#to think that it took me a long time to get to s1 because of the visuals

[nekohime19]

Wukong study in LMK # Season 1

So here we are after the analysis of the pilot (which you can find under the tag Wukong study or at the end of this study). As I already established about Wukong, he is NOT the perfect enlightened being we expected him to be, especially after his portrayal in the pilot. We are even encouraged as an audience to let go of this assumption. In fact, we can even say that Wukong works as an antithesis of the usual portrayal of wise masters in media, he defies our expectations of what a master truly is by being shown as lazy and gluttonous, two non-flattering traits that we usually don’t associate with masters.

In season 1, Wukong appears mainly in the background. The series takes its time to introduce the main characters and, as such, even if he is a recurrent character Wukong doesn’t get as much screen time as the others. In fact, he is more like a guide that will help MK along but rarely if ever takes part in the many conflicts that MK encounters.

S1 ep 1

Wukong appears very briefly in this episode. He only interacts with MK and appears after the boy is thrown out of the weather tower. Narratively, we can assume that he has been keeping track of MK, even perhaps following him, but decided to come to him only when the boy was alone. I do believe it is because he wasn’t comfortable with showing himself in front of the others.

Like in the pilot, Wukong is shown reclining on his cloud, adopting some kind of lazy, laid-back attitude. He immediately rejects MK when this one asks him to help, insisting that he’s retiring, and thus it isn’t his role anymore. This interaction is here to re-establish MK as the hero, and at the same time re-establish Wukong's role as the guide. No. Wukong will not take part in the conflict. It isn’t his place anymore

I find it somewhat funny that Wukong uses a cane to scratch his back, canes being usually associated with old age and thus this serves as another emphasis on his old age and retirement. Moreover, when he talks about his younger days “You think I took shortcuts ? No! it took me centuries of training and fighting and just beating up demons…just so many demons..” There is a lagging in his voice, a visible tiredness that further emphasizes this idea of retirement. Also he talks like a grandpa, like “IN MY DAYS…” type of thing.

But Wukong is mainly here to introduce an important aspect to MK, that the boy kinda missed, and that is TRAINING. At the beginning of the episode, we can see MK being somewhat arrogant about his new-found invincibility without having any control whatsoever on his powers. Here, Wukong will imitate MK in a somewhat cheeky way by screaming “and weren’t you INVINCIBLE..” like MK did in the beginning of the episode. This tells us that Wukong was indeed following MK around, long enough to be aware of the boy’s current problem : his arrogance towards his invincibility.

So Wukong is making fun of MK to highlight this problem. He’s messing with him by scaring him a little which is NOT expected of an usual wise master. An usual wise master, in this situation, will guide their student with an anthology, or wise words; Wukong here does highlight the problem but he does so in a very childish/funny way. He does his job, and the results are the same, but the ways are very different. Wukong is still being shown in a comedic light.

We can also notice that Wukong isn’t that confident about his job as a master. When he gives his advice to MK, his back is turned on MK, he clears his throat and drops of sweat are on his temples. It’s newfound territory for him. He has never teached before this, so he’s as new to this as MK is.

Once Wukong seals MK’s powers, he drops the kid at the top of the tower in eagle form and flies off the frame discreetly, it’s a way for him to disappear because it is not his stage anymore, it’s MK’s.

In short, this episode re-establish Wukong's character as MK’s guide. He will not take part in the conflicts. At the same time it hints at us that Wukong isn’t THAT confident about his own role, and furthermore highlights Wukong differences with the usual figure of the wise master, he does his job but he doesn’t do it in the usual ways.

S1 ep 2

Wukong doesn’t appear in this episode but it is interesting to notice that the motions helping MK discover what can poof the clones is the exact same one used by Wukong in episode 1 to seal MK’s powers. So MK is already starting to imitate Wukong.

Also, it is funny to notice how present Wukong is throughout merch in general in this episode and later episodes, even when he doesn’t appears we get his image everytime through posters/ clocks / charms / shows, he is VERY present in MK’s life, the image of him at least.

S1 ep 5

Wukong doesn’t truly appear in this episode, it’s an illusion of him conjured by the calabash. At first, Wukong appears descending on his cloud, very much like episode 1 to ask about MK’s struggles. MK doesn’t suspect anything wrong until Wukong basically tells him : “My powers are just so great, it’s probably too much for your brain to handle. You’re gonna see some weird stuff, you just have to accept it.”

What is very interesting about this episode is that we can see how MK perceives the others by how he finds them weird, or Out of character. Pigsy is not mad about him being late, Mei is having romantic feelings for him, and that freaks MK out because it is unusual for them. Here, what freaks MK out about the fake Wukong is that he’s essentially telling him to deal with the situation and doesn’t offer any solutions whatsoever. It does show that Wukong, while his methods are unusual, does always help MK out when he appears, so much that the fact he is NOT helping there is what makes MK realize he’s wrong and “out of character”.

S1 ep 7

So Wukong appears at the beginning and the end of the episode, it’s actually his second real appearance of the season. And we finally see some training !

During the training, MK is shown as struggling while Wukong is not even breaking a sweat. He’s even taunting his student by reading a book mid-fight. And while it can come off as arrogant; and make us wonder if he’s not taking the training seriously we can also notice that during the whole fight, Wukong keeps his hands in his back, obviously because this is training and he doesn’t want to use his full power against MK, who is a rookie. So Wukong IS thinking about MK and what is beneficial for him but his attitude leads us to believe otherwise.

Once the fight is over, Wukong drops his attitude and praises MK for his performance.

Wukong : “way, WAY better. You’re totally getting the hang of this, bud.”

So MK lost the fight, but Wukong is still praising him, precisely because this is training and he can see that MK is improving. So while most of the time he is shown as lazy and somewhat uncaring of what is going around him, little interactions like those actually tells us otherwise, Wukong is very observant. He sees MK evolution, that does mean he keeps a close eye on his student. Moreover, Wukong points out MK's lack of focus, which will be relevant for the rest of the episode. Because while MK denies it, he does indeed lack focus. That shows us that Wukong knows his student, he knows his shortcomings.

In terms of personality, this episode also does a great job of showing Wukong as a somewhat cheeky and kinda arrogant person. There are also a lot of jokes made between the two which really creates a light-hearted atmosphere. Usually, master/student relationships are very serious, there is a kind of submission/respect coming from the student, especially in Chinese media, but here MK is not truly showing this kind of attitude, in fact he’s not afraid to call out Wukong on his past mistakes. The use of comedy to alleviate the seriousness of the usual master/student relationship really highlights Wukong and MK's unusual, almost brotherly, way of working.

Wukong is also upset when MK doesn’t take his advice seriously, we can see that with the very (sassy) way his eyebrow twitches. I think it’s very funny because it does show that Wukong is not as laid-back as he pretends to be, he’s still upset when his student doesn’t take his advice/lesson, that means he does care about it.

At the end of the episode, MK delivers the wrong noodles to Wukong. I love how MK overthink everything and think that this is some kind of lesson that Wukong organized, while it’s clearly not but Wukong decides to go with the flow anyway. It’s a great parallel to others master/student relationship, where the master gives some kind of unusual task to do and at first the student doesn’t realizes its utility but then after doing it they realize that it was a great lesson all along, here it’s not, Wukong didn’t plan this at all, but he goes along anyway.

S1 ep 9

Oh here we go for the Macaque episode. So while the other two appearances of Wukong re-established him as MK’s guide, as an unusual master and were consistent with their comedic tones (MK and Wukong being shown as light-hearted/bickering…), this episode shows us a more serious side of Wukong. Truly, Macaque’s episode is the one that adds depth to Wukong as a character.

The episode immediately starts with a confrontation between MK and Wukong. Eventually, I think it was bound to happen, especially with Wukong's unusual way of teaching. MK doesn't understand why he has to destroy the mural and Wukong doesn't really explain himself either.

There is a physical distance between them that is further emphasized by the fact Wukong is reclining on his cloud, they're not on the same level, they don't meet each other in the middle.

MK : You know when I found out I was being trained by the monkey king, great sage equal to heaven, I had no idea… that'll be stuck there hammering walls here all day!

Wukong is not what you expect of a master and even less what you expect of the great sage. Here we can clearly see how MK's expectations are crushed. In a way, he doesn't see the image he idolized in Wukong, he doesn't understand the purpose of this training, and thus is frustrated. I think that's bursting of emotions coming from MK was due. Since the pilot episode, where we are clearly shown we have to let go of our expectations of Wukong, MK confrontation between his idolized version of Wukong and the real one was bound to happen.

When Wukong assumes a more epic front, more in tune with what MK except of his master and his own training, we can clearly see MK having stars in his eyes, longing for this kind of training.

But Wukong denies this. He has good reasons to but he doesn't explain them, instead he bush MK off with “I'm never going to teach you something you don't need to know.” It is perhaps the first time we see Wukong being this serious. It doesn't last though (perhaps because Wukong doesn't like being severe, in a sense his laid-back attitude could be his own way of controlling the situation and himself).

There is a distance between master and student, MK is on the ground while Wukong towers above him, representing the power differences of their relationship but also their impossibility of understanding the other at the moment.

The wedge created here is exactly what Macaque will use later-on to widen the distance between them. MK longs for an epic teacher, he's impatient, he wants to be strong, and fast. And he'll find the idolized version he expected of Wukong in Macaque.

Macaque will use MK's frustration to widen the wedge between him and Wukong. In fact, he will even suggers to MK that Wukong is slowing him down, that his lessons are irrelevant. There is a parallel montage between the two monkeys and their lessons where we can see Macaque working alongside MK, while Wukong is reclining on his cloud, putting distance between him and his mentee. Moreover, during this montage, Wukong flaws (laziness and gluttony) are emphasized, convincing MK even more that Wukong is somewhat unfit to be his teacher.

As we can see in those parallel shots, Wukong is shown as lazy, reclining on his cloud and waving a chip around, while Macaque adopts a more serious/epic pose, leaning over a sandbag. In the first shot MK is angry/frustrated, while in the second he seems more resigned, as if accepting what Macaque is telling him.

The next scene is a parallel of Wukong's first scene. This time MK manages to replicate perfectly the move Wukong showed in the first scene, the move he especially told MK that he couldn't learn yet.

What I love in both those shots is that, while they are very similar, MK's smash is violet to show Macaque's influence, but it's also all cracked, further highlighting that MK isn't ready for this move and it's taking a toll on his body.

Wukong first is still shown in a comedic light, with the joke “Have you been running around with other mentors!?”, but soon enough he adopts a more serious poise when he sees that MK isn't receptive to their usual light-hearted dynamic, and as such something is clearly wrong. Perhaps, we can assume that Wukong tends to use jokes to communicate with his mentee, considering until this episode their dynamic was mainly seen in a comedic light. But once Wukong notices MK's symbol, on his jacket, being tainted by Macaque's magic, his face darkens, because he knows something is up here.

In Wukong's next appearance, he will intervene in the fight between MK and Macaque. This is very important, because it was established in episode 1 that it isn't Wukong's role to fight anymore, yet here he decides to step in. Perhaps because he knows that Macaque isn't MK's enemy, it's his enemy. Macaque is about him, and thus Wukong steps in. The dialogue between the two monkeys further highlights this :

Wukong : Are you ever going to be sick of living in my shadow? It's time to get back what you stole.

Macaque : You are such a gem, it's going to be so satisfying killing you with your own powers.

Wukong especially nips at Macaque's insecurity, showing that he knows him quite well, but he also indirectly says that Macaque is his enemy. Macaque is in his shadow. It’s his problem to deal with. The fight between the two monkeys are full of parallels, when one uses a power, the other uses the exact same, portraying them as two sides of the same coin. On three occasions during the fight we can see how much Wukong truly cares about MK, one when Macaque turns into MK, disturbing Wukong who cannot punch the image of his mentee. The other is when Macaque is going to attack MK, and Wukong shouts his name while kicking away the clones holding him back. And the last one when Wukong protects MK from the explosion’s recoils by hugging him.

In the end, Wukong's lesson is what enables MK to beat Macaque, re-establishing him as MK's mentor. What I found very interesting is at the end, after Macaque's defeat, both MK and Wukong are sitting on a cliff side. The colors are yellow/golden to highlight the resolution of their troubles, but Wukong also initiates contact with his student, something he never truly did in his previous appearances. In fact, we can even argue that Wukong was putting some distance with MK by never lingering too long around him and always reclining on his cloud, being thus on another level.

This is actually the first time we see Wukong genuinely approach his student in this way, showing that in the end Macaque's meddling brought them even closer.

The episode ends with MK doing chores and believing it's some sort of secret training lesson, it is clearly NOT, Wukong is looking away with drops of sweat on his face, a tell-tale sign he's lying. We can assume Wukong is messing with MK as light revenge for what happened with Macaque. Moreover, it's also quite funny to see this scene considering Wukong first lesson, destroying the mural, could fit in the “The master gives a totally unrelated task that will later-on be discovered as necessary in the student's learning” cliché, but it didn't work then because MK didn't understand the purpose of it. But now MK is leaning towards this same cliché as a joke.

It's funny to think that when Wukong leans in towards wise masters clichés it doesn't work out for him.

And this the end of Wukong's appearances in season 1. Yes. Wukong only truly appears in three episodes, and out of the three it's only in Macaque's episode that he's shown in a more serious/epic light. I think there is a great dichotomy between Wukong's presence in the show and his true appearances. Wukong is very present in MK's life through merch, but also thought MK himself who imitates Wukong's moves multiple times throughout the season. But in truth Wukong isn't that much shown. It can make us feel as if Wukong is absent, perhaps even that he doesn't care enough to show himself (his laid-back attitude can reinforce this feeling). But as we saw, it's not true at all, Wukong pays a lot of attention to MK.

In this season, Wukong is a side-character, he assumes the role of guide and doesn't really step out of this role he puts on himself. As the seasons progresses, we will see Wukong gradually stopping to recline on his cloud and stopping to distance himself from his student.

So here was Wukong study in the first season. Idk, maybe what I'm saying is very obvious and I'm just rambling but here it is nonetheless. As always, it's fine if you disagree with what I'm saying 👍.

I'll see you in the next study

Pilot

[hairpinturnn]

oh my god. oooh my god i just finished the third episode of s2 of arcane and my life is fucking changed. this is what i felt in the theater watching spiderverse but with specific shit i adore added to it oooh fuck the animation i could nerd out about those visuals for 50 pages i'm gonna explode

[exhuastedpigeon]

Sometimes I sit back and think about how almost all of the most insane and unhinged stuff about Buddie is stuff that, before getting into 9-1-1, I thought was fanon.

I started watching at the end of s6 and binged watched s1-s6 and I thought I was getting into another show where two guys stand near each other and the fandom ran with it and instead I got Buddie. I was sitting there watching being like.. wait this is all in the actual show? I thought it was all fan created stuff.

-> Eddie's introduction being set to "Whatta Man"? I thought that was a fan edit. -> Buck getting bashful after Eddie says "You can have my back any day" felt like something you'd see in fanon until you watch it ant realize it's canon. -> The entire Christmas elf scene -> Eddie holding Buck's hand while Buck is trapped under the ladder truck -> "There's no one in the world I trust with my son more than you" with Ed Sheeran playing over it??? CANON???? -> "Wanna go for the title" -> Buck digging at the earth like he could get to Eddie through 40 feet of mud is canon???? -> Eddie seeing flashes of Chris and Buck while he was buried under ground was canon and not an edit (this one blew my mind I'm not gonna lie to you). -> Chris ran to BUCK when he was mad Eddie was dating someone. -> The whole "construction on sunset" scene being that domestic blew my mind too. What do you mean that was actually in the show. -> The entire shooting scene? I genuinely can't believe we got that one shot of them just staring at each other in slow motion -> "Just say with me" -> THE WILL??? I truly thought that was fanon until I watched it with my own two eyes. -> Buck and Chris spending time together without Eddie (Eddie's line about Buck taking Chris to the zoo all the time in s5 I was like.. I've read this fic before) -> Buck canonically worrying about Eddie's health and mental health in s5? How is that canon and not fanon? -> Chris calling Buck during Eddie's breakdown truly blew my mind. That was in canon. When Chris was scared and worried about his dad he called Buck! -> THE LOVE HEART BUCK DREW?? THAT WAS CANON?!? -> The small moments we get of them (both together and with Chris) that just have a different vibe than when they're hanging out with other characters. Again I thought that was fanon and it turns out, nope it's just canon. -> Eddie running up the ladder without a safety line to get to Buck (screaming Buck's name) when Buck was struck by lightening. -> EDDIE CALLED BUCK COWBOY! THAT HAPPENED IN CANON TOO?! -> Eddie yelling "DO MORE" when the get Buck to the hospital after the lightening. -> Poker night? The same episode when all the canon couples were on dates Buck and Eddie actually got dressed up and Eddie took Buck to a secret poker game? IN CANON! That isn't fanon either??!? -> Buck's entire "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie" moment in 704. He was about to be kissed by another man and he said Eddie's name, what? 7 times? -> Buck being SO nervous about telling Eddie about his date with Tommy. Like just freaking out for an entire episode. -> THE BACHELOR PARTY?!? Those two being in cahoots is another thing that I thought was fanon at first and then you get moments like that and you're reminded it's canon. -> Buck being who Eddie turns to when he needs parenting support because he sees Buck as a co-parent of some sort. I still can't believe that's canon. Like in the text of the show Eddie has turned to Buck for parenting support multiple times. -> Buck being there when Chris left with his hand on Eddie's shoulder. Again, so insane that it's canon.

