#to those of you sending me reactions on here: love love love them 😂😂😂😂

[dipplinduo]

Hahahaha I woke up to so many funny comments and callouts. I am happy the big reveal seems to be iconic based on the reactions so far. 😂

Ohohoho if only you knew where I was going next, Chapter 22 is going to be...quite unique. Juliana POV exclusively, right where we left off. 😁

Some people have informed me of a misinterpretation/possible miscommunication on my part, too: Chapter 21/22 are not final chapters to the fic! It's only the beginning of the end phase, so we still have a ways to go! Still determining the exact number of chapters left to the main story, and I will be announcing the final chapter title & release time once I know when it'll happen. 👉😎👉

As for these epilogue chapters - I have a few loose ideas in mind, think very domesticy/just happy fluff stuff after our heroes have been through a lot. One of them will be an iconic reveal. 😂😂 But I'm also highly open to suggestions on what you would all like to see, just like with S&S D What If!

[cs-fox]

DEEP COVER | FEM! READER X KÖNIG PART 2

TAGGING @werschitz !!

warnings 4 this 1, it's a little suggestive, but i stayed away from any actual 18+ stuff.

if you want that from me, just ask ig 😂

requests r open as well if u like my work <33 i'd love 2 hear any ideas !!

read part 1 here

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Your POV

Two weeks into your mission, you’d been widely accepted into your new role as an assassin for hire - working under Tenebris.

They had sent you on a few meaningless assignments, all of which you completed with no issues. They varied from distribution to punishment - needless to say, with your training, you excelled.

The lord of the operation was glad of you, often inviting you to high-end bars for parties, which you accepted, hoping for a window to open where you could gather some, any, intel.

Which you found - almost too easily.

Codenamed “Sovereign” by KorTac, one of the leading operators of Tenebris, had taken quite a liking to you. Often you found yourself in his company - and more often, he was drunk, with a loose mouth.

From these late-night conversations, you gleaned some information - these narcos had ties to the South American Military, along with an obscure Russian operation, the operating base you had arrived to was but a facet of their operation. Sovereign had slurred out that he’d even met some figures of interest that appeared on KorTac’s watchlist, using them for covert operations associated with their ghost supply of money, and untraceable distribution tactics.

This man seemed to trust you with his life, at least while he was drunk.

There was only one problem - he was sending you on continually more demanding assignments. Slaughtering the mercenaries that had been giving his operation trouble - and capturing their colonel.

Your colonel.

König.

Hier wird es kompliziert.

This is where it gets complicated.

Upon seeing König’s reaction to your position, Sovereign would know of your situation. He would put you in a dilemma - it was easy to foresee that. He would ask you to kill Colonel König, or face death.

You’d have to figure out that obstacle when it arose.

König’s POV

His team had received a strong lead on the drug operation that they were tracking. Seven men had been holed up in an apartment building for four days, waiting on orders, only to be told that the group they were chasing was five floors below them.

König paced constantly, checking his rifle at least ten times before he gave up and announced they’d be leaving in fifteen minutes. Horangi seemed to be the only man without a pale face, and König appreciated that.

Because the way his stomach was churning, he wasn’t sure if his team would make it out alive.

Two hours later, his team was elbow-deep in blood and cocaine, wading through the few men that tried to oppose them with AK-47s. With quick, concentrated fire, they all fell.

But before König could even register what was happening, he was face-to-face with the verdammt Füchsin fucking vixen who’d given him so much strife.

She was wearing a black mask, the same as her fellows, to hide her identity - but König would know those eyes anywhere.

He was about to roar to his men orders that would only result in her death when he felt a thudding pain on his plate carrier. He whipped around, hissing, only to end up with his ass on the ground and with a gun pointed to his head.

And her hand was wrapped around the grip.

His team paused, unsure what to do. Unfortunately, König didn’t get to find out much of what happened next, because his vision went dark, and in the last few moments he was conscious, he felt his huge body slam down onto the floor.

König came to in a bright room. Sunlight filtered down from huge windows, obviously the person who lived here was rich.

The person in question sat in a plush-looking recliner, with a man wearing mismatched tactical gear on each side. But there was a figure kneeling in front of him - she’d shed her mask, and that face was all too visible. That face…

For a second - König was sure he hadn’t imagined it - her eyes softened. Worry? Sympathy?

He wanted to grab her and slam her to the ground, for what she’d done. 

Verdammte Schlampe!

Fucking bitch!

He felt far too groggy to move, though.

She stood up, calling something out to the man seated. He stood up, and walked over to her, placing one hand on her waist.

Anger bubbled, hot and intense, in König’s gut.

That - she - was his.

Wie konnte er es wagen?

How dare he?

König surged to his feet, disorientation forgotten in the moment. The mercenaries jumped forwards, protecting their leader, but König paid him no mind as his hands found his lieutenant’s collar.

He towered over her, yanking her close to him. 

‘You verdammter Verräter!’ fucking traitor!

She trembled, which made a wicked feeling of pride arise in König’s lower stomach. He hissed a breath out over her uncovered neck, so he could feel her shudder at the feeling, before throwing her away. To his disappointment, though, she barely stumbled, breathing uneven.

Their ringleader smirked, and two words fell from his lips which made König’s blood run cold.

‘Kill him.’

Anger flashed in her eyes, but she drew her sidearm. König took a step back, but before he could so much as brace himself, the two mercenaries fell to the floor with muffled thumps.

The leader stumbled, fear etching his features, before a bullet was put through his skull to match his soldiers.

König spun around, with the full intention of grabbing her once more, but she held up a hand.

‘Do you have exfil waiting? Can you call it in?’

König clamped his teeth together.

‘Yes.’ he ground out.

‘Come on.’

As König’s team piled into the black Land Rovers that had been called in for a hot exfil, he dragged his Füchsin vixen beside him, ensuring they were in the same vehicle. She ended up crammed in between Horangi and himself; panting and sweaty akin to all of the other soldiers along side them.

Horangi looked ready to explode; the fierce anger burning in his irises told König as much. His hand was resting on his knife from the second he noticed their mole would be in his vehicle.

König gave him a hard look, before turning to the woman in between them.

‘Explain yourself, schatz.’ darling.

Your POV

The drive back to the airport was hellish.

What with König breathing down your neck, Horangi glaring daggers in your direction, all on top of the other soldiers giving you a wide berth.

You had explained to König during the trip of your position’s deep cover, telling him that you were the one supplying intelligence on Tenebris.

Most still seemed skeptical, but you could tell from the look in König’s eyes that he wanted a whole lot more from you than just an explanation.

Once your team had boarded the plane, you endured the five hour flight back to base with only one little issue - König sat next to you, under pretence of “keeping an eye on her”, but you really guessed he was just trying to get you hot and bothered. If he thought you’d forgotten the interesting sort of relationship you both were in even before you left, he was sorely mistaken.

Every so often, his thigh bumped yours - he didn’t apologise, not once, instead opting to lock you with a stare that was hard to decipher.

The fifth time, he didn’t move his leg away; you could feel the taut muscle underneath his pale fatigues pressed up against your own thigh; which was clothed in dark canvas.

You forced your eyes to stay trained on the window, gazing out at the earth below; not giving him the satisfaction, until you heard a deep, rich voice to your right.

‘Look at me, schatz.’ darling.

You considered disobeying for a few seconds, but the feeling of his leg pressed dangerously firmly against yours made you give in. König chuckled darkly when your eyes met his.

‘You know, meine liebe, I could not stop thinking about you while you were away.’ my love.

You swallowed thickly. That accent - that husky, viscous accent that made your mind turn to pulp - never failed to make that heady rush of desire make it’s home embarrassingly low in your stomach.

‘I - miss me that much, hm?’ you tried for a smooth reply, but the way your stomach twisted made it come out much less attractive.

König leaned in, the dark curtain of his mask draping itself over your shoulder. You could see the wicked amusement in his eyes.

‘Ja.’ Yes.

‘You do not know,’ he murmured, voice dripping with innuendo, ‘Wie ich deinen Geschmack vermisst habe, Liebes.’ how I missed your taste, love.

You shivered, it was like ice sliding down your spine, but you liked it.

‘Sag mir, wie viel.’ 

Tell me how much.

That was all he needed - you knew from the amused rumble that seemed to echo from the depths of his throat.

‘Ich konnte dich nicht aus dem Kopf bekommen, Liebling. Ich habe an dich gedacht, als ich trainierte, als ich aß, als ich... im Bett lag...'

I could not get you out of my head, darling. I thought about you when I trained, when I ate, when I… lay in bed…

His words went straight to your core, and you felt it almost immediately - the uncomfortable heat between your thighs you couldn’t quite shift away from, the dampness spreading through your layers of clothing.

‘Ich habe vermisst, wie du dich um mich herum gefühlt hast,’ he whispered, voice sweet and heavy, like chocolate; melting on your boiling hot skin. ‘wie süß du bist…’

I missed how you felt around me, how sweet you are…

You looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, letting your fingers trail down to rest - only allowing him a feather-light touch - on his upper thigh.

‘I knew you’d be all riled up,’ you purred, now tracing little circles with your fingertips.

König made that rumbling noise once more, the one that turned your bones to putty.

He held up four fingers, four minutes, and stood up, walking slowly down the aisle of the jet plane to the bathrooms.

You smiled to yourself, checking your wristwatch. Three minutes, twenty-seven seconds, and he’d no doubt make you forget your own fucking name at thirty thousand feet.

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part 3 ???

enjoy x

[myobsessionsspace]

Sorry lovely, I had to censor a bit of your ask, sharing her business! 😭😂💜 and also I don’t give a platform here to the other part you mentioned, ain’t what I wanna attract around my space, protecting my peace and that😉

I totally get you!

