#first lesson lu

[lazuliquetzal]

The lu age swap hasn't been updated in a while so feel free to ignore this if it's not something you're interested in anymore, but I just read through it and first off, it's hilarious, I love it, amazing, it's so chaotic. I was wondering what your plans were for Four, cause it seems like there's some foreshadowing in there that's pretty interesting!

(Also, with Wild being so young I can't imagine the sort of shenanigans he and Flora would get up to. They would be unstoppable)

Yeah ageswap kind of dropped out of the backlog haha. But I almost always have a plan, haha.

I may or may not pick ageswap up again? Chances are admittedly low, my writer brain has been pinballing lately. I don't consider it abandoned but it functionally may as well be lol.

A snippet, if you're interested:

(Spoilers for ageswap, though again no promises if I'll ever come back to it)

“Four?” Wild asked. His head hurt, and he tried to focus, but his vision blurred in and out.

“Um, yeah! Yeah, that’s me,” Four said, eyes wide.

Wild relaxed into his grip and let Four carry him. Four was safe.

“Hey, buddy,” Four said, snapping his fingers. “Stay with me, okay?”

“Tired.”

“Sorry. I know. Just hold on, okay? Somebody we know should have a potion.”

Wild squinted up at Four. “Don't you have potions?”

Four did not reply.

“Sky gave some to you,” Wild said. “Just yesterday.”

“That does sound like something that happened to me,” Four agreed.

Some niggling thought tried to worm its way to the front of Wild’s groggy mind. He reached a shaky head to rub at his eyes.

“Did you change your shirt?” Wild asked, baffled by the thought. “Why are you wearing green?”

"Don't worry about it."

Wild grumbled. His head was killing him, and he screwed his eyes shut and tucked his face into Four's chest.

It felt like no time at all had passed, but the next time Wild opened his eyes, the sky had changed from a clear blue to an overcast gray. Four was setting him down on the ground.

"Hey, kid."

"Mnnngh?"

"Kid." Four crouched down in front of him, his eyes deadly serious. "I know your head hurts. I'm sorry. But I really need you to listen to me, okay?"

Wild groaned, but he tried his best to sit up. "What?"

"Next time you see me," Four says. "I need you to remind me of something, okay?"

"Remind you?" Wild wondered, trying to think past his throbbing headache.

"I'm safe," Four said. "And I have everything under control. I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

"Kind of a weird way to ask for a pep talk," Wild mumbled, rubbing his head.

"You can do that, right?" Four pressed. "Can you remind me of that, later?"

"You have everything under control," Wild repeated.

"Yep! Thanks, kid--aww, crap."

Four stood up. Wild blindly reached for his hand.

"Wait," he said. "Don't go! The others are coming!"

"Sorry," Four said. He reached out to pat Wild's head, and then drew his hand back when he remembered the head injury. "Remind me about what I said, okay? Don't forget!"

[wh1msic4lwasab1]

“𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐦𝐞” •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

synopsis: asking sylus to be more rough with you…don’t do it again.

tags: rough, spanking, edging, manhandling, creampie, degradation, explicit, vulgar, doggystyle, tears, etc.

wrd cnt: 0.9k

a/n: this one was sitting in the drafts for like a bajillion years i think

You learned your lesson now, don’t ever tell Sylus to be more rough.

It’s not like he can’t be, or doesn’t want to; because fuck does he want to.

It was for your own well being that he didn’t go too far.

So let’s say it’s your fault he’s absolutely destroying you right now, your face pushed down onto the pillow while his other hand grips tightly on your hip.

“Sy-lus…wait!” You plead, your cheek squished onto his silk pillowcase while you beg for him to slow down, only to hear a deep, rich, almost mocking laughter.

“Don't tell me you're crying already Kitten? You wanted me to rough you up a bit, what’s wrong now?” He says, his voice not far away from a growl.

You can only cry into the sheets, feeling his throbbing cock stretching out your walls as he pounded you in so hard there was sure to be a dent in the mattress. Your walls would remember the stretch and think only of him. He was ruining you for anyone else.

“Please- S-slow down…” You mewled, juices spraying out and coating your clit as it drips down, teardrop shapes sure to stain the sheets.

With a tsk, Sylus pulled out of you, the sudden change making your body scrunch up slightly.

“A complacent thing like you doesn’t deserve my cock.” He spouts, leaving a hard smack on your ass and flipping you over. He takes your wrists in one hand, pulling them above your face and pinning you while his other cups your face harshly.

“Or maybe you want me to be even more rough? Ignoring your little pleas. “Is that it, sweetie?”

Truthfully you didn’t even know what you wanted right now, but the way he was throwing you around and speaking to you made everything inside you grow more warm and wanting.

So he made the decision for you, gently smacking your face like he wanted you more awake, on your toes l, before giving you a command.

“Up. Get on all fours. You know better than to disobey, don't you?”

You knew what was good for you, apparently not when you first asked Sylus to be rough, but you knew to not push him anymore.

You weakly crawl up, palms and knees smooth against the slippery sheets.

“Good. Spread your legs a little more, let me see how messy you are down here.” He says, clearly on a mission to embarrass you.

You hesitate but only for a second, spreading your knees farther and arching your back down to give him a good view.

“Mhmm, good girl,” He coos, taking his thumb and pressing it into your slit, letting your arousal drip out with every small press; making you clench your hole around nothing.

“This pussy is so needy…and you want me to stop? Look at you. Such a pathetic little thing.”

You shudder at his words, pushing your ass back to feel more of his thumb inside you.

But that wasn’t smart. He pulled out of you, licking his finger with a pop sound leaving his mouth.

“You want more? You were just begging me to slow down, make up your mind.” He says harshly, leaving no room for any negotiations.

“Tell me what you want.” He says hastily to bridge your silence, giving your ass a harsh slap to break it.

“W-want you to fuck me more Sy…” You say quietly, your ears heating up at how embarrassing that was to say out loud.

“Louder” Sylus takes a wack at your ass again, leaving a red mark of his hand.

“More- Please!” You squeal, your eyes shut and in recovering of his harsh treatment on your body.

Without a warning, he pulls your ankles toward him, making you fall face down onto the bed; dragging your lower half to dangle off the edge as you feel hour two feet slightly touch the hardwood as he pushes on your lower back; keeping your chest pressed into the bed and your rear against his cock, eager to pummel into your waiting walls.

“Why are you shaking kitten? I haven’t even done anything yet.” He says, dragging the tip of his cock up and down your folds, sadistically poking it in and out of your hole.

“But youre right, you should be scared.” He added, grabbing your arms and pulling them back again to cuff you into position with his large grasp.

“Are you ready?” He asks, putting up a loving front before he rams his cock into you when he hears you speak another “wait!”.

You cry out, his cock kissing the deepest parts inside your velvet folds over and over at a speed you’ve never felt before.

“You’re crying again honey? You’re squeezing on me so tight…I think you like this.” He says, laughing softly as he speeds up, even as he’s fucking you on the end of the bed the bedframe starts to hit the wall with each thrust.

“Sylus-! Fuck…I-I’m gonna cum…” You whimper out, your throat dry from your moans.

“You better.” He threatens. “You’ll cum and you’re going- to. thank. me.” He says sternly, giving you a hard thrust after each word; pushing you over the edge.

You cry out, feeling the bubbling knot in your stomach tighten before coming completely snapping.

“Fuck-Sy…Sylus! T-Thank you…thank you-!” You repeated over and over, like a chant to your god.

He barely stopped, still thrusting into you, making sure you learn your lesson.

Only a few moments go by before he reached his own high, before you felt it.

He hopes you know this isn’t your last orgasm of the night.

whimsic4alwasab1 ™ - do not copy, translate, modify, or claim any of my work as your own.

[floatyflowers]

Dark Platonic! Fire Nation Royal Family x Non-bender Reader

Part 2

With Ozai:

At first he didn't accept the fact that you, his youngest child, is a non-bender, and ignored your existence.

That was until he noticed how his older brother, Iroh, spends time with you, Ozai got extremely jealous.

And decided to spend time with you, only to realize that you are his favorite child, and felt like an actual father.

Yes, you can't firebend nor do you even have the ability to protect yourself.

But why would you need to protect yourself when your father is going to be the Phoenix king of the fire nation?

Ozai will burn down the world for you.

"You, my sweet child, will grow up in the presence of a very powerful father"

With Ursa:

When Ursa found out that you couldn't bend, she became overprotective of you to the point of paranoia.

Since childhood, she refused to allow you to play with anyone except Zuko.

One time, one of her handmaidens scolded you harshly for playing outside without your mother's permission which resulted in you bursting into tears.

The next day, that handmaiden was fired and Ursa made sure that she gets no other jobs.

While thinking of escaping, she thought to take you with her.

However, Ozai has forbidden that from happening.

"When you find out the truth, promise to come find me"

With Azulon

While still alive, he made sure you had the best education and guards.

Azulon also made sure to have you believe that the fire nation is without mistakes or faults.

He tried manipulating you into believing that just your loyalty to your people is enough duty.

However, you are kind, too kind.

Yet, he Azulon didn't hate you for it even if he considered a weak trait to have in the royal family.

He also still has the flower crown you made him stored away safely so it doesn't rot.

It is rumored that the last word he muttered was your name.

With Iroh

Uncle Iroh isn't really as possessive as the other characters, but he focuses on advising you from time to time.

You enjoy drinking tea with him and gossiping about everything.

Even though, Ozai has forbidden him from speaking with you, you would sneak behind your father's back to drink tea with him.

After the loss of his son in the war, Lu Ten, Iroh felt depressed.

Yet you managed to comfort him with your cheerfulness and playful attitude.

It reminded him of his son.

"The best quality in a princess is her kindness, something which your sister clearly lacks"

With Zuko

Zuko thought you would be like Azula but you have proven him wrong.

You are kind, gentle, and nurturing just like your and his mother.

That's why Zuko always found himself by your side, being your playmate...being your protecter.

His mother told him that it's his duty to protect you from danger considering that he is your older brother.

Even though Azula has never hurt you, but Zuko was always wary of her, especially after his mother disappeared.

When Ozai challenged him to an Agni Kai, you were the first to cry out and plead with him to let Zuko off, but Ozai felt jealous of your relationship with Zuko and was determined to teach his son a lesson.

However when your brother got banished, Zuko took you with him in secret not wanting you to be left with Azula.

"I know the journey will take long but once I restore my honor we can return home together"

With Azula

Azula was extremely jealous when you were born, thinking that you will take all the attention from her.

But she realized that you deserve all the attention.

You didn't treat her like a monster, you weren't scared of her.

Instead you showed her love and called her 'big sister'

You would cling to her as a toddler, whenever there was lightning, you would secretly sneak to her room and sleep beside her.

"How can you be scared of lightning, we control it, silly"

Mai and Ty Lee saw how Azula softens whenever you are around.

And when Azula discovered that you have left with Zuko, she destroyed everything in her way and burned a few servants.

"She's mine, and only MINE"

[hidden-poet]

The Officer

THE OFFICER

Summary: Coriolanus goes to District 2 for officer training, as a gap year before returning to the Capitol to study under Dr Gaul. There he finds you.

Your devotion to your little cousin, reminds him of the only love he has ever known.

warnings: Dead Dove do not eat, stalking, emotional abuse, obsession, Coryo being de lu lu, power imbalance.

Word count: 7, 386

Part 1

Part 2 coming soon

When Coriolanus found out that his sint in district 12 was nothing more than a lesson from Dr Gaul. A sick, twisted, joke. He first felt like a fool, until his unrefined rage took its place.

Dr Gaul was amused by his shock which only added to his fury. He had endured the worst few months of his life.  Fresh blood stained his hands, and it was all a game to her. 

“What?”, she asks in a mocking tone, “Did you think after all my efforts, I was going to leave you to the districts?”. 

Another fish is dropped into the pond of her new pets, that lap over each other to get it. Coriolanus was not going to be her newest addition to her collection. 

He pickles up his bag, and slings it over his shoulder as he heads back to the door. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” Dr Gaul calls after him. 

“To district 2 for officer training”, he tells her.

He was going to make his own way. He would leave the Plinth prize for Tigres and Grandma’am. The money would take care of them in his absence. 

He sighs when the door doesn’t open, turning back to Dr Gaul who remained glaring at him from her pond. He wondered if he would be subject to some mind alternating experiment. 

“Did you not hear me when I said you will be studying under me at the university?”.

What other tests did she plan to put him through? Would he be able to survive the next round? He felt weak after District 12. He still wore the lessons from it as ghastly open wounds. 

“I still have a lot to learn from the districts” Coriolanus states. 

He was free in the districts. A faceless peacekeeper had fewer obligations than a Snow. He was retreating to the districts to hide. At least for a little while, he had no focus on nothing other than mere survival. Yes sir, no sir, straight away sir. After everything he wanted to wade in the water. He was not yet ready to face the man he had shown himself to be. 

Dr Gaul looks shocked at the news. She thought he would just fall into line. Worship at her feet for her mercy, not turn it away. 

She scoffs at the boy, turning away from him and back to her pond. 

“A year, Mr Snow”, she announces., “And then your summer camp is over. I have big plans for you. Bigger than officer training. Go now, you’ve irritated me”. 

When Coriolanus tries the door again, it opens.

He makes the stop home. He didn’t get to say goodbye last time and he would hate to put them through it again. 

The news of the money reaches them before he does. It makes for a difficult conversation. One where Tigress can’t stop crying, and Grandma’am cant wrap her head around why Coriolanus was going back. 

With a kiss, he leaves them, heading back to the train station. It’s a full days journey to district 2. 

It’s early morning by the time he arrives. 

He knew district 12 was the poorest District but the change is astonishing. District 12 was bleak and dirty. 

District 2 was its own little city. People wore fashionable clothes, tried to make an effort in their appearance. District 12 wore rags that were covered in coal. 

The buildings were more soundly made and had colorful, fresh paint. Despite the early morning, people crowded the lanes with trade. Coriolnaus made his way to the compound impressed with the effort of the district. 

Another noticeable difference was the amount of Peacekeepers. There seemed to be two to every district citizen. The officers in training wore a darker blue, almost black uniform. 

One stopped him, knowing a new peacekeeper when they saw one. He walked Coriolanus to the Compound, giving him a brief layout of the district. Mungo was his name. A few years older than Coriolanus, but not much bigger. 

They were in the centre now, where people did trade stalls, and shops lined the street. Behind that was the factories where most people worked. 

The Compound was far east, and a fair walk from the train station. Given the large space, and distance of the district, Officers were taught to drive and if senior enough, given a personal vehicle to get around. Mungo was unable to pass the next level of officer training, despite being here for years. 

