#we leave off here for now with a little bit of episode 1 left!

[ladyloveandjustice]

"And I really, REALLY enjoyed handcuffing him. I'll have to figure out what THAT'S about."

[gayofthefae]

This scene is wild. He doesn't notice her exhaustion, says he wants to use her powers, then, to top it all off, when Dustin and Lucas leave him alone with her, he looks back at her then where they left irritated to be there

Craziest part? This is the last scene before their first kiss. It is actually the direct reason they have it.

Dustin and Lucas leave him alone with El and he asks her to the Snow Ball and kisses her. But do not be fooled, he is not in any way taking advantage of the opportunity of being alone with her.

As we know, he only brings up the Snow Ball after being prompted by her confusion. The intended conversation is about how he's happy that soon she will be able to live normally, with a bed and food. And even on the topic of the Snow Ball, he does not have intention to kiss her. He does it out of visible exhaustion at explaining it as a substitution for defining romantic feelings.

He did not want to be alone with her, preferring to go after Will and even looking a bit upset with Lucas and Dustin for leaving him with her. When left alone with her, he struck up a conversation about her living situation without no intended segue to romance before becoming avoidant to questions about romance and kissing her essentially to end the conversation.

He became her friend in season 3. He loved her starting when she got back and he actually got to know her - the her that teases and jokes and likes comic books and says bitchin'.

In season 1, he was impressed by her, he appreciated her understanding in a time when he needed it, and he was grateful for her help in finding Will. Here, she was not using her powers so he was not impressed, he was not in need of her comfort, and most of all, being with her was actively barring him from going after Will. So he resented it.

He loves her now. But in season 1, she provided a service he was eternally grateful for. That is never more clear than here: when she is not providing it.

As is always a version of this question that gives us our every answer:

He loves her when she's helping him find Will. But does he love her or that she's helping him find Will? The only way to know? What does he do when choosing between the two.

In season 2, we see this with Dart. He does not care and is more neutrally curious about Dart, if a little grossed out, like the others...until Will expresses distress over him. Then he hates him. But we only know this because in episode 4, when given the choice to tend to Will's distress or find Dart, he goes to Will.

Similarly, here, he meets El. He cares to ensure her safety, but it does need to be with him. He says outright that once his mom has helped them get her somewhere safe, he will go back out in search of Will. He also explains directly to Lucas that he kept her around because she knew Will. And then we have this moment: El or Will.

In seasons 1, he seemed in love with her because El and Will were a single choice. But when they weren't, he was exasperated to not be able to choose Will.

In season 2, it is mostly sidelined so harder to notice, but he chooses Will. In season 2 episode 3, he thinks she's right outside the door but doesn't find her. What does he do next? Pursue her? No. He goes to find Will and stays with him for the rest of the week and stops calling her. "353 days" is less romantic when you consider that it had been around 357 by now.

And, of course, in season 4, see him do the most interesting of all. After a day of seemingly choosing El - a year, really, including the previous season - he reveals that it had been surface level. He stops looking for El. He is the one who stops walking to fight with Will about their issues.

His priorities are clear if you look. Progressively, you need to look less and less. But they have always been there.

And in season 1, he didn't love El. He loved Will through her.

[freakyformula]

Making a dream come true

Summary: Lewis and reader make their plans of getting kids come true.

Warnings: Mostly smut, little bit of a plot, talks of pregnancy, oral (both receiving), creampie, praise kink, slight degradation kink, cum play, not proofread

Word count: 2,1k

Lewis carefully studied your delicate features as you curled up against him with your back to his front on the sofa of your shared apartment. Did you doze off? You had no idea, all you knew was that multiple episodes of your favourite rom-com had passed and the day was coming to an end. Lewis was holding you tightly as if he was afraid you'd escape from his reach if he let go. You snuggled into your heated blanket and Lewis couldn't help giggling, pulling you impossibly closer to him. You were always cold, that was just part of who you were. Lewis, on the other hand, was like a heater, your personal element.

Now and again he'd hum softly in your shoulder, feeling at peace with you by his side. His big and puffy lips would place kisses all the way from behind your ear down to your collarbone, taking his time, he was in no rush. His hands were busy caressing your hip and back, drawing carefully chosen figures on your warm skin.

"Lewis, I need to start on dinner…" You break the silence as you buck your ass against him, while Lewis mimics your movements with a couple of thrusts of his own, the words coming out of your mouth not sounding convincing at all.

"Balderdash, Y/N. I think you should stay here." He counters as his hand moves down to your stomach, carefully stroking up and down. His other arm snaked around your neck, pulling your face up to his. "I'm putting a baby in here tonight." He coos as he tickles your lower belly, making you laugh and struggle to get free.

His words made your heart skip a beat. Your eyes had been shut before but now they were wide open, staring at the man. Lately, he'd mentioned kids more often than usual.

You agreed early on in your relationship that you wanted kids, but the timing never felt right, even after dating for 6 years. Lewis was adamant about not trying for a child as long as he worked as an f1 driver, not wanting to take the risk of getting injured or killed and leaving your eventual child without a father.

You laugh nervously, "What are you implying?"

"Nothing." He says with an unbothered tone, "I've been thinking a lot lately, and I think now would be a good time to have a baby." He sits up and looks down at you. You're still frowning, and processing his words, not knowing what to say. "We're in a stable relationship, we're both healthy and strong, we've been dating for years, we both have good jobs and a home…" He continues.

"But what about your job?" You ask, confused.

"Y/N. I don't care about my job as long as I have you. And realistically, I've got a few more years in Formula 1 left, at most. Besides, I know you would be a fantastic mother. So why not now?" He looks down on you, supporting his weight on his elbow. "What do you think, sweetheart?"

You take a minute to think this through. You knew you wanted kids and you knew that you wanted them with Lewis, there was no question. But was this really the right time, you wondered. You felt ready, but you were scared that Lewis was acting on impulse and would regret it later.

"Okay, Lewis. I'll make a doctor's appointment to have the IUD removed tomorrow."

Lewis lips turn into a wide smile, pulling you into his warm embrace. When he leans closer to give you a kiss, you lose it and crash your lips onto his, beating him to it. You're getting wetter by the second and sit up to straddle his hips. Lewis must think you're rushing, because he pulls away until you're calm and collected, kissing him slowly and grinding against him.

"What do you say about doing some practice before?" He whispers in your ear.

You groan at his words and scuttle back, tugging his shorts down. Your tiny hands reach into the black briefs you gifted him for Christmas last year and grab his growing cock. You begin pumping his wonderful length agonizingly slowly, earning a moan from him. Since your hand did not even come close to reaching around his girth, you had to compensate by using both.

He sat there, with his member in your soft, caring hands, clutching onto the sofa for dear life, moaning and chanting your name. His eyes are squeezed shut, and he grimaces every time you speed up your movements and tutting disapprovingly when you slow down.

Surely, he enjoyed the treatment you gave him, but he was desperate to feel your velvety walls around his cock. He pulls you off him, laying you down on the sofa with him hovering over you.

He quickly removes your sweatpants, dragging your panties with them, exposing your already soaked pussy.

"Gotta make you ready for me…" He whispers as he starts circling your clit. You yelp as you feel his touch on you, delicious and warm.

Soon enough, he adds a finger, and then another one. "So fucking tight for me, baby." He coos and looks up at you fondly. You picked your legs up to adjust the angle, letting him in further and letting him hit that sweet spot. You're quickly screaming his name and convulsing, coming for the first time of the night.

Lewis was rock hard at this point, and lined himself up with your entrance. He gave himself a couple of pumps before he started pressing his way inside you.

You let out a whimper, the stretch feeling overwhelming.

"Shhhh, you're okay." Lewis whispers as he nibbles on your ear.

When he bottoms out, he catches your wide-open gape in a wet kiss, closing out the loud moan that threatens to come out of your mouth.

His pace is slow at first, but quickens when he feels your walls flutter, knowing you're getting closer to your second release. Soon enough, you're yelling out your second orgasm, and Lewis follows soon after, pumping his load inside of you.

He leans down on his elbows and gives you a kiss before he pulls out and half-runs to the bathroom to grab a towel. He thoroughly cleans you up before you order takeout and spend the rest of the night in bed, falling asleep early.

The day after, you're up before Lewis to make the appointment. You weren't looking forward to the doctors but knowing Lewis, he would demand being there with you. Bringing him along to anything was always a huge comfort, as he'd reassure you no matter what the matter was.

The appointment was later in the afternoon, and until then, you paced around the house, unable to do anything productive. You were clearly nervous, and Lewis struggled to find a way to ground you, until he sat you down on the sofa and helped you do some breathing exercises. That seemed to do the trick for you.

And then came the dreaded doctors appointment, and as promised, Lewis sat by your side, squeezing your hand as the doctor pulled your IUD out.

"And... It's out!" The doctor said and gave you a warm smile. "You might experience some spotting the first few days but other than that, you should be fine."

"Thank you, doctor." You shake his hand and get dressed as Lewis follows the doctor outside, giving you some much needed privacy.

As soon as you leave the doctors office, Lewis' hands are on you. He'd drive with one hand and keep his other hand on your thigh, looking over to check on you, and praise you on how well you did at the doctors.

"Did so well, sweetheart. Now we can start trying for real... I'm so excited and I hope you are too." He looks over at you with a questioning look.

"Of course I am, Lewis. Just nervous."

"I know, so am I. But in the same time, I can't wait to see you pregnant with my child. I wonder what they will look like..." He daydreams.

You laugh, giving him a small nudge, not wanting him to get ahead of himself.

When you step inside the door to your home, Lewis grabs you from behind and grinds his already hard cock against you. You hadn't noticed the outline of him before, but it definetly felt prominent now.

You turn around in his grasp and lean in for a kiss which he enthusiastically accepts.

"Want to fuck a baby into you so bad..." He whispers into your ear.

"Then do it, I'm ready." You look up at him, giving him a nod, and you start unzipping the vest he was wearing.

"Ohh, baby... You're driving me mad." He admits as he unbuttons your oversized jeans.

You make it from the hallway into your bedroom. When you feel the bed behind your knees, you collapse on top with Lewis following close behind, ending up on top of you.

The kiss that follows is heated, it's as if you're making love for the first time again. Lewis explores your body all over again, and his hands move from your arms to your abdomen, to your thighs and up again. When you feel his kiss on your chest, you moan, and when he moves further down, you moan even louder.

"Are you sure you want this?" He checks in.

"Please, Lewis... Need you." You confirm.

"Good girl."

Goddamn, Lewis knew exactly how to get you worked up and ready for him.

When you feel his head between your legs, you look down, and his eyes look up at you. You nod at him, giving him permission to dive in if he wants to. He takes a moment to smell you, the scent of greek yogurt evident. He sticks his tongue out and places a tiny lick along your slit. You feel yourself losing control of your body and surrender to him.

"More, please, Lewis." You beg.

He looks up at you with a teasing smile. "Such a pretty, needy slut for me."

You feel his mouth on your clit and his fingers teasing your entrance, preparing you for the upcoming intrusion. The moan you let out is pornographic, which almost startles Lewis, and the vibration of his moans pushes you over the edge. As you're struggling and panting on the bed, he continues eating, sucking and licking your clit, prolonging your orgasm.

When you've come down from your release, he pushes two fingers in, stretching you deliciously. And then, a third. Two was just enough for you and three felt like too much but you knew that you'd have to endure it, soon you'd have something much bigger in you and Lewis wanted you to be ready for it.

"I want to make you feel good too." You sit up, ready to take him into your hands.

"I'd love to, but right now, I just need you to take it." And with that, he pulls off his pants in a swift move and instructs you on all fours.

"Ready?" He asks.

And as you nod, he lines himself up with you and gives you a few teasing pushes. When the tip finds its way inside you, you yelp, the sudden pain startling you. Even though you and Lewis had been dating for so long, you still hadn't gotten used to his size. He was well-equipped, that was for sure.

"I'm not pulling out until I'm sure it stuck."

His words makes your eyes roll back, and as you feel his tip against your cervix you both moan out. "Fuck, Lewis!"

His praise alone pushes you over the edge, you were sure of it.

"You feel so good"

"Doing so well for me"

"Such a good girl for me"

"Look at you, so pretty"

And as you're cumming for the second time, he continues praising you, his voice hypnotizing.

You pull him down to your lips, meeting him halfway in a almost desperate kiss. You feel him getting close as his thrusts become irregular and sloppy. You whine into the kiss when he slams into you, spilling his seed, filling you full of his cum.

As you're both coming down from your high, sweaty and out of breath, you can't help smiling. This felt so right.

When he pulls out, he goes down to study his cum threatening to spill out of you. He stuffs all of it back in again, not wanting a drop of his valuable seed to go to waste.

"What if this is it? I mean, if this is the day we actually get pregnant." You ask.

"In that case, I'm the happiest man in the world."

You take a moment to take it all in. Lewis seemingly doing the same thing. You're lost in each others eyes when Lewis finally breaks the silence.

"I love you so much, Y/N. So much.

You sit up and stroke his jaw, "I love you too."

[hannieoftheyear]

sexting with Mingyu pt.2

how much does a relationship (more like a 'forced to coexist' acquaintance) change after sexting? the result may shock you.

this is part 2 of my sexting au! you can check out part 1 here

✧.* genre: kim mingyu x fem reader, pwp, smut with fluff at the end, MDNI!

✧.* w.c: 6k hehe

✧.* warnings: switch mingyu, lotss of teasing, fingering, cum eating, protected penetration, he has a big dick, size kink if you squint.

✧.* note: thank you so much for the support on the first part♡ I hope you like this, and I'm sorry if there are any mistakes

Kim Mingyu: guys I told Seokminnie to come at 9😊 [15:36 pm]

Kim Mingyu: come to my place at 8 so we can arrange everything🙏

Kim Mingyu: and don’t forget to bring the stuff on the list😁

The new text from the group chat made exclusively for tonight’s surprise party lights up your screen, taking your attention away from the tv show you were watching.

You have the urge to ask why he decided the time on the same day, but you don’t. You have a feeling that things are still a little awkward, and you never talked much anyways so it would be weird.

These few days, even if you tried not to, the only thing occupying your mind was your little chat with Mingyu.

Can sexting change your view of a person? That sounds so stupid. You were never mean to him, on purpose at least, and you would always think twice before going somewhere if he was going too. But now, you find yourself a little excited at the idea of seeing him.

You have about four hours to get ready and half an hour to get to Mingyu’s place. There’s plenty of time, so you finish the episode of New Girl you were re-watching and begin to get ready.

You absolutely do not think about seeing Mingyu for the first time since your… conversation. Not during your shower, where you shave your whole body. Not while picking a cute outfit you don’t usually wear that flatters your body and shows off your boobs. And absolutely not while doing your make up, you just happen to choose a red lipstick that has been sitting collecting dust since you bought it. There’s nothing wrong with trying different things sometimes!

Looking in the mirror, you realize that maybe you went a little overboard, not enough so that your friends would think it’s on purpose, but it is definitely noticeable.

Whatever. You’ll welcome whatever attention you might get. There’s no time to change anyway. You have to leave now, or you’ll be late, so you grab your purse and go out.

You were tasked to bring the cake, so you drop by the cake shop a few blocks from your home and take a taxi afterward. It was a simple two tiered pink cake that said “Happy Birthday," but looking at it, already seated on the cab, you can’t help feeling like you’re forgetting something.

Checking the list over and over again doesn’t help. It only says “cake" and your name beside it. You’re thinking about what could possibly be so obviously necessary that no one thought to write it down. And then you remember, CANDLES! Painfully, obviously, and pretty needed for a birthday cake.

It’s too late to go back now because you’re already 2 minutes away.

It’s fine.

It’s completely fine.

You’re sure someone else might have thought about it and will bring some. Mingyu has to have candles around just in case the power goes out. Maybe in the box there’s a candle the cake shop puts just in case.

The taxi leaves you at 8 pm sharp at Mingyu’s building. You try to calm down during the elevator ride, and it’s not until you’re at the door, knocking, that you remember at whose house you’re at. And realize that it’s just a little bit too quiet inside.

Mingyu opens the door, knowing it’s you on the other side. You’re always the first one to arrive.

You know you should be more put together, but you’re left without words at the sight of him. His hair is pushed back, a little wet still. He was probably on the shower while you were on the way. His outfit is simple, black jeans and a white t-shirt, but it somehow looks amazing on him. How does someone make a plain white t-shirt look so good? It’s almost unfair to everyone else.

Too lost in thought, you don’t realize you have the same effect on him. He’s left breathless by the sight of you. He thinks you have never looked this beautiful.

A door opens at the end of the hallway, and the sound takes you both out of your trance. He’s the first one to speak.

“Hey sorry, come on in.” Mingyu says with an embarrassed tone you almost don’t catch. He moves to the side to let you through and speaks up again. “You’re first like always.”

“Yeah, they can’t be punctual at all." You’re standing awkwardly looking at the cake in your hands while he closes the door.

“Should I put this in the fridge?" Your eyes point to the cake Mingyu didn’t register before.

“Sure let me -" He tries taking it from your hands, but you back away.

“I can do it.” It comes out drier than you want to, so you look him in the eyes and show him a little smile. Even if your “friendship” didn’t change drastically in a matter of days, you don’t want to still have a rocky relationship. That seems to make him relax.

“There should be enough room.” You hear him say as you’re walking towards the kitchen.

You know his apartment like the palm of your hand by now. It seems like he’s the only one willing to have many people over at once, so the hangouts are always here.

He follows behind you and stands in the kitchen while you try to figure out the best way to store it without getting it damaged.

“Oh I should tell you I forgot the candles, I’m sorry I don’t know why I didn’t think about it but I remembered on the way here and it was too late, but I thought maybe you had some here but if not we can just ask the guys I’m sure some of them aren’t even on the way yet and-" You turn around after you place the cake on the fridge and you blurt out the apology, only to find Mingyu standing right behind you.

He's so close you can smell his cologne. The one he always uses that you secretly love and wish you could steal, but he doesn’t have to know that. His body so close to yours does not affect you. In any way.

“I bought them don’t worry.” You sigh, relieved that you didn’t ruin anything with your stupid mistake.

“Oh thank God!" You start and look at him in the eyes, “Thank you, really. I was panicking on the elevator. I thought I ruined the cake because-"

“You should be a rapper." Mingyu suddenly interrupts you.

“What?” You look at him, very confused by his statement, and he just laughs.

