#i felt he was very genuine and heartfelt and had thought a lot about the situation and felt awful

[weirdkpopgirl]

Burden | Dream Reaction #11

Reaction: When their gf feels like a burden to them

Genre: Hurt/comfort

Warnings: mentions of anxiety, dark thoughts, mental health issues

Word Count: 3593k

Author's Note: This reaction was requested by an anon, which I am very grateful for. I feel like the theme for this reaction is pretty common in my stories. So I tried my best to come up with different scenarios and not sound too repetitive. Writing this story made me think of how all the members of NCT Dream are such sweethearts, honestly. I hope you guys like this and please feel free to request more! Thank you for reading ^ ^

~ ~ ~

MARK

Lately, there’s been this growing distance between you and Mark. You hated yourself for feeling this way because Mark was nothing short of the perfect boyfriend. He treated you with kindness and respect. He didn’t hesitate to show his feelings for you and cared for you in ways that no one else in your life has.

But you were someone who carried a lot of insecurities. Frequently, you found yourself pondering if you were truly worthy of Mark's affection. He was constantly busy with his back-and-forth schedules between 127 and Dream. Yet he still made the time to call you and ask how your day went. You felt like you didn’t deserve him. 

One evening, you were engaging in a deep conversation with Taeyong at the 127 dorm. As the leader figure of the group, you sometimes found yourself confiding in the male when it came to concerns about your relationship. Unbeknownst to you, Mark happened to be present at the dorm that evening, and as he walked down the hallway, he overheard your voice drifting from the living room. 

“I don’t know…Mark is so sweet and loving,” you spoke with uncertainty, as you held a couch pillow close to your chest.“Sometimes I can’t help but feel like I’m a burden to him.”

He observed Taeyong place a comforting hand on your shoulder. “(Y/n), you’re an amazing girlfriend and Mark cares about you a lot. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” he tried to reassure you.

You let out a sigh, “I know…but I just can’t shake the feeling that I’ll never be good enough for him.”

Mark genuinely had no idea you were feeling this way. He’d stay up the rest night, replaying your words in his head. You were so important to Mark, and he couldn’t bear the thought of his life without you. Knowing that you felt so insecure saddened him deeply.

A few days later you received a text from Mark, asking you to meet him at the studio. The message felt somewhat random, but you headed to his company building, unsure of what to expect.

When you walked into the studio, Mark was sitting on the sofa with a guitar in hand. At first, you were confused until his fingers began strumming to a familiar tune.

“Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they’re not shinin’. Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying,” he sang softly. “She’s so beautiful, and I tell her every day.”

 You couldn’t help but laugh, finding it almost surreal that Mark Lee was serenading you with a Bruno Mars song. But the charming smile on his lips didn’t leave as he finished the first verse.

“Yeah, I know, I know when I compliment her, she won’t believe me. 

And it’s so, it’s so sad to think that she don’t see what I see.”

His fingers continued to strum the instrument as he stood up and walked up to you, singing the chorus with heartfelt emotion.

“When I see your face, there’s not a thing I would change. Cause you’re amazing, just the way you are.” He gazed into your eyes, singing the lyrics with such love and admiration. “And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile. Cause girl you’re amazing, just the way you are.”

Your hands were clasped over your mouth, and tears glistened in your eyes as Mark sang the rest of the song. The raw emotion in his voice and the sweet lyrics touched you deeply, making this moment feel incredibly intimate. The romantic gesture felt so sudden, making you wonder what brought this all on.

After the song finished, Mark gently took your hand in his. “(Y/n), I heard you talking to Taeyong hyung the other day. And I wanted to let you know that you’re never a burden to me.”

You felt a mixture of surprise and gratitude, touched by his openness and the effort he took to address your concerns. The love in his eyes reaffirmed that he meant every word, and a sense of comfort washed over you as he held your hand, grounding you in the present moment.

"I cherish every part of you," Mark continued, his voice unwavering. "In good times and challenging ones, we're in this together. You can always lean on me. I'm here to support you through everything."

His words were like a warm embrace, wrapping around your heart and reaffirming the love you shared. In that moment, you knew that you were truly seen and valued by Mark, and your heart overflowed with love for this incredible person beside you.

✎__________________________________________________________

RENJUN

While you were in the kitchen preparing lunch, Renjun was relaxing in the living room. His group had just finished their promotional activities for their latest comeback, leaving him exhausted from the busy schedule. However, you became a bit flustered when you attempted to reach for an ingredient on a top shelf but found yourself unable to reach it.

Sighing in frustration, you stole a glance at Renjun, who was lying on the couch. Perhaps he could lend you a hand with this predicament. But as you started to hesitate when you approached him. His arm covered his eyes, as his chest slowly rose up and down with each slow breath he took. You didn’t want to disturb him when he looked so peaceful.

Renjun’s eyes slowly opened as he watched you walk away. Curious, he stood up from the couch and quietly followed you into the kitchen. The corner of his lips upturned in a small smile when he saw you struggle to get something from the cabinet.

When you felt Renjun extend his arm to retrieve the ingredient for you, you nearly jumped and turned around in surprise. 

Renjun looked at you endearingly and said, “You could’ve just asked me, (Y/n).”

“I know, but you were resting and I didn’t want to bother you,” you frowned. 

In response to this, Renjun planted a soft kiss on your forehead. “You could never bother me, darling,” he reassured, brushing away a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

You blushed at his warm gesture and whispered a "thank you" before returning to what you were doing before. Renjun was truly a sweetheart, and his caring nature never failed to make you feel loved and appreciated.

✎__________________________________________________________

JENO

The day had been long and overwhelming. Honestly, you were just glad that it was almost over. All you wanted right now was to be in your boyfriend’s arms. However, when you entered the bedroom, you found Jeno engrossed in a videogame on his computer.

Approaching him quietly, you softly called his name. “Jeno-ssi.”

“Yeah, babe?” He responded, keeping his eyes focused on the screen in front of him.

You felt discouraged when you saw how concentrated he was on his game. Not wanting to bother him, you took a step back. “I—actually, never mind.”

Jeno caught the hesitance in your voice and spun around in his chair. Just as you were walking away, he reached to grab your hand.

“No, babe, what is it?” he asked, concern evident in his voice. Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment now that you had his attention. Even if you tried to brush him off again, you knew he wouldn’t let you go.

“I was going to ask if we could cuddle. but I don’t want to distract you from your game,” you muttered, avoiding his gaze. You couldn’t help but feel silly for wanting something so seemingly small.

Jeno’s eyes softened at your words, and in the next second, you were being pulled into his lap. He loved nothing more than holding you in his arms and pressing kisses into your hair. The idea that you thought he would reject you, puzzled him.

“You can always ask me for cuddles, babe,” he whispered softly, his arms wrapped securely around you. “I love being with you, and I don’t want you to feel like it’s a bother.”

You slowly smiled and allowed your head to rest on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. His touch radiated so much comfort and warmth that it seemed to chase away any lingering insecurities or anxious thoughts from earlier. For the remainder of the night, he kept you in his lap as he played his game. Eventually, he retired from the computer and proceeded to cuddle you in the comforts of your bed. Jeno just loved being close to you and he wanted to ensure that you never felt like you were bothering him again.

✎__________________________________________________________

HAECHAN

Something didn’t feel right when Haechan entered your apartment. After sliding on the familiar gray slippers you always kept for him, he shuffled through the darkness of your living room. His feet padded down the hallway, guided by the faint glow of light escaping beneath your bedroom door. He paused outside the closed door. Apprehension filled him when he heard your shaky breathing.

Haechan swallowed nervously before raising his hand to the door and lightly tapping his knuckles against the wood. “(Y/n)?” he called out softly. “Is it okay if I come in?”

When he was met with an unsettling silence, his determination urged him to slowly turn the doorknob and gently push open the door. The second he stepped inside his eyes fell on you sitting at the foot of the bed with your head buried in your hands. His heart broke at the sight of your body visibly trembling.

Haechan knew you hated it whenever he found you in this state of vulnerability. When he was present, you often put on a brave face for him. You were always trying to maintain this cheerful facade, even when things were not okay. He understood the effort you made to protect him from your inner struggles. But the thought of you hurting weighed heavily on his heart.

With a small sigh, Haechan closed the door behind him. He noticed you tense up when he approached you cautiously.

“(Y/n),” he started to say, extending his hand towards you in a gesture of comfort.

But you shook your head vigorously and pulled away from him. “Please, just go away Hyuck. I don’t want to see me like this,” you pleaded.

His expression faltered at your attempt to push him away. He could sense the pain and he wasn’t going to let you face it alone.

“(Y/n), whatever it is…just let me be there for you,” he said.

But your head shook again, almost as if your brain was refusing to let Haechan’s words comfort you. Your fists repeatedly banged against your head, the pain momentarily numbing the overwhelming thoughts and emotions within you.

 “I’m a mess, Haechan. I’m broken and damaged,” you cried. “I’m…I’m nothing but a burden right now.”

Haechan’s eyes widened with panic and he firmly grabbed your wrists to stop your self-destructive actions. “Hey, hey, don’t hurt yourself,” he murmured, trying to calm you down. “Who put those thoughts in your head, huh?”

As more tears cascaded down your cheek, Haechan loosened his grip on one of your hands and gently brushed away the tears with his thumb. 

“Look at me, (Y/n),” Haechan whispered. He gently lifted your chin, locking your gaze with his. 

“You are not a burden, nor are you broken or damaged,” he said, caressing your cheek. “Please don’t believe those lies your mind tells you.”

His voice was filled with a seriousness that resonated deep within your heart. The tears slowed and your body gradually stopped shaking. Once he was sure you wouldn’t resist, he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a warm embrace. His chin rested atop your head, providing security, while his fingers tenderly stroked your hair.

“I know it’s hard for you to see yourself the way I see you,” he continues. “But trust me when I say you’re the strongest person I know, (Y/n).”

The outside world receded as his words sank in. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and surrendered to his comforting embrace. No matter how frequently the inner demons resurfaced, Haechan remained steadfast in banishing them. Within his arms, you never felt safer.

✎__________________________________________________________

JAEMIN

Although you woke up this morning with a fever, that didn’t stop you from attending all your morning classes. It wasn’t that big of a deal, and you fully planned to spend the rest of the day in bed. However, when Jaemin sent a text asking if you wanted to come by his dance practice, you couldn’t turn him down. You also knew that if you told Jaemin you were sick, he’d get worried, and you didn’t want that.

Despite you not feeling your best, seeing Jaemin’s smile when you entered the practice room forced you to suck it up. The other members greeted you cheerfully, and their faces lit up when they spotted the bag of food in your hand.

“I missed you so much (Y/n),” Jaemin said. He spun you around in a hug that left you feeling a bit uneasy due to your headache. But you tried to push it off, not wanting to dampen the joyful atmosphere.

As you sat with the boys, you slowly started to realize that you weren't feeling any better. The fatigue and discomfort seemed to intensify, making it challenging to keep up with their energy.

Mark was the first to notice your lack of presence in the group. “Are you okay, (Y/n)? You look a little pale.”

“I—I’m fine. Just a little tired,” You mustered a weak smile as you gathered everyone’s trash to throw away. But as soon as you got up, the room started to spin. 

Jaemin and the others stood panicked when they saw you lose balance. Luckily, Jaemin reacted quickly and caught you when your vision blurred out. The next thing you knew, you woke up a few moments later, finding yourself resting on Jaemin’s lap.

“Baby, why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” he scolded lightly, stroking your hair. “You scared me.”

Seeing the genuine concern in his eyes made you feel a little guilty. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to be a burden to you,” you mumbled, slowly sitting up with Jaemin’s help.

Your boyfriend sighed and cupped your face in his hands. “No baby! You’re never a burden to me, especially when it comes to your health.”

Jaemin tried to convince you to go home, worried about your well-being. But you insisted on staying, wanting to support him. Throughout the rest of practice, he kept checking up on you. Despite some teasing and complaints from the other members about how disgusting and cute you guys were, you didn’t pay them much attention.

Seeing how much Jaemin cared for you and how attentive he was to your needs made you feel deeply loved and cherished.

