#i would never be able to properly put it into words exactly how important it is to me

[stil-lindigo]

a blank page.

[merchelsea]

private support- george russell

pairing: george russell x fem! model! reader

summary: you are constantly fighting george’s haters on interviews and socials, but when you need him to do the same, he doesn’t.

author’s note: my first time writing angst, please give me some tips to improve!! and i’m actually taking requests now, so if you have any, let me know!

word count: 2k+ (not counted properly)

warnings: angst, fighting, miscommunication, racism accusations, silence treatment, confused reader.

your mind snapped back to reality as your hairstylist, who also happened to be your best friend, playfully snapped her fingers in front of your face.

"what are you thinking about?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity and concern as she stood before you, demanding an answer.

"nothing," you quickly shot back, though the truth was quite the opposite. you had been mulling over everything that had transpired in the past week.

a false accusation of racism had been circulating on the internet, and it had been so well-constructed that people started believing you were capable of such a thing.

it was frustrating that almost no one believed you, but it was even more frustrating that you couldn't deny it. this whole scandal had brought up an unwanted spotlight, and you were obligated to follow a contract, which meant that, if they were to push you under the bus because they'd benefit from it, they could. and that is exactly what they did.

you felt anger and disappointment toward those you worked with daily, as you never thought they would betray you in such a way. in response, you had pulled all available strings and taken legal action to clear your name. while you had managed to set the record straight publicly through the legal process, it did little to ease the weight on your mind.

"that’s bullshit, you have been watching that tiktok for 15 minutes." your friend quipped, redirecting your attention to your phone, which had been playing the same vogue advertisement repeatedly. "so, what's on your mind?"

you sighed, contemplating the flood of thoughts but reluctant to discuss them. "a lot of stuff, but I really don't want to talk about it." your friend took a deep breath and reluctantly accepted your reluctance. "fine," she conceded. as much as she could try to hide it, you knew her, and realized she wasn't happy about it. "don't get mad."

"I’m not mad. I just don’t understand why you never talk with me about this stuff." you furrowed your brows as she moved to hold your hair from behind, starting to curl it again. "I mean, I’m supposed to be your best friend, you should be able to talk with me."

"it's about george," you exhaled as she began working on your hair, curling it once more. "what did he do?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. "you guys never fight."

"he didn’t do anything, that’s the problem." you explained, feeling the heat of anger dissipate. the woman behind you turned your chair to face her, and you knew it was time to open up about it.

"what happened, babe?" she asked, pulling over a bench and sitting down. it was clear that she recognized the importance of the conversation.

you silently wondered about what to say for minutes, because even tho it was something really clear in your mind, you had no idea of how to put it into words.

she grew impatient in front of you, drumming her fingers in the bench she was sat in, waiting for you to break.

"he still hasn't said anything about this. he talked to me, told me he knew I could never do such a thing," you began, picking up a makeup pencil to occupy your hands. "but people asked him in interviews, and he didn't even deny it. he would just say hat he wouldn't comment on it."

You felt a mix of emotions, ranging from sadness to disappointment. You had always defended George in similar situations, in interviews, instagram stories, fighting people on twitter. in every way you could.

unintentionally, you expected him to do the same for you when the time came. but it came and he didn't. you couldn't really blame him because you never even talked to him about it, he had no way of knowing, but you did, you blamed him.

you blamed him and you felt awful for that. it was all an endless circle of guilt and shame that you were trying to run of. confused, stressed, attacked. how could someone be fine while feeling all of that?

questions lingered in your brain as your best friend talked to you, trying to help you in the better way she could. besides all of the mess, she was the one thing you were sure off, she was your rock, stabling you through the storm.

posting that video and coming clean about the situation had been a good step, but it hadn't eased the stabbing pain in your chest.

coming home to him was harder than ever. you had ignored his calls and every single one of his attempts to contact you. it was childish of you, and you were aware, but you just couldn't help it.

anyways, things had to be said.

as you entered the room, you found george lying on the couch in his mercedes shirt. he smiled when he saw you, relieved that you had come. he thought you wouldn't come, that caused by the three days left on read and the 14 missed calls.

seeing you was a relief for him. he immediately got up and walked to you, but you denied his attempt to touch your face. the smile on his face disappeared as fast as it came on.

"hey, what happened?" he attempted to caress your cheek, but you pulled away his arm. "what did I do?" his confused and saddened gaze filled you with regret and you realized what you were doing.

you weren't being fair.

"I'm sorry. I just—" you began, stepping back. his reaction made you realize that you needed to communicate openly. "I need to talk to you," you said, and george nodded, ready to listen. he looked genuinely terrified as you refused his touch, not understanding what he had done wrong.

"okay... hm. lets sit down." he suggested, trying to make it as comfortable as he could for you.

you both moved to the couch, sitting on opposite ends. george looked you in the eye, waiting for you to speak.

"so, you know about that racism accusation, right?"george nodded, not daring to speak. "I'm kind of upset about it."

"well that's understandable, yo-"

"george," you interrupted, wanting to clarify your point. "I'm not really worried about the accusation itself right now. you haven't said anything about it yet." the brit furrowed his brows.

"what? I told you exactly what I thought that same night. you could never do such thing and I know that very well." you sighed, annoyed again. it was difficult to try and see things from his perspective, but the truth is that you weren't explaining him things clearly.

"that's not what I mean. you've talked about it with me, but you never did on public. you never said that 'i could never do such thing' to anyone else." his eyes fall on you again, softened this time.

"oh." it lingers in the air for quite some time as he gets ahold of his thoughts and you grow inpatient. "I'm sorry about that. I never thought you wanted to." some other words danced on the tip of his tongue. he contained himself, but he could've easily ended this argument.

"you never thought? how's that?" you offendedly ask. how could you not want your boyfriend to have your back?

"well, once you told me you didn't like the thought of being seen as dependent of me. that you wanted to be seen as an independent and strong woman. I respected, and still respect that." you recalled saying this after a long night in monaco. deep conversations had become a regular occurrence between you two after his race weekends.

"it's not about depending on you; it's about you supporting me," you raised your voice, making it clear how upset you were. "I always do that for you, and it doesn't mean anything."

"yeah, because the media and society are twisted as fuck, and we both know that," george said, turning his body towards you, now more open to discussing the issue. "tell me that if it were me in your position, you wouldn't be labeled as a woman who needs her boyfriend to protect her. do you have any idea of how you would be talked about?"

you hated it when he was right, but he was right now. however, he seemed to miss your perspective on all of this.

"I wouldn't care. I would know you were by my side and I wouldn't care."

"your such a bad liar. you would care. you would and you will because I gave an interview like two days ago, talking about it." he sighs. "because even though I knew it wasn't what you would've wanted, I could not keep quite while you were going through all of that."

silence fills the room as you both just stare at each other. how could have you missed this? okay, you had been avoiding anything george related for the past days, but you would know. wouldn't you?

"of course that, I could've told you if you just picked up your damn phone." george got up and left for your bedroom before you had a chance to react. but he did exactly what you needed—he gave you some time to think, to process, and to feel guilty for treating him poorly when all he had done was thinking of you.

you took out your phone and searched his name on twitter. the first thing coming up being exactly what you were looking for.

"it's unacceptable. it's actually unacceptable that someone can do this and live their life in peace. that person screwed her over — her name, her work, everything she represents. yeah, no, I can not deal with this shit. I mean, she is the most admirable person in this earth and people who can't deal with other's happiness just keep trying to mess that up. they wont succeed, though. she is incredible enough to not let that happen." "george, does it bother you that it was a fan of yours who came up with this?" "fan? sorry but that can't be called a fan. that is just a jerk who tried to ruin someone's life. does it bother me that is the love of my life being attacked? a lot. it drives me crazy. as I said before, I can't deal with this. I honestly think it would be easier if I was the one being attacked. I just can't understand why someone would do this to her. she always does what's best for others, she supports everyone, is always out there in the world fighting other's fights and this is how she is payed? it's not fair, it's just not fair." "i have only one more question for you. why did it take you so long to speak about this? even your teammate, lewis hamilton, talked about this the day it came out, and you're only just now coming clean." "well obviously I wanted to talk about this from the moment I saw it. it took a lot of me to not start a war right there. but we all know how fucked up the world is and how she would've been talked about if I came straight to interviews. she probably will even get a few comments about me but I couldn't keep it in. if she is not allowed to speak, I'll speak for her. that's how we work. we love each other and we support each other." "uh, i'm sorry george. not allowed?" "thank you for having me."

his face displayed anger, and he seemed more than ready to start a war. you couldn't help but smile throughout the whole video, feeling grateful for the man you had by your side.

and then it hit you—you had been treating him horribly when he didn't deserve it. in fact, he deserved the opposite. so, you got up and went to apologize.

opening the bedroom door, you saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the door. he had been waiting for you.

"I'm sorry," you said as you moved closer. he pulled you close by the waist, hugging your body, and you caressed his hair.

" you need to talk to me," he murmured against your belly.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry," you said, taking his head in your hands and forcing him to look up at you. "I promise you that from now on, we'll discuss everything. I love you so much."

"I love you too. you know that, right?" you nodded your head with a big smile. if this had shown you something, was that he loved you.

"I know, and I'm sorry for cutting you off when things went bad. that was really shitty of me." you looked up, admitting your mistakes.

"never do that again, I got so afraid. I thought I had lost you."

"I'll never do it again. I promise." you stuck out your pinky and he took it. sealing the promise with a kiss on your enlaced fingers.

[always-andromeda]

𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⟡ Joel Miller x F!Reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 ⟡ 1182

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 ⟡ Once upon a time, Joel Miller was the love of your life. Life, however, got in the way.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ⟡ I got to write this piece for @beskarandblasters's Taylor Swift Drabble Challenge. This song is one of my favorites off of Folklore and so I was immediately inspired by the prompt!! I highly recommend taking a look at the rest of the challenge masterlist too and sending the other creators on there some love!! Gorgeous divider by @saradika-graphics!!

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ⟡ smut (minors, do not interact), nipple play, fingering, pet names, reader has no physical description aside from being afab and able-bodied, spans from pre-outbreak to post-outbreak, mentions of guns, bits and pieces of angst, let me know if I need to add anything else!

Your youth was defined by Joel Miller. All of those delicate parts of yourself that you pretended not to see…he stared straight into the eye of the storm and protected the fragility within it. The most important thing about Joel: he was patient. To an almost frustrating degree.

He taught you how to drive with the stick shift in his beat up pickup truck. Afterwards, he showed you how to kiss properly. His hand cupping the back of your neck, he gazed at you through his lashes and asked if it was okay to kiss you. His voice smooth like molasses, you had no choice but to nod before immediately pressing your lips to his.

Even back then, Joel was a working man. His hands were rough with calluses, his mouth was filthy, and he put them both to good use. As he laid you across the bench seat of his truck, somewhere deep in your belly, you believed you could trust him. 

You supposed it was exciting for him, showing you how things were done. How a man could really use his hands to tell a woman exactly how he felt. The best Joel’s words could do came in the form of his sweet pet names.

Darlin’. Pretty girl. Baby. Honey.

