#they're so in love with each other it's gross

[thepoetress]

The new Mizi comic puts a lot of the best friend relationship between Ivan and Mizi into perspective. Because now, we have Mizi's true perspective on her relationship with Ivan.

Ivan and Mizi don't have any romantic interest in each other. That is the one of the most important points in understanding their relationship in my opinion.

The new Mizi comic shows that she is uncomfortable with anyone having romantic interest in her outside of Sua because of the objectification she feels in their world's society.

"Boys and girls can't be friends because they're destined to fall in love and mate" is what that unnamed boy who had a crush on Mizi in the comic said to her. It instills an attitude that men and women are simply meant to get together just to have children and that it's common sense for a man and a woman to be together romantically. That it's logical that men and women are to be together romantically. That it's what should happen.

Mizi is well-liked by her peers. However, it's implied by the new comic that one of the most important reasons that she is well-liked is for her looks. She's pretty. Pleasing to the eye. If you look at Sua and Ivan, you can see that they both are popular among the opposite gender for their looks. Mizi is likely popular among the opposite gender for her looks as well based on the comic, thus setting her as a parallel to both Sua and Ivan.

Pair the fact that Mizi is pretty with the "boys and girls can't be friends because then they will fall in love and have kids" mentality and you get today's heteronormative and allonormative society.

It's expected of Mizi to fall in love with a boy and mate with him. But Mizi doesn't want either. She wants to be with Sua, a girl just like her, and she says that mating is "kind of gross" in the comic. When she asks Till why he likes her, it instills the idea that there will be boys who like her simply because she's pretty.

This is where Ivan differs from what Mizi has seen among her male peers.

Ivan likely recognizes that Mizi is pretty. He's the closest to Till, so he's likely heard a multitude about Mizi just by being with Till.

However, Ivan likes Till, not Mizi.

Ivan's acknowledgement of Mizi being pretty is an objective observation from him, rather than a subjective idea he has of her. He doesn't have romantic interest in her the way Sua and Till do, so he doesn't feel the need to put on rose-tinted glasses around her. Without the rose-tinted glasses, he simply sees Mizi the way she is. He doesn't ignore Mizi's flaws or any behavior that differ from her happy facade because he doesn't have feelings for her and does not use her as a method of escapism from the cruelty of the world the way Sua and Till do.

In the world of ALIEN STAGE, Ivan observes the people around him in order to gauge what to do and how he should act with the people around him. Because of Ivan's tendency to observe the people around him, it's likely that he recognizes Mizi for how she is, beyond a pretty face and vibrant attitude of obliviousness. It's possible that he recognized that Mizi isn't all she was cut out to be.

However, then there's the issue of his opinion on Mizi in his artbook profile. He says something along the lines of Mizi being too bright.

Is this Ivan falling for Mizi's bubbly facade the way Mizi fell for his "princely" facade? I'm not too sure.

IvanMizi besties... Oh, how you two make me think...

[cybershock24601]

Having ThoughtsTM about the Ingellvar-Dellamorte household because they would definitely be the Addams Family of Thedas because Rook and Lucanis are very loving parents but neither one of them has any idea of what a "normal" childhood is supposed to look like.

Sure, Lucanis isn't putting his kids through the same sort of intense Crow training Caterina put him through, but does he think letting the kids spar (under supervision) with live weapons is okay? Yes, yes he does. Is Rook concerned when the kids wander off for a full day exploring the depths of the Grand Necropolis? Absolutely not. Rook used to all the time when she was a kid and she turned out fine. There is no way those kids are constantly fucking around with weapons and cursed objects all the time while their parents see that as completely normal. And all that is without even touching on Spite and whatever he thinks is normal and acceptable activities for mortal children.

Not to mention that Lucanis and Rook could give Gomez and Morticia a run for their money when it comes to romance. Those two would constantly be flirting and all over each other all the time. They'd be making the most romantic declarations about each other on a daily basis while their kids cringe in the background because seeing your parents kiss is GROSS. I can already hear Lucanis in my head calling Rook cara mia because that man is a ridiculous romantic.

Also, I totally see the family having a bunch of skeletal servants courtesy of necromancer Rook and they're far from outlandish in Nevarra but every time someone comes to visit them in their modest manor in Nevarra City (b/c the Necropolis makes Lucanis' eyes too itchy for a long term living situation) it ends up freaking them the fuck out. Meanwhile the kids are do not get why all their various aunties and uncles are so weirded out every time they come to visit because the undead are totally normal to them.

