#i just WASN'T EMOTIONALLY PREPARED OK

[drunk-person]

Healing Kisses

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x wife!reader

Summary: After an injury on a normal day of training, Aemond Targaryen has difficulty understanding what it feels like to be cared for by his sweet wife, mainly because he is not used to receiving healing kisses.

WARNING: +18. Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and and a little bit of hot, Aemond trying to understand feelings, a bit of blood, basically a lot of softness, no description for the reader.

Word cont: 2.600 k

Author's note: Ok, I was minding my own business and this story just slipped my mind and ended up on my phone. I hope you guys like our guy trying to understand what love is hahaha 💕💕💕.

It had been about two months since Lady Y/n had gotten married, to Prince Aemond Targaryen. From the first day she saw him, she found him a disturbing man, with his silver hair, the black eye patch over one eye, the marked jaw that looked like it could cut the tips of her fragile fingers. He always seemed to be watching everything going on around him with trained eyes that she swore could see right through her.

Y/n's mother had prepared her her entire life for marriage, but not for a marriage with Aemond. Nothing was as she expected, since her husband seemed to have his own way of doing things, always silent and taciturn, just muttering from time to time, and most of the time she couldn't even decipher what he was saying, she didn't even know if he was speaking the same language as her at times.

The most unexpected thing of all, considering how reserved he normally behaved, was the fact that he liked to touch her when they were together in the martial chambers. Y/n felt her skin boiling every night with every touch he directed at her, sometimes harder, sometimes softer, but always firmly squeezing her waist, hips and breasts. Always doing things to her that Lady Y/n had not thought possible until marriage, and that just the mere thought of it made her blush and feel her skin heat up. The way he lay against her back after having poured himself inside her to the last drop and kept squeezing her breasts in a languid and soft way made her shiver.

But Y/n wasn't satisfied. She couldn't accept the fact that her Husband had such passionate touches for her at night, but didn't let her get close to him during the day, either physically or emotionally. Y/n respected him in that regard, aiming for nothing more than to be a good and obedient wife, but she wouldn't give up so easily. And with this in mind, she began to try to include herself in Aemond's daily activities and personal tastes.

Reading about the history of his ancestors, observing his favorite foods, sewing his clothes personally and even reading an old book she found in the library written by a maester who promised to teach Valyrian to even the most obtuse person. Which only made her feel even more foolish since she didn't understand a thing.

One of the best parts of trying to include herself in her husband's daily routine was watching his daily training, she usually did it in the morning after breakfast and even after a whole month watching him fight she still hadn't gotten used to the fact that he was so good, the sword seemed like an extension of his own arm and she had to restrain herself from sighing a few times while admiring him.

Until one particularly boring afternoon she decided to go down to the courtyard, since the library was very stuffy and she heard a maid saying that Aemond was fighting with Sir Criston Cole. As soon as she arrived, she leaned on the windowsill along with some other ladies, smiling as she watched her husband a little below, but the smile died on her lips a few minutes later when Aemond didn't dodge fast enough and Cole's blade wounded him in the left shoulder, drawing blood and staining the knight's sword.

Y/n's eyes widened when she saw her husband's blood and she felt her stomach churn. Aemond put his hand to his wounded shoulder and frowned, then returned to the fight furiously, disarming Cole, who apologized to the prince, but said that it wouldn't have happened if he had kept his guard up and focused.

Aemond just put away his own sword and walked with long strides into the Keep. Y/n could barely see what was in front of her, she just walked towards her husband with her eyes burning with concern.

-Husband! - She tried to reach him, but Aemond was walking too fast towards his own chambers. - Husband, please wait! Your arm is injured, you need to go see a maester!

Aemond entered the chambers, leaving the door open as he passed, as his wife followed closely behind.

-It was just a scratch, wife. - Aemond stated as she looked at him with tears in her eyes. - I'm going to be fine, it doesn't even hurt.

-Husband, if you're not going to let the maester look at this wound, at least let me take care of you! - She begged in a very worried voice, approaching him.

And with a snort, valuing his peace of mind, Aemond removed his doublet and undershirt, which had bloodstains at the site of the wound.

-By the gods, husband! - Y/n's eyes widened when she saw his shoulder. - How can you tell me this is just a scratch?

-Sit down here! - She pushed him down onto the chair with a very stern voice, and Aemond frowned - she had never used such a tone with him, always gentle and submissive to his wishes. - Don't move, I'll get hot water and an herbal ointment.

A little while later she returned with a basin full of water and a tray filled with things that a maid had brought. And Aemond watched with a very serious frown as she leaned over him with a clean, damp cloth, cleaning the coagulated blood with a very concentrated look on her face.

He barely realized that she had spoken to him, completely lost in what was happening.

- Husband? - She called him a little closer, stopping to clean the wound.

- Mmmm? - Aemond looked at her slightly confused when he finally realized that she was talking to him.

-I asked him if by chance it hurts. - She smiled, now using her usual sweet and gentle voice and Aemond didn't know why his belly warmed, but not with the excitement that had become so common in the last two months whenever he was near his wife, but with an unknown feeling.

- No. - He shook his head slowly as he answered. - I don't feel anything.

Nothing but a tingling where her warm and soft hand rested.

- Are you sure, husband? - Her look was doubtful as she frowned, Aemond just nodded and she continued her work. As soon as she finished cleaning the area, she left a few soft kisses on the wound and Aemond felt that a rope had pulled him through his navel at that moment.

-W-What are you doing? - He ended up stuttering unintentionally as he formed the sentence, feeling the skin where his wife was touching him warm as if she had touched him with a hot coal.

-Healing kisses. - She murmured simply against his heated and slightly reddened skin. - To help you heal faster.

Aemond frowned with his eyes slightly pressed together, enjoying that unfamiliar sensation in a strange way.

-And do they work? - He asked as if he suddenly had no control over his own tongue and felt very stupid for it as soon as he spoke.

-I believe so. - She smiled at him, leaving one last kiss at the end of the open wound, and Aemond felt less stupid for some reason after that.

-I'm going to apply the herbal ointment, okay? - She walked to the table, picking up one of the clay pots with a greenish, pasty mixture inside. - The maester said it should burn.

With a delicacy that Aemond had never felt in his entire life, she deposited the ointment on the open wound and gradually spread it with her fingertips, showing a look of implacable concentration on her face as if this were something of extreme importance.

Aemond hated wandering hands on him, hated receiving treatment from the maesters with their rough and hard touches, but with his wife it was different, the touches were so sweet and gentle that they were making him drowsy. And when she left more kisses after finishing applying the green ointment he thought that his mind had left his body and gone to another dimension.

-Mmmm.

-I hurt you? - She sounded very worried as she brought her right hand to the side of his face.

-Not at all. - He practically sighed, laying his head against her hand, and Y/n felt her heart warm when she had that reaction of familiarity from him.

-You need to take a bath, husband. - She stroked his cheek with her thumb, enjoying the moment where she was allowed to, smiling sweetly at him. - And after that I move on to another herb that the maester sent.

Aemond agreed, just nodding positively, feeling his whole body as if it were pleasantly numb as he walked towards the bathtub full of warm water on the other side of the rooms. And making him feel even lighter Y/n untied the front of his pants, blushing slightly as she helped him get completely undressed.

With a sideways smile at seeing his wife's reaction to his nudity, Aemond entered the bathtub, murmuring in satisfaction with the temperature of the water.

Y/n, her face still warm, knelt at the foot of the bathtub and gently massaged his uninjured shoulder, leaving sweet kisses there.

-This shoulder is not hurt. - Aemond spoke to her in a soft voice for the first time, making her smile against his damp skin.

-It must be at least sore from the effort. - She murmured very close to his neck, making him smile even though she couldn't see it.

-Join me, wife. - He turned his head back, watching her with a calm gaze.

And with a shy and very happy smile, Y/n removed her own clothes under the watchful eye of Aemond, who sighed when she was completely naked and embarrassed in front of him. The prince always found it sweet how she had not yet lost her shyness when being naked in front of him in these two months of marriage.

Y/n entered the bathtub and before she could sit on the other end of the bathtub he pulled her to sit on his thighs, leaving his wife very close to him, making her sigh.

-Are you sure it doesn't hurt at all, husband? - She gently ran her fingertips over the injured area.

-Mmmm. - He shook his head. - But I could use more kisses.

And with butterflies in her stomach Y/n did so, leaving sweet and moist kisses around her husband's shoulder who just laid his head back in contentment.

-You know if I had an injury like that I would be in a lot of pain. - She looked at him from under her eyelashes. - You are so strong husband.

Aemond had never felt so imposing in his entire life as when he heard his wife saying in that sweet and soft voice how strong he was, while looking at him from under her eyelashes sitting naked on his cock.

-I haven’t felt so much pain since I lost my eye. - Aemond didn't know where that had come from, he felt so relaxed at that moment that the words just flowed through his tongue with ease in a strange way. - It seems that I have become a little insensitive to slight pain.

Y/n gently ran her hand over his face where the eye patch was still firmly in place even during the bath. And after taking a deep breath fearing rejection after a day with so many advances she asked.

-Can I see husband?

Aemond automatically looked away, staring at his wife's breasts while his hands firmly locked on her waist.

-You don't want to see that, wife. - He muttered through his teeth. - It's not pleasant to look at.

-I think everything about you is pleasing to the eye, husband. - She tried to encourage him by stroking the scarred cheek below the eye patch, but still feeling afraid that he would push her away from him. - I would appreciate it very much if you let me see all of you.

And even fearful of his wife's reaction, taken by that strange and unfamiliar feeling in the midst of that moment of softness, Aemond removed the eye patch and dropped it on the floor next to the bathtub without looking her in the eyes.

Aemond's stomach turned as much as it had flown for the first time on Vhagar when he felt his wife's soft lips placing a gentle kiss against the deformed skin where his eye had once been.

-Gavy. (Gevie -Beautiful) - Her voice sounded like a very poor attempt at High Valyrian and Aemond's eyebrows arched.

-Where did you learn that?

-I read it in a book in the library. - She lowered her eyes in embarrassment. - Was the pronunciation bad?

-It was perfect. - He murmured with his eyes closed, lost in those sensations as he felt her sweet kisses against his face.

And with redoubled affection Y/n washed the herbs from Aemond's body and with a smile noticed that the redness had divided quite a bit, as well as the bleeding.

-After the bath I need to apply another ointment to you according to the maester, husband. - She smiled completely happy with her husband's moment of confidence. - To help it heal, he said.

-Mmm. - Aemond would let her do anything about him, as long as he could feel the softness of his wife's touch and her care and concern directed at him.

And with a sigh he trailed kisses down her soft neck, drawing low sighs and gasps from those gentle lips.

-I want you to be the one to take care of me from now on, wife. - He continued kissing her, and with a smile of pure contentment Y/n nodded positively to her husband.

-It is a pleasure for me to take care of you, husband. - She sighed at him in joy, making Aemond's heart accelerate in a strange way that made him want to vomit. He didn't understand what it was, it wasn't desire, something he was very familiar with as he desired his wife constantly, yes he was hard against her wet intimacy, but there was more.

There was something strange consuming him inside without explanation and he felt that even if he took her at that moment he wouldn't be close enough to her. And as he slid into her warm and receptive intimacy, he could feel his wife's arms hugging him tightly and pulling him closer and closer to her while she left kisses on his shoulders and face, making him lose himself inside her, feeling more and more of that sensation as strong as the pleasure of spilling his own seed inside his wife.

And letting himself be carried away by that moment, Aemond kissed her sweetly on the lips, almost a soft caress, while he felt her entangle her hands in his hair, caressing it in a way so gentle that it didn't seem intended for sex, but rather for something more delicate that the prince couldn't say the name.

-Skoros issi ao naejot issa? (What are you doing to me?) - He muttered between sighs, and Y/n had no idea what he had said, but chose to think it was something good.

All those unknown emotions, feelings and sensations were too much for Aemond, tearing from him an unparalleled pleasure that he had never felt in his entire life, and he poured himself deep inside his wife while hugging her tightly to his chest with a poignant need to feel her as close to him as possible.

And when Y/n came in his arms soon after, looking into his eyes without a hint of repulsion for his missing eye, but rather kissing him again while admiring him with pure devotion, Aemond knew. His wife's healing kisses might not help his wounded skin heal any faster, nor would they even bring back the eye that had been ripped out, but perhaps little by little they could help him heal much deeper wounds.

[agendertoph]

Can I just say that rewatching "The Waterbending Scroll" as a 24 yr old, legit 12 yrs after I first watched it, was such a crazy experience bcus, so like the thing is that I'd dropped off zutara some years ago now, not bcus of any thing in particular, just that I'd drifted from the general atla fandom over the years, but still thought about the ship fondly from time to time

so anyways like. so I get to the ep on my rewatch n I'm thinking "oh hey! isn't this the ep w the pirates and Zuko and Katara? that's nice :D" but bro omg I wasn't prepared

bro I wasn't prepared at ALLL BRO LIKE!??!?!? "I'll save you from the pirates" HE SAID HE'D SAVE HER FROM THE PIRATES?!?!??!