“You just said 50 words in like two seconds.” He adds in between laughs.

“Don’t laugh at me!” You punch him lightly on one arm, “I was actually worried!” You really try to sound mad, but his laugh is awfully contagious and brings you to laugh with him.

“I don’t think you spoke that many words to me in years." He suddenly says, still laughing, but your smile dies slowly because you realize he’s right.

“Yeah well…” You’re looking at him directly in the eyes. His smile is still plastered on his face, a little faded but there nevertheless.

Your eyes move to the side, to not make eye contact with him as you say “Things change.”

The atmosphere shifts as fast as a heartbeat. You’re suddenly very aware of your body so close to his. Mingyu’s gaze wander to your lips a second too long before it goes back to your eyes. Slowly, he begins closing in the space between your bodies. You step back but find yourself caged in between him and the counter.

His warmth embraces you when he places an arm on your side to cage you in more. He has to crouch to look you right in the eyes. “How?” You barely register his question, his closeness making you dizzy. “What?”

“What changed?” For sure he’s trying to take a reaction out of you, and you hate that he’s succeeding. But you can have your fun too.

“You know… when you make a guy cum in his pants your relationship changes.”

He doesn’t seem affected by your response, quite the opposite, actually. He might be enjoying it, judging by the smirk forming on his mouth.

“You know damn well I did not cum in my pants”

“Didn’t you? Huh… I guess I wasn’t that impressed because I would remember otherwise.” Impressed you were. And remember you do. But you like annoying him.

He sighs, acting shocked as he puts his right hand on his chest. “How could you?” You giggle at his silliness.

But his arms are back to caging you in a millisecond. “I’ll have to make you remember then.”

You can’t resist it when your eyes drop from his eyes to his lips, suddenly calling to you like he’s got you under a spell. He seems to notice because his smirk makes a reappearance.

So slow, you barely even notice, his face comes closer by the second. It's so painfully slow he’s for sure doing it on purpose.

“And how would you do that, may I ask?” Now it’s your turn to smirk as your eyes go up back to his eyes, defying him.

His face is so close now that you can feel his breath on you. Your lips are only separated from his by bare millimeters. You’re about to tilt your chin up to connect them when someone knocks on the front door.

Mingyu drops his head as he sighs and separates from you a few inches. Your hands find their way to his chest and push him back a little to draw his attention.

“You should probably get that.” His head goes back up at your words and gives you a disappointed look.

His gaze goes down to your lips. “I don’t want to.” You smile at his reaction. You don’t really want it either, but more people are going to start showing up, so you need to get going. The person outside knocks again, and you push him one more time, a little harder this time, so he gives you space to leave his arm prison.

“Go! I’ll start putting up decorations.”

He gives up and let’s his arms go from the counter, but you don’t move. You watch his form as he turns around and walks to the door.

You were always amazed at how tall he was, his broad shoulders and strong back that somehow ended in a tiny waist. Somehow, what he was wearing today accentuated all of that.

The door opens, and you hear Mingyu welcoming whoever was outside.

The night goes as smoothly as it could have. When Seokmin arrives, everyone shouts happy birthday, and he looks genuinely surprised. But then you all find out he actually knew because Soonyoung accidentally told him yesterday. Wonderful evening.

After all the singing and shouting, someone you can’t see puts music, and the drinks start rolling in. You had no idea there was that much alcohol at the party to make like 15 people drunk, but you’re not complaining.

It's already 4am when you start feeling the effects of alcohol leave your body.

You’ve been sitting on the couch watching Wonwoo destroy everyone at Mario Kart. You don’t dare to try to play against him, so you just sat back to laugh.

Everyone eventually grows bored of the game. Some go back to their homes, but you and a few others stay to hang out.

Mingyu, on the other hand, started tidying up when people started leaving. He doesn’t mind people staying over, but he prefers cleaning now, so he doesn’t have to do it when he wakes up. He’s still listening to the conversation, though, throwing in a few comments here and there or laughing.

When he finally finishes it’s a little over 4:30 am. There’s no room on the couch, and he doesn’t want to sit on the floor, so he stands against the wall facing the group.

You’re sprawled out on the couch, resting your legs on top of Vernon’s who’s sitting at the other end. The guys are debating about… something. You stopped understanding a while ago. You just laugh when someone says something funny.

It’s when Mingyu comments about something Wonwoo said that you notice he finished with whatever he was doing, standing there in his full glory. Your eyes can’t seem to move away from him, and you don’t resist it either. His hair is now messy, and he's sweating a little bit. He catches you staring and raises his eyebrows. You shrug in response.

The chatter becomes background noise as you two play a staring game. You don’t dare move your eyes off of him, and he doesn’t either. After a few minutes, you motion a “What?” With your mouth.

He grabs his phone without breaking eye contact, but ultimately does to unlock it and starts texting someone. You realize that someone is you when his gaze is back at you, and your phone vibrates in your back pocket.

No one is paying attention to you. The guys are still debating, maybe about something else now, so you grab your phone without getting noticed. The only person who notices is Vernon because you move your legs off of him, but he doesn’t even glance at you, just re positions himself.

Kim Mingyu: so how long are you staying? [4:33 am]

You look up at Mingyu with an incredulous look, and he just motions for you to reply.

You: wow no emojis this time

Kim Mingyu: I’m being serious😔

When you look at him he’s actually making the same face as the emoji. Cute.

You: for how long am I welcomed? [4:34 am]

Kim Mingyu: you can stay however long you please

You: I was thinking I might leave when the guys leave

You: but they seem to have a lot of energy today

Kim Mingyu: I can tell them to leave [4:35 am]

You: you want me to leave that badly?

Kim Mingyu: I want you to stay.

Kim Mingyu: but I don’t want them to be here

You giggle at his response. That definitely draws attention to you because Seungkwan asks “Who’s got you giggling like that?”

“No one.” You rush to reply, and hope no one sees your eyes dart to Mingyu before adding “You don’t know him.”

The interest dies soon enough, but you know Seungkwan will ask you again later.

Your eyes find their way back to Mingyu’s to find him already looking at you, waiting for you to text him again. You raise your eyebrows at him before going back to your phone.

You: don’t be mean they’re your friends! [4:37 am]

Kim Mingyu: when I’m done with you you’ll thank me

You: done with me?🤔

Kim Mingyu: you’ll see…

Kim Mingyu: do you want to stay? [4:38 am]

You: only if you make me breakfast in the morning

You: I hear you’re a really good cook

He doesn’t reply. Instead, he starts subtly kicking everyone out, saying stuff like “hey guys it’s getting late," and “you’re all gonna be wrecked tomorrow."

Someone jokes “that’s him politely asking us to get the fuck out", and everyone laughs as they start picking up their stuff.

You also start grabbing your stuff and cleaning around you, although slower than everyone else.

It’s around 5 am. when the last few start heading out the door. You get asked how you’re leaving. You lie and say you called an Uber, and you’ll just wait here for it.

You’re back on the couch as Mingyu closes the door after the last person leaves, awkwardly sitting while waiting for him.

Butterflies show up on your stomach when Mingyu appears in the hallway, walking straight to you with a smile on his face.

The atmosphere feels awkward as he sits beside you. You want to say something, but your mind is blank. There’s really only one thing you can think about.

Mingyu opens his mouth to speak, but you get up and sit on his lap, one leg on each side of his hips.

“So what’s with all that talk earlier?” Your hands position themselves on his shoulders almost like they’re meant to be there.

Mingyu’s shocked for a second before he focuses his eyes on your lips and licks his.

“C-Can we talk about what h-happened the other day first?” He mentally kicks himself for stuttering. But his words contradict his actions. His hands are around your waist keeping you in place, and his eyes don’t leave your lips, like he’s on a trance.

“What happened was…” You grab the side of his face and get close to his ear to whisper “You got horny because of me, and I helped you.” Slowly, you go back so you can see his blushed face. “Is that right?”

But blushing doesn’t prevent Mingyu from teasing you too. “Acting like you weren’t practically begging for me huh?” His hands slowly travel from your waist to your thighs.

“Says the one who actually begged to cum.” You try your luck and grind softly against his growing bulge and he squeezes your thighs, closing his eyes lightly.

“You liked it.”

“I did, yeah." Now your hands are on his very firm chest. Mingyu sighs as you grind on him again, a little harder this time. Your faces are so close you feel his breath fanning over you, and you can’t resist your eyes when they focus on his parted lips.

When he opens his eyes again there’s only one thing on his mind, the thing that has been plaguing him since you arrived so many hours ago.

“Can I kiss you?” Mingyu says softly, almost in a whisper.

“I thought you wanted to talk?” You grind on him, hard enough to feel his already hard bulge, and you feel how your panties get ruined by your arousal.

“You’re funny.”

“I get that a lot.” Mingyu’s hands go back to your waist to make you grind on him again, setting a pace that’s not fast but hard enough to create more friction between your cores.

Electricity flows between your bodies. You wrap your arms around Mingyu’s neck, your faces barely millimeters apart. His lips are still parted, just like yours, releasing little sighs that almost make your lips barely touch.

“Please.” He pleas in a whisper, and you swear a million butterflies explode in your stomach. You can’t resist it anymore. You can't resist him.

You connect your lips with his, and Mingyu reacts instinctively. He wraps his arms around your waist, almost as if to keep you from getting away. As if you ever would.

The feeling of his lips against yours is addictive. He’s kissing you like he wants to erase any trace of anyone who has ever kissed you, making your lips his, so needy and hungry for more.

He thrusts up, making you moan in his mouth, and takes the opportunity to meet his tongue with yours, deepening the kiss and making you more addicted to him. If that’s even possible.

Mingyu’s hands start roaming your body, traveling from your waist to your thighs, and then up to your neck. Your skin burns everywhere he touches, and you want more. You want to feel him everywhere all at once.

Your hands play with the hem of his shirt. You lift it up just a little so you can touch his abs without fabric in the way. You feel him smile against your lips at your touch.

He breaks the kiss, and you chase after his lips. When you open your eyes, you find him smirking at you. His lips are swollen, and he’s stained red all around because of your lipstick. You figure you look the same. “Eager are we?"

“Yes very in fact.” You grab the hem of his shirt again and push it up. “Take this off.”

He obliges, but not before laughing softly at your eagerness. You follow his moves and also remove your tiny top. You can’t move your eyes away from his bare chest, and your hands immediately touch him, but he stops you.

“This too.” His hands sneak behind your back to unclasp your bra.

As soon as the bra is off, you push yourself against him and kiss him again. His hands are quickly on your tits, thumbs going in circles around your nipples.

“Ah! You’re making me crazy.” You manage to say almost in a moan.

The clothes in your lower bodies soon begin to annoy the both of you, and the friction is no longer enough.

Reluctantly, you get up, and now it’s his time to chase after your lips.

Mingyu understands immediately and also gets up. You remove your shorts while he gets rid of his jeans, and in no time, you're sitting on top of him again. Only your underwear in between you now.

You trace kisses down his neck, leaving marks, so that he has a reminder of you for a few days. His now fully hard dick presses against your clit just right. Your panties are so soaked they’re beginning to stain Mingyu’s boxers too.

He kisses you hard to quiet down both of your moans, as his hands sneaks down to your core and his fingers start stroking your pussy through your panties.

“You’re so wet already.”

“That’s because you’ve been teasing me for like 20 minutes.”

“Are you complaining?”

“No.” You roll your eyes playfully. “But if you don’t actually touch me in the next five seconds I’m going to lose my mind.”

He chuckles, and you think he’s about to kiss you again, but you’re starting to learn that Mingyu is a man full of surprises.

In a swift move, he turns your body around, your back now against his chest, and spreads your legs wide. One hand sneaks under your panties while the other plays with one of your boobs.

You quickly turn into a moaning mess as he starts circling around your clit and pinches your nipple. But it’s not enough. “Mingyuu.” It comes out more whiny than you’d like, but right now that’s the least of your worries.

“Tell me.” His finger slows down but also presses harder. You squirm under him, and he kisses your neck softly. “What do you want? Tell me.”

“I-I need your fingers.” Your words barely get out.

“But I am touching you” He feigns confusion. His fingers stroke from your hole to your clit, collecting your arousal and spreading it.

“Inside.” You grind on his fingers in hope of getting more friction, but he slips his hand away from you. You see his fingers glisten with arousal and feel a new wave gushing out of you. “Please.”

You don’t see, but rather feel Mingyu smile against your neck. “Whatever you want baby.”

His hand is back under your underwear in no time, playing with your hole and collecting your juices with his fingers. You grind against his hand as he slides two fingers in.

Not even your imagination could have prepared you. His thick fingers stretch you more than you ever could, and the slow but deep thrusts let you feel him in places your fingers could never reach. You can’t hold back the moans that comes out of you.

“Oh my God! Mingyu faster please!” You’re not ashamed to beg anymore.

His palm is creating friction on your clit while his other hand is still playing with your nipples, and he thrusts into you faster.

You pace your grinds to match his hand, and you’re sure this is what heaven feels like. You feel the tightness in your stomach close to snapping.

“I’m so close!” You breathe out.

Mingyu slows down his thrusts, and you’re about to complain when you feel him add a third finger. He’s stretching you deliciously, knuckles deep inside you. You can feel him everywhere.

“Cum on my fingers c’mon” He demands as he speeds up. His fingers reach the spongy spot inside you that makes you jelly and abuse it.

You’re cumming on his fingers faster than ever. Shaking on top of him as he thrusts his fingers in and out slowly, helping you ride out your orgasm.

When he finally pulls his fingers out of you, you’re still breathless. Mingyu surprises you again when he moves his slick covered fingers to his mouth and licks them clean.

You remove your panties once and for all and turn around. You feel his still hard cock under you and he winces at the friction.

“That was really hot.” You state, and his whole face turns red.

“I’m not done with you.” In one swift movement, you have your back against the couch and your head on the armrest. “I really wanna eat you out.”

And who are you to stop such a determined man? You grab his face and kiss him hard, tasting your arousal in him. “Okay.”

He starts a trail of kisses on your thigh, slowly going down until he reaches your cunt, but skips it and starts kissing your other leg. You whine in response as you grab his head and put it back on your core. You feel his breath on your bare cunt and shiver.

He looks at you in the eyes and barely licks your lower lips. You sigh at the little contact. “Stop teasing.”

His hands open up your legs and he flattens his tongue on your lips, licking in up and down motions and kissing your clit.

When he experimentally wraps his lips around your clit and sucks, you moan and instinctively close your thighs around his head, keeping him in place.

With his head now trapped in between your thighs, his tongue licks you from your clit and to your hole, tasting and savoring your arousal like it’s his last meal.

He toys with your clit and your hands find themselves in his hair again, pushing him more against your cunt. He moans when you pull at his hair, sending vibrations straight to your core and you feel a wave of arousal gushing out of you and to his mouth.

His tongue teases your hole, stroking the tip in and out lightly. You push his head into you again and his nose bumps into your clit, taking a moan out of you.

“Feels so good" You grind against his tongue as it keeps teasing your hole and his nose stimulates your clit.

Your orgasm hits you hard and fast and you’re cumming on Mingyu’s mouth in no time. He keeps his mouth on you, licking every last drop of arousal that gushes out. You have to pull at his hair to make him stop.

When he lifts his head up from you, his chin is shiny with arousal, and he’s smiling.

You waste no time and make him sit on the couch again, “Now it’s tour turn."

You kneel on the floor as you remove his boxers. Even after seeing him on video and feeling him under you, you were not prepared to see how big Mingyu actually was.

His cock springs out against his stomach, angry red and already leaking pre cum.

It barely fits in your hand, and he sighs at your touch. You give a few experimental pumps, but he stops you.

“I don’t have much longer. Do you have a condom?”

“You wanna be inside me that bad?”

“Yes.” He responds quickly. You chuckle as you grab your purse. You find the one you put while getting ready and open it.

He squirms under your hands as you put it on him. As soon as the condom is on, he grabs you and gets you on top of him again. You both sigh as your cores touch.

You grind on him, covering his cock with your juices and you both moan as he traces your neck with bites and kisses.

“Looks who’s teasing now.”

“It’s fun seeing you frustrated.” You stop your movements, and he looks at you frowning. You can’t resist his sudden cuteness and give him a peck as you resume grinding on him. His tip grazes your clit and you shiver.

“You’re making me crazy.” He breathes out, and you can’t help to chuckle.

“Can you cum like this?”

“I want to cum inside you.” His whiny response takes you by surprise.

His hands grab you by the waist and lift you up. With one hand you grab his cock and position it under your hole.

You steady yourself, putting your hands on the back of the couch, and slowly start going down.

If you thought his fingers reached places no one ever has before, then you’re sure his dick is creating more space for you to feel him. You can feel every vein dragging inside of you.

You suppress your moans by kissing him, and he sighs in your mouth when you bottom out.

You’re so full you’re having trouble breathing. He keeps you still, giving you time to adjust. Even the tiniest move makes him twitch inside of you.

“You’re so fucking big Mingyu.”

“I told you I'd make it fit.” He wraps his arms around your waist and brings you to him to kiss you. You moan, feeling him grind inside you, and he stills.

You start grinding on him slowly. You’re sighing on each other’s mouths, savoring every drag of his dick inside of you, feeling him reach deeper with every thrust.

Your hands travel to his chest and start playing with his nipples. He thrusts up when you pinch one nipple lightly, hitting exactly where you need it and making you moan louder, so you do it again.

“Yes like that Mingyu.” That encourages to start thrusting up harder and matching your pace.

One of his hands creeps down to your cunt and start playing with your sensitive clit, still wet from his spit, and the other plays with one of your nipples.

You start clenching around him, eliciting a moan out of him.

“You’re so tight around me baby.” He says almost in a moan. “I'm so close."

His thumb is still playing with your swollen clit, making you squirm and clench so hard it’s hard to keep grinding on him. You collapse on his chest and he embraces you as he fastens his moves.

He's thrusting so deep and hard. You're sure he's marking you as his. Ruining you for any other man,  spelling his name in your insides so you're forever his.

Your bodies are so close together that your clit is rubbing against his abs, a friction you've never experienced but it makes the tightness on your stomach come so close to snapping you can almost taste it.

A few hard thrusts later you’re coming undone on top of him. But his thrusts don’t stop, chasing his high while you’re clenching around him, making him go crazy. You’re staring to feel the overstimulation when you feel him twitch inside you, and his thrusts come to a stop.