Yes yes yes they censor themselves. They know what to share and what not to, most of the time. They keep it cute for us, many a time they’ve shared without really sharing you know. Like we’ll get a little cute nugget about Jimin playing with flowers and tinting his Eomma’s nails, that it was his dad that made/gave him the recipe for a hangover soup, Jungkook will talk about his Eomma’s bland japchae or his brother taking Bam or something. But it’s little sprinkles here and there. In the earlier days we learnt a bit from when radio interviewers or other interviewers would ask about their siblings, their childhood, their upbringing. These days it’s when their celeb friends also have interviews and are directly asked that they’ll share, like Sungwoon saying he was late to send Jimin of the service or Yugyeom talking about how the 96z all chipped in and bought him a designer bracelet for his birthday and how they all recently went to Busan together.

Yea we got conversations from them during AYS but you’re right it was like ‘oh the kids at the photoshoot’ ‘my album was what I wanted to do etc’ ‘this food is delicious’ ‘I slept well.’

I saw someone talk about how nice it was hearing them talk about Cosmic Terror because it was something unique that gave insight into how they think about something other than idol life. I felt that way too. It was also nice hearing them talk a bit more about the maknae line dynamics when they were younger. But as I said they know how to keep it ‘clean’ and keep it cute and I don’t think we’ll truly have much more than that. It’s a parasocial relationship. Not a real one. We get what they give us. Anymore we’re taking without their consent, overstepping our boundaries and doing it for ourselves, not them.

The same was we have our friends and brother in laws etc that we can chat to at the bar or on the phone or sitting on the couch, so do they. That’s the forum those conversations will happen with them, not with crew and strategically placed cameras. Not even with one phone with weverse live app opened up. We may get a leeeeeetttooll bit more with the later, especially after a glass or two of maekju or whiskey 😁 but that’s pretty much a novelty in itself. They’re kpop idols at the beginning and end of it all.

Jungkook having enough of the invasive and maybe delulu? questions/comments in a live (click for whole live)

Don’t worry too much about members not talking about their girlfriends etc. they have more than enough people in their circles they can talk about the ins and outs and plights or celeb dating etc. honestly they probably do wanna posts and be all coupled up on sns like other people their age but I wouldn’t be surprised if every member has burners/finstas and do all the things people their age do. Just because fans don’t see it doesn’t mean others don’t. My heart doesn’t bleed too much for fans not knowing ish.

That little crush convo for the cameras with their reactions, lol, we all know that ain’t how they really have conversations lool

Like if all my family, close friends etc know I’m dating someone but fans don’t. They talk smack or rumour me with others, who’s really laughing? Me and mine who know the real deal or people online confident in lies? There’s an old adage ‘what is understood don’t need to be said’ 😜

True Jimin stood ten toes down in his boyfriend style photo’ when Jungkook didn’t hear he said it again, then showed staff the photo and said it again 💅

And wouldn’t you guess it, go look in social media army spaces and you’ll find a Jungkook lover with that or it’s now used in au’s n ish. Let’s not EVEN get started on Jungkook’s birthday video message to Jimin, I swear I saw that as thousands of people’s pfp’s 😩

Even JK wasn’t like ‘f*** u mean boyfriend pic?!’, he was just like ‘meh lol, look at my hair, dummy shot, lol.’

So yea anon, I do get you, they could at anytime said it with their chest ‘you know I don’t like you like that right’ at anytime said ‘eww why would I do that with you’ the most we got was Slytherin Jimin letting Jungkook and all of us know he’s anti romantic😂 wanna talk about snow, ok we’re gonna be shovelling it soo, wanna talk about clouds, that looks like a whale, calling me prettier than clouds, errr nice try mister but u ain’t sweet talking me. He said it before and he showed it ‘I’m not easy’ AND ‘I can handle it’ you hear than Jungkook??? He was talking to Jungkook after all.

Ultimately I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. I was never expecting, even with the synopsis of the show saying ‘travelling, activities, food and deep talks’ (or something like that), that we were really gonna get actual deep talks. The most I expected was the level of conversation we’ve always seen from their lives or how they talked about things when having conversations to gather in ‘In The Soop’ this is Jimin that only did his live and showed his place right before he was gonna enlist and get rid of everything in his place and maybe the place altogether! Lool

Thanks for the ask, sharing your thoughts and reading my ramblings lovely. I honestly was just typing like I was talking to a friend so soowee if my writing and thought process is all over the place! 🙈

💜

[lucysarah-c]

Hello, sweetie, I hope you're having a good day or night. Don't forget to eat your meals and drink lots of water!

I'm actually curious about how Levi would act around an asthmatic S/O. I am currently lying in my bed due to a recent asthma attack. Literally the slightest thing can cause me to have an asthmatic reaction, whether it's the weather or a strong smell, which gives me a horrible flu and that progresses to asthma, so I'm sensitive in that sense. I wanted to know how Levi would be with a S/O like that.

Alternative context: feed my delulu mind, please

Hi!! OMG, thank you! I’m having a decent day, though I’m almost freezing here at the end of the world that I call my country. lol

Oh no, sweetie! I hope you’re feeling better by now. 😔 I’m so sorry to hear that you’re going through something like that!

I don't want to shamelessly promote my long Levi x reader fic, haha, but in "Holy Ground," the reader character is quite similar to you. She has always had very delicate health and also struggles with asthma. Of course, I understand that everyone’s experience is unique. I based a lot of what I wrote in "Holy Ground" on my best friend who has asthma. But I’m sure I made some mistakes, so I apologize in advance.

Overall, I feel that Levi has an intrinsic fear of seeing those he loves fall ill. I delve into this a lot in my fic, but I have a headcanon that Levi struggles deeply when his loved ones are sick because it reminds him of his mother. You can tell him it’s "normal" for you or "just a cold," but he doesn’t easily believe it. In my headcanon, this is probably one of the reasons behind his obsession with cleanliness.

So, I think he would be very overprotective, maybe even a bit controlling. He might insist, "Don’t go outside without a coat; it’s too cold for you." If someone is smoking nearby, he might take their cigarette away and dare them to try arguing with him about it. If dust affects you, your place will be spotless. He would probably be worried sick about you. 😂

I hope you feel better soon! Sending you all my best energy so you recover quickly. Stay safe!

Take care of yourself!

Lots of love! ❤️

[otomiyaa]

Re: 💌

Finally getting to respond to those who were so kind to me in messages, comments, and reblogs in the past week! @otomiya-tickles was a blog with mainly tickle fics, but you guys definitely made it feel like there was more to it :)

I piled all my answers into one big post and will treasure them for as long as Tumblr decides to keep me online this time 🤭

@lovelymessybubbly: Ahhh I remember sending that ask long ago and always wondered if you received it. I still think the timing (of my leave and your return) is ridiculous hehehe, but I'm also glad to stick around and to see you back! I hope the hiatus has been good^^

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@dokidoki-muffin: absolutely honored to have inspired you and not only that, I think you're a great friend and I love our chats and our recent collab had me filled with joy^^ !! 🧁

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@fluffandgiggles: I love your blog, the fics you write and the fandoms you choose and your kind personality, I'm glad you got to go from anon to your own blog and hope you can have fun with it for as long as you like to!

@skayleay: Sending love back to you, thank youu*w*

@beth-bethar00: Thank you 🥺

@tiredleekaz: Your message made me giggle hehe thank you for the support for the x amount of years, I also realized how easy it is to lose count when I think of all my different 'tumblr eras' 😂

@lilliee0: Sorry you had to find out this way hehe, and thank you! My account is in a good place *dramatic music plays* (no it's actually not lmao)

@rachi-roo: The Real OG 😳 I'm not sure I can accept that compliment but I thank you for it!! :3

@blobbirobbi: Sending love right back, also your tickle stories are always welcome hohoho

Anon #1: Heheh right! I know I"ve once said that even if I would quit my blog, I would never deactivate voluntarily (and definitely not without announcement) so it would have to be Tumblr to take care of that. To think that actually happened :). Hope you have a lovely day too!

Anon #2: Ahh I'm glad I could help introducing you to the tk community! Thank you for enjoying my fics, all the best to you too!^^

@infrequent-creator: Don't miss me yet, I won't be gone entirely :) I'll be here, and I'll be loud. Just my fic production will come to an indefinite stop, or break. Who knows.

@yourgigglebugmaya: Ahhh that flatters me! Thank you so much^^

@shyanon01: Thank you for the sweet message!

@hakurei-k: Hahaha! Well I'm still here too and ready to adore Solomon together.

@dirtpie39: I had to google that lololol ('sike'). Thank you for re-following^^

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@sunstone-smiles: T-T thank you a lot!!

@moongeonight: 4 years ago!! ahhh I'm happy to hear it and hope you're still having fun! :D

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@shy-lee-chu: Love you sweetie, I won't write many new fics so hope you won't be bored by me ;)

@eliankrios: Elian, I'm definitely okay thank you! I'll be mainly here to eat up the content you post ^^

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@flames-tstuff: I DON'T DESERVE YOU! ❤️❤️ Hehe answering all these messages to me feels like an entire ceremony already 🙈 And thank youuu, those 13k posts and 7k followers were from a total of 7 years of active fic writing on Tumblr though for a ton of various fandoms, I don't deserve too much credit for it ^^

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@kusuguricafe: Thank you for staying with me too 😘

@crazy-as-a-jaybird: *hug* thank youuuu T-T

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@ticklystuff: Thank you so much, will do!! I am reviving my animal crossing island (inspired by you and sezzie🤭)

@fantasizes-tickles-daily: I read about so many heartattacks and feel so sorry hehe, thank you for finding me again and for supporting my new one!^^ I can't believe I even considered not making a new blog. Your blog alone gives me the serotonin I need.

