#treasure 13 reactions
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warandpeas · 2 months ago
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Taking Steps is Easy, Standing Still is Hard
There is something about the act of closing a calendar year, a task as tiny as it's monumental, like washing the last dish after an hours-long dinner party, except the dinner party lasted 365 days and the dishes include everything from wine glasses to sledgehammers.
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Every year is its own puzzle-box of peculiar challenges. We've been doing this for 13 years now, which in cartoonist years feels like both a geological epoch and the blink of an eye and in that time we've experienced global crises like the pandemic, recessions and countless “little problems” that weren't so little then but seem almost insignificant now.
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One of the ways we cope with time – with its merciless forward motion, with the absurdity of continuing to draw lines on paper and pretend those lines mean something – is by revisiting our best comic strips from the year.
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It’s not just self-congratulation (though we’re not above that) it’s something deeper, a way of reminding ourselves that even in the roughest stretches of the year, we managed to create something that made us laugh, or made someone else laugh, or at least made us feel less alone in the dark.
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In this respect, 2024 was a real treasure trove. It was fun. No, scratch that: it was VERY fun.
We went to festivals – glorious, chaotic, overstimulating festivals where the air smells like ink and coffee and ambition. Angoulême was a highlight, of course. But there were other adventures, too: a road trip through Belgium that felt like stepping into the panels of a Franco-Belgian comic, and not one but TWO visits to Vienna, which is somehow both the most elegant city in Europe and the one most likely to inspire surrealist doodles after a few cocktails.
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And then there’s Patreon. Oh, Patreon! What a strange and beautiful thing it is to be supported by people who care enough about what you do to give money for it. To those people (you know who you are) we owe not just our gratitude but our ability to keep going, to keep drawing, to keep finding the absurd and funny in the everyday.
Thank you feels not enough, but we mean it with a depth that’s hard to articulate in a medium primarily composed of speech bubbles.
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And now here we are, staring down the barrel of 2025. We’re looking forward to it – the new strips we’ll create, the new people we’ll meet, the new places we’ll visit (and the old places we’ll revisit, because let’s be honest, Vienna probably hasn’t seen the last of us). There will be challenges, there always are. But if 2024 taught us anything, it’s that even the hardest years can be fun if you’re willing to see the humor in them.
So here’s to 2025. Let’s draw!
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PS: Yes, you might have noticed that the Top 3 is all about aliens. We're surprised as well but – as we've compiled a sophisticated score to evaluate your reactions to each strip – this one is clearly on you.
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peonysgreenhouse · 11 months ago
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-`♡´- kisses + the 13 flame-chasers
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summary: what it says on the tin!
tags: flame-chasers x gn!reader, griseo's is platonic of course, fluff, lots of kissies.
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i. kevin kaslana
kevin’s last try at love had left him unable to touch anything living, his body now colder than ice. he craves the contact he once was able to give and receive freely, but to sacrifice his own body in pursuit of the MOTH’s goals was something he was more than willing to do. but even the icy-hearted first flame chaser has his moments of weakness. in those moments he’ll grab your tie, or the end of your skirt and bring it up to his lips, inhaling the scent he was never close enough to know, and wonder how warm your skin felt underneath.
ii. elysia
elysia adores everything about you, and she wants you to know how much you are loved every moment she is with you. she places kisses to any place she can reach, but more than that she loves watching your reactions. so human, so beautiful. it’s not rare to end up with her rosy gloss all over you.
iii. aponia
aponia likes listening to you breathe. underneath a tree in the tall grass, your head in her lap. it’s one of the few times she feels she can live in the present. the future is the farthest thing from her mind as she leans down and places a kiss to your forehead, telling you to go to sleep. she doesn’t command you to do it so, but with her soft humming, you soon drift off. aponia kisses your eyelids, then, and prays for your dreams to be pleasant.
iv. eden
her lips taste of the finest wine; how could you not get intoxicated after kissing her? the high of eden’s performance doesn’t wear off for hours, and she loves to perch you up on her vanity and kiss you until she’s satisfied… and eden is hard to satiate. out of all the endless riches she has amassed, you are her favorite treasure of all.
v. vill-v
the great magician loves to woo you with her performances. look down into their hat and when you see nothing inside, she’ll tilt your chin up and give you a quick peck.
the expert likes to ramble off her ideas for projects — you’re the only one allowed in their lab. it’s not often they get excited about things, but with you there she finds that old passion for inventing return in spades. when you aren’t looking, she’ll place a lingering kiss to your temple, whispering out her thanks.
vill-v loves you wholly, with every part of themself.
vi. kalpas
you’re one of the few who has gotten to see under kalpas’s mask. his skin is fair, sunken pale eyes tired and angry. it’s the first time he lets you see underneath that you finally get to kiss him. his teeth are bared, and he threatens to kill you for standing so close. but when your lips touch his own, all feigned malice melts away, and he pulls you into him hard.
vii. su
his kisses are featherlight, as soft as a summer breeze. as busy as he is with his work, he will always find pockets of time to spend with you. even if it’s just as small as kissing your cheek before he leaves for work, he will remember your loving eyes, the way the morning light made your skin glow, your small smile… yes, this is one memory that will follow him forevermore.
viii. SAKURA
SAKURA always looks for you after battles. she is covered in bruises and cuts that will leave ugly scars later, but she needs to know you’re okay; that the one person left that she loves is still there. she ushers you someplace quiet and hums, a familiar song that she once sang to RIN and patches you up. you tell her of an old superstition that you once heard, and she takes it to heart. SAKURA doesn’t let you go until she’s placed her lips against every future scar, promising you that next time, she’ll keep you safe.
ix. kosma
try as he might, he will never be able to figure out what you’re thinking. when you reassure him that you like him, he wonders if you mean in a way that he can sit close to you. it’s easier show him what’s on your mind, tilt his chin up and plant a sweet kiss to his lips. kosma will think about your touch for a long time, one hand touching his lips and the other balled into his tunic. he hopes you’ll kiss him again and again.
x. mobius
mobius tastes sickeningly sweet, you sometimes wonder if her lipstick is laced with poison. when mobius kisses you, it is needy, her lips moving hard and fast against your own, pressing you against her lab table. when she pulls back, you’re seeing stars, and she grins at you like a predator. you can’t help but think if this is where you die, it wouldn’t be so bad.
xi. griseo
mama aponia tells griseo that kisses are reserved for people she loves. and so she gives mama aponia a kiss on the cheek before she goes to look for inspiration. today, you are her muse, and you sit for hours as she paints every color that she sees in you; each one unique to you. once you’re done, she tugs your sleeve and tells you to come look. you tell her it’s beautiful, and she kisses you on the cheeks as thanks.
xii. fu hua
hua fights with her fists, and so the bruises left on her knuckles are forever rosy, never allowed to fully heal. when she spars with you, she never goes easy, and you’re face down in the dirt after only one round. she notices the deep purple of fresh bruises on your hands, and places a kiss to each one, praising you for trying so hard.
xiii. pardofelis
pardo loves all things shiny, but she’s found she doesn’t mind being paid in kisses from time to time. she purrs as you take her cheeks into your hands, kissing her all over the face. felis can’t help but laugh at the way it tickles, falling forward into your lap and nuzzling into your neck.
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fantasyinallforms · 2 years ago
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Alright, we've got to talk about this scene because for a scene as short as this one, it packs a huge punch! They manage to cram a frankly impressive amount of information into less than a min. This will be a long one so strap in and let's start at the very beginning, right after Ori asks, "What about Bilbo?"
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Up until this point, we have only ever heard Thorin's voice crack once. Just once, and that was when he thought that he missed his chance to enter Erebor. A huge defining moment in this quest. The second time was right here when he said, "Give him more time." Please note how Thorin is standing. Hands pressed together and head bent, his back completely turned to the mountain. He doesn't even turn his head until Balin utters the word "Killed".
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Now Here Thorin says, "You're afraid." He does it in an almost accusatory way and directly after Balin finishes his above sentence. I truly think this is because he has been sitting here dreading Bilbo's fate for hours. This, combined with the dragon sickness that's starting to take hold, wreaking havoc on his psyche. In this moment, the lines between Bilbo and the treasure are getting blurred. His face is a picture of discontent and fear. So in usual Thorin fashion, he lashes out. He voices his fear to Balin as an accusation. I don't think anything articulates how bizarre Thorin is acting more than the below gif.
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Balin fully leans away from him in shock, eyes searching this face before going on to say that he fears for him with tears in his eyes. Thorin is at war with himself. He's at war with the growing greed pumping through his veins, and how much he cares and worries for Bilbo. His love for Bilbo is winning because he is desperately forcing himself to detach Bilbo from himself. They go out of their way in the next 13 seconds to tell us that multiple separate times! I will break those down for you now.
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Let's start here with this line and how it's said. Time and time again, clearly on and off screen, Thorin has shown his regard for Bilbo. The handful of time we see is not enough to invoke this strong of a reaction from Balin, a Dwarf who has known him his entire life. Would not hesitate is a powerful choice of words. Think of the things you would not hesitate to save from death or destruction. They're all things you love, things you can't live without. That is what Balin is implying Bilbo is to Thorin. Balin knows the depth of Thorin's affection.
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And here we have the response and the third time we ever hear Thorin's voice crack and stutter. He chooses to call him "burglar" and forces the words out through his teeth like a curse, like he's fighting something. The statement in and of itself is an obvious lie. He has risked his life for Bilbo multiple times. The trolls, the cliffside, even when Bard threatened them, and he practically glued himself to Bilbo's side.
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That brings us to this moment. This is right after the dragon's roar. The look of pure panic at Balin's words. He looks at the door, and the battle between Bilbo and the Arkenstone flips to Bilbo like a light switch. In this moment, Bilbo is more important. He rushes through the door into fiery danger, and the relief in his voice when he sees Bilbo, is clearly audible. Now we all know in the next scene, he holds Bilbo at sword point, and it flickers again. After that, however, Thorin's sickness seems to reconcile Bilbo and the treasure as one thing. Why else would he give him the second most valuable thing in the hoard? Treasure can't steal treasure.
I do have a theory that if Bilbo had revealed the stone, Thorin would not have been upset. It was only when he gave it away that it was deemed betrayal in the highest order.
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simmerianne93 · 4 months ago
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I'm participating in Simblreen 2024
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Hello everyone!! How are you doing???
Yeah, I know... I was MIA again.... and yes, It was still 'cause of my kittens... as I told you last time, they were sick... they were doing better, but sudenly one of the kittens, the younger one, got worse... I really thought i was going to loose her last week, She looked really haggard... it was three intense days of cares untill she gots better...
Fortunatelly, now they trully are doing it good... the younger is in a strict diet and the other kitten is doing good... the mom is also better, she is fully recovered from her surgery!! And I just wish them to not get sick again 'cause it has been a hell of two stressful months.
As you may know, Simblreen is really special to me... this is the third year I'm participating and I'm really sad 'cause I hadn't the time to finish as much packs as I wanted... I was mad last week 'cause i couldn't finish on time but this week I will be participating... I had 16 packs planned but with no time to sit in my pc to work on them, it was imposible... So there will be less gifts this year... I hope you understand.
In the other hand, yes, I have a few comission packs which I haven't delivered yet, I'm working on them as fast as I can to give them to its corresponding owner but although it may sound bold on my part, I ask for patience. I have not forgotten and I am working on them. I don't usually take this long to finish comissions so trust me, I'm really ashamed but the whole situation with the kittens has been unexpected and I need more than 24 hours a day now to catch up with absolutely everything haha.
 Now, about the event:
This year I won't be doing a treasure hunt... It was funny last two years, but now I have too much info (and packs) to hide the gifts and the candies can be lost in the void XD haha so, this time I'll be doing a simple knocking door for treat or tricks and you will receive a riddle.... if you answer correctly, I'll be giving the link to the pack.
The event starts tomorrow 25th and ends on the 27th but of course, as always, there will be a limited time to have the gift while my porch light is on. However, after the event is finished, I'll be sharing all the packs [FOR FREE, as it should] in my patreon page... But even if I'm sharing the packs after the event ends, I hope you participate on it... I have being working on them nonstop and I'm excited for you to see all the packs I have prepared.
You can know more about Simblreen here.
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BTW here you have a list with my last two years of simblreen gift, in case you want to download them now:
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08V1 - 08V2 - 09
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07V1 - 07V2 - 08V1 - 08V2 - 09 - 10
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And in case you want some more Fantasy theme related, I'll also leave links with all the Fantasy - Action and Reaction poses that I have done to date and that can be used for this spooky season:
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09V1 - 09V2 - 10V1 - 10V2 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08V1 - 08V2 - 09
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Download them here: 01 - 02 - 03
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And now, I have a last gift for you today, so... go HERE to grab it. And I hope you enjoy it.
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Thank you so much for been always there, supporting my work!!! I love you, guys... Happy Simblreen!!!
Dag, dag!!
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forager-m · 10 months ago
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TWST RARE PAIR WEEK: Day 2 - Reality TV AU
Ship: Kalim Al-Asim x Silver (カーリシル)
Art + Drabble
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BREAKING NEWS: Kalim Al- Asim Kisses Co-Star Silver In Last Episode of "LOVE: TWISTED"
05/04/XXXX
Written By: Forager_M
LOVE:TWISTED, directed by Dire Crowley, aired March 18, 2020, is a hit reality romance drama wherein well-known figures are put against each other. The prize? The love of the show's protagonist, Yuu.
However, it seems a different romance has been brewing behind the scenes, revealing itself in the last episode of LOVE:TWISTED Season 3.
Kalim Al-Asim, known for his love of music, dancing, parties, and his fun, happy personality that brings joy to fans all over the globe, suddenly kissed fellow competitor and co-star Silver on screen during the episode's ending segment.
The kiss shocked the cast members, audience and Silver himself. Silver, who is known for his love of nature, his beautiful voice, and his awkward, serious but charming personality is notorious for his blank expressions.
Screenshots of Silver's reaction spread on social networks such as MagiCam, MyLog, and TweetTweet with hashtags: #KaliSil, #SilverLV:TWSTD, #KalimLV:TWSTD trending in Scarabia and Briar Valley for three days after. Fans have taken to making edits, memes, and art of the now iconic kiss scene.
Following the incident, there has been scrutiny of KaliSil moments in past episodes.
TweetTweet user 'YuuOwnMyHeart' posted:
#KaliSil
Episode 5 - Kalim answered Silver when asked who's the most beautiful person he knows. They're so obvious???
TweetTweet user 'Single_Twisted' posted:
#KaliSil
GUUYS THAT PART IN EP 2 WHEN SILVER AND KALIM WALK AWAY TOGETHER??? HELLO??? AND THEM LITERALLY NAPPING TOGETHER IN EP 10??? I'VE BEEN A KALISIL TRUTHER SINCE DAY 1 I KNEW IT.