You stay like that, your head on his shoulder and his arms around your waist while you regulate your breaths. Your torsos pushed together allow you to feel the beating of his heart.

Mingyu relaxes his arms from around you, and you release yourself from his embrace. You wrap your arms around his neck and look him in the eye.

“So what did you want to talk about?” He chuckles at your question.

“I’m still inside you, and you want to talk?” His reply sends shivers down your spine, and you unconsciously clench around him. He drops his head back in a sigh, and his hands find their way to your hips.

“Are you staying over?” Mingyu looks at you with puppy dog eyes, and even if you wanted to, you couldn’t say no to him. You just nod as an answer, and he smiles like you just gave him a million dollars.

He surges forward to kiss you and you both wince at the stimulation from the sudden movement. “I think we should get up.” You chuckle with his mouth still on yours.

He helps you get up, and you instantly miss the fullness of having him inside.

While you grab your clothes from the floor, he disposes of the condom and goes to his bedroom. He comes back with one of his shirts to give to you. Your stomach gives a little jump at the idea of sleeping with his t-shirt as he shows you where the bathroom is so you can clean up.

When you finish and go to Mingyu’s bedroom, he’s waiting for you already inside the covers, a smile still plastered on his face. You sit on the bed and give him a peck, but he doesn’t let you go as he deepens the kiss and hugs you close to him.

“Mingyu the sun is about to come up. We need to sleep.” You manage to say with his lips on yours, and he smiles. You separate, but neither of you make any moves to go to sleep. You lay facing each other, admiring each other’s features in silence, when he suddenly says.

“Can I confess something?” That definitely wakes you up.

“You’re not a murderer are you?” You joke, and he shakes his head as he puts one string of your hair behind your ear.

“I know we didn’t really like each other until a few days ago…" He says, now with a serious expression on his face, and you listen carefully. “and I’m not saying this just because you made me cum on the phone…” He continues very seriously but you can’t help to chuckle lightly. Mingyu removes his eyes from you a little embarrassed by what he’s about to say, “and I don’t know why you sent me that photo the other day and I might be embarrassing myself saying this but, I think I kinda like you and I don’t want this to be a one time thing.”

You stay in silence a few seconds, processing what Mingyu just said. He doesn’t dare to look at you.

“Can I confess something too?” Your question makes him look at you again. He stares at you with those puppy eyes you’re learning you’re too soft for. “I sent that picture by accident the other day.” He looks worried, fearing that what you’re saying means you’re rejecting him, so you quickly continue, “but I don’t regret it.” You see a little smile appear on his lips. “I think we were very stupid not talking all these years, we could’ve save a lot of time if you just showed me your monster cock before!” You can’t help to joke to lighten the serious mood and he laughs with you.

You grab his face and give him a little peck. “I think I might like you too, but we need to see how it goes first.”

He smile grows impossibly wider at your words. “Let me take you on a date tomorrow.”

You chuckle at his eagerness. He’s too cute for his own good. “Ok let’s go out tomorrow.”

He hugs you and brings you closer to him again, taking his time sweetly kissing you while his hands sneak under his shirt to touch your skin.

In a swift motion, Mingyu traps you under him again, your back on the mattress, and he presses against you to let you feel his already growing bulge. “Oh my god you’re insatiable.” You say as you grind against him, earning a moan out of him. “Look who’s talking.”

note: thank you so much for the support on the first part♥︎ I'm sorry the ending is kind of abrupt

[rnadett]

Here is your Big Fat Hero- Cailtyn 'defender' post

I somehow get that you think Caitlyn went too far, but so did the fandom. A lot of you talk about her as a 'dictator' and compare her use of The Grey to make her sound like Hitler, it seems people forget that she purposely used it only on her targets, not on civilians or all of Zaun. In fact, she even did a bit of a favor for Zaunites in the long term.

So let’s start analyzing the important aspects in a somewhat objective way. (Don’t mind my profile picture—I promise I'll try to be objective… or maybe not, who knows?)

EVEN after her mother died, Caitlyn still tried to protect the innocent in Zaun and tried to convincing the council not to start an invasion.

She even disagreed with Vi’s opinion on using the gauntlet (Hextech as a weapon), which we saw when she discussed it with Jayce.

This was her last scene before the attack on the memorial.

After that, we can clearly see how much it affected her; it fueled her anger (Good job, Ambessa—a true politician! No wonder Mel learned from her - except she is using it for better reasons). Yet, her anger wasn’t directed at civilians or all of Zaun.

Even then, she managed to call off the invasion, which she didn’t support in the first place. And after the attack, Vi talked her down in just two minutes—a point that hasn’t gotten enough credit, especially since it was her mother’s memorial.

This scene is also telling: there’s a storm brewing inside her, and while she wants to do the right thing, like protecting innocents from war, events escalate too quickly for her to reason through them and find a solution alone. Vi staying as her only remaining pillar in all this madness.

But yeah, her anger hasn’t faded just jet, but with Vi, they found an alternative—morally gray, but still better than risking a massacre between Zaun and Piltover.

And this is what they did. In the clip at the beginning of Episode 3, we see that they targeted ONLY gang members, not civilians in Zaun. I need to mention this a few times because there's already a misconception that Caitlyn and Vi are targeting or harming civilians.

But if you look at every frame, you’ll only see them going after gang members responsible for suffering and exploitation—Margot's and Chross's gangs, for example.

Oh, and let’s not forget, these were the people Isha was running from in the first place. A children!

So, Overall, this is just a continuation of what Vi tried to do in Season 1, but now with Caitlyn instead of Jayce (or alone).

So why does Caitlyn get all the blame?

As I see it, these actions were not hers alone; Vi was part of it too. In fact, this was Vi’s original plan (except the Jinx part, of course).

So, the point of my post is this: Yes, Caitlyn is heading in a bad direction, and killing—even gang members— with gas isn’t a good thing. But at this point, she and Vi haven’t harmed innocents. Despite how it looks, at least these actions prevent more innocent children, like Isha, from being harmed. Another question is where things will go now that Caitlyn has pushed Vi away (which I think was her only truly wrong action in Act 1).

Now Ambessa has taken Vi's place (in meaning of influence, not in any other way you little pervert) , and rather than calming her, Ambessa will fuel Caitlyn’s anger, grief, and self-hatred even more.

Oh my god, I love this scene. You can see the micro-expression on Ambessa's face, how satisfied she is, knowing how good she’s pulling the strings so far.

But I think we all feel that this match is far from over.

I also leave this here:

In the end, though, I believe that Caitlyn, no matter who’s currently influencing her, will have to decide her own path and who she truly is—without relying on anyone else. Even if we love her with Vi, this is something she needs to figure out ALONE.

Anyway, I might have written more in detail if Tumblr didn’t have a 10-image/post limit. Maybe I’ll make another post about the things I left out or would have expanded on.

[yuriisclumsy]

What if there was an AU for [Name] being one of the top ranked mages in twisted wonderland?

╰Description: [Name] is one of the top mage in Twisted Wonderland, right after Malleus Draconia.

Part 1 | Part 6 | Part 7 (You are here) | Part 8

—November 20, 2024—

In the previous episode, some of the students of NRC–who have Professor Fairytale as an instructor, and like her as an educator–went to her house to try convincing her to rethink teaching. Yet, when they arrived at the address and confronted their professor, their plan was met with confusion. Their professor did not quit. Rather, she called in sick and asked for a few days off to recover from the bad cold she had.

What a twist.

Ah? Ah? …No? Okay.

The students that remind on campus to follow their part of the plan, are now doing so with the illusion that their professor is still gone. This is going to be a catastrophic mess, one which they’ll be cleaning up after the whole ordeal.

What was their part of the plan anyway…?

…

The courtyard of the college was beautiful and often frequented by the students who have a bit of time left before their next class. Today was no different. Some were practicing small spells, so as to not destroy the place. They did not want to end up like the freshmen who almost got expelled for burning a statue.

In a secluded corner of the yard stood a group of familiar students who seemed to be discussing a rather secretive plan.

“Is everyone in their positions?” Jamil asked the twins as he watched the surrounding area for eavesdroppers. Finding none, he turned to them. “So?”

“Worry not, all the preparations are ready for noon,” said jade with his usual business smile.

Floyd groaned from boredom, “Augh, can we go now?”

“Not yet,” Jade answered, “we are still waiting on Scarabia’s Housewarden.”

“Talking about my Housewarden, he should have been here already…”

“Jamil!” an energetic boy running towards them said. 

“Oh, look! The little puppy!” Floyd pointed at the boy running.

“I got the ingredients!” he yelled.

“…!” Jamil quickly grabbed Kalim by the arms and dragged him to their “hiding spot” before shoving a hand on his mouth. “Kalim…! You can’t just go around yelling that, or they're going to figure we’re up to something…!” he warned.

Kalim took the hand on his mouth and flashed an apologetic smile, “Sorry, sorry! I got excited when I saw you guys…” He scratched his head and vowed lightly.

“It’s fine,” Jade assured him, “I don’t think anyone is going to question Kalim yelling anytime soon. I think they’ll be more suspicious if you don't yell.”

Jamil frowned, knowing that it was true. “Anyway, you have all of the items I asked you for?” he asked Kamil.

“Yup!” he opened the bag in his hand, “I have all of them… What are we going to do with these again?”

Jamil took the bag and made sure everything was there, “Don’t worry about it. The only thing you have to do now…is keep quiet until the next part of the plan begins.”

“Ah, okay…”

“...”

“...”

“You don’t remember when the plan starts, do you?”

“Nope!” Kalim answered with a bright smile. Jamil sighted and massaged his temples.

Jade chuckled. He placed a hand on Kalim’s shoulder and said, “We need to wait for Idia’s signal.”

“Oh!” he let out an understanding. “...what is the signal?”

Jade’s eyebrows knitted in concern at Kalim’s forgetfulness. “I feel bad for you,” he said to the Vicewarden of Scarabia.

“I’m used to it…” Jamil extended his arm to pass the bag to Jade, “At least he helped in something…even if he had to beg to do it.”

Floyd snatched the bag from his grasp before his twin could get it, “What tasty things are there…” He licked his lips as his hands touched what felt like cotton candy.

Jade snatched it back from him. “These are not for you. So, please, keep your hands away.” 

“Awww…”

Jade’s attention turned back to Jamil, “Thank you. We’ll tell Azul we have these and start our part of the plan.”

He nodded as he watched them leave the hiding spot. He turned to where Kalim is with his eyes closed, “Now that that’s done, we can leave now, Kalim–” there was an empty space beside him. “Kalim? Kalim!?” he yelled out his friend's name. “Damn it…!”

It seems Jamil will be busy trying to find his housewarden.

Why don’t we take a quick look at what the others are up to, shall we?

…

Their plan was to show off Professor Fairytale's teaching skills where irreplaceable, and that those students who decided to hide behind their parent’s are nothing but cowards who wanted an easy class and not work hard.

It was a masterpiece of a plan. And no one would say otherwise.

“That’s an idiotic plan.”

…Unless that someone is much smarter than they are.

“Idiotic?” Riddle questioned, taken aback by their professor's bluntness.

“See! Even the prof thinks all of this was a waste of time!” Grim yelled in frustration between munches of the pastries placed in front of him. “But, NO. Don’t listen to Grim!”

He–Riddle–and the others put their differences aside and thought of a plan to get her un-fired! …Even if it were an illusion. “I’m sorry but I fail to see where this is stupid.”

“I didn’t say it was a waste of time,” she corrected Grim and slapped his creeping feline paws out of her plate. Fixing his etiquette like the badly trained cat he is. “I’m merely stating a fact.”

“This whole adventure was…unnecessary. You all could have mailed me, or emailed me, added Crowley in there, and this misunderstanding wouldn't have escalated.”

They remained silent, not bothering to touch their teas or sweets, the only one who could stomach through the lecture was Grim whose loud chewing you all could hear.

Professor Fairytale shook her head in disappointment. “Now that this has been cleared, serve yourselves more food, and leave before another rumor spreads.”

“We understand…” Riddle said for everyone. Except Grim, he was still munching away his Housewarden’s food.

Their expressions resembled that of sad puppies. Something which she could not resist.

“*sigh…* Please don’t look at me with those eyes…” she frowned.

“What do you mean?” Ace said innocently, intensifying his puppy-eyes.

“...Those eyes,” her gaze shifted awkwardly away. “I don’t like them…”

“Wait, could it be…?” Carter’s question dragged on making their professor feel nervous. “...Professor [Name] is…weak towards puppy eyes!?”

“No, I’m not!” she slammed her tea cup on the table. Her face wore a blush, and her eyes widened at the mannerism she displayed. “I–I mean…no… I don’t have any weaknesses,” she closed her eyelids and sipped her tea.

They stared at her for a bit and thought: “She’s now acting her age.”

“Anyhow, I think it’s time to go back and tell the others to stop whatever they’re doing, before any more trouble arises,” she instructed them.

Riddle got up, “I agree with professor [Name]. We need to go back and tell the others.”

“Aren’t you forgetting we have phones? They’re there for a reason, y’know?” Ace laid himself back, it seemed he was in no mood to move right now.

“I already tried,” said Carter. “The internet here is so bad, I can’t even post the picture I took earlier on the entrance!” He sulked his inability to have his brain stimulated by the mindless algorithm that is his social media platforms.

A drop of sweat appeared on [Name]’s face. “I think that’s a good thing…”

“Oh please, it can’t be that bad.”

“No, he’s right,” Deuce interjected with his phone on display for Ace to see. The internet icon had a line across it, showing that there was no connection.

“My order still stands.” Riddle vowed slightly in the direction of [Name], “It was an honor to be invited in your house, Professor Fairytale.”

“Oh no, the honor is all mine to have hosted you all.”

“iT wAs aN hOnoR..blah blah blah… Can we go now—? OW!” Ace yelped as Ramshackle’s Prefect hit him on the head.

“That’s enough for today, Ace,” he said as he made Ace get up to his feet.

“Hey–!”

They made their way to the house’s entrance. [Name] opened the door to let them out.

Riddle, Ace, Deuce, Grim and the Prefect were already far from the porch, the only ones remaining were Trey and Carter.

“Thank you for your hospitality Professor [Name],” Trey said to her, “I hope you have a speedy recovery.”

Carter placed an arm around his friend. “Yeah! I can’t wait to see you back on campus!”

“Thank you…the both of you. I will be back to work in three days as the cold has calmed down. And, expect to have a test once I return,” she said, giving them a ghostly smile.

They flinched at the mention of a check for their progress in her class.

“Hehe…We’ll be looking forward to it,” said Trey before turning to follow his classmates.

“‘Looking forward to it?’ If I fail, it’ll tank my GPA!” yelled Carter, starting to get worried about his grades.

“You’ll do great.”

“That’s because I study!”

[Name] saw as they disappeared from view. She smiled softly at the small shared memory she had with them. It had been the first in her life where she had people visit her, worried for her well-being.

It feels…nice…

𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚜: @scarabiafriend, @sleep-ydragon, @d3sperate-enuf, @elaemae, @lucky-whispers, @kiwiimochi, @emmorphine, @azriel-sama, @amora-ledezma, @writerstrashbin, @marinahavik, @twstwondersforyou, @lunatheroyal, @ririsun, @dyedscarletletter, @kuureii, @otomega, @valacz29, @busy-dadzawa-fish, @sarah22447, @valacz29, @wondering-again, @lucid-stories, @obsessionswithfandoms. Comment if you want to get added to the Tag section for Twisted Wonderland. Back to The Mind

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[ilovebuckers5]

⁺˚⋆｡°✩needy✩°｡⋆˚⁺

kate martin x fem!reader

themes :

-fluff (if you squint your eyes)

-smut☺️

warnings :

-sexual content

-18+

it was the night that kate and her team would come back from the away game they had two days ago. me and kate weren't always in touch 24/7 while she was away which was actual hell for the both of us. we would only call once or twice a day and could only text a little bit throughout the trip. i spent most of my time taking care of our dog, macy. going on walks more than usual, going to dog parks things like that. since i didn't have my human version of a golden retriever i spent most of my time with our border collie.

every time i got a call from kate i would drop everything to answer. i would jump into my bed and kick my feet while she rambled on about how good she did and i of course would praise her since i watch all the games on tv. words can't even describe how much i need to hear her voice.

this away game was to indiana and kate claimed that there weren't many views she found enticing but she still sent me as many sky pictures as she could. she always try's to share wherever she's going with me. she's caring like that.

i got a call from kate this morning saying that she's finishing her packing. she even facetimed so that she could show me how organized her suitcase was. (it was not organized at all.) we called all the way until she had to get back on the road to get to the airport. the second she got in the car i heard taylor swift playing from the car speakers. enchanted to be specific.

"is that my favorite?" i squeal as i here the beginning of my favorite song ever.

"i forced them to play it baby" kate whispered back into her phone. "alright hun we are headed to the airport now i'll text you once i'm on the plane. i love you"

"i love you too" the words leave my mouth while an immediate feeling of loneliness lingered on my tongue. i hung up the phone and rolled over to see macy sitting next to me with her tongue out. she quickly got riled up as i poked at her floppy tongue.

we played around the apartment for a little while before i sat down to catch my breath. the amount of times i picked up my phone to check if kate texted or called was uncountable. i set my phone down after seeing that she hadn't reached out yet.

my eyes began to get heavier and as i was about to fall asleep i heard macy whining from across the apartment. without hesitation, i stood up and rushed over to where macy was which happened to be in me and kate's room. there my dog was rummaging through a small pile of kate's sweatshirts. i crouched down to the floor to pick up one of the jackets. i remembered that before kate left she asked me to wash this exact pile so thank you macy for reminding me.

after washing the sweatshirts i couldn't help but slip on one of them. it was my favorite after all. a tan-ish fleece sweater that felt perfect around my body. once the laundry was done i took the sweater and began hanging the others up in kate's closet.

