful Doctor, in the TARDIS rocking out, destination: christmas.

[deanablack]

Okay so rom-coms. I feel like everyone is inherently a sucker for them. If you're not, well you are. But that's besides the point. What I'm here to talk about today are the endings. You know how the movies end when the main characters finally say the three magic words and then hug and then kiss and then walk off into the sunset? And we do swoon after it. And there might have been tears accompanied with the happy endings. Happy ones, mind you. But we do cheer them on. We do go to beds a little bit content that once more love triumphed and we got to see the main characters win.

Now, what I have lately noticed is the realisation of each of us of being the main characters in the our own movies. And granted they won't be shown on the big screen and neither would we have the world rooting for us. But there is this belief. Of having a happy ending. Don't tell me there isn't. That'd be a lie.

Now this belief entitles us to an unlimited hope of having a happy ending of our own. Of one person, the person we have also coincidentally chosen, to choose us. Now when this person would choose us, it should be like the movies. It should be unconditional. Irrespective of the borders of the countries, the obligations of life, or any other bullshit reason that practically dictates difficulty in sustaining something romantic. But, we crave it nonetheless.

We crave it not because of unrealistic expectations. Because believe me, the hope of wanting someone to choose you inspite of it all, is not unrealistic. It's human. We crave it because we believe it to be possible. And it is. But we do forget one integral part. We tend to forget our role in it.

Each one of us is waiting for our rom-com moment so hard that we forget to embrace it when it does come around. We have to choose them for them to choose us. It is always a two-way street so how can we expect a person to cross it for the both of us? Which brings me back to the endings of rom-coms.

You know why it ends right when they have confessed to being in love and have hugged and kissed and walked of into the sunset? Because. Love. Is. Supposed. To. Be. Enough.

It is supposed to sustain the two of them irrespective of heartache and the difficulties of distance and obligations. It is supposed to last. It is supposed to say that these two have confessed to choosing each other every day and loving each other unconditionally. Now we can complete this story because this love will allow them to find a solution for all the problems keeping them apart. Together.

This is why it ends then. This is what we wait for. We are not looking for the problems to disappear. Because we shouldn't as they won't. We are just looking for someone worth solving them for. And gosh, if you do find someone who chooses you and there are problems, just ask yourself, "If I walk off into the sunset with them, will it lead to everything being alright? Will loving them ease out the wrinkled seams of your life?" Rest, you shall know.

[emtornado]

Twenty Five Twenty One really laughed at our Pain

So we have a series with an amazing plot. A beautiful story to tell with characters you can’t help but love with your whole heart. There are real-world issues that are adding conflict. The story started with the pandemic, jumped to the IMF crisis and is at one of the saddest points of recent history— 9/11. Things suck but our characters are finding love, comfort and friendship amongst each other.

And then, everything goes to shit between the two characters we loved the most.

Honestly, I’m not even that angry that Baek Yi Jin and Na Hee do didn’t end up together. We all sort of called it by that point. We knew that these people would break our hearts. it’s not even the breakup that hurts it’s the fact that they are not in each other's lives anymore. A relationship ending is one thing but throwing away five years of unconditional love and support and friendship is just sad an depressing and this is basically the part that hurts most.

And then, I’m angry about the lack of closure.

Where is the conclusion with Kim Min Chae? What was going on with her that made her truly take up ballet again? They didn't give her character the importance she deserves. I mean we were getting the whole story BECAUSE of her. Because of her struggles and the way she was able to find comfort in her mother’s younger self. Where did her thoughts go? It started with a blending of Kim Min Chae’s life and Na Hee Do’s lives and their parallels, shown through the cut shots between the past and the present. And then finally the whole character’s arc and story were just abandoned.

Secondly, I’m angry about the adult Na Hee Do’s life in general. This girl created some of the best friendships in her teenage year, where she shared countless important memories with Seung wan, Ji Woong and Yu rim. Especially Ko Yu Rim. These two people have been best friends for more than 10 years. Where was Ko Yu Rim’s presence in Kim Min Chae and Na Hee Do’s lives? Where was Moon Ji Woong? Are they not friends anymore? Why? What happened? I mean considering Kim Min Chae’s lack of knowledge about Ko You Rim, you’d think that she basically disappeared from Hee Do’s life.

Which brings me to Kim Min Chae’s existence. Let's take the present time as 2022 (even though it gives more 2021 vibes). This kid had to have been born around 2007-2008. And yet, it's 2009 when Hee Do has apparently just gotten married. TO WHOM??? WHO’S KID IS KIM MIN CHAE FFS???? LIKE DID SHE JUST POP INTO EXISTENCE RANDOMLY? THIS MADE NO SENSE. Help me understand this one plot point.

What is going on with the rest of the characters, honestly? What was this ending where we got to know nothing about the other characters’ current lives? Do Yu Rim and Ji Woong have kids as well? Are they happy? What about Seung Wan and Baek Yi Hyun? What’s happening in their lives?

GIVE ME MORE INFO ABOUT NY OTHER FAVOURITE CHARACTERS FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!!!

Now let’s talk about Hee Do and Yi Jin. Just them. Since episode one there has been a gradual buildup of them overcoming anything and everything. He went away and they just lived on each other’s voicemails. They fought over everything but always resolved it because their relationship was important to both of them. It took precedence over everything else.

Now, of course, Baek Yi Jin was genuinely depressed after New York. And that's like a whole other thing I'm salty about because my poor baby was so fucking miserable and I can't change shit about this cuz it is *dramatic and heartbroken sigh* REALISTIC. Anyway, that is when, instead of showing their relationship crumbling, they should’ve had them talk to each other. Break down in front of each other. Blame each other and hate each other. 

And then finally, be there for each other. Because that’s what their relationship has been from the beginning, since they met for the very first time. They’ve been there for each other, helped each other grow and loved each other regardless of what was happening.

They’ve both broken each other’s hearts before. They have fucked things up unknowingly. They have been happy and sad together. And you’re telling me that after growing up together they couldn’t get over this one bump in their relationship? They couldn’t have told each other exactly what they wanted and worked together towards that goal?

Say Yi Jin stays in New York and Hee Do continues fencing for the next 8 years. Their phones exist. They both make quite a lot, especially Hee Do who has her own wealth that is to her mother. You’re telling me they couldn’t have visited each other? When Hee do had to go back from competitions, she couldn’t make a pit stop in New York and be with her boyfriend for those few precious moments? 

Bullshit.

These two have been too innovative and too in love to not do small things like this.

The fight in front of the bridge was the perfect moment for them to understand each other. Not even completely, just know that their love still exists and they can still be together if only they work for it. They say that the reason They couldn’t work out was because in the end, after Yi Jin got blinded by the world and his work, and Hee Do forgot to choose herself in her support of him, they both chose themselves in the end.

That’s not true. Please. They were both going through personal hardships and forgot to lean on each other because of how far away the other person seemed (not physically, emotionally. Cue Hee Do’s “my support isn’t reaching him anymore” line.) What could have been done was to show that they could choose themselves WHILE supporting each other. Because that’s what people do. Fuck, if a goblin and a human, an alien and a human, a North Korean soldier and south Korean heiress, and a king from another realm and a person from the other realm can figure shit out, two fools who’ve been there for each other for years can figure out a way to be together, this was bullshit.

I mean, they made a strong and amazing leading couple, where people cared more about them than the other couples, where each of them are facing their own hardships and overcoming them, but somehow can’t overcome the one and only time something goes wrong in their relationship. This was mendable and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

If the show makers wanted to show realism, why couldn’t it be in the form of ‘relationships are hard. Love isn’t enough. You have to make an effort 24/7’? Because that is also the truth in life. Relationships are a lot of goddamn work and when they showed these two characters, who have always put in the effort just giving up like this—

That was the truly unrealistic part. The lack of effort being put towards saving one’s relationship.

Okay now, things that were not given an explanation or made no sense:

Kim Min Chae’s Father. Who the hell is it? What is all this mystery about? Give us a proper ending where this kind of information is given and gotten over with. What was the reason????

How does Na Hee Do have the picture of herself that only Baek Yi Jin has a copy of? Did he give it back to her? And then she put it in an album? Why?

Yi Jin’s father’s “You gave me comfort 10 years ago” comment when his boy was 22 at the time. Why ten years ago? What���s the significance?

Hee Do forgetting her school trip. The only school trip this kid went to and she forgot it? I still remember trips I took when I was in nursery. My mother remembers HER school trips. And this lady forgot the one trip she went to? How tf?  

Where and when and how did Hee Do’s mom see Baek Yi Jin in the current time? Why was it emphasised like that?

Kim Min Chae’s birthday. That’s it. I already spoke about that so like no point in talking about it again but you have to admit, it's annoying.

(And so many other things I’m sure I’m missing)

I know this stuff might seem irrelevant but I’m a writer. I write stories and books and scripts and if there’s one rule to writing, it's the fact that if something is mentioned in a story, then there’s a reason for it. You don’t mention useless shit. 

A character really likes strawberries? It’ll come back in some way. It has significance. Every word you write for your story building has a purpose and cannot be ignored. They mentioned certain things and never ever spoke about them again. That makes no sense. These things had absolutely no explanation and it annoyed the fuck out of me, honestly speaking. Like— what was the reason? Why would you mention it? I’m just really frustrated about this whole thing. It makes me angry as a writer, to be frank.

Now on to what could be a more plausible ending, if they wanted Na Hee Do and Baek Yi jin to one hundred percent not end up together, would be for them to explore their lives currently, show that Hee Do is happy with her daughter and current husband (who they’ve made Voldermort at this point. ‘He who must not be named’. Nonsense), shown Ko Yu Rim and Moon Ji Woong and Ji Seung Wan and Na Hee Do meeting for drinks or something, talking about their kids and life, missing Yi Jin, their mothers, their memories, literally anything. Then a shot of Baek Yi Jin also living his life the way he wants it to be— dedicated to his family and being happy with them.

Or in my opinion, The two fools figured shit out, lived their lives and got together when they finally could to have what they both wanted most in life— each other, love, family and a warm, happy life.

But no. They really gave us the best storyline with amazing characters and a love story to be remembered, only to give an unsatisfactory ending. The whole time, the story has been about people coming together and staying together despite the odds, and yet, it ends with them ending apart because they gave up. It's been about working hard to achieve your goals (and this is applied to all the characters) and then being successful one way or another.

I mean, look at Seung Wan. SHe left school and had an added burden, but she worked hard despite that and got where she wanted to be. Ji Woong came last in school but now runs a successful business. Yu Rim is making money and is happy in life. It's only Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin who had THAT ending. What was the point? To show that your youth can be amazing but adult life is looking back at memories of your youth and being nostalgic? I mean, what?

Throughout the story, they have spoken about overcoming hardships (career, life, circumstances, money, love and even friendship) and this is how they ended it. With the two leads not overcoming shit.

Honestly don’t know if I should recommend this to other people because the journey was so beautiful. The ending was absolute shit though. 

I understand that some of you may not feel that way, but honestly. I watched this Drama to feel good about existing, to see something that seems ‘impossible’ working out, something that gives me hope. But instead, I got an ache in my chest and a long post most people wouldn’t give a flying fuck about. 

Yay.

[usertoxicyaoi]

FAIZAAA THE WAY VEGAS LOOKS AT BOTH PETE AND MACAU AFTER GIVING THEM SOFT KISSIES SO FOND AND HAPPY AS IF SAYING YEP, THESE ARE MY KITTENS. SOFT BABIES I MUST PROTECT AND CUDDLE AND WRAP THEM IN SOFT BLANQUETS AND GIVE THEM KISSIES I JUST🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

hiiii anon!!!!

Zjdhsic9f no bc listen.

i do wish the show had done more with vegas and macau, shown a bit more, but sometimes? less is more. and with that final postcredit scene yesterday, just seeing how vegas and macau were with one another, how much they dote and love and support and rely on one another, was enough. i got it. just from that 2 minute scene alone. it was enough. like i mean we already Knew how close those 2 were (im gonna say it - they are the truest strongest most honest sibling relationship in the show), and being the eldest sibling myself, i knew what their relationship was like. but that scene just. gave me everything wrt them.

and it was seeing how vegas, who's so badly wounded and hurt himself, pulls pete and macau to him, rests their heads on his lap, and kisses them both, and strokes them so gently and tenderly. there's a reverance to it.

and i feel like this is something vegas does a Lot with macau? make him rest his head on his lap whilst he comforts him and tells him its all going to be okay. that mum used to do this with us all the time but you were too small to remember so let me.

and this is all vegas has ever wanted - just to make a home. to know what a loving family feels like. make it a place of safety and warmth and comfort and peace. and he'll try his best at it. everyday. and macau and pete will know. and they'll support and love him so so much too. its all unconditional and selfless.

and vegas will do whatever it takes to protect this. safeguard this. this is his chance at happiness now and he will not let anything to come in and taint it.

and i reckon all 3, vegas macau and pete have missed out on years of showing and recieving love physically and in all other ways. so they're always cuddling. always comforting. always soothing. always holding one another. and they enjoy each other's company so so so so much. pete brings a lightness to it all and vegas cooks for them and macau is allowed to be a child that can navigate this all safely. they're always hanging out with one another and just doing things they've missed out on.

and there's moments where times arent so easy. memories come back. nightmares haunt them. a flash of the past occurs and its like life flashes before their eyes. and the other 2 drop everything they're doing and all 3 of them just come together and huddle and hold one another and ride it through together. all 3 talk to one another, yes, about their thoughts and feelings. no matter how dark it can get, they talk about them.

these 3 .... yeah. since yesterday the only way i can best describe them is that its love feeding love with love. and they ARE the best family on the show. i said what i said.

[clambuoyance]

do you have any favorite hyper-specific tropes you enjoy? like a certain line of dialogue or character type or something

OKAY LETS SEE

1) Since it’s on the mind bc of toh—i’m an absolute sucker for found siblings. Of course, i enjoy the found family trope in general and most variations (middleaged character adopting a random ass kid, etc etc) , but when its focus is on siblings? I eat that shit upppp. I mean relationships like luz and hunter, any of the dc families tbh, the rgb siblings (nya lloyd kai), or my ocs keiko and rolin—they scratch a special part of my brain.

Maybe its because i’m eldest sibling myself, and my brother is only two years younger making us pretty close in age, but i just really like sibling relationships and they hit more than parent/child ones for me😭🙏 We don’t always get along, but i’d say we have a pretty strong relationship now

Something about going through the same motions, esp if ur both still trying to find ur place in the world, and knowing you have someone to rely on is just so special to me. Even with blood siblings, it doesn’t really feel like unconditional love at first. Like, you have to choose to be someone who will care and be there for them. Urgh idk it just feels different even though with parents it’s also a choice to care about someone. Like with a parent or guardian, it’s like you want to expect them to have all the answers, but with someone closer to ur age who chooses to treat you like family, it’s like—well we both don’t know what we’re doing but we have each other to lean on.

And the “found” part isn’t necessary but just a nice treat bc i feel like it highlights that Active choosing to care for someone like family. waaah. Like Kai in s1 of ninjago having a whole arc that leads to him leaving behind his own desires to save tiny lloyd, and then literally promising to always look after lloyd after , or luz promising to keep hunter safe bc he’s family now, and then my story with my ocs rolin n keiko is all about them becoming siblings to each other😭 it just makes me feel sooo emotional

also sibling banter 💥💥💥 i feel like u can say more uncalled for shit w siblings

So yeah if you look at my list of faves don’t be surprised if u see a lot of characters who have a significant sibling relationship in their story 🙏

2) Now i dont know if this counts as a trope, but as for fave character type theres usually this One scene that makes me go Oh i love them. and that scene or line tends to go like this: Character up to this point has shown a fun, perhaps confident or carefree personality, but as soon as they’re alone, it’s revealed to the audience they’re capable of feeling so much more. Idk i guess im thinking kon at the campfire, or wukong in lmk specifically always being chill then being serious when he’s alone

3) Also in category of things that make me love a character: slapstick comedy to highlight dorkiness. or honestly just any type of comedy that undercuts a character’s supposed Cool/Importance Factor. 💀 like the amount of slapstick a character goes through has to be proportional to how unaware the character is of their own dorkiness. Im thinking Kai bumping his head while threatening garmadon or bragging about his skills only to get slammed by a tree (or a rock. or a wall. the list goes on.). Or Kon saying he’s fine cuz he can fly only to wham his head when the ship turns and then subsequently get flung around while the ship flies, or slamming his face straight into the ground cuz he’s an idiot.