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@intheticklecloset: Thank you for the kind words and support!! T-T I look forward to enjoying the community from the sideline hehe:)

@ppystkposts: All these from anon to blogger stories make me kick my feet in delight! It's a chain reaction, I'm sure you will inspire others to start their blog as well. Your art and kindness most surely will do that^^ thank you for the support!

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@giggly-squiggily: waaa that's so sweet, thank youuuu!*0* I'll remember it!^^

@fanfic-chan: Ahhhh thank youu:D I used to call my blog my happy place and am more than happy to turn this one into that as well. Thank you for your message!

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@tickle-panile, @kiwithelee, @ticklish-sidekick, @mai-mei thank you for your concern*w*!

Special thanks to @lovelynim and @wertzunge for their instant share of my update, to @ticklygiggles for dealing with the questions about my absence, even the nasty ones. Sigh, I don't like they were rude to you! ah and also, it was Mia's message I woke up to when my blog was gone x) Never forget.

....and also ofc special speciaaaaal thanks to everyone else who reached out in DMs (I hope I answered you by now but will check soon), and to my dear friends on discord 😘

even though tumblr makes it look like my blog never existed, my evil spirit will live on and I'll keep being annoying 🤣

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If I forgot anyone's message I deeply apologize ToT !!!!

[sarahsmi13s]

|| The Promotion ||

the one where everyone gets a new title

Jake opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the words he had practiced in the mirror for weeks. He chuckled, tears lining his own eyes, “Damn it, I had this whole speech planned- and it’s all just-” He whistled, “Gone.” She giggled a little bit, shuffling a little closer. “Don’t think, just do, Uncle Jake,” Leia said from her position in her mother’s lap, making them all laugh. “Thanks V.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know where to start, so I’m just gonna talk until something sticks-” “You’re good at that,” Sarah quipped, giggling as she used her shirt to dab at her eyes. He chuckled, and pointed at her, “That, that right there, God I love that. You- God, Sarah you just- you put up with me. There I said it. I know that I’m hard to deal with, sometimes I bring Hangman home with me and it can be a lot. But you take it in stride and you put me in my place when I need it. I love walking in and smelling fresh baked goods, or hearing you yell at the game on the TV. I want to come home to that and so much more for as long as you’ll have me. Will you marry me?” Within seconds of the words leaving his lips, they were met by hers. Mumbling ‘yes’s as tears mixed together and peppermint chapstick was smeared. His hand blindly pulled the ring out of the box and found her hand, sliding the ring on her finger.

Jake sat and crossed his legs, making grabby hands at the box. “You talked this up, so it better be good.” Sarah laughed and leaned on her arm, “Just open it.” She glanced over and made eye contact with Alyssa, sending her a wink and watching her eyes widened. “What do we have here?” Jake drawled, bringing their attention back to him. He pulled out a picture frame. “Looks like an award.” “Read it, Bagman,” Bradley said, eager to know what it said and what that wink was about. Jake laughed as his eyes scanned the words. “Congratulations! You, Jake Thomas Seresin, have been granted a promotion?” He looked up at Sarah, confusion flickering in his eyes. “Keep going Sweetheart.” He licked his lips and kept reading, “You are being promoted from Lieutenant to…” His voice trailed off as his eyes widened, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. “Are you serious?” Sarah nodded and smiled, eyes watering a little. Jake didn’t waste a second dropping the frame onto the carpet and pulling Sarah into his lap and letting happy tears fall onto her shoulder. “Thank you…” “What does it say?” Rooster asked in a whisper, slightly confused by the reaction. Alyssa leaned forward and gently picked up the frame, holding it as Bradley read it. He mumbled the beginning, nodding along as he read. “You’re being promoted from Lieutenant to… Dad.”

For those of you that read J and S, it as been a year since I posted The Promotion

A year since Jake proposed and found out he was going to be a father (and i am well aware that the finn twins are overbaked, i'm getting there i promise 😂)

and i know The Promotion isn't the first part of that series, but it is the part that really kicked things off and it's one of my favorites

j and s tags <333: @milesdickpic @roosterscockpit @luckyladycreator2 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @sebsxphia @mamachasesmayhem @nobody7102 @djs8891 @kmc1989 @marbledaesthetics @fangirlbang @penguin876 @hisredheadedgoddess28 @bellaireland1981 @memeorydotcom @matisse556 @harryigprompt @sky2nd @scarlettwidow19 @showthemwhoyouare-6 @coffeewithcal @whatislovevavy @ficbyfic

[camryntheking]

9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 1 Reactions

Listen. I know im a week late. And ive made promises about when things will get posted. So apparently im a liar lmao. BUT. I am here for season 8. Cos watching a single episode is easier (in my mind) than committing to a whole season. So here i am.

God i love Eddie’s mustache. Hate that Gerrard likes it. Fuck Gerrard. Also. Why is Buck so pretty?? I cant handle it. And hes mad oh no

Athena has a right to be mad about Dennis tbh

Not a British actor playing an American firefighter in a show in the show 😂😂😂 And poor Bobby. He just wants his job back 😭😭😭

Buck being fascinated with the bees is so cute

And Mara and Hen and Karen are so cute i need them to adopt her yesterday

Buck and Tommy are cute together. But Buddie is still endgame. And Buck is so cute when hes flustered. But Chris being distant is so sad. I wanted to cry

Ofc Buck picks Eddie to be the one attracting the bees lmao. I love that Eddie turned hoping someone was behind him. The frantic running and Go Pro footage is SENDING me. And Eddie just accepting that Buck put him in this situation lmao. Buck just looks so proud of himself

Athena putting the dude in the trunk is so funny. I love her

Eddie trying to cut Buck off is so funny. Also. Wtf does “broody little pout” mean, Gerrard?? Fuck you. And poor Buck being overstimulated. That was honestly too accurate. But Eddie being the only clear voice? Hmmmm. And oh shit. I knew Buck tackled Gerrard but holy shit

My girl Athena cant catch a fucking break. Please Tim. Can she please go three episodes without something happening to her 😭😭😭

Ok! Those are my reactions and thoughts! Feel free to message me or comment if you wanna talk about the show (or anything really)

[putschki1969]

2024/02/10 Blog post by Wakana おしゃべりガーデン第6回目！〜みんなのバレンタインと美味しいチョコレート♡〜

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Talk Garden vol.6！〜Everyone's Valentine And Delicious Chocolate♡〜

Vol.6 of Wakana's Talk Garden has been uploaded! ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ First of all, thank you so much for sending me so many Valentine's Day memories! ! 😂😂 I was wondering what would happen after I had made my blog post last time because it was so close to the deadline, surprisingly, it turned out to be the highest number of submissions ever! ! ! *laughs* There were so many people who sent a submission for the first time! ! 😭[I was one of them XD] I really felt everyone's love...😭✨It's almost as if I received Valentine's Day gifts a little early...😭💕I'm so grateful💕 As always, it was fun talking to you! ︎Sharing everyone's stories, tears, laughter, and warmth...♡ But!!When it comes to tragic stories, no one can beat me! ! 🤣 I don't think anyone reasonable would disagree with me on this, right? 😂😂 *laughs* (By the way, now that I think about it, it might have been 3rd grade instead of 1st grade *laughs*) Well, those are treasured memories...😌✨ [Note: She is talking about something "incredibly sad" that happened to her in elementary school. There was a boy she liked a lot so Wakana asked her mum to help her prepare some chocolate for him. After she gave him the chocolate he was quite apologetic and pretty much told her straight-up that he didn't like her. Needless to say, Wakana's little heart was broken into pieces.]

In the last blog post, I talked about a``mysterious chocolate that was so delicious but I couldn't remember its name,'' I did my best to search for it and... I actually discovered it! ! ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+ I managed to order it from an official website that said they would ship it right away! ! Ta da~♡

The mysterious delicious chocolate shop is actually a Belgian chocolate specialty store called “Rêve De Bijoux”! Apparently it's a select shop that sells a variety of Belgian chocolates that are carefully selected every year･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+ It is not the same chocolate I used to eat, their selections seems to have evolved so the "chocolate of memories" no longer exists🤔I decided to choose a chocolate that had a similar shape to the one I had gotten in the past, I also chose a brand that I had purchased before😁

This is ZUUT's new product, "ZUUT Praline -2024 New Selection-"🍫 (I've bought some of their chocolate before) Way too beautiful...✨ It's almost a waste to eat them...✨(I will though)

And this is the chocolate of my memories, Rêve De Bijoux! ! (the box itself has not changed at all) The contents are all new though, I haven't had any of these before! This truffle seems to be very popular 😳💓 I am sharing my reaction on the podcast! ! So be sure to listen to it😆

And here is the decaffeinated coffee I drank with my chocolate ☕️ It's the instant coffee on the right. Although it is caffeine-free, it has a strong refined taste and is delicious 😳 (despite being instant) Personally, I like the fact that there is not a lot of acidity! What's even better is that it's organic and decaffeinated without the use of chemicals ♡

The drip coffee on the left is not decaffeinated but I really like it ☕️ It's called Cafe Verona from Starbucks. It has a very bitter taste that I occasionally crave😍

I had a lot of fun ordering chocolates and taking advantage the talk theme for the episode 😂 If you have any delicious sweets or foods you recommend, please let me know 😄 The next talk theme for March 10th will be “Graduation Memories”! ! Memories of your graduation ceremony from your school days, or when you graduated from ◯◯, etc, everything is welcome🤗 It shouldn't be that difficult! *laughs* I'm waiting for your submissions! ! !