Anyway, this list is in no way comprehensive since there's a lot of other stuff in canon that I thought was fanon, but my god the list is already so long I don't think I need to add more. I didn't even touch on the casual touches and the way they're almost always looking at or for each other when they're in scenes together.

[mikeystrawberry]

This piece is very special to me so here’s some early progress stuff where I was figuring out the composition and colors + younger Terry’s design (+ a wall of rambling in the tags lol)

I started listening to this podcast a year ago already, it’s grown to mean the absolute world to me. So my love letter to a year of listening is the scene that got me to start.

[reiderwriter]

♡ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ♡

Week 5 of my Playlist Series ♡

Summary: Spencer isn't used to clubs, but when duty calls, he's made to feel a little bit more welcome by a girl who seems to know him better than a stranger should.

Warnings: Smut 18+ Minors DNI!! Hotchner!Reader (Reader is Hotch's sister), semi-public sex (x2 oops), oral sex (m receiving), fingering, dry humping, hand job, cum play, dirty talk, degradation and name calling (slut only), use of daddy/sir even though this is like solidly season 1 Spencer lmao, corruption kink, loss of virginity (surprisingly the readers)

A/N: Every single intrusive thought I've ever had about s1 Reid tied up in a nice little bow masquerading as a song fic. It is finished, and now I feel flushed. Please expect only fluff from me until my next intrusive thought (maybe half an hour, probably no longer).

Masterlist || Spotify Playlist

Flashing lights and the scent of dried up alcohol stains weren't usually signs of Spencer Reid's presence. He'd managed to get through college - two degrees and three PhDs - without stepping foot into a nightclub. But now that he'd joined the BAU, it seemed to be an unavoidable occurrence. 

“The unsub hunts at this nightclub, I get that, I do. But why am I the one going in? He's targeting women,” he panicked as his older team member helped adjust his clothes to conceal the weapon he carried. 

“Because, pretty boy, it's student night, and you're the only one here who can pass for a 21 year old. I guess late puberty has some benefits.” Derek smacked his arm playfully, leaving the younger man wincing slightly. 

“But I'm not a woman.” 

“Yes, but you'll be able to walk around and note any suspicious behaviour, and then we can tail suspects you flag,” Hotch explained to him again. 

“Just act natural, kid, it's not like it's your first time in a club.” 

“It is.” His warnings fell on deaf ears though, as they pushed him out of the van and into the crowd of students queueing to enter. 

It didn't take you long to notice him after you arrived at the club.

The sweater vest was enough to make him stand apart slightly, as much as he was trying his best to blend in. A slight tingle of familiarity raced up your spine as his eyes awkwardly met yours, his scan of the room stopping short as he flushed and turned his eyes down. 

Pushing slightly to the crowd, you leaned over the counter next to him and tried to get the bartenders attention. It was loud and busy, but catching attention and keeping it was a skill you'd mastered early, a skill that you were thankful for as you realised the man's eyes were guiltily flicking between your ass and the crowd once again. 

“Are you going to stare, or are you going to introduce yourself,” you giggled, sliding closer to his perch at the bar, as he panicked, standing straighter. 

“I wasn't, um… your dress, there's a rip at the edge of your skirt, I was trying to figure out if it was part of the design because I know some clothes these days have damage built into the design, or if it was in need of some emergency… sewing.” His hands gesticulating awkwardly throughout his explanation, as if anxious to show you the jumble in his brain was entirely pure and innocent, even as the flush on his face said otherwise. 

“And your name is?” 

“I-.... Spencer. My name is Spencer.” 

You stood a little straighter hearing the name, that familiarity warming you more. Spencer. Spencer. Spencer. You turned the name over in your head but took another step closer as the crowd shifted in a wave, feeling the heat coming off his body. 

“Well, Spencer,” your tongue made the decision to act for your brain, the words coming out before you could stop them. “What conclusion did you draw? Do you think the rip was intentional or not?” 

Gently, you grabbed his hand and led it to the fabric. The skirt wasn't scandalously short, but short enough to suit the dark heated atmosphere of the club at least, but as his fingers grazed the back of your thighs, still hesitant in his actions, you found yourself wishing it were just that bit higher, so his hands would have to reach further up. 

With a gaze over your shoulder at the crowd, Spencer found himself at an impass. He'd already noted a few people of interest, loiterers, men getting a bit rough and aggressive in the club, people on the outskirts (like him, he supposed) that could possibly be their unsub. 

He'd been given the all clear to disengage and leave the club as effortlessly as he could  bit something in your initial gaze had pinned him to place at the bar, and refused still to let him see reason. 

“I think it's a design feature. To draw attention to…” he swallowed hard, but you weren't sure if he was just being delicate about his words or if he was reacting to the hand that was now on him, dragging nails up from his abdomen to his chest. 

“Good observation, Spencer.” 

“Your name. You didn't tell me what your name was.” He said, grabbing your hand to stop its progress and breathing deeply as if to clear his head. 

“Y/N. We should dance.” Without giving him time to react, you abandoned your drink on the counter and pulled his arm around your waist, dragging him out to the crush of people in the middle of the dance floor. 

His protests were lost in the pulse of the music, as you kept your back to him and began grinding and swaying against him. His hands tightened on your hips as he gently started moving with you, and you threw your head back to catch his eye again. 

Spencer didn't know what he'd gotten himself into. He knew that very little actually dancing actually went on at a club, that this was just a more polite socially acceptable form of foreplay, but he didn't know that it would have such an effect on him. 

A mess of sweaty, intoxicated people spilling drinks and other fluids, and he thought he'd stay there forever if it kept your hips torturing his cock like that. 

When you glanced up at him, he was a man lost to his senses, lust clouding his eyes, mouth slightly open in a pant, you reached up to his neck and pulled his lips down to meet yours. 

You were surprised when it was his to guess to reach out first, his hand that trailed under your shirt without tours guiding it. You'd picked up a fairly innocent man at the bar and turned him into a pervert in the space of one dance. It felt like the club was watching you, how his hands grazed the skin under your breasts and caused the shiver up your spine, how your back arched to press deeper against his election. 

You may have tempted him into taking this risk, but he was the one gleefully nosediving into his fall from grace. 

“Spencer,” you whispered as he came up for air, lips resting at your ear. “I think we should get some fresh air.” 

Something in that seemed logical. It was colder outside. Maybe it would cool off whatever had lit him up like a pyre on the dance floor. Maybe the fresh air would clear his head. Or maybe just the open space would help him detangle his hands from you, would lead his thoughts away from burying himself deep in you. 

He would gladly take you outside, bid you farewell, and return to his job and his life. It was a solid exit for his first cover - who was going to question the young lovers leaving together. 

You had a feeling that the idea of outside would have Spencer pulling away from you, but you hadn't had your fill of fun just yet. 

So just as you led him onto the dancefloor, you kept a hand over his, around your waist, and you guided him out of the club, down the street a few paces, and into a darkened alleyway. 

“Y/N, we shouldn't be-” he tried to stutter out as you pulled him in for another kiss. His brain was trying to protest, but his hands were already back on your ass, pulling you up and closer to him. 

“What was that?” You said between kisses, his mouth launching an assault against each inch of your skin. 

He gasped for breath and pulled back, realising that he'd lifted and pinned you to the cold brick wall of the alley in his haste to feel you pressed against him. 

“Y/N… I don't want to take advantage of you, I'm not-” 

“I'm taking advantage of you, Spencer,” you said, nipping at his neck slowly raking your hands into his shoulders. “Am I allowed to do that? Can I take all of you, Spencer?” 

His eyes rolled back in his head as he let put a groan of pleasure, your lips sucking at the tender flesh of his nape. 

“I-I'm not a student, and-” 

“I know, but you are such a pretty boy that I decided I wanted to have some fun with you.” 

His resolve broke in half as you uttered your compliments, and his lips met yours in a moan as his hands pushed your skirt up around your waist. 

His finger trailed between your hips and his, using the wall to balance you as he pushed aside your panties and began slowly stroking your sex. 

Your hips pitched forward to press more of his slender fingers against you,  desperate to feel him stretch your cunt open first with one, then two, then however many he decided was good enough for you. 

Leaving one hand on his shoulder, you let one trail down his pants, stepping one foot down to allow you access to his zipper. 

He pauses Again for a second as you manage to get his pants open, your hand pulling his cock free from the constraint of his clothing. Spitting on your hand, you wrap around it firmly and slowly pump up and down, looking him directly in the eye as you watch the pleasure pour over him. 

His forehead rests against yours as he melts into your touch, so desperate, needing to cum so badly that he's willing to let it happen in this dark dirty alley. 

“Spencer, I want to have a lot of fun with you. Will you let me?” 

“Yes, fuck Y/N.” He nods, his hips rocking into your hand with each slow stroke you give him. 

“Spencer,” you say, rocking your hips forward and pushing your panties further to the side once again. “Spencer, please fuck me. Take my virginity, Spencer, please.” 

His mind whirled at the sentence, the pleas dropping from your lips. Virginity. You were a virgin. 

You'd had him cock stiff after three minutes of conversation  had pulled him into an alleyway and lost him in a fog of pleasure, and you were still innocent. Untouched. 

You wanted to have your fun with him. You'd chosen him. 

He couldn't articulate the lust that coated his tongue, so he simply pushed it into your mouth  grabbed his cock from your hands, lined himself up with your drippy cunt and pushed in with a single thrust. 

You gasped and let out a moan, not quite fully pleasurable. Your hands again found his shouldend, his back, but your nails were sharper this time, digging in further, almost piercing skin. 

“Fuck, Spencer, yes,” you said, breathing shakily as you slowly started moving around his cock. 

“Did it hurt?” 

“It doesn't hurt anymore. Now, please Spencer, fuck me and don't hold back. It's more fun that way.” 

He pulled your hips closer, moaning as you tightened around him. Pressing one hand against the wall and keeping another hand gripped so hard around your hip you knew it'd bruise, he began moving. 

He began slow, trying not to lose himself in the feel of your unused, tight hole. But with each small moan, each scratch against his back, he lost a little bit more of that control he was begging for. 

With his hands engaged, his brows furrowed I'm frustration that he couldn't stroke your bundle of nerves, he couldn't force you to cum on his cock as quickly as he wanted to. 

“Y/N, look at me.” You opened your eyes at the words, unaware that they'd closed tight as you emptied all other senses to just feel him. 

“Touch yourself. Right there, that's it,” he watched your fingers rub delicately against your skin, spoke little words of encouragement, and told you to increase your speed and pleasure. 

“That's it. That's it, now it's time for you to cum, Y/N. Cum on my cock, rub your little clit for me and cum around my big cock, Y/N.” 

“Shit… shit, shit, shit, Spencer, oh my god.” Your hands shook, and your hips twitched, and with a cry, you reached that high you'd been craving since you met his eyes earlier. 

He pulled out of you, slowly pulling you off the wall, as he held you up, letting your legs regain their strength. His cock was still hard, still coated in your arousal as he took care of you. 

You caught your breath fast, regained tour strength quicker as you noticed he didn't plan on getting himself off anymore. He let you have your fun with him and was happy to end it all there. 

You weren't. 

“Spencer,” you sang again, wrapping a hand once again around his erection as he tried to straighten out your now slightly more ripped skirt. “Spencer, it's more fun of we both cum. I want you to make a mess of my hand, can you do that for me?” 

You stroked his cock with a firmer grip than before, your arousal lubricating each stroke, his pre-cum mingling with it to aid you further. You suddenly wondered what he would taste like, but knew your legs would be too weak to do everything your heart desired today. 

There was always tomorrow. 

He leaned his weight back on the wall behind you, forcing you back as well as you pumped him quickly so desperate to hear him moan your name as he spilt his seed. 

“Y/N,” he moaned, and you were triumphant. His hips jerked once, then twice, then a third time, and he stilled, heaving breaths as he buried his head in your shoulder. 

He swallowed and regained his breath, and as he pulled away, you pulled your fingers to your lips and lapped up the final drops of cum that he left there. 

Most of it had his the wall, dripped to the floor, but you enjoyed these few drops and smiled brightly at him, pulling a handkerchief that you knew would be in his pocket out and cleaning the two of you up. 

He flushed again as he came back to his senses, especially as you attempted to put his clothed to rights, stepping back to replace his softening cock in his pants.

“Well,” you said after setting yourself to rights, “Thank you for the fun night, Spencer. See you tomorrow.” 

You skipped off quickly before he had a second to even process your words. 

The next day at the local precinct was a blur for Spencer as he tried to drag himself from the drug induced haze of meeting you. He'd stroked himself to completion two more times in bed after he returned to his motel room, reliving the sound of you begging him to take you, the words ‘pretty boy’ on your lips as you spread your legs. 

It'd taken his entire brain, or what was left of it, to not jump out of his skin every time Morgan had teased him with the words that morning.

“Now how did you like your first club experience, pretty boy? Did any college cuties throw themselves at you?” 

He spat up his coffee, choosing that moment to choke, and begging god for this to just be the end of Spencer Reid entirely. 

Because there was no way Morgan would actually believe that that was exactly what had happened. 

“Morgan, Gideon wants you in the interrogation room, and- wow, Spencer, you should change your shirt. What are you, 5? You can't drink coffee properly?” Elle said, chuckling slightly.

“I choked,” he frowned, but it fell on deaf ears as his teammates walked away quickly to get back to their jobs. 

He wished he could recover so quickly, even now the image of you having your fun with him the night before playing like a movie in his head. 

Looking down, he realised Elle was right, and he really did need to change his shirt. Hotch always had a few spare on hand, even for cases out of the office. He grabbed some tissues, dabbing against the mess of coffee on his shirt, suddenly thankful for lukewarm police precinct coffee, and started making his way towards Hotch. 

“Hey, Hotch-” he made it three steps before your voice cried out. 

“Ronnie!!” You shouted, throwing your hands around your elder brother as he caught you in a hug. 

“Y/N, we're at a police station. If you're going to come see me, you have to at least call me Aaron.” 

“And not take the chance to embarrass you in front of your peers and coworkers? Not a chance, Ronnie. Not a chance.” He chuckled fondly, brushing away his complaints quickly as he turned to introduce you to JJ first, then Elle and then the frozen statue that had replaced Spencer. 

“And, Y/N, this is Dr. Spencer Reid. Spencer, this is my sister, Y/N. She's a student at the university.” 

You held out your hand with a triumphant grin as Spencer stared in wide-eyed horror at the apparition in front of him. 

“Hello, Spencer. It's very nice to finally meet you. My brother has told me a lot about you, and I'm very excited to pick your brains.” 

The air seemed to explode around Spencer as each breath became deliriously hot, filling his lungs with fire. It was moments before he realised that he wasn't actually breathing at all, and the air was actually quite normal. 

Your hand remained out, ready to greet him, and to the surprise of his coworkers, he took it in his for a short shake. 

“Y/N. Hotch's sister, Y/N. Nice to meet you, Y/N Hotchner, Hotch's sister.” 

He could practically hear the audible sound of Elle and JJ smacking a hand against their faces in horror at his stupidly obvious reaction to the woman in front of him. If he wasn't careful, he'd be spouting confessions of desire soon, and knowing that Aaron Hotchner carried two guns on his person even now did nothing to calm his thoughts. 

“Okay, well, Y/N, I'm busy with some interrogations now, but I can drive you back to your apartment in half an hour if you're okay to wait with JJ?” 

“Are you busy, Spencer?” You asked instead, keeping her eyes locked on the man who still weakly shook her hand, unaware of when the right time to stop would be. 

“I was serious when I said I wanted to pick your brain, my brother said you had a PhD in Engineering and I'm struggling through a class right now that I need some guidance in if you can spare five minutes?” 

Spencer stared between Hotch and you, looking for the right answer to please present itself before he imploded right there. 

“Yes. PhD, I have a PhD. Three actually, but whose counting? Me. I just counted them. One of them is in mathematics, actually, so I guess I'm always counting.” He finally dropped your hand, and you gave him a wider smile that dropped his heart to his stomach. “I am free, unless you needed me for something else, Hotch?” 