Each of them wrapped up in his velvety tone and delivered specially for you. Sure, he spoiled you, but you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

On your twenty-first birthday, he was there for your first drink. He slowly nursed his beer, making sure to keep a level head as you danced around the bar. No matter how hard you attempted to throw yourself at him, he kept his hands to himself. And as soon as you started to get sleepy he drove you home and tucked you in before passing out on your living room couch.

The morning after he was teaching you even more. How to handle a hangover. How Joel sounded rasping, “Happy birthday, honey,” against the column of your throat. How to come with just his hands on your tits.

The trick was a nice, slow buildup. He’d pinch and pull at a nipple before leaning down to press kisses to it. You’d gasp as his teeth grazed your skin ever so slightly and a laugh would rumble through his own chest. Your cunt wept so badly it ached. Still, Joel refused to pay it any mind. Not until he had you whimpering and writhing beneath him.

Even as he was breaking your heart, it was slow; it was painful.

When he told you that he’d gotten another girl pregnant, you almost didn’t believe it. Sure he teased you, but this was a step too far. That was the first time you caught him deliberately averting your gaze. The second you detected that shame, you wanted to scream at him.

You’d never known him to be shy around other girls. But you’d also never known him to be so careless. That pristine picture you had of him was gone in an instant.

The second it was said, you retreated. Or you were discarded. You’d never been able to remember who was the last one to call the other only to be met with an answering machine. You suppose it didn’t really matter anymore.

Years passed and soon those memories turned into mementoes of an entirely different world overnight.

There have been many lovers since then; none as kind as he had been once upon a time. Then again, if Joel was still alive, he was most likely just as rough around the edges as any of the men you’d been with. In fact, you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t thought of him once since those days. You felt his calluses on every man’s hands, his thick fingers filling you, his stubble prickling your neck. Those men taught you many new things. The first being that patience wasn’t owed to anyone in a world where you could wake up dead. The second? Perhaps you didn’t want patience anymore.

After all, what had patience ever given you? When the world fell apart you got fuck all from simply waiting around for something to happen. You’d rather be torn apart by a clicker than get herded into a QZ where you’d scrounge for rations.

The first chance you got, you claimed a spot in a nomadic group. You did what you had to in order to prove your worth. The first time you shot a gun, as the smell of gunpowder filled your nostrils, you thought of Joel again. Tried to imagine him at your shoulder, chuckling and then muttering under his breath, “Dadgum, girl. Not bad.” 

Every single time you managed to take out one of those infected, you heard that smooth voice of his. It was equal parts frustrating and…comforting. Frustrating in that he had managed to linger this long. But also frustrating in the sense that that version of him no longer existed, if it ever did to begin with. It was like you’d never really left behind him, his honeyed words, his skilled hands, or his goddamn pickup. Joel Miller just…had a way of hanging over you. 

Jackson was a welcome reprieve from that cloud of grief. You were stubborn to the charms of that commune. You’d trusted more promising things before and been burned.

Those years really flew by. Old wounds finally began to close. With each passing kindness, it became easier to live again. For once home felt like a place you could tangibly hold instead of some far off fantasy. 

You were so content that by the time Tommy showed up one spring, you only saw it as a blessing. He was alive, goddamnit. It didn’t matter that his dark eyes were damn near the same shade as his brother’s. And it didn’t matter that the twang of Texas still lingered on his tongue. You simply told yourself what you’d been telling yourself for years.

Joel was just a man. A man who thought that because you were young, he had some sort of claim over your heart. His heart had never belonged to you. More importantly, yours hadn’t belonged to him. He made his mark and you’d paid your dues in heartache. That was all.

Which is why it felt all the more haunting when he showed up on your porch.

A little over three decades later and Joel’s right there in the flesh. Even with the town buzzing about his arrival, you suppressed any notion that he’d pay you a visit. But now he steps forward into the porch light and through the fog of his breath in the cold air, you catch how much he’s changed. He’s almost nothing like you remember. Silver dappled stubble, pursed lips, forehead wrinkling as he furrows his brow.

The expression falls as soon as he sees you. The crinkles by his eyes relax as his gaze softens. Just like it used to so long ago.

Yet you swear he hasn’t changed a lick when he finally speaks.

“Hey there, darlin’.”

[vodika-vibes]

Hello there! Congrats for the followers! For the bouquet requests, may I have Red Carnation (Deep Romantic Love) and Lilac (First Love) for Rex with f!reader and fluffsies? Where it's Rex's first relationship and maybe reader's pottering about in a balcony garden and snipping some flowers to put in a vase (like snapdragons, cornflowers, calendulas, and carnations) and he just loves reader's little mumblings and mumblings? Maybe a hug from behind from Rex (or for Rex? Don't mind!)?

I'm such a sap and so many of those flowers have a place in my heart, but these two (rose and pansy also but i could only put two in the bouquet haha!) are some of my favourite flowers of all time! I'm desperate fr spring and summer to see my plants come back up and see what self seeders have survived this mild December and very frozen January, so tha tmay show in this ask 😅

Take your time and no obligation <3

(@eternal-transcience)

Fairy Tales

Summary: It's a beautiful spring day, and you get to spend the day with the love of your life, Rex.

Pairing: Captain Rex x F!Reader

Word Count: 1020

Warnings: This is sappy

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: So, full disclosure, I only know how to repot plants because mom made me garden as a punishment as a child (so in my brain gardening is still a punishment) luckily, Home Depot has very handy gardening tips on their website. Also, I hope Rex is in character her. He's surprisingly hard to write. But I hope you enjoy it!

If someone were to ask you what your favorite time of year was, you would immediately answer the spring. You love watching the snow melt and feeling the bitter cold of winter fade into the gentle warmth of the spring.

But your absolute favorite part of spring is watching your flowers bloom.

Being able to wake up each morning and peeking out your window to see if there’s a hint of color on your balcony, it’s everything you love about the spring. 

And this year, this year you get to introduce your love of spring to your new boyfriend. You couldn’t be more excited if you tried.

Speaking of said boyfriend-

Strong arms slide around your waist and warm lips press against the back of your head, “You look like you’re having fun, mesh’la.” Rex murmurs against the back of your head, and then he shifts and rests his chin on your shoulder, “What are you doing, anyway?”

You flash him a small grin, “I’m repotting some of my plants. They’ve outgrown their smaller pots. Do you want to help?”

“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.” Rex warns as he tightens his arms around your waist, “I can’t exactly claim that I’m something of an expert on plants.”

A laugh slips from your lips, “Oh, Rex,” You set the pot you’re handling down on the table, and turn in his arms so you’re able to look at him properly, “You don’t have to be an expert, I’m happy to teach you.” You wrap your arms around his waist, “And if you’re not interested in learning, then I’ll be happy with your company.”

Rex’s smile is soft as he watches you, “I don’t mind helping. This is important to you, right? I want to learn so I can help you.”

You stare at him for a moment, and then you press your face against his shoulder, feeling like you’re about to melt into a puddle. How can this man be so soft and sweet? It should be illegal to love someone as much as you love him.

“Mesh’la?”

You pull away and grin up at him, “Sorry, I’m just thinking about how much I love you.”

He averts his gaze shyly for a moment, and you are unable to hide your giggles as you press your face back against his shoulder and inhale the scent that’s pure Rex.

You’ve never loved anyone as much as you love Rex.

All of those stories you read as a child, about True Love and happily ever afters, they always seemed like they were exaggerations. After all, you’ve been in love before, and it never felt like how the stories claimed. 

And then you met Rex.

Sweet Rex. Kind Rex. Gentle Rex.

Rex who smiles at you like you are his only source of joy. Rex who touches you like you’re made of the finest gemstones. Rex who managed to make you believe in Fairy Tales again, so long as it’s with him.

Rex, who’s never been in a relationship before you, but knows that you’re his happily ever after.

You release a love-struck sigh and turn your head slightly to look up at him. Rex is watching  you, and though you see his cheeks darken at the way you look at him, he just chuckles and presses his hand over your eyes, “You need to stop looking at me like that.”

“And how am I looking at you?” You ask as you duck under his hand.

“Like I hung the stars in the sky just for you.”

You laugh softly, your love struck smile becoming something smaller, but no less loving, “Is that so bad?”

He ducks his head and kisses the tip of your nose, “We’re also not going to get anything done if you keep looking at me like that.”

“Is this your way of saying that I need to focus?” You tease.

“I suppose one of us has to be the mature one,” He teases right back. Rex kisses your nose one last time, and then gently spins you so that you’re facing the table again, “So. Walk me through it.” He says as he slides his arms around your waist again.

“It’s really easy,” You reply, “First, you need to choose a pot. Which…I have already done, so you can skip that step.” He chuckles low in his ear and your face heats, “Shush, I didn’t think you would want to help, so I already bought everything I needed.”

Rex kisses your cheek, “Next time we can go together.”

“It’s a date,” You say brightly, “Anyway! You fill the new pot with soil, and then you remove the plant from the old pot and loosen the roots, and then stick it in the new pot, add more soil, water it and done!” You gesture to the green plant dramatically, “See, easy.”

You glance at Rex and see that he’s watching you with a look of adoration on his face.

“What?” You ask, suddenly feeling shy.

“I love you so much,” He murmurs.

Your face heats, but a delighted smile crosses your face, “I didn’t do anything special.”

“You don’t have to do anything special. You’re you. It’s more than enough.” Rex murmurs, and then he kisses your cheek again, “Is it always like this? Being in love?”

“I hope so,” You reply, “I thought I’ve loved before, but it never felt so…”

“So-?”

“Perfect.” You finish with a small smile, “Natural. Easy.”

He laughs softly, “Well, in that case, I’m glad that I fell for you first. I would hate to have a subpar experience.”

You laugh, “Well, I’m happy to be of service.”

His arms tighten a little more, and then loosen again, “Alright, let me try. I’m sure I can’t mess this up too badly.”

He releases you and moves to stand next to you, and you immediately turn to slide your arms around his waist.

You have no way of knowing what the future holds, but you hope that there’s a lot more of this. Soft and warm and happy, surrounded by flowers and love.

[ilguna]

☼ crowned (Finnick Odair) ☼

summary; you were the one to crown Finnick ten years ago, and now he's back in the games.

warnings; swearing,

wc; 2.6k

–

“I want you to stand right here, (Y/n).” Your father says, grabbing your shoulders and moving you over a foot to the left. “I will not allow you to hide behind me today.”

“I won’t.” You say, smoothing out your sky blue dress, “I wasn’t planning to.”

He gives you a look, telling you that he knows better than to believe your word, especially when you’ve said the same in the past. He’s unimpressed by your attitude, but he’s not going to expect you to apologize for it. He knows that when he gets fussy, you begin to get mouthy.

You look away from him, over the balcony and out to the colorful crowd that sits in the stands that surround the City Circle. You’re not really in the mood for another fight today, because that’s all you seem to do lately. You criticize his actions, he tells you that you’re dishonoring the Snow name, and the both of you end up pissed off and miserable.

Your mom has asked you several times to quit making him mad, because it’s not going to make the situation any better. That all it’s doing is putting a strain on your relationship, that’s already borderlining hatred. You’re not entirely sure what she wants from you—does she really want you to pretend to be happy with what he’s done?