✎__________________________________________________________

CHENLE

Gift-giving was Chenle’s love language, and it was something you still haven’t adjusted to. While you appreciated the thoughtfulness behind receiving flowers and stuffed animals from your boyfriend, you couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. You didn’t like him frequently spending money on you when he could save it for something more important. At the end of the day, you understood that this was Chenle’s way of expressing his love and you didn’t want to diminish that. 

One afternoon, the two of you were at an outdoor mall on a date. The initial plan was just to do some window shopping. But there was a clothes shop place that Chenle suggested you guys check out. The two of you walked around the store for a bit and there was a dress that caught your eye. It was a simple plaid black dress adorned with white sleeves. The classic design exuded an elegance that matched your fashion style.

However, your interest was forgotten when you picked up the price tag. There was no way you were going to spend so much money on one dress. Chenle noticed your eyes widening and followed your gaze to the dress you were looking at.

“Oh, that would look so cute on you,” he remarked.

You smiled sheepishly and let go of the fabric. “Yeah, but it’s pretty expensive. I don’t think I should buy it.”

Chenle smiled and swung his arm around your shoulder. “Who says you’re buying the dress? Don’t worry baby, I got you.”

A frown immediately tugged at your lips. The idea of him paying already made you feel bad. Even if the dress was nice, you were perfectly fine with not having it. 

“Chenle, you don’t have to do that. I’m not worth this,” you said quietly. The carefree expression on Chenle’s face turned to one of confusion.

“What do you mean you’re not worth it?” he asked. “You’re worth every cent of my money and love.”

“But I don’t want to burden you,” you emphasized. “It’s just a dress Chenle, I don’t need it.”

Sighing softly, Chenle cupped your cheeks into his hands, making sure you were looking into his eyes. “Listen here future Mrs. Zhong, you are not a burden or anything of the sort. You’re worthy of anything in this world and I will prove it to you at any cost.”

His words caused heat to rise to your cheeks. But when you lowered your head in embarrassment, Chenle brought your face back up and kissed you. He couldn’t care less about the nearby customers who were now staring at you two.

Feeling even more flustered, you pulled away in surprise. “Zhong Chenle, you can’t just kiss me in front of all these people!”

“Well if you don’t want me to kiss you again, you’re going to come with me to check this out.” Your boyfriend smiled mischievously and took the dress off the rack.

Any more protests from you went ignored, as the boy was already taking your hand and leading you to the checkout area. Chenle was definitely something else, always managing to surprise you with his spontaneous and caring nature. But you were grateful to have such a loving boyfriend. You could always count on him to make you feel like the most special girl in the world.

✎__________________________________________________________

JISUNG

He was just roaming around your apartment as you were in the kitchen making instant ramen for the two of you. It was Jisung’s second time visiting, and he wanted to become more familiar with your living space. He wandered into the bedroom, instantly picking up on how everything was so neat and tidy. He smiled when he spotted a framed picture of him on your nightstand. Seeing the photograph there filled him with warmth, knowing that you held him close to your heart.

However, he also noticed a small black journal on your nightstand. Curious, he picked up the object and opened it absentmindedly. His eyes quickly widened in horror as he read the top words on the second page. 

It was a list of the things you didn't like about yourself. His heart sank as he saw pages filled with bullet points, each one representing the insecurities you carried within. Dread filled him as he skimmed over the reasons that varied from your looks to what you perceived as flaws.

What hurt him the most was the last one on the bottom, which said: “I am a burden to everyone around me.” The weight of those words hit him like a tidal wave, leaving his heart heavy with a mix of sadness and anguish. 

“Jisung what are you—” You entered the room, wondering what he was doing in here.

Your body froze when you saw the notebook clutched tightly in his hands. The sight immediately filled you with panic, uncertain of how much he read. 

Jisung glanced up, looking like he was about to cry. “(Y/n), do you really think you’re a burden?”

The sadness in his tone only confirmed your fears and caused a wave of vulnerability to wash over you. You took a hesitant step closer, wanting to reach out and comfort him, yet also feeling exposed and uncertain of how to respond. But when tears began to spill out of Jisung’s eyes, you rushed to his side.

“Baby I—” You tried to say something, but the words caught in your throat.

"Was there something I did or said to make you think that?" He fretted, his brows furrowing with genuine concern.

Shaking your head, you wrapped your arms around him. “No, you didn’t do anything Jisungie. It’s just me that’s the problem.”

Hearing your confession only made him feel worse. The realization that you had been struggling with these feelings of, and he didn’t know killed him. As your boyfriend, he felt responsible for not being there to show how much you meant to him.

“(Y/n), I…I love you so much,” Jisung cried, his voice muffled against your shirt. “You’re never a burden to me or…or anyone. Please don’t think that way.”

You slowly exhaled, offering soothing pats on the boy’s back as you tried to comfort him. Seeing how deeply upset Jisung was about this surprised you. It took a few minutes for you to get him to stop crying. You rocked him back and forth in your embrace, pressing kisses into his hair and whispering apologies. Once he calmed down, you promised Jisung you’d work on being less critical of yourself and be more open about your feelings with him.

✎__________________________________________________________

[cavillsbitch]

Love Sense

Aaron Hotchner x NonBAU fem!reader

Summary: Aaron is away on a case for your first Valentine’s day as a couple, and he surprises you with a gift.

Warnings: None really, flufffffffff, there will probably be mistakes sorry

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: Hiiii Hotch girlies, allow me to enter your space. I’ve been wanting to write something for Aaron for a while, but as usual I don’t ever finish anything and that leads me to not even start sometimes. BUT I saw a tiktok where a girl got a similar gift to the one reader gets here, which lead me to this. Let me know what you think, see you on the other side 🫡

—

You hadn’t predicted that you would be spending your first Valentine’s day in a very long time with a partner… alone in your apartment.

You were very aware, since before the two of you were officially in a relationship, that Aaron’s job was demanding of his time, and you respected that. He worked very hard, and put a lot of himself into his job. He saved lives every single day, and you were so proud of him. You only wished that he was home for Valentine’s day. You felt selfish at the thought, but knew you had a gift for him waiting when he got home, whenever that may be.

Speaking of, your phone chimed as soon as your Keurig began dispensing your coffee. As you looked down, you saw that the message was from Aaron.

Your heart skipped and the waiting message, assuming and hoping that it was a loving holiday wish.

Aaron: Check your front porch.

You raised your eyebrows as your heart rate quickened with anticipation. As your coffee finished brewing, you took a few quick steps to the door and opened it, revealing a huge vase full of red roses and a gift bag. You also noticed the card taped to the front of the vase with your name on it.

Picking up the gifts, practically skipping back inside, you closed the door and set the flowers on the counter. Taking a quick selfie next to the roses and holding your gift, you sent it in response.

Y/N: Seems I’ve got a secret admirer.

Aaron: Ask Jess, I know nothing.

Aaron: Kidding. Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart. I wish I could spend it with you. I promise I will make it up to you. And, you look beautiful as always.

You felt yourself beginning to get emotional reading the last message, feeling guilty for not thinking to send his gift with one of his team members when they left for the case.

Y/N: Sorry that you have to wait for your Valentine’s gift. You don’t have to make up anything. It’s incredible that you even thought to have Jess drop this off for me. You are too sweet, Hotchner.

Aaron: Only for you. See you soon, hopefully. I will keep you posted. Enjoy your day.

Sending a quick response and making sure to tell him to be careful as always, you took a deep inhale near the roses, taking in the sweet fresh scent. You couldn’t wait, practically ripping the card open. The front was a beautiful velvet textured photo of a rose, and the inside had no print. However, the message in Aaron’s signature block lettering was much nicer.

“My Dear Y/N,

Happy Valentine’s Day. It’s just my luck that I get called away during our first Valentine’s day, and I’m so sorry. I promise I will make it up to you when I get back, in as many ways as you’ll let me.

Speaking of, I know we haven’t been together for too long just yet, but I want you to know that I care about you and I feel very lucky to have a woman like you in my life. I hope that you know how I feel. You overwhelm my senses in a way that I have never felt before, and I mean that. I hope you enjoy your day even though we can’t spend it together.

See you soon, sweetheart.

Aaron”

The heartfelt intent in his message was clear and genuine, and it made your chest feel warm. You felt just as lucky to have this amazing man in your life. Neither of you had said ‘I love you’ yet, and you knew he wanted to take things slowly in that regard, but the fact that he had written, “our first Valentine’s day” was a clear indicator to you that he was serious about moving forward in your relationship, and you couldn’t wait to see what the future held. As you took out some of the white and pink tissue paper, you noticed a few things wrapped in the same paper inside the bag. You took out the first one you could grab, and noticed a small index-like card taped to it.

“Smell”

Your eyebrows crinkled with curiosity reading the script on the card. Smell? You peaked inside the bag, moving some more tissue to the side and noticed another visible card that read, “Taste”.

He coordinated gifts to each of the five senses.

As realization began setting in, you smiled softly thinking about how he must have spent time trying to find things you liked, or thought you might, to go with each sense. Also, five gifts? You wondered if this was typical of men like Aaron, or if you were just truly that lucky. Your smile didn’t fade as you turned the card in your hand over to read the reverse side.

“I can’t stop dreaming of your perfume, which made it very easy for me to find.”

Before the butterflies made you swoon completely, you gently tore open the tissue paper to reveal a good sized bottle of your not-so-cheap perfume, one of the only things you’d mentioned to Aaron that you allowed yourself to splurge on when he complimented it, you think, on your first date. The memory was fond, and you could barely believe he remembered it.

Your smile was bigger now as you reached into the bag to pull out the next gift, the one you’d already seen, “Taste”. You flipped the card over to read the message.

“I know we can’t exactly have dinner together while I’m away, but I can at least buy dinner for you.”

This package was much smaller and thin, so much so that you wouldn’t have known it was a gift if the label wasn’t taped to it. As you tore the paper, a gift card for Doordash fell into your hands. This one made you chuckle and shake your head. Even as he’s miles away from you, he’s making sure that he gets to treat you. In the 6 or so months that you’d been together, he always made a point to treat you in some way, even if you were stubborn enough to convince him to buy dinner or split a bill. You set the gift card aside, contemplating what you might order yourself for dinner tonight as you reached in and grabbed one of the larger gifts.

“Touch”

Before flipping the card over, you noticed the fact that although it was one of the biggest gifts, it was quite light. Turning the card to the reverse side, you read, “Alright, this one might be just as much for my sense of touch as it is yours. I hope you’ll enjoy it all the same, I know I will.”

Excitement struck in your stomach as you still carefully tore the pink tissue paper to reveal a gorgeous set of silk and lace lingerie. The color was gorgeous, a deep sage green, and you knew it would compliment your skin tone and the few tattoos you had. The top had a bodice shape, though it was soft and lacy. There was a silky soft robe to pair with it, also a garter set and g-string. This is the first moment so far that you are grateful Aaron isn’t in the room with you, because your face is a deep red and your jaw is on the floor.

You and Aaron had been pretty physical from the beginning of your relationship, you loved how giving he was and how he always made sure to satisfy you in the best ways. You hadn’t really had the attention from a man before in the same way as with Aaron. You attributed it to his age and experience, but learned over time that he was just an excellent lover. He listened to you and your body, he learned what you liked and didn’t, and you’ve had some of the best sex of your life in his bed. He knows that you have some deep rooted hard-to-shake insecurities, and he is always complimentary both intimately and casually. You couldn’t wait to see his reaction when you wear this set for him when he comes home.

The next gift was labeled “Hearing”. This was a sizable box, you noticed as you turned the card over. “Hopefully these won’t bother your ears as much as what you have. I have a feeling they won’t. I hope the first thing you use them for is to listen to the Beatles.”

Headphones. It couldn’t be…

You tore the paper excitedly and you were met with a box with very new and very expensive over-the-ear headphones. You actually squealed at the sight, another item in green, and something you seriously needed but could never spend the money on yourself. You had mentioned once on a run with Aaron that you couldn’t wear your earbuds as long as you’d like to because after a while they bothered your ears. You knew he was attentive and always listening and learning about you, it was still technically early in your relationship even now, but you were pretty blown away at the fact that he was putting in this much effort.