Or like, Karkat’s whole thing. he’s a walking clown circus. sollux going “do NOT run that computer virus” and karkat ignoring him only for the computer to explode in his face. idk that shit makes me laugh

4) When characters start talking about how they don’t wanna be left behind—it depends on the writing but that usually Hits for me 😭

um i could probably think of more but thats all i got for now

[aegor-bamfsteel]

I read your response to if Rhaegal and Viserion will welcome Dany back after being chained up and I'd love to add my thoughts if that's ok. :) I think there's something of a personality in the dragons, as shown by the books? But it's so changeable and so easily tamed that I feel the question of "do Dany's Dragon's have personalities" is just a big question mark as an answer. But you brought up something interesting. Do you believe in the theory that the DoD 2.0 that we will witness in the books is Aegon vs Dany? I think there's a lot of merit in it, and I suspect that Aegon will, somehow, tame Viserion. Which will indeed make the whole thing twice as devastating for Dany. And then it makes me wonder about the dragon horn Victarion is bringing with him. If say, he uses it on Viserion, but Victarion isn't Viserion's permanent rider, will that make Viserion more pliable to the next person that tries to tame him? Aka, like the horn being used once makes him permanently warped. I say this, because it's the only way I can see Viserion being willing to fight against Drogon and Dany; if his mind was already altered by the dragon horn. Rhaegal however, will be an entirely different beast. I suspect he'll naturally be tamed by Jon and willingly turn on Dany and Drogon, and all that is needed is a final catalyst.

Thanks for reading the response!

About Dragons and personalities: that was more of a comment that GRRM doesn’t bother to distinguish dragons by personality, but instead by color. We know everything about the dragons’ scales, horns, wing, and fire colors but we’re at a loss to say what exactly distinguishes, for example, Meleys and Tessarion other than the color. That’s ok in the main series if the point is that the dragons are dangerous weapons that can be deployed by one person (Dæny) at will; they don’t need personality, and in fact having one gets in the way of them as reliable mass destructive weapons. However, when it comes to earlier history where there are multiple dragonriders fighting each other and we’re clearly supposed to feel something other than joy when some of them die, giving them all consistent personalities would go a long way in making the Dance have a little more pathos, as well as flesh out the dragon/rider bond for the main series. Ask any zookeeper who works in herpetology, let alone with birds (two main bases for dragons), and they’ll say the animals they work with all have distinct personalities. Why not GRRM’s dragons?

Do I think the DoD 2.0 GRRM mentions is Aegon vs Dæny?: Well, yes. The only other Targaryen-blooded person who seems relevant to her story is Jon Snow (not counting Bl00draven), and I doubt he’d fight her as a Targaryen, but as a Stark. However, I’m not sure either of them will become dragonriders. Aegon’s path seems to be leading away from dragons and toward a political/conventional military conflict. As for Jon, while he’s definitely got magical elements in his arc (warging, he saw wights that one time, whatever is going to resurrect him), he’d much rather be negotiating with bankers and counting beets. So I don’t know if either of them will actively choose to seek out a dragon to tame. While Rhaegar did say the dragon has three heads, and Dæny has interpreted that to mean two male dragonriders to stand beside her and provide unconditional trust, both of them have been proven wrong about their interpretations. It could simply mean there are three living “Targaryens”, but instead of the other two embracing their dragon heritage, they’ll fight against Dæny to protect their mothers’ people (Dorne and the North)

But I’ll admit, when it comes to dragons and who is allowed to sit on them, I don’t know what’ll happen. Jon did ride a dragon in the show (once. And he was useless), so he may ride one in the books. It may be your predictions (the horn-controlled Viserion making him shed his relatively lazy nature is interesting) will come to pass in some form.

Thanks for the ask.

[captnjacksparrow]

Why do you think Sasuke loved Naruto so much? They saw each other at the age 8 but never interacted until they became a team. Even as a team they spend not a lot of time together. Why is it so hard for Sasuke to break his bond with Naruto but not with Sakura and Kakashi?

Why Sasuke loved Naruto so much??

This is the very first question I got after watching VoTE1 for the first time. Well, not exactly this same question... Because I never shipped them at this point. I was like, ‘What did Naruto do for you to claim him as your Closest Friend?’

Like Why??? It was easier for him to leave Sakura and was never shown to have any pain whereas with Naruto, why did he look so devastated???

What did Naruto do for Sasuke to warrant such a strong emotion???  All we have to do is to backtrack and find the incident about why he has such strong feelings towards Naruto.

Before that, let see what each Team 7 member did for Sasuke individually.

What did Naruto do for Sasuke?

This is one of the significant moment for both of these boys when they were around age 8. Both found that each other were Lonely due to varying circumstances and just smile at each other to acknowledge their existence.

I would say, this is very important for Naruto than it is for Sasuke. 

Why??

Someone smiling at Sasuke is not a new thing... Basically every Jack and Jill in his Class gave him the utmost attention and probably smiled at him. But for Naruto... It’s extremely valuable. Still, Sasuke also considers this as something important.... Which means he was extremely glad that he found Naruto at that time and got this faint feeling that he was not alone!!!

In the Forest of the Death, Naruto strengthened Sasuke's mental resolve when they fought with Orochimaru. Naruto literally called out Sasuke for being a Coward “This coward is not the Sasuke I know”. This motivated Sasuke to fight back Orochimaru.

After that, Naruto saved Sasuke from Gaara and fought with him. Although, it was not entirely a Naruto's thing because it was Sasuke’s words, “I don’t want to see any of my precious comrades die before me again” motivated Naruto to fight Gaara by unleashing Monstrous power that laid dormant inside him.

Considering all the above incidents....

Whatever Naruto did for Sasuke... All of these are just a filtered DudeBro Style friendship and nothing special. And to be honest, compared to Naruto..... Sakura and Kakashi did a lot for Sasuke in Part 1. 

[[Alright!!! Don’t throw bricks at me now]]...

Let’s just put ourselves in Sasuke’s place. Oh!!! Please refrain from going into that Trauma & UCM part because that’s not the point of this post. It’s just we have to imagine that we are an Orphan who lost everything in our past.

With that being said,

What did Sakura do for Sasuke?

I really don’t want to talk about this girl in detail but I don’t want to be biased as well... I am writing this section from a Non-Shipping perspective. So, lots of SasuSaku moments will be here...

Sakura desired Sasuke for his looks and cool ‘play hard to get’ behaviour. She doesn’t have a reason why she came to like him. Probably being bullied for her ‘charming forehead’ in her childhood, somehow she got into this warped mentality that if she gets the recognition of the Popular Boy... then everyone will respect her. So, it was not an unconditional love per se. She always expected something back from him. At the same time, She never understood him what he was going through from an emotional POV or to be precise, she is not capable of understanding him. 

But still, after she was grouped along with Sasuke in Team 7, She started to care about him. Well, any person would come to care about their teammates and she was no different. But since she ‘loved’ Sasuke, Sakura goes above and beyond for him while at the same time, she was seen showing scum-rated care towards Naruto. 

I hate to say this... But isn’t it faintly similar to how Sasuke shielded Naruto when he fought with Gaara??? No matter how shallow her love is, she didn’t shield Naruto when Lee sent him flying whereas she wanted to shield Sasuke from falling and getting injured. 

This is another instance where she couldn’t see Sasuke suffering from immense pain and hence she also started to cry.. After this she took both Sasuke and Naruto out of that place and took care of them by pulling an all-nighter.

Sakura realized that Sasuke has changed and was going out of control because of the Cursed Seal. So, She decided to stop him from his rampage and it worked out too. 

“I don’t want to see you suffering anymore... To me, you are...”

So, it hurts Sakura if Sasuke was shown to be suffering from some kind of pain, eh??? She may be totally selfish here... like “If something happens to Sasuke, I would feel lonely”... But, I think in this particular moment she genuinely cared about his well-being. So, it really hurts her to see Sasuke suffer like that... [[I smell Chapter 698 here....]]

A foolish act.... But a brave one for sure. She somehow wants to protect Sasuke by putting her life on the line. [[Her body moving on it’s own, huh???]]

I don’t know whether to laugh at the hilarious encounter that happened after this scene or to feel bad for her. Either way, after Sasuke was knocked out by Itachi, this girl visited him daily... I doubt she ever visited Kakashi... Anyways, After Sasuke woke up, she wanted to offer food and take care of him like a good Girlfriend.

So, What I am trying to say here is that this girl cared about him more than anyone else because she loved him.... Whether her love is deep or shallow is not the point here... 

If we put ourselves in Sasuke’s place, this girl did hell a lot more than what Naruto did for him personally. Since Sasuke has no one to take care of him in this way, these gestures of Sakura should have generated a curiosity or interest or spark towards this girl or in a traditional storytelling sense, he should’ve fallen in love with her..... 

Because that’s how most media will bring 2 people together to fall in love. A physically and mentally wounded boy was taken care of by an angelic girl and was healed by her love and then he fell in love with her. 

But Man!!!!! This is where Kishimoto started to break all the tropes by making Sasuke totally impervious to her love/care. All he said was, ‘Thank You’... And that word is a nice gesture for all the care she had shown to him so far. 

[[Now, I know why SS peeps are so invested in this ship... because Sakura did many things for him romantically... they somehow got into this warped mentality that “If I do a lot of stuffs for you... then my love should be reciprocated”.... But there is this concept called ‘Unconditional Love’ which they refuse to understand]]

What did Kakashi do for Sasuke?

Kakashi felt Sasuke was trembling in fear because of the murderous aura emitted by 2 Jounins and reassurred him by saying that ‘Don’t Worry!!!!I’m here to protect you’..... 

Kakashi helping out Sasuke to seal the Cursed Seal. This helped Sasuke to focus on preparing for the Chunin Exams One on One fight Vs Gaara rather than wallowing in pain whenever he fights using Chakra.

Kakashi passed on his Ultimate Jutsu to him.... Which became one of Sasuke’s most predominant Jutsu in his arsenal... Even many of his Jutsus like Chidori Nagash, Chidori sword, Chidori senbon are all based on this Jutsu. 

I am going to go ahead as call it as a Fatherly Act from Kakashi. Just like how Minato’s Rasengan was passed onto Naruto, how Fugaku taught Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu when Sasuke was 7, Kakashi’s Chidori was passed onto Sasuke. Even databook also says that Sasuke saw Kakashi as a Parental figure.

Kakashi also tried to instill some sense in Sasuke after he fought with Naruto on the Hospital Roof Top. Sasuke almost got convinced after hearing his pep talk. But then Sound Four mind-fucked Sasuke and it all spiralled out from then.

Considering all the actions from every member of Team 7.... I would say 

Kakashi acted like a Parent for Sasuke at many instances. 

Sakura acted like a Care-Giver and a Girl-Friend who would do anything for him. 

Naruto acted like an “Hey Bro.... Yo Bro” kind of friend who helped him out of certain difficult situations from time to time.

[[If only this Sakura was Nil-Horny and cared more about Naruto.... I would’ve shipped SS, maybe.... Of Course, only if Sasuke was interested in her]]

Even looking from my SNS eyes, Naruto really didn’t do anything great or special for Sasuke to forge such a strong bond that he found it very difficult to break.

So why couldn’t he break that bond with Naruto????

Sasuke himself said it ...

When??

That moment when Sasuke sacrificed his life and Naruto asked Sasuke, “Why??? Why me??? You should’ve minded your own business”...

Let’s look at each incidents from an Objective non-shipping perspective..

1. Sasuke Offering Bento to Naruto in Bell Training. 

This is totally a Sasuke moment... It’s something, Naruto should ponder upon. Sasuke didn’t gain anything from it actually. It’s funny how he totally excluded Sakura out of that panel...LOL....

2. The ‘Accidental’ Kiss.

Ummm.... Why is he remembering it here if he was ‘so disgusted’ ???? Anyways, that was totally on Naruto and yet Sasuke fondly remembers it.

3. Naruto sizing up Sasuke up-close.

Seriously???? What’s so special about that scene anyway??? After Naruto Sized him up, he went on to kiss him.... Both of those incidents are connected and yet Sasuke puts it separately. Which means he liked Naruto coming up-close??? 

4. Competing in ‘Who Eats more’?

LOL.... It’s totally a fluff scene. Again nothing special.

5. Naruto falling down from the tree during Tree Climbing Training...

In my honest opinion, this is not even a scene worthy to remember. If I were Sasuke, I would have forgotten about it already. I would say, Kakashi reassuring the Trembling Sasuke that “I am here for you” is a much better scene to remember that this pointless one...

6. Sasuke showing-off his Rope untying skills.

A decent scene. It seems Sasuke clearly enjoyed that prank. But hey... Why is he remembering Naruto’s Prank anyway???

7. Sasuke taunting Naruto.

This scene has multiple callbacks from Naruto’s side as well. It maybe special from Naruto’s side but from Sasuke’s POV.... Naaahhh.... But he remembers it anyway.

8. Naruto’s Hokage Dream.

“Hello Mr.Sasuke, Your dream has just went down to drain.... Why are you thinking about Naruto’s Hokage dream which has nothing to do with you??”.... Weird!!!

9. Walking along with Naruto.

So, Sasuke liked to walk along with Naruto. And it was intentional. Hmmm!!!

10, Naruto stabbing his wound with his Kunai to continue the Mission.

This is actually a scene worthy to remember. Because, it shows Naruto is mentally strong and was willing to put his life on the line just to continue the mission. So, Sasuke actually admired Naruto in that scene. 

11. Roasting Sakura

LOLOL.... It’s funny because when Sakura asked whether Sasuke remembered this incident when she proposed him... Sasuke said, “I don’t remember”... Whereas he remembers it here. Sakura remembers it as a scene where she spoke to Sasuke for the first time. Sasuke remembers it as the scene where he stood up for Naruto.... 

12. Naruto shoulder-hugging Sasuke

Hmm... A pretty good scene to remember. But not something special.

Special, I mean here, is that Naruto often remembers Iruka blocking that Kunai from Mitsuki. It is important because it played a significant role in shaping up the Naruto we saw throughout the series.

Can I simply say... None of the above scenes are special enough to remember except for that Naruto stabbing himself with Kunai????? 

All the other scenes Sasuke remembered are just meaningless and If I were Sasuke, I would’ve forgotten most of it already. 

Unless 

If I were crushing on Naruto and remembers every random and silly moments I shared with him no matter how useless those moments were!!!!! 

Man!!! Sasuke was totally Brainrot about Naruto here. 

Again, Why Sasuke was only thinking about all those useless moments he shared with Naruto... While not remembering Sakura and Kakashi????

The answer lies in the panel itself.

Yes, the word Sasuke used here was....

知るかよ ... そんな こと Shiru ka yo... Son'na koto How should I know... such a thing??

“How should I know... such a thing??”

体が勝手に動いちまったんだよ… Karada ga katte ni ugoichimattan da yo. My body just moved on its own…

“My Body just moved on its own”

Is there any connection between both the lines??? 

Of course there is.... Sasuke fails to provide the reason in both the lines. He just did it without any regrets. That’s all.

This is not the only time...

Sasuke couldn’t able to give the reason even in Chapter 698 Confession.

なぜだか....安心したんだ。 Nazedaka.... Anshin shita nda. For some reason.... I felt relieved.

“For some reason”

So, Yes!!!! As I said earlier in the post, I tried to backtrack every events shared between Naruto and Sasuke in part 1 to find out the reason for “Why Sasuke couldn’t cut off his bond with Naruto even though they didn’t spend a lot of time together or to rephrase it, even though Naruto didn’t do much for Sasuke?”..... 

And I really wanted to say this panel is the reason....

Naruto’s behaviour of wanting to create bonds desperately, made Sasuke think about his Family. So someone giving off the family vibe may be the reason for Sasuke loving Naruto so much. And this was all happening from a distance. Like Sasuke was not even near or in friendly terms with Naruto to make him feel that way!!! 

It’s just by observing Naruto, Sasuke felt the feel of his Family....

It’s just by observing Naruto, Sasuke felt the weakness seeping into him....

It’s just by observing him again and again, Sasuke started to worry about Naruto more and more... 

And then, I thought what is the reason for all of this??? There must be a reason why Sasuke must be feeling this way. There’s no way someone would feel the warmth of a family just by observing a person... What’s so special about that person???

And All I found in the previous panel was 

Again, the same word choice,

なぜだか...気になるようになった。 Nazedaka... Ki ni naru yō ni natta. For some reason, I came to worry about you. [[I started to keep my eyes on you is a translation error]]

“For some reason”

Sasuke found Naruto was also a loner just like him. Initially he thought, Naruto was a weakling who just begs for attention by pranking everyone. But then later, he found out that’s not the case... In reality, Naruto just wanted to bond with someone just like Sasuke. 

