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n7punk · 24 days

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"Lightbeam" Fic Notes

Pretend I posted this *checks watch* two days ago when I finished Lightbeam. I got busy lol and I was playing Stardew Valley.

Epilogue Life:

:) You’ll have to wait

Chapter 1:

⦁ This fic was originally written back in February after Embrace the Blame in preparation for the Bang. TLDR is we needed to have the fics ready early so the artists could then illustrate them, so I just wanted to write the whole thing at once because that’s how my projects work. I actually finished Embrace the Blame a few days before I posted the final chapter(s) because I had been posting it on a schedule and I could just continue using that as I worked on this to make the gap in my posting overall smaller. I think it actually took me like two weeks to write this, which is why there was a week and a half between the end of EtB and start of MMaM (and of course I had to write MMaM some too, but I already wrote the first few chapters ages ago). It’s also why there was almost two weeks between Start Your Engine finishing and Our Love Is God starting. I wrote the entire rough draft in February, and during that break I edited and finalized the fic for posting in May. I also just had a lot going on then, but yeah this fic has been slotted in between my others over the last few months.

⦁ Adora’s father’s information was left blank because she was an immaculate conception. More on this will be explored in the sequel fic <3

⦁ Norwyn is officially unnamed in the reboot I think but he’s one of the higher-ups at Mystacor. In the OG he was Shadow Weaver’s mentor.

⦁ Adora’s weather powers come up a lot in the first few scenes and I wish I had more “diversity” in magical incidents, but the problem is, as outlined later in the fic, Adora has no idea the stuff she’s doing (see: her coffee) and the weather stuff is pretty much the only consistent thing she has identified as maybe her fault. There was initially also mention of a drowning incident she miraculously survived when learning how to swim that even she knew was weird, but it ended up cut for flow.

⦁ In general, magic is normal, inevitable, and accepted, but there are still some “normie” communities that pop up in small pockets and want nothing to do with, say, a lesbian drowning the upper east side by accident on a Wednesday afternoon because she’s sad. Legally they can’t do anything to “discriminate”, but it’s a culture thing. Catra faced constant bullying and Adora was only safe because she didn’t even know if she had magic. Weaver moved there after getting cursed from her own incompetence because they easily believed the story that someone else cursed her and welcomed her in as a victim with open arms. Her understanding along with rejection of magic made her the perfect person to point to justify their ignorance (see, even a once-sorceress can be turned on and reject magic when she realizes the dangers. Etc). The main reason she moved there was just because there was less magic in the area, though (part of the reason a normie community popped up there), so it made it easier to manage her curse because it was weakened.

⦁ Oh boy, the Whispering Woods section. So first, I should say the version in the fic is pretty much what I originally outlined. The only big difference was Adora was supposed to find out about Razz from her research and went seeking her out rather than going there following her “mom.” I couldn’t figure out what that research would look like, though, so I went with the mom thing because that aligned with her backstory. My big problem was that I got a new idea once I got to writing the woods and the new idea was bad but it felt like reversing progress to go back to the original thing. The new idea was that Mara was an ancient She-ra who fell in love with Light Hope and, in her grief when Light Hope died, accidentally transformed her soul into a guardian spirit who would watch over future She-ras and “keep them safe” so they don’t get in a position where they, yknow, accidentally warp time and space and the laws of physics again. Light Hope was the one who actually sent the lightning, sent Catra, and protected Adora when she was drowning when she was seven. Adora would find the hut, would talk in circles with Razz, spot Catra who immediately fled, and get so frustrated and sad it started pouring rain, which forced Catra to flee back in through the window and into Adora’s arms for safety from Razz but she refused to change back because she was mad at her. While waiting out the storm, Adora eventually had the idea to google guardian spirits, found different methods for getting in contact with them, and tried meditation. This is around when I realized this whole set-up was bust, but the idea was going to be that she got in contact with Light Hope, had her powers she wasn’t in touch with explained to her, and told Light Hope to stop the wrath of god shit. Light Hope’s existence kind of wiped out everything I had planned for what was supposed to be the actual fic with her learning her powers. This new backstory changed everything and ruined what I actually wanted to write about, so I went back to my original outline. It’s way better for it and it meant I actually got to do the slow discovering and mastering of her powers I had planned, but boy can it be a struggle to dig yourself out of a hole and lose “progress”.

⦁ Catra eating the pie was actually a joke from before I started working on the fic. The original joke was that she was legitimately visiting the woods just to “steal” food from Razz and this was a thing she did on the weekends sometimes because they all lived nearby. Razz was fine with sharing with her cat “guest” in this version and seemed oblivious to the fact she was a person. This got changed because 1) Even if I changed it so they were all living near the woods and there weren’t barriers to Catra and Adora spending time together early on when she’s reluctant, that then posed the question of why the hell Adora hadn’t tried visiting her mom’s place already if it was easily accessible, 2) while I think Catra taking the pie once she knows about it is in character, her ever wandering through the woods enough to even find Razz to steal from wasn’t, so the basic set up didn’t really work, 3) the final version, with Adora’s powers going haywire and bringing her there, is way more impactful and in line with the fic’s story. It gives Catra a motivation to keep in contact with Adora after this point and illustrates definitively just how powerful Adora’s powers can be when she’s still in denial about the “warping the fabric of reality” thing.

⦁ Agatha Trunchbull was the basically demonic head mistress in Matilda, which, from my understanding, had a fucking torture closet she would lock kids into, in addition to regularly assaulting them like when she clobbered a massive serving tray over a kids head. I haven’t actually read the book, I just knew someone who liked it growing up and I went to the wikipedia to be sure when I went for the reference.

Chapter 2:

⦁ Adora’s spiraling and exaggerating, but empaths do need to actually hold the hand of someone and open their heart to feel their energy, so Adora isn’t likely to ever cause an accidental concussion as long as she’s careful about who she holds hands with.

⦁ “Catra sends her a condescending look that makes Adora blush for some reason.” It’s because you like belittling, idiot.

⦁ Catra’s kitten form is partially a result of trauma and partially natural self-defense. Having such a small form allowed her to hide and slip away when she needed safety from Weaver/bullies/etc. The trauma getting a little better is why she was able to “grow up” a little but she was right that it’s permanent in the sense she will never be able to have an adult form.

⦁ The meditation was actually a lot more helpful than Adora gave it credit for, but again, lack of self-awareness.

Chapter 3:

⦁ Adora’s whole thing about “oh, I’ve never actually experienced this thing I’ve heard talked about” is definitely a realization I’ve had a few times in my life, usually in some medical context though, like when I found out I’d never had an actual runny nose because I’d never breathed through my nose before.

Chapter 4:

⦁ Catra is being especially cuddly as a cat because it’s an “acceptable” way to get snuggled up close so she can then transform and properly cuddle Adora.

⦁ Catra showing up at her door as a cat was literally just because I wanted an excuse to write more kitten!Catra I was ready to be done with her yet lol.

⦁ I’m planning to write a sequel fic set a few years down the line once Catra and Adora are married, but as you know if you’ve been following my Tumblr, I have like three active WIPs demanding attention, so that’s going to have to wait.

⦁ This isn’t related to the fic so much, but this was my first time ever doing a fandom event! There’s definitely zines and stuff I would have wanted to participate in before but I only ever learn about these things after they’re already over lol. I loved being part of this Bang and oh my god do I love the illustrations so much Karo did an INCREDIBLE job. I knew I wanted to participate in the Bang the second I heard about it, but picking a fic was hard. I really wanted to write something in canon but didn’t think any of my current OotW ideas would be long enough for the word count requirement. At that time, I had a canon divergent AU ready to go, but it was Make Me A Monster and I wanted to do something happy so… yeah that was a no go lol even if someone might have wanted to draw the cybernetics. Lightbeam ended up being the perfect option because it was 1) fairly short for an AU but long enough to meet the requirement and post over the week, 2) light-hearted, 3) had plenty of scenes I thought someone might want to illustrate between Adora’s powers and kitten!Catra, 4) I’ll be honest, it kind of felt full circle, because…

⦁ At the start of this year I posted freak occurrence: confluence as a celebration of over three years of posting Catradora fics and finally getting to my fics being 1% of the entire Catradora tag on AO3 (next goal is 1% of the SPOP tag — JOKE THIS IS A JOKE THAT’S NEVER HAPPENING). It featured tons of my Catradora couples from various AUs — including one AU that hadn’t been posted yet. I’d had the freak occurrence fic idea for three years, so whenever I came up with a new AU I’d picture its Catradora in that scenario, which meant I’d already thought about what Lightbeam’s couple would do in that scenario even though I hadn’t written it yet. Getting to post it as part of the Bang was so exciting and I hope it lived up to expectations! The version that was featured in that fic was a few years older, when Adora had a better grip on her magic, but you’ll see a bit of that in the sequel fic.

Meta:

Playlist

Upcoming:

I have a one shot I’m probably going to post in the next couple days and then I’m aiming for Slipstream (my hacker AU) but uh….. Something is coalescing that may also demand attention. Stay tuned ig lol

#lightbeam #fic notes #ficmeta

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opalesense · 3 years

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darkest fantasy

childe & f!reader (NSFW)

3.7k words • ~30 min. read

summary: one night you decide to make one of childe’s darkest fantasies into a reality, but as the night progresses, things don’t seem to go according to plan. at least... not according to your plan.

warnings: cnc, sexual assault, blood, death, knives, outdoor sex, lil comfort at the end i promise

notes: saw fatui agent childe fanart and AWOOGA... anyway i tried putting some in game screenshots in this for that extra ~immersion~ and might do that more often in some future fics if you guys want! thanks for 200 followers and i hope you enjoy!! ; ^ ;

“I SHOULDN’T HAVE BROUGHT IT UP,” Childe’s eyebrows furrowed as he rested a hand against his forehead, clearly flustered by the way he chuckled his nervousness away. “You really get me to say the stupidest things, [Y/N].”

“It’s not stupid at all! C’mon, lighten up a bit!” you placed a hand on his arm and inched closer to his face, sensing the warmth in his cheeks. His shy eyes connected with yours when he let out a deep sigh, thanking you for the validation without him needing to say anything. It was rare to see him this nervous.

“We’re not going to do it, babe. You asked me to tell you a secret fantasy and that’s all it’ll ever be. A fantasy. Just something in my imagination.”

He gave you a quick kiss on your forehead before pulling away from you and walking towards the bedroom door to call it a night, but you quickly gripped him by the wrist to pull him back which immediately grabbed his attention. Swiftly, you leaned in to mutter words into his ear that would echo in his head for the rest of the night until the next day.

“Luckily for you, the thought of doing it gets me a little excited. So why don’t we try to make your fantasy into a reality?”

THE HARBOR’S NIGHT LIFE always flourished near the end of the week. Plenty of workers who had weekends off would fish by the docks, street performers and storytellers would entertain families passing by, and restaurants would be packed full with hungry customers craving for the delectable cuisine of Liyue. Teenage friends gathered in front of the theatre while the elderly seemed to congregate by the teahouse. Children ran across the pavement from time to time flying kites and playing with butterflies. Liyue was truly fascinating during the night, full of a liveliness that always put a sense of joy in each heart that walked through its streets.

Yet when you walked through the streets, lacking a companion and cold from the slightly revealing dress you wore, there was a sickly mixture of giddy excitement and wrenching anxiety in your heart. You had loosely planned this night with Childe so you knew what to expect, but at the same time, you didn’t. You had no idea where he was, what exactly he was planning to do to you, or when it would all start in the first place since you had been wandering around the harbor for about an hour now. All he wanted you to do was “wear this dress and enjoy your evening,” as he said in his own words. But he simply left you with those vague instructions as well as a bag of Mora to indulge yourself with.

Even if he didn’t show up, the highlight of your night would be the mouthwatering dinner you had by yourself along with the sight of people offering lanterns to the sky. It was a beautiful night indeed.

Another hour of wandering and occupying yourself with activities passed and you were feeling restless. The thought of Childe made you squirm in your seat, excitement flooding your nerves as you craved to see him now more than ever.

If Childe’s following me, I should go somewhere less crowded, you thought.

Assuming he was watching you at this very moment, you decided to make things easier for him, leaving the storyteller’s pavilion and walking across the bridge heading towards Mt. Tianheng. Mindlessly wandering and following the dirt path, you began to veer left towards the Golden House, but the distant sight of the Millelith immediately turned you back around.

Not there.

ON YOUR WAY BACK to the main path, you noticed a smaller, less travelled road wedged between two large rocks, the dimly lit lantern sitting up ahead enticing you to follow where it leads. You found yourself curiously walking up the hill, taking in the starry night sky and whistling trees until you turned the final corner to see a group of miners idly standing around, bantering with one nearby Millelith guard.

They noticed your sudden presence and waved hello, to which you waved hello back. One of the miners, who leaned against a cart full of iron, was the first to fully acknowledge you. “Hey, are you lost, miss?”

“Oh, no, not at all. I was just curiously wandering around, taking in the sights and all,” you grinned politely, glancing up at the calm night sky. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it boys?”

“Taking in the sights, are you?” another miner slowly approached you, a few more starting to pay attention to you. “You know, you’re certainly a sight to take in too with that pretty little dress of yours.”

You had completely forgotten that you looked very out of place with what you were wearing – a short traditional-like dress with a small hole exposing a small area of your chest. Your eyes quickly widened as you processed what the miner said, but before you fully realized it and came back to your senses, the men had circled around you and were getting dangerously close. You instinctively reached down to grab the blade that was usually tucked and sheathed in your belt but after grabbing nothing with the realization that of course, you were wearing a dress, genuine panic began to seep in.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing out late at night looking like that anyway? You’re practically begging to be touched,” a man’s voice behind you teased, grabbing your hips as he emphasized that last word. You swiftly elbowed him in the ribs to defend yourself and temporarily push him away, but the other men were quick to react as a pair of hands grabbed your arms and pinned you into place.

You snapped your head towards the Millelith guard, expecting him to do something to help you as a protector of the harbor. But he simply stood there at his post, glancing away as soon as you met his eyes. And if Childe were watching, you were sure he would have stepped in by now. He was often the jealous type anyway. But while the men slowly pulled you under a nearby deteriorated pergola despite your thrashing then greedily groped your body, help was nowhere to be seen.

All hope you had for a fun night was gone. Tears swelled in your eyes as you attempted to kick away the hungry hands but it was no use. Please, you silently prayed, someone help me!

As if someone had heard your prayers, the sound of a projectile zipping past your head followed by your arms being freed from the man who was restricting you was the sound of freedom. The others looked up in horror and paused their advances as their friend dropped injured behind you. Suddenly, a dark figure leaped from the hill above and landed on the ground confidently, quickly pulling out two blades then lunging forward to the miners, catching them by surprise. You took this temporary moment of freedom to kick the hands off of you and scramble away, running back towards the path. You could hear the sounds of bodies thumping to the ground behind you coupled with loud groans of agony, and you can only imagine what your unknown savior looked like but all you could focus on was getting away as soon as possible with the limited mental strength you had.

But much to your dismay, one of the miners still managed to grab you tightly and drag you back, and every time you wiggled away, they had a strong grip on you. Sobs of desperation escaped your throat, “Let me go! Let me go, please! Help!”

“Leaving so soon?” a different voice growled in your ear as the man’s grip around your waist tightened. It was deep, distorted, and certainly anxiety inducing. You looked down in a flurry of panic to see black and red sleeves wrapped around your figure. This was not one of the miners.

The man lifted you up a few inches from the ground to turn you around. You were faced with bodies littering the floor. It had only been less than ten seconds and the entire scene was drenched in blood. The sight of the freshly killed miners as well as the one guard made you tremble in fear rather than feel grateful for being saved just now.

“I think I deserve a reward for protecting you from those filthy bastards, wouldn’t you agree?” the man inched you closer to the bodies but you closed your eyes as soon as you could recognize the open wounds from his blades. “At least a thank you would be nice.”

“Get away from me!” you yelled and thrashed in his arms again but quickly stopped once you heard the sound of his blade being unsheathed. You opened your eyes to see a bloodied dead man at your feet as well as a knife at your throat, pressing gently at your fragile skin.

“You’re a tough one, aren’t you? I wouldn’t be so resistant if I were you,” the man’s gravelly voice was definitely unfamiliar but his tone and inflection reminded you of...

“Childe....” you weakly muttered under your breath, which made the man laugh in response.

“Childe, you say? You have something to do with the boss?” he pressed his hips harder against yours, his erection subtly throbbing underneath his clothes.

“So you’re Fatui, aren’t you?” you mustered enough courage to make your voice sound threatening enough. You let out a sarcastic laugh despite your low confidence. “You have no idea who you’re messing with. Once Childe finds out about this, your life will be over within seconds.”

“Who are you to say something like that?” he slowly began walking the two of you over to the nearest wall, a large rock that cast an equally large shadow from the moonlight. “I’m surprised a dumb little slut like you would even know his name.”

Your eyes squinted at the insult. “You don’t need to know who I am. All you have to know is you’ll be dead by tomorrow morning.”

“We’ll see about that,” he suddenly used his free arm to turn you around so your back slammed against the cold rock. You finally looked up at your captor to confirm your suspicions of this predatory savior. He was certainly part of the Fatui, his red and black mask concealing his identity with yellow glowing eyes staring directly at you. His arm positioned itself directly next to your head so he could hold his blade against your neck again, threatening any potential thoughts of escaping. His other hand suddenly grabbed the open space in your dress and pulled down, ripping the fabric in half and exposing your half naked form, eliciting a loud gasp from you. Panic began to seep in. How could I walk back home practically naked? Would I even end up alive to come back home?

Before you could use your arms to cover yourself up in an attempt at modesty, he pressed the blade to your neck that even the slightest movement would ensure spilled blood. “Don’t even think about it.”

He looked up and down at your body, humming with satisfaction as he began to unzip his pants and free his cock. You couldn’t exactly take a good look at it with the knife restricting your range of motion, but even then, you weren’t sure you wanted to look. His free hand gripped your bare waist. “And to think that those other filthy men were about to get their hands on this... You really should thank me.”

Another gasp escaped your throat as he slowly dug his hand under the strap of your underwear. His leather gloves snaked their way further down, inching closer and closer to your core. You could feel his grip on his blade tighten with his tensed muscles. “That was a command. Thank me.”

“T-Thank you,” you whimpered as he pulled down the last bit of clothing you hid behind. He let out a satisfied groan at the sight of your aching cunt, which you hated to admit was dripping wet from thinking about Childe earlier in the night. Even now, you really hated to admit this situation was somehow turning you on, even though you were simultaneously disgusted and shaking in fear.

“You’re practically soaking for me, aren’t you?” the man let out a slow chuckle as he dipped a gloved finger into your hole without warning. You gasped at the sudden penetration, careful not to arch your back into his touch with the knife still pressed at your throat. The man began relentlessly shifting his finger in and out of you and watched your face squirm with pleasure and denial at the same time. He maniacally chuckled at the way you were completely unsure of how to feel, and wanting to hear you moan louder instead of quietly pant and sigh, he inserted another finger and picked up the pace.

“Your cunt is so tight, you know that?” he teased, “If you’re moaning like this now I can only imagine how my cock will make you feel.”

“N-No, please,” you moaned out helplessly, “Please don’t...”

He pulled his fingers away and quickly shoved them into your mouth while it was still open, freeing your throat from his knife and slowly trailing it down your body while he made you suck on his gloved fingers, wet from your own fluids. The cold metal found itself settling right above your hips and with no hesitation he began leaving flesh wounds, the leftover blood from the men easily being mistaken as yours at first glance.