Do they think you’re stupid? What are the chances of your father worrying about losing control of the country to rebels, and the Quarter Quell card reading that the victors have to go back inside? Which means that the same victors who are causing trouble, go back into an arena, and likely end up killed.

He’s sacrificing so many victors that fought hard to survive and make it out of the arena, just to eliminate a problem.

Your father knows how you feel about what he’s done. He cared about the distance you slowly started putting between you two, but recently he’s decided that he doesn’t care much anymore. Now you’re just waiting for him to call you a traitor too, or ask you if you care more about the District people than you do the Capitol people. 

In truth, there’s more of them there are of you. Why are you treating them this way, if you know that they possess the power to overthrow you? Before, they didn’t realize exactly how many numbers they had, and now that they have, he’s handling it the wrong way.

He’s not going to listen to you, though. No, your father has been ruling for decades, which means that your opinion is irrelevant. Even if it would save a lot of fighting.

“The chariots are coming out in fifteen seconds!” A coordinator harshly whispers from behind. Your face twists briefly, wondering why she couldn’t just say that normally.

You fix your hair, smooth down the dress, straighten your posture, hands clasped properly in front of you. The drumming begins, starting slow and quiet, gradually getting louder as more chariots pour through the doors. 

The victors they carry have no age limit. The first chariot is the brother and sister duo, Cashmere and Gloss, you remember seeing their Games when you were young. How amazing it was to see siblings win like that, something that had never been done before. You remember a temporary trend Cashmere set with glitter. You vaguely remember your tooth gems.

The next pair are Enobaria and Brutus. You recognize Enobaria, another Games you were able to watch. Her win was violent, and nothing for a child to watch, but you’re less surprised by her now. Her partner, Brutus, is a victor that must’ve won around Haymitch’s time—the last Quell. You had to do your own research on him.

Then there’s Beetee and Wiress, an impressive pair. You’ve met Beetee a good handful of times, solely because he does work here in the Capitol. He’ll create gadgets for trends for the citizens to use, and he’s also done more important work, like defense for the Capitol. He hasn’t done all the work, though, to prevent an issue happening later down the line. He’s very technical, fairly weird. He’s respectful, though. As for Wiress, you’ve seen her mentor around, but you’ve never spoken to her before.

You try to take a step forward to get a better look over the balcony, and your father’s head turns slightly in your direction, glaring at you from the corner of his eye. You move back to where he told you to stand.

You just wanted to see Finnick and Mags clearly. They’re the ones you’re upset for the most, for a number of reasons. Mags is entirely too old to be coming into the arena again, she’s so grandmotherly and her kindness will kill her in the Games. You’ve had a few conversations with her, and each time she’s wonderful to talk to.

As for Finnick’s, it’s a whole new story.

The first time you met Finnick Odair, you were thirteen years old. Your father had decided that he was no longer keeping you out of the Capitol publicity, because you were a teenager and needed to see the world how he saw it. The way he introduced you to the Capitol was by having you be with him every step of the way during the Sixty-Fifth Hunger Games.

Which is the Games that Finnick won, of course. Your father walked you through the entire process of the Capitol week, where the tributes are dressed up and tested to see where they stand. The next couple of weeks would be watching them inside of the arena, controlling their actions and ensuring that the right person wins. After, there’s an additional week to heal the victor from all the wounds they sustained inside of the arena. 

It was an interesting process, seeing how he could go from doing so little, to doing so much if something went wrong. You now know that it’s his perfectionism that gets the best of him. He wants to control everything, and when it goes haywire, that’s when he begins to crack down to regain it. 

He gave you one job to do the entire time you followed him, and it was to crown the victor.

You still remember following him on the stage, head bowed, hair in your face, carefully carrying the pillow that cushioned the crown. He said his congratulations to Finnick and took the pillow to free your hands. Your hands shook, you let out a breath to calm yourself down, taking the crown from the pillow, and gently placing it on Finnick’s brow.

You met Finnick’s hard green eyes, focused on your movements. When he realized that you were staring back at him, he lifted his head, and offered a smirk. You smiled back, it was small because you weren’t sure if you were allowed to, congratulated him, and then you took a step back.

Since, your father has done nothing but drag him through the dirt for the past decade.

This year, it seems as if Finnick’s stylists thought that showing skin was the best way to go. His tan skin is almost golden in the evening light, the shadows casting perfectly across his body. You have no doubt that his outfit is breezy, there’s nothing but a bunched up net at his crotch, and assuming his behind, too.

His smile is dazzling, even from this far away. You watch him wave and blow kisses to the stands around him, letting them throw gifts at him in return. Ones that he won’t even be able to pick up, let alone keep to have inside of the arena. The Capitol doesn’t care, they just want to show their appreciation.

Beyond Finnick, the other districts don’t necessarily matter to you. The tributes from Five are underwhelming and easily forgotten, you can’t even remember their names, despite watching the reaping recap again before the parade. The two tributes from Six are both addicts, and they do everything they possibly can to stay out of the spotlight.

The girl from District Seven won recently—Johanna Mason. You were on the edge of your seat the entirety of her Games, wondering if she was going to manage to pull through or not. You can’t say anything about her district partner, you don’t know his name either.

The tributes from Eight, Nine, Ten and Eleven are too old for you to know their names. There’s not a single doubt in your mind that your father knows. There’s been so many victors since he took power, and he crowned every single one of them, including the two that bring up the rear.

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the reasons why your father was desperate to change the letter to something more sinister. They’re a couple of teenagers, they’re going to make mistakes and screw shit up. It’s exactly what Finnick did, but he figured out how to keep the pacifier in your father’s mouth at some point. They need more time.

And now they’ll never get it.

The chariots come to a slow stop at the City Circle, waiting for your father to speak.

He steps away, though, motioning for you to step forward. Your lips part, face twisting in confusion, because this is a sudden change. You’ve seen him do this a dozen times before, but it’s different because it’s a Quell. It’s more important.

You step forward, not wanting to leave the people below waiting. When you get closer, you’re able to see over the balcony, and your eyes can’t help searching for the one person down there you care for the most. You find that he’s staring right back at you, waiting.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third Quarter Quell!” You shout, words echoing in the air.

The crowd cheers, the anthem begins to play. You watch as the chariots begin to move for the final time around the City Circle, before heading back to where they came from. As soon as the first chariot disappears through the Training Center doors, you’re turning to leave the balcony.

You bunch a handful of fabric in your hand.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Your father asks.

“To congratulate the victors.” You give him a look. He knows exactly where you’re going.

“You can’t be down there unattended, it’s dangerous.” He tries to shut you down.

“Half of them don’t even know who I am.” You shake your head, “I’ll be back.”

“(Y/n), you will not—!”

“Bitch about it later!” You start to jog down the hall, heading for the stairs. It’s faster than waiting for the elevator to bring you down. 

It’s three flights down the stairs, down a long hallway, and then a sharp right turn that brings you underneath the stands that line the street. It’s dim underneath here, there’s a few working lights but it’s obvious the bulbs need to be replaced.

You hike the dress up in the front, running down the path, feeling the breeze on your upper thighs from the speed you’re going. You’ve gotta catch them before the peacekeepers usher them out of the space. They’re under special orders this year to disperse any groups that form together, afraid of rebel planning.

It takes you two minutes to run from one end to the other. By the time you get to the door, you’re having a hard time breathing, your throat sore from sucking in air so aggressively. You take a second to smooth down your hair and fix your dress, since you had been jerking it from side to side while you ran.

You push through the door, and on the other side, you’re met with the sight of horses and chariots, and people. The victors that you had been staring at from above are in here, gathered with their mentors and escorts, probably talking about the change in announcement. It’s unusual that he would do it without planning it with you first.

You wander through the space, ignoring the few looks you receive, sticking out like a sore thumb. You don’t belong here, you look like a Capitol citizen gone rogue, trying to sneak in so that you can meet the people you’ll be seeing on television in a few days.

You find Finnick because of his height, and his bronze hair shining in the sunbeams through the high windows. You take your time wandering over, observing the way he talks to Mags, fixing a stray hair in her face, touching her cheek. They’re close, and you can tell that he’s worried about her already.

The stylists standing with him catch sight of you first, straightening like a stick and averting their eyes. You hate it when they react like you’re royalty. You’re nothing more than a girl with power that she doesn’t even want.

“Finnick.” You say, his head raises, and then he turns to see who said his name.

A smile hits his face instantly, “(Y/n).”

“Long time no see, darling.” You wink at him, joining the circle they’ve created. Your attention turns to his stylist, “It was a good idea, dressing him this way. I try not to gaze at the sun if I don’t have to, but he was too tempting.”

Finnick rolls his eyes at you, “Please.”

“Thank you.” His stylist says.

“Do you mind if we have a moment?” You smile.

“No, of course not.” The other stylist says, “We have the rest of the night to talk to him, I’m sure you’re busy.”

They take off together, heading for the elevators. You look at Mags, who has her head tilted in your direction, disapprovingly. You ignore the expression, holding your arm out for her to hug you. She squeezes you tightly, head on your shoulder, before pulling away.

“So what have you been up to, princess?” Finnick asks, “I see you had a new job this year?”

“It wasn’t planned, I was just as surprised as you were.” You laugh.

“How mad was he this time?”

“Oh, pretty pissed. Apparently you’re all just a bunch of dangerous animals down here, and I shouldn’t be unattended. As if there aren’t a dozen peacekeepers crawling around here.” You glance over your shoulder, and find one standing nearby, watching you three.

Finnick makes a face.

You let out a sigh, “I’m sorry it has to be this way. I tried to convince him to change the rules, I really did. He won’t listen to me though, he thinks that the damage has been done, and he needs to embrace it to a certain extent.”

“We’ve got it figured out, (Y/n). You don’t have to worry about us.” Finnick says, offering you a halfway smile.

“That’s the only thing I do anymore.” You admit, “I didn’t want you to go back inside of the arena.”

“Let me guess, you tried to get him to rig the reaping?”

“In yours and Mags’ favor, yes.” You shake your head, “He told me to let everything fall into line, and to stop fucking with destiny. I don’t understand him anymore.” You look back at Finnick, “Regardless, I had to come down here at least once to talk to you. I won’t be able to do it again.”

“I’m glad you were able to in the first place.”

“Me too. It’s nice seeing you guys.” You cross your arms, “Well, good luck, and try not to do anything stupid like getting yourself killed.”

Finnick laughs, “No promises.”

“And um—one more thing. I’ve pulled some strings, people owe me favors. If there’s anything you need in the arena, just say it out loud. It’ll come.” You smile.

“Thank you, (Y/n).” Finnick opens his arms for a hug.

You try not to with him in public spaces, it’ll give people the wrong idea. Their first thoughts might go to the fact that you’re friends, but if they see you do it too often, then it travels further.

You hug Finnick, squeezing him tightly.

[lovelessrage]

Hi! I've been trying to educate myself on various aro and ace experiences and concepts, and I find your blog really helpful with that. However, I have a question about lovelessness that I wonder if you could help me with?