Thank you to everyone who watched “Wakana 5th Anniversary “Prologue” ~Premium Online Live~” held on February 6th! ! ! 😭✨ You can still watch the archived video until the 13th (Tuesday), so I don't want to reveal too much! ! 😂 Let's just say, something quite shocking occured🤣 If you haven't seen it yet, please be sure to check it out! ! 😂😂

During this online event, I also announced my next live! ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ “Wakana 5th Anniversary Live” Date: May 12, 2024 Venue: I'M A SHOW Yurakucho Marion Appearing artists: Wakana, Satoshi Takebe, etc.

I wanted to start this year's 5th Anniversary celebrations with all of my fan club members. But I also want to use this year to share my music with many more people, that's why we have decided to hold a proper band live for the first time in a long time😄!! ️ Everyone, please come to "I'M A SHOW" in Yurakucho on May 12th! ! ＼(^o^)／

Lastly , here's a picture of myself and Sakurada-san who joined me on the piano on February 6th♪

Well, that's it for today. Until next time~☆( *'▽'*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

Wakana’s Talk Garden #6

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ Do ❗NOT SHARE❗ on other sites ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Episode #6 »»—— CLICK ME 🎁 CLICK ME ——««

Vol 6 Topic “Memories of Valentine's Day”

OMG, I can't believe she actually read my message😳 I always stress way too much over what to write and I am generally super self-conscious when it comes to my Japanese skills so I never really leave any comments, let alone long messages. But Wakana's blog post from last time made me feel so bad for her that I couldn't help but submit at least something. Apparently, lots of other people felt the same way XD That makes it all the more surprising my message ended up being chosen. I had no idea it would be so embarrassing to hear her read my message🙈 Especially now that it turns out my guess about the mysterious chocolate was completely off. I speculated that she might have talked about a popular Austrian sweet called "Mozartkugel" but turns out she was talking about a special chocolate from Belgium (see images above). Oh well, the message was a great transition to her introducing the chocolate and doing a little taste test. And I am happy that she at least remembers receiving my packages of "Mozartkugeln" during various lives. Also, this is the third time she has mentioned "Sachertorte" in relation to Vienna so I guess she must be pretty obsessed with it. I need to find a way to bring one as present for her.

For next month’s episode which is scheduled to air on March 10th, the topic is “Memories of Graduation” The submission deadline is 02/29.

[jennyandvastraflint]

Xena Reactions S3Ep2.

Oh no, a Joxer episode... Please no...

Hellooo, Xena

OH IS THIS I'LL RISE BUT I REFUSE TO SHINE

YESSSS

HAHAHAAA, his eggs

"Nothing important"

Something about horseshoes

Please. Joxer...

OH SHIT- Blood???

Lol, burn Joxer sjfjsjf (Is this the timeloop episode btw, there's one of those, right?)

"There's no blame here" OUGHHHH

HUAAAAH, THE HUGGOO

OH. THEY SLEEP CUDDLING. LOOK AT THEM

THE GRNTLE HAIR STROKING???

Oh yea. There it is. Time is looping

"You should be dead!" sfhdhdh

Awwww, she's suddenly fond of him

She pushed him out the way.

Sus lady in the background

Pls. The timey wimey shenanigans ajdhd

"And they're making us up" 👀

BWAHAHA HE FAINTED and he's back

The simultaneous YES.

Urgh ffs.

"son of a Bacchae" sjfhdhd

Oof... War.

Xena is DONE with em

Joxer you fucking didn't have it under control

JOXER YOU WERE STABBED YESTERTODAY

NOOOO NOT ARGO. Hey I'll take dead Joxer over dead Argo ANY DAY

Noooooo :(((

Poor Xena

Wow hang on, are they giving Joxer character depth?? I still don't want him there shdhd

"Joxer, move"

"I am fine. The day is repeating itself." "I hate when that happens."

GABBY CHECKING IF SHE'S GOT A FEVER

"Lots of people bond over their hatred for me. You two for instance." 😂

Ohhhh, she saved the old guy

XENA DOESN'T WANNA HEAR HIM SINGING

"I that a hickey?" GABRIELLE'S FACE.

She knocks out both of them

"Not the alleeey..."

NOOOO, GABRIELLE! GABRIELLEEEEE

She's immediately checking. HER FACE. THE RELIEF, THE HUG

Joxer. NO.

HEHE, AS HE DESERVES

AHAHAHAHAHA SHE KILLS THE ROOSTER

"You'll explain, right?"

Joxer...

AHAHA

"Wow, she has really lost it" 😂

"Two great minds, one thought" "Only half a wit" dhfhfhd

DID SHE JUST MURDER JOXER SVDHDHDHDHD Fair

Gabrielle's distraught while Xena sleeps on

Heeeey, it's like the intro shot!

SHE TIED UP POOR GABRIELLE bet when she got the rope out Gabrielle thought it'd go differently

"Would help if I could read"

"So anyone drop dead lately?"

Her listening to stories 😂

"Yes both ways" 👀 Bisexual ass thing to say

Her going thru breaking up one conflict after the other

Ohhhh, so the stories were part of the plan

Yippieee, everyone is happy

"I bet this'll stop the day repeating" it won't

UH OH.

"Thanks, I just needed to say that out loud"

Oh god. They're trying to Romeo and Juliet... 😂

NOT CUPID SJDHDHSHF

Please.

I mean, Xena's gonna send Gabrielle and Joxer, isn't she

THEY'RE STILL SITTING THERE SHDHSHD

Xena. You have a girlfriend and a... Joxer who can help

"Go play with Joxer" Rude

"Sorry" shfhfvf

"GOOD GIRL"

Poor Gabrielle

Love how Xena has this elaborate plot instead of asking for help (Vastra as fuck)

JOXER NO.

Nooooooo...

Okay it's turnips

Them laughing at Joxer. So fair.

This is probably among the ones I liked best (at least among the ones that contain Joxer. He was bearable in this one.)

[collegetennisoriginstory]

ALLIEEEEEEEE!!!!! Just finished the update HOLY SHIT!!!!!!

[Mandatory spoiler warning here]

OMG SAM!!!!!!! MY LIL BESTIE IS HERE AGAINNNN!!! AND WE MATCHIEESSS <3 SAM MY SCRUNKLYWUNKLY ❤️🩷 YOU BET UR ASS I CHOSE THE "NO THOUGHTS HEAD EMPTY, SOUL CRUSHING HUG" OPTION!!! AHH I AM WHOLE AGAIN, SAMMYWHAMMY, MY SAMWISE, MY LIL GUY!!

I love how sam is immediately adopted as part of the cheering squad 😂 Im just imagining diego and Addie going 'one of us!! One of us!!! One of us!!!' At sam and just merges em into the group like theyve always belonged there 😭 I knew sam and diego would be instant besties!! I love G and Sam too!! Though I guess I didnt flirt enough with G to trigger any sort of jealousy between G and Sam. But its fine, Ive found that G as a platonic friend is also very sweet and I honestly kinda prefer it for my MC!! (Who will cry themself stupid when G has to leave 😔)

Speaking of jealousy, I absolutely LOVE Rayyan being sooo jealous the whole chapter lmaooo like yes bby frown those beautiful eyebrows... oh, MC is wearing someone else's last name to their first season debut???? Ohh u are seething... who is MC seeing so badly that theyre holding up the game?? Who is MC waving at?? I cant wait to introduce Sam to the team 😊 hopefully they would be able to go home unscathed <3

ALSO the tension after the match with Rayyan!!!! UGH I WANNA LIVE IN THAT SCENE FOREVER GOD ITS SO---- The restraint, the longing, the 'i want them so bad but causing a scandal by making out sloppy toppy at ur first match is probably NOT GOOD, but im this 🤏 close to risking it all'...

It's so woefully inadequate, so woefully incongruent with the way he's looking at you, that you're a whisker away from growling in frustration and stepping in to kiss him in front of the entire Cargill crowd.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE LINE OMG!!!! AND THE WAY RAYYAN JUST GRABS UR HAND AND HUGS U INSTEAD!!! I AM FERAL. LIKE ITS SO SO SO SOFT BUT ITS SUCH POOR SUBSTITUTE TO WHAT U ACTUALLY WANTED HUH RAYYAN??? ..... one of these days I might do a slowburn Rayyan route, but sadly Im a board certified thirsty hoe, so...

Btw I also chose the non heart hug option and ITS SO SOFT???? I LOVE THEM BEING SOFT??? LIKE "u only get to hug me once okay? 😤" "once per match?? 😊🥰🥺🤗" MC SO CUTE GOT RAYYAN GIGGLIN AND BEING MAD CUTE AND SHIT

AND OH DONT GET ME STARTED WITH 'THE LOCKER ROOM PART 3: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO' SCENE. I AM DEVOURING RAYYANS SOUL, I AM BITING DOWN, CHOMPING. THOSE LOCKERS HAVE SEEN SO MUCH SHIT I AM SO SORRY LOCKERS I LOVE U. I WILL NEVER GET TIRED OF LOCKER ROOM KISSES I HOPE IT GETS TO LOCKER ROOM PART 587

Anyways sorry about being unhinged at u, it is born out of love for ur incredible work, I hope the surgery goes well <3 rest up, sending u loads of love, Allie ❤️❤️

Hahahaha I LOVE your excitement omg this absolutely made my week!! Definitely read this one more than a couple times :)))

G is not really the jealous type, but there is a difference in their reaction to Sam and MC if MC has been flirting with G... though the more pronounced reaction comes from Sam if MC flirts with G in front of them.

As for Rayyan... yes. They definitely are the competitive type, both when it comes to tennis and. Well. Romance.