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

a couple hours had passed and kate already sent me a couple texts letting me know where she was and how she's doing. i was still in the sweater, cuddled up on the couch watching friends with macys head under my elbow. it honestly seemed like macy was more interested in the show than i was. i couldn't get kate out of my head. everytime my phone vibrated i would jump up to grab it off of my charger and see if my girlfriend texted me.

most away games are somewhat like this but this one felt different. as if the girls were out of state for more than a couple days. this felt like weeks without my girl. and let's just say that my attachment issues have gotten worse and worse everytime kate left.

after a couple more episodes of friends i finally got a text from kate saying that she was getting off the plane in 1 hour then it would be a 2 hour drive. that meant that it was time to make dinner. before kate even left i decided on making lobster bisque for the first time. it just felt right.

before i started cooking i obviously had to play music so i turned my cooking playlist which is literally just taylor swift songs but who cares. i threw on a pale yellow apron and began to get my ingredients out.

the actual time it took to cook the meal was only around a hour but i had to run to the store to get heavy cream. along with the bisque i made some asparagus and prepared a couple drinks.

by the time i finsihed setting everything up on our table, i got the text from kate saying she was only 15 minutes away. for finishing touches i lit a candle and put on noah kahan to play in the backround.

just before kate pulled into the drive way i rushed to my room and switched into some light blue lingerie. i put my shorts on along with that same tan sweater. i came out of the room just in time to catch kate as she walked in.

the first thing i saw when my girlfriend walked through the door was the largest smile ever. my body immediately latched onto kate's chest wrapping my legs around her hips and wrapping my arms around her back. the sound of her laughter in real life was like the biggest breath of fresh air going through my lungs.

i dug my nose into the crook between her neck and shoulder. her chin rested on my back and i felt her laughs run down my spine sending even more serotonin through my veins.

"i missed you so much" my voice was muffled under her skin but by her squeezing me tighter i knew she still heard me.

"i did too princess" kate's hands moved down to under my thighs to lift me off of her.

i flailed my hand to the right to show her the dinner i had set up for us. her hands went over her mouth to cover her absolute awe. she giggled against her palm and pulled me into another hug placing a sloppy kiss on my lips.

"you did this for me?" she said as she made her way to the dining table. i nodded back eagerly while swaying my hips back and forth.

there were so many things we talked about during dinner it's hard to list it all. half of the conversations were me telling her how good she did during her game and that i was thinking about her the entire time she was gone. i noticed her beginning to blush when the lace bra strap peeked through her own sweater.

"i just noticed are you....wearing my sweater?" laughed followed out of her mouth after she swallowed a spoonful of the food.

"yes. yes i am" i said confidently while holding my chin in the air.

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

after dinner was finished we decided to go back to our room to watch a movie. we decided on watching my favorite, lady bird. once the movie started playing i could feel kates hand wandering up my shorts closer and closer to my panties. before anything else happened she lifted my leg on top of hers and left it to rest there for almost halfway through the movie.

throughout the movie i could still feel her fingers teasing with the hem of my (her) sweater and pulling at the drawstring of my shorts. small whines left my mouth everytime i felt her warm hands against my bare skin. a soft shudder left my mouth when her hand finally wrapped around the back of my hips, pulling me ontop of her lap. the movie was out of the picture now.

kate leaned against the headboard as i straddled her hips. her hands had a strong grip on my waist once i found a good position to sit in. without speaking i inched my lips closer towards kate's and gently pressed a few kisses against her lips.

the kiss began to deepen as kate's hands moved between my ass and thighs. i felt her fingernails dig into my soft skin causing me to gasp against her mouth. she slowly shoved her tongue through my lips and intertwined it with my own tongue.

as the kiss got sloppier i began to grind my hips against kate's jeans. the rough material peeked through my thin shorts just enough to send soft moans up my throat. kate's grip on my waist for tighter ad she moved me at a faster pace against her.

i moved my lips down to her jawline, taking my time to kiss every inch of her. my lips left a trail of saliva as i made my way down to the collar of her jacket.

"take this off for me baby" i whispered to kate, letting my lips graze over her ear.

without hesitation she tore her jacket off along with the tank top underneath, leaving her in a just a black nika sports bra and her jeans.

i continued kissing down to her chest, leaving dark marks across her collarbones and neck. kate let out a whine once i began to suck on the sweet spot at her chest.

"baby please...." kate groaned out.

her voice became louder as i made my way down to her abs still making sure to leave kisses in as many places as i could.

once i reached her belt i didn't wait any longer. i couldn't. i unbuckled her belt while kissing around her hips. kate lifted her hips up enough for me to slide her jeans off and toss them to the floor. i pushed myself back up to her lips, placing kisses on and around her lips as i slowly took of her boxers. one last kiss was pressed against her lips before i moved back down to her thighs.

i got a grip on her lower thighs and pulled her to the edge of the bed so that she was sitting up. just to tease her, i left a trail of kisses all the way from her knees to her bare pussy.

as i got closer i used one of my hands to gently spread her legs enough for me to fit my mouth against her cunt. i slowly circled my tongue around her clit, taking my time just how kate likes.

her hands quickly were tangled in my hair as i sped up my pace. my lips molded around kate's clit, sucking in all of her. eventually i felt kates hips buck against my face making a smirk grow on my lips.

"fuck" she tried to stay quiet but covering her mouth with her hand or a pillow.

my tongue lapped through her folds quickly causing kate to let out groans that couldn't be muffled. i continued sucking around her pussy until her thighs were wrapped around my ears making it harder to hear her beautiful voice. i didn't mind though.

"fuck right there" i heard her moan out.

kate's heels slightly lifted up off of the floor once i forced my tongue deeper in her. i finally curled my tongue in just the right place to make her cum on my lips. her thighs loosened their grip revealing her screaming my name.

i pulled my mouth off of her cunt and moved back up her lips. kate's hands were still entangled in my hair but eventually moved back to my hips. i crawled ontop of kate's lap back into a straddling position. our lips continued to melt together while i gently began grinding down on her hips again. she pulled away for a second to push her self back against the headboard again.

once we were back at our first position, kate wrapped her hand around my back scooting my closet to her chest. i felt her fingers fiddling with the sweater that i had on. without saying a word i took of the sweater revealing the light blue bra i had put on for her before she got here.

her hands immediately gravitated to my tits massaging them in a circular motion through the lace. she surprisingly did not ask to take my bra off so she began to move her hands closer to my thighs that were still covered in a pair of shorts.

"may i?" kate teased at the edge of my shorts.

i nodded enough for her to slip off my shorts and throw them in a pile across the room. now that i was left in only my matching bra and panties kate placed her hand right against my clothed pussy. she used three of her fingers to apply pressure against my entire cunt.

a loud whine left my mouth followed by strings of curse words. kate took this as a sign to slip off my soaked panties and toss them away from us.

"my turn then right?" kate cocked her head to the side right before dipping two fingers in my sopping wet entrance. her fingers began pumping in and out at a slower pace. it just wasn't enough for me. i started to move my hips enough to ride her fingers sending an electric feeling through my skin.

my head tilted back at kate hit my g spot. a couple tears began to fall down my face now that kate started speeding up her fingers. she slowly inserted a third finger causing my back to arch.

i tried my best to not look into kate's eyes knowing that she was probably smirking at how much noise i was making.

soon enough kate drove her fingers deep enough to make me cum for the first time. i road out my orgasm and began to work at my next one. i looked into kate's eyes for a split second triggering her to press her lips against mine. since her hands were busy fucking me and holding moving my hips at a steady pace, i moved my hands up to her jawline twisting her head to fit her nose right next to mine. like a puzzle piece.

fuck i missed this.

[legiblyloathed]

Ain’t He Darling? (Chapter 1)

Yandere! Wally Darling x Reader

A/N: Okay, so the little blue haired menace has been rotting my brain for the past week, sue me. I tried to get him out of my brain by rewatching Gravity Falls, only for the episode “The Hand that Rocks the Mabel” to inspire a whole fanfic. Straight up water on a grease fire. Anyway, enjoy.

Next

I always forget how much of a hassle moving is until it’s time to actually do it. Weeks spent selling and giving away half of my belongings, trying to shove the rest of them into boxes, then taking all of them into a new location only to have to figure out where all of them should go in the new space; it’s on the list of most mundane yet stressful life events a person has to put themselves through.

These were the feelings that hung around my being like a dark cloud for the past few weeks, but now, as I finally set my final knickknack in its chosen spot, I can feel the sun breaking through. I stand up and stretch as hard as I can, trying to wring the residual tension out of my spine. Even with my reduced number of belongings, it’s a lot of work to unpack them all, especially when working alone.

I didn’t have to do all the work myself. Within minutes of hauling stacks of boxes into my new house, I’d been approached by numerous rather colorful people, all very keen to lend a hand. As the newest neighbor in town, I was a curiosity to them, after all. I’d declined the offers, not wanting to place any burdens on the shoulders of my new potential friends. Looking back on it, that wasn’t my smartest move. Or maybe that’s just my aching muscles talking.

I’m dragged out of my tired contentment by the sound of a knock on the front door. Relaxing with a heaving sigh, I stroll over and peer out the peephole. Standing on my porch is a large, multicolored bird. My eyes dart to the plate of cookies balanced in her wings. With newfound excitement, I yank open the door and greet her with a smile.

The bird almost appears startled at this, the cookies on the plate jostling as she jumped. “Oh dear!” She shuffles the plate to her left hand, her right settling upon her chest as if to calm her heart. “You startled me for a moment!”

I give her a sheepish grin. “Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Settling down, she waves her free wing dismissively. “Nothing to apologize for, I’m a bit prone to fright, is all.” As if remembering their existence, she extends the plate of cookies towards me. “I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood! I do hope you like them!”

“I’m sure I will!” I pull the plate from her grasp and hold it carefully to my chest, my mouth watering at the sugary smell. “They look and smell delicious, thank you so much…” I trail off, realizing in embarrassment that I never caught her name.

She seems to sense my hesitation, and beams in reassurance. “My name’s Poppy, Poppy Partridge.” I give her my name, mentally thanking her for the help. “It’s very nice to meet you, we haven’t had any new neighbors in a long time.”

“Really?” My head tilts to the side. “Why not? This place is beautiful.”

“Oh, I can’t say myself,” she sighs. “Suppose there’s just not much to around here.”

I shrug, trying to appear lighthearted. “It’s a pity.” She nods in agreement, and the conversation begins to lull. Not wanting to leave on such a sour note, I ask, “Out of curiosity, what do you like to do around here?”

“Me?” she squawks, looking taken aback. She fidgets with her feathers, her wings wringing around each other. “I suppose I like to bake, especially when the weather’s nice enough for a picnic.” I can almost see the lightbulb turn on above her head, and she turns her much cheerier gaze to my own. “Say, the rest of us were planning on a picnic this afternoon! Care to join us? It’d be a good time to meet your new neighbors.”

A sense of anxiety washes over me. The idea of being among that many strangers with such late notice flutters around in my stomach like butterflies. Without thinking, I begin to shift back and forth on my feet. “I… I don’t know, it’s very sudden…”

The bird wilts a bit, looking down at my porch. “Oh dear, it is, isn’t it? You must still be so busy with unpacking.”

I look up at her, my anxiety curdling into regret at her disappointment. I reconsider the situation. What’s an hour or two with a handful of strangers? There’s only nine houses in this town, counting my own, I can handle it. Having made up my mind, I shake my head. “No, no, I already finished unpacking. I’ll be there.”

Poppy perks up. “You will?” I smile, hoping she can’t see the hesitation in it. “That’s wonderful news!” She flaps her wings in excitement before stopping with a gasp of realization. “I have more baking to do, than! I’d better get going,” she says, turning to leave with one last wave of her big red wing. “I’ll see you soon, neighbor!”

“See you soon!” I shout back, waving with the hand that wasn’t clutching the plate of cookies. As she goes further from my field of vision, I feel myself slump, the excitement of a new friend and a batch of treats wearing off to remind me of my exhaustion. My hand falls limp to my side and I stare at the plate in contemplation.

Nap? Or snack?

I pluck a cookie from the tray and take a bite, feeling myself melt at the incredible flavor. I scarf the rest of the sweet down before heading back inside, picking up another one as I go. Maybe just a few before I rest up.

—————————

I snap up on my couch, almost falling off of it in my sudden awakening. What time is it? A quick glance at the clock on my wall reveals it to be mid-afternoon, and I throw myself off my resting place so fast I nearly hit the floor. I scramble to the window and see a small crowd of people in the distance, the sounds of talk and laughter wafting in through the glass. I let out a sigh of relief. At least I wasn’t… that late. After a quick change and a once over in the mirror, I hurry out the door and towards the picnic.

As I approach, the jolly sounds become clearer, with voices all chattering their cares away. Colorful blankets are scattered across the clearing, each rife with sandwiches and sweets. I really hope they aren’t upset that I didn’t bring anything. As I scan my surroundings, I pick out Poppy as she talks with a caterpillar and head in her direction, relieved at the semi-familiar face.

As if on cue, my way is blocked by a short girl in a pink dress dragging along a disgruntled looking man with a bowtie. “Ooh, you must be the new neighbor!” she squeals, bouncing up and down in place, hands flapping in front of her chest. “We were so worried you weren’t gonna come! I’m Julie Joyful, and this,” she says as she grabs the arm of the man next to her, “is Frank Frankly! Say hi, Franky!”

“Uh… hello.” I pondered briefly if I looked as awkward as poor Frank did as he gave me a small wave. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Feeling’s mutual,” I respond. As Julie begins to babble about her excitement, my eyes move to drift over the rest of the strangers. The vast majority are split off into their own small groups, with a single exception. Sitting on a bench under a large apple tree is a man who seems to be studying me the same way I’m studying him. One of his legs is crossed over the other, supporting his elbow as he rests his chin on his hand, staring at me with an intensity that sends a small shiver down my spine. And either I’m going crazy, or his lazy smile broadens ever so slightly at that.

I’m startled out of my impromptu staring contest by Julie, who seems to have noticed that I wasn’t listening and cranes her neck to see what I’m looking at. “Oh, have you met Wally yet?”

I shake my head. “No, not yet.” It takes all the willpower in my body not to meet those eyes that I can almost feel lingering on me.

The girl grins, grabbing my wrist. “Come on, you gotta meet him! I bet you two will get along like two peas in a pod!”

She begins to force me from my spot, and I feel myself start to panic. Before she can pull me away to the creepy man, Frank reaches out and stops her in her tracks. “Say, Julie, they don’t look too keen on it. Maybe they should take it slow, meet the others on their own time?” He gestures broadly to the snacks left sitting around. “They haven’t even gotten anything to eat yet, after all.”

Julie looks surprised at the intervention, a flash of guilt going over her face. “Oh my, you’re right, Frank! I’m so sorry, neighbor, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable!” At my dismissive hand wave, she changes course, instead pulling me to the piles of food. “Poppy told me she gave you some cookies, but just you wait ‘til you try her pie!” I turn to look at Frank, mouthing a ‘thank you’ at the grumpy looking man. He smiles a bit with a reassuring nod, and the three of us settle down on a blanket. For the rest of the picnic I eat while the two of them (mainly just Julie with the occasional comment from Frank) talk about all kinds of things.

I try hard to pretend I can’t feel the eyes burning into the back of my head.

—————————

The sound of a steady, rhythmic knock wakes me up the next morning. I rub the sleep from my eyes, noting with absent mind how high the sun had already risen. The three slow knocks reverberate through my house once again, and I roll out of bed and head towards the front door, not bothering to change out of my pajamas or even look through the peephole. This, as it turns out, is a bad move on my part.

I yawn as I open the door, only for it to become a strangled cough as I lock eyes with the one resident I didn’t want to see this early. The man, or Wally as Julie had called him, stood on my porch, his face as eerily relaxed as ever. His posture was straight, his clothes neat, his appearance put together; I don’t think he could be any more of a contrast to my current state if he actively worked towards it. Which, to be frank, I suspect he did.

Just like the last time I’d encountered him, the two of us looked as if we were having a staring contest. Unlike last time, however, this time he decides to break the silence. “Hi, neighbor.” His voice is soft and monotonous, each syllable dragging along in no hurry. “Did I wake you up? I’m sorry.”

Somehow, I doubt that. In an attempt to relieve the strange tension, I let out a stilted laugh. “Yeah, you did, but it’s fine. I overslept, anyway.” He hums in acknowledgement, and it takes a few long seconds for me to realize he doesn’t plan on responding. Eager to hurry along this interaction so I can dart back into my house and hide from those piercing eyes, I prompt, “Something I can help you with, Wally?”

He tilts his head. “I never told you my name.”

“Yeah, no, you uh, you didn’t. Julie told me yesterday. At the… the picnic.”

“Oh, right. You three looked like you had a good time.”

“We did! We did…”

“Hmm.” His smile stretches, looking pleased by that confirmation. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re settling in okay. I’ve heard it can be awful hard to make new friends, but you have a way of drawing people in, huh?” Cutting me off before I can ask for elaboration, Wally continues. “Speaking of drawing, I was hoping you might join me for some painting today, down by the south woods.”

“Oh!” I blurt out, taking a moment to process the invitation. “I’m not exactly much of an artist, myself.”

He laughs, and it’s every bit as emphatic as the rest of his speech. “Oh, neighbor, that doesn’t matter. We all start somewhere, and besides, I’d like the company.”

I consider turning him down flat, but something tells me he’s a bit too persuasive for me to keep him at bay forever. With a grin so forced it hurts, I say, “Sounds like fun! I’ll be there.”

Wally’s head bobs in a slow nod, and he takes a step back from the door. “I’m glad to hear it. See you soon, neighbor.”

I return the nod and raise a hand in a brief wave. “See you soon.” His stare remains, and just as I ready myself to ask him to stop, he finally, finally, turns away and walks away, humming a quiet tune to himself.

I step inside and close the door, leaning my forehead against it as I recover from the encounter. My stomach growls, but I feel as though I’ve lost my appetite. The inexplicable dread in my heart squashes any hope of breakfast. I close my eyes, but even then I can still see his own staring back, unblinking in their ceaseless observation. With a shudder, I push myself up, trying my best to steel my nerves. It’s just a little art lesson, I chastise myself. So he’s a little spooky, it’s probably fine.

No matter how many times I repeated those three words to myself, the memory of those eyes seems to peer right through the lie.

[badsassitude]

The Boyfriend: Why Shun Needs Hugs (Deep Dive Part 1/3)

My brain does not want to shut up about the dynamics on this show, and I am ready to fight everyone talking smack about Shun.  Look, that boy needs to be hugged, not shamed, and that is a hill I am ready to die on.  

Emotions are complicated and messy. Sometimes the things we want the most are the things we are the most scared of, and sometimes we desperately struggle between wanting to connect and wanting to protect ourselves from pain and doing neither well. It’s a bit like trying to go left but also go right and just pacing back and forth and not going anywhere. What was meant initially to be a simple reflection of exploring Shun’s behavior through the lens of attachment theory took on a life of its own, and now we have parts.