[pansy-the-rabbit]

OKAY. THE NEW ALIEN STAGE COMIC. TIME TO TALK MY SHIT.

First, talking about Mizi's relationships to a few characters:

So at the beginning of the comic we see an interaction between Mizi and a male classmate talking, where her classmate admits to having feelings for Mizi and saying "males and females can't just be friends" because they will end up mating. When Mizi says that's gross, he slaps her and yells at her for "acting oblivious" and reveals to us that she has a bunch of other people circling around her, harboring crushes as well. He says it "must be nice", that it's easy when she has a pretty face, and calls her filthy and disgusting. Mizi apologizes but seems angry and says "what a shame". It is notable to say that this classmate holds a striking resemblance to Luka.

As a direct continuation, we see Sua and Mizi talking about the classmate. Apparently Sua had her suspicions about that classmate, while Mizi tries to vouch for him. Mizi says she's just happy to be with Sua and Sua expresses that she's "not sure [she] can say the same". Apparently Sua is feeling the tension of getting closer to debuting and has been depending on thoughts of Mizi to hold it together. The expression Mizi makes is half covered, but I'd say she looks somewhat upset or disappointed. Sua says that at least Mizi doesn't get dragged around like she does, and that it "must be nice". Immediately, Mizi slaps her, but there are tears in her eyes and she apologizes.

Later we get a scene between Mizi and Till where we find out that Mizi is aware Till's crush on her, and Till is aware that Mizi and Sua are in love. Mizi asks if it's hard not to like her and why does Till like her. When Till says "because you're pretty" she looks angry for a second before moving on and laughing.

Based on these interactions, I think we can say that Mizi was extremely aware of what other people thought of her. She knows that her male classmates are often attracted to her, and seems to deeply resent their romantic and sexual desires for her- specifically seeming upset that men find her "pretty". This could stem from her previous expression of disgust with male sexual advances, or perhaps she dislikes it because it's shallow.

I think it's easy to say that deep down, Mizi harboured some level of resentment towards Till for having a crush on her, specifically for her appearance and calling her "pretty" like a mirror to the classmate she was assaulted by. She likely acts oblivious because it's easier for her, and when she previously expressed her dislike for a male's advances, it ended with her getting hurt. This is an example of Mizi keeping up a good front to protect herself, keep that in mind. I think she does care about Till, but nonetheless, he's somewhat broken her trust by having feelings for her.

Another important character in this comic is Sua. Shockingly, we see Sua and Mizu have some sort of fight, the first we've ever seen. Sua seems to think that Mizi has an easy life because her guardian is sweet to her. I think this is a good mirror for the fandom, as many people seem to think Mizi is particularly fortunate for having Shine as an owner, while ignoring the fact that Mizi is still enslaved, like every other character. Though she loves Sua, she is angry that Sua thinks her life is easy.

In this comic, Sua and Till are representatives for each half of that specific classmate; the half that desires her physically (Till) and the half that desires her emotionally (Sua). Overall, I think most people have an idealized view of Mizi, seeing her as perfect and cheerful and "pure".

Here, I think it's important to compare MiziSua to the other canon ships in ALNST. HyunLuka and IvanTill are both "nastier" relationships, for lack of a better word. They're emotionally strained, and have some physical elements to them. IvanTill especially demonstrate physical desire with touching, kissing, licking and nuzzling; HyunLuka have less screentime to display this, but we still see Luka kiss Hyuna's poster and be very physical while mimicking romantic attraction in Round 5 and the finale. Both relationships are very complicated in their desire for each other.

MiziSua, in contrast, are shown as more "pure" with little physical contact beyond hugging and holding hands; their feelings are "uncomplicated" towards each other, only blind love and devotion. I think this is very intentionally done; perhaps part of the reason Mizi loves Sua is because there is no sexual/physical expectations put upon her, as with her other male classmates. I think part of the reason MiziSua comes off as so emotionally "pure" is that both parties are hiding darker parts of themselves and idolizing their partner. Mizi hides her resentment of Sua, and views her as "pure". Sua hides her self pity/loathing, and views Mizi as "pure" as well.

This can also explain why Mizi holds her friendship with Ivan so dearly, because he will never have romantic interest in her. She may also have sensed Ivan was also putting on a perfect and pure front to hide the dark parts of himself and felt a kinship. Though, based on Ivan's evaluation of Mizi, it's clear that he did not realize this of Mizi- following his habit of misjudging others.