AND THEN!!! When Katara's tied to the tree, we see Zuko smiling for like the first time ever, n like yeah ok he's trying to get in on her good side by appealing to her emotionally open nature, but vnkjnvjksdf omg he smiled for her?!?!??!

AND JUST THE REVEAL THAT HE HAS HER NECKLACE?!?!? Like we knew he had her necklace since "Imprisoned" but omg to see it being offered to her as a broker piece, like yeah of course he's going to taunt her w it, but also like!??!?! the fact he CHOSE to reveal he has her necklace LIKE THIS!??!?! LIKE HE'S PUTTING IT ON HER?!?!?! LIKE WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH A WATER TRIBE BETROTHAL NECKLACE?!?!?!??!

oh my GOODNESS, God almighty, bro. bro!!! oh my God, u never really stop being 12 yrs old at heart, huh? this ep had me blushing n squeeing n kicking my feet like I had done so 12 years ago

aaa!!!

[tategaminu]

SOOO the title for 05X6 dropped and I'm going feral

Be prepared to hear my long ass theory about this episode and why it will be the rayllum fully gets back together episode (I'm annoying)

Of course we already know season 6 will mirror S3 or at least that's what it looks like. "Moonless Night" is episode 5‚ the same one when Callum and Rayla first got together‚ just as 4 had the title of the place they reach. (The Midnight Desert‚ The Starcrapper)

I have to add‚ just as season 3 had Nyx‚ there's this sky girl called Astrid who may act as the Nyx parallel‚ who knows.

I don't use Discord but my info provider (hello there) told me Devon said episode five would be emotionally heavy and a favourite. A person said ep2 of season 5 were their favourite because the cute rayllum moments and Devon said "until 5 of 6" 🧐

Aparently, it was confirmed by writers this episode would DESTROY people KILL EVEN, well maybe not that but you get me. We know how emotional these two blorbos are for each other right? and we for them. In Discord, a person said ep2 of season 5 were their favourite because the cute rayllum moments and Devon said "until 5 of 6" 🧐

Now let's go to the juicy part. The title. This title is absolutely loaded. like wth. We all know whose favourite girl is related to the moon right? of course we are worried. But I think she's gonna be ok, in the end at least, let me explain.

Of course I'm asuming this scene from the teaser may be from episode 5. We see Callum falling in a moonless night but I'm guessing the title isn't that literal. I think Callum is falling emotionally and literally just as he has before for Rayla. He fell in love with her‚ he fell off a cliff for her and then fell emotionally when she left. The sky he is in is dark‚ no moon‚ representing his own mental state without Rayla. Rayla left him at night just as Callum is falling in the night (omg)

Callum had a moonless night every day for two years because his guiding moon wasn't in his life. I think they may talk about it or it will affect Callum in this episode some way.

Note that the teaser opens with this scene, next we have Aaravos saying "we are all of us, stardust, held together by love for an instant"

(wow subtle foreshadowing you guys)

and the teaser ends with Callum losing his love wings. The wings he got for her. Basically opening with a rayllum scene and closing with a "rayllum" scene ya know

In Chasing Shadows Rayla specifically mentions the stars in his eyes‚ when he does the big speech:

Now‚ what do I think will happen?

EP3: They visit the Silvergroove? just like in ep 3x3. Maybe visit Ethari? "heeey your husband is alive ok bye". My own guess is that they will get the boat from the leaked scene there since there are moon animals in that thing and reach the frozen ship with that.

Ep4: they reach destination and meet the sky elves, Astrid included, with no hiccups. ba dum tss

Ep5: Basically 05x3 but different and sexier

Whatever Callum is about to do I highly doubt Rayla will agree with it because you know how they are (me getting hurt is ok but not you). He convinces her like he did in TTM‚

But this time Rayla is the one to say it

I think that even if Callum promises he will be ok‚ he will have a "I want you to know" moment again and that may lead to talking about her leaving. This may derive into a kinda argument. Callum and Rayla can't continue their talk because they get interrumped (once again) but the memories of a broken heart and feelings affects him badly. He's just emotionally distraught and loses his love wings because whatever. I doubt Rayla isn't seeing any of this, you know how she is. She didn't spend 7 hours watching him sleep to actually not watch this like c'mon

This time Rayla may be the one saving Callum from falling (literally and metaphorically). Now yeah Rayla can't fly but maybeeee

A: she calls out for his name, "waking" him up

B: she just jumps (im going for this one) like Callum did for her. She jumps, not knowing if it's going to work, wakes him up after catching him‚ Callum is able to get his wings back and fly them both into safety, Callum gets his love wings again for her but this time she's being the savior (in the most part). Maybe even completing whatever mission they ask as well. TOGETHER.

After this we may get a Rayla is a hero speech or this time Callum is a hero speech, I don't know‚ I think it would be more fitting if it's from Callum and the hero Callum speech is from Rayla to her parents. Whateve, they finally have their three sesaon dragged conversation and they both kiss like in S3 but maybe reversed this time (Rayla kissing first and apologizing and Callum kissing her next) and they fully come back together :'). I dont think we will get an I love you until ep 9 but we won't really need it here right? we already know!

The episode ends with them kissing under the moon. Moonless Night ending with with a moon night (metaforically and literally)

Now‚ this is just my own guess and it sounds very very self-indulgent (heh) but a girl can dream

[jiecomic]

Chapter 1- The contract

|Table of contents|Next

Red Son walked through the corridor with a mischievous grin on his face chuckling to himself, right before his mother's room he cleared his throat and walked in slamming the doors into the wall.

" Mother!" He jelled as soon as he kicked the heavy doors "I think I found it!"

Iron Fan turned to her son and looked at the roll of paper which was in his hand.

" Finally..." her red lips formed an evil smile

The women moved to her son and took the paper before Red Son was able to say anything.

"After all these years..." she started to unroll the map "After thousand years my love will be able to come back to living!"

She stared with a flaming gaze at the red marking on the map.

" How are the preparations?" Iron Fan turned to her son with a face full of enthusiasm

" Everything will be ready within a month" Red Son smiled showing all his teeth

"Great" Iron Fan nodded and with a map in her hand she came closer to Red Son "Soon your father will be free again and we, the family of Demon Bull King will raise and rule this world!" She started laughing at the end, soon her son joined her.

The son and his mother were so absorbed in their 'villain moment' that they didn't realise... that they weren't alone....

Just under the ceiling, in a small crack, there was a spy who followed their every move with its red eyes. As quietly as possible the little creature disappeared in the darkness leaving only a small cloud of pink dust...

Jie sat on her cough as soon as she teleported to her house. She buried her nose in her hands letting her elbows rest on the table, after spending a few minutes in this position, she lifted her head. She was emotionally tired but tears still didn't stop flowing from her eyes.

Her lips were formed into something that looked like a smile of a person screaming inside of their head.

"It's all over..." she whimpered quietly, her voice was pretty dry from exhaustion

" Goodbye my old, uncomfortable cough" she whined while trying to stand on her two feet, after that she moved to the coffee table "Goodbye you piece of wood... I'll never forget the pain you give me when I hurt my toe on you"

Then she moved to every other furnitures in the room, then to the kitchen and even a toilet, at the end was her animal which was... well let's say that it was hard to interpret it's race. But for Jie it was a dog, and that's the reason behind his name.

" Gou..." Jie hugged a little beast in her arms still crying like a baby, Gou probably didn't understand the atmosphere since he was only chewing his tail while Jie continued her goodbye " Listen your little demon, your gonna be better without your mom, ok? I-I hic...hic... I left you your favourite snacks and...sniff... and put my picture near your bed so that you wouldn't cry after meee!"

She left him at the floor and got her luggage from gods know where.

" Goodbye, thank you for staying by my side all those years but... You'll going to be safer without me!" She said as she opened the door of her house

Just before taking the first step she froze due to the sudden realisation...

'I have nowhere to go to...' she thought while closing the door

With that Jie decided that leaving her home and bab- *ahem* pet... wasn't a good idea so she started unpacking.

***

"I'm gonna fight them!" Jie stood up pointing her fist to the ceiling " No... Princess Iron Fan will kill me in a second with the help of that lunatic son of hers..." with that thought all energy left her body "Would be much easier if my powers weren't sealed away" she scratched the back of her neck while swearing at the Jade Emperor in her mind.

" That's the end huh?"- she looked at her photos on the wall, all with her and Gou. Some were taken on holiday, some on a beach, the cutest one was with her and Gou celebrating her 2000 birthday "Well... maybe I didn't deserve more than just those thousand years...WAIT!

Jie suddenly stood up all filled with energy from her toes to head "There is a way!"she stood like that for 3 seconds " Cause... He will help me right?" She started to question her decision.

'There is a way that he will agree... although...'

Suddenly she felt something pulling her dress. When she looked down Jie's eyes met the innocent gaze of Gou.

A smile had slowly appeared on her face.

"Don't worry Gou..." She crouched to pet her dog "Till now I have been only hiding, it's time to fight for my life!"

With that thought Jie snapped her fingers and teleported.

She felt confident with her decision and was ready to stand before a great sage.

***

Jie wasn't confident anymore.

She was standing on a beach of Flower Fruit Mountain (the farthest she could teleport to) questioning literally every of her life choices that leaded her to this damn mountain.

" Maybe moving out wasn't such a bad idea..?- It's not like I was never homeless anyway..."

Right when she was about to go back Jie noticed that she wasn't alone.

"Gou?!"

'Damn it! I had to bring him along by accident!'

The dog was so excited about visiting a new place that he ignored his owner and ran into bushes as fast as he could.

"Wait!"

"Gouuuu!"

"Whyyy are you doing this to me..!"

And like this, the great chase had started!

(By the way Gou won)

***

Without realisation Jie had entered the secret cave of Sun Wukong.

She had no idea how had she been able to break the seal, but probably thanks to despair.

" Gou..." she whispered as quietly as she could "Gou..." this time a little bit louder

Woof!

Jie's heart almost escaped through her throat when Gou had answered to her call just next to her.

Now when she didn't have to worry about her pet Jie looked around.

Judging by the state of this place there was NO WAY that the Monkey King would still live here.

At least that's what Jie hoped for.

'I've got so far, it would be a shame to not at least try...'

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"MONKEY KING!!!"

"Are you here!?"

When her calls started echoing through the cave she started counting to three in her mind.

'One'

'Two'

'Three...'

"..."

"Looks like he isn't at home, well what a sha-

"HI THERE!"

At that moment Jie's heart really jumped to her throat.

She made a few steps back trying to calm herself but when she saw HIM her instincts were ordering her to run as fast as she could.

"M-Monkey King?!"- she jelled while looking behind at a specific monkey

" Yeah!- the one and only!" He answered proudly

"But..." he moved closer to Jie and looked at her as if he had a scanner in his eyes "Do I know you...? I don't remember fighting you..."

"You're right" Jie was finally able to say something "My name is-

" What are you here for?" The monkey cut Jie off as if he was already tired of her presence

"I'm here cause-

" You want to fight?"

"NO!"

" You want an autograph?"

"No, I-

" You came here because you feel like a tiny piece of dust in a big universe and you seek for a reason of your existence?"

"...No..."

" Aha! So you came here for the peaches of immortality!"

"WHAT?!- wait, why do you even have them?-BUT NO! I'M NOT HERE FOR ANY PEACHES!"

" Then you are here for-

'Gah! This will take an eternity!'

"Forgive me for interrupting you, but I'm not here for a fight, an autograph, a philosophy lecture or some magic fruits!" Since Monkey King was FINALLY listening to Jie, she decided to use this chance "I mean no charm, ok?"

Chomp!

"..."

"..."

" Is this thing yours?" Wukong asked calmly while raising his arm, his arm with such a beautiful, yellow sleeve made from an old, expensive fabric...which Gou was trying to eat...

"It's my dog"

"Take it away until it's still in one piece"

"Yes sir…"

Thankfully Jie was able to stop Gou from chewing Monkey King's clothes.

Wukong was checking his sleeve's condition while Jie was sweating and screaming in pain (mentally).

" I'm sorry..." the demoness muttered quietly. Since Wukong didn't seem to be angry and was a little distracted she decided to finally have a serious talk with him "I'm really sorry for interrupting your peaceful time, but this is half of why I'm here. You didn't know about me till now even though I was living in this city for hundreds years because I was hiding from you. You and every other being that could kill me while all I wanted was a peaceful life..."

She looked at the monkey to see if he pays any attention to her. Thanks gods he seemed pretty interested in her speech.

" As you can see I'm a demon, that's why for many years I was doing only what was expected from a monster, then I faced the consequences and... lost everything... but thanks to you, for the last thousand years I was able to finally live my life the way I wanted.- And I don't want to lose this. The family of Demon Bull King is planning something and you're aware of that. So please... in order to keep our peaceful lives, please... let me stand next to you"

Jie bowed her head and waited for Wukong’s reaction.

