#and you don’t have to do a direct parallel to anything

[fictiongods]

Top 5 Faith episodes (in either Buffy or Angel)?

Okay I struggled with this initially because I feel like all of her episodes are all so important to her character, she’s never really on screen unless she is there telling a story. But top five going from least to best would be:

5. Revelations

I feel like this is our real first hint to who Faith actually is, not the Cool Party Girl she tries to be. I know that there are plenty of hints that are present within the first few episodes she is in (her whole first episode is filled with it) but I do feel like it is missed to the casual viewer, especially as there are still people who think she’s just a flat monster no real reason (or reason they care to find) to it. But this episode to me is like the first one that really dives into all of that with Mrs. Post and her trust issues and her authority issues, all that good stuff.

4. Enemies

I mean, what can I say? I’m a sucker for gay forehead kissage. But no for real, I do actually really like this episode as one for Faith alone, I feel like sometimes it gets diminished into just for fuffy (or at least from some spaces I’ve seen) but it shares a lot about Faith. I can’t remember if she’s said it earlier than this forgive me if I’m wrong — but I think this is the first real piece we get about Faith’s mom besides the one line in FH&T that I don’t really think the writers put much thought into. While I think Faith did bury a lot of her motives, she also told a lot and showed just how lonely and jealous and insecure she really was, and a really great post from herinsectreflection put the loser line into perspective as well which was intriguing and fun to dig into (Plus just generally I was actually shook by that plot twist and didn’t see it coming at all. Like I thought they’d get his soul back but I didn’t know that he never lost it in the first place and that Buffy was in on it, so that was pretty cool, I just liked the episode).

3. Orpheus

This is what I mean when I say that all of Faith’s episodes are in conversation with each other because her three episode arc in Angel were all so connected that anything thematically relevant I wanted to talk about just came down to picking one. You can find crumbs of everything I would have wanted to say across all three. I loved how this was a direct call back to enemies (as someone who already obviously enjoyed the episode), Faith fighting so hard to get Angel’s soul back as the exact inverse of what she did there. Also, I love that they finished her prison arc. She was only hiding! She felt so (rightfully) guilty of what she had done and instead of living in the world and making redemption, she hid. And they literally paralleled that directly to Angel himself with him in the alley for 20 years with rats, so like add that to the Angel Is Faith continuum. Plus s6 really put me right in the feels with this, so then it also paralleled Faith to s6 Buffy (as season s6 was being Faith) and it was just like a whole parallel fest. Plus Angel and Faith Faith and Angel my two gremlins who go evil from lack of/having sex <333 ( just an amazing arc of beating Faith down and getting her all bloody, shower scene, breaking the windows cause None Will Survive around her and a magical mind mushroom trip. Amazing. (special shout out to that woman who asked Faith to make out and Faith immediately pushes her against the wall and threatens her. Fantastic I think about you everyday.))

2. Five by Five

Can you even call yourself a Faith fan if this isn’t in your top five? It gives you everything. It really gets into the heart of Angel too, asking the questions of what does redemption mean, is it different for different people, can you atone for what you did after all this darkness etc etc. It also allows Faith to be a bit darker than she was in Buffy* and lets her spiral in a way that is really impactful. This episode again is one I wanted to include sanctuary in, because what comes after all the violence and chaos is equally important to this episode, but ultimately I just find this one more interesting scene wise than anything. The rain scene was one of the most devastating things I have ever seenand easily wormed its way into one of my favorite scenes in basically anything I’ve ever watched. The way it’s just two of the most fucked up people you’ve ever seen in your whole life just holding each other, because what else is left? What else is left after all this death and destruction and chaos other than love that somehow made it through? It falls into the category of Xander and Willow in Grave (6x22), and to a bit of lesser extent Buffy and Giles in Passion (2x17), and probably others I cant remember off the top of my head. I think it was just extremely well written and makes you feel every single emotion you have.

1. Who are you?

This one just hits you over the head with a red brick on fire and goes “Look at her!!! LOOK AT HER!!! LOOK AT DAMAGED GIRL!!!!” So like. Easily one of the best Faith episodes that Eliza Dushku wasn’t even really there for. I don’t think I need to say how amazing SMG did as Faith, she got every last mannerism down. This episode gives you everything you could ever want as both a Faith Stan and a Fuffy Shipper, and I would say her start to redemption begins here, not on Angel. She’s no where done, but this is something. She is literally becoming the light as a shadow, transforming into something more than she is. It’s the first step to being the Good Slayer and a person who is capable (and capable of believing) she can do some good in a life that only ever beat her down. It is also arguably, one of the must fucked up things you see in this show. It connects to the darkest parts of Faith and shows every aspect of Faith out in the open (being that we see it; characters may not) such as her own issues with sexual abuse, her sexual abuse of both Riley and Buffy, her intrusive thoughts, her death wish, her running, her views on her and Buffy’s relationship as BUFFY LITERALLY IS COMPARED TO A GOD FOR HER. Crazy shit. And there’s so much imagery and little parallels or nods to other things that every time I rewatch I get something new to see. Just generally is a fantastic episode, who doesn’t enjoy a body swap? (Soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of Fuffy soulmatism of—)

*I say a bit cause I definitely think Who Are You? is darker than that episode, but Angel I feel just has darker themes in principle than Buffy does.

[poebrey]

to post something positive I am really happy about what snw is doing with T’Pring and it makes so much sense and just in general I love the material they gave her in this episode

[h0neylevi]

After a major shift, your life has become a series of monotonous routines. Eat, sleep, go to work, repeat. But when you find a man bleeding on the subway with no idea how he got there, things become anything but ordinary.

General content warnings: isekai/parallel universe, modern AU, mentions of blood and canon-typical violence, some light angst, eventual smut.

chapter warnings: mentions of blood/cleaning of wounds

word count: 3.2k

It’s just after midnight when you make it to the metro platform.

The descent underground is quiet. Below the bustling city streets, you go through the process of boarding a train back home in a bit of a mindless daze, having done this cycle of late night shifts at the hospital countless times before.

The carriage is empty when you walk on board, silent except for the pneumatic hiss of the doors that slide closed behind you. You fall into the nearest seat with a heavy sigh.

It’s the first time in thirteen hours you’ve really been able to get off your feet.

Working four 12 hour days in a row can be tiring, but it’s worth it most of the time for the following four days off that you’re able to get. Four days off of freedom—which usually means catching up on errands. Laundry, getting groceries, and cleaning.

It’s just you now, so things tend to pile up much more quickly.

As you feel the rumble of movement beneath you, the momentum causing you to sway a little in your seat, you stare unblinking at the opposite window. Flashes of advertisements and thick concrete tunnel walls speed by in a blur, and you allow your mind to wander.

Maybe you could go to that new cafe in the morning that opened up on College Street. It’s been a while since you’ve taken a moment just for yourself. Or maybe you could take a book to the park after cleaning your apartment. The weather was supposed to be nice, and that used to be your favorite thing to do before…

The train slows to a stop before you continue down that line of thinking. With a droning chime, the doors open to signal would-be passengers to either depart or climb aboard.

A pleasant female voice erupts from the intercom system. “This is Freedom Park Station. Please stand clear of the doors.”

It’s not unheard of for others to be out so late, particularly on a Friday night, so to see a man walk aboard doesn’t immediately surprise you.

What does cause you to do a double take is the state of him.

The first thing you see is the insignia of the wings of freedom, a symbol you immediately recognize on the back of the green cloak covering his upper half from one of your favorite shows, Attack on Titan.

The second thing you notice is that he’s soaked.

That’s odd. You don’t remember it raining earlier in the day, but it could have been a brief downpour in another part of the city. And he’s clearly coming from an anime convention. Those were usually held at the convention center on the other side of the city.

The man heavily slumps forward against the railing. His back is turned toward you, but you watch him thoughtfully, admiring the impressive handiwork of his costume. From under the cloak, you see the intricately wrapped belts of the omni-directional gear, as well as the boxes along his thighs that are used in the show to store blades. When you see a reflection of an advertisement briefly glimmer off of the surface, you realize that they’re actually metal.

Those must be heavy. Did he make them himself?

The train begins to move again and your thoughts are stopped short when the man stumbles, nearly falling. That’s when he turns and you notice the blood.

His face is covered in it.

You’re on your feet before you even realize it. “Excuse me.”

He turns at the sound of your voice and you see the source: a rough cut just above his right eyebrow.

The man sways unsteadily on his feet against the movement of the train. The look he gives you is immediately distrusting, but he doesn’t back away.

You stop a few feet from him. “Sir, are you okay?” When his eyes narrow, you point to the badge pinned to your work scrubs. “I’m a nurse, see?”

You wait as his eyes study your hospital badge for a moment.

“Where the hell am I?”

Okay, that’s potentially a cause for concern. “Uh.” You try to remember what stop he got on from. “Freedom Park.” The look on his face doesn’t resemble recognition. “You’re not from around here?”

For a moment, he seems to think. “No.”

There’s a sharp jolt from the train car and you both sway a little, him more than you.

You gesture to the empty seat next to him. “Here. You should probably sit down.”

He doesn’t argue as he takes a seat.

Looking him over, you consider your options. It isn’t too late to take him back to the hospital, but you don’t exactly want to after spending the entire day there already. From the looks of it, it doesn’t look like he’ll need stitches, but it doesn’t feel right to leave him alone in the state he’s in either.

“Can you tell me what happened?” you ask.

The man looks around for a moment. The look on his face turns apprehensive. “I don’t remember. There was a flash… and then I just woke up here.”

You raise your brows. Something about the way he says it feels like he isn’t being completely honest, but you suppose the bleeding itself is a more pressing concern right now anyway.

“Okay,” you say. “Well, that cut doesn’t look too deep, but you should get it cleaned.” You pause for a moment, debating. “My apartment is at the next stop.”

You had meant it as a suggestion, but the man doesn’t seem to follow.

“I can look at it for you,” you add. “Maybe help you find wherever you were supposed to stay.”

He seems to consider it for a long moment, looking from you to around the empty train car and then back to your badge.

“Alright,” he says as the train begins to slow. When it comes to a stop and the doors open with their loud hydraulic hiss, he follows you back out onto the platform.