His gaze was pleading, though he wasn't sure if he was begging for his life, five more minutes alone with you or the power to extricate himself from this situation entirely, but Hotch nodded his acceptance quickly and let you lead Spencer off to the small, empty visitors room at the opposite side of the precinct. 

You shut the door behind you when you walked in, leaning over to close the blinds as well before you turned back to Spencer. 

“Your shirt is wet. You should probably take it off,” you giggled as you trailed a hand up his arm once again. 

His hand grabbed yours before you could do any more damage to his tender nerves than you'd already managed that morning. 

“You knew the entire time? Who I was?” 

“I walked over because you seemed familiar, but I only figured it out when you said your name. My brother does talk about you a lot.”

“Hotch is going to kill me,” he said, slumping down into the chair behind him. “Y/N, your brother was outside the club. He could've seen us leave.” 

You climbed into his lap, and his eyes finally met yours again, his tongue stopping its hopeless tirade as you relaxed into his chest. 

“I have two older brothers, Spencer. Do you know how often they've been able to tell me what to do?” Your hands started down his shirt, making quick work of the buttons as he stared up, enthralled. 

“Not once have they been able to stop me from doing something I wanted.” 

He scoffed quickly, unable to help himself. Your hands gripped either side of his face and lifted his head to meet your gaze again. 

“And right now, Spencer, I really want you.” A roll of your hips was enough to have him hissing and grabbing your hips. You started steadily rocking into him, eyes still locked with his. 

“Y/N, please let's be sensible.” 

“I don't want to be sensible, I want to have fun. I want to suck your dick right here, and let you cum in my mouth. I want to scream your name and let everyone know who is giving me pleasure. Can't I do that, Spencer?” 

“No,” he groaned, his eyes screwed shut as you dry humped him, trying to get yourself off on his lap, his.cock rising with each of your quiet moans. 

“Spencer, please. I want your big, hard cock back inside me. Please, please, please. I'll be a good girl, I promise.” 

His eyes shot open in incredulity as he watched you use his body as you saw fit. 

“Good girls don't lose their virginities in alleyways, Y/N. Good girls don't throw themselves at their brothers' coworkers. Good girls listen when they're told no, and don't try to suck cock in public, like little sluts.” He spat each word at you, bit you enjoyed each insult he hurled your way, enjoyed the way his body recoiled as he finally called you a slut. 

He seemed slightly shocked by his anger himself, but you didn't seem to care. It took you only seconds after to push your lips against his again and have your hands on his cock once again, pulling him out of his pants as his hands explored you just as eagerly. 

“Yeah, Spencer, your little slut. I'm such a little slut for you, please fuck me.” 

He buried a hand in your hair, tipping your head back so his tongue could probe deeper, his other hand already under your shirt and teasing one nipple. You lifted your hips and sunk down onto his cock, neither of you stopping to think again about your actions as you began to rode him. 

“30 minutes, Y/N, by now we have 24 minutes and 17 seconds. Can you manage that, Y/N?” 

“Yes, sir.” You said, feeling his dick twitch as you rode him. “Oh did you like that? You liked me calling you, sir?” His hips pressed up again, his body answering more honestly than his tongue. 

“What else can I call you? Spencer… sir….daddy?” 

He broke away from his place buried in your neck to push the two of you down to the floor, the new angle had you gasping as a hand covered your mouth stifling any screams you could make before you made them. 

“Be quiet and cum on my cock, Y/N,” he whispered and picked up his pace, one hand gagging you while the other pulled painfully at your nipple, pinching it between two hands and using it to lift your entire chest so your body was arched toward him, letting him go deeper. 

“Yes, Daddy,” you whispered again, against his fingers, tempted to wrap your lips around one and suck it into your mouth. 

“Fuck, just call me Spencer, Y/N.” 

But you couldn't respond, suddenly overcome with the numbness of you orgasm washing over you as you bit back a choked cry. 

“That's it, good job, Y/N. You listen so well, good job.” He rubbed soothing circles into your chest as his hips slowed, working you through your orgasm as he withdrew once again. 

This time though, he didn't try to pull away and leave himself hard, but sat himself up, and lifted you once again too, putting slight pressure at the back of your head until you were on your knees and letting your head fall down, down, down as your lips wrapped around his wet cock. 

You took him in your mouth, and tasted the bitter, salty flavor of your illicit activities, lapping every last bit of your joint pleasure up as he pushed your hair up and down his cock. 

It didn't take long for his hips to press up into your mouth slightly harder than before, his hands holding you steady as he came down your throat. He held your head there for a minute two, as you tried your best to breathe and stay there, taking as much of his cum down your throat as you could. He pulled your head off him and you swallowed the rest, smiling brightly at him as you did so. 

“Thank you for the fun, Spencer,” You said again, grabbing your phone and checking the time. 

Standing up, you pulled your clothes back in place, pulling your skirt down and your panties up, smoothing out the tangles in your hair. 

“Let me go get you that spare shirt, Doctor Reid,” you said, opening the door. “I'm very grateful for your help with my class load, sir.” 

His head fell back into his hands as you closed the door, leaving him to wonder just what the hell he'd got himself in for. 

[alisblackgf]

okok hear me out.... yk the scene in s1 where the old guy (mr han i think) hugs hyun su and hyun su basically kills him with his monster wing thing what if reader took mr hans place and hyun su killed reader, but then reader comes back as a neohuman and they reunite in s2 (i hope this made sense pls im bad at explaining)

someone cooked here. LMAO anon you're a genius

rememberance

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: cha hyun-su x gn!reader

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: hurt/comfort(?)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you died by his hands, and he never forgave himself for it. that was until he saw you standing alive and well in front of him.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: i didn't know if i wanted to make it an established relationship or not, so that's up to you! also when i finished this i thought it was way longer than it actually was. hopefully you still enjoy it!

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: mentions of death, blood, basically anything you'd see in sweet home

"it's not your fault."

your voice echoed in his mind continuously. part of him wishes he could forget, the other part of him wishes it'd stay forever.

he remembered the way your arms wrapped around him, even when your skin was pierced by his wing.

"it's not your fault," you whispered, your grasp slightly loosening due to your injuries. you could feel yourself slipping away.

you used your final breaths to reassure him, relief taking over your features when his wing turned back into his arm, and the pure blackness of his eyes returned to the eyes you'd stare into with adoration.

once he fully processed the situation, he held you tightly and cried into you. you held him back for as long as you could, and once he felt your arms let him go, he cried harder.

he remembered how your lifeless body felt. the weight of you was still there, but everything else that made you you was gone.

it had been a year since it happened. he thought it'd get better with time, but it hadn't. he catches himself thinking about you more often than he should, but he can't—he won't—let himself forget you.

he didn't think that his determination to keep your memory alive would lead to hallucinations of you. was he hallucinating?

eun-yu stood next to him, and upon seeing you, she ran up to you and hugged you. you hugged her back and gave her a soft smile. she pulled away, and your gaze landed on him.

he definitely wasn't hallucinating.

he looked different than when you last saw him. his hair grew out a bit more, and you observed his shirt.

it looked cut up, and you could only assume it was from his wing. the same one that "killed" you. you winced at the memory, convinced you could almost feel the tears in your skin again.

you had changed, too, though. your hair was different, more suitable to the outbreak of monsters, and your choice of clothing was, too. it's not something he expected you to wear, but it looked good on you.

he walked towards you and you stood before him, unmoving, just as shocked as he was.

"hyun-su?" you reached out to touch his face, and once he felt your touch, he gave a shaky sigh and tears began to fall.

you wiped his tears and gently shushed him, pulling him into an embrace. he buried his face into your neck, mumbling apologies.

"i'm sorry," he cried into you, just like he did when your pierced skin leaked blood onto him.

"i know. it wasn't your fault." you held him tight, expressing that your grasp wouldn't falter this time, and you let him stay in your arms as long as he needed to, because this time, you weren't going anywhere.

[hayleythesugarbowl]

CHANDLER HCS PLEASE 🙏😭 i know you have some pretty popular Joey hcs and i would love some for Chandler Bing i love him so much thank you in advance

chandler bing x reader headcanons

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist • f•r•i•e•n•d•s masterlist ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

a/n: happy to give you the chandler content you deserve. i imagine this to take place in s1. hope you enjoy!! 💌🍒

edit!! i changed the picture because i found a more aesthetic one lol but same post 😌

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

dating chandler would include…

so when he first saw you he thought you were way out of his league 

but joey convinced him to ask you out 

and you found his awkwardness adorable 

but you had to say ‘yes, I’ll go out with you’ a few times before he believed you 

‘are you sure? because don’t worry if you’re rejecting me, i’m good at this part.’

he took you to an aquarium for your first date because he had free tickets

(‘you know, i’ve never really seen the appeal of these things. i mean, do you think in another world fish go pay to see us walk around in our homes?’ you laughed at that.)

and one of the tanks broke and soaked you both

after giving you his jacket and walking you back to your apartment he said:

‘let me guess, you’ll call me?’

‘what? you think one wet, fishy date is going to stop me from seeing you again?’

‘from your tone im guessing no, in which case I’m thrilled and I’ll call you as soon as i get to my apartment.’

you kissed him as he stood there blushing 

and you were all he could talk about for weeks. 

he found ways to bring you up in every conversation 

‘speaking off coffee, you know (y/n)…” 

he loves cuddling with you

and watching tv in his chair together

which started because joey didn’t want anyone else siting in his chair 

he brags about you all the time to his friends

joey flirts with you whenever you go back to chandler’s apartment 

but it’s all in good fun and joey is thrilled to see chandler so happy 

chandler asks you for fashion advice constantly 

‘ok be honest: do i look like my grandmother in this?’

he gets so easily flustered like 😫 ajhfsfagajslf 

‘you’re so sexy’

‘i—you—you think I’m sexy? i mean, um, i—i just made it un-sexy didn’t i?’

he even quit smoking for you 

he needs reassurance that you love him and that he’s good enough for you all the time 

when you’re at work or he’s at work he calls you literally every hour just to say ‘hi’

he asks rachel and monica and phoebe for advice on how to please you 

you become really close with all of his friends and they love you so much 

chandler can always make you smile or laugh even on your worst days 

and he enjoys doing so

you play with his hair all the time

‘my parents? are you sure we don’t want to go see your family for the holidays?’

he said i love you first 

and then panicked that you weren’t going to say it too, as he tried to backtrack 

but you assured him that you loved him so much 

when you first started going out, he knew that he really liked you 

but as time went on he found himself falling more and more in love with you 

and that scared him 

until he realized that he was ready. that he wanted to be in a long-term relationship with you

maybe spend the rest of his life with you 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ˋ°•*⁀➷ hope this is what you wanted. i love writing for chandler so much. also rip matthew perry 🤍

[inthebitterwatchesofthenight]

Five and Lila (nonromantic) subway headcanons

Like everyone I really hated the Five x Lila storyline and the butchered potential of their almost-sibling relationship development.

But one thing that really ticked me, and that I haven't really read about yet, is: that timeskip montage looks like 3 weeks, maybe 2 months at best, not SIX FUCKING YEARS. In six years, people visibly age, especially under duress, if, for example, the only thing they can eat is rats?? (I'm not even talking about how they managed to keep roughly the same clothes and haircuts for six years without any explanation, or how they miraculously cleaned up before going back to Diego and Lila's precisely at the right point in time...) In six years alone with another person, you would probably struggle keeping your sanity, and the end result for each of them would probably look something like early stages of Apocalypse S1 Five. In six years alone with another person, even with prior attraction (which would already be ooc for both of them but whatever let's just grant them that for the sake of the argument), you would end up HATING each other all the way through your codependent relationship. I could see them having sex after six months (still following those creepy-ass ooc assumptions), but I could certainly NOT see them kissing softly and romantically wine-dining after SIX YEARS (the time those goddamn showrunners told us it took for passion to die down in a perfect marriage?? How about helltrap subway then??)

So after that really long preamble, here are my headcanons for what that subway section should really have looked like:

No Five x Lila, obviously

They bicker all the time; this escalates into outright fights. At some point, Lila storms off somewhere and they lose each other for five months.

When they realise they're not going home anytime soon, Five finds a timeline with a Dolores (other than the original one) and steals her away, because he's going to need her to cope through this. (Of course, he needs to apologize to her for being gone this long.)

At first, Lila thinks that Five is nuts for talking to Dolores, but in a matter of days she understands the urge and Dolores becomes her best friend. Five and Lila fight over Dolores's approval all. the. time.

Lila collects little trinkets to bring home to Grace and the twins (like the plushies in New Grumpson). After two years the gift bag has got way too big and Five helps her sort out the ones she really wants to keep; she bawls her eyes out and they arrange the throwaway gifts neatly on a bench, just in case they can come back and get them.

They find some really weird and fun timelines. Don't care what, they just do. Lila almost gets killed trying to bring home a souvenir.

Five and Lila find Max's Delicatessen together. By the way, there's a few Lilas there, ones that also met Fives. Lila can vent about her relationship trouble Diego with another Lila who has also married a Diego. But the other Diego is dead, and Lila realizes just how much she wants to get home before that happens.

This is a bit irrelevant, but that Five deli paradox psychosis plothole is explained by a random artefact created by Commission Five (like in his room in S3 I think?).

Five and Lila wait a short while in the deli to make a plan about the apocalypse. Another Five arrives, finds out about the marigold, and says out loud that the solution would be to erase all Hargreeves siblings from existence. A few seconds of silence, and then all the other Fives slaughter him because what kind of Five would to this to their family???? This is also one of the purposes of the deli, by the way. To make sure no Five comes out of the subway with delirious, dangerous ideas about harming their siblings.

Five and Lila realise that if Viktor can take away the marigold from people like Harlan, then he can take it away from his siblings. And what about Viktor himself? Well, Lila can mimic his powers and they can take away each other's marigold at the same time, and lose their powers just as they're done. Darn, why didn't they think of this sooner?

Lila tries to relook Five. After four or five years, he gives in, sees the end result and immediately finds a timeline with a suit to steal so as to fix this freakish mistake. He wears a hat for a while to try and hide his undercut hair.

Lila sings a lot. Five lets her, and just mumbles about her lousy tastes in music to Dolores.

Lila adopts a monstrous pet (three-headed cat? Giant bee?) for a few stops, and it mysteriously disappears at some point. Major fight ensues. Maybe this is why she leaves for a while.

In another timeline, they briefly meet a version of Diego that's not dead yet. He tries to kill them, Lila tells him that he's a great dad, he's weirded out and runs away.

Five picks up littered newspaper to see if there's anything interesting. He becomes a crossword addict. He moves to a new special interest puzzle game every few months.

After a fight, Five's big making-up strategy is to sit down next to Lila and start talking shit about the Handler. It kinda works.

I'm gonna stop here, this is already way too long. Please share your own headcanons if you have any!

[chaniceroses]

Bad Boys Ride or Die (Armando x Reader) PART THIRTEEN (LAST PART OF S1)

Death. The end of the life of a person or organism. A permanent ending. Such a weird thing to be able to grasp. A person is here with you one minute and then gone the next while time slowly passes by, ignoring the fact that person once existed. It had been a couple months since the operation happened. Since the death of McGrath and the passing of Armando and Ladybug.  You took a deep breath and knocked on the door that was in front of you. You weren’t sure what reactions you were about to receive from the other end since it’s been a minute since you’ve last seen them. However you knew that it was time to stop running from the pain and just face the fact that Armando wasn’t here anymore.

You could feel yourself become self-conscious. Becoming uncomfortable in the clothes that you were wearing. You had cut your hair short, allowing your tight curls to shape itself into a small circular shape. You looked down to see a small table next to the door. Setting down the pan that you were holding, you began to straighten out your dress and jacket. You weren’t sure what Mike and the others would say once they saw you. Would you be too awkward? Too weird? You took a deep breath, knocked on the door and then grabbed the pan to hold it in front of you.

“You look fine, no worries.”, you thought.

“Well here goes nothing…”, you whispered to yourself as you waited for the door to open. You listened as you began to hear loud voices approach the door. Watching as the door opened, you were greeted by Marcus and Mike arguing with each other. You cleared your throat and watched as they turned their attention from each other onto you. You could feel your heart drop while their eyes burned into your skin. What were they thinking? Did they like your new look?

“Hey…”, you smiled, nervously holding up the pan of macaroni and cheese that was in your hand. You watched as they slowly examined you up and down. 

“Hey!”, Marcus grinned. “You look different.”

“Is that bad?”you asked, looking at him. You could feel the back of your neck become hot, hoping that it wasn’t a horrible thing.

“Hell no! You look good, I love it.”, Mike added, pulling you in.

You turned your attention to Mike and then back to Marcus, seeing him nodding his head in agreement. You could feel the nervousness leave your body, it had been a couple months since you have seen the team so you weren’t sure how they would react however so far, good reactions.

 You followed him inside and watched as Marcus shut the door.

“How have you been…it’s been a long time since we’ve seen you.”, Mike asked, while looking at you.