While reading a post about lovelessness that seemed influential (https://aroworlds.com/2019/07/16/i-am-not-voldemort-an-essay-on-love-and-amatonormativity/) I started thinking about families and the responsibilities of parents. I know someone (not aro or ace) who has struggled a lot in their adult life because their parents showed little emotion/tried to repress bad emotions to protect their children, and who never told their children that they loved them. This person feels unworthy of love today and has been going to therapy for years to try to manage it. Obviously it's very complicated and no one can know for certain where this person's issues stem from, but I was just curious to hear about a loveless person's opinion on this topic.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, do you think loveless parents have a responsibility to show their children love / tell them that they are loved even if they (the parent) does not actually experience love?

Would be very grateful for a response and I hope this does not come across as rude 🙏

Well, I think, at least in my personal opinion, there's many ways to show affection to children beyond saying "love". The thing is, children learn what you teach them. If you teach them love as the final frontier, the wholeness of your care, and then take it from them, they'll notice its absence. So, you... don't base your child's worth on love! You base it on something else.

If you tell a child you care for them, you want the best for them, you are proud of them, etc. from an early age, they can still feel cared for without "love" needing to be said. You can show affection in a lot of ways! You just need to show your child those ways and establish early that you still care, even if you don't use the same language other parents might use. Kids can recognise when they were raised differently, so a parent should be ready to have conversations about why they're different from their peers. It can be a good way to introduce your child to the fact it's okay to be different than people around them, and that they don't need to be exactly like every other family.

The main holding point is the expectation that someone would teach their child that love is absolute and then refuse to give it to them; this just isn't realistic. Any loveless parent who wants healthy kids isn't going to enforce love normativity just to dissapoint their children by not being able to give it. How someone cares for their child varies, and it's a conversation you can have properly when they're old enough to understand. But, in the meantime, there's many, many ways to have a child feel safe and secure without saying "I love you". It's about building their confidence and support network, not establishing love as the most important thing in the world so you can tell your toddler they can't have it. THAT'S how you screw up a baby. When they're older and can understand more complex concepts, you can talk about the word "love" as a family and what it means to you and your child. It'll depend on each and every person what comes of that, but regardless, it's important to reaffirm love isn't necessary for that child to be an important part of your life.

They have an obligation to show their child they are wanted, they are welcome, they are safe with you, and they are cared for; this doesn't necessitate love. All it takes are dedicated parents willing to put in the work required for raising a baby, and make sure their child knows they mean the world to them without using the word "love".

[Plus, from personal experience as someone who did get told I was loved by my family? It didn't help me out. At all. Mostly because the word meant nothing when they did not back it up with anything. Love only means as much as you put into it.]

[penncilkid]

Today is March 28th, 2024.

It marks exactly one year since, on a whim, I joined a Discord call. I've referred to it as "Robocop Day" since discovering the date because I joined the call after watching Robocop for homework and decided "Fuck it, if they're still on call, why not join?"

Words cannot properly capture/express how that was one of the best decisions I could've made.

To sit and think about all the ways I have changed for the better in this year is absolutely insane sometimes. I was so nervous to join that night, I barely knew anyone in the Redacted fandom and had barely gotten to know anyone outside of Angie (shoutout to thefablefoxart, go check her out /gen). But in that moment, for whatever reason, my brain was like "Do it. Go join this call. At least give it a try." So I did— And promptly got roped into a multi-hour ramble about one of many Darlin OCs (/lh /pos).

This account would not be what it is without these people. Neither would my art, my writing, my channel, and more. There are so many ways I have grown and so many things I've been able to try in this year of knowing this group of people, and I cannot wait for all that's to come still. So, without further ado, I'm gonna put the people in this group chat on blast (lovingly /lh):

@latenightsleeper: Sleeper Beeper, as Cupid calls you, you are such a force to be reckoned with. You are elusive but nonetheless loved and cherished. You are an incredible storyteller, even if 99% of the time you're simply finding new ways to rip my heart to shreds. I know life kicks your ass more often than not (which is should stop doing, frankly /lh), but I hope you know how important you are to me and how I would rain hellfire at the drop of a hat for you. I've been very lucky to get to know someone like you, and I hope I get to continue gaining your lore, as you put it.

@cashandprizes: Miss Alexis Moonlight, it is no secret how much you have improved my quality of life. Even when you're fussing at me, I know it's out of love and it simply makes me a better person in the long run. Any time spent with you, be it online or face to face, is truly a blessing in more ways than one. I've said before and I'll say it again, you are someone who makes me feel incredibly safe and secured, especially on my harder days. And that is something I will never take for granted. You are such a visionary, even when you don't always give yourself credit for it. I'm always in awe of the things you manage to cook up, regardless of the form they take. I hope that someday I can repay you even a fraction of everything you've done for me.

@mr-laveau: Veau, candidate for the leader of the PK fanclub (alongside Frenchie and Lexi Moon if I'm not mistaken? /lh), it's no secret that I am one of your biggest cheerleaders. And I intend to maintain that title because you are incredible. You are an insanely talented artist, voice actor, and writer, and I don't care anyone else tries to convince you. You are also one of the kindest people I have met when it comes to people you care about/look out for. It's insane for me to think that this singular extended invitation could have allowed me a chance to get to know so many amazing people in the long run. I am so happy to have met you. You have helped me be self-indulgent with the things I make and have pushed me to not only go after the things I want, but be kinder to myself along the way. No amount of words I could give to you will ever encompass all that you mean to me.

And one bonus party:

@wingless-cupid: Cupid, you may not have been there for the creation of this group chat, but you are absolutely a core member of it now. You've been stuck with me for far longer than the rest of these guys, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna pass up on the opportunity to appreciate you and our friendship as well. Life is a bitch to you, but you keep pushing on and I'm so happy to have witnessed it all on the sidelines. Your creativity and execution of such is insane to see in the best way possible. Even if we're threatening each other with violence every other minute, I know that you have my back. And I hope you know I have yours as well.

So yeah. Who is this post for? Mostly me. But I also think everyone I've mentioned is amazing and worth checking out. Thanks for being in my life, guys /pos

[gojoluvrrx]

One call away || Zack Fair x Any!Reader [NSFW]

MINORS DNI!!

Character: Zack Fair, Final Fantasy series

Summary: Your loving boyfriend, Zack, has been away for a few days now. It's become unbearable for not only him, but also for you. Not being able to touch each other had more of an impact than both of you had anticipated.

Tags: 18+ content, modern AU (kind of)

Warnings: Dirty talk, masturbation, M!sub, phone sex

Words: 975 words

One day turned into two, two turned into three and so on. Every single day you had a spark of hope he would finally come back, but he didn't. Just like every other time.

Zack knew it upset you, but both of you understood that there wasn't anything either of you could do about it. Work was important as well. And as much as Zack would love to be with you, he couldn't. People were counting on him.

You zapped through the channels once more as you let out a heavy sigh. There wasn't anything interesting to watch on TV, and you weren't in the mood to go out either. All you could think about was your boyfriend.

You let the top part of your body rest against the headboard of the bed, being careful not to spill the freshly made breakfast on your lap. You made it the same way he would, hoping it would ease the loneliness you've been feeling the past few days.

Just as you were about to check your phone, it chimed softly. At first you expected it to be one of your best friends, but no, you read the name 'Zack <3' in big, bold letters.

You picked up your phone, and quickly unlocked it, not wanting to waste any more time. You immediately thought of the worst. He never really texted when he was out and about, usually he'd call you without asking if you're available first.

Zack <3: Hey, do u have time right now?

You: Sure, anything wrong?

Zack <3: No.. it's just, I need you really bad right now.

Without another warning, your phone's ringtone went off and once again you saw his name on your screen. You sat down upright, moving the phone away from your face to make sure everything was visible.

Zack <3: Like really bad.

You were greeted by his beautiful, flushed face. You could tell from the background that he was sitting in one of the bathroom stalls at his work. "Hey, are you okay? Your face is all red, babe?" You questioned, noticing how he was panting and everything.

"I need you so fucking bad, baby. I can't stand being without you." He replied as he unbuttoned his shirt while his gaze was completely focused on you. You knew exactly what he meant and quickly put aside the breakfast from your lap. You set your phone down on your nightstand and turned your body towards it, slowly lifting up your way too big t-shirt.

You could feel your whole body get more and more excited as you noticed Zack had pointed his camera at his boxers, showing how the fabric hugged around his large cock.

As soon as you had taken off your shirt, you immediately slid off your shorts and threw them on the floor. Your eyes trailed all over his body when he set down his phone, just like you did. His open shirt revealed his well-built body, but you just couldn't keep your gaze away from his lubed up dick.

"I need you to touch yourself.. please." Zack whimpered as he touched the tip of his cock, slowly letting his thumb rub over it. He threw his head back into the wall, already panting and moaning at every pump he made. "Shit.. I wish you were here to touch me. I'd be so good for you." He muttered, picking up the pace when he noticed how you were lost in all the pleasure. All you could think about was having his throbbing cock inside of you.

Zack's moans soon got more and more frequent, just like yours. "I want you so bad.. please.. please baby. I- I can't." He whimpered, trembling after every few thrusts into his hand. He was a mess. A mess just for you, to destroy whenever you pleased. That's exactly what he wants you to do, he wants to be edged until he can't talk properly.

You felt yourself getting closer, feeling a shiver go down your spine when you hit just the right spot. "You're such a good boy for me, Zack." You whispered as your eyes were glued to your boyfriend.

Oh how you wish you were the one touching him like that.

"I'm so close-" Zack panted, his eyes soon looking up at you, they were filled with tears of how good he felt. Just for you.

"Can you come for me, hm? Together with me?" He quickly nodded in response, his mouth wide open with drool dripping down from it.

He started thrusting faster into his hand, lubing it up even more with the precum that had already come out. You felt heat rise to your cheeks as you felt yourself just on the edge to come.

"I'm gonna- ah!" Without being able to finish his sentence, Zack was shaking as he came all over his chest and shirt. It was only a matter of seconds before you came as well. Both of you were completely out of breath, a short silence as you came down from your high.

You chuckled softly as you looked over at your phone, seeing how Zack had completely destroyed himself in the process. "You were a great help, babe, but I think I should hurry back. They'll worry if I'm gone any longer." He laughed. Your heart simply warmed up at the sight of his bright smile. "That's okay. I love you. I hope you'll still be able to walk out of there." You teased, his face flushing a bright red as he picked up his phone. He shrugged it off with another laugh.

"I love you too, by the way." Zack quickly blew an air kiss towards his camera as a goodbye.

That was the last thing you heard before he hung up and you were left still aching for more.