So here is part one, in which we look at Shun's behaviors through the lens of anxious attachment and I draft adoption papers 24 years too late.

Shun as presented in episodes 1-6 of The Boyfriend, has anxious attachment written all over him. **I think it is MASSIVELY IMPORTANT to understand that I am not saying Shun has an anxious attachment style.** First and foremost, what we as watchers see is only a series of filmed interactions edited together. Even if we could see 24/7 unedited footage from the moment Shun stepped into the Green Room, we would still only be seeing a small part of Shun’s life, during a time where he is outside of his normal life and environment. Secondly, we can only see what is outwardly observable, so at best our perspective is based off of guesses and interpretation for which there is no way to validate, elaborate on, or clarify.

For context, in a super brief, overly simplified cliff notes version: anxious attachment is one of the insecure attachment styles included in attachment theory.  Attachment theory describes common behaviors and characteristic of 4 primary attachment styles (of which anxious attachment is an insecure attachment style).

Second note: attachment is not static, remember, emotions are complicated and people don’t fit into neat little boxes. How we attach in different relationships with different people at different points in our lives is unique to that relationship and that context. 

Now back to Shun (well, my interpretation of the Netflix reality TV edited version). Some behaviors I have seen demonstrated by Shun in the show that characterize anxious attachment include:

fear of rejection 

Frequent need for validation, reassurance, attention 

Low self-esteem 

Intense desire for intimacy and closeness, but afraid of abandonment- contributing to the push/pull of clingy to pushing away

Difficulty trusting others 

Jealousy 

For children who grow up feeling as if their needs are not met, with inconsistencies in caregiver responses and an environment that feels unpredictable and perhaps unsafe - they have a higher risk of developing an insecure attachment style (such as anxious attachment) because they did not experience secure attachment bonds. 

Think about what Shun has shared of his story:  Shun never knew his parents. Most likely they abandoned him, and he doesn’t know why. He grew up in a children’s home/orphanage. He was raised by caregivers who took care of him because it was their job. It is reasonable to infer that there was likely turnover in staff at an unknown frequency, and there was likely inconsistency in how staff treated him. It is possible that other children came and went, possibly were adopted. There was nothing stable or secure in that environment, and the even the most loving of caregivers weren’t family and could leave at any time. 

Additionally, he made two comments that set my trauma spidey-senses tingling. Per the Netflix translation, Shun said “Even there… I went through a lot.” Quickly followed by, “And… well, after a lot happened, I ended up coming to Tokyo on my own.” He then added that since coming to Tokyo he has been free, which was said with a little smile and a nod that pierced me to my core. The way he presented while telling his story, so matter of fact with a level of detachment, is very consistent with how I have experienced many trauma survivors telling their stories. 

Now add to all that what he has shared about his past relationships - primarily that he had experiences with “player types” that were clearly painful enough that seeing whatever pictures he saw on Dai’s phone triggered him to the point of tears. He described one relationship as horrible, he “couldn’t get out of it.”  

When you think about what that man has been through, is it that strange that while he may desperately long for love and intimacy, that he’s also terrified of being vulnerable in the way you have to be to get it? 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

[jacks347]

I MISSED THE NEW BVZ PREMIERE (THANKS JOB)

So now y'all get my live reaction! (I've never done one of these before, this is gonna be fun)

SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED IT

Intro is great as always, I love this song so much

Here we go~

WHO?? WHAT??

OFF TO A STRONG START

"Lack of cooperation" My guy it's Albus, that's literally his entire thing

On your family?? YOU LEAVE FAITH OUT OF THIS (and Kerano and Devlin)

OH??

HI DEVLIN WHAT

That design is so good, Glowbat you wonder

Plot twist #1, I expect many more

We're not even 5 minutes in, this post is going to be a fucking Bible-

Does Devlin have freckles?? Did he always have freckles?? Beautiful

Oh Devlin got sassy during the break I like :P

Of course he calls for his brother, the strongest person he knows how sweet <3

Miracle of faith, in more ways than one

Oo, that sounds painful

~DINNER BREAK~

ALBUS! LANGUAGE!

Ooo scary protective Albus

"My brothers. My battalion." Oh-

Aaaaand there's the Albus we know and love XD

"Fuck you and your hat!" Pfft you leave Devlin's fedora alone XD

Oh, back to our regularly scheduled program

Waiter I'm afraid you got some capitalism in my cowboy fantasy

GIMME CROSSBOW I WANT A CROSSBOW

I don't even think Albus knows where Albus went, he just heard his brother calling and left

Ewwwww TMI Albus

LIGHTSABER?? WHO LET ALBUS PICK UP A LIGHTSABER

Oo who's at the door? And why do I not trust it-

Oh it's just Devlin-

Uh oh, Albus has to explain his family~

Hi Mahatma! I still don't entirely trust you!

Why am I playing organizing Tetris-

...oops

"Can I ask you something?" I mean you just did so-

"Do you ever feel...powerless?" Well ain't this a pleasant conversation

"Like you can't save the people you care about" WELL AIN'T THIS A PLEASANT CONVERSATION

Look at Hipswitch showing off his detective skills! I'm so proud

Oh? What's on that ship??

Oh god not more new characters-

The mafia's back that's not good-

Why is the mafia fighting the Triad I'M SCARED

THE MAFIA SHOT DOWN THE PALADIN SHIPS?? WHY?? I DON'T LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING

Another point to the man that can't even fuckin read that he's just a tad bit stupid :P

Boys, boys! You're both pretty stop yelling XD

"Interesting" is certainly a word for it Doc, wait until you hear about the woman they're both in love with-

"Caused any distress" ...do you hear yourself Devlin?

...awkward silence...

Paladins of Cindergorn eh? Looks like we are gonna learn about Faith today

Devlin being a smartypants, Hipswitch giving the most sass I've ever heard in a single sentence, this is great

Ewww I hated everything about that metaphor

"Something doesn't feel quite right" Of course it doesn't because nothing here is ever simple

WHY IS DEVLIN CHANGING COLORS??

"Is there anything else you can actually swallow?" ...Doc that is the wrong person to ask

"Oh...eugh" 10/10 Love that reaction XD

Poor Devlin, he spent enough time single-handedly running a ship-

When did Albus attempt to learn to cook?? And why??

"Don't worry about me" Faith's healer senses are tingling

"I saw you get goosebumps, did I scare you?" Honey considering how this story is going I don't think it was fear-

HIPSWITCH THIS IS NOT THE POSITION YOU WANT TO BE IN WHEN DEVLIN GETS BACK

Oh the secondhand embarrassment is crawling up my spine and it hasn't even happened yet

Please God get off of him before I explode-

And we're safe thank god

"You don't trust him at all, do you?" Would you if you were in my position?

This is really just the backstory episode isn't it

Albus, the hired gun where his last job got him killed, wasn't too keen on being a bounty hunter until he saw the paycheck. Okay that stings a little-

"I'm sure they're fine" *Cut to them being very not fine*

Devlin proudly proclaiming he can't read, 10/10 tension diffused

"We won't tell a soul, right partner?" Sir I couldn't even if I wanted to my mouth is literally just for decoration at this point (don't take that out of context-)

Destroy a sacred scripture surrounded by Paladins of Cindergorn, a certain priestess just felt her eye twitch

Yes Doc, show off that psychology degree you worked so hard for (hi I'm a psych student so it's also the degree *I'm* working so hard for)

"Is Devlin a father?" He's not just a stepdad, he's a dad who stepped up 💪 (that was so bad forgive me-)

Devlin...what did you do...

Okay I do not trust any of what just happened, what are you after Devlin?

Oh god the mafia's back

DOGS?? OH GOD PLEASE NO

NOT DOC!! ALBUS SOUNDS SO WORRIED

Show em what you're made of Albus

Don't talk to Albus like he doesn't know what being trained from birth to be someone's dog is like-

Devlin's going through it again, someone save the poor boy from his flashbacks

Y'know, Redacted being the one getting killed instead of doing the killing is rather cathartic in a bittersweet kind of way

Time to rewrite history! Again!

"What exactly can he do?" Great question, I'll tell you when I find out

Oh great, GB's back on his villain shit what piece of lore are we getting today

I don't trust that music, what's about to happen and is it a sand worm like this is Star Wars (we already had a lightsaber it wouldn't shock me)

I KNEW IT!! ASK ME HOW I KNEW GO ON ASK

WHO IS THE MAN IN THE MASK I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS

"I have someone for this kind of thing" Yes go visit your wife and her special bandage technique :D

"Is it a hooker?" "No! It's not a hooker!" He sounded so offended for her, I love that

:O Let someone else fix you up?? And betray wife?? Wait no Wife is Gienne (hello GB Twitch chat :P)

Where's Faith I saw the cast list where is she

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOU BIRD NOSE FREAK

:D KERANO BABY

Oh that art is adorable

SHE CALLS HIM DAD MY HEART IS GONNA EXPLODE

Oop there's Faith-

And Kerano calls her Mom ughhhhh I'm not gonna make it y'all

"It's been x amount of time" Kerano I love you

"Death is too good for him" Yikes

"That's a relief!" "It is?" Pfft-

Faith went from furious to worried in 2 seconds hearing about Albus, that's our girl

"You didn't tell him about your father's death" HEH?? HONEY YOU DIDN'T TELL *ME* ABOUT HIS FATHER'S DEATH WTF I THOUGHT WE WERE IN THIS TOGETHER FAITH

Oh poor Devlin :(

"I miss him, Faith" Is that the first time we've ever heard Devlin call her by her name? Back in BW he always just called her Sister

Awww hug him for me Faith

Oh yeah, Faith is the only who can actually read-

"Something called Operation Sub Delta" ...what

Oh my god don't read it Faith please god don't read it

And she's reading it-

"You just want an excuse to see him again" Oh look, he's reading the thoughts of the fandom (YES WE WANT ALBUS TO SEE HIS WIFE AGAIN SO SUE US)

"I've actually met someone" EXCUSE ME?? DEVLIN YOU HOE WHO IS IT??

"Look at my choice in men" Ah so she realizes it XD

Come on Faith, connect the dots, I know you're smart enough

And she's done it

Who is Agent and what the hell is happening

Uh oh-

They have the files of the subjects that Devlin doesn't

Which means they can use Albus like their own weapon by probing his training like Kravatas did

Oh I really don't like where this is going

WHAT??

THAT'S THE END??

YOU CAN'T JUST END IT ON THAT WHAT THE HELL

Oh my god this series really loves throwing me for loops doesn't it

OKAY ENDING THOUGHTS

Absolute 100000/10 episode GB you madlad you've done it again

Was completely worth the wait, love seeing the whole cast together again including our new players!

The art is flawless, I expected nothing less of Glowbat

Keep doing what you do you mad genius GB, I'll be holding my breath for the next one (try not to kill me I can't do another 4 months-)

[kymerawrites]

Sir Simon Riley (ghost x OC)

Author note: welcome to my Tumblr! Where I will post my story which is also on wattpad called sir Simon Riley.

Book summary:

In the heat of a

deadly mission, shym "Medusa", a shy and reclusive operative with the ability to turn 'enemies to stone', is paired with the enigmatic Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley. Both are elite members of a secretive unit called 141, tasked with retrieving a powerful artifact from enemy territory. Despite their skills, Medusa and Ghost struggle with their growing feelings for each other. Medusa fears her power will hurt those she cares about, while Ghost, haunted by his past, keeps his emotions tightly guarded.

Caught between duty and desire of both. Together, they face the dangers of their world, finding strength in their shared vulnerability and unyielding love.

EPISODE 1

"Be quiet, stop moving." Ghost's low, husky voice catches your attention. At any other time, you would have seen it in his face but this time...it was different. His gloved hands, working to bandage the wound on her arm, leaving a small trail of goose bumps on her skin.

"Are you some kind of suicidal? Throwing yourself in front of the bullet like that.." he said, sighing and tightening his grip on the bandage on his arm. The skull mask covered all of his face except his eyes.

I sighed "No I am not, I just did what I thought was right lieutenant. I am a part of this team now, it would be pathetic if I didn't do something." I jolted in pain when his grip tightened on my arm

"Stupid.." Ghost muttered under his breath, tightening the bandage so firmly on her arm that it hurt. It took all his strength not to throw her over his shoulder and yell at her, telling her to stop endangering her life. He was about to say something else when the door opened behind him and Soap appeared. Ghost took a quick breath of relief, letting go of her arm and stepping back.

"I've got it from here Soap," he said in a low, cold voice as he walked out of the room. Soap raised an eyebrow and sat down quietly next to her.

"Ghost didn't seem to let you off the hook, huh?" Soap replied with a small, playful smirk. He leaned back slightly, his gaze shifting between her eyes. What's going on in that crazy head of hers?

"The bullet didn't damage anything important..you'll be back in the field in no time." He said softly, his hand reaching out and gently squeezing her shoulder as he assured her.

frustration, that's how I felt as I glared at soap who had just delivered the news. "In no time? That doesn't give me relief!" I exclaimed.

My voice tinged with exasperation and anxiety. I shifted uncomfortably in the stiff hospital bed, my fingers tapping nervously against the thin blanket covering her legs. The sterile smell of antiseptic hung heavy in the air.

Soap chuckled softly at her words, leaning even closer to her. His smirk turning into a mischievous grin. "I know, I know. You're the best on the team. We couldn't possibly do without you." He replied in a playful tone, giving her shoulder one more squeeze.

Ghost's footsteps echoed down the hall, getting louder with each second. He was coming back. Soap immediately pulled his hand back from her shoulder, just in time for Ghost to reappear in the doorway.

"Lieutenant." I nodded

He approached her, a stoic expression on his face. He crouched down in front of her, his gloved hand gently lifting up her bandaged arm to inspect the wound.

His eyes scrutinized every inch of the bandages, making sure there were no mistakes.

"Soap, give us a minute." he said, his voice cold and serious. Soap nodded and immediately left the room, closing the door behind him.

"I need to make something clear.." he began, his grip tightening slightly on her arm.

she looked surprised almost puppy like into his eyes I turned my head away from him to not let him show I was smiling.

Ghost noticed her small little smile, his heart racing just at the sight. He cleared his throat, tightening his grip just a bit tighter to make her look him in the eyes. "You can never do that again. Do you hear me?" he said firmly, an edge of sternness in his voice. He leaned down slightly so his face hovered just above hers.

His grip tightened ever so slightly on her arm, but his eyes...they were searching her face, for something he couldn't quite explain.

I chuckled "lieutenant, this is the battlefield. If I die I die with honour you do understand that is part of my job? And this was just a small graze. I experienced worse."

Ghost's gaze hardened even more, his eyes never wavering from her own. "You do not understand, I cannot... I do not want to see you dying on the battlefield. It is not part of your job, it never will be."

He tightened his grip on her arm almost painfully tight, his gaze shifting to her arm and seeing the wound under the bandage. He took a deep breath and loosened his grip, his eyes returning to her face.

"Ur grip is hurting me, u do know ur hands aren't that weak right, ur strong.

Ghost's eyes hardened slightly under her comment, a low growl emitting from his throat. He leaned in even closer to her, his face mere inches away from hers. "Do not tempt me," he said firmly, his free hand coming up to cup her chin in his iron grip.

"I could break you like a stick without even trying. Yet, here I am, trying to keep you safe. Why, do you ask?"

I looked into his eyes "This conversation is over, I will return to where I left off." I stood up and walked off

His eyes widened in shock as she stood up from the bed. "Are you insane?", he exhaled, rising from the floor and quickly following her. "You cannot go out in that condition, you need more rest."

He reached out and grab her wrist, yanking her back towards him and pinning her against the nearest wall. His arms on either side of her, trapping her between him and the wall.

Lieutenant Riley.. my heart started racing, this heart racing I only felt when I had the worst anxiety. But now it felt like something else. I slid away from the wall he tried to trap me.

"As I said, this conversation is over. I am going back there. This isn't the worst I experienced, get that in ur head."

And so I walked off and closed the door behind me.

Ghost stood there, watching as her figure disappeared through the door. His jaw clenching tightly, fists balling up at his sides as he tried to contain his emotions. He wanted to follow, grab her and bring her back to the room. But the door slammed shut behind her, leaving him alone in the silence of the room.

His heart was racing, thumping furiously against his chest. His eyes searched the room, the feeling of...desperation growing like wildfire in his chest. "Damnit!" he whispered, the first curse word he'd uttered in a long time.

I continued fighting, I felt an adrenaline rush when I was on the fields, not caring about anything but just enjoying every second because you never knew when ur last second was. Until I heard on my walkie talkie my lieutenant, Simon "Ghost" Riley saying I need to come back this instant to the room I just left

"Shym, if you won't return now I need to inform shepherd of ur departure when it was stated you needed to rest."

Ghost's voice was cold, firm, yet there was a certain tension in his words as if he was trying his hardest to remain professional. He stood in the middle of the room, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides as he waited for her response.

His eyes scanned the room, searching for anything to distract him from the growing anxiety in his chest. The feeling he couldn't quite explain, but whatever it was... he knew it was going to destroy him if he could no longer keep it under control.

I came back to the room, if there were actual consequences I would have been doomed. But deep in my heart, I knew it was my lieutenant wanting me to come back and rest.

As soon as she walked back into the room, Ghost spun around to face her. His eyes were filled with a mixture of anger, worry, and something else that she couldn't quite identify.

His arms crossed over his chest, his jaw clenching slightly. The urge to scream, to yell at her...to hold her close and protect her from the dangers of the world was overwhelming. But instead, he stood there in silence, He let out a deep sigh, his eyes watching her closely as if he was trying to figure out why he had called her back. "Sit down, you shouldn't be walking around yet." he said in a low voice.

I sat down back on the bed "Why did you call me back? I think our commander rather want us to find that artefact than us being here and me needing to 'rest'"

Ghost's eyes darkened slightly in response to her question. He pushed away from the doorway, stepping closer to her and leaning against the edge of the bed. He folded his arms across his chest, eyes scanning her face with a cold gaze.

"Shepherd is not here right now, and besides, I am currently in charge and I want you to rest." he said firmly, the edge in his voice making his statement quite clear.

I sighed "fine, I will rest for now, but I want you back on the field. Our team needs u. I went outside and I saw It wasn't going as smoothly as it should be going. What a shame if we lost members because their lieutenant is here with me instead of outside trying to get that artifact."