It’s quiet for most of the walk back. You go through the motions of exiting the station—swiping your pass and leading the way up the winding corridors to street level while the man follows, watching your movements and your surroundings with a puzzled sort of awe.

It isn’t until you’re pulling out the keys to your place before you turn to him again.

“So, what’s your name?”

He gives you a subdued look. “Levi.”

You smile.

“No, really…” you press, looking over his clothes again. It’s obvious that’s what he’s going for now that you see him up close—the scout uniform and the way he’s styled his hair. Come to think of it, he has Levi’s frame as well. And his eyes.

It’s a damn good cosplay actually. If Levi Ackerman were to magically come out of the television screen as a flesh and blood person, he’d look exactly like this guy.

But judging by his expression and the complete lack of response, he isn’t interested in giving you any sort of real information.

You turn then, your smile dropping, and lead the way into the apartment building. “O-kay.”

It’s possible, you guess, that his name really is Levi. Just a very bizarre coincidence that he happens to look and act exactly like your favorite character from an anime and also likes the anime as well. There are billions of people in the world though. Stranger things happen all the time.

Reluctant to piss him off further, the rest of the walk up to the second floor is done in more silence. You unlock your front door and lead the way inside, smiling when you hear the telltale trill of your cat greeting you at the door.

“Hello, Luna,” you greet, bending down to run your hand between the shorthair’s ears. She pushes herself up into your hand a little further with a chirp.

Still at the door, the man—Levi—watches.

“Luna?” he asks in a flat tone.

You straighten back up, noting his hesitancy to walk forward. “You’re not allergic, are you?” That would be some cosmic bad luck on his part to deal with a head wound and an allergic reaction in one night.

But thankfully, he shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about her, she’s affectionate but she’s harmless,” you say, sidestepping around your cat to walk further into your living room. When Levi joins you, you gesture to the sofa. “Have a seat there. I’ll be right back with some supplies.”

You don’t wait around to see if he does what you say, instead dipping down the hall toward a small office. It’s mostly just a place for all of your trinkets—a desk filled with a few figures and a computer. Some bookshelves line the walls, collecting dust. It’s been months since you’ve picked up a good book or did much of anything in this room, really. But you know exactly where to look for the supply kits you’ve managed to stock up on from the hospital.

After you find the suture thread and some wound wash, you grab a towel from the bathroom next door and return to the living room.

Levi is there, sitting on the edge of the sofa as if he’s afraid to get comfortable. His gaze keeps jumping around the room, taking in the layout and decor, and his fists rest stiffly on his knees. Luna is next to him, tentatively sniffing at his knuckles with a curious stretch of her neck.

You shoo her away gently and take her place on the sofa. The angle of light allows you to see the source of the drying blood on his face a bit better.

Quietly, you look him over. “How are you feeling?”

He watches as you slip on a pair of gloves. “I’ve had worse.”

You snort lightly and begin to prep the fresh towel with wound wash.

“Do you have stuff like this happen to you often?” you ask, now reaching to press the towel to his face.

At your question, he pulls his one uncovered eye from you, surveying the room again. “Nothing quite like this.”

“What happened?”

Levi is quiet for a moment before he says, “It was nothing. I fell.”

You pause your movements, frowning. “This doesn’t look like the kind of cut you’d get from a fall.”

“Why does it matter?”

Judging by his defensive tone, he knows more than he’s letting on, but you can’t figure out why he isn’t being honest.

But with him already in your apartment, you don’t want to do anything to unnecessarily antagonize him. Even in his current state, he looks strong and capable enough to hurt you.

Probably best to just change the subject.

“Did you have somewhere you were staying?” you ask, returning to your task.

You gently dab the towel down the curve of his jaw and feel the muscle tense beneath your touch.

“No,” he finally says.

“You came all the way here for a convention and didn’t book a hotel?”

“A convention?”

“Yeah,” you nod, gesturing to his clothes. “You’re a scout, right?”

At your words, his expression becomes a bit more relieved. He nods. “Yes. I got onto that... train thing because I hoped it might take me to headquarters.”

You blink as you listen to him. Did he hit his head hard enough for him to think that he is Levi Ackerman?

Maybe you should take him to the hospital anyway just to get him checked out. He seems perfectly lucid otherwise though, if a bit confused.

You reach forward and check his head wound again. Just like you thought, it’s too shallow to need stitches and isn’t bleeding anymore, so that’s a good sign. Maybe it could wait until morning.

“Do you feel sick?” you ask, searching his expression for any lack of focus or disorientation but find none. “Nauseated? Dizzy?”

“Other than the stabbing pain above my eye?” he deadpans, glaring at you. “No. I feel fine.”

You sigh. This is insane, considering letting a complete stranger stay in your apartment. But he doesn’t have anywhere else to go and he’s still soaking wet. You’d feel guilty if you just let him go and he got into trouble. At the very least, you could make sure he has somewhere to sleep. 

You get to your feet and look over his clothes once more. “You can stay here tonight if you’d like. I think I might have some old clothes you can sleep in, and there’s a shower down the hall.”

He gives you a distrustful look. “You’re putting a lot of faith in a stranger.”

You raise a brow. “I guess we both are. But if you’d rather sleep out in the cold, then be my guest.”

That seems to give him pause, and he looks around the room once more.

“Where did you say the shower was?”

“Down the hall, second door on the left,” you tell him. “I can get you a towel and some clothes.”

You dispose quickly of the bloodied towel in your kitchen trash along with your gloves and turn back down the hall again. When you return, Levi is standing awkwardly next to your sofa. He seems to be pointedly ignoring Luna, who is still curiously sniffing him from the armrest.

“These should fit,” you tell him, patting the folded up sweatpants and an oversized shirt tucked beneath your arm. “Just leave your things in the bathroom and I’ll make sure your clothes are washed in the morning.”

He takes the items from you with another skeptical glance. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I have to do laundry anyway,” you wave him off. “It’s no trouble.” Quickly, you point at him. “Just don’t scrub at that cut. You’ll just make it bleed again.”

He doesn’t move immediately when you back away to let him pass by, but the promise of a hot shower seems to eventually override whatever keeps him fixed in place. Without another word, he retreats down the hall, right to the second door on the left like you told him.

What a strange man.

It takes fifteen minutes before you hear the shower turn on.

In that time, you busy yourself with finding a spare blanket and a pillow and leave them on the sofa. You tidy up a little next, grabbing leftover drinking glasses off the table and discarded socks that had been pushed under the coffee table. It isn’t much, but you’re left feeling slightly less anxious about the state of your place by the time you’re finished. You like to keep things tidy to begin with, but the place certainly looks lived in right now.

Curious, you sink into a chair and pull out your phone while you’re waiting and click on the search engine, quickly typing in a few keywords to check on any local anime conventions happening in the area.

There are no ongoing events, and the next one isn’t happening until six months from now.

Well, that eliminates your theory. So then what the hell was he doing cosplaying on the street on a random Friday? If he was with someone, he wouldn’t have been wandering around alone and he said he wasn’t staying anywhere in the area.

The thought occurs to you that maybe this is some sort of trap to lure unsuspecting women into vulnerable positions, preying on a person’s compassion. But then, that was very real blood on his face and a very real wound, and he has had ample opportunities to attack and rob you if that was truly what he was after. He might look intimidating, but there’s nothing about him that screams that you’re in any sort of immediate danger either.

Maybe you can get some real answers out of him in the morning when he’s less grumpy.

You’re feeding Luna in the kitchen when Levi reappears.

With silent relief, you note that his wound seems to still be fine. He looks healthier in general after cleaning off, but he also looks… well, even more like Levi Ackerman. It’s kind of uncanny.

“What?”

You jump when you hear his voice. He’s watching you from the living room, looking about as confused as you feel.

Shit, have you been staring? “Nothing.” You sigh and rub at your eyes. It’s been too long of a day to start questioning your sanity. “Are you hungry or anything? I have some leftovers I can heat up really quick.”

“I’m fine.” He shakes his head and turns his attention to the blanket and pillow on the sofa. 

Carefully, he arranges it how he likes and sits down. He glances at the television on the other side of the room before looking around again, lingering at times on things like the lamps in the corners and over to the open kitchen.

His hands fidget in his lap.

“I’ll be out of here first thing in the morning.”

The sound of his voice surprises you.

“Where are you going to go?”

He shrugs. “I’ll figure it out.”

You chew on the inside of your cheek thoughtfully. He’s a grown man, so it shouldn’t concern you what he does. But his comments about not being from here, and the whole thing about him trying to find ‘headquarters’? You’d feel better knowing there isn’t anything you’ve missed.

“At least let me take you to the hospital to get that cut checked out,” you suggest. “We can go first thing while your clothes are drying.”

He scoffs but the sound is entirely devoid of humor. “I told you I’m fine.”

“So it’ll be a quick visit and you can be on your way in no time,” you reply. “One of the doctors I work with can look you over before we open. He won’t mind.”

“Or I could just leave in the middle of the night.”

“I guess.” You shrug. “I wouldn’t be able to stop you, but that’s your choice. My conscience can be clear as long as I’ve offered to help you. I can’t make you take it, but I think it’s a good idea.”

He glares at you from the sofa, but doesn’t reply.

You get the sense that he doesn’t want to be bothered anymore. With the night he’s had, he probably just wants some rest, and you’re more than willing to get some sleep yourself.

Now that the shock of the night has worn off a bit, your body feels heavy as you get to your feet.

Levi stays quiet as you move around the room, shutting off lights and locking your front door. He moves to lay down once he gathers what you’re doing.

“I’ll get you up in the morning,” you tell him from the hallway. “Get some sleep.”

That earns you little more than a grunt of acknowledgement.

When you get into your room, you make sure to lock the door and find a baseball bat from the depths of your closet to sit by your bed. You’ve always been a light sleeper, so you hope that you’ll be able to hear if he decides to try anything.

You go through your nightly routine and climb into bed, then send off a text before closing your eyes—a message to one of your friends and fellow co-workers at the hospital.

Hey, could you do me a huge favor tomorrow morning? It’ll be quick.

Hopefully, when you wake up, Levi will still be there.

[mommyslittlebird]

Professor!Wanda x Reader

Hurt/comfort, TW: Mentions of past assault

This is a completely fictional story and any parallels it may have to the conversation between my advisor and I this morning are a total coincidence.