“No seriously, we need to catch up because this new look…with your hair and this glow that’s going on, we are needed for conversation, a good one.”, Marcus smiled, grabbing the pan out of your hand and walking towards the kitchen.

“Yeah...”, you mumbled, looking around Mike’s house. You turned your attention past the kitchen that led to the backyard. “Is that where everyone is at? Dorn and Kelly?”

“Yeah but just to warn you. Rita is here…. I know that you guys don’t get along, so as your partner… I figured it’ll be good for me to warn you.”, Mike explained, waving at you to follow him.

“Thanks for the heads up.”, you replied, following him to the backyard. You appreciated the fact that he took the time out about Rita’s presence. You didn’t exactly hate her, however the attitude that she always had bothered you. You liked peace and being around those who seem to hate that, made you dislike them.

You watched as Dorn, Kelly, and Rita laughed. Whatever conversation that they were having had to be good since Dorn’s face was turning red. 

“Hey guys you won’t believe who finally—”

“Y/N!!!”Kelly yelled, setting her drink down and running towards you. You met her half way and felt her hands wrap around you tightly.  It felt good to see Kelly, she was one of the only people beside Marcus and Mike to text and call you, even when you would go ghost. 

“It’s so good to see you y/n, seriously and you look amazing!”, she smiled, breaking the hug.

“Thank you and it’s good to see you too.”, you responded, watching as Dorn and Rita stood there.

“You look different, in a good way though.”, Dorn added while staring at you. You watched as he put his finger on his chin and walked around you.

“Your hair is different.”

“Yeah I cut it.”, you laughed, rubbing the back of your neck.

“Yeah but…it’s something else, there’s a glow on your face…I’ll figure it out.”, he continued, giving you a hug. 

“I said the exact same thing.”Marcus joined, pointing at you. You watched as everyone turned to look at you. They were examining your entire body and were looking at each other for clues. Answers.

“Well this is awkward…”, you whispered, turning your attention to the long table underneath the patio. “Sit down?”, you continued, trying to break the awkward silence that was happening. You turned around and began walking towards the long white table. Pulling out the chair and sitting down, you watched as the others followed.

“By the way, the food should be done in a few!”Reggie yelled, as he stood in front of the barbeque pit.

You watched as Mike and Marcus sat in the chairs next to you, as the others filled the rest.

“Where’s Christine and Theresa?”you asked, looking at Mike and Marcus.

“They are dealing with the kids right now, they should be out in a few.”Marcus responded, looking down at his phone.

“Y/N!”Christine and Theresa yelled in unison as they walked over to the table. You turned around to see Christine and Theresa walking towards you, while the rest of the family followed behind him.

“Hey you two look beautiful, as always.”, you smiled. Pulling your chair back to get up and hug them.

Hugging Christine and then Theresa, you sat back down and watched as each person sat in an empty chair. 

“It’s so good to see you y/n, it’s been forever.”, Christine beamed, leaning into the table.

“I know, it has.”

“Yeah how have you been holding, what have you been doing these last…what…six...seven months?”Marcus questioned, setting his phone down.

You observed as everyone turned their attention to you, allowing curiosity to be shown across their faces.

“I’m good..holding up.”, you chuckled, leaning back into your chair. You knew that was a lie and you were sure that they knew it also. You were holding on by a thread, each and every day. Barely surviving, however, now without a choice.

“How are you really?”

“DORN?!”Kelly yelled, awkwardly while looking at him.

“What? I mean no harm, it’s just that…it's obvious?”, he explained, pointing at you. You watched as everyone slowly turned their attention back to you after listening to Dorn. 

“I’m good, really.”, you replied, allowing a small smile to leave your lips. You watched as Marcus and Mike looked at each other and then at everyone else.

“Can everyone go inside for a couple of minutes? Just to allow us to talk.”Mike questioned, turning his chair completely towards you. You knew where this was heading. You had been avoiding everyone, especially Mike and Marcus for months. You weren’t ready to face reality, to come in terms with the present. You watched as Dorn tried to reason with Mike about staying since he considers himself to be the “therapist” of the group, however Mike wasn’t having it.

“Mr.Lowery, do I have to leave?”, Reggie stiffly asked, while checking on the food.

“You’re good Reggie.”

You observed as Mike pulled out his phone and sat it on the table. His attention now being back on you, the both of them, staring you down intensely as if you had just committed a crime.

“What?”

“What happened to you these last seven months?”Mike asked, leaning back into his chair.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what he means, y/n.”, Marcus answered, leaning towards you.

“You stopped contacting us, we tried to stay in contact with you but you just…went ghost.”, Mike explained.

“Yeah and you know that we promised Armando that we will always be there for you but…we can’t if you don’t allow us to y/n.”, Marcus sighed.

You could feel your nose start to slowly burn and your chest slowly tighten. You cleared your throat and lightly shook your head.

“I’m sorry guys.”, you apologized, rubbing the back of your neck. “I wasn’t trying to ignore you guys but after everything had happened, it just all took a toll on me…That’s all. Nothing personal.”

“We know, we’ve just been worried about you. You changed your work schedule so—”

“I’ve been thinking about transferring guys.”, you interrupted while looking at them.

You knew that it was random, however it was needed. You didn’t want to get too deep into the conversation because you knew that it would bring up everything that has been happening for the last six months. You began to examine their faces and could see hurt begin to fill their eyes. That wasn’t your intention however, you knew that it was for the best.

“What? Why?”, Marcus sighed, looking at Mike and then back at you.

“I need something new. Something calm and collective, I'm tired of chasing people guys. Look where it led us to. This isn’t the kind of life I want to live, not anymore plus it’s not like I have a choice.”, you whispered, throwing your head back to swallow the lump that was slowly entering your throat.

“What do you mean? You have to Think about it  y/n, we promised Armando that we will watch over you, we know that you’re not doing okay and that something is going on with you right now as we speak.”

“Mike’s right, you look good as hell but something isn’t right. I can feel it y/n.”

You brought your head back up and watched as they stared at you confusingly.

“Reggie…”, you sighed, turning towards him to see him preparing the food table. 

“What’s up y/n?”, he replied, walking over to you. You got up from your chair and asked Reggie if he could tell everyone to come back to the table. You watched as he headed inside and turned your attention back to Marcus and Mike. They watched as a nervous expression appeared across your face. Getting up from their chair and walking towards you, you took a step back and waved your hand towards them to stop them from getting closer to you.

“I have something to tell you guys, but let's wait until everyone comes over here. Okay.”, you sighed, looking over to see everyone walking towards you.

“What’s wrong?!”Theresa yelled, walking to stand next to Marcus.

“I just wanted everyone here so that we can talk and so I can tell you guys something.”, you explained, looking at Theresa.

You watched as everyone stood there and looked at you, waiting for you to say something. You were slowly becoming anxious and weren’t sure if you should say something or just wait until the day came.

“Y/n…”, Mike whispered looking at you. “Whatever it is, it can’t be bad. Hell, we’re here for you no matter what it may be, you know that.”

You listened as everyone mumbled in agreement.

“Okay well, you guys know that it’s been difficult for me since..y’know, Armando died.”, you whispered, taking slow glances at everyone. You watched Mike slightly stare at Marcus, then at Christine and then back at you.

“And I haven’t seen you guys since his funeral and with me basically avoiding you guys until today…I just want to thank you guys for being my family, even when I may not act like yours. So with that being said, I have something to tell you guys and show you.”, you sighed.

You began to dig in your jacket pocket, feeling for the small box that you planted inside of it earlier before you got here. You were hesitant at first to show them however, you knew that it was time. You grabbed the box and held it up, watching as everyone looked at it confusingly.

“Inside this, is something that I hope is important to you guys. The way that it is for me.”, You shyly smiled, opening it and revealing the inside of the box to them. You watched as they stepped closer to the box and stared at it. 

“Two mini tie’s?”Mike confusingly asked, grabbing it and holding them up.

“Wait…I FUCKING KNEW IT!”, Dorn happily yelled, turning to Kelly.

“No fucking way?! Are you serious y/n?!”, she laughed, pushing her way through the crowd.

You were happy that Kelly and Dorn were ecstatic but looking at everyone else…they had a bewildered look on their faces.

“What the hell does this mean?”, Marcus asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

You took an annoyed sigh and took off your jacket. Pulling back your dress, you turned sideways and  revealed the outline of your stomach that was now poking through the dress.

“I’m pregnant with twins.  Seven months…”, you nervously smiled. You watched as Mike's eyes almost popped out of his head while Christine began clapping. Kelly was still screaming, Marcus nearly passed out and Dorn was repeating how he knew it.

“How…what..whe— oh.”, Mike whispered, while looking at you. You could see sweat begin to form on his head, he was nervous and his facial expression nearly looked like he had seen a ghost.

You didn’t think that you cared much about everyone’s opinion but now, you were curious about how Marcus and Mike felt. Especially Mike.

“Congratulations y/n, I’m happy for you!”Reggie smiled, walking up to you to give you a hug.

“Also the food is done guys so you can make your plates.”, Reggie continued walking towards the food.

“Same here, if you need anything…We’re both here for you. Just a call away.”, Marcus' daughter added, putting her hand on your stomach and then walking away.

“That explains a lot! I knew something wasn’t right, at first I thought maybe you just had a bad time and gained a lot of weight which isn’t a bad thing….however, this explains the glow.”, Dorn smiled, giving you a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you y/n.”

“Dorn not too tight, you’re going to suffocate her.”, Kelly laughed, slapping him on his arm to let you go. You were released from his tight grip and then hugged Kelly. The smell of vanilla filled your nose and the way she hugged you brought you comfort and peace. 

“You’re going to be sick of me….”, she laughed, letting you go and walking away.

You turned to look at Rita and watched as she gave you a slight smile and walked away. You, Mike and Marcus…the only three standing while the others prepared their plates. You were secretly praying to God in your head, hoping that they would support you because in the end, they were the ones who truly mattered to you.

“Mike…Marcus?”, you whispered, folding the jacket over your arms.

Mike stepped away from you leaving a good distance between him,  you and Marcus. You watched as he pulled out his phone,  began messing with it and then started talking on the phone.

“Come over here.”, Marcus whispered, creating more distance away from Mike

You were worried, why was Mike looking at you like that? Acting that way? You stared at Marcus confusingly, while waiting for a response. Until he broke the silence.

“How far along are you…when is the baby due?”, Marcus asked

“Seven months, my due date is in November, but they think that I may have them really early, what is it?”, you replied, looking at him.

“Nothing…nothing at all. We have been worried about you, especially Mike…and now this kind of explains the distance.”, Marcus explained, looking down at your stomach.

“Yeah, I'm so sorry for that. It’s just been tough for me since Armando’s death and then weeks later finding out that I was pregnant.”

“It is….Armando’s, right? Like I already know the answer to this but just to be sure, since you were gone for seven months and with you know…the hotel and stuff.”, Mike stuttered, walking back towards you and Marcus.

“Yeah it is and I know…I should’ve made a smart decision that night because now I'm alone so please don’t badger me.”, you whispered in defeat. You watched as an offensive expression came across their face.

“Y/n…you’re a grown woman for one and two we would never “badger you”.” Marcus sighed looking at Mike and then back at you.

“True..it’s just been hard, this pregnancy. With dealing with stress, grief, and depression. Life  just has been tough.”, you mumbled, trying to blink the tears that were trying to make an appearance away.

“Do you remember what Armando told you, before he got into the water?”Mike asked, turning his body to face the lake that covered his backyard. 

You turned your attention towards the lake and began to stare at it. Reminiscing you and Armando’s last conversation before he died. Everything was beautifully said, even if it was said more out of the fear of not being able to say it again.

“Yeah.”

“So just keep that in mind y/n, because he meant it.”Mike reassured, while clearing his throat.

“You're a good girl…Mike and I got you, remember that.”, Marcus smiled, randomly giving you a hug. You watched as Mike turned around and looked at you, you could see tears form in his eyes. You stared at him, hoping that he would join in and give you a hug. Catching the signal, Mike walked over to you and joined in on the session.

You let go of the hug and watched as Marcus walked off towards the food area.

“I want to apologize to you Mike.”, you whispered, looking at him.

“For what?”

“Not being there for you, like I should have Mike. I lost someone I fell in love with but you lost your son, twice. You lost him in time and now in life and instead of me comforting you at the funeral, you were comforting me….”, you explained, clearing your throat.

“I appreciate your apology but  y/n, you needed it more than I did. You have nothing to worry about at all. You still trust me right?”, he asked, walking towards the table. You followed him and thought about what he asked. You felt that it was random and had nothing to do with what you were talking about.

“Uh..yeah, why ask?”, you wondered, grabbing a plate from the stack.

“I just want to be sure that you and I have trust, you know, so when we have to do things that the other person wouldn’t be able to understand…that our bond doesn’t be ruined, you know.”, he explained putting food onto his plate.

“Yeah Mike, I completely understand. I’m confused a little bit but I understand.”you laughed, scanning the table to figure out what you wanted to eat. You know that sometimes when Mike is a bit emotional, he begins to ramble his mouth, allowing unnecessary things to come out of it  so you choose to ignore it.

You began putting food on your plate and then headed towards the table to sit down. Taking a seat you listened as  laughter, arguments and loud talk began to fill the backyard. You could feel joy slowly creep across your face as you sat there with the people that you cared about. Those who opened their arms to you when you first began working with them.  That was all you ever wished for to have a full support system since every time you received one, something ended up happening. Like with Howard, LadyBug and Armando. After a while of eating, you began to be bombarded by questions about your pregnancy.

“So..how do you feel y/n? Has it been easy?”Kelly asked, taking a bite of her food.

“Somewhat, I’ve had some complications here and there…due to stress but once I get that aligned, I'm sure everything will be fine.”, you answered, wiping the food off of your mouth with a napkin.

“Well, what are you going to name them? You should soooo let me name them! You have Alex, Ben,Connor M—”

“HELL NO!” Mike and Marcus yelled in unison. You were so caught off guard by Mike’s and Marcus sudden yell, that it made you choke on your food.

“Are you okay?”Christine asked. You shook your head and began softly patting your chest.

“What? Did I say something wrong?”, Dorn asked, worriedly.

You watched as everyone hid their laughter in their hands, as Mike and Marcus looked at each other offensively.

“Um…Dorn, look at y/n and ask yourself, why would she give her kids white names?”Marcus laughed.

“Seriously?”

“Yes!”, Marcus giggled.

“Well…I think they’re cute names Dorn.”, you smiled, straightening your dress.

“Thank you y/n.”

“Y/n…you better not give my grandbabies…his nephews no white people names…”, Mike whispered, pointing at Marcus and then giving you a slight nudge.

“I mean, I do have an idea but I'm not sure if I should go for it.”

“Ooh what? Tell us!”Kelly smiled, leaning on to the table. You watched as everyone turned to you, waiting for a response.

“Well…uh, I thought about naming the oldest, Armando Junior.”, you answered, looking at everyone.

“Wait…Armando is the dad?”, Rita asked, waiting for confirmation.

“Yeah…”, you answered. Awkward silence began to fill the room, you knew that would happen once you told everyone who you were with but damn. You watched as everyone stared at each other and then back at you until Rita broke the silence.

“Well damn y/n, you couldn’t…I don’t know, fuck someone else.”, she laughed, swallowing the food that she was eating. You watched as everyone turned towards her shockingly. What the fuck was her problem?

“Dude what the hell?”, Kelly replied, folding her arms.

“Rita really?”, Marcus added.

You examined as everyone mumbled in disagreement for Rita’s sudden outburst.

“I mean, i’m all for bringing life into this world but, why in the hell would you fuck a fugitive y/n? Let alone the person who killed Howard”, she continued, looking at you.

You continued to stare at her, a part of you wanted to jump over the table and whoop her ass. However, you knew as soon as you would’ve jumped, so would the babies.

“You’re out of line Rita.”, Christine mumbled, shaking her head in disapproval at her.

“Um, Reggie and I are going to go and check on the kids…”, Marcus' daughter added, getting out of her chair.

“No baby, you go inside…we may need Reggie.”, Marcus sighed, putting his head into his hands.

“I’m sorry but this…all of this…is pure bullshit, I'm not going to congratulate you for being pregnant with someone's kid nor celebrate someone who deserves to be rotting in jail right now.”, Rita argued, pushing her plate to the side.

“He was born into that kind of life Rita. He had no fucking  choice and you would’ve known that if you were with us but instead you judge him for …..”, you stopped mid-sentence and leaned back into your chair. You were tired, and your back ached in pain as you sat in the chair. 

“Rita, just stop. Don’t get her upset, she’s fucking pregnant for God’s sake.”, Kelly sighed angrily, while pointing at you. You appreciated the fact that everyone was standing up for you. If you would’ve known that this bullshit was going to happen, you wouldn’t have come.