Ghost's jaw tightened in response to her words, his eyes darkened with a mixture of guilt and frustration. He stepped back from the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh.

"We will continue once you've had some rest. I'll have Soap and Gaz cover for me." he replied, his voice low and tense. He walked to the door, his hand already on the knob as he turned around to glance over his shoulder at her.

"And why do you care so much about what I do?" he said in a low, teasing tone. His chin was lifted at a cocky angle, his body tilted slightly forward to put them face to face.

"Because..." I couldn't come up with a word to say I was surprised by his reaction.

What if I didn't care would that matter or wouldn't it? I was thinking fast when an abrupt answer came out of my mouth.

"I do not care I do not wish to care. I want us to win this battle, easy and without any distractions, so, join our teammates and let me rest and get us this artifacts that we need."

Ghost's eyes widened at her words, his jaw clenching tightly as he fought back the urge to grab her and shake some sense into her. He took a deep breath, his heart racing as he struggled to process her words.

He wanted to argue...wanted to scream, wanted to do anything to make her understand...but all that came out was a small, defeated groan.

He knew she was right, and no matter how much he wanted to stay by her side...he had a mission to complete.

He turned back around and closed the door behind him. I sighed full with relieve. What even was that, the tension that filled the room slowly dissapeared. I gave up with going back on the field to fight with my teammates against our opponents. It was a long day and I felt the pain in my arm once ghost has left me to rest.

Ghost and Soap led the team back into the room, followed closely by the rest of the task force. The room was quickly filled with the sound of footsteps and voices, the team discussing the events of the day.

Ghost's eyes immediately searched the room, looking for her as he pushed past Soap and stepped further into the room. He was still covered in dirt and grime from the battlefield, but his eyes were clear and focused. He spotted her sitting on the bed and his relief was palpable.

I looked at the team, all of them looked tired. And here I was sitting when I saw ghost searching for me. He looked relieved somehow. "Did you really expect me back on the field and dead somewhere in the corner?" I exclaimed laughing

Soap's face lit up and he was the first to jump at the suggestion "Oh hell yeah, we're definitely in!" he exclaimed, a grin on his face as he elbowed Gaz in the side. The room quickly filled with voices as the team started agreeing.

Ghost however, remained silent. His gaze focused on her, the same tension filling his chest as before.

"Well seems it's time for a night out! Everyone get ready because you guys all look dirty." I stood up from my bed and walked with the rest of them towards everyone's base rooms.

The team quickly dispersed, everyone scrambling to get their gear and clean up as best they could before they headed out. Ghost hung back, watching as the team dispersed. As soon as they were alone he stepped up besides her, his voice low as he spoke.

"You should be resting." he said firmly, his eyes scanning over her body for any sign of exhaustion or injuries. "You should stay behind, rest your body." he added, his gaze shifting back to hers.

I chuckled "and what if I don't want to rest? I'm going out with my team. U might be my lieutenant but you cannot decide what I can and cannot do."

Ghost tensed at her words, his jaw clenching tightly as he tried to keep his emotions in check. He took a deep breath, a low growl escaping from his throat.

"This isn't a suggestion, soldier. You're needed in peak condition and being out in a crowded environment is not going to help." He said firmly, his gaze fixed on her face.

He took a step forward, closing the distance between them and grabbing her arm tightly, pulling her closer to him. "You are not going anywhere...that's an order." he growled, his eyes burning into hers.

I looked angry into his eyes, I was done with this man. "I won't follow your orders tonight. I am not some damsel in distress so I suggest you let go off my hand, and let me enjoy a night out."

Ghost's grip tightened on her arm, his body tensing up as he fought the urge to lash out. His brow furrowed, eyes narrowing as he stared at her with an intensity that could make even the most fearless man tremble.

"You don't understand." he growled, the anger in his voice almost palpable "What if it happens again...you can't keep doing this. You are not invincible.

I cannot...I will not sit by and watch you get yourself hurt again."

searched her face, trying to find some hint that she understood what he was trying to say. But then finally, his grip on her arm loosened and he took a step back.

"Have you ever heard what they say about me? I am Medusa, and I can make my enemies of stone. God they gave a whole backstory for my great achievements!" I laughed and looked out of the window. "A bar or maybe even a club is not a place where I will get hurt, I am a soldier and I know how to defend myself. So if you will excuse me I will go and shower now."

"Go... take a shower." he said softly, his voice filled with something akin to defeat. He turned away from her and stormed off, disappearing into the crowd of soldiers heading back to their barracks.

[raayllum]

Full Circle: Season 6 and Through the Moon

Because I love patterns and chiastic structure and watched Prince of Egypt again earlier tonight, I was thinking a lot about the utilization of repeating plot beats in TDP, as I'm wont to do. If you want more detailed examples for what I mean, check out this old meta about the Dragon Quartet in arc 1, or this meta about Karim walking Viren's previous political path.

Now on a basic level, parallels make sense. Characters making similar choices in parallel situations helps build their characterization; characters making slightly or completely different decisions in parallel / similar situations provides character growth (positive or negative / both), progression, and contrast.

However, sometimes you'll get episodes or plot structures that are effectively growing in tandem with each other. I'm going to provide an episode example first, and then a seasonal example.

Episode: In 1x06 and 3x04, Rayla is keeping a secret regarding her emotional pain. Callum tries to get her to open up / support her three times, but she refuses each time. Finally when Callum reaches out to her, she can't keep it all under wraps anymore and has a big emotional spiel / breakdown because she doesn't feel worthy of that support. While understandable and accidental, these poorly timed outbursts leads to something awful happening to Zym (egg in the ice, and stolen by Nyx).

Season: In 2x01, both Callum and Viren are denied something they want (an arcanum and a seal) because of their current lack of status (magical, political). In 2x04 they are tempted by a more self destructive path (the lightning rod and blood deal with Aaravos) but ultimately step away. In 2x07, they go back on this more positive decision, and tether themselves to Aaravos/dark magic (Callum uses it for the first time, and Viren does the blood ritual). 2x08 sees them face their mirrored reflections (dark magic Callum and Aaravos in the mirror). At the end of the season, they both achieve higher magical prowess, but for Callum it's internal (primal magic) and for Viren it's external (little bug pal) and more forcefully enters his body (through the ear). Callum is 'free' (sky magic) and Viren ends the season in chains.

What these examples mean, then, is that I think there's good grounds for a lot of Through the Moon's plot beats to work their way into Season 6, but with reversed roles than we see in the graphic novel. And here's why!

[ Warning: Spoilers for 6x01 due to con notes! If you want to go in without knowing anything, don't read this! ]

Paranoia, Nightmares, and Partnership

Back when season 4 aired, it was noted by many (myself included) that Callum and Rayla had taken on a fair few of each other's more arc 1 personality traits. Callum was more prone to paranoia and more closed off; Rayla was more open and wanting to talk about things. Callum asked her to kill him (because he's 'already dead') displaying more of her overt self sacrificial tendencies, and Rayla left the drake in the wood much the same way Callum (and Ezran) were willing to leave the dragon back in S2.

While we see a bit of a return to form in S5 — Callum is more optimistic, sunnier, and intensely supportive; Rayla is more secretive, unsure, and struggling with water — it doesn't erase their continuing parallels. Callum, much like Rayla leaving in TTM, goes to a dark place to try to protect her and then doesn't tell her about doing dark magic afterwards. They both agree on hunting down information about killing Aaravos. Rayla learns how to open up and ask for help more readily, which is something Callum was always quite willing to do ("Look, Rayla [...] I just think this cube thing might help me").

And it seems going into 6x01 that we're seeing the parallels come out even more blatantly with Callum's behaviour compared to Rayla's behaviour in TTM. The first episode indicates this in a few ways:

Rayla having nightmares about Viren and her family + Callum → Callum having nightmares about Aaravos using him

These nightmares inspire more fear and paranoia in each of them, while their partner tries to be supportive but ultimately isn't as worried

What they're worried about is something that shouldn't be a massive threat, given that Viren was 'dead' and Aaravos is trapped, and yet it persists anyway

Like in TTM, they're in close proximity, as it seems Rayla has permanently moved into Ezran's old bedroom connected to Callum's by a door, and she and Callum shared a room in TTM as well (at the Nexus and at the Castle)

Conversations about said worries do happen on beds, though

We do see some differences though. In TTM, Rayla never mentions her nightmares to Callum, or to anyone, whereas in 6x01, Callum runs right to Rayla to tell her even in the middle of the night and never tries to keep them a secret. While Rayla was scared of her family and Callum being trapped and immobilized by Viren, Callum is worried about accidentally freeing Aaravos.

That being said, the escalating fear and worry, as well as the more skeptical partner still offering heartfelt support, feels familiar to say the least.

Onto the next:

Rayla's parents

Through the Moon and S5 had some of the biggest focuses on Rayla's family and her grief regarding her parents. They also have their similarities. While Rayla deeply wants to know what happened to her parents in both TTM and 5x01, she ultimately puts it on the backburner. In TTM, she goes through the portal primarily to find Viren, just as she puts the world first in S5.

Now, there's a few valid reasons that Callum doesn't likewise prioritize Viren in TTM (for starters, Rayla hasn't told him about any of her nightmares in which he heavily features), so he assumes the main problem is about her parents. It is worth mentioning, though, that S5 likewise reaffirms this dynamic of Callum being the one to prioritize her family and her by extension even when Rayla is telling him not to.

C: Sorry, Rayla. I just... hate you seeing like this [in pain]. / You know I'm always here for you, right? / Together. That's the most important thing. Together.

While whether the Moon fam will get out in S6 is yet to be determined, and I could see it going either way (we may get an attempt, but that doesn't mean it'll be successful, for example), the chance of freeing them and the opportunity to try has never been more present. We already see what is likely Rayla reminding Callum of the current state of affairs, citing "The fate of the entire world is at stake" and that she may be more inclined to prioritize the Nova Blade, whereas he prioritizes the coins and diamonds.

Their last attempt, after all, to seek out her family 1) didn't yield the results either were hoping and 2) ended in disaster of going to "a dark place" but more on that later.

Illusions

This is more of a tiny thing, but Through the Moon is also the place where we see Rayla and Callum engage in illusions most directly together. Although this is always an undercurrent in S1 and S2 regarding whatever Rayla is holding close to her chest, Callum's plan and Rayla's ultimate approval of lying to Lujanne to rebuild the Nexus shows characteristics we see again in s5 with sneaking off to the Great Bookery.

TTM also has to do with illusions of course overtly in the text, with Rayla and Callum's whole "white lies are illusions you build to protect the hearts of those you love" thing that they inherit from Lujanne, and Rayla eventually uses in her justification to leave. This is the main time thus far that the 'heroes' have used illusions in a negative way, as deception ingrained magic (false Viren, hiding corruption, Aaravos' general mystery) is typically more negative, whereas the two illusion spells the main trio have used (the fake princes and Zym's dog form) were short lived and not consistent.

It does make me think about how Callum apparently makes an illusion for the pearl, though, to be kept in the castle's dungeon. It would make the most sense to me if this eventually gets worked around into real harm happening because someone (like Claudia) thought it was real and wanted it back.

I also think that while there's precedent in most of arc 1 for Callum learning the moon arcanum, which I've detailed elsewhere, TTM feels like one of the biggest switches in regards to how much he understands Rayla. If Callum does connect to the moon arcanum individually and in the show itself, I think S6 is the most likely, and it'd tie well into TTM; that was the last time he believed in any kind of illusion, and now he's understanding that even more full circle in S6, potentially.

Seeking out Information

With all this in mind, though, I think S6 may parallel TTM the most precisely because it's Rayla and Callum seeking out information, together, regarding 1) her family and 2) a threat to the whole world. While we almost saw this combination of events elsewhere — 3x08 gets close with Callum and her parents, and 5x04 gets close with the worldly threat and Callum seeking answers about her family — those ended up being more... happen stance-y.

I also feel like going to the Starscraper with the twofold intent — save her parents, stop the threat — is more adjacent to TTM because it's intentionally two folded there, too. The kids weren't trying to figure out the threat by finding more about her parents in 3x08, and they also weren't trying to find out more about her parents by going to the Bookery in 5x04.

That said, the following two sections are why I actually think S6 is going to wrap up the bulk of the Rayllum development from TTM beyond them just having their talk, and that's because of

The Underworld / The Ascent

In their quest for the information, Rayla (and Callum) go through the portal, and Callum (and Rayla) go to the Starscraper. We know thanks to the S6 teaser trailer that Callum is going to have a personalized trial of some sort with his wings and the blindfold; this could be similar in theory to Rayla having to face her fear with water in TTM, if Callum develops hesitance towards Star magic because of Aaravos... or just having to pass some kind of obstacle in order to get information they seek.

This may seem like the opposite, given that the portal is a very unambiguous Underworld. It's a mirrored reflection of our living world, and it's a literal descent into water. The Starscraper means literally going up to the heavens, and presumably no massive brushes with death. At least at first.

However, I think both places are going to pose similar problems, at least in a character-theme sense. For Rayla, going into the portal was a massive risk, with Lujanne citing, "If you pull her out now, she'll just be a mindless husk. We have to wait and hope that Rayla will be back by morning, before she's lost forever."

Since it's likely that Callum will either be 1) outright possessed at the Starscraper, or 2) whatever happens there will snowball into his possession, I think you can see where I'm going with this. Callum fears a similar loss of identity (which has also been set up, i.e. "I'm not a dark mage, I will never help you" + "I was his puppet" + "you completely lost yourself"). Aaravos' possession is like the most extreme version of the snake-bird soul transfer spell, Aaravos' soul inhabiting and hiding in Callum's body to make him do terrible things / things against his will, and Callum will be the person taking the fall for it. The fact that dark magic, and the possession subsequently, are symbolic of death only enhance these parallels further.

But at the same time, this comparison isn't all bad:

Rayllum and the Retrieval

Because they're going to get each other out.

Callum goes into the Nexus Portal — into death — to get Rayla out before she can die, and lose herself. He retrieves her. They have to work together in order to successfully reach the surface, Rayla grasping the moon phoenix feather as a tether to guide them the rest of the way.

Likewise, there's been seasons of buildup that Rayla is 1) tied to Callum's sense of identity, as he is to hers and 2) that she will ultimately save him from the possession.

This is reinforced by Elmer and Soren's assertion of compassion, names, breaking cycles, freedom, and identity: "I win, cause this hunk of wood obeys me no matter what! [...] I own you, I control you!" "That's not my name."

Callum, like Rayla, is going to meet his metaphorical death due to the search for knowledge (possibly even over her parents and a threat to the world yet again). Rayla, like Callum did for her, is going to be instrumental in getting him out, and reaffirming his identity — finding him, ensuring that he's not a lost, empty husk. Callum will likewise be helping her do so, perhaps even with another Moon (arcanum) tether, and they'll ultimately escape together.

Cause you know — Through the Moon and S6 are like poetry. They rhyme.

And what initially split them apart is now what's going to bring them fully back together. Chiastic structure my beloved.

[bitchin-beskar]

The Roommate Agreement - Chapter 1

Rating: Mature

Pairing: College!Athlete!Roommate!Paz Vizsla x Fem!Reader (Bunny)

Warnings: Ok, so this chapter has no smut, as we're setting up the story here. However, this is the first chapter in a multi chapter story in which the MAIN THEME is free use, so there will be a LOT of smut. If you're not 18+, dnr/dni. REMINDER: IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT FREE USE MEANS, YOU'RE TOO YOUNG TO BE READING THIS FIC. LEAVE AT ONCE. I will say, for this chapter, we do have a male character (not paz) physically abusing the reader, although it is very brief, it could potentially be triggering. Please be aware of this when reading. Other than that, this chapter is relatively tame, but it will ramp up soon.

Word Count: 4.5k

A/N: Oof, ok so I've been meaning to get this posted for awhile, but I've decided to share it tonight especially because I feel like we all deserve a treat after the latest Mandalorian episode drop. So this is for @maybege, @catsnkooks, @tailorvizsla, and anyone else who was personally victimized by the choices made by Filoni and Favreau in the latest episode of the Mandalorian. Have some lovely hurt/comfort and fluff babes, I hope this helps ❤️

You stare down at your phone, more than a little frustrated. Parjai had said he didn’t have any plans other than gaming with some friends online, so there should be no reason for not picking up the phone. But after over ten increasingly urgent text messages and numerous unanswered phone calls and voicemails over the last hour, you have to conceed that he just isn’t going to answer. You look around the party despondently.

Honestly, you hadn’t even really wanted to come, but Mir’a had drug you out, saying that you needed a night out to loosen up a bit. Then she’d gone off and gotten massively drunk, and ended up going home with her on-again-off-again partner, so you were now stuck at a party you didn’t want to be at, where you knew no one, you had no ride home, and your boyfriend wasn’t answering the phone.

Just as you were starting to debate the likelyhood of being able to catch a taxi or Uber this late at night, your phone buzz. You glanced at it, half expecting to see a sheepish text from Parjai, but instead lighting up your phone was a notification from Paz. A little unconscious smile crossed your lips, and you leaned back against the wall, bringing your phone up to see it better as you swiped at the screen to open up your text thread with him.

Instead of a message, he’d sent you a selfie, and you could tell from the photo that he was in his truck, likely just having left a late night practice with the Mudhorns–the hockey team he was the goalie for. His hair looked wet, like he’d just hopped out of the shower, and you could see an old Mythosaurs logo on his teeshirt, the team he’d grown up idolizing. He had an adorably crooked grin on his face, and it was easy to see how he managed to charm damn near everyone he met.

While you were looking at the selfie, a message from him popped up on your screen.

Hey, still awake?

You bit your lip, suddenly thoughtful. If you were remembering right, the hockey rink wasn’t too far from here. Maybe…

Before you could second guess yourself, you tapped on his profile picture and then his phone number, putting your phone up to your ear as you began to move through the throng of bodies towards the outside. The butterflies barely had time to take flight in your belly when Paz’s deep voice was coming through your phone’s speaker and directly into your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

“What’s this, a proof of life call?”

“Ha ha, very funny,” you said loudly, almost shouting to be heard over the music. “I actually was wondering if you could do me a huuuuuge favor?”

“Is that favor rescuing you from the angry mob you sound like you’ve accidentally joined?”

Your voice was drier than the deserts of Tatooine. “Truly Paz, you’ve missed your calling as a comedian by joining the hockey team. You should be doing stand-up.”