You made your way to Wanda’s office, gently knocking on her open office door. Her smile was an instant balm for the ache in your chest. She was busy, bent over her keyboard in concentration, but as soon as she saw you, her face softened and her entire body lightened.

“Y/N! It’s lovely to see you. I’ve got a meeting in about 15 minutes, but, please, come in. Have a seat,” she said, rolling her desk chair back so she could clear off the extra seat in her office. It was full of books and manila folders full of work she needed to grade. It was always full of books and folders when you weren’t sitting in it.

“How are you doing this afternoon? It’s been a minute since you’ve come by. I was hoping to see you on Friday. What have you been up to?” She asked, turning away from her computer and disregarding everything she was working on before you came in.

You swallowed and sat down on the maroon office chair. “It… it’s been alright… I guess…” you stammered.

She caught on immediately, furrowing her brow. You were lying. She got up to close the door before squatting down to your level and resting her hand on your knee. “What’s going on?”

You swallowed again, looking away from her and blinking back tears. Your voice was a quiet, raspy whisper. “It’s stupid.”

“Hey.” She gently directed your head to look at her. Her voice dropped to a similarly low whisper, knowing the office was surrounded by other offices on every side. “Tell me what happened.”

She crumbled your resolve immediately. You grabbed her hand that was resting on your knees, holding it between yours for support. “My roommate… she’s got this new boyfriend. They’ve been dating for… I guess a couple months now. She’s started bringing him over to the house.” You froze for a moment before you could force the next words out of your mouth. “I knew him. When we were in high school he… he was a bad person. And not as in I don’t like him. A bad person as in… assault.”

She tensed, eyes going wide. “Oh, Y/N,” she sighed sympathetically. “Did you tell her?”

You nodded, starting to cry a little bit. You hated crying, but tears always seemed to come easily when she was touching you. “She said he’d changed. She said he was 15 and on heroin when he did it. I told her I know I was there and she said she actually believes people deserve a second chance and I… it’s not that I don’t believe in redemption I just don’t want him in my house,” you rambled, fully crying now. You wiped your nose on your hoodie sleeve.

She pulled you into her arms, letting you sob into her shawl. She rubbed your back and shushed your cries, kissing the top of your head until you calmed down enough for her to sit down. She spread her arms and gestured for you to climb into her lap. You did, wrapping your body around her like a koala. She untucked your shirt so she could run her nails down your bare back in the way you told her you loved.

“I’m so sorry, angel,” she cooed, whispering into your hair.

“I just feel like shit. I’m so scared every time he’s there and I hate seeing him, but I don’t want to tell my roommate she can’t date someone. She cried the entire time we talked because she said she feels so worthless and he’s the only person who’s made her feel like she’s worth anything in years. And she says she’s so torn and she thought that I of all people would recognize that people change and you shouldn’t spend your whole life getting punished for some mistake you made at 15. She said it’s not fair that I’m not even willing to give him a chance and I just don’t know what to do,” you cried.

“Baby,” she soothed, keeping her tone calm and steady. You could feel the way it vibrated through her chest. “You aren’t responsible for accommodating someone who has hurt you so thoroughly. Even if he has changed and he is a better person now, it’s a perfectly reasonable boundary to not want this man in your house. It is your home and you deserve to feel safe inside of it.”

She gently rocked you back and forth. “Do you have a place to go where you feel safe? You could come to my place. We have a spare room. I’ll just tell Viz you're helping out with the boys, not that he’ll be home much anyway.”

“I… I have this place that I housekeep for sometimes. They’re out of town and asked if I would clean while they’re gone. I asked if I can stay and they said it was fine,” you answered in a small, timid voice.

“Mmm,” she hummed. “Well, just think about it, alright? I’d like to be able to keep an eye on you: make sure you’re getting food and taken care of.”

Your heart swelled with an affection that brought on a new wave of tears. She always made you feel so important and cared for. You rested your head on her shoulder. “Okay.”

You heard the chime of a Microsoft Teams notification in the background. She held you close as she scooted towards her desk. “This is my meeting. I’ll keep my camera and microphone off, but you’ve got to close your ears.”

You nodded into her neck, slumping against her. You could care less about what any school official had to say. All that mattered was that you were in her arms, finally a home where you could feel safe.

Professor Wanda Collection

[burningfudge]

i hope im not bothering you by any chance but i was wondering

do you perhaps have any winterwidow or romy fics recommendations?

I don’t read many romy fics but I shall direct you to @remysrogue for recs

as for winterwidow, oh baby. I have so many, and I went through my bookmarks for this.

literally anything by @missmorwen, @medeafive and pinklights. their fics back in 2016-2019 got me hooked onto buckynat for life

however, some favs by medeafive are Stone Cold Sober, I'm not the one who wants to hurt you, Say it ain't so, write our name in blood and in flowers of flame, We'll figure it out

and by missmorwen - Memory Lane (I cannot tell you how many times I've read this series over the years, it's one of my absolute favs), Burn With Me, And A Bed That’s Too Big (Because You’re Not in It), Rhapsody in Red, Oh Say Can You See, And Always Will Until the End, Morning after, A Tie That We Cannot Break

some favs of mine written by pinklights are - This Isn't A Roadtrip (buckynat + bucky and kate bishop road trip), A Kiss With A Fist Is Better Than None (the americans au), The Best of the Best (And the Worst of the Worst), Homemade Dynamite, Let's Be Bad Together, buckynat cinematic universe, Your Life And Mine Are Parallel Lines, we're made of similar stuff

many many fics that taralkariel wrote - What Did You Think Would Happen?, Head Is Not My Home, Functional, Road to War

If Love Wants You by blessedharlot - post-CW reunion

You Could At Least Remember Me by tuesdaymidnight - post-CW memory crisis

Remembering What It Is To Be Human by tuesdaymidnight - natasha having messed up ideas about manipulation using sex due to the red room, and then goes into a crisis because she truly falls in love with bucky

You Were a Kindness When I Was a Stranger by napricot - murder road trip

someday somebody will come and find you by napricot - post-endgame memory crisis

and in which darkness by anomalocaris - this one is such a classic. one of my favs. cold war buckynat

Who The Hell Is Steve? by Lsusanna - this one is soooo good. an au where steve fell off the train and became the winter soldier and bucky crashed the plane, ending up in the 21st century.

One More Troubled Soul by sara_holmes - another one with the same premise but with stevetony along with buckynat.

this bullet lodged in my chest, covered with your name by Cinaed - natasha goes through a memory crisis

Some Of The Colors Have To Fade by impertinence - another murder road trip

a case of you by irnan - post-TWS fic

Suffocating by sammiewilson (softlyspiraling) - killingeve au!!

everything i've ever been, belonged to you the second you claimed it by indieheadmeltdown - post-CW reunion

the bass and the fading light by stars_inthe_sky - date night by beating up criminals

Paris, 1956 by Wikiaddicted723 - cold war paris fic

remember me to by steshka by andibeth82 - yet another buckynat murder roadtrip

Coffee Grounds by kingaofthewoods - bucky's time as the winter soldier has been permanently wiped, including his time in the red room with natasha

Soviets in Love - another red room/memory loss fic

Those Isles of Yours by snark - buckynat working for the soviet union during the vietnam war

Lady Lazarus by JonBonHovis - a natasha-centric fic of her life from the red room to SHIELD and the avengers

Love-Tricks by snark - flirty nat

You Give Love a Bad Name by NotEvenCloseToStraight - sexual tension obv because it's a mr and mrs smith au

Lived and Loved by bellagerantalii - red room/memory loss

Unbreakable by Serenity_V - mcu/616 fusion red room fic

a disaster in two acts by shewritesall - bucky meets widowfam as natasha's bf

Of Felines, Fiancées and Family Reunions by Green_Angst_And_Ham - black widow movie compliant. another bucky meets widowfam as natasha's bf. alpine and liho are present

you shine around me like a million suns by girl0nfire - buckynat wwII au

I Think We Need Each Other by nataliasromanoff - undercover as married, enemies to lovers

The Buck To The Future Trilogy by Ultra - bucky didn't fall from the train and was on the plane with steve

a falling star can't fall forever by Mizzy - international iron man/mr. and mrs. smith au

And All I See is White and Red by Sarma, TeyrianTimelord - ww1/russian revolution au

Paris Holds The Key (To Your Heart) by madxasahatter, xthemarchharex - post ww2 au. nat is a ballerina

[fushiguruuzzzz]

xvi  ⊹ ࣪ ˖  L is for Weezer 

Series mlist 

Tags — possibly offensive humour, mentions of self hatred, lwk angst I fear 

Words — 1k 

Megumi had tossed his phone haphazardly to the other side of his bed, falling back onto the pillow and staring at the ceiling. He felt so utterly stupid. Nobara was right, honestly. He couldn’t just give up, just back away every single time he felt exposed, every time he felt as if a deeper layer of him was being shown. It scared him more than anything, to allow you to see those parts of him knowing you might not react the way he hoped. With the reveal of the vulnerable parts also came the risk of being harmed, hence why he was so guarded. He found himself converting every emotion into anger, bubbling and bursting like a geyser when the time came. Worst of all, he’d let that time be with you. He wasn’t angry at you, not in the least. He could never be angry at you. 

He was angry at Kamo for swooping in just when things felt right, he was angry at Nobara for bringing that on in the first place, and most of all, he was angry at himself. He’d pushed you away out of fear that his emotions were too much to bare, and now it had been two weeks since the two of you had shared a good conversation. He hated it. It was all his fault. 

You couldn’t ever love him. He couldn’t even love him, he hated him. It was only natural that you’d do the same, after all, you seemed to be rather parallel. Always in the same direction, never meeting. He just wished it wasn’t that way, he wished loving you wasn’t so scary and that at the very least, he could man up and admit it. He’d never been a forward man. Instead he pushed you away and treated you like an asshole. When you called him out he couldn’t even argue because everything you said was true. Every word, every bit of it, except for the implication that you’d done something wrong. 

Fuck, he felt like a middle schooler again. Living through university with you was just as heart wrenching, just as terrible. Yet again he found himself doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, every aspect of his life scrambled simply because you liked another boy. He’d never cared much for life, never found much purpose in his own, except for you. You… you were everything. 