Officer training offered routine to Coriolanus’ day. Wake at 5:30am, eat breakfast, dress and exercise. Shower, dress and lectures. Lunch, military training, lecture, small half hour break, workshop on some sort of basic training, afternoon tea, study period, more military training before dinner, and lights out. He was able to grow his hair back in district 2, lice were less of a threat here, which gave him back some of his identity. 

It was exhausting and exactly what Coriolanus needed. When his head hit the pillow at night, he went straight to sleep, overcome with fatigue. He rose through the ranks quickly which impressed his Commander, and infuriated others. 

Unlike Commander Hoff, Commander Vongurt held himself with dignity. He was a war hero, which is why he was awarded the position in a more wealthy district.  

He had a wife who followed him from the capitol after the war. She hated living in the district but Vongurt wouldn’t leave. Here, he was king. 

Commander Vongurt took a shine to Coriolanus. It started with idle conversation, before the Commander would invite Coriolanus to play chess in his office, before eventually dinner in his home. 

A boy without parents, clutches to any similar shape. He liked the Vongurts. They acted like his parents, and he allowed them to do so. 

Mrs Vongurt was no baker, but would always go out of her way to ensure Coriolanus had some baked goods in his storage from the sweets shop. She would kiss him hello and goodbye, which at first he hated but soon grew accustomed too. 

Commander Vongurt was less obvious with his affections. A small pat on the shoulder, a little more focus in training. He would give Coriolanus fatherly advice, and nonchalantly call him son. 

Coriolanus learned from Mungo that they used to have a real son. A drunken night in a stolen peacekeeper car took him years ago, and the Vongurts seemingly never got over it. 

Coriolanus was glad. The universe had taken his parents, so why shouldn’t he take the place of someone else’s son. 

It hurt to know, he couldn’t keep them. Tigress and Grandma’am, his real family, were waiting for him back home. He would have to return to them. The Plinth money wouldn’t last forever. Besides, he had bigger plans than commanding a district. 

 It was strange how well it all clicked. Coriolanus was offered parental figures, and they were offered a lost son in exchange. 

Of course, they would never take the place of his own mother and father. Nor would he take the place of their son. They were merely clutching each other in the dark. 

Still, Coriolanus let himself indulge. He would go over whenever asked, and often found solace in the commander's office after a long day. 

This did not stop him from working hard. It was after all what first caught the commanders eyes, Coriolanus’ need to be the best. 

The other men were challenging. Coriolanus fought hard to keep his spot at the top in all things. He was the only capitol member which ruffled a few fellow officers, who thought they had worked harder to be in his spot. 

Coriolanus noticed you in district 2. You were the Commanders housemaid, you were hard not to notice. 

You were awfully polite as you served tea in the parlor of an evening. 

You were the only servant Mrs Vongurt spoke kindly to. 

Coriolanus in no way, looked out for you, it was perhaps because you were the only district he knew that his eye always caught you. 

If you weren’t in the Vongurts manor working, you were with a little girl. No more than 6. 

He liked you for a district. You were always kind. Something about you softened Coriolanus. He figured it was an offset of the Vongurts' own affection for you. He paid no more mind to it. Officer training was all he wanted to focus on. 

Coriolanus stood in the middle of town square, lost and irritated. 

He had to be at the justice hall in the next ten minutes. By his map, he was already there, but saw no grand building that could be it. 

He stares at the map in a huff, trying to figure out where he went wrong, but he couldn’t. It should be here. 

A shadow approaches him which only works to irritate him more. He was not going to accept help from a district. 

“Officer Snow?”, he recognized your voice, halting his plans to tell the stranger to get lost. You were no stranger. 

“You look lost. Are you alright?”, you kindly ask him. 

Over your arm, you carried a basket of groceries. Too fresh and expensive to be for yourself. 

“I am”, he admits to you only. He shows you the map, and you peer at it. 

“I am meant to be at the Justice hall in the next ten minutes  for an assignment”, he explains. 

“They’ve given you an old map”, you say, looking up to him, “The Justice hall hasn’t been here for years”. 

Coriolanus huffs out in annoyance. His eyes squeezed shut. One failed assignment was not the end of the world. He doubted Commander Vongurt would even count it. It was more the others had gotten one up on him. 

“It’s-” you begin but one look at him had you feeling as if his misdirection was your fault. 

“I’ll take you”, you offer. 

With a kind smile, you lead the way. 

“Thank you”, he sincerely says, following you. 

“It’s no problem”, you say, but your eyes floated around the market. Coriolanus tried to stay back, to save your reputation. 

A clear path with fewer people allowed Coriolanus to shuffle closer to talking distance. 

“I am surprised you recognized me”, he comments. 

“You are the only officer who has ever been around the Manor for tea”. 

“The Vongurts have been very kind to me”, he dismisses. 

“Me too”, you agree. 

Coriolanus wanted to keep talking. His irritation just moments ago vanished amongst your presence. 

“Don’t I normally see you with a little girl? What’s your daughter's name?”, he quizzes. 

“Yes, sir. She’s my cousin”, you correct, “Lorretta. I’ve had her for a couple of years since her parents died”. 

“How did they die?”. 

You looked surprised he asked, but answered anyway. 

“Her father drowned, and her mother caught some sort of disease that slowly killed her”.

“You seem a bit young to shoulder that responsibility”. He felt sorry for you. A young girl by herself. He never saw any man with you. 

You shrug it off. “Just me and her left now. Who else but me?”.

You turn down a row of buildings and suddenly the rocky ground becomes concrete under your feet. The Justice building must be close. 

“I am sorry. I take it your parents have passed”, he wondered why he cared, but he did. He wanted to know your family dynamic. 

“Yes, Sir”, you say quietly, “They were rebels. I was very lucky Commander Vongurt gave me a chance”.

Is that why you were so meek now? You were shown at a young age what happens when you step out of line.

It also explains why the Vongurts treated you better than the other servants. He knew you had been with them a long time, but you must have been a child. 

“I am sorry”, he says, seeing he has now upset you, “I didn’t mean to pry”. 

You shrug again and brush it off. He was an officer, any question he asked would be met with an answer. 

“My cousin raised me too”, he admits. His honesty took him off guard. It was none of your business. 

But you were a favorite of Vongurt, so why couldn’t you be a favourite for him too?

“I would have died without her. She’s my favourite person in the whole world. I worry about her all the time back in the Capitol without me”. 

The words made him feel lighter as he admitted his guilt. 

“Well take it from me, as big cousins, we only care that you are safe and happy. Everything else doesn’t matter. I hope Lorretta leaves me behind one day, for better things. You shouldn’t worry, thats our job”. 

The words eased him to hear. You were so sweet. So comforting. Lorretta was in good hands. 

“Well” you say, “There she is”.

Coriolanus looks in front of him to see the wide gate that protected the large stone building. A panem flag flew on a flagpole, and the justice symbol was carved over the front entrance. 

Coriolanus sighed, half glad he was no longer lost and half sad that he had lost your attention with no promise of it ever returning. 

“Thank you”, he praises. 

His relief turned into a pestering feeling that you were to return to town by yourself. He pushes it down, surprised that such a feeling was rearing its head. It was only talk of cousins, he assured himself, his mind was on Tigress, and the protective feelings that she arose within him. 

“Of course, Sir. Good luck with your assignment”.

You offer one more kind smile before your part ways. You turn back to town and Coriolanus makes his way inside. 

He tries his best to push you out of his mind, but as his head hit the pillow that night, sleep took the long route to find him while he thought of you. 

Coriolanus made more of an effort to visit the manor whenever he could. 

You showed him no more familiarity than before, but he felt more connected to you then anyone else before. He came to district 2 to rest his mind, but now you played on it, disrupting his peaceful routine. 

To his dismay, an invite to a ghastly party held for Vongurts wife’s friends, did not reward him with sight of you. He sat with Commander Vongurt in misery while Mrs Vongurt hosted her classless friends. 

After hours of enduring Commander Vongurt managed to sneak Coriolanus away with him to the study. Coriolanus tried to not come across as obvious. 

He waited until Commander Vongurt was solely focused on his next move in chess, before he asked where you were. 

You were not one of the live-in staff. You hadn’t been for years. Not since you took custody of your cousin. You lived in a house over in one of the communities. Vongurt did not know which one. 

Coriolanus let him win the game, in gratitude for the information that he didn’t know he desperately wanted. 

He made his exit after that. No point in staying if there wasn’t even a chance he would see you. 

Coriolanus hid his jacket, despite the cold, in the parlor so he would have an excuse to collect it tomorrow. When he knew you would be there.  

That night in the bunk was the same as those before it; sleep invaded him. He went over how he would approach the situation tomorrow. 

He left the compound during his study period. When he arrived at the Manor he was delighted to hear Mrs Vongurt had gone to the doctor for a cure for her hangover. 

Coriolanus made his way inside without an invitation from the staff who opened the door. There was a mess when he left last night but now everything was back in order. He could almost see his face from the way the floor shined. 

No one bothered him while he collected his jacket. You again were nowhere to be found. 

He wandered the halls, peeking in rooms trying to find you. When he eventually did, you were in the kitchen, cutting out pictures from capitol magazines and gluing them onto cardboard. 

He knocks on the door which startles you. 

“Officer Snow”, you greet as he enters. 

He eyes your craft on the table. You had cut out the clothes from the book, making your own outfits from them. 

“It’s my break”, you defend, “Mrs Vongurt throws the magazines out after she’s done with them so she doesn’t mind me using them”. 

You flinch slightly as he draws closer to you, picking up the last one you were working on. He wonders what he did to cause such a reaction. 

“You’re not in trouble”, he says. Certainly not by him. 

Your current project was a black evening gown which had two long strips on either side and large white bows on the hips. You paired it with black heals and the head of a model with long, curled hair. 

He places it back down in favour of another less dressy. A red sundress, paired with flats, and advertisement of diamond necklace and ruby earrings. 

He shows it to you. 

You were bashful, embarrassed that he had caught you playing pretend. 

“What I would wear to a picnic”, you explain. 

“Complete with diamonds”, he teases. 

Your shoulders rise in embarrassment as you quickly collect your craft, packing it away into a woven bag.

“Would you like a cup of tea, Officer?”, you deflect. 

He hands you back your card, knowing you wanted it. You reach for it, but he pulls it back at the last second. 

“I think you would look very beautiful in this outfit. I am sorry if you thought I was making fun of you”, he says before finally handing the card back. 

You throw it in with the rest, and turn to busy yourself with the pot. 

“I’ll make you a pot”, you ignore him completely, “I can deliver it to the sitting room if you want to wait there”. 

He instead takes a seat on the stool under the large wooden table that you used to do craft on. 

“Is it because I am a man or a peacekeeper that makes you so uncomfortable in my presence?”, he questions. 

He loved that you hated getting into trouble. You were such a good girl. 

“Forgive me. I meant no offence, sir. I just thought you might be more accustomed to a nicer atmosphere. I was not giving you direction”. 

“You have no idea the slums I have been in the last few months”- Years- “A servants kitchen holds no horror for me”. 

“Of course  not, sir”, you breathe. 

The pot was hot enough now, so you pour it over the tea leaves, allowing time for it to soak and infuse. 

“You don’t have to call me sir, or officer Snow”, he mentions. 

You pour the tea into fine china, and mix it to his liking as you answer. 

‘‘Disrespect of an officer is twenty lashes”, you announce.

Coriolanus picks up the cup, blowing on the hot tea. 

You pick up your basket before he could answer, already taking steps away from him. 

“My breaks over, Officer Snow. If you need anything, ring the bell and someone will come”, you tell him. 

Someone. Not you. He thinks to himself. 

“Thank you”, he accepts. 

Coriolanus doesn’t finish his tea after you are gone. 

His study period was almost over. There was no more time to be wasted with you. 

He learnt you did mending work on the side like Tigress did, which offered him a new approach. 

He didn’t know why he sought your presence, or why you wouldn’t leave his mind after everything he had been through after district 12. 

It was perhaps because you were kind and reminded him of his loving cousin who he missed dearly. Either way he didn’t fight himself to ignore it. It was a little joy in a sea of misery. 

Finding ways into your life offered him something to look forward to after long days of officer training. 

He strayed from his patrolling path one day to follow you and your cousin home. Going back the next day while you were at work and your cousin was at school to have a look inside. 

You kept a neat home. It was only small, but all you needed. 

As soon as he entered the kitchen table was only a few feet away, the kitchen was directly left and had nothing to separate it from the rest of the space. Past the table were two doors. One was a playroom for Lorretta, the other the bedroom with only one queen bed for the two of you. 

Despite your evident love for fashion, you had very few clothes, Lorretta having more. You had a few pieces of jewelry, and a small amount of makeup. 

The room was quite bare and with nothing else to see he goes back to the living room. An old brown sofa sat facing the wall with a small coffee table in front of it.  The bathroom was directly across the room. 

He walked around, observing the living space.  Dishes were drying on the rack, the fridge and cupboards had food, all clothes were in the washing basket in the bathroom and your toothbrush sat next to a smaller one in the cup.

It felt homey. He was glad you were not living in slums. Although, it was hardly anything to boast about. 

He locks up after himself, retreating back to his duties. 

He decides he must get Lorretta to like him. You would soon follow, he was sure. 

He tears a few buttons off his uniform for an excuse to approach your house. 

Lorretta sat on the bottom step drawing pictures in the dirt with a stick. 

She was a cute child with blonde hair, and dark green eyes. Her face was round and chubby, and her teeth were little and gapped. 

“Hello”, he greets when he draws her attention. 

She stares at him blankly. It must have been confusing for the little girl to see a peacekeeper at her door. 

“I am Coriolanus Snow”, he continues, reaching into his pocket for the pouch of sweets.

“You’re Loretta, aren't you? I have something for you”.

Her eyes perk up at the sight of the bag. The stick she is holding is dropped to the ground in exchange for the bag.

“For me?”she asks, surprised. 

You yank the door open, not seconds later and race down the steps, between them. 

“Lorretta, get back inside the house”, you demand. 

“Here”, Coriolanus whispers, giving the bag over. 

The little girl snatches it up and runs back inside before you can grab it. 

“They’re just sweets”, he tells you before you panic too much. 

“Can I help you with something, officer?”. 

He can tell by your tone of voice, you were not pleased to see him. 

“Yes, you can”, he lifts his shirt to show you the missing buttons, “the uniform lady will kill me if I take back another ruined uniform. I was wondering if you could help me? I can pay”. 

His approach softened you enough to rid the scowl off your face and come close enough to take the shirt from him. 

“Yes, i can”, you say checking the damage, “I’ll have it fixed by tomorrow. You can pick it up from the Manor, next time you are there, sir. We’ll count the sweets as payment”.

You were trying to distance yourself from him, but it wasn’t going to be that easy. 

“No, not the Manor”, he refutes, “I can’t make any mistakes in front of Vongurt with the next round of officer assessments coming up. I’ll come back after training tomorrow”.