[thesherrinfordfacility]

i can't wait until more time has passed and our emotions have settled and we are able to properly analize this season because i am THE MOST CURIOUS what your idea of a satisfying ending is to this story, taking into account that Neil has answered that he has plotted season 3 in a way for it to be satisfying, and i mean that from both the second coming storyline and, most important for my emotional health, the husbands' romantic storyline

*cracks knuckles* let's do this @swansdreaming✨

tbh, and y'all might come for me on this, the satisfying ending to me won't be a full on Everything Is Okay Now and We're Loving Happily Ever After. aside from the fact that im not sure that's GO-style in the first place, i think that there would need to be a LOT of ground to make up in six episodes to reach that point.

neil has said that they get a cottage in the south downs iirc (can't remember exactly how he worded it), and that i could see happening. i could see literally the end scene being that they have a slightly awkward but genuine, all-cards-have-already-been-laid-bare but i-do-love-you-please-never-doubt-that dinner at the Ritz (bc of course), and aziraphale - harking back to the Nothing Lasts Forever moment - decides to sell the shop, to begin again together rather than separately, on equal footing, and put the money into the cottage. gives crowley the listing, with something along the lines of, "we could start building forever here."

and i think leaving it somewhat there, and open to the interpretation of the audience, would be the most genuine thing that could happen. that's thousands of years of hurt compounded into a season, and it'll take some time to get over... so it'll need to be left slightly open ended, maybe with crowley just saying, "yeah... that could work.", and maybe another fond look over the champagne or something.

i toyed with the idea that if they somehow come face to face with Her, that they might be given the choice to become human... and they both actively choose to a) decide together, for their side, and b) ultimately refuse, because they both want that forever to literally be for eternity. they're earth's guardians, after all.

heaven and hell will still exist but be in equal balance, possibly not even really having changed much at all... just that post-war, they are under new management with the promise that things will Change... but it won't ultimately matter to either of the boys because they have something more important to them than whatever heaven/hell get up to... not everything can have a happy ending.

so that's the emotional side done - tbh i have no idea re: the second coming, because other than the pretty obvious (to me anyway) indication that it's greasy johnson, we don't have a lot to go on... metatron will have died or st idk, plans to thwart the Ineffable Plan in turn thwarted, and everything calmly exists in balance once again.

so no idea on the second coming, but maybe the bits on our boys will tide you over?✨💓💓

[xxcatzladyxx]

Demon Slayer Advent Calendar | Day Five | Inosuke x Reader | The meaning of christmas

written by @lupina36

~~~

"I just don't get it!" Inosuke shouted angrily at you.

You could only sigh. You've been sitting here with the boar-headed boy for a little over three hours now, trying to explain the principle of Christmas presents to him as idiotically as possible. It had all started when Inosuke had wanted to challenge you to a fight again and had watched you wrap a present for Tanjiro's sister Nezuko and put a pretty little bow on it at the end.

When he asked you what you were doing, you explained that you were preparing a Christmas present for Nezuko. Of course, Inosuke was not familiar with the word Christmas. After all, he had grown up in the mountains and the animals there certainly didn't celebrate Christmas that often.

So you put your present aside to explain Christmas and what it was all about to Inosuke.

You took a deep breath to collect yourself before asking, "Okay, what exactly didn't you understand about that?"

"EVERYTHING!" came the prompt reply. The volume almost made you fall backwards in shock. "You said a child was born at Christmas. And this child was some kind of saint or king. But it was born in a stable," he tried to summarize what you had said so far. "Yes, because there was nothing left in the inn," you nodded, relieved that some of this had obviously stuck in his head. You had feared you would have to explain everything to him twice and three times.

It was by no means the case that Inosuke was stupid, it just sometimes took him a while to internalize certain things properly. You just had to be patient.

"I still don't understand what the whole thing has to do with a fat guy in a red coat who's traveling in a flying sleigh and handing out presents to everyone," Inosuke snorted and you wanted to clap your hand over your forehead.

This time you were obviously the one who realized too late what it was all about. The boy had actually been able to follow your explanations, but just couldn't make a direct connection between the birth of Jesus and the story of Santa Claus. If you were honest, you couldn't really do that either.

"What does the birth of a baby have to do with this fat man sneaking into houses and leaving things there? What's the point of that anyway? Why does he do that?" asked Inosuke. Unfortunately, you had to admit that you didn't know the answer. You had heard your mother's stories about Santa Claus so often, but you had never really understood what it had to do with a newborn baby.

"I can't give you an answer to that either," you admitted.

"All I know is that people give each other presents at Christmas". "HÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ! Why is that? I thought it was the guy in the red coat! Then why should we give presents too?" Inosuke wondered. "I don't get it! It makes me angry!" and before you knew it, he was banging his head against the nearest tree.

A few small branches fell and landed in the soft snow.

"Inosuke, calm down! I can tell you why you give presents to your friends and family at Christmas. You do it to show them how important they are to you and that you value them," you explained to him. "You are important to me! Why isn't it enough if I just tell you that?" Inosuke suddenly said, bringing a slight blush to your cheeks. "Because it's an old tradition. You express your appreciation for others by giving them a present at Christmas," you replied once you had regained your composure.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" went Inosuke, suddenly running into the forest without warning!

You were sitting on the veranda of the butterfly mansion and could only stare after him in bewilderment. "What's wrong with Inosuke?" Tanjiro asked you, who now also appeared on the veranda and looked after Inosuke, equally confused. "I have no idea. I was just trying to explain to him why people give each other presents at Christmas and then he suddenly ran off," you explained.

At that moment, Tanjiro's gaze fell on the beautifully wrapped present for Nezuko, which was still lying next to you on the veranda.

"Who is this for?" he asked curiously. "Oh, it's a new kimono for Nezuko. I saw it in the store in town the other day and thought I'd buy it for her," you replied rather casually, as your thoughts were still preoccupied with Inosuke's behavior.

Only a few seconds later did you realize that Tanjiro was staring at you. "Really?" he whispered almost breathlessly, still staring at you. There was a glint in the corner of his eye.

"Yes, Christmas is coming soon. The few weeks until then will pass quickly and I was thinking that Nezuko might be happy about it. Just because she's become a demon doesn't mean she can't celebrate Christmas with us," you said and the very next moment you found yourself in two warm arms and pressed firmly against a chest.

"That's so nice of you! Nezuko will definitely be happy about your present"; you heard the brown-haired man sobbing quietly. You had the impression that he was more pleased about the gift than the person it was actually intended for. You returned his hug with a gentle smile.

Inosuke didn't come back all day or in the evening and you started to worry.

You hoped that nothing had happened to him. On the other hand, if anyone knew their way around the woods, it was Inosuke. He could certainly take care of himself. Nevertheless, you were still worried when you went to bed and hoped that he would soon reappear unharmed.

When you opened your eyes the next morning, your gaze immediately fell on your bedside table, on which stood the biggest pine cone you had ever seen.

A pretty red ribbon was wrapped around the pine cone.

You didn't have to think long about who the pine cone had come from and felt your heart beat a little faster. Is that why he had run into the forest so suddenly? He must have spent hours looking for it.

Next to the pine cone was a piece of paper on which someone had written something in neat handwriting. You recognized Tanjiro's handwriting immediately.

(name)! I asked Tanjiro if he could write this note for you for me. I hope this Christmas present is enough to express my appreciation for you. All the best and Merry Christmas. Inosuke.

You read through the note a few more times and were sure that Tanjiro had glossed over Inosuke's words a little, as the boar boy would certainly never express himself so politely and selectively. Nevertheless, you were very happy about the letter and especially the present, even if Inosuke still didn't really understand the principle of Christmas presents.

[scarlet--wiccan]

What would be your ideal dynamic for wanda and vision in a current comic? I like both characters and I appreciate their relationship in the past but I don’t like the thought of them being together again (not just because of Jericho but because of all the baggage). I wish they could be good friends. They have a history but it’s not who they are

Well, I definitely don't want them to get back together as a couple. There are many reasons, but in terms of Wanda's characterization, I think that it would undermine her growth and maturity.

Wanda's publication history is pretty clearly divided into two periods-- before Disassembled/House of M, and after. Her character, post-HoM, has been defined by regret and trauma in way that she never really had been before, with her primary motive becoming redemption. The traumatic events and the layers of sexism, ableism, etc. in her writing had been adding up for years before Disassembled, but that event took things to an unprecedented level of cruelty, in both the treatment of the character, and in the message it sent about... basically everything Wanda represents.

In my mind, the only way to move forward from that is to textually acknowledge and interrogate all of the ways in which that storyline was messed up. That still hasn't happened, at least not in a way that is fully satisfying to me, but writers have certainly tried. I think, for Wanda, the most important thing is to let her acknowledge the injustices that she was subjected to, and show that she has chosen to seek healing and restitution.

In other words, she needs to have a marked shift in growth and maturity. She cannot ever be the same person she was in the 70s, 80s, or even the 90s. To be clear, Wanda's redeemed herself several times over, but I believe that the weight of her experiences and the strength gained from her survival need to remain at the core of her characterization, especially for all of her recent magical prowess and personal victories over her past abusers-- namely Chthon-- to feel earned.

Obviously, it should be possible for a character to reunite with an old lover and lose all of their personal growth, but this is Marvel Comics. Characters cycle back to older character treatments, older relationships, even older personalities all the time. I mean, a huge part of the early Krakoa era was about gently resetting characters to their most evergreen iterations. That's fine, it's part of the medium, but I think Wanda needs to stay out of that cycle, and I just don't have faith that the writers and editors will be able to put her and the Vision together without giving into nostalgia, to say nothing of the M C U synergy.

I have loads of other objections, but here are the main two--

1) Wanda and Vision have a ton of recent baggage, from just the last decade. Vision was cruel to her in AvX; he went through something very heavy and traumatic with Virginia, which was also kind of messed up for Wanda; and— this is the big one— they were mutually raped in Secret Empire. The text does not properly acknowledge that fact, but that's because Secret Empire was a really fucked up book in the first place.

2) I think the fact that Wanda and Jericho's relationship never got any serious page time or development after Uncanny Avengers is a crying shame, and I think that it is in part due to racism. Breaking them up before they get their time to shine would be a huge disappointment, and I feel like doing it so unceremoniously just to pander to Wanda//Vision fans, let's be honest, would feel kinda antiblack. To me! I'm just saying!

Anyways, here's Vision, Wanda, and Jericho (& Clint!) having a lunch together in Avengers: No Road Home. They're pals, Wanda and Vision are friendly exes who care about each other a lot, but they're just very different people from who they were back when they were together. That is exactly how I want their dynamic to be written in the upcoming Avengers.

[sophierequests]

go to sleep, love

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Request

Pairing: David Kostyk x gn! Reader

A/N: This is very short and very random, but I haven't written anything for David in a hot second, so I thought it would be nice to have something sweet and short to show that I haven't forgotten about my boy. Also, @juneberrie is celebrating 100 followers (go follow her, she's very swag), and since she was the first person to spark my love for writing about David, I think it's only fair to dedicate this to her <3

Summary: A brief glance into the life of a workaholic and his tired partner.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 708

Warnings: None

“Darling, do you have any idea how late it is?” The heavy safety door to the workshop clicked shut behind you as you sauntered towards David, who was still busying himself with the outlines of some new - and utterly extensive - project that Nikolai wanted to be finished as soon as possible.

“Kuwei ‘accidentally’ destroyed our only working clock last week, so actually I don’t.” He mused, carefully adjusting a piece of metal to fill a gap between two other metal disks. You had always been amazed by how delicately he managed to work with such harsh and unwelcoming material.

You walked up behind him, wrapping your arms around his body and putting your chin on his shoulder as you watched what he was doing. It almost looked like a mechanical part that one might find in a steam engine of some sort, however, knowing Nikolai, this probably had something to do with one of his newest flying ship projects - which you admittedly hated, yet never dared to say out loud.

“Love,” He turned his head to press a faint kiss on your cheek. “As much as I enjoy your presence, you’re not exactly giving me much space to work with.”

“David, it’s almost midnight, don’t you think you should give it a break and continue tomorrow?” You sulked, giving him the best puppy eye impression you had in stock.

“It won’t be too long, Y/N. Just give me fifteen minutes more and I’m done.”

“The last time you told me that you’d only work for ‘fifteen minutes more’ you continued working for three hours.” He knew that you were right - keeping track of time wasn’t necessarily his forté. And he also knew that you wouldn’t give in until he was done. “And the bed is so cold without you.”

“Alright, I’ll just finish adjusting these two components and then I’ll join you.” You seemed to be satisfied with that answer, halting your attempt at lovingly smothering and giving him a bit more space to properly finish his work.

The additional parts were rather small, seemingly merely as big as the nail on your thumb. In comparison to the rest of the mechanism, they seemed more or less minuscule. But of course, every single element played an important role in the proper function of the machine.

David turned them over in his hands multiple times, checking for any scratches or impurities that might impact their usefulness. However, tiredness seemed to have taken a slight toll on him too, because before he was able to set them back down again, one of the parts slipped from his hand, falling onto the floor with a brief metallic clink.

“Wait, I’ll get them for you.” You offered, already leaning down to reach for the part under his desk. He wanted to disagree, very well aware of your, well, clumsy disposition. And before you could dive back up, he put one of his hands over the sharp corner of his wooden desk - which you would have definitely hit your head on. Instead, the back of your head only slightly bumped against his hand.

When you noticed what he had done, you couldn’t help but give him a playful grin. He knew you so well.

“I thought you might appreciate not going into the night with a headache, my dear.”

“Oh shush.” He took the parts from your hand, wiping off some of the dirt and continuing to align them with the rest of the engine. A satisfying click told you that he had successfully merged the components with each other.

“Done?” You asked cautiously, observing his hands while he let them hover over his creation one more time.

“Done.” David smiled, taking your outstretched hand and allowing you to drag him off his creaky office chair. Upon standing up he realized how tired he actually was, his legs already wobbly as he tried to regain his balance.

“Someone is in desperate need of a nap. Or a coma.” You considered, enticing a small breathy laugh from your partner.

“Let’s just say I’m in desperate need of sleep.”

“You should be glad that you have me to annoy you into developing healthy habits. Well, healthier habits.”

“I’m always glad to have you, dear.”

Taglist:

Grishaverse in general: @yesshewrites1 @dal-light

David Kostyk: @juneberrie

[rd0265667]

Haerin x M!Reader: The Villain(Part 4)

1.1k words

3rd Person's POV

It had been a month since Y/N agreed to train Haerin. From just this short period, Haerin felt like her fighting skills had increased tremendously.

First, Y/N had taught her how to better use the shadows and element of surprise to her advantage. How to subdue a group of enemies before any reaction. These skills weren't aptitude based, all of these were things Haerin had the capacity to carry out, but she had never even thought of doing these. She had been putting too much faith in her precognitive abilities to actually learn in depth regarding martial arts. He taught her to read her opponents, find weaknesses to exploit.

Second, Y/N had taught her many useful martial arts, all usable for offense, defense, or both. These styles included Wing Chun, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Krav Maga, and other similar forms. In Y/N's words, "Jack of all Trades isn't good, so be a Master of All" With using all these forms, being able to use hybrids and even switch up the styles mid fight, she would be able to flummox even seasoned fighters

Third, Y/N had taught her some weapons she could incorporate into her arsenal. A big hole in her offense, according to Y/N, was that she was a hand to hand fighter, which offered no reach or no range whatsoever, another reason that Y/N could beat her so easily before. Sticking with Haerin's gist of close quarter's combat though, and after some input by Haerin, Y/N and Haerin designed a new weapon for her to use.  A collapsible Bo Staff and a hand mounted magnum that fired non lethal rounds. Then, with the similarities between a Scythe and a Bo Staff, Y/N could also teach her the ways to best use the Bo Staff in offense and defense. Lastly, Y/N had taught her how to properly case an environment, the importance of which Y/N demonstrated with The Flash Season 1 Episode 8. Once Barry got shot with the arrow, Haerin looked at Y/N apprehensively, before Y/N chuckled, ruffling her hair and saying, "I'm not going to shoot you my Goyangi-ah, that's why I showed you instead of demonstrating it." "HEY!" Haerin grumbled, turning away to hide her blushing face. "Lets practice now." Y/N said, as Haerin held his scythe with her, teleporting to the Seoul National Bank. "This is the Seoul National Bank, the Police report at least 15 assailants present. They have taken 30 hostages outside the Bank Vault. How would you case the environment?' Y/N asked, as Haerin looked from her bird eye's view, assessing the location as Y/N looked with her, but occasionally stealing glances of Haerin, noticing how her cat shaped eyes would flare when she saw a potential danger point, and how her nose would scrunch when she thought of how best to engage the situation

'Cute' Y/N thought to himself

Haerin knew, of course, Y/N wasn't exactly subtle, but she didn't want him to stop. It made her feel weird, but in a good way, when Y/N would look at her. What exactly that feeling was, she doesn't know.

Haerin had been sparring with Y/N, training her martial art skills. Now, it was time for a small test. Y/N chose an open field as the fighting location. No need to case the environment, but it took away a big part of Haerin's arsenal, cover to avoid attacks, as well as no way to catch the opponent off guard. As Haerin and Y/N prepared to fight, Y/N shouted out, "Wildcat! Headgear off. No powers!" He shouted out, as Haerin grumbled. Y/N planned this fight to be as disadvantageous for her as possible. "You're mean!" Haerin said, pouting

"The villains will be meaner." Y/N said, as he brandished his Scythe. Haerin raised her short staff, pressing a button that caused it to shoot out on both sides, as her Bo Staff flourished out, as she assumed an offensive position, before being shocked, as Y/N immediately attacked her with a fury of attacks. She was not used to this, Y/N had always been on the defensive, parrying her attacks, but now, for the first time, she was experiencing what it was like when Y/N was the offense, but thankfully, Y/N was a good teacher. Despite only using a staff for a short while, Haerin proved herself to be a formidable fighter and a quick learner, as she parried, blocked and dodged, all the while familiarizing herself with Y/N's attack pattern and style, finding any blind spots she could exploit. As Y/N striked down on Haerin, instead of blocking the attack like Y/N expected, Haerin dodged to her right, before landing a solid hit to Y/N's stomach. "Excellently Done Haerin-ei" Y/N said, stumbling a little "More." He said, before he lunged at her once again

Y/N jumped up, striking down at Haerin, as Haerin dodged once again, before Y/N twisted his body, kicking her across the face as she fell to the ground. "Never use the same move twice. Your enemies will not hesitate to exploit it. Get up." Y/N said, extending his hand out to Haerin, who reached her hand up, grabbing Y/N then grappling him the ground, as he found himself on his back, as Haerin was on top of him, faces dangerously close "Umm, Haerin-ei, could you let me up?" Y/N said, chuckling a little, but unable to stop himself from looking at her lips. Haerin looked at him, her heart pounding as she finally got the answer to her question. What was she feeling? She thought back to her last month with Y/N. The way he would take care of her after Training, the movie marathons, him making her dinner and food that he found out he liked. There was even that one time when Haerin cuddled with Y/N while watching Shrek 2, as Y/N began joking about Haerin being Puss in Boots, as Haerin pouted and whined when he had said that. The way her heart fluttered when he called her his Goyangi, the way he, was just him. She knew now. Love. That was the only answer. She quickly grabbed Y/N's Face, kissing him on the lips deeply as he was too stunned to respond. Haerin quickly drew back, a blushing mess as Y/N slowly realized what had happened, before he muttered something to himself softly. "What was that?" Haerin asked, worried that he did not like it. "I said we can do it longer if you want to." Y/N said, as they both blushed. "Another time, Jagiya, maybe." Haerin said, as Y/N's blush deepened, as she mentally fist pumped, finally finding an answer to Goyangi. "So what are we?" Y/N slowly asked

"It depends on what you say now isn't it." Haerin asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Hmph, fine, Kang Haerin, will you be my girl-" Y/N couldn't finish her sentence before Haerin hugged him so tight he swore something popped.

"Yes, I will." Haerin said, as Y/N held her close, as they laid there on that flat field, just being together.

[this-account-doesnt-exist]

Gundam Wing Secret Operation (1996) Side A (Part 3)

Heero = H; Duo = D; Quatre = Q; Trowa = T; Wufei = W; Treize = TR; Zechs = Z