Other notable moments:
Season 1, Ep 5 - Kalim putting extra food on Silver's plate during lunch.
Season 1, Ep 6 - Silver calls Kalim 'cute' in a segment where he's asked to describe other cast members.
Season 1, Ep 13 - Kalim hears Silver singing and stares at him for 5 minutes before joining in. Song: Once Upon A Dream (Orginal Artist: Aurora)
Season 2, Ep 1 - Silver gives Kalim a surprise gift for the start of the season.
Season 2, Ep 3 - Silver interrupts Kalim when Kalim and Yuu are playing with the water guns in the pool area.
Season 2, Ep 7 - Kalim asks for Silver to sing the song: A Whole New World (Original Artists: Jasmine and Aladdin) with him during the karaoke segment.
Season 2, Ep 10 - Silver bakes a special batch of thumb print strawberry jam cookies for Kalim only.
... And many more moments! Please comment your favorites below!
The cast have released their own statements or posts regarding the KaliSil kiss during interviews and on social media.
When interviewed in 'Chitchat With YUU', Yuu laughed with a knowing look.
"Silver cares deeply for Kalim... And I know Kalim treasures Silver."
Other cast members have posted on MyLog:
Idia
GGS nice rizz Kalim
Re: Riddle
... What???
Leona
Jesus fucking christ right in front of the cameras. I'll hand it to them, that takes guts.
#KaliSil
Cater
CONGRATS KALIM AND SILVER!!!! YOURE BOTH TOTES CUTE TOGETHER <3 #KaliSil
Deuce
Silver and Al-Asim-senpai kissing was really out of nowhere. I didnt expect that! But I think it was really cool!!! Good luck guys, wish u all the best #KaliSil
Malleus
Silver and I have been friends since childhood. I am so delighted and pleased to see him find joy. May love prosper and may your time together be plentiful. #KaliSil
Re: Leona
Wow it mustve been hard for you to figure out how to post. Lots of surprising things have been happening lately.
Epel
No way, you're telling me Kalim Al-Asim and Silver got someone before me thats kinda crazy bro. #KaliSil
Sebek
IT IS UNACCEPTABLE CONDUCT TO KISS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS IN SUCH A MANNER. SILVER APOLOGISE IMMEDIATELY.
... congratulations to your union. #KaliSil
Lilia
I'm not ready to walk my son down the aisle yet T T they grow up so fast... #KaliSil
Jamil
Congratulations on growing up and doing something yourself for once. #KaliSil
Re: Epel
Yo who hurt you.
News to come on the couples status on LOVE:TWISTED. Follow for more!
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ninjakk · 10 months ago
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Hey!!
I recently saw someone claim that Wei Wuxian was starved of conversation on his journey to Yiling with Lan Wangji and Wen Ning and so board he needed to chat to people before they ascend the mountain. I hadn't really noticed this until it was mentioned. What do you think of that scene?
I love your meta and fics btw. You use your understanding of the novel in your writing and it's just *chef's kiss*
Hi anon 👋🏻
Personally, I've not seen any comments regarding the above - but we can certainly look at the text in question 😊
Let's take a look at the scene in question:
Several days later, they arrived in Yiling.
The Burial Mounds were less than five kilometers ahead of this small town. Although they didn’t know exactly what awaited them there, Wei Wuxian had a feeling it wasn’t anything good. But Lan Wangji was right by his side, his gait steady, his gaze cool. Wei Wuxian had never been one with any sense of crisis to begin with, and with the way Lan Wangji looked, he was even less likely to get nervous at all.
Passing through the small town of Yiling, he was awash in the sounds of the local accent. It was invigorating and incomparably endearing. While he wasn’t planning on buying anything, he couldn’t help but strike up conversations in the local dialect with the street vendors. Only after he’d had his fill of socializing did he get down to business.
“Hanguang-jun, you remember this town, right?”
7S translation
So the scene opens with WWX gushing over how safe and happy he feels around LWJ. He's just so thankful to have someone by his side, someone he can fully depend on and is there for him, should he need it. This very much echoes his thoughts from when they began their descent from the Cloud Recesses, at the start of their journey here. For someone nearing the place he met such a gruesome end at previously, he seems incredibly content and calm - all thanks to LWJ. So straight away, we are reminded of how WWX feels around the other man. It's there for a reason, to set the scene. WWX is relaxed and enjoying himself because he's with LWJ.
They have just arrived in a city he is very familiar with. It's the place he both lived as an orphan and frequented as a man while residing at the burial mounds. He is surrounded by the accent of his "home" for the first time in over 13 years and it's making him feel sentimental. I also think it's a great parallel between when WWX finally visits Lotus Pier in the coming chapters and how desolate and subdued the place has become since JC became sect leader.
I think the above reaction is very normal considering the emotional impact it obviously had on him. WWX has already stated on numerous occasions that LWJ makes him happy and he enjoys his company, but he's also very sociable and likes to look around markets and chat with vendors - there's even a scene in the novel which states as such and many other examples. Although WWX is running around chatting and exploring the stalls, LWJ is still by his side. Doing so does not subtract from his obvious enjoyment of having LWJ's unwavering presence.
We see more than enough evidence that WWX happily chats to LWJ and that he, in turn, even responds and asks questions also. There seems to be this mind-boggling misconception that LWJ literally doesn't speak, and if he does he's like some caveman that can't communicate effectively, when it's the exact opposite. LWJ talks when necessary and is very succinct with his words - he's a true gentleman of their time. Of course, in comparison to WWX, he's much less chatty - but when he does talk it's sincere and relevant. WWX loves this about him! He's also an incredible listener and doesn't miss a single thing WWX says, which WWX also appreciates! Hardly anyone listens to all his ramblings and holds them all so dearly!
It's funny, because although WWX chats to anyone and everyone, it's obvious he enjoys conversing with LWJ the most. He treasures the fact they are on the same wavelength and understand each other implicitly 🥰
Aww! Thank you so much anon! I'm glad you are enjoying my meta and fics ❤️
I hope I managed to answer your question! Have a lovely day 😘
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nerves-nebula · 3 months ago
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sa ramblings under here, specifically about sa and pregnancy
nobody is asking for my opinion on this but its something i've thought about all my life. which is that i'd probably carry a rapists baby to term if i had the choice and resources at the time. cuz i want a kid and i don't want to have sex or pay for fertilization or anything. and if it already happened then. well. might as well get something i want out of it.
this is not a take about abortion btw. it's just something about me that's always been the case. i know that conservative freaks want to force people to give birth to rapists babies which is like. awful and disgusting. but it's always made me uncomfortable how people will go to the extreme opposite and say shit like "who would EVER want to CARRY their RAPISTS BABY that's DISGUSTING and EVIL" like idk. me i guess. what happened to it being about choice. you don't have to paint it as an inherently degrading and repulsive and weak thing to choose.
obviously this is hypothetical to me right now, maybe if it actually happened i'd change my mind. but i've been repulsed by the idea of having sex with someone for as long as i can remember, i would think about it a lot as a kid because i didnt WANT to have sex, but i DID want kids, and i did want to get pregnant, and i never knew if i'd have the money to use a donor. plus donors are like, their own whole bag of worms.
so like as a 13 year old i was basically thinking it was the only way to get what i wanted i guess? like i'd get a kid and not have to be stuck with a partner. and yeah i'd get raped, but at the time rape seemed almost inevitable, because my dad was so obsessed with telling me that i specifically was going to be raped.
anyway i might delete this later cuz i know no one on the internet can read, but it's been on my mind i guess. probably cuz my friend told me about people getting mad about a mouthwashing fan comic where anya kept the lil fetus lmao. i haven't seen it so i can't judge it but as someone who wants kids, regardless of how they come to me, i find the knee jerk reaction that its an inherently disgusting, degrading decision to make or write about a little weird. as though it would be conceding to the rapist somehow to decide to have the kid.
to me the choice to keep it or abort it has always been key, and it's the ability to chose that turns it into something empowering. which is why you should always have that choice and not be shame for it either way.
like, if you abort it it's like congrats! you flushed the parasite out of your system and don't have to fear or worry about that anymore! and if you keep it, it's like, someone tried to hurt me and i turned it into something to treasure. but if you don't have a choice either way, that's when it's horrific and degrading. whatever :p
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l-in-the-light · 4 months ago
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New masterpost!
Welcome to my completely normal, not-Law obssessed tumblr! Oh who am I kidding, you're probably peeking here also for more Law, in that case, enjoy!
I usually write One Piece meta, because this is what I enjoy doing the most. So far I have these blasphemies yappings to offer (I keep this list mostly for myself, but it lists all of my analysis posts, answered asks and useful tags to navigate easier towards interesting topics):
Trafalgar Law and his fear of touch and closeness (analysis):
A very scrutinizing look at Law's traumas as a result of his childhood. Seems he has some triggers that kick him into PTSD reactions, especially relating touch:
Law's fear of being touched and touching others - I reccommend starting from this one, this is part 1
Law's closeness with Luffy
Law's closeness with Doflamingo's Family
Law's rare friendships (Kinemon, Heart Pirates, Wolf) - I recommend reading part 2 before reading this one, or right after. They're kinda complementing each other.
Law's reasons of avoiding closeness and friendships (a theory) - only read it after all the previous ones. It involves quite a bit of speculation that might spoiler you future manga developments. I might be wrong with my predictions, but feel warned!
The most embarrassing series of posts about Lawlu you will ever read:
The fish (scrutinizing analysis and interpretation of every Law and Luffy's interaction in the manga, I will prove my point that they're absolutely embarrassing in how much they like each other, you're free to interpret it as romantic or not):
Punk Hazard part 1 / Punk Hazard part 2 / Punk Hazard part 3 / Post-Punk Hazard part 4 / Dressrosa part 5 / Dressrosa part 6 / Dressrosa part 7 / Dressrosa part 8 / Dressrosa part 9 / Zou part 10 / Zou part 11 / Whole Cake Island part 12 / Wano part 13 / Bonus part - Law staring at Luffy
The fishing rod: (the tool theory allowing you to go and fish the treasure by yourself. And do go and fish, because I want to read even more embarrassing posts about Lawlu and other ships!)
About pirates and their treasure (a theory) - everything related to the theory is located in this tag: Love is a hurricane.
(more under cut!)
More character studies about Tragalgar Law:
About Law's rumoured bad manners and rudeness
Luffy and Law's similarities in expressions, behaviour and beliefs
Law didn't know about kids in Punk Hazard
Law's weakness for cute things explained (includes many examples and reasons for this softspot of his)
Law's poor self-esteem (with evidence!) and a bonus: Does Law think of himself as handsome or sexy?
Analysis of Law's quote "pirates doing good things repulse me" (fair warning, it's a long one, I delved deep into his psychology here, because I think it's fun)
Trafalgar Law and his surprising fondness of animals (mini-analysis)
Did Law drink this sake or not?!
Why is Law complaining about being ordered around in Wano? (very scrutinizing analysis of his dynamics with Kid and Luffy, and also small acknowledgment of Doflamingo's influence on Law)
Analysis of Corazon and Law's relationship (answers the question of why and whether Law is more dedicated to Cora-san than to Heart Pirates)
Why is Law so grumpy in Wano, can't he relax for a moment?! (short answer: he can't, he carries the whole raid on his back)
Would Law join the Revolutionary Army? (analysis of Revolutionary Army and how Dragon manages it, comparison between Law's and Dragon's possible goals and way of doing things. Since we don't know much about RA this counts as partial theory)
How would Law celebrate his birthday? (this kinda turned into meta fanfiction, enjoy, haha)
Analysis of Law's relationship with his Heart Pirates (100% Hearts appreciation post, I collected most scenes with them together ❤)
Analysis about other One Piece characters and relationships:
A funny tale (a short retelling of Shanks and Buggy going seperate ways in Logue Town from Shanks POV) - just for fun and feels tbh.
Analysis of Shanks and Buggy's talk about their future from chapter 19
Analysis of Katakuri and Luffy's similarities: part 1 (Luffy vs Katakuri and how they're reflections of each other) / part 2 (includes analysis of relationship between Katakuri and Brulee) / bonus thoughts
My various One Piece theories:
About the Red Line and the All Blue
About pirates and their treasures (probably not what you're expecting)
About Law's future development after Wano (warning for potential spoilers, in case I got it right)
13 Strawhats theory (just sharing hints)
About significance of Inherited Will (based on Japanese concepts of On and Giri)
Theory about future of Stussy after Egghead
Could Corazon be possibly alive? (this probably counts as a crazy theory, but there are some sus hints scattered around in the story and I shared some in this series of reblogs)
Link to my list of One Piece tags
My fanfiction:
Misadventures of Law with the Strawhats (slice of life, slight Lawlu but it's a "blink and you will miss it" category really)
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 (the final part)
Feel free to send me asks! ✨
If anyone wants to send me an ask, be it about some serious topic to analyze or something just for fun, please don't hold back! I promise I will do my best to answer thoroughly (it might take a few days tho or even weeks, if I get a lot of asks at once, but I will definitely answer every single one of them!). I reserve myself the right to not answer asks that are rude ofc.
You might want to check the my asks tag and Trafalgar Law's love life tag as well, because I might have answered the thing you want to ask about already (or simply peek there to get inspired what to ask me next :D).
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wavelengthdream · 1 year ago
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No Lightbulb Moment™
It seems to be a popular belief that Damen is unaware of Laurent’s abuse at the hands of the Regent and readers spend a majority of the series waiting for Damen to have a lightbulb moment where he realizes the truth. But because this lightbulb moment never happens, it’s assumed that Damen only learns of the abuse at Kingsmeet and the Regent’s sudden confession is why he attacks the Regent. 
However, I don’t believe that’s true. As other posts have pointed out, Damen must know that some sort of abuse happened to Laurent at the hands of the Regent. Damen isn’t an idiot. We see how observant he is time and time again. Damen is given all the clues that point to the Regent’s pedophilic abuse of Laurent. He’s told/observed that:
-Nicaise is the Regent’s pet and Ancel is too old for the Regent
-Americ was raped by the Regent as a youngling
-Auguste’s death left Laurent all alone at 13 years old
-Laurent hates being touched
-Laurent is tense the entire time they have sex
Therefore, I think his explosion at the Regent is because he believes that Laurent’s privacy regarding his abuse has been compromised. Because Damen doesn’t react to the Regent’s statement, “He has knelt for me.” He attacks when he sees Laurent’s reaction. “The crimson on Laurent’s cheeks like a stain,” and “Laurent’s awful expression,” is what spurs Damen to attack.