You looked uneasy but it wasn’t a suggestion. 

“Okay”, you agree, “But please don’t let anybody know I did this for you. I don’t want any more peacekeepers at my door. They are not all as nice as you”. 

Coriolanus' heart leaped. You liked him. You were just scared of the uniform. 

“Of course”, he promises. He wouldn’t let anyone else knock at your door anyway.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then, officer Snow”, you remarked, making your way back up the steps. 

“See you then”, he smiles.

The day dragged as he waited to return to you. 

When it was finally time, he walked so fast that he began to sweat. It delayed him when he finally reached your house because he hated not looking presentable to you. 

Loretta was not outside, and he was sure that was by design of you. You were protective over her, like Tigress is over him. 

You must have been watching from the window as when he reached the first step, you shot out through the door. 

“Officer Snow”, you greeted. 

You push him back off the step by coming down them yourself. The shirt is handed to him all too soon. 

“Good as new”, you tell him. 

“How much do I owe you?”, he uttered, reaching into his pocket for some coins. 

“I had to pry Lorretta hands off the bag before she gave herself a tummy ache. Payment is satisfied”.

“I insist”, he says. He gives you whatever is in his hand but you don’t accept it. 

“Goodnight, officer Snow”, you stated. 

“Hey wait”, he calls out after you. All day he has longed for this moment. It couldn’t be over just like that. 

You turn back but don’t say anything. 

“Is something the matter?”.

“Of course not, sir”, you asked confused. 

“I’ve been greeted friendlier by enemies”, he complains. 

“I meant no offence, Sir. I have dinner on the stove”. 

He nods, perplexed. What was he going to say? Don’t have dinner. Let it burn. 

“Goodnight then”, he permits, walking hastily back to the compound. 

The shirt is balled in his fist. 

He avoids you for the next few days. Throwing himself back into his peacekeeper duties. He took more patrols at night to keep his mind occupied. When he wasn’t focused, his mind drifted to you.

He doesn’t know why your rejection hurt him so much. It was too soon after Lucy-Gray, to be thinking of you any sort of way. 

But he yearned for you to be kind to him. He wanted to snatch your kindness from you, solely for himself. It would only lead to heartbreak. You would betray him somehow. All humans were selfish, self-preserving animals. He wished he could believe it when it came to you. 

You gave up your life to raise your cousin, like Tigress did for him. He never thought he could find someone to match Tigress’ goodness. But if it was true, if you were one of the last good people in the world, should he not protect that before it is stamped out?

He decides he needs to test you. If you fail, he can go back to a peaceful life, but if you succeed and his intuition was right, he would take you as a reward. 

He thought for hours of an appropriate test, but came up with nothing. It was by chance he agreed to accompany Mungo to the jewelry shop to collect the profit and send it back to the capitol bank. 

He never expected to see you there. It was just after school had been let out of the day, and you were left finishing up some work after picking Loretta up from school. 

You were showing the shopkeeper your slip from Mrs Vongurt that gave your permission to pick up her cleaned jewelry. The old man was tight with security. He scrutinized the slip, ensuring it was valid. 

He paid off duty Peacekeepers to stand guard, ready to take down any one who failed to walk through his alarm system. 

Apart from you and Loretta, there was only one more couple in the shop. Yet six peacekeepers guarded it. 

Mungo went to the back with the shop assistant and Coriolanus found his way over to a bored looking Lorretta. 

“Hello”, he greets the small child, “how was school day?”.

He kept his voice low so he didn’t draw attention from you. You were sure to demand the small child away from him, and Loretta was  his in. 

“Good”, she answers quickly, “Do you have any lollies?”

Coriolanus shakes his head, looking at a high display of different coloured sapphire birds. 

“Not today, sorry”, he answers. 

Coriolanus picks up a small, green, sapphire bird, and looks around to make sure no one saw him take it. 

With ill intent, he bends down to Lorretta, patting her shoulder to distract her from the weight of the bird going into her jumper pocket. 

The shopkeeper had accepted your slip and given you the jewelry. The sight of Coriolanus talking with your cousin, had you racing over. 

“I have some shirts to be mended, I’ll bring around some sour drops if your cousin tells me you have been well behaved”, Coriolanus spoke to the little girl. 

“I am always good”, she retorts with hopeful eyes, “If i am really good can I have a giant lollipop?”

“Lorrie!”, you scold with a laugh. You take the child into your arms lovingly pressing her against you, “I am sorry, officer Snow. She is only joking”.

Coriolanus remains knelt on the ground. He suddenly felt shy under your attention, and couldn’t meet your eye so he remained looking at the little girl. 

“If you are really good, and eat all of your dinner, and do all of your chores, I’ll bring you a giant lollipop”, he promises to loretta. 

She does a little jump off the ground, staring up at you begging you to allow this trade to happen. 

“ I might drag my feet if it means this one goes to bed on time”, you tickle your cousines neck which elicits a gleeful squeal.

Coriolanus rises from the floor, now having the courage to look at you. 

“There’s no rush”, he tells you.

You smile at him, which causes a stronger response then he would have liked. A small smile and he felt his heart leap. He would give anything to see a proper smile from you. 

“We should get going. Goodbye, officer”, you bid. 

“Goodbye”, he breathes, watching you go. 

The alarms blar as soon as you walk through the doors. It panics you greatly, freezing you in spot with a horrified expression. 

Coriolanus watches as Peacekeepers descend upon you, shoving you hardly against the wall. 

He hated to see it but if you could pass this test, he would assure nothing like this would happen again. 

But for now a peacekeeper ran his hands along your body and another one went through your bag. 

A shout is given when the bird is retrieved from your cousins pocket. Her wrist quickly caught in a tight hold. 

It was unfortunate that Henry rose to action. He was known for being overbearing and cruel. 

“Wait”, you demand as the bird is thrown to the safety of a peacekeeper and your cousin is dragged outside. 

Coriolanus quickly rushes outside after you in sheer joy that you were standing up for Lorrie. 

Henry had entered the street with the little girl in his grasp. He stood looking angrily at you as you took your crying cousin into your arms and refused to let him walk on with her.

“She didn’t take it!”” you demand, “It was an accident”.

“Stealing is 10 lashes. Interfering with Peacekeeper work is three days in the goal”, he threatened. 

Still you did not release her, keeping your body protectively over her. 

“She didn’t steal”, you reiterate, “Officer, please, it was an accident. It won’t happen again”.

Henry grows frustrated, yanking the girl from under you with a painful tug. 

“Wait, stop, it was me”, you scream, “i put it in her pocket”. 

You were the same as him. You protect those you love, baring the cost of doing so. 

He was never going to let you go to the whipping post, but revelled in the knowledge that you would go for your cousin. 

Lorretta is dropped at your false confession and you are grabbed instead. 

“Thieving, little, bitch. ”, he called you, raising a hand and bringing it down with enough force to knock you off balance. 

His tight hold on your wrist kept you upright as he continued to hurl abuse, “Using a little girl to do your dirty work”.

Coriolanus rushes to you, watching as Henry lifts his boot and plants it into your side.

“Hey!” Coriolanus yells at him, “stop!”. 

Coriolanus grabs you just below where Henry had caught you in a vicious grip.

Lorretta wailed off to the side, watching helplessly as adults fight. People in the street stop to watch a woman get beat but none come to help her. Further proof that only you were worthy. 

“Mind your business, Snow”, Henry demands, trying to tug your wrist away. 

 “Let her go”, Coriolanus objected. 

This greatly upset Henry, who took a step closer to Coriolanus and tightened his grip on your wrist. 

“Who are you to tell me to do anything? I’ve been here three years longer than you. I outrank you. What, because you’re the Commanders lapdog you think there'll be no consequences for stepping out of line”, he spat. 

“I think who are you going to report me to?” Coriolanus provoked. 

“There’s other authority figures than just Commander Vongurt. Maybe i take your subordinance to the committee of justice”, Henry threatened. 

Coriolanus was not worried. He did not intend to remain an officer, so his record mattered little to him, on the off chance Henry got his justice. 

“And you’ll tell them what? That a little girl who can’t even reach the top of the counter stole something in a room full of Peacekeepers? Or a woman who was watched from the second she walked through the door managed to take something without anyone noticing? Who’s to say you didn’t do it? You didn’t score too well on your last officer assessment. Maybe you decide a robbery is just what you needed to claw back some points at the expense of the peace of the district. Maybe the committee of justice would like to hear that”. 

Henry calculates his next move. He knew that he would never beat coriolanus in court. He knew too many fancy words, and could string them together in the most charming and convincing way. 

“Take your bitch then”, Henry growled, throwing your wrist out of his hold. 

With the scene now done, the crowd disperses and the rest of the peacekeepers follow Henry back inside.

You tear yourself from Coriolanus’ grasp as he bends to comfort you. You are out of his reach before he realizes. Back over to your cousin, holding her in your protective embrace. 

From the way you held her to one side, coriolanus could tell Henry did harm to your other side when he kicked you. He perhaps shouldn’t have allowed the test to go on for so long. 

Lorreta’s cries are loud, yet you make no attempt to shush her. Your eye was red from Henry’s punch, but no tears shed. You were staying strong for your cousin, but it didn’t matter, Coriolanus could see the shake of your hands. 

He approaches you slowly. Your look told him that you were expecting him to go with the other peacekeepers. 

“Y/n”, he addressed, “I’ll take her”. 

He opens his arms to take the weight from you but you shake your head ‘no’ at him. 

“I have to”, you begin talking in a quick, shaky voice, “Mrs Vongurts jewelry”.

Your eyes flick to the door in a terrified gaze. To go back in after that would be brutal. 

“I’ll get it”, he offers, “I’ll take it to the estate. You go home”.

This you nod too. You don’t thank him, just turn and walk about as fast as you can with the weight of your cousin and the pain of your body. 

Coriolanus does as he promises,after he makes the journey back with Mungo and the money. He would be glad when he passed high enough to get a vehicle. It was all too slow for him when he was so eager to get back to you. He explains to the Vongurts the situation. Henry was sure to face the consequences tomorrow and Coriolanus would make sure he pays every day after that.

It was the first time he rejected their offer to stay. He needed to see you. Now he knew you were the one, he was eager to fulfill his duties as your man.  

By the time he reached your door, it was dark and cold. 

He knocks three times before you answer. 

“Officer Snow? What are you doing here?” you asked, shocked to see him. 

“I came to check on you. Can I come in?”, his foot wedging itself through the door gave you your answer, so you stepped back and let him in. 

“I never said thank you”, you state.

He surpasses you in your own home, leaving you by the door. 

“I don’t want a thank you”, he returns. 

He moves back over from the kitchen table to stand in front of you. Your eye has blackened around the soft flesh of your face, he reaches out to gently trace it with his thumb. 

“That looks like it hurts”, he comments. 

His actions freeze you, you don’t move or speak so he continues. 

“Where’s your cousin?”, he asks, walking to the fridge and pulling out the frozen peas. 

“She’s asleep”, you say a bit unsteady. 

“Good”. He sits at the table and gestures for you to sit in the chair next to him. 

You do, not knowing what else could be done. You take the frozen peas from him when he presses them against your eye. 

Coriolanus makes himself comfortable after his task is taken from him. He spreads his legs wide and smooths his hands on his thigh, slumping back into his seat. 

“Is she okay?”, he asks. 

“A little shaken up, but he didn’t hurt her. Thank god”, you answer.

“It won’t happen again”, he promises, “I’ll make sure you and your cousin are safe from now on”

You look at him unsure, but don’t call him on it. 

“You can’t control everything”, you remark. 

“Yes, I can,” he retorts. One day he would control everything. 

“Is there anything I can do?”, he offers. 

You nod your head no with a sly smile. 

“No, we’re fine”. You throw the bag of frozen peas to the table, using your hand to rest your face.

You go quiet again which drives Coriolanus insane. He wished he knew what you were thinking, what you wanted. 

 He knew what he wanted. He wanted to feel your lips against his. 

So he reaches out to the bottom of your chair, his fingers grip the wood and he slides you along the floor over to him. 

You look at him like a deer seeing a hunter. Big, wide eyes, and skittish demeanor. 

You turn your head away from him as if that would deter him. 

His fingers on your jaw, turn your head back so his lips could meet yours greedily. 

You don’t move, make no sound. Coriolanus gets his fill without resistance. 

Even when he pulls back, his fingers remain locked around your jaw, keeping you facing towards him, but your eyes are cast to the table. 

“Y/n”, he calls to you, trying to regain your attention. You don’t give it to him, zoning out. 

“Y/n”, he calls again in a strong tone. This time your eyes flick to him, but your body remains a statute. 

“Nothing like this will ever happen again”, he promises, “You deserve so much more than this”. 

His eyes leave yours as he darts around the room, looking at the bare house. You deserve so much more than a district life. Should you not be rewarded for your kindness, for your loyalty to family?

Tigress deserved to be. 

He feels your hands, clutching his hand on your jaw, so he exchanges his hold to wrap around your small hand, intertwining them and bringing the down to your lap

His attention went back to you who still looked frozen in shock. 

“Whatever you need from now on, I’ll take care of it. Of both of you”, he vows, looking quickly to the room your cousin slept in. 

“Please leave” you whisper, once more your eyes fall from their target. 

“You’re kicking me out?”, he questions, astonished. 

“No, sir, I am just tired”, you lie. 

Your eyes glaze with tears which you refuse to show him. 

Coriolanus reaches out, taking your chin between his thumb and forefinger gently, before releasing it all together and rising from his seat. 

“Alright, you sleep”, he relents. 

His hand touches your shoulder as he walks past. You could breathe once more when you heard him open the door, and lock it behind him. 

He knew the first thing you would do is go to the Commander. 

He made a point to get to the man before you did. 

Coriolanus skipped his lecture to head to his office, so coriolanus would be the first person he saw when he arrived for work. 

The faux son of the commander needed no appointment. Still Commander Vongurt seemed surprised to see Coriolanus waiting in his office so early. 

“Coriolanus, son”, the commander questioned, “has something happened?”.

Coriolanus rose from the guest chair as the Commander neared his desk, throwing himself into his great chair and waiting for a response. 

“I have some news”, Coriolanus announced taking his seat. 

“You’re leaving”, the commander guessed in a disappointed tone. 

“No. No, not yet”. The worried look on the commander’s face disappeared but the curiosity remained.  

“But when I do”, Coriolanus continued, “I’ll be taking Y/n with me”.  

Commander Vongurt was stunned at the news. He said nothing in return, as the emotions passed through his head. 

Coriolanus knew the Commander had a soft spot for you. It was the only reason you could work the hours around caring for your cousin. 

“Wouldn’t you rather it was me, than some district?”Coriolanus justified. 

Vongurt still didnt respond. Coriolanus could see the emotions as they passed through his mind, bewilderment, anger, acceptance, sadness.