Part of you felt a twinge of guilt, maybe you didn’t deserve this. You had never been spoiled before, and you didn’t want to take advantage of having a boyfriend that was well off. However, you are typically stubborn about him spending money on you, so you guessed this was a chance he took to splurge for you. You were already dreaming of the ways you would repay him, probably while wearing your new lingerie. Shaking your head at that thought, you set the headphones down next to the vase.

Knowing there was one last gift, “Sight”, you reached in and pulled out the final card-shaped gift that was sat at the bottom of the bag. On the reverse side of the card, you read, “I can’t wait to share this experience with you.”

You noticed it was only a few sheets of folded paper that the card was taped to, and you unfolded to see a screenshot of what appeared to be an AirBnB booking for this coming weekend as well as a photo of Niagara Falls. The paper folded underneath was a flight confirmation.

You couldn’t hold back your tears as your mouth fell agape. A few weeks ago, Aaron had been called away on a case near the falls in New York. You had told him that when you were young, your mom bought you a few books about different locations in the United States, Niagara Falls being one of them. In the book, it mentioned the Canadian and American sides of the falls, and you’d never gotten the chance to visit either. You knew, you told him, that the Canadian side was the better side and that you hoped to visit it one day, you just hadn’t gotten around to it.

Setting the papers down and looking around at the countertop surface adorned with gifts and crumpled tissue paper, you were so full of joy and disbelief. Growing up, you’d thought this kind of thing only happened to girls in movies and books, but here you were feeling so special that it was hard to believe and feel like you deserved it.

You couldn’t wait to call Aaron, but you cautioned yourself that he was working, so a short text would have to do for now.

Y/N: Aaron… I don’t even know what to say. I don’t deserve you. I can’t believe how thoughtful you are. I am so lucky. I can’t wait to see you.

Fighting the urge at this point to end a text with “I love you” was getting difficult, but you knew especially given Aaron’s past that you had to leave that first step to him, no matter what you felt. You must’ve caught him at a good time, because his response was almost immediate.

Aaron: You deserve all of it and more, honey. I can’t wait for this weekend. Hopefully I will be home by tomorrow night or the next morning. I will call you later, okay?

Y/N: Sounds good. Please be safe, talk to you later. Try to enjoy your Valentine’s day (:

Setting your phone down, you sighed contently, completely forgetting about your now cold cup of coffee, dreaming about your upcoming weekend with the man you love.

[everwitch-magiks]

a rich and complex tapestry

When Alex first hooks up with Henry, he's expecting a fun one-night-stand and maybe the occasional booty call. He does not expect to get so completely pulled into Henry’s orbit that it forces him to reevaluate everything he thought he knew about his sexuality. And he's not sure if it makes it better, or way worse, that Henry is actually a professional at all this stuff — what are the odds that Alex would hook up with the one guy on campus who hosts his own radio show about sex? 'Sleeping With Henry' is about to gain one devoted listener.

This was such a satisfying fic to write! It was genuinely one of those that felt like it wrote itself - and I don't know about y'all, but that's not how it usually works for me. Right from the start, I felt so certain of what I wanted this to be: I wanted to write one that really dug deep into Alex's bi realization. That's a theme that features in a lot of RWRB fics, including my own, and of course it's also a vital part of the RWRB canon. With this fic, I wanted to explore that deeply, to really take my time with it and write it in a way that felt vulnerable and heartfelt and very, very real.

I'm bi. And whenever I write about Alex being bi, I am writing a little bit about me being bi - never completely about me, but y'know. It's one of the things that really drew me to Alex's character in the first place, the way his bisexual realization was handled in the book. That realization is something I almost always include in an AU as well - but oftentimes in a oneshot, the timeline for any type of emotional character development can become quite condensed. And while I immensely enjoy both reading and writing oneshots wherein Alex's bi realization takes place over the course of a few hours - in fact, that can be so fun! - in this oneshot, I wanted to let it take quite a bit of time.

Also? I very desperately wanted to write Henry as an irresistibly confident sex guru on late-night radio. What's not to like about that?

In the excerpt below the cut, Alex and Henry have just had sex and Alex is about to tell Henry that actually, he still sort of thinks he's straight. Mostly.

Henry slumps down against him, but he doesn’t immediately pull himself off. It gives Alex a few moments to assess the feeling of his dick in Henry’s ass in a more technical sense, without the burning urgency of an impending orgasm. And it’s… well. It’s nice? He shifts his hips a little, biting his lip when that makes Henry groan slightly.

Suddenly, he’s infinitely curious about the opposite side of the experience.

Henry nips at Alex’s throat, possibly in retaliation to his wiggling. “You alright?”

“I’m fantastic,” Alex drawls. Except then Henry starts to pull off, and Alex instantly palms at his shoulders. “Hey, could you… stick around? I’m having a moment.”

“Is that so?” Henry wonders. He sounds mildly confused, which is way better than put-out. Alex will take it. “If you’re suggesting another round, I’m going to need a bit longer.”

“I mean, we could do that,” Alex says quickly. It’s a great fucking idea. “I was just kinda taking it all in.”

He feels Henry go still against him. “What do you mean?” Henry asks softly.

“Um.” Fuck. It’s possible Alex should’ve mentioned this earlier. “I’m, y’know, mostly straight? Like, about ninety-six percent or so. Historically it’s been a hundred, but recent data suggests otherwise.”

Henry makes a noise Alex can’t quite decipher; it’s both startled and a bit weak, but when he speaks there’s distinct amusement in his voice. “Christ, Alex. I'm not sure you're aware you're saying that with your cock still in my arse.”

“Fuck right off.” Alex couldn’t fight his dumb grin if he tried. This is exactly why he and someone like Henry, regardless of gender, could never work out for real; Henry is way too good at cutting through Alex’s bullshit. Alex wouldn’t stand a fucking chance.

Read 'a rich and complex tapestry' on AO3!

[paintingformike]

a lot of milevens like to point out that el was grieving max and thats why she wasnt reaching out to mike and being distant from him and acting aloof when she slammed the door in the cabin...but the thing is, if that was the case then she would’ve been acting distant and disconnected from everyone. she wouldn’t have had the energy to even smile and be that happy the way she did with joyce and hopper but this only goes to show that she was only treating mike that way specifically (and possibly will too ig)? her literal boyfriend? who at that time could’ve been a support system for her?

in the end they showed us el seeking comfort from hopper and having heartfelt moments with him and being able to look happy along with joyce. yet we didn’t get a single interaction between mike and el in the cabin, or even have them staying close by each other at the very least. she literally saw him and even glanced at him for a moment but kind of just walked by then...used her powers to slam the door? even as i first watched that scene with a GA mindset i thought it felt out of place and didn’t understand why she actually seemed sort of annoyed about something, especially because after that she managed to be genuinely happy around her parents, a stark contrast of emotions. if this wasn’t supposed to be unusual behavior towards mike on her part then will wouldn’t have asked him if she ever talked to him and expressed visible concern over it because it shows that will noticed her weird demeanor around him. he expected her to talk more to mike specifically, because he knew she would’ve actively reached out to him as one of the most important people in her life. if it was just about el grieving and being distant from everyone then will wouldve asked something along the lines of “did she talk or open up to anyone at all?” yet will was inquiring about mike and el’s relationship specifically. why isn’t she opening up more to you at the very least?

and the weirdest part is mike just shrugging it off and saying “not much...i mean, a little bit.” it’s like he didn’t even look worried/concerned about her, he acted so nonchalant about it. you literally can’t deny that he was being a little too calm and indifferent over his girlfriend supposedly being deeply sad and grieving one of her closest friends and not talking to him much. if that wasn’t the case then maybe he was feeling defeated/done over something between them, idk, but it really doesn’t look good for the stability of their relationship. if they truly resolved all their problems and their love for each other was stronger than ever then mike would’ve taken more of an initiative to comfort her at a time when she felt her lowest? and tried to actively do something over her being distant from him? since he was so afraid of her not needing him, too. like those were literally his supposed fears playing out in real time. but he doesn’t, and then we find out the one conversation they had wasn’t even deemed important enough to happen onscreen.

its also important to note that they actually made most of the couples stick together by the end of s4 too, even jancy who were supposedly the ones still having unresolved issues between them. lumax in the hospital, jopper up towards the field holding hands. its pure instinct for them to stay close together and naturally gravitate towards each other, and they’re purposely paired up because it conditions the audience to constantly associate them with each other. yet who did mike choose to stay close with by the end of the season? will. and they made a point to give them one last one on one scene and intimate conversation together too, where they once again confide in each other. the moment they did this, they emphasized byler’s relationship more than mileven’s. and the more i think about it, the more im realizing it doesn’t feel as natural to picture mileven as a dynamic duo or unit as much as the other couples, who have gone through hell and back to their own little missions together. their relationship just wasnt given enough opportunity to develop that way, season 1 was the most we got of them teaming up. since then, el has always been off on her own self discovery arc separate from mike. and mike doesn’t feel like they’re equals, he feels inferior to her which is all the more reason why thinking of them working as a “team” feels unnatural and unlike the way their dynamic is portrayed. well, so much for them being the “main couple” of the show i guess...

[caramelcactus]

Cactus casually sneaking in to drop some stuff before vanishing into the mist for another eternity

The bottom reference of androids Henry is ancient (aka from December, if not from November) and stylized William and Henry are very recent. Randomly scribbled them to motivate myself to get back to drawing

I don’t think I ever mentioned the timeline. In the present it’s 2017

Henry is older than William by ~2-3 years. They met almost immediately during William’s internship in 2009. William was a mental mess when they met and it was Henry’s insistence on Will to get therapy. He was genuinely concerned about William and his self destructive tendencies, especially after William opened up about his family drama. Henry is fascinated not only with William’s engineering talent and brilliant mind but with his strength and independence. He was heavily impressed with William’s boldness to run away from Hurricane and deeply felt for William’s struggles. His desire to stay by William’s side and help him out strengthened their friendship. He is humble, heartfelt, and orderly, which is opposite to William’s reckless and chaotic nature. Yet he shares his love for morbid humor with William. Can be brutally honest and sarcastic as hell. Prone to overthinking and anxiety, mostly when it comes to William’s wellbeing. Protective af and can get aggressive if needed. Henry is an ambivert. William is extroverted. He smokes(not a lot like William tho) but hates alcohol

And

Welp I’m attached to smol William

He had a dyed hair era. Though black isn’t his natural color, he started dyeing his originally chestnut hair as a way of expressing himself and rebelling against his family, but I thought at some point he would later go wild experimenting with it and dye his front strand purple. But he wouldn’t keep it for long

[selenemoonlite]

hiiii! I can ask for some hdcns for hajun, allen, kanata with an orphan mc fem who also has a younger sister whom she loves very affectionately and teaches (things like sums, reading, etc.) since they can't attend school je, well In summary, how would they react to a tender relationship between sisters~ (since we have seen several brother relationships in the anime, so I was wondering how things would be with a fluffy and sweet relationship between sisters with a lot of hug uvu) I hope I have explained myself well ;u; tell me if something was not understood and I will rephrase it again, tkm <33

┈➤ that's such a cute request! Hopefully, this will suffice for your scenarios, please enjoy!

Allen Sugasano

he notices you with a scratch paper you hold with. Allen was quick to take an interest in

Aware of the circumstances your life has been through he is sure to ask why you have that paper along with you. It didn't shrug the fact you said you want to teach your sister back at home today.

Allen wanted to help and the care and concern he shows he visiting you two at your house

It wasn't pretty much shabby nor abandoned as you mainly took care of everything around. Managing only you and your little sister, which Allen admires that of you

He sees your little sister at the front door directly she greets him before rushing you with a big hug

How cute isn't it? Allen was a bit cautious about wherever places he went, shy enough to bow as he walked inside

You prepared a small table with the scratch paper on your hands and placed it along with a notebook and a pen

"New lesson to teach her?" Allen asked as he watched you

You answered yes to the hip-hop genius with a soft smile showed your face. When your little sister arrives back to see you handling a new topic she has quipped her attention to you as you speak

Something Allen felt was genuinely unconditional that you wanted to help her know the bigger things and the outside world which he had a heartfelt weight on his chest. Chuckling as he also joined the discussion.