This strong sense of similarity is what led Sasuke to start paying attention to Naruto and started to like him... Like he got a reason as to why he likes Naruto now. 

Why Sasuke felt very easy to break his bond with Sakura and Kakashi, despite them having done so much for him as compared to Naruto???

The reason Sasuke could easily break his bonds with Kakashi and Sakura was because he saw them as his team mates with whom he could work along, care about each other, protect each other and complete the missions. It’s very similar to the bonds you create in a Work Place. It’s like we all work together to do a project and then we go home. It’s not like we will emotionally connect with every person in the Office and feel devastated when we switch to another Office.

This above panel is just the basic Gist of what I mentioned above. It’s like Sasuke saying, “I liked working with you all... But I got another important Job in another Office... So, I have to leave you all”...

So, that’s why Sasuke could easily break up with Sakura and Kakashi. Because he was never invested in them emotionally. He didn’t know anything about Sakura and Kakashi or even bothered to know about them unless they tell him. 

Same applies with Team Taka. 

But with Naruto it’s very different. He already, unknowingly, invested his emotions in him from the day he smiled at Naruto near the Lake Pier, the day he started to worry about Naruto, the day he felt relieved on seeing Naruto.... And on the day Team 7 was formed, his emotional attachment with Naruto became even stronger which explains why Sasuke roasted Sakura for bad mouthing Naruto, even though he didn’t have to.

Even if Sakura bring the world for him, he could not feel anything for her...

And that’s why even though Naruto didn’t do anything special as compared to his other team members, Sasuke couldn’t break his bond with him because of the strong emotional attachment he already developed on Naruto way before Team 7 was formed....

And What made Sasuke to invest his emotions very strongly on Naruto???? In other words, why Sasuke loved Naruto so much???

For some reason, he started to worry about Naruto whenever he was rejected by the villagers...

For some reason, Naruto’s weakness was starting to taint him...

For some reason, Naruto reminded him of his family...

For some reason, he felt relieved on seeing Naruto...

For some reason, he felt the pain whenever Naruto was seen to be suffering...

For some reason, he thought about all the random and silly moments he shared with Naruto in his dying moment...

For some reason, his body moved on its own to protect Naruto....

No matter how much I look for it, I couldn’t find the reason. Because, in reality, Sasuke himself doesn’t have one....

He saw Naruto, felt some sense of similarity and started to like him because he was attracted towards him in an innocent way.

And after that everything he felt or did for Naruto was something that was out of his own control or reason or logic or explanation... 

Even though he won’t get anything out of this bond with Naruto... Sasuke would still do everything he did for him all over again without a shred of regret...

Because his love towards Naruto is unconditional.

[angeloroki]

you're the only one — s. todoroki & a. tamaki

— character ; aged up!shoto todoroki x fem!reader, aged up!amajiki tamaki x fem!reader

— request ; Can I request sm? So shouto and tamaki ( feel free to remove any of them if you want to ) having I nightmare about there s/o cheat on them and when they wake up they are kind of upset or insecure and reader comfort them ( fem!reader plz )And don’t feel forced to do it just do it when you want to and ily take care of yourself 😘

— genre ; angst & fluff at the end

— warnings ; insecurity ?

— a/n ; well amajiki's is longer cuz i don't write much about him, i hope you'll like it anyway!

and ty for your request <3 take care of yourself too ily too muah!

shoto todoroki

you turned to the other side, expecting to feel the comforting warmth of your boyfriend at your side. just before you were greeted by an icy morning cold.

reluctantly, and slightly surprised, you opened your eyes to find that, instead of seeing his still beautiful morning face, you saw only a void.

you looked at the alarm clock on your bedside table, it was far too early for him to have left.

with a sigh, you grabbed your slippers and dressing gown, and left your warm bed to find a cold you wished you hadn't met so soon.

as you left your room, you ran into shoto in your small kitchen, sipping coffee. a smile slowly came to light up your tired face.

« you're up early today. » you say by way of a greeting.

with slow steps, you place a tender kiss on his cheek. nevertheless, what made you raise your eyebrows was the fact that he was avoiding you. since when was the list of ingredients in the packet of biscuits so interesting?

he greeted you anyway, in a low, monotonous and slightly broken voice.

« what's going on ? »

alerted by his sadness, you took his face in your hands in a matter of seconds. your piercing eyes stared intently at him, ready to relieve his pain whatever it was.

his face was red from crying, and you still had traces of it on his rosy cheeks. he tried to pull away, with a gentle but strong gesture. worried, you bit your upper lip to keep from crying back. it was rare to see him in this state, being usually stoic. few things could put him in such a state.

« nothing, i just had a bad dream. »

your hand remained on his cheek, and you gently forced him to look at you. with a gentle gesture, your other free hand came to meet his, a certain warmth came to warm you despite the morning cold.

« i'm listening baby. »

a long sigh escaped his lips.

« it's not worth it, y/n, just ridiculous. »

you frowned slightly.

« shoto, I'm worried. »

a faint smile stretched his lips slightly. and without you expecting it, he laid his head on your neck. his warm breath made you shiver.

« you abandoned me from one day to the next. without a word, without any explanation. in fact, you left me for another man. and that's how i understood that i wasn't good enough for you.

i know i'm not the ideal man, i'm quite atypical and i don't always show my love for you like other boyfriends do. and sometimes i wonder how a woman as fabulous as you can be with me. »

he stopped.

« you know i'm not stupid, i see how other men look at you. »

as he spoke, you could feel his tears rolling down your chest.

« but i love you. you're the first person i've ever loved this much. you've shown me another side of life that i never got to know because of my father. you've taught me to love y/n. i can't see myself without you. »

your hand came to meet his hair, which you gently stroked. a tear of your own this time came down your face too. you were kind of relieved that it wasn't that bad, although seeing him in that state kind of freaked you out.

« shoto todoroki, listen to me. you're the perfect man for me. you're the one who smiles at me without even meaning to. you're the one who got me to like cold soba. you're the one who comes to warm me up at night in your arms. you're the one i could die for. you're the one who manages to get me to watch the same cheesy romantic movie every night. you're the one i could talk to for hours and days. you're the one person i can see myself spending the rest of my life with. »

you didn't hear him crying anymore. instead, a comforting silence enveloped you both now.

« y/n - »

« you are the man of my life. and i love you like crazy, it scares me a little sometime how much love i have for you. you have no idea. »

with that, you placed a kiss on his lips, which tasted slightly salty from his now dry tears. it was with pleasure that you felt a smile stretch against your lips. his arms came around you in a long, loving hug.

« i love you, y/n l/n todoroki. »

amajiki tamaki

you had finished work earlier so you decided to surprise your fiancé by making his favourite dish.

you hadn't seen him this morning before you left for work, which surprised you a little because he always took the time to come and say hello or give you a kiss.

and now that you think about it, it's true that he hadn't texted you all day, which he usually did too. whether it was to complain about how he embarrassed himself in front of everyoneor just to slip a sweet i love you into your notifications.

had you pissed him off ? you shook your head at yourself, you don't remember if you did. you were probably imagining things.

a few minutes later, you heard the door slam and your boyfriend drop his stuff in front of the entrance. you expected him to come up behind you to give you a long, warm kiss. well, he didn't and probably won't because you heard him lock himself in your room.

you raised an eyebrow. something was wrong.

with a quick step, and slightly apprehensive, you joined him, and came upon a tamaki curled up in a ball in your bed.

you sat down next to him, putting your hand gently on his shoulder.

« tell me what's wrong. »

« i don't know what you're talking about. »

you flinch slightly at the tone of his voice. hard and cold it was. which was a big change from his usually soft and warm voice.

the high school amajiki had grown up, matured. you were able to be by his side as he evolved, he was now a confident and strong man. although old habits die hard

« huh ? did i do something ? »

he finally met your gaze, and it didn't match his tone. full of melancholy, his eyes were bright. he had been crying.

your expression, which at first was slightly annoyed, became more and more panicked. your hands automatically came to meet his, but they refused to meet them.

« tell me what the fuck is wrong ! »

« i - i don't know if it's a good idea for us to get married. »

you swallowed hard. the words stuck in your throat, you didn't understand what had just happened.

« w-why ? » you asked silently.

« i'm not good enough for you, you deserve better. let's stop kidding ourselves. »

an unpleasant heat came over your face, it was anger rising.

how could he know that you deserved better ? didn't your unconditional love for him count for anything ?

« why- why are you saying all this now ? »

it wasn't like him. he had a tendency to doubt himself sometimes, but he had never doubted your love for each other.

« isaw that you had cheated on me. in a dream, of course. you seemed happy with this man. he was everything i wasn't. perfect. i don't want you to waste your time with me, i don't want you to make the mistake of your life by getting engaged to me... i'm just a waste of time, well i've always been anyway. you must think i'm exaggerating and being ridiculous... i probably am... »

he lowered his head as he spoke, now refusing to look you in the eye. it was as if he were eighteen again, the shy and anxious teenager who refused to make eye contact with anyone when he was embarrassed.

a slight gasp escaped your lips.

your hands finally met his, you smiled softly when he didn't try to pull away. you let the silence settle comfortably between you, letting the gestures express your thoughts.

your soft gestures that had already comforted him many times in the hardest moments as well as in the most joyful ones. the same ones that had always succeeded in making him feel loved and safe in your fusional relationship.

he relaxed little by little in your arms, letting all his doubts fly away with this tension that paralyzed his muscles.

you finally spoke up when you were in a fairly comfortable position, both in each other's arms.

« amajiki, baby. i could never be this happy with anyone else. and i mean it. you're the one i grew up with, loved, cried with, laughed with. how can you say you're a waste of time? sweetie, even if we broke up, i'd be happy to tell everyone i loved a great man like you. but i know that's never going to happen, because i'm ready to say yes to you when the time comes. »

his grip around your waist tightened slightly.

« i - »

a tear rolled down your cheek. It wasn't sad, it represented all the love you had for him.

« you don't have to say anything, just kiss me tamaki. »

with your eyes closed, you felt his lips against yours. he had a gift for giving sweet kisses too.

« let me make you the happiest of brides y/n.. »

[ellana-ravenwood]

Sick Day - Batfam x Fem!Reader

Synopsis : It’s never fun to be sick. Duh. But when  you have loving parents there to take care of you, maybe it isn’t so bad ? Just short little snippets of the first time each Batkids fell ill in Wayne Manor, and how Bruce and his wife (you :D) dealt with it. 

Another “burst of the moment inspiration” story, just a little drabble. Promise I’ll post something more elaborate soon :), hope you’ll like it : 

My master list blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives

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(Thanks to that anon who mentioned the kids getting shots, that gave me with this an idea on how to start this fic :D. The original beginning was different, I think I like that one better hehe.)

"Mister Wayne, if you keep doing this, I'm not going to be able to give your son-Bruce for god's sake !"

Leslie Thompkins, for the first time in her long career, was about to lose her patience and give up on...giving a simple shot to a baby. 

She has seen worried parents before, of course. The one that clung to their child’s hand, or those who would cry because their little one was in pain…

Babies that young, who had to get vaccinated for the first time, never really experienced this sort of quick pain before. 

A lot of them would cry more out of surprise than because it really hurt. Oh and when the parents were extra worried, you could be sure the baby was even more likely to burst into tears, sensing his parents' distress.

Yes. doctor Thompkins gave shots to a LOT of babies, and saw a LOT of worried parents before…But never had she met someone quite like Bruce Wayne.

He always came to her when his kids were sick. He could go to a fancier office, or to one of those pricy fancy private hospitals. But no. 

No because, when it came to his kids’ health, there was no one he trusted more than Doctor Leslie Thompkins. 

So it was no surprise when he brought his youngest son, Thomas, to get his first shot ever. What was a surprise though, was his reaction.

"And now you know why I'm always the only one in the room when this happens."

You say, smiling apologetically to the doctor. But ah, at least your husband's reaction eased a little the tension in your body brought by the mere idea of your baby being hurt. 

Every single time Leslie got the syringe close to your little one, Bruce would reflexively grab her wrist and stop her from giving the shot to his son.

Ridiculous, really. 

But it seemed it was something he couldn't fight. 

He apologized the first time he did it, as Dr Thompskins smiled and said it was ok, rather amused. But then the second time, it was getting clear he didn't seem to quite control himself. At the third time Bruce was visibly sweating. Dr Thompkins finally snapped as she tried for a fourth and fifth time to give a shot to little Thomas (who, at barely 2 months old, was much too young to even understand what was happening, but by his little smiles it was clear he was happy every time his father would come into his vision).

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just…I thought I could do it, but I can't."

And oh. Oh it's adorable the way he turns to you, his eyes saying "I'm sorry" as he takes his son back in his arms and holds him against his chest. You weren’t sure if it was to comfort little Tommy, or if he was comforting himself. 

"I think I should just let you two handle this ?" He asks, unsure. He doesn’t want you to be mad or to think he’s abandoning you. 

"I think this is a good idea Bruce, yes."

You smile at him reassuringly. It’s fine. It was always fine. 

"I'm sorry, sorry I'm letting you do this alone once again. I just can't…"

"Oh it's ok my Broosh, I know you hate shots. I can handle it, and little buddy here sure can too."

Thomas coos happily as you pick him up delicately from his father's arms. Bruce resists a bit, before finally giving in and letting you take hold of the little one. 

He lays a hand on his son's head, looking fondly at him (of this look he only gives his children, of this pure look full of unconditional love, and a hint of “what did I do to deserve this sort of happiness ?”) and then sighs, press a soft kiss to your forehead, murmuring a last “I’m sorry, my love” and leaves the room. 

He feels a little ashamed to let you do this once again, but you've always been the strongest one out of the two. After all, you willingly decided to marry a man like him…

"Alright Mrs Wayne, ready ? And here we-oh not you too (Y/N) !"

"I'm sorry I'm sorry, I don't know what took over me, it was just a reflex too !"

You apologize, as you let go of the doctor's wrist…

Yeah, it was just a gut reaction to seeing a scary needle approaching your baby's thigh. In your line of um, nightly work, you came to be very wary, of syringes. You still remember vividly that time Tim got hit with one of Scarecrows’ needle, and how terrible this night had been...

"Ok ok, now is fine. Go. I'm ready. Go fast though, now. Now I’m not looking. Go. Go. Go."

Tears welling up in your eyes at the mere thought of this happening, you look away as you hold your son still (something he doesn't like as clearly shown by his little sound of protest, and as he starts to fuss about), and in one, two seconds…it's done. 

And not a peep from your son. 

He just stopped making any sound (he've always been rather vocal), his eyes went wide, and he made a face that looked like he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to cry or not. Then there’s one more second, and Leslie had a soothing bandaid on his little leg, and you were holding him against your heart, and the pain was so fleeting and already gone, that he just gets over it quickly, feeling your love.

Calming down instantly, not noticing the tears in your eyes (thank god, or it’d be a sure way to make him weep too).

And so he doesn't cry. And everything is ok again.

“Well, that wasn’t so hard, was it ?”

“Actually, it was.”

You say, barely holding your tears in, your son cooing in your arms 

“Um...I was talking to Thomas.” 

Leslie answers, amused. And just like that, you both burst into laughter.

After a few minutes of this uncontrollable fit of giggles, you thank Leslie for her help, and leave the room, joining your husband who had been walking back and forth in the waiting room, nervous. 

He comes immediately to you and Thomas, and as soon as the boy sees his dad he smiles widely and giggles. Bruce gives him a soft smile, before turning to you : 

“How was it ?” 

“For me ? Not great. For Tommy ? He didn’t even utter a sound. Our little guy is brave !” 

You kiss your son on his forehead, and he giggles and coos even more. There’s a short silence, before Bruce says : 

“I’m sorry...”

And then he takes you in his arms, sandwiching little Thomas who’s protesting a bit. Damn, his parents could be so clingy ! 

“It’s ok my Broosh, I already told you. It’s ok.” 

You sort of knew since you stepped into the doctor’s room that you’d end up being the one having to hold your boy anyway.

You knew oh too well how squeamish he was whenever HE had to get a shot done (and oh who would’ve thought the big bad bat hated getting shots so much uh ? You were pretty sure he would rather getting actually shot than take a tiny needle in his arm any day of the week...Alfred always had to fight with him to inject anesthesia when treating him for wounds). It was actually sort of a requirement, that you’d be next to him to give him your hand when he absolutely had to get a shot.