His loud, deep laugh sounded on the other end, and you couldn’t help but smile again. Gods, you’d missed his laugh. You’d missed him.

“I belong on that rink and we both know it.” You snorted at the cocky tone of his voice. “Nah, you know I’d do anything for you. What’cha need rabbit?”

You groaned. “Please, not that stupid nickname again. I had like… one stuffed animal as a kid and suddenly everyone calls me that.”

“You brought the damn thing in the bath with you, what did you think was gonna happen?”

You narrowed your eyes, wishing that somehow Paz could feel your glare through the phone. “Anyways,” you growled, ignoring his chuckles. “I was at a party except my ride left with someone else and now I’m stuck. Is there any way you could give me a ride back to my apartment?”

“Of course,” Paz responded with zero hesitation. “Gimme the address.” As you rattled off the address of the house party, Paz sighed through the phone. “I recognize it. Some of the di’kute freshmen on the team have gotten wasted at parties there and I’ve had to come get them. I’ll be there in five.”

“Thanks, Paz.”

You could almost hear his smile on the other end. “Of course.”

You finished weaving your way through the crowds of drunk, high, and horny college students to step out on the front porch, breathing in a wave of fresh air. The night was clear, and it was only the early days of fall, so it wasn’t too cold yet. You looked up at the stars for a few moments, before you heard the familiar roar of an engine.

Looking down the street, you saw the headlights of Paz’s truck illuminating the otherwise quiet road, and you began making your way down the drive. He pulled to a stop in front of the house, waiting for you to cross in front of the truck and climb in the passenger side. You pulled yourself up and into his truck, buckling in before turning to see him grinning goofily at you.

“What?” You asked, feeling somewhat self-conscious but your cheeks still warming pleasantly under his gaze. “Do I have something on my face?”

His grin softened, and he reached out, almost subconsciously, and brushed the pads of his fingers over your cheek. “Nah,” he said, eyes still boring into yours. “Jus’ missed you, that’s all. It’s been awhile.”

You smiled back, soft too but a little self-deprecating. The both of you were well aware of just why it had been so long since you’d seen each other in person. Parjai was almost impossible to deal with whenever he simply heard Paz’s name, let alone if he knew you’d seen him or tried to hang out with him. It had seemed simpler at the time to distance yourself from Paz, something your parents and Parjai had encouraged, but now it just made you sad. At least he didn’t seem to hold it against you.

Paz sat back in his seat and re-started the engine, pulling away from the curb and beginning to drive down the darkened roads. You were a good few miles from your place with Parjai, and you couldn’t deny that you were excited to simply get to spend this little bit of time with him. The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, before you opened your mouth, wanting to make the most of seeing him and actually talk to him.

“How’s the team doing?”

He lit up, his grin huge and unrestrained. It triggered a grin of your own, always so happy to see Paz get excited about the sport he loved.

“They’re good! Din’s finally getting situated in left defence. He’s been working really hard at it, he’s a damn good defender, he just had some trouble believing it. Tua and Kua are a good pair too, they both made starter positions this year.”

You thought for a second. “The Skirata twins, right?”

“Yeah, that’s them. They’re assholes, but good players.”

You racked your brain trying to think of the other players you knew about on the team. With it being a new school year, there were some faces you didn’t quite know yet. “What about the other goalie position? Is Kye’ma still the secondary?”

Paz guwaffed loudly. “No! He got himself removed from the team ‘cause his grades were slipping too much.”

You breathed a sigh of relief. Kye’ma Reau had been a vicious player, and while he was good at the sport, he was a little too bloodthirsty. He’d always been sore that Paz was the starting goalie and not him, and you were honestly starting to get a little worried about the possibility of him staging an “accident” for Paz, so you were glad he was no longer in the picture.

“Who replaced him?”

“Some freshman kid, Uliik Gedyc. Wouldn’t know it just by looking at him though. Kid’s built like a fucking tank.”

You snickered at the mental image. You remembered what Paz looked like as a freshman in college, and you wouldn’t exactly describe his physique at the time as ‘tank-like.’ Although, that wasn’t to say he hadn’t been fit. Paz had been fit since he’d discovered gyms around the same time as puberty, and the muscle mass only grew with every year.

Not that you’d noticed.

All too soon, you realized that you were turning onto your street. You slumped slightly in your seat, sad that your time with Paz was coming to an end. You resolved to try and fix that, and to attempt to spend more time with him. Granted it was senior year, and both of you were set to graduate, and he had the hockey team to think about too, but you were tired of shunning your best friend to keep your boyfriend happy.

As Paz pulled into the driveway of the place you shared with Parjai, you were surprised to see Parjai storming out the front door, his face twisted in fury. You quickly unbuckled and practically threw yourself out of the truck, not hearing Paz call after you, as you were worried something was wrong.

Before you could get any words out, Parjai reached you and gripped your arm tightly, causing you to cry out in shock and a little bit of pain.

“What the fuck are you doing with him?”

You blinked at the furious words being thrown in your face. “Him-you mean Paz? He gave me a ride home because you didn’t-”

“Don’t fucking blame me for you being a slut.” He growled, shaking you hard. “How many times do I have to fucking tell you? You’re not allowed to see him, not only is he a goddamn exile, but you’re mine, you hear me? I won’t be made a fool of by my girlfriend just whoring herself out to whoever fucking asks!”

You jerked away, ripping your arm from his grasp. You could smell the alcohol on his breath, and it turned your stomach, although not as much as the hateful words he spewed.

“I’m not fucking Paz, Parjai,” you said, not yelling but the anger still clear in your voice. “I’ve told you before, he’s just a friend. I’ve known him for years, there’s nothing wrong with me wanting to spend a little time with him! Besides, you weren’t answering! What was I supposed to do?”

“You fucking slut!”

Suddenly, blooming pain spread across your cheek, and you fell back in shock, your body colliding with the door of Paz’s truck and your head cracking against the glass from the force of what had been Parjai’s hand clocking you across the face.

You slowly raised a hand to your cheek, fingers shaking as they brushed the skin even as you winced from the pain. Tears filled your eyes and you turned your head back to look at your still-furious boyfriend. He was glaring hatefully at you, even though he was swaying on his feet, likely from the intoxication.

He opened his mouth, probably to spew more vitriol, when abruptly, faster than your brain was able to register, a fist shot out and punched Parjai square in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground.

You blinked dumbly at your boyfriend-no, ex-boyfriend now, like hell were you gonna stay with that asshole-lying prone on the lawn, groaning in pain. Your brain felt like it was swimming through molasses, unable to process events in real time. As you were trying to put together what exactly just happened, suddenly Paz was standing in front of you, cupping your face in his hands as frantic eyes roved over you.

You just stood there, watching as his mouth moved, but unable to hear anything over the rushing of blood in your ears. He let one hand fall to your shoulder while the other came up to gently prod at the swelling on your face of what was likely to be a nasty black eye. He shook your shoulder, his face growing more concerned when suddenly there was a popping noise and you could hear clearly again.

The abrupt silence startled you and you jumped slightly. Paz raised his hands quickly off your body, taking a half step back so he wasn’t right in your space, but your panicking mind decided that was the absolute worst possible outcome, so you lunged forward and wrapped your arms around his torso, burying your face in his chest. The tentative grasp of control that you’d had simply shattered, and you began to sob brokenly into the fabric of his sweatshirt.

Paz’s arms came up around you, one banding around your back while the other came up to cradle your head against his chest. You twisted your fingers in his sweatshirt, anchoring yourself to him as you only cried harder.

His chest rumbled underneath you, and you faintly registered that he was whispering soft words of endearment, trying his best to soothe you. You sniffled and burrowed deeper, almost like if you tried hard enough, you could climb inside his chest where it was safe and never leave.

You could feel his lips pressing against the top of your head, leaving gentle kisses in the breaks between his words. He held you like something precious, like something to be treasured, and you found yourself never wanting to leave his embrace.

Unfortunately, Paz seemed to have different plans. He slowly pulled you away from where you’d been buried in his sweatshirt, although he kept his arms secure around you. He tilted your head up with a crooked finger under your chin, his gaze suddenly very serious.

“You’re not staying here, sweetheart. Get in the truck. I’m gonna run in and grab you a few things, and then we’re leaving.”

You blinked up at him, lashes clumped together with tears. You were sure you likely looked a mess, but all you could focus on was Paz’s arm around you and his fingers brushing your jaw. He sighed softly, seemingly realizing that you were not in a good frame of mind to be doing any critical thinking. He opened up the passenger door and bodily lifted you up, ignoring your quiet squeak of surprise as he set you in the passenger seat.

“Get buckled, I’m just gonna grab some of your things. I’ll be right back, I promise.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead, before letting his own forehead gently touch yours in the sweetest mirshmure’cya you’d ever recieved, bringing new tears to your eyes. He stepped back and shut the door, before quickly stepping over Parjai and walking into the house. You buckled in a daze, still reeling from how quickly things had changed. One second you’d been happily chatting with Paz about his hockey team, the next your boyfriend was punching you in the face.

You pulled down the visor on the passenger side and flipped open the mirror, wincing at your reflection. Already there was the starting of some swelling around your eye, and you could tell it was going to bruise. It was throbbing and aching, and you poked at the skin cautiously, nose scrunching up at the uncomfortable sensation. You were going to end up with a black eye for sure.

You see Paz coming back out of the front door, a duffle bag you recognize from your closet in hand, stuffed full of whatever Paz had deemed important enough for him to grab. He deftly stepped over Parjai, who was still lying on the ground, rolling around in pain as he clutched at his jaw. Paz didn’t even spare him a glance, instead quickly making his way to the driver’s side of the truck. He jerked open the door and climbed in, reaching back to set the duffle down on the floor behind his seat.

He buckled, and looked over at you, his hands tightening on the steering wheel as he took in the darkening bruise over your eye and the dried tear tracks on your face. He looked like he wanted to reach out to touch you, but restrained himself.

“Are you buckled, sweetheart?” You simply nodded, the lump in your throat too large to speak around. “Good. Let’s go home.”

You didn’t say anything, but you could tell Paz wasn’t really looking for a response either. He backed out of the driveway, probably a little faster than he should’ve, but it was late at night and it wasn’t like it was likely for anyone to be out for him to run into.

As he drove down the dark streets, navigating towards his apartment by memory, you looked out the window, eyes not really focusing on any one thing as the scenery flew by. You felt almost like you were having an out of body experience, like your limbs were too heavy for you to move on your own. Truly, you were about one step away from a complete breakdown. You didn’t realize you were twisting your hands in your lap until one of Paz’s hands settled on top of both of yours, stilling the anxious movement. You looked over, to see him still focused on the road, but a worried frown decorating his face. Turning one of your hands over, you pressed your palm against Paz’s, linking your fingers together and letting his touch ground you.

It wasn’t a long drive to Paz’s place, and soon enough, he was pulling up in front of his building. He didn’t waste time, shutting off his truck and sliding his hand out of yours so he could hop out. You began to undo your buckle, but before you could open the door, Paz was already there, ready to help you out of the truck. The concerned look on his face broke something inside you, and you felt tears begin to fill your eyes again.

Paz didn’t hesitate to pull you out of the truck and into his arms, your duffel already slung over his shoulder so both of his arms were free to hold you. You clung to him clumsily, throwing your arms around his neck and wrapping your legs around his waist as one of his arms wrapped around your torso to hold you tightly against him. Burying your face in his neck, you let the tears fall, trusting Paz to get you inside safely.

He didn’t say anything as he carried you into his apartment, and you didn’t look up from the safety of his neck until he was setting you down on a soft mattress. You looked around, slightly dazed as you realized you were in his bedroom. You’d seen glimpses of the space through pictures he’d sent you, but you’d never actually been in his bedroom.

A careful hand on your jaw caught your attention, and Paz gently lifted your head, turning it from side to side as he studied the swelling and darkening skin around your eye. His thumb brushed your cheek as his eyes found yours. “Lemme go grab something for you to ice that shiner with, ok?” You nodded, watching as he left the bedroom, moving down to where you were pretty sure his kitchen was.

While he was gone, you took a moment to take in his bedroom, the one place that was purely, personally, Paz. There weren’t a whole lot of decorations, but you weren’t expecting there to be. Paz had always been rather minimalistic by nature. He had some trophies and framed awards from various hockey leagues and games he’d won, some assorted sports paraphernalia in the corner by his closet, a soft grey rug underneath the king-sized bed which was adorned with soft white sheets and a light grey duvet, two nightstands with matching lamps, and on the far wall was a collage of pictures. As you looked at them, you realized most of them were pictures of the two of you. Some were clearly from when you were kids, but some were obviously more recent, although you realized with a pang that none of the photos were more recent than four years ago, around when you’d started to distance yourself because of Parjai.

It hit you then just how much of an idiot you’d been. You’d wasted so much time with someone who clearly didn’t trust or love you in the same way you’d loved him, especially considering how he’d acted tonight. You hadn’t realized Parjai’s insecurities ran quite that deep, but looking back it was painfully clear just how much he’d hated Paz Vizsla.

You were pulled from your self-deprecating thoughts by Paz returning, an ice pack wrapped in a kitchen towel clutched tightly in one hand. His eyes met yours, and some of the tension he’d been carrying in his shoulders seemed to melt away as he reassured himself seeing that you were safe. He came forward to kneel at the side of the bed where you were perched. With gentle hands, he pressed the ice pack over the swelling on your face, his free hand coming up to cup your jaw as you tried to shy away from the sudden shock of cold.

“Gotta let the ice do it’s job, rabbit,” he murmured. “We’ve gotta get that swelling down.”

You winced, but nonetheless held still, letting Paz do his thing. Maker only knows how many, many bumps, bruises, broken bones and black eyes he’d suffered over the years, not just from hockey but his uncanny ability to always get into fights. You’d even helped him with some of the more painful injuries.

A comfortable silence settled over the two of you. Your eyes had fluttered shut, just basking in the soft attention and careful ministrations Paz was bestowing upon you. Paz kept one hand on the ice pack pressed gently over your eye, the other still cupping the side of your face, his thumb softly stroking your cheekbone. After awhile, Paz slowly took the ice pack away, and you opened your eyes to see him critically looking over your face. He seemed to be satisfied with the state of your face where Parjai had smacked you, and he sat back slightly on his heels.

“How does that feel, hmm?”

“Better.”

Silence descended again, but this time there was a tension floating in the air. It felt like Paz was just waiting for something to happen, but you didn’t know what he’d be waiting for. You were fine, absolutely fine. Sure, your partner of over three years had just assaulted you out of the blue, but honestly, you were-

“Rabbit?”

The sound of Paz’s voice, thick with worry and concern and love is what broke the dam. Your eyes filled with tears, and your breath hitched as you fought to not burst into sobs. You met Paz’s gaze, and you saw nothing but love and understanding.

“Oh, c’mere love,” he murmured, his hands gently tugging you off the bed and into his lap. That was the last straw, and you began to sob, deep and heartbroken sounds wrenching their way out of your throat as you clawed at his back, as though you could somehow pull him even closer to you. “That’s it, let it all out.”

“W-W-Why, Paz?” you cried, voice trembling as you tried to force the words out. “I-I loved him… w-why wou-would he–?” You couldn’t finish your sentence, your voice breaking as you sobbed harder. Paz’s arms were tight around you, holding you securely against his chest. His lips were pressed to your head, and the rumbling in his chest told you he was attempting to make soothing noises although you were unable to actually hear them over the sounds of your cries.

As your sobs began to slow you clutched tighter to Paz, suddenly afraid that he’d let you go now that you weren’t crying your eyes out. But to your great relief, he didn’t, merely sliding his arms more securely around you and pressing you closer against his chest.

“What am I gonna do?” You said, voice barely more than a whisper pressed against the fabric of his shirt. Even as you said the words, you didn’t really fully realize what they meant until they’d left your mouth. You pulled your head back to look at Paz with wide, teary eyes. “T-That’s my home, Paz, but he’s not gonna leave, I know he isn’t, and it’s not like my parents are gonna be any help cause they love him and are just gonna say I’m making this up for attention and-”

“Breathe.”

The order startled you out of the sprial you’d begun to descend into, and you locked eyes with Paz, mouth snapping shut at the commanding tone of his voice.

“I’ll tell you what you’re gonna do, rabbit. You’re gonna stay right here, with me. There’ll be a blizzard on Tatooine before I let you go back to that hut’uun di’kut. He doesn’t deserve you, and I refuse to let you delude yourself into thinking that any of the actions he took tonight are in any way acceptable.”

His stare was piercing, and you found yourself unable to look away, even as you listened to what he was saying. You opened your mouth, about to insist that you couldn’t just intrude on Paz and his home like that, but a finger pressed to your lips stopped you.

“Uh uh, I’m not finished.” Paz waited for you to acknowledge his words before he continued. “I’ve got more than enough space, and I don’t want him or your family trying to manipulate you into going back to him. You deserve better, so much better, than that.”

Tears began to fill your eyes, but for far different reasons this time. Paz wasn’t the kind of person to say things like this openly, not the type to blatantly lay his feelings out for all to see, but he was doing it for you.

“Y-You’ll really do that, Paz?” You asked, trying and mostly succeeding to prevent your voice from shaking. “You’ll let me stay?” Some emotion you didn’t recognize passed over his face, but it was quickly gone before you had a chance to analyze it.

“Course I will,” he said softly, voice quiet but no less steady. “You’ve always had a place with me, and you always will.”

Another tear trailed down your cheek. The words that escaped your mouth weren’t something you’d been intending to say, but that didn’t make them any less true.

“Love you, Paz.”

Paz’s eyelashes fluttered, his face going slack for a moment before he was able to focus on you again. “Oh, bunny,” he muttered, drawing you close again even as a shiver ran down your spine at the unexpected variation on his nickname foe you. He was tucking your face back into his neck as his hand stroked soothingly up and down his back. “My sweet bunny rabbit, I love you too. You’ll always have a place with me, no matter what.”

In that moment, in Paz’s arms on the floor of his guest bedroom, you knew things were gonna be alright.

[y2ksnowglobe]

Guess who's still thinking about Birdie Oak?

In light of ep. 52, I'm struck by the parallels between Normal and Birdie.

Now Snowglobe, I hear you say, Birdie has zero canon characterization, what are you talking about? Okay, you're not wrong, but she's got a decent bit that can be inferred, so hear me out.