Damen understands all too well that Laurent plays his cards close to his chest. In the books, both Damen and the reader learn of Laurent’s plans literally as they’re happening. And symbolically, Laurent spends most of their relationship fully covered up in restrictive Veretian clothing. Laurent treasures his privacy.
The Regent exposing Laurent in front of an audience is what enrages Damen.
Why doesn’t Damen ever talk about Laurent’s abuse with him? As many posts have mentioned before, Damen is likely content to give Laurent his privacy regarding the matter. If Laurent decided to open up and tell him, Damen would listen without it affecting his perception of Laurent. And if Laurent decided to never reveal that secret, then Damen would be fine with that. But with him, it would always be Laurent’s choice whether or not to tell him. And the Regent took that away from Laurent. 
Okay, so why no lightbulb moment if Damen knows? Because Damen kept his own speculations/realizations from the reader. Damen protects Laurent’s secrets from us. Damen gives the reader all the clues that allowed him to form his own conclusions, and obviously we’re able to do the same. But Damen understands that this is Laurent’s secret and he’s willing to protect his privacy until the very end- even from us. 
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thefrogdalorian · 9 months ago
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The Best of Both Worlds: Chapter Thirteen
Din Djarin x F!Reader Modern!AU
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❁ Series Masterlist ❁ My Masterlist ❁ Read on AO3 ❁
Summary: The happiness you feel in response to a question Din posed to you is somewhat clouded by lingering doubts. Yet your affection for each other helps you to push those emotions down, until a weekend spent at his cottage changes everything...
Word Count: 13.1k ❁ Rating: Mature ❁ Content Warnings: 18+MDNI for smut (oral sex, M and F receiving), mild child sickness, angst... lots of angst... ❁ Author's Note: Thank you @decembermidnight for being my beta! This was a monster chapter so I really appreciate it. Cannot believe it had been almost a month since my last update for this fic!! I am really keen to get this one finished soon but I could also see myself writing another 100k so... we'll see how it goes haha. Sorry in advance, it hurt to write... but I do hope you enjoyed it...
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13. The Storm [Reader's POV]
Being away from Din was agonising. It felt as though every second you were not in his presence only widened the chasm in your chest which had opened the minute you parted from him. 
Still, you had the comfort of basking in his memory and the warmth that spread across your skin whenever you thought of him.
Every time he crossed your mind or you saw something that reminded you of him, you were unable to prevent a grin from spreading across your features. Knowing that he was all yours, that you had taken the step of actually calling him your boyfriend made you feel positively giddy.
Each memory you had with Din was precious, something to be treasured.
Well, almost all. 
There was one irritating little moment which did not provoke a pleasant reaction. A moment that kept replaying over and over in your mind. The doubt and insecurity it provoked kept gnawing away in the pit of your stomach. Try as you might, you were unable to banish it from your thoughts. 
That one particular moment seemed to play on an endless loop in your mind in the days following your excursion to the park. 
No matter how much you tried to banish it from your thoughts, you could not stop thinking about the way Din had shifted all of his weight onto one leg, folded his arms and sighed when you had suggested hiring the rowboat. For some reason, that particular mannerism triggered something in your brain. A reminder of sorts; a flicker of recognition, a memory of a man that you had never even met.
It was like the strangest sense of de ja vu, except you had never crossed paths with the man who Din bore a striking resemblance to at that precise moment… because he wasn’t real. 
Nevertheless, for one brief moment as you stood begging Din to acquiesce and hire a boat with you, the way he moved was so scarily like Mando that you had almost opened your mouth to question it. 
However, as you thought about it over the next few days, you were relieved you hadn’t made a fool out of yourself and questioned him. You would have looked beyond ridiculous.
There was simply no way that your Din could be The Mandalorian. 
You were certain that it was just your overactive imagination playing a trick on you, especially since Mando had been on your mind recently. 
When Din had called to apologetically inform you that he would be unable to join you on that Friday night, you had not hesitated to dive back underneath the comfort blanket that was your favourite show.
You had slipped back into your old ways and used the show you once watched religiously to soothe your soul during a time of crisis. Watching The Mandalorian in your luxurious hotel room on an enormous television that made you feel like you were at the cinema had calmed your anguished heart after Din had informed you of his delayed arrival.
It had also clearly brought Mando back to the forefront of your mind in a way that the character had not been for several weeks. 
Until then, any spare time was devoted to seeing Din, rather than watching the same episodes you had seen countless times. Mando had slipped down in your list of priorities. Still, it was the first thing you turned to during a time of crisis. 
Since you had started dating Din, you had found yourself so busy that your frequent watch throughs of Mando had dwindled in frequency. You had a lot less time to yourself, after work you were usually either physically with Din or texting him. Somehow, the thought of watching your fictional crush when you were speaking to your very real boyfriend, even via text, seemed strange.
You had always believed that you would never find anyone in real life who could come close to holding your affection in the same way that Mando did. You knew now, of course, that you were dead wrong about that. 
Din was everything you had ever been searching for. Since the moment you had first crossed paths at the museum, you had felt an immediate connection and spark which had only intensified over the months that you had known him. With Din, you were unafraid to be yourself. You were so authentically yourself when you were around him. 
Din saw you entirely. And he loved you completely in return. In your relationship, there was nothing to run from, nothing to hide. Merely two people who loved each other very much and had felt every part of themselves touched by that affection and made all the better for it. 
Before Din, you had always been afraid of love, afraid of allowing someone to know you so deeply. With him, you had never felt fear. Never felt that he could hurt you or hide anything from you. Even though his particular line of employment kept him away from you and was evidently well-paid, and even though he lived suspiciously close to The Volume… There was no way the kind-hearted man who was such an attentive father and made you feel so safe whenever you were in his presence could be hiding such a thing from you. 
So, those feelings of certainty and security that you drew from your relationship with Din were precisely why you were able to dismiss the peculiar moment at the park which had caused such a strong sense of deja vu within you. You knew Din Djarin was a good man at heart, who would never willingly hurt you or hide things from you. 
Happily, despite the uncanny resemblance to Mando that Din had momentarily shown, your fledgling relationship was going from strength to strength. 
Din was doing everything to spend more time with you. He would meet you after work when his schedule permitted, even if it was just for a quick dinner before the two of you went your separate ways. 
Weekends were usually spent at Din’s cottage, unless he treated you and booked a hotel room for the two of you. The second suite was usually for Kuiil and Grogu now. Din, in his own way, was learning to open up more to you and let Grogu out of his sight for a few hours so he could enjoy your company. He had even discussed renting a flat in central London to give him and Grogu more of a base in the city that would make seeing you easier. It was a sign that the future was on Din’s mind. A future he seemingly wanted to share with you. 
You couldn’t help but notice that the increasing amount of free time Din had coincided with the rumours that had appeared online that The Mandalorian was wrapping up filming season three.
Still, you had no concrete proof that Din worked at The Volume. Despite how much your friends teased you, you refused to let your mind wander in that direction. You had settled on the fact that Din would tell you something if he could and that was that. Better to keep your life as a Mando-obsessed fangirl far separate from the woman who Din was dating. 
As you spent more and more time in each other’s company, there was a comforting familiarity that grew between the two of you when you spent time together. Things were becoming more natural. Dates for the two of you were rarely such an event anymore, it was more just spending time with each other whenever the stars aligned for you to sneak some precious time with each other.
Of course, your heart still fluttered when you thought about Din, texted him or were near to him. That certainly hadn’t changed. 
Spending time with him and having him take you on dates still felt exhilarating. Now with the added bonus that you were beginning to feel more comfortable and relaxed in his presence. Things felt so natural with Din. You did not fear letting him in to see all of you. That included telling the occasional jokes about Mando and trying to persuade him to watch your favourite show. 
In a way, even since your first meeting, you had always known that Din would accept you as you were. Your long, tangential rants at the museum during the tour had not put him off, nor had the time when you were honest with him about much preferring a low-key date rather than taking advantage of the reservation at the fancy restaurant he had made for you. Din accepted you as you were. 
Every time you were around him, you felt butterflies in your stomach and a warmth which spread in your chest at the knowledge that you had let him in completely, and he still loved you anyway. It was exhilarating.
Yes, Din Djarin was certainly getting to know you. All of you. 
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Those butterflies were certainly present once again tonight as the two of you took an after-dinner stroll through Notting Hill, where you had just enjoyed dinner together at a cosy Italian restaurant one of your colleagues had recommended. Your fingers were interlaced with Din’s and you could not resist stealing glances at him every few steps. 
Din had really made an effort for the occasion. He looked so handsome in his white button down shirt, dark blue blazer and matching pants to complete the outfit. You had barely been able to form words when you had first laid eyes upon him outside work earlier in the evening. Any words you had been trying to form had soon been kissed from your lips as Din brought you into a passionate embrace. 
When you saw Din, you were glad that you had stashed some clothes at your workplace for spontaneous date nights. Indeed, your work locker was playing host to an increasing number of outfits for your dates, much to the amusement of your colleagues. 
Tom in particular liked to point out when you were going on a date, causing your cheeks to burn each time. From the way he looked at you and teased you, you almost felt as though he had a crush on you. You wondered why he had never acted upon it before you had started dating Din, if that was indeed the case. 
Before you had met Din, it wasn’t exactly as though you were inundated with proposals. Perhaps it was knowing that you were desirable or the efforts you were making to dress nicely that had caused Tom’s mind to wander. Regardless, you didn’t give it too much thought. For you, it was always Din. Only Din.
As you and Din strolled through the upmarket area of London, with all of its distinctively coloured houses, you couldn’t help but feel the autumnal chill to the air that had not been there a few weeks previously. It made sense, seeing as September was drawing to a close.
But with Din’s large hand in yours and the heat which radiated within you whenever you were with him, you did not feel cold in the slightest. As you walked through a quiet residential area, in the vague direction of a tube station that would take you home, it could have been the depths of winter for all you cared. With Din by your side, you did not feel a single shiver traverse your body. 
Until, Din spoke, and his words sent a chill down your spine.
“I like this area. I could see myself living here,” Din said thoughtfully as the two of you paused on the street. 
There was a row of tall houses with small gardens out front, neat houses with beautiful brickwork and ornate windows. You swallowed thickly. Somewhere like this would be so far out of your price range. It was yet another devastating reminder of the different worlds you came from.
“Maybe it’s somewhere we could look for a flat?” Din questioned, softly smiling at you as he made the suggestion.
You stopped in your tracks and glanced around at him questioningly. It wasn’t the first time Din had brought up the idea of renting a flat in central London, but it was the first time he had used such inclusive language.
He could have been referring to himself and Grogu, of course, but you knew from the way he had said it and looked at you that you were the other he was referring to. You were stunned at his words. The sentiment that he wanted to share a life with you deeply moved you. You had hoped that Din was taking things as seriously as you were, but to hear him express a desire to live with you… you couldn’t help but feel a little giddy.
“We?” you questioned, looking up and smiling shyly.
“Well… much as I love the hotel with the spa and the room service, it would be nice to have a place just for us. Now my hours at work are going to be reduced, it makes more sense to move closer to you. I would like a flat, with two rooms, one for Grogu and one for,” Din leaned in and pressed the gentlest of kisses to your lips “…. us,” Din whispered against your lips, smiling at you in such a way you felt almost embarrassed by the love you saw in his eyes.
For a brief moment, you were not standing in the street with Din. You were transported through time, venturing inside one of the houses you were loitering in front of to a scene so vivid that you could almost reach out and grasp it with both hands. 
You could see lazy weekend mornings where the sun streamed in through the windows and turned everything it touched to gold. You’d wake up in your large bed, head on Din’s warm, firm chest as his arms encircled your waist, holding you tightly. You’d spend a few precious moments cuddling Din close while he slept after a pleasurable night the two of you had enjoyed. 
Sighing contentedly in the tranquillity until you heard the unmistakable pitter patter of small feet outside, belonging to the child who had featured so prominently in your love story so far. Grogu would run in and jump on the pair of you before the three of you headed into the kitchen to make breakfast.
You stood there, trying to figure out which house was the one from the vision. 
Any one of these beautiful buildings could be it, a well-furnished space that still felt intimate and cosy. That felt like a home that the three of you were carving out together. A light space filled with lots of love and laughter. It was so achingly realistic that you felt a chasm opening in your chest, causing tears to sting the corners of your eyes…
“Sorry, it’s too much, too soon…” Din said, brown eyes looking down at the ground.
He had taken your silence as you daydreamed about a future together as an indication that you weren’t interested, that you didn’t want it. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Never, Din,” you whispered, the hope that you saw in those soulful eyes as he glanced at you almost took your breath away. “I want to build a future with you,” you nodded, desperately blinking back the tears that threatened to spill down your cheeks.
Din merely smiled at you, caressing your chin with his fingers lightly before he leant in to kiss you softly. It was so tender, so sweet. A deliberate movement that showed you how much he appreciated your words and how deeply he felt them, too. 
“I’m so glad you said that,” Din admitted softly.
You stayed like that, staring at each other for a few more moments, each too emotional to truly put your feelings for each other into words. You felt something other than love settle in your stomach. A fire had been lit in your belly, a steely determination to see the vision you had come to fruition. No matter how long it took, it was the life you wanted for yourself. You were absolutely certain of that fact. 
Unfortunately, however, you could not stand in this moment forever. 
There was the life you had to lead now which took precedence. Plus the fact that the residents might find your continued loitering outside their houses unnerving. 
As you began walking down the street once more, you felt a sense of overwhelming serenity wash over you. There was no doubt in your mind that it would one day be the life you and Din shared.
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It was approaching midnight and the streets were mostly deserted. You had work the following morning and you knew Din had to get back to his cottage for Grogu. Still, that didn’t mean you wouldn’t at least try to get him to come home with you. 
“Wouldn’t you at least come back to my flat with me?” you asked, flashing your best puppy dog eyes at him to try to get him to change his mind.
“Nice try, Sunflower,” Din chuckled, shaking his head at you affectionately, “I really can’t.”
“Please?” you asked again, looking up at him through your eyelashes, “I have a nice, comfortable bed in the flat I rent all by myself.” 
You were probably being a bit desperate and pathetic and you knew it, but the way a frown suddenly flickered across Din’s features at the mention of your bed and flat caused a pang of insecurity to flood through you. 
Din had not been back to your flat since that night he had bolted once the two of you made it to your bedroom. You had never brought it up again, you knew for certain now – even if you had doubted it at the time – that Din was physically attracted to you. He had shown you that plenty of times. 
The pain of his rejection that had floored you back then was mostly a distant memory now. Still, the frown which had unmistakably crossed your face made you wonder why Din was so averse to coming back to your flat. Before you could ruminate any further on his reasoning, Din’s deep voice soothed you. 