“I can take care of her”, he promises.

“But you’ll both be in the Capitol?”, Vongurt finally said. He didn’t doubt Coriolanus' care taking skills, but the wound of his dead son still stung. To lose those he tried to fill him with, would reopen the wound with no replacement. 

“It’s only a day's travel. Mrs Vonhurt could stay with us when she comes to visit. It would make her feel less trapped here”. 

“And what of her cousin? She would never leave her”, Vongurt countered after a brief thought that maybe Lorretta could be a stand in. 

“She won’t have to. The Capitol is big enough for both of them”, Coriolanus pointed out. 

“The Capitol”, the Commander scoffs, “they’ll tear her apart. No, Coriolanus, I am sorry”. 

Coriolanus leans forward on his knees, talking to the commander as if he was telling him a secret. 

“I plan to be a man of great power”, he tells the older man, “A man who can do as he pleases”. 

“This is all coming as a bit of a surprise. You’ve made no mention of her before”, the commander says. 

“I love her”, Coriolanus admits slowly, “I tried to convince myself otherwise, but I feel if I let her slip through my fingers, I'll regret it the rest of my life”.

“Love is it?”, Vongurt muses, relaxing back into his chair. Coriolanus' confession seemed to ease the older man. 

“Yes, I would rather it you than a district”, Vongurt admits. 

Coriolanus rises from his seat, holding out his hand as if they just closed a business deal. 

The Commander rises, taking hold of Coriolanus' hand in a firm shake. 

“I’ll take good care of her”, Coriolanus promises. 

“Just don’t take her too soon. This is all very sudden”. 

“I promised you a year, didn’t I?” Coriolanus grins. 

Taglist:

@thaleleah

[uneducated-author]

Something that has been rotating in my head for a hot minute is how trapped Lu Guang is in Season 1.

From his nightmare sequence in Season 2, we know that Cheng Xiaoshi is murdered at some point after the case of the missing child, but before they help Xu Shanshan, right? And all I can think about is, their Earthquake case was one of their last cases together.

Lu Guang in the first timeline breathed out, because they were okay, they were friends again, he was forgiven and then-

Cheng Xiaoshi is dying in his arms and he's lost everything. And a part of him realises what it is to have your whole world crushing you, to feel the person you love most slip away, and he goes 'oh. Oh I wouldn't forgive myself either.'

And then, he's back.

The first time I watched Season 1 of Link Click I LOVED the way they handled the fallout of the Earthquake arc. Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi are a little older than typical protagonists and their maturity really shows. Cheng Xiaoshi has a clear anger, Lu Guang explains his reasoning, but Cheng Xiaoshi's aggression isn't met with Lu Guang justifying his choices or even retaliating to match his temperament. I also liked the fallout. Neither character is so caught up in their own feelings that they loose sight of how much they value their shared relationship, but they also do feel the hit, and give each other space to heal and recover privately. We don't get forced dramatic tension and an overemotional reconciliation, we get a careful healing and understanding that people have different values and contradictory priorities.

If you rewatch the scene where Cheng Xiaoshi punches him, Lu Guang's expression isn't sorrowful, or even surprised, it's so purely neutral. I think a lot of us thought it seemed apathetic, but now, it feels more resigned.

If anything, all throughout season 1 we hear the public opinion of Lu Guang being that he's very mature, calm and unlikely to panic. And with the season 2 revelation we know why, because he's replaying the levels. He's made these mistakes before, he's learned these lessons. He's borne Cheng Xiaoshi's anger before and he has to put him through that pain again because he can't keep Cheng Xiaoshi safe without the certainty of the timeline. So he gives Cheng Xiaoshi the trauma he knows that they'll heal from to protect him from the bullet that he won't.

That's why the next season is going to be so compelling. Lu Guang has run out of foresight. He doesn't have to keep to a path because he burnt it behind him. For the first time, his autonomy isn't determined and he'll have to face the consequences of his decisions, not his actions. New game, new rules.

Is that a blessing? Or a curse?

[miasmaghoul]

sooo.. how do we feel about swiss fingering transdew in the passenger seat

"Why me?"

Swiss tilts his head, spinning a heavy set of keys around one finger.

"Why not?"

Dew raises an eyebrow, gestures at the guitar in his lap, the papers spread out on his bed.

"Oh please," Swiss scoffs, pushing himself away from Dew's doorframe and striding into his sunlit room. It's a gorgeous day, early spring, the sweet scent of the rose gardens wafting in on the breeze. "You're tellin' me you'd rather practice than go for a joyride?"

Dew snorts, crossing his ankles and adjusting his beat up old acoustic. It's true that he's been at it for a while now, since just after breakfast, but this solo has been giving him shit and he's determined to nail it before their next group session.

"I don't think taking Sunny and Lus to the grocery store counts as a joyride."

Dew strums out a few chords while Swiss flops into his desk chair, leaning it back onto two legs. It creaks under his weight.

"Maybe not," Swiss concedes, unbothered, "but you could still come keep me company."

"What, the girls not enough for you?"

"They would be," Swiss replies with a shrug. "If they didn't spend every trip making out in the back seat."

Dew snorts at that - Swiss has a point, Sunshine and Cumulus are not ones to keep their hands off each other in any context. Still, he grumbles.

"C'mon, Sparky," Swiss goads, scooting his chair closer so he can rest his elbows on the mattress, propping his chin in one hand and prodding at Dew's knee with the other. "Don't make me beg."

"But I like it when you beg."

Dew throws Swiss a wink, and Swiss reciprocates with his best puppy dog eyes. Big and wet and completely irresistible. Dew sighs, throws up his hands in mock defeat.

"Fine, fine," he grumps, setting his guitar on the bed. "But I'd better get something outta this."

Swiss grins, delighted. Pats Dew on the thigh as he stands, shoving the chair back under the desk.

"I'll tell Lus to buy that spicy jerky you like," he offers, and Dew gives him a little ooh.

"The cheese too," he insists, shuffling to the edge of the mattress and reaching for his boots. "The one with the habaneros."

"Yeah, yeah," Swiss chuckles, heading for the door, "but warn me before you eat it, I'm not sleeping with you on cheese night again. I learned my lesson."

Dew hurls a pillow at him, and Swiss scampers into the hall with a boisterous laugh. The little ghoul works on lacing up his boots, and makes a mental note to never tell Swiss when it's cheese night.

Twenty minutes later they're on the road, and as the breeze blows through his hair Dew wonders why he was so reluctant in the first place.

It's a gorgeous day, sunny and hot, but not enough to need the a/c. They're flying down the highway in Copia's ancient whale of a car, the windows down and a Judas Priest cassette blaring through the speakers; Swiss belts out the chorus to Breaking the Law while Dew taps out a matching rhythm on the outside of his door. In the back, Cumulus provides backing vocals while Sunshine dances in her seat, and Dew can't help the massive grin that splits his face.

It's a 45 minute drive to the nearest grocery store - the one downside to the abbey being so remote - but the trip passes quicker than he expects. They're trundling into the parking lot before Dew knows it, Swiss killing the engine and groaning through a solid stretch. Dew flips down the visor, looks in the tiny mirror and makes a displeased sound at the state of his hair.

"Okay," Cumulus pipes up from the back seat. Dew peers at her in the mirror, not missing the fresh hickey just below her ear. "I have the list, I have our allowance, I have..." she pats at her chest, searching the pockets of her denim vest, "ah, and I have my phone!"

"You got my snacks on that list?" Dew inquires, working at his knotted ends. Cumulus makes an affirmative sound.

"Sure do," she lilts, leaning forward to dangle the paper in his face. "Jerky and cheese, as requested."

"Get some of that chocolate I like too," he mumbles, "the dark stuff, with the salt." He turns his head to give her outstretched hand a quick peck. "Please."

"You got it, sugar," she giggles, tucking the list away. "You two coming with us?"

"No boys allowed," Sunshine and Swiss say in unison, and the lot of them chuckle. It's a known fact that Dew isn't a fan of crowds and that Swiss can't be trusted around free samples, so in the car they will stay.

"Besides," Swiss adds, leaning across the bench seat to throw an arm around Dew's narrow shoulders, "I got good company right here."

He nips at Dew's ear and the little ghoul elbows him in the side, hard enough to make Swiss yelp. It turns into a quick little slap fight, a moment of playful stupidity that Dew will never admit to enjoying as much as he does.

"Play nice, kids," Sunshine chides when they break apart, resting her chin on the back of their seat with a toothy grin. "Or mommy won't bring back any treats!"

"Gross," Dew complains, but settles anyway. Goes back to working the kinks from his golden locks. Sunshine leans over the seat to plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek and Dew squawks in protest.

"Aww, but you I thought you loved calling me that!"

Dew shoves her away, suffers through a chorus of snickers while his cheeks go pink, and resolutely avoids looking over as Swiss. The girls get their things together and then they're clambering out of the car; Sunshine glues herself to Cumulus, laces their hands together, and together they stride across the parking lot to the hulking monolith that is the grocery store.

"Mommy, huh?" Swiss pipes up moments later, and Dew groans.

"Shut up," he grouses, giving up on his messy hair and slouching down in his seat. "It's her thing, not mine," Dew lies. "Besides, I've called you worse."

"Can't argue that," Swiss lilts, stretching his arm along the back of the bench seat. "Remember that time you called me Mr. Army?"

Oh, does he, and Dew really doesn't want to think about that right now. Thick fingers tease their way into his tangled hair, blunt nails scratching against his scalp.

"You were the one that put me in a schoolgirl outfit," Dew huffs, crossing his legs for reasons totally unrelated to that particular memory. "I can't be held accountable for anything I said."

"I just never thought I'd get anyone but Rain to call me that," Swiss murmurs, a lascivious grin sliding onto his face. Dew looks at him from the corner of his eye, unwilling to lose the pleasant pressure of Swiss' hand in his hair.

"Rain? Really?"

"Oh yeah," Swiss says, converational. His hand moves to cup the back of Dew's neck, and oh is that lovely. "Wanted me to spank his ass raw and tell him what a naughty boy he was while he said it. Poor guy went off against my thigh before I could even get him on my cock," he sighs, wistful. Swiss turns his head, fixes Dew with that vulpine smile. "You were a nice surprise."

The little ghoul rolls his eyes, and really hopes Swiss doesn't notice him squeezing his thighs together. He has nothing further to say on the matter - or, at least, nothing that won't get him into trouble - so he stays silent. Enjoys the way Swiss' thumb rubs the spot just behind his ear while he watches humans mill about the lot. Families and individuals both, with arms full of paper bags holding untold goodies.

For what it's worth, Swiss doesn't keep talking either. He's not quiet, still humming out a tune Dew recognizes but can't quite place, but it's comfortable. The sun's hanging high in the early afternoon sky, a gentle breeze flowing though the still open windows, and Dew would be lying if he said this wasn't a nice way to kill time.

"What's on your mind?" Swiss asks a handful of minutes later, giving his neck a squeeze. "You're never quiet for this long."

"Oh you're one to talk," Dew chuffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can't remember the last time you shut up for more than five minutes."

"Pfft, sure you can," Swiss insists, that large hand dipping into the collar of Dew’s t-shirt, callused fingertips drifting over his skin and dragging a soft sigh from his lips. "I'm pretty sure I don't talk that much when you're sitting on my face, spitfire."

Dew scoffs despite the tingle the words force through him, a warm feeling settling into his belly. He turns his head to give Swiss a look, an incredulous eyebrow raised.

"That's the only example you can think of?"

"No," Swiss shrugs, "it's just the one I'm thinkin' of right now." The other ghoul licks his lips in a very intentional way, and that tingle hits again. "I guess deepthroating Mount counts too, but -"

"So the only thing that keeps you from yapping is having someone's junk in your mouth," Dew interrupts, nodding sagely, "noted."

Swiss laughs, loud enough to get the attention of a few people loading their car nearby. Dew shrinks in his seat.

"Like you're complaining."

He shifts in the seat, scooching closer. Dew squints at him, suspicious, but doesn't protest. Not even when Swiss gets close enough for their thighs to touch, for the other ghoul to drape an arm around his neck and let that huge hand rest on his chest. For Dew to soak in his spicy cologne and for Swiss to rest his chin on a bony shoulder.

"Besides," he rumbles, nosing at Dew's temple, "we both know you love my yapping."

"Love is a strong word," Dew mumbles, tilting his head when Swiss nuzzles his neck nonetheless.

"Mm, I don't think so," Swiss hums against his jaw, stubble scratching at his skin in a way that makes Dew's eyelids flutter. "Don't think I missed that little leg squeeze when I was talkin' about Rain, baby."

Dew groans, gives him a little shove. Far from enough to dislodge the other ghoul, more of a nudge than anything else. Token protest. Swiss huffs out a soft laugh, kisses his cheek.

"That's what I thought," he coos, licking at the shell of Dew's ear to draw out a shiver. The hand on his chest finds a nipple through his shirt, and Dew has to bite his lip to keep from making a sound. Curse Swiss for knowing every one of his weak spots. "Can't hide from me, Sparky."

Dew hates that he's right, and hates even more that - even in a place like this - Swiss can get him riled up with so little effort. Dew bounces his leg, takes his lower lip between his teeth while he scans the parking lot. There are people everywhere, but none close enough to see them - a fact Dew is very thankful for when Swiss sucks his earlobe and gives one of his nipple piercings a tug. Any closer and they might hear his moan.

"Fuck," Dew grunts, squirming in his seat, "ugh, you bitch."

"Such language," Swiss taunts, tracing the tip of his tongue along Dew's pulse point. "Lucifer, you're so easy."

Dew growls as best he can, human glamour be damned, and it just makes Swiss laugh again. It's a shame he can't argue - Swiss and Aether are the only ones who have such an effect on him, and they both know it perfectly well.

"Aww, gettin' all hot and bothered already?" Dew tries to shake his head, but Swiss kisses his throat and it doesn't get him very far. "Don't lie, firecracker. I can smell it on you."

Of course he can. He always can. Dew sighs as his eyes slip shut, sagging into the seat as Swiss slowly but surely teases the spots that make him start to sweat. Swiss' other hand lands on his thigh, stroking tight denim until Dew’s legs uncross. He walks two fingers up the inseam of the little ghoul's jeans while he trails wet kisses along his jaw, and Dew really can't help the soft sounds it all wrings from him.

Then that wandering hand sneaks under his shirt, lifts it up to expose his belly, and Dew jolts.

"H-hey, wait," he breathes, fists balled at his sides. His eyes crack open despite the way Swiss continues to work his chest, his throat, his ear. He watches Swiss' talented fingers trace his happy trail, dip into his navel and disappear up his shirt, and when Swiss rubs at his bare nipple Dew has to clap a hand over his mouth to hide his moan. "Shit, Swiss -"

It's muffled by his palm, and Dew's eyes dart around the parking lot as Swiss pulls away. Fixes him with hooded eyes and a crooked smile.