We start with Henry and Sparrow's perspectives on Code Purple. At it's core, it's a disagreement on whether or not protecting your family is worth sacrificing strangers (there are posts that go into this with a lot more nuance and I love those, but I don't want to get sidetracked). I don't think either Sparrow or Henry have the wrong viewpoint here, I think it's pretty much a trolley problem, but the point is we see a Henry that feels that helping those hurt by what he feels are his actions is a higher priority than his family. Heck, we even see this in Season 1 when they go back to Neverwinter and Henry wants to stand trial for what happened with the pyramid at the cost of rescuing their sons. We also know that Henry went on to build his little refugee camp Oakvale on Earth. I don't think it's too much of a jump to suggest that this wasn't a project he would have waited until Mercedes died to start.

HOWEVER, we see through Normal's teen facts that he still sees Mercedes and Henry post-code purple, Henry didn't just pack up the family and move to Earth, so we then get the scenario of Henry bouncing back and forth between the two realms, and in the process, maybe not being around a whole lot while Birdie is growing up. This , logically, gives us a Birdie who would be much closer to Mercedes than Henry, and that isn't a big problem until Mercedes dies.

Even though we don't see Birdie in Oakvale, it is the only logical place she could be, but it's pretty clear from just the description of Henry's hut that they're not close. There's zero indication that he shares that space with anyone else (my personal feeling is he gave her a different hut, since his was already constructed), and he doesn't bring her up to the rest of the teens/Lark and Sparrow while they're there, and would it be weird to the flow of the story if he went and found her to explain what was about to happen while waiting for the ten minutes to be up before the angel eats him? Yeah, but it does seem to indicate that Birdie tends to slip his mind sometimes in the face of everything else.

So where does this leave us? It leaves us with Birdie, losing the parent she was closest to, only to then have to be taken care of by her more distant parent who she has really complicated feelings about.

Okay, so let's look at Normal. It's been mentioned in Teen Talks that he's closer to his mom, and we can see their relationship pretty well in the episodes at their house. Meanwhile, even though hearing that Sparrow isn't proud of him takes him off guard, he mentions when they're in the calzone, that he never got the impression that Sparrow really liked him all that much. Add in the feelings of being left behind while Hero got to go "get ice cream"? Yeah...

So now, with the loss of Rebecca, we have Normal, losing the parent he's closet to, only to then have to be taken care of by his more distant parent who he has really complicated feelings about.

And I know it won't happen in canon, because pulling Birdie out now would be a really odd narrative choice, but...I want Normal and Birdie to talk.

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Leonard McCoy

By Ames

We’re still boldly going through all the characters of The Original Series in A Star to Steer Her By’s latest blog collection, and this week the spotlight is on Dr. Leonard McCoy! We’re not even going to be at all objective about this one because Bones is the favorite TOS character of most of the hosts here at SSHB, so be prepared for us to gush about his curmudgeonly actions, witty one-liners, and constant back-and-forth with Spock.

It helps that DeForest Kelley brings so much more to the role than is on the page, so let’s dive in and discover what our favorite McCoy moments are, scrape the bottom of the barrel for some lesser moments, and generally fan all over the CMO of the starship Enterprise. Read on below and listen to this week’s banter on the podcast (discussion at 1:04:23) for more about this old country doctor. We hope you have a mint julep handy!

[Images © CBS/Paramount

Best Moments

Promoted too fast One of McCoy’s most highlighted facets is his obstinance, which is often played to hilarious effect. So when the ship is under threat from Balok’s Fesarius in “The Corbomite Maneuver,” it’s quite fitting that McCoy is stubborn enough to make what might be his last living action writing up Lt. Bailey just to spite Kirk for promoting him too fast. Now that’s no bluff!

Well, either choke me or cut my throat! Make up your mind! McCoy is at his most badass in “Space Seed” when his patient, Khan, has grabbed one of the good doctor’s handy wall knives and held him up. “It would be most effective if you would cut the carotid artery just under the left ear,” Bones says while his life is being threatened, and everyone watching this show goes “Daaaaaamn.”

Something called a mint julep. It’s a drink, Jim! Speaking of McCoy being a straight-up badass, when the subsonic transmitter is undoing the euphoric effects of the spores in “This Side of Paradise,” he straight up slugs the guy who dares imply that his job as a physician may have become obsolete on a planet with no disease. Without so much as dropping his drink! Grade-A badass right there.

My patients don't walk out in the middle of an operation Don’t forget that McCoy is a half decent doctor, especially considering most medical work in the future is waving a medical tricorder over people. But he proves his physician’s skills in “Journey to Babel” when he performs surgery on Sarek, transfusing a blood sample from a reluctant Spock and saving the ambassador’s life, all in the middle of a battle with Orions!

I’m trying to thank you… As we mentioned in the Spock spotlight post, the jail scene in “Bread and Circuses” is just stunning acting work from both Nimoy and Kelley. It’s such a short scene, but it’s got everything. And when McCoy ponders that Spock is afraid of living, afraid of showing his human half, afraid of feeling, they display in their acting that they’re both in the same emotional place and I love it.

A child could do it Like in “Journey to Babel,” Bones gets to prove his medical prowess in “Spock’s Brain,” even if it’s a little bit laughable overall. He does need help from the Teacher to give himself the temporary knowledge to reconnect Spock to his big Vulcan brain, but when that wears off, he keeps it together, and with a little help from his green-blooded friend, gets the job done.

Please give yourself every minute No wonder this episode was our favorite from TOS. What a great showcase for DeForest Kelley. His grappling with impending death in “For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky” is expertly played and beautifully explores how to measure a life’s happiness. McCoy’s romance with Natira is lovely and I heartily wish he didn’t have to leave her, though as I said in my review of Sawdust to Stardust, the novel Ex Machina revisits Yonada and is quite good!

I’ve been drafted There’s just something about Bones McCoy in The Motion Picture, standing on the transporter pad that he hates so much, grumbling at Kirk about getting drafted back into Starfleet, complaining like a cantankerous old coot about all the renovations made to his medical bay, all while wearing the most disco of civilian attire that is just plain charming.

I choose the danger While we found it a biiiit presumptuous for Spock to cram his katra into McCoy in The Wrath of Khan, it allows for some just plain great DeForest Kelley acting in The Search for Spock, so we can kinda forgive the violation. All movie long, McCoy gets to act like he’s mildly possessed by Spock, and then bravely face the fal-tor-pan ceremony that could be dangerous to humans. “Hell of a time to ask.”

What is this, the Dark Ages? While it could be seen as a blatant infringement of the Temporal Prime Directive to give a kidney pill to the woman on dialysis in The Voyage Home, you’ve just gotta love it when Starfleet doctors take matters into their own hands for the sake of a patient. Does the Hippocratic Oath trump the prime directive? Probably not, but McCoy is a hero to that woman regardless.

Not long after, they found a cure Sometimes Star Trek just doesn’t deserve DeForest Kelley, whose acting chops are frequently the best on the show, in our humble opinions. And the debated worst of the TOS films actually has some legitimately great McCoy moments – watching him euthanize his father only to learn a cure has been later found in The Final Frontier is such a moving scene that we really feel for.

Aside from a touch of arthritis… Only Leonard McCoy could get away with cracking a joke during his conspiracy trial prosecuted by relentless Klingons, as he does in The Undiscovered Country. And he even gets a couple of laughs out of the spectating Klingons in the audience, which may make up for getting convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Take that, Chang!

—

Worst Moments

I was thinking about the buffalo The very first introduction of McCoy in “The Man Trap” sees him doing some pretty irrational things. How is Plum’s mind so clouded that he can’t see Nancy for what she really is, especially when she’s literally sucking the salt out of the captain? And it’s an emotional scene, but I still can’t forgive McCoy for killing the M-113 creature, a sentient being and the last of its kind.

Don’t peek! Something rubbed us the wrong way about Bones’s flirting with yeoman Barrows in “Shore Leave.” Maybe it’s the age gap. Maybe it’s that they didn’t have a ton of chemistry. Maybe it’s that we ship him and Natira way more. Or maybe it’s that when she asks him not to watch her change, his response is “My dear girl, I am a doctor. When I peek, it’s in the line of duty.” Gross, doc.

Two drops of cordrazine can save a man's life Every so often, we really question Dr. McCoy’s doctoring skills and how his shenanigans wouldn’t fly in later series. And as much as it serves as the impetus for one of the best TOS episodes, being careless enough to inject oneself with a hundred times the normal dose of cordrazine in “The City on the Edge of Forever” – time ripples or not! – is just plain ineptitude.

You are out of line… sir. McCoy says in “The Doomsday Machine” that he hasn’t had time to run an examination on Decker to declare him medically or psychologically unfit to command. Well, why not, doctor?! If in “The Deadly Years,” we had time to hold a trial about Kirk being too senile to command, you surely have the authority to order the commodore to a checkup. You’re the CMO for chrissakes!

I’m a doctor, not an escalator Everything McCoy does on Capella IV in “Friday’s Child” is very strange to me. a) Why had McCoy been there when these people are still in primitive stages? b) Why didn’t McCoy TELL Grant that drawing his phaser would get him killed? c) What fetishist wrote the slap fight with the pregnant woman? This whole incident was just eyebrow raising, one of McCoy’s specialties!

A total resentment towards women See what I mean about Bones not understanding doctoring sometimes? A woman crewmember makes a mistake that bonks Scott on the noggin, so McCoy diagnoses Scott with misogyny in “Wolf in the Fold,” and prescribes a trip to a brothel. That was a thing that happened. What incel wrote this nonsense? Sometimes, Star Trek, your being written in the sixties really shows.

They reproduce bisexually Another weird medical gaff McCoy makes is stating that the tribbles reproduce bisexually in “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Someone on the writing team apparently had no idea what that word means and it resulted in making McCoy just sound incompetent. The tribbles reproduce asexually, and their being born pregnant is what Bones was trying to relay when he flubbed it hard.

I think I left it in Bela’s office Not only did McCoy NOT get to play dress up in gangster clothes like Kirk and Spock in “A Piece of the Action” (what a waste; he would have looked great!), but the button at the end of the episode reveals that he’s left his communicator on Sigma Iotia! Well. Go and get it, nincompoop! That’s cultural contamination! Beam it up! Amateurs, I swear to Okmyx.

…you pointed-eared hobgoblin! Most of our worst McCoy moments have been a bit tongue-in-cheek until now, but you do have to admit that McCoy’s constant stream of casual racism at Vulcans is absolutely problematic. And as much as we credit the beautiful jail scene in “Bread and Circuses” (as I already did above), it’s also the time that he called Spock a “pointed-eared hobgoblin” and that’s not okay. The rest of that scene is still great though.

Will I become like Chekov, doctor? Okay, doc, I know everyone’s going mildly nuts in “The Tholian Web” because of the space crazies, but Uhura’s claim that she saw the captain should have been taken seriously. It was a symptom no one else had displayed. You already knew Kirk was vanishing and reappearing. And later you take Scott seriously when he makes the same claim. Justice for Uhura!

They've lost confidence in you We mentioned this episode in our Spock coverage, but it bears repeating. Everything was out of place in “The Tholian Web,” and McCoy was in rare form being extra racist to Spock the whole time. Even if it’s for good reason (Spock is terrible at command!), McCoy comes off as petty, emotional, and cruel all episode long and that’s not the kind of light-hearted ribbing he usually gives Spock.

It tastes just fine One final blundering McCoy moment comes in The Animated Series episode “The Eye of the Beholder.” “The water is too pure,” according to Spock, before McCoy reveals that it tastes fine. What are you doing drinking untested water on a planet where people have disappeared, bonehead? And getting crushed by a dragon somehow? What is this, amateur hour?

— This blogpost is dead, Jim! We know Bones is a doctor, not an engineer, so fittingly next week we’ll make sure to aim our character spotlight at an engineer! Join us for our celebration of all things Montgomery Scott here on the blog, and also in our continued watchthrough of all Trek over on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast. You can also hail us over on Facebook and Twitter, and maybe don’t keep your scalpels mounted above the biobed, doc. Just a thought.

[lifeoflunar-blog]

my scrambled thoughts on TUA szn 4

(i wrote this in august as soon as it came out and it got lost in my endless sea of drafts) (if anyone still cares about this shows ending)

Alright guys, strap in, because I have thoughts.

I can't believe that's how they decide to end the entire show, with a season that leaves more unanswered questions than answered ones. I have TOO many thoughts on the entire season, and how so much of it essentially ruined the entire show.

First off, I understand that the characters were going to be coming into this season unbalanced and lost, considering they were all without powers and trying to create lives for themselves after being forced to constantly save the world over and over again. That would cause anyone to lose their minds a little bit and act out of character/ selfishly.

But Five....oh my GOD.

Listen. I know that people put a character like Five on a pedestal and kinda immortalize him because of the type of person he is. He's labelled as a cold hearted assassin whose soft protective side comes out only when trying to save his family. I get that people label him as aro/ace (which can make sense I suppose). But here's the thing. I don't think it was gross for Five to fall in love. I believe Five is fully capable of falling in love. I DO think, however, that #1: that the way they went about it was unnecessary, and #2: there were so many other ways to expand his character and show his softer and more vulnerable side!!!

When I first watched season 4 (binged it as soon as it dropped even though i tried very hard to not ITS ONLY 6 EPISODES CMON), I didn't...hate the whole Five x Lila thing (LISTEN SPARE ME PLEASE). On paper, these two characters are very alike and it's not completely far fetched for them to pair up. They were both trained assassin's and understood each other's trauma. When they stopped hating each other, they actually confided in one another and became a great duo. Granted, the duo was very much sibling or cousin-y, but still. I feel like if Aiden was older during season 2 and 3, and if he was stuck inside an adult body instead of,,,uh,,,A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD???? it would've been in the cards for the two to eventually get together. But here's the thing, it came so out of left field. The way the dynamic was due to the actors ages and appearances in the previous seasons, it was just not even a thought that crossed anyones mind (unless ur sick in the head). It kinda ruined the prior seasons for me because now I see them interact in those and I get a gross feeling, like oh they're bickering like siblings but wait....they end up getting nasty....IDK. I get the whole enemies to lovers, but you can't establish an iconic sibling pairing and then just make them do...that.

Note to the writers, people want a slow burn. We wanna see the process, the little things that lead to a relationship between two people. Even in the first few episodes they had Five and Lila together but it didn't feel like anything romantic was happening. It was just so sudden.

Here's the thing. The only reason I liked Five and Lila together was because of how Five was during the subway era. He really did get his retirement storyline, he had someone to take care of and he got to live this soft life, even if it was incredible short lived and also only due to proximity. I only wish that if they HAD to give Five a romantic story line that it wasn't fake, that it was actual real love that could happen. Also, as soon as episode 5 happened and Five and Lila kissed, I knew that the show couldn't have ended in a way where they all survived. I knew that that was the moment the writers decide to let them all go to shit, because there was truly no coming back from that.

I just think that they relied too heavily on montages to tell the passage of time to explain their behaviour, because that's kinda the only way you can defend how the characters acted. They just tried to fit too much content into 6 little episodes and it just became confusing. Even in the first episode, I wanted to see the characters adapt to their new surroundings, not just 6 years later when the next tragic thing occurs.

A storyline I wish we got to see with Five was him having a breakdown and not being able to handle the pressure of always fixing things, and having his siblings come to support him emotionally and allow for him to open up. I really wanted Five to open up about his trauma, and that could've been a great way for him to express that softer emotional side of him.

Here's the thing. People saying that it was so far fetched for him to fall in love is something I have to disagree with. I agree that they didn't need to include it, but it wasn't something out of character for him. TBH, I know his motivation is his family, but I don't think he would've survived his original apocalypse has he not had Dolores. That guy is a romantic through and through, and 100% has the capacity to fall in love. Not even that, he definitely deserved to fall in love. I just don't know if it was with his brother's wife.

Now, going back to the putting-Five-on-a-pedesal-thing, I do believe that Five finding happiness and love with Lila in the greenhouse timeline was more or less valid. Like, the guys been through so much, I think Five finding love in an unethical way doesn't mean that he's some horrible disgusting character. I'm more focused on Five's feelings than the repercussions his actions hold, if that make's sense. Of course it's devastating to see Diego find out, but still, Five got to experience love for the first time. And man oh man is he adorable when he's in love. The way he spoke to Lila with such softness even when they were fighting, the way he took care of her, THE BRACELET :((((, and to be so honest with y'all when they went back and they were all sitting in the living room, Five looking beyond angry and jealous truly did something to me. Maybe I'm just toxic....lmao.

(also side note I wanted to mention, I feel like the whole reason Diego and Lila worked is because Diego was the level headed one in the relationship. Detective Patch and Diego didn't work because (well she died but ALSO) he was the irrational one in that pairing. Patch saw him as crazy and immature. But with Lila, Diego grew into his protective and masculine side).

Overall, I think Five was acting selfish and self serving, something we haven’t really seen from him in the past seasons. He was prioritizing himself and his “relationship” with Lila when I know for a fact he never would’ve done that before this season. It just shows that he’d given up, which makes me so sad. He didn’t care about saving the world, he didn’t even really care about his siblings in the end. It makes me upset because you can visibly see the hope leave him as soon as he sits on the sofa with everyone and sees Lila with Diego, I feel like that was really his last straw. (Hey man I get it, first loves are tricky but come ON).

As for the ending, I was left truly unsatisfied and disappointed. For a family that had gone through so much together, they really just,,,ceased to exist. It would’ve been better if they died after a satisfying season of being there for each other and supporting one another and having heart to hearts but they didn’t. They all went on separate side quests and came back to die. There were too many other options and plot holes for me to even consider this ending they gave us.

This is not to say that I think this season was a waste. I really did enjoy the first few episodes, as they progressed it just started getting more confusing and they started adding unnecessary content. I loved the road trip aspect, and I have to give kudos to Aidan Gallagher, this was HIS season. His acting was truly one of the best performances I’ve seen, especially since his character is probably the trickiest one to play. I liked that this season got to show his range as an actor, seeing him be soft and sweet was honestly a nice change from his normal sassy self.

AnyWAYS the way I'm rereading this moths later and I still feel as strongly as I did in August sitting under the covers at 2am with my laptop screen being my only source of light as my heart dropped to my ass hearing "On the 12th hour of the 8th day of August 2024, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happened" and realizing the show is truly over and we'll never get more content with the siblings.

i a m f i n e : )