“I’m going to put away the knife, but you’ll be a good girl for me and stay still, won’t you? You saw what I did to those men. It would be a shame if you met the same fate just because you wanted to escape,” he sheathed the blade and pulled his fingers out of your mouth to grab your waist, forcing you to turn around. He bent down slightly to get a hold of your thighs, and in one swift move, folded your body into the likings of a full nelson, your legs hanging onto his elbows with his chest pressed against your tense back. As he reached his hands to clasp behind your neck and push your body into the intense position, the connection between this man and Childe made your eyes light up.

This was one of his favorite positions. No way it was just coincidence.

“So it is you, Childe,” you happily grinned as he turned the both of you to face the bloodied mess from before so he could lean against the wall. His touches seemed to get more familiar as the realization sunk in, but at the same time, you wondered if your mind was just playing tricks on you to make the best out of the current situation. You sat on the fence of either blindly believing this mysterious man was Childe or giving into the reality that this really was a stranger.

“You’re delusional, slut. Childe has nothing to do with this, I don’t know why you keep mentioning his name,” he hissed in your ear, getting more and more irritated.

You finally glanced down for the first time since nothing could restrict your neck anymore. To your delight, you smiled at his throbbing cock twitching as it waited at your entrance, aching to stir your insides. You giggled sweetly, finally relaxing with a deep sigh. You now knew with certainty that you were safe. Everything was under control. His control.

“Childe, I recognize every inch of your cock like it’s second nature,” you stared at his familiar length then reached out to wrap your fingers around the tip, the muscle twitching in response. “You’ve never been this hard before... You must be so excited right now.”

“One more word out of you about Childe and I will kill you right here. Do not test me.”

“You wouldn’t, right? You love me too much,” you boldly declared, teasing him for staying in character. When he didn’t answer and instead shifted his cock to push his tip inside you, you let out a sharp exhale. He went in too fast, too rough. Even if you were dripping wet, the way he shoved himself inside you was merciless and tore you apart immediately.

You tried to find the pleasure in it but as soon as he started thrusting not even a few seconds later, you worriedly whispered, “S-Slow down... Please! It hurts, Ajax-“

“You’re going to take all of it in. Maybe that’ll teach you not to be an annoying, disobedient brat from now on,” he interrupted.

Destroying you was an understatement of what he was truly doing to your body. He would repeatedly pull his length out before shoving it back in, rolling his hips so naturally with each thrust having clear intention to break you apart. Your cunt visibly throbbed, the excruciating pain slowly turning into ethereal pleasure from the attention it was getting from his thick shaft. He closely listened to the way your cries turns into gleeful moans, excitedly fucking you as his mind further indulged in the fantasy. After all, this entire night had been exceedingly frustrating and enticing to him and to take out all his pent up energy on you was the only thing on his lust filled mind.

Soon enough, his thrusts began to roll in harder as he held onto you tightly, his moans becoming more intense as the only thing on his mind was how good he was feeling, fucking you in front of the kills he certainly prided himself on. Similarly, you felt your insides burn at the feeling of being manhandled and treated like a toy, or the way he began moaning your name in a low whisper as you felt his cock twitching inside you, aching for release – the first time he had ever acknowledged your name tonight.

“[Y/N], baby – fuck!” his distorted voice cried out, “I’m... I’m gonna...!”

“Me too...!” you felt your legs shake violently as you neared your climax, “A-Ajax!”

He let out one final thrust, burying himself inside of you until his length plugged up your sore hole and dumped his seed deep inside you. His load came in pulses, slowly coating your insides with moans of ecstasy ringing in your ear as he rested his chin on your shoulder. Your cunt quivered as you reached your release as well, your fluids swirling with his to make one happy mix of satisfaction.

The both of you stayed in this position, panting and trying to calm down from your highs. Childe let go of his hands behind your neck and positioned them to hold your knees without pulling out of you, allowing you to freely move your head again. Though, you didn’t want to take your eyes off of his cock buried inside of you, opting to keep your head hanging down to actively avoid looking at the bodies in front of you. Childe must have noticed this, and of course, he had to say something about it.

“Sorry about... them. I hate... really hate when people try to mess with what’s mine,” he took a deep sigh as he slowly pulled out of you, watching his cum ooze out from your cunt to drip down to the space between his shoes. The sight could have been enough for him to push for another round, but he figured now wasn’t the time. He had the urge to explain himself.

“I was just so mad and... though I have to admit, seeing their blood on my blade got me so excited... wait, I think I might’ve gotten a little too excited,” something seemed to have clicked in his mind when he said that, “Baby, I’m so sorry! We shouldn’t have done this, I did so many things to you, I’m so sorr-“

“It’s okay, Childe,�� you slowly turned your head to his so your faces were only an inch apart, his mask being the sole barrier that stopped you from kissing him to shut him up. “I had so much fun. Did you?”

“Of course I did,” he slowly placed you down to stand on your feet again, which was admittedly tough since he had fucked the life out of you. He briefly held your waist to stabilize you as you wobbled back and forth, his cum now dripping down your thighs. He then lifted his hood up to reveal his fluffy red hair and took off his mask, throwing it to the ground to meet you with teary eyes. His voice was no longer distorted by that cursed mask, and a look of genuine concern sat in his deep eyes. “I-I’m so sorry for scaring you, [Y/N]. I could see it in your eyes the entire time and I hate to admit that it turned me on and now I feel so bad–“

You swiftly pressed your lips to his, finally shutting him up from his rambling. He responded by eagerly returning the kiss, cupping your face in his hands and closing his eyes. For a moment, his troubles melted away once he realized you weren’t upset with him, and millions of thoughts about how much he loved you raced through his mind. But It wasn’t long before he broke the exchange, taking off his hooded garments to drape it over your cold, naked body. It was apparent he put thought into this moment, already wearing his normal clothes underneath the Fatui uniform as if he had planned to cover you up from the start. He made sure to pin it closed and fasten it tightly, ensuring that every exposed part of you was warm and covered. Once he was done, he pulled you in for a hug, holding you tightly as he stared at the bodies behind you, sighing contently.

“I love you, [Y/N]. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and letting me have tonight. We really don’t have to do this ever again if you don’t want to.”

“I love you too,” you smiled sweetly. “Just... next time, please don’t keep me waiting so long. The uncertainty was thrilling but I was sure I was going to die back there.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time. I just got caught up with the Millelith because I’m dressed like an agent, then I lost sight of you and... wait,” he pressed his forehead against yours and gently, yet eagerly whispered with a grin, “so there’s really going to be a next time?”

#childe #childe x reader #tartaglia #tartaglia x reader #ajax #ajax x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact smut #mine #bang #genshin impact x reader

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letstalkabouttvshows · 3 years

Text

The long overdue Malex reunion , here some of my thoughts (it might get a bit long, but well, what can you do?🤷🏻‍♀️)

Was I surprised with the amount of progress we got in 3x08? Yes. Did I think the writers would deliver this Malex perfection? Not at all. At least not right now.

Did it make sense though? YES 👏🏻 A 👏🏻THOUSAND👏🏻 TIMES 👏🏻 YES 👏🏻

Here's the main reason: Roswell NM uses A LOT the off screen, fill in the blanks trick.

It has been that way since season 1. So much so that when I started binging the show, one of my first thoughts was: "They sure like to make the audience assume a lot instead of showing it"

Is this a bad thing? Overall, no. Especially when done it right.

Do I believe RNM should ease a bit on let the viewers fill the blank spaces thing? Yes. I think they should.

We are seeing right now how can it go wrong with the lack of mentioning Kyle, for instance. 💔

It just would be better for us, viewers, if there was a nod or something, and not just "ah ok, I'm assuming they all know already where's Kyle". Because people can assume right or wrong and that's where trouble lives.

Again, season 3 is so much better than the previous two when it comes to storytelling. They are fixing the mistakes of season 2 and they are delivering a main arc story that gets us hooked. Bravo! 🌟 To me, they are finally living up to the potential of the show!

But again, fill in the blanks is a thing with them.

So, when it comes to Malex being back, we have to see their story as a whole, since season 1 and not just the events of season 3.

It's everything that happened between them until now.

Luckily for us, the fill in the blanks exercise is much easier to do and to be convinced by it because:

Vlamis and Tyler understood the assignment

Props, props to them. The chemistry between these two is absurd. It's organic, they play off each other so very well and it shows ever since 1x01. Chef's chef's kiss 😘

Michael and Tyler clearly love these characters and love the story they carry. They are invested in telling it right and they do it effortlessly.

Malex doesn't need to have a single line of dialogue and we still can sense their deep love for each other.

To have this kinda of dynamic in a show it's gold. A story can be well written but can reach another level depending who is portraying it. It can be so much more, for the best.

RNM was perfect on the cast of the cosmic not-so-idiots-anymore love story.

If Malex is the fan favorite duo it is, it's because Vlamis and Tyler delivered and keep delivering on each episode.

So everything about 3x08 was a culmination of fill in the blanks, the narrative of 3 and a half seasons and everything in between.

>>>Malex wasn't rushed<<<

These two characters have been in love for 12-13 years.

They genuinely, sincerely, with all they have love each other despite all the chaos surrounding them.

They've tried to run away from it, tried to move on from it, and they still ended up heading towards the other.

Michael is in love with Alex. Always has been, always will. Alex is in love with Michael. Always has been, always will.

That's just the way it is in this little alien story. 👽

Alex poured his heart into a song because he has never been able to say the words. "Wish I found the words when we were 17".

Michael heard the lyrics but walked away because he still was a few steps behind Alex. Not in terms of love, but in terms of moving on from trauma. "Alex is past that. He's past you. He's past me" 💔💔💔

So season 3 begins.

A year has gone by and Michael was hopeful to see Alex again. He didn't walk away in 2x13 because he didn't want to be with Alex, but because he did. Alex, on the other hand, was trying to move forward since Michael left.

For these two cosmic idiots with no communication skills whatsoever, Malex was officially just friends. With tons of baggage, but just that.

The sadness in Michael's eyes when he saw Alex at the bus station with somebody else. 💔

Then, Forrest presented two options for Alex. Walk away from crazy discoveries or stay and go deep into DS. The minute Alex said "aliens?" We knew Alex reasoning behind the question.

He definetely would choose finding out more about the aliens his family was obsessed with. And he did make that choice. Because that choice ultimately meant and revealed he was not ready to walk away from Michael.

Michael, in the chaos of clones and family lineage, went to see Alex in 3x03 and harsh truths were delivered by Alex but, again, it was everything Michael needed to hear.

Even though we could see Alex was trying to hold his own when it came to Michael, in the end of harsh sincerity, he could not resist to say: "wait". And then, he gave Michael the push to progress.

They stayed apart, figuring their own things out. 6 and 3/4 episodes apart.

After a few days in Roswell time, their paths crossed again. Turned out they were working the same case, kinda.

And then 3x08 hit 🔥

They have been apart for most of the first half of the season and with two interactions full of tension. But the story that led up to 3x08 put things in perspective.

And Alex was the one to see it.

If 3x08 taught us something, it's that Alex Manes can put his emotions aside and see things with analytical skills.

With a psycho alien dictator on the loose and with an emotional connection to his cosmic cowboy idiot, Alex needed to step up to handle hot headed Michael and make sure he was safe.

He saw that if he kept defensive, Michael would too.

So, he let his guard down and told the truth. About DS and about why he joined. He knew Michael would listen if he was sincere.

"I did it for you. A world where you feel safe is not gonna built itself. So I had to try. For us".

Here is two people that know they love each other but they just don't talk about it.

He then used some words again when he had to make sure Michael wasn't going to let his emotions get the best of him.

You could see in Alex's face when he looked at Michael right before sharing the story of how he injured his leg that he had to share that one to make sure Michael would listen.

"I lost a piece of me in many ways [...] Guerin, you are the one piece I can't go through life without".

For somebody who could not find the words for so long, Alex finally found them 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

And then, he continued to do so when they were at the Pony, being open and honest about the machine and DS.

>>>1/2 cosmic idiot full circle complete<<

Now onto Michael.

We've seen Michael take huge steps to become better at living and not just being a pit of anger and trauma issues.

It started with "breaking old patterns", for a second went to self loathing again, and then took a whole force with "You decide who you are. If you give up, it's on you".

Michael listened to Alex and decided to be better for "the people that matter". It's not a head scratch to assume along the list of important people that Alex was on the top of it.

We saw Michael on a mission.

Apologizing to Rosa "I didn't think I should have a life if Rosa ortecho didn't". "Maybe there's hope for me too". Protecting Kyle. Working to keep everyone safe.

Michael grew.

And then, he found out Alex hadn't give up on them. He got to see Alex be vulnerable. He got to hear how Alex loves him still.

For a full day there, he didn't have to be defensive because Alex wasn't being it. Michael followed Alex's lead and didn't let his emotions take over him. He followed the plan. He trusted.

Thoroughout 3x08 we saw Michael be better for the person on top of his list.

With defensiveness aside, all Malex moments were gold and everything it should be.

But their last scene, at the Pony, was the culmination of it all. Of the weight of their story, of their growing and their time apart.

At the table, both Alex and Michael found common ground by being clear, honest and by compromising for each other out of their feelings for one another.

Alex by then had brought all his walls downs. His smiles and lightness said it all. Michael saw it. And Michael, well Michael, finally chose talking instead of assuming, accept help instead of rejecting it, work together instead of doing alone.

"Maybe it is". "I completely get it". "One mission at a time". "I'm looking forward to it".

But the last scene though, was them coming together and turning the page with a kiss that was as intense as it was soft, sweet, tender and full of longing.

They went cosmic ... again!

With "I'm confused, though. What mission are you working in right now?", Michael made his move.

He stood up, took his hat off and kissed the love of his life to make it clear that he was fighting for them too. With no room to question who has his heart.

>>> 1/2 of cosmic idiot full circle complete<<<

With sighs of wonder and smiles of relief, Malex turned a chapter in their cosmic story. 💜🌌👽🌟

And it made an universe of sense.

#Malex #Roswell New Mexico #Roswell NM #Alex Manes #Michael Guerin #3x08 #RNM

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thedeviljudges · 3 years

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For today’s ‘i really, really love kang yohan’ post, we’re gonna be develing into a little bit of emotional intelligence and the fact that Yohan both possesses it while simultaneously doesn’t, lmao.

Yohan is portrayed as a hunter and a shark. He’s said this himself in his own words. He’s read up on dynamics of humans and instincts and basis himself off of a monster for a couple of different reasons, but the main one being the fact that people believed him to be as such instead of coming down to his level as a child to understand him.

This by far, means Yohan was emotionally neglected (physically too, but that’s, in some ways, addressed in my other meta post) by parental figures in his life except for the nanny, possibly, on occasion, and isaac - but even then, we know it must’ve only been to a certain extent. On top of that, yohan’s only true witness to emotions is through those people in the house, and needless to say, one of them was off the walls abusive.

It’s why we get scenes like the choking one because when Yohan is angry, guess how he’s learned to express that? It’s physical, but it ties in emotionally. Yohan lashes out the only way he knows how, but this is also an indicator that he’s lied about being a monster. Why? Because people with extreme reactions to emotionally charged questions (like your associate judge accusing you of killing your brother, for example) can often mean that it’s more than just a sensitive topic; it actually matters to that person. At this point, gaon does not know isaac’s story, but we later learn yohan’s version of the fire, and it’s slowly revealed through Elijah, specifically, just how much family is a tough topic for Yohan.

And fortunately, gaon sees right through yohan’s bullshit when he calls him out about how he should be a victim, not a monster. Which opens up the door to us understanding why Yohan does what he does and says what he says even more because it’s revealed through that conversation that these are specific words Yohan has heard before. So not only has he been emotionally stunted as a child by way of abuse, he’s had so many people in his life look at him as a callous monster. And when that happens, don’t you start to believe it? Don’t you lose a little bit of your humanity and become the very thing people say you are?

However, this is also yohan’s strength in the world he lives in, especially with the intent to seek revenge for Isaac. He can put his emotions aside and think clearly, even in situations that should rile him up. You can actually see him get… amused when someone tries to put him in a corner. Yohan doesn’t rely on emotions because it’s logic, rational and strategy that gets him every single checkmate. It’s what’s got him to the point he’s at now. It’s how he’s able to push gaon into seeing reason because if you look at things from the perspective of philosophy and science (by way of human nature), it becomes easier to see a path and a plan so very clearly to whatever outcome you’re wanting.

The issue that comes into play circles back around with family. Because Yohan did not grow up in a healthy environment, he doesn’t know what family actually means and what dynamic it should look like. The past several years he’s spent with Elijah, he’s lived it logically because it means keeping her safe without taking into consideration the fact that Elijah is not like himself and did not grow up in the same environment he did. Only, Yohan also has a habit of not telling anyone his plans, and that’s where the miscommunication starts. How is Elijah to know why Yohan keeps her away from the world? It’s revealed she’s been kidnapped twice, but does Elijah truly understand yohan’s perspective? No, she’s a teenager, and gaon was right about it not being fair to keep her locked away.

But I digress. Here you have a man with a plan with repressed emotions and then enter one kim gaon, and he’s asked for trouble. One of the reasons Yohan, I believe, has kept gaon around is because he defies the typical. He challenges Yohan, not in an act of dominance, but out of another way of thinking, and that’s a big difference. Things might go over gaon’s head, and he’s not always right, but he’s looking at all perspectives, even if they’re wrong. Multiple times Yohan has been surprised by gaon’s way of thinking. That’s intriguing and it’s different.

Which lead to situations where gaon’s confronting Yohan about himself, holding up a mirror and asking him if that’s truly who he is or if it’s someone he’s trying to be, if he’s listening to what other people have told him or if he’s actually listening to himself. Which is kind of ironic with Yohan only being able to trust himself, but he can’t even do that, can he? He lies to himself in order not to face what he truly feels. And that’s because it’s filled with pain, and Yohan doesn’t have time for that.

But there is also a reason why a lot of his progress takes place in his house and away from the world because a home is meant for vulnerability and while Yohan and Elijah haven’t had that in a while, Yohan didn’t take into account gaon’s ability to see things differently. Yohan saw gaon’s mind for his plan and for the overarching plot to oust the rich, but what he did not consider is how that would translate into his personal life. Which is hilarious because Yohan is the one that brought gaon into his home in the first place and ultimately ended up with a surprise of a man who’s clearly moved in because Yohan never tells him he has to leave.

So, that’s where things begin to unravel. Gaon tests Yohan’s patience and emotions in ways he hasn’t been tested. Again, gaon’s held up the mirror and asked him to consider looking deeper for the actual truth instead of the façade Yohan lets himself believe is real. Gaon is also one of the only other people in yohan’s life that has actually considered yohan’s feelings and, in turn, elijah’s. gaon is also a man of righteousness and it makes sense that he’s not afraid to share parts of himself if it means it’s doing something good.

We see this particularly with Elijah, telling her about his parents, not reprimanding her over her murder plot, lmao. gaon grew up in an emotionally healthy, and most likely, happy household where he could express himself without feeling like a burden. He has patience and kindness imbedded into his being.

So with that dynamic of being in a home where people are not on display in front of the world, with gaon’s ability to emotionally connect with people, and finding out the looming secrets of the kang household, it becomes rife with opportunity to peel back those layers and expose them for what they are and talk about it and instead of hiding it away in the shadows. Gaon gives them all space to have those emotions, and while he prods and he asks questions, it’s generally in the form of a gentle reminder that other perspectives exists than the ones that are within those four walls. Gaon doesn’t get angry necessarily, and he apologizes when he’s wrong. His straightforwardness and heart-on-his-sleeve demeanor actually works in his favor, albeit a bit misguided at times.