“Fushiguro, get up, man!” came a voice from the doorway, along with a jacket being tossed at him, which he swatted away without a second thought. Yuji had been at it all week, trying to make Megumi get outside for reasons other than classes. 

“Screw off.” 

Yuji suppressed a groan, tossing his head back in exasperation. “Todo’s frat is having a party tomorrow. You’re going.” 

Megumi’s face pulled up into a scowl, disgust painting his features. A party, seriously? Did Yuji even know him? “No, I’m not.” 

“You are,” Yuji pushed. He let out a soft sigh, voice coming out a little softer when he continued. “Please. Just once. Everyone’s getting worried.” 

Megumi felt a pang of something in his chest. Guilt? Maybe. Compassion? Possibly. He let out an annoyed huff, similar to what your parents do when you beg for something before asking you to grab their wallet. “…fine. Just once.” 

Yuji grinned proudly, internally fist pumping. “Yes! Okay, we’ll go tomorrow night at ten.” 

“Hmph. ‘Kay.” 

Meanwhile, you were having a similar conversation, though with far more pestering and far more people. 

Toge was sprawled out on the carpet beside your bed, right next to Panda, whose circumference took up nearly half of the floors area. Maki was perched on her bed, Yuta standing idly at the bottom of it. Nobara, who had basically moved into your dorm by now, was sat at the bottom of yours. 

“You’re coming.”

“No.” 

“Please?”

“No.” 

“Please?” they simultaneously whined, except for Maki, who instead stared at you as if to tell you the choice wasn’t yours to make. 

You slumped against the wall your bed was pushed against, grumbling under your breath. “Oh my gosh, why? I don’t want to.” 

“You should get out, [name]. I’m concerned for you—we all are,” Yuta said, his gentle voice chipping away at your resolve. Screw nice boys and their soft spoken voices, and screw him for being your friend. 

“Think about it,” Nobara said, propping herself up on one arm. “If you look really hot, it’s revenge.” 

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t have much that’s ‘hot’ in my closet, anyway,” you whined. 

“You’re saying that to a shopping addict. That’s music to her ears,” Maki called from across the room. Well, she wasn’t wrong. Nobara seemed to be jittering with excitement simply from hearing it, already picturing the next trip to the mall in her mind. 

You mulled over it for a moment. There were both pros and cons included if you decided to agree. Pros: confidence boost, fun, quality time, happy friends. Cons: Megumi and Kamo were both likely to be there, considering (though Kamo more directly) they were both linked to Todo. It came down to the choice not of whether to go or not, but of whether you’d let a silly fight force you to be cooped up in your room wallowing in self pity, or if you’d push through. That realization alone was enough to force a nod from your head, a breath of air leaving your lips. 

“Okay, okay. I’ll be there.” 

Nobara, as well as the others, all lit up. Toge grinned at you from the floor, proud as if he’d done anything anyway. 

“We have to go shopping!” Nobara said. You agreed with a soft laugh and a hesitant nod, blissfully unaware of the events that awaited you. 

Taglist !¡ —

@1l-ynn @meowymeowbreow @missunrise @kiss-my-asscheeks @starrysho @good-mourning0 @gumims @beaniesayshi @mrowwww @luvvmae @megumislovedoll @azharyy @starsryi @tibibibi123 @idkidk32 @dazaisfavgf @tlissablr @vi0let-writes @walllflowerrrsss @sh0ot1ngst4r @blubearxy @tvnamayo @san-it-is-i-guess @harryzcherry @withlovesai

(Crossed out name means I can’t tag u!)

Megumi will forever be referred to as Firkle Smith Last name oooo… can’t listen to music so im miserable. You must be as well giggles this was kinda lazy but wtvvvv its okayyyy idk when to release the Yuji fic erm ill probably just wait for bttoh to be over and then post it we shall see…

[shezzabee]

What are your thoughts on the idea that Inho's obsession with Gihun might do with the fact that Gihun reminds him of his dead wife?

I'm biased because I absolutely eat it up. I never been the same after seeing a post here that compared Gihun's s1 smiling photo with a photo of Inho's wife smiling.

There's also the fact that in s2 ep4, Inho called his wife stubborn, and how theres no point in arguing with her once she set her mind on something (going through her pregnancy despite her being very sick).

It made me think of Gihun's dedication of finding the Recruiter/Salesman, his insistance on being put back in the game...and him not listening to Inho when being told to get on the plane.

With this in mind, Inho's "Just get on the plane. It's for your own good." can be read more that just one man telling another man with who he shares similar trauma, to get the good life he doesn't have (but it's absolutely valid!!)

It could also be Inho (without realizing it) pleading for Gihun (his wife) to listen to him (the doctors), and (this time) survive. But just like with his wife, Gihun isn't budging with his decision. He made up his mind, go argue with a wall.

(Now it doesn't mean that Inho saw his wife in Gihun in an instance. It happens slowly as Inho gets closer to him)

Hi! Thanks for the question. I think I know the post you’re referring to—my shipper brain absolutely devoured that too, not gonna lie. XD

Even beyond the shipping lens, though, everything you’ve said really resonates. It feels like the core of their dynamic, doesn’t it? In-ho is clearly drawn to something about Gi-hun’s refusal to compromise on his principles, his unshakable belief in humanity, and his conviction that things can still turn out for the better. The only other person In-ho has explicitly mentioned as being just as stubborn as Gi-hun is his late wife, which feels like a significant parallel.

Now, of course, this is all speculation, and we won’t know In-ho’s full motivations until Season 3 (hopefully) sheds some light. But I don’t think In-ho has ever truly moved on from his wife’s death. He’s still grieving, still carrying the weight of that loss. He’s angry—angry at himself for not being there when his wife and child died, angry at the world for the circumstances that led to it, and probably angry at the Games themselves for existing. (I’ll die on the hill that In-ho hates the Games, despite being their enforcer.) He’s also angry at humanity at large for failing people in need, for letting the world get to this point.

And I think there’s a part of him that’s angry at his wife, too, (don't kill me, hear me out). She was self-sacrificing to a fault, willing to risk her own life to save their unborn child. That mirrors what we see in Gi-hun, especially at the end of Season 1. In the final game, after Sang-woo is defeated, Gi-hun refuses to abandon his morals to win, even when the easier path is right in front of him. That kind of unyielding determination, that refusal to bend—even at great personal cost—has to strike a nerve with In-ho.

Since In-ho can’t confront his late wife or tell her she was wrong to risk it all, to leave him alone, he directs all that unresolved grief and anger toward Gi-hun instead. Gi-hun becomes a constant, painful reminder of everything In-ho lost—and everything he’s come to resent about the world.

So, what does In-ho do? He sets out to break Gi-hun. To tear apart everything and everyone Gi-hun cares about until all that’s left is despair. Maybe then, In-ho can finally say: “See? There’s no point. None of it means anything. You were wrong—just like she was wrong.”

It’s a cruel and calculated move, but also deeply human. If he can prove that Gi-hun’s ideals and morals are meaningless, it would, in a twisted way, justify the choices In-ho has made and the person he’s become.

In the end, it’s not just about Gi-hun or his late wife. It’s about In-ho’s own pain, his need to make sense of the senseless, and his desperate attempt to validate the path he’s taken—even if it’s at the expense of someone who still believes in the good.

[sugar-petals]

since hybe keeps on mumbling how they don’t exactly know when to bring back bangtan because quote “BTS' share of overall revenue is not likely to be as high as in the past” and they will significantly deprioritze them (silly, delusional, eyeroll-worthy, oblivious, rude, greedy, foolish, the audacity: a damn rennaissance is about to happen! the whole fandom is emerging from the woodwork ffs), we need to take matters in our own hands getting everyone on board, enjoying what’s about to happen, and hype this calm before the very exciting storm up. in other words: silence, corporation! 

the ones that give and gave you all that money are talking now. we’re all still here! it doesn’t matter how much BTS will make because it would always suffice to keep them going (otherwise, they’d be long disbanded), nor is it of concern how old they are, what the trends may be, anything. it matters that they are back. full stop! as the phenomenon they are, and as friends, artists, cultural forces, support systems, as people. military is hard! plus, and that seems to be the good ole main concern: it even doesn’t matter how popular anyone else is by that time in 2025. or later because companies can mess anything up. man... we gotta stick together.

good for that other group or artist if things are happening for them. most idols barely make a living and have to repay huge debts. and besides: if, for instance, chungha drops a viral quality banger one week before BTS returns like it’s her fantastic baby i will do what? rejoice! because holy shit, two cool new songs! and hybe will still make cash anyway, as even more eyes are on the industry. and more old and new fans gather. who would have thought! even if BTS’ main market rivals perform amazingly: imagine how huge and buzzing the award shows and charts and switching on the speakers will be. this will be like spring. 

if bts not being on top is the worry — uh, how unrealistic — i guess hybe wants to insult everyone in this equation (and rage bait?!), even themselves: hilariously weak stuff right there. the golden eras of k-pop and music generally were marked by several great, bustling groups being excellent parallel to another anyway, with several contrasting trends emerging simultaneously. the bland eras had monopolies, a uniform look, meh production vibes, and nothing major happening 90% of the time, and the overall quality dragging everyone down, down, down. that’s not what we want! 

i want this thing blowing up like every group releases their gangnam style on crack all at once. my feed spammed with shiny thumbnails, fan cams, announcements, shows, reactions, like an LSD trip. any groups and solo artists dropping and bumping their hits nonstop ring ding dong style until the fans collapse from excitement and not keeping up. i want mutuals on my dash yelling “WHAT... I MISSED /THIS/ WHILE I SLEPT?!!” constantly again! period! i want my brain melting from all the viral dance breaks and catchy rap parts and insane choreography and new hair colors and the wildest ever beats. come at me! i think that fans can handle being blasted with fun music and novelty from all directions 😉 

cause, pay attention hybe honey, that’s what liking music is all about. even if fans prefer one artist/group over the other. yep, it is possible. who wouldn’t have a good time if all the big groups went off: there’s something furiously cool happening for everyone! a good kpop generation has a firework of big, BIG releases in a short(er) period of time, without overworking idols of course. and that’s what we need now, awakening from the slumber. bts’ military discharge is the starting signal for exactly that. hybe doesn’t know who they’re handling. they should be screaming “omg let’s gooo, look at them” the loudest! this shit is like the one piece time skip, hello? 