Glad you enjoyed some of the interactions between the ROs/characters in the update, it was a lot of fun getting to write some of these dynamics after building up to them in earlier chapters. A personal fave was writing Tobin's locker room scenes, and G/Rayyan being soft, and Sam's reunion :)

Finally, I have lots of Sam/hallmate interactions planned for the weekend, so stay tuned for that!!

Thanks so much again for the message and so glad you enjoyed the update!

[blurredcolour]

PART 5!!! WAS!!!! EVERYTHING!!!!!

Reader really was going through it in the beginning, poor girlie 😭😭ALSO I'm starting the "A New Love For Myrtle 1944" petition. Sing to make this woman happy again. We didn't spend much time with her, but hers is a sad story in need of a happy ending. Every signature counts.

I love that she's knitting now and I love that she's sending it all to Bucky ❤️❤️ You just know that those are his most prized possessions ❤️

And eeeew, where was my Miller trigger warning?? 😭 She's so mean 😭 Like, I get she's a product of her time and I'm judging her with a modern mindset, but YEAH I'M JUDGING HER!! People are dying! Let them be happy! Chase your own bliss, girl! Leave them youngsters alone!

OMG, Bucky's POV is all I ever wanted. Loved being inside that man's head. He is a mess lmfao. But I can only imagine what he was like the first few days since he can't remember himself. Buck was blessed with an endless amount of patience because we all know Bucky talked about that 1-minute at most phone call the entire time.

AND HIS REACTION TO GETTING THAT FIRST LETTER AND THE PARCEL WAS SO CUTE, LIKE MY HEART!!!

Their letters? 10/10. Soooo perfect, it felt like I was prying into other people's private conversations. And I love the little details she adds just for him, like the Yankees winning the whatever it's called (sorry, baseball confuses me severely).

And honestly, the TEASING the boys must be putting Bucky through between letters 😂😂 And he's on cloud nine, he doesn't even care. And I bet Buck is thrilled for him too ❤️ I love them besties, your honor.

AND YAY TO BABY EGAN ON BOARD!!! Coming soon to a hospital far, far, far away from Bucky 😔✊

Despite the little joke I sent in another ask, I get her reasoning for not telling him, but man's not stupid. He's gonna figure out pretty fast he's about to become a father if he hasn't already. What's left for us to find out is if he's going to write to her, saying like "the jig is up. Can we name them after my plane? Not the one that went down, that wasn't even mine" or if he's going to wait for her to bring it up.

At any rate, pretty sure he'll miss the birth since, as he said in the last episode, he's been in the stalag for like eight months already. Hopefully he will learn how to astral project by then 🙏🏻

History question to wrap this up: could POWs send things out of the camp to the people they were corresponding with? Can't imagine they'd want to part with anything, but I wouldn't put it past him to send her something for the baby as a way of saying "I know" instead of having any of them writing about it.

Beatriz you have blessed my inbox yet again

Firstly - I adore how you connected with Myrtle. She’s a complicated, wounded woman who thought she did what was right. I don’t think she anticipated the reader’s poor reaction to it all, honestly…but there’s no shortage of eligible men if she can allow her heart to take another chance.

The knitting! Yes! Inspired by the weird little hat that Bucky was wearing at the start of episode 7, I was thinking it would be a lovely connection and per Red Cross rules very much allowed! You bet he takes very good care of his winter accessories.

But Captain Miller - a woman with very different priorities from the reader and very rigid morals. Interfering and scheming, she is always looking for the next promotion so it is utterly bewildering to her that the reader resented one and then proceeded to ruin her well-laid plans. Good riddance to her.

I honestly hemmed and hawed about including a Bucky POV here but it was demanded by my brain and therefore we got several into his rapidly fracturing psyche. Bless Buck and his patience for the delirious ramblings of head wound Bucky 😬

Beneath any teasing from the boys, there is surely a lot of jealousy - the reader’s letters come faster, and she seems to send more? And the knitting…But they’re also glad because it’s dulling the edges of Bucky’s caged-animal behaviour…or it was 🤦‍♀️

Baby Egan 🥹

Baby Egan to be born stateside and definitely not named after Bucky’s planes because they were - Just A Snappin’, Mugwump, and Mlle Zig Zig. Don’t seem to roll off the tongue 🤣🤣🤣

His reaction is going to be very interesting, wish me luck as I do my very best to bring this all to a close in just one more part 😬😬😬

History answer - as far as I can tell POWs we’re only entitled to send letters, but I will do more digging!!

[xxsycamore]

(requests are now closed)

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘔𝘺 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦‼️

—❥ 𝐱𝐱𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!! The holiday of love is here, and I thought, what better time to hold a milestone celebration event so we can celebrate both at the same time!

On April 21st, 2022 my blog reached 1,000 followers. Thank you so much for all the love and support that you've shown me so far and I can only hope you'd stick around for everything that is yet to come ❤ Some of you might remember me being in shadowban during last summer - this event was meant to be held during that window of free time but I didn't get that chance - and I've actually hit several new mini-milestones since then, but either way, I didn't want to miss my 1000 followers celebration! I will be waiting for you to join me by putting a request in my inbox 🥺❤ Ily all! ✨A small surprise: you can request for IkeVil characters as well as for the ikeseries MCs ✨

↪ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎: Pick a prompt and send me an ask with the emoji and a character of your choice. These are going to be short interactions with the character! Not a specific word count but my point is learning how to write short things 😂 Hope you can help me with that! So, you're basically getting the reaction of said character when presented (by YOU) with the item/activity of the prompt. NOTE: i'd LOVE it if you get creative with those - almost each one in the list can be personalized - tell me what flowers are you giving them, what pick-up line would you use on them, what date would you invite them to, what song would you serenade them with, maybe even write the contents of your love letter! Ofc, being vague is just as fine!

↪ 𝚂𝚘, 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜: "Can I have 🍫 with Chevalier?" ; "Giving Leonardo a 🌼"; "😘 but run immediately after, with Gilbert"; "How would Masamune react if I serenade him with (song name and artist)?"

↪ 𝚄𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, this time I'm not crossing out anything - I'll be writing as many requests of the same character as I get and as many of the same prompt as I get. You can send a maximum of three requests. I will continue getting requests for as long as I feel like, but it would be a few days maximum. I expect to be able to go through your request fast but I can't promise anything!! Old requests are still going to get written once I get to them, rest assured!

I plan on surprising you with a little something once the event is closed and I can see which character got the most requests 🤫 And if everything goes well, we can repeat this event for White Day but with things swapped around between you and the character. Shh, who said that?

Waiting to see what you put in my inbox 👁👁 Have fun!

𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠:

🌹 - A single red rose

🌼- A symbolic small flower

🍫- Home-made chocolate

😘- A kiss on the cheek

🫂- A warm hug

💌- A love letter

🎁- A box of chocolates

💐- A bouquet of their favorite flowers

🧵- A hand-made craft

🧸 - An animal plushie that reminds you of them

𝗢𝗥:

😏- Use a corny pick-up line on them

🟫 - Kabedon them against the nearest wall

🍬- Slip heart-shaped candy in their pocket

📜- Cite a love poem to them

💃- Pull them in for a dance when noone else is around

🥺 - Ask them how much they love you

🤲- Do the classic "Can you hold something for me" - giving them your hand

💋 - Pull them in for a sudden fierce kiss

🎼- Serenade them with a love song

👒- Invite them on a date

Characters:

NEW: Ikemen Villains: Wiliam; Harrison; Liam; Elbert; Alfons; Roger; Jude; Ellis; Victor DISCLAIMER: based only on vibes (and everything we know about them so far from their first teaser); can turn out to be OOC! doing it just for fun 🥺

NEW: Ikeseries MCs: Mitsuki (Ikevamp); Alice (Ikerev); Mai (Ikesen); Emma (Ikepri)

Ikemen Prince: Leon; Chevalier; Yves; Nokto; Licht; Jin; Luke; Clavis; Rio; Sariel; Gilbert; Keith; Silvio NEW: Cyran/Cyril

Ikemen Vampire: Napoleon(pls); Leonardo; Mozart; Arthur; Vincent; Theo; Isaac; Jean; Dazai; Sebastian; Comte; Shakespeare; Vlad; Faust; Charles; NEW: Drake; Galileo (can be OOC)

Ikemen Revolution: Lancelot; Ray; Jonah; Fenrir; Edgar; Sirius; Kyle; Luka; Zero; Seth; Blanc; Oliver; Loki; Harr; Mousse; Dalim; Dean; Levie

Ikemen Sengoku: Nobunaga; Masamune; Shingen; Hideyoshi; Mitsuhide; Kanetsugu; NEW(first time writing for): Ieyasu; Mitsunari; Yukimura; Sasuke; Kenshin; Kenyo; Ranmaru; Motonari; Keiji; Kicho; Yoshimoto

Midnight Cinderella: Alyn; Giles; Louis; Leo; Byron; Nico; Albert; Robert; Rayvis; Sid

[impossiblesuitcase]

adri is certified The Worst but i’ve always wondered if cinder and pearl would eventually reconcile. I can imagine it happening once they’re much older than they are in the series (in their 20s or 30s maybe) because I think they would be able to make some amount of peace with each other for peony’s memory.

"that ask sent prematurely my bad, lowkey I think a showdown between Pearl and Iko years later would be hilarious, but the writer in me wants to see Pearl mature and develop beyond the person she was when she lived as her mother’s favorite and a pampered teenager. It’s hard to imagine what Pearl would become later on in life but I believe she would be more inclined/motivated to become a better person than her mother would be, especially because she’s so young when the events of the series happen and she has more room to grow. I don’t think her and Cinder would ever be friends, per se, but I can envision them eventually making peace and I wanted to know your thoughts on that whole can of worms lol" (the rest of the ask, I'll answer it in one).