And with all of this, it’s how Yohan slowly begins to open up. Gaon might be accusatory from his distrust of Yohan, but it’s from a place of curiosity and determination to understand, ultimately, rather than a motive of punishment. I think gaon connecting with Elijah is also the icing on the cake and driving motivator that yohan made a good choice in keeping gaon around because Yohan notices the change in his niece and how much happier she is. Gaon’s directly pointed fingers at Yohan and he’s spied on him, but he’s also confronted Yohan about what he’s done head on without taking justice into his own hands. So with those two things combined (helping elijah and wanting understanding), and even yohan’s determination to get gaon on his side, means that level of trust has slowly, but surely, grown into something much more than Yohan ever thought it could be.

Because again, Yohan did not think about the intricacies of living with other people at home and how well you get to know them by merely existing under the same roof. Gaon learns little things about Yohan and doesn’t use them to his advantage or as a slight – maybe in the beginning with the spying, if we want to give him any credit at all for that. Gaon sees a problem and tries to fix it – just like he sees a problem with the world and with corruption and uses the justice system to fix it.

With all of that understanding and poking and prodding, gaon learns how much Yohan cares for Isaac and for Elijah and validates those emotions while still giving Yohan a slap on the wrist for how he’s expressed that care. He learns of yohan’s abuse and confirmed and supported the idea of being a victim and how that’s okay, that Yohan needs to learn to accept it for himself in order to truly heal. He’s berated Yohan for not showing more kindness to Elijah, the only family he has left and just how important that bond is, after discovering what Elijah means to Yohan.

And that’s given Yohan agency with his own emotions. He’s cried over the memory of his father abusing him and wishing he could’ve stopped it. He’s admitted that he hates when gaon looks at him like he’s a monster, and he definitely hates it when gaon makes assumptions and dives in head first without actually thinking things through. But that is also an advantage of Yohan: understanding someone emotionally because it means that Yohan has learned so much about gaon and the way he thinks that when in episode 9 he tells gaon about how he reminds him of Isaac with his assumptions, it comes from a place of discussion rather than anger. He’s realized the way to get through to gaon is through talking and physically showing gaon how he thinks (the prison reveal). Granted, he’s been doing this with gaon since the beginning, but it’s become even more pertinent now.

The thing is, Yohan has recognized gaon’s kindness at this point. He’s witnessed it in his misguided understanding of the justice system. But what’s truly interesting is that Yohan understands gaon’s kindness, but he still doesn’t understand the world’s. Yohan has a very different perspective of what kindness looks like because it’s not actual kindness but motivation and ulterior motives. Kindness to Yohan is power play – it’s people using others by any means necessary to get a leg up. It’s self-serving for their own benefit and not for others.

Which is also how that first seed of trust is planted with gaon – when he saved the little girl and the bus driver. And how more seeds are trusted by way of gaon doing what gaon does best – provoking Yohan with different thoughts, especially when it comes to family.

But this also applies to yohan’s understanding and hypocrisy when it comes to Elijah and kindness. At this point and by episode 9, Yohan has accepted gaon’s kindness. He’s let it in, lets Elijah indulge in it because he’s noticed that their home is happier – by way of making gaon come back because Elijah missed him. Yohan believes Elijah naïve for trusting others who show her any ounce of kindness, but the thing is, Yohan has come to trust gaon. He’s witnessed the kindness and the understanding, and yet it’s much easier to continue believing that it’s actually a cruel and ugly thing, especially in the wake of Elijah getting hurt, and that’s his default method of coping. Kindness got Elijah hurt and in trouble. It’s what makes you weak.

And if there is one thing we know about Yohan is that he’s anything but weak, but it’s another lie. Kindness did not get Yohan anywhere in life. Kindness got his brother murdered and his family taken away from him.

But the saving grace from that way of thinking? Gaon, yet again, telling Yohan why he’s wrong. Gaon tells Yohan every human needs someone to rely on as long as they’re human, and I think that was certainly a pain point of remembrance in how Yohan had no one but Isaac and then no one after. only this time, a point is made by way of Elijah because she only has Yohan now and she, unlike what Yohan convinces himself he doesn’t need, actually wants to experience human nature – that innate thing kang Yohan has so desperately read about and studied without taking into consideration that the carnal desires of humanity don’t always outweigh the good found within.

And isn’t that just a little bit ironic how someone so capable of understanding the human psyche cannot simply recognize kindness when it’s so freely given? If he weren’t the skeptic and the hypocrite, maybe he’d see what’s right before his eyes, and maybe he’d see just how far he’s come in allowing someone to see parts of himself he’d always been led to believe didn’t matter.

Kang Yohan is a complex character, but he has so much room for growth, and it’s exciting witnessing that in baby steps – and that’s all because he couldn’t tell his doe-eyed associate judge no. sucks for Yohan, I guess; getting himself into a mess he cannot get himself out of, an issue of his own doing and one we very clearly have seen he doesn’t want to rectify, lmao.

also one more thing..... that dinner scene in ep 9 is also a true testament of what can be done with just a little provocation because there you have yohan realizeing what a happy home can look like if he just tries to be more vulnerable and that it actually, in fact, does matter.

#x #*#kang yohan #the devil judge #look who write 2.3k about yohan bc im a dumbass and just spit out thoughts #this is not in order at all this is me rambling like the dumb b that i am #god i love yohan so much wow i hope this makes sense bc yikes #this is what happens when u have a lot of thoughts and there's so many components s #even after all this i know ive missed some but lmaooo here is this #does any of this make sense i hope it makes sense bc i dont feel like it's fleshed out how i wanted it #nor is it in order but uh yeah food for thought yall!!!!!!!!

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buckyownsmylife · 3 years

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Electric Feel - Tom Hiddleston smut

The one where Tom moved in to help you, but you end up helping each other.

Warnings: porn with a very unecessary and minimal plot, smut, dom!female, sub!Tom, masturbation (m), oral sex (f), mistress kink, brief mention of a stalker, actress!reader

Word count: 2k<

A/N: This is so small compared to everything @just-the-hiddles deserves, but it’s her birthday and I just couldn’t let it go by without a token of my gratitude, love and admiration! Happy birthday, Liz! I hope you know how much I care about you! ALSO: unedited for the moment because I just started and finished this entire thing in the last six hours when I should be studying but oh well.

Tom’s P.O.V.

I didn’t remember stopping to think for a single second ever since I saw the news. My fingers acted on their own accord, hitting those numbers I had memorized so long ago, raising the phone to my ear as I waited for her to pick up.

“Hello?” Hearing her voice didn’t calm me down like I expected it would. I realized then, I’d only feel tranquil once more when I could see her with my own eyes, touch her skin, feel her warmth.

“Darling? How are you?” I still asked, almost automatically, and if I had hoped she would at least be well enough to pretend to be okay, the sharp inhale that preceded her burst into tears shattered that illusion in a second. “I’m on my way.”

And that was how I ended up in her house in what felt like the blink of an eye. The trip there could have lasted days - all that mattered was that the second I had my arms wrapped around her, everything felt alright again.

“It’s okay,” I soothed her, but it was probably better directed at myself. “I’m here now.” It took at least a day before I was comfortable enough to ask her about it. “How did they find the guy?” When she latched onto a detailed explanation of the events from the last week, how she’d started receiving random death threats that suddenly weren’t so random anymore, I felt almost like I wasn’t even there, but floating over the living room, watching us talk from the outside looking in.

I held her close for a long time after that, unable to admit even to myself that not feeling her body against mine made me feel empty and weak. And so the feeling of protectiveness stirred awake inside of me - or maybe it had been there all along, I just failed to acknowledge it.

All I knew was that inserting myself into Y/N’s daily life was much easier than I ever expected it to be. And even if I told both her and myself that this was for her own safety, because she needed someone around until she felt comfortable by herself again, I knew it was more for my own benefit than anything else.

I just didn’t anticipate it would make my feelings that much harder to deal with. Did I know that I wanted her? Yes, maybe even ever since we’d met. And as our friendship progressed and we became closer, I saw that desire develop into something deeper, more solid. Still, I stupidly believed it was nothing more than a crush, and I’d be able to pretend it didn’t exist and get on with my life day after day like it wasn’t there.

Now that my days began and ended with her, I was highly aware of my mistake.

“Tommy,” she called out, making me lift my eyes from the tv and fall on her and the dog she currently tried to control. “I’m going to take her for a walk, okay?” I sat up automatically, ready to join her, when I felt a hand over my shoulder, gently pushing me back against the sofa.

“C’mon, finish the movie!” She admonished, a knowing grin on her face. “I think there’s a scene coming up with someone you particularly enjoy. I’m just going into the backyard, no need to worry.”

Even though I stayed seated where she’d left me, my eyes trailed over her figure as she disappeared inside the kitchen, until I heard the backdoor close. Despite knowing there was no possible immediate danger to her inside the boundaries of her own home, I couldn’t help but worry.

That was until a moan caught my attention, bringing it back to the tv once more. It sounded so familiar and so foreign at the same time, I was instantly intrigued, eyebrows furrowed as I struggled to identify the young woman that was being so brutally fucked by the main protagonist in a dark club.

My mouth hang open once the lighting changed and her face became recognizable, those same alluring features tempting me just as much as they tempted the character on the screen. So this was what she meant, I didn’t even know she was on this movie when I first picked it out.

I could feel my member hardening inside my sweatpants as her beautiful, melodic voice kept tempting me, and I grit my teeth as I chanced a glance at the kitchen, wondering how long I had before she was back. Not enough, I knew that. Still, looking down at my crotch made me believe it was worth at least a try, because the alternative was her surely seeing just how affected her little scene had made me.

Y/N’s P.O.V.

The silence in the living room was my first indication that something was different, and as I stepped foot in the place where I’d left Tom not even five minutes ago, I realized my intuition was right - he’d abandoned the movie and left me alone in the main floor of the house.

Maybe he wanted to take a shower, or answer a call? I didn’t know, but I figured I should let him know I was back before he got worried, so I climbed up the stairs two at a time before stopping in front of the guest room he’d been staying in, suddenly frozen by what I heard.

“Y/N…” It was my name, breathed out in a whiney, raspy moan that left me no doubt over what was happening behind the door I now clutched so tightly. My mind drifted back to the movie we’d been watching, the scene I knew he’d see. Had I been the cause for his arousal?

My body acted of its own accord, the week of emotional tension before he arrived, replaced by the sexual energy that was always present whenever he was around finally getting the best of me.

I opened the door. His hand was curled around a large member, the sight of which had me whimpering as I clenched my thighs together, alerting me of my entrance. His eyes, which were closed, immediately widened upon seeing me, and he tried to cover his erection with both hands, even if it was obviously not possible to do so.

“Why are you shy?” I asked, head tilted as I analyzed the man before me, my mouth watering at the sight. I was desperate to give in to this desire, let go of the fears and anxieties that had been clawing at me ever since the first message arrived, and so I climbed on the bed like he was my prey, determined to make him crack and admit his own attraction to me.

“You called my name,” I noticed once I was on his lap, eyes taking inventory of every inch of pretty skin I couldn’t wait to bruise. “Don’t you want me?” At the sound of the insecurity in my voice, he jolted, eager to show that there wasn’t a reason for there to be any.

“Of course I do.” Smiling, I hummed appreciatively as I licked my lips, eyes darting down and seeing that he still hadn’t resumed his movements on his cock, even though it clearly needed some attention.

“Then why don’t you touch yourself while I suck little lovebites all over you huh?” Finally, I enveloped his pink lips with mine, eager to taste them, touch his tongue with mine. But I needed to see him cum way too badly, and I craved the control I knew I could exercise with him.

So I forced myself to pull away, laying kisses down his jaw until I reached his neck, starting to bite and suck there at the sound of his whines. Below us, I noticed he had started jerking off again, although hesitantly, and so I covered his hand with mine and forced him to get back to his previous pace.

“Show me how much you desired me,” I ordered, as he instantly fought back, “Kiss me again.” It was such a sweet request, and particularly in the breathless tone he tried to make petulant, it made me even more excited to play with the man I had wanted for so long.

“But do you really deserve another kiss?” I taunted, pressing them on his chest, on his biceps, anywhere other than his lips. He was breathing through his mouth now, long deep sighs being interjected by his moans and whines, and it all went straight to my panties.

“Yes,” he insisted, hand tightening around himself and a delicious blush spreading over his chest as I sat back on by heels to judge the hauntingly tempting image before me. He bit his lower lips in an effort to hold back his own sounds, but as I got rid of my clothes, his efforts proved fruitless, and a wanting cry escaped his throat as I forced him to quicken his movements once more.

“Oh, I see…” I wasn’t done teasing him, not by a long shot. “You’ve wanted me all along, haven’t you?” All he could do was nod, and I could see the underlying shyness in his reluctance to admit it.

“Well, I’ve wanted you too, baby. And right now, I want to suck you off until my jaw is sore, how does that sound like?” Another moan was all I got as a response, making me smile wider than I’d ever done before.

“But I don’t think you’ve earned it yet. So for now, all I’ll let you do is keep touching yourself while you suck on my tits, how about that?” His eyelids were heavy when he looked at me, having to throw his head back to be able to meet my eyes.

“Fuck… It’s… perfect.” I cooed at how wrecked he looked like, even with how little I’d touched him, my navel brushing his member briefly as we adjusted ourselves so he could wrap his lips around my nipple.

“Oh…” I gasped in delight as tingles raised up my spine at the pleasant sensation, and between us, I could feel his movements growing more desperate as my moans replaced his in the otherwise silent bedroom.

When I felt him spill all over my stomach, I pulled him away from my chest by my grip on his locks, finally giving him what he wanted and capturing his lips with mine once more. “Hmm…” I moaned once we parted and I’d scooped some of his release to give it a taste. “So sweet.”

Tom was looking at me like I was some sort of extraterrestrial being, chest visibly heaving in his effort to keep breathing. “Can I taste you know?” He at last managed to ask, and I pretended to think, before gently nudging him out of the bed and onto the floor.

“Yes,” I approved, wrapping his curls around my fingers again before bringing him down to the apex of my thighs, moaning as his tongue eagerly plunged inside of me, eager to get acquainted with the most intimate part of my body. “Who would have known you could be such a submissive little thing, huh?”

When he raised his head to answer, just the sight of my wetness dripping from the lower part of his face had my heart skipping a beat. “You should have known… A single word from you and I’d drop to my knees and worship you like you deserve… Mistress.”

#my fics #tom hiddleston smut #smut #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston reader #tom hiddleston reader insert #tom hiddleston reader inserts #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfic

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darksidechick823 · 2 years

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Baubles and Balls-- Wait, What?!

It's that time of year again!! @hansannafortheholidays is here!! 🎄🎁

Prompt 3: Tree Decorating

2021’s prompts exist in a first film AU where Anna moves to the Southern Isles to live with Hans. No ulterior motives here. Hans is the pure cinnamon roll-gentlemanly-prince charming that Anna loves so much, one that he should have been in proper film canon.

Each prompt is semi independent and not meant to be read as a continuing story like last year’s entries were. Their only common thread is that it will be Anna’s first Christmas away from Arendelle.

Summary: Anna tries to engage the Westergaard men into decorating the castle’s great hall. Mayhem ensues.

“I could use a little more slack, Hans!” Anna said and glanced down to her fiancé. She was standing near the top of a tall, rickety ladder attempting to hang garland around the castle’s entrance. This was a moment she had been looking forward to ever since the autumn season started to come to a close. Christmas was always a favorite time of year for her, even with the gates closed and Elsa hiding away in her room. Her parents always did their best to keep her in the highest of spirits, and that included decorating the main living spaces of the castle. And while she wasn’t in Arendelle anymore, there was no reason why that kind of tradition couldn’t transfer over to her new adoptive family!

Weeks ago, she could remember standing awkwardly outside King Alexander’s study with her fist just inches from the wooden door, afraid to knock. It wasn’t that she was terrified of Hans’ father. In fact, she rather liked the man. Hans and a few of his brothers found the Westergaard patriarch rather intimidating, but the monarch was always extremely kind and generous with her. She was the daughter he never had, therefore he, too, had a hand in making sure Anna was comfortable in her new home. However, unlike Hans’ extensive efforts of happy-homemaking, King Alexander was never present much during regular day-to-day routines. He was always holed away in his study along with Frederick, the heir to the throne, as they handled matters of state.

Asking him to participate in a family activity was actually easier than she thought, though it didn’t give her the result she wanted. At least she was rejected nicely, though the king did promise to try to pop in in-between his engagements to see how the activity progressed.

Hans was eager to give a helping hand, as always, and he even managed to rope twins Viktor and Georg, the second and third eldest brothers, into helping them search through storage closets and attic spaces in search of old family decorations left abandoned over the years. And now, thanks to their labors, the entire great hall was covered in makeshift tables with crates all over the floor. And in the center of the grand room, situated right in the middle of twin curved staircases was a grand Christmas tree just brought in and secured from the outside. There was plenty to decorate, and even better, there were plenty of potential bodies to help decorate, too!

That is… if they were actually doing anything in the first place. As she reached down to get better grips on the rest of the garland, she happened to look over her shoulder at the scene behind them. Viktor and Georg were sitting on the floor by one of the large storage boxes attempting to sort through ornaments for the tree, but it seemed they were the only ones participating.

“Hey, c’mon guys! Don’t let me be the one doing all the work! This is supposed to be good ol’ fashioned family fun!”

“...for whom?” Lars asked as he slouched sideways across an armchair across the hall. He looked both extremely bored and completely uninterested in anything going on around him. “This certainly isn’t my idea of fun.”

“That’s not surprising.” Viktor spoke up, “considering you’re never in the mood to do anything.”

“It’s amazing that he even knows how to have fun in the first place.” Georg added. Both brothers nodded in agreement.

“Well, it’s not our idea of fun, either.” Derrick muttered with his arms crossed as he and Dirk leaned against one of the marble columns flanking the hall. “And we know what real fun actually is.”

“For god's sake,” Johan sighed excessively loudly, “there’s more to life than screwing every skirt in the village,” he said and knelt down next to where Viktor and Georg were on the floor. He didn’t appear that interested in helping either, but at least the various tree decorations captured a shred of his attention.

“Why aren’t there any snacks?” Tomas whined and collapsed into a chair of his own. “I'm hungry!”

Hans shook his head and as Anna bent down for more garland, he looked up to her with an apologetic look. “I tried to warn you that this was going to happen…”

“I know…” Anna said dejectedly, “I guess I just had hope that Christmastime would make your brothers a lot less… like themselves.” Once she had the garland secured, she climbed down the ladder and brushed her palms into her skirts. “ How does it look?”

Hans took a few steps back to admire her handiwork. “It looks–”

“--Crooked.” Dirk snickered.

“What??” Anna’s eyes widened as she looked back up to the wall. “Hey, no it’s not! Stop pulling my leg.”

“Now that that’s over, can we all go?” Tomas asked and checked the time on his pocket watch.

“What do you mean, ‘now that it’s over’?” Johan asked and pointed to the massive tree. “We still have to get through that monstrosity!”

“Oh geezus!”

Frederick shook his head as he casually turned the page of the book he was reading. “Y’know, if you all stopped complaining and helped Anna, this whole activity would go a lot faster.”

“Well you’re one to talk, Freddy.” Lars swung his legs over in front and sat up in his chair. “You’re not helping, either!”

“I don’t need to.” The heir to the throne replied with a slight holier-than-thou tone of voice. “I’m only here to supervise.”

“What?!” Dirk pushed off the column and stomped over to the eldest prince. “What makes you so special?!”

“Just because you’re Father’s favorite doesn’t mean you don’t have to get your hands dirty.” Derrick snapped.

Anna sighed and glanced at Hans as the princes continued to banter back and forth. This afternoon was not going to end well if they all kept arguing. She really wanted this to be something fun for everyone. Instead, it seemed to get them all at each other’s throats. Her eyes scanned around the great hall and landed on the makeshift craft station she put together, untouched. Instead of arguing and complaining, they could have been doing something far more constructive. She didn’t go through all of the efforts of finding materials and setting up this workspace just to let it all go to waste. What would King Alexander say when he arrived back from his engagements and found there to be little to no progress made? He would be expecting this hall to be decorated. She couldn’t bear to let him down in such a way.