" So you want to be my ally? Don't feel offended but... you don't look too strong"

That actually hurt Jie's pride but it didn't take her long to recover and continue

" Unfortunately you’re right, half of my power was sealed away long time ago, but believe me" she looked up at him with a red light in her eyes "If you give me an order I will show your enemies the true fury of the fox demon"

"Ha... sounds more like a servant than an ally" at the end of the sentence Wukong grinned

" If that's who you want, then I'll fit in that role"

The Monkey King seemed to consider Jie's offer.

" Come to think of it..." his face started to show a little bit of excitation " I'm a king... but all I have is a group of a little cute monkeys..." He looked at Jie again. She could tell that he was using a golden sight on her. It really felt as if he seen her through at that moment.

"At least five tails your hiding huh?- he chuckled quietly "ALRIGHT! Since now youuuuuu...."

" Jie"

" JIE, are under my command! As a servant of a great Sage equal to heaven, The Monkey King- Sun Wukong!

Wukong stood in front of a kneeling Jie while lifting his arm as if to reach the demoness, as the air between them became tense and a strange string of golden light connected their wrists Jie knew that the ritual of contract started...

The contract between demons isn't a normal contract. It's like an exchange. A servant gives their live and loyalty to their master, while master shares a little of their power with them. The thing is that only master can break the contract.

At that moment Jie was able to feel the power of Monkey King running through her veins.

' Such a little power and I already feel like my body is about to explode...'

She also allowed herself to look at Monkey King's soul orb.

You see, Jie has a special ability that allows her to see the souls of livings trapped in an orb. With that Jie could always recognise the power, personality and sometimes the intention of the soul's owner.

There is not such a thing like two identical souls but Jie had never seen a soul like Wukong's. It was bright to the point when she though she's going blind, so hot that it could burn her if she had ever reached for it, it was big and it's shape was changing every second as if someone put it into a fire. All because this poor little orb couldn't contain the full strength of the great Monkey King.

' He really is dangerous...'

' But that's good'

Jie suddenly felt an ache on her wrists, she looked at them and saw the two golden rings around her hands.

' Like a chain'

"Is it done?" Monkey King broke into Jie's thoughts "I've never done this before..."

Unconsciously Jie started rubbing her neck, where a jade necklace was hanging. Or, how she liked to say- her death threat.

"Don't worry Master... Everything is just as it should be"

There was no way for Monkey King to know it back then but Jie hid something important from him... the fact that if she found their contract inconvenient for her she could easily break it. Which gave her an advantage.

'There's no way I'll let him use me, for the sake of my life I will never let anyone do that again...'

"So... when are you going to strike the Demon Bull King's family?" Jie asked as if she was ready to cause chaos and beat some demons with her new powers, now she was confident to win against Princess Iron Fan!

"ME?!"Monkey King started to laugh his head off "Nah, I won't even lift a finger!- I'm retired! "

Jie looked as if someone had turned her into a stone "T-Then whose gonna fight the Demon Bull King?!"

"Well, my successor of course!"

"..."

"Excuse me?"

This way the great Monkey King managed to destroy all of Jie's hopes in one sentence

End of chapter 1

|Table of contents|Next

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Mommy Dearest

Moonlight Chicken, Ep. 7 is all about parent/child relationships. And I for one could not be more grateful to P'Aof and the other writers, cast, and crew involved in highlighting that. As I've gotten older my appreciation for slice of life style stories has continued to grow, and I think that stems from finding comfort and catharsis in seeing other people portray my reality. Especially when it is treated with empathy and understanding.

Which is why I was so happy to see Li Ming's interactions with his mother this episode. Cause the second they meet face to face, I knew I would be relating hard to Li Ming's feelings towards his mother.

It is vitally, vitally important to me that Jam is introduced in this way. That she is always being shown throughout this entire episode to be kind. She is nice, she is expressing interest in her son, she is cooking for him, she is asking him to come home. Even when she is expressing her thoughts on Li Ming being gay to Jim, ones that are harmful, she is not doing so maliciously. She is allowed to be seen as not inherently evil, and Li Ming is still allowed to feel no love for her.

And this is very important to me specifically because it the way she engages with Li Ming is nearly identical to the way my father is currently trying to engage with me. He's started calling me more, started asking me more questions about my life, started inviting me over for dinner when I'm in town. And the reason why I'm so invested in this scene is because, I recognize the deadness in Li Ming's eyes, we know from later on in the episode that Li Ming isn't sure that he loves his mother, and as a result we have a colder, more stand-offish, and unusually quiet Li Ming. He is not capable of engaging with his mother in a loving way, and it radiates out of him. Before we've had more than ten seconds of a conversation between them, we can already tell that Li Ming is incapable of buying in to her pleasantries.

Even worse for Li Ming, this is a surprise. He did not know she was coming, and now she is here, giving him no time to emotionally or mentally prepare to interact with her.

And this statement speaks volumes to me, probably does to Li Ming too. She didn't come here to see Li Ming, she didn't come here because she missed Li Ming, she came here because her boyfriend was coming here, she just happened to be in town. It's understandable if the expense to travel is a burden, but we know pretty soon after she says this line that she is currently living comfortably.

Crucially, Jam doesn't say this to be cruel, she is not trying to hurt Li Ming. She's just telling him information, but if my father said this to me after an extended time apart, I know I certainly would be thinking of course. of course you only come when it's convenient for you.

Love this line. Because it establishes a fact. Li Ming and Jam do not talk to each other. Li Ming has no idea who Uncle Tong is in relation to his mother.

Li Ming's entire character centers around connection and disconnection. And if his body language wasn't a neon sign in and of itself to the disconnect he has between himself and his mother, everything she has said and continues to say puts further distance between them. "That uncle who took you fishing when you were small," when you were small. She hasn't seen Li Ming in years, she has no idea who he is as a person now, no idea what memories he's made since living in Pattaya. Li Ming is her child, so he will always be a child, and his current likes and interests and memories must surely still be tied to his childhood. Because she only knows Li Ming has he was, before she lost left him

Ok, I know I say this every time, but Fourth is such a good actor, there is so much more darkness and anger in Li Ming than in Gun and I always have to remind myself he's playing both characters. And right here, I want to ask Fourth what Li Ming is feeling. Is he lying or is he telling the truth? Is he scared of what is coming next? He knows what will happen, he knows what is coming. Does he lie about not remembering P'Tong to try to drive the knife in a little? Or does he genuinely not remember and it's a good indication that Jam will have to work very very hard to brighten up the relationship between her and her son?

We love the incredibly human characters that are in this show. Li Ming's mother does actually care about her son's opinion here. She wants him to know that she is thinking of marrying P'Tong. I do genuinely believe that, that she is seeking permission here from Li Ming, regardless of whether P'Tong was the one who suggested it or not.

Zero tolerance for bullshit.

I know Li Ming as a character is very willing and able to call out the injustices he sees, anywhere, anytime, with anyone in any position of power. But God, (sorry this is getting too personal) it feels so satisfying some times to deliver a cut like this to a parent.

Li Ming is still not buying in to it, so Jam is being more intentional about what she is feeling. Jam wants Li Ming's opinion, or...she wants Li Ming to absolve her of some of her guilt and her hesitations and her worries.

ZERO! TOLERANCE! FOR! BULLSHIT!

God. His face in this whole scene is great, so detached from everything, he is giving her as few emotions as possible. It's cold, it's distant, his physicality bears the emotional distance between them. It is so so different from his confrontations with Jim. Someone he is also very clearly willing and able to talk back to. To get punchy with.

When Li Ming is mad at Jim he gets close, as close to him as possible, right up in to his face.

When Jim gives him a command "don't raise your voice at me," "I said stop." it does take a few attempts but Li Ming does listen. Does calm down. Does apologize. And even after his uncle has constantly, sometimes unintentionally, and sometimes for safety, over-stepped Li Ming's boundaries and autonomy, Li Ming still often checks in with Jim. In the confrontation with Heart's parents when Heart runs upstairs, Li Ming looks to Jim (in my mind seeking permission) before he runs up after him.

But crucially, Li Ming trusts Jim, Li Ming loves Jim, Li Ming knows Jim cares about him and as a result, he gives Jim his whole self. He calms himself down when Jim tells him he's crossed the line, he goes to Jim's birthday party, he apologizes to Jim. He tells Jim what is bothering him, and while that often ends in an argument, Li Ming is fully willing to be honest with him.

"If you want me to say it's okay, just say it,"

Jam does not get the same honesty. Whatever he can do to just finish this conversation sooner, he will do. Whatever Jam wants him to say so she can feel better and he can get more distance between them, he will say.

Oh. I can see how easy it would be for Li Ming to fully believe it was P'Tong who actually decided to consider Li Ming's feelings. Not hers.

Straight to the point. Just say what you mean, just tell me what you want, stop dragging this conversation out.

He looks...absolutely the same. No emotion. Closed off. There is no excitement, no hope, no joy. This is not good news to him. This does not change anything between them. This does not make him love his mother more, or make him feel more loved by his mother in return.

"My life is more comfortable now, you know? You're about to graduate from high school. Maybe we can be together again." Now, we all know that Li Ming is not interested in going to college, he wants to leave, to do work and travel. But his mother doesn't know that, we'll get to the sentence immediately following this one in a second but I just...I can't help thinking about whether or not Li Ming would even live at home if he did go to college. How much parenting would she really have to do. How much of a time commitment would she really be putting in?

We know Li Ming has desperately been seeking freedom and understanding. He has found understanding by way of Heart. But the freedom from poverty? He now has that if he goes to live with his Mom. She's living a comfortable life. But he doesn't want it. Because fundamentally, more than anything else, Li Ming wants freedom to make his own choices.

And see, here is the thing. "IF YOU WANT to continue your studies," she's giving him a choice here...technically. But Jim and Li Ming have had this conversation already. Jim and Li Ming have already had this fight. Going back with his mother would not solve any of his problems, and in fact creates more because it separates him from the community he has here.

"Why do you all decide for me? Nobody bothers to ask me first."

Now, in the first place we know there is no way in Hell Li Ming is going back with his mother. There is not a second in this entire interaction that Li Ming even entertains the idea. He does not love his mother, he does not want to live with his mother, his mother has no clue who he even is as a person at this point.

And in the second place, he would be facing the same exact problem he has right now. People aren't asking him what he wants. They aren't treating him like an adult. And yes, as you get older, you realize that people were doing their best, and as you get older you realize that it's difficult to successfully balance when you need to protect or guide young adults and when you need to let them make their own decisions. In the conversation Li Ming has with Jim at the end of Episode 5 after they return home. Jim asks "What if something more serious occurs to [Heart]?" and Li Ming replies with "I never think it would happen," and that is what Jim is trying to shield Li Ming from. And all Li Ming is asking for is to be allowed to learn from those moments.

Okay, tangent over, back to Li Ming and Jam. Where we have seen Li Ming be cold, near dissociative, and definitely detached through most of the conversation with his mother. But this, the lack of autonomy he is constantly facing by his family, is Li Ming's biggest sore spot. And he has been bravely trudging along through a conversation he does not want to be in, where he is being met with just so much kindness that lacks so much understanding of him, that he is ready to be done.

But this is not the reaction his mother is expecting of Li Ming, again, because she hasn't been here for this. We have. Jim has. We know that this is a sore spot, and we know that Li Ming has already been in a very emotionally charged argument about this with his uncle before, and I doubt he really wants to do it again.

"Isn't it good to have options?" because she is confused. Because she doesn't know that Li Ming has chosen his option already. That his choice is to leave. And this question is double edged, though I don't think Jam realizes it. Isn't is good to have options? To have college as a back up if you decide you want to go. To have me as a backup if you are tired of living with Uncle Jim. If you are tired of living here in poverty, in a community that accepts you, in a place where you have friends and you have love and you have connection. You can come back with me to live in a comfortable home, with a man that I don't really want to marry but will anyway, away from all your friends, away from the man that raised you, away from your community.

No wonder Li Ming hits her back immediately with "What do you want me to be happy about first?"

The face of a man who is very much not happy about any of this. "About your breakup with Uncle Sith, about your new boyfriend, or about you being well-off and having a comfortable life, and wanting to take me back with you?"

If anyone can remind me of the timeline with Beam, I would really love to know, because I want to know if Li Ming knew Beam, if Li Ming met Beam. How many people has he lost? How often is his mother breaking up with people? How out of the loop does Li Ming feel?

Babes, you didn't come here for Li Ming at all. The list of reasons you gave for coming to Pattaya, in order:

"P'Tong was in town running errands"

"P'Tong wanted me to ask you if it was okay if he married me,"

"I want to be with you,"

The reason you actually came to Pattaya:

Jim called and asked for a title, and you want to use it to get him to try to help you get your son to move back with you.

The face of a man who is absolutely done compromising his own feelings for his mother's.

And God, okay it is time to talk about Li Ming and eye contact. Because we know he is so so capable of keeping eye contact. When he fights with Jim his eyes are always always right on him. When he's with Heart, he's making as much eye contact as possible.

When he is with Jam, it is completely reversed, he makes eye contact with his mother as little as possible. Physically turning himself away from her at the end here. And she tries to be physically affectionate with him, to show her love for him, but Li Ming does not love his mother, and so he just sits there unable to reciprocate.