So understandably so, he always skipped on his children’s vaccins. He just couldn’t bear to see anyone he cared for to get that very things he hated so much, it just made him feel ill.

And you’ve always been fine with this. Since that very first day when you took Dick there...But Bruce always felt bad.

Because whenever you’d get out of the doctor’s office, you’d have fresh tears in your eyes, because you were just too pure for this world (is what Damian would say).

Dick always took advantage of this. He was never really scared of shots, and thought they didn’t really hurt...But oh, oh he would always cry a river of crocodile tears just so he’d get extra cuddles and ice cream.

And then, that cheeky little bugger passed that knowledge of “when we get shots, or we get sick, the parents literally let us do WHATEVER we want !” to his little siblings (you were actually pretty sure your kids would pass secret ways to manipulate you and Bruce along to their younger siblings and..you were oddly fine with it. You loved those kids too much to care, really).

This thought reminded you of that very first time Dick fell sick, shortly after you and Bruce officially adopted him. 

And how much you guys freaked out. 

It was both a pleasant, and terrible memory. 

And oh. Oh you already dreaded the day Thomas would have his first real fever...You still remembered how it happened, with all your other children. 

“What is it ?” Bruce asks, always knowing when something was on your mind. And so you say : “Nothing bad, this just reminds me of when Dick got sick for the first time while with us...”

A light of recognition ignited in Bruce’s eyes, he knew exactly what you were talking about. 

Bruce only had fond memories of when he was sick and his mom and dad would take care of him.

He thought they were the best, wether they’d hold a “barf-bucket” for him, or stay up all night because he was too feverish...

What he never realized though, is that having a sick child was actually absolutely terrifying ! Bruce often felt sick himself, when the kids were ill.....ah, but nothing ever beats those first time each of them got sick.

DICK 

Dick wasn't as young as Thomas, when he first came into your life. None of them were. But he was still a cute little bean, your baby. 

Eight years old, and oh so sweet and nice and cute and you could just squish his little cheeks all day (albeit from the few outburst of anger at times, but hey, he was but a child, every kid throw tantrum from times to times).

He had been living with you and Bruce in the Manor for the past six months, when you had your first fright, and realized that being a parent meant being worried about your kid's well being for the rest of your days

Dick was definitely a tiny kid when he came in your life. He was rather short, only having a growth spurt when he was around 14/15. Barbara Gordon used to tease him to no end about this, up until he finally caught up with her and ended up being taller.  

But yes, his small stature for his age, maybe made you baby him even more than the others, sometimes. 

Ah. That first time little Dick Grayson was sick at Wayne Manor. 

You. Freaked. The. Fuck. OUT. 

You and Bruce, both. 

Coincidentally, Dick became ill ON THE ONLY FEW DAYS OFF ALFRED WOULD TAKE A YEAR !! 

Every year, for a theater festival, Alfred would take off to his homeland, to England, in London to be exact, for but a few days. 

The three of you were in the batcave. Bruce was getting ready to go out, while you were on the bat computer and Dick was training on the side, doing some acrobatics on the trampoline Bruce installed. 

And then he came to you, pulling on your sleeve, and he was so pale...

“I don’t feel too well.” 

He said, right before throwing up for a few way too long seconds, as tears welled up in his eyes...it was never nice to throw up, and once again, no matter how mature he acted, you were reminded that Dick was but an eight year old child. 

But he wasn’t only crying because throwing up fucking sucked. He was also crying because he thought you were going to be mad at him. 

You reassured him, as you cleaned his little face up, and Bruce (who looked quite green himself...later on, you’d discover than when his kids or you were sick, he felt sick too...quite a strong reaction, really) carried him upstairs. 

You were frantically googling how to take care of a sick child, as Bruce stayed with Dick, holding a bark bucket to his face, and drawing soothing circles on his back with his hand. 

The panic dumbed the both of you down. It seemed like you couldn’t think, as you tried to make Dick as comfortable as he could. 

You could feel your anxiety blowing through the roof, and knew that Bruce was close to have a panic attack himself (he was prone to them, although you and Alfred were the only one who knew).

You didn’t know what was worst, the fact he was sick and had no idea what you were supposed to do, or how much Dick was sobbing and apologizing. 

“Should we call Dr. Thompkins ?”

“I don’t know her number, Alfred is the one that calls usually...” 

“Should we take him there then ?” 

“I don’t know, Alfred is-” 

This went on for a little bit, as Dick was throwing up and crying. Saying “sorry !” every two seconds. But...Instinctively, Bruce was trying to soothe him with those warm pats on his back. And you were caressing his hair, empathetic. And...

You decided to not go to the doctor today, Dick was sick, but not sick enough to take him to an emergency. And in Gotham ? Leslie was needed for a lot, especially in evenings like this. 

“Alfred um, gives me flat soda when I have a stomach ache ?”

“On it !” 

You say, bolting on your feet and running to the kitchen, taking a cola and opening it up. Meanwhile, Dick’s fit calmed down, and he seemed to instantly feel better as he probably threw everything he needed to up... 

He seemed content, cuddling against Bruce as the man was softly patting his back in small circles, and using his other hand to hold his head delicately. 

You and Bruce were definitely not experienced parents yet, and it showed. 

It showed by those first few minutes of utter panic, as your child got suddenly sick. And it showed as how you instantly just thought of calling Alfred...

That day, you both realized though, that you couldn’t always rely on the butler when it came to raising your son. For situations exactly like that one.

Both you and Bruce were still young, and scared to make mistakes but..You had to try. And you had to keep a cool head. Your motherly instinct kicked in.

It was so odd, seeing the big bad bat, wearing his costume without the cowl on (he didn’t have time to take it off as he rushed upstairs with the boy in his arms), looking so worried... 

Bruce was so pale, and you could see that in a way, he felt his son’s pain too...Which just made your head click, and take action. 

“Ok, ok we can do this. Keep the barf bucket close, let’s wait for the soda to get flat, and um...let’s try to distract him. A movie, perhaps ?”

Dick nodded, and although he wasn’t throwing up anymore, he seemed too weak to stand up (or maybe he was faking, could be, honestly, with that one...doesn’t matter) so Bruce carried him again. 

And it was a sight. Bruce was a tall man. And Dick was a very small kid. 

It was cute. and in that moment...In that moment it felt like you both suddenly realized what it meant, to be a parent.  

Bruce, holding his son in his arms, feeling the little one’s heartbeat and slowed breath as he was kinda nodding off...was this how his own father felt, when holding him ? It was nice. It was a surge of pure love, and knowing that he would die for that kid if he had to. Hell, he would burn the whole world, for that kid. 

It was so odd. The situation wasn’t that crazy, Dick probably just ate something bad, and with the trampoline and all the jumping around...he got sick. 

As a child, you had those rapid sick moments of having a bad stomach ache, which would turn into throwing up, to then feel better. Those sudden moments when your own parents would take care of you...

Ah. You hadn’t realized how much worry being a parent would bring. Bruce didn’t either. You guys adopting Dick felt like an obvious thing to do. Felt like it was meant to be...

But it wasn’t just yet, that you felt like a mom. Or a dad. 

It took some time to build. Just like it took time for Dick to call you “mom” and “dad”. And in that moment, as your kid (yes, your kid) was sick, that was it...

Finally. Yes. That was it. 

You were a mom. 

Bruce was a dad. 

Dick was your son. 

Of course you panicked as he suddenly got sick. But now, it was in your hand to properly take care of him. And thus started the first ritual you’d ever make with one of your children. 

Dick, when sick, liked chicken noodle soups. Made by you. He liked cuddles, up until he turned 12 or 13, then he acted as if he was too grown up for them. This eventually stopped when he turned 19, not long after Jason’s death...He regressed back to a little boy in some ways, and needed you. And Bruce. 

You’d often drive to Bludhaven just to give him chicken noodle soup and sprite, when he got sick. Even as he grew older and older...He loved it. No one could ever beat his mom babying him, when he felt under the weather. 

JASON 

"Hey buddy, are you ok ?” 

“Yes, yes I’m ok mom.” 

He smiles at you sweetly, his eyes half-closed, and clearly still relishing in the fact that he can finally call someone “mom”. But this happiness he felt whenever he realized he was finally safe, and had a home, was oddly dimmed, this morning. 

“Are you su-OH MY GOD !” 

Your hand is burning, as you lay it on his forehead. 

He’s burning up !

“Hey wow hey, kiddo, come here, you’re not feeling well are you ?” 

But Jason shakes his head, and says : 

“No I’m good. Just tired, but I’ll wake up soon.” 

He smiled again, but it felt all wrong. 

Of course, you didn’t take his words for it, even if you knew Jason wasn’t a liar. But the fact spoke for themselves, your kid was NOT alright. No matter what he was saying. 

Turned out, you were definitely right. He really wasn’t alright. 

In fact, Jason had...pneumonia. A bad case of it. That he probably caught when he was playing earlier that day, in the snow, with Bruce, staying out up until his lips were blue and he was soaking wet !! Bruce could just never resist him, and didn’t have the heart to say “no” when the kid kept asking on playing more...

He dearly regretted it. But you reassured him, this wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t. 

You rushed to the hospital, Bruce holding a tiny little Jason wrapped tight in a few warm blankets. And the doctor confirmed you made the right call, taking him to the ER. 

It wasn’t like with Dick, where it was obvious the boy had a mild sickness. No. Jason really looked bad, and ready to drop. 

You and Bruce let once again your parental instincts kick in and...It was the right call. 

When Jason woke up, he let out a string of apologies and you realized...You realized the kid was terrified you wouldn’t want him anymore if he bothered you too much. Was scared to death that you’d want to take him back where you found him, that you’d give up on him. 

His real life father bolted at the first signs of troubles. His mother was a drug addict for whom he was never good enough to try and get cleaned up. 

He was abandoned, over and over again along his short life and...he was absolutely terrified that if he was too much of a nuisance to you two, you and Bruce would leave him as well. That you wouldn’t bother. 

And it broke your hearts. 

Softly, when Jason finally got better, after a few days of utter nightmare for you and Bruce, you took him home. He still needed some rest, as he was a little sick, so you tucked him comfortably in his bed and finally, you told him : 

“From now on, you promise me to tell us when you don’t feel ok ? Wether you think it’ll bother us or not. You will never bother us, little buddy, ok ?”

“Ok”, Jason said, unsure. 

“What do I have to say or do, to convince you you’ll never be a nuisance to us ?” 

The question took Jason by surprise, and he wasn’t quite sure of what to say. In his feverish state anyway, he had a hard time thinking. He heard himself say : 

“Stay with me ?” 

“Of course. Always little one, always.” 

And as he softly drifted to sleep, feeling the cold and soothing towel you would wet over and over again to put on his forehead, he heard you hum a song from your childhood, that would become a song always sure to put him to sleep. 

He was out, when Bruce said : “I’ll stay home tonight.” A shame, really. Because maybe, maybe if he heard that the Batman was going to skip patrol just to keep an eye on him...Then he’d know he would never bother him. Ever. 

That he would forever hold a dear, prime place in his heart.

Jason woke up the next morning, and found you and Bruce asleep on the floor, right next to his bed. You were still holding a towel that had long since dried up, and one of Bruce’s hand was clutched tightly on your shirt. 

The basin full of cold water laying on his bed side table was almost empty. Jason smiled. 

He felt better after a few hours of good sleep, and slowly got out of the blankets, pulling them with him, to then lay down next to you two, throwing the thick quilt over all of you. 

Later that day, Alfred found the three of you all cuddled up. He snatched a picture. Picture that was framed, amongst some of your favorite of your children, in your office. And in Bruce’s. 

The way you sung him to sleep when he was sick...When he died, it was the last thing he thought about. When he saw the bomb would explose before Bruce could save him. 

He thought of how soothing it was, to be taken care of by you. And your humming voice rung in his ears, as he realized he was going to die. Right there. 

Oh. Oh he wished he could be a little sick eight years old again, forget all his worries, and just fall asleep with the sound of your voice in his ears, while his dad would hold the both of you in his arms...

TIM 

“Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, go back to bed this instant !”

Tim was the most difficult one, when he had a fever. He was a bit of a workaholic (like father like son ?), and always wanted to help. He hated being too sick because then he felt useless.

Your boy just wanted so much to be there for everyone, that he often forgot himself in the process and...yes. 

His first real fever/sickness was punctuated by you constantly trying to get him back into bed.

You almost never even knew Tim was sick !

The boy was so used to taking care of himself, that he tried to handle everything on his own. He even took an appointment to the doctor himself ! But then, before having the chance to go there, he passed out in school, which resulted in a call from his principal that ended in Bruce almost having a heart attack. 

You understood him of course. It wasn’t really a nice feeling to be called out during a business meeting to have someone tell you your son passed out in school ! 

It was just a little flu, but the fever and lack of sleep got the best of him. 

Bruce didn’t even tell anyone where he was going, as he rushed to the school. You met him there, as he was walking out of the building, with a little sleepy Tim in his arms. 

“I can walk, I swear I can walk.” 

The boy was saying, yet his head was on his dad’s shoulder, and the up and down bobble of Bruce’s walk was clearly putting him to sleep. 

Your husband settled your son in the car, and drove home. 

“He was trying to convince me he could finish his school day, and that he had a group work today and didn’t want to let his friends down...”

“Sounds like Tim alright...”

You said, looking back at his sleeping form in the back seat. 

Bruce nods, but you could see something was on his mind. You always knew, when something was on his mind. Brushing a few fingers on his cheeks, you ask : 

“What is it, my Bruce ?” 

His eyes are on the road, of course. But he flicks them quickly to you, and he knows. He knows he can’t lie to you, or get away with telling you half-truth. 

You’ll know, if he’s not really telling you what has been worrying him. He takes a deep breath and, with a small voice says : 

“Is this...my fault ?” 

At first, you don’t understand, and you say : 

“I’m pretty sure it’s because that boy never wears a damn sweater, and we’re in Gotham in the middle of Winter haha.” 

But then...Then you realize what he means. 

He’s talking about the fact that Tim always seem to overcompensate for something. Always seem to want to be there for everyone, forgetting sometimes he’s just a ten years old boy. 

Tim was the only one out of his siblings that became Robin for no personal reason, but just because he loved Batman and wanted to help him. Just because he wanted to help people. 

He didn’t have a tragic backstory (although he unfortunately got one later on...), he didn’t have a reason to become Robin, other than his good nature and really wanting to help...

And Bruce let him. Allowed him to do this. Even after what happened to Jason, he let Tim sneak in your life and become Robin. 

You’d argue that Tim didn’t leave you guys much of a choice, and sort of had a “well I’m gonna help you no matter what, deal with it” sort of attitude. But you understood your husband’s worries. 

He was afraid that he was the one that made him that way. That it was because of him, that Tim worked his health off. 

“Oh, Bruce, my Heart...No. No it’s not your fault. It’s just how this amazing little boy is wired. I actually think that thanks to you, he’s more focused and taken care of. The gods can only imagine what Tim Drake would’ve done if he hadn’t been trained by Batman himself...If you said “no” to him pestering you about becoming your Robin, he would’ve taken it upon himself to go out there anyway. And then...I can only imagine what would’ve happened. So no. No it’s not your fault. It’s just...how he is. He reminds me of you a lot, actually. And I’m so, so glad he managed to convince you...Couldn’t imagine my life without that little one in it. Even if he does give me grief often, overworking like that. But it’s not your fault. It’s not. On the contrary.” 

It took you a while, to convince Bruce he didn’t create Tim the way he sort-of created Dick and Jason. But you managed to, as you always did. You could be very convincing. Plus, the boy helped. It was clear his dedication came from himself mainly, that he was just born this way. 

Too clever and smart for his own good, destined to be a Robin...and maybe a Batman, one day ?

Yes. Tim was the only one that wasn’t in it for himself. For personal reasons. He just wanted to help...

But after that first time he got sick, he understood that sometimes, it was ok to rely on you or his die. That in fact, he would gladly do so ! 

That day, Bruce carried him to his bed, even as the boy protested he was alright. Finally, you’ve had enough and ended up sort of lecturing him...gently. 

“You need to rest, sometimes, ok ? If it’s too much, if you’re too tired, physically AND mentally, you need to take a few steps back...and let others take care of things, and of you. Ok ?” 

“But-”

“No buts Timmy. It’s important. If something bad happens to you because you’ve been ignoring your own body, your own self...What will happen to those you want to help ? In order to continue what you’re doing, you need to take some pauses. Like right now. You are sick. You passed out in school. So...It’s gatorade and crackers time.” 