“Me? Get her upset, just imagine how upset she’ll be once she finds out that Armando is actually alive.”, She replied, grabbing her drink. You slowly lifted up your head and allowed anger to tap you on your back. You could feel your eyebrows slowly cave in and felt as the world around you went silent. You stood up, grabbed your drink and before you knew it, your cup was empty and whatever was in it, was now on her face.

“I was fucking there when Armando died, you bitch..The funeral and everything…What have I ever done to you Rita for you to feel like you have to say something like that!”, you yelled, looking at her hatefully. 

“Y/n..try to calm down. You’re pregnant.”Reggie whispered, walking over and standing next to you.

“This is why I stopped coming around…it’s not even the fact that I'm pregnant or the fact that he died, it’s the fact that I knew that I would be judged for caring about someone that you guys feel should be rotting in hell. Someone who doesn’t match you guys standards, someone who you hated.”, you sighed, grabbing your jacket and putting it on.

“I’m being serious y/n…”

“And I am too, Rita. I’m sorry Mike and Marcus but I'm going to be transferring, I can’t deal with this anymore, at all.  I’d rather grieve in peace and deal with my babies alone than to deal with this bullshit…I’m sorry…”, you continued, taking out your keys that were in your pocket. 

“Allow me to help you.”, Reggie suggested, letting his hand out for you to hold. You grabbed it and  turned around to start walking, when you began to hear a yelling match happening behind you between Rita and Mike.

“You need to fucking tell her Mike, if you don’t tell her…I will!!”, Rita shouted

“THAT IS NOT YOUR PLACE RITA!!!”Mike yelled back.

You turned back around to see Mike and Rita staring intensely at each other. Marcus was standing up waving for Mike to calm down and Kelly was trying to get Rita to walk away.

“Look…I know, you guys used to be something so I don’t know if that’s why there’s like…tension between the two of you  but the both of you need to calm down.”, Christine demanded, looking up at Rita and then at Mike.

“What do you need to tell me, Mike?”, you mumbled, allowing Reggie to guide you back to the table.

You weren’t sure why the tensions were high all of sudden, when you first came here, everything seemed calmed and peaceful. However, now, people seem to be walking on eggshells.

You watched as he kept his focus on Rita and as Rita looked over and glanced at everyone else and the back at Mike.

“You know what, I am no longer your friend… So don’t expect me to ever keep a secret or to do anything else that may jeopardize my freedom or job ever again. I am your boss, and that is ALL I will ever be until the boundaries between us all are respected and honored…and that goes for all of you.”, she asserted, grabbing her purse.

“By the way y/n…I don’t hate you, at all. I just..I just admire who you are as a woman and have allowed it to turn into jealousy…that’s all. Armando is alive, that’s why you are truly here…So Congratulations…”, she continued, looking at you defeatedly and then walking away.

You turned your attention back to Mike to see him slightly shaking his head. 

“Mike..ahem..what’s going on?”, you asked, clearing your throat. The only thing that responded was the sound of the water moving behind you. You turned to Marcus to see him covering his face.

“Marcus…Mike, what—”

“I’m sorry y/n…she’s right.”, Marcus disrupted.

“Marcus, what the hell!”

“I’m sorry Mike but she has to know…look at her!”He yelled, pointing at you.

“Wait a damn minute…what the hell is that supposed to mean Marcus?”, you responded offensively.

“You look good, I'm just saying…you’re pregnant and it’s so obvious that you are dealing with some heavy shit mentally y/n.”

You had no response, you knew that he was right so it was better to allow your silence to be the answer.

“Armando is on his way y/n…right now.”, Marcus continued, walking up to you.

“Stop Marcus…Seriously..”, you whispered, feeling your eyes start to water. Slowly blinking your eyes and holding on to Reggie’s hand tighter now. You could feel disappointment start to attach onto you.

“Mike….”

“He’s right y/n.”, Mike responded, finally turning around to face you. His face was slightly red, you could see his body language shift towards being shameful now.

“We didn’t want to tell you this way, it was supposed to be more peaceful…not out of vengeance or anything like that…It was to….”

Mike continued talking, however, you slowly began to zone out. You weren’t sure how to feel. A part of you believed them…. but that voice in the back of your head felt that they were lying. You focused your attention back to Mike to see him now standing closer to you.

“I’m sorry but, it had to be done..it’s—”

“You guys are sickening…do you know that?!”, you sobbed, pacing back and forth. “I— I can’t….not anymore, us, this partnership….I'm going to finish my papers to transfer…and, and once they are finalized…I’ll be out of you guys  hairs WITH my babies because…I can’t do this.”, you stuttered, walking away. You were there, holding him as he laid lifeless in your lap after you pulled him out of the boat. You were there at the funeral, on your knees in front of his casket, crying because you wouldn’t be able to see him anymore and now…they’re saying that he’s alive?

“Y/N! JUST LISTEN! "Mike yelled, following behind you. However, you kept walking, this time picking up the pace. Eventually you made it to the backdoor and went inside, being greeted by everyone in the living room.

“Y/n, maybe just sit on the couch, I don’t know what’s going on but hear them out…”, Reggie suggested, sprinting to get in front of you. You watched as he stood between you and the door.

“Good job Reggie!”Marcus yelled. You turned around and saw as everyone stood there looking at you. Mike began walking towards you, with his hands folded together.

“Y/n, i’m sorry but earlier you said that you trusted me…”

“I do Mike but what I don’t do is play disgusting games like this, Mike…”

“I’m not lying y/n, beli—”

“I WAS THERE!”You shouted, interrupting him. You could feel your breathing pick up speed, while your head spun. “You know, since I've been with you guys, you guys have always made it seem like…like I was just crazy…. A mad woman and I know that you guys like to play games with me but please…Mike..Marcus, please don’t play games with me, please…”, you begged, you continued putting your hand up in prayer. You turned back around and stared at Reggie.

“Reggie…move, please.”, you watched as he looked up at Marcus and Mike and then back at you. 

“Let her out Reggie…”, Mike sighed, throwing his hands up.

“Help her to her car babe and make sure she is okay!”, Marcus daughter yelled, in the kitchen

You watched as he turned around to open the door and then just stood there. 

“Well are you going to go….”, you whispered, looking at the back of his head. “Reggie.”

You became impatient and gently pushed him to the side to see a man holding his head down while wearing a black hat with a blue flannel shirt standing in front of the door. You turned back around to look at Mike, to see him rubbing the back of his neck.

“Mike…the next time you want to invite someone over to a gathering, make sure you give them a heads up about it being ruined so they wouldn’t walk in to guests leaving.”, You scoffed, turning your attention from Mike back to Reggie. Reggie wrapped his arm around yours and guided you towards the stairs, when you felt a slight hand,  grip your wrist.

“Why are you leaving baby?”, the guy gently whispered, slowly lifting his face. You looked down at your wrist and then back at the guy confusingly.

“It’s me sweetheart…Armando.”, he continued, allowing a small gentle smile to make an appearance. You looked back at Mike and Marcus to see them looking at you worriedly with their hands up in a “We-told-you-so” manner.

Turning your attention back to Armando, you could feel yourself slowly begin to hyperventilate. Your eyes were scanning his entire body, noticing the tiny necklace, and how neat he looked. You removed your hand free from Armando’s and Reggie grip and began pacing.

“What…wha—What kind..what?! Mike…”

“We had no choice y/n…Rita—”

“You. You were dead. You’re dead. Your—”, you interrupted, while walking back and forth. You begin to rub your chest while feeling your body become light and your legs slowly become weak.  You looked up to see Mike, Marcus and Armando standing in front of you to explain what happened. However, you weren’t able to understand them due to their voices and the world around slowly becoming disoriented.

You could feel your eyes become clouded with tears and your heart beat out of your chest. You tried to take a step towards the stairs but before you knew it, your entire world went black.

— Flashback —-

“MIKE SOMETHING’S WRONG!!”You shouted, pointing towards the boat that Armando was in. “We have to go help him, something’s wrong!!”, you watched as Mike and Dorn ran towards the water and began swimming towards the boat to get Armando.

You tried getting into the water but was suddenly pulled back by Marcus.

“Let them get him y/n! You can’t swim!”

“I don’t care Marcus, Let me go!”, you argued, trying to free yourself from his grip. He wasn’t letting go. Each time you tried yanking yourself free, the tighter his grip became. So you gave up, helplessly watching Dorn and Mike push the small boat back to land. 

Once they became close enough, Marcus detached himself from you and watched as you ran towards the water. 

“Y/n stay right there!”Mike yelled, pointing back at you. However you ignored him, running towards the boat and crouching down to grab Armando. You held his head up and began to touch his face to see if it would trigger any kind of movement. Nothing. 

You began to panic, rubbing your chest to grab your heart

. “Come over here, please!”, Mike yelled as the paramedics showed up to the scene. 

You began to check his pulse, digging your fingers deep into skin…praying that you could feel something.

“Let them check him, I’m sure he’s okay.”, Dorn whispered, standing next to you.

“No I'm staying right here, they can check while I’m right here…please Mike.”, you begged, looking up at Mike. You watched as Mike stared at you, then got up and walked towards the paramedics and began talking to them. You looked back down at Armando, secretly praying that he just passed out and that he's okay…alive.

“Y/n, they’re going to check him…you can just step to the side, we don’t have to go far.”Mike suggested, bring the people over. You looked up at Mike and then back at Armando. 

Shaking your head in agreement, you stood up and stepped out of the boat. Standing next to Dorn and watching as the people began to check him.

“I may not care for him ….but I wouldn’t want something like this to ever happen. Everything is going to be okay..”, Dorn reassured, grabbing your arm to connect it with his. It felt good to know that he felt that way, especially knowing how Armando is perceived. You stood there and waited for what felt like forever, until you watched Mike stand up and walk towards you. As he stood there in front of you, you couldn’t help but to notice the people behind him bringing a long white-cloth.

You could feel your heart drop into your stomach, wanting to cry but not a single tear falling. Leaving you feeling hurt and empty. You knew the answer to the question that you were about to ask; however, you felt that you needed confirmation, so you asked.

“..Is he—is he dead?”, you mumbled, allowing the lump in your throat to make an entrance.

You could feel Dorn’s grip tighten as he began to caress your arm. You looked up to Mike to see him, looking behind you.

“Yeah…he—he lost too much blood y/n”, Mike answered, lightly putting his hand on your shoulder and then turning around to walk away. You turned your attention back to Armando to see him lying there. Letting go of  Dorn, you walked up to Armando and fell down to your knees not caring about the hard impact of the ground.

You slowly began to study Armando, lifting him into your lap. You began straightening his hair and removing the small particles of dirt that were on his face to kind of clean him.

“Ma’am..we need to—-”

“Just give her some time. Take care of the other bodies and then come back over here.”, Dorn interrupted, pointing at the building in front of the beach.

“No..it’s..it’s okay. You can get him. I have a lot to say but ... .nothing's coming out so I’m not going to waste you guys time,”, you added. Leaning down and kissing him on the forehead, you could feel a single tear drop fall out of your eye and landing on top of his face. You thought about wiping it off but left it, since that would be the last thing of you that he would have.

—

Slowly opening your eyes, you could feel your head slightly spinning.

“Ugh, fuck…”, you whispered, grabbing the back of your head. You slowly scanned the room to see Christine, Theresa and Marcus' daughter sitting on the bed talking. 

“Y/n…”, Theresa whispered, getting up to walk over to you.

“What..what happened?”, you asked, slowly shifting your body to sit up in bed.

“Honey you passed out, you’re in Christine’s and Mike’s guest room. How are you feeling?”, Theresa explained, bending down to feel your head. You’ve always liked Theresa. She’s sweet, kind and always peaceful. Her voice is as smooth as silk and her presence is always soothing.

“I passed out? Did I fall..oh my gosh—”, you panicked, looking down at your stomach. 

“No! No! You’re okay, The boys caught you.”Marcus' daughter reassured, getting off the bed.

“Yeah…It was kind of funny because they all started panicking so we had to take over. Plus we called the paramedics to check you, you’ve been out cold for a couple hours.”, Christine laughed, getting off the bed. A small smile began to appear on your face. You looked over to the window to see the sun slowly make an exit.

“Oh and Mike and Marcus told us to get them once you wake up.”, Christine continued walking towards the door. You looked at her and then Theresa and Marcus Daughter confusingly.

“For what?”, you asked, turning your attention back to the girls.

Before they could answer there was a knock on the door, you watched as everyone turned their attention to it to see Mike opening it.

“Well this is our exit.”, Theresa smiled, gently patting you against your shoulder and then leaving the room, you watched as everyone followed.

“Y’all come on.”, Mike stated, looking back into the hallway, then at you. You stared as he walked in awkwardly, having his whole body facing you while rubbing the back of his head. You were confused as to what was going on until you saw Marcus, Dorn and Kelly walking in.

“We need to talk to you but before we begin. Are you okay?”Mike asked, rubbing his face.

“Yeah, I still feel lightheaded, but I should be fine.”, you replied, leaning your bed against the headboard.

You watched as everyone stood there silently as uncomfortable tension filled the room.

“Um, what is it?”, you laughed, looking at each person.

“Do you remember everything that happened before you passed out?” Dorn wondered, walking over to you to stand next to you. You sat there and allowed your mind to search, recalling any events that happened before you fainted.

“Um…no, not really…I remember being at the table…being upset about something and then I walked up front to leave and that’s pretty much it.”, you answered, rubbing the back of your neck.

“Do you remember why you were upset?”Kelly questioned, walking over towards you and sitting next to you.

You shook your head no and began to look at each person in the room, allowing curiosity to cloud your mind. They were acting weird and extremely suspicious, as if they were holding something back.

“Okay…well, Mike and Marcus have something to tell you but as your friend, I need you to promise me..you will hear them out and not get upset.”, Kelly explained, putting her hand on your thigh to grab your attention.

“What is this about?”, you asked suspiciously, looking at Marcus and Mike.

“Promise me y/n.”

“Kelly, I don’t make promises that I know I won’t keep…what’s going on?”, you sighed, getting up. You were anxious at this point, thinking of the worst possibilities.

“Well..let’s try to help you remember about what happened earlier first, and then they can explain what’s going on.”, Dorn added, turning towards you.

You listened as Dorn began to recall the events from earlier, bringing up everything that had happened and the hurtful things that were said. Including Rita’s outburst. While Dorn explained, you couldn’t help but to take small glances at Mike and Marcus as they stood there anxiously waiting for your response. As Dorn continued to speak about the incident, you could feel the phenomenon slowly making an entrance into your mind. Making you remember.

“So you guys want me to believe that everything that was said earlier is true?”, you laughed, looking at each person in the room.

“Yes! And that is what we were trying to get you to understand…”, Mike answered looking at Marcus and then back at you.

“Guys…don’t do this to me, don’t..Okay. You guys have no idea what I have been through these past couple of months, I don’t need this…if you just wanted me around, just say that but saying something like this is serious.”, you wearied, leaning back against the nightstand.

“This is serious y/n, we wanted to tell you but we couldn’t.”, Marcus replied.

You were in disbelief that they continued on with what you believed for it to be nonsense. You stood there and watched as they all looked at you with a “c’mon” look on their face.

“So where is he then, huh? If he is alive, where is he. Because the Armando that I know, is dead. So let me know, tell me something.”, you demanded grabbing the water bottle that was on the nightstand and opening it.

You watched as Mike left the room, leaving: you, Marcus, Dorn, and Kelly in the room in silence. No one said anything but through everyone’s body language, a conversation was being said.  You tried to wait, even though you had zero faith in what they were saying but as time passed, you slowly began to feel impatient and stupid for being there.

“I can’t do this..”, you whispered to yourself, walking to the other side of the room to look for your things. You began opening the drawers and spotted your keys and phone while the others started to try to persuade you to stay. However, you ignored them. Walking over to the chair that sat in the corner near the window, you grabbed your shoes and turned around to see Mike standing there with the door opened.

You looked back down and slid your feet into your shoes and looked back up to see him standing there. Armando. Gazing at you with his soft eyes. You didn’t say nor do anything, you just stared. You turned your gaze towards everyone else to see them observing you intensely. Closing your eyes, you began talking to yourself. Trying to convince you that he wasn’t there, just like you’ve been doing for the last seven months.

“I’m hallucinating…I. Am. Hallucinating.”, you whispered to yourself, softly rubbing your eyes. You opened them and allowed your eyes to adjust to what you were looking at.

“You’re not honey, it’s him…seriously.”, Kelly responded, walking towards you.

You licked your lips and began to bite the inside of your cheeks. A part of you wanted to cry but for some odd reason, you felt anger and hurt build up inside of you instead. You took a quick glance to the chair that was behind you, and slowly sat down. Covering your stomach with your jacket. You could feel your mind begin to race, you were lost and baffled not sure what to say.

“You..you were dead. You were dead, I was there. I–I–I was there, we all were.”, you stuttered, allowing your mouth to drop. You could feel your eyebrows begin to cave in as your eyes slowly began to open wider.