Lmao, me when my Dad tries to hug me.

Okay, so I started this whole thing by saying that I was incredibly grateful to this show for making Li Ming's mother kind, and for allowing Li Ming to treat her this way anyway, and for that to be okay. Warning, personal story ahead...when I was sixteen, in a fit of anger, my father said he could live perfectly happily without me, and it did irreparable harm to our already extremely tenuous relationship. The thing that even made me tolerate him was going to college and getting thousands of miles between us. And by the end of college our relationship broke down further, and then even distance couldn't save it. But, my father is incredibly charming and charismatic to the outside world. I do not love my father. And that is something I have never said out loud. Because I feel guilty about it. But, I do not love my father, and unfortunately, that's clear to anyone that sees us interact. Because I am Li Ming in my own situation. I am detached, emotionless, giving the shortest possible replies with no extra information. When my father ends his phone calls with "I love you" I do not say it back, because I can't and because I don't believe him. When my father hugs me, I do not hug him back. When my father invites me to dinner, and his girlfriend is there, I can't shake the feeling that it was her who suggested we all get together in the first place. Or if it wasn't, that he's just trying to show himself off as a good father to impress her.

And from the outside looking in, to strangers who do not know the history that has come between us, the history that has gotten us to that point, I look like the asshole. And it is something that I am painfully aware of. So this scene means a lot to me, because I have not seen this type of relationship between a parent and a child in any media before. Either the parents are great, or the parents are abusive, or the parents have been cut off because they are asking too much of their kids. I haven't seen my relationship to my parent accurately represented, and humanely represented. I do not think that Li Ming is being unfair here, I do not think that he is being cruel. And that brings me such relief.

[rickytickychow]

Ok uhhhh initial thoughts cuz I'm SO dazed

FIRST OFF THE ANIMATION KICKED ABSOLUTE ASS WHAAAAAT the fight scenes the goofy little gags the goddamn FIGHT fight everything was so smooth and atmospheric whaaaaat

This got way longer than I anticipated lmao enjoy?

Okay so uh. As cool and awesome as the Cherub b plot was (AND SWEET AND ADORABLE THAT THE REST OF I.M.P. FOLLOWED BLITZ??? AAAAAWWWWW) I think we all Understand What's Going On there so imma dive into the MEAT of this one pun intended lol

Ummmmmm so first of Blitz VERY CLEARLY CARES AND IS ANXIOUS ABOUT SHOWING STOLAS A GOOD TIME???? But since their relationship has been technically "friends with benefits+" all he knows about Stolas is the sex stuff. He didn't even know how to describe the mood!! The MOOD!!! Alexithymic whore. He had NO idea Stolas wanted an emotional conversation because their full moon meetings were Always "hey sexy let's do this" bc they both enjoy each other's company. Blitz's problem is that he sincerely believes that anyone could truly enjoy just his company.

As for Stolas???? Goofy ass bird. Good god. Like he's outta meds he very clearly didn't mean to start their meeting with such a somber tone or make it about his book. While he was talking about Blitz being tied to him, in Blitz's view it very easily sounded like Stolas was the one who felt "tethered." Blitz outright denies this at first because of the routine they've built; he is SO attached to the idea that Stolas only wants sex because it keeps his feelings safe, so when Stolas sprung this on him and actually meant it OF COURSE he got confused.

Hot-and-cold out of meds repressed emo bird or not, Stolas should Not have started it off so emotionally without warning; he then misinterpreted what Blitz was trying to do with the gifts and attitude the imp brought. He cares about Blitz's business, but didn't make it clear that that's what he wanted to talk about. Like starting that off with "I need the book back permanently" when he REALLY should've led with anything else shows how easily a conversation can go south when two people aren't on the same page.

They both tried to do something nice for each other that the other wasn't prepared for. Blitz does care about Stolas but IMMEDIATELY assumed Stolas was getting "creative" with his advances, genuinely confused by the tone-shift compared to their previous meetings. Given the joke sinstagrams and what little full moon fuckery we see in the show, their meetings probably ALWAYS started playfully. Stolas IMMEDIATELY threw a curve ball that Blitz wasn't ready for and takes the imp's Very Inappropriate response as rejection.

It wasn't a rejection, but the way Stolas didn't think for a second WHY Blitz might not believe him to have feelings??? Or even ask???? Fucks me up but at the same time makes sense. Stolas got up and walked away because he was upset, leaving Blitz to be confused and alone in that room.

Who wouldn't get angry at that? Of course Blitz, thinking all his worst fears were being confirmed, finally lashes out about how he feels in his position. He took Stolas's initial words as "I don't want to be stuck with you anymore," found that Stolas really did want to talk about deeper feelings but never clearly expressed it, and Blitz got confused about their normal routine getting disrupted and his own efforts seemingly going unnoticed. And then Stolas leaves him alone. So fast, all of a sudden. Of course Blitz screamed after him, and Stolas doesn't know that this is how Blitz is when he's hurt and angry. It doesn't excuse the lashing out, but Stolas should not have made assumptions so quickly or turned his back on Blitz just like that. But he did, for understandable reasons:

All Stolas knows about Blitz is that his business is important to him.

All Blitz knows about Stolas is that he likes getting laid.

They do not know each other well enough for Stolas to have started that conversation immediately. There should've been a warning, a greeting, anything, but since he's off his meds and on his feels shit, Stolas doesn't get that.

Like AT LEAST SAY "Can we talk first?" Maybe call Blitz and say you have something important to discuss before springing it out of nowhere?????? But of course Stolas didn't think to do that, because he has no idea how Blitz sees himself. He has no idea that Blitz ignores his feelings in favor of actions to the point he can hardly even name them because they do not know each other.

Blitz had no idea that Stolas was being genuine. He had no idea that his push to get back into a normal routine would hurt Stolas because Blitz is not used to those honest conversations. He didn't know Stolas wasn't in the mood based on his posture because they do not know each other. Also Blitz, as we all know, can observe a room to death but cannot READ a room for shit. Autistic fucks both of them.

Stolas ran away because he felt rejected. Blitz screamed at him because he felt abandoned.

Idiots. Queer hypocritical emotionally stunted situationship of situationships I love this cartoon so much

wish my ex-relationship wasn't an early-twenties rendition of this shitshow but thats life lmao (yeah you'll never guess which half I am /sarc)

(Also so fucking cool how the crystal is attached to Blitz's glove).

[boltupbitches]

One Kiss - Nick Bosa Part 7

Disclaimer: I am a HUGE abortion rights supporter. This chapter discusses abortion and deals with Natalie's dilemma of whether she wants to get one done or not. Please know that the decision made does not serve the purpose of persuading readers to oppose abortion. This is purely fictional work.

Nick had noticed that Natalie’s car wasn't there the second he pulled into his spot. He picked his brain to try and remember if she had said anything about going somewhere today. As he got his stuff out of the trunk, he froze. It had been a few days since the discovery. She had mentioned making an appointment… to terminate the pregnancy.

Nick remained frozen there, his hand gripping his duffle bag tightly as dread overcame him. Had she decided to do it after all?

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he heard a car enter the ramp to approach the level he was on. It was Natalie’s car.

Nick shut his trunk and stood facing Natalie’s car. He schooled his expression blank as he watched her get out of the car with her purse in hand. She looked tired but not as weary as she had been the last few days.

Nick’s heart sank at that. She had done it. 

“Hey, I didn’t know you were going to be home early,” Natalie said softly as she approached him, her hands picking at the loose string on her purse.

“Practice was cut a little early so we’ll be rested up for Sunday’s game,” Nick said flatly. “Where were you at?”

Natalie shifted uncomfortably for a moment before looking back at him, “I went to the OBGYN,” she wanted to look away at the quick pained look that flashed over Nick’s face, “We confirmed my pregnancy and I’m 8 weeks along. The doctor was able to do an early ultrasound imaging… I have copies of them if you want to see them,” She offered shyly.

Nick blinked momentarily as he processed what she had just said to him, “You… you got an ultrasound done? Wait - I thought you were going to get the procedure done.” Nick couldn’t bring himself to say the word as stupid as that sounded. He knew he would be seen as a selfish asshole in the eyes of some, but he had hoped the last few days that Natalie would not get the procedure. 

“No, I did ask about it,” Natalie said honestly, “I still have time to decide, but I think I need to spend some time coming to terms with this over the next couple of weeks. I have by week 24 to decide…” 

Nick nodded, “Are you ok?” ‘And the baby?’ He wanted to ask but did not so he didn’t upset her.

Natalie nodded. “Yeah.. let’s talk inside? I’m tired and the lighting here is giving me a headache.”

Nick nodded and locked his car. He walked quietly in step with her to the elevator that led up to the apartment’s floor. In the elevator, he pulled her gently to him so he could press a kiss to her forehead and wrapped his free arm around her in a hug.

They stayed like that as the elevator dinged to their floor, signaling it was time to get off.

After they got their stuff settled in the apartment, Natalie sat down on the couch, emotionally drained already from her day.

Nick rummaged through the fridge for one of the meals his chef had prepared the day prior. “Are you hungry?” He called to Natalie.

“Yeah, I could eat. I’ll eat whatever you’re having.” Natalie called back.

A few minutes later, Nick emerged from the kitchen and sat on the couch next to Natalie. He placed the food dishes down and two bottled waters.

They ate quietly, with an occasional word or two shared between them. “How was practice today?” 

“Good,” Nick wiped his mouth before continuing, “I’m dealing with some pain in my right shoulder today, got it iced and massaged after practice. I’m going to rest it up for the game coming up.”

“Are you nervous?” Natalie curiously asked.

He shook his head.

Nick didn’t talk much football around her, which would be a surprise for some given how much he loved the sport and was committed to it. Yet, with Natalie, he often talked of other things he enjoyed doing: reading, tv shows and movies he loved, cooking, his desire to travel when he retired, and boating. While football was talked about here and there, it wasn’t the focal point of their daily conversations - even if it took Natalie to DM him a picture of her in his jersey to get his attention.

“My mom is going to be in town - she called me on the way home. She originally planned to go see my brother play, but he has food poisoning and will miss a game instead. So, she’s coming to the Bay to watch me play.”

Natalie gulped at that. Nick was so nonchalant with the announcement, not even realizing that she was terrified at the idea of meeting his mom.

“Is she staying here?” Natalie nervously asked.

“No, she’s going to stay at a hotel nearby. She’s planning to stay for five days and has one of her friends flying in too. They have plans outside the game.” Nick looked at his worried girlfriend and gently gripped her tapping leg that brushed his. “Don’t stress it. She knows a bit about us and is looking forward to meeting you.”

“You told her about us?” Natalie didn’t know how to feel about that. “Nick… if this gets out to the wrong person -” “It won’t.” He interrupted with a firm tone. “My mom is a talker - that’s no secret, but she knows how seriously I value my privacy. She is the only one who knows in my family and hasn’t said a word since I first told her two months ago.”

“Two months?” Natalie felt sick. “She probably thinks I’m some cradle-robbing, homewrecking whore, Nick!” She wanted to cry.

“She doesn’t!” Nick sat his food down and grabbed her’s from her as well. “Natalie, look at me.” He dipped his head to stare into her eyes. “She doesn’t think that… If anything she’s wondering how I landed a beautiful, intelligent, and successful woman like you.” He smiled softly and wiped a tear from her eye that escaped. “She’ll love you. How do I know that? Because I love you. My mom’s not a mean person, Nat. And if something is said out of pocket, I will deal with it right away, I promise.” 

She nodded, feeling stupid for getting worked up over the situation. “I’m sorry, I’ve just been super stressed and emotional as of late.”

“It’s ok. Let’s finish eating and go lay down for a bit.” He suggested as he let go of the soft grip on her chin.

Natalie nodded and took a swig of her water to calm her nerves. “A nap sounds wonderful. I’m exhausted.”

“Same here. Tomorrow we should go down to the beach and relax. There’s a warm front moving into the area,” Nick suggested. He just wanted to spend time with her and take their minds off the divorce, the baby situation, his mom visiting, his upcoming game, and her job. There was so much going on right now. He knew he wasn’t making it easy either by how he reacted to the possibility of her terminating her pregnancy. It was hard for him to process but he knew it was even harder for her to decide. He just knew that when his mom caught wind of all of this he was going to get his ass chewed out.

“I’d love that. To get outside and away from everything for a few hours.” Natalie sighed dreamily. Warm sand and a cool ocean breeze sounded so inviting at that moment. “I miss going to the beach.”

“Yeah, me too. You’ll love the beaches in southern Florida - some of the best in the country.” Nick said with pride.

“I heard there’s an issue with water quality and littering,” Natalie teased.

“Yeah, well, I blame the tourist. Always trashing places.” Nick said defensively, “The places my brother and I go are really nice. You’ll love it.” He promised.

“You think so?” Natalie asked him softly, trying to picture what the next few months would look like.