I also want to talk about Round 5 again. I think it's no mistake that Mizi's male classmate from earlier resembled Luka. I think part of the reason Mizi retaliated against Luka so strongly was that he mirrored romantic/sexual advances towards her. We can see her flinching, her looks of disgust when Luka touches her or gets close to her. Maybe part of the reason she hated him mirroring Sua so much is that associating Sua with these advances she hates so much threatened to soil her memories of Sua; her final straw.

Now, onto Mizi's relationship with Alien Stage itself;

We open on the end of Weige, with Mizi knelt over Till. An apparition of Sua appears and mocks Mizi, asking if she "feels like a waste" and saying "how cunning you are". This line is repeated frequently, always in the light blue text used by "ghost Sua", keep this in mind. Then after her scene with Sua, again it says "how cunning you are" in light blue text. Again, we see her kneeling above Till with the light blue text saying "throwing me away wasn't enough... So you ditched all your other friends too." Towards the end, the light blue text says "you figured you'd use whatever you could, huh? Just so you could make it out alive on your own. What, am I wrong?" Now we see that the light blue text belongs to a vision of Mizi from Round 1. "Well, you did great, playing dumb so you could survive. I'm so proud of you." The vision of Mizi looks proud, then she looks cold, then turns and walks away.

Though very short, I think these scenes change everything about our perception of Mizi.

Obviously, these words are not coming from Sua's ghost or a past version of Mizi, they are coming from Mizi's conscience/guilt; so we can't take everything they say at face value, as they come from a skewed perspective, but they hold valuable information about Mizi's motives and thought process.

"How cunning you are" is extremely important in this comic. Mizi is not as naive as we thought. The various quotes above that Mizi knew full and well what would happen on Alien Stage, but pretended otherwise as a survival strategy.

I think that she knew that Sua would die in Round 1. I don't think she intentionally killed her, but I think she knew that one of them would die in the end, and that between the two of them, it would be Sua. She played along with their duet strategy, pretending to believe it would work, knowing that Sua would sacrifice herself for Mizi. She sees herself as having used Sua to survive, throwing her away to save her own life.

Not only that, but I think she would've done this for whomever she faced off against. I think part of her motive for remaining so well-liked amongst all her classmates, including Till, was so they would more easily give up during a round with her. If she was a friend to everyone, she would be an enemy to no one, aiding her survival and making her seem like less of a threat.

"How cunning you are" is right. She was cunning to make this plan, but she can't go through with it without guilt. Clearly it weighs on Mizi to have lost Sua, and even now that Till is gone, she seems to blame herself, despite having no hand in his death- because I think she knows that Till would've laid his life down for her too. Sure, she never asked for him to have feelings for her, but she would've used those feelings for survival nonetheless, and she can't shake that guilt. Potentially, she may know that Till could've escaped with Ivan, if not for his feelings for her. In Mizi's eyes, she had sealed Till's fate; first by being in the competition at all, and perhaps by showing up in the finale.

And she hates herself for it. Mizi is kind and loving, she loves her friends, even if she's jaded. She hates herself for not doing more to save them; for not giving herself up for Sua, for not saving Till, she stayed passive and let them die. That's why she ran out there in the first place, she couldn't stand by and watch another go without her trying to save them.

Then, in the end, the version of herself she hates the most- the Mizi from Round 1 -is there to tournament her. She's so proud of her for throwing away everyone she loved, just to keep going. Sitting high on her pile of bodies. But even that version of Mizi is still playing dumb, she can't be happy or proud. Smiling, then turning away in disgust.

I don't think Mizi is a bad person. I don't think any of the main characters are bad people. I think they're all just trying to survive, and if you'll notice, the ones that stepped on others to make it to the top survived the longest; Mizi, Luka, (arguably) Till. They all played dirty, and they're winning for it. Sua and Ivan, the only two who played as intended, died for those they loved. It's not a fault of the person, but one of the system that rewards foul players.