You watched as Armando began to walk towards you and kneeled in front of you. He tried grabbing your hand but you yanked it away.

“I had no choice baby, it was the only way I would be able to be free.”, Armando whispered, while trying to soothe you. You scooted away from him and weirdly looked at him. You felt odd and uncomfortable with him being in front of you. Almost a year ago, you had him in your lap, feeling empty because he was dead. However, now, he’s sitting here trying to convince you that he’s him.

“What? What the hell do you mean you “had no choice”.”, you asked confusingly, looking at him and then at Mike.

“We had to fake his death y/n, that would’ve been the only way for him to be free. Fake his death and give him a new identity so that’s what we did and that’s why he’s here right now.”, Mike explained, looking at you.

“ You were bleeding…pale, I even checked your pulse…Were they even real? The paramedics?”

“No y/n…I mean yes but the people who came to Armando were our buddies from back in the day, that we used to work with. Mike called them the day before the operation about needing help so they were on deck”, Marcus added, reminiscing about that day.

You sat there in silence and stared at him. He was worried and the small smile that he once had was now gone. He was studying you, trying to figure out what you were thinking about and how you were feeling. Hoping that the feelings that you once had were still there and that nothing changed.

“Wait though, I was at the funeral…what about the funeral, was that fake too?”, you whispered, fidgeting your fingers. At this point, things weren’t clicking. Million of questions were racing through your mind while you were trying to connect the dots; however, no matter how hard you tried, it wasn't working.

“Wax Doll…”, Kelly whispered in shame.

You watched as everyone looked at you, your emotions were out the door and the only feelings that you were experiencing at this point was hurt.

“Okay…um…lemme get this straight.”, you replied, scratching your hair. You stood up and began rubbing your hands. You didn’t know what was about to fly out of your mouth but you knew that it would be reciprocating how you felt in that moment. 

“So all of you guys are telling me that this whole time.. he has been alive?”, you slowly asked, pointing at Armando while  trying to receive confirmation from everything that was just said.

You watched as everyone awkwardly shook their heads, answering your question.

“And..uh, no one thought…to tell me. I mean like damn, we’re family…well at least I thought we were.”

“We are family y/n. We just had to do what we had to do.”Mike responded, pointing at everyone. 

“Family doesn’t hide something like this Mike, you all knew and didn’t tell me… hell is what I’ve been going through these past seven months!”, you yelled, stepping back to look at everyone.

“We had no choice, we knew that you and Armando were seeing each other, which would put you at risk of being investigated if he was caught. Only Marcus had to really be in contact with him to keep him notified about the changes…..with the whole process of changing his identity, which was barely even successful, …it wasn’t easy, it was pretty damn difficult, especially with him being wanted y/n. Do you really think we wanted to keep that from you? Because trust us, we didn’t want to, it was hard.”, Dorn elucidated.

You took in everything that he said, you couldn’t help but to be upset but you knew that you had to suck in the emotions you were feeling in this moment. Especially after Dorn’s explanation because in this moment, it wasn’t about you and how you’ve been feeling but about Armando being okay. Alive.

“Well…I mean, they wouldn’t have known that we were together though. You guys just found out today besides Mike and Marcus.”, you sighed, pointing at Dorn and Kelly. 

“Um, wrong. Girl we’ve been knowing. Every time you guys were around each other, the both of you would act weird and please, don’t get me started on when he pulled a gun on Rita to stop her from shooting you.”, she laughed, while looking at you.

“Well for us it was that night when we were at the fire after the plane crashed.”, Marcus smiled.

“I guess…”, you whispered, allowing silence to enter the room.

“We don’t want you to be mad at us, it was to protect you..that’s all.”, Mike whispered, walking over to you.

“Don’t worry…I’m not.”, you responded, giving him a small hug. You watched as everyone sent you a smile in relief. You knew that you couldn’t stay mad at them, even if you wanted to.

“Oh and I'm sorry for going ghost all those months…I was a mess. And then this pregnancy, everything has just been hard.”, you sighed, releasing the breath that you didn’t know that you were holding.

“So, you are pregnant?”, Armando whispered, behind you. 

You looked up at Mike and watched as he looked over at you, when you suddenly remembered earlier when he walked away from you and Marcus and began talking on the phone with someone, it was Armando.

“Yeah man! She's havin—”, before Dorn could finish his sentence, Kelly hit him in the stomach.

“Guys, I think we should go downstairs and finish up the gathering.”, Kelly interrupted, pointing at Dorn, Mike and Marcus.

“Imma stay here.”, Marcus smiled, sitting down and crossing his legs while looking at you and Armando.

“Marcus…”, Mike whispered, looking over at him.

“What?”

“GET your ass up! "Mike growled, signaling Marcus to the door.

You couldn’t help but to laugh knowing how real Marcus was for that. You would’ve done the same if someone else was in this situation. You watched as Armando walked past you and headed towards the door.

“We’ll be down in a few.”, He mumbled to the others as they walked out. While Armando held the door open for everyone, you began straightening your dress and shaping your hair. Hoping that you looked fine and that he would still be attracted to you since it has been a while since you have seen him.

You stood there and watched as he turned around. The room became cumbrous and each step that Armando took while walking towards you made you feel dreadful. You observed the clothes that he was wearing. He looked totally different. In a good way. 

“I think we..well you should sit down, so we can talk.”, he whispered, grabbing your hand.

You held onto it and allowed him to guide you to the bed. You slowly sat down and freed your hand and watched as he walked over to the dresser that was in front of you to lean on. You guys were now face to face. His eyes were burning into your soul, and you could feel your heartbeat pick up in speed, and your chest become tight. It was a surreal feeling to be seeing him in front of you. After the last seven months of the mental and physical war that you have been battling, it all just seems like a dream now. A nightmare.

You looked up to see him adjusting his hips forward as he leaned against the dresser.

“So..you’re pregnant.”, he mumbled, looking at you. He was scratching the back of his neck as his cheeks slightly turned red.

“Yeah…found out a couple weeks after you died…Well, “died”.”, you replied, throwing your fingers up to emphasize on the “died” part. “It’s yours. Just saying so you won’t be second guessing or anything.”, you continued,  looking at your fingers. 

“I know it's mine.”, he laughed, putting his hands in his pockets.

“What?”, you replied, looking up at him confusingly.

“I know that the bun in that oven is mine. I made sure that would happen when we were at the hotel.”, he smiled, looking back at you.

You couldn’t help but to be in shock, your mouth had slightly opened and by the way it looked he was amused by it.

“Don’t be shocked….it was coming.”, he continued walking over and sitting down next to you.

He grabbed your hand and held on to it, allowing his fingers to caress yours. You could smell the cologne on him as it crawled through your nose and you loved it. Wasn’t too strong nor too light.

“So what are we having?”, he asked, slightly turning his head towards you. 

You dug into your pockets and brought out the small box from earlier and gave it to him. 

“Open it.”, you smiled, handing it to him. You shifted your body to completely face him and watched as he opened the box, revealing two small bow ties. 

“Oh shit, twins?”he laughed, turning to face you.

“Yeah.”, you responded, looking at the box and then back at Armando. You observed as he stared at it, allowing his smile to reach each ear until suddenly, he stopped.

“Armando…what’s wrong?”, you queried, gently touching his shoulder.

“How have you been these last six, seven months? Truthfully.”, he responded, shifting his body and grabbing your hand off of his shoulder to hold it. You watched as he held both of your hands. You could barely see his eyes, since his hat was covering it but could tell by his facial expression that he was upset.

“That’s not important anymore, Armando. You’re here and alive so..that’s all that matters.”

“I don’t want to hear that y/n…The team was supposed to keep tabs on you for me, they were telling me everything that was going on at first but when they told me that they couldn't reach you anymore. It made me worry. What happened?”, he explained, scooting closer to you.

“Armando…I was just grieving okay. It’s crazy because when you died, we had only known each other for a couple days but…the feeling that you gave me at the time, felt like I had known you forever. So losing you was like I had lost my best friend.”, you whispered, looking down.

“I wasn’t trying to disappear but I couldn’t help it. Each day felt dreadful plus once I found out that I was pregnant, I wanted to deal with it alone. Even if I had my days where I started to feel lonely…”, you continued, keeping eye-contact with the ground.

“I hate that this happened y/n, I do. But before I forget to ask…how in the hell did Mike and Marcus not see you at work?”he asked, looking at you confusingly.

“I asked Rita to switch my days and hours so that I could avoid them, which surprisingly she did. So if I saw them I would run or someone from work would give me a heads up that they were coming.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of work honey and it’s crazy, because she played a huge role in helping me change my identity.”, Armando smiled, taking off his hat. First thing you noticed was the clean line-up that he had, his hair was smooth and laid back. You thought he looked scrumptious.

“Really?”

“Yeah..it wasn’t easy at all but allegedly she owed my dad a favor, from years ago..so she had no choice, I guess.”, He laughed. You could tell that he was reminiscing the conversation between him, Rita and Mike by the way he tilted his head.  You couldn’t help but admire him, the way his Adam's apple was making a slight appearance, while his body scent caressed you. 

It was a weird feeling for you to see him in front of you. All those months of you detaching yourself from reality, from those you loved, sitting in your room alone while allowing silence and darkness to consume you just for it all to be for nothing. Self-torture for absolutely nothing. Falling into depression for nothing. Not eating and being around others, for nothing.  It wasn’t like you could control your emotions however, you felt that others could have control the way they went about it. The way they handled it. 

“You’re still battling, aren’t you?”, Armando suddenly asked, interrupting your thoughts.

“What?”, you were caught off guard by the sudden question.

“Depression…Grief…all of the above... .You're still dealing with it…I can tell just by looking at you baby.  You may not say it but your eyes and your body language does, so you don’t have to lie or hide it.”, he explained.

You remained silent because you knew what he said was true.

“Y’know spending all of those months not being able to talk to you and see you, made me feel as if I lost you ... .Like I was just existing on this earth without a soul because you weren’t around. So I know that if I felt like that, then words can’t explain how you must’ve felt, especially with you being pregnant.”, he continued, gently wiping the tears that were now streaming down your face. 

“..yeah.”, you mumbled, swallowing the bricks that were stacked in your throat. 

  “Plus, I know with me being here, others may think that everything that you dealt with in the last seven months are supposed to just… maaaagically go away since I’m here now but just know, when you hurt. I hurt and I see you so, we’re in this together.”, he replied, grabbing your hand and standing up.

You stood up with him and watched as he gently grabbed you and pulled you in. You were hesitant at first but gave in, knowing that the hug was needed and long overdue. You could feel Armando’s chin on top of your head but paid it no mind because the only thing that mattered to you was feeling  Armando’s embrace. You guys stood there for what felt like forever, until curiosity filled your mind about Armando’s new identity.

“So, what’s your new name?”, you asked, opening your eyes and facing his chest. You watched as the gold chain around his neck moved as he moved. It made his skin shine and stick out, that was his color.

“My new name, Dorn picked it..”,he laughed, shaking his head in embarrassment.

“Okay, so…what is it?”, you replied, breaking the hug to make eye-contact with him. You watched as his face went red as he quietly chuckled.

“That’s not important, just call me by my name.”, he laughed, kissing you on your forehead and then crouching down. You stared at him confusingly and watched as he stared at your stomach.

“Armando what are you doing?”

“Just let me do this…”, he smiled, putting his head against your stomach. You began to feel him gently poke your stomach in different areas and then set  his head on the area that he poked. When suddenly, you felt a hard kick come from your belly.

“SEE! SEE, THEY JUST KICKED!”, he yelled, removing his head and putting his hand on it. He gave your stomach a couple of rubs before standing up. Standing closer to you while gazing into your eyes. However this time it was a different kind of look, a look of epiphany. It was silent between the two of you and as he hovered over you, you could tell that he wanted to say something but the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

“What?”, you chuckled, nervously messing with your earrings.

“Uh..nothing, nothing. It’s not the right time to say it. It can wait.”, he smiled, looking at your eyes, then at your lips. 

You gave him a small smile in response and wrapped your hands around his neck, slowly stroking it. You could feel his hands intertwined around your waist as he softly pulled you in. Leaning down towards you, you closed your eyes and allowed you and Armando’s lips to connect. He was soft and gentle with it, pulling his lips away and then kissing you again. You pulled away as soon as you heard a knock on the door.

“Come in!”, you yelled, facing the door. You watched as the door opened to see Mike standing there.

“Are you guys okay, we’re all downstairs waiting on you.”. He asked, leaning against the door frame.

“Yeah just had to talk things out…we’re coming down now.”, Armando replied, grabbing your things off of the bed.

You watched as he grabbed your hand and led you out of the bedroom.

“I also noticed your hair. I love it, it’s a sexy short look.”, he smiled, guiding you down the hallway.

“Thank you, when you walked in…I was afraid that you wouldn’t be attracted to me anymore since it’s more in a circular shape.”, you whispered, holding his hand tighter.

“No, you look beautiful. I’m attracted to you all the way so you have nothing to worry about sweetheart.”, he reassured, stepping in front of you.

“Mike, can you come on the other side of her while we go down these stairs.”, he asked, guiding Mike to the spot. 

Mike agreed and hurriedly sprinted towards the spot. It felt good to have a village standing behind you, even when you’re the one to push them away. After spending time with your family, eventually, you and Armando sat in Mike’s backyard and gazed at the moon that hovered over the lake while everyone else stayed inside and played card games.

 It was just the two of you. You and Armando. Sitting on the dock and allowing nature to fill your ears. Allowing your bodies to comfort each other: your soul to connect and become one. You weren’t afraid anymore to be loved by someone again since he gave you pure love, protection and reassurance. He understood you and believed in you. He helped you feel seen and even though you felt that the time that you two have spent together has only been short, you knew that the story that was soon to begin would be everlasting. That he would be the one. 

[mintaikk]

Shadowpeach Things I think about A Lot

Note: My knowledge of season 5 is very limited (only seen first 2 eps, and some spoilers). Do not say any spoilers in comments or reblogs. If you want to avoid spoilers completely, I suggest you don't read this

-Peng said it themselves. "Could Wukong do anything that could break his hold over you?" or something like that. But Macaque's entire world was Wukong

-Macaque's dream was spending a peaceful forever with Wukong

-"You were a villain like 5 minutes ago!" Nothing there, but this was when they were having that screaming match and I burst out laughing when I realized that's what Wukong said. He was tho. From s4 to s5, bro went from trying to kill him to living on his mountain again

-Oh, that. "This room(?) has been my home just as long as yours." That's true, but my guy, don't you have like a dojo or smthn? Can't you just live there? Or do you just secretly miss Wukong and want to live on FFM to be closer with him?

-AND WUKONG DOESNT FIGHT BACK EITHER OR ANYTHING. He just sighs and accepts it

-OH YEAH THAT. Macaque sleeps on the same GOD DAMN tree that he and Wukong used to sit at. There are so, so, so many trees on FFM, yet he chose that specific one

-Wukong wanted to spend the remainder of his life holding hands with Macaque

-Correct me if I'm wrong, but in old China, a man giving another man a peach was a sign that they felt romantic love for them. Wukong and Macaque's hole thing is peaches

-"Yeah, because you always eush to my rescue." Wukong believed that Macaque never saved him, but from what we seen in s5, he does. Maybe he always has and Wukong's just never noticed, or maybe Macaque took that to heart and is trying to make up for it

-THE GOD DAMN SLOMO SHOT WHEN WUKONG WAS GOING TO SAVE MK

-Macaque calling Wukong "cute" in the s4 special

-When we first see the ink demons of Wukong's past, one of them was Macaque chained up while struggling and crying. Whatever happened there, it still haunts Wukong

-"I don't trust anyone that isn't standing here right now." WUKONG STILL TRUSTS MACAQUE AFTER EVERYTHING, MACAQUE EVEN PERKS UP AT THAT. And right after this scene, Macaque sacrifices himself to save Wukong. I think Wukong saying that really stuck with him. Maybe that's why he was a lot more helpful this season; Wukong still trusted him, and he didn't want to lose that

-When Wukong was getting the circlet put on him for a second time, Macaque didn't even hesitate when he saw that Wukong was in pain and immediately sprung to help

-Ik it's been talked about before, but the fact that Macaque thinks Wukong killed (and that he was about to again in season 3 when he was literally choking him) him but he still helps him when he can and smiles softly at him and goes out of his way to see him and stares in awe when he sees him coming to help MK and still accepts his peach offer (symbolism for rekindling friendship) and smiles when Wukong says "we" instead of "I" and gets sad when he sees the memory and realizes he wants to rekindle their relationship and crashes a beach party just so he could be with him (Copy and pasted from old post

-This specific art piece that Alejandro Saab commissioned and used for autograph signings

-Macaque literally looking away and smiling in this shot bro looks like a schoolgirl with a crush 💀

-Wukong was shown to help Macaque tie his scarf when they were still friends and in the shots of their past, Macaque's scarf is always tied. But now that they're not friends, his scarf is never tied. I just find this detail neat

-As much as Macaque tried to kill Wukong between s1 and s3, the moment Wukong was genuinely mad at him, Macaque's first instinct was to run. Even when Wukong was holding him, he was still shaking Yes, he probably couldn't breathe bcuz choking, but these guys are immortal and with the whole thing underwater, I don't think they actually need to breathe. So this means that he was probably terrified the entire time, and thinking that Wukong would kill him again (I fucking hate doomed yaoi)

-Now that I think about it, the only time we see Macaque scared was with LBD, Sun Wukong attacking him, Sun Wukong getting attacked or being endanger, MK being endangered, Bai He being endangered, or actually having to deal with the idea of staying with Wukong to help him (s4, MK going on that whole "I gotta help my friends" speech while Mei is being consumed by the Samahdi fire). Most of those things are Wukong and Monkey fam related

-Alejandro Saab doing a cover of peaches. Istg, he KNEW what he was doing when he pulled that one

-Correct me if I'm wrong again, but apparently, some gay men in ancient China would become sworn brothers so they could be together legally. Other than Shadowpeach, I was never much a brotherhood shipper, but do what you will with this info

-ALEJANDRO SAAB BELIEVES THAT MACAQUE IS SHORTER THAN WUKONG! THE DEBATE IS OVER YALL

-"Forever is a long time, bud." "Me and you just living here get on fat on fruit forever!" Bro was definetly thinking of Macaque

[thethingsweneversaid]

Am I crazy or did I just crack the mystery of the monologue scene????