Gatorade and crackers. 

Tim’s favorite drinks and food. 

Gatorade and crackers. 

Two things that were rarely found in Wayne Manor. You always tried to give healthy balanced meals to your kids. Especially to Tim, who had the opposite of a balanced diet when he came into your lives (the fact he often had to take care of himself as his parents were too busy meant he often chose his own food...and of course he’d rather have ice cream than broccolis). 

But the fact that you were now giving him Gatorade and crackers meant...Meant that Dick was right. When they were sick, you would do anything to make them comfortable. 

Coincidentally though, Gatorade and saltines helped out, when one was sick. 

On that first time he became sick after starting to live with you, Tim found that it was ok, to relax sometimes. That he didn’t have to waste his life away 24/7 for others, and that he could enjoy some down time. 

It only happened when he was sick, to your great dismal. You constantly tried to convince him to take a break (just like you did with Bruce...but although it worked with your husband, especially as he got older, Tim was just very stubborn, and wanted to help too damn much). You even had to trick him into it often. 

So although you hated seeing your kids in any kind of pain, you were almost glad when Tim got sick. Because it meant he would really take care of himself. Or rather, letting you take care of him. 

That first time he got sick, he ended up leaving his bed...only to go cuddle up in yours and Bruce’s, and enjoy some down time. And learn that, it was ok, to take care of himself. 

Hell. You’d hammer this fact in his head if you had to. 

Gatorade and crackers, while watching movies in yours and Bruce’s big bed, was why Tim thought that in the end, being sick wasn’t too bad. 

Extra points if you two were in the bed with him, snuggled up all nice, safe and warm. 

CASSANDRA

Cassandra didn’t like TV, when she was sick. Instead, she liked you reading her stories better. And you’d read to her all day, if need be. Switching from time to time with your husband. 

She had trouble sleeping, even when sick and weak. Listening to your voices telling her all those wonderful stories was soothing beyond measure. 

The first time she fell sick while at Wayne Manor though, her first reflex was to go hide. Because when she used to be sick with the man who called himself her “father”, with David Cain (that scum), he used to get so mad at her. 

As if it was her fault, she became sick. 

So she’d run away. Curl into a ball. Wait for it to pass. And then face him, healthy again. It was easier to confront him when she was ok...So she’d rather run away and face the consequences, rather than stay around him while sick. 

And so, her first instinct was to go hide. 

She went to the attic, and did what she used to do. 

Curled up in a ball, in front of the round window. And wait. Alone. 

It’s Bruce, who found her. He was casually checking the GPS he put on his children. They still thought they got rid of it, the sweet kids...but as if he’d only implant one. He knew it wasn’t really ethical, but after what happened to Jason, he wasn’t willing to take any chances. 

During the day, he would check a few times, and usually during boring office meeting, to see where they were. That day, he saw Cass in the Manor’s attic, and didn’t think much of it. Cass was a curious one, who took it upon herself to explore everything in the house. 

But when he came home, and she was still there, his guts told him something was wrong...He rushed to the attic, and found her. 

And his heart stopped, when he saw her laid on the floor, curled up into a ball, and softly moaning because she had a bad fever. 

She wasn’t asleep, even in this state she fought sleep, afraid to have nightmares (and while having a fever, she couldn’t just wake up to escape them...). 

Bruce carried her out of the attic, holding her tight in his arms, his heart bleeding as he realized why she isolated herself while she needed help. 

People often misjudged Bruce on that matter. Saw him as a cold harsh man. But oh; oh if it was touching his children or you...He would feel so much. Too much, even. He just loved you all to death. 

When he brought her downstairs, and you saw her, you immediately entered “mom mode” and fussed over her, getting everything you needed to make her comfortable...but as it turned out, all she wanted was to feel yours and Bruce’s presence. 

To hear your voice, and feel you were there. 

And so without thinking, you picked up a book and started to read it to her. And you could feel her relax, let her guard down. A rare occasion she would truly let herself be chill. 

The first time Cass got sick while living under your roof, her first instinct was to hide and lick her wounds all by herself. It was to lie on the floor and hope it would pass fast. It was-

The second time she felt under the weather, she immediately went to you. It was early in the morning. And it’s only thanks to Bruce’s amazing reflexes that Cass didn’t throw up all over you two, as he pulled you away from her just in time...To then take care of changing the sheets, while you held your daughter’s hair as she threw up in the master’s bathroom’s toilet. 

And then Bruce went downstairs to take a “barf-bowl”, the one actually, that her mom used to take for him...ah. He always used that one for all the kids. Call it nostalgia. 

The second time Cass got sick while under your care, she didn’t hide. She wasn’t dreading it, even as she got even sicker than the first time. No. 

No because now, she knew she’d always find you so you could take care of her. Ah, and Dick, Jason and Tim gave her many tricks to fake being sick and have you all for herself...

DUKE

Duke was older than any of your kids were when he started to live at the Manor. He was already in his teens. He wasn't a tiny bean like the rest of them, when he came in your family...

And yet. Yet the first time he fell sick, you babied the hell out of him. 

So what if he was sixteen ? Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have all the care a child should have when he wasn’t feeling well. 

And so you were ready to take care of him, when Alfred came to you this morning to tell you “Master Duke” wasn’t feeling well. 

However, when you got to his room and indeed saw he was feverish, he refused to talk to you and just wanted to be alone. 

And then it hits you. 

Duke was sixteen. 

He wasn’t a lost little eight years old boy who had just lost his parents, or never even had parents. He wasn’t a child in dear need of love and cuddles.  

He was sixteen. 

And he wanted HIS mom. 

What happened to his parents was too fresh. 

And they weren’t dead...In a way, seeing them lose their mind with no chance of ever getting better was worst. 

Duke was sixteen. 

And there, sick, all he wanted was to have his mom’s care again.

Yes. Duke’s case was different than all your other children. Because his parents were still there. Because he was older. Because everything was so fresh, at the moment. 

In time, in the coming years, he would come to feel just like his siblings did. But right there, just mere few weeks after he moved to the manor, and mere few days after Bruce helped him find his parents...

Duke was homesick. 

He missed his dad. But he missed his mom even more. Probably for the same reason that your kids loved to have you around so much, when they were sick...

There was no doubt in your mind that Duke’s mom was amazing at taking care of him when he felt ill. She probably had her own tricks, to make him feel better. Tricks that you did not know...And so you asked. 

You simply asked. 

Because you wanted to make him feel better. You wanted to be there for him, even if right now, he didn’t want you around. 

If he truly wanted to be left alone, you’d leave some medicine and leave him be. But your guts were telling you he was just sad, and the sad was translated into him pretending he wanted to be alone. 

Your guts were right. 

Duke wanted his mom. Yes. But he also didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts, right now...He just didn’t want to hurt your feelings. He knew how motherly you could be.  He didn’t want to project his mother on you. He-

“What do you need ?”

You asked, and the answer came to his mind instantly. He spoke before even realizing he was doing it : 

“My mom used to make a perfect drink of warm water, honey, ginger and lemon.”  

And as you tried to recreate his mom’s drink, never quite getting the measurements right (you could see on his face it wasn’t like his mother’s), Duke slowly felt better. 

Because...Because yes. He missed his mom. And the way she took care of him. Especially on sick days. But...It wasn't everywhere that one could find someone who cared so much, that they were willing to spend their entire day trying to get a drink right, right ? 

And when Bruce came home, and asked him if he was “alright champ ?”, Duke realized one thing... 

Yes. He wanted his parents. Yes, he missed them like hell. Yes, his sick days would never be the same...

But he wasn’t alone. As Bruce joined in trying to make the perfect drink of “warm water, honey, ginger and lemon”, Duke came to the realization that his situation wasn’t as desperate as he thought, this morning, when he woke up feeling under the weather, and without his mom to take care of him. 

Because you were still there. And were planning on staying there for a very long time. Of course, you could never replace his mom. Just like you never replaced Dick’s, or Damian’s...You just, became another mom to them. 

And Duke...That first day of being sick in Wayne Manor ? He felt like he was finally willing to let you become his second mom. To let Bruce become a father figure. To have this found family, in this tough times...

Sick days were never the same than when he was a little kid and still had his parents around. 

Duke was sixteen. Growing up wasn’t easy, especially after what he went through. And sick days would never be the same...But it didn’t mean they wouldn’t be nice, as he slowly let you and Bruce, and his newfound siblings, take care of him. 

Yes. To have this found family in this tough times was quite a joy. 

DAMIAN

To the surprise of many, Damian actually didn’t resist too much being taken care of when he first got sick under your roof. 

Damian actually loved being sick, because it meant snuggles time with you, safe and warm under a blanket on the couch, watching his favorite movies. It meant your soothing fingers running in his hair, making him feel peaceful and relaxed. 

It also meant that he’d have you all for himself. 

With five siblings (with a sixth one on the way), it wasn’t always the easiest thing ever, to get his mom only for himself. Yes. He loved to be sick, and babied by you. 

The first time he got a bad fever, a few months after he arrived at the Manor, he dreaded falling ill because...

Well. Because he was raised in the League of Assassins. And being sick, no matter how much, was not considered reason enough to not train. To not do what his grandfather told him to do. 

He used to work through the sickness. Even if he felt like passing out (and he did, a few times, which earned him hours from his sleeping time taken away...). 

So Damian hated being sick. 

Until. Until he became ill for the first time when living with you. 

By that time, you and Bruce had learned how to manage a sick child. And although Bruce still felt physically ill too whenever his children were, he managed nowadays to be somewhat ok and take care of them without wincing. 

It happened not long after Damian started to call you “mom”. He fell asleep while you guys were watching a movie and...it’s what instantly told you something was wrong. 

No matter how bad a movie would be, Damian would NEVER fall asleep in the middle of it. 

Ah, and sure enough, as you checked his temperature you realized he had a bad fever. And so you carried him to his room, tucking him into bed. 

He woke up as you were doing that, and looked at you, utterly surprised. What was going on ? 

“Get some rest buddy, you’ll feel better soon.” 

You said, smiling. And at first, Damian didn’t understand. He had been so conditioned in ignoring his own well being, that he didn't realize something was wrong with him. But then, you laid a hand on his forehead, and said : 

“Ah it doesn’t seem like it’s such a big sickness, I’ll go get you some medicinal tea and...What do you want to eat ? If you’re hungry ? Maybe you’re not, sometimes when I’m sick I just don’t wanna eat anything.”

Sick ? Was he...Sick ? Yes. He was. But it was so mild, that he didn’t even think he needed to rest. Or...Didn’t he ? He was just so used to still work even when sick. 

“What-What about school ?” 

He asked, and he was surprised his voice sounded so weak and tired. Was he always feeling like that when sick ? Yes. But...Something was different. 

And then it hit him. 

“I think it’s ok if you skip a few days’ buddy.”

The difference was that, when he was sick while amongst the League of Assassins, he was always terrified that his grandfather got tired of him and send him hitmen (it happened a lot before, while he was sleeping for example, and it always happened to test him, test if he was ready, and willing to kill and ask questions after). That he didn’t find him useful enough. 

While here, with you, he felt safe. He felt loved. He felt warm. 

And so his body wasn’t in a “fight or flight” state. He was just...sick. As any normal kid would be. 

When with the Al’Ghul, he somehow managed to convince himself to keep going, to work through the pain. And oh, it’s wonders, what the brain can do when you really want to. 

But here. Here he didn’t have to act tough. To keep walking or he’d end up dead. Here. Here he was safe. And loved. 

So he felt the sickness, the fever. He felt it’s true effect. 

“What do sick people eat ?” 

He asked, and at first you didn’t think much of it. You started to tell him Dick loved chicken noodle soup while Tim preferred saltines. Cass would never eat much, neither would Jason, but they’d always say yes to some flat sodas. 

He seemed unsure of what he wanted, so you asked him a simple question : 

“What do you usually eat, when you’re sick ?” 

It was such an innocent question. But it made him almost cry. 

Usually ? 

Usually...

“Well...”

He hesitates, and you sense there’s more to things than you originally thought. Finally, after looking at your encouraging smile, he says : 

“When I was sick before, I still had to train. And then they’d tell me I’m weak.” 

In one sentence, you understand everything. And you could punch yourself for ever thinking that he got taken care of when sick. And then the next second, you hold him tight in your arms, and once again, Damian is surprised. 

But pleased. He had been touched starve most of his life, this was nice. 

“My poor baby...”

He didn’t even complain you called him a baby, and let you hug him. And then...Then you spend time with him, trying to find the perfect ritual to make him feel better while he was sick. 

You had such rituals with everyone. Formed on the day they first got sick. Damian needed his own thing too...

Thus was created the “couch nest”. 

It involved covering the living room’s couch with at LEAST one quilt, then Damian would bring the pillows (and maybe some stuffs animals, or even real ones...Titus often sneaked in) from his bed, and you would tuck him in with one or two more quilts. 

He would then spend the rest of the time watching TV and movies with you. Or with his siblings. Or his dad. 

And it was so comforting, to be wrapped up like that. Almost like laying in a hug. It made him feel like he was perpetually held by you. 

Damian used to hate being sick. Because he hated being weak. 

But this changed. Just like he changed. Thanks to his family. Thanks to you. 

Now, just like Tim, he almost loved, being sick...

************

“This sort of reminds me of that time Dick got his first fever...”

You were thinking about all those terrible, yet sweet days, of your children being sick, as you walked up the stairs to your house, a hand tightly weaved around your husband’s. 

Bruce was holding a sleeping Thomas in one of his arm (the boy was so small he could even fit in one of his hand, really), and felt relaxed. Here. With his son, and his wife, the love of his life. And with the knowledge than when you’d push the door to your house open you’d-

“Father ! Mom ! How is he !?” 

Both you and Bruce quickly put a finger on your lips, and Damian throws his hands on his mouth, regretting his scream. But he was just so worried. 

He couldn’t come with you to the doctor’s office as he had school (plus you were pretty sure he would’ve been 100 times worst than Bruce, trying to stop Leslie by any means necessary), and had been thinking about his little brother’s first shot all day. 

Damian, just like his dad, wasn’t very fond of shots. He hated that his brother (wether the youngest one, or one of the older one, really) had to go through this. 

It was always silly to you, how both Bruce and Damian, who’ve been through much worst than small little shots, hated those so much...Silly, and very cute. 

Damian was looking critically at his brother, checking him silently for any signs of distress, for any “mistakes” Doctor Thompkins would’ve done, and seemed satisfied that the boy was fast asleep in his dad’s arm.

And Bruce...Bruce was smiling. 

He felt so relaxed. And happy.

When you pushed that door, it opened on Damian rushing to the two of you, worried about his little brother. But it also opened on Alfred, who baked some comforting food, and brewed some tea for you, knowing how hard on you this sort of things could be (and yet how you insisted to take your kids to the doctor yourself, and not let Alfred do it, because you wanted to be there for them). 

It opened on Cass smiling, and ruffling Damian’s hair as to reassure him. 

It opened on Tim, who took a small break from his college study to come down and spend some times with his siblings, ready to relax in front of a movie (it was family movie night !). 

It opened on Duke, who’s hands were full of DVDs, and who was excited to try to convince y’all to watch “Ninja and Pirates 6″, or something of the like. 

It opened on Jason, who was smiling in such a way that no one would ever know all the things he went through. And it made Bruce feel all nice and warm inside...even as the little shit mimicked him having to take a shot. Squirming and looking as if he was about to faint. And ah, he hated to admit it, but his boy was impersonating him really well. 

And it opened on Dick. His first kid. The one that, one day when getting sick, was who made Bruce realize what it truly meant to be a dad. The one who knew the best how much he hated  seeing any of his children sick, or getting shots. 

On Dick, who was laughing really hard at Jason’s impersonation, and giving him feedbacks about what to improve to make it even better. 

The door opened on his family. 

And as the ruckus surrounding him woke Thomas, as Damian yelled at Jason and Dick for being so loud, and as Bruce’s eyes fell on you, while you looked at your little tribe with love in your eyes...

Bruce felt relaxed. And so, so, oh so happy. 

________________________________________________

This is yet another one of those stories I’ve been posting a lot lately, that do not take me very long to write and in which I don’t put that much effort, but that I really enjoy writing nonetheless ^^. And I hope you enjoyed reading it :), I’m nervous actually this isn’t up to your standards hahaha...Yes, hope you still liked it. Don’t hesitate to leave a little feedback etc etc ^^. Thanks in advance ! 

See you soon with something much longer and on which I spend a lot of time working ;). 