[bluepebbled]

Lost Records is very cool for letting Swann just talk about her little quip facts. Her new friends are very much into it??? This is so cute 🥺 Yes girl tell us how long moths live 🥺 They also reminded me of when I was the kid who loved filming random stuff and everyone was so supportive/into it. All the little jokes/humor drive in the feeling like these are a bunch of teenagers/almost young adults having fun. They get grossed out. They get scared! They hold on to each other for reassurance! They're happy when you remember their favorite drinks and snacks 🥺

I may have not been able to go into my own woods with a group of friends, but this feels like I get to do that now 🥺

[uneatenclient]

murderbot tv show ep 5 reactions/spoilers under cut. i fucking love mb

oh? flashback?

goddddd it said "i'm sorry" before shooting itself last time i'm still soooo

'this thing is heavy' 'IT'S NOT A THING IT'S A PERSON' 'yes i know' ratthi 🤝 arada being firm on mb's personhood even under pressure

omg they're all so worried LITERALLY ALL OF THEM ARE ON THE VERGE OF CRYING

THERE'S TOO PURE ARADA FOR MY BINGO BOARD

holy fucking shit arada lmfao

but ugh. UGH. i don't want her here. the dynamic!! give it back!!

maybe i'll be lucky and it'll show how close they are by comparison? plz

omfg 'not unless you're stupid enough to do the thing you're doing right now. [biggest sigh] idiots'

we're one step closer to 'my idiots' and i cannot fucking wait

uh. guys. maybe. dont?

WHAT

bharadwaj???

not pin-lee and gurathin??? WHY THO

oh jeez

this is such pure corporate indoctrination. presaux just looking at each other like uhhhhhh

i should count how many times mb calls its humans stupid in this ep i think its 3 so far let me look

—

'despite my best efforts'

i'm reacting all over again every time i watch the eps i find something new and great

'fix me? why'd i even bother to shoot myself?'

oh that shot was fucking gross how did i miss that before

GOD THAT ACTRESS DID SOMETHING W ARADA'S VOICE THERE AND IT'S SO FUNNY AND REAL AT THE SAME TIME

yep stupid and then idiots ok 2 so far hello again intro

there's 3

"yeah that was preeetty heroic" i fucking love you mb have i said that recently

oh dear

TERRIBLE SHOW

how does no one know they have faces

HOW IS SHE SO MUCH WORSE THAN THE TEAM SAYING IT HAD A NICE FACE GET ME OUT OF HEEEREEE

also what adult says pee-pee

the fucking expressions on everyone's faces

WHAT

RATTHI

RATTHI OH MY FUCKING GOD

YOU SIGNED THIS THING TODAY?? YESTERDAY???

'okay this part was actually kind of entertaining' it fucking hates relationship drama AND gratitude but humans embarassing themselves? funny

ratthi's fucking forehead bruise

'this secunit it our friend' 'eh. debatable'

oh my god. ratthi with one banger after another this ep lmfaooo

MB PLEASE

i should count the sarcastic bitching as calling them stupid tbh we'd be up to 6 or 7

'oh n— hes gonna do it? he looks way too into this' botfucker confirmed?? ignore me

'nice'

'looking at their hopeful faces, i was glad i didnt murder them' camera/eyes shoot to lbb 'mostly

plz pin gurathing to the wall plz pin gura

ITS CRUCIAL TO MY ENJOYMENT OF THE STORY

the clearing of throat fucking hell

'uh oh' 'UH OH'

PLZ PIN GURATHIN

she agrees with me completely

BHARADWAJ AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU

'i don't agree with gurathin' 'HA!' help meeee

gurathin's fucking face

SO UNFAIR

SECCY

FUICKING HELP ME

oh?

oh? the scene?

PLEASE

'i don't watch that crap' [deathglare]

OH MY GOD THEY EXPANDED ON IT THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY

the scene PLEASE PLEASE

holy fuck

holy fuck that was so fast??

THANK YOU FOR MAKING MB THE BADASS IT SHOULD BE

FUCK I KNEW I COULD TRUST MARTHA WELLS

did it fucking have its energy weapon ready to shoot him?? was that why the thing on its arm glowed yellow???

dude. 'i don't know what i would've done if she hadn't kept it calm' much? you would've fried his fucking brain?? badass tbh you deserve a crash out after living like this so long

sad it didn't add the 'but the others like you, and i like them' bit but i'll get over it

it has to admit it eventually

so completely avoiding eye contact

gurathin is so fed up. this is bringing back so much cr bullshit i can feel it. i bet everyone in the room could feel it. i absolutely get it godddd poor dude

that's the gurathin character arc i want not the fucking. mensah obsession. ugh

he fucking calls her mensah when he's mad but ayda when he's worried

god. mensah saying all that is WAY harder to believe seeing it than it was reading/listening to it. probably because everyone is much less well-behaved in the show

GET EM MB

yeah i fucking bet she was

IT'S EXPRESSING ITS WANTS SO FAST. FUCK YEAH YOU GO MB

gurathin and mb are such two sides of the same coin

you question her so much gura. the same way mb does tbh but it does it internally

oh no

oh no oh no

stop

don't make me watch this

stoppp

at least she's trying?????