"Hm?" Swiss tugs both piercings at once and Dew shudders. "Something wrong?"

"You - oh - fuck, Swiss some...someone's gonna hear, someone's gonna - nngh - gonna see -"

"So?" The hand under his shirt runs ticklish trails down his belly, makes the muscles there jump. Swiss nibbles at his collarbone and Dew makes an embarrassing gurgling noise. "You like being watched and we both know it."

That may be true, but Dew thinks there's a difference between Mountain spying on him through a crack in the door and being fondled in a public parking lot with the windows down.

Swiss' hand finds his belt then, and Dew throbs.

"Fucker," he bites out as Swiss unbuckles him, other hand still expertly working his chest, and Dew flushes at the dark chuckle Swiss lets out.

"Maybe later," he croons, kissing the hinge of his jaw. "I got other plans for you right now."

Swiss wastes no time it getting his belt out of the way, quick to pop the button and tug down his zipper. Dew's narrow chest is heaving by the time Swiss hooks two fingers into the band of his boxer briefs. The other ghoul gives him a cruel smirk, snaps the band against his skin, and Dew sucks air through his teeth.

"Better keep it down, baby," Swiss speaks against his ear, liquid silk. "If you can, that is."

That hand worms its way into his underwear, slips down between his thighs, and Dew clenches his teeth so hard his jaw cracks.

"Mm, what's this?" Swiss glides the tip of one finger through his folds and Dew's thighs tense. "So slippery already. Just from this?"

Swiss tweaks his nipple, licks a nasty stripe below his ear, and Dew really has to work not to choke on his own tongue. His fat little dick throbs against Swiss' palm, and Swiss sounds absolutely thrilled about it.

"Oh, someone's excited," he teases, one thick finger prodding at his hole. "It's already tryin' to suck me in," Swiss sing-songs, and the little ghoul's shoulders sag.

Dew whimpers when he pushes the tip inside, clenching around an intrusion that feels far too good for how slight it is. He can't stop looking at everyone wandering the parking lot, trying to stay on high alert for the slightest hint of undue attention but struggling more and more with every passing second. Swiss wriggles that probing digit further inside, up to the second knuckle, and then there's sudden pressure on it front wall that has Dew's back arching off the seat.

"Fuck, fuck," he wheezes, hands flying to whatever he can reach - one paws at Swiss' shirt, the other gripping his forearm. Feeling the muscles shift as Swiss' finger works him open, groaning at the gentle stretch. "Oh you bastard."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, sweetheart," Swiss breathes, palming his stiff clit, and Dew's breath catches in his throat.

"Can't believe you're - oh shit, oh - fuck, can't believe I'm letting you - ah!"

Dew bites his lips shut as Swiss curls his finger just right, muting his cry and fighting to keep his eyes from rolling back. Clamps his thighs around that massive hand until Swiss chuckles in his ear, swirling that digit and making the little ghoul's eyes cross instead.

"You're so pretty like this," he rumbles, a second finger tracing around the first, spreading slick. "All shy. Makes you even tighter," Swiss tells him, and Dew clamps down even harder. Why is it so good? "Wish I could get you in my lap right now," his breath is so, so hot in Dew's ear. "Get you to sit on my cock and see how quiet you are then."

Dew shivers head to toe, legs spreading at the thought alone, and Swiss leaps at the opportunity. Pulls his first finger out only to slide back in with two, and there's no possible way he could stay silent through that. He turns his head just in time to sink his teeth into Swiss' shoulder, howling his pleasure into cotton and flesh, and Swiss groans right along with him.

"That's more like it," he praises, kissing the top of Dew’s head while he pants and shivers. "Gonna be a quick one, isn't it?"

Dew nods as best he can, moaning into Swiss' shirt when he rubs the heel of his hand in slow circles over his pulsing clit. Doesn't pull back until he's sure he can control himself, gasping when Swiss crooks his fingers but biting back the whine bubbling up in his throat.

"Y-yeah," he admits, thready. He can't be bothered to look out the window anymore, staring only at the bulge Swiss' hand makes in his jeans. "Fuck, just do it, fuckin' make me."

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Swiss lilts, one last taunt, and then the only sound filling the space around them is the wet squelch of skilled fingers plunging in and out of his tight little body.

It's perfect - the curve of Swiss' digits, the pressure against his sensitive little dick, the way Swiss rubs at that one spot inside that has Dew going boneless against Swiss' side. Huffing hot into his shirt, hair falling into his face and wafting in the breeze still flowing through the open windows. He can't stop grabbing at Swiss - his shirt, his arm, whatever he can reach. Skinny hips rolling against his palm in search of more, more, driving Swiss' fingers as deep as they'll go.

"C-close," he spits far too soon, every inch of him on fire and wound tight as a spring. Swiss gives his closes approximation of his usual purr, and Dew's thighs quiver. "Like...like that, just like that, shit -"

"Yeah?"

The hand still torturing his nipples stills, presses flat to Dew's chest. His fingers feel so perfect Dew can't handle it, on edge and covered in goosebumps.

"Give me a squeeze, baby," Swiss instructs, and Dew does. Clenches hard around those two wonderful digits and Swiss seems to predict the sound it'll drag from him, because the hand on his chest flies to cover Dew's mouth and catch his wail. "Fuck, that's my good boy," Swiss huffs, breathless in a way Dew adores even through his haze of pleasure. The other ghoul holds him close, keeps his mouth covered, and Dew scrabbles at the arm working him. "Now let me feel it cum for me."

Dew loses all sense of rhythm as Swiss curls his fingers one last time, hitting something that puts stars in his eyes and wrenches harsh moans from his throat, and with one perfect roll of Swiss' palm against his clit Dew's gone.

He's drooling against Swiss' palm when he comes down from the highest high, sweaty at his hairline and his cunt still snapping around Swiss' fingers. Holding him inside with the little ghoul rides out the aftershocks, breathing hard through his nose and blinking with one eye at a time. Swiss is muttering all sorts of nonsense into his hair, a litany of praise and wonderment that Dew cannot for the life of him understand but appreciates anyway.

Soon enough sensitivity sets in, and Dew hisses against Swiss' damp palm. Reaches up to peel his hand away with shaky fingers, squirming until Swiss gets the message and pulls out with care. There's a gush of warmth that follows, soaks into his briefs, and Dew heaves a sigh.

"Unholy shit," he slurs, collapsing back into his seat like a mound of jelly. "What the fuck, Swiss."

The other ghoul chuckles, and Dew rolls his neck just in time to watch Swiss pop his messy fingers into his mouth. Listens to Swiss suck them clean and groan at the taste of him.

"What?" He licks slick from his palm, exaggerated passes of his tongue that Dew finds himself fascinated by. "You said you wanted to get something outta this, right?" Dew blinks at him, brows scrunched together as he tried to make his brain work. "Just granting your wish, Sparky."

Swiss gives him a wink, and then he's leaning in for a quick kiss. Just a peck, really, before he's fastening Dew's jeans and putting his belt back into place. Smoothing his hair as best he can before he scoots back behind the wheel, lacing his fingers behind his head. Dew's fully back by the time he's done, very aware of their surroundings once more and ever so glad to see their activities seem to have gone unnoticed.

"Just in time, too," Swiss comments, nodding towards the store. Dew squits against the sun and sees the girls just leaving the building, Sunshine's arms full and Cumulus carrying what looks to be a single bag of chips. They're bumping into each other and giggling, Dew can tell even from across the lot, and his own smile curls into place.

"Damn," he laments, sitting up straighter. "Guess you'll have to wait 'til we get back for your turn, huh?"

He turns to give Swiss a playful wink, and finds Swiss looking...he isn't sure. Smug? Maybe? Hard to say.

"What's your problem?"

"Nothin'," he shrugs, eyes wrinkled at the corners. "Just find it funny that after so long you still don't know what you do to me."

Dew blinks as Swiss reaches over to grab his wrist, guiding to his crotch and -

"Oh no fuckin' way."

"Tell anyone and I won't eat you out for a month," Swiss threatens, but Dew's too busy enjoying the sizeable wet spot beneath his hand to care.

"We're ba-ack!" Cumulus calls once they're in earshot, and Dew gives Swiss a squeeze before he pulls back. Licks at his palm while Sunshine loads up the trunk, just to make the other ghoul suffer a little bit more. The back doors swing open and the girls slide inside. "You boys have fun without us?"

"Oh, Lus," Dew tells her, rifling through the cassettes in the glove box with the tang of Swiss still coating his tongue. "You have no idea."

[nocasdatsgay]

Not Going Anywhere: Spring Time Affairs

Pairing: Tamlin/Elain/Lucien/Flora| Rating: G | Word Count: 934

Master List| Read on Ao3

Summary: Elain is pregnant with her first child and Ez has concerns about his place in Elain and Lucien’s life now.

Author’s note: For Day 3: Will There Be Enough Room @polysjmweek

Tagging: @ninthcircleofprythian @hieragalbatorixdottir @thisblogisaboutabook @daycourtofficial @secret-third-thing @pit-and-the-pen

“Wait, when does Lucien come back?” 

Flora had stood up fast, turning to Elain with wide eyes. Before, they were working in silence. Flora picked herbs for one of her new experiments, while Elain sat on a stool in front of a portable table, propagating some tulips from the continent. They both started early while the greenhouse was still cool.

Elain glance up thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Should be before dinner.”

Flora sighed deeply, dumping her herbs into her basket. “I doubt that will be in time. I forgot to tell you, Ez wanted to speak with you both today. Knowing him, he’ll find you first.” 

Elain gently tilted her head.  “What for?” 

“For that,” Flora pointed at Elain’s round belly hidden by the table. “He’s worse than me with his worries. He told me last night he thought you and Lu would be leaving and not love him anymore.”

Elain’s eyes instantly watered, shock etched into her features. “Why would he ever think that?” 

“I don’t know,” she sighed and placed her herbs in her basket. “I asked if it was nerves from not being the only youngling anymore. He said no, he was still excited. I think someone in court said something in front of him. You know, because of Lucien’s real father.” 

Elain instantly angered. “They have no right to gossip in front of our boy like that. It’s none of their business who Lucien might be tied to. We talked to Helion half a century ago. He isn’t going anywhere any time soon. By the mother, if something happens the magic might even choose Elios instead of Lucien.” 

“Cauldron knows it but these old fae like gossip.” Flora sighed heavily again. “Remember when I had Ez? I just knew they were whispering behind my back.” Then she laughed. “Maybe that’s why Ez worries so much.”

“Maybe.” 

A flood of emotions hit Elain hard. It was easy to be overwhelmed with the babe growing inside her. She rubbed her stomach, the babe gently kicking back. Ez had been the most excited out of all of them when Elain’s scent changed. Once he knew what that meant anyways. He’d help her pick out the colors for her announcements and theme for the nursery. She didn’t understand why he would suddenly think they would leave. 

Sure enough, he found her later while she was sitting by the fountain in the afternoon, soaking in the sun and cool breeze in the swing. Judging by the ink on his hands, he’d finished lessons for the day. She smiled at him as he approached, trying to not giggle as she watched him brush his blond hair out of his face from the wind. 

“Lainy?” 

“Yes, my little beastie?” 

He smiled bashfully, stopping in front of her. “Mama said I should talk to you.” 

“Did she?” Elain feigned ignorance. “About what?” 

 “Well, you and Lu are having a baby.” He glanced down at her stomach. 

“We are.” 

“And you said I was your baby.” 

“I did.”

There was a long pause between them and Elain rocked the swing with her foot gently while Ez looked at the ground. 

He finally whispered, “So you, you don’t need me anymore?” 

It hurt Elain’s heart to hear him say it. More so than she thought it would. She blinked profusely before asking, “What do you mean, Ez?” 

“You have your own baby now. You don’t need me anymore. I’ll just be mama and papa's.”

“Why would you think that?” 

“I know you love me and mama and papa. But you aren’t my mama.” He frowned, with tears in his eyes. “Are you going to leave and have a new house? For your new baby?”

Mother help her. 

“Come here,” Elain stopped the swing and reached out to him. He hesitated, but stepped forward. Elain cupped his face and brushed his cheek with her fingers. “Why do you think we are going to leave?”

“Drax moved away.” He whispered. 

Right, Elain thought. Drax was one of the few younglings Ezyrn’s age. Soren was expecting again and announced it right as her husband agreed to take on governing duties in the village in the east. They’d left a week ago, which explained Ez’s sudden thoughts.

“We aren’t going to leave. Ez, look at me.” She tilted his chin up gently. “You are just as much my baby as this one. I will always need you, my little beastie.” 

“Even Lu?” 

“Lu especially. We love you very much. We aren’t going anywhere. Understand?” Ez nodded. After a moment she sat back and added. “Do you want to know a surprise?” His eyes widened and he nodded again. “It’s a boy. Which means you’ll have a brother in a sense. Your mama doesn’t know yet. Do you want to be the one to tell her?”

He grinned.“And papa?” 

“Papa knows.” She couldn’t help herself laughing. Ez didn’t know it was payback for when he was in his mothers belly. “It’s a surprise for just your mother. The court doesn’t know yet either.”

“Can I go tell her now?” His face was lit with excitement. 

“At dinner. I want Lu and your father to see the look on her face too,” Elain replied, with a cryptid smile of her own. She stood from the swing and held out her hand to Ez. “Let’s go for a walk. Tell me about what you learned today.” 

Any fears Ez had were gone. He took Elain’s hand and they walked to the gardens together while he told her about his studies of the day. 

[psychopomp-namine]

some thoughts on the photo diving ability users

this is more of a speculation post. I want to talk about the main theme of link click, revisit cheng xiaoshi's character arc as we can now compare him to other users with the photo diving ability, as well as some thoughts on the narrative roles of shao yuanyuan and lu guang. they all kinda relate to each other, so I'm putting them here in one post.

i. past or future, let it be.

others have pointed out reasons why the possibility of cheng xiaoshi also time looping would be a disappointing turn from his character arc, which I agree with. I will not go into that here. instead, I wish to revisit a theme that I really wish link click would go back to as its main motto: "past or future, let it be."