[heartslobbf]

let’s talk about perfuma. imo, she’s one of the best characters in the show despite being underdeveloped, and i wanna explain why. she could’ve been extremely average, just some lanky flower girl that doesn’t believe in violence and loves everyone, but she is so much more than that (and it pisses me off that y’all reduce her to that).

in her introductory episode, perfuma is clearly in denial about the horde almost destroying plumeria. she doesn’t want to acknowledge the problem, wants someone else to take care of it for her. she’s scared of change, and that is because change makes you vulnerable. if things always stay the same, there’s a whole lot less danger and uncertainty, and therefore you’re safe. secure. perfuma’s kingdom is dying and she can’t bear to accept it because it is unknown to her. it’s putting her in a position where she is no longer secure. this fear of vulnerability can also be seen at the beginning of 1x10 when the princess alliance falls apart and she literally says ‘being together makes us vulnerable.’

the thing is, perfuma isn’t wrong. look at her choice of words. she says that being together makes them vulnerable, not weak. here, she kind of has the words mixed up, but we see that by s5 she has come to understand the difference. that’s what’s so great about perfuma, her motivation to do better, her hunger for self-improvement. it’s why she’s such an important part of catra’s redemption, actually, because she embodies the kind person catra is or wants to be.

let me explain: perfuma is an angry, impatient, short-tempered character. we are shown this again and again with her passive aggression to others and how easily mermista can annoy her with trivial things (sitting in her seat in the war room, for example). catra is also an angry, impatient character, but perfuma works every day to manage those emotions. she knows she needs them, she uses them as a tool (calling catra out, for example, is a time they were practically pivotal for getting her point across) but she also acknowledges they can hurt the people she loves. we know she does a meditation ritual each morning and we see in 4x02 how quickly she can unravel without it. she wants to be better. she puts the work in. that is such a valuable lesson for a character like catra who has always felt she’s just not good enough, she’s always going to be this angry and unlovable and no one can do anything about it.

so, 4x02. it’s a brilliant episode for perfuma’s character, really, and the first proper development we’ve had since 1x04. we see her anger, her impatience, but we also see her self-doubt. her belief that she’s inadequate, ‘just a flower girl.’ this is also when we get introduced to her little mantra that becomes a bit of a motif later on, ‘i can do this.’ we know perfuma doesn’t wholeheartedly believe this, but she says it anyway because she wants to. perfuma wants to be better. she will do whatever she can to be her best self, whether that be actually conquering her gripes with cacti or realising there’s a loophole with the roots (love that conflict resolution by the way, another good deconstruction of hero bs by spop).

this episode is also significant because it comes back to perfuma’s fear of change, of vulnerability. she’s thrown into a situation she doesn’t want to be in, one she feels miserably unprepared for, and she hasn’t done the one thing that puts her at her best beforehand, but she pulls through in the end because she is surrounded by people that support her, that listened to her and consoled her when she was vulnerable. 4x02 teaches perfuma the power of self-worth and the power of true, mutual, unconditional love, which can only come with vulnerability.

and this is where her character gets really interesting, in my humble opinion. ngl, one of the reasons i love perfuma so much is because she’s a pisces and i am too. i’m not gonna go astrology hoe on you rn, i’m just using this to demonstrate the part of her character that teaches others. pisces, if you don’t know, love to play therapist. we like to help the people around us with whatever strifes they may have because we think we’re fucking great at it. perfuma actually is.

you know how i said perfuma learns the importance of self-belief and vulnerability? yeah, she teaches both of those lessons to other characters in s5. like i said, perfuma is a character who values self-betterment and also happens to be a pisces, so when she sees scorpia, riddled with so much self-doubt and such low self-esteem, her immediate response is just i’m gonna teach that bitch how to love herself. and she does!

i’ve seen some people say they don’t like scorfuma because it seemed as though the writers just decided to ‘fix’ all of scorpia’s problems by giving her a girlfriend. that’s very dumb, first of all because they aren’t even together by the end of the show, they’re just interested in one another. second, the whole point of she-ra is that we’re stronger together. scorpia doesn’t go through growth in s5 because a girl likes her, she goes through growth because someone is showing her support and love for the first time in her life and that empowers her. you know, the worth that scorpia finds in herself doesn’t hinge on perfuma, like it did with catra. it’s about her as an individual, and perfuma so clearly makes it about that when her big lesson revolves around singing. scorpia loves singing. perfuma tells her she should do it because she enjoys it, a sentiment you’d never hear in the horde, and when scorpia does sing, she is actively rejecting the people who did make all her self-worth hinge on them catra. she’s doing something for herself, because she enjoys it, because it makes her happy, because she can.

it’s that same mantra: i can do this, i can do this. i really love how this was brought back from 4x02, how perfuma repurposed something that taught her such a valuable lesson for someone else. perfuma and scorpia are great foil characters actually, both constantly underestimated and thought of as weak by their groups, but some of the strongest characters in the show due to their deep value of love and self. i can do this, and i know i can because you believe in me, because i believe in myself. it’s brought back again in 5x10, when the last thing perfuma says before scorpia breaks the beam is ‘i know you can [pull through]’. she tells catra she believes in scorpia. it’s that belief, that support from other people that empowers the self to believe it too. we are stronger together, you know??

anyways, onto vulnerability. return to the fright zone is in my top ten episodes of the whole fucking show and you might think that’s a bit weird but i don’t. 5x10 encompasses so many important themes of spop so well and tells them with scorfuma and spinnetossa, our two side lesbian couples. this is significant since perfuma literally draws a parallel between her and catra at the end of the episode, and catradora and spinnetossa have always been significant to one another. i’m gonna say it, perfuma is the reason catra is finally able to confess to adora in 5x13. i’ve already talked about how important perfuma is to catra’s motivation to improve, but she literally makes catra rethink everything about strength and vulnerability, two words catra has a lot of feelings about.

catra fears vulnerability. we know this. she has such a deep love for those important to her but is never able to articulate it because she worries she’ll be taken advantage of, shot down, laughed at, whatever. all of this stems from the abuse she suffered at shadow weaver’s hands and her attachment issues, and it’s also why catra pretends to hate scorpia’s very open displays of affection and love: she sees it as weak because she has been taught to, but it’s all she ever really wanted to be.

we also know perfuma used to fear vulnerability. she doesn’t any more. the entirety of the episode leading up to her and catra’s heart-to-heart is her being vulnerable, putting herself in a position where she’s in danger but believing it’s worth it. and it is. despite what everyone said to her, perfuma is right: it was worth it. she got through to scorpia, even if it was only for a moment. she literally spells it out to us and catra with one of the best lines in the whole show: it’s hard, keeping your heart open. it makes you vulnerable, but it doesn’t make you weak, and i have to believe it’s worth it.

back in 1x10, perfuma was right: being together makes you vulnerable. horde prime tries to use people’s relationships against them, that’s literally the plot of save the cat, the point of pitting catra and adora against one another. he sees them as weak, just like shadow weaver deems adora’s feelings for catra ‘confusing’, just like light hope insisted adora was a danger to her friends as long as she was around them. they were all wrong. yes, they’re vulnerable. perfuma acknowledges that vulnerability puts you in danger, that it’s difficult to do that, but she knows it doesn’t make you weak. weakness vs strength is a big conflict in 5x10 literally introduced to us with netossa’s theories on everyone’s weaknesses in the first few minutes.

like perfuma says, friendship isn’t a weakness. it’s her greatest strength. her belief in love is literally what saves her and adora’s lives, it’s what saves everyone who got chipped, glimmer, bow. belief in love, both of others and yourself, is what saves adora in her dying moments. perfuma summarises she-ra’s entire fucking message to us repeatedly in 5x10 and she tells it to catra because catra is the one who will do the most with it. that glance at adora, it’s obvious what it means. perfuma is telling catra she should be open with adora about her feelings because you have to believe it’s worth it.

you won’t get anywhere waiting for other people to make the move. she-ra couldn’t heal plumeria’s lands, so plumeria had to fight their own battle alongside her no matter how much they felt unable to. the rebellion couldn’t move mara’s ship, so perfuma had to despite thinking she wasn’t strong enough. the reason they always win in the end is because they have each other, they have love and support and people motivating them to do better. just like perfuma motivates herself to do better.

it’s the mantra. i can do this. i can be vulnerable and still win, because i have love. and it’s hard, it’s so fucking hard to be vulnerable when you’ve feared it all your life and you’re so angry, so hurt, but you have to believe it’s worth it. and it is. it is, it is, it is, love is stronger than anything and being vulnerable for the people you love is the only way you can ever get what you want from them. perfuma as a character embodies that, having learnt it herself, and teaches the lesson to one of the characters who needs it the most.

adora is dying, and catra loves her, and she knows she does, and she just has to believe. adora is dying, and she loves catra, and she knows she does, but she doesn’t believe. not until catra teaches her too, in that moment, to realise they were all wrong, light hope, shadow weaver, horde prime. adora doesn’t need to let go, she needs to hold on and believe she will be pulled back up by the girl she loves. she needs to believe she deserves it. that it’s worth it.

and it is.

[lochsides]

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power Review

Where do I even begin with 'If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power'? It is such a good album, it's almost criminal. If I had to pick the best album to be released this year, IICHLIWP would be it. Halsey has always been an excellent songwriter, that was never even in question, but it has been proved once again, in case anyone wasn't paying attention. IICHLIWP is an album that covers so much depth in sound and in lyric. The dichotomy of the Madonna and the Whore, as they said in their announcement of the album, is an overarching theme of IICHLIWP and it is articulated so consummately. The references to pregnancies and childbirth are more subtle than I expected but that's what makes them so genius. This is an album where every lyric is intentional.

My favourite songs are ‘The Tradition’, 'Bells in Santa Fe', '1121' and 'Ya'aburnee'. More detailed thoughts on each track are below the cut. Trigger warnings for sexual assault and miscarriages.

The Tradition — This is the first song on the album and Halsey had already fucked me up so there's that. I got full-body chills listening to 'The Tradition'. The production is masterful. There is this darkness that settles in early and ebbs and flows beautifully, not only throughout the song but the album as a whole. 'The Tradition' already sets up so many of themes of this album, but what a way to talk about sexual assault. I am in love with the entire chorus line but I think my favourite lyric is ‘she got the life she wanted but now all she does is cry.’

Bells in Santa Fe — The transition from 'The Tradition' into 'Bells in Santa Fe' was so smooth I didn't even notice that the songs had changed until I looked at my screen. I don't think I could actually describe how much I adore this song if I took up the rest of my life doing so. The production is absolutely God-tier. Everything from the way it keeps building throughout the song to the percussion to the piano on the second chorus and the distortion towards the end is so perfectly done. You will never hear me rave about production this much. What a fucking song! On top of all that, you have the lyrics that are so powerful. When they said 'cause who the fuck would chose this?' it reminded me of my favourite Manicsong, 'Forever... is a long' where they sing 'how could somebody ever love me?' so that stood out to me. I love the cadence on 'secondhand thread in a secondhand bed with a second man's head' but the lyric 'better off dead so I reckon I'm headed to Hell instead' is probably the one that hits the hardest. My escapist, runaway tendencies felt very exposed by the entirety of the pre-chorus.

Easier than Lying — The way she emotes on ‘you lair, you don’t love me’ is fucking everything. I needed to start with that. It’s my favourite aspect of the whole song. And then there is that obvious callback in the bridge. ‘Easier than Lying’ is the punk sound we were promised of IICHLIWP and they delivered. The Grungy electric guitar, the bass, the production!!! This one goes hard and it makes no apologies of it’s anger.

Lilith — ‘I’m disruptive, I’ve been corrupted, and by now I don’t need a fucking introduction.’ I mean what could I possibly say after that??! Honestly, I love the duality of how this line could be about Halsey but it could also be about Lilith, herself. There is a selfishness to 'Lilith' that I love. When you connect that to the mythology of Lilith preying on pregnant women and the context of this album — it's just got so many layers. Halsey's mind!! I love the sound of this song. The production has a classic rock flare to it. Those drums are so clean and the bass accompanies it perfectly. The smoothness of their vocal on this track is very pleasing to listen to.

Girl is a Gun — I'm not going to lie, this song isn't for me. I get it. The message is right up my street but the overall sound of it just isn't what I personally like. I do love their little laugh at the start! The lyric 'it's a shot in the dark, I'm not a walk in the park, I come loaded with the safety switched off' is my favourite.

You asked for this — This song is really interesting because they gave us a pop punk sound, pushed it to the back of the track, really grungey guitar riffs and all, but their voice is so light and delicate almost, very airy in a way that stands apart from the backing track. I really like it. To me, it's like an emphasis of the message of 'You asked for this'. Young women are oftentimes forced to grow up too soon and 'be a big girl.' Society forgets, I would even say purposely overlooks, that they are 'still somebody's daughter,' one of the few things that is used to give value to a woman. We've all heard people throw the phrase "but what if it was your daughter/sister?" into the conversation when discussing women that have somehow been abused by the patriarchy. 'You asked for this' also calls attention to how when we're younger, all we want is to be grown up but how unaware we can be of what it means to be a woman in this world, the trauma that comes with it.

Darling — The guitar in this song and it’s almost-country sound are what sets this song apart from the rest of the album. ‘Darling’ is a lullaby for their child, but it tells a story of their struggles. It is honest in a way that feels private. Motherhood sounds so good on them!! This song is just a collection of things I love in music. 'Darling' is soothing and it sounds like comfort, in both melody and lyric. 'Foolish men have tried but only you have shown me how to love being alive' is perhaps the softest lyric on the whole album.

1121 — I expelled a heavy sigh when I heard ‘1121’ it absolutely took my breath away*.* This song is a truly moving ode to an unborn child. So many people talk about how they had never known what unconditional love really meant until they had a child. Halsey tells it as such: ‘you could have my heart and I would break it for you.’ I love their vocal styling on this song so much, going between their lower register and those beautiful falsettos in the chorus. The overlapping on the bridge of ‘please don’t leave, don’t leave me in the shape you left me’ and ‘I’m running out of time to tell you, I’m running out of things that I regret’ and ‘you’d never, you told me’ really capture all the wide array of emotions felt by pregnant person upon finding out they are pregnant when they’ve dealt with miscarriage. Her voice emotes the fear of losing another child, the regret of the ones she's already lost, the promise, almost desperate, of the opportunity they have right now. All of these feelings are brought to life further by the production of the song. There is so much depth in '1121'.

honey — Pop punk wlw anthem check. Halsey suits this sound so much. This track, the production, the instrumentation, all of it catered to their voice so perfectly. The sound is so refreshing and yet so classic. I adore the melody. It’s unsuspectingly catchy. I wonder if there are links to ‘Lilith’ with ‘she’s mean and she’s mine’ or if I’m just reaching. Either way, a song about a love that is a little chaotic and wild, sign me up!

Whispers — Whispering on a song called 'Whispers' might be obvious but I'm a basic bitch so leave me alone, I loved it. Lyrically, 'Whispers' was the song that I saw myself in the most. When she said 'camouflage so I can feed the lie that I'm composed,' I just felt far too exposed for comfort. Same thing with 'I do not know me.' And that's what art is supposed to do. The instrumental is haunting and dark. The way they create tension by adding in one instrument at a time. The production is amazing. Top 5 shit right here!

I am not a woman, I'm a god — Not only does this song have the catchiest hook, it’s literally ‘I am not a woman, I’m a god. I am not a martyr, I’m a problem. I am not a legend, I’m a fraud so keep your heart ‘cause I already got one.’ That hook right there tells you everything you need to know about this song. ‘I am not a woman, I’m a god’ acknowledges that one needs not be a woman to create life. They are claiming power to their gender identity through relation to Godliness. Even in the other lyrics, they talk about being ‘a different human in a new place’ or ‘a better human with a new name’ (this line in particular draws direct parallels to trans experiences). Both times, they specifically use ‘human.’ The production of this song is designed to be a single. It’s got the signature darkness of this album, tells the listener where Halsey is at sonically, and it’s a total banger.

The Lighthouse — The way this song just comes in swinging right away with the distortion and the heavy guitars is exactly what I expected from this album going into it for the first time. Very modern punk rock. And the lyric doesn't pull any punches either. 'From a tender age I was cursed with rage,' like c'mon!! I love the melody and her vocal inflations throughout the song. This is the longest song on the album but it doesn't drag. The change up right before the outro really helps with that. I find that outro so interesting. The contrast between the instrumental constantly building but their voices staying so far in the back on the track creates so much tension that is relieved in the best way possible with 'Ya'aburnee'.