“Don’t make this any harder,” Din murmured as he closed his eyes and sighed, “I have to get back for Grogu, I was away from him all day. If I wasn’t there when he woke up, it would unsettle him. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself knowing that. Plus, you have work tomorrow… let’s wait until the weekend. We’ll have all the time in the world then, Sunflower.”
“Okay, Din,” you conceded.
“Believe me, I want to… it’s just…” Din stopped and looked down, sighing deeply, “Hard, with all the responsibilities we have.”
“I know, Din,” you nodded, leaning into him and placing your head on his shoulder to reassure him, “I shouldn’t have asked when I know that you can’t. It wasn’t fair of me. I just really like spending time with you.”
“I know, darling,” Din murmured, dropping your hand to bring his arm around your shoulder, as your arm encircled his waist, “I wish we could just see each other whenever we wanted, but work is winding down for me now so I will have more free time. Then, we can begin looking for a place for both of us, and Grogu.”
“I can’t wait,” you smiled, burying your face into Din’s warm, broad chest. 
The scent of his cologne sent a pulse of desire coursing through your veins. It was unfair that he was here, looking so gorgeous and there was nothing you would be able to do to show him just how attracted to him you were. It certainly wasn’t for lack of desire, though.
The two of you stood there in a tight embrace for a few moments, before you stepped back and took Din’s hand again. It was getting late and you knew you needed to head for home, much as you didn’t want to leave him. 
The Tube station was just around the corner and before you knew it, you were standing before the distinctive illuminated red and blue sign, so ubiquitous with the London Underground network. 
With a lump in your throat, you realised that it was time to say goodbye to each other. Your heart ached, but you knew you would see Din again in only a couple more days.
“I’ll see you this weekend, then?” Din questioned, leaning down to drop a lazy kiss onto your lips as you stood outside the station.
“Yes, I can’t wait,” you replied.
“Text me when you’re home,” Din asked as he gently stroked your cheek with his thumb. 
“I will, Din,” you nodded. Caring about the welfare of his loved ones was absolutely Din’s love language.
Din stole one last kiss from your lips before you turned to walk away into the Tube station. Not without a lingering look back at him, appreciating one more time how handsome he looked in his outfit. 
After passing through the ticket barrier and descending far beneath London and onto the platform, you finally allowed Din’s words from earlier to sink in. 
The fact that this incredible man who you loved so much, not only loved you in return but wanted to settle down and carve out a future for you was nothing short of electrifying. You thought back to the timid, awkward version of yourself who had first laid eyes upon him in the museum on that fateful day. You were so in awe of him, yet so certain that you would never catch his eye. 
Look at you now. 
It was almost unbelievable where you were now and how close the two of you had grown. You never would have believed someone like you could capture the heart of Din, that he would be your boyfriend. But he was. And he wanted to build a life with you.
Yet, as you got on the tube and began your journey home, your mind was once again racing with unanswered questions and lingering doubts. You felt bitter thinking about how Din could have been joining you. 
You knew it was because of Grogu, of course. Their bond was so strong and the way that Din cared for his adopted son was just one of the many reasons that you were infatuated with him.
Still, you could not quite shake the feeling that you were missing something. That perhaps you should not be so keen to put down roots with a man that you still felt you hardly knew. 
Then you thought of all the happy times with Din and all of those anxieties faded away, only to be replaced by new doubts when you thought of moments such as the one by the boathouse.
It was exhausting.
So, you reached for your earphones and went straight to the playlist of your favourite pieces from the Mandalorian’s soundtrack to quieten your racing thoughts. For a few moments as the train hurtled far beneath the quiet streets of London, you were somewhere far away, soaring through the stars with Mando.
A galaxy away from your anguish over Din…
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Those uncomfortable thoughts continued over the next few days until you could see Din again. The Mandalorian soundtrack could only stave them off for so long. The sheer contrasting emotions were difficult to stomach. The simultaneous sheer joy you felt at knowing Din wanted the two of you to live together and the lingering questions you had about him that remained unanswered.
Through it all, of course, Ria had been there for you, a shoulder to cry on and a friend to squeal with about Din when things were going well. Like today, as you pulled out your phone to text her on the way to Din’s cottage from the back of the car he had sent to collect you.
[mandoismine] 13:18 morning ria. hope you have a good weekend!!
[thisistheslay] 13:17 Thanks bestie! Not much planned for me, just recovering from work lmao. But what about you, when are you next seeing Din?
[mandoismine] 13:18 im on my way to his house now. he sent me a car to pick me up :)
[thisistheslay] 13:20 OOH!! A SUGAR DADDY!!
You looked out of the window and rolled your eyes, tutting at her antics.
[thisistheslay] 13:22 - I’m only joking. But I still think he’s Mando ;)
[mandoismine] 13:25 - i know haha dw. he isnt!! but i might ask him today if he works at the volume today… surely he could just TELL me that
[thisistheslay] 13:27 - DEWIT!! Hope he can tell you some secrets. Maybe he met Mando?!?!
[mandoismine] 13:30 - haha maybe. almost here now, ill text u later :)
[thisistheslay] 13:32 - Okiiiiii! Have fun with your mob boss boyfriend ;)
You couldn’t help but scoff at Ria’s antics once again. It was a running joke between the two of you that Din was either part of the mafia – hence the wealth he apparently had access to – or was The Mandalorian, given the fact he lived in Nevarro. 
You thought both scenarios were equally unlikely, despite how much some of your other internet friends had teased you about the possibility of your boyfriend being The Mandalorian.
Still, it was nice that you could joke about it with Ria. It somehow made the preposterousness of the situation feel far less intense and daunting. It calmed your pounding heart as you pulled up outside Din’s cottage. 
Once you headed up the familiar garden path, there was no more anxiety or tension. You were happy to soon be back in the arms of the man you loved. Which you were, barely having time to breathe for, as soon as Din opened the door, he pulled you straight into his arms.
Din often greeted you enthusiastically after spending some time apart. This time, however, was nothing short of desperation on his part as he pinned you against the door, securing his leg between your thighs as he thoroughly kissed you. His kisses were relentless as he searched your mouth with his tongue, desperate for his fill.
“Din,” you panted when he finally pulled away, “What about Grogu?”
“Grogu is out for the day with Kuiil,” Din rasped into your ear as he took your earlobe between his teeth, “It’s just the two of us, Sunflower.”
You did not dare to reply with words and waste a single second of the precious alone time you and Din had by talking. Instead, you dived back into his lips. Wasting no time in communicating with words what you could convey with your lips and tongue.
The two of you didn’t even make it upstairs to Din’s bedroom. He dragged you through the cottage, giggling breathlessly as he went before he sat down on the sofa and pulled you onto his lap. Din secured his strong arms around your waist, his hands splayed out across your back underneath your T-shirt, causing you to break out in goosebumps wherever his fingers roamed.
“So beautiful, missed you so much,” Din rasped, before your mouths collided once again. 
“Missed you too,” you replied when you finally parted.
You continued hungrily making out for a few more moments, before it became impossible to ignore Din’s aching hardness underneath your lap. You moaned as you ground down on him, desperate to feel him. Din bit his lip and groaned in response. The sight was so erotic that you were pretty certain you would climax if he simply allowed you to continue riding his muscular thigh. 
However, Din clearly had other plans. You barely had time to react, before Din switched positions and you were sitting on the couch. You certainly did not have a chance to speak. 
Especially since the sight before you was so erotic, that all breath was stolen from your lungs.
Din sank to his knees before you, looking up at you with darkened eyes as pulled your pants and underwear down. He trailed featherlight kisses back up your legs, paying particular attention to the inside of your thighs. You groaned, wordlessly begging with your actions for him to give you the release you were aching for as you arched your back towards his waiting mouth. To put his lips where you wanted them most.
“All for me?” Din questioned, raising a brow flirtatiously as he looked at your glistening core.
“Din, please,” you whined, desperate for his touch.
Fortunately, Din was equally as desperate as you. He dove in without further delay, moving his skilled tongue as your legs trembled in ecstasy. You were desperate for more of him, eager to have him worshipping you on his knees forever. You knew he would, if only you asked.
Din did not seem to care when your thighs clamped around his skull. In fact, it spurred him on to caress parts of you with his tongue which made you see stars. You moved your hands to his hair, tangling your fingers in his soft curls and encouraging his movements. 
When he finally added his thick fingers, you felt the burning in your belly transform into an inferno. Chanting the single syllable of his name as you reached ecstasy. 
Afterwards, you sat there for a few moments, unable to speak, barely able to breathe. Utterly blissed out from the pleasure he had brought you. Your legs twitched uncontrollably.
Finally, when you had composed yourself enough to raise your head from where it had slumped against the back of the sofa, you sat up to look at the man who had just driven you to such heights of pleasure.  
Din was still between your legs, leaning a stubbled cheek against the top of your thigh with a thoroughly satisfied smirk on his face. His warm brown eyes were full of love. You wished you could live in that moment forever. He looked so handsome, it was almost offensive to your lust-addled mind. You would have been content to spend the rest of your life in that moment.
That was until you looked down at Din’s dark grey jeans and noticed the sizable bulge that was visible. There was no way it could be comfortable. You were more than eager to offer Din some relief. It had been too long since you had the opportunity to wrap your lips around his impressive length.
“Allow me to return the favour,” you breathlessly offered, nodding towards Din’s crotch.
Din raised his head from your thigh instantly, the warmth of love and affection that had been evident in his eyes was replaced with something darker. He did not stop you as you stood from the couch on trembling legs and offered him a hand. 
Din took it and when he was at his full height, you wrapped your arms around his neck and clashed your lips together with his. The heat that had disappeared down to a gentle simmer as you basked in the afterglow of your orgasm had been replaced by something far more desperate, now. 
Din groaned into your lips, a sound which you heard once more when you attacked the buttons of his shirt. With the troublesome material out of the way, you placed your hand on his chest and pushed lightly until he flopped down on the couch.
Din sat there, transfixed by the sight of you with his mouth open in lust as he watched you sink to your knees between his legs. Eager to pay back the debt. 
There was no point in delaying the inevitable any further and teasing him. You both knew what you wanted.
Without hesitation, you removed his throbbing length from its confines, noticing in awe how flushed the skin was there. Your mouth watered at the sight of it. It had been far too long and nothing made you feel more powerful and attractive than rendering this mountain of a man into a trembling wreck as you took him in your mouth.
You took his head in your mouth, swirling your tongue around the tip a few times as Din groaned your name, unable to help himself from thrusting up into your mouth. He wanted more. And you were more than happy to give it to him. 
You opened your mouth and took him as far as you could, head enthusiastically bobbing up and down along his length. As always, you struggled to fit all of him in your mouth.
Still, you were determined and Din encouraged you with his fingers in your hair. When you made it far enough down, he choked your name out in ecstasy. You moved your head back with an obscene pop, catching your breath and looking up at him in adoration through your eyelashes. You were determined to provoke such a reaction in him again.
As your head bobbed up and down Din’s length with renewed urgency and determination, his moans and gasps picked up in pace and volume. You sensed he was getting close but you did not draw back, thoroughly enjoying rendering him so desperate and breathless with  your mouth.
Din came with a cry of your name, fingers on the back of your head as he gasped and panted through his orgasm. You made sure you collected every last drop of him, a sight which you could tell pleased him. He groaned as you withdrew. In response, you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand as you glanced up at him, satisfied with your handiwork.
Much like you a few minutes previously, Din was unable to form words. He flopped back against the couch, muscular chest heaving as his eyes stayed closed in bliss. You took his large hands in yours and pressed kisses to each one of his calloused fingers and palms. Worshipping a part of him that you loved so much. 
When Din had finally regained his composure, his deep voice finally cut through the silence.
“I’m sorry, I wish I could have lasted longer,” Din apologetically murmured, “It had been too long.”
“It’s fine, Din,” you smiled, “We have plenty of time to make up for that later.”
Din nodded with a tired smirk and pulled you back onto his lap on the couch. You curled up into his neck as he grabbed the blanket which was slung over the arm of the sofa. He threw it over your bodies, a warm layer that you were pleased to be snuggled underneath. Especially since the sheen of sweat which had appeared across your bodies during the heated passion of earlier was now cooling and shivers traversed your body.
You felt your eyelids growing heavy. You put up a valiant effort to fight against sleep, but curling against Din’s side while he held you tightly was too tempting to resist…
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
The sound of a toddler crying caused your eyelids to flutter open. To your surprise, you were lying down on the couch, a pillow underneath your head rather than Din’s shoulder. 
As you came to your senses and discovered how gravelly your mouth was thanks to sleep, you were momentarily disoriented, forgetting where you were. Then, with a shy smile ghosting across your lips, you remembered what you and Din had been up to before you nodded. You must have really needed the sleep, which made sense considering how exhausted you had been by a hectic week at work. 
You couldn’t dwell on your impromptu nap for too long. The sound of Grogu’s wails tugged on your heartstrings. You pushed yourself up from the couch, rubbing your groggy eyes as you padded towards the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?” you murmured as you stood at the doorway.
Din was standing in the kitchen, holding Grogu who was swaddled in a blanket to his chest. 
“Kuiil told me that Grogu was fussing and thinks he’s coming down with a cold,” Din sighed, his brown eyes weary, “I’m trying to give him some medicine, but he won’t take it.”
You nodded solemnly before approaching Din and Grogu, aching to see the little boy so distressed. 
“Are you feeling a little poorly, buddy?” you sympathetically asked Grogu, reaching out your hand to touch his forehead with the back of your hand. 
You winced as you felt that Grogu’s skin was hot to the touch. You cast your eyes towards Din, feeling awful at the way worry was etched across his features.
“Will you be good and let your dad give you some medicine?” you asked in the hope that Grogu would acquiesce, “I know it tastes yucky, but it will make you feel much better.”
Grogu looked at you with a frown, clearly not wanting to have the vile liquid pass through his lips. You stroked his cheek affectionately, pleading wordlessly with the look in your eyes. Grogu had still not said his first word, but you knew he understood the world on a deeper level than perhaps anyone else you knew. 
After a few moments, Grogu nodded slowly. You smiled at him appreciatively and grabbed the bottle from Din’s hand. Luckily, Grogu accepted the medication without much fuss.
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
You frowned at the footsteps from the hallway outside which indicated that Din  had returned from Grogu’s room yet again. This time, you did not bother to turn over to question him on the boy’s condition. You did not want Din to think you were smothering him, so you laid there quietly and tried to fall asleep.
You had been hoping that taking the medicine would help Grogu to settle. Unfortunately, the little boy continued fussing for the entire evening. Din had anxiously chewed his lip throughout, refusing to allow Grogu out of his sight. 
The man would not bat an eyelid if there was something seriously wrong with him, but when it came to someone he loved, Din was frantic with worry. His protectiveness towards the people he loved was one of the things you loved most about your boyfriend. 