“Gentlemen, please! Don’t fight!” She stood in the center of the hall and waited until every single man present turned to her. She didn’t care if they eyed her with curiosity or contentment. They were going to have a family activity even if she had to break some noses to make it happen. “Christmas time is supposed to be about traditions and being appreciative of everything that we have. It’s about helping those in need. It’s about loving each other and acting out from the kindness of our hearts!”

“…in what world is Christmas like that?” Lars whispered to Tomas and Dirk. They all shrugged their shoulders.

Frederick nodded thoughtfully, stood up and turned towards his brothers. “That’s how Christmas would have been all of these years if Mother were still with us.” He said and narrowed his eyes at Tomas. “Don’t give me that skeptical look. Many of you were still too young to know her and the way things used to be, but I remember everything. It was no secret, especially now, that Mother was the life of this castle. Father may have run the kingdom, but she was responsible for this family and its prosperity. There’s a reason why all of this decor and merriment became lost in storage over the years after she passed–”

“--Yeah, thanks for that, Hans.” Derrick snapped and sent a nasty glare to the youngest prince.

Anna winced at the comment and wrapped her hands around her fiancés arm. She could just feel the tension radiating off of him. This was always a sore topic for him. The last thing she wanted was more fighting.

“No.” Frederick shook his head and rubbed his forehead briefly. “We’re not playing that game anymore. Blaming each other for things out of our control is what started this whole mess. It’s what caused Father to retreat to his duties and leave us to our own devices. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I for one would like to see light and life return to this castle; to hear genuine laughter again, not jeers at someone else’s expense. And most importantly of all, I would like to see Father find enjoyment in the holidays after over two decades of loneliness and misery. At the very least, let’s be a family for his sake. I think after all of this time, we owe him that much.” He cleared his throat and made his voice seem as authoritative as possible, “that being said, all of us are going to put aside our scruples and follow through with whatever Princess Anna has in store for us. Because if any of you refuse to cooperate, you’ll find yourself landed in stable duty for the next six months shoveling horse muck with your bare hands.”

Anna had to resist snickering at the bewildered, wide-eyed looks of sheer panic and horror across the majority of the prince’s faces. Honestly, she didn’t peg Prince Frederick to be an ally in this, especially for him sticking up for Hans! But if this rare dose of unity was a result of Christmas magic, she was not going to complain.

“Right!” She clasped her hands together and gestured towards the tables set up. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get to work! We only have so much time before the King returns and I want him to be pleasantly surprised! So… there’s paints, fabric scraps, cardstock, scissors and paste. Everything we need for a make-your-own-decoration fest!”

“Wait, stop right there.” Derrick looked warily to the tables. “You’re going to have us craft? What is this, a toddler’s nursery game?!”

“Wha–no!” Anna shot back defensively, “This is a chance to add some personal family flair to the tree instead of everything being shiny chains and glass ornaments!”

Hans took a step forward and purposefully positioned himself between Anna and Derrick, just in case his brother decided to throw more of a fit. “What’s the matter? Afraid of using your imagination?”

“...if he even has one.” Johan mumbled under his breath.

“Calm down, Derrick.” Dirk said, resting a hand on his twin’s shoulder. “The sooner we get through this, the sooner we can get laid…”

After a few more choice mumblings from the youngest in the group, the princes dispersed towards the tables. Viktor and Georg eagerly grabbed some carved wooden spheres and the colored paints and moved off to one side. Johan stalled before some fabric pieces and yarn. Tomas, Lars, Dirk and Derrick just stood there staring at the entire table with blank looks on their faces.

Anna took this opportunity to turn to Frederick, who had retreated back to his chair and book. “Wait… aren’t you going to join in? This is supposed to be for everyone.” She said with her hands on her hips.

“It is.” He smiled lopsidedly. “I’m going to get way more enjoyment out of watching them all squirm about. Crafts are… not my forte. But when Viktor and Georg decide they’re done painting, I might just do one bauble. Don’t worry. I promise I will still help. But for now, I’ll just—”

“—supervise.” She finished for him. “Well… I guess that’s acceptable.” Anna sighed. “And I suppose I should be thankful that you stood up for me in the first place. I don’t think I would have managed to really get them going without your help.”

“That’s because they’re afraid of me. It’s nice to flex that power once in a while,”

“Well, I thank you all the same.” She smiled back, then reached for Hans’ hand and dragged him back over to the crates worth of decorations scattered all over the floor.

“Well…” Hans murmured to her, “this is going off better than I thought. “I wasn’t expecting Frederick to put the fear of god into them, but I won’t complain! For once I’m not the one being threatened.”

Anna beamed at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Maybe this is a sign that things will be better from here on out.”

He shrugged. “Or at least for Christmas.”

“Baby steps, Hans. Baby steps.”

~****~

After an hour went by, Anna stepped over to the hall’s entrance doors to survey everyone’s handiwork. The spheres that Viktor and Georg painted were now dry and the twins were busy hanging them around the lower parts of the tree. Johan had used most of the red fabric scraps to make bows. He and Lars glued bits of holly to them, and Frederick was currently using the tall ladder to hang them along the many columns flanking the chamber. Tomas was sitting on the floor surrounded by so many paper scraps, she had no idea what he was up to. But it seemed his imaginative streak finally kicked in because whatever he was doing, he was intensely focused on it.

As for Dirk and Derrick… they were huddled in the corner of the room working on something. It was a secret. The unknown, along with the sly looks on their faces did not sit well with her. But— it was Christmas, and she was going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

She and Hans had made the rest of the room as festive as possible. There was more garland hiding in another box, so they wrapped it around the stairway banisters and spread some colorful tinsel on the console table at the top of the stairs. Before too long, the only full box left was one reserved for the Christmas Tree. And in a stroke of perfect timing, some of the groundskeepers even brought in large wreaths from outside that they hung on the grand entrance doors.

“Great job everyone!” She exclaimed loudly and clasped her hands together against her chest. “Everything looks so beautiful! Your father is going to love this!”

A subtle cough caught her attention, and her gaze moved to the left. Hans was leaning casually against the wall with a ‘come hither’ look on his face. Ooh, he was up to something, that much was certain. Her curiosity was immediately piqued, and when she was about halfway to him, he turned his head and called out into the room.

“Hey, Frederick! Anna and I are going to step out for a bit and get some snacks—“

“Oooh you had better bring some back for the rest of us!” Tomas interrupted from the floor. “I’m hungry enough to eat Lars!”

A sigh came from Frederick. “Very well. I’ll just—“

“—Supervise.” Hans finished for him this time. “We know.” Eagerly, he took hold of Anna’s hand and led her out through a side hallway.

“Hans!” She giggled as she tugged along. “The kitchen isn’t this way! What’s this about?”

When they rounded the corner, Hans immediately pulled her against the wall and reached into his waistcoat pocket. Out came a small sprig of mistletoe and he grinned like a fool as he purposefully held it over their heads. A quiet gasp escaped her as soon as her eyes landed on it and her hands came sliding up his chest to loop around his neck to pull him down to her.

The kiss was slow and sweet. A far cry from the more passionate moments when they would duck inside a small sitting room and practically fall into each other’s laps. No, Hans was being a pure gentleman here— as gentlemanly as sneaking an unchaperoned kiss in a darkened corner of a hallway could be, anyway. She loved these chaste kisses just as much as the fiery ones, if only they could last long enough. The smooch was over before it could really get a chance to develop into anything more, and Hans broke away to lean his forehead against hers.

“That was nice…” she murmured to him softly and massaged her fingers gently through the bottom of his hair.

He smiled adoringly at her, “I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done organizing this today…” he explained, “What Frederick said about my mother was true… there really hasn’t been much life in this place. That is… until you came here. A-and I don’t just mean that because I love you and we’re getting married. Regardless if my brothers would admit it or not, you really have made a difference.”

Anna could feel her cheeks reddening. “But all I wanted to do was decorate for the holidays—“

“You’re forcing us to be a family. Tomas and Lars hardly remember my mother. And Dirk and Derrick were barely over a year old when she died. None of us really know what a real inclusive familial environment is like, and that’s why they act out the way they do. I’m not saying our issues will dissolve after today or even tomorrow… but by you coaxing us into working together, maybe there’s a chance for this family after all.” His empty hand came up to stroke her cheeks, “so thank you… for saving not just me, but maybe my brothers, too.”

She smiled shyly and leaned her head into his hand, “well… most of them. I think Dirk and Derrick are a bit beyond hope.”

He chuckled. “You’re probably right.”

“You didn’t have to pull me away just to say that, though. I’m sure some of your brothers could benefit from hearing that, too.”

“Maybe…” Hans said thoughtfully, “except I also wanted to kiss you. And I certainly wasn’t going to do that right in front of Dirk and Derrick.”

Her eyes flitted upwards to the mistletoe that he still held awkwardly over their heads. “I suppose you were hiding that from them, too?”

“Mmhm…” he nodded. “It’s too much work to chase after eight men fighting over this thing. No one kisses my bride-to-be but me!”

Anna batted her eyelashes sweetly. “Well… I’m still standing under it… and I think a proper thank you for my hard work warrants another kiss, don’t you think? Or better yet… several?” She asked with a slight giggle in her voice. “How long do you think we can get away with hiding here before Tomas becomes cannibalistic?”

Hans couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. “Probably not long.”

“Then we better make every moment count.” She whispered and pulled his head back down for a deeper, more passionate kiss.

~****~

Anna couldn’t hide the blush on her cheeks as both she and Hans carried snack trays back to the great hall. The naughty mistletoe was stashed back into his pocket, but that didn’t stop Hans from stealing an extra smooch just outside the kitchen. Hopefully Tomas and the others wouldn’t question why it took so long for them to find something to eat. If word got around that the majority of the time gone was from them devouring each other’s mouths in the corridors, they would never hear the end of it. And Hans worked too hard to keep their courtship as virtuous as possible.

Virtuous with make-out sessions. After all, balance was important!

“Do you think they finished decorating by now?”

“I don’t know…” Hans said thoughtfully. “If everything is done, more of a reason for us to be alone again.” He sighed softly, “but at the same time, I did enjoy decorating, so I hope they still left some of the tree for us.”

“Me too… for both of those!” Anna nodded. “It would be so wonderful if this turned into a new family tradition! And just think! There’s–” her voice was cut off as soon as they rounded the corner onto the connecting hallway to the Great Hall.

“Don’t you dare put that piece of shit on the tree!”

“We made this! It deserves its proper place along with everyone else’s projects!”

Anna exchanged a worried glance with Hans. “Um… what’s going on?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Hans led the way back to the large chamber, but he and Anna both slowed their pace once Frederick’s voice could suddenly be heard shouting nearly every expletive under the sun while a mixture of the other brothers’ voices all talking over one another. Then there was the sound of something breaking.

“I left you alone for five minutes. FIVE. MINUTES! Must you two always be so god-damn offensive?!”

Anna and Hans stopped dead in their tracks once they actually reached the hall and the sight before them made their jaws drop. Derrick had taken the ladder and stood all the way at the top, but his back was to Anna so she couldn’t see what he was doing. Dirk had pulled the craft table over to the other side of the tree and was standing on it to reach the top where Derrick was. It looked like they were decorating the top. Tomas was still sitting on the floor in the same place, only now it was clear what he was working on. There were paper snowflakes all around, and he was using string to create a banner for them to hang. Anna wondered how he could even focus on that while there was so much going on around him. Lars, thankfully still alive, was doubled over on his knees. Was he laughing or crying? It was hard to tell.

Viktor and Georg huddled together further back in the room, shaking their heads and using their hands to hide their view of the tree. Frederick had joined them after running out of things to say since it was clear whatever Dirk and Derrick did, they weren’t listening to him to begin with.

“Um…” Anna began, not entirely sure what to say. “We’re back?”

At the sound of her voice, Tomas perked up and instantly dropped everything in his hands. “Oh thank the merciful heavens!” He got to his feet so fast and ran over to the tray Anna was holding. He snatched a sandwich off the pile and shoved a good quarter of it into his mouth. “Ish abou’ ‘ime! What ‘ook…” he swallowed hard and licked his lips before taking another bite, “...what took so long??”

“Never mind that.” Hans said warily as he stepped further into the room. His tray was set down on the nearest console table. “What happened to Johan?”

“Oh.” Tomas shrugged and reached for another sandwich. “He left.” He pointed to a spot on the floor where the broken shards of a glass ornament lay. “Derrick stole the ladder and pissed him off.”

Finally feeling brave enough, Anna set the tray down next to the other one and stepped more into the center of the room. The first thing her eyes landed on were the ornaments decorating the tree. It looked like the brothers finished going through everything! That was wonderful! Different colored glass baubles were scattered about, mixed in with tinsels and ribbon garland draped all the way around!

“Aw, guys! The tree looks great!” She exclaimed with a proud smile on her face. “You should be so…uh…” her enthusiasm instantly waned as she managed to get a look at the top of the tree and what Dirk and Derrick were doing. From the initial look of things, they were trying to precariously settle a topper in place. Only that was no star. And it wasn’t even an angel or a snowman, or anything really resembling winter or Christmas. It was oblong and overall fleshy colored, with the bottom end more divided and rounded on both sides as if they glued two spheres together and used tubed cardstock for the longer portion. For whatever reason, though, there were bits of tinsel glued to the very bottom and the narrower top, the stem, had the tip painted in white. Those were decorative choices that left her rather confused.

“Um… what is that?” Anna couldn’t resist asking with her head tilted slightly to one side. Briefly, her eyes found Hans as he slowly approached. His jaw was dropped, though instead of her curious look, his was more of horror. She couldn’t quite understand why. “Did you guys really make a… squash and put it on the tree?”

“A SQUASH!!!” If Lars wasn’t laughing before, he certainly was now. His outburst made Anna turn towards him and she saw him clutching his side as he now fell over onto the floor from his fits with his legs kicking out in the air. Even Tomas nearly choked on his sandwich as he cracked up laughing, too.

Dirk and Derrick looked at each other with unamused faces and muttered a disdainful “virgins” in unison under their breath.

Anna felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. What was so funny?

“Um… Sunshine…” Hans wasn’t quite sure how to word this. “That’s not a–”

“What is this?” A curious voice boomed behind them all. Everyone’s attention was suddenly on King Alexander and Prince Astor as they strolled in from outside and naturally, they froze upon sight before them. Tomas dropped his half-eaten sandwich to the floor. Lars had managed to stop laughing at his father’s presence, but he was so out of breath that he couldn’t even get off the floor. Frederick, Viktor and Georg looked too embarrassed to even be associated with their brothers. Everyone had grown so quiet that a loose pine needle from the tree could be heard fluttering to the floor.

“Oh dear God…” Astor’s jaw dropped. He too shared Hans’ horrified expression.

But King Alexander? He stared at his twin sons balanced precariously on ladders and tables clutching the most ridiculous and inappropriate tree decoration that he had ever seen. And for the first time in years, he too let out a hearty laugh of his own that lasted so long, it made a few of the princes chuckle awkwardly. After all, if the King wasn’t offended by the sight of the tree, why should they be? “Well done, my children. Well done.” He walked further in and approached Anna. He clasped his hands over her own. “Especially you, my dear. None of this would have been possible without your determination, and it has paid off. It certainly feels like Christmas after so long.”

Anna smiled wide. “Thank you, Your Majesty! But in the end, we all pitched in to make this happen. Even Frederick! He was really the one to rally everyone together. We wanted to do this for you.”

King Alexander smiled warmly at her and bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” he said softly and straightened up to address the room. “Thank you, all of you. We are truly lucky to have Anna here who cares so much for this family. It warms my heart to think that perhaps things can return to the way they used to be so long ago. Queen Miriam would be proud to see a sight like this.”

Anna’s cheeks turned pink as she clutched her hands to her chest. “I wish she could be here with us. I wish I could have known her.”

“Then tonight, you shall!” Alexander bellowed, “after dinner, we shall regale you with Christmas tales from years gone by. Stories perhaps… that should have been shared a long time ago.” He nodded slowly, then gestured for Astor to follow him. “But for now, the Ambassador and I still have work to complete. “The rest of you may carry on! We have plenty more decorations stored in the North tower! I think the South Parlor could use some attention.” He said with a subtle wink to her.

“Hint taken.” Anna smiled.

“Oh and Frederick?” Alexander turned to his eldest son as he walked by, “get those three dicks out of that tree.”

#frozen #writing prompts #hansanna #prince hans #princess anna #hans' brothers #hansannaholidays2021 #hansannafortheholidays2021 #Anna of the Southern Isles AU #good guy hans

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rachelbethhines · 3 years

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Vintage Shows to Watch While You Wait for the Next Episode of WandaVision - The 60s

So the 60s is the era that Wandavision pulls most heavily from for it’s inspiration. So much so that one could make the argument that each of the first three episodes are all set in the 1960s. Episode one pulls from the early 60s with multiple Dick Van Dyke refences, episode two is very Bewitched inspired, and episode three is aesthetically very similar to The Brady Bunch which started in ‘69. As such it was hard to narrow down the list for this decade and I had to get creative in some ways.

1. The Andy Griffith Show (1960 - 1968)

The Andy Griffith Show gets kind of a bad rap now a days for being, supposedly, a conservative’s wet dream. People claiming it as such have apparently never actually seen the series. Oh yes, it’s very much set in white rural 60s America and will occasionally present the obliviously outdated joke, but the story of a widowed sheriff being the only sane man in a small town full of lovable lunatics, who prefers to solve his and others problems with negotiation and hair brained schemes as opposed to violence has far more in common with modern day Steven Universe than whatever genocidal fantasy fake rednecks have in their heads.

As the gif above shows Andy Griffith was very subtlety progressive for its time. Andy was a stanch pacifist, pro-gun control, treated drug addicts and prisoners with respect, and all the women he would date had careers, ect. and so on. It’s not a satire making any sort of grand political statements but the series had a moral center that was far more left than many realize.

But if it’s not a satire, then what type of comedy is it?

The Andy Griffith Show excels in what I like to call, ‘awkward comedy’. See everyone in Mayberry is far too nice to just come out and tell a character they’re making an ass of themselves, so therefore whoever is the idiot punching bag of the episode’s focus must slowly unravel as everyone looks on in helpless pity until said character realizes the folly of their ways and the townsfolk come together to make them feel happy and accepted once more. Wandavision takes this polite idyllic awkwardness and plays it up for horror instead of laughs.

2. The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 - 1966)

The creators of Wandavision actually met with Dick Van Dyke himself to pick his brain and learn how sitcoms were made back then. Paul Bentley also took inspiration from Van Dyke in his performance of the sitcom version of Vision, while Olsen stated Mary Tylor Moore had a heavy influence on her character of Wanda. But more than just being a point of homage, The Dick Van Dyke Show was hugely influential in modernizing the family sitcom and breaking a lot of the unspoken traditions and ‘rules’ of the 50s television era. It’s also just really, really funny.

3.The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962 - 1965)

Bit of a cheat here. Alfred Hitchcock Presents actually started in 1955 as a half hour anthology show, but in ‘62 the show got a revamp and was extended into a full hour tv series. I knew I wanted The Twilight Zone to be covered in my episode one recap, but ‘The Master of Suspense’ couldn’t be forgotten. While The Twilight Zone reveled in the surreal and supernatural, Alfred Hitchcock pioneered the thriller genre and made real life seem dangerous, horrifying, and other worldly.