Ya'aburnee — ‘Ya’aburnee’ is the perfect conclusion to this album. Halsey said in their Apple Music interview that IICHLIWP is about the power to choose and by the end of the album you realise that they choose love. This song perfectly embodies that. It’s familial. The entire chorus talks of seeing yourself in your kin and the circle of life. The second verse is a clear love letter to their partner and it makes me emotional, knowing their romantic history as we do, to hear them sing ‘wrap me in a wedding ring.’ I love how the lyric ‘you will bury me before I bury you’ is not only a statement of their hopes that they don’t have to live in a world without their loved ones, a statement of how parents should never have to bury their children, but it almost sounds like a protective promise that they will do anything to ensure their loved ones are kept from harm so as not to need burial. The softness of the instrumental on ‘Ya’aburnee’ is feels like unwinding from the rest of the record. It’s such a beautiful song.

[passable-talent]

hi! may i request an alta scenario with zuko where the reader (female or non-binary, if that works) is an earth bender who was injured by the fire nation and is found by iroh and zuko in the woods, who helps them heal, and they begin to travel with iroh and zuko to ba sing se and zuko and the reader fall in love? i’m not being super specific so u can have creative freedom to do what u want, i can’t wait to see what you write :) thank you!

cute!!! their adventures through the earth kingdom always entertained me. esp Iroh and his need for tea

Zuko was growing more and more frustrated with his uncle’s complaisance. He just couldn’t understand it- they were royalty! Both he and Iroh had been raised as heirs to the throne of the Fire Lord, so if their current situation bothered Zuko, why didn’t it bother his uncle?

He took up the mask of the blue spirit once again to begin alleviating these troubles. They were getting food, they were regaining some of their luxury. Frequent firebending patrols, especially around villages, made things harder, but that had never stopped Zuko before. He left at night, when Iroh was fast asleep, and was usually back by midnight. Nothing could stop him- not firebending patrols, not walls, nothing.

Except when the ground moved under him and he lost his footing in the middle of the woods. That stopped him. He paused, and tried to get up, but felt the ground roll underneath him again. For a moment he resigned himself to the dirt, watching the dirt floor of the forest roll with the stones underneath as waves, radiating from one spot.

Through the trees, he caught a glimpse of a small, pointed rock structure. He narrowed his eyes and crawled backwards to put distance between himself and it, and went back to the camp he’d left his uncle in.

“Uncle,” he said the next morning, “I think there’s something I want you to see.” Iroh nodded and allowed Zuko to lead him back to the spot in the forest where he’d fallen last night, and as soon as their footsteps approached, the ground began tremoring again. Zuko pointed to the rock structure, which now it was clear to see had been made by an earth bender. It was a tent-like shape, with two diagonal roof pieces and triangular sides sealed up, all with stone.

There were scorch marks covering the rock, and all the grass around it was scarred with fire.

“What do you think it is?” Zuko asked, and Iroh studied the ground a bit more before leveling his gaze toward the stones.

“I think it’s a very scared earth bender.”

“Hello in there!” He called, and the tremors in the earth stopped. “My name is Mushi, I’m a refugee from the war heading to Ba Sing Se with my nephew. Do you need any help?” For a moment only silence answered him, until one of the triangular sides of the rock tent slid back into the earth.

Inside the tent you were buried up to your neck in dirt, using the cool soil to soothe your burns. You’d received some fierce ones on your shoulder and ribcage after you dared fight back against a firebending patrol, and when you tried to escape the battle, they’d cornered you. Your tent had been an effort to escape the skirmish by waiting it out, and it had worked, after a while. But for hours you merely sat inside your stone tent while they blasted it with flames, heating it up and nearly cooking you, if it hadnt been for the cool soil you submerged yourself in. At the very least, it made your burns much worse. At the worst, you scorched your leg when the flesh brushed too close to the heated rock.

“Are there any firebenders around?” You asked, voice quiet, and not quite timid. Zuko and Iroh shared a look for a brief moment.

“No,” Iroh answered. “Can I come closer?” You nodded and took your arm over your chest, trying to keep any of your body from touching the burns that were all too warm. You sat up slowly from the soil, revealing burnt and tattered clothes barely covering your three major burns. Iroh’s eyes widened and he stepped closer.

“You need help for those burns,” Iroh said, “we’ve got a camp we can take you back to, and help. Can you stand?”

“No,” you said, “it’ll hurt too much.” Iroh looked over his shoulder at Zuko, who was standing in shock, looking at you.

He’d been burnt, and it had left a scar. But at least it was only the one- you’d been treated so cruelly, and if all of your burns scarred, it would cover near a third of your body. He couldn’t stop the adrenaline coursing through him. It would’ve been so painful, and he couldn’t comprehend who would’ve been so cruel enough to do to you what had been done.

“Can you carry them?” Iroh asked Zuko, and he swallowed hard to break himself from his stare. He nodded slightly, hesitantly, and Iroh looked back to you.

“Just take down your shelter, and we’ll help you.” You lifted your right arm, the one whose shoulder hadn’t been burnt, and used it for a quick motion that sent the stone back into the ground. Zuko walked closer, and was about to kneel down, but paused.

If he picked you up on your left side, it would press your burnt shoulder and ribs into him. But if he did so on your left, it was your leg burn that would get too warm.

“Which side do you want me to lift you on?” He asked, and you took a moment to consider.

“Left,” you said, and he nodded. It was somber, as he lifted you up underneath your knees and shoulders. Upon Iroh’s instruction your threaded your fingers together behind Zuko’s neck, and tried to keep your leg extended so that it wouldn’t brush against Zuko’s clothes.

“As I said, I’m Mushi,” Iroh said, trying to make conversation through your light, subconscious whimpering. “My nephew is Lee. What’s your name?” You gave him a small smile, to show that you appreciated his kindness, even as it was tinged by your pain. You couldn’t help it- it had been days of boiling, sweltering flesh that you couldn’t get a reprieve from.

“Y/N,” you told him, and his bright smile answered you.

“What a lovely name.”

Iroh found a plant or two in the wilderness that helped with the burn, and slowly you began to heal. You were kept awake, though, sometimes, and watched as Lee left with nothing and came back with something. You knew something fishy was going on, but you didn’t push it, because you didn’t feel it was your place.

“Are you awake, Y/N?” Zuko asked one night when he returned. You grunted and affirmation and he sat down in front of where you were laying.

“I got this for you,” he said, and handed you a small tin. When you opened it, you found within it an artisan burn suave, made in the nearby earth kingdom village by one or two of the wives of soldiers.

“Thank you,” you said, giving him a smile in the dwindling firelight. He was a tough nut to crack, but you knew he cared for you- he showed his love through listening, and gifting. You noticed it first when he gave his uncle a teapot, and this gift to you only confirmed your suspicion.

Time went on, and they packed up camp to move closer to Ba Sing Se. You came with, holding tight to Zuko’s waist so that there was enough room for the three of you on the ostrich horse. You felt bad for the poor thing, carrying so much weight, but you were in pain and couldn’t walk for long periods of time. Even if you could, you likely wouldn’t have passed up and oppurtunity to hug Lee around the waist for hours while you travelled.

You knew that Mushi had figured you out- there was no way he hadn’t. You weren’t exactly very subtle as you tried to grab Lee’s attention with your laugh or a joke or an earthbending trick. He began doing his part to nudge Lee toward you, which you were appreciative of, especially since it worked.

Or so you thought.

Zuko had scooped you up one evening, when Iroh was already asleep. He hugged you tightly before setting you back down onto your feet, leaving you confused.

“What is it?” You asked, and he shook his head, brooding as always.

“Let me sleep beside you tonight?” He asked, and you were quick to accept, even if you were confused. You fell asleep that night with his arms wrapped around your waist and his nose pressed to the back of your head.

When you blinked your eyes open, you caught a glimpse of the ostrich horse riding away, Lee on its back.

“Mushi? What’s going on?” You asked, sitting up slowly.

“Lee’s got to find his own way. Come, help me pack. We’re going to move to the next village.”

Your alliance was to Mushi, but you did miss Lee. You wondered what he had been thinking that night, when he chose to lay with you before he left. The two of you had barely talked about romance or anything of the like, but he’d done this- how much had it meant to him?

“My nephew is a complicated man,” Mushi said, walking beside you. “Sometimes, his actions are quite peculiar. But he will find his destiny. And somehow, I believe it will lead him back to us.” You looked sideways at Mushi, and smiled.

“You think so?” He nod was all the affirmation you needed.

And he was right- Lee did come back. He came back to reveal himself as brother to the Fire Princess, which made him... the prince of the Fire Nation?

Now the whole ‘running from the fire nation at all costs’ thing made sense.

You didn’t really mind. You offered unconditional forgiveness to the prince, and showed the same medicinal care to Iroh’s wounds that he had once shown to yours.

Zuko was having a hard time, but you were fascinated in watching his training en route to Ba Sing Se. Just as Iroh wanted, the two of you learned from each other, and soon the style of earthbending you practiced looked similar in some aspects to firebending. He, through training with you, became more rooted, and his balance improved further.

But training aside, the two of you started talking. You sat under the stars and began to be honest with each other, now that he had nothing to hide. You shared what had happened to you in that forest for the first time, and he shared the story behind his scar.

Sleeping side by side became as common a practice as eating breakfast.

Iroh couldn’t have been happier, especially as you seemed to bring Zuko out of his shell. He smiled a slight bit more, and laughed a little easier. Even when the three of you made it to Ba Sing Se, Iroh could feel the difference in his nephew’s attitude.

You hated firebenders- they’d left you with course, scarred skin on the outside of your left calf, with dark scars under the skin of your shoulder and ribcage. You hated firebenders- all but two. One, who took you in, and the other, who you loved deeply.

Because someone who’d felt scar tissue for years wouldn’t hesitate to touch it when you wanted him to.

-🦌 Roe

[4stars-uswnt]

My Rock [Christen Press x Reader]

requested by anon: Could you maybe write one where R is dating christen. R is always finding pretty rocks on the sidewalk and stuff and giving them to christen. The team always teases her but one day during a match the reader “finds” a rock and proposes to Christen in front of the sidelines?

A/N: this request was so freaking cute. i absolutely loved it!

“Chris!” You chase after your girlfriend, holding a small rock you’d found on the sidewalk. “Look at this one! It reminds me of your eyes.” Beaming, you hand the speckled green rock over to your girlfriend.

“Thanks, babe.” Christen giggles, kissing your cheek.

“(Y/N), that’s like the fifth one you’ve found that ‘looks like Christen’s eyes’ and we’re not even halfway back to the hotel.” Tobin jokes.

“You should see her whenever she’s in Utah. It takes us forever to get places because (Y/N) always finds cool rocks everywhere.” Kelley quips, smirking at your blushing cheeks.

“How many rocks has (Y/N) given you, Chris?” Alex teases, as you hide your face in the crook of your girlfriend’s neck.

“I dunno. I honestly lost track after like a hundred or so.” Christen chuckles at your embarrassment.

“I can’t help it. I find a pretty rock, and I give it to a pretty lady.” You confess. “Plus, they’re good little pieces of our relationship and a reminder for Chris that I’m always with her even when I’m not.”

Your teammates internally soften at that, not fully understanding your obsession with collecting rocks until now.

“So, do you actually keep all the rocks?” Megan asks your girlfriend, genuinely curious.

Christen nods. “A lot of them are used as decoration around our apartment, some of them I take with me when I travel, and the rest are just in a box under my bed.”

You can’t help but swoon, hearing that your girlfriend has kept every single rock you’d given her. You had seen the special ones that Christen had put in your bedroom or in the kitchen, but you hadn’t known she’d still had all of them.

—————

The next day, after practice, the USWNT piled onto the bus. After a couple of minutes, there was still no sign of a single midfielder.

“Where the heck is (Y/N/N)? I’m trying to get some food!” Sonnett yells from the back of the bus.

“Press! Where’s your girlfriend?” Kelley pops up from her seat. Before Christen could answer, you stumble up the steps.

“Sorry! I got a little caught up.” You squeak, both of your hands full of stones. Hurrying into your seat, you spill the rocks onto your lap, wanting to show your girlfriend what you’d found for her.

“Got enough rocks there, (Y/N/N)?” Ash calls out.

“Seriously, dude, what’s the occasion?” Tobin laughs.

You roll your eyes, ignoring your teammates teasing, as you explain to the brunette forward why you chose each one. Throughout the ride back to the hotel, the team pokes fun at you, before Christen waves them off, verbally hushing the bus.

“This one reminded me of Morena and Khaleesi. This one looks like that tree we saw on our hike last month. Oh! And this one is one of my favorites: it’s the same color as your mom’s eyes. And this one is just pretty…” You trailed off, practically shaking with excitement.

Christen beamed, her eyes twinkling. She always loved it when you gave her a new rock, especially when you had a story or explanation for them.

—————

Later that night, as you’re getting ready for bed, you notice a couple of the rocks and pebbles you’d given Christen on the dresser.

“Babe?”

Christen walks out of the bathroom, still drying her hair. “Yeah?”

“You said earlier that you travel with some of the rocks that I’ve given you. Can I ask which ones?” You gesture over to the dresser.

“Sure.” She softly smiles, bringing them over to the bed. “Whenever I travel for national team camps or for away games, I always bring these five with me: the one from our first date, this one from our first kiss, when we first said ‘I love you,’ and the ones from our first and second anniversary.”

You give her a watery smile, your heart swelling full of love for the woman in front of you.

“I love you so much.” You whisper, as you pull into a soft kiss.

“I love you, too.” Christen smiles, kissing your nose. “C’mon, babe. Let’s go to sleep.” She snuggles closer to your side and pulls the blankets over the two of you, as you drift into a deep sleep.

—————

That weekend, the team was preparing for their CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying final match against Canada on Sunday. Everyone was feeling pretty good about it, seeing as you’d been playing incredibly, easily defeating your opponents. You, yourself, felt confident about your game throughout this tournament, scoring three goals and getting five assists in only four games. Despite the high spirits, the team was still focused and serious, as they made their way into the locker room, considering it was a game versus Canada, their international rival.

“Here you go.” You tap Christen’s shoulder, holding out a small round pebble you’d found outside the stadium.

“What’s this one for?” Your girlfriend smiles, turning to face you.

“Good luck. Not that you’ll need it” You peck her lips, giving her a wink before heading to your locker.

“Thanks, babe.” She calls after you, chuckling under her breath. As she puts your little gift away in her bag, Christen can hear Kelley teasing you.

“Hey! Where’s my good luck rock?”

“Score a couple goals and then maybe you’ll get one.” You taunt the defender, as you make your way out into the tunnel, Kelly chasing after you.

—————

As the ref blows the halftime whistle, you quickly grab something from your bag, before going to meet your girlfriend at the sideline.

“Hey!” You grab Christen’s attention, stopping her from heading back to the locker room.

“What?” She gives you a puzzled look. By now, the rest of the team also stopped to watch what you had up your sleeve.

Bending down onto one knee, you look up at the love of your life. “I found you another rock.” With that, you pull out a black box from your pocket, opening it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.

Christen gasps, bringing her hands to cover her mouth, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

“Christen Annemarie Press,” You start. “The past two years that we’ve spent together have been an absolute gift. You constantly amaze and inspire me with your beauty and your soul. You have been my best friend through the good and the bad, and I can honestly say you’ve made me a better person.”

You pause to take a deep breath, taking Christen’s left hand in yours.

“Thank you for loving me for who I am, and thank you for believing in me when no one else would. You truly have been my rock.” At that, you hear a few chuckles coming from your teammates and Christen herself. “You have shown me how to love with passion, purity, and unconditional acceptance. I know that forever is nowhere near enough time to spend loving you, but I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. So, Chris, will you marry me?”

“Yes! Of course!” Christen bursts, unable to contain her happiness, tears streaming down her face. Grinning, you stand up to pull your fiancée into a searing kiss, slipping the ring onto her finger.

Pulling apart, you rest your foreheads against each other. “I love you.” She whispers.

“I love you, too. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” You kiss her again.

Your intimate moment is soon interrupted by your teammates, who’ve now gathered around you, smushing you two into a huge group hug. After many congratulations, screams, and hugs, Vlatko signals that you do in fact have to head back to the locker room for the halftime talk. The team bounces down the tunnel, excitement from the proposal radiating off of everyone.

You and Christen trail behind the team, hoping to bask in your new engagement. Bringing your intertwined hands up to your lips, you place a kiss to the back of her hand.

“You’re amazing. I can’t wait to call you my wife.” Christen gushes.