“Absolutely. We’ll go out boating, hit up the local farmer’s markets not far from my condo, go swimming, lay on the beach…” Nick paused, “I can’t wait until I get to show you Fort Lauderdale and Miami.”

Natalie smiled softly at that, “I can’t wait either. I’ll have to take you up to Massachusetts sometime to visit my mom. It’s not a picturesque beach scene of South Florida, but I grew up in a beautiful area.”

“My dad’s actually from Connecticut - I have been to Boston and a few areas in the region, but not small towns. As long as we go in the warmer months, we’ll be good.” Nick joked.

“You went to college in Ohio, how are you going to be adverse to the cold?” Natalie teased her boyfriend.

“Probably because since then I have only been in California or Florida living.” He shrugged, “Just wait for the Florida heat - you’ll adjust after a month or two, but it can be tough at first.”

“Oh great…” Natalie groaned. The idea of being heavily pregnant in a few months and roasting her ass off did not bode well with her - assuming she decided against the procedure. She still didn’t know what she wanted.

“We can always skinny dip together,” Nick said with a cocky smirk, “I won’t complain.”

“I know you won’t,” Natalie rolled her eyes, “but if the wrong person sees us they might.”

Nick shrugged with his smirk still on his face. “It’ll be a free show then.”

“You’re ridiculous,” She laughed, “Can you imagine being on the news ‘49ers player arrested outside of condominium with 37-year-old mystery girlfriend for indecent exposure.’”

Nick laughed at that made-up headline. “My mom would kill me for sure then.”

It wasn’t long before they started cleaning up their food and getting ready for a nap. While Nick loaded the dishwasher, Natalie went to their bedroom and changed into one of Nick’s t-shirts to be more comfortable. She crawled into bed and started to doze off until Nick came in.

He quietly pulled the blankets back and crawled in behind Natalie. He gently pulled her into him so he was spooning her. Nick pressed a kiss to the crown of her head for a moment before pulling away. 

His mind kept thinking back to what he found in the kitchen.

Natalie had left the ultrasound on the counter where she sat her keys. While he straightened the kitchen up, his hand brushed the envelope. Curiously, he picked it up and flipped it. On the front, in neat handwriting, was written ‘ultrasound’. 

His breath caught in his throat as he shakingly pulled the images from the envelope. He examined the scans with bated breath. The small, almost golf-ball-sized shape was their baby. It was just an embryo right now - he knew that. Nick also knew that looking at these would not do him any favors in making peace with Natalie’s possible decision, but he couldn’t help the tears that filled his eyes. 

Gently, he slipped the ultrasound back into the envelope and placed it back where Natalie left it. He just hoped his mom had some words of wisdom to impart to him with this. He meant what he said that it was Natalie’s decision and that he would do his best to support her. He just never imagined it to affect him this much. He needed to get a grip on himself and fast before the upcoming game. He couldn’t afford for his mind to be somewhere else so close to playoffs.

[vxmpjules]

༄𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛༄ X.T , T.G

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe, Tyler Galpin

Genre: Angst

Pronouns: Non rlly used 4 reader

Warnings: idk Being sad and stuff ig and cursing

,,I love you" you told Xavier Infront of the nevermore Water fountain a loving gaze being presented to his eyes as you softly caressed his cheeks while he looked at you completely mesmerized by the words said to him.

,,Really?" He asked overlapping emotions taking over him so quickly. I mean being emotionally neglected by his father and the lack of love in his life really made this moment memorable ya' know? ,, Of course Xavier, how could I not?" You truthfully said giving him a loving smile

He grabbed you gently by the hips and kissed you as you smiled in the kiss ,,I love you and only you" you whispered reassuringly in the kiss as you placed one hand on his cheek as you carresed it while your other hand was on his neck. He grabbed you closer as a few tears escaped his eyes.

You pulled away as you calmly wiped the tears off his cheeks. ,,You're so sentimental" you said with a slight chuckle as he give you a small smile back.

You sit on your bed as your sight follows your so called partner going back and forth in your dorm

Ever since Wednesday Addams had enrolled in the school Xavier had been fixated on her, spending time with her whenever he could, always sitting next to her in class, going with her on her searches basically anything to be close to her. Of course you noticed this matter going on but you decided to stay calm and while Xavier was with Wednesday doing whoever knows you were with your beloved boyfriends co-worker everytime Xavier cancelled something for Wednesday you'd go with Tyler and hang out with him.

Of course as friends you weren't a cheater and neither Xavier but you knew Wednesday perked his interest he obviously didn't try to hide it. Xavier wasn't so fond of you hanging out with Tyler since they weren't acquaintances and Tyler had started picking up some interest in you which he didn't try to hide it. Which was one of the main topics why your boyfriend was babbling about in your dorm

,,If you have such a problem with me hanging out with Tyler why don't I talk about you and Wednesday?" You simply said plopping on your elbows to look at him directly. ,,Cause I've been letting it all slide like it's nothing but since you don't like me hanging out with Tyler I can also say i don't like you hanging so much without Wednesday to the point you cancel anything just to be with her." You truthfully stated as your mouth went into a straight line as Xavier stopped his tracks as he looked at you.

,,Look I.... I there's nothing up with me and Wednesday it's just that...." Xavier stuttered trying to find something good enough to say but if you're being real he had no real good reason to be that distant with his partner. ,,Mhm... Go on find a good excuse to keep being with her" you commented as you standed up with your arms crossed looking at him firmly. ,,I'm not trying to look for an excuse it's just that I......" He stood there looking at you with his brows furrowed he knew he really messed up and that there would be consequences. How could he just go on and ignore the person that was for him in his highest and lowest times? The love of his life, the sun to his moon? He knew he really fucked up this time.

,,Look Xavier..... I think we should just leave it. It's better for us both to break up because I don't think this can work out as well" you said in a bitter tone tears threatening to soill. ,,I....... If that's what you think, ok." Xavier lamented tears rolling off his cheeks as he nonchalantly left your dorm.

It was finally time for the Rave'N Dance you were preparing yourself as you put on your white outfit and made up your hair. You had invited Tyler as your date of course since he seemed like the best option and you knew Xavier would show up with Wednesday. You finished prepping up as you heard a knock on your dorm door, you quickly went over and opened the door and to no surprise Tyler was there with his stupid smile with a bouquet of pink camellias ,,For you" Tyler bubbled as he handed you the bouquet ,,Wow Tyler, these are beautiful" you chimed absolutely mesmerized by the flowers.

,,Well they aren't as beautiful as you thought" he muttered as you slightly blushed while putting the bouquet in a vase. ,,Thanks for the flowers, now we should go now we don't need to be late." You suggested as you closed the dorm door behind you as you both held hands to the Rave'N.

You both made it in and went to the dance floor as you both started dancing together. Xavier was there with Wednesday and he was looking at you most of the time some sort of glint of sadness and anger in his eyes as you enjoyed your time with Tyler. ,,Did I tell you how good of a dancer you are Y/n?" Tyler laughed as he swayed with you ,,You just did" you giggled along smiling at him.

You both left the dance floor and he took you the iconic nevermore fountain ,,What are we doing here?" You snorted while gazing at Tyler as he got closer to you. Xavier saw that you and Tyler had left and was curious so he went to peek at what you both where doing, that's when he saw Tyler grabbing your hips as he pulled you in gently and he went and kissed your lips longingly.

Xavier didn't know how to feel because you both did that he still loved you no matter what he tried seeing this sight absolutely teared him apart. He turned around and left the view he want back into the party and sat alone on one of the chairs as Bianca went over to him and talked to him.

Tyler pulled away and went close to your ear ,,You don't know how long I've waited for this" he confessed as he whispered in your ears as chills ran down your spine as you shyly smiled at the comment.

Some weeks had passed and Xavier had officially become something and you and Tyler too. You and Xavier daily avoided eachother, but something didn't feel right like Xavier waited everytime he saw you for you to say you wanted him back, that you missed him and needed him. Now him and Wednesday were Infront of the fountain like you and him used to be, he pulled Wednesday close by and kissed her like he used to with you. He closed his eyes as he kissed her, after he finished kissing her and he opened his eyes he low-key hoped you where gonna be right there. Infront of him looking at him ever as so lovingly like you used to. He couldn't be in this lie anymore he needed you but he knew he lost that a long time ago.

[c0rpseductor]

i hate ea so fucking much

last night i tried to play ts4 because i wanted to make the houses of some of my characters in my friends' multifandom rp server and use the new kits or whatever to do it. so i struggled with the dlc crack updater for a bit (user error) and then it worked, but having to update it legit took like, an hour or two iirc bc i hadnt played for months. i had to restart twice, made some sims for the household, and then had to shut the game down bc i wanted to fix something in manage worlds but got stuck in a loading screen for like, 40 minutes.

so i say to myself tonight ok, ive eaten, im a little more emotionally stable, having something to do will be good for me, let's give the house thing a try again! but they released another pack so i have to update the game AGAIN, which has taken like, fucking forever, bc the stupid EA app is garbage. see, like a fool, i tried to just start the game from its shortcut in my games folder, but since it wasn't updated it was just stuck on this Preparing Game popup forever. so i had to shut the EA thingy with task manager like two or three times before realizing the issue, THEN update the game, and i think the update itself has taken like thirty minutes. i started trying to play at like 10pm and it's midnight now. and since the game updated now i'll need to go in, wait twenty years for it to boot up, turn my fucking mods and CC back on, close the game, then open it again, all without a guarantee that it won't like, crash two billion times. why on earth do they have to make this such a chore i just want to build houses genuinely

[cottoncandysprite]

God ok. So I rewatched the season 3 finale right. This was my first rewatch since bingeing the entire show in 2 days with no breaks except sleep last spring so obviously this was my first REAL watch of it that wasn't over emotional and sleep deprived. And I still cried my eyes out.

That finale (and the third season as a whole) is such a perfect piece of television for so many reasons but I'm just gonna be rambling about some of my favorite details for a second so just hang tight

Guillermo interrupting himself at the beginning with "and I deserve it" is SO UNDERRATED I'm obsessed with him

Laszlo draws such a realistic line of putting up a front of apathy even though we as the audience know how close he and Colin got that season. Like obviously he's mourning but it's not cartoonishly obvious that he's lying like we would see from Nadja. He's just unusually quiet.

Colin's pictures being torn out jumpscared me. Not a fun thing to forget about when you aren't emotionally prepared

I miss the Nadja doll. Where was she in season 4 fr

It cuts to Guillermo when Nandor talks about being reminded of how eternal life can be snuffed out in an instant. Camera guys ily

"You're running away from your feelings!" vs. "You're one of the things I need to get away from!" I never forgot about this moment I just can't believe it exists

Do y'all think Viago is gonna be confused when Guillermo shows up as a guest judge on drag race this season

LASZLO HAD A FLING WITH WALT WHITMAN????????? WE ALL JUST FORGOT THAT EXISTED HUH

Guillermo's little grins as he ran around trying to manipulate the house into staying. I love this little shit

Laszlo's speech legit got me choked up. WITH NADJAS THEME IN THE BACKGROUND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

Ok. Fuck. The fight scene. GOD.

¡¡¡PLANCHA!!!

Wouldn't say Guillermo cheated, fought dirty yes but cheating is a bit of a stretch Nandor. I thought you were a strategist

HOW COME NO ONE TALKS ABOUT GUILLERMO THROWING THE KNIFE BACK ANYMORE. WITH THE "AH AH AH!" THAT WAS COOL AS FUCK I LOVE HIM

"You're just scared of me right now" I mean, that and one other thing probably

I know it's been pointed out on here a million times but I wonder if Guillermo realized that Nandor wanted to share ancestral soil. He must have realized right

NANDOR'S SMILE AFTER GUILLERMO LEAVES IM GONNA BE SICK

"MY NANDO- MASTER" AND WHAT IF I SCREAMED

The hat. Maybe it was packed and that's why Guillermo had such bad luck (/hj)

THEIR PLAYFUL TEASING. UGH. NANDOR IS SOOO BABYGIRL IN THIS EP

Do y'all think NADJA will recognize Guillermo on drag race????????

Catch me literally sobbing at the train station. NANDOR LOOKS SO PATHETIC. YOU CAN SEE THE HEARTBREAK IN HIS EYES. WHILE GUILLERMO CALLS OUT TO HIM. THEYRE IDIOTS AND I HATE IT HERE

The lighting on the scene where Laszlo discovers Baby Colin had no right being that cool

That kinda just devolved into recounting the events of the episode through screaming but like. It stands. That episode. God.

[munariplans]

Hi! Hello! First off, I'm really, really sorry cause this is gonna be BIG.

Second: I'm team Natasha all the way and let me tell you why.

Remember AOU when she told Bruce she was a monster bc she couldn't have children? So, for me, it feels like she sees this as a defining character of hers, something that constitutes who she is as a person, so imagine if someone offers up a way to "fix you" as person, just to then have that stripped away from you, shit like that has the capacity to alter your whole perception of self.

Ok, now that we established that, imagine having your (newfound and fragile) sense of self being stripped from you, coupled up with the unhealthy way the Red-Room "taught" the widows to deal with emotions, COUPLED UP with hormonal changes. It's the recipe of a human timebomb.