Wholesome moment when you put a lot of effort into telling your little sister what's good and bad, and there's nothing to be afraid of risking challenges in it too

You were a standing mother to her, she is more important to you than anyone else which Allen understands as he listens to you.

There are random conversations that relate to your new topic and yet rambles that your sister will find entertaining even in the slightest thought. Allen stares at you without any notice as you are focused on telling more about your sibling.

There are moments Allen grew fonder of your sibling relationship that he caters his time to talk with your little sister too.

He knows how hard it is to live up to the reality you've been facing. As Allen was supposed to leave, he chuckled and smiled at you saying "You know what? I think you'll be a great teacher someday. If I were to help you. I thank you for such a good role model for her."

Hajun Yeon

Such an observer, he would help you out about things with you and your little sister

But you were a persistent older sibling to her no matter what which Hajun respects

Something Hajun finds in someone that he wished to feel for throughout his past life with a rich family. Love wasn't something he saw nor felt within his presence before, until the picture of you and your littlbutister's bond

Hajun can only think and imagine how life was been for you to pursue just for this little lady. He sometimes assists you around when you need him. Education is a treasure that he believes in, despite the difference in his experience between the two of you. He wouldn't miss a chance to help out as well

Funny that sometimes Hajun would slide sarcastic comments about your teachings to your little sister which ends up with him and your sibling picking a tease on you. But who doesn't it? Hajun as his ways to do so

He feels like he is also part of this bond you two had. Even your little sister starts to call him "oppa" when he comes around visiting your place.

He makes sure to bring some books, papers, notebooks, and pens to find. He showers your little sister with gifts he knows she can appreciate.

Of course, you're not missing out. Hajun isn't the type to be verbal, but showing his side of effort and gifts are his ways.

Aside from that, it's a relief you're not the only one helping out to teach your little sibling. Hajun gives the best learnings for her to share as he was given the best education. So he wouldn't be shy about it.

Kanata Yatonokami

As Kanata relates to this kind of situation. He always reminds him and Nayuta in this case. He sees you with your little sister laughing as you discuss lots of things going on. The world outside is mysterious and something to explore.

He simply agrees with a few things you teach her, there are times when Kanata's words are full of direct bluntness which he says they should know as early as possible before they can step up the reality.

In hindsight of this relationship that you and your little sister had he couldn't deny thinking of Nayuta the way you take care of her. Every patience, every moment you worded for her about the things she should be grateful for and that she doesn't need to do for their living survival? Thus, other things you would do to sacrifice in order not to lose someone special, and a family? Kanata felt that.

You're like a mother to her the way Kanata stands up doing odd jobs for a living, a standing parent for their siblings. Finally, another one who can relate to his struggles

When you're out going to buy some new notebooks for your little sister which are mostly used for her random scribbles. Kanata simply talks to the kid randomly while you're away

Your little sister is just being a child of her own, scribbling on her notebook as she presents it to Kanata.

He blinked and laughed noticing this little kid drew him, "You're something huh?"

He never felt like this being close to someone and yet welcomed. Like how he and Nayuta only had each other, he could only hope that Nayuta was here with him. Pretty sure you'll be the only person Kanata understands more by how this situation is meant for you two to talk about.

As you go home by the time, Kanata is just talking to your sister as she still scribbles in her notebook. You noticed Kanata's doodle of him and your sister together playing. There's a note from your little sister that says "big brother" on her paper.

Chuckling aside, you excused Kanata to let your sister behave and they shall start their learning fun. Kanata is willing to stay for long as he sees what bond you two have.

He didn't find it boring when you talked about other things aside from how to write and read. You taught your little sister some basic math you know. Even kidding aside if Kanata knows something which he slyly ignores that you find adorable his reactions are.

Daily he goes to see you and your little sister having quality time together there are no instances that your bond with her reflects where he and Nayuta spend.

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Fontaine and Natlan Archon Quest Thoughts

I haven't played Genshin in over a year and I just got back into it. So, I had to speed run all the archon quests in order to feel like I can manage the insane amount of quests I have to do. Let me tell you, the Fontaine Archon quest line might just be my favorite in the entire game (my prev fave was Sumeru). But wow, Fontaine really stepped it up from the scale of the story to the characters.

The first part of the archon quest involves an incident at magician Lyney's show, leading to his trial for the disappearance of a woman. This later connected to another case in which women were disappearing from all over. I really loved how the story neatly transitioned from the small scale of Lyney's trial to the overarching case. It was honestly very intriguing and I really enjoyed the game mechanic of playing lawyer. Furthermore, the quests did a great job involving the various characters. Although Navia initially starts off as someone helping us defend Lyney, she becomes an integral part of finding out who kidnapped all those women. Her story about her father also was very heartfelt and Navia is easily one of my new favorite characters. Plus, Silver and Melus are awesome. The eventual reveal about Marcel and what he did was genuinely chilling.

Once we wrapped up the missing women case, Neuvillette has the player investigate something for him. This leads us to the Fortress of Meropide which is honestly such a cool location. The music and sound design really has stuck with me (and it finally got me off the ear worm that was Sumeru's music bc I think I spent too much time in that place; thanks Kaveh). Anyways, although we were stuck there for a while, it never felt boring. Wriothesely and the people that lived there set up a very interesting community. This is eventually culminated in the primordial sea breaking through its containment.

The third part of the archon quest involves Furina's trial as being a false archon and the fated prophecy of Fontaine. I think this archon quest excels so much is because you have that underlying prophecy connecting everything. Lyney's trial involved a women who went missing. The eventual reveal showed us that she was dissolved per the prophecy's words. In the Fortress of Meropide, the primordial sea almost kills everyone. We also learn that smaller amounts of the water can be made into a drug. Even Childe got some more lore reveal in connection to the sea. When it all comes together for Furina's trial, it hits so hard. This girl has spent hundreds of years acting as the archon and trying to protect her people, using a facade to create a sense of security. But in reality, she's not ok, the prophecy is still fated to take place, and Furina is very lost. It's heartbreaking.

In truth, Furina is the human side to Focalors. Focalors herself put her consciousness in the Oratrice. She tells Neuvillette the truth about the previous Hyrdo Archon, the revelation about the Fontainian people, and what she did in order to try and stop the prophecy. Furthermore, we learn a lot about Neuvillette and who he truly is. (Btw, this beautifully connects to his story and journey about belonging). Everything, in my opinion, is so well written and you really begin to feel for these characters. Both Neuvillette and Furina have such compelling and tragic stories which the archon quest beautifully highlights. Overall, just phenomenal.

And that's not even going into everything with Arlecchino. I wound up really, really loving her involvement in the story, the lore behind the House of the Hearth, and her boss fight in her story quest. She's a fascinating character and I look forward to seeing her again in future content. It also adds depth of Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet. They're fatui via due to the House of the Hearth, but they're not malicious like other Fatui characters the Traveler has encountered. I love all three of them very much and their sibling bond is very heartfelt.

That's not to mention all the other amazing characters like Clorinde, Sigewinne, the other Melusines, and Charlotte.

I loved this quest, can't you tell?

Natlan time. Spoilers because it's still quite recent.

We're still early in the Natlan archon quests but it didn't grab me as much as Fontaine's did. Overall, it was good and there's still more to come. I think the strengths for me came from the characters. Kachina is a very endearing kid and you genuinely want to help her out and do the Pilgrimage (at least I wanted to). Mualani is very kind and positive. I loved her right away and pulled for her even though I just got back into the game. She's awesome. Kinich is cool. I need to go back and watch his cutscenes at some point. I don't like Ajaw though. I wanna yeet that thing.

The Pilgrimage itself was pretty fun and I loved the teamwork with Kachina and Mualani. I enjoyed going around Natlan as well and seeing Mualani's home. After the Pilgrimage, Kachina is unable to be resurrected and we have to go into the Night Kingdom in order to save her. The design of the place was really cool and I like the distinction between the Night Kingdom monsters and regular ones. The souls who wander were also really spooky when they came at you. Overall, I liked the aesthetic of Natlan and its characters.

Where it kinda fell flat for me was with Mavuika and Capitano. I like her as a character and how Natlan chooses a different Pyro Archon ever couple hundred years or so. However, it feels like Capitano kinda shows up out of nowhere. I was really excited for the fight scene between them and it looked really cool. But it happens so fast that I wish we got a little more build up to it. The Abyss is the prime antagonist of Natlan and Capitano kinda just manifests. I really thought we were going to get a scene were Mavuika meets the Traveler and then Capitano arrives. Like, we barely know Mavuika because she's just sitting there for the first archon quest. I really didn't feel much when she and Capitano fought. She looked really cool, but I think we needed a bit more. Anyone else feel slightly underwhelmed?

There was so much hype in the trailer and it then it comes and goes by so quick. At least Capitano is sticking around for now. Perhaps this will all hit different once we get the rest of the Archon Quests in the Natlan storyline. I also wonder what the power levels are since Capitano, Dottore, and Columbina are supposed to have power that of a god. Mavuika I think has the same thing since she's a human who was granted divinity.

That's just me though.

I am very much looking forward to what's coming next and how Natlan will stave off the Abyss before it's entirely consumed by it. (I just realized this is very similar to Fontaine and Sumeru. All three nations are plagued by some sort of supernatural event that will destroy them, whether it's the withering, the primordial sea, or the Abyss. Hopefully, Snezhnaya will be different.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on the everything right now. I love the characters and Fontaine Archon quest went so hard.

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

Hi! Could would you like to write something about reader and Tangerine where she is the Twins's "adopted sister" but they have always been secretly in love with each other. Anyway at some point they split and later they meet again on the Train (idk... maybe she is an assassin too and is trying to help them?) . Then they argue because something dangerous happens so the truth comes out and a smut at the end?! Ps: Sorry for my bad English but it's not my first language. Thank you so much!

hii! I love it

I did change some things, I hope that’s okay- I changed it to foster siblings and I didn’t do smut, really really really sorry. I’ve written so much smut lately my head might explode😭 but I have already got a train smut one, I’ll link it, in case that suits better. and your English is great, don’t worry! and you’re welcome!

thank you for your request 💌

link for assassin train smut

about time (Tangerine x Reader)

paring || soft!Tan x fem!reader

wc || 1.3k

warnings || nothing really, just fluff

masterlist + rules

taglist

Being a contract assassin meant you sometimes had to do things you weren’t comfortable doing. But right now the thought of walking into a gunfight felt so much easier than the thought of staying in Tokyo a second longer- this feeling was of heartache, rather than of adrenaline.

Momentarily relaxing into the chair of the quiet car- feeling pleased to finally be leaving this city. The thoughts of the current mission resurface, reminding you of your task. You were instructed to snatch a silver briefcase from two people, looking over the assignment paper and silently chuckling reading their names. “Why fruits?” You thought to yourself.

The truth is, you hadn’t dreamt of having this as a career- without sounding cheesy, this career chose you. But lately, you’ve become fed up with your job, you hated the way it made you feel. When you were younger you wanted to help people- not kill them. Shrugging off your consistent thoughts, you get to work.

Getting you up you walk through the carriage doors, checking the luggage area for the correct case. “No way!” You thought to yourself, spotting the train sticker on the handle. “That was too easy.” Leaning over to reach it, you stand upright feeling a bit smug while clutching the case.

A harsh cough interrupts you, turning around to see a tall moustached man glaring at you. “What do you think you’re doing?”

You turn to meet the man’s face and you freeze- not out of fear, but because your past has finally caught up to you. He still looks the same, well apart from the porn-‘stache and his now very buff torso.

His eyes soften when he finally realises who was standing in front of him. Your eyes doe as your lips tug up into a smile. Even with the great speed of the Bullet Train, time stood still for a few moments.

Looking wearingly between him and the case. “Is it yours?” You ask.

“Yeah, but I don’t care about that now.” Trying to hide a smile.

You give him the case with a wry grin, “neither do I.”

When you were a teenager you were passed around the system a lot, you’d stay with new foster families every couple of months. You hated it- never feeling like you had a proper home, but that was until you met two very special people. 