LMFAO

NO OH GOD

IT'S FUCKING FACE

NEVER BEEN MORE SCANDALIZED OR HORRIFIED IN ITS EXISTENCE

HORRILIZED

the performance reliability tanking i'm fjkahdjsjdj

'first among the equals' is fascinating

awwww

OH COME ON

absolutely did that on purpose it was so insistent lmfao

the pout and crossed arms

they're so fyucking similar what am i gonna dooo

stop no

don't be weird

ohhhh he's mean he probably likes her less than secunit at this point

i do love him if i ignore the elephant we haven't come back to anyway

omg she's making it deal with family stories and oh nooo she couldn't possibly have a favorite

oh my fuck

'cuz most humans are greedy bastards' THIS BITCH IN ITS REBELLIOUS TEENAGE PHASE ALLOWED TO SAY WHATEVER IT WANTS NOW

I'M FUCKING IN LOVE

AND ALSO IT'S RIGHT

aww. baby's first conversation

gosh. gosh.

interesting. foreshadowing the other beacon drama. if this doesn't turn out worse somehow

.........oh

fucking. OKAY THEN

WHAT THE SHIT

sometimes it feels like they're fucking around with the order of things but it's just that they added in so much kinda similar stuff it's like getting slapped in the face

IN A GOOD WAY

BC WAHT THE FUCK WAS THAT

i hope mensah gets it to talk about gurathin i wanna know what she'd sayyyyy

and my bingo with 1 new star

[rhela-xiv]

my heart // my light

[bvckbiter]

fandom talks too little about hylla and reyna. reyna killed her father when she thought he'd killed hylla. hylla dragged them out of puerto rico and found them sanctuary and employment on circe's island AND became one of circe's favorites. then when they got captured by blackbeard hylla also got them out of that situation by out-pirating literal immortal pirates. then in a span of three years, they split up, found their own ways to the amazons and cj, and became the leaders of their respective factions. when hylla's queenship was being threatened by otrera in son, she plotted a counter-coup and defeated an amazon queen who couldn't die two nights in a row in one-on-one combat, THEN led her cavalry to camp jupiter. (ik this woman slept like a corpse for a week afterwards). hylla used reyna as an absolutely ruthless bait-and-switch to capture orion, and all reyna said in response to that was, "bet." reyna carries insurmountable amounts of both guilt and gratitude towards her sister. even though they havent seen each other in a while, hylla still drops everything and does everything in her power to save her baby sister when she knows reyna needs her.

[atthebell]

anyway if i have to see one more post implying that roier doesn't love cellbit as much as cellbit loves him i'm gonna scream. that man spent months in pure misery losing his mind getting kidnapped to find his husband after he stopped believing in having hope for anything and you want to say he cares less? please explain to me in detail 3k words 12pt font double-spaced times new roman why you think that.

[pines4thetwin]

When Ford eventually gets a modern phone, he fills its entire memory with pictures of stan (and the niblings but mostly stan)

Stan's phone is mostly pics of Dipper and Mabel and Him with them but he has a hidden folder of Ford pics (not even like suggestive pics just normal/blurry shots of Ford) because he'd be embarrassed about anyone accidently seeing how many he has.

[vibrantboredom]

I'm relistening to I am in Eskew at the same time as the Silt Verses come out and it's so fun seeing ideas introduced in Eskew resurface in TSV, like I just finished ep. 24 and the way the History Society works is so much like our new scary war saint!!! Obsessed

[self-shipper-snowdrop]

⛱️☀️💐 !!! for anyone of your choice <3 it's great to see you on the dash again, by the way!! i missed you!!