4. Doctor Who (1963 - present day) vs Star Trek (1966 - present day)

Just like how westerns dominated the air waves during the 50s, science fiction was the center of the cultural zeitgeist of the 60s. From Lost in Space to My Favorite Martian, space aliens and robots were everywhere. So naturally I had to name drop the two sci-fi juggernauts that still air to this today. If you thought that the rivalry between Star Wars and Star Trek was bad then you’ve never seen a chat full of Whovians and Trekkies duking it out over who is the better monster, the Borg or the Cyberman. But which one has the more influence over Wandavision?

Well Star Trek owes it’s existence to sitcoms. As with The Twilight Zone before it, Star Trek was produced by Desilu Productions and it’s co-founder and CEO, Lucille Ball, was the series biggest supporter behind the scenes, lobbying for it when it faced early cancelation. As with all things sitcomy, everything ties back to I Love Lucy in the end. However despite that little backstory, it would seem that the series has very little to do with Wandavision itself beyond being quintessentially American.

I would argue that Wandavision owes much to Doctor Who though. Arguably more so than any show mentioned in this retrospective. Time travel, alternate realities, trouble in quite suburbia, brainwashing, people coming back from the dead, ect... just about every trope you can find in Wandavision has also appeared in Doctor Who at some point. As a series that can go anywhere and do anything, Doctor Who was a pioneer of marrying genres in new and interesting ways.

5. Bewitched (1964 - 1972) and I Dream of Jeannie (1965 - 1970)

It’s hard to pick one series over another because they’re essentially the same show. A mortal man falls in love with a magical girl who upends their lives with magic filled hijinks as they try their best not to have their secret discovered by the rest of the world. And both have their fingerprints all over the DNA of Wandavision.

There’s only two core differences; Samantha and Jeannie have completely different personalities, with Sam being confident and knowledgeable and Jeannie being naïve and oblivious, along with their relationships with their respective men, Sam and Darrin being married and in love at the start of the series and Jeannie chasing after Tony in the beginning in a will they/won’t they affair, finally only getting together in the last season.

6. The Munsters (1964 - 1966) vs The Adams Family (1964 - 1966)

Fans of these two shows are forever sadden that there never was a crossover between them. Because they’d fit perfectly together. Both shows are about a surreal and macabre family living in American suburbia and disrupting the lives of their neighbors with their otherworldly hijinks. Sound familiar?

The main difference between the two shows is the way the characters viewed their placement in the world they inhabit.

The Munsters were always oblivious to the fact that didn’t fit in. They just automatically assumed everyone had the same personal tastes as them. Whenever they encountered anyone who behaved strangely around them they would write that person off as being the odd one rather than questioning themselves. As such the main cast was structured like a stereotypical sitcom family who just happened to be classic movie monsters.

The Addams were well aware that they were abnormal and they loved it! They lived life with in their own little world and didn’t care what anyone thought of them. As such the characters were far more colorful and quirky as individuals but there was little in the way of refences to other horror franchises beyond just a general love of the twisted and strange.

7. Green Acres (1965 - 1971) and the Rual-verse (1962 - 1971)

So the MCU is not the first franchise to bring viewers an interconnected universe to the small screen. Far from it, as sitcoms had been doing this for decades, starting with the ‘rualverse’. Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres were all produced by the same company and were treated as spinoffs of each other, complete with crossovers and shared characters and sets.

Of the three, the last show, Green Acres, has the most in common with Wandavision. A well to do businessman and his lovely socialite wife settle down in small town America on a farm in order to get away from the stresses of city life, only to find new stresses in the country. Eva Gabor, herself a natural Hungarian, plays the character of Lisa as Hungarian making her one of the few non-native born Americans on tv screens during the cold war. Despite her posh nature and original protests to the move, Lisa assimilates to the rural life far easier than her husband, Oliver. Who, as the main comedic thread, can’t comprehend his new quirky neighbors’ odd and often illogical behavior.

8. Hogan’s Heroes (1965 - 1971) and Get Smart (1965 - 1969)

So as comic fans have been quick to point out, it’s looking like both A.I.M. (Hydra) and Sword (Shield) will be players in the story of Wandavision. To commemorate that here’s two shows to represent those opposing sides. Although in truth, neither series has anything else in common with each other but I need to condense things down someway.

In Hydra’s corner we got Hogan’s Heroes. A show all about taking down Nazis from within.

I love, love, love, ‘robin hood’ comedies where a group of con artists try week after to week to pull one over the establishment. The Phil Silvers Show, Mchale's Navy, and Top Cat, just to name a few examples are all childhood favorites of mine. However while those shows had a lot of morally ambiguous characters, Hogan’s Heroes has very clear cut good guys and bad guys, cause the bad guys are Nazis and the show relentless makes fun of the third reich as should we all. In fact I was watching Hogan’s Heroes while waiting for the GA run off election results. Fortunately my home state decided to kick out our own brand of Nazis this year.

For Shield, we got the ultimate spy spoof, Get Smart. Starring, Inspector Gadget himself, Don Adams, as the bumbling Maxwell Smart. Get Smart, is a hilarious send up of Cold War espionage but the real selling point of the show, imho, is Max and his co-worker 99′s relationship. You can cut the sexual tension in the air with a knife all while laughing your ass off.

9. Batman (1966 - 1968)

First was Superman and then came Batman. Yet while Superman was a serious action show, Batman was a straight up comedy. Showcasing that superheroes could indeed be funny.

Also shout out for Batman being the only show on this list to have an actual crossover with it’s competitor, The Green Hornet.

10. Julia (1968 - 1971)

Since episode two features the first appearances of Herb and Monica, let’s highlight the first black led sitcom since the cancelation of Amos ‘n Andy over a decade earlier. The show focuses on single mother and military nurse, Julia, as she tries to live her life without her recently decease husband, who was killed in Vietnam, as she tries to raise their six year old son on her own.

The series is cute. It’s more of a throw back to earlier family sitcoms where there’s no fantasy and life lessons are the name of the game. It’s the fact that the main character is a single black woman is what made the show so subversive and important at the time.

Runner Ups

There’s much good stuff in the 60s, so here’s some others that didn’t make the cut but I would recommend anyways.

Car 54, Where Are You? (1961 - 1963)

I call this the Brooklynn 99 of the 1960s. Bumbling but well meaning Officer Toody longs to do good in the world and help anyone in need, but often screws things up with his ill thought out schemes. He often drags his best friend and partner, the competent but anxiety riddled, Muldoon into his escapades.

Mr. Ed (1961 - 1966)

The grandfather of the sarcastic talking pet trope.

The Jetsons (1962 - 1963 and 1985 - 1987)

Hanna-Barbera often took popular sitcoms and just repackaged them as cartoons with a fantasy theme to them. The Jetsons has no singular show that it rips-off but is rather more a grab bag of sitcom tropes that feature, robots, computers, and flying cars.

The Outer Limits (1963 - 1965)

The Outer Limits was The Twilight Zone’s biggest competitor in terms of being a sic-fi/horror anthology series.

Gillian’s Island (1964 - 1967)

The only comparison to WandaVision I could think of was that this is a sitcom about people being trapped in one place. But by that point I was running out of room on the list. Still it’s one of the funniest shows on here.

So yeah, this took longer than expected cause there’s a lot, here. Hopefully the 70s will be easier. Which I’ll post on Friday.

#wandavision #sitcoms #1960s #dick van dyke #bewitched

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bookwyrminspiration · 3 years

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Thoughts on Nubiti and/or King Enki?

oo, haven’t gotten one about them yet, nonsie! Let’s do it

we’ll start with Nubiti. We don’t see her much as she comes in much later in the series and isn’t an essential person in Sophie’s life. She provides her services as a bodyguard and was able to provide some information and guidance for a few of the situation’s Sophie found herself in. Aside from that, she appears reserved and very loyal to her people and their customs

the entire reason she became Queen was because she was so disgusted by King Enki’s blatant disregard for their ways that she helped dethrone him and was then put in charge in his place. She doesn’t interact with the crew or any of the other main side characters unless absolutely necessary, which is understandable because their world is not built for her. A certain level of grit and constitution is probably required for a position like hers. Someone with a sensitivity to light (if i’m remembering correctly) and a life lived entirely underground working for a species whose society literally revolves around light and being above ground requires sacrifice on her part.

A constant balance between performing her duties as a bodyguard and being vigilant and taking care of her own needs and understanding her weaknesses. She’s a quiet force, more self-aware of conscious of her personal values than the ogres we’ve met. Ro and Bo both follow their kings orders and complain loudly when they disagree with something (Ro complains more), but follow through. Nubiti takes the time to think, to mull over the orders she’s given and to take them apart and see if she agrees with them.

As for King Enki, notorious for siding with the Neverseen, I think his decision would’ve been the “right” one had the kotlcrew not defeated him in that cavern. Looking at it from the perspective of a leader with the sole goal of protecting his people, he’s was in a terrible situation. Dwarves were disappearing, there were like 300 of them total, and the elves hadn’t proven that they could win anything. Sure, they weren’t exactly loosing, but they weren’t making progress. They were continually stumped by the Neverseen, left scrambling, always fixing damage.

Why should he stayed allied with these people who clearly can’t defend themselves? If he stays allied with them, his people are now against this rebel organization that is clearly more than what they can handle, so it could be preventative. Side with the Neverseen so they won’t hurt the dwarves, a species who really don’t have a lot going for them at the moment. It’s the kind of decision a ruler might have to make, the good of all his people over the morals and traditions he might be violating (because the Neverseen has done such reprehensible things and that’s where the kotlcrew was coming from in their judgement). (side note: just got an idea for a possible thing that I don’t think will happen in keeper but is interesting to me, so if anyone’s curious about that just remind me so I don’t forget /srs)

It’s also possible Shannon replaced Enki with Nubiti as a ruler to lower the number of people she had to remember to include in the story. with Sophie having five bodyguards, that was almost a guarantee of six people in every scene she had to remember, so steadily distributing them makes it easier on her. Bo isn’t around all the time, Tarina hasn’t been around since Flashback-ish, Nubiti is now a queen, etc. It makes it easier on Shannon.

TL;DR: Nubiti values dwarven traditions and must be very strong to work in a world that doesn’t accommodate her, and King Enki made a reasonable decision from his position when considering his responsibilities, even though we as readers wish he hadn’t.

#y'all my laptop arrived yesterday #so now I can write even longer responses #this is going to be a curse on everyone #im so sorry to everyone in the kotlc tag who has to scroll through my posts #i simply do not know when to stop talking #also genuinely if you want to hear about that random idea I had just let me know #i think it would be very interesting #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc fandom #kotlc character analysis #queen nubiti #king enki #long post #quil’s queries #nonsie #asks #anonymous

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kyotakumrau · 4 years

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2020.08.23 sukekiyo talk event at Nakano ZERO - report

There were 3 long tables on the scene with 5 seats behind them, seats were quite spaced out. The louder music signaled the event will start and then the band members were walking on the stage (from the left side) and took seats.

From the right to left: utA, YUCHI, Kyo, Mika and Takumi, who also became the moderator of the talk event.

Takumi asked everyone about their thoughts of the DRIPPIN' tour, the event was held in place for the cancelled final show.

Mika said that now the idea of the standing show with people squeezed together going hard feels unreal. The tour was interesting.

Kyo said that as usual he doesn't really remember the shows, he was performing A LOT, sukekiyo right after dir, he felt his body got weak and he would become breathless easily, so he quit smoking, he can breathe much easier now. Then, talking about stay at home period, he said that when he is busy he has many things he wants to do, but then when he is not busy he just doesn't move. His day would be like 'game, game, sleep, wake up, game, forget to eat, game, eat something, sweets, game'. And his body is weak because he doesn't do any training, his breathing is not good. But he doesn't feel like moving, he only moves in the game.

Yuchi said tour was fun, they were very lucky with the timing, almost got it, just the last show in Shibuya got cancelled. As it was only one last show he felt shocked when it got cancelled.

utA: ....can't remember anything... but I remember eating good stuff with everyone. ... (silence follows)

Takumi (trying to help): we were playing new songs and so on?

utA: Ah but the mizutake in Kyushu were great!

He also said he regrets that Tokyo show didn't work out.

Next, Kyo told us a funny story. At the venue in Fukuoka (Tsukushikaikan) the smoking area backstage was located somewhere higher and he could see fans from there. He also told us that he went to eat shrimp tempura for lunch (Kyushu is famous for seafood), he was really looking forward to it. He couldn't remember the shop name, but it was a type where you get freshly fried stuff one by one, like a course. He enjoyed everything and then the main, the shrimp, but then a squid came last and he was like 'wth?' (because shrimp was the main). He got irritated, but that squid turned out to be delicious. He said that Fukuoka is 'イカの街 - the town of squid'😂 and after that lunch he was watching fans from the smoking area.

Takumi said that he feels sad as Tsukushikaikan in Fukuoka is closing down, his hometown is near so he has many memories there. He also felt the tour was very good, the atmosphere and new songs, especially last Nagoya was good.

Kyo: Ah but the ZARAME donuts (donut shop in Nagoya) I wanted everyone to eat were sold out, the bacon ones, so I got irritated, really felt bad. And then the tour finished with that...

(not being able to get the donuts he wanted...)

Takumi: food is so important.

Yuchi said something about Nagoya becoming the tour final even as it wasn't planned like that.

Kyo: Where were we supposed to play in Tokyo? (others tell him Shibuya) Ah I wanted to take you so we could eat Nabe Jiro in Meguro. So irritating. I wanted everyone to try.

Takumi: So what was everyone doing during 'stay at home' period?

(he asked each member starting from the right, utA)

utA: watching TV.

Takumi: what did you watch?

utA: stuff I recorded. He also said he was eating and gaining weight and got worried about that. Especially now he's getting older so it's easier to gain weight. He was also working on music.

Yuchi said he didn't do anything special, he was working on music etc. He said they have enough material for an album.

Takumi asked him about his RR interview and they talked about the photoshoot. It was held around May, when it already started to get warm. Takumi said that photos are quite striking.

Takumi: then Kyo, you said you were playing games?

Kyo talked more about Fortnite, playing with 4 friends and how he gets killed really quickly, even if he waits for the number of enemies to decrease before he comes out. I didn't understand all of it tbh. But he finished saying he also was cooking and watching movies.

Mika was of course working on music, but other than that he's also into some retro games, the type young people don't know/play. PC engine mini, GRADIUS and R-TYPE. When not working on music he was playing those games.

Takumi finally took care of all the things he was always leaving for later. He wanted to organize and declutter his equipment, he was writing reviews and selling a lot of stuff online. But them he also ended up buying some new stuff 'not sure if I can use it with sukekiyo but I always wanted to try this', so in the end he didn't really downsize his equipment. 😂

Then suddenly came a question from Kyo: does anyone here play Fortnite?

(there were maybe like 5~6 fans who raised their hands)

Kyo continued telling us about Baobao (??) and special skins Chuka manju, there are 4 types and on his team everyone is using the Chuka manju skins (Chinese buns). (there was another bit here I didn't get about those skins)

Takumi asked him how long does he usually play, Kyo said it's not decided but if longer sometimes he can start at 8pm and finish after 2, but not everyday. He doesn't always play with his team, he often plays alone, then he plays with kids and gets roasted because he's so bad😂

Takumi: anything new you want to try as sukekiyo in this situation?

Kyo said sukekiyo shows are not so different from the event, as everyone sits down and stays quiet. He does think about releasing new music, like 2 or 3 songs, being mean all of them on cassette tapes. He asked us if we can listen to the tapes like he was hoping we can't😂

Yuchi said there might be some things they can try. He loves making music so he's hoping to release something new. He talked about how band and music is changing during the tour, the progression how songs grow?

utA: the weird me wants to continue making hentai (abnormal) songs.

Takumi: we're looking forward to those.

Mika (something about unreleased footage)

Takumi talked about the digital release of their music, getting new people to listen to their stuff, of course getting some money as people play it. He also talked about editing the songs, he likes their old songs but said he doesn't like his own sound in some of them.

And suddenly we heard a LINE notification from Takumi's phone😂 Manager Takabayashi reminded them the times is running out, but Kyo told us he wanted to make the event longer.

He said many people came for the event in such situation (pandemic), so he doesn't want to finish so early.

He asked us again: anyone came from outside of Tokyo area (地方 local areas)? Ah that's bit tough. But at least shinkansen should be almost empty now... and for people in Tokyo it is tough as well, there are so many people it's like cockroaches.

(😂)

If we play a seated show (hall show) would you come?

(all of us started to nod, clap and so on)

Well... if you don't it's not like we would do it again (ever??😱), I just can't trust people to come...

(Oh, Kyo, we would come, I'm waiting for the show announcement like my cat listening for the sound of the opening tuna can😆)

And again came a sudden change of topic😆

Kyo: I really love omochi (rice cake), always have, especially during New Year. I would always eat so many, but then only my face gets fat when I stuff myself with them. So it's better to be careful.

Yuchi remembered Kyo warned them about omochi when they were playing at Countdown Japan (2013), it was very close to New Year.

Takumi asked Kyo what's his favourite way of eating mochi. Kyo explained that 砂糖醤油餅 (rice cake with sugar and soy sauce) is the infinite way to eat mochi, you will never stop. Because it's salty and sweet, you add sauce and grill it, add sauce and grill it, eat on repeat. Kinda like eating chocolate and potato chips, salty and sweet, on repeat.

In the end, Takumi asked all members for a message to the fans.

utA thanked us for coming in this situation and said he hopes they will be able to do something. He will be happy if we can come to the shows.

Yuchi thanked us as well. He said that since Nagoya in February there weren't any events like this, where we can meet and both fans and band members get more energy. They are doing their best now creating new songs.

Mika thanked us for coming and said that seeing so many people come even in this situation he felt it was powerful. He's hoping for something exciting for them and us and said they will try to look for the possible options.

Takumi said it was the first time their show got cancelled so it was a big shock, it was hard to find a way to handle it and decide what to do, what to do for fans who couldn't come and so on.

Kyo:

... I don't really have a message... we had something like that with DIR EN GREY, it was the same. You all (members) said the good things. But, the fans who came and the fans who couldn't, decided not to come, who were scared, how do we decide which way is right? There are so many stressful things, it's not like anyone is wrong. Live the way you believe is right. People are following the rules, a year passes, and when we will look back, it will be like it's empty, this is the hardest. No one else can do it for you, you have to decide for yourself what to do, the time passes quickly. You will be watching Chibi Maruko-chan and then feel like you were watching Chibi Maruko-chan just the day before (but it was last week), so make sure every day is important. I'm not feeling happy usually, and when you're just staying home things start to get weird (mentally), but seeing everyone here as so many of you came, I'm simply feeling happy. I really want to play live soon.

知らんけど・...I guess?🤷‍♀️

#sukekiyo #kyo #京 #匠 #takumi #mika #yuchi #uta #tour2020 drippin'#talk event #translation #attempt at live report

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fanfictionsrookie · 4 years

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Watch As I Overanalyze Cinder’s Fight Wit Penny...

I knew Cinder was one for dramatics, but good grief, what happened to being subtle XD

But considering the situation and the time they had left to stop Amity, this was the best course of action.

Can I tell you I screamed! Also, just a screenshot I liked. There will be a lot of them lol.

So Cinder is still holding onto her grudge with Ruby, but it was honestly for the best that she wasn’t there. Cinder would not have been able to take on Ruby and her team as well.

Now I wonder if this is Cinder projecting in some way. Not just because in terms of Salem’s plans, Cinder has been doing the heavy lifting, or at least been tasked to do so. Cinder likely sees this situation as an example. But because of the implications that Cinder as a child, was forces to so a lot of strenuous work on her own.

It’s possible that this might be more projecting, but the way Cinder says it, makes me think she sees herself more as that. Salem did tell her that she was more valuable, but she’s still just a piece in this game. Cinder might be trying to convince herself otherwise.

Have another bootiful screenshot.

Every time Neo does this... I feel things...

More screams.