These two very special people were often placed in the same houses as you, which meant that the three of you were able to develop a genuine friendship over the years. You were never able to tell him how much you loved him. It made your heart hurt- the confusion and guilt of being in love with someone from your foster family. But one night it all got too much, you couldn’t take it anymore, so you just left- you ran away. You wrote individual heartfelt letters to brothers before you left, you tucked them under their pillows as you kissed their temples goodbye. You had always regretted the way you left.

Looking at him right now, it’s like nothing had changed like the last fifteen years apart meant nothing.

You cave in, you step towards him extending your arms to initiate an embrace. He doesn’t even need to think about it, he wraps his big arms tightly around you, squeezing you. His chin resting on your head, enjoying this moment as you breathed in each other's familiar scents.

Pulling apart to look him over, beaming with soft eyes, “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

“Neither can I.” A boyish grin plastered across his face, kissing the crown of your head. It didn’t feel foreign or odd, it just felt right.

“We’re finally in Tokyo together.” You smile.

“You remember that too?” Referencing the conversation about cities you had one night, many years ago.

“You need to get off this train.” Tan suddenly admits, with sullen eyes.

“No. I’m not getting off.” You replied simply.

“It’s about to go tits up- I can’t let you get hurt.” He says as his gaze softened.

“I don’t care. I’m not going to leave you again.” Tenderly smiling up at him.

“Please? Just go.” He says a little more sternly.

“No. I can take care of myself.” Standing your ground. “Wait a second- are you both here? Are you the fruit twins?” Connecting the dots.

His eyes squinted so you took that as a ‘yes’.

“You are.” Pointing a playful finger at him, “what one are you? Are you Lemon- is it because you’re sour?” Grinning at him.

“No- I’m Tangerine.”

“Why ‘Tangerine’?”

“Because I’m adaptable- oh bloody hell it’s not important. Are you trying to change the subject?”

Hiding your smirk, “…no”

“You are. You need to go- please. I could never forgive myself if you got hurt.” Face screwing up, hating the thought.

“Tan…” you started with a smirk as you called him by his code name rather than his real name. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.” He quickly responds.

“Do you have a girlfriend- or wife or-or someone?” You said slowly.

His head tilted to the side in confusion. “Uh-? Why?”

“Just answer.”

“No…”

“Good. I want to tell you something I should’ve said years ago… I’m still in love with you. So no, I cannot leave you again, but if you don’t feel the way, please stop me- I don’t know why I’m still taking- just tell me to stop- Christ, my hands are getting clammy. I’m sorry, I don’t think I should’ve said that.” Eyes closing as if you were trying to hide yourself.

Slowly opening them when there was a looming silence, looking up to you see him grinning widely at you.

“I’ve loved you since I was a kid- I haven’t stopped.” He admits. “Look at this.” He pulls out his phone showing you the wallpaper. It was a picture of the letter you gave him all those years ago. “It reminds me to keep going.” Looking over you tenderly. “It’s why I’m still here.”

Your chest staggered as you inched closer to him, you didn’t want to wait any longer. You tenderly kissed him, and as you pulled away his hands cupped your face as if he was trying to bring you back in. He gently brushed over your lips as you melted into him, it felt so surreal to be finally here at this moment.

Separating with a twinkle in each of your eyes, beaming at one another.

“We can run away together? And forget this mission? I don’t ever want to let you go again.” You softly ask. It was a big ask, you just hoped he’d say yes.

“I’m not leaving without my brother.”

“I know, I meant him too.” Cupping his cheeks.

A smile arose under his moustache. “Okay.”

“Really?” Grinning.

“Yes. Let’s go get him. And bring that case- we can put it on red and have a wonderful time.”

Struggling to contain your excitement, you kiss him eagerly. “Okay we gotta be quick, next stop is in two minutes.”

You picked up the case as he lead you through the carriage by your hand, immediately noticing Lemon with the Son.

“We gotta go.” Tan says seriously to his brother.

“Who’s the girl- NO! No fucking way!” Lemon shouts, earning a “shush” from a lady a couple rows in front. He rushes up to you, hugging you tightly.

“I’ve missed you! But we gotta go, right now.” You say ushering him along.

Tangerine leans over the table towards the kid sitting close to the window, “you better stay on the fucking train, your daddy is waiting for you at Kyoto.”

The three of you walked off the train together, it felt like you finally had your family back. Who knows, maybe you could work together as a team. No longer hating this city, it brought your family together.

[nicosraf]

Hi! I unearthed this long forgotten Tumblr account to be able to gush to you about your writing. There's no need to respond but shouting this into the void of my twitter followers isn't scratching the itch.

When I read Angels Before Man (and subsequently A&M) I was so taken aback. I instantly felt like I was reading the work of a once in a lifetime author. Your writing is so incredible i'm having a hard time putting my emotions and thoughts into words. My messages to my friend (who I was buddy reading with) consisted of a lot of "I can't believe this" and "he's toooo good he's way too good who writes like this". Along with a few "I'm unwell, I'm so unwell"s in there. It feels like lame praise in the face of the masterpieces you have written. There were multiple points (every single chapter) where I was just so in awe and shock that someone could write such beautiful descriptive emotionally provocative scenes, inner monologue etc.

I really feel like it'll be years, decades, forever before i find another author who's work is so touching and laced with love and passion and true genius. You wove such a rich, beautiful tapestry with your words that I was instantly inspired to create.

While reading i had to put the book down for hours at the beginning of part 2 (a&m) because I got the most intense urge to draw the vision you created of lucifer being presented in his throne room for the first time. The details, mannerisms (my heart aching to be reunited w. my darling luci). There were many a scene I tagged to draw but this is the first time I've ever put down a book I didn't want to stop reading just to be able to sketch something. It's been years since I've encountered any kind of media that made me feel so inspired to create. Ideas were just bursting in my mind, coming to life so strongly through the poetry of your novels i can't think of anything but mortalizing them in an art piece.

Your writing style, your character building, your world building, it's all just so incredible and profound and I will be bothering all of my irls with how much I am going to be gushing about these books.

I could wax poetic about all of it for paragraphs and paragraphs but will stop myself to THANK YOU for putting your creation out into the world for us to be able to enjoy. It has touched my soul in such a powerful way and I so look forward to inhaling everything you choose to create and share in the future.

With the warmest, kindest, most heartfelt regards, Audrey :)

Ahh thank you so so much! I'm so happy you liked ABM and A&M! That genuinely means the world to me.. I wish I could bottle some of how grateful and happy this makes me to give it to you. Please tell your irls that I'm very sorry in advance for whatever these books are. But, really, thank you. I'm glad you enjoy my writing and the characters and, most importantly, that you found it touching. That's all i could ask for.

Also I'm so happy you liked that scene of Lucifer at his throne! It's one of my favorite scenes in the series :')

Thank you again! This means the world to me. Thank you for liking the angels!

[alagaesia-headcanons]

Hello! Finally scraped together my courage! I love how you talk of the inheritance cycle and i have a lots of feels for that saga, it's the first fantasy i have EVER read.

As you have probably guessed i love Orrin and kind of appreciate Murthag, but my favourite character is Jeod.

Could you talk a bit about your thoughts on him? I find him an incredibly fascinating character (and he wields a RAPIER. that's the BEST WEAPON.)

lots of love! i really like your blog!

Hello hello!!! Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoy my stuff and I'm glad for the ask as well!

I really like Jeod! He's one of my favorite background characters. I think it's especially refreshing that he's not emphasized as a warrior and the most important contributions he makes are through his scholarly studies. In that way, he really balances out the main characters who are very focused on the war and the battles. And the way he encourages his same sort of curiosity and joy for books and learning in Eragon is very sweet, and I wish we could have seen more of it. Overall, Jeod simply comes across as very heartfelt, I see him as one of the more caring characters with the way he so readily goes out of his way to help- joining the Varden to steal the egg in the first place, helping Brom and Eragon without hesitation, and giving Roran and the others from Carvahall the chance to reach Surda. He does all he can and it's very endearing.

I also have an old headcanon deep in my heart that Jeod had a long standing and ill fated crush on Brom. In the beginning, the mysteriousness and intrigue that his brisk, guarded manner evoked drew him in, and then he came to admire his sharp wit experienced confidence. It started as a little crush, light and guileless. He never had the courage to mention it and Brom, always forging ahead and never slowing down, didn't give him much chance anyway. But the feelings stayed with him and they slowly transformed into something more sincere- a quiet, persistent pining. But Jeod still feared saying what he felt and Brom always regarded them as colleagues, or sometimes friends, and if he recognized anything else in Jeod's heart, he turned a blind eye to it. Jeod told himself maybe he would finally say something more after they settled the matter of the missing dragon egg, but then Brom died. At least Jeod believed so. Too little too late. When he married Helen a few years later, it wasn't his most thought out decision and he always carried a bit of guilt for never loving her quite the same way he loved Brom. After Brom suddenly appeared on his doorstep again, Jeod almost told him, but it still felt like too late. He was married now, and he could sense that wherever Brom's fate led, it was with Eragon and Saphira, not him. And lo and behold, he lost Brom a second time months later, a more gentle heartbreak than the first, but still poignant.

But on another note I've been thinking about lately, if they'd gotten a proper opportunity, I actually think Jeod and Orrin would get along very well. Of course their shared interest in academics and research and learning would give them common ground and draw them together, and I picture them going back and forth discussing their various areas of interest for ages. And I rather wish that the sort of support Jeod gave Eragon could have been shared with Orrin as well because it would really suit both their characters and could have been a very touching and significant exchange. Orrin's interest in science is very genuine and passionate but it never receives any encouragement in canon and I can really easily see that coming from Jeod, who deeply understands and respects the drive to learn, telling him that his work and skill are admirable and valuable. Also, I can only imagine how jealous Orrin was of Jeod during the war lmao.

Jeod: oh haha I'm not much of a fighter anymore so I help the war effort with my scholarly knowledge, studying books to find things that might help! :)

Orrin, through clenched teeth, vibrating slightly: god I wish that were me.

[15minlatewithbatbucks]

no choice but to love you pt. 10

FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | FOURTH | FIFTH | SIXTH | SEVENTH | EIGHTH | NINTH

When they were alone again, Emma spun around in her chair to give him a huge smile. Bruce smiled back, weaker but no less heartfelt. The idea of being a father to Tim was still so new even if he was excited about it.

“He’s the sweetest little boy,” she said, clasping her hands together almost in prayer. “A mamma’s boy to be sure, but that’s probably just because he doesn’t really knew his daddy yet.”

That’s me, he thought, still a little dumbstruck. He’d been warming up to the idea of having a young child with Damian on the way, but this was different. Maybe Talia had been onto something with the blood son business.

More likely, Bruce was still just riding the coloring session serotonin.

“We colored together,” he offered just to see Emma happier. She was taking the whole situation the best and had told him at length that she simply adored little children and had been surprised something like this hadn’t happened sooner. “He’s a champ at staying in the lines. He gave me tips.”

Bruce retreated into his office, leaving Emma to her joyous laughter. He was going to have to squeeze in a call to Talia and probably text Jason to give him a heads up about dinner. He’d almost sat down when he noticed something on the couch they had occupied. Worried that Janet or Tim had forgotten something, he walked back over to investigate.

It was Tim’s coloring page, carefully tucked between the sofa’s arm and cushion. The cheerful looking pterodactyl on the paper was accompanied by Tim’s careful signature at the bottom, like a true artist.

Tim

Just “Tim”, no last name although he’d readily shown off his skill writing his full name on a notepad Janet had provided when the topic came up. He’d been so proud at the time that it felt somewhat significant that Tim didn’t write “Timothy Jackson Drake”.

Perhaps that was because he knew that he wasn’t Jack’s son, wasn’t a Drake.

Well, it was no matter. Wayne was an easy name to learn with the same number of letters. They could even workshop something else for a middle name, since Jack clearly didn’t deserve to call him his son.

Those were thoughts for later, however. He set them aside as he returned to his desk unhindered and gently put the coloring page into a desk drawer. At some point he (or more likely Emma) would have to find a frame so it could join the other pieces of family artwork adorning his walls.