i can’t believe penny pinching is still supposed to be the problem. do they even know which group they’re talking about? just ludicrous. these 7 guys had and always have the midas touch. even yoongi who couldn’t even afford a single proper meal or the bus home from bighit is now worth a heavy 50 million bucks. there is no sense in fearing they’ll tank financially. hybe has zero trust and doesn’t know the fandom dynamics at all. as soon as jungkook even does as much as tie his hair back we are activated like purple sleeper agents.

even if bts totally fumbles and disappoints with the most awful regressive slop in history, a boring album, lost their spark, go through media turmoil, whatever, unless some producer totally goes off the rails and copies someone else word by word and note by note, it would be impossible not to pay attention to them anyway. i repeat. popularity and increasing revenue are never an issue with them. raise your hand, who thinks RM will greenlight a song that only two people enjoy and click on? hybe acts like the stadiums will be empty. does their CFO have amnesia? if the oasis reunion sells out in one hour, can you imagine what’s going to happen here?

i also don’t buy that they need a year’s prep time. far 2026 comeback?! many idols only took 2-3 months after military discharge. both sides are full of happy anticipation, idols and fans. yes — coordination, rehearsing, plans, tour, getting used to it all again, hair growing back, not rushing, subunits, hyyh anniversary, rest, military is an abrasive 24/7 job, other things also need organizing, i get it. but hell, yoongi once said he comes up with one or two songs each day. his head must be brewing with stuff that bts can drop in some considerable time, and i’m not being avaricious here. not to mention that namjoon probably has 10 poetry books worth of lyrics written in the meantime and will not hesitate to bring his writings to the table. 

if i was jimin my dancing feet would be dying to move in sync with everyone else sooner or later. i’d drop whatever content i wanted and enjoy being back. the audience reaction boost alone will accelerate everything, it might even be scary how much of a deal this will be. but basking in the early joy is the topic now! i want people theorizing like mad what’s gonna happen lmao, that’s the most fun! so let’s get this party started. we’re gearing up, there’s no stopping army anyway once it all gets going. and we’re cooking with imagination, too.

imagine a lead song that’s catchy like butter, lyrically hyped-up like the cyphers, dynamite-level impactful, a full-on banger like not today, adrenaline-laden like fire, and colorful like DNA. i’m not asking for too much, they’ve done it before. they are bts. it all comes down to who’s (co-)producing. that’s what i’m worried about. so my wish producer or force behind the scenes if hybe goes the american way (of course they will) would be someone pharell-esque. upbeat, refreshing, it has to match bts’ golden theme thread throughout their career. i wouldn’t mind the weeknd for a more melancholic B-side. 

it doesn’t have to be completely ice cream bubble gum at all, it could be anything in fact, and the new artistic direction remains to be seen later. the curiosity is one of the best parts. let’s focus on that! my feeling is that they slightly pick up where they left off, tie loose ends together, reprise their best elements as a tangent, and then present a whole new thing immediately. they’ve always been referencing with their work while innovating, this will be no different. yeah, the task of a whole new song/album carrying on the story is pretty difficult. settling in, too. i see why hybe thinks its risky, sure. i’d feel the pressure and required effort, too. but it’s bts! whatever they are cooking up will be of interest. i rest my case, this is going to be huge.

[plasmara]

Ive been living vicariously through your and many others s3 pt2 conversations cuz I didn't get to watch the leaks before they get sniped and all I can say is:

Based on what I'm reading it seems like the ninja are shaming Jay anytime he acts like Rogue and Praising him anytime he does something they can easily attribute to his old identity

Basically they are living up to the many allegations that folks (including me) expected them too, denying his current identity while constantly talking about who he was before

Like damn yall it's no wonder he doesn't trust you.

Even if they don't mean to, for Jay, it blatantly looks like they don't care about HIM, who he is of the present. All they care about is who he was before. They don't accept him as he like many of us thought they did after pt1, they are trying to erase him.

yes . anytime he does anything og jay wouldn’t have done (or the jay that exists in their minds anyways) they’re visibly upset or disappointed. and it’s like. from jay’s pov WHY ON EARTH would he ever want to be around these people who he seemingly just keeps letting down

and it’s even Worse because the ninja aren’t just clinging to an old version of jay. they’re actively erasing the person he’s become. every time they say something about him being a ninja or treat his new life like some temporary phase, they’re telling him over and over and over again “the only version of you that deserves love is the one that served us”

not the one who clawed his way out of hell. not the one who had to rebuild himself from scratch. just the one who made them comfortable

and its soooo so cruel . because jay’s entire arc right now is about trying to survive for himself,, trying to exist outside of the expectations people keep forcing onto him, becoming his own person separate from what others have told him so far, and the people who are supposed to love him the most are the ones making it impossible. like how can he believe these people actually ever loved him. and actually. Ohhhh actually. they’re doing what ras did, in a roundabout way. imposing their own beliefs onto him to get him to help them. direct parallel of ras feeding him his beliefs to get him to fight at the tournament, compared to the ninja feeding him THEIR belief that fighting for the greater good is important to get him to stay and help

they’re proving that they don’t love him. they love a memory, and repeatedly remind him of that, and then they wonder why he won’t let them close ??!,!,!?!?!

And if they really loved him, they would have mourned the boy they lost and chosen to love the man standing in front of them now. but instead they’re treating him as some kind of inconvenience in his own life

[graveyard-galaxy]

You know I actually think Douglas Graves is more spineless than Andrew could ever be. Douglas seems to simply view himself as an extension of his wife, I do not think Andrew consistently views himself as an extension of Ashley.

This one’s interesting, because I do conceptually agree, but I also think I have a little more to say than just that.

Where Andrew and Ashley vs Douglas and Renee gets interesting to me is that Douglas isn’t necessarily portrayed as uncomfortable just doing what Renee wants in the same way that if nothing else, just the ____ in a box ending (Choosing Andy ending in episode 3) shows that Andrew is completely miserable just being Ashley’s plaything. It does get a little hard to say, because we are very deliberately shown very little of Douglas, typically, because the story is told from Andrew and Ashley’s perspectives, and he is completely absentee to both of them. (We don’t even get his portraits until we’re in a vision from Renee’s perspectives, for instance) I would say though, that whereas Andrew feels confined and consumed by being under Ashley’s thumb, Douglas seems to be comfortable under Renee’s direction, from what we see.

He won’t stand up to his abusive father, but Renee will do it for him. (They had a plan to kill his parents together, and though we have no idea how much Douglas really liked the idea of this, we know that he was perfectly prepared to go along with the plan before they discovered and decided to keep Renee’s pregnancy.) He doesn’t get the social mind games the surgeon plays with him, but Renee does, and he’s perfectly happy for her to just speak for him entirely in the opposite way to how the surgeon speaks to him for her. And even just in the car on the way to the grandparents! He tries to stammer out to the kids why they shouldn’t ruin the car, but they don’t respond, and then he’s perfectly happy to let Renee bark out the orders. (Only to Andrew, passing that chain of responsibility right along, as well….)

Andrew wouldn’t take this from Ashley. We’ve all known for a while that his ‘doormat extraordinaire’ descriptor is a good bit of unreliable narration, and is exactly what he wants us to think, but it’s still worth noting for that all he does give into Ashley and appear to be that doormat, it’s reluctantly. A lot of the time he’s only battered down into agreeing with her, which is part of why he’s so frustrated and often times verging on nihilistic in episode 3.

So whilst, yep, I do think Douglas would be happy to call himself an extension of Renee, because when he comes home from long hours of work, feeling tired and frustrated and perhaps verging on nihilistic (note, we do not know this, but considering he has to tell Andrew in an episode 2 flashback that he isn’t about to jump off the balcony, it’s not hard to see potential parallels to our very suicidal and nihilistic Shots and Such Andrew) she makes everything right again.

But it really is more complicated for Andrew. Just in this framework, Andrew is both happiest when he has Ashley right beside him, but also at his most miserable when he’s ‘forced’ to put up with her. When he’s apart from Ashley, he feels wrong. But when he’s with Ashley, they so frequently fight and he does things that he doesn’t like. If he thinks of himself as an extension of her, it’s in a very miserable sense; he wants to be more to her than just what she wants to be, and more than just Leyley’s Andy, and feels confined as just her plaything. He views her as fundamentally incapable of drawing any kind of lines between them, so when he is Ashley’s anything, for all that he claims to be happy to be her everything, it isn’t offering any kind of safety or fulfilment in the same way that being Renee’s husband offers something to Douglas.

To put it succinctly, Andrew yearns for an equal partnership; Douglas yearns to be with Renee in any capacity.

Or, well, it’s hard to say exactly how Douglas feels, because we never see his perspective, and because most of the thoughts we have on their relationship are from Renee’s perspective. But we know that they both feel as though they saved each other — it’s just that Renee’s words about this are a lot stronger. She very fervently insists that meeting Douglas is practically the only good thing to happen to her, in her time capsule letter, but Douglas’s is more… wishy-washy, I suppose? He says that being with Renee gives him a reason to stay alive, but practically everything else he says is along the lines of “I want to do this because you do”. Even in Renee’s vision in the vision room, mostly Douglas seems to just test the waters more saying anything concrete, so it’s hard to get his thoughts on things beyond just the obvious “I love my wife”.

What I will say is interesting about that vision is how he does take some actions without Renee’s direct input. He, at the very least, is in tune with her enough to act on her behalf sometimes, as here, he unplugs the phone for her, and is the first to tentatively bring up that they don’t have to do anything about Andrew and Ashley potentially being Nina’s killers. But I think more relevantly here, we also observe he easily he backpedals. He thinks out loud about how the punishment for Andrew and Ashley can’t be that bad if they killed Nina, because they’re both just kids – very apathetic to the situation as he’s apathetic towards the kids – but quickly changes his tune when Renee snaps about not wanting to be seen as the mother of two kids raised so badly they’re murderers. After that, that’s when he starts of his casual avoidance – the “We don’t know that it actually happened, so therefore it probably didn’t” type attitude. (Curiously, this is more of a parallel to Ashley’s line of thinking about Nina with her whole “If you don’t think about something for a really long time, it’ll be like it never happened” type mentality.)