I'm not saying Nat was in the right. She wasn't, she used us as an emotional punching bag and she has A LOT to make up for, BUT, I do believe the reader wasn't at all innocent either.

First, reader REALLY downplayed the possible outcome of a crazy-hormonal Natasha, a lot. It feels like we were like "meh, we'll deal with it when it comes" instead of "my wife is probably going to go through hell so I'll have to be prepared to be an emotional rock for her and keep my cool at her outbursts at the same time" when Bruce told us about the hormonal changes. So, once again, taking into account Natasha's more-than-traumatic upbringing, this feels like a major downplay on our part.

Second, I had a feeling that we gaslighted Nat a bit there, with her being jealous and worried about our relationship with Wanda, and us being all like "she's just a friend, what are you talking about?" when in fact we already realized we had feelings for her. We may not have physically cheated, but emotional cheating is a thing, and the moment we realized we were developing feelings for Wanda, we should have stepped back. The Avengers are a family, and with us being married to Nat for a good 5 years (also, dick move not remembering the anniversary) we're bound to have become good friends with at least a couple other team members, so why not go to them after we realized our feelings for Wanda?

Third, I didn't see Wanda as someone Reader cared about specially, you know? It felt more like "I'm in this really rough moment, this is the one person here for me, they're my rock now". It feels WAY MORE like reader is emotionally drained and Wanda kinda charges them than them having actual feelings for her. I mean, we didn't get the whole story of how R and Nat got together, but they've been together for 5 years, that has to count for something, we wouldn't be together if we didn't love each other.

So, to summ it up. I think Natasha fucked up, yes, but I think we're as to blame as her. I also think we love her way more than we do Wanda, I think once our relationship gets back on track we'll realized Wanda was just our "consolation prize" for not having our wife there.

And lastly, I think Reader would become such an antagonist in this story if they left a pregnant and very-much-still-in-love Natasha (and the baby; pls, don't make us be the parent who abandons their wife and their kid, I've already had one of those in my life, didn't want to become one, not even for a fic, lol) for a got-to-know-her-for-a-couple-months Wanda.

So... Yeah, I think you could say, by the lengh of this ask, that I absolutely LOVED your story. It was so freaking amazing. I truly adored it. My heart ached for Nat every time. The pain was exquisite.

thank you :) and a very good read for everyone else here as well

[the-kr8tor]

Katy, mi amor(is that ok for me to say!?), how are you? It's been a while, I've missed you 😭. School is killing me but like, in a good way? I finally have a solid outline for Princess reader and have started the first chapter. I can't wait to emotionally scar show you! I've watched Cinderella and The Princess and the Frog in preparation. Have you watched either before? It wasn't until I got older that I actually watched certain disney movies like Anastasia so I get it. If you know, I cried at that one scene with Ray, full-on ugly cried.

(Side note, Hobiezeze's theories, I don't always full on read [I'm sorry I'm lazy] but I do always enjoy seeing their insight. I know it will be a good conversation when I see the username teehee. So you keep writing Zeze!)

Hello, my love!! (And yes you can call me that 😍)

I'm doing okay! I missed you too, angel! I hope school isn't too hard on you (which teacher do I have to beat up?)

That's fantastic! The anon who originally gave the prompt came back and said it's absolutely okay for you to use it! I haven't replied yet bc their request was included. They basically said the princess reader was running away from getting married. Just telling you in case yours is similar I don't want to accidentally copy yours ❤️

I have! My personal fave is mulan and beauty and the beast (I was a disney princess girly I had merch of them all lol) fun fact, I was almost named Ariel bc of the movie lmaoo

Omg that ending killed me 😭 but the scene where ray was next to his star revived me and killed me again 😭😭

Hell yeah! Keep writing Zeze!! Also 7 is making me absolutely feral im literally doing the evil laugh whenever i write it 🤣🤣🤣

Love ya! Good luck on writing, I'll be anticipating it ❤️❤️❤️

[morphodae]

omg i finally remembered my password!!! lollll

i came to see you write for bb? omg that was my childhood,,,

since i read ur other posts/thoughts on bb, may i ask for headcanons on how you think alois would feel knowing he is actually the son of the earl (*retch*)? or just you know ur overall thoughts on it lolll thank youuu!

Hi Cece! I hope you've been well! And yeah I write for Black Butler now lol. I've been hyperfixating on that show and manga alongside Honkai Star Rail, soooo yknow how it is lol.

You absolutely can request this! I'm about to rub my hands together like a lil gremlin and put this all into words because I have a LOT ok--

a/n (1): i assume you want a x reader for this? let me know if that was alright! :) i dont think alois would be able to get through this revelation without a confidant/companion tbfh

a/n (2): just for people to know that black butler is a fandom (that I write for) where I will only write for older!ciel and older!alois. I will likely write those two between the ages of 18 and early twenties

Older!Alois Trancy - discovering the 'truth'

Again, and I mentioned this for those who aren't familiar with my post and a crack theory I saw circling around; the idea is that Alois is actually THE Alois mentioned in season 2. You know, the son of Earl Trancy and his late wife who offed herself due to the "kidnapping" of her son? So, imagine Claude suggested this fabricated story, thinking it too unbelievable to possibly be the truth, only for the young, naive 14-year-old Alois to think it perfect to trick his "uncle" with. In this case........ it wasn't a fabricated story by Alois when Arnold Trancy came over. "Jim Macken" is his name, the name given to him by the couple who adopted him as a baby.

Anyways...

In no way do I see him taking this news well. That's the understatement of the century, but you know what I mean.

Even if Claude didn't yeet him into the afterlife and nom nom on his soul at the end of S2, I can still sort of see the rivalry between him and Ciel throughout the years. Either way, I digress: let's say Alois - for one reason or another - is able to celebrate a few more birthdays past his canon age of 14. So, now he's a young adult and is suddenly staring the cold, cruel truth right in its face.

How, exactly, the truth of him being the biological son of the late Earl Trancy being discovered is something that could have happened in many ways. The most likely way I see this happening is that Claude got pretty tired of Alois' "boring" soul and decided to stir the pot. It isn't out of the realm of possibility to see Claude unearth some secrets of the Trancy estate in order to... alter Alois mental state so that it may affect the "flavor" of his soul.

Now, in Alois' extreme grief and PTSD coming back full force upon such a horrific revelation, his soul is now more appealing to Claude (yippie -_-).

No servant in that household is prepared or equipped for the incredibly detached and (even more) unstable young man they serve under. Most days I can see Alois staring blankly, mind going at super speeds. Hardly anyone can get through to him. But, as I said, the flavor of his soul is now more appealing to Claude. That little shit knows what he did stirring the pot and is waiting patiently for his mental state to "burn even hotter."

I can only see Alois working through this if he had a companion. In this case, the reader. They are a human, they have emotions, they can understand him. It's really all they can do to help him through such heavy news. And even if Alois is older now and has mentally and emotionally matured ever-so-slightly (i am a firm believer he has bpd but that's another can of worms), he is still in the process of growing as a person. So, having an actual person in his life whom he trusts and cares for deeply, and boy does he care deeply (scorpio energy fr), he will not ever forget it nor will he ever let them go. They are his rock, his safe place, his only anchor to the world. If he can't trust anyone, then he can trust them. In fact, it may just be the catalyst towards a future marriage proposal.

[demonslayedher]

Things that went through my head in this episode:

--My cheeks hurt from giggling. Given how much I love these boys now, I cannot help but laugh at the dynamics of their raw character traits playing off of each other.

--But, on my first watch, I was like, "wow, the tone of this show sure has changed a lot... hmm."

--So compare to the raw struggle between Inosuke and Zenitsu in the previous episode, here we get Tanjiro as hot in the fight as Inosuke is, and this shows off Inosuke's unique abilities and strengths better than the Beast Breath display we got a couple episodes ago. The martial artist in me cheers with this fight, especially that redirect Tanjiro does against one of Inosuke's punches.

--Nowdays, I laugh at Inosuke breaking the fight just to show off how bendy he is. It is so stupid, though, that on my first watch I wasn't amused. Although I believe now that Inosuke is the secret sauce to KnY's sweeping success, at the time, I was not prepared for that level of shallowness and stupidity. Later in the episode when he declares how he only joy in life is comparing his strength to others, I was outright disappointed in how simplistic of a character was going to derail what felt like a good story going on. But!!

--Therein lies the joy in following Inosuke's character, isn't it? He gradually learns to find more joy in life, to be open and curious, and later, to be vulnerable. In that way, his arc is even a little like Kanao's, in which, by being more emotionally vulnerable and exploring more of what he might care about, he grows deeper and deeper as a character. He discovers himself, and we get the joy of discovering that with him.

--This of course makes him excessively self-reflective Zenitsu's opposite, and it means Tanjiro takes to Inosuke in an opposite way, too--even in the midst of a fight, Tanjiro yells at him to stop pushing himself while he's in pain, to consider his own future. Tanjiro has to be the voice of fear which Inosuke doesn't have. Likewise, that voice of self-preservation and self-care comes out in Tanjiro being so tender and delicate towards this stupid boar--telling him to rest and let him eat his fill, and feeling sad for him not to have grown up with any social connections.

--And anyway, Zenitsu twice hides behind Teruko to protect him. Any sister of Shoichi must be strong. --These children are so done. --But not too done for Teruko to find Tanjiro's forehead amazing and what to touch it (an anime addition).

--Let the record stand, there were at least eight dead people. Kyogai has been trying really hard to eat, ok, Muzan????

--Let the record stand, within hours of this iconic trio being arranged, Tanjiro has knocked the lights out of both Inosuke and Zenitsu to get them to behave.

--I love these boys together so much now, they really are so funny, and the comedic timing kills me. It's just one thing after another now that they have peace and quiet and calm--they have just up and forgotten the fight they were embroiled in (and on first watch, I could not believe Inosuke just forgot about the demon in the box), but now they're yelling at each other in the forest, Tanjiro's yelling at Zenitsu and Inosuke for their rudeness around their hostess, they're just hanging out and eating together and Inosuke tries to provoke Tanjiro and gets frustrated when it backfires, Inosuke throwing the pillow in Zenitsu's face--this was the perfect time to introduce the scene changes with the drums and silly faces. Also, I didn't see any of these moments coming on a first watch, they are so chaotic and unpredictable with each other.

--On this note, please appreciate what I had for lunch today:

--To add more to the silliness of this episode, that silly BGM is a violin cover of "The Song of Kamado Tanjiro." Amazing.

--I also find it silly how they stick out like sore thumbs in this Wisteria mansion. It is, indeed, a mansion--you can tell not only the number of rooms and their generous sizes, but by the size of the pond in the garden, and the manicuring of the trees. There's lovely artwork hanging in the alcove, that's a very nice spread of tempura. Hisa-san should be the posterchild (poster-obaasan?) for Japanese omotenashi ("hospitality," but Japan really wants you know the word omotenashi to differentiate their style of service, like anticipating the needs of your guests before they have to be bothered to ask). You're doing your whole country a great service, Hisa-san.

--And freaking out Zenitsu in the process, clearly he has never had the luxury of being a guest in such a fine establishment, though I'll bet he probably got some of his debt trying to treat his ex-girlfriends to fancy restaurants (and, according to the first fanbook, one of the girls he dated was a maiko, so she'd know plenty about proper hospitality, and another was the daughter of a tea house, so she'd have known too. Doesn't mean they were fine young ladies for how they used him, though). Tanjiro, even if he hasn't stayed in a place this fancy, probably doesn't have trouble adjusting because he understands the heart behind the manners, and Inosuke... well. He's a fish out of water, a boar out of the forest, but I love how this doesn't make him uncomfortable in the slightest.

--My favorite part of this episode, a part which lives in my mind rent free and plays itself like a song stuck in my head, is the part where they are lying perfectly still in bed and Zenitsu tells Inosuke to apologize and Inosuke refuses.

--Just... after all that, AFTER ALL THAT, they have this perfectly still, perfectly timed exchange. What a good choice on the part of Ufotable, taking was what a shouting match panel in the manga and putting it into this form instead.

--And then we got Zenitsu's first glimpse of his future bride, and the moment is ruined by Zenitsu having A Moment(TM), and I, on my first watch, was putting him back on my "nope, annoying" list with Inosuke. They are... both a bit much. However, my observation on this rewatch now, being the sort of fan I am, is that having them do anything less at any of these moments just wouldn't be in-character for them.

[galaxiefan]

《Dottore x innocent!puppet reader》 Part 3

《prepare yourselves....for the angst!~♡》

***

(y/n) arrives at her and her brother's room, a smile on her face. Scaramouche has been waiting for her to come back for quite some time now, and was beginning to get worried for her. "hi big brother!" she says as she opens the bedroom door.

He was waiting for her, and he immediately speaks when (y/n) enters the room, with a sense of love and kindness, a sense of care and concern. He wants to make sure that she is okay, and it was clear he wasn't able to rest until he saw her again. He was very relieved to actually see her, and as she opens the door, he smiles at her with a sense of genuine warmth to his eyes."(y/n)! I'm so glad to see you! you were away for a long time.." He says, as he gives her a soft and gentle hug.