Before he shut the drawer, he snapped a picture to drop into the family group chat, irrationally proud of a child he hadn’t yet had a chance to raise.

Within a minute, his phone was ringing. He answered and set it to speakerphone.

“I don’t have a lot of time before Lucius comes to drag me away,” he cautioned before Talia could start. She sighed deeply.

“Did you have a fun play date, beloved?” she asked and Bruce started grinning much more genuinely than he had in front of Emma.

“I thoroughly enjoyed myself, yes,” he answered. “We colored dinosaurs and Tim was nice enough to give me tips.”

“I’m sure that you needed them.”

“I’m only giving his secrets away because you’re my partner,” Bruce said in warning. “But he told me that if you use big markers to outline your coloring, it helps cover up if your crayon ‘goes a little shhhwsh’.”

“I’m sorry?”

Bruce paused thoughtfully and did his best to remember exactly how Tim sounded as he mimed a runaway crayon. He carefully copied it to the best of his ability.

“You know, ‘shhwshhh’.”

“I can only conclude that you are having a stroke.”

“You could never be so lucky. But, yes. I did have fun with him. I had fun with my… my son,” Bruce tried out. “My son, Timothy…” Timothy what? Obviously not Drake for much longer, but would Janet want him to have her last name? Timothy Adelman.

It didn’t sound as good as Timothy Wayne. Tim Wayne. Or whatever other name Tim might want. Wayne was a very versatile name.

“Do you think Janet would let me give Tim my father’s name as a middle name?” he asked.

“So you’ll be keeping him?”

“Yes,” Bruce said, but on the topic of names… He wanted to respect what was disclosed to him in confidence even if he was fairly sure he was being tested, but he also needed to be on the same page with Talia.

“Tragic,” Talia said dryly. “His mother?”

“Is a perfectly lovely person that I will be co-parenting with and who I will not be propositioning for you,” he said firmly. “Talia… what would you do if Damian was transgender?”

Talia was stymied by the question. Bruce let her think, knowing that she would make the appropriate leaps of logic to him and Tim. He knew she was a good person, but he didn’t know what her upbringing may have instilled in her.

“…Should I be calling Timothy your daughter?” is what she came back with, neatly sidestepping Bruce’s question with her own.

“No… not… Not now. Maybe in the future,” he said. “Janet was telling me that he enjoys playing dress up with her, which is obviously not exactly indicative of a five year old’s gender identity. She just wanted to make sure that if he was…”

“You are telling me that I could have a daughter.”

“I’m not tell- Talia, he’s my daughter. Son. He’s mine and Janet’s son,” he said. “This isn’t so he wouldn’t be my firstborn son, is it?”

“Hush,” Talia hummed. “I am your partner, you’ve just said. I have stakes in this child and you are telling me that I could possibly have a little girl in my home to even the odds against all of you men.”

Bruce felt a headache coming on. “Like I said, nothing is set in stone until Tim says if he’s a boy, girl, or anything else.”

“I could change that.”

“Talia,” he begged, almost laughing. “Do not trans my son.”

“You couldn’t stop me if you tried,” she sniffed delicately, indifferent to his mirth. “But I will concede. It is his business and I will welcome him in our home whatever his gender may be.”

“That’s all I ask,” Bruce said. Then, because he could always be petty. “Besides, if he were my daughter, it would make him your stepdaughter. In all the stories, stepmothers and stepdaughters don’t exactly get along.”

“You would call me wicked, beloved? I, a wicked stepmother? Woe unto you,” Talia said mournfully and cut the call. Still chortling, Bruce sent Jason a text requesting a call on his lunch break as Lucius poked his head in.

[hogoflight]

AHAHHAHAAH YOU THOUGHT I FORGOT ABOUT THE VAMPIRE AU?? NO!!! my brain is STILL ROTTING

this one is about the muses and I made it really long.

OH YEAH little retcon the castle I mentioned in the post about Apollo’s kids is the one he hibernates(?) in for the winter (I’ll explain this later probably) that Boreas secretly gifted to him when they were dating (given that he is a news anchor(?) He allows Apollo to stay hidden and is proud of him). All his kids, his family and people he’s dated / had kids with are invited to stay for Christmas / the Winter Solstice!

the muses are their own separate coven of vampires that basically spend their immortal lives getting multiple PhDs, immortalising events through literature in as many forms as possible and also general academic stuff. They’re not all blood related because people choose to join when they want at different points in time. It started off with 3 muses in Ancient Greece, then 9 as more forms of literature were invented and in modern times there’s like so many. BUT there’s 9 leaders who are the generally the oldest and most experienced, and also therefore the most powerful and the most connected.

HISTORY TIME:

Apollo when he was an evil Vampire lord thought the muses were really cool and one day dreamed of them writing epics or something about him, and they did. Just. Definitely not in a flattering way! They focused more on the people he hurt and how he got hurt and the ways he changed over the years etc etc because BOY does this interesting guy have an interesting life. He was a fun member of the book club (y’know how it is), and also knows a lot about stuff in general so the muses were content to tolerate his company sometimes. Eventually when he decided to finally bail and stop being a prick (and also went into hiding) he knocked on the muses’ door, started bawling and gave a really genuine, heartfelt speech about how he wanted to stop hurting people and help them in any way he could to make up for Him and they took him in. So yeah Apollo has lived in the muses’ big palace / house / library thing for the past couple centuries and this is where he stayed most of his time (he was homeless for a bit but not anymore!!). Eventually he moved out (mixture of he felt bad about using their resources / big castles making him feel like a Lord again / he wants to stay alone but out of some self-imposed I’m-going-to-make-myself-feel-bad). He left everyone completely for a while, people got worried, he worked towards instead living alone so he could live with himself. Now he has a house which he (tries his best to) decorate very dramatically and feels more permanent and liveable now! He relapses / has bad days where he goes no contact but he’s getting more and more people watching out for him now. HE’S ACCUMULATING LOVED ONES AAAAAAAAOUGH :((.

He funds himself and gets funds for the muses (not a lot at all but he needs to feel like he contributes and they’re kind enough to allow him this) by organising the books / scrolls etc, organising general events, sharing his vast knowledge with people and teaching them things he knows, looking after the cats and making GOOD pancakes for the main 9 every morning (he pretends to complain about this all the time he’s like “I make breakfast for 10 PEOPLE every morning…” but he’s having a lot of fun cooking). Actually he also pretends to grouch about any work he does at all. People are concerned if he doesn’t bc then he’s not feeling too great about himself.

At first people were VERY confused as to WHY there was an GODDAMN SUPPOSEDLY DEAD VAMPIRE LORD just. Sorting the books?? And looking very sheepish?? And oh wow his mascara is very runny OH WOW UM EYEBAGS. yeah IT WAS AWKWARD. But people got used to it and whenever there’s a newbie people always have fun going “yeah you see that guy wearing like 9 feet of scarves grumbling into his hot chocolate? That’s Apollo. The Vampire Lord. He was kind of a prick but he feels really awful about it now. really shows how much can happen in a couple centuries am I right ahaaaaa”

also do I even need to say this. Apollo’s had crushes on all 9 of them and vehemently refuses to acknowledge he still does. Yet another thing newbies gawk at. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN OUR 9 LEADERS SHARE OUR ECCENTRIC SECRETARY. WHAT. w oh hey he’s pretty! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT’S THE DEAD VAMPIRE LORD APOLLO?????? DIDN’T HE??? DIE?????” He can absolutely move in with Literally Anyone Else he is friends with but for some reason he is just content with his lonely smallass house nearby.

[fhs-event-week]

Propaganda for Camoy:

Sun and moon WLW vibes. Cami is cold and secretive, only interacting with the people around her to further her goals, too blinded by her detachment to even realize her friends actually like her- while Joy is warm and open, doing her best to be nice to the people around her, caring very deeply about her friendship with the rest of the Toys. And that's without getting into the fact that Joy is one of Cami's victims! Lots of drama and intrigue with this one.

Propaganda for Golwyn (Under the cut for lenght):

MY PARENTS (too). Another couple with a very beautiful color palette bc UGH i just love them. THE POTENTIAL. If you're a golden lover this is just free angst and that's great and if you're an owynn lover it's peak comedy. Owynn first hating on Golden and all his group and then slowly getting a crush??? Him being insane about it???? Im in love. Owynn's in love too. Im crazy and he is too. This can end in such a tragic way or be beautiful. Can golden fix Owynn?? Or will Owynn corrupt golden?? Doomed yaoi is just so tasty to me im sorry (Submitted by anonymous).

golwynn. where do i start. what if you were a kid who people thought was so weird and fucked up that no one wanted to be friends with you. what if you were a kid who was always treated like an adult from a young age having your childhood stolen away from you to the point you weren't allowed to have friends. what if you both turned out very differently yet both crave for affection in a very similar way.

what if owynn tried to use golden for his influence to win the competition, and maybe to do even more than that, maybe to use his spotlight to get the adoration he'd always longed for. what if owynn tried to take advantage of golden after he ran away from his family by giving him shelter and being nice to him to gain his trust.

what if owynn realized that for his plan to work, golden had to go back to his family and his fame again, so he tries to convince him to do so. what if this resulted in a heartfelt confession from golden explaining he wasn't comfortable with his life before and going in depth about how he wished he had a normal life growing up as a kid, telling owynn that he appreciates his friendship since he hadn't had real friends until not too long ago, when he joined the school.

what if owynn realized they were more similar than he thought. what if owynn decided to start genuinely caring for golden like he wished people would've cared for him when he was younger. what if they had an unexpected yet beautiful friendship where they bonded about their difficult upbringing as kids, both understanding that they had misjudged the other.

but... what if golden found out owynn's original intentions? what if he found out all of the awful things he had done for attention before and all the things he'd planned to do for attention in the future?

maybe owynn tried to explain to golden that he changed him, that for the first time he felt that he didn't have to manipulate people into liking him, despite this being what he had done to golden so he could gain his trust. maybe owynn told him that even though his friendship started as fake, only seeing golden as a means to an end to achieve his plan, he started genuinely deeply caring for him and wanted to become a better person after seeing how different golden had turned out from him despite having the same problem although for different reasons.

and maybe golden tried to understand, really wanting to think that all of the stuff owynn was saying was true, but how could he know that wasn't also a lie? maybe golden really tried to shine a light on owynn's motives but thought that his feelings didn't excuse his actions. maybe, deep down, he knew what owynn meant about not having friends and that some are not as lucky as to not lose their sanity over it. maybe he knew that their circumstances were so similar, yet so different. and maybe, even though he tried, he just couldn't forgive him. and what if, after that, owynn was just... left there. what if golden just went over to live with fox instead and both him and the rest of the animatronics pretended for good that his friendship with owynn never happened. what if owynn ended up thinking he finally had someone who truly understood how he felt and why he acted the way he did only to be left feeling as if golden had made his dead heart come back to life only to then rip it off his chest and take it with him, leaving, never to be seen again (Submitted by anonymous).

[galewingpirates]

Arlong Park Arc

I HATE ARLONG SM OMG

... so i dont have my first reactions to things.

HOWEVER. I can summarize the parts I remember.

Brief reminder that this isn’t an expert analysis and it’s just me giving my basic thoughts on things!!

First of all. The funnies. Hatchan helping Zoro? Great scene. Usopp thinking he’s a ghost at the end of that one episode? Amazing

HOWEVER.

I CRIED SO MUCH DURING THIS ARC. THE EMOTIONAL DEVASTATION OF NAMI’S BACKSTORY- AAAAAAA

I was so devastated when I realized that Arlong came to Cocoyasi Village the same day as Nami got into the argument with Bell-mère- god the pain. And Genzo trying to save Nami???? OUGH. MY SOUL.

THIS PART THOUGH??? OMG. THIS WAS SO COOL BUT ALSO I CRIED BC OMG THE WAY THEY ALL HAD HER BACK & WERE SO WILLING TO HELP NAMI 😭😭😭

Sanji vs Kuroobi

Im gonna be perfectly honest. I almost couldn’t watch this part bc I’m extremely gore sensitive and the implied injuries made me SUPER sick. HOWEVER. Seeing as I am now a member of the Sanji Fanclub™️ however, I watched it bc I think he’s cool and his fighting style is fun.