I still believe this is and has always been the core theme of the show as a whole. and it's one of the reasons I personally fell in love with S1 and even in S2. you can't change the past. and even if you could go back to the past, you're only doing so to change your future, but you can't undo what has already happened. you can't jeopardize the present. past or future, let it be.

although yingdu deals with butterfly effects instead of closed loops, I don't think it's exempt from this lesson either. the fact that lu guang is now learning to make this final timeline count and that he is, for the first time, looking towards the future and not the past (because this is the "last time") is him finally reaching the same place as cheng xiaoshi in terms of the character growth cheng xiaoshi exhibited by early season 2. they are, for the first time, running towards the same direction together. a shared future. this present future. there are no do-overs after this.

even if cheng xiaoshi ends up diving into the past and timeloops for whatever reason, I don't want it to be the solution to everything. changing the past has never been the solution in link click (yingdu arc notwithstanding). it goes against the main lesson of the show. so if he ever does that, I want it to be because he wants to stabilize the past and prevent any more changes to it.

more than two people timelooping for each other, I think there's more catharsis in two time travelers committing to make this final timeline really count. this is the last time. this is their only time. so, past or future, let it be.

and if the lyrics to songs like train trail and break are anything to go by (they literally include the phrase "past or future, let it be"), I think we'll definitely still loop back to this theme again in S3.

ii. revisiting cheng xiaoshi's character arc

on that note, I want to make a quick comparison of our photo diving ability havers, because I think lu guang and shao yuanyuan serve as a useful comparative lens for us to see cheng xiaoshi with. I did this in the tags of a previous post but I think it deserves its own post now.

cheng xiaoshi gets called immature a lot sometimes by other people, which I don't really believe to be true or an accurate description of him. and shao yuanyuan provides me with another reason that bolsters my belief in this.

the ability to change the past is a dangerous power, but it's cheng xiaoshi who learns the lesson of link click the fastest. past or future, let it be. lu guang is willing to erase the present timeline by diving into the past, and shao yuanyuan is doing... whatever it is she's doing to save cheng weimin.

in comparison, cheng xiaoshi matures relatively quickly about not abusing his powers, and he is overall more resistant to the temptation of using time travel to undo death by S2. after emma, cheng xiaoshi learns not to change a death node. not even that of his best friend's, whom he loves very dearly. this is a marked contrast not only to lu guang, but also to his mother.

it's a very underrated aspect of him because cheng xiaoshi is often described as impulsive and reckless, but he does take these lessons to heart and as long as he's given space to think things through, he comes out with rather emotionally mature decisions. I love this aspect of him sooo much. his big heart carries so much responsibility, and he takes it very seriously.

which is why I am very confident that in S3, we can trust cheng xiaoshi with the timeline. so much so that I do believe he can make things right without having to change the past drastically (but I'm very sure the show will tempt him to anyway).

if there's anyone in this show who can be trusted to take care of the timeline, it's cheng xiaoshi.

iii. shao yuanyuan and lu guang's narrative roles

on the flip side, let's talk about our other two divers. there's a really great "what if" post written by @sonchop that I've been thinking about recently that I'll touch upon later. I highly recommend reading through it.

when talking about lu guang, we have to remember what constraints the writers are writing under with regards to his character. see, lu guang is a tricky character to write under censorship rules. my personal understanding (which may run contrary to some fans', but I believe there's a lot more lu guang apologists here on tumblr lol) is that lu guang is meant to be a hypocrite willing to do morally questionable things for cheng xiaoshi. but he is also most likely slated for a happy ending. it will be difficult to make both things happen under censorship. these are the limitations the writers are working with.

for example, let's look at how lu guang was written in yingdu arc. lu guang wants to murder vein, hence why he talked about creating an "unchangeable node" -- aka, a death node. his intentions are very clear, and the show even frames this by animating him as wang qing's puppeteer and even "crushing" his hand as vein gets a heart attack. but he can't be shown directly actually murdering vein if we want to give him a happy ending later, because that's a no-no under censorship.

think of it as similar to how in S2 they had to pivot the red eyes concept because they can't let red eyes remain at large after stabbing lu guang.

so lu guang has to be written in such a way where his intent is not necessarily "morally acceptable" but his actions are in such a way that a really good lawyer can defend him in court. he didn't technically kill vein. he's not the murderer technically speaking. you can't charge him guilty just for talking to vein for 30 seconds.

the way I personally see it: lu guang is in a precarious narrative position and needs to be written delicately to “deserve” his happy ending under censorship rules.

so. circling back to the post I mentioned at the beginning of this section. my theory is that introducing shao yuanyuan as the main wildcard of the timeline changes will be what narratively "absolves" lu guang from his own timeline trampling "sins" thereby making it "acceptable" for him to get a happy ending. a sort of situation where, as the post says, what if shao yuanyuan's own timelooping caused the butterfly effect that led to lu guang timelooping. he wouldn't have needed to timeloop if they fix shao yuanyuan's timelooping. (<- speculation only)

anyway, so I think in S3 it'll be interesting to see how far they can take lu guang. but I probably won't expect him to like, actually kill people himself or whatever. the best he can do is probably something like his chessmaster style "gambling" in yingdu. which I guess works out for the liu xiao paralleling.

at the same time. for the bittersweet ending likers, there's still hope!! even if it's possible they'll give lu guang a happy ending, I think cheng xiaoshi will lose something in any ending. with the way they're setting up shao yuanyuan's role, I don't think cheng xiaoshi can have both his parents and lu guang together in his life atm. maybe they'll show us something in the future to make that possible, but for now, I don't see it. (something something, "just because you can't see hope doesn't mean it's not there)

anyway. if cheng xiaoshi is supposed to be the character — the hero — who learns to embody the lesson of link click ("past or future, let it be"), shao yuanyuan is the character who, as far as we know, refuses to. I mean, she left cheng xiaoshi in 2008. he's an adult now. she hasn't learned to let go in all these years. it'll be a wonder if we can find a way for her to let go after all this time. and lu guang so far is the character in-between the two spectrums. he could have ended up like shao yuanyuan, but the ending of yingdu makes me think he's committing to this "last" timeline. his line about looking into the future is an important moment for him.

it'll be interesting to see the three of them deal with the timelines in S3.

again this is all just thoughts and speculation. in any case, whatever happens in S3, I am very excited for what's in store for us, as I'm really liking what they're setting up with our three photo divers.

[mangionebabymama]

Mamá I have a little Drabble of toxic baby daddy Lu I would like to share (:

Your back hit the door the moment it shut behind you—Luigi’s hand already wrapped around your throat, his body crowding into yours, breath hot, furious, and laced with that dangerous need only he could carry.

“You think I didn’t see him looking at you?” he growled, voice low, voice thick. “Laughing at his jokes, acting all cute like you don’t belong to me.”

You opened your mouth, but he didn’t give you the chance.

His mouth was on yours—rough, hungry, possessive—his tongue claiming your throat as his hand slid under your shirt, gripping your breast with bruising pressure. He was already hard, pressing against you like a weapon. And when you whimpered?

He smiled.

“You miss this cock, huh?” he sneered, pulling your panties to the side. “Your baby daddy knows how to fuck you right. These other boys? They don’t know shit.”

Then he spun you around, pressing you face-first against the door, yanking your hips back. You heard his zipper, the sound of clothes shoved down fast, angry, messy.

And then he was inside you. No warning.

Just one brutal thrust that made your knees buckle, that made your body scream as it stretched around him, wet from the second his voice touched your neck.

“You’re fucking soaked,” he grunted, driving into you harder. “Pussy knows who it belongs to.”

You choked on a moan, nails scratching at the wood, trying to breathe, trying to keep up as he fucked you like punishment. Like a lesson. Deep, rough strokes that hit your cervix like he was trying to carve his name into your womb.

“You carry my baby, my last name, and you think someone else can touch what’s mine?” he hissed. “You need to be reminded. Again. And again. And again.”

He grabbed your hair, yanked your head back so your cheek met the door, his breath scorching against your ear.

“Say it. Tell me who this pussy belongs to.”

“You,” you gasped, shaking.

He slammed into you so hard the door rattled. “Say it like you mean it.”

“It’s yours, Lu! Fuck—it’s yours!”

“That’s right,” he growled. “No one’s ever gonna fuck you like this. No one’s ever gonna make you come this hard.”

He slid a hand between your thighs, rubbing tight, filthy circles over your clit while still slamming into you from behind, his cock soaked and dripping with you.

“Gonna fuck another baby into you,” he whispered, dangerous and dark. “Wanna see you waddling around swollen with me. Want everyone to know—you’re mine, inside and out.”

Your legs gave out. He caught you.

And he kept going.

“You’re gonna leak me down your thighs for days,” he snarled, losing control now. “And you’ll come crawling back when you feel empty again. Because no one fills you like I do. No one owns you like I do.”

You came—hard, body locking up, voice caught in your throat—and he chased you into it, grinding through your orgasm with desperate, deep strokes.

And then he came with a snarl.

Not just a finish. A claim.

Thick, hot ropes of cum spilled inside you, flooding your already full core until it gushed out around his cock, dripped down your legs, marked you inside and out.

He didn’t pull out.

He leaned into your ear, panting, spent—but still hard, still twitching inside you.

“You can fight me all you want,” he whispered. “But this body? This pussy? That mouth? Mine. Forever.”

And he kissed your shoulder like a lover—soft, sweet—while you still dripped from the savage way he’d just made you his.

(:

tysm for this 😮‍💨 MUAH

[luigilore]

Imagine u and lu falling for another at a climbing gym 🧗. He’s probably your instructor who just had to walk u thru the group intro lesson but now that you become a regular he’s always finding excuses to check in on you. Ong my heart 💕💕💕

oh stop so cute

first of all that picture… the tank tops he wears and his arm muscles... insane. and he would be sooo oblivious to how hot literally everyone thinks he is. i feel like he would be such a sweet instructor and during the group session would always ask softly if he can correct your form… & his hands are sooo big and warm and then as he’s spotting you on the rock wall you just feel so safe and secure

he would be so encouraging if ur nervous also compliment/praise u lol like if you hesitated on one he’d repeatedly be like ‘don’t worry, i got you’ AHHH

you keep coming back; you'll see him, wave, and he'll always come make small talk… he gives u his # under the guise of giving you hiking recs— which he does! eventually you’re talking to your friends and you recommend the gym telling them how thorough they are and how your favorite, very cute and sweet instructor- luigi, stays late to help you after his actual sessions for the day, discounts your membership, finds the best hiking trails for you…

and ur guy friend is like what... nobody does that for me there 😦... like oh! yeah... it's just lu having a crush actually sorry

he would be very serious about researching and finding hidden gems and trails u would like (& other outdoor activities) but then that just feels like he’s planning a date! so you tell him he might as well come along too <3

[firestorm09890]

Here is my most batshit Limbus Company theory

CONTEXT

FIRST you need to know about another theory, one which actually makes quite a bit of sense and is likely what will happen: Dante will receive one Sapling of Light ability per canto, in the order of the sephirot on the Kabbalah, and the corresponding virtue learned in Lobotomy Corporation will be associated with the relevant sinner. Heathcliff got "The eye embracing the past; building the future", remembering Catherine yet letting go of Wuthering Heights, and Don Quixote got "The eye facing the fear; breaking the cycle", choosing to fight against the first kindred.

As it follows, Hong Lu will receive Chesed ("Those who are faithful and trustworthy"), Ryōshū will receive Gebura ("The courage to protect"), and Meursault will receive Tiphereth ("The expectation for the meaning of existence"). Things get a little shaky after that; these three can fit their sephirah lessons quite well, but then after is Outis and Faust, who would get Netzach's and Hod's respectively, which leaves uncertainty around Yesod and Malkuth, and "The fearlessness to keep on living" (Netzach's) needs more thinking to connect back to Outis than the previous three.

MY THEORY

Instead of leaning into the absurdism/existentialism themes for Meursault (the reason why Tiphereth fits him), his canto will have Malkuth, "The will to stand up straight", leaning into his tendency to just do whatever other people tell him.

Why?

Because Binah, Hokma, Gebura, Chesed, and Malkuth are the 5 symbols attached to the chains binding Gregor's arm in Suddenly, One Day.

We'll be in N Corp. for Meursault's canto for sure- with that and with the five featured sephirot invoked, it's the perfect time for Hermann's present to go off!!

There is a major sticking point that I can't think of a way Hermann could possibly know how to connect Gregor's arm to Dante's Sapling of Light powers or what order they'd awaken them in but that’s why the theory is “batshit”.

Maybe Malkuth is just like when there’s a graph and you want to show tons of data later on so you put a little lightning bolt break— all the other sephirot do exist between there, but there wasn’t space. In that case maybe it’d go off after the sinner cantos end, at the same time Dante’s clock hits midnight

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Western Han (202 BC – 9 AD) Traditional Clothing Hanfu Photoshoot

“这个位子 我有何坐不得？” “我欲问鼎天下，试问谁与争锋”

"Why can't I sit in this seat?"

"I want to conquer the world, who can compete with me?"

【About The First Empress of the Han Dynasty Empress Lü:Lǚ zhì(吕雉)】

Lü Zhi (241–18 August 180 BC), courtesy name E'xu (娥姁) and commonly known as Empress Lü (traditional Chinese: 呂后; simplified Chinese: 吕后; pinyin: Lǚ Hòu) and formally Empress Gao of Han (漢高后; 汉高后; Hàn Gāo Hòu), was the empress consort of Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. They had two known children, Liu Ying (later Emperor Hui of Han) and Princess Yuan of Lu. Lü was the first woman to assume the title Empress of China and paramount power. After Gaozu's death, she was honoured as empress dowager and regent during the short reigns of Emperor Hui and his successors Emperor Qianshao of Han and Liu Hong (Emperor Houshao).

She played a role in the rise and foundation of her husband, Emperor Gaozu, and his dynasty, and in some of the laws and customs laid down by him. Empress Lü, even in the absence of her husband from the capital, killed two prominent generals who played an important role in Gaozu's rise to power, namely Han Xin and Peng Yue, as a lesson for the aristocracy and other generals. In June 195 BC, with the death of Gaozu, Empress Lü became, as the widow of the late emperor and mother of the new emperor, Empress Dowager (皇太后, Huángtàihòu), and assumed a leadership role in her son's administration. Less than a year after Emperor Hui's accession to the throne, in 194 BC, Lü had one of the late Emperor Gaozu's consorts whom she deeply hated, Concubine Qi, put to death in a cruel manner. She also had Concubine Qi's son Liu Ruyi poisoned to death. Emperor Hui was shocked by his mother's cruelty and fell sick for a year, and thereafter no longer became involved in state affairs, and gave more power to his mother. As a result, Empress dowager Lü held the court, listened to the government, spoke on behalf of the emperor, and did everything (臨朝聽政制, "linchao ting zhengzhi"). With the untimely death of her 22-year-old son, Emperor Hui, Empress dowager Lü subsequently proclaimed his two young sons emperor (known historically as Emperor Qianshao and Emperor Houshao respectively). She gained more power than ever before, and these two young emperors had no legitimacy as emperors in history; the history of this 8-year period is considered and recognized as the reign of Empress Dowager Lü. She dominated the political scene for 15 years until her death in August 180 BC, and is often depicted as the first woman to have ruled China. While four women are noted as having been politically active before her—Fu Hao, Yi Jiang, Lady Nanzi, and Queen Dowager Xuan—Lü was the perhaps first woman to have ruled over united China.