You had been hoping for Din’s sake, as much as Grogu’s, that his condition would improve. But that was not to be. Grogu had been listless in Din’s arms. You wished that there was something that you could do to help make the vibrant little boy well again. All you could do was stand by Din’s side as he sat on Grogu’s bed, cuddling his son and giving them some privacy when Din finally tucked him in.
Din’s anxious vigil over Grogu continued well into the night, even after Grogu had finally fallen asleep, as his latest excursion across the hallway indicated.
Despite setting up the baby monitor and cuddling up to you in bed, Din could not settle, no no matter how many times he checked the device.
Making up for before was definitely off the cards. It was one of those things you had to be prepared for and expect when dating an older man with a child. You knew that Din’s priority was Grogu, he had never attempted to hide that fact from you. 
So, when the sheets rustled and Din got out of bed yet again, you did not fuss or make him feel guilty for checking on his boy. You understood that he would not be able to rest until Grogu was well again.
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
When you blinked awake early the next morning, the pale light of a new day streaming in through the windows, you did not feel the familiar soft snores which indicated Din Djarin was asleep by your side.
You were a little concerned when you rolled over to discover Din’s side of the bed empty. Your immediate fear was that Grogu’s condition had taken a turn for the worse, and Din had hurried out with him to hospital without having time to inform you.
Without hesitation, you pushed yourself from the bed and padded towards Grogu’s room, anxious for what you would discover in his tastefully furnished room. 
Fortunately, you had no reason to fear.
You breathed a sigh of relief at the sight before you. Grogu was sleeping peacefully in his bed, while Din was on the floor at his side. Hulking physique barely hidden beneath a comically small blanket as he dozed.
The light streaming in through the curtains and colouring everything golden was so much like the vision you had outside the house in Notting Hill a few days ago, that it almost took your breath away. Perhaps the future you had been imagining was right here before you already. Without you even realising it.
Your heart ached at the sight. It was so touching that you contemplated grabbing your phone and snapping a picture of the perfect moment. Before you could, Din stirred, face immediately breaking into a smile once he laid eyes upon you. 
“Morning, Sunflower,” Din groggily whispered.
“Morning, handsome,” you smiled, “Sleep well?”
“I did when I eventually got to sleep,” Din replied softly, careful not to wake Grogu.
“Why don’t I go and fix us some breakfast?” you questioned, eager to make yourself useful.
Din nodded gratefully, “That would be perfect.”
You blew a kiss to him before you left, deciding that pancakes would be the perfect pick-me-up for both Din and eventually Grogu, whenever he finally arose. You were relieved that Din had managed to get some sleep and that Grogu seemed to have settled.
After mixing the pancake batter and allowing it to sit for a few minutes, you were so engrossed in the task of making the sweet treats that you did not hear Din’s footsteps approaching. The first indication you had of his presence was a muscular pair of arms snaking around your waist.
“Din,” you warned, as he began kissing a path up your neck.
You refused to have the guilt of burning Din’s beautiful cottage to a crisp, too distracted by his attempt to seduce you.
“Wanna make up for last night?” he rasped into your ear, hot breath ghosting across the sensitive skin which caused a jolt of desire between your thighs.
“After I’ve finished the pancakes,” you murmured, “I worked hard on them.”
Tempting though the offer was, you were determined to treat Din to one of his favourite breakfast items. So, albeit reluctantly and not before stealing a kiss from your lips, Din retreated and patiently sat at the table, waiting for you to finish.
With the last pancake plated up, you turned to face Din. Who you discovered had stood up from the table to stand before you. Without wasting another second, he leaned in for a kiss. You groaned as he deepened it, tongue exploring yours. He tasted of minty toothpaste, indicating that his plan had not been entirely spontaneous. 
“I love you,” Din whispered as he momentarily drew back, eyes overcome with an emotion you could not quite place as he cradled your chin with his hand, gently stroking your cheek with his thumb, “Thank you for being so patient with Grogu last night.”
“Of course, Din,” you smiled, giving his lips a quick peck.
When your lips met again, the frenzied desperation of moments ago was a distant memory. Din was taking his time, savouring the moment as he pinned you up against the kitchen counter. His lips descended lower and lower down your skin, trailing a hot path down the column of your neck before he pulled back your shirt, desperate to expose more skin as he nipped and sucked at your collarbone…
“Patu!”
Din instantly stopped his ministrations, drawing back from you as his chest heaved. You desperately hoped it wasn’t what you thought it was. But you would recognise that sound anywhere. 
“Buir!” 
There was no avoiding it now. The babbling from the baby monitor had interrupted the moment once again. Din flashed you an apologetic look and immediately dashed off to check on his son. 
You sighed as you watched him go. You felt greedy to want Din all to yourself. After all, you had been equally concerned for Grogu’s welfare and loved him as much as Din did. Still, it had been so long that you had a moment together. You were frustrated that fate had conspired to keep you stressed and apart, even when together…
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Grogu rallied throughout the afternoon, so much so that Din felt confident enough to call Kuiil to hire his services for a couple of hours, so the two of you could round off your weekend in your favourite way; taking a pleasant evening stroll together around the lush countryside near his house, before stopping for a pint in The Nevarro Arms.
The decision to visit here for the first time had been rather spontaneous, after the day you had entered the lake in Hyde Park. It seemed odd, the first time you had got in and met the landlord, a man called Greef Karga, that he had never met Din before. The Nevarro Arms appeared to be the centre of the little village in which Din lived. You shouldn’t have been surprised at the solitude you knew Din preferred, but you thought it was sad that he was so many miles from home and it hadn’t been until he met you that he had finally ventured out and about and shown his face in places.
Happily, it was now somewhere that you looked forward to visiting. Din had enthusiastically taken to pub culture. He had even come to enjoy the friendly conversations with Greef as he pulled two pints of your usual.
You loved your evenings at The Nevarro Arms. The atmosphere was cosy and homely, reminding you of home somehow in the feelings it provoked in you. You had come to learn that home was a feeling rather than a place.
This particular Sunday, though, was not like the others. 
The first indication that something was different was the number of people that were gathered on the front step of the pub, next to the rose bushes that were underneath the old windows. You loathed busy pubs. A sinking feeling already began somewhere deep in the pit of your stomach.
You and Din flashed each other a curious glance, but proceeded to enter anyway. 
An action that you regretted as soon as you stepped into the old pub and heard the relentless hum of people. 
Your fears had been realised. The Nevarro Arms was far busier than the usual quiet Sunday evenings you had grown accustomed to. Once you took a closer look at your surroundings, you noticed that your usual table by the windows had been occupied. It only added to the chasm which was opening up in your chest. Greef always tried to save it for you, but there were many more people in here than usual.
You considered leaving, but you knew how much Din enjoyed his pints. So, you grabbed his hand and made your way over to the bar. Your favourite pub landlord enthusiastically greeted you, his entire face illuminating at the sight of you and Din.
“Nice to see you two! What can I get you, the usual?” Greef boomed.
“Yes please,” you smiled brightly, “Thank you, Greef.”
“Anything for two of my most valued customers! Sorry it’s a little bit busier here than normal tonight,” Greef said as he commenced pulling your pints. 
“Oh it’s alright!” you lied,  “Is there some kind of party?” you asked, inquisitively.
Greef nodded and leaned in towards you and Din, as though he were about to divulge state secrets. 
“Apparently, one of the shows that films at the studios near here has just wrapped and a lot of the crew are having an unofficial wrap party before a bigger event in London next week.” Greef explained in hushed tones with a chuckle, “But don’t ask them for any details, they won’t tell me a thing!”
You threw your head back in laughter, but Din did not move a muscle. He suddenly looked incredibly anxious. You were concerned for him, but Greef handing your pint to you momentarily distracted you. 
When Din paid for your drinks, you finally took a moment to observe him, noticing how his brown eyes roved across the pub. It was as though he was searching for a familiar face. 
You were too distracted to let your mind wander that you were probably in a pub filled with people who had worked on your favourite TV show. Instead, you were preoccupied with the way Din’s fist had tensed, where he was resting it on the bar, at the mention of the TV show. 
It was noticeable how his entire body suddenly went stiff. He looked around the pub apprehensively, shoulders slumping as though he was trying to hide. There he was again, giving the theories that Ria had more credence. Still, you knew Din didn’t like big groups of people. Especially strangers.
So you tried your best to push those doubts to the back of your mind, even if it was part of a larger pattern that had caused you to question certain things over the course of your relationship. 
Din’s behaviour after you left the bar and found a table however, gave you increasing cause for concern. As you sat there, sipping your usual pint of cider, he was quiet, withdrawn. Chewing his lip nervously as his brown eyes stared so intently at the pint of cider on the table like it was the only thing in the world. It was almost as if he had physically shrunk in stature, broad shoulders hunched over, as though he was trying to make himself as small as possible. 
Suddenly, it was as though the transcripts of conversations you had had late at night with your friends in the groupchat came flooding back. Their reactions when you had told them about the proximity of your boyfriend’s place to the studios where your collective favourite TV show was filmed, how they had been so keen to get the gossip about it from a local and begged you to bring it up. 
Half of them were convinced Din worked on The Mandalorian but was sworn to secrecy, it had started in jest at first, but the more you told them about Din, the more crazy theories they were making. It had been fun at first, but they needed to remember it was your actual life! It was far from the playful way that Ria kept ribbing you that he was actually playing Mando, they were veering into conspiracy theory territory. 
Perhaps  they had been onto something after all. Din’s entire demeanour had completely shifted since Greef had told you what the party was in honour of.
You looked up from the table where you were sitting and noticed what you were sitting in front of. It was a spot in the pub you had always gazed at as you walked past, but never had the chance to sit and admire. Din was always eager to quickly move past this particular section of the pub. 
With it being the only available table tonight, it seemed that you would finally have your chance to bring up something you had been dying to for weeks. It wasn’t as though your boyfriend was particularly forthcoming with conversation, either. 
So you sat there, glancing up at the pictures and art that was a sort of shrine to the sci-fi franchise that was, in your mind, the most iconic of all time. A franchise that you had grown up with, but never truly loved until you watched Mando, the show that had comforted you at your worst moments. 
The fact that Din might be linked to that piqued your curiosity as much as it concerned you, given his current bizarre behaviour.
So, you decided to finally bring it up. You were tired of all the uncertainty:
“It’s pretty cool that they have all this memorabilia from the productions filmed here,” you observed, as you gazed around at all of the signed photos and posters that had been donated by various cast members, including by the big three from the original Star Wars trilogy.
“It is,” Din nodded, deliberately avoiding making eye contact with you.
His brown eyes were fixated on a menu in a way that was unusual, considering you were so known for ordering the same thing every weekend that Greef knew precisely what you were going to order when you walked up to the bar to place it.
“I do think it’s kind of a crazy coincidence, though, how my favourite show shoots only a mile away from here. A mile from where you live,” you shrugged, sipping your cider thoughtfully, “Have you ever seen any of the cast around?” 
“No, I haven’t,” Din replied sharply.
“It’s just a weird coincidence, that’s all. You say work brought you here to Nevarro and yet, apart from those studios, there is nothing else here.”
“Yep. Weird coincidence,” Din confirmed, still not making eye contact with you. Staring at the menu for so long that you knew he could have read it ten times over.
“Wait, why are you being so defensive? It’s not like you’re actually The Mandalorian,” you questioned teasingly, laughing at what you thought was clearly a joke.
Your laughs soon died on your lips, as you noticed Din’s reaction to the joke. He tensed up completely, flinching as you had said that name. 
You were sure you had seen him visibly recoil. 
There was something there, you knew it. 
Still, at that moment your chief concern was for him. The playful banter and flirting that had been present on the walk you had enjoyed before you had stopped here for your usual pint were gone, replaced by a tension and unease in the air that made you feel sick to the pit of your stomach.
“Wait, Din… I was only joking,” you clarified, fearing that despite everything, you had upset him. 
“Finish your drink. Then let’s go,” Din said, slamming down the menu on the table and draining his pint with the astonishing quickness of a seasoned cider drinker that you knew he was not. Perhaps he needed some Dutch courage.
“We can just leave, Din,” you reassured him. Suddenly the rest of your pint did not appeal to you, despite how much you enjoyed it and could taste the freshness of the apples that were farmed only a few miles away from here, “I don’t want you to be upset.”
Din nodded and stood to his feet, offering you his hand. He was being astonishingly quiet and your heart ached, seeing him retreat into his shell like this. The cosy Sunday evening that you had been so looking forward to all week – The Nevarro Arms really had the best cider offerings – would not be on the menu today. Instead, just a lot of tension and unease. It was the worst possible way to end your weekend.
It almost broke your heart.
You had almost made it out of the pub without further incident. You could see the pale blue sky after the sunset through the glass of the door, you could almost taste the sweet air of the warm summer night.
Then, it happened. 
The moment which caused your jaw to drop in disbelief. 
The moment which proved to you beyond all doubt that your suspicions had not been unfounded delusions. 
As, at the same moment that you went to push on the heavy door that led to the quiet street outside the pub, it opened from the other side. You almost stumbled forward as the door you were expecting to be there had already been opened, but fortunately you caught yourself in time. 
At first you were slightly disoriented, but then you noticed that you had almost crashed into someone else. He was a portly man who was taller than you. You had not yet looked at his face, just saw his chest area and the bright blue polo shirt he was wearing. 
As you trailed your eyes upwards, your mouth opened in shock. Staring right back at you, from behind a pair of black glasses, was a man that you would recognise anywhere. 
A man who had created the character that you loved more than anything else in the world.
A man whose scripts you had poured over for hours and hours, both by yourself and with your friends.
The man standing before you was Jim Freeman, creator of The Mandalorian. 
But he wasn’t even looking at you. It was like you were invisible, despite the fact you had almost bumped into each other. 
No, his brown eyes were looking straight over your shoulder. 
Jim Freeman was staring at Din. The flicker of recognition across his face was unmistakable.
Somehow, the writer and creator of The Mandalorian knew your boyfriend. 
Your boyfriend who had, just minutes ago, frozen up completely when you had jokingly accused him of being The Mandalorian. Your head was spinning. 
You turned to look back at Din, a question on your lips. A question that was never asked. Din placed his hand on the small of your back and practically shoved you through the door, apologising to Jim on the way out. 
Somehow you had made it out of the pub, but you were now standing there on the pavement, frozen. Your brain was struggling to catch up, to piece together everything that had happened. 
You were brought back by the sounds of Din’s footsteps as he walked away at a brisk pace. Should you follow him? Should you stay here and confront him? 
No, that would cause a scene. You were reeling from what had just happened, but you knew you had to follow him. There was no avoiding the conversation that needed to take place now. You couldn’t comprehend it, if you were right, if what your gut was telling you was correct, Din had more than a little explaining to do.