So things like this suggest to me that Cinder is slowly but surely finding her way back into her comfort zone, trying to re-establish whatever sense of identity she had before volume 3. That and becoming more proficient in using her Maiden Powers, which has become a lot more personalized since volume 3/4 where she relied on fire alone.

Now I love this little reaction, because it is the moment where Cinder realises that Penny is simply distracting her from her main objective. So Cinder is starting to get a handle on her anger and is able to exploit it in a moment of clarity when she turns back. However, she still has quite a bit of growth to go through.

Just something I was wondering about. How does Penny know a person poses a threat? Does she log them into her memory so that they are much easier identifiable later on when they might be more difficult to spot?

And another thing. In this moment Cinder either priorities her mission to stop Amity, or she realises that she would have more success in stopping Penny with Emerald and Neo around.

Maria is having a field day, and I would feel bad if it wasn’t lowkey funny lol. But it’s nice to know Maria still got it. Neo was due a hit to her winning streak as well.

Sexy smirk.

But more alarmingly, that arm. Like that thing has progressed past her shoulder completely and I’m willing to bet that it is making it’s way across her back and side. Now, gauging from the shadows around the Grimm strands, we can conclude that it is not as invasive as we thought, merely anchoring itself at the edges. However, I do hope something are done about them soon, even if Cinder does not seem particularly worries about it... yet.

I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this question. As for the answer...

I. Was. Floored.

Mostly because I didn’t expect that answer at all. You could do a whole post just about those three lines. But I’ll try to be concise.

So first, Cinder does not see herself as serving Salem. This can be interpreted in a few ways.

1.) Cinder does not see herself as bellow Salem, not far at least. Linking back to Cinder ‘being more than a pawn’ it could be that Cinder sees her affiliation to Salem as more of a mutual agreement where both parties get something out of it. As for why Salem would let her think this? I think it plays into Cinder’s fear of being controlled and taken advantage of, as she has implied to have been in the past. Thus, in order to keep Cinder under her control, Salem makes her think that she isn’t under control but rather ‘guidance’.

Cinder might be using Salem as a means of gaining power for some other goal. A goal more specific than just wanting power, or an extension thereof. Which Salem could very much be aware of. But Salem’s control over Cinder goes far past what Cinder believes or would want to. And that is why she is trying to convince herself otherwise.

2.) Cinder does not see herself as serving Salem, because she sees herself as an extension, a ‘vessel’ of Salem’s will. Now this links back to Cinder seeing herself as more useful. But this version implies an even greater loss of her identify. Cinder wants power, not just because of her fear of being powerless, but a cultivated desire to be like Salem and carry out her will. Even if they disagree on how that should be carried out. In a sense, Cinder does not see herself as serving Salem, but rather ‘becoming’ her in some way.

Have an adorably happy murder child.

Linking back to Cinder’s tactical retreat to Amity. This is the clearest example of Cinder learning from her fight with Raven. Cinder used her environment to perfectly set up a situation where Penny is near defenseless and where Cinder can go after her Maiden Powers.

Now, I have talked about the possibility of Cinder having absorbed some of Raven’s Power. But that it might not be enough to open the vault, that the scenario was simply set up as a visual cue to show HOW syphoning those Powers would work.

But this time, not only is the visual cue clear and day-light, shown longer, but it’s also front and center. Do I think that this is enough for Cinder to open the Vault?

No.

But I do hope something comes from this. CRWBY can’t keep showing us Cinder visibly taking more and more of the Maiden’s power, even if just a little bit, and not have it pay off or come around in some way.

With just one look, Cinder and Emerald had a plan ready to go. And I wish we got more of that in this episode. I wish we had more instances of Cinder working with others, because clearly they do know how to read each other and work together. At the very least, I hope it’s a build up to what can happen in the future, because I fully expect to see much more of Emerald’s semblance.

Yes, please and thank you.

Now this scene is very familiar. And I wished that Cinder and Co would have made more use of tactics like this, even if I explained in the beginning why that opportunity went up with Amity. I did feel bad for Penny though. The memories must’ve been awful.

I will be drawing the screencap.

BABY NOOOO!

Ugh, I felt so bad for Emerald during this scene.

And I really do hope that these two get to actually talk to one another. At the very least that Cinder realises that if it weren’t for Emerald, she’d be dead. In the same vein, it’s also high time that Emerald confronts Cinder about how wrongly she has been treated. Because even when Cinder took Emerald with her, you could see that Cinder was not paying attention to either Emerald or Neo, up until the time she needed them. Which is ironic because Cinder does not seem to take notice of the things Emerald or Neo has done for her, past what Cinder expected of them. And that needs to stop.

Because you people need an unhinged Penny.

And I wonder if Penny realised it too...

That this scene is eerily similar to the one she had when she had to protect Winter.

I’ve been holding off on saying it but... gods does Cinder look sad and adorable. poor baby.

As for Neo, not only is she probably pissed that Emerald is giving her orders but that they would have to return to Salem after Cinder’s bad idea got her, and them all by extension, in an even worse position. I wouldn’t be surprised if Neo starts looking for an out soon after this.

Looks like Salem is back to petting her favourite XD

Now, how is Salem going to react to this? Because from this shot it seems like she wanted the world to know about her. If that was the case, it makes sense to tell Cinder to stay put, but then WHY NOT TELL CINDER? Salem probably does not feel the need to explain herself to others, but this whole detour could be avoided if she had just given her some kind of reasoning.

So not only will Cinder be punished for disobeying orders and failing at her task, but for setting out and doing something that goes completely against Salem’s goals. The only thing I can give for these events, is that it is continuing to drive a wedge between Cinder and Salem, whilst also demonstrating that Cinder does have her own goals and ways of thinking.

But narratively? Does it hold a lot of weight? I don’t know.

We don’t know the full extent of the message, so we don’t know if Cinder’s actions stopped another point of key information going through. Penny would have been hacked by Watts regardless. And I really did hope that Cinder would succeed, that they would have made more use of Neo and Emerald’s semblance, even if subtlety wasn’t a viable tactic. Considering that Cinder mostly relied on her own abilities, and assuming her arc is realising power does not guarantee victory, this makes sense.

But if that was CRWBY’s intent, why not demonstrate this by forcing Cinder to rely more on Emerald and Neo, past just having them to take her to safety, even if that is a big deal. Look this scene revealed a lot of not only Cinder’s way of thinking, but Penny’s as well. I just wish everything didn’t play out as straight as it felt. As for narrative outcomes, I hope we get to see more of that, and it’s not just me wanting to see Cinder taking some of Penny’s Powers, have actual consequences.

Because in terms of consequences, there could be a LOT.

Emerald finally standing up to Cinder, defecting with Neo even, Cinder getting some appreciation for Neo and Emerald, Salem punishing Cinder in a way that makes her want to break away, Cinder reliving more of her past memories, (although I feel like this will be more crumbs, leading up until the third altercation which might be the final push, because I do not feel like this is quite it), Cinder confronting Salem about her goals and why they were kept hidden from her, only for Cinder to realise that Salem does not hold her in as high regard as she thinks.

Whatever happens, I want the fall out of this to drastically change the very views Cinder established in this episode.

I want Cinder’s disobedience in pursuit of her own goals to have drastic effects and propel her character development forward, even if Cinder is thinks that she is just taking one step back after another.

Whatever the fallout is, I am here for it.

#rwby #cinder fall #rwby8 #rwby8 spoilers #penny polendina #neopolitan #emerald sustrai #cinder fall theories #i am living for the screenshots #XD

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imaginesandinserts · 4 years

Text

Irreverent Drabbles: Undercover

Title: Irreverent Drabbles: Undercover Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader Rating: M Words: 9748

Irreverent Series Masterlist

ONLY READ THIS IF YOU’VE ALREADY READ THROUGH PART 41 OF THE MAIN IRREVERENT SERIES

It was an odd sort of awful feeling - wanting to go away and wanting to go nowhere.

It had been about a month since the Senate hearing and you'd stayed. You'd thought about leaving - dropping off another resignation letter or just reusing the original one. You'd sat in the office long after everyone had left, even printed it out a few times. Yet, you never made it up the steps to his office. You never actually submitted it again. As you left the office, you tossed it into the paper shredder. You did that every few days for two weeks, before you finally accepted you weren't about to leave.

It had been about a month since the Senate hearing, and no second resignation letter had arrived on his desk in the middle of the night, so Hotch had accepted that you were staying. He'd spent the week after the hearing in perpetual paranoia every time he saw you - wondering if now would be when you quit again - wondering if he'd walk into work the next day and find envelopes on his desk and this time you wouldn't conveniently still be at home. In his gut, he knew that if you left, he'd likely never see you again.

*------------*

Hotch was making you go to a Bureau therapist to get recertified for the field. Apparently once you kill your own father during a mission as revenge for murdering your brother and being responsible for the near death of your best friend, it sprouted some doubts about your emotional and mental fitness to handle a firearm. It was a joke. He might've written those questions but every single one of you knew how to answer them in order to pass.

He hadn't even had the fucking decency to tell you to your face. You'd simply been summoned by the psychiatrist, a Dr. Barnes, who had peered at you over her glasses with fake concern. She asked if you'd attended your father's funeral. The Bureau had returned his body to your mother, taking care to cover the bullet hole in his head - or so you'd been told. You hadn't actually attended. Your mother had tried to get in touch with you but you'd avoided all calls. You'd commemorated the day in your own way, pulling Julian's old bike out of storage and riding it up to a rented cabin in West Virginia, with no cell service, where you proceeded to drink until you blacked out.

*------------*

Derek was worried about you. You could tell in the way he always offered to train you after work, always asked if you wanted to grab a drink after a case, and tried to make sure you had plans every single weekend you happened to be free. The first time, you lied and told him you were meeting up with some old friends from Harvard. He showed up at your house late Saturday morning and called your bluff. After that you didn't bother lying to him but you also didn't want to do anything. The two of you spent many afternoons on your couch with him introducing you to the Star Wars movies. He couldn't believe you'd grown up with brothers and had never seen them. You told him that Dominic had been far too old to spend time with a baby and Julian, well, Julian had never really been into that sort of thing.

Reid tagged along a couple of times too, which you appreciated because he'd always add in fun little tidbits about the actors and knew all the behind the scenes dirt. He told you he still wasn't talking to JJ. You'd be a hypocrite to advise him otherwise, so you merely nodded sympathetically while the two of you sampled every brand of scotch you'd managed to get your hands on. You did, however, tell him to not follow your example on the matter. JJ wasn't really the person to be blamed for this. He'd said it himself - Aaron Hotchner was solely responsible for the combined misery you'd all experienced.

*------------*

Emily was coming back. Apparently not even dying could keep Emily Prentiss from doing the job. Hotch was making her go to the therapist as well. Faking your death - another thing that warranted FBI psychiatric clearance. You'd dropped off the list of the questions Dr. Barnes had asked you on her desk. Couldn't hurt to be overprepared.

*------------*

You were professional. That was really the best word he could use to describe you in the aftermath. You did your job and you did it well, leaving nearly no room for him to complain. Morgan had pulled him aside and mentioned to him that prior to the Doyle mission, he'd been seriously considering promoting you. Apparently you'd shouldered a lot of his responsibility while Hotch had been away and done it all incredibly well. You'd even sat in on a few meetings where Morgan was double booked and Rossi was unavailable and handled it with ease.

Aaron wasn't surprised at that - you'd always been good at maneuvering politically. However, right then, with the Senate hearing still visible in the rear view mirror, he couldn't even fathom promoting you. Too much had happened and he needed to feel more confident in your commitment to staying with the Bureau and on the team before he made any decisions regarding your future.

With the future in mind, he knew that he also had to take some important steps towards rectifying his own. Step one was to get rid of his own ridiculous feelings for you. They were unwarranted. You were not the most beautiful woman ever. You were not the funniest person he'd ever known. You were not alarmingly bright and wonderfully perceptive.

Maybe if he said it enough times, he'd start to believe it.

He had to find fault in you. Aaron Hotchner did not tolerate faults and he wouldn't tolerate them in you of all people. You had to know that you meant nothing to him. That you were not special.

Easier said than done, but it was a work in progress.

*------------*

We don't realize we're special until we're treated as less than.

Hotch didn't pair the two of you together anymore for anything. He didn't sit by you on the plane. He didn't walk by your desk and hand you a coffee he'd grabbed on the way, exactly what you liked. There were no more late nights at work with the two of you in his office, working through paperwork together. You made it a point to leave when everyone else did so you'd never be alone with him. The one time you'd stayed late to wrap up a report, he'd uncharacteristically left early.

There was a part of you that missed the easy friendship you had with him. You knew it had been different between the two of you - you'd had a natural sort of chemistry, you laughed at the same things, and you knew that at your core you always had tried to align your values to his. His values made sense. Now however, he barely even looked at you, and despite you still being upset with him, you really didn't understand why he was upset with you. Rossi had told you that he'd reacted poorly to you quitting, like it was some sort of personal attack. Which you suppose it had been, though not for the reason he thought.

At some point, Hotch had started to call you Agent. Not by your name, but Agent. Agent L/N or just L/N. You hadn't noticed it at first but after a while it became quite evident. Emily had been the one to point it out, asking if it was Hotch's way of punishing you or distancing from you. After that you couldn't help but notice it and you had to train yourself to not flinch anytime he said it. It didn't sound right. You'd always been Y/N. He only called you by your last name for introductions, never personally.

Derek had told you to just apologize or at least clear the air with Hotch so that working with him would be easier. But, why should you be the one to do that? Yes, sure, you'd gone a little renegade and killed your father. But what he did was so much worse and it was made more worse because you know you can't fault him from a professional standpoint. You realize that's really what's at play there - the rest of them didn't take his lies and him leaving personally. You had.

You'd taken some of Dr. Barnes' advice and tried to really think through why you're hurt by Hotch more than the others. Sure, the two of you spent more time together compared to anyone else, because of Jack. You'd gotten used to spending weekends with the Hotchners, having them both over for brunch, going to the farmer's market together, having days at the park sitting on a bench as Jack played with the other kids while you and Hotch sat on a bench with coffees in hand. They had been your normal. The kind of normal you'd never really thought you'd get to have.

He had hurt you - he was the one person you'd have bet on to never lie to you and never hurt you, and he had. You know that if you told Dr. Barnes this, she'd tell you that you saw Hotch as a father figure and him lying to you reminded you of how your father had manipulated you your entire life. It didn't take a psychiatrist to know that you didn't trust people easily, and the one person you had trusted implicitly had broken your trust.

You're not sure if it's the trust thing as much as the fact that he simply hadn't been there when you needed him. You knew that was your own fault. You'd built a whole new life for yourself, and between work and Jack, Hotch had become the anchor in that new life. You shouldn't have done that - made another human being so entirely central to the stability of your life. That had been a mistake.

*------------*

There was something different about you and Morgan. You two had always gotten along but he'd picked up on the fact that things had changed when he'd first returned for the Doyle mission. He briefly finds himself wondering if the two of you are somehow together. You definitely flirt with him, all big eyes and hair flips, sultry voice and obvious jokes. It's not too different from how you flirt with anyone though. There had been moments before he'd left, when he'd convinced himself you were flirting with him - moments when you were the only one to see the same things he did, ones where you'd quietly brush by him with the smallest of smiles on your face, the dry sarcastic quips that were designed just for him. It was all subtle and nuanced and he'd ended up projecting his own feelings onto those situations, convincing himself that they meant something. Somewhere in all the little personal things, that was how you really flirted. Or so he told himself.

Even now, when someone said something actually funny or particularly stupid, his eyes sought yours. He couldn't help himself. He'd look up to see if you'd caught what he had, but you were always looking down or away. Once, he'd thought you'd turned to look at him as well and he'd turned his head so fast he almost got whiplash. But you were already looking at something else. He thought he could see the barest of smiles on your face, but with his luck he'd probably imagined it.

You didn't laugh around him anymore. You didn't even really smile around him. You did your job and that was it. There hadn't been any team gatherings or happy hours where he got to see you loosen up and enjoy yourself. You'd skipped out on the one gathering at Rossi's place, citing a prior engagement, but he had a feeling it was because of him. You didn't let him see you anymore.

He's found himself lingering outside of conference rooms or walking slowly past the bullpen, just to catch a glimpse of a smile or a hint of your laugh - something to remind him of who you used to be when you weren't Agent L/N. He catches it sometimes, usually because of something Morgan had said.

Then he'd remember - he's supposed to not like you. There you were, laughing, joking around at work. You should be working instead of wasting time. He thinks about telling you as much, but he knows what will happen - your face will change into the neutral expression you tend to wear around him now and he'd have to live with the knowledge that he'd been the one to remove a smile from your face. Operation Fall-Out-Of-Love-With-Her-You-Complete-Idiot-Hotchner wasn't going so well.

*------------*

You haven't seen Jack since Hotch got back. Asking him to see his son - just his son - probably wouldn't go over too well. You're not even sure if he knows you saw Jack regularly while he was gone. The two of you barely spoke while he was in Pakistan and unless Jack remembered to mention it during one of their chats or Jess told him, he doesn't know. It's not exactly the right thing to do, seeing a kid without their parent's permission. It's not. You know that. You're worried if you ask him, that he'll say no. He won't want someone who's a killer around his kid.

Once, after a case, you tried to beat him to Jess's house to just really quickly say hello to Jack and check to see how he's doing. You ran a red light trying to make it there before him, but Hotch drives fast. Faster than you ever could. Your hands tremble at the wheel at anything above seventy, so you're rarely the person who drives during a case. He'd beaten you there and you watched from your car down the street, the night cloaking you. Watched him grab Jack into a hug and the two of them walk back to Hotch's car together while Jack's telling him some story that you know you would've loved to hear. Somehow you managed to make it back home despite the tears clouding your eyes.

Jack's room in your house stood exactly the same as the last time he'd been there. The sheets were changed every two weeks and everything was dusted whenever you cleaned up the rest of the house. You wanted it to be ready for him - just in case. A few more photos had made their way onto the wall - one from the summer with you two at the fair, Jack holding onto some cotton candy. Sophie had taken that one and she'd been extra careful to get your whole outfit in the frame. You were very proud of her - her photography skills had improved a lot over the months you'd gotten to know her better. There were also a couple pictures of Jack with his cousins and one of him and Jess from the time you'd arrived a little early and she'd asked you to come join them all for breakfast. Jess had become a good friend to you in the time that Hotch was away. The two of you spoke often about Haley, as you'd asked her to tell you her and Hotch's story. You knew he'd promised her that he would tell their son how they got together, but you wanted to be able to supplement that as well. Jack deserved to know how in love his parents were, from as many people as possible.

Finally, after weeks of debating it, you decide to drop by Jack's preschool the morning of a case, in the hope that arriving a little late to the airport would be more excusable than arriving late to work. Traffic getting there could be a nightmare. You waited until you were sure that Hotch had already dropped him off. Parking quickly, you flashed your badge, bypassing the main office and quickly went to Jack's classroom. His teacher told you that they were just about to start an activity, but she allowed Jack to step outside and see you for a moment while she watched diligently.

"Y/N!" His excited voice and quick run over into your arms was the absolute cutest thing you'd ever seen and you had to try hard not to cry as you held him. As if sensing that you needed a moment, he allowed you to wrap him in your arms and waited to tell you more about everything he did the day before. That was the thing about Jack, he never complained when all you wanted to do was hold him.

You made it to the airport and were only about five minutes late, but Hotch still glared at you and called you out for keeping everyone. However, not even he could put you out of your good mood afterwards. It had been entirely worth it.

*------------*

"You're moving really stiff," Derek tells you as you unbandage your hands after spending a quick session in the ring with him.

The two of you were the last ones in the Bureau gym and it was late at night. You're wearing leggings and a sports bra, having given up wearing a shirt a while back. The basement got far too stuffy for layers and the guys walked around shirtless most of the time anyways.