Lü Zhi was born in Shanfu County (單父; present-day Shan County, Shandong) during the late Qin Dynasty. Her courtesy name was Exu (Chinese: 娥姁; pinyin: Éxǔ). To flee from enemies, her father Lü Wen (呂文) brought their family to Pei County, settled there, and became a close friend of the county magistrate. Many influential men in town came to visit Lü Wen. Xiao He, then an assistant of the magistrate, was in charge of the seating arrangement and collection of gifts from guests at a banquet in Lü Wen's house, and he announced, "Those who do not offer more than 1,000 coins in gifts shall be seated outside the hall." Liu Bang (later Emperor Gaozu of Han), then a minor patrol officer (亭長), went there bringing a single cent and said, "I offer 10,000 coins." Lü Wen saw Liu Bang and was so impressed with him on first sight, that he immediately stood up and welcomed Liu into the hall to sit beside him. Xiao He told Lü Wen that Liu Bang was not serious, but Liu ignored him and chatted with Lü. Lü Wen said, "I used to predict fortunes for many people but I've never seen someone so exceptional like you before." Lü Wen then offered his daughter Lü Zhi's hand in marriage to Liu Bang and they were wed. Lü Zhi bore Liu Bang a daughter (later Princess Yuan of Lu) and a son, Liu Ying (later Emperor Hui of Han).

Liu Bang later participated in the rebellion against the Qin Dynasty under the insurgent Chu kingdom, nominally-ruled by King Huai II. Lü Zhi and her two children remained with her father and family for most of the time during this period.

Even after Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang)'s victory over Xiang Yu, there were still unstable areas in the empire, requiring the new government to launch military campaigns to pacify these regions thereafter. Gaozu placed Empress Lü Zhi and the crown prince Liu Ying (Lü Zhi's son) in charge of the capital Chang'an and making key decisions in court, assisted by the chancellor Xiao He and other ministers. During this time, Lü Zhi proved herself to be a competent administrator in domestic affairs, and she quickly established strong working relationships with many of Gaozu's officials, who admired her for her capability and feared her for her ruthlessness. After the war ended and Emperor Gaozu returned, she remained in power and she was always influential in many of the country's affairs.

In his late years, Emperor Gaozu started favouring one of his younger consorts, Concubine Qi（戚夫人）, who bore him a son, Liu Ruyi, who was instated as Prince of Zhao in 198 BC, displacing Lü Zhi's son-in-law Zhang Ao (Princess Yuan of Lu's husband). Gaozu had the intention of replacing Liu Ying with Liu Ruyi as crown prince, reasoning that the former was too "soft-hearted and weak" and that the latter resembled him more. Since Lü Zhi had strong rapport with many ministers, they generally opposed Gaozu's decision but the emperor seemed bent on deposing Liu Ying. Lü Zhi became worried and she approached Zhang Liang for help, and the latter analysed that Gaozu was changing the succession on grounds of favouritism. Zhang Liang invited the "Four Whiteheads of Mount Shang", a group of four reclusive wise men, to persuade Gaozu to change his decision. The four men promised to assist Liu Ying in future if he became emperor, and Gaozu was pleased to see that Liu Ying had their support. Gaozu told Concubine Qi, "I wanted to replace (the crown prince). Now I see that he has the support of those four men; he is fully fledged and difficult to unseat. Empress Lü is really in charge!" This marked the end of the dispute over the succession and affirmed Liu Ying's role as crown prince.

In June 195 BC, Emperor Gaozu died and was succeeded by Liu Ying, who became historically known as Emperor Hui of Han. Lü Zhi was honoured by Emperor Hui as empress dowager. She exerted more influence during the reign of her son than she had when she was empress, and she became the powerful and effective lead figure in his administration.

Lü Zhi did not harm most of Gaozu's other consorts and treated them according to the rules and customs of the imperial family. For example, consorts who bore male children that were instated as princes were granted the title of "Princess Dowager" (王太妃) in their respective sons' principalities. One exception was Concubine Qi, whom Lü Zhi greatly resented because of the dispute over the succession between Liu Ruyi (Qi's son) and Liu Ying. Liu Ruyi, the Prince of Zhao, was away in his principality, so Lü Zhi targeted Concubine Qi. She had Qi stripped of her position, treated like a convict (head shaved, in stocks, dressed in prison garb), and forced to do hard labour in the form of milling rice.

Roles in the deaths of Concubine Qi and Liu Ruyi

Lü Zhi then summoned Liu Ruyi, who was around the age of 12 then, to Chang'an, intending to kill him together with his mother. However Zhou Chang (周昌), the chancellor in Liu Ruyi's principality, whom Lü Zhi respected because of his stern opposition to Emperor Gaozu's proposal to make Liu Ruyi crown prince, temporarily protected Liu Ruyi from harm by responding to Lü Zhi's order that, "The Prince of Zhao is ill and unfit for travelling over long distances." Lü Zhi then ordered Zhou Chang to come to the capital, had him detained, and then summoned Liu Ruyi again. Emperor Hui tried to save Liu Ruyi by intercepting his half-brother before the latter entered Chang'an, and kept Liu Ruyi by his side most of the time. Lü Zhi refrained from carrying out her plans for several months because she feared that she might harm Emperor Hui as well.

One morning in the winter of 195-194 BC, Emperor Hui went for a hunting trip and did not bring Liu Ruyi with him because the latter refused to get out of bed. Lü Zhi's chance arrived, so she sent an assassin to force poisoned wine down Liu Ruyi's throat. The young prince was dead by the time Emperor Hui returned. Lü Zhi then had Concubine Qi killed in an inhumane manner: she had Qi's limbs chopped off, eyes gouged out, ears sliced off, nose sliced off, tongue cut out, forced her to drink a potion that made her mute, and had her thrown into a latrine. She called Qi a "human swine" (人彘). Several days later, Emperor Hui was taken to view the "human swine" and was shocked to learn that it was Concubine Qi. He cried loudly and became ill for a long time. He requested to see his mother and said, "This is something done not by a human. As the empress dowager's son, I'll never be able to rule the empire" From then on, Emperor Hui indulged himself in carnal pleasures and ignored state affairs, leaving all of them to his mother, and this caused power to fall completely into her hands.

When Lu first came to the court, she planned to establish the Lu family members as "kings (nobles)". This was not only to commemorate her deceased relatives, but also to strengthen her power in the court. However, Wang Ling, the prime minister at the time, immediately pointed out that the great ancestor Liu Bang(Husband of Lu, founding emperor of Han Dynasty)once killed the white horse and agreed that "if someone who are not Liu family be come the king, the whole world should attack them." Therefore, the move of establishing a foreign surname as the king violated the ancestral system established by Liu Bang and was really inappropriate.

Faced with the obstruction of Wang Ling, Empress Lu responded by deposing him and insisting on honoring her deceased father and two brothers as King Lu Xuan, King Wu Wu, and King Zhao Zhao. After setting this precedent, Lu was out of control. She not only named her three nephews Lu Tai, Lu Chan, and Lu Lu as King Lu, King Liang, and King Zhao respectively, but also named her grandnephew Lu Tong. He was the King of Yan, and his grandson Zhang Yan was granted the title of King of Lu.

In addition, there are also quite a few people with the surname Lu who have been granted the title of marquis. As a result, it can be said that many princes surnamed Lu appeared in the court in the blink of an eye. They controlled the government and became the cornerstone and support for Empress Lu to control the right to speak in the court.

Empress Lu's life was emblematic of the intricate power dynamics of the Han Dynasty in ancient China. Born into a modest family, Lu rose to prominence through her marriage to Emperor Gaozu. Her astute political acumen and strategic alliances allowed her to wield significant influence behind the throne. As the mother of several emperors, she orchestrated their ascensions and manipulated court politics to consolidate power for her family. However, her ruthless pursuit of control and elimination of rivals earned her both admirers and enemies. In the end, her ambitions led to her downfall, as her unchecked power and manipulation of succession angered the nobility.As a result, after her death, the Lu family was retaliated and killed by the nobles and courtiers who supported the Han Dynasty, and the family was almost exterminated.Empress Lu's life illustrates the delicate balance of power, ambition, and intrigue in ancient Chinese imperial courts.

Literati in every dynasty in China often likened women who attempted to participate in government affairs and influence national policies to Empress Lü, saying they were vicious. One of them was Wu Zetian, the first official female emperor of China. However, compared with Empress Lü, Wu Zetian was more talented. Unlike Empress Lü, who was simply vicious, she ignored the system and stability of the empire and put personal and family interests first.

________________

📸Photo & Model :@金角大魔王i

🔗Weibo:https://weibo.com/1763668330/NFVOXthxX

________________

[late-draft]

On first glance, this is a funny scene about Iroh making funny faces and dancing. But it was exactly this that left an impact on me because of how hard the humour contrasts with the reality of the situation.

It stayed with me just how much this event probably disturbed Zuko: it wasn't just the stress from being in danger. He was probably appalled that Iroh would lower himself so much, that he would ever allow this; going from the position of once being the crown prince to now, submissively performing for a sneering aggressor on a filthy street in enemy territory, allowing himself to be in danger and not fighting back. (quote unquote)

Zuko certainly felt immense shame, insult and shock. Even second-hand, observing his uncle. Iroh implicitly involved him in this social ladder descent as well with his behaviour. I imagine it would continue to bother Zuko for quite some time, like a heavy bundle of stress he wouldn't know how to get rid of.

(Look at these frames. The framing and pacing tells you everything. The camera moves closer and lingers on him, he doesn't have to say anything.)

Of course, Zuko doesn't understand Iroh's position in this. It's so different from what Zuko has been through that it's normal and logical he wouldn't understand. Iroh has long since let go of pride and arrogance and of looking down on other peoples. He understands the gravity of their situation and he doesn't have arrogance preventing him from doing what he believes is necessary to help him and his nephew survive. Even if it means being a beggar and, I would assume, even taking a beating. In a way, this was also a bit of ad hoc demonstration from him to Zuko on how it's possible to not be overburdened by royal pride. It wasn't specifically a lesson on it, but the event had traces of it.

On a meta level, this scene deals with violence against the homeless. It just shows it existing and doesn't comment on it. It's also a very strong scene that continues the demonstration of both Iroh's and Zuko's characterization.

It then leads with Zuko using force to steal, contrasted to Iroh begging and being thankful for what they receive. He's very forgiving - he doesn't chastise Zuko for theft too much. It wasn't the "defeat" at Ba Sing Se that humbled Iroh (Iroh was never defeated, he withdrew). It was losing Lu Ten and thus learning the actual value of human life, the illusion of separation and kindness. But hand-in-hand with this is that Iroh also always was and stays a very resilient and steadfast person, where he doesn't give in (for the most part) to people who are truly evil and selfish. It's why the "I looked away" stays as one of the things he will always regret. He didn't bend to the bully on the street because he was weak by this point or lost his sense of orientation in the social ladder. No; he sang and performed for a gold coin with full understanding.

[m-y--p-a-s-s-i-o-n-s]

Supernatural Fanfics

Title: Couples Costumes

Rating: E

Words: 4k

Summary: Dean and Cas are attending a Halloween party with all their friends, and Dean has decided on the perfect outfits for them.

Title: Whatever This Is Between Us 

Rating: T

Words: 2.3k

Summary: Dean discovers just what kind of relationship the 2014 versions of himself and Castiel have, and maybe he can discover something about himself too.

Title: Drinking Buddies

Rating: T

Words: 2K

Summary: Crowley went to Bobby's to die, but instead the hunter might have just saved his life.

Title: Drawn To You

Rating: E

Words: 5.7K

Summary: Dean is a stripper at 'Crossroad Cowboys' and gets called in to work a hen's party. Dean's expecting all women in the party, but then there is a blue eyed man in a trench coat with them and Dean is instantly drawn to him. When the ladies pay for the guy to have a ride with Dean on the mechanical bull it's clear that the attraction is mutual, is either of them willing to do anything about it though?

Title: Within Blue Gaze

Rating: T

Words: 1.5K

Summary: When Dean is transported to 2014, he spends some time with Cas catching up on the last five years. During that time he discovers something that changes everything, is he ready to pursue it though?

Title: Under the Versatility of a Dream

Rating: T

Words: 942

Summary: Their dynamic has changed now that they’re free from the cage, Adam tries to hide how he feels, but Michael figures out a way to help his human get what he needs.

Title: Under the Storage Shelf 

Rating: M

Words: 1.1K

Summary: From the first moment Lu laid eyes on Balthazar he knew that he wanted much more than to serve the man drinks at the bar.

Title: Coming Home to You

Rating: T

Words: 3.1K

Summary: Dean likes to bring home a gift for his boyfriend from his business trips, this time is no different, he just needs to find the right time to give it to him.

Title: Earth is a Place in Heaven

Rating: T

Words: 1.4K

Summary: After Dean dies in the final episode he spends a lot of time in Heaven thinking about Castiel, who he never expects to see again...

Title: Human Things

Rating: E

Words: 1.5K

Summary: When Adam and Michael are released from the cage they head to Earth and Adam takes a little time do some human things, Michael wants to help.

Title: The Things That Really Matter

Rating: T

Words: 3.4K

Summary: When Dean is zapped forward to 2014, he learns an important lesson, but its not the one Zachariah wanted him to learn.

Title: Forever

Rating: T

Words: 570

Summary: What happens if Dean never got rid of the 'Mark of Cain'?

Title: Dean's Angel

Rating: T

Words: 865

Summary: An alternate scene in ep 11x18 "Hell's Angel" where Crowley smokes into Castiel's vessel to convince him to eject Lucifer, and things go a little different than he expected.

Title: First Day

Rating: E

Words: 14K

Chapters: 9

Summary: It's Lu's first day at a new school as a Math teacher and he instantly falls for the French teacher, Balthazar, who has an affinity for skinny jeans and v-necks. Balthazar's ex shows up and wants to get back with Balthazar, will he go back with his ex or stay with Lu?

Title: Two Worlds

Rating: E

Words: 9.1k

Chapters: 6

Summary: Castiel is nobody in high school and Dean is the captain of the football team. When Dean asks Cas to help him study, their two worlds start to merge, but can they become one?

Title: Coffee Beans & Motor Oil 

Rating: E

Words: 14.6K

Chapters: 10

Summary: Dean meets Cas at his favourite coffee shop where Cas has just started working after moving into town a few days previous. They hit it off immediately, Dean asks Cas on a date and it all unfolds from there.

Title: Wings 

Rating: T

Words: 1K

Summary: Castiel's back is itchy, could it have something to do with his wings?

Title: Under The Wooden Staircase

Rating: G

Words: 301

Summary: Bobby sets a trap for a crossroads demon but Crowley turns up instead.