How could this even be possible? This kind of thing just did not happen to people like you.
You realised, with a sickening clarity that felt like a punch to your gut, that Din had been hiding something huge from you. There was no other explanation for his behaviour. 
As you followed his silhouette down the country lanes, your mind was replaying all the little memories, the moments that had caused you to question who he was. 
The first time you met, the comment he had made to Grogu about the Sutton Hoo helmet, the way that Din had mentioned being at the convention, how uncomfortable he seemed when you passed that child in the Mando shirt at the zoo.
The pieces were all falling together for you. But it couldn’t be true… how could it? This was surely the universe’s idea of a sick joke. There was no way that this man who had once been so shy and reserved, who was such a devoted father could be the same man behind the most fearsome bounty hunter in the galaxy. Who, onscreen, could snap a platoon of Stomtrooper’s necks like it was nothing. 
You knew Mando wasn’t real, that whoever was behind him was just an actor, but the contrast…. It was too much for you to comprehend that he could be the same person.
Din continued marching ahead of you. You had noticed that he did not take your hand like he usually did, indeed as he had done when you set out on your walk before stopping at the pub. Instead, he walked several paces ahead of you, eager to get home. You were about to tell him to slow down, to wait up, but he looked back over his shoulder and called out to you.
“Please, let’s just get home,” Din said desperately, out of breath on a walk that did not usually exert someone of his fitness level.
You were stunned, he had never treated you like this.
Suddenly, whatever he was hiding from you seemed unimportant compared to this new side of him that you were being exposed to. Din had always been so careful, so caring, so attentive around you. This behaviour was unlike anything you had ever seen from him before. It made your blood run cold, sent a shiver down your spine that was unrelated to the rapidly cooling countryside air after the sun had finally set and the shorts you were dressed in.
Luckily, Din’s cottage was not too far from the pub and before too long you were walking across the uneven slabs in the front garden which led to the door.
However, Din was so anxious that he was fumbling with the stiff, old lock. It almost took him longer to open the door than it took to walk back from the pub. You felt your worry increase as you noticed the way Din’s hands were trembling. He never seemed fazed by anything, until your little joke.
Finally, he opened the door and stepped inside. 
Din did not even look back at you. He kicked his shoes off and removed his coat, as if he was some kind of robot. He was about to ascend the stairs up to Grogu’s room, but you called after him, enraged about the way he was ignoring you. Especially after the events which had transpired in The Nevarro Arms.
“Din, please tell me what on Earth is going on?” you almost shouted, near hysterical at this point.
“Please, keep it down!” Din pleaded as he paused on the stairs, “Grogu is probably sleeping and Kuiil is still here. Let me get rid of him, and then we need to talk,” Din whispered.
“Alright,” you breathed, your arms folded across your body in a self-soothing gesture, shaking your head as you glared at him.
You were spiralling. What had he been hiding from you, all this time?
Clearly, your body language unnerved Din. He addressed you once again, brown eyes wide with worry. 
“Please, Sunflower… I promise we will talk. Why don’t you go and start a fire outside in the pit? I'll just say goodnight to Kuiil and set up the baby monitor. Then I’ll be out to join you,” Din begged, his eyes glinting despite the darkness of the cottage.
If you weren’t so unbelievably annoyed at him, you were certain that you would be marvelling at how absurdly handsome he looked even with the lack of light as he  ascended the stairs opposite the door. 
The brown shirt and dark blue jeans that he had worn for your walk was one of your favourite outfits. Din had allowed his brown hair to grow slightly longer over the past few weeks and you marvelled once more at how much it suited him. 
And his eyes…
Those deep brown eyes had made your heart ache for all the right reasons over the past few weeks, but now they were breaking you for a very different reason. 
Your mind was racing as you made your way to the outside to light a fire in the fire pit. Simultaneously eager to have and dreading the difficult conversation you were certain was heading your way. Your hands shook uncontrollably as you gathered the kindling and placed the logs in the fire pit. 
Din found you out there a few minutes later in the darkness, still struggling with the matches. He had silently crept outside and shocked you with his presence. Much like how he had snuck up on you earlier that morning as you made him pancakes. Except this time, there was no kissing. This time, there was no laughter. 
Din gently took the box from you and struck the matches with alarming ease, despite how nervous he looked. You weren’t sure if it was just the chilly air, or the fact that what he was about to tell you was something that was making him incredibly nervous.
With the flames finally leaping into the darkness and finally providing some much needed warmth, Din took a seat on one of the logs by the fire pit. You remained on your feet, pacing around anxiously while he watched. 
“Din, please explain to me your bizarre reaction to that question and why the guy who I know for a fact created The Mandalorian looked at you like that,” your voice trembled, struggling to get the words out that you knew could make or break everything.
Din could not make eye contact with you, fiddling with his thumbs as he stared into the flames. 
“Please, don’t lie to me. I need to know the truth,” you implored him.
Din sighed deeply, clearly gathering himself together. You braced yourself for whatever it was.
When he finally spoke, you were scarcely able to believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. 
“There’s… there’s something I’ve been hiding from you since we first met,” Din finally speaks, his ordinarily measured, steady voice cracking and uncertain. “I just… There were so many times when I should have told you, when I could have spared you any pain. I didn’t want it to come out like this, I didn’t want you to connect the dots without me…” Din was about to continue, but you couldn’t help your reaction.
“Oh my god… it’s true…” you whispered, hand coming up to clamp over your mouth in surprise. It felt like your stomach had just fallen out of your body. Your tongue felt heavy in your mouth as your knees threatened to buckle underneath you. You could not comprehend what you were sure he was about to tell you.
“I’m so sorry,” Din breathed.
“I need to hear you say it,” you demanded, shaking your head at him.
“I’m… I am The Mandalorian…” Din whispered. His voice trembled and his shoulders hunched forward as he said those words that confirmed your suspicions, “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner…”
“Did you… know?” you whispered, feeling the hot sting of tears beginning to burn your eyes and cheeks harshly, “I mean, did you know how much I love the show when you started dating me?”
“Sunflower, listen. I…” Din stuttered.
“Don’t call me that!” you shouted, voice far louder than you intended. You were not prepared to give him a second to justify his actions, instantly following up with another question, “Is that why you targeted me, Din? Oh she loves Mando, she’ll be easy to use for a quick fuck!”
“No, I would never do that,” Din shook his head emphatically, but you were not satisfied. 
“All these months, I’ve been so honest with you,” you choked, struggling to hold back the tears now, “Look where it got me!”
“Please, listen to me. I can explain, I…” Din pleaded.
“How many other girls have you used like this, Din Djarin? How many other girls have you held your title, your role over them to get them into bed!” you were hysterical now. Fortunately, the fire pit was away from the house so there was no danger of waking Grogu.
“I never used my role to influence you, to get you into bed. How could I, when you had no idea?” Din added calmly, “The way I felt about you was real. Everything about us… it’s always been real. I regret keeping that from you, but I promise, I have never lied to you when I told you I loved you.”
“How many others?” you gritted out, certain that if Din had lied to you about one thing, there must be more secrets he was keeping.
All those insecurities came flooding back to you. How could someone like Din ever have fallen for you, a lowly museum worker?
“You are the only one, baby, please. I love you,” Din whispered, his eyes filling with tears as he stood up and approached you.
“No, shut the fuck up, Din! You do not do something like this and then tell me that you love me! Our entire relationship, built on a lie. The worst  lie you could have ever told me,” you were powerless, now, to stop the trembling, nor the tears that streaked down your cheeks, “My friends, they suspected something, tried to tell me that it was suspicious how rich you were and how close you lived to the studios. They knew! I told them they were delusional, turns out I was the delusional one for ever trusting you!”
“I know. I regret not telling you, more than you could know. But I just…” Din could hardly get a word in, your hysterical ramblings continued:
“Oh my god, that night in the suite. When I got the bottle of champagne delivered and it was for Jim Freeman, it wasn’t a mistake or a coincidence. Fuck!” you yelled, sobbing now, “It was him! The Jim Freeman, you knew back then and you didn’t tell me. We slept together, Din! We told each other we loved each other! I got close to your son! How could you lie like this?!”
“Look. I know how angry you are…” Din began.
“ANGRY?! Din, I’m devastated!” you bellowed.
Din took a step back from you. 
You took a second to compose yourself, and added in a quieter voice, “I feel used, lied to.”
“Please don’t–”
“I feel like a fool. I feel humiliated. I just, I can’t do this anymore,” you admitted.
“Please don’t leave me, don’t leave me and Grogu,” Din pleaded as he took a step towards you and tried to reach his hand out to you.
“Don’t you dare use Grogu against me, Din!” you exclaimed as you stepped backwards, away from him. “I love that little boy and he is innocent in all of this! It’s not his fault his father is a fucking liar!”
“I know, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean it like that,” Din  instantly apologised.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” you said, from behind gritted teeth, “Or were you just going to lie to me forever?”
“Baby, I tried my hardest never to lie to you. I just… I couldn’t tell you the truth, my identity has to stay secret…” Din explained, the term of endearment he used boiling your blood further.
“Oh don’t start with that, Din!” you exclaimed. “I don’t care what legal agreements you have. You should have told me! We were talking about moving in together, about making a life together. How could you do that when you knew you were keeping such a secret from me?”
“I… I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m sorry. I just wanted to protect you. I was going to tell you so many times, but I’ve been a coward,” Din said, staring down at the ground below as his broad shoulders drooped. He looked so forlorn, so broken that your heart ached despite your anger.
“Yes, you are!” you exclaimed, “You’re a complete coward, and a liar!”
There was silence for a few moments as the two of you stood there. You were breathing deeply, you could hear your pulse throbbing in your ears. Your jaw was clenched so tightly that you feared it would hurt tomorrow.
You looked over towards the fire, focusing on the way it leapt into the air and the sounds of the wood crackling to ground yourself. The rage you had felt slowly dissipated, replaced with something on an entirely different spectrum of emotions: sadness and defeat.
“Please, let’s talk about this…” Din begged.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Din,” you said quietly, the anger in your voice had been replaced with sorrow. You were defeated, broken, “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Well let me just tell you over, and over, how sorry I am,” Din begged, his deep voice strained.
“You can, but I won’t accept it,” you sighed, folding your arms against the chill that you suddenly felt. The fire had lost its effectiveness with the strong emotions that coursed through your veins.
“At least let me call you a ride home and let me wait with you while it arrives?” Din offered.
“Call me that cab but I’m waiting outside. I can’t do this,” you said, shaking your head as you walked away from him.
You had thought that you had got all of your anger and aggression out of your system, but as you entered the back door of the cottage and walked through the kitchen, you felt something stirring inside of you. 
You stopped by the fridge which had a collection of Grogu’s drawings – drawings of you and Din, drawings that you had helped Grogu with – pinned to it with magnets. Din had not only ruined the relationship between the two of you, he had robbed you of all the love and affection you held for Grogu, affection that Grogu clearly held for you. There were drawings of sunflowers, childish scribbles in crayon of yellow, black and green that were unmistakably the flower which Din had associated with you after your very first meeting you. 
As you stood there, seething, you felt the rage bubbling up inside of you again. 
When Din finally entered the cottage behind you after calling the cab, you bolted. You headed straight for the front door. 
Before you left completely, you turned over your shoulder and threw three words at him that you regretted the second they were out, that you could never take back: “I HATE YOU!”
Din was standing there in your wake as you made your way outside. You refused to look back, fearing that if you did, you would see how upset he was. Your heart would break at the sight of his devastation. If you saw him so broken, you feared that you would never leave. 
But you had to. There was no way you could ever trust him again.
The anger dissipated as you stood there, shivering in the cold. Replaced with deep sadness. The tears had returned, now streaming down your cheeks silently. You did take one last look back at the cottage, though, as you looked up to the window of the room that you knew belonged to Grogu.
“Goodbye Grogu,” you whispered, whimpering slightly as you uttered the words.
The little boy that you loved so much was completely innocent in all of this. He had been through so much and deserved everything, it wasn’t his fault that his father was a despicable coward.
Mercifully, the taxi arrived quickly and you did not have to stand there for too long. You clambered in without hesitation. 
There was no dramatic scene like something straight out of a rom-com where Din came bounding down the path, making an apology that you accepted instantly. Before he declared his love for you and scooped you up into his arms and took you inside. No, you just got into the cab when it arrived and sat there in absolute silence until the driver confirmed your address and that your journey had already been paid for. Then, you moved off.
Before the secluded little cottage that you had spent so many days making such happy memories with Din faded away into the distance, you had already descended into full body sobs in the back of the cab, with only a bemused cabbie for company. 
Despite everything, you yearned to feel Din at your side, his comforting soothing presence as he wrapped you up in his arms and made you feel safe. It was a cottage that you had created so many memories of with the man that you had unquestionably fallen in love with. 
It hurt that those memories were now with the very man who had lied to you. A man who had abused your trust in the worst way possible. The gravity of his lie was too great to even entertain his excuses, that he loved you, that he wanted to protect you. It was all just empty words to make him feel better.
As the cottage faded out of sight, you knew with absolute certainty that it was the last time you would ever lay eyes upon it. You would never see Din again. He had broken your heart, shattered it entirely. 
Getting involved with an older man with far much more money than you could ever hope to earn had always been a risk, you had known that. 
Still, most younger women got their heart broken for completely different reasons in these situations. Yours was a unique situation that may have been comical, were it not so utterly devastating.
How could you even begin to comprehend that the very same man who had been with you for months had been behind the character that you had fallen with? 
All the times that you had marvelled at how quickly you had bonded with Din, how you felt as though you had known him for a while… you realised with a sickening twist in your stomach that you had. 
That the very man you had been falling in love with for the past few months was the person from your favourite TV show, a show that had gotten you through your worst days and darkest hours, now you wouldn’t even have Mando there for you.
Your spiralling, rapid thoughts were interrupted by the taxi pulling up outside your building.
Din had already paid for your taxi, so mercifully the human interaction was kept to a bare minimum as you exited, grateful that the darkness hid your puffy, tear-stained cheeks. You ascended the stairs up to your poxy flat, fumbling with the keys on shaking hands just as Din had done before you finally unlocked the door. 
It was past midnight now, you should have been cuddled up with Din in his idyllic cottage, not returning to your flat alone, brokenhearted. But life was cruel and here you were, entering your cold, dark flat alone.
Before you even grasped your intentions, you marched to your bedroom. You tore your beloved Mando poster off the wall, ripping it to shreds with your bare hands before the destructive act even sunk in. You wanted nothing more to do with that show, you never wanted to even think about it again. 
The Mando figures on your bookshelves were snatched up too, thrown in the bin without even a second thought. Some of them were collectibles worth a considerable sum, but you didn’t even care. 