"I know," you respond, getting the last of the bandages off and grabbing his water bottle from him. You'd forgotten yours and you're the one who had the real work out. He makes a face as you tilt your head back and nearly finish the entire thing, before handing him back the remaining two sips. "My shoulders really hurt," you whine.

Sighing, he walks over to you. "Turn around," he instructs.

You turn and he moves your hair out of the way, placing his hands on the back of your neck and shoulders. You try to relax as he kneads your taut muscles into pliancy. Derek had amazing hands and you're convinced he could always become a masseuse if the whole FBI thing wasn't working out. You tell him as much and he chuckles, thumbs pressing into the juncture of your neck and shoulder, pushing a soft moan out of your mouth.

"Easy princess, got a girlfriend now," he says teasingly softly. "Can't be making sounds like that."

You laugh as he continues, trying to be more careful, but it was hard. "I think I just need to get laid at this point," you tell him. He hums from behind you and you know he agrees. He's still amazed that you've lasted this long without.

"You gonna do something about it?" Derek continues, kneading both shoulders firmly and working out all of the kinks.

"I actually downloaded a dating app," you admit, trying your best not to lean into him. He just felt so good. You have to remind yourself that you'd had the chance to sleep with Derek. Trying anything now, when he'd just started to hit it off with someone else, would be disrespectful. And well, as good as you're sure it would be with Derek, there's something not quite right about sleeping with him. You'd only want to sleep with Derek if you could be sure you'd only ever want to sleep with him.

"How'd that go?" He pats you on the back, prompting you to turn back around to face him.

"Mm not so good. Have men always sucked this much or is it a new phenomenon?" you ask him, eyebrow quirked as you grab the towel he hands you.

Derek shakes his head in amusement. "You've never really had to try dating before, have you?"

"No. First it was Matthew and then John. The other guys I met either through friends or just in life. I don't know, it's probably just me. I don't know how to do the whole hook up thing, and that's what guys are looking for it seems."

"Then I guess you're stuck holding out for someone you already know and trust," he tells you, leading you out to the locker rooms.

"Ah, so it's between Reid or Rossi. Unfortunately neither one of them really does it for me, and I'm sure hooking up with Rossi will bring out some unfortunate daddy issues I've been stifling," you joke, rolling your eyes at the hopelessness of the situation.

Neither one of you bring up the one name you'd left out. The one person on the team who was single, available, and yet entirely untouchable. Not that you'd want to sleep with Hotch. He was attractive, sure. You're adult enough to admit that. But any sex between the two of you right now would really only be classified as hate sex and you didn't think you could stomach the thought of having him fucking you while you're both still upset with one another. Not that you wanted to sleep with him at all. But if you did…

God, I really need to get laid if I'm thinking about sex with Hotch.

*------------*

The latest case was taking the team to New Jersey. You might have only spent one proper year in New York, but like every good property tax paying New Yorker, it was your right to despise New Jersey to its rotten core. The only time you deigned to go to New Jersey was to learn how to make tiramisu from Mrs. Costello, who had wrapped you up in her arms the moment she saw you and asked you why you didn't simply date her son. You and Ricky had gotten a good laugh out of that.

There were three women who had already shown up dead, all of them found in positions of prayer or devotion, with obvious signs of sexual assault. The working theory was that it was a group of unsubs - at least three of them - based on the physical evidence. You're all on the plane and Garcia was pulling up the last images of all three girls. It appeared they'd all been out, partying at various nightclubs and bars around downtown. Their attire from the nights they'd gone missing was entirely in contrast to the white gowns their bodies had been found in.

You looked over the statements that had been collected by the family members. All three girls appeared to fit a type - not with regard to looks but more so personality. They all partied, seemed to be going places in life, and you had a feeling they were at least somewhat sexually liberal.

"We're going to have to map out all of their last movements," Hotch tells Garcia, who begins to type furiously. "None of these women appear to have any connections in common, so there is the possibility they were chosen at random on the night they were out. In which case, profiling the victims is just as important as profiling the unsub."

"Repressive religious beliefs for the unsubs," Morgan chimes in, to wide agreement. The religious undertones were apparent in the positioning of the victims.

"Likely also all brought up in homes with oppressive father figures," JJ says. "The violent nature of the attack is indicative of someone who was beat up as a kid."

"I think they have a problem with women who are sexually liberal," you add. "Madonna-whore complex, where women are either to be exalted or degraded, no in between. They want to punish the whores."

Hotch can't deny that you're spot on in your assessment, and it was the first piece of the profile that he hadn't thought of himself already. He shares a look with Morgan who is seated next to you. Morgan had been pestering Hotch to consider you for a promotion, and while Hotch had been on the lookout for anything to find fault with, arriving five minutes late one time really wasn't grounds to deny someone a deserving promotion. Though that hadn't stopped him from stewing about it the entire week it had happened. He'd gone and given you a hard time about it and you hadn't spoken up at all, simply letting him bully you slightly. He'd ended up feeling guilty for his behavior and let you run point on the interrogation to make up for it. Which had gone exactly as you'd planned for it to. His excuses for not promoting you were getting weaker by the day.

Once on the ground, Reid and you worked together to build out a geographic profile of the unsubs' hunting and dumping grounds and established a zone of comfort while the rest went to the crime scenes and scoped out all of the night clubs the girls had frequented.

Using credit card charges, Garcia was able to narrow down to a single club that all three girls had been gone to at some point during their night out. It wasn't always the place they'd been grabbed, but being the only one in common, it could be assumed that it was where the victims were chosen. Per the accelerating kill time, Hotch and Rossi were convinced that the next victim would be taken the next day which was a Saturday night. Prime going out night with a large pool of candidates, and all of the other victims had also disappeared on Saturday nights.

"Prentiss and I checked out the place," Derek says as everyone is assembled in the conference room over dinner on Friday night. "It's kind of a night club and hookah lounge combination. Plenty of private tables along the walls for a group to sit and scope out the joint, pick a girl and get her drunk."

JJ had ordered Chinese food for the team and you all had boxes of chow-mein and kung pao in front of you, chopsticks in hand as you eat. Rossi had given up using the chopsticks and had grabbed a fork - the Italian-approved utensil- and it was something you and Hotch would've made fun of him for before. You find yourself looking to see if he's noticed Rossi's complete inability to even try with the chopsticks but he's looking past you at the white board, reading over all of the notes. For the best really. Not like you two could even manage to smile in the same space together.

Hotch turns away from the whiteboard and watches as you reach over to Morgan's plate and pick off the broccoli he'd pushed to the side. He'd gotten better at ignoring these little bits of intimacy he caught between the two of you. The only other person you had such an easygoing relationship with was Prentiss, and the two of you weren't entirely back to how you'd been before everything.

A couple of weeks ago, he'd happened to walk by the bullpen on the way to a strategy meeting, when he'd overheard Morgan and Prentiss talking about a date he'd gone on. He'd slowed down in order to pick up on details and when he heard the name of some girl - who decidedly was not you - he'd felt his heart jump ever so slightly. Making sure to keep his expression neutral, he'd continued down to the elevators. If Morgan was dating someone that wasn't you, he had to imagine that meant the two of you were not together. Judging by the fact that your and his relationship was unchanged over this entire period, he put two and two together and determined that you had never actually been together and he'd simply picked up on the closer relationship the two of you now shared, bred in his absence.

"Easiest thing would be to send someone undercover," Rossi says, eyeing all three of the women around the table.

JJ raises her hand to volunteer, but you had a feeling that she might not be the best choice in this scenario, and you say as much. It's an unspoken rule on the team to not profile one another, but well, none of you could really help it. It came naturally. You doubted she was used to these environments, especially not in a place like New Jersey.

"JJ, have you ever been to a hookah lounge?"

She shakes her head no.

"If you had to think about demographics that go to this place," you say, turning to Derek and Emily, "what kind of people would you say frequent it?"

"Girls interested in showing off the latest designer bag, get drunk, and hoping to meet some guy with money. Guys looking for girls exactly like that," Emily answers with a small smile on her face. She knew where you're going with this. JJ would stick out like a sore thumb there.

You look at Derek. "You and I are probably the only ones that could blend in."

He agrees and the two of you look at Hotch for his approval, which comes after a second. He knows that going undercover is the most expedited way to catch these unsubs but he's always nervous when sending agents in as bait.

"I'm going to need to go shopping. I forgot my clubbing clothes," you tell him.

Hotch nods. "Stick to a budget please."

"Always do," you reply, taking a bite of your eggroll. "Anyone want to come help me pick my whore outfit?" you ask facetiously, a small smirk emerging on your face.

Emily laughs and agrees to accompany you. From the corner of your eye you see Hotch's jaw tighten ever so slightly. Well, nothing you could do about that. It's hard to be perfectly professional all the time, and you were trying dammit.

Aaron was extremely uncomfortable having you be very obviously tarted-up bait for unsubs who had brutalized three women already. He knew it was the team's best shot at catching these guys and he hadn't been able to disagree with your assertion that JJ wasn't the right pick for the setting. However, hearing you refer to yourself as a whore - even jokingly - struck a nerve. You were anything but.

Why he'd had such a strong reaction to that word in reference to you, is something he'd have to examine more later. He knew it was at least somewhat tied to his own religious upbringing. The knowledge that you were incredibly deliberate with who you slept with had given him some sense of peace earlier on. It had been something he shared with you and back then he'd added it to the list of reasons why he should just tell you how he felt. You two were utterly compatible in most ways. Of course, that had been then and this was now. Things had changed.

*------------*

Hotch had already coordinated with the club and they'd given Garcia access to their internal security system. Using her own particular brand of technical magic, Garcia had been able to enhance the live stream video quality so that they could have a view of everything going on in the club and keep eyes on you constantly.

The team was monitoring from two locations - a couple of large vans from where Rossi and Hotch would be monitoring both of the entry points to the club. You walk into the conference room where Derek, Emily, and Reid are sitting, to a low whistle from Derek.

"Looking good princess," he says, eyeing you and up and down and standing to walk over to you. "We're gonna have to fight the boys off of you so you can actually get to the unsubs at all."

Emily had done a good job helping you pick an outfit. The two of you had had a good shopping trip (almost like old times) and you'd decided on a slinky gold slip dress with a deep slit that hugged you perfectly, paired with strappy nude heels. It was reminiscent of outfits you'd worn when you went out in New York. You'd made up your face completely to the point where you felt you were barely recognizable and your hair cascaded past your shoulders. You knew you looked good.

You look at Derek and he's just wearing jeans and a button down that he already had with him. Men! It was far too easy for them.

Emily hands you an earpiece, reminding you that you won't have a weapon with you, so you have to be extra careful.

Hotch walks into the conference room, mid-conversation with Rossi on coordinating their locations, and stops dead in his tracks when he sees you. He looks you up and down while you're distracted, speaking with Prentiss. The dress clung to your skin, moving with you like water. Your breasts were pushed out as much as possible while still maintaining a modicum of decency and as you stepped to the side, the slit gave him a view of your legs, all the way up to your smooth thighs, in a manner he found entirely too sensual. You were hot. He has to swallow and force himself to return to his conversation with Rossi, who absolutely knows what had distracted him.

Aaron had always bucketed you under the cute label, with your prissy cardigans and long sleeved blouses. This outfit, however, was undeniably hot, and he's forced to admit that he's far too enamored by it. Dangerously so.

You turn and see that Hotch and Rossi have arrived as well and you turn to face them, looking at Hotch. "So?" you ask. You're not sure why you asked him, it had simply slipped out. You didn't care what he thought, and it wasn't as though Hotch was in the habit of commenting on your appearance.

You watch as he keeps his eyes fixed on yours and nods. "You look like the perfect bait," he says, no change to his usual straight lined expression.

You offer him a half-smile, unsure how to take his compliment. If it indeed had been one. He hadn't really even looked at you. Before, he would've at least looked at you properly even if you knew that outfits like this really weren't his cup of tea. No, Hotch definitely went for subtle sexuality, not the in-your-face kind. Regardless, you thought he might want to see what you'd bought with his Bureau card, but well, apparently not.

*------------*

You and Derek enter the club separately as the night is in full swing. It was better to arrive towards the middle rather than be too early and draw attention of the wrong sort. You make a beeline to the bar through the throngs of people dancing to the loud music, and catch the attention of the only female bartender there.

"I'm going to ask you for shots all night," you tell her, leaning across the bar so only she can hear you. "I need you to make sure that all you give me is water." You slide a few hundred dollar bills to her and she looks you up and down to memorize who you are, before nodding and sliding the bills into her pocket.

With that part out of the way, you start to make your way through the crowd to get a better feel for the place, dancing alongside random people as you do. As Derek and Emily had said, the layout of the club had a large dance floor in the center, surrounded by private tables with people either drinking or smoking from large hookah sets. There was some ventilation in the ceilings to prevent the place from becoming too smoke filled, however it still caused a hazy sort of atmosphere which admittedly went well with the dark room and thumping music.

"Status update?" Hotch asks from his spot in the van that was at the back of the club near the alley.

"Nothing yet," you respond, acting as though you're simply singing along to the music. Being in a loud, crowded club was really only bearable when you're drinking, and forcing yourself to move along to the music was proving to be harder than anticipated.

Hotch had half the cameras in the room trained on you to make sure you were alright. He'd already instructed Garcia to make sure there wasn't a single second you weren't on a screen.

You look around the room as you dance, swaying your hips to the music. There are hands that graze past you, boys trying to cop a feel or ones who simply start dancing behind you, sight unseen. You try to maintain your focus as you slowly turn and assess the dynamics of every table on the outskirts. You skip past the ones that have more than one girl seated there. These unsubs wouldn't take someone who came with friends. Those were witnesses. They'd want a girl that had split off from her group.

As you're turning, you catch sight of a table with three men. The middle one is posturing, his body language calm and at ease. The other two sit on either side of him, flanking him. All three of them are dressed similarly to Derek, dark jeans and button downs. Dark hair on all of them with well kept beards indicate that they've been friends for some time, likely grew up together. People in close proximity for extended periods of time end up mimicking one another's style.

Turning away from the table, you speak, "My eight o'clock, table with the three guys. Get me a read on the group dynamics?"

They can barely make out what you said over the loud music, but Garcia has a camera trained on you and Reid's lipreading ability comes in handy to supplement whatever was unclear. Garcia moves one of the cameras remotely, and Hotch looks at the table of men you'd indicated. A group of three fits the profile and their body language definitely indicated that the two men on the side were subservient to the one in the middle.

"The one on the right, he's the weakest link," he tells you. He would be your target, in an attempt to subvert the group dynamics. The alpha wouldn't like that you'd gone for the one he perceived as the lowest of them and would want to lash out or impress you himself.

"You're probably going to have to do something more than wear that dress and dance to get their attention," Emily says. You know she's right. You blend in with this crowd a little too much. You'll have to go further to get their attention.

"Garcia, run facial recognition on all of them and see what you can find," Hotch instructs, as he watches you on the screen, making your way to the bar and indicating to the bartender from earlier to give you two shots. He watches you down them both and make a face as though it was cheap vodka and not simply water.

Your eyes scan the crowd for Derek. It was time to kick things up a notch. You see him dancing at a spot across from the unsubs. As his eyes meet yours he makes a come hither gesture at you with two fingers, that is undeniably hot. You narrow your eyes at him, a smirk on your face, as you make your way through the crowd again and start dancing nearby. You won't go to him directly. Letting him come to you would send a better message to the unsubs.

"Hi Princess." You feel rather than hear his greeting as he comes up behind you, shoving past another guy who had been trying to dance with you. He wraps his arms around your waist and the two of you move against one another to the beat of the music. You turn yourself so you can see the table with the three men and your eyes seek out the one that Hotch had told you to focus on. Derek continues to grind against you, shielding you from anyone else.

Reid had once told you that if you stare at someone for more than six seconds, they can usually feel it and will instinctively turn to look at you. Time to test that out. All three of the men are scanning the crowd, and you can tell they're hunting. Looking for their next prey.

Derek continues to guide your hips with his, letting you do your job and still blend in for the time being. The one you're targeting finally looks at you and as you make eye contact with him, you raise your hand to sweep your hair to one side. Derek can take a hint. His lips find the side of your neck as the two of you continue to dance, and you and the unsub continue to watch one another, his intense, dark gaze boring into you. You give him a small smile, moving your hips in an exaggerated manner. You know you have his attention. He continues to look around after a few more seconds, but his eyes keep wandering back to you.

"We good?" Derek whispers into your ear, before standing up straighter, his warm lips leaving the side of your neck. He knew the team was watching as well, and while it was hard to tell in the dark, he'd really only rested his lips against your skin, nothing more.

You turn to face him and smile placing your hands on your chest, nodding imperceptibly. You were more than good. Now you just had to do something to push it over the edge.

Aaron watches as you walk away from Morgan and back to the bar. He'd watched you and Morgan dance against one another, the way you'd moved your hair to give him something to work with as his lips came to rest against your skin. He knew better now than to think it was anything more than friendly, but he couldn't help the clawing feeling in his stomach as he'd watched the two of you gyrate against one another. Unnecessarily close, in his opinion. The camera Garcia had trained on your face was his personal torture, as he watched you smile and make bedroom eyes at the unsub.

You get back to the bar and hold up four fingers to your bartender and she quickly makes a show of pouring out shots while actually only filling four shot glasses with water and placing them in front of you. You slide over some more cash as if you're paying for the alcohol, and then turn to look at the table again. All three of them are looking in your direction now, and you know better than to waste the opportunity. You pick up the first shot and make a cheers motion in their direction, before downing it in one go. You proceed to down the other three as well and let out a loud and exaggerated Woo! before swaying back onto the dance floor, making sure to make your movement appear a little clumsy.

"Kid, looks like they're eyeing that redhead dancing near them," Rossi says, his worried voice coming through loud and clear to you as there was a din in music for a quick second.

You look to the girl he's talking about and you know he's right. She's been dancing with a few guys at a time and looks far too drunk to function. "Garcia, are these our guys?"

"One of them owns a property near the first dump site and they all grew up going to the same orthodox church. They all have a record - mostly for assault but the one in the middle also brought a knife to his college class and threatened some girl who didn't agree to date him."

"Good enough for me," you say, waiting for their agreement, which comes quickly.

Your eyes scan the crowd through the dark and after a couple of minutes, you spot what you're looking for. You stumble your way through the crowd as casually as possible, making sure to angle yourself in their line of sight. You approach a wispy blonde girl who had been dancing by herself for some time and you begin to dance with her. She responds quickly, moving to be closer to you, her hands finding their way to your waist as you both move together.

Aaron watches as you begin to dance with the young blonde girl who was dancing almost directly in front of the unsubs' table, unsure of what you're going for. However, your intention becomes clear very quickly when you reach out and grab the girl's face, crashing your lips against hers. Nothing like two girls making out on the dance floor to get the attention of every guy in a fifty foot radius. He watches as well, completely entranced. I have to watch, he tells himself. Sure Hotchner. Sure.

You pull apart from the girl, licking your lips. Hmm, she hadn't seemed to mind, as she'd kissed you back rather enthusiastically. You throw her a wink and a smile, before walking towards the restroom, which just so happen to be in the direction of the table the three men are at.

As you walk by, you're careful to stumble and fall, imploring the weakest link to reach out a hand to help stabilize you.

"Oh my god! Thank you sooo much!" Your voice comes out super high and exaggerated, exactly the way you'd expect a girl to sound six shots in.

Instead of continuing on your way, you grab onto his hand tighter, throwing him a large, grateful smile. He smiles back, dragging you into their seating area.

"I'm Caleb," he yells at you over the loud music, "And that's Connor and Keith," he says, indicating towards the other two men.