We see Andrew test the waters in similar ways, especially in episode 1, where he lets Ashley dictate a lot of his behaviour for some kind of plausible deniability (“Do we, uhh… Do you want to go check on him?” about the neighbour once on his balcony, and the infamous “Wanna go take a peek?” “Nope. But I’ll come along if you do…” about going to see what the music is about the first time) but I think this comes from a bit of a different place. Douglas tests the waters with what he says because he fundamentally trusts his wife’s judgment over his own, seemingly, and because he doesn’t want to go against her. But Andrew speaks like this because his mask is still so far up in episode 1, especially when we don’t see him from his perspective, so he’s still very much shifting responsibility for what they do onto Ashley because he doesn’t want to accept it. It’s not that Andrew especially trusts Ashley’s judgment, clearly not, given how much he doubts and insults her plans and motives in later episodes, but if she makes the decisions, then it’s just not his fault if things go wrong.

Or once again, to summarise, Douglas lets Renee be responsible for his actions and opinions because he trusts her and because he wants his thoughts to align with hers, whereas Andrew lets Ashley be responsible for his actions and seemingly at fault for his opinions only when it’s both most convenient for him to have her to blame, and when he’s willing to entertain her as actually Ashley – when he’s having enough fun with her to actually want to hear her thoughts.

Because if there’s one big thing that stops Andrew from being an extension of Ashley, it’s that most of the time, he doesn’t see her as her own person. Most of the time, if anyone’s an extension of anyone, she’s just some extension of him, as he’s the stand-in mother, father, boyfriend, whatever the fuck she feels like that day to her, whilst he consistently dehumanises and infantilises her. He can’t be the extension of someone he views as never having grown out being a child at the best of times, and as simply an “it” – some kind of object that can’t be consistent because it doesn’t have its own thoughts – at the worst. And when she attempts to force him into that position – when she chains him up or puts him away in the toy box – he’s miserable, because he is only willing to be Ashley’s if it’s on his terms.

[larcenywrites]

Hi English is not my first language, so sorry for the mistakes, but I could do a Kurt Wagner x reader, in which the reader follows the Wicca religion, or something linked to witchcraft, they are both in a relationship and I would like to see how their different beliefs would affect their relationship (already that Kurt is Catholic although I believe he has no prejudice in dating someone with a different religion I would like to see how this would affect their coexistence)

sorry for the writing errors

I have lots of thoughts about this that I can’t reflect in a single one shot, so for now I’ll do some headcanons! However, it would be interesting to parallel this with a spin on Kurt’s 2004 solo series! So I will probably do something with that :) Obviously, I can do research, but I am in no way knowledgeable about the practices nor those who practice wicca or witchcraft. I don’t want to generalize and say, like, “Kurt x witch reader”, but I’m not quite sure what else exactly to put :(

Nightcrawler with a Witch S/O

Headcanons

Warnings: aside from mentions of religion and witchcraft there’s nothing | I mean there’s some cute stuff here and there if it counts :)

⚜️ Kurt may be catholic, but his background is full of diverse people with different perspectives and practices!

⚜️ Scarlet Witch, his adopted mother, and his adopted sister all practice witchcraft, and he has a… well, decent enough relationship with all of them! But any of their spats have nothing to do with their way of life!

⚜️ He means well when he wants to drag you to mass Sunday morning. Really! He does! It’s something he’s done with every one of his friends by now, anyway, but it’s just that it’s a huge part of his life! He genuinely just wants you there! Sure, he can’t deny there’s always going to be some part of him that wants you to also be on some level of his own religion, but again, it’s from no place of ill will.

⚜️ After all, even though he has seen firsthand that this rule is relatively loose, I think it’s normal for someone in his belief system to worry whether their life partner will be able to join them in the afterlife :( He’s going to worry about it from time to time. He’s also definitely going to pray about it a lot. Take it in a sweet way— he just really cares about your love so much that he’s afraid it’ll have to end 🥲

⚜️ He also means well when he brings home various herbs and wildflowers he’s seen you use!! He probably even tries to make a cute little bouquet to present them! Obviously the source of said plants might not be ideal 😅 So maybe it’s time to expand a little garden! Plus, having a small garden if your preferred ingredients or offerings is a good way to teach him a thing or two in case he needs it (again), and he enjoys helping out in non-direct ways! Besides, gardening is a cute activity to do together 😘

⚜️ Speaking of which, while he’ll always be grounded in his faith, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t acknowledge everything around him! He’s seen demons and gods, magic and ghosts, heaven and… well, not hell, but you get the gist! So don’t worry, he knows well enough that not only what you do is real and powerful, but still a respectable craft. In fact, I’m sure he holds a deep respect especially if you tend to be one who thanks the Earth/ask permission for resources often. And you just might rub off on him! While he would be thanking God instead, it probably makes him more mindful of his everyday interactions with the environment 😌

⚜️ But because of his own beliefs, I’m sure certain practices or spells would make him nervous 😅 Because of this, if there’s a specific deity/god/goddess/etc you answer to/pray to that really clashes with his morals and beliefs, a relationship probably won’t last long.

⚜️ But just because some things make him nervous, it doesn’t mean he’s going to leave or anything. He might not partake in a tarot drawing or participate in certain things, but he still respects it and trusts you.

⚜️ But, uh, there might also be times when he’s literally in the next room holding the cross around his neck and praying aloud while you’re trying to do something 🤧 But this also works the other way around! Not only does it probably throw off either of your thoughts, but I’m sure it doesn’t help either of you when you both might be putting very different energy into the room rn 😅

⚜️ If for whatever reason you ever need something from him, like a bit of his fur, you probably have his permission already to just walk up to him with a pair of scissors! Even so, he usually asks billion questions 😒 So is it worth the hassle?

⚜️ While your beliefs and intentions may be different, you both might share quite a few daily rituals! Kurt won’t at all mind sharing the rug or the lawn with you if you meditate as often as he does. You both use it for similar reasons, really. It might even be both nice and interesting to have a conversation about any thoughts and experiences afterward 💙 Maybe, for once, you both found the answers you needed this morning and can share it :)

⚜️ But there are some other things he considers more “harmless,” so to speak that he does participate in. If you tend to journal things like dreams and daily experiences to cross reference later for any signs and such, he might do it too. Well- he’ll probably tell you his dreams or a reoccurrence he’s noticed (especially if it’s something that has been stressing him or maybe he’s just got a gut feeling he can’t explain) and see what you have to say about it! Just because you have different beliefs doesn’t mean he can’t find value in what you have studied and what you have to say!

⚜️ I’m sure many mornings he likes to drink teas with specific herbs and what they’re known for, and you might also partake in this! Of course, there’s probably much more intention behind the herbs you use, the way you prepare it, the way you stir it, but sometimes Kurt just likes to feel involved :)

⚜️ You don’t have to worry about him messing with any of your stuff! It’s probably out of both respect and paranoia, but he won’t mess with any alters or offerings or generally just the way you have your side of the room set up (though, probably after some gentle explaining here and there…)

⚜️ However, he may have a hard time with wanting to look at and touch any rocks and crystals… In a very respectful way, he just thinks they’re pretty and neat, okay? ;w; To be honest, get him one or two to have of his own that you think he needs when he’s stressed or when he’s out on missions. Kurt will carry them with him everywhere ❤️‍🩹 Because while he might not always believe that they carry this or that type of energy, he knows it means you care 🥰

[kedreeva]

I’m following a quail thread online and there is considerable discussion on avoiding inbreeding, (their terms) and how to line breed. However, I don’t trust their assessment of genetics or even all of their husbandry practices. How much do you (general) need to worry about inbreeding?

I don't know what they're on, but "line breeding" is a form of inbreeding. You are breeding a bloodline to itself. You cannot avoid inbreeding if you are line breeding. It sounds as ridiculous as saying "we must avoid eating apples, here's how to eat gala apples." what.

Some people may have flexible ideas of what degree of inbreeding is acceptable within line breeding, but uhhhh it's all "the breeding of related individuals" when you look under the hood.

What I ASSUME they mean is that they are avoiding breeding birds to direct siblings or parents. Which isn't a bad thing! But just because they aren't siblings or parents doesn't mean it's magically not inbreeding anymore.

But to answer your question about how much you should worry about inbreeding quail, the answer is largely "it depends."

It depends on a) the health of the line you're breeding and what happen when you do it, b) what work you put in up front, c) how long you intend to do it for, d) how wide of a gene pool is in your care, and e) if outcrossing will help or hurt.

a) If your line is healthy, and breeding related individuals does not produce clearly unhealthy animals due to problems that are likely genetic (ie, messed up bones structures (particularly beaks), messed up eyes (like microphthalmia), messed up feathers (like breeding two frizzles to make a frazzle), etc etc), then there isn't an issue with inbreeding them for health reasons.

b) If you pull from a wider array of genetics at the outset (ie, you get birds from multiple breeders) to create your line, then you will be staving off genetic deterioration for quite a while. If you pull from multiple lines and keep a couple lines going at the same time with the intention of outcrossing from one to the other down the road, you will be able to introduce "new" blood without necessarily worrying about....

e) whether outcrossing will help or hurt. If you have a healthy line that is not showing health defects and for all intents and purposes seems to be doing well, introducing fresh blood may actually do your line more harm than good, as outcrossing to unknown lines can introduce deleterious genes, and cause health problems you weren't previously dealing with. not to mention the biosecurity risks of outcrossing to birds from another breeder. EVEN if you trust them a lot, you never know what someone else's birds have got going on. Just last year I got some birds from a girl, and all four of them had BAD coccidia infestations (so bad I lost one to it during treatment), and she is a highly-regarded breeder within the coturnix community. Which doesn't have anything to do with inbreeding, but if you're trying to avoid inbreeding by getting new stock, it's a huge risk that you have to weigh the worth of against not doing that.

c) how long you intend to inbreed for. If you're just doing one back cross to a parent, or a small number of backcrosses to a parent, the ONLY risk involved is doubling up on a bad gene and causing a health problem. But that isn't a bad thing; it outs the genetic health problem immediately, rather than 10 generations down the line when suddenly your whole line crashes because you didn't weed this thing out from the start. HOWEVER, if you intend to do closely inbred pairings long term (I would say maybe 10-15+ generations depending on the other criteria), then you may begin to see genetic deterioration eventually. This is where having a parallel line in place helps, as you'll have done the same work with them to weed out health problems, but they won't be related (or not AS related depending on how you set up your initial breeding groups), so they can be an "outcross" down the road when you need it.

d) how wide your gene pool remains after initial setup. If you have one cage of quail, even if you have sourced from multiple breeders, that pool will stagnate faster than if you have 5 breeding groups you can mix and match from, and 5 will stagnate faster than 20, and so on. EVEN if you aren't keeping them completely separate and they're all related, and you're mixing and matching, a wider gene pool to pull from within your own breeding setup will help keep things fresher longer.