You fantasised about melting their stupid fucking helmets off.
With your destruction complete and your bedroom entirely Mando-free, you pulled your phone out to type the message to Ria with the words that you could scarcely believe were true. You briefly contemplated that you were probably violating several dozen Disney NDAs by doing so. But you didn’t care, quite frankly. Din deserved it. You typed, with shaking fingers:
[mandoismine] 00:07 - you were right. din djarin is the mandalorian.
Then you pulled the covers tight around yourself, and cried yourself to sleep.
Taglist: @survivingandenduring @readingiskeepingmegoing
Follow @thefrogdalorianfics for updates on my latest fics!
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felixcloud6288 · 4 months ago
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Dungeon Meshi Chapter 13
As soon as I saw the title artwork, I knew this chapter was going to be about mimics.
After my little speculation about the winged lion last chapter, I've realized it actually appears a lot throughout the dungeon.
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That little montage of Chilchuck dealing with mimics made me think back to chapter 5 and how he had to stick his hands in the treasure chest to disarm it. If that chest had been a mimic, Chilchuck would be missing a few fingers. Is he able to identify mimic chests because of an intuition forged by years of practice? He flagged the treasure chest as a mimic by its location rather than any actual identifiable features.
The whole "Not too obvious. Not too hidden" description also matches the mimic chest from chapter 0.
Chilchuck is a real salary worker. He's not going to do or say anything that will just mean more work for him.
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So many mimics and trap chest in Dark Souls would be trivialized if you could open them this way.
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Of course Chilchuck is getting worse at going hungry. The party has been eating well on this journey.
At first, I thought those treasure insects were working with the mimic to lure Chilchuck into that room. Like, the insects lay themselves into a trail leading to the mimic and any adventurer dumb enough to follow the coin trail would then open the chest and the mimic would kill them. Then the treasure insects would eat the scraps of adventurer the mimic leaves behind.
I'm going to try defending Chilchuck's bouts of incompetence this chapter. He's hungry, he hasn't slept, and his mind is so preoccupied over the mimic that he's not able to think about possible traps. If you're in the woods and you notice a bear nearby, you're going to focus on making sure the bear doesn't notice you. You're not going to check for snakes in the grass.
The chapter did a lot of buildup to the reveal of the mimic. It almost felt like a horror story. We're shown the imminent threat of a mimic and we get a montage of its actions without actually showing what it looks like.
And then the sequence of events leading up to its reveal had a subtle ominousness to it. The room with the fountain is dimly lit and we know there is a mimic nearby. I was almost waiting for the mimic to just appear out of nowhere or for that chest to have just moved randomly.
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And after a moment of tension followed by a sense of relative safety does the mimic reveal itself.
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The mimic's design is the same as chapter 0 so I think it probably was in that treasure box previously and recently moved into that cabinet.
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I didn't find any characters on the plaque that look like what Marcille said in her incantations. So I don't think magic is spoken in the ancient tongue.
Some little details that I can glean from Chilchuck solving the lock puzzle:
Chilchuck is innately able to determine cardinal directions
The planet rotates in the same direction as our planet
There is a moon and it orbits the planet in the same direction as our moon
There is a North Star that is perfectly aligned to the planet's rotation axis
Laios sleeps in his chainmail apparently. It's not easy to tell because of all the hair, but I get the feeling Senshi sleeps without a shirt on.
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Marcille looks cute with her hair down.
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So yeah, I first thought mimics and treasure insects might have a mutalistic or at least commensal relation but it turns out that it's parasitic. And it's the same type of parasitism as a spider wasp.
So now I'm curious if the tiara insect nest is made from pieces of a mimic's carapace. Also, was that treasure box full of treasure insects in chapter 10 originally a mimic? And if so, why was it being carried by a zombie?
I guess the sequence of events could be
human dies while carrying some jewels in a box -> mimic comes across the box and hides in it -> treasure insects find the mimic and eat it -> spirit animates the corpse still carrying the box
So Chilchuck is 29 and based on everyone's reactions, that's still fairly young for an elf and dwarf. Laios meanwhile is apparently younger than him.
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bratzkoo · 5 months ago
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Gucci pt. 2 | Taehyung
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Author: bratzkoo | navi | credits to: @caelesjjk for the banner Pairing: Editor-in-Chief! OC x Creative Director! Taehyung Word Count: 1.3K Genre: fluff, angst Rating: NC-17 Possible Warnings: nothing for now. all pg-13. [established relationship! au, fashion designer! au]
Summary: Vante, a fashion designer and creative director of Gucci who keeps his life in private. No one really knows him aside from what he shares in public, no surprise when the media goes gaga over the leaked sketches of Vogue’s editor-in-chief Y/N Black in his journal.
aka Taehyung is very secretive and he loves his girlfriend so much.
taglist (hit me up if you wanna be added): @aretha170 , @jinniegenie , @mooniyooni .@we8joon​ , @njrwifey​
requests are open, but you can just say hi! | masterlist -
The New York skyline glittered beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of Vogue's head office, but Iona Black barely noticed the view. Her eyes were fixed on the layouts spread across her desk, red pen poised to make final adjustments. It was well past midnight, but the September issue waited for no one, not even the editor-in-chief. As she circled a misaligned text box, her phone buzzed. Iona's heart leaped, but she tempered her excitement. It could be anyone—an overzealous assistant, a demanding advertiser, or... Her Taehyung. She allowed herself a small smile as she saw his name on the screen. Quickly, she did the mental calculation—it would be early morning in Milan. "Hello, Vante," she answered, her voice cool and professional despite the warmth spreading through her chest. "Ms. Black," Taehyung's deep voice came through, tinged with both exhaustion and amusement. "Burning the midnight oil again?" Iona leaned back in her chair, finally letting her gaze drift to the city lights. "Someone has to make sure the fashion world keeps turning. I assume you're doing the same, given the hour." "Guilty as charged," he chuckled softly. "The show's in two days, and there's still so much to do."For a moment, neither spoke. In the silence, Iona could almost feel the weight of the miles between them, the ache of absence that had become all too familiar. "I wish—" Taehyung began, then stopped himself. "I know," Iona replied, understanding perfectly what remained unsaid. Wishing was dangerous in their world, a luxury they couldn't afford. "The collection will be magnificent, my love. It always is."
"High praise from the High Priestess of Fashion herself," he teased, but Iona could hear the genuine appreciation in his voice. She allowed herself a small laugh. "Don't let it go to your head, Vante-ah. I'll still be critiquing every seam and silhouette."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." There was a pause, and Iona could picture him running a hand through his hair, a habit he had when he was thinking. "Iona, I—" A knock interrupted whatever Taehyung was about to say. Iona heard a muffled voice on his end, then Taehyung's resigned sigh. "Duty calls?" Iona asked, knowing the answer. "Always," Taehyung confirmed. "Take care of yourself, My love. Don't work too late." "You too, my love. Make Milan proud." As the call ended, Iona allowed herself a moment of vulnerability, closing her eyes and letting out a long breath. Then, like slipping on a perfectly tailored jacket, she composed herself and turned back to the layouts.
The fashion world waited for no one, not even for love. Before starting their relationship, Catriona and Taehyung accept the fact that both of their jobs require them to travel a lot. That they barely have time to see each other. But when they do, they treasure every moment together and tried to make the most of the free time they have.
Sometimes though, their job requires them to see each other. That's why Iona's glad that she can control her facial reactions despite having her body almost shaking from the excitement to see Taehyung after a long time.  What would the press say if she's photographed smiling walking towards the backstage of the Gucci show?  "Iona," Sandra called, her assistant. "As you instructed, I'll escort you to your seat after 4 minutes backstage." Iona nodded and they entered backstage. Everyone stiffens at the sight of Iona. The models gasping and the staff panicking at the sight of her. Iona looks around to see everyone preparing, all of them now working like they're on thin ice, except Taehyung who relaxes at the sight of her. He goes to welcome her. "I miss you so much." He tells her in the quietest way possible, even Iona barely hears it.
"You did well," Iona replies, Taehyung understands it's her way of saying she misses him too. Taehyung nods and gives her a quick hug. "Enjoy the show... it's all for you." He whispers the last part to Iona's ear. Iona prevents herself from smiling largely and meanly says, "I'll enjoy the show if I really enjoy it." then leaves him standing mouth agape. Seconds later, Taehyung laughs at how she acts differently with him in public. Because he knows, she'll always be Iona Black. - Iona goes to her seat, finding Adriela waving at her.  As always, since she started dating Taehyung, he always makes sure she's sitting next to Adriela.  "Taehyung told me he's going to make me walk the next season, stop his ass for the love of God," Adriela complains the moment Iona sits down next to her.
Iona quietly laughs. "Talk to him about it, you know I don't want to comment on something if it involves the two of you on different sides."
"I hate you," Adriela says but Iona knows she doesn't mean it with how Adriela rests her head on Iona's shoulders.
"I hate you too, Ada, I hate you too," Iona replies.
The show starts and the picture of the pieces that Iona saw in Taehyung's office in their apartment comes to life in front of her.
She remembers making Taehyung hot chocolate when he said he's staying up late to work in his office in their apartment and looking at the pictures of this season's collection. He looks calm but she knows he's nervous about what the people will think.
She remembers leaving a kiss on his hair before Taehyung pulls her into his lap.
She also remembers the mind-blowing desk sex that still has her feel like walking on cloud nine. Iona sits properly, realizing she daydreamed about her boyfriend's in the middle of the show.
My Taehyung will always outdo himself every season, he never disappoints.
Her assistant on the second row takes pictures of the pieces while she talks about the pieces she loves with Adriela.
"I like that one, I want to wear it to the Met, make sure the theme can make me wear that."
"We already have the theme planned, Ada, just have Taehyung design something for you for the Met. He'll be happy to do it."
Adriela rolls her eyes, "He's only happy doing it for you, I'm sure he'll tell me to fuck off if I ask him to make a dress for the Met."
"You know he really sees you as a friend and besides, you're the new global ambassador."
"I'll tell him you said that when I bug him about it," Adriela decides. "Oh, I don't like that ensemble with the short hemline."
Iona's gaze goes to the monochrome ensemble, her eyebrows furrow from confusion. She never saw the ensemble in Taehyung's office when he's showing it to her.
"I didn't see that ensemble in his office, something is wrong." Iona comments.
She finds it alarming how a monochrome ensemble would be part of a very bright collection that Taehyung planned and more importantly, why would Taehyung add it last minute? Something doesn't seem right. Iona watches the whole show with pursed lips. Taehyung at the end of the show bowed but Iona noticed the dried tears on his cheeks.
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yuiyuihan · 6 months ago
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The 'Goddess of the Theater' Murayama Yuiri who has performed 1,300 times, the most in history, reflects on the last performance before the AKB48 Theater renovation on September 1st
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The AKB48 Theater in Akihabara, Tokyo, which opened in 2005, will enter renovations after the "AKB48 Theater's Final Performance Before Renovation ~Thank you for the memories of 6843 days and 6552 performances~" on September 1st. On the 19th, Murayama Yuiri (27), known as the "Goddess of the Theater" for her record-setting 1,300 appearances, reflected on her feelings for the current theater, which she considers her "starting point," and also expressed her anticipation for the new theater, which will reopen on December 8th, its 19th anniversary.
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Having stood on the AKB Theater stage more than anyone else, she harbors complex feelings about its renovation. When she first heard about it, her honest reaction was "sadness." She said, "It was my second home, a power spot, and a place of learning. I grew up in this theater. I’m feeling lonely that it will change significantly." She looked around the theater floor, savoring every moment.
In approximately 13 years of tenure, she reached the highest number of theater appearances in history. “I was just having fun on stage, and before I knew it, I've already reached 1,300 performances.” During the time when the team system was in place, she was prepared to step in for any member who was ill, whether it was for performances for Teams A, K, B, or 4. This effort contributed to the impressive number of performances she accumulated.
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Murayama and the other 13th generation members joined in 2011, when the group was in its peak. She entered senbatsu more than six years after joining the group. “I realized that it's not just fun and games. I saw the harsh reality. I was compared to others, I didn't know how to gain popularity, and I couldn't see my goals. The days when I couldn't attend school continued, so I once made up my mind to quit when I was a kenkyuusei. It was to the point where I was ready to announce my graduation on the blog the next day.” However, it was the theater staff at the time who persuaded her to stay.
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Above all, one reason Murayama decided to stay was the presence of her senpai, Nakata Chisato. She expressed her gratitude, saying, "I was not very good at dealing with my seniors, except Chiichan (Nakata) who has given me great support." As the number of outside work for senbatsu members increased, "Chiichan continued to perform at the theater. And when she told me, 'It's hard to convey the importance of treasuring the theater to the juniors,' I became determined to protect the theater myself." It marked the beginning of her journey to becoming the "Goddess of the Theater".
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From that point onwards, her activities focused heavily on the theater. She even cried over her reduced opportunities to perform in the theater when she entered senbatsu and was given outside jobs. After the group's general election's system changed to a candidacy system, she also decided to not participate in it. "I'm not denying the worth of general elections, but I felt it wasn't suited to me, and I didn't want to burden my fans. I wanted them to come to the theater instead," she explained as she maintained a firm resolve to prove that one could still become a popular member by continuously performing at the theater.
Even after experiencing live performances at venues like Tokyo Dome, she emphasized, "I love the AKB Theater the most." She highlighted the charm of the theater’s exclusive intimate setting, saying, "With the concept of being 'idols you can meet', the theater's "sublime proximity" is part of its charm."
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From September 2nd, they will be travelling all over Japan for "AKB48 Theater 'Under Construction' Nationwide Tour," with the stage that Murayama produced. Additionally, the new theater, which will be inaugurated on December 8th with an original new stage written by Akimoto Yasushi, is hinted to have 'an even more dream-like world view.'
Murayama intends to continue performing at the new theater. She expressed her determination, saying, "I don’t want anyone to surpass my record (for the most performances)." She added, "For me, the theater is what it means to be in AKB. I've revealed all my emotions here. I want to give back to this theater for the rest of life. I'll work hard so that I can remain the Goddess of the Theater, even after the renovation," reflecting her strong resolve.
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bleachbleachbleach · 3 months ago
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For one of the fanfic memes :D :
2.How do you react to positive comments?
4. Post a screenshot of one of your favorite comments
15. What fic of yours would you most like to rewrite?
33. Which of your fic titles is your favorite?
Aahhh, thank you for these!! I didn't actually reblog this meme (just the responses someone gave me when I sent in an ask for theirs), but I will *happily* take the opportunity to play, anyway, any time! <333
2. How do you react to positive comments?
I do this for any comment or kudos/like I get, but: I’ll click through on the person’s username and look at their page and their fics (if applicable—usually it isn’t), profile, bookmarks, etc. to try to learn more about who they are (and perhaps find things for me to read, too).