This fight was AWESOME. I feel like the stakes were super high at this point & so Sanji being forced to act even when the odds were against him was cool. I also think that Sanji blowing air into Kuroobi’s gills was really neat! + every scene of the blue pinstripe shirt is my favorite bc I wish I had that shirt 😭 The part abt water pressure did make me super sick tho

Usopp vs Chew

THIS FIGHT WAS SO FUN!!! I feel like this fight was the first fight where Usopp really got to do a whole lot by himself and he really proved his confidence in going down the path of becoming a brave warrior of the sea.

This fight really proved to me that even though Usopp is very much scared, he’s also got some incredibly brave moments like this. He 100% could’ve died- Up until this point, other than at Syrup Village when he was protecting the town from the Black Cat Pirates, he hadn’t really had much experience fighting, so the fact that he defeated one of Arlong’s officers is amazing considering his experience at the time. Not only did he show a lot of ingenuity and cleverness in this fight, it also was very fluid and not disjointed or staggered, and it had some funny moments, so it was enjoyable overall for me.

Zoro vs Hatchan

I’m gonna be honest, I don’t remember a lot abt this fight.

HOWEVER. I do remember that this fight was really cool to me because it showed 1. Zoro’s resilience. Even with the injury he received from Mihawk, he continued to fight. He knew he’d reopen the wound but he didn’t care, he fought anyways. 2. It really sort of showed more of the fact that Zoro’s a professional swordsman. In contrast to Usopp, Zoro’s been in this sort of business for a while- longer than anyone on the crew currently. He’s not starting from the ground up and he really shows that in this fight. + it was fun. Overall I don’t remember a lot of it tho

Luffy vs Arlong

GET HIM LUFFY!!!!!! 🫵

This fight I feel like wasn’t so much about the fight itself rather than the point it was making- it’s been a super long time since i’ve seen this one too but 1. The part where Luffy bites Arlong is super funny. 2. It was super cool getting Luffy genuinely pissed at Arlong. Like. He’d been mad at enemies before, but this time felt like the most serious (though I might have some bias bc it’s been the most recent fight I’ve seen him get angry in other than clockwork island and the first movie). Also him destroying the room Nami was trapped in (and also Arlong Park) was super cool and showed how much he cares about Nami which I liked

The Aftermath

I am so glad they finally beat up that stupid rat!!!! Hate him hate him hate him. Also the party was very fun, Nami’s tattoo getting changed and the heartfelt conversation between Genzo and Luffy where Genzo threatens to fucking kill Luffy if Luffy ever makes Nami sad, Sanji and Zoro being friends, very fun. Also before the party, Luffy finally getting a bounty??? So cool omg.

[agnisleftpec]

i present my stupidly long reactions/opinions post to all of natla. i wrote it all as i watched, and i got more and more words in my head as i went, so it gets long. no i will not be editing this. i am not a review blog, i just have opinions ajhgsfjkf

ep 1 good: -gyatso. i love him so much -overall this was a good enough intro, but not much really stood out to me as good?? it's. kind of a weak intro asjdhgsfh

bad: -fire nation helmets trying to look a little less dopey by adding angles to the eye sockets is stupid af. like i can understand why they might have thought the circle eyes looked dopey, but personally, it felt eery and othering to me, like there aren't people behind those masks. also it's closer to a skull motif than the weird angular half cirlce shape. -aang being able to basically superman fly?? and hover?? it looks really weird, and i also kinda breaks some potential future plots?? like, he can just. hover up into the air and fly away without his staff. and they seemed to have replaced aang's jumping with it. now he just starts hovering. -i dont like that katara doesn't bend aang out of the ice in rage. i dont really care about sokka dropping the blatant sexism, but i still think they should've been fighting about SOMETHING. even without the comparison of their jobs at home, they already had something to bicker about before losing the boat, they should've kept that up. katara's angry bending was such a good way to communicate her character as well as show viewers her raw power and that bending is effected by emotions, i really dont like that they dropped it. -there's a heavy lean into sokka's relationship with aang that's probaly a result of the writers knowing how much the fandom loves sokka lately, but also. it really feels like it's overshadowing katara's role in aang's new life. like, if i hadn't seen the original show, i would assume that the main relationship is aang and sokka from this episode.

overall a servicable intro i guess, but i was. boring. it was really boring asjhgsfh

ep 2 good: -zuko is an artist and they stole his fucking journal im screamin. this is so funny. he's so mad that he lost his fckin diary and aang is using it to figure out his next steps. im just. i love this -actually really liked that waterbending scroll as a gift from gran gran, it makes it a lot more personal and very smoothly sidesteps the original plot for the scroll, which you gotta admit is a lot of screentime that they dont have -sokka trying to impress and relate to suki and looking like a gotdamn fool while doing it. he's fucking smitten. i love this. AND SUKI STARING AT HIM WITH HIS SHIRT OFF LATER. yeah. yeah i like this better than the original episode actually -sokka's dialogue overall is amazing, mostly because he's funny. the funny dialogue is overall pretty good i my opinion. which leads into a bad point: most of the serious and heartfelt dialogue feels pretty unnatural. the actors are overall pretty inexperienced, but the script is doing them no favors

bad: -Lt. Jee has a topknot. how fukcing dare they -they just used "VIP" in a sentence. i dont like the acknowledgment of a latin alphabet. why do they have an acronym for an english phrase using the latin alphabet when we've seen no latin letters anywhere -aang meeting with kyoshi first was fun, but the weird filter they have over the spirit world (?)/the whole scene genuinely makes it hard to look at -NO UNAGI??????? NONE??? NOT A SINGLE GIANT EEL FISH???? -did momo just make a chimpanzee sound. im going. to lose it.

neutral: -zuko and iroh don't know zhao yet… that's fucking wack

a MUCH better episode than the first one, this actually got me excited for stuff

ep 3 good: -love this internal resistence. very cool aspect to explore that i think the main show was missing -CABBAGE MERCHANT -fire nation terrorists in omashu is kind of terrifying. i like it -ok the casting and costume design for the freedom fighters is actually spot on, i love it. also jet's weapon use is so faithful to the original, it's gorgeous -OOOOOOH, sokka's warrior vs engineer, hakoda vs machanist father figure is so good, i love this -THAT FUCKIN LADY WHO JUST STARTED SMACKING ZUKO. im fuckin choking -i did actually really like the fight scene between all the cloths and scaves and stuff, it was short but it was fun. honestly i love every zuko and aang in this episode, it's very good

bad: -did. did they say attitude control on the airship? …did they mean altitiude control…? is attitude a common problem with airships?? (maybe it is, idk shit about air travel terms. mybe attitiude means something else entirely. but i don't think so) -WHy. why are the fire nation spies wearing RED. wh

neutral: -putting teo and the mechanist ("sai" now) in omashu is a pretty decent way to combine plots, but im not sure if i like that it probably wont get aang's grief over his cultural home being changed and partially desstroyed. i always thought that was a super important to aang's character, but also the narrative does have other chances to lean into aang's cultural grief -putting JET in omashu. that's a choice. -Lt. Jee as an informant for zhao… that's wack

side note, this is the point where i really started to notice that the music is… boring. it's super boring. we go from what feels like basically background noise style western orchestral music which really isn't that notable to the credit role remaster, and it's jsut so jarring. have they not been using the og soundtrack?? i can remember hearing the fire nation motif, but like… not much else. might need to go back and listen. what's the point of remastering the soundtrack if you aren't gonna use it?

ep 4 good: -FLOPSY STATUES -im lovin zuko's infiltration thing, it's amusing to watch. but also, maybe a bad point, cuz he's not… very good at it. blue spirit who?? i suppose needinng to talk to people lowers his stealth exponentionally. there's a reason the blue spriit doesn't talk. im leaving this point here cuz im having fun, but it's still got problems -OOOOH they're using this as the iroh captured and zuko choosing to sasve him or find aang, that's clever. the whole "make a choice" thing from that guard was a bit on the nose though. -sokka and katara bonding and chatting about expectations is great. i really like them bonding a lot. HOWEVEER. there is a LOT of focus on sokka's burdens, we haven't once touched on what katara's been doing. this is. an unforseen consequence of removing sokka's (blatant) sexism, isn't it. they cant figure out how to give katara's role the same amount of value without someone to act like it isn't important.

bad: -the implication that sokka is scared of haunted tunnels. why would he be scared, this bitch does not believe in spirit nonsense. unless he does now. natla sokka is supersticious. -i really dont like the mad hatter's tea party vibe from bumi. like, bumi was always off his rocker, but this brand of kooky feels off. -while i like the conversation of soka not trusting katara, i really dont like the seeming personality reversal in the tunnel. it's minor, but it's just so weird to see sokka sasy stuff like "woo love leads the way" without mocking it, and katara beig the one who says that's stupid. -how did they manange to make zuko look older for his flashback. good lord. oh no. -bumi: "you vs me, to the death." im fucking. im so done. i hate this bumi i hate him. i understand him being upset that aang vanished, but he is so fucking mean in this. -ok i. do not like them giving the zhao v zuko agni kai ending to iroh. i really dont like that at all. we lose the point of zhao being a fuckin bastard, about zuko being the type to give mercy (which the show has already thrown out twice now from zuko almost blaasting fire in someone's face after they we on the ground and basically defeated. dont really like that change in character. they added all this awkwardness and these comments about what an honorable soldier shouldn't do, and yet they do this?? dumb), and having iroh defend him with ease. innstead it's replaced with "dont show mercy to earthbenders." ok. -the badgeermoles. sense feelings. and react to them. FEELINGS. im.

neutral: -THE SINGING NOMADS??? i thought this tunnel plto sounded like it could be similar to the cave of two lovers, but i really did not expect to see the singing nomads here. i do love them though -look, i dont care about shipping, but OOF. the poor kataang shippers. they're just throwing out all the kataang scenes but not building up an actual friendship in its place. i'm not a fan

bad episode. did not like this one. there were some goo parts, but overall it was just so disappointing compared to the original. on its own, i supposes it's a servicable episode, but so far, none of the others have really let me down this much in terms of expectations.

ep 5 good -ooooohh. i know this one is going to be controvertial, but i actually love the part where ozai corrects azula in the fact that zuko found the avatar, not zhao, and that he's displaying desireable traits in an heir that she seems to be lacking. like, i wish this came AFTER we had some blatant examples of ozai's favortism towards azula, but i do love the idea that ozai is driving their competition between each other. also that ozai is actually able to be proud of zuko IF he achieves those impossible goals he sets. but we still need more azula favoritism set up. -DID JUNE. FUCK ME, there was so much in two seconds hold on. the western whistle thing. june saying "your dad's kinda cute." she thinks iroh is cute, and she thinks iroh is zuko's dad. im. im fine. -WAN SHI TONG????? WHAT IS HE DOING HERE. my child. i did not expect to see my child in s1. overall, i'm relatively happy with him? wish his face was smaller or the resof him was bigger - he had a lot more poof to his head in the original, in imo a smaller face on the head would help make him look larger in solo shots. he looks pretty scrawny. also the voice is a bit too much old man for my tastes? but i'm picky about this bird. now im just super curious if there will be a library episode if s2 comes, and what that'll look like.

bad: -nothing has exemplified my problems with the changes in this show more than katara not throwing the acorn at aang's head. it's just. her attitude is gone, any whimsy that isn't sokka is gone, and they struggle to meld serious topics with humor. -actual gyatso in the spirit world?? maybe?? first of all, if it is actually gyatso, i dont think they did a good job of prooving that. second, why??? i'm really not a fan of aang actually getting that relief from grief and guilt. guilt is such a huge part of aang's character, i just.. idk, it feels less impactful when he gets actual gyatso telling him its ok instead of learning to manage his guilt on his own, nevere knowing really what gyatso would think og him now, like very other person who loses a loved one. it's just. it feels cheap

neutral -im not sure if i like koh as an actually malicious force in this story. like, it works fine for the narrative presented, but i really liked how koh was in the original, threatening and scary and trying to trick aang into making an expression for snack time, but not actually doing anything but helping aang when asked.