Scaramouche was very worried for his sister. He didn't know what the doctor did to her, and she stayed almost all day with that man. He was beginning to think something bad had happened to her.

He was worried that Dottore may have made her cry. That he may have hurt her emotionally, or worse, he was afraid that Dottore may have even hurt her physically. But he was so relieved to see that she was smiling and happy, as she went to hug him. And to have her in his arms again filled him with a deep sense of joy and peace. He felt so happy to be brought back from a dark place. He was afraid, but he couldn't help but feel this happiness. He had missed her.

"Big brother! I did so many fun things today! you won't even believe it!" she seems happy...that's good...

He sighs, and he lets her go from the hug, looking at her with kindness and warmth in his eyes. Scaramouche speaks to her with kindness and gentleness to his voice. He speaks to her like she is the most important person in his entire world, and he cannot help but feel so much joy to see her back. He was so worried, but seeing her happy and smiling made him so happy. His heart was filled with so much joy. "Then I would love for you to tell me all about it."

"Ok,ok!...first, me and the doctor went to the lab together, and then, he help to fix my arm! he was sooo quick! a-and then! as a thank you, I showed him my mechanics! he was so happy! and we had so much fun together!.." (y/n) told Scaramouche...wait....did she say...she..showed him her mechanics?...

Scaramouche stares at her, and he speaks with confusion in his voice. He sounds both intrigued and surprised, as he looks at her with curiosity and wonder. "You showed him your mechanics? What do you mean by that?" He says, as he continues to look at her with interest, and with his heart racing. He was wondering what it could mean.

"Oh, I let him see my insides! He said that it would help his research! so I showed him my heart...and my lungs...and all the things! it tickled when he touched my heart, and it also sparkled! It was sooo pretty!.." she explained to Scaramouche what she did with the doctor.....did she just say....he touched her heart?...and....oh.

Scaramouche stares at her again, and his heart is racing even faster now. He's never had so much emotion fill his heart in his whole life, and he cannot help but feel all those emotions at once. He's feeling so many things at once right now... Love, joy, surprise, happiness, and sadness. It's all so much. His heart is racing and he struggles to breath. "Y-you... You let him touch your heart?"

"Yep! But he was reeaaly careful with it though...just like you are big brother!.." (y/n) said. the thought of the doctor messing around with her delicate puppet inert workings....

Scaramouche's emotions are in full force now. He can't believe what he just heard. He is both angry and sad to hear this, and he is feeling a certain hatred. His heart is racing as his mind cannot believe what he has heard. He feels an urge to protect and to defend her. He doesn't want to hear it anymore, but he cannot help but ask one more question "Why?!" He asks furiously, and his voice is stern. It's full of anger, and a certain sadness, and he cannot help but feel this way.

(y/n) was surprised by his reaction. Why was he angry?...it was fun...she thought. "b-because i-i wanted to h-help him....he is so nice to me too..."

Scaramouche was angry, but now he was also sad. Now he was also confused, and he has no idea what to think now. And he hates that. "You wanted to help him?" He asks with a stern, almost angry voice. He can't hide the sadness and concern in his voice now, as he looks at her with anger and fear filling his eyes. "Did he tell you to say that? Did he say you had to help him? Did he do this to you? Did he tell you to do all this?"

"N-no!...he j-just asked me to help...b-but I did it because i w-wanted to..." She spoke. she never seen her brother act like this before, why was he so angry?

Scaramouche looks at her, and he is filled with sadness and anger and concern. He is upset that she was made to do this. He is angry that she did it so willingly. How could he ever trust the doctor again? His mind is now overwhelmed with all those feelings, and he continues to look at her with anger and sadness filling his eyes. "What were you thinking?! You should know better than to give him your trust!" He says, as his voice gets louder.

She was now very confused. "b-but he was nice to me!....he...he helped to fix my arm too!.....I trust him..." (y/n) couldn't understand how a man that treated her so kindly could be bad.

"You trust him!!?" Scaramouche shouts at her, as he looks at her with complete horror. His voice grows loud, as he continues to speak to her. "What are you thinking!? He could do anything! You could have gotten hurt, worse than you have ever felt before!" He shouts, as he tries to make his point clear, and he cannot help but feel so much fear and shock at what she has done. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, but he knew one thing for sure: he has to protect her.

"But...he is a good guy!...and he was very c-careful too..." She was trying to tell him that the doctor didn't hurt her.

Scaramouche looks at her, and after taking a second to collect himself, he speaks to her in a more calm, yet still stern tone. He speaks in a much sadder, and quieter voice, however. His heart feels heavy in his chest, as he speaks to her. He cannot bring himself to shout at her, and so he instead speaks to her in a more gentle tone. "(y/n)...I understand you have had the best of intentions. And I can see that you have been trying to help the doctor. But you cannot just trust someone that easily"

"But...he didn't hurt me...he helped me too....why can't I trust him?..." She just couldn't understand.

Scaramouche sighs. "Because not everyone is what they say they are. This world is a dangerous place. We cannot be sure we can trust someone just from their words. The doctor is a very clever man, and a very dangerous one. We cannot allow him to take advantage of you like he has, (y/n)"

"But he didn't!....he's my friend....he was happy to help me too.....I....just...he is not bad!" The doctor has been so nice and good to her all this time, she just can't believe the man that smiled so warmly at her that morning is evil, or bad.

"He may seem nice to you, and he may have helped you, but he...he is a bad man...he has done bad things. And I can't let you be near him anymore. I wouldn't be so angry about this if it was someone else. But the fact that it's him makes me feel..." He doesn't finish his sentence. He can't say how he feels about the doctor, as he feels that his anger is still too much. He doesn't want to upset (y/n) any further, and so he doesn't say anything.

"Then...it sounds like you just don't like him!...he is good! i saw it!....he..." She tried to defend the doctor. He is not bad in her eyes, he can never be...

"I don't like him. You are right." He says bluntly, and his anger and sadness is clear in his voice."I do not trust him. I cannot trust him. I cannot be certain of his intentions, and I cannot trust that he has any good intentions. I do not know what he might do to you, and it scares me because of what he has already done" He says, his voice still shaking with anger and sadness. He can't help but continue to feel this way, he wants to protect her.

"He didn't do anything bad!...i..i was the one that let him touch them! he was just looking, nothing else!....he...he is a good a-and g-gentle doctor....." she just, too kind to comprehend it.

"He is anything BUT gentle! He does not care for you (y/n), he only cares about himself. He only cares that he is successful!" He shouts, he is so angry now. His anger is growing, and he cannot help it."You cannot trust him!" He shouts, as he speaks with anger and hatred in his voice. He can hardly believe she has fallen for his act, and he cannot believe he is unable to make her understand how evil he is.

"That's a lie! He- he is very gentle with me! And he cares for me too!..." (y/n) was starting to cry a little, at the same time she was angry that her brother is accusing such a good man in her eyes, of being so evil...is just...not true...

"You believe him over me? Do you truly put his words over your own brother!?" He shouts again in anger. "How can you be so foolish!? He does not care about you!" He shouts again, and he is full of anger at this point. The anger he feels towards the doctor is clear in his voice, and he cannot bring himself to calm down at this point.

(y/n) just...cries now....and runs out of the room.....she is sad...

Scaramouche looks after her as she runs out of the room, and his heart breaks... He is both angry at the situation, and upset that he couldn't stop the crying. He feels a certain sadness and sympathy wash over him. Perhaps he was too harsh on her. He hates seeing her cry like this... So he decided to take a deep breath as he tries to calm himself down. He didn't want to shout at her any more. He wanted her to come back, and he didn't want her to hate him... So he takes a deep breath, and he waits for her to return.

(y/n) was just...running through the the corridor....to the last place she felt safe and loved....the lab. She opened the door and runs inside, it was dark. The lights were out, only the small lights of the machines shine on the darkness. She goes to a corner of the room...and cries. Her small figure curling up on herself, her head hidden on her legs, as she cries alone in the darkness...

While she was away Scaramouche took a deep breath, and he tried to calm himself down... But then...he felt fear, and then guilt come washing over him. He did not want to upset her like that... He wanted to protect her... And now she was crying. Tears were welling up in his eyes, and he couldn't help but feel so much pain in his chest."What have I done to my dear sister...?" He says, as he takes a deep breath, and he speaks to himself, with guilt and pain in his voice.

The Doctor was in his room. He was getting ready to sleep for the night, when he heard a small cry coming from somewhere else. He heard it again, and again...something was wrong. He opens his bedroom door, going into the hallway to find the source of the sound. Dottore stops in front of his lab....it was coming from there. He carefully opens the door...

The lab was dark, with only the small light from the machines allowing him to see into the room. It was quiet, and it took him a moment to realize that the crying was coming from inside the room. He entered the room, and as he did so he heard the crying get louder, as the sound reached his ears. The crying was coming from inside a corner of the room, as he approached it he could see....(y/n), curled up into herself. She looked so upset. Her cry was soft, and she had tears in her eyes.

The doctor approached her, and he saw her crying. And at this sight his heart breaks. He approaches her, as he cannot help but feel sympathy and pain for her "(y/n)..." He says to her softly. He wants to help her, and he wants to comfort her... He wants to wipe away those tears and make her feel better right this instant. He looks at the little puppet with sadness and concern as he speaks to her, not quite able to figure out what to say. His heart hurts to see her like this.

She slowly revealed her face. Her eyes were full of tears, her lips were quivering as she cried.

The doctor looks down at her. Her tears fill him up with an overwhelming sympathy, and he can't stand to see her like this. He cannot help but take her into his arms, as he hugs (y/n) and holds her close to himself. "Oh dear..." He says, as he holds her close. And he can't help but hug her, as he feels such a strong sympathy come from her tears and sadness, and the doctor's heart breaks for her. "Oh dear, oh dear..."

She hugs him tightly, the doctor's presence bringing her comfort. (y/n) was very upset.

The doctor hugs her back, and he feels sympathy and pain fill his heart. Perhaps it is the feeling of empathy, or perhaps it is pity that he feels, but whatever it is the doctor's heart aches and tears fill his eyes. He can't stand to see her like this. And so he continues to hold her in his arms. "Oh dear, oh dear... It's alright... It's alright. It's alright...." He says, as he tries to comfort her. He wants (y/n) to be able to tell him what happened, but he also does not want to force her.

Seeing poor little (y/n) like this was just...unbearable...what was so bad that made her cry like this?...

The doctor looks down at her. He wants to comfort her. But he also wants to know what's bothering her. "(y/n)...." He says softly, and he looks at her with sympathetic eyes."Tell me what is wrong. Who has hurt you? Why are you crying?" He asks, and he looks at her with eyes that are full of concern and kindness for her.

She looks up at Dottore, tears flowing down her cheeks, as she speaks in a crying and shaky voice. "m-my brother...h-he...he..."

The doctor looks down at her, looking at her with sadness and pity. He feels hurt and anger at her brother, for what he did to her. He keeps holding onto the small puppet, and he looks at her with kindness in his eyes. "He hurt you? In what way?" He asks, feeling anger and sadness fill his heart when she said Scaramouche had hurt her.

"H-he...he s-said...that...y-you were a b-bad guy...a-and...that i s-shouldn't trust y-you....." (y/n) was crying in his lap on the floor of the lab.

The doctor is silent, and he lets out a soft sigh. The emotions filling him are complex and overwhelming, he can't help but feel sad and angry. He tries to contain those negative feelings, as he looks down at her in sadness. He wants to comfort her, and he wants to wipe her tears away... "Do you believe him?" He asks her, as he looks down at her. "Are you scared of me, (y/n)?" He says, and he looks at her kind and sympathetic look in her eyes.

"N-no!....h-hes lying!...he...h-he...." poor (y/n)....she was trying so hard to explain, but her emotions were a mess.

Tears fill his eyes....he feels so sorry for her, and so many emotions fill his heart, anger towards his brother, and pain and sadness for her. He couldn't help but look at her with such kindness and sympathy, and he speaks with great sadness and pain in his voice. "Oh dear.... he lied? He lied to you? So, he lied about me?" He asks, and he looks at her with great pain and sadness in his voice. He feels so sorry for her right now.

"Y-yes! b-because....y-you are n-not bad!.....you....y-you are g-gentle..a-and kind...and....and h-hes lying!...." She says with tears falling down her delicate face.

Tears fill his eyes again, and he looks at her with kind eyes that are full of sadness. He still can't help but feel angry at her brother for "lying" to her, but he feels much less angry now then he did before. "You really think that? You really think that I am gentle, and kind?" He asks, and he looks at her with gentle eyes that are full of kindness and concern for her. He wants to make her feel better. He wants to comfort her.

"Y-you are!...y-you fixed m-my arm....a-and you were j-just...so gentle w-with my h-heart too!.......he's lying.....you are a very g-good guy!..." she speaks, as she defended the doctor.