Most of the time, you're not going to be doing this long enough to cause a major problem. My celadon line was almost entirely closed for the last 3 years (I did one outcross that dead ended), but I only made it through 5 generations in that time. In three years, I didn't even touch the low end of "inbreeding may start to cause problems." I'm doing outcrosses right now, and they will involve some amount of back crossing, and but overall it should improve the health of my line on top of giving me the color traits I want. Part of the reason I'm doing it is because I started with a REALLY unhealthy celadon line (it was a HUGE mess, and selective breeding has improved them considerably), and I'm at the point where selecting within this gene pool only would do more harm than good. I waited to do this outcross because that wasn't true before; introducing MORE potential problems would not have made it easier. So I worked with them up front, fixing what I could, and once I reached the point where new blood would be helpful to give me more stuff to select from again to make a healthier line, I'm doing it.

Which should be the main concern at all times- the improvement of the line in every respect, but most importantly health.

[willowfey]

ok nobody asked for them but also nobody can stop me so here are my overly sappy completely self indulgent please talk to me about them

tedependant headcanons 🫶🏻

• ted wants to be obsessed with someone. like that one post said he’s a THAT’S MY WIFE guy without a wife, so once trent enters, it’s like. his new passion project is just Being The Best Partner He Can Possibly Be and trent finds it so impossibly endearing (they’re obsessed with each other anyway, it’s fine). their relationship is so healthy tho despite the obsessive aspects bc it’s like. their goal is to have the best relationship and so they simply just Will.

• ted loves baking for him (and rebecca), but he also just loves feeding him in general. loves packing his lunch for him when he has somewhere to go, cuts his sandwiches into cute shapes and sends him with a note. he’s always finding new recipes, new ways to make it cute and fun. it’s entirely unnecessary but it always makes trent smile, which of course makes it very necessary in ted’s eyes.

• the way ted’s voice went all high in the scene where he goes “yeah, but he’s our dork” about trent, that’s like. a thing. if ted is feeling flustered/affected his voice goes a little high and that’s a dead giveaway. trent doesn’t realise this at first until one day he asks someone “do you think ted actually likes this shirt or do you think he’s just being nice i’m not so sure” and they go “what? he loves it, didn’t you hear his voice go up?” and it’s like a lightbulb moment of New Things To Ponder Over About Ted. the only reason he never noticed it before is because it was always directed at him and that makes things fuzzy. (trent puts on one of ted’s shirts the morning after he stays over for the first time and ted’s voice goes higher than the kettle and trent is like ahhhhh okay)

• trent likes to read aloud to him. on opposite ends of the couch facing each other with their legs intertwined, in bed side by side with the lamp on, sitting cross legged on a stool while ted takes a bath after a long day. u know that poem about…. asking for a glass of water not because ur thirsty but because u just want the hand attached to the glass? ted never remembers the plots of the stories trent reads. which is good, actually, because that means he can listen to him tell them again and again.

• they’re both dorks. they both love getting Really Into something and analysing it and finding the joy in it and it’s about the THEMES and the PARALLELS, trent is a writer and ted is ted, so they definitely get VERY into tv shows. like, binge watching and making it their whole personality. sometimes beard is invited over for watch parties if it’s smth he’s into, other times it’s just them, but they WILL be extra about it and make themed snacks. and speaking of trent being a writer, u know the second he found out about ao3 it became his new favourite thing. he’s the one writing those beautiful poetic character study fics that make u cry at 3am, mostly bc the main character reminded him of his husband but u don’t need to know that. (sometimes trent lets him read it and ted always acts as though he’s the most talented writer on the planet and “those guys should hire you ya know, you know their characters better than they do!”)

• ted loves playing with trent’s hair. it’s smth he always loved with michelle too, and smth he rly missed when they stopped being intimate. it’s relaxing to him, and he loves knowing it makes the other person feel good too. at first he thought maybe he would always associate it with her, but whenever they’re laying together and he’s running his fingers through trent’s hair, he’s the only person he could possibly be thinking about.

• when ted is having a panic attack, trent is the only one he wants around. something about his voice is just soothing and grounding. trent gives him space, doesn’t crowd him or anything, just keeps talking to him smoothly until his breathing finally evens out. if ted is at work and trent isnt there (he usually is, but sometimes he’s not), and smth makes him overly anxious, someone else might call trent and just hand the phone to ted, knowing he’ll be able to talk him through it. (yes my word choice was on purpose. and ted will find he is very good at this in all scenarios.)

• ted loves to just. say what he’s thinking. like sometimes they’ll be talking and ted will go “i’m sorry to cut you off, i promise the interruption will only last a second, i just wanted to tell you that your eyes look all starry in this lighting, especially with the colour of your shirt makin them pop, and it’s just a little distracting is all. but i am very interested in what you have to say so please continue” and trent is just. so taken aback every time. and then he kinda fumbles is words and takes a minute to regain his focus bc wtf was he even saying?? how is he supposed to focus now with ted literally staring into his eyes like that, what the hell

• trent finds his humour so stupidly delightful, not because the jokes are actually funny, but because it’s ted. if he’s out by himself and someone says smth that sets it up, trent will be thinking “this is what ted would say right now” and make the joke himself in his head. later he’ll tell him and ted will go “oh no…. you know what this means right??” and trent goes “what??” and ted says, in mock horror, “this means you’re just as bad as me.” and it’s like. are we about to kiss right now???? (answer: yes)

• when trent is home, he lives in silk pajamas with a robe and slippers. ted claims he’s perfectly happy in boxers and a tshirt, but he’s CONSTANTLY stealing the robe bc it’s just so cozyyy. so eventually trent is like fine. and buys him a matching one. and maybeeeee ted also likes the feeling of the silk too…. so now they’re THAT gay couple with matching pajamas and monogrammed robes. (“how else will we know whose is whose??” “well for starters they’re different colours, but i hear you”)

• ted hates tea. everyone knows this. trent tries to tell him that they all taste different, maybe there are some he’d like, but ted insists that there is absolutely NO world in which he’d enjoy drinking that leaf water. trent lets it go, as far as ted is aware. until one day when they’ve been dating for a few months, walking together at a winter market, and trent splits off for a minute to get them a warm drink. ted uses this as an opportunity to buy him that thing at the booth he saw a little ways back for a christmas present (to add to the other 3 he already bought….. listen, he’s enjoying being in a relationship again). anyway trent shows back up with their drinks and says here, try mine, i got their seasonal one. ted tries it and it’s AMAZING. warm and toasty and sweet and cinnamony and creamy, like christmas in a cup. he tells trent as much, and trent just hides his smirk behind his hand. “you like it then?” he asks. “this is damn delicious!” ted says, “what is it?” trent smiles proudly and says “a snickerdoodle chai latte,” “which is….” “tea.”

ted is gobsmacked, bamboozled, he’s been HAD. his world has been flipped upside down by this simple drink, by this very un-simple man who has yet again challenged something that ted was so sure he knew about himself. trent just gives him this cute little squinty eyed face and says “told ya” walking away towards another booth.

and that, actually, is the moment that ted realises this is the love of his life and they’re gonna get married and grow old together

[elainsgirl]

Hello. Feysand stan here. And elriels are like my younger siblings so I'm coming to the defence. Antis just don't understand writing, it's really that simple. They don't understand writing as a craft. Writing isn't vibes on paper. It's a narrative told through themes, symbolism, character arcs etc. And, most often, it's not even difficult to pick up on. Because, most often, it isn't supposed to be a mystery to unravel. You're supposed to be able to follow along. Its not a TikTok jump scare for brains whose attention spans have been fried and need constant plot twists to even keep their eyes open.

When antis say "previous books don't matter" and "anything could happen! We dont know what sjm will write!" Then all there is to say is "no". Elriels are just way too kind about this (to no one's surprise, because it's really no surprise that the fans of the most gentle characters of the series would be too reasonable for their own good). You know you have the whole narrative on your side.

Writing isn't "anything goes". Its not about what is theoretically possible. Theoretically, SJM could write acotar 6 from the POV of Andras in the afterlife. But that is an uninteresting argument. Because it's not about what's theoretically possible but about what has been set up through all the literary devices at a writer's disposal. And you actually don't even have to know a single thing about writing, and you still will pick up on it. That's how it goes. That's why little kids read Harry Potter and aren't surprised by the general direction of the story. That's why people read Fourth Wing without going all shocked pikachu face when Violet and Xaden end up together.

How insulting is it to say that sjm is so incompetent she spent a decade working on acotar and yet never was there a coherent narrative she built? All is vibes and plot twist taken from a random plot twist generator. That's what they sound like they think writing is. Just no. Its not "anything can happen". Its "what's been set up to happen will happen". And that is so obviously Elriel. And FINALLY. They've been stuck in that basement getting hot and heavy in silence for too long (that's hot though).

So, from one Feyre to all the Elains out there, the next time someone says "we don't know what sjm will write, anything could happen!" The answer should simply be "NO".

awe 💞

and I couldn’t agree more. Antis either read too depply into things missing the point or dont read deel enough, again, missing the point. They dont understand foreshadowing, build up, parallels, patterns etc. They don’t understand that with certain books especially fantasy series - things are layered. Plot, relationships and characters themselves all have multiple layers that are building up towards something. For antis it feels like all their takes are surface level and they try to come up with all these messed up, wrong, interpretations to sound clever and pretend they know what they’re talking about - but anyone with decent reading comprehension and understanding of writing as a craft can see right through their bs.