Title: Under The Stars

Rating: G

Words: 327

Summary: Sam and Gabe make a plan to get Dean and Cas together on Christmas eve.

Title: Under The Roof Of The Impala

Rating: G

Words: 385

Summary: Dean and Cas find themselves under mistletoe and Cas makes his move.

Title: Acceptance

Rating: E

Words: 25.4K

Chapters: 17

Summary: Dean & Cas are 3 months into their relationship & living in a house with Sam when Bobby calls them to come & check out his new overfriendly neighbour. Things become a bit mysterious & Dean doesn't like what he finds.

Title: Winning Over Hearts

Rating: E

Words: 12.6K

Chapters: 11

Summary: Castiel returns from a holiday at Gabriel's house with Gabe, that night Sam is invited over for dinner and it is love at first sight for Gabe, not so much for Sam. Gabe has two weeks to win Sam's heart, but will he be able to?

Title: House Hunting 

Rating: E

Words: 1.2K

Summary: Dean is a real estate agent and Cas is a nurse. Cas comes to look at a house to buy and they flirt and christen the master bedroom, but Cas buys the house in the end.

Title: Guessing Games

Rating: E

Words: 15.3K

Chapters: 10

Summary: Sam and Dean are in high school and make deals to ask out their crushes and dates ensue. John isn't too happy about his sons having boyfriends.

Title: Stuck In The End

Rating: T

Words: 471

Summary: Set in 2014, based on things we saw in 'The End', basically Cas is high and ends up crying and Dean comes in to comfort him.

Title: Birthdays

Rating: M

Words: 666

Summary: Dean decides Cas needs a proper birthday, so they celebrate and Dean gets Cas a nice gift.

Title: Understanding

Rating: T

Words: 537

Summary: Dean and Cas had a fight which leads to them understanding their feelings.

Title: A Small Misunderstanding

Rating: G

Words: 548

Summary: Cas walks in on Dean hugging another man and quickly jumps to conclusions.

Title: Truth Or Dare 

Rating: T

Words: 2.2K

Summary: Gabriel wants to play truth or dare, and Dean and Cas find out things about each other that changes their relationship for the better.

[moonlitstoriess]

A Moment Away- Lucien Vanserra x Fem!Reader

Decided to write a cute/romantic little fanfic about Lulu because my boy deserves all the love🧡☺️

Y/n loved her job as a craftsman. Creating beautiful and intricate items, from paintings to jewelry, made her feel the happiest. Selling them to people or giving her mate these items when he goes to act as a diplomat in some court makes her feel quite valued too. She couldn't even count how many times her mate would come back from his trip, beyond happy and grateful to her because the individual he was meant to impress and create an alliance with fell in love with her craftsmanship.

Y/n also loved her workshops, her lessons that she would give to higher fae and after the war, to lesser fae with no charge. Feyre, the High Lady of the Night Court, even came to her workshops multiple times, praising her work and even sending y/n some paintings of her own too. Safe to say, Y/n was glad to have so many supporters and lovers of her work, including the high lady.

But sometimes, her motivation to create would cease to exist. Those days were the worst because she would feel her lowest. Unskilled, not special, not smart or talented. When that would happen, she wouldn't work or cheer up for the next couple of days, weeks, even.

But there was only one something or rather someone, who could bring her motivation back. Her handsome, funny, loving, charming, beyond clumsy and sometimes awkward mate, Lucien Vanserra. Y/n doesn't remember a day when Lucien wouldn't praise or shower her in love and affection. From morning till evening, Lucien will always find a way to show his admiration and care.

From the moment they accepted their mating bond two beautiful years ago, y/n and her mate had grown inseperable. Madly in love. It was this very same love that always caused her to feel beyond saddened whenever Lucien had to leave. His job as a diplomat, an emissary, required him to always be on the move. And y/n understood it, she really did. After all, it is thanks to his work that they are able to live so comfortably. It is thanks to his serious work ethic that Rhsand gave them a bigger home in Velaris for whenever they visit. And it is thanks to his and her work that they now have a comfortable house in the outskirts of the forest, near a lake, close to the human lands, and the wall from where he can also easily contact with Jurien and Vassa.

But it didn't help that each time after he left, y/n was feeling emotional. She grew so close with him that they were basically inseperable now. Even though he would shower her with kisses, cuddles, romantic intimate moments the night before, it would still fail to be enough.

So imagine the surprise on y/n's face when she came back home one day from her workshop and found a basket of some of her favorite flowers and a small note saying:

Come to the lake, my sunshine.

Y/n was shocked. Two days earlier, Lucien had written her that he would be home in a week but this.....he is home early. There were no more words, but there didn't need to be. She could almost hear the warmth in his voice, feel the promise in those few words. A small smile tugged at her lips, and for the first time that day, a sliver of hope broke through the clouds of her mood.

She made her way to the lake, the path lit by the soft glow of twilight. The cool evening breeze played with her hair, carrying the faint scent of pine and earth. The familiar sights and sounds of the forest calmed her nerves, the rhythmic rustling of leaves underfoot grounding her.

When she reached the lake, the sight before her took her breath away. A blanket was spread out on the grass, and atop it, an array of food—bread, cheese, fresh fruit, and a bottle of wine, all carefully laid out. The beautiful view of the sun setting over the horizon, casting its gentle glow over the whole area, added to the beauty of it all. But....there was no Lu-

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, her mates honey-like sultry voice coming from right beside her ear.

"You came,"

“How could I not?” she replied, her own smile growing by the minute as y/n leaned her head back onto his chest, allowing him to kiss her cheek. “But you, came early.”

Lucien chuckled as he turned her to face him, y/n's hands coming upwards to hold him by the neck as they smiled at one another.

"I missed you dearly, each moment without you was like torture. Had to come see you."

Y/n chuckled lightly as she said, "Lu, you can't just leave your duties for me."

Lucien scoffed as he leaned his head down, "Of course I can. You are my mate, nothing or no one is ever more important to me than you."

And before she could reply, he was kissing her with so much love and passion, as if trying to convey his feelings through this act.

She laughed fullheartedly once they seperated, tilting her head backwards as Lucien gently swayed them with a smile covering his face. Watching his mate be so free and happy made him feel happy.

After a little while, he gently took her hand and led her towards the small blanket sitting down and bringing her with him. As y/n got comfortable on his lap, playing with the small bracelet she gifted him on his wrist, and they stared into the beautiful view, she heard him say,

"Your presence is the forgotten melody that makes my heart sing in a language only we understand."

Y/n turned her head to look at him, their gazes meeting. "And you are the magic that makes every note of my heart's song feel like a new beginning."

Lucien smiled before leaning in to kiss her once more, this time gently. And then, her layed down, causing her to also fall back with a small gasp and a giggle.

They talked as they ate, sharing stories of their day, venting frustrations, and exchanging quiet laughter. The food was delicious, but it was the company that truly nourished her. Being with Lucien, feeling his warmth beside her, hearing his voice—these were the things that mattered, that made everything else fade into insignificance.

As the night deepened, they lay back on the blanket, gazing up at the stars. The moon cast a silver glow over the lake, turning the water into a shimmering mirror. Lucien’s hand found hers, their fingers intertwining.

“You know,” he said softly, his voice filled with a tenderness that made her heart ache, “no matter how tough the day is, knowing I have you to come back to makes it all worth it.”

She turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his. “And I’ll always be here,” she promised. “Whenever you need me, I’ll be right here.”

Lucien smiled, a quiet, content smile that spoke of unspoken promises and endless tomorrows. “I love you, and I will also be there for you. Always.” he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath.

She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, her heart full. “I love you too,” she replied, her voice steady and sure. 

In that moment, beneath the vast expanse of stars, with the world fading away around them, they were all that mattered. No more worries, no more frustrations—just the two of them, together, bound by love and whispered promises.

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A/n: Hope you guys enjoyed reading this. It's not proofread so sorry for any grammatical mistakes:))

[lovely-p-issues]

I have this fanfiction idea for times when my English will become acceptable: (it was in my drafts for months and tbh if I didn't post it today like this, with mistakes and stupid parts, I wouldn't have posted it at all, so, sorry ig)

Book 1: The war

How it all started

Let's make Azulon not madly-evil, but just regular-size-evil: he didn't plan to kill Zuko, because it's a stupid idea to get rid of your possible heir, he just wanted to take a son from Ozai - so he decided to make Zuko Iroh's heir, de facto making him Iroh's son (let's not focus on formality, just assume that you can switch your fathers if you are highborn enough)

(Zuko's life isn't in danger, so Ursa doesn't kill Azulon and he'll be ruling at least to the end of that book)

It may seem a great idea (especially in comparison with killing Zuko) but we can't forget that Iroh just lost a son and is still in grief, absolutely not ready to take care of another kid. He still needs to learn how to find a new path and calm his spirit and now he needs to do it with Zuko around him.

Iroh decides to take Zuko with him for his journey - Azulon approves this, seeing his son (and heir) needs to learn how to live after losing Lu Ten and thinking that Iroh may finally teach Zuko some actual fire bending

"I do not want to want to leave, Azula. I'm sorry, little sister."

"Whatever, Zuzu. At least you won't be distracting me from my lessons. Finally, something good comes from this whole fuss around you."

(In fact, she's not happy. Not at all)

______

At this point, Iroh is not yet the nice old man you know from ATLA. He's a broken man, trying to find a purpose in his life, triggered by Zuko's alikeness to Lu Ten and tired of being imposed on things like taking care of a teenager.

He's not Ozai, he's not cruel or even just bad, he just can't force himself to care.

They don't really talk, only sometimes to establish a plan for their further journey. The worst moments are when Iroh calls Zuko Lu Ten's name and then suddenly stops, looking at him in shock. After that kind of incidents, they stay silent for days.

Zuko starts to blame himself for being, well, alive, when his much better cousin is dead. He convinces himself it would be better if he died and Lu Ten lived.

Zuko spends most of his time alone. He hates making Iroh sad and upset so he chooses to stay away. He doesn't know what this all thing with White Lotus, he just likes the idea of his uncle/formal-dad having friends.

Yet, they travel all around the world and for the first time in his life Zuko sees what sharing progress and civilization by Fire Nation looks like. And he doesn't like that.

He's still loyal to his family, so he doesn't believe that his grandfather knows what is happening.

He decides that he needs to make a proper report (soul of writer, ya know).

He makes notes and talks with people, even if he hates how awkward it is. He believes that it's necessary to help them.

I think it's a wonderful idea to see Zuko interviewing - I mean, investigating-

Zuko's raport list - random traders complaining about the difficulty of staying afloat, - migrants who are fleeing war or have lost their homes to fighting, prisoners of war (this doesn't go down too well, thank goodness Zuko is still a kid and his passion seems adorable so no one kills him), - strange ladies in nice outfits who are paid by horrible men for no one knows what, - malnourished scarred soldiers of the Fire Nation, - children of the Earth Kingdom who teach him their stupid game (once he understood the rules, it wasn't THAT stupid, but still), - crazy old ladies, who won't stop pinching his cheeks, - a young girl with a scar on her face who didn't want to tell him much, but Zuko knew what accidental burns looked like and this wasn't one of them, - a group of artists whose theatre burned down after they refused to perform plays approved by the Fire Nation authorities, - a mother who asks him if he knows what happened to her son who was an earth bender and one day. .. just didn't come home

But we all know that Zuko always prefered to act than think. Pretty often Sometimes he disappears for a night. With him disappears an old, theatre mask.

Son came home and left with his mom. Someone left some gold for the soldiers to buy food. Someone bought the most useless things from traders. Someone left burn ointment made by someone who must have grown up surrounded by fire, on the doorstep of the poor girl. And many other, strange things happened.

Of course no one suspects anything or anyone. Trust me. Not a single soul.

______

Zuko is still training but can't even be angry enough to make a big fire. He's just frustrated and that makes him choke with smoke more than anything.

But with every other day, he feels worse. He gets letters from Azula who started to receive more attention from their mother since Zuko was away. When Ozai's influence is limited, she becomes a little more normal. She's still sharp as a knife and dangerous, but feeling loved by both her parents (even if Oazi is more focused on trying to control her and transform her into a weapon) decreases her psychopathic behaviour.

"Mom asked me to take care of your stupid turtle ducks, dum dum"

She thinks he will be happy hearing that she spends time with their mom, and Zuko, honestly, is happy. It's just-

"Am I even still her son since I'm Uncle Iroh's heir?"

-where is his place now?

For the first time in days, he feels an actual rage. And just like this, his fire bending becomes hundreds of times better, even unhinged and dangerous.

Iroh sees this while coming back from meditation (or whatever) and in a second feels that something is wrong.

He reaches out to Zuko, offering him some advice and lessons, but Zuko, a 13-year-old, harmfully lonely and practically neglected at this point prince, can't hold back anymore:

"YOU WANT TO TEACH ME AFTER MONTHS OF IGNORING ME? YOU'RE JUST LIKE FATHER, HE LOOKS AT US ONLY WHEN WE ARE ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE! WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME WHEN I COULD NOT HOLD A LITTLE FLAME IN MY HANDS? I DON'T NEED YOUR STUPID ADVICE NOW! YOU WEREN'T THAT WISE WHEN YOU LOST BA SING SE AND GOT LU TEN KILLED"

Iroh sters at him calmly for a few seconds.

"You are right. I wasn't. I'm trying to do better. If you change your mind about training, you know where to find me."

Zuko comes to his Uncle by night.

They don't really train. They drink tea instead.

And it becomes a habit.

After a few days, they start to actually train.

They need to breathe a lot. It's too much for Zuko, but Iroh is rather stubborn about this one.

After a few weeks, for the first time in his life, Zuko feels that fire bending is soothing and just pleasant. It feels like home.

It can't last forever. Of course.

______

They stayed for a long time in the Earth Kingdom. One day Zuko sees Ba Sing Se and vast fields of previous battles, trampled, dry land and piles of burnt bodies.

It's not the work of some mad general or bunch of scared soldiers fighting for their lives. It's his chubby nice tea-loving uncle's work. This is not an accident, an accidental casualty of war. They are the pride of the Fire Nation. This is their honour. This is their civilisation and progress.

That's what his family is doing to the world. Purposely.

Something is breaking inside him. Thoughts of mourning for Lu Ten. No one has ever mentioned all those bodies, the people who died here too. His uncle, his good uncle, his father, the pride of his Nation, only cried over his son. He never even hesitated to burn to a crisp anyone who defended his home. Against them.

Zuko isn't very smart, as we know. He screams a lot at Iroh. And then he leaves.

He thinks to himself, that Lu Ten, who actually fought in those battles would understand that it was wrong. But Lu Ten would also know what to do about it.

He wanders for days, trying to avoid people, untill

He crushes into something.

"Why are you running, flame-boy? Your pants are on fire?" *wild laugh*

And this is how Prince Zuko met Lady Toph Beifong.