BHJHJBVBHJJBHDVF CRYING SCREAMING DYING TYSM ABAABVBJFVJDJVDAAAAAAAAAAA ;-; It's nice to be floating back around!!! And wonderful to see you and everyone as well <333333 I missed everyone but I was. exploding lmao and being eaten alive by school absorbing all my time gross, do not recommend. I got a B in math which I usually suck ass at but at what cost????

anyWAY- Doing these with Astarion!!! Thanks so muchly again <3333

⛱️ If you were to go on a trip with them, what would it look like? Would you stay local or go abroad? Go for a few days or a month? What kind of places would you stay, and how would you get there?

OOOOOOOOO.... this is a tough one. Speaking in the context of my own world, I'd be dying to take Astarion to Disneyland! It's a place that brought me such joy when I was little and still does now, when I went back in November with family. I'd love to share that joy with Asta, and also see his reactions to some of the rides XD I can see his unimpressed face as I drag him to Pirates and hear him shout when he gets splashed with some water, lol. I find it's best for a week, in a hotel a slight walk from the property, as it's cheaper and you also can relax, and not need to Plus Ultra every single day, lmao. In the purely fictional/ship context, so in Faerûn, I'd say it'd be a vacation to another city- probably Neverwinter. That's actually where BG3!Bronwen is from! I think they'd stay for two weeks, and just enjoy the city for awhile before returning to the quiet place they live together post-campaign! Enjoy the busy state of affairs, visit all the hot spots- immerse oneself in the city before crashing once they're home.

☀️ Do you ever run into them when they’re out? How does that usually go? What kinds of places do they frequent?

These two were stuck together from the start of their relationship trying to de-tadpole themselves, so yes, they absolutely do XD if anything they bump into each other an absurd amount. Especially because Bronwen much prefers night time [she finds it comforting and feels safer] and... well, after it's all over, the sun will actually kill Astarion, rip. As both of them love their outfits and aesthetics, they tend to run into each other at clothing stores... trying to buy the other one a surprise gift. They try to play it off, but they both know what the other was doing. Especially as they try ti casually ask what the other thinks of something, but they've been through hell together! Literally! Bronwen and Astarion can see through each other like glass. They're stupid your honour

💐 What is a gift you would like to receive from your F/O?

A smooch One of his daggers, I'd say. Now this sounds weird- but hear me out. As a rogue, Astarion namely uses two daggers for short-range combat. They're effective, sharp weapons- and can be very beautiful. Hence... a gift of one, so each holds one half of the set, is a gift not just of the dagger, but of trust. Showing that he fully trusts Bronwen not to hurt him, and that in essence, they trust one another with their lives. So less the actual gift of the dagger- but a gift of unwavering trust.

[blorboresidue]

one of these days my multishipping powers will increase enough that I'll be able to talk myself into shipping haruka/youko...not today but maybe someday...

[televinita]

Man, there is nothing quite like the bummer of finally reading two books you bought together three years ago, boldly anticipating them to be 4 stars after only a cursory glance and a fondness for their pretty covers, and finding they are both 2 to 3 star books you will be redonating actually.

[leatherbookmark]

dear god that would be turbo cringe or whatever, but seeing all those annoying little things in fics over and over again really makes me want to write one in which they're not obligatory funnymoments but rather like, words that have meaning and weight and so on

[ssahotchnerr]

Could you maybe write another little blurb where the bau team calls reader and hotch mom and dad? That is like one of my favorite things in the world!!

parental units

i'm so glad you asked <3 cw; fem bau!reader, established relationship, teasing from the team (lovingly), aaron and reader are down bad for each other, your usual (brief) cm violence

"Why do they always need to run?" Panting, you loosened your vest as Aaron handed the unsub off to one of the officers. "Why can't they just willingly turn themselves in."

"You're awfully quick for someone who despises cardio." Aaron teased as he assisted you, undoing your last velcro strap. Same as you, he was normalizing his breathing, but for his own reasons.

The unsub had attempted to escape; you bolted right after him into the dense trees, fleeing into the darkness.

You can hold your own; strongly, confidently, and Aaron knew that. He didn't worry about you in that regard, whereas he worried for you. However, you were out of his line of sight for a good five minutes, the sound of a stray gunshot nearly causing his heart to give out.

Thankfully, the unsub had missed you and hit a tree instead. He and Morgan caught up as you had the guy shoved into it, cuffing him. A few scraps were present on your face to show for your hustle through the trees, but you were unfazed; it was as if you hadn't been shot at at all. Contrary to Aaron, still regaining his composure.

"Oh please," you shook your head, holding onto your side. Your eyes held a playful glint, "I stay in shape just to keep up with you."