Everything about acotar is obvious. Elriel is meant to be obvious. Its right there in your face. Yes it is cliche but its meant to be. Mass has been so clear with the direction of the series - had laid it all out as clear as day it’s genuinely so shocking to see antis miss it every single time.

Im sorry, unless an author wants to be known as fickle or hasn’t foreshadowed it enough - they would never switch up 180 all of a sudden with no warning in the text. Mass has foreshadowed multiple things throughout the series and its all coming together book by book. We do know what will happen, Mass clearly states it in the books. Her foreshadowing in acowar, especially romantic pairings has been consistent for 3 books. She’s not going to throw all that away for a couple that - in comparison…has no foreshadowing to be together. Nothing tangible holding them together. Az can leave training and thats it. No more gwynriel interactions and it doesn’t disrupt the current flow of the series.

exactly, most books are predictable. You should be able to pick up on where the story is going, whose ending up together and the effect literary devices have. “Elain and Az are too obvious!” Yes they’re meant to be, you’re literally picking up the clues Mass is putting down. Obvious and predictability isnt bad writing and I wish more people understood this.

Mass has spent the past decade crafting this narrative of fate and destiny coming together. 3 sisters, each perfectly matching with 3 brothers isn’t some random coincidence Mass came up with. Its an intentional choice, its significant- it shows they where always meant to find each other and help each other fix whatever issues are present in the series. Not anything can happen. What happens in the next book has to flow and make sense with the previous book/series - as each book carries an overall plot. Very specific set of events that Mass has left clues for will happen in each book leading upto the big moment/event.

Elriel IS very obvious. Its in your face. By acosf, its no longer a subtle thing. Mass wants you to notice Elain and Azriel. She wants you to pair them together. The next couple isnt some mystery. Mass has kept elriel in the basement for so long but that just means a lot of thought went into their book and hopefully its one of the best books Mass has ever written.

so yh. When someone says “anything can happen” - its valid to disagree with them bcs no. Not anything can happen.

[magics-neptunes-things]

I Don't Bite (Woso Prompt)

11. I don't bite. I mean, not unless someone asks me.

I have to admit I first read it with Leah’s voice in my head.

TW : Alcohol

______________________________________________________________

You’ve only been at Arsenal for a few months, but your integration went well. The fact that you speak good English and know Viv and Victoria well from your national team probably helped a lot. You’re pretty close to the others too, but you have to admit that if there’s one player you’re less close to, it’s Leah Williamson.

Because the very moment you first saw her, you developed the dumbest biggest crush on her.

You blush when she talks to you, you can’t help but look at her everytime you have the chance and you find yourself regularly browsing through her Instagram hidden in your bed. You have the perfect impression of being a teenage fool and you suspect that you are ridiculous in Leah’s eyes.

Tonight, you’re all out celebrating Amanda’s birthday, and maybe the alcohol was consumed a little too much. You’re not the type to drink too much, but Leah's here and you have to find a way not to drool in front of her. She's incredible and you swallowed your drink wrong when she arrived with Lia. It amused Kyra very much beside you who gave you blows in the back to prevent you from choking.

This is the only time you’ve ever cross eyes with Leah. Around 3:00 in the morning, you decide it’s time for you to go home. Some of your teammates are already gone and the others are a little scattered throughout the establishment. After saying goodbye to those who were with you at the table, you get your things and go out.

It’s been many minutes since you lost Leah’s eyes, but you didn’t expect to face her as you walked through the door.

"Where are you going?" asks the blonde, frowning.

"I... Uh… Home. See you tomorrow" you mumble.

You rush past her but you are surprised when you feel Leah’s hand grabbing your biceps to turn you in her direction.

"Are you walking home?"

"Yes? I don’t live far"

"It’s three in the morning, you never read news?"

You look at her without understanding, as she rolls her eyes. And Lord have a mercy, this dress is doing things to you.

"I’m taking you home, I don’t want to risk finding you slit in an alley. I didn’t drink anything tonight."

Her tone leaves no room for compromise, but you find yourself trying to contradict her.

"Leah, I swear I’ll be fine."

"Please. I don’t bite. I mean, not unless someone asks me"

She answers you on the cocky tone that characterizes her and you have the impression that you will catch fire on the spot when her gaze plunges into yours.

Leah takes your stutter for an acceptance and takes you with her to her car parked a little further. Your heart rate is way too high for a simple car ride. The silence that reigns during the journey doesn't seem to bother Leah who sings the different musics that pass on the radio, following to the different indications that you give her.

When you get to your home, Leah turns off the engine and looks at you for a few seconds. While you were about to open your mouth to thank her, she got ahead of you by speaking first.

"I see you, you know?"

"I don’t understand" you answer after a few seconds of silence.

"I see you looking at me. Blush whenever I talk to you or look at you."

If someone could give you the ability to turn into a mouse and run away from that car forever, you would. She talking about blushing, you’re probably turned into a tomato.

"I- I’m sorry" you whisper staring straight ahead.

"Don’t be. I think it’s pretty cute"

This has the merit of surprising you enough that you turn your eyes in her direction. The surprise must be on your face since Leah laughs softly while leaning in your direction.

"Actually I think you are very cute"

Are you dreaming or have you passed a portal for a parallel dimension without realizing it? You look at Leah carefully and you find yourself again immersed in her blue eyes.

"I look at you too, you know" she whispers as she looks at you, laying a hand on your cheek.

You’re too shocked to realize it, but Leah is just as hypnotized by you as you are by her. You see her gaze sliding from your eyes to your lips and you also approach your face from hers when she leans in your direction.

Her lips get on yours and you feel your brain freeze. The feeling is even more pleasant than you could imagine in your hours of perdition. Her kiss is soft but also so sensual it makes your head spin.

Her thumb caresses your cheek and goes down to your jaw and then your neck to hold your face against hers. She add her tongue in the kiss when you whisper and you have to hold you back from jumping over the shifter and sitting on her.

"Maybe I’ll want to bite you after all" Leah said maliciously against your lips when you have to take your breath again.

[carigm]

The “Teaser”, mlvn rooftop convo, and Lord of the Rings parallel…

This is gonna be a long post, so grab some snacks y’all.

First of all, the teaser the Duffers shared at this Netflix shareholders event was basically all BTS stuff, and according to someone that was there, we have mostly seen all of it. The actual clips from the show they showed were so short that most people missed it. However, over those short clips it seems they played a voiceover of part of the mlvn rooftop convo. Notice how the Suffer Sisters are literally incapable of sharing anything new, and the only audio they disclosed is from the ONE scene that’s been leaked to death, and even transcribed multiple times with the help of AI. In any case, Netflix did not share this teaser with the masses, and it’s unlikely they ever will. Stranger Things is not going to the Super Bowl this year (yes you heard that right) and the Tudum Event isn’t until May. Our only hope before that would be them releasing something on Will’s birthday, but whether in March or May, I believe we’ll be getting a proper teaser by then.

People that attended the event reported that El has a voiceover line where she goes “they don’t get to write the ending, we do” and apparently a voiceover Mike line where he goes “we’ll finish this together” (I’m not sure if this was paraphrased or not). Immediately, we all realized that these lines sound pretty close to what Mike is allegedly saying to her during the rooftop scene. Many people in the fandom have taken the time to transcribe that scene, some with AI and some without, and although some things could be wrong here and there, the general idea of it seems pretty clear. I’m attaching an AI reading of the scene here, so I can point out where I think his dialogue might be from…

Around the 1.43 mark, the AI picked up “enjoying it, together”, however I think this is where the “we’ll finish it, together” line comes into play. If anything, this shows AI isn’t 100% accurate, and it does call into question some of these previous lines 😂…I think it’s possible that after this speech from Mike about stories, fantasy endings and heroes, El tries to follow his advice and be positive, and maybe she delivers the “they don’t get to write our ending, we do” line back to him. It’s unfortunate because obviously we can’t see her face in the video, but I think it makes sense she would reply with that because right after it seems like he says “of, course…” and then proceeds to seemingly add that the Party can have a happy ending, without all the fantasy elements he mentioned before.

I find it very interesting that he’s choosing to speak to her with this storytelling analogy, which at first I believed to be a D&D analogy, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like he’s talking about an actual story. And then the lord of the rings parallel hit me, specifically with this scene. If you’re not aware, Finn Wolfhard has mentioned lotr twice now when talking about season 5, and I personally think it’s possible that Mike is using lord of the rings here as a reference to describe the hero’s journey and relate it to what the party has been through. Think about it, he’s trying to cheer El up, who has been stuck in that fuckass radio station for a year, who’s probably extremely tired of everything she has been dealing with for years, and he just wants to offer her some consolation so she can keep going and fighting. Does that sound familiar?

Well my friends, if it does, that’s because it is a direct parallel to Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings. I’ve always thought Byler were insanely samfrodo coded (funny enough the last S4 Byler scene is almost identical to this scene too), but it seems the Duffers are paralleling mlvn to them here. In lotr, Frodo bears the biggest burden of the story, as he follows his hero’s journey to Mordor to defeat evil. Along the way, ofc, he becomes increasingly weary and hopeless, and it is up to Sam (his best friend) to cheer him up and provide him with strength to keep him going. How does Sam do this? Interestingly enough, he encourages Frodo by describing all the beautiful things that will come AFTER they have won, what they and their friends will be able to enjoy when they get back home. Basically everything Mike appears to be saying to El in this scene, fantasizing about the end of the battle. To make the parallels even crazier, while on his hero’s journey, Frodo has to remain in hiding because there are multiple forces looking for him, and we know that El is basically hiding away from the government.

Another thing I want to point out is that in lotr (spoilers I guess 😭) good does win in the end, and the main characters get to return back home. However, Frodo is so changed by the journey and all the things he encountered that he simply cannot stay with his friends. Instead, he leaves and goes to the Undying Lands, where he finds peace. He doesn’t die, but he also cannot stay in Middle Earth. Him and Sam have a beautiful goodbye scene and then Sam is left with the literal book of stories Frodo started, and is told by Frodo to “finish it”.

Make of that what you will…