You smile at all of them, keeping your hand still clasped around Caleb's. "I'm Y/N!" you tell them, smiling and moving your tongue to lick your lips again.

"You looked good out there," Caleb tells you, looking at you and then turning to the other two men who nod and agree.

"You want a hit?" the one in the middle, Keith, asks, handing you the Hookah pipe.

You nod, getting up from next to Caleb and wedging yourself between the two men, but making sure to lean more into Connor still. Grabbing the pipe he hands you, you look around at them all. "Where are you boys from?"

"In town," Connor, the last one, answers, seemingly annoyed that you're now seated between his two friends.

You nod again, bringing the pipe to your mouth and wrapping your lips around the opening before inhaling in deeply. It had been a while since you'd done this, and you're a little nervous you're going to mess up. Just focus, breathe it in, hold it. Parting your lips, you blow out slowly, forming rings of smoke in front of you.

"And this is why she's the one that went in." You hear JJ's voice on the earpiece and have to compose your reaction and stay in the moment, making small talk with the three men and allowing Caleb to move his hand to your thigh.

Hotch watches as you interact with the unsubs. He's already dispatched teams to the property that was near the prior dumpsite and is waiting for an update. The three men - boys, really - are being far too chatty with you, all three of them crowding you on the cushions. One of them offers a drink and you make a joke about not accepting drinks from strangers. Good girl.

Caleb has been trying to convince the other two that you should be their target for the night. You can tell by the way his hands haven't left you, but he's also encouraged you to cozy up to his buddies.

"You want to come back to our place with us?" he asks, his eyes gleaming.

You know this has to be the first time any girl has paid him alone this much attention. But he needs their buy in to bring you back. It won't happen if you appear to be only interested in him.

"All of you?" you ask, lowering your gaze and allowing your long, dark lashes to graze your cheeks before looking around the entire seating area, giving each boy individual eye contact.

"You want it to be just me?" he asks.

You know the other two won't like that at all. It's obvious from how you feel Keith tense up behind you.

"Oh, I think on your own, I'd eat you right up," you whisper to Caleb, biting your lip. You know that Keith heard you, as you can feel him laugh right behind.

Caleb seems a little annoyed and yet entirely flustered as he looks around at his buddies. He must've received the go ahead, because he nods. "Yeah baby, all of us."

You smile. Boys were so easy. "Hmm," you say, grabbing the pipe once again and inhaling, before blowing a small cloud of smoke into Caleb's face. "Alright," you breathe out.

Caleb moves through the smoke to kiss you, but you make him stop with a hand to his chest. "Let me just use the restroom really quickly, and then we can all…have fun together," you say, a sultry smile planted on your face.

He nods, the two of you looking around to see if the other two are also onboard.

Caleb helps you stand as you make your way to the bathroom, bypassing several girls in line by citing an emergency, and wedging yourself into a stall so that you can talk to the team for a moment.

"Guys, we don't have enough yet, do we?"

"No," you hear Reid say. "We either need them to allude to the other girls or find physical evidence at the property."

"Alright. Then, let them rough me up a bit. Don't intervene until you have to."

"I don't know about that, princess," Morgan says, and you can hear the worry in his voice.

"I'll be fine. I can handle it. Let me try and get it out of them at least."

"Okay." It's Rossi this time. Hotch has been uncharacteristically quiet for the past twenty minutes.

You make your way back outside to meet the unsubs.

Hotch watches as you walk out of the restroom and back towards the table. He did not like this at all. You were willingly about to put yourself in danger to get a confession or some allusion to the crimes, but he hadn't been able to think of a good enough professional reason to make you not do this.

You walk up and hold your hand out for Caleb to grab and the three men lead you out to the front, telling you that their car is parked around the next block. You hook your arm into Keith's elbow and smile up at him as he turns to look at you.

"So, do you guys like, do this often?" you ask, looking at Keith.

He looks at you for a second, a smirk on his face. "Sometimes, been a while since the last time we shared a girl though." He looks at the other two and they share a smile.

Caleb still has his hand clasped in yours, and as the four of you make your way down the seemingly empty alleyway, he pushes you up against the wall and shoves his tongue down your throat. You try your best to respond to his attentions, trying to ignore the disgust you feel. His hands grope your waist as he kisses you without any finesse.

The other two boys are simply standing there, waiting for Caleb to finish. "Yeah, what was the last one's name?" Connor asks.

Caleb pulls away from you. "Elizabeth," he says, not removing his eyes from yours. You feel a shiver run down your spine. His expression is entirely different from how it had been inside.

That's it though. That's all you really needed. You hope the team is headed your way, because you know you have to get out now before they escalate.

"Actually," you say, allowing for some exaggerated nervousness to enter your voice. "I'm not too sure I should do this. My friends are probably looking for me." You start to extract yourself from Caleb's grasp, however he tightens his hold on you. Where were they?

Keith comes to corner you against the wall himself, shoving Caleb out of the way. "You're coming back with us, now," he says, his voice deep and low, as he gets right up against your face. You can tell he has a weapon on him. "Can't be backing out now." You feel your stomach clench tighter.

"FBI! Let her go!"

You turn and see Derek, Hotch, Emily, and Rossi standing in the alleyway, their guns raised and pointed at the three men. It's in your best interest to act like you aren't with them still. You pretend to look terrified, looking from Keith to the team.

Both Caleb and Connor try to make a run for it and are easily apprehended by Emily and Rossi. Now it's just Keith and you, his face still far too close to your own as you're shoved against the wall. He reaches for his gun in his pocket, and before either Derek or Hotch can react, he has the barrel pressed to your temple as he grabs you roughly, walking backwards away from them.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll shoot the girl," he says, dragging you back with him.

Hotch watches as the unsub grips your arm tight, and he can tell you're still putting on the act of being a civilian as you claw at him and beg him to let you go. However, neither he nor Morgan have a clear shot at Keith and he can feel a pit growing in his stomach. You'd trusted him - them - to protect you and now you have a gun to your head and there's easily a 70/30 chance of him shooting you just to escape. Despite the fact that he knows you're acting, your terrified face is still far too much for him to bear as he holds his gun tight. Maybe you weren't acting anymore.

"Alright, we're going to put our weapons down," he says, speaking calmly to the unsub and appealing to his rational side. "You let the girl go."

"No," he shouts against your ear. "You probably have snipers waiting to take me down. It's a trick!"

Aaron's stomach drops as Keith grips you harder and shoves the gun tighter against your head. "I'm serious, I'll kill her."

He watches your face, you stop protesting against him and your eyes go to Morgan. He sees the barest of smiles appear, and before he has the chance to wonder what on earth you could possibly be smiling about in a situation like this, you throw Morgan a quick wink as well. What the hell!

The next second, you've elbowed Keith, ducked from bullet range, stomped on his foot and flipped him over and onto the ground, his gun in your hand, pointed at his face. It happened so quickly that Aaron could barely believe it had happened at all. You had just flipped over a man at least twice your weight. In a dress. And heels. Aaron would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly in awe.

You look down at Keith who looked like the wind had been knocked out of him. "Not just a girl," you grind out, shoving your heel into his side.

It's pretty much over after that. Hotch and Derek come to help you and Hotch handcuffs the guy while Derek checks you over for any injuries. You hand over the gun to a uniformed officer in an evidence bag. With any luck, it would match the gunshot wounds on the victims.

After depositing the unsub into the back of a cop car, Aaron comes back to the van where the rest of the team is gathered. He had a feeling that the other two would flip easily on Keith. You won't be needed for interrogation. After that, it would be a pretty cut and dry case.

You're leaned against Morgan, and as he meets his eye, he notes the smirk on his face as if asking Hotch, Seen enough yet? He really wouldn't have an excuse not to promote you now.

"Good job," he tells you as he reaches you. You simply nod at him in acknowledgement.

Your perfectly pinned hair has slipped somewhat and the makeup around your eyes is smudged. If this was before, he could've reached out and pushed the hair back or hugged you to remind himself that you were alright. He knows very clearly that he won't be getting over you. He'd known it at the beginning, but tonight had confirmed it.

He almost wished it was simply because you were pretty. What a concept - liking someone just because they're pretty. It seemed simpler, less permanent. Falling for someone however - not just because they're attractive, but for how they navigate the world, for the way they make others around them feel, for their intelligence, for the way they move, for the way the air crackles around them, for the simple fact that they make you believe - believe in the hope that one day things would be better - that kind of falling for someone has consequences. It leaves track marks that are easy to trace and moving on from that sort of person - he didn't think that was something one could force.

He watches as you slip your heels off, your feet red and raw from having been in them all night long. Your dress had ripped slightly, and the slit exposed more of your upper thighs than before. His eyes glaze over as he watches you walk up into a seat on the van, stretching your legs across another seat and slumping into it, seeming entirely spent. He's not sure how obvious he's being in that moment.

Regardless of anything, he's going to need a cold shower tonight. A long, cold shower.

#Criminal Minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds reader insert #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotchner x you #hotch #hotchner x you #hotchner x y/n #hotch x reader #hotch x you #hotch x y/n #irreverentseries

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demonfox38 · 3 years

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Okay. Made it through the last season of Netflix's "Castlevania" interpretation. Thoughts are below the cut.

I've often thought of this series as the exploitation version of "Castlevania," and hiring Malcom McDowell confirms that.

Although, I find it hilarious that both Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Stewart have ended up voicing the same character. I'm sure there's a "Star Trek Generations" joke to be made in there, but I'm not Mike Stoklasa.

Also, I was cracking up a bit when Varney's plot twist happened. Mostly, because it came off a bit Skeletor-esque in vocal performance.

Also, also—laughing that the final boss went the "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence" route despite barely touching on that game's plot.

Animation had its ups and downs with this season. It seemed like there were some frame issues (not enough inbetweening.) I do appreciate how they incorporated more of Alucard's SOTN animations into his fights, however.

Additionally, some of the fight scenes' pacing seemed to have issues, particularly regarding weapon recovery.

The whole bit with St. Germain was off. Like, he's a weird asshole in "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness", but he's more of a weird asshole there in the same way that casually encountering "Doctor Who"'s Doctor would also be strange. Not a straight up villainous boob. Kinda makes sense thematically to have another character who is willing to do horrible shit for their lost loved one, but the series honestly did not do a good job establishing her. Like, did she even have a voice actor? Or a name? All I'm saying is it was much easier for outsiders to get the Lisa revenge thing Dracula had going.

Also, how dare you joke about not being deaf and then have a villainous monologue, TV show.

Greta's a good girl. Well, outside of being an occasional homewrecker. Point is, she's competent and trying her best to save people in a bad situation, and anyone having issues with her is not to be trusted in the same way that you don't trust people who don't like Rochelle from "Left 4 Dead 2."

Look at me. Do not trust people who do not like Rochelle from "Left 4 Dead 2." Yes, her writing could have been better, but she's still a viable character. Let people Thunder Child their ships on the rocks of your better self. Got me?

Also, y'all really need to embrace more polyamory. Or understand the fact that Alucard's not going to love just one person in his life. Dude lives to be at least 600 in the game's timeline. For a dude who loves humans, constricting him to just one who may live to be 100 at best is cruel.

There are some interesting philosophical dialogues going on here, but I can see where some people may lose their patience for them. Considering one of Castlevania's most popular memes is a philosophy debate, you're just gonna have to suck that up. My personal favorites included the topic of acting versus reacting, as well as having agency in one's story.

Striga's battle theme was cool, but otherwise, the music was forgettable. Yes, that is a sin. Punishable by Death? In this series, maybe!

The gore's still over the top. Which, okay, fine. There's a bit of that in game. It's just generally a bit more reserved with it or uses it in crucial boss fights.

RIP doggie.

The Targoviste plot's a bit of a wash, but it doesn't feel as useless as Trevor and Sypha's previous plot predicament. It's just nothing of a surprise, considering how many times the writing has played the "authority figures are useless" and "dark secret surprise" tropes in this series. Like, Greta being reliable is actually more surprising than anything with this plot.

I cannot emphasize enough how boring I found Carmilla's interpretation and plot arc. You guys could have had a giant, naked lesbian riding a skull and spewing magic at people while her cat-eared girlfriend jumped them for extra damage. But no. Vanilla lady with a scarlet sword for you. So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen. Good night.

Gotta say, as much of a deviation from his source character as he is, Isaac really turned out well in this series. He's definitely evidence that you don't always need to stick to source material.

His Abel is fucking sick, dude. Way to go, king.

Also, I was expecting more violence from Hector this season. Oh, well. At least he got a teeny bit of a spine.

Look. I'm not an alchemist by any means. I'm just a bit baffled by this season's emphasis of obtaining a Rebis. Like, any time the game series has talked about the Magnum Opus of Alchemy, it's more been in pursuit of making a Philosopher's Stone (or at the very least, a Crimson Stone, as seen in "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.") Pulling a Rebis out of the aether is…well. Could have been more interesting than it was. I mean, it was a bit nightmarish, but it really didn't do much.

Sypha's really never getting back to her family, is she?

Love the idea that the cross subweapon is basically a fancy chakram.

GERGOTH. BUDDY. FRIENDO.

Really appreciating the monster variety in these last two seasons. I mean, that's a big selling point of the "Castlevania" games. Not so much vampires standing around and bickering in dick-waving contests.

Breaking out of the bullet points to hit on the big subject of this season—that is, the ending being surprisingly happy.

There's been a lot of shit that's happened over the last few years. Obviously, a pandemic. Konami's run by pricks. Then, there's the situation with the allegations of sexual coercion with Warren Ellis. Additionally, the terrible ending of "Game of Thrones" likely impacted how this season was developed, considering it seemed to be chasing its progression in construction. (I mean, look at Carmilla and Daenerys.) I don't know how many people were happy with the last season of "Castlevania," but from my POV, it double-tapped itself in the foot with the way it pushed simultaneous sex and violence in its last two episodes. My point is, there was little taste for additional darkness, considering everything that has been happening. Society is drained.

A happy ending was what people really wanted. And man, did this pull through, in that regard. But, there's a conversation to be had in if this swerved too far or if it violates some artistic integrity to give people what they want. So, let's have it.

Look. Man. Have you seen a "Castlevania" ending? When you do it right, it's crumbled castles and rainbow-colored skies. If you do it really right, it results in a pretty girl holding the main character's hand. There is happiness in these games. Hope. Forgiveness and redemption. If this is supposed to be any bit an accurate interpretation of these games, it absolutely should end in such a joyful fashion. (Okay, maybe giving Dracula and Lisa a second honeymoon at the end was a bit much, but I get where people would want that.)

Did some items need to be addressed more? Absolutely. Alucard staking people and Hector getting sexually coerced into servitude are some pretty big topics to just wave away. (Oh, shit. That second part is even worse now with what Ellis was allegedly doing, isn't it?) I suppose I'm just glad the series didn't go full Sephiroth with Alucard. And at least Hector finally took some stand in his situation, even if it wasn't the bombastic, hateful revenge I'm used to seeing from this character in other stories.

I think the creators of this series were trying to save this show from the fate of "Game of Thrones." (To some extent, perhaps the "Voltron" re-interpretation as well.) There's so much media out there anymore that if a production team doesn't nail the ending, their creation gets wiped out of the collective consciousness. To that extent, I think the creators were successful in saving their series. Did it do damage to itself in yanking out of its construction and themes? A bit. But, in doing so, it pivoted back to being more like a proper "Castlevania" product. (And of course, by proper, I mean anything ignoring "Lords of Shadows." God, people need to stop chasing other products when developing "Castlevania" stuff and just let the series be as it is.)

I am very curious as to how much of this season was part of an original draft and how much was revised in backlash to everything that has happened. It doesn't seem like Trevor was intended to survive, but to some extent, Sypha had to. (I mean, until she has a kid, anyway. See "Lords of Shadows" series for dickery regarding that.) I'm also wondering if there was more intended for the Carmilla subplot, as much as the series was banging on about her invading locations. I'm not even sure St. Germain was intended to be a villain all along. Getting into a bitchfight with Death? Sure. Doing what he did here? That's a weird arc, dude.

If you come away from my POV with anything, it should be this: GO PLAY THE GAMES.

Do it. Do it, you ghouls. Go to the Steam store and download the "Castlevania Anniversary Collection." Boot up your PS3 or 4 or 18 or whatever and get "Symphony of the Night." Throttle Nintendo's stores until "Aria of Sorrow" or "Dawn of Sorrow" or "Harmony of Dissonance" or whatever rattles out of their moldy pockets. Find a ROM. Find an ISO. Just play a game. Especially, one of the ones made before 2010.

"Castlevania" as a game series isn't about hordes of vampires dick-waving at each other or edgy swearing or being grim and dark. Some of that stuff's there, sure. But, at its core, it's what game developers created when they looked at Universal Monster Movie creations and went "That's cool. Let's fight that!" It's a series about pushing technology in MMC chips to make rich, vibrant music. It's about flourishing artwork and layers of sprites dripping particles and gore onto players. It's sober and goofy and very pro curry.

The thing is, "Castlevania" players have their own unique connection to the series. We're the weirdos you see clapping their hands when a mutilated dinosaur shows up on screen. It's not because the monster alone is cool. It's that we've fought and struggled and bodied that thing through several floors like a goddamn "X-Men: Children of the Atom" stage. It's kicked our asses. We've kicked its ass. We've got a connection to it that you just don't get from passively watching it barf lasers through a computer monitor or TV screen. Like, you know how people go, "Well, the movie wasn't as good as the book?" It's obnoxious, sure. But, those who read the source materials have to go to the effort of constructing their own sets and people to understand what's happening. In a similar fashion, game players build up their own skill set to reach that next rung.

Maybe you don't always get a payout when you invest your resources into something. But, there is a sense of accomplishment, seeing what you can do.

There's a reason this series got an adaptation. I mean, outside of Konami's head executives wanting easy money. "Castlevania" is a fantastic video game series. Has it got a few problems? Oh yeah. Especially after outsourcing and pachislot machines became all the rage. But, there's a reason Simon and Richter Belmont are playable in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate." There's a reason I spent a significant amount of time playing these games and writing or drawing fanworks for it. These games are wonderful. Beautiful. Difficult, but inspiring. Reasons I will still bang on about them decades years down the road.

When I get exasperated by layers of angst and edge lord content this Netflix series generated, I want you to know why. The roots of this show are good games held captive under poor management. Some people on staff know this. I wish they had more scenario and writing control. But mostly, I don't want to shit on them or their work. (Well, other than perhaps the obvious target.) I just want you to see what I love in these games.

And also to watch Crashervania. Because that's legit.

#castlevania #netflix castlevania #spoilers #tl;dr play ball or SOTN or a Sorrow game or something

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raiseyourcups · 3 years

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Cabur

Chapter Seven

Pairing: Din Djarin x Original Female Character Warnings: fight scenes with slightly more than canon-typical violence Word Count: 3.4k Also on AO3

Masterlist

Summary: They train a bunch of farmers how to survive, Cara continues to tease, and Aili knocks Mando on his ass in front of everyone. It is as funny as you think it is. And then after there’s a big fight.

“You really think we can train them this fast?” Cara asked, staring at Mando and Aili like they had lost their minds.

“Yes,” Aili said, keeping her voice steady. She wasn’t saying it was going to be easy but it wouldn’t be impossible. Anyone could be trained to protect themselves and if she hadn’t promised herself to never train children again, she would have suggested that too.

“Just because you were trained doesn’t mean they can be." Cara said, giving Aili a hard stare.

“We’ll teach them enough to keep them alive,” Aili stated. “That’s all they need to know, enough to keep them alive and keep the raiders off of us.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We take out the AT-ST while they hold off the raiders.”

"You want to use them as bait?” Mando questioned, voice clearly hardening even past the voice modulator.

Aili rolled her eyes as she looked up at him, "No you idiot