I re-read the comment multiple times over the course of multiple days, maybe even a dozen times, depending on how much there is to take in, by which point I probably have portions of it memorized.
I reply to comments to say thank you and to revel in the opportunity to have a small blorbo and/or craft conversation with the person, because that’s what I wish fandom were like alllllll the time, but it’s actually mostly not. So I try to do as much as I can with the moment!
4. Post a screenshot of one of your favorite comments I’ll forego any comments I’ve received from anyone on Tumblr who might see this post, though I treasure them and love them dearly. <333 But a comment that’s stuck in mind wasn’t even a comment someone gave to me or wrote directed at me, or ever wrote a me-directed version of.
There used to be a fandom convention of having large anonymous forums where people would talk fandom together anonymously, including fanworks. (I guess the modern-day equivalent here is private Discord servers, which are even more inaccessible, rip.) These threads could be pretty brutal, because they were anonymous people addressing other anonymous people and not thinking about the author at all—but they could also be the most interesting, because it was clear people involved in the discussion were actively reading and interpreting and critiquing. They were really giving your work their time.
My thread for this particular fic was 50/50 in terms of positive/negative reactions, but this comment was the first one in the thread that was positive, and it’s stayed with me for over a decade now:
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15. What fic of yours would you most like to rewrite? Having waded back through that comment thread, jesus, that one, I guess! But not really. I’d just write another fic (and have, in fact, gone one to write 13 more years of fics for those characters—when I wrote that one, I was a year or two into writing fics for them).
I feel like fics belong to their specific time and place, and end up being imbued so closely with whatever flavor my life is at the time and whatever experiential details of my life are staying with me that to rewrite would be a different fic, anyway. I remember those highways and those watermelon cookies and moving in the middle of writing this fic and sitting in a towering forest of cardboard boxes eating cereal straight out of the box because that’s the only food that was unpacked.
33. Which of your fic titles is your favorite? Fic titles are interesting, because they’re a piece of the fic that rarely has any use? I can’t refer to a fic by title and expect most people to know what I’m talking about, because that would require a general audience to have familiarity with my writing, or to have read it. So I usually just describe the fic rather than use its name, if occasion comes up to talk about it. So a fic title is at its most functional for me in the AO3 kudos email, where the litmus test is “do I know which fic this kudos is for, based on its title.” The answer is generally yes, even though I have a fic titled "Instructions" AND a fic titled "Instruction," and a fic titled "Gone Fishing" AND a fic titled "Gone Fishin’"… (In my defense... different randoms/different pseudonyms!!)
Even though I do it a lot I don’t really like it when I use titles of already-existing media, or song lyrics, or single-word titles, though often the referentiality is the point and why I liked the title enough to use it. I do really like double entendre titles. Going back through all my titles on AO3, this morning I’m really liking:
Clutch, Bite — because who doesn’t love VERBS, especially such visceral ones. But it’s the title of a fic about violent grief and also learning how to drive stick shift, so I love the additional reference to a clutch’s “bite point.”
Set and March — I’ve talked about this title before, but I like it because the fic is a tag to an episode titled “Game Night” and I think the title-play is clever, haha.
This is a ghost story / This is not a ghost story — These titles were just funny to me because they were two fairly unrelated fics I posted on the same day and they were both ghost stories.
That Were — which is a line from already-existing media, but it’s such a deep cut of a line I feel like it loops back around to original. I just like the the weird tense play and the fact that there’s no actual noun to be seen. (The full line is “the pearls that were his eyes” from T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, lol.)
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blatterpussbunnyfromhell · 1 year ago
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Did Silver kill Flint?
I keep seeing cold ass takes in the Black Sails side of tumblr that make my blood boil.
Look, I got into Black Sails in 2017, three weeks after the finale aired. Back then, there seemed to be an understanding that the "Silver killed Flint" interpretation was just a fringe theory from straight people made uncomfortable by the queer lead getting a happy ending. Personally, it was my first encounter with the phrase "unbury your gays" (having learnt "bury your gays" a year earlier with The 100). It seemed to be generally accepted that Flint lived, and that this was the whole point.
Now, it would appear that a shift has happened in the fandom, where the idea of Silver killing Flint is no longer treated as a theory by straight weirdos but as a canon, onscreen event, and these posts come from queer fans. It seems to come from younger fans who were about 12 or 13 in 2017. It's so mindboggling to me.
The arguments for this Silver-Killed-Flint thing is usually the same two: birds flying away and Silver's men turning around in the forest, as in reaction to a noise, which is interpreted as a gunshot.
Like, I'm just elaborating on a rant I sent to my friends earlier today here but, if Silver killed Flint, then :
Why would we be shown an entire sequence with one of Silver's henchmen looking for Thomas where he is?
If Thomas and Flint are dead, why aren't we shown their deaths? It's an actual rule in cinema that a character whose death isn't shown on screen isn't dead, a rule that the show does follow (we see Billy's funeral but not his corpse). Besides, Black Sails doesn't shy away from showing death on screen, even for main characters. Then, why not show how Thomas died instead of telling us? Why not show us Silver shooting Flint? The writers trust their viewers to understand the pattern, and understand that the reason we do not see their deaths is because they aren't dead.
Why would Silver bring up Thomas to Flint if he'd planned on killing him? Or if, as I've also seen it said, it was just a lie he made on the spot for Madi ?
And talking about Madi, I've seen A LOT of people saying she would never forgive Silver. And to that I genuinely have to ask, have you seen their last appearence in the show? I dont mean their argument in the cabin, I mean the scene where Silver sits on top of a hill and turns around to find Madi waiting for him on the path. I mean the scene where he walks towards her and she waits for him. So, my question here, if she wasn't gonna forgive Silver, why is she waiting for him on that hill? Nevermind the fact that Treasure Island's Long John Silver is in a relationship with a Black woman (I've seen posts saying that could be Max, and really wtf??), what is the point of showing us this scene if she's not gonna forgive him? Why not stop their arc at the cabin where she sends him away?
At the time when Black Sails' finale aired, Supernatural was still queerbaiting its audience, and Sherlock ended in a fucking shitshow. People were throwing fits over Bill Potts, Doctor Who's first ever onscreen lesbian companion because she was a lesbian with a masculine name. A year before that, The 100, a very popular tv show at the time, had just killed it's only lesbian character and faced so much uproar and backlash for it. (That was my entry into the LGBT+ community, by the way : the first character to make me think I might actually like women getting killed on screen two scenes after having had sex with the female lead). Sense8's two-hour long finale and Love, Simon wouldn't air for another year.
So yeah, if you weren't into queer media back in 2017 (and omg I sound like such an old twat), I don't think you can understand just how important that ending, with Flint being reunited with the love of his life after so much pain and loss, was.
If your interpretation of Black Sails is that the events of Treasure Island happened the way the book tells you, then I'm sorry to tell you this but you completely missed the point of the show.
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Goddamn why does dark Selina have to be so cool??
Suarez can freeze dark Selina???? That is badass.
My God Ira is rolling so well. 27 dice of damage? That is insane.
Did he just strip Reiss of his perfect clarity easy peasy? Yes! Anything to make Reiss look like the loser he is.
Goddamn Arabella is also very cool. Team astral is going strong.
Ira not wanting Arabella to associate with him. 😂 I'm glad they can still laugh and be a little silly in all this.
Noo they counterthaum his thingy??? Oh they failed.
Reiss failed!!! Yay! I really hope he dies the most pitiful death. Like that people almost don't even care.
Noooooo they possess Eden??? Not our baby! How dare they. 🥺
Apocalyptic form??????????? Oilblsck owl wings, 2 extra arms?? Demon horns??? Extra eyes???? I am cackling. This is def unhinged final battle shit. 😂😂 Also understandable why he didn't use this before, this is not subtle.
Omg the reactions. I don't know I'm ready. 😭
"Oh god." 😭 Wynn bb.
"Miles isn't selfish." 😂 he said that with a straight face too.
Wait who shot Suarez? One of the blsck hand guys?
So basically this roll will mean we might have a season 3 Johnny boss fight??? Plz No. Thank fuck!
-10 on the dice pool??? Wtf Dark Selina?? For someone who loves to fight you don't want to be hit. Kind of mid if you ask me.
13 successes???? That's my boy!!!!! Hell yeah Johnny!!!! Okay she rolls 7 successes but still!
She soaks 11 and she halves all damage?? Goddamn! That is fucked up. Like I know she is powerful but fuck!
46 dice blood pool???
Garrett rolling so bad for her blood pool 😂😂😂 that is so funny.
Wait what??? Why is she all of a sudden getting 6 agg? Me so confused. But I mean I'm not mad about it.
Uhoh this sounds like a Lasombra black hand person.
Okay I know I'm late in asking this in the last episode, hlbut how is lethal damage less bad than agrivsted damage? That makes no sense.
Johnny just got 9 blood? Woah! So tenah is sacrificing herself rn, right?
Oh god Suarez dead and headless?? Brutal.
I feel like Johnny saving the life of the werewolf is so pivotal, maybe not in actual combat but in showing who Johnny is as a person.
Oh, I guess I should have said trying to save the life of that lupine.
Everything goes black??? He dies???? Hahaha haha I'm not laughing hysterically and panicked, you are!
Noooooo!!!! Not just like that?!!?? Wtf 😭😭😭 I somehow assumed Johnny would live. He's such a beast. Now who's gonna kill dark Selina?!?
Also remember 3 lines ago when I said the choice might not be pivotal to this fight. Well I was definitely wrong.
I am screaming!!!! What if Miles made a final deal to get Johnny back oml 😍😍😍
Rebecca trying to be a good girl and reminding Lex of Selina powers and being rewarded with the knowledge that it's a presence power. 🥰
She soaks 11??? Damn. Britta is trying her hardest. 😭
Wow dark Selina, jealous of Britta in all this? That's wild. Also spreading Britta's bosyparts across the state like some fucked up treasure hunt is highly messed up!
Dark Selina is so petty. 😂😂😂 "Your father is dead, shut up."
Come on Miles, baby! What's one more deal for your boo? AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH (I scared my dog I screeched that hard)
He can fucking teleport???? I'm sorry, demon Miles is fucking dope. Even the demon portals are kind of a charm.
Holding someone up in the air by the neck.
The fucking shocked Gasp from Rob when Lex said Neil 😭😭😭 I'm immediately crying.
(the line: "the only thing that makes sense to you is that wherever you are, Neil is there." is gonna be such a lifeline for shippers to cling to.)
Johnny, baby. 😭 The hug. The conversation. I don't know why, but I wasn't ready for this.
Remember when we were laughing at Wynn sending tremere to their room and not sobbing? Good times.
Omg I kind of forgot about the Johnny resurrection. Damn poor Neil all alone again.
Johnny can control his frenzy???? Woah!!! Kill this bitch!!!
"Save them, I've made the deals I needed to." Stop! 😭
The glee in Tim's voice killing these people.
Noooooo the oubliette!
Wait now she has jess and Eden???
😂😂😂 They're in the last battle of the world and they're arguing about if they need to scrap movie night from the curriculum.
Ira is such a badass.
Noooooo Reiss!!!!, now she's gonna eat the girls.
No nono nono Reiss cannot leave! He needs to die!!!
Yaaaaay fire damage!!
YESSSSSSSAAA HE FUCKING KILLED HER!!! SHE'S FUCKING ASSSSHHHHJ BABY!
Okay now that I've cheered and all that I'm basically only halfway through this episode. Uhoh!
Omg Weathers????
Johnny and the fire flower.
"He ran away." Wynn plz 😭
"Miles thinks you should do that can you change your line, Miles?" 😂
Wait why are we taking Delgado?
Thank you, Miles! I mean I get the complicated relationship Johnny but wild to just bring him.
Wynn is not taking Neil's death well, not that I think she would. But she's angry.
AAAAAAAHHHHH is he gonna drink her??? Yes pllleaase!!! Noooooo whyyy you gotta be sensible??? 😭
Johnny going from angry to soft at Miles. "Friends till the end." 😭😭😭
If they know the weapon that kills Selina, why do they need pendragon just go to Hartford and get it?
The Britta/Johnny hug 🥺🥺🥺 (I know someone who is gonna Love this)
This is a testament to how insane shit has been that I had already forgotten that Wynn had to choose between Neil and Britta back then.
Not the almost childlike hope of Johnny that they can just find Neil's ghost and solve this.
"and tries to tell herself to get up, because he's not coming to help her." excuse you! I'm walking my dog and crying rn. I thought we might have a quick break where I could be in public and listen to this goddamn podcast!
Miles trying his best to sound so casual up on the rooftop. But still hoping there is a way. Saying he doesn't think he can stay instead of full out saying he can't. Damn.
Even in this moment you cannot unravel your emotional constipation???? God fucking damnit Miles!!!
You're making me fucking cry about cigarettes??
Britta: I don't know if I like being called a death assassin
Wynn: I don't know what other kind there is.
Touche Wynn. 😂
Why does it sound like they are kind of leaving Britta behind? That would be fucked up.
Johnny and his girls though, how perfect would that be? Okay good Britta is gonna get to do her own thing by her own choice instead of just being left behind. 😂
Yaaaaay Britta finally saying she is good at something! Only took us 100 episodes to get her to recognise her potential.
Miles' final piece of accounting advice: it's your car, you can paint it any colour you want.
Uhoh. UHOH. Noooooo. We knew this was coming, but it's still so freaking sad. Fucking Lucinde, why is she just the worst? Even when she's gone she is still ruining this. Why not let them have one last night together? One last group hug. Wynn fearfully begging Miles to go and make sure she never finds him.
Miles still taking care of all of them though, making sure they have papers and money.
If I'm gonna be honest I kind of assumed/hoped we would just kill Lucinde before this was an issue.
Jessica is so awesome. (this is a compliment! Before we have a whole John is so cool thing all over again. 😂)
I cannot believe John Fucking Reiss is still alive!!!! I stfg! That was my only hope. That he'd die. 😂
What the fuck??? Roman Pendragon did a TV interview covered in blood??? 😂😂😂😂 Sorry that makes me crack up. That is insane.
"I'll miss you most of all, scarecrow." 😂
"... Into the dark." idk why but those last three words gave me goosebumps. I can't believe it's done.
Also on the one hand I'm glad Miles is alive, but idk maybe it's because I so assumed he'd would for sure die. And I hoped he'd die sacrificing himself. But if I really let go of my obsession with bringing Miles pain and being the idea of him and Arabella like that is kind of funny. Also the fact that Zofiel always gets his way is amusing. I also know that alive is aparently a stretch after that ritual.
The not my name?!? Omg
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