Why did they lose against Vecna in season 4? What were they missing?

They lost the race against time. Time was obviously significant this season (The grandfather clock, Vecna's obsession with time, the UD being frozen in time). The time was simply up, they were too late. Who’s to blame? Mike Wheeler. 

Okay, let me explain, haha.

Throughout the whole series we all know Mike being late, or almost late to things is recurring. Every season in fact. S1: Mike’s campaign was too long, and he tried to get the party to stay past their curfew. S2: Mike was trying to get in contact with El on his walkie, almost making him late to the arcade. S3: Mike was almost late to the cinema because he was with El, making them almost miss the beginning of the movie. S4: Mike was reading El’s letter, almost making him and Nancy late for school... He begins every season with a race against time. Also worth noting that El was the reason for him being late in s2, s3 and s4. Also ALSO worth noting that in season 1, Mike begs his parents to let the party stay longer. The campaign took two weeks to plan! They need to finish it. He has no rush. While in all the other seasons (when he was late because of El), we get a "Shit! Shit! I'm going to be late"-version of Mike. He's stressed out and rushed. Not sure where I'm going with this last point, but I'm sure it means something and that it'll make sense in s5. The point is, Mike gets distracted by El.

Now for the monologue. This time, it's not Mike getting distracted by El. It's him distracting El.

Jason was obviously a key reason for them being too late as well. The scenes switch between Lucas fighting him and Mike’s monologue, comparing the two. Jason destroys Max’s walkman, destroying her connection to Lucas and the world outside her mind. Mike tries to get El to wake up by lifting her out of the freezer, taking off her glasses, Will shoves the radio away. They’re trying to get her out of Max’s mind and into the real world again. But El doesn't want to wake up. She is ready to fight for Max. The boys obviously tried to help because who knows what would’ve happened if they didn’t? They thought El was dying. When Mike begins his monologue, El looked away from Max and up “towards Mike’s voice”. She was listening to him now. Getting distracted. El continuously tells people throughout the series to be quiet when going into her “trance”. People talking distracts her, and she needs to concentrate. Mike also reminds the audience of the importance of the sensory deprivation tank. "It helps her calm down and focus on her powers". With Mike removing all the aids that help her concentrate (the glasses, the tank, the radio), while also talking to her, we can only assume that now, El isn’t only fighting to save Max, but also to stay in Max’s mind, further slowing her down.

At the end of the monologue, Mike reminds her she has to fight, and El’s eyes snap back to Max. That’s when she breaks loose from the vines. Whether you think El believes what Mike is saying and utilizes his loving words for strength or not, it’s still a distraction. I’ve seen a lot of people say that they felt impatient while watching this scene. Like «get on with it! Vecna is literally killing Max RIGHT NOW». And we're probably right to feel impatient! That's probably what the writers were going for! The audience was supposed to feel like that. El lost valuable time because of it. Mike is making them late this time too.

Will is also kinda to blame in this (I don't blame any of them, it's just an unfortunate set of events and they all did what they thought was best, but you get what I mean) Because in a way, Mike is distracted too. Distracted from the truth. That happened when Will lied to him in the van, disguising his own feelings for Mike, using El as a distraction for Mike to focus on instead. Will's guiding Mike towards a lie. He convinced Mike that El was feeling a certain way, which she WAS NOT. (For example: "You make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all, like she’s better for being different." cue Mike and El’s fight where she accuses him of thinking she’s a monster too, like everyone else.) (This also contrasts Will singling Mike out as the only person that doesn't treat him differently in season 2 in that scene with Will and Jonathan.) Mike doesn’t make El feel the way Will portrayed it in the van, though Mike is led to believe that she does.

Therefore, making the feelings that was the foundation for the monologue a lie. Both to Mike and El. It isn’t authentic. This doesn't apply to them. which brings me to my next point. 

 "A paladin swears to uphold justice and righteousness, to stand with the good things of the world against the encroaching darkness, and to hunt the forces of evil wherever they lurk. Different paladins focus on various aspects of the cause of righteousness (honesty=righteousness and honor for Mike), but all are bound by the oaths (promises, “friends don’t lie”) that grant them power to do their sacred work. Oaths, honor, and rigid rules define a paladin's everyday actions. Breaking these oaths (by lying) means their deity will revoke their powers."

This is why his monologue didn’t work. It was a lie (And Mike knowingly or unknowingly portrayed that lie to El). Without his honesty, Mike the paladin loses his powers. He couldn’t save them. 

Will’s selfless attempt to save their relationship sadly turned out to be counter-productive in every way, hindering all of them from seeing the truth. Will was also the one that told Mike not to stop, when in reality, maybe stopping and letting El be was exactly what he should've done. He's the heart. But he's Will's heart. That's what Will would've wanted Mike to do, seeing as Mike has saved him/snapped him out of his episodes multiple times by speaking to him: Of course Will thinks that's the right thing to do! Mike's doing what Will would've needed, not El.

It adds a new layer to El being upset with Mike in the cabin by the end of s4, because it isn't as simple as "she knows Mike is lying" or "She's just upset because they lost". She's upset because once again Mike doesn't trust that she knows her own limits (This being a huge reason for conflict in s3 between El/Mike/Max.) Mike worries because he cares of course, but it isn't what El needs ("Mike, I need you to trust me.") When Mike tries to help her, she fails. But she "redeems herself" when she's making her own decision, without outside influences other than love for her friends. She pushes her limits further than ever before, bringing Max back to life, trusting herself and her powers, without Mike knowing.

Mike is the heart, yes. The problem was - the heart was in the wrong place. They all got it wrong this time. They got confused and misunderstood each other. That’s why they lost. In the next season, I believe Mike and El are going to realize that they’ve both been focusing on the wrong things, and that is how they’re going to win. Still using love as their weapon - just a different kind of love that’s not distracting them from what they really need, not slowing them down. El coming fully into her own, reaching her full potential and using her powers the way she knows best, with the support of her loved ones making her stronger - not under the influence of Mike trying to stop her out of worry. And Mike’s heart being in the right place. With Will. 

I've seen other people talk about this next part, but I'm adding it in because it further proves the point.

Another indication that proves to me that at least SOME of the monologue is a blatant lie is the Romeo and Juliet parallel, with the word "Montague" spelled out behind Mike, and the "love at first sight"-refrence. "I knew right then and there, in that moment, that I loved you." That. is. a. lie. and there's just no going around it. Romeo and Juliet's romance wasn't actually real love, just infatuation. The Duffers also said they don't believe in love at first sight. For them to use that trope wouldn't just be wierd and cliché, but also contradicts everything we were shown in season 1. Are we just supposed to believe that Mike loved her, decpite them showing us otherwise?

More on the Romeo and Juliet thing in this post.

Conclusion: The Duffers are geniuses I’m never getting over this show.

[airbender-dacyon]

Benlynn Parallels & Analysis

Alright, so this is by no means an exhaustive list, just what I am able to recall right now, but here's some of the Ben & Brooklynn parallels I noticed from Season 1 of Chaos Theory, as well as a few under the cut that are speculation based on trailers and promos from Season 2 (so spoiler warning for those). And I ended up doing more analysis on this than I intended, whoops.

Apologies for the long post, but I wanted to keep any spoilers under the cut and this ended up being much longer than I planned. I also apologize because it's been a minute since I've been able to watch Camp Cretaceous in its entirety and a bit since I last watched S1 of Chaos Theory so I hope my memory is right on most of this.

Also, this is meant to just be a fun post. It is a ship post, but I also acknowledge that the parallels likely don't mean anything beyond they're friends with shared interests/similar traits (if they even mean that).

Dark Jurassic Nerds

"What about that website I showed you?" "OMG. Dark Jurassic? Yes. Amazing." "Isn't it?"

Ben, in a surprising twist to me, was the one to discover Dark Jurassic. When Camp Cretaceous ended, I wouldn't have guessed he would be the one to become invested in a social media site. I will say that it makes sense that Brooklynn, having grown up as a social media influencer, was staying away from social media more after the Nublar Six returned home and that she didn't come across Dark Jurassic sooner. Regardless, the pair are both heavily invested in the website, though Brooklynn seems to have vetted the theories more than Ben, given her interaction with Yaz:

So it seems like Ben had a habit of sending a lot of stuff he found interesting her way, but only a few things, like the Dino Immersion Therapy, Brooklynn found to be legit.

2. "Okay, at first, I was like, ugh. But this view!"

I still think it is surprising that between Ben's flashback and Kenji's flashback, Brooklynn expresses more excitement over the view of a pretty ordinary skyline from the rooftop of a college dormitory that Ben shows her during her surprise visit than she does the bioluminescent Parasaurolophus at sunset amidst cliffs and a waterfall that her boyfriend of 5+ years had planned as a big romantic gesture.

We don't know the exact date when Brooklynn visited Ben at college, so I fully admit that probably plays a big part in the difference in Brooklynn's reaction. Since this is shortly after Ben introduced Brooklynn to Dark Jurassic and we know that 1) Brooklynn visited Yaz 14 months before the start of Season 1 and 2) Kenji broke up with Brooklynn shortly before (at least a few weeks, I believe) her apparent death roughly 6 months before S1, the Benlynn flashback takes place at least 14 months before S1, probably even earlier than that. Heck, it might be 18-24 months before S1. So, obviously Brooklynn is in a much healthier headspace in Ben's flashback whereas she had become obsessed with uncovering the dinosaur trafficking conspiracy by the time of Kenji's flashback, resulting in her indirectly neglecting her relationship with him.

3. Funny Stories, Personal Questions, & Other Shared Interests?

"Uh, yeah. College is great, but sometimes I gotta get outside just to feel like I can breathe." "Weird how it can be so hard to feel normal, now that everything is so... normal." "See those Pteranodons up there?" "Uh-huh." "One of them grabbed a freshman's backpack and took off with it." "No way." "She had to tell her professor that a dinosaur ate her homework." [Brooklynn laughs] "What?" "That's really funny." "Well, not to her. She failed her assignment." [Brooklynn laughs harder] "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No, I'm sorry, that's really sad." [Snorts] "That's sad." "The point is, I don't know if there's such a thing as normal anymore." "Yeah."

It hadn't been my intention to quote such a large chunk of the flashback, but I do find it interesting how this interaction between these two played out. Ben & Brooklynn had only a handful of scenes - more accurately, a handful of interactions - together in Camp Cretaceous. And so to see these two alone together and enjoying each other's company was refreshing to see. Again, this isn't a 'they shared a moment together, now they're going to end up together' post. The fact that there was a significant flashback that highlighted how Ben & Brooklynn get along, despite not being one of the other's closest friends within the Nublar Six, was a stellar choice. They could have easily done for Ben what they did with Sammy: a very brief, but still impactful memory/vision of Brooklynn.

But in this scene, it's neat that Ben is telling the story to reassure Brooklynn that 1) even though they've been home safe from Nublar for years now, their experiences will never go away and 2) prehistoric wildlife is out in the world, "normal" doesn't really exist and they shouldn't expect it to. Like on Nublar, they have to adapt to the new dynamic. But, intentionally or not, Ben is also telling the story in a very humorous way, which results in Brooklynn's laughter. And whether you see the moment as shippy or just friends, it was pretty adorable to see Ben making Brooklynn laugh.

The scene on the rooftop also begins in a rather interesting way, as Ben's dialogue starts by announcing the rooftop view is his favorite spot on campus, followed by why he goes there/gets outside. So, presumably, Brooklynn had asked him how college was going. And after the Pteranodon story, Ben does something unique to the flashbacks we've seen in Season 1.

He asks Brooklynn how she's been doing.

"Anyway, how's everything with you? Any cool stories you're working on? Wrongs to be righted? Buried truths to be uncovered?" [Laughs] "Trying. It is hard out there for a reformed "social media influencer turned aspiring investigative journalist."

Now again, I fully recognize this is the easiest catalyst in the flashback to introduce Brooklynn's interest/activity in Dark Jurassic. And I also fully recognize that we haven't seen Darius' flashback with Brooklynn yet and Sammy's vision/memory of Brooklynn is too short to really compare to the other three we've seen so far.

However, in Yaz's flashback, we see Brooklynn is the one helping her with the Dino Immersion Therapy and inquiring about how she's doing, why she's there instead of Sammy, etc. And in Kenji's flashback, we see that he's so excited to share the view he's discovered with Brooklynn. And when she is too distracted (presumably by her mission) to acknowledge the beauty of the moment, Kenji breaks up with her and his dialogue suggests this has been happening for a while.

The video recordings of the earlier Kenlynn date and when the Nublar Six returned home at least give us a glimpse into happier times. But with regards to the flashbacks, while Brooklynn is likely there to check up on her friend (unannounced and strangely late in the evening from the looks of it), Ben's flashback is the only one where the focus seems to be on both characters equally rather than Brooklynn acting in a supporting/secondary role in the scene.

A much smaller parallel, likely unintentional, is that Ben and Brooklynn seem to (almost) have matching outfits in the flashback.

Continuing from that, and acknowledging similar outfits is already a stretch, I guess there is a parallel with music? Kinda?

We see in Brooklynn's video call to Darius that she is wearing what looks like a band/album T-shirt and Ben has become quite the fan of rock music. Some of the concept art for Ben's dorm room also showcased several band posters, if I recall correctly.

So, while not a certainty, it seems they could have also developed a connection through similar music tastes, though this is a fair bit of speculation.

4. Boots

Another parallel that's a stretch, but Ben eating food out of a boot seemed really, really odd when it was introduced. Perhaps out of desperation, maybe he accidentally broke his last bowl or ran out of disposable ones? Who knows. An odd choice, especially with the later Ruby Ropes container conversation being weird enough on its own that the food boot seemed excessive.

But then it was shown that Brooklynn also had an unfortunate boot-related habit, though fortunately nowhere near as disgusting. Kenji trips over one of her boots and comments on it, with Darius also having suffered from the problem:

"She was always leaving these in the middle of the floor. It was so annoying. I was so afraid I was gonna-" "Break your neck?" "Did she do that when she was staying with you after we broke up?" [Chuckles] "I swear she did it just to annoy us."

Again, this one's a big stretch, but it felt like a possibility.

5. A specific set of skills

Or, rather, just one skill. I can't remember if any other members of the Nublar Six ever picked any locks throughout the shows, but Ben having a set of dedicated lock picks was an interesting development. All of the N6 have picked up new skills in the time between CC and CT, but Ben's activities - and this skill in particular - seem to mirror a lot of Brooklynn's.

6. Conspiracy Boards

Again, going back to the fact that Brooklynn was more interested in legitimate stories and credible theories, Ben's board is quite a mess while Brooklynn's is more refined. Ben's looking into all the possibilities, no matter how ridiculous they might be, whereas Brooklynn is focused on (presumably) unraveling the dinosaur trafficking conspiracy and anything else nefarious that might be going on in relation to it.

7. Season 1 Bookends (unused)

I don't want to repost the art without permission and I really want to get the post up today, so credit to Brandon Roberts in this concept art post here. It shows Ben on his laptop in his dorm room.

However, I will provide the description Brandon Roberts gave, as well as the confirmation by Scott Kreamer on the post:

This would have been an interesting parallel and way to bookend the season: opening with Ben on Dark Jurassic getting vague messages and closing out with Ronnie sending vague messages to someone on Dark Jurassic and the reveal that it's Brooklynn.