~~~

Q: Operation One: The Secret of the Winner Family.

~~~

[Knocks on door]

TR: You may enter.

Z: Pardon my intrusion, your Excellency. I’ve came to deliver the report.

TR: Good work, Zechs. You came at the perfect timing.

Z: Your Excellency, are you plotting something devilious again?

TR: (chuckles)That is quite an unflattering way to word it.

Z: Having known you for so many years, I have learnt to read your expressions. So, what do you have in mind today?

TR: I was going to tell you from the beginning, even if you hadn’t frown at me like that. Read this for me, will you? (impression of computer sounds).

Z: This information! It can’t be… 

TR: It is exactly what you are thinking of. It is the personal information of the Gundam pilots.

Z: I have heard that despite the fact that Lady Une was put in charge of gathering information about the Gundams, they have yet to uncover the identities of the five pilots. Where on earth did you manage to find this information?

TR: That is…a secret.

Z: Your Excellency!

TR: I know everything. For example, let’s see…Would you like me to tell you Lieutenant Noin’s measurements?

Z: Treize!

TR: There, there, don’t be so upset, Milliardo. You are as uptight as usual. I was just trying to make a kind offer…

Z: I am aware of Noin’s measurements.

TR: ...Is that so.

Z: Anyways, what do you plan to do with this information? Are you going to pass it onto Lady Une?

TR: It will be cruel to rob her of her job. Therefore, I am only going to use this information for personal entertainment purposes.

Z: Your bad tendency is showing. Why do you like to make things so complicated?

TR: This is my hobby.

Z: Treize!!!

TR: As it seems that the Gundam pilots are constantly trying to hack the Oz database, what do you think would happen if I were to modify this information and leak it?

~~~

H: Oz’s classified information…It’s highly encrypted…Decipher completed…This is…

Q: Heero, are you done with your work?

H: Y..yah…

Duo: Mr. Heero is very serious about his work! So, what did you find out about Oz’s movements?  

H: As for now, nothing that’s noteworthy. 

W: We’re talking about Treize. That man is plotting something for sure.

T: Sounds about right. That man is always one step ahead of us.

D: Well, if the other side ain’t moving, let’s just lay back and relax for a bit!

Q: Fair enough, resting properly is extremely important! Since everyone is here, why don’t we enjoy some tea? I was able to get my hands on some high quality earl gray, how does that sound to everyone?

D: We’ll leave it to you, Quatre!

Q: Alright. Excuse me while I go make the tea.

D: Quatre never fails to impress with his attentiveness.

T: I agree. That is something that none of us here are capable of. 

W: It all comes down to the differences in our upbringing. The Winner family is one of the most influential business empires in the colonies, so it’s only natural that they raised their heir to be as allrounded as possible.

D: Despite that, Quatre is a nice guy who ain’t pompous at all! If I was a girl, there’s no way that I would miss out on such a fine man.

T: Even if you were a girl, I am fairly certain that the Winner Family would be against your relationship.