Okay, but Pearl doesn't necessarily know that Iko is now in the escort droid body. So imagine the two meet and Pearl says, "you're so pretty, let's be besties!" Then Iko just slowly turns to her and sings back, "sorry, I already have a best friend. The empress of the Eastern Commonwealth. Heard of her?"😂

Here's my thoughts on Pearl. Pearl is designed to mimic Adri. Kai notes that "the resemblance between the two was remarkable", and that is not just visually. Pearl has absorbed all her mother's personality. And yet, she is not just a product of her upbringing. Her father—although a mentally-distant bumbling sort of a man—was by no means cruel or prejudiced like his wife. And even with Adri's awful influence, Peony grew up lovely and compassionate. So Pearl's poor personality cannot be blamed solely on Adri—she is bad by her own choices and attitudes.

Pearl is an interesting take on the wicked stepsister archetype. She was a young girl who had her family unit disrupted by this orphan entering it. She's forced to move out of her own bedroom, and Peony starts playing with her 'new sister', and then their father dies. In a small child's brain, it would be easy to associate all these changes with Cinder, especially when your mother openly condemns the girl. This is clear in Pearl's reaction to Peony's death, and her telling Cinder "I know you killed her," and "You shouldn't even say [Peony's] name." Yes, she's vain, yes, she's haughty, but also someone deep in grief and looking to throw blame.

We see Pearl return in Winter and she's no better. But with some time, I do think it could be possible that Pearl matures past those resentments. Let's say she stays on the anti-Cinder bandwagon for years, and when people ask her to justify those views, she explains all of Cinder's 'atrocious' deeds. Being the sole income provider for their family. Wanting to belong where she's not wanted. Neglected, verbally and physically assaulted. When Pearl says this to people, they stare at her like she's grown a third eyeball. "So...you're saying the empress is bad and you know because your family...neglected and harassed her?"

Eventually, they begin to dismantle her logic, and she's faced with the reality that not everything lines up.

Then Cinder names her daughter Peony. Adri is livid, and so is Pearl, but as Adri starts to claim "that wretched cyborg stole Peony's name as 'revenge' against us," Pearl is watching the newsfeed of Cinder and Kai, lovingly holding their daughter and looking at her with so much love. Then Pearl begins to think that maybe, just maybe, Cinder used that name because she loved Linh Peony. Maybe not everything about her is as malicious as it seems.

So Pearl takes a baby blanket embroidered with a peony flower, and goes to New Beijing Palace.

Cinder is floored when her secretary informs her that Linh Pearl is here to see her. Iko tells Cinder to send her away, but Kai—although visibly annoyed—tells Cinder that it is her decision. Cinder's curiosity is too strong, so she lets Pearl in.

Pearl is not nice. She comes in rather briskly, drops the gift on the table, and announces, "it's for the princess. Not for you."

"...Okay?" Cinder replies.

Then Pearl softens. "You named her after my sister, didn't you?"

"Yes."

A nod. "Because you loved her."

"I do love her," Cinder repeats her words from so long ago.

Pearl looks down, says nothing, and nods again. Then she leaves.

Cinder is stunned by the whole encounter, and the gift, but feels surprisingly relieved to have Pearl's 'approval'. They never become friends, they never associate, but they end it on what could be interpreted as a satisfactory note.

Now that's one head-canon possibility. I also think it's entirely possible that this never happens and Pearl remains stuck-up and hates Cinder for the rest of her days. Up to you all to decide.

Anyway thanks for the ask, I love to hear your thoughts vincentvangothic. I also need a nickname for you. Vincy? Gothy?

[phoebe-delia]

I honestly can't remember if I already sent you these or not, so 10, 18 & the wildcard option for those fic asks, PLS AND THANK YOUUUUU! The usual rules apply - if no joy etc, swap them out!! xox

Helloooo!! Thanks for sending, friend!!

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Yup for sure. I'll do both positive and negative here, to be fair to myself lol.

Stars By the Pocketful, my wireless from this year, really did not get the response I'd hoped for. It honestly sent me into a period of some of the lowest writing confidence I've had in a while, to the point where I nearly quit writing 😂. It has gotten some more attention since reveals, but as you very well know from the number of times I whined in your DMs, I struggled a lot with this one. But, luckily, I'm very fortunate to have lovely friends like you to give me perspective, including the fact that I can be proud of a fic for the writing itself and not the stats.

On the positive side, "Grow Up Together" has the most notes/reactions of ANY fic I've posted across both Tumblr and AO3, and I wrote it in the middle of the night about to go to sleep. I'm still astonished at the number of notes it has, because honestly, I feel like the writing is pretty average for me 😂😂😂😂 (I'm not knocking it, but I feel like my writing is normally like that and almost NONE of my fics have NEAR that amount of attention. So idk.)

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

Okay I just found one line that I TOTALLY forgot about from an old drabble but here's this:

"He’d been a Death Eater. The least he could do now was recycle."

Aaannd instead of choosing another question for the wildcard I'm gonna say another line I'm proud of. This is from, predictably, my favorite fic I've ever written (seriously if you only read one thing I've written, I hope it's this fic) "this is me trying."

“I think that maybe if I talked to you I could see how you did it.”

“How I did what?”

Harry drew in a lungful of air and expelled it in a drawn-out breath.“Figured out the difference between who you were supposed to be, and who you really are.”

Thanks so much for the ask, friend!!

Send me an ask from this list!

[fleckcmscott]

Tiny Sparks

Summary: On a beautiful night in Gotham, Arthur and Y/N enjoy a long awaited date.

Words: 3,441

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: @sweet-nothings04 requested a story that covered the date night mentioned in Ch. 5 of Way Back Home. Never had I thought that writing something relatively simple would be such a challenge! 😂 Thank you so much for the request! I hope you all enjoy. 😊 Much appreciation to @forever-fleck​ for allowing me to use one of her lovely edits for the intro-pic.

If you have any thoughts or questions, please comment, feel free to message me, or send me an ask. Requests for Arthur and WWH are open!

The refrigerator's glow beckoned like a distant star.

A salad packed for Y/N's lunch tomorrow. One inch of Five Alive orange juice in a plastic pitcher. An open can of Heinz baked beans sealed with plastic wrap. No, no, no. He scanned the door. Universal Foods ketchup, poppy seed dressing, mustard that dated back to 1982...

"Ah ha." Arthur ripped the jar of green olives from the shelf, twisted the lid with the urgency of a man opening a bottle of nitroglycerin. He shoved a spoon into the jar, shoved it in his mouth. The night out would delay dinner by three hours. By quarter past seven, his stomach had gotten loud enough to be picked up by a microphone.

Tummy tided over, he went to the bedroom to finish getting dressed. Though summer, a cold front had rolled in, settled over the city since Tuesday, a refreshing sixty-two degrees. He slid a short-sleeve dress shirt up his arms. Slipped a navy sweater off a wooden hanger, the cardigan with red, yellow, and pink stripes along the placket. A sheer knit out of one of Mabel's catalogs, perfect for layering, according to his sister-in-law. And the splashes of color fit the image he wanted to present tonight.

This would be his first performance since Y/N's and his return from Missouri. He'd written and rewritten, practiced his stance and body language, studied his facial expressions and showbiz grin. Done everything he could to make his material work. Whether it was confidence that spiraled upward or the urgent need to get onstage, he couldn't tell. But he had an inkling it'd all go swimmingly. Would've bet his last dollar on it.

As he folded back the sweater's cuffs, Y/N breezed through the doorway. She swooped to snag a pair of sandals from the closet floor and sat in the corner chair.

"Don't forget to tuck in your shirt," she said. Ankle crossed over knee, she secured a beige strap around her heel.

His movements slowed while he observed her. Since coming home, their emotional connection had deepened to a depth that rivaled the Mariana Trench. She'd seemed to strike an accord, both with him and herself. Revealed an openness she'd hidden behind a disarming smile whenever dodging the rare inquiry about her former life.

Now when she shared recollections, her face brightened more than it darkened. They browsed her photo album a couple times a week, getting through a few pages here and there. Some days only one. There were moments she'd cut herself off, maintain the border she'd built within her heart to banish the bad.

"Old habits are hard to break," she'd say, front teeth shoved into bottom lip, the pressure turning it waxy. But more and more, she pushed forward. Gave space and voice to her experiences. Interlinked their pasts and paths, the roads crisscrossing between them.

In therapy, he'd talked about their trip, what Y/N had told him. Disclosed what was sufficient for Dr. Ludlow to get the drift. "It's hard for Y/N," he said. "I wanna be there for her. I don't want her to be sad anymore." Fourteen years of sadness had been enough.

"I think it's wonderful you want to help her. That many years of caregiving takes a toll. But she loved her father deeply, and sadness is a typical reaction to those types experiences. Let me ask you: if something happened to Y/N, what would your response be?"

His heart became a cannonball that plummeted to his stomach. "I'd die."

"No," Dr. Ludlow said, uncrossing her legs. "You would not die. You'd come to my office, and we'd work through it together. My point - we come back to this a lot - is that no emotion is negative. It's what you do with your feelings that matters. Sadness isn't a bad feeling. Unpleasant, yes, but necessary. It's a wave we all ride, just like happiness or anger. Let her ride those waves and be her lifejacket when she needs it. You'll know. Trust yourself to know."

He'd followed that guidance to the letter. The other night, they'd gone to bed at the usual hour, lain in the mottled blackness of their room. Soft snoring was the usual lullaby that sung him to sleep, but her repeated sighs continued well past midnight. He'd turned to find her on stomach, forearms shoved beneath her pillow. He'd pressed a kiss to the velvety valley between her shoulders. Placed a protective palm on her side.