And only time will tell if there is something real between these two. Or it might all be just an illusion.

"There's definitely some pretty out-there stuff on there, but every so often there's something that seems, I don't know..." "Real?" "Real."

And aside from the spoilery speculation below, I think this might be it. There could be other parallels I'd thought of previously, but as of right now, this is all I can remember. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my inane ramblings. I hope you enjoyed!

Also, shoutouts to @p0m0u and @kitabearuwu for being the inspiration for me falling down the Benlynn rabbit hole and continued inspiration since (we'll see if I can get my Benlynn fic done by tomorrow), especially their posts here, here, here, and here. And special thanks to @p0m0u for letting me use the beautiful gifs she made in this post!

Spoilers for Season 2 Trailers & Promo material under the cut!

Starting from what I feel is the weakest parallel to the strongest:

8. Why are you holding that in your mouth?

When I saw the tweezers or tool or whatever fall from Brooklynn's mouth, I swear I'd seen Ben do something like it before in the show. I tried to scour Season 1 of CT to find it, but to no avail. I then remembered where I'd seen something similar, back in Season 4 of CC. Again, leading with the weakest parallel here, but like the boots, I find it interesting and odd that both of them have held things in their mouths - and these are things that probably shouldn't be held in their mouths - only to drop them at some point during the scene. Ben's out of relief that the BRAD is gone, Brooklynn's potentially by whoever is breaking into her location (if the clips immediately before and after are part of the same scene).

9. You're great and I like you, but...

Given that it looks like we'll have a Darius and Brooklynn flashback finally, I have to wonder, will it play out in a similar vein to the Ben & Yaz moment in S4 of CC? We know that Ben mistook Yaz's interest in getting him away from Kenji & Brooklynn so that Kenlynn could develop as romantic interest. What if we see Brooklynn realize Darius' growing affection for her and makes it clear in a similar way?

I'm not saying we'll get a "Darius, look, you're a great guy and I like you. But I just don't like like you." But possibly something similar.

10. What? You've never seen a ghost before?

We'll see if this turns out to be another 'back from the dead' moment or not, but it has that kind of vibe to me. And I have to credit @p0m0u for pointing it out to me originally. Fingers crossed, it seems like a perfect setup for Ben's line to make a comeback!

And I think that's everything for now!

[shantechni]

I noticed this a looooong time ago, but I didn't mention it and sort of kept pushing it aside as an unimportant detail. After coming across this for, like, the fifth time though, something finally strikes me as supremely odd, and it's these two simple lines Leo says in the first episode of S2.

Between the S1 finale and the S2 premiere, Splinter told his sons that he defeated the Shredder when they faced off in the hideout. Not only that, he told them they'd never see the man again because he lost his honor, but both of these statements are immediately proven to be contradictory to what actually took place, as well as to what Splinter believes about the Shredder's way of thinking.

Anyone who has watched the S1 finale, specifically the second part, knows that the fight was brought to a screeching halt when Karai ran in to stop Splinter from finishing off the Shredder. And, after seeing just how deeply influenced Karai has been to hate him, Splinter left in a hurry to avoid fighting who he now knows is his thought-to-be-dead daughter.

Now, it makes sense that Splinter didn't tell the boys Karai interrupted the fight considering she was a touchy subject, one he didn't approach all of his sons with until midway through S2 in The Manhattan Project. He was still coming to terms with the revelation himself, and his avoidance of everyone's questions tells us that he genuinely didn't want to explain why Karai believed he killed her mom. In the process, he'd have to get into the reason Shredder led Karai to believe that lie and yadda yadda.

So, not telling them Karai was there makes sense. But why tell them the Shredder was defeated?

Something like that would be believable if he didn't imply any finality by telling them the Shredder was taken down, because he goes on to wonder outloud if their enemies were truly defeated and even reaffirms that, "The Shredder is a crafty and patient foe who bides his time." But Leo clearly says that Splinter told them they'd never see him again after he apparently lost whatever honor he had left. And we can't point fingers at any potential dialogue or writing error because they make sure the audience hears that Splinter did indeed facilitate this calm behavior of theirs.

One can wonder if he didn't truly intend to flat out lie, but rather to placate his sons by withholding a harsh truth and giving everyone the time they need to revel in their victory. However, that's another odd decision for Splinter to make since he's usually the one to remind his sons that none of their enemies will stay gone for long, the first and most notable instance of this being when they first encountered Bradford and Xever.

Anyways, after Leo says what he says, Splinter takes offense to Raph casually adding that they'll take care of the Shredder if he does come back, and, upon realizing that his prior statement has heavily blanketed them with a false sense of security, he harshly tells his sons the month long celebrating is over.

Honestly, even though I said sugar coating is very out of character for someone like Splinter, it's the only sensible answer for him lying to the guys. And probably himself for a minute there, too.

He knows the Shredder isn't honorable. He's traitorous, underhanded, and full of spite for those he feels wronged him. Oroku Saki is a vengeful man who has been undeniably wronged in his past, but refuses to learn from it and will shift the blame onto those undeserving. He's tenacious in the way he literally left Japan with a singular image of a Hamato clan shuriken as proof that he has another chance to kill someone he used to call his brother.

Splinter knows all of this, but he still went ahead and made the morally dubious decision to construct a perfect, short-lived world where he could tell his sons they wouldn't have to worry about the Shredder again.

And where he doesn't have to face the gravity of the changes yet to come.

[raincitygirl76]

I think what frustrated me most in season 3 about the August video plot being wrapped up in the first five minutes wasn’t that August was getting away with it, it was that S2 had specifically created a scenario where he couldn’t get away with it. It had laid groundwork for a plot in S3 that suddenly disappeared, with visible plot holes left behind.

In S1, I wasn’t surprised when August got away with filming and posting the video. Rich, well-connected sex offenders avoid prosecution and public exposure all the time. It felt unjust, particularly because the royal court were protecting a sex offender over his victim who was Kristina’s own child. But I understood exactly why Kristina and the royal court had made those choices, even though I didn’t like said choices. If the video plot had been left there, as it was at the end of 1.06, I wouldn’t have objected. August got away with it, of course he did. That’s just what happens.

But in season 2, the video plot gradually built to a crescendo where it became urgently relevant again and August seemed in genuine danger of prosecution and even prison (both Rickard and Rosh mentioned prison). We saw it from 2.01 onwards, when Wilhelm took every possible opportunity to inflict petty humiliations on August, since he’d been denied real justice.

We saw it in Marcus suddenly taking an interest in Simon. They’d obviously been acquaintances for years, with their moms being friends. And they’re two of the very few out gay boys in Bjardstad. But Marcus never approached Simon romantically until a few weeks after the video was released, and then he approached intensely.

We also saw the video plot building in 2.05 when Wilhelm finally revealed to Simon that August was the perpetrator, and Simon was furious Wilhelm had known this for so long and kept it to himself. Simon felt disgusted and betrayed that his fellow victim of the video had protected the perpetrator. And we saw the difference in attitude between Wilhelm and Simon. Wilhelm pragmatic and cynical, knowing the full machinery of the royal court would gear up to destroy Simon.

Simon determined to press charges and convinced he could somehow hold August to account in spite of the royal court. And the conflict where Simon directly accuses Wilhelm of keeping secrets claiming to protect him, but really protecting himself. And Wilhelm later echoes that accusation in the jubilee speech, although I’m getting ahead of myself.

As of 2.05, on my first watch back in November 2022, I still assumed August would continue to get away with it. August had money and influence, Simon had neither. I already knew how these things so often go in real life. Also, August had Sara, warning him in advance that Simon knew and was planning to press charges. As of the end of 2.05, Simon was planning to go to the police and Wilhelm was doing nothing to warn August or the royal court. I was compelled, but I was also distracted by the curtains scene.

At the beginning of 2.06, we saw August’s desperation, him reaching out to Jan-Olof, and Jan-Olof’s indifference. We could see August starting to panic like a rat in a trap, seeing long delayed justice approaching him. And then August invited Alexander into his room and made his proposal. The rat was no longer panicking, he was fighting back with every weapon at his disposal.

In 2.06, when August and Alexander met Wilhelm at the Society’s party venue, Wilhelm was the one panicking, August had his fear under control again. He used the full force of his personality, and of Alexander’s desire for revenge against Wilhelm, to assure Wilhelm that no matter what he and Simon did, August would slide away from the mess, reputation intact. And Simon would be the one in trouble with the police. A smug August wass back on top of the world, with his twin schemes to discredit Simon and blame Alexander whirring along beautifully.

And then we had the shooting range scene, where devastating secrets came out. In the aftermath, Simon accepted that he couldn’t seek justice from the police without implicating himself for the drugs. For the second time, August had gotten away with his crime. But I was full of questions anyway.

Had August overreached himself by admitting his crime to Alexander? Yeah, Alexander hated Wilhelm, but his arrangement with August wass built on mutual convenience, not loyalty to August. A big question mark for Season 3. Also, nobody at the royal court actually liked August, he was just next in line. If word got out to the media and the public that August was the perpetrator, Kristina & Co. would likely throw him overboard without a second thought.

So throughout 2.06, my mind was awhirl with possibilities. Yes, technically, August seemed to have gotten away with it for a second time, but the video plot had been building since 2.01. I was starting to wonder if August might actually go down for his crime finally. And then Sara pulled out her cell phone and called the police to report a crime, and I yelped so loudly at the TV I scared the cat.

Finally, the crucial payoff for six episodes of build-up. Finally, the police had been involved, and soon after them, I was sure the media would get wind of it. It seemed like the perfect climax to the season, setting up a riveting conflict for S3.

As of the end of 2.06, I wasn’t really expecting August to go to prison for the video, even though both Rosh and Rickard hinted that could happen (earlier in S2). But I was expecting August to be arrested, and probably even charged. I expected the royal court to interfere somewhere along the way and use behind the scenes influence to get the charges dropped. Probably as part of a quid pro quo with August whereby he’d take sole blame for the video. Thus protecting the royal court from the public finding out they had already known it was August.

But I was also expecting the media and the public to be all over August. Once the police were involved (and we’d seen Sara involve them), it seemed impossible to keep it quiet any longer. I was anticipating a scenario where August technically got away with it, but his precious reputation was ruined. And the public was repelled at the idea of making August Wilhelm’s backup. That seemed to be what Lisa was building towards throughout S2. She built up those expectations with every strand of plot laid out in S2.

And then S3 opened with a civil settlement, an NDA, and the police no longer interested. Meaning August had gotten away with it for a third time, even after all the building blocks from S2 that he had finally run out of ways to evade justice. And then it never got mentioned again. Neither was Arnas mentioned, which August presumably had to sell to pay off Simon and Wilhelm.

It all just went away in the first five minutes. All that buildup from S2, wasted. So that is why I disliked the settlement story. Because Lisa spent all of S2 telling one story, then suddenly changed her mind after she’d already laid out all the ground work, reversed, and decided to tell a completely different, much less interesting story.

[diientedegato]

I'm curious if you have any thoughts on what Ben Paul would look like if he was alive years after S1 of TWDG :> I honestly prefer to imagine both him & Kenny going off on their own adventures after S1, because Idk if I'd've had Kenny as part of S2, it felt like when he returned it became less Clem's story & more his. That might be controversial among fans but it's how I feel :s I like to imagine Ben, Kenny & Sarita forming their own little family in fact <3 I'd expect Ben would end up with shaggier hair after a while but I wouldn't mind knowing what he'd look like with short, spiked up hair ;>

IM SORRY BOTH THE ASK AND DRAWING ARE OLD- but I came across the sketch I had eugeugeh. I do not have many headcanons but behind the cut is just a rant about. Kenny mostly. Too much should I warn? But yah I'm sorry it took me like 5 months lol

The only headcanon (regarding Ben's appearance) is that he'd keep his school jacket for as long as possible. Until it thorns apart. Or until he dies.

I'm big fan of Ben lives possibility btw I've gotta draw sum about that sometime (I say, about every twdg character i like,)

And dude, do I agree about Kenny. Man doesn't belong in season 2. The character they made him to be in the second season is not Kenny, it's just a nostalgia element. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, I'm biased as hell, I break that hug choice every time. But it made the character development in the first season just.... pointless. "For some reason, I saved that piece of shit Ben", man, that quote just disappoints me. Kenny lost everything. Father and husband of none no more, which was pretty much the arc of Kenny on the first season?? I think? . Everything he loved and he had he lost, and he killed the person responsible for it. But not as revenge, he killed a kid out of mercy. He saved the boy from suffering a painful death, and that was forgiveness, to the reason he hadn't any. He took a decision he would be fully responsible of, when it was time for him to go. And he was perfect.

Hell, if he had appeared during season 2, I do prefer the Kenny as Carver idea. Clementine wasn't even that close to Kenny in the past, the player was, so even then it feels... off, off to be forced to care about a man that says so much he wants to protect you. (They're not really family, but is as if Kenny tries to protect and have Clem on his side, to have Clem's loyalty through and through. Though he does let her go and is proud of her on her individuality... hm.) But still, I mean, second season Kenny is not first season Kenny, and it isn't even a change that made sense. If he had been antagonist (which pretty much feels like it in the Canon story already), he should have had some other background story, no Sarita or company. Maybe then the cynical view he has would have mattered. The violence and anger and whatever else. For him to change that way was a consequence of him losing what he represented, protection of family? Wasn't failure and grief and acceptance meant to be important after all?

But otherwise yea I think it would've been pretty cool if Ben survived :3 I am a sucker for tales of redemption, forgiveness, and found family. And I hadn't thought about Kenny, Ben, and Sarita, but hell yeah. Man, even if they appeared in the second season, it would've been interesting if the choice wasn't between two individuals, but between two families. Ben already had a relationship with Clem! He appreciated her and calls her his only friend during season 1, he did leave her behind during that scene, -but the point of Ben was that- He was a coward all the season, until when he wasn't. He wanted to help Lee help Clem. They would've had an interesting sibling relationship-? also Ben had a young sister before the apocalypse so ooooh projection and parallels and shi. And if Ben had lived, he would've completed his development to something close to bravery-?

Well, I don't know, at least I think that'd be one interesting way to bring back old characters. Otherwise, Kenny should only be mentioned on dialogue maximum. The way I see it.

(I repeat the same thing over and over when I talk about something I'm sorry

(I've developed no language skills whatsoever in my life

(Yippee

[greenleaf4stuff]

today's flavor of my current Adar insanity is going to be 'speculating and musing about his armor'. Because it tells a story (or at least gives me a dozen headcanons), and I am kinda sad we likely aren't going to dive deeper into it in the show.

I am putting my thoughts under a cut because it is quite a bit of text.

his armor has holes and imperfections and shows where he took damage in past battles/confrontations; part of it is due to him being an uruk, who seem to all have individual, cobbled-together 'armor' from whatever they can find. The armor makes him fit among his children (which he likely also wants to do - he doesn't consider himself above them even if he has their respect)

but it also means that - since he wore it even during the betrayal of Sauron and it had damage even back then - he was either attached to it or, more likely, he wasn't considered important enough to get new, in-tact, fully functional armor. Even with his experience and position. It could imply that, when it comes down to it, he was considered just cannon fodder like the other uruk. (Contrast his armor to Sauron's clean, well-made robes and jewelry for example.)

but I also find it interesting that it seems he has no or little interest in mending the armor either - he could just as likely be wearing the damage like a badge of honor. To show his opponents how much he has survived and overcome and how durable he is. Or he might consider it more important the materials be used for other things that better benefit his children instead of him/his safety.

as shown above, there are distinct places where his breastplate is damaged which is not just due to wear-and-tear but looks to be caused by arrows and blades. I really wonder what the stories behind each missing piece are.

in the flashback, he can be seen wearing a coat - correct me if I am wrong, but we never see him wear that coat again I think. Which makes sense, he is a fighter and it would hinder his movements. His whole getup is really very practical and suits his needs, heavy enough to protect him but light and toned-down enough that it won't hinder him in battle/in his fighting style.

like a lot of characters, he isn't wearing a helmet to battle (which makes sense from a movie/tv series standpoint to make sure viewers can visually distinguish the characters better, I suppose) - best explanation for me would be that he wants to be seen and recognized and (perhaps) feared by his opponents, or that he is so confident in his abilities that he thinks he doesn't need one (him catching Arondir's arrow during the siege of Eregion makes me think he might believe this)

not really armor, but we can also see his shirt sleeve in the scene when he holds up and turns Morgoth's crown, and when he sits and surveys the scene in Mordor (or even in s1). It looks more fancy and regal in the first instance, but by the time he is in Mordor, that sleeve has seen better days.

the irony that he has worn this damaged armor for so long, in so many confrontations and battles (and survived!) but that it could not protect him (or might have better protected him had it been fully intact) when he got betrayed by his own children.