D: Com’on, it’s just a joke! Don’t take it so seriously. Well, I do think that it’d’ve been nice if Quatre was a girl.

D: What’s wrong, Heero? You look pretty pale.

H: No, nothing is wrong.

T: You definitely do not look fine.

W: Were you able to figure out something? If that’s the case, just spit it out.

H: It is private information that I cannot publicize without said person’s consent.

D: What, so you did manage to find somethin’.

H: Well…

T: It’s quite rare for you to be so hesitant…You said that it was personal information, correct? Considering your attitude, it must be something that is about one of us. More specifically, someone who is not present at the moment. 

H: That’s correct.

D: What’s up with Quatre?

H: It has nothing to do with you. As long as it doesn’t impede the mission, there is no need for you all to know about it.

D: Ain’t no way I’m backing down after hearing all that! Plus, won’t it be bad if Oz knew more about us Gundam pilots than we do about each other? What if something bad was to happen to Quatre?

W: Acting pompous and all, at the end of the day, aren’t you just trying to feed your own curiosity?

D: Bingo.

W: Nonsense. Stop speculating like a woman.

D: What, don’t tell me that you’re not intrigued! Com’on Heero, just tell us! Or else, I’ll just find the information myself. It’s not like I don’t know how to hack computers!

H: Your hacking would be fruitless. I’ve already deleted the information from the database. 

D: How could you!

T: Is the information that you’re referring to that sensitive? For sure, it wouldn’t be ideal if our identities were to be revealed, and I bet that is even more so for Quatre. 

H: Whatever was in Oz’s database was not information about Quatre as a Gundam pilot, but information about the Winner family.

D: If that’s the case, what is there to hide from us?

T: Would it be that the Winner Family have something that needs to be concealed from the public?

D: Quatre has never mentioned anything like that before. Has he been hiding that from us as well?

W: Didn’t I tell you to stop speculating?

D: I can’t help but be curious! Alright, I’m just gonna ask Quatre directly.

H: Duo.

D: Why are you looking all serious? Wait, that’s just how you look like naturally.

H: The current head of the Winner family has daughters.

D: Wha…

T: Quatre had told me about that before. Some of them have different mothers, but apparently he has 29 older sisters.

W: What about that?

D: Wufei, who is the one snooping around here?

W: …Shut up. 

H: Don’t you think it’s too convenient?

D: What is?

H: After conceiving 29 daughters, the family’s last ditch effort in producing a heir finally succeeded.

D: And the last child just so happened to be Quatre, what is so weird about…(gasps) oh…

T: Heero, are you saying that…

W: …That is not impossible. 

D: Wa…wait, don’t tell me that…

H: Just stop talking already if you understood what I meant. As long as Quatre is keeping this a secret, it is not our place to speculate any further.

D: Still, even if you said so…How are we suppose to act around Quatre from now on?

H: The same as before.

D: Ain’t no way in hell would I be able to do that!

Q: Sounds like you all are having fun! What are you folks talking about?

D: Q…Quatre!

Q: Yes? What’s wrong? What is with this weird expression?

T: …No, everything is all good.

Q: Really? Well, the tea is ready! I also brought cookies and roll cakes, so go ahead and help yourself! Oh, Trowa!

T: I’ll bring that to the table.

Q: Oh, okay. Thank you! 

D: Quatre, why don’t you sit over here? I am good at cutting cakes so I’ll handle that!

Q: Is that so? I’ll leave it to you then.

D: Quatre, how much cake would you like? You can have as much as you want!

Q: Don’t worry about me. Wufei, what about you?

W: I..I don’t like sweets. It’s not like I am a child or a woman or anything…

Q: Really? I actually quite like sweets. 

W: Uh, I mean, there is nothing wrong with liking sweets…

Q: Wufei? You’re going to fall off the sofa if you kept shifting backwards.

W: (Falls off sofa while screaming)

Q: Wufei! Are you alright?

H: Just leave him be. Sitting on the floor might be more calming for Wufei anyways.

Q: …I.. is that so?

T: Quatre, how much sugar would you like in your tea?

Q: Oh, it’s alright. I can do that myself! 

D: Here you go, Quatre! The biggest slice.

Q: Thanks, Duo. Somehow I feel like everyone is being really nice today. Did something happen?

H: No.

D: You’re just imagining it! Wow, this cake looks delicious! The cookies taste great too!  

Q: I’m glad to hear that. These are also my favourite!

[The boys talking over one another]

~~~

H: Mission accomplished. We are on hold until the next instructions come in.

D: Finally we’re done! Today’s battle was a lil’ rough.

W: How are you going to fare if you found today’s operation difficult?

T: Quatre, is everything alright?...Quatre?

Q: Something’s off,

H: What do you mean, Quatre?

Q: Everyone has been acting really strangely these past few days. Could it be that you all are hiding something from me?

D: It’s just in your imagination, Quatre! We weren’t acting any diffe…

Q: Duo!

D: Yah?

Q: Last night, when we were having dinner.

D: D…dinner?

Q: You, the one who is always trying to eat my portion of the food as well, willingly offered me your fried prawns despite that being your favourite dish!

D: Uh, yah, I…uh, suddenly didn’t like fried prawn anymore…

Q: Trowa!

T: I haven’t done anything.

Q: See, normally you would have just said nothing if I was to call out to you, but here you are, responding to me properly! The same goes for you, Heero! Weren’t you the one who put a blanket on my shoulder when I accidentally fell asleep in front of the computer the other day? Something must be off for Heero to act this nicely!

D: Touche, touche.

H: Duo!

D: Whoopsies.

Q: Wufei, why were you standing in front of me during today’s battle? Normally, you would have been the first one to dash onto the frontline!

W: I…it has nothing to do with you. That just happened to be the best spot to fight in.

Q: Anyways, you all have been weird! Everyone is purposefully leaving me out.

T: Quatre!

H: Quatre, you are being illogical here.

W: This is what I have been dreading. Women are too easily swayed by their emotions.

Q: …Women?

D: Wufei, you dumbass!

Q: What do you mean by that? Are you calling me woman-like?

T: Quatre, calm down for a second.

H: Was he wrong?

Q: What?

H: According to Oz’s database, the Winner family has daughters and daughters only.

Q: Heero, what do you mean?

D: We…well, ain’t that a pretty common trope in manga? You know, the couple who aren’t able to conceive a male heir choosing to raise their youngest child as a boy, stuff like that.

Q: Me? A girl?

T: We understand why this will be something that you would want to hide, but for your own sake, it would be better to just be upfront about it.

W: If you could fight properly, it doesn’t matter whether you are a guy or a girl, right? Plus, your skills as a Gundam pilot is undeniable.

Q: …I see, so this is what’s going on…

D: …Quatre?

Q: As a child, I was often dressed in my sister’s old clothes, while adults would gush about how I looked like a porcelain doll and all…

D: Hey, Quatre.

Q: I knew that these kinds of rumours were circulating in the colonies. In fact, even now, some people are still doubtful about my sex. Doesn’t help that I have a high voice and a petite build…

D: Com’on, we’re not that different from you!

T: Quatre, was that information false?

H: It can’t be. It was in the classified files!

W: We don’t have time for this! Hey, Quatre, calm down!

Q: Being mistaken for a girl sucks. But you know what is worse? The fact that everyone just fell for the misinformation without even questioning its authenticity! Why are you all so gullible? I will never forget this, and I will make sure that every single one of you remember what happened today!

[Quatre beating the boys up, the boys screaming in terror, Quatre laughing menacingly]

D: Heero, do something about this! You were the one who started this mess with the misinformation!

H: The data was false. It is not my responsibility!

D: Stop shifting the blame! 

T: Quatre, please return to your gentle self!

[In the distance, Quatre screams “I am a guy” while continuing to beat the boys up]

~~~

[Part 2] [Part 4]

[psychelis-new]

Hi Lys, it's me again, the bunny dreamer here. I saw two other dreams that involved bird/ animals recently and I was wondering if the three dreams are connected in some way. I have never seen dreams where animals or birds are the main focus, except dogs. Dogs are kind of bad warnings for me. And all this dream were under 10 days.

Dream1: bunny dream

Dream 2: I don't remember exactly what I saw but there's one bit that I remember clearly, it's that I bought insects, animals and birds in a bag and released them in a dark room..it was a gift for my mother. I first showed it to my father. He said mother will like it. Then my mother came back home, (I think she went to out to run errands or something) and I showed her and she said it's nice but now we have to put them back in the bag because guests are coming over (the dark room was actually a guest room) and we have to get the room ready for them. And now we were wondering how do we get all of them back in the bag. I don't remember what animals and living creatures I bought but I do remember there was a chicken, living breathing chicken inside the room.

Dream3: So first I got the vibe that it was lamb and he was baby boy lamb. And I or someone had placed this sage/ olive green color gymnastic mats on the stairs of my house (the house was well lit, white walls, kind of like modern American house). To the left of the stairs at the bottom was our main entrance door. So the lamb would slide down the mats and then go up and again slide down the mat....he was basically playing. I don't know when this lamb turned into a baby boy, almost like a toddler. There was another kid (boy) who might be my nephew or son, I think I was tending to him and looking for any injuries if he got while sliding down the mat with the lamb. Then the lamb turned boy looked at me and said "dd- dda- dada", not daddy but big brother. The baby couldn't speak properly yet, he could speak few words. He was learning how to speak. I told him, he is not here but I can clean you up. He then comes to me and he blabbers something. I then tell him, you can hang tightly on my neck i.e. hug me really tight, I won't let anything happen to you as I am cleaning his feet. I don't know why he got very emotional, had happy tears in his eyes and suddenly I heard someone saying (not the baby) "No human has treated us like this before." And he had sandy brown/ blonde curly hair and was in diapers.

The reason why I am sharing these dreams is because I am very confused why I saw these dreams.

Hello! Yes animals in general carry a specific meaning that should help understand us and our emotions, also according on what goes on between us and them. I guess dogs, that generally represent loyalty and protection, may mean the opposite if they're not on your side or something happens in the dream. Ofc, depends on many factors and your own life too (how you perceive those animals irl: eg. if you're scared of dogs, they ofc bring bad news for you no matter the general acception that surrounds them).

Let's see your other dreams and then let's try to check if there's a possible correlation.

All in all, I think all of these dreams can be considered of guidance to you. Even more since you remembered them well. Usually we tend to remember (or suddenly remember) dreams that do carry an important message for us, whether it's from our subconscious or the 5d.

Dream2: I think you have a lot inside, like you may want to get free from something, be you, feel independent, abundant but you may still not be able to reach that. You're probably trying to work on your self worth, or distancing (?) yourself from others' values, to find your own path. But still this is something kinda scary, as it may make you feel inscure and vulnerable. You are still hiding parts of yourself, cause you probably fear not being appreciated. And maybe that's what you were (even unconsciously) taught: you're okay, but it's better to not let some parts of you out cause you may get judged and not nurtured or praised as you'd like to (maybe you had to overwork to get praised/feel seen/appreciated? But even so it didn't always worked as you wished?). You may be a little stressed about this situation, so I think the general meaning of the dream is to give yourself rest and nurture yourself. Maybe there's a change ahead for what concerns how you care for yourself too, how you see yourself, or maybe you've already started this process despite it's scary (if so, well done). Like, if you've been or felt neglected, give back to yourself and... try to not hide those sides of you, your needs for nurturing and protection, anymore. At least you, listen to yourself. And validate yourself (especially if you rely mostly on external validation or guidance).