not the best episode, but not the worst. we just did that. it's kind of an in between, so idk if there's much to comment on. overall, im not a huge fan of the plot choices here, but i don't think they're actually bad choices, just not my style.

ep 6 good: -roku: im here to help you with anything you need aang: it has to do with koh roku: …anything but that roku has so much fuckin attitude, i kind of love it -zhao ignoring aang to correct the notetaker guys notes and make he gets his facts straight is both funny and an effective way to show off zhao's ego. also "what are you doing, dont write that down" is makin me think of that one kig who fell of his horse while hunting and said "dont let the historians write about this" and guess what fucking happened -the convo right after was really good imo. aang basically doing a lil test to prove that he and zuko could be friends with their boring old conversation was great. zuko getting mad about compassion is heartbreaking, woohoo. pretty much all around a fun scene, except that last line from aang was a little too on the nose. but at this point, im used to it in this show. -also the journal thing is still great. and i could be totally wrong, but i feel like zuko being super kowledgable about avatar stuff is a fanon thing?? well supported, but i'm pretty sure it doesn't actually come up often how much zuko knows about the past avatars, and fandom kind of took the idea that he MUST know a bunch given his search, and has freuently applied that to aus that turn zuko into this avatar specialist that actuallyhas a lot of info that aang needs. i swear that's a fanon concept, and i kind of love that it's happening here. -Ooohh. omg. the 41st as zuko's crew is DEFINITELY something i've only seen in fanon. the crew NOT KNOWING they were the 41st is completely new, and i honestly adore it.

bad: -not the fuckin mother of faces statue spinning around in his hand like a fuckin loading screen object -zhao yelling "cel - la - brate" like a fuckin party rock song, im. i cant. -blue spirit mask looks plastic. also why'd they make it angrier. i mean, i gujess it doesn't matter, but i dont think it adds anything either. that's a design you shouldn't touch in my opinion, it's too iconic. -the fucking music. the music is so fucking boring. you can't give me one fucking blue spirit motif?? wh. please. i need it -why. why did it take so long to do the whole "i need the avatar alive" and then swords to aang's throat. like. i could deal with that short moment of realization leadinng to a pause, but the actual action of zuko putting his swords to aang's throat feels like it takes forever. the whole shock from the animation was how fuckin immediate zuko's reaction was, how there seemed to be no hesitation from allies with the avatar to betting his life on escape. dont care if they have to speed up the footage, that whole sequence shouldn't have given us time to think. it was too slow from the second zhao told his soldiers to stop. -the agni kai. hm… ok. there's a lot here. at its most basic, i absolutely hate that zuko fought back here, because it feels so incredibly counter to the message of the animated show. like, there's a lot of fuckin weight to zuko's line of "i won't fight you." basically any fanfic can tell you a bunch of different ways this is important. it struck a chord for a reason. zuko fighting back just feels wrong. that said, i don't think it's a god awful scene. it's disappointing and abandons half of the origial meaning, but on its own in the context of the show as we've seen it, it works. we still get the trauma, zuko learns the idea that compassion is weakness, and it's still horrifying in the end. but compared to the original, it does feel like the writers here missed the point of zuko refusing to fight in the original, and that's the most frustrating part.

neutral: -torn on how i feel about zhao tagging along with zuko instead of them being phsycially separate. like, i guess it works, but zhao feels more slimey and less powerful this way. like, i'm not constantly reminded that zhao has more influence and more resources through this partnership. but then again, this episode also kind of solves that issue? i guess it doesn't matter, i just didn't like it. -zuko is a very vocal fighter, and he also makes a good amount of noise during his blue spirit fighting. i guess it doesn't really matter, especially cuz we dont have dante basco's crazy recognizable voice to deal with, but it still feels a bit disappointing for the blue spirit to make noise when we're used to dead silence

i might be going crazy, but i swear i heard some of the original guard grunts from the show when zuko's beating up the guards in front of his cell. i might be crazy, but fuck. ANYWAY. overall i did like this episode. going off the last episode, it still had a lot of plot bits i didn't care for, but overall it's good. yes there are issues, but im honestly more impressed by the things they introduced than i am annoyed with the things they changed. im still thinking about the 41st, like fuck

ep 7

good: -zuko's "ship" blew up!! that's an intersting change, but i think it's a clever one! though i do wonder what will become of zuko's actual ship considering it's fine. my favorite character, alive and well. have fun drowning, zuko. but also, this seems much more brutal to me?? cuz like. jee and iroh were trying to save zuko, and they ended up putting himself in danger in doing so. that's worse than just not being around when danger happened like in the animation, imo. -YUE HAS A FURSONA????????????? -i do love that whole scene of azula putting her foot down and refusing to do more of ozai's dumb little tests of strength. like, maybe not true to her animation arc, but i do like it -honestly the change where katara "wins" the fight with pakku not cuz pakku has a crush on her grandma but because everyone else who watched her figt thought she was badass was really nice. crowd vote says fuck pakku

bad: -OOF THAT FIRST SHOUT OF THE NORTHERN WATER TRIBE. oh that is not good. i haven't mentioned the cgi yet, but this is. oh dear. technically it's eas to miss, but still. -im so sorry, im sure she's lovely, but the first short of yue is so bad, she looks like she does not want to be here at all. i actually startedlaughing out loud wtf -oh i forgot momo existed. but now thtat he's here, he's ugly. i dont like him. -sokka and katara look so fucking pale next to hahn and arnook. i hate it

neutral: -im still neutral about azula and ozai's whole tough love thing. azula's lack of confdence and anger at not feeling good enough really feels like a zuko thing instead of an azula thing. she really doesn't come across in the original as worried at all about how she holds up next to zuko. in a vacuum, i don't think it's a bad choice, but compared to the original it is a jarring shift

overall pretty good. i dont like aang's protective behavior, but i do like that it's showing off some of aang's more negative qualities. we didn't get a bato episode or a intro to the storm episode here, so we haven't really encountered that yet. also im happy katara got to be sort of mad. a little.

ep 8 good: -i do like the early war balloons i think, it feels more reasonable that zhao snuck into the city vs got all the way back to the spirit oasis on komodo rhinnos withou being stopped or followed like they did in the original. -katara mastering waterbending literally without instruction is kind of badass. that whole exchange of "you've found a master haven't you" "yes, it's me" was pretty fun. idk how realistic it is, but like. in the original, she also masteredd waterbending in a matter of days, so. niether are that realistic -i kind of like how fuckin visceral the moon spirit getting stabbed is. like, minor change, doesn't matter, but still. that one shot of the bloody bag with a knife sticking out of it was lovely -ok that's spooky as fuck, the "there is no aang" thing with koizilla. like, the idea that this isn't just aang being possessed or lending his aide, this is him straight up giving up his life to la in that moment -that whole thing about zuko just beig a tool ozai uses to motivate azula was really well done actually. great acting, basically all that fanfic worthy revelation emotion, it was super good. like i was kinda thrown by ozai giving all control around hunter the avatar to zhao after seeming so impressed that zuko found the avatar in the first place, but really, i been played a fool. he doesn't care, he's manipulating azula. this is what the favoritism looks like. yikes. -also obsessed with the visual they talked about with aang/la wandering the world forever in search of a partner they wont find. this new context that koizilla really wasn't just a fuck you to the fire nation, it was meant to be permanent. like, fuck, i love that

bad: -OH THEY GOT RID OF ZHAO GOING TO THE SPIRIT LIBRARY i hate everything. what's the point. they're just gonna nix the library all together. wan shi tong is never coming back. sokka v wan shi tong will never happen. my entire career is over. -kuruk just appearing in a random doorway is wack -koizilla looks bad. baaaaaaaaaaad. where's the glowly lines -ok great yay we got zuko turning his back on zhao and getting attacked, but first of all that meant nothing cuz zuko DID ttry to kill him, zhao just dodge, and second, la should've taken zhao. i just. it's a more satisfying death for him, and also zuko's whole take my hand thing is super fuckin important too. but zuko in this show as a traumatic aversion to compassion, so whatever i guess.

pretty good finale, entertaining and got some good emotion stuff. better than most of the episode's emotions honestly

overall good: -before i speak i need you to look at my icon. scroll down the blog a bit. just take that in. ok? ok. i think zuko kind of carried the story here. overall i was very impressed by his acting, and yes, it was much more awkward and tear-ready than animated zuko, but also that's my fuckin jam. he's out of character in a lot of ways, but all the characters are, and like. lets be fucking real, this is fanon zuko. this is how the majority of fandom characterizes him. -set design was very nice in my opnion. casting choices (minus the water tribe sibs) were amaing visually, maybe no so much in terms of talent but we deal. while the costumes look too new and fee fake, it's not the worst. if you go into this expecting camp and trashy fun, you'll enjoy it. you can't set your standards high -once again, take a scroll through my blog. ok. i love how often aang is just like. clearly dissappointed with zuko's lack of desire to change, how much he wants to connect to zuko but zuko wont stop fuckin hissing and spitting. if aang got to have personality in this script, he'd basically be pointing at zuko like "that's my emotional support enemy," i swear to fuck. i might be pushing it on how much they were really like this in the narrative, but i dont care, im having fun asgjhdfh

bad: -momo and appa both look creepy. they give me realistic pokeon vibes, and not in the detective pikachu type of way. like, detective pikachu is what i was hoping for, something that preserved the cute and still felt semi real. this didn't do that. momo is weirdly top heavy and his eyes scare me, and appa has weird, ever present droopy lips, especially at the corners. it's just uncanny -i dont like how bending looks. it's okay i guess, but it's got so many extra busy particle effects that it feels uncontrolled. i always pictured masterful bending as being really smooth and pretty unnatural looking- smooth water bubbles, fire with weirdly contained flickers and not much smoke, earth without a bunch of crumbling pebblees, air without dust everywhere you dont want it. the wobbly water and earth bending with so many fuckin shards of debris and the firebening with so many sparks is disappointing cuz i would've worldbuilt that to be a lack of mastery thing. anyway. it's fine. -aang is not happy and excitable, and katara isn't angry or sassy. they have the personalities of cardboard boxes. rip.

i actually liked that a lot. lots of good and lots of bad, but overall i had fun and that's what matters. maybe not something i'd rewatch if i didn't have atla brainrot, but not fuckin god awful. the characters were pretty different from their animated counterparts, and that's very frustrating in its own way, and the script was full of poorly written dialogue, and the acting kinda of sucked in a lot of places, but. but. i had fun, and im probably gonna rewatch it, and im gonna enjoy applying these ideas to fanfic and fanart. overall, im glad it exists. it's not going to replace the original, it's not meant to, but it's just trashy fun. i love trashy fun.

[enneamage]

Any thoughts on Tommy's new serious video?

I saw the “serious video” phrasing of this ask and had a moment of alarm that I missed something dark before I hit up the updates account and found yet another Tommy channel. This man is determined to take up a tenth of the channels I follow.

It's funny because the style of video he’s doing comes from the line of “older gent gives life advice while shooter footage plays in the background,” and after passing through Schlatt who lowered the legal age of advice giving to whenever he felt like it now we’ve got Tommy strutting onto the scene at eighteen and being very sincere but also still fairly naïve. Both of them were eager to start emulating a style of content that they loved without fully checking themselves, once again similar in an unlikely way.

There’s something tragically endearing about him listing off a series of YouTube trends / meta / waves gone by and calling them ‘sheer creativity’ because he’s got fond memories of them. Something being the product of cause and effect and circumstance doesn’t make it less genuine, but a lot of the moments that came before happened in a context and weren’t as pure of intention as he’s pitching them. (The song parody moment of YouTube was particularly rough.) It was a heartfelt idea with unfortunate evidence to try backing it up, an interesting start that kind of showcases where he’s at mentally.  

If I could ask the universe for anything it would be to make the Tom channel a video blog channel, like an actual ‘blogpost but out loud’ channel. The format is interesting but aside from being encouraging + inspirational I’m not super sure he’s going to be able to handle an advice column by himself yet—he’s still the asker at this point in his life (as is the right and good thing for him to be, a normie would be a student for at least two more years) so I wonder what this feedback loop is going to look like as it plays out.