Tears fill his eyes, once more, as an overwhelming sadness washes over his body. She... She genuinely believes that he is good, that he is kind. His mind gets filled up with thoughts... His eyes fill up with tears, as he can scarcely believe what she is saying. He looks at her with so much kindness and sympathy for the little puppet right now. "My dear.... you are so...kind to me..." He says through tears, as he cannot help but hug her and hold her still. He cannot believe that he deserves such kind words from her.

"I-its true!...i-i....i k-know it its..." she cries, hugging Dottore tightly.

Tears fill his eyes once more, as he hugs her back tightly. He cannot help but cry, and he feels so much pain and emotion fill his heart right now. Her words touch his heart, and they make his heart hurt a little bit in that moment. He feels such sadness and kindess for her... He cannot bear to hear her crying like this, he would do anything to make her feel better. "Oh darling..." He says...his words sound a little bit broken, as he hugs her still.

She feels a little better in his embrace, she is so small compared to him. she feels safe, as she tugs on his shirt. (y/n) is so fragile...so precious...

Dottore looks down at her, and his heart breaks even further. He wants to protect her, and he can't help but feel so much care and sympathy for her... She is so fragile, so precious, and he cannot believe that she would speak about him so kindly. She seems to have warmed up to him, and there are so many emotions that wash over him right now, so many thoughts flooding his mind...He is so overwhelmed with emotions. He cannot help but feel both protective, and loving.

His embrace feels warm, so safe, she can't help but hug the doctor closer.

He gives her a soft smile, and he whispers to her, in the softest and gentlest way "It's alright dear..." He is so glad that he was able to console her, and he can't help but feel sad that she had to come through something so terrible. He is happy that he can be there to comfort her, and he looks down at her with such care and sympathy in his eyes.He cannot believe that she would think of him so kindly... But he is glad. He is so, so glad...

The sad puppet started to calm down a little. The warm embrace of the doctor soothing her softly.

Tears continue to fill his eyes, but they are softer now. He feels sad for her, but it's not a painful sadness any longer. They are like that of a caring grandfather now, and he can't help but feel the kindness in his heart for her. It feels wonderful to be able to make her a little bit better. To see her smile... His heart feels warm, so very warm...He smiles softly at her, through his tears, and when he hears her calming down a little he starts to calm down too. It is the sweetest feeling in the world.

Her small heart is slowly beginning to calm down. She is still hugging him, she feels safe and cared for in his arms...

He smiles, and he hugs her back. His heart fills up with love towards her, and he strokes her hair gently with one hand. He hugs her tightly, and he gently caresses her hair with his other hand. He looks at her, his eyes filled with care and kindness as he feels such a soft and warm feeling inside of his heart. He feels like he finally made her happy after all, and it fills up with the nicest feeling. "Oh my dear..." He says in the softest voice imaginable, and he looks at her with soft eyes that are filled with warmth.

T-thank you.....S-sir Dottore..." (y/n) says with a soft and small voice. Despite her pain and sadness, she thanks him, feeling loved by the doctor.

He smiles at her, as tears fill up his eyes a little bit again. She is really thanking him? For what little he could do for her? But he is so happy. His heart feels warm, and his eyes fill up with tears, as he feels such an overwhelming emotion of love and care rush through his chest."(y/n)..." He says softly, his voice filled with warmth as he strokes her hair with one hand. He keeps his other hand on her back. He is so happy now.

She seems a little better. There are tears stains on her cheeks, but they stopped falling from her eyes now.

(y/n) was laying on his chest. She looks up a little, a small strand of the doctors blue hair was within her reach. She started to play with it gently, it distracted her a little. She liked his blue hair...

He looks down at her, with a soft smile on his face. She is playing with his hair, and he notices it, as a small smile forms on his face. He is happy, he wants to make her even happier. He hugs her a little tighter, as he keeps looking down at her with kindness in his eyes. "Do you like my blue hair?" He asks, looking at her with kindness in his voice, and he smiles at her. He wants to see her smile more, maybe she will like his blue hair?

"Ya.....it's....fluffy...." (y/n) says slowly and softly, now getting a little sleepy.

He smiles even larger at this, as his heart fills up with so much kindness and love for her. He is so glad to hear her say something like this. And she likes his hair? His hair is so important to him. He smiles even wider now, and he speaks in the softest and gentlest voice imaginable. "It's soft... Isn't it?" He asks, as he strokes her head with his free hand. He feels the softest and prettiest feeling ever, and his mind is filled with thoughts. He wishes to stay like this forever now.

"Ya....soft...and fluffy.....like a cloud...in the blue sky..." she speaks softly, a small little smile on her face as she sleepily plays with his little strand of blue hair.

His heart nearly melts when she says that. He really likes clouds, and he likes the skies, and he likes blue as a colour. Her description makes him want to cry, as his heart fills up with so much love and kindness. He likes her, so much. That was such a sweet thing to say... "Oh my sweetie... You have a really creative mind. That was very kind of you to say..." He speaks softly, his voice filled with kindness and affection. As he looks down at her, he can't help but feel his heart fill up with love.

He keeps hugging her, as he strokes her hair gently. He enjoys it so much when she does something soft and gentle like this. He just wants to spend time with her now. He wants to know more about her. He wants to be her friend, and help her with everything. He strokes her hair with his free hand, as he looks down at her with kindness and sympathy in his eyes "My dear..." He says softly, and his voice is so gentle, the doctor seems to like calling her that. He truly adores her now.

The more she stayed in the doctor's arms, the more she seemed to relax....her mind was still thinking about what her brother told her......is a lie...right? Yes, of course it is. How can a man that holds her so dearly and carefully, be evil and cruel?....her brother doesn't know what he is talking about. (y/n) was feeling safe with Dottore, he is her friend, and she likes him very much. Why would her brother say such mean things about the doctor?

"Mister Dottore...I....don't understand why big brother said those things about you...i told him you were so gentle and caring with my heart...and he just....he got so angry...then he started saying that, I couldn't help you anymore....it...makes me so....so sad..." she says, as she gently plays with a strand of his blue hair...she was genuinely confused and sad about her brother's reaction to the doctor touching her inner workings.

His heart breaks, as he holds her close to himself. He strokes her hair gently with one hand, as he looks down at her. But he can't help but feel angry at her brother now. She does not deserve someone so cruel. "He is wrong. I care about you, my dear. I cannot believe that he would say such cruel things to you now, but..." He shakes his head, not wanting to speak of her brother negatively "What he said is wrong."

(y/n)'s eyes were puffy from her crying, but she looked up at him with a small shine in her eyes. He said he cares about her....is was true then. "y-you....really care about me?" she asks with a small but hopeful voice.

He smiles down at her, and he looks at her with his softest and kindest eyes ever. He cannot lie to her, and he truly does want to tell her everything. And besides, he really does care about her, and he thinks that she should know just how important she is to him. "Yes...my dear... I do. More than you know. And you care for me, too, do you not?" He asks a little softly, as he strokes her hair gently with one hand. His hearts fills up with warmth and love for her.

She manages to give him a small, but warm smile. "I....i do....you're my friend Mr.Dottore....I like you..." she looks up at him, her eyes holding innocence and adoration.

He has to stop himself from crying, as her words fill up his heart with so much love. She truly believes that he is her friend, and he can't help but feel so happy about this. He truly cares for her, and he is so happy that she considers him her friend, too. He looks down at her with so much kindness in his eyes, and he hugs her closer to himself. "My darling..." He says softly. He wishes she could stay like this forever now, with his arms tightly wrapped around her, comforting this small puppet that makes his heart finally feel something for another being that is not himself.

She was slowly getting more and more sleepy. Her eyes feeling heavy after all the crying. (y/n) yawns a little, her head gently laying on Dottore's chest. She must be very tired.

He feels her head gently resting on his chest, as her soft breathing fills up his ears. A feeling of joy fills up his chest, as his heart feels as if it was about to explode. She was so tired... He strokes the back of her head gently. He didn't mind, though, if she slept now. He could be the safest cushion she could find. "Poor thing..." He says softly, as he looks down at her with love in his voice and eyes.

The doctor assumed that she wouldn't want to go back to her brother's room. So he gently gets up, with an almost sleeping (y/n) on his arms. Dottore will bring her back to his room so she can sleep safe and sound. He opens the Lab's door so they can leave for his much more comfortable bedroom.

He goes into his room, carrying her in his arms all the while. He holds her close to himself, and he walks very carefully. He can see how tired and sleepy she is, and he doesn't want to wake her up. But he wants to make sure she sleeps somewhere more comfy, so he takes her to his bedroom. Once he arrives, he lays the poor, sleepy girl down on his bed, and he sits down next to her. His heart flutters, as he looks down at her with such kindness in his eyes.

By the time they got to his room, she was already asleep. Her eyes were closed softly, as her small body now rests on the doctor's comfortable bed, resting her head on the soft pillow.

He sits down gently, as he watches over her while she sleeps. She looks so peaceful right now. He cannot express how much he wants to look after her. He puts a blanket over her, and he kisses her cheek gently. He looks at her for a little longer, before he finally leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Dottore will let (y/n) rest on his room tonight. Maybe he can take the opportunity to try and finish some experiments. She needs sleep much more than he does.

He sighs as he leaves the room and closes the door, before finally sitting down on his chair in front of his desk. He feels so many things, and he cannot put it into words. She is in his room now, and he feels so happy about it. He tries to focus on his work, and he puts his mind to it. But he is always interrupted by a thought about her, and his heart constantly fills up with love, care, and kindness for her. He can't put himself to it today. He just keeps sitting there, as he thinks about the now sleeping puppet...

For the first time in years, he cannot stop thinking about a person. She is the only thing on his mind. "Poor thing..." He murmurs softly, as he puts his hands on top of his head. He looks at his notes in the notebook on his desk, but he can't make sense of them. They might as well be gibberish, and he can't focus. He sighs, and he keeps looking at his notes on his notebook, as his eyes look through the pages all over again. It's not the first time he reads through them, but he can't understand anything anymore.

Meanwhile (y/n) sleeps safely in the doctor's bed....and in her sleep....she smiles...

***

《We all love a soft Dottore don't we...♡》

♡

[arty-ffxiv]

💖Just a gentle nudge to remind you that you're not just existing—you're thriving, even on days when it doesn't feel that way. You're a one-of-a-kind force in this world, bringing light and love in ways you might not even realize. You've overcome so much, and you should be proud of every step you've taken, no matter how small. The world is better with you in it, and you've already made such a difference just by being you. Keep going, keep growing, and never forget how important you are💖

Thank you, who ever you are. This message warmed my heart and has been a well needed reminder ♥

I've not advertised it much, but I've been on a FFXIV/ Tumblr hiatus for the past ~5ish weeks; this blog has been running on old, queued content since then. I'm feeling quite drained and burned out, and frustrated as I'd just gotten back into my creative outlets again.

It's the longest time I've taken away from the game, and I didn't want to step away so soon from the FFXIV Tumblr community again after returning from another long hiatus.

Putting more under the cut, for those interested in IRL stuff. Otherwise, please know that I'm ok, just taking a break.

I've been in a bit of a strange place mentally, since before Dawntrail dropped.

In the week leading up to the expac's early access release, I was made redundant from a job role that I really loved. I'd been in limbo regarding my role for a number of months, and hadn't anticipated any movement or news for at least another few months- things move slowly in the community services world.

I had a week of annual leave booked for the expansion release- I was keen for the break, and excited to be going into the new adventure with the new friends I'd made within the Tumblr FFXIV community.

2 days before I was due to go on leave, I was told I was having a meeting with HR and my line manager. I was advised to bring a support person.

My anxiety sky rocketed, and the next day I was given the news of my redundancy. I was given some options to mull over for the next few days- redeployment to another site, putting in an application for a more senior role with no guarantee I'd be successful, or to leave the organization.

As you can imagine, this put a big dampener on my excitement for Dawntrail. I'm grateful that the news came when it did, so at least my leave was spent with something to focus on instead of just moping about, but it just fucking sucked.

I was spending most of my time on leave in game, trying to keep my mind off work and the mess of emotions and confusion I knew I'd be coming back to. I enjoyed the expac- at least the first half. I wasn't emotionally prepared, or ready, for the second half.

I won't be going into details for those who have yet to finish the MSQ, nor to upset myself further.

The second half of the story was just too much; I spent my time in the last zone consumed with the thoughts of I'm not having fun anymore, I'm not enjoying this, let's just rip this fucking bandaid off and get through it, we can process all the feelings this is dredging up for us later.

Since finishing the MSQ, I've not really done much else in-game or really logged in again. I've been reflecting on it, and I think the ending of the expac triggered some deep-seated traumas for me. This, coupled with the grief and mixed emotions of moving into a new work environment, has really exhausted me.

I'm 5 weeks into my new workplace, and I'm enjoying it but am just so exhausted. While I'm still in the same organization, my workload is more than it was previously and I've lost the motivation I'd only recently gotten back for FFXIV and creating.

Hopefully now that I've gone through the motions of resettling and learning the ropes in this new space, my creativity will begin to come back. I can only hope.