Dream3: I suppose this is not your house from how you describe it? You may be nearby a new start in your life. You still may feel anxious about it ofc, or unsure, and you may be searching for peace of mind and time to unwind (cause it's something heavy), as you used to do when you were a child: have no worries, just enjoy. And honestly, I feel like despite the worries may be very heavy to you, you can find balance and peace as you move and grow through them. Also in this dream there's the need for care, protection and nurturing as you show these traits in taking cares of the two boys (checking for injuries, cleaning them...). Maybe you need more nurturing from your family/relationships (or you need them in a different way than how you get them), or maybe again you need to give it to yourself, to give yourself more credit for what you've been through and how you made it, to see your worth and how caring and nice you are (and maybe should be like that with yourself too -your inner child may feel hurt and need your healing/care). I think you may feel hurt too at this point by something happened in your relationships-field, and maybe you're learning now how to express your feelings, how to see what happened from a different perspective (and point it out, call it with its name) and how to see yourself for who you are. It's still a work in progress. You're trying to be more careful about your emotions and name them, listen to them and to yourself. And since it's something you may feel you have rarely experienced in your life, rememeber to give yourself time to get used to it. And also, it's okay to "fail" at times or go back into the old mental pattern. Just remember you can get out and you will.

Since more or less all the dreams were encouraging you to take steps towards a new cycle/start and believe in yourself, I guess that yes they were all connected in guiding your next steps and giving you comfort as you walk through (and remind to give yourself comfort and peace/breaks too). Reminding of your self worth and that you can make it through anything and reach your goals. In the bunnies' dream you got (if I remember well) that you would have received further infos/clarity, right? I will check but if so, I guess these two dreams were it. Or at least, part of those infos.

Take care dear<3

[casspurrjoybell-22]

Master - Chapter 31b

*Warning: Adult Content*  

"Today, I'd like you to try incorporating your popping into your movements," I say to Kalem while I wrap his fingers in elastic tape.

Despite the way he still panted from our warm-up, Kalem still managed a giggle as he looks up from the hand I held and to me.

“What's so funny?"

"It's funny when you say pop Master," Kalem explains before biting his lip.

"Well you're the one who came up with it love," I reply with a loose smile.

"Should I call it something else?"

Kalem shakes his head quickly, his eyes proudly displaying his love.

“It's funny but that's why I like it when you say it, it makes me feel good inside."

"Then pop it is," I reply and Kalem giggles again before he presses himself up on his toes to gift me with a kiss that makes my hands freeze just as everything around me did in the wake of having Kalem's lips on mine.

We part only when we're both satisfied with our refills of each other and I quickly finish wrapping up Kalem's fingers while Kalem watches me patiently.

Once done, we waste no time carrying out our usual routine;,weights, sit-ups, some partner drills and then the punching bag.

Kalem slips on his gloves without having to be reminded and takes in a deep breath before he takes his stance and lays into the bag of sand.

I hold it steady and pay special attention to the force of Kalem's punches while sharing words of encouragement and correction when needed.

When we'd first started these sessions, Kalem had none of this confidence that he held now as he moved around the bag, striking it from every directed angle.

He'd been terribly frightened of learning to fight, seeing it as an act of violence and Kalem hated violence.

It's taken many conversations driven by patience to explain to Kalem exactly how there was nothing wrong with knowing how to fight and exactly why it was so important to defend himself.

I'd started these with the goal of being able to one day be confident that if Kalem ran into trouble and I wasn't there to save him, he'd be just fine on his own.

But that was before I knew he could pop, if anyone some managed to succeed in taking him away from me, all Kalem had to do would be to think of home and he'd be safe.

But it was still important to make sure he was able to defend himself properly, especially with what came with his glamoured genes.

Now, Kalem looked forward to these sessions and even requested I'd add another to our week, I think having a chance to release any tension built up by his mind's stress helped him relax for the days which followed after a normal session.

It clearly did well for his mental state as well as physical, which was a double win for us both.

"Alright," I say bringing him to a stop after five minutes had passed.

Kalem steps back with deep, careful breathes as he settles himself and takes his water bottle for a few gulps.

"Take a few minutes to cool down then we'll finish with a sparring match."

Kalem nods and begins walking the length of our makeshift gym while I got in my own time on the bag.

It'd been years since I'd put any effort into maintaining and increasing my strength but now that I was back to doing so, I found it only marginally less sufferable than I had in the past.Despite being built for it, my body never managed to find any kind of pleasure in straining it in this manner.

I always favoured doing literally nothing just as I favoured being alone, I was a recluse at heart and it came with the territory, nothing to be done about it.

But still, I pushed myself, focusing on how glorious it would be to put an end to Diablos and all his little minions and how I'd make it hurt, truly hurt.

I'd always despised Diablos, his willingness to follow along to the destruction the witches wanted and the way he enjoyed it, I'd known from the moment I'd looked into his eyes that he was soulless.

Putting an end to him would be a service, to everyone, including him.

I finish a couple of rotations before I still the bag and focus my attention back on my boy who was waiting patiently with a look of determination on his face.

Getting Kalem to fight me had been far more difficult than getting him to train but I'd managed it and now he didn't cry whenever he managed to get a hit in.

"Ready?" I ask and Kalem gives a quick nod while he moved on the balls of his feet.

I rush at Kalem making his eyes widen in surprise since I never made the first move but he reacted quick enough and popped himself to where I'd been moments earlier.

Kalem looked mildly surprised when I turned to face him, as if he'd move on instinct rather by thought and that made me smile.

Sensing my approval, Kalem relaxes a little and readies himself to carry on.

I rush at him again but Kalem blocks me this time, using one hand to catch my incoming wrist while the other moved to strike my side.

I twist from his grasp and take a step back but Kalem follows me, not letting up on his attacking strike until one hit and then another.

There was slightly more force to Kalem's hits that there usually was but it did no damage and I was far too proud to give it any notice.

I reign in my strength for my blows to Kalem, giving him just enough to feel it but never enough to hurt him.

Kalem reacted perfectly to them all, taking them in stride and using them to boost his next attack.

"You're only using it to defend," I say once while we move around one another, referring to his popping.

“Use it to attack as well. It'll help."

"Okay," Kalem agrees after a moment.

We carry on but things remain as they were, Kalem not managing to get any attacks in of that form.

Weighing my options, I decide to incorporate my own speed with the hopes of coaxing Kalem to do the same but with his abilities.

Shock and panic tangled Kalem's movements when I came with him using my predatorial speed, making his usually firm stance falter and everything else quickly after.

I don't pull back though, maintaining the pressure of my attacks while he popped around the room in an effort to escape.

If it was a larger terrain, it'd be extremely hard to reach him so quickly but the room was small enough that by the time Kalem appeared somewhere new, I was only a few seconds behind him.

When Kalem appears next, I rush to him but stop in my tracks when he reappears directly in front of me, giving me only a moment to register his presence before his fist collided with the side of my face.

I find myself on the floor with a wicked ache in my jaw that lingers for a few dreadful seconds before my blood washes the pain away.

Well, that was certainly an attack if I asked for one.

"L-Lincoln," Kalem whimpers as he crashes down on his knee beside me and takes my face in his hands, eyes filling quickly with awful shame and apologises ready on his tongue.

"I-I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to Master."

Placing a hand over Kalem's, I offer him a smile while I tongue the inside of my cheek that was now nothing more than a dull buzz.

"Nothing to be sorry for love," I assure him, keeping my tone gentle for him.

"I told you to attack and you did and very well at that. I'm not mad at you. I'm proud Kalem."

"B-But I hurt you Master," Kalem protest, the words taking another regretful whimper from him.

"If we practice without either of us ever getting hurt, then you'll never get better," I argue before I pull his hand away from my face to kiss it despite the tape wrapped around it.

"I'm not hurt, at all. You know I heal from any aliments, I'm fine Kalem, I promise."

Not convinced by my words, Kalem pulls his hand away to examine the spot he'd hit on his own.

I sigh and let him, knowing he'd only be able to relax when he was sure the words were true himself.

In the meantime, I push my memory back to the use of my name and let myself enjoy the sound of it for a moment.

Slowly, very slowly, Kalem was replacing Master with my actual name.

It came when he wanted to make me happy or torture me with lust but the fact that he was using it all, was a blessing of its own.

I'd actually thought that there would never be a day where Kalem used my name without being forced to but here he was, using it without even noticing it at some points.

The progress Kalem was making from when I'd first found him was astounding and more than that, it was rewarding.

I'd been patient with him, kind and patient, never once taking out my frustrations on him like he feared I would and now here we were, bearing the fruits of our labour.

"I'm sorry," Kalem whispers again when he's done his inspection, his eyes no longer haunted with shame but still carrying guilt within them.

"I hit you really hard Master."

"You don't have to tell me," I reply with a chuckle Kalem didn't appreciate because he gave me a little shove before he climbed into my lap for a hug.

"You did very well today Kalem. I'm so proud of you."

Kalem usually beamed with the praise but with the single kiss to my cheek I received in response, I could tell that today he didn't feel he'd deserved it.

I wanted to press but I knew my boy, no amount of words could unravel his mind when it linked itself to his earliest lessons which I was sure declared that hurting a master deserved a punishment.

The fact that Kalem wasn't asking for one was a testament that he knew he didn't need one despite that.

"Let's get cleaned up, Malcolm won't shut up about it if he finds us sweaty," I say as I stand with Kalem in my arms.

He laughs a little at that and hangs on while I take us up to our shower for a lovely bath together.

We clean one another and I kiss Kalem until his guilt is washed away too and by the time we step out, Kalem was smiling widely again as he got dressed beside me.

"Do you like animals Master?" Kalem asks a little shakily.

Looking across at him, I frown a little at the random question that matched all the other ones he'd been asking lately.

I wasn't sure what triggered it but Kalem had been more frequently asking me questions about myself that I never even thought about.

From my favourite colour to my favourite book, what I liked to do when it was rainy and which flower made me smile.

None fell in the same category and they were all so random I had a hard time trying to piece it all together and every time I asked Kalem why he was asking them, he'd try to hide away from me.

I'd concluded on the most likely scenario that Kalem simply wanted to know me.

From the moment we'd met the focus had always been on Kalem and happily so, he deserved happiness and freedom and I was more than happy to provide him with an ample sample of both.

But for Kalem, it seemed he wished to do the same for me and that may have started with getting to know the man he'd fallen in love with.

The only problem was that there honestly wasn't very much to me.

"I don't hate them," I reply in what was my best possible answer.

"Which do you like best?" Kalem presses eagerly.

"None," I reply honestly and Kalem frowns deeply so I carry on.

“They're all the same to me. I see a lizard the same way I do a dog, a shark the same a cat. I don't have any favourites, they're all sort of... there for me.”

"That's weird Master," Kalem mumbles making me laugh.

"Do you want a pet?" I hazard with my fingers and toes crossed that he'll say no to a pet.

Kalem shakes his head quickly and I release a grateful breath to God.