His lips formed into an easy smile. "Is that so?"

You hummed softly in return, stealing a second to check him out. "You're very... enduring."

"I aim to please, sweetheart. Over and over again."

You blushed as Aaron laughed lightly, playfully bumping his shoulder into yours. Behind you, the sound of crunching leaves halted, as did the following footsteps.

"The two of you couldn't have waited what, five? Ten more minutes?" Derek groaned, his nose scrunched in disgust as his hand stretched outward. "The guy isn't even in the cruiser yet, and you're already all over each other?" With a subtle shake of his head, mischief in his tone, "this is why we drive separately."

You snorted a laugh. "What?"

"No one wants to ride with Mom and Dad." He shrugged, failing at keeping a smile at bay. "We prefer the cool car."

"You all cram into the SUV... to avoid us." Aaron's expression quirked, his eyebrows lightly furrowing. "Do we need to have a discussion about road safety?"

"The cool car?" Priorities. Slight offense was intertwined with your amusement, your gaze switching between the two of them. "We're cool."

Another famous Derek Morgan grin. "Eh, that's debatable."

"Emily willingly came with us though." You protested, but it was beginning to make sense. The reluctance, the way they all nearly fought over seats, the newly formed rule when applicable: Hotchners always ride together. "So we can't be that bad, right?"

By now you have reached the others, illuminated by the red and blue flashing lights.

"Drew the short straw this time." Emily shrugged, her lips pulling up mischievously. It was clear they were just loving this. "Loser rides with the parents."

Your mouth dropped open, a surprised laugh escaping you. "Seriously?"

"We love you both. We do," Dave reassured, holding his hands up in surrender. "But I already get carsick. Don’t need to add witnessing your foreplay on top of it."

Aaron's brows drew into a line once more, humorously crossing his arms. "Maybe you just have a weak stomach."

Spencer perked up, inputting, "You know, carsickness is-"

"No need for fancy, genius scientifics here Reid." Emily offered you a smirk, feigning a gag once Aaron's hand habitually found the small of your back. You don't think he even realized he'd done so. "They're gross."

"In that case," Aaron rolled his eyes, his brows relaxing as they lifted playfully - it was your turn to poke fun. "My wife and I will be getting into our SUV now. Go ahead, draw your straws. And if whoever loses has a problem with us showing our affection, they can feel free to walk back."

[quarterlifekitty]

I don't know if you've answered this before (I don't think you have? Or at least not for as long as I've followed you) but anyways

Do you have any thoughts on what kind of drunk personalities the boys have (at least for those that do drink)? Like, if they have a distinctive drunk personality, are any of them like overly feral, horny, affectionate, giggly, moody etc. when they're drunk?

And if any of them partake in recreational drug use, is their high personality the same or any different from their drunk personality?

Gaz is almost insufferably giggly. He’s the type of dude who gets drunk and starts kissing you until all he can say is “…hi” with a little smile when he looks at you.

I could say so much about Soap. But I think the funniest answer is that he’s sober. He’s the mom friend when they’re out drinking. He’s getting everyone home. (He used to drink too much when he was younger, now it just grosses him out. He was the frat boy who was always throwing up.)

Ghost will get chatty. As in, he’ll start being too honest. He’s gonna start saying things that Sober Ghost had the sense to keep inside. Things like “I’ve always wondered what your cunt would feel like” when he’s maybe said, cumulatively, 100 words to you in the like 3 years you’ve known each other.

Price is also saying too much. Asking shit like “so why aren’t you married?” (like a 6 year old unsupervised at a family function). He will then proceed to tell you all of his opinions on the relevant subject.

I think König is one of those people who gets really outgoing and smooth when he’s drunk. And then the memories of how he acted haunt him and he vows to never go out drinking with people again. Until the next time you ask him to go, that is.

Nik is the horny drunk. His hands are all over you and saying “What, I can’t show my love to my malýshka?” If you try to get him to stop. He’s constantly trying to pull you into his lap. He’s bragging to people about you incessantly. He does this regardless of whether or not you’re really dating.

Nikto refuses to get drunk in front of others because when he’s drunk it’s really easy to make him cry.

Rudy starts picking fights. He’s usually so composed, but when his cheeks are flushed with alcohol… It’s like his blood just gets hotter. Especially if you’re around. Because then that stupid part of his brain that wants to look tough in front of you starts flaring.