“I can’t wait either. I love you so much.” You kiss her cheek, as the two of you enter the locker room. “But let’s go kick Canada’s ass.” You smirk, as you sit at your locker. Your fiancée huffs out a laugh, going to her own seat across the room from you.

Before heading back out onto the field, Christen puts her ring away, adding her new favorite rock to the collection she’d gathered over the years of your relationship with many more to come in the future.

—————

Liked by tobinheath, ashlynharris24, and 251,914 others

christenpress: She keeps me grounded. She keeps me going. She’s my rock. Now and forever.

tagged: yourusername

- - - - -

uswnt: Congratulations, Christen and (Y/N)! What a nice halftime surprise.

kelleyohara: The best rock she’s given you

yourusername: You’re my favorite person in the entire world.

mrapinoe: Love the two of you

ashlynharris24: Time to celebrate! 🥳

alikrieger: Can’t wait to see what the future holds

tobinheath: ❤️

cdunn19: Yes girl!

glennondoyle: I am so excited for the two of you. Hope to see you both soon so we can celebrate! 

↳abbywambach: Congratulations!!

—————

Liked by alexmorgan13, allie_long_, and 985,463 others

yourusername: A real gem 💎

tagged: christenpress

- - - - -

uswnt: She truly is.

christenpress: I love you ❤️

alexmorgan13: It’s about time! Congrats! 🎉

kelleyohara: Still waiting on my rock…

↳allie_long_: Same. I want a rock like Christen’s

malpugh: Aw, pretty Chris

lindseyhoran10: How are you already getting married?

emilysonnett: She’s a diamond in the rough ;)

julieertz: Congratulations! Can’t wait to celebrate more

[jawllines]

Reminder to post werewolf 🤠

YOU ARE SO RIGHT!! HERE IS A WEREWOLF HARRY CHECK-IN CUTIE POTS 

i.

“You’re just a needy little pup, aren’t you?”

It was chilly out; October brought in a wind that kissed goosebumps onto her skin when she made her trek through to the woods after class. There weren’t many animals scurrying around in the colder months apart from a squirrel or two she might see, and there are seldom other humans roaming around out here considering there was no trail (and everyone, apparently, had always been put off by the woods here. . .something felt off to them, and Y/N knew exactly what it was). Nights came quicker, so if Y/N wanted to make it to the grounds before the moon rose and cast thin streams of light through the thick branches, she needed to leave just as soon as she’s gotten out of class (and she knew that Niall would come to get her if it really got too dark, but she still felt too guilty to make him come all the way for her, so she rarely asked him to). 

And there was just something about the cold air, that made Harry the snuggliest little thing. Y/N doesn’t know if it’s because this is around the time they found one another and bonded two years ago, or if werewolves are warmblooded and prefer balmy summers as opposed to the glacial temperatures that they may be shown here. She’d never thought to ask because she didn’t necessarily need a reason for it. How cuddly Harry gets is nice, and how most days -- if time permitted it -- he would just saddle up beside her and they would warm one another. There are times that he suggests eating lunch outside when it’s fairly cold and Y/N thinks it’s only his elaborate ploy to have her cuddled against him. She thinks that part of him secretly likes when she’s cold because it means she seeks him out for warmth and Harry’s always up for warming her up. 

(Once, while Harry was busy and Y/N had entered the grounds with Grandpa after a particularly snowy, frigid day, Niall was who she had gone to, to warm her -- he put his arm around her and sat her by the fire in one of the sitting rooms they had. They had been speaking idly about a new movie they were both interested in seeing when the door had just about been thrown from its hinges and Harry appeared, pouting, “Okay, thank you, Niall, I will warm her now.” Was his pleasant but rushed way of putting it, as he’d dropped to his knees, his brown curls flopped in his face before he flattened his stomach to the floor and wrapped his arms around her waist, dipping his nose into her tummy. Y/N and Niall both shared a chuckle as her fingers found his hair and carded through it gently, as Niall scooted over so Harry could curl his body inward while they continued speaking about the movie.) 

Niall had once told her that Harry had never been this cozy with anyone before, even his first mate. The others would fill Niall in on bits and pieces that he had missed out on since he joined them a bit late, so they had told him how a few had always been skeptical on whether or not he and his prior mate were truly meant to be. When a werewolf mates and bonds with another, it is more than normal for them to be all over each other all the time, and not particularly in a sexual sense. They thrive off touch. . .off being with their person, and on their person, and cuddled, snuggled cozily with their person. Sure, he had been cuddly with his mate prior but nowhere near the amount that anyone had expected from him, especially considering how he was when he was younger, clinging to the people that he held precious to him. He would have his arm around her, give her kisses, but the PDA was often lacking. 

With Y/N though, she’s sure if Harry could be a second skin to hers then he would be. Every moment of every minute that it was appropriate, Harry was wrapped around her, or had her wrapped around him; this is when he was most content. This is when Niall would ask for things (like for Harry to branch out and order them more TVs, specifically one for his room) and receive prompt results, or this might be when the pups are most willing to come and parade around his room even though they really aren’t meant to. He was in such a pleasant mood if he was in any way interlaced with her body.

She had only just recently convinced Harry not to usher Grandpa to the foot of the bed if Y/N was holding onto him in her sleep.

So she’s more than use to his cuddles, and she’s more than used to his pup like behavior, though he was particularly clingy today. It had been three days since she’d seen him last because she always made sure to distance herself some when she would be studying for an exam. Sometimes she let Harry come by her flat to help her go through flashcards, but he could be awfully distracting when he wanted to be and was still confused why she would continue working and going to school when she could simply live on the grounds with him and everything would be taken care of. Each answer to the flashcard was accompanied by an array of kisses peppered to her face, whether right or wrong, which just turned into a deepened kiss to the mouth, and more times than not, they would end up in her bed. 

Which is why she took a few days to prepare for the exam and satiated him with video calls as she was getting ready for bed, where he pouted and whined about how he missed her but commended her for doing well in her studies. Though he did make her swear that she would give him extra amounts of attention when she saw him -- they pinky swore, which she had taught him how to do. 

(She also knows that Niall had told him Y/N would spoil him in cuddles when he was pouty because Niall had gone out to see her so he could bring her a hot chocolate and pumpkin muffins, but he wouldn’t let Harry come as well.) 

The unconditional love is something she revels in -- to have someone still so wholly love her as much as she loves them, had never been something Y/N was very privy to. It’s why she’s just as excited as Harry is after she’s finished her exam, and why her heart nearly jumps from her chest when she walks out of her lecture and Harry had greeted her outside with her favorite pastry from the cafe on campus. Y/N throws her arms around his neck and hugs him close, and Harry spins her around as theatrically as he could like it’d been months since they saw each other last. He peppers kisses upon kisses all over her cold cheeks, “I missed you, Darling,” he murmured, one of his kisses placed over her eye, “How did your test go? Was it well?” 

“Yeah, I feel pretty good about it,” she smiles at him, “I’m glad you came to get me! I can show you the spot where the autumn flowers are growing now.” 

Harry allowed her this little joy, despite how uncomfortable he sometimes felt around other humans. The tensions have eased the longer that he’s been with her, but Y/N can see how he squints his eyes and becomes the utmost disgruntled if anyone approaches them. He isn’t as short as he once was though and works to be much less domineering, but he still attempts to carry an air around him that suggests those who do decide to approach them have a good reason for it. 

He muses with her about the flowers, even takes a picture with her in front of them with their cheeks smashed together. His face is rosy from the cold, which only spurs her to kiss his cheeks and the tip of his nose before she murmurs, “C’mon, let’s get you home and warmed up, hm?” 

“You’re going to spoil me with cuddles, right? This was promised to me so that I leave you to your studies.” 

“Yes, I’m going to spoil you rotten.” 

Once they made it to the grounds, Harry surprised her with a picnic basket and an accompanied gingham blanket -- it was always a touch warmer within their little bubble than it was in the outside world, so it wasn’t too cold to have one. Especially with the sun beating down from the sky, the rays give kisses of warmth that make it bearable, and he packs an extra blanket for her, he tells her, so that if she gets cold he could swaddle her. 

“Like a baby?” 

“No, human babies frighten me, they scream. You do not frighten me.” 

He sets it up for them, fanning out the first blanket which was large enough to have quite a few people sit on it. After he lowered to his knees, he placed the basket in the center and began to unearth what he’d packed for lunch. He makes sure to let her know that the chef let him run amuck in the kitchen to prepare it himself, with minimal help from the kitchen staff. Honey turkey wraps, warm loaves of freshly baked bread with strawberry marmalade to slather on each slice, pita chips with hummus (he had help making that, he admitted), the juiciest looking grapes and strawberries she thinks she’s ever seen, and three slices of blackberry ginger pie (he brought the third in case she wanted seconds). 

It all looked delicious, and he made sure to set it out in a way aesthetically pleasing to the eye, “This way you can share pretty pictures as you do online. Make sure to add that I am the best mate in the world and I treat you so well.” 

They ate until they were stuffed full, Y/N doesn’t think she’d ever been so completely and entirely pleased and full with a meal in her life. Both she and Harry lean into one another, but at the first sign of a shiver he is wrapping the second blanket around her and cuddling her close to his side, “Did you like it?” He asked her and Y/N sighed happily, nosing her way into his chest 

“I loved it. Thank you so much, Puppy.” 

All of it had started out so innocently; the way she caressed his skin, how he told her about his day, how they cuddled into each other closer. Maybe it was Y/N’s fault -- it probably was, actually, because she loved Harry’s full tummy even more than she loved being full herself. He was softer, more receptive to her touch if she lulled soft circles on his stomach with her palm and if she were lucky, he would fall asleep by it. Not that she didn’t want to spend time with him, but she loved the soft cooed snores that leave his mouth, and how peaceful he looks as he swims in whatever dream he’d found his footing in.  

The innocence behind these rubs was recognized, but his prick had begun a noticeable bulge in his trousers that he appeared keen on ignoring. How they were arranged, Y/N had her legs open enough for him to fit comfortably between them with his head resting on her thigh. She skated soft caresses at first just over his shirt, but then to his bare skin once his shirt began to crinkle up and show the soft terrain beneath it. No matter how clearly his cock was hard, his eyes had fluttered shut and he hadn’t uttered a peep about it. 

But Y/N was curious as she always is to get beneath his belt. No matter the number of times she’d seen it, she could never stifle the want to withdraw the zip of his trousers and reveal it to herself again. That’s why each little design she drew into his skin had gotten lower and lower, closer to the waistband of his pants until she was practically skimming the tips of her fingers just beneath it. Goosebumps riddle up in her wake and Harry shuffles slightly, his eyes fluttered like butterfly wings before he looked up at her, “I am sorry,” he murmured, his cheeks still a little rosy from the cold air, “I was trying very hard not to become aroused, but it proves to be difficult when you’re touching all over me, and you smell so good. . .and it’s been. . .it’s been so long, I --” he hisses in a breath when she dances her fingers lightly across the bump, “Oh, Darling.” 

“You’re just a needy little pup, aren’t you?” Y/N teases him, letting her delicate touches move back toward his belly, “You want cuddles and kisses and for me to play with your cock, hm?” 

Harry shudders, somehow wriggling even closer to her than he already managed to be, “I want everything,” he murmurs, “I just want you in any way I’m allowed.” 

It was always interesting, seeing the big, bad alpha turn to putty in her palms. She never took it for granted, nor did she take advantage of him in this state. No, Y/N took extra good care of him and made sure he was happy and his desires satiated, just as he would do for her in whatever needy state she might find herself within. That’s why she’s so quick to carefully unbuckle the belt of his pants, the metal pieces clinking together as she pulls the straps undone. Once the pressure is relieved from around his waist, a soft little moan leaves his pink lip and it sends sparkles pirouetting through her body. 

The button of his jeans is easy enough to slip from the buttonhole, and as she pulls the zip down and over his bulge, Harry holds onto her tighter. Y/N is just enamored with the blissed-out face he already holds before she had a chance to do much of anything -- she’s only releasing him from the confines of his trousers, and he looks like he could cum in mere seconds. His stamina was always impeccable, and if he really wanted to get hard multiple times in a night he could, which always made it a bit more fun. It also meant that if she wanted him to cum quickly, then the night wasn’t over, and that was just delightful. 

And sometimes she wanted him to cum quickly. Sometimes she wanted to know that she just made him feel so good, he was so desperate that it was hard to stave off. It always brought a smile to her mouth, if they’d only been going at it a little while -- if she had him in her mouth or in her hand, and he moaned his warning of, “I’ll cum if we continue like this, Sweetheart, you’re going to make me cum so soon,” If anything, she never stopped -- she only doubled her efforts in order to make him burst. 

“Budge up a bit,” she orders tentatively, and he raises his hips, helping her wiggle them down just a bit. They were far enough away from the grounds that nobody would disturb them, and Harry’s nose could spot someone’s scent from meters and meters away, so she felt no worry when his prick was uncovered. Stiff as glass, his tip ruddy and leaking down the side of the head, like it might be weeping for her attention.  Y/N holds her palm out in front of his hand, “Get it wet.”  

Harry flattens his tongue and licks fat stripes up her palm, slicking it with spit, pulling her fingers into his mouth salaciously sucking until she pushed the pad of her thumb to his chin and slid her fingers away from him, “Christ,” she murmured, giggling as she lowered her hand back to his cock, “You’re so good at that.” 

He opens his mouth to respond but whatever he plans to say is lost around a moan -- low, guttural, and drawn as his knees bend; her fingers looped delicately around his prick and she squeezed gently. The weight of him in her hand always made glitter dance in her lower belly, stoking the flames of a fire that left her panties drenched through. And she knew he knew, by the way, his bottom lip is hidden between his teeth as she slipped her hands up and down the length of him. Her palm slides easily, with little friction as it glides against the smooth skin. He moans again, this time much louder as she focuses her hand in circular motions over the swollen head. It’s the kind of moan that gives her the best kind of goosebumps, that makes her pulsate and flush with heat all over. 

But she likes to tease him, so she tuts her tongue and introduces the fingers that aren’t working him over to his mouth, “Shh, you’re loud,’ she murmured, stroking against his lips until they parted and she dipped her fingers back into his mouth, “Does it feel that good? That you can’t be quiet?” 

“Mhm,” he whines pitifully, nodding, looking up to her from her lap with his eyes bright and green, reflecting off the sun that they bathed beneath. He strokes his tongue along her fingers as his hips buck helplessly into her hand, but Y/N fixes her grip at the bottom of the shaft. 

“You wanna do the work?” She chides him gently, “If you wanna do the work then I’ll just hold my hand still and you can fuck into it all you like.” 

He shakes his head quickly, “No,” he murmurs, “No, no, please, want you too --”

“Okay, okay,” she starts back up again, thumbing at his slit and watching as more drips down his prick -- he always leaks so much, “Sweet little thing, I’ll take care of you.” 

She can feel him throb in her hand, his fingers bury in the fabric of her shirt at her sides as he continues to groan and whimper. His brows furrow as his back arches, and when Y/N does withdraw her fingers from his mouth again, she lowers it to his balls. They’re tight, swollen and full, and the sound that Harry makes -- Y/N hadn’t thought she could be anymore worked up than at that moment, but she was wrong. He was shameless when he felt good, and she couldn’t even keep up the act that she wanted him to be quiet. Not when he sounded like that. . .not when he was so incredibly desperate, and hard, and. . .”I will not last much longer,” he told her breathlessly, swallowing thickly, “I feel it -- I’m going to cum. . .I’m going to cum so hard.” 

“Yeah?” She carefully kneads his balls in one palm, slipping her hand up and down his prick at a fast pace, and she can feel him stiffening in her lap, “You’re g’na make my hand a mess?” 

Another whimpered moan makes her giggle, and soon after Harry throbs again in her palm, only this time it’s followed by thick ropes of cum that spurt from the tip. Some shoots up and falls against the blanket, some dribbled warm over her knuckles, and he trembles in her arms as she works him through it. He’s loud in his groans of her name, only muffled when he tilts his head against her thigh. As he comes down, his breathing bated and his cock softening in her hand, “You,” he began, huffing a breath, “You are too good to me.” 

 “Did I spoil you well enough?” 

Harry takes one of the napkins that he had packed and holds her hand delicately in his own, cleaning her of his cum first and then takes care of his own mess, “I’ve been thoroughly spoiled, but I do wish for you to cuddle me quite a bit more.” 

Y/N laughs brightly, shaking her head before bending down and he meets her by raising his forehead the rest of the way so her lips could meet his skin. 

“Of course, Puppy.”