She'd rolled onto her back. Spoke with a smile and wet eyes. "You give me a lot of strength by letting me be weak."

The inclination to argue had twisted his tongue. He'd gnawed the tip to stop himself. There was no way he'd say what he wanted at half-past lights out, anyway. Plus, he understood what she meant. Weakness was a hard-won refuge, third nature and allowed only with him. Still. During the decades they'd spend together, her characterization would be one they'd never agree on. It went right on the list alongside the greatness of Gotham and the entertainment value of Milton Berle.

Adjusting her champagne dress's petal sleeves, she swished past him to pluck gold earrings from her jewelry box and stepped to the vanity on the opposite side of the bed. She stuck a post through her left earlobe and screwed on the backing. "Mabel wants a tape of your set."

His great inkling suddenly shrunk to a pinpoint. "Why?" Recordings and he had a sordid history.

"She's dying to hear your material. That's a direct quote."

"Well... Would she accept a picture? I can write a joke on the back."

"How about this. I'll bring my recorder, and if you're happy with your performance, we'll send a copy. A lot of comedians record their sets."

"Oh yeah? A lot of comedians who? How do you know?"

"I've been to a show or two by now." She lined her eyes in the usual sable. "It might be good to hear the audience's reactions without the pressure of being on stage. What worked and what didn't."

"But that's why I have you," he said. When she smoothed a thin layer of silky rose shadow on her eyelids, he slinked up behind her. Traced a line down her bare arm and murmured in her ear. "You don't need all that."

"Uh huh. You don't say that when I'm wearing lace." The applicator dabbed his nose, leaving a pale circle in its wake.

Chuckling, he wiped the powder into his sleeve. "Okay. We can tape it. I think I'll be all right. I practiced a lot."

"You'll be more than all right." She spun to wrap her arms about his waist. "Just trust yourself."

A familiar directive, an encouraging echo. Her chin rested on his shoulder, warm breath on his neck. Tender hands followed the curve of her back, the zippered seam of her dress. His wedding ring gleamed in the mirror's reflection. "I will," he promised.

~~~~~

When Arthur had told her he'd signed up for an open mic at a new joint, Y/N had assumed it'd be the usual smoky nightclub, the kind frequented by couples who ordered one too many drinks. She was overdressed for a casual dining restaurant. And what were these kids doing here at this time of night? She would've tucked her nephews and nieces in by eight on the dot.

The microphone stood in the corner, a lone figure lit by the same recessed, sixty-five-watt bulbs as the tables. Behind it was a man in a faded purple t-shirt and rainbow suspenders, telling jokes about the shapes of jars. The ukulele he strummed was missing a fourth string. It struck Y/N that he was the perfect lead-in for Arthur's newest material. Family friendly and a little left footed.

No spotlight was in sight, so Y/N claimed the nearest two-top to be Arthur's spotlight. She retrieved her cassette recorder from her purse, set it in the center of the table, and scanned the crowd.

A man with lush, brunette hair picked his nose. Studied what he'd found while the woman next to him rolled her eyes and cried Oh, Harold. He stuck the golden nugget in a handkerchief. A grandmother wiped spaghetti sauce from her granddaughter's hands and asked for a doggy bag. One pair, in their fifties and looking as fish out of water as Y/N, shared a pitcher of cloudy beer.

Without a drink list on offer, Y/N had to forgo a Tequila Sunrise. She ordered plain seltzer for Arthur and a diet cola. After the show, they'd have Mai Tais at Traffic Light. Enact the plan they'd made surrounded by sunlight and strawberries.

Their vacation remained fresh in her mind, persistent as water flows shaping sandstone. What she'd assumed would be a search for reconnection and amends had turned into the mirror she'd avoided. The parts of herself she'd shielded Arthur from, the wounds she'd submerged in her marrow had flooded outward. A fountain of broken dreams and regrets, deep enough to drown in.

Her husband was a good, kind man. He'd been the first man she'd dated who'd lived her plight. The first chance to share what eight years of caregiving had done to her. Yet, she'd denied herself that comfort, convinced doing so would dismay him. And make her soul hurt all the worse.

And it had. Sometimes it still did. She'd spent too long trying to move on from it all. Yearning to forget. But the haven of Arthur's heart (and not a little prodding) allowed her to let go. Opening herself to him lightened her load, lessened her fear. The moments she felt small, protected by love and acceptance, brought an unexpected bliss. Turned the Shit She Refused to Talk About into the Shit She Could Talk About on Good Days.

Despite her relief, she'd had trouble sleeping when they'd returned. He'd made her chamomile, brought her along to the fire escape. Pulled her to his lap and guided head to his shoulder. Gently, he'd teased that it was nice to have company that late at night.

Puffing a cigarette, he'd shared past mistakes. A sampling of his notions after Penny had had her stroke, the ones that'd made him question if he was a bad person. If he had the capacity to love within him. He'd adopted the formal posture of a licensed therapist. "The doctor says we all them. Those thoughts. It's okay that you've had them, too."

Revealing his shadow self, the trust he granted her even after her confession, fertilized the seed of grace he'd planted at the cowboy bar. Vine by vine it grew, winding itself through each rib, weaving between her collarbones, wrapping around the facets of her neck. Every touch, every glance was an imprint of a promise. That no matter what had happened, no matter what would happen, he would love her.

He was helping her paste her dreams back together.

Rainbow Suspenders ducked out. Arthur emerged from the restroom alcove to the right. Diners seated along the wall offered a smattering of applause, breaking her out of her reverie and into a wide smile.

Nervous sweat shined his forehead, slender fingers played with one cuff. He began with a long breath and exaggerated bow. A trick he'd developed to hide that he was gauging his condition, the likelihood of ill-timed laughter. Once he'd straightened and caught her eye, he gave a little nod, more of a chin bob. She winked and pressed Record on the tape deck.

"Hello," he said, the start of his typical introduction. "I'm Arthur. It's good to be here. You know, growing up in Gotham was like staying in one place. There's a lot to do, but when you're a poor person it's hard to pay attention."

A cackle from the rear, a hearty guffaw to her left. The din of cutlery and conversation lowered. The press of everyone's attention turned to center stage.

With a flourish, Arthur took his journal from his pocket, presented it as a prop instead of an aid. He thumbed through its pages and leaned into the mic conspiratorially. "I've heard it's not nice to talk about someone behind their back. But what if you've talked to their front, and they want to walk all over you?"

~~~~~

Traffic Light was one of Gotham's best deals. Four dollars for an overflowing mound of Thai delicacies, one self-service plate stacked as high as GCR's Twin Towers. Available after nine o'clock Tuesdays and Thursdays. No sharing, please. Avoid waste and take plenty of napkins.

Just beyond the glass entryway, a praying Buddha statue greeted them, the tip of its ushnisha taller than a stupa. Golden elephants marched along sequined tapestries, plastic greenery hung from the ceiling, cradled in beige macrame. Behind the register, floral garlands topped royal family portraits. And facing the bar was a spirit house the size of a fax machine, where green tea and coconuts were offered for protection. Warm, woody incense merged with the pungent smell of curry to make Y/N's mouth water.

Arthur's long strides beat her to the buffet. He grabbed a scalloped plate, held it parallel to his chest. Drummed the bottom while he studied the unfamiliar cuisine. Grinning, she stepped forward to be his guide.

Chicken satay and steamed jasmine rice found an immediate home on his dish, peanut sauce cuddled up to dependable crispy wings. Scallion pancakes were deep friend, making him an instant fan. On her advice, he added a scoop of vegetable tempura, just to get a vitamin or two in his system. When he poked a squid's suckers, his expression was a mask of alarm. The seafood stir fry was a firm pass. Y/N ordered the yellow curry - two star spicy this time.

They settled on brown wicker bar chairs at the counter, which ran along the front window, facing the street. People hustling to work, to a relaxing night of dozing in an easy chair before the television, to fluttery first dates.

"So." Arthur dipped sliced carrot in her curry sauce, speaking and sipping his cocktail. "What did you think? I couldn't really hear the crowd. I was too nervous."

"No one could tell. You were a real professional out there." She nibbled the last vestiges of meat from a chicken bone. Wiped her fingers and pulled a folded tissue from her purse. "I just had a couple ideas."

"You took notes?"

"You can compare them to the tape later."

His set had started off strong and ended on a high note, bridging a lull that'd sagged the middle. He'd only been a beat off at times, a pause post-setup a split second too long. "The crowd got quiet about halfway through," she said.

"Maybe they were listening?" he asked. She didn't have to look to know he was somewhere between a squint and a grin. His tender tone held a challenge.

"It's possible. But I think they anticipated your shtick, the 'why' and 'what do you get' format of your jokes." Her fingertip followed the points on her paper. "Instead of asking, 'Why is marriage like fine wine?' you could deliver the whole joke as a sentence or two. What about, 'Marriage is like fine wine. The more it ages, the rarer it is.' And than make it personal by mentioning your favorite."

"Like, 'My wife and I are a fine Moscato?'"

"Merlot ages better."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he swiveled on his stool in mock offense. "Well, it is my joke." A truth and a tease.

She popped the last bite of spring roll between his lips, followed the gesture with a peck. He caught her jaw and brought her back for another. Head hazy, she dropped her lashes. Leaned into the warm palm cradling her cheek.

He wasn't the funniest comedian she'd ever heard. But he was the one she loved the most.

Just as he dug out his wallet, a couple halted on the sidewalk, breaking their stride directly in front of them. The man wore a pastel, plaid sportscoat, the woman a blue sweater embroidered with a white Scottish terrier. Y/N recognized them as the older pair from the restaurant, kindred guppies in need of a pond.

Plaid Jacket pointed through the window, waved the wave of the overexcited, and darted through the door.

He wiped his meaty hand on his trousers and extended it to Arthur. "Hey, weren't you that guy at Laughs Lots?" His breath stank of shitty casual dining beer.

"Yes," Arthur said, taking the offered hand. His smile started off disbelieving but then crinkled his entire face. "Yeah! That was me."

"Well, I'll be. Always wanted to do an open mic night, never had the guts, though. I play harmonica. I'm Bob."

The woman on his arm gave a swift nod. "Bob's real good, too. He's got 'The Entertainer' down pat."

That wasn't the first tune Y/N associated with a harmonica. But Arthur's style of jokes wasn't what she expected out of comedy, either.

"And that must be the little lady," Bob continued, nudging Arthur's arm. Then his eyes popped. "I've gotta take a leak." On that note, he jogged towards the back of the restaurant, fists at his side like he was running a race.

Y/N snorted and patted her handbag. She hushed her voice and leaned towards Arthur, upper arm brushing his bicep. "See? You can mail that tape tomorrow."

~~~~~

With the brisk night air and clear, velvet skies, they decided to skip the train and walk home. They threaded around trash bags, hopped over sidewalk cracks, ran the last block to Sheldon Park. It'd closed an hour after sunset, but the iron gate's chain remained unlatched, either as an oversight or because the lock was broken. Likely the latter.

Y/N glanced over both shoulders. Pushed the gate ajar and slipped through the opening. Squeezed Arthur's hand and pulled him to follow.

Camping tents were set off from main entrance, tucked behind a dirt trail. Four or five, a number likely to grow given Gotham's continued stagnation. Flames licked the edges of a metal barrel, where men in ragged jackets warmed their fingers. Along the main path, two teenagers sat with a boombox, blasting the latest Run D.M.C. hit Arthur hadn't heard. Their sunglasses must've been to protect their retinas from their sneakers. Their shoes were so white they glowed. The two clinked Tab bottles and swigged.

Cinching the belt of her spring coat, she continued towards the center of the park. For being smack dab in the middle of the urban landscape, it was surprisingly quiet. No horse hooves clacked, no skateboards whizzed past. Hip hop was out of earshot now. About a minute later, he recognized where they were headed.

Ducks busied themselves on the rear side of the pond, chit chatting and grooming one another. Others slept with beaks buried under their feathers. The nearby bench was a recent addition, grass hadn't yet sprouted around its legs. Y/N sped ahead of him and took a seat. Leaned against the backrest and looked up.

It was six seconds before she spoke. "See that?" she asked and pointed at the sky. "That's the North Star."

"It's the bright one, right?" He settled next to her on the edge of the bench.

"In the tail of the little dipper. My father taught me where it was in case I ever got lost." A light laugh left her. "He tried to show me other constellations, but I was terrible at finding them. But on clear nights, we made our own. The Kite. The Tablespoon. The Stethoscope - though I think that's Orion's club or something." She folded her hands together in her lap. "The stars are hard to see here, with all the skyscrapers and lights. They're the one thing I miss from back home."

Arthur studied her face, all the details he'd memorized. Her brows remained relaxed, her eyes dry, cheeks flushed a subtle pink. He laced his fingers through hers. "I'm sorry you can't see them here."

"Don't be." Her gaze locked with his, eased into a smile. "You're the brightest star of all."

Happy roiling whirled his stomach, his pulse skipped a beat. He felt a sudden, indefinable feeling of rightness. He brought her knuckles to his lips, kissed them and kissed her mouth. She tasted like curry and coconut milk.

Scooting away, adjusting as he went, he reclined to rest his head on her shoulder. Look towards the stars and dream.

"Which one's The Kite?"

~~~~~

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added!): @harmonioussolve @ithinkimaperson @sweet-nothings04 @stephieraptorr @rommies @fallenstarsabyss @gruffle1 @another-day-in-chuckletown @hhandley80 @jokerownsmysoul @rafaelbottom @ralugraphics @iartsometimes @fleckficgirl

[eilinelsghost]

director's cut ask game: In These Holy Waters, In These Holy Waters, In These Holy Waters, and maybe also In These Holy Waters plase? <3 I like it a completely normal amount nothing to see here :)

(For this director's cut ask game. Send over any y'all would like - the more specific the better. My indecisiveness fully panics at the ⭐️'s haha)

------

Ahhhhh I'm still just so giddy that you liked In These Holy Waters so much! I fully hated it when I posted it and your reaction turned the whole thing around 😂 I'm a bit at a loss for what to pick out to talk about on it (see aforementioned hatred) so I'll snag something you referenced in your comment and talk about Finrod and Balan's conversation regarding the Valar. I'll try to keep it just to that, but that conversation and the confession sequence are so intertwined that I'll probably have some overlap into that as well.

So one of the things that made the premise of this conversation so fascinating to me was the idea of exploring the areas in which the Atani and Quendi experiences re the Valar overlap. They have such markedly different stories here that I wanted to poke at the similarities in a way that made the differences all the more jarring.

This begins with the juxtaposition of Gildor's song and the Aelthes myth. These are superficially similar, but their divergences serve to set the context for the later conversation between Finrod and Balan. The Aelthes myth came into being as one of many attempts by the Atani to explain their nature and is consequently built around a very present and ongoing suffering. Whereas Gildor's song is a relic of Cuiviénen and treated as such - something preserved and remembered from that which is gone, whether that be Cuiviénen itself, the cliffs of Alqualondë where it was heard, or the memory of a friend and father departed. "There were many warning songs in those days," Finrod says when he explains it to Balan. The warnings are clearly presented as a danger that belongs to the past. Even Finrod's memories of Alqualondë are couched in this: Inglor asks for Meril to sing it repeatedly when they see her atop the cliffs, for the song is a thing of curiosity, something strange and distant.

The next (and primary) similarity I wanted to explore was how both the Atani and the Noldor experience the Valar's presence through abandonment. In each case, the lack of tangible presence is shifted into the world around them - Ulmo's voice in the springs and eddies, Guënid's rivers weaving veins through the earth.

Finrod sees this similarity and thinks that he understands Balan's pain because of their own sundering from the Valar. Consequently he thinks Balan will be comforted by the same things that comfort him, which becomes a recurring theme in their will-they-won't-they arc. In fact, Finrod still embodies this in the Athrabeth where he and Andreth discuss the difference in how the Eldar and Atani view memory - what he thinks will be comfort for her is instead the very reminder of her loss. Likewise Finrod thinks that drawing Balan along with him to hear the water's song will be a comfort, showing him that he and his people are known and loved. However, this serves only to drive home Balan's reality that the gods or Valar have never (and seemingly will never) choose to speak to his own kind. It becomes a reminder of grief rather than a balm.

Even the well itself mimics this fundamental sundering: Crags of rock rose all about its circumference, barring approach save for a gap on one side that opened onto the water. Ulmo's presence in Middle-earth (in this specific instantiation) is located behind a kind of mini-Pelóri. Finrod can access his song as he approaches through the gap and drinks of the water, but Balan once again hears only the chattering current and finds naught but a cold drink that he might draw from any spring.

Their approach to the well also mimics their differing views of the gods/Valar and how their peoples understand the relationship and obligations of gods to creation. Finrod sees/hears music and light, while Balan sees "its depths faded to obscurity as he peered into them, cascading down from the edges till they blended into shadow." From Balan's vantage, it is difficult to differentiate the act of leaving them to face the shadow alone - being "given over to the dark" as he puts it - with the shadow itself.

Likewise their contrasting prayers mirror this difference as well. Finrod's is an acknowledgment of submission (an alignment of his will with Ulmo's) while Balan's makes a direct petition: "rest and sustain me, renew my days." This is a direct tie to the aithan-hropit legend that Balan told Finrod in Here in Our Frailty when he explained the tradition of the Longest Night and how it served to remind the gods "that we had life but from their breath, and that by such breath they laid a promise within us—else they had created but to abandon and made life but for to watch its ravaging." So by the measure of Balan's own tradition, the comfort Finrod offers him is to state that the gods (or the Valar in this case) had abandoned that which was created. (Finrod's distinction here, of course, is that it was Eru who created, but the wound stands regardless.)

Which leads us to the blasphemy bookends, first in jest and then in earnest. I'm not sure if it worked as I hoped, but the goal here was to point out the < > motion of the whole installment:

1. We begin with Finrod alone, following the water through its current

2. We move to the dread of divine judgement re his love for Balan across the gulf of mortality (a reprimand, a holy reminder of that gulf he must never tempt)

3. Then the separation of Balan (and his people) from the Music

4. Then Finrod summons Balan to the water (drawing him along to hear the song)

5. Then there is the memory of losing that companionship you thought would remain with you (Balan mourning Belen's return to Estolad rather than dwelling in Nargothrond with him) >>>We reach the centerpoint: the juxtaposition of Gildor's song and the Aelthes myth<<<

5. Then the memory of losing that companionship you thought would remain with you (Finrod mourning Turgon's absence)

4. Then Finrod summons Balan to the water (leads him to the holy spring)

3. Then the separation of Balan (and his people) from the Music

2. We move to the dread of divine judgement re his love for Balan as Finrod hears the eagle's cry as a reprimand.

1. We end with Finrod alone, following the water

Definitely not something you need to know in order to read the installment, but it was fun to have this do a to and from arc, just like the Aelthes myth.

So I could go on for ages about this, but I think this is probably enough for one answer 😂 Thanks again so much for the ask - and I'm SO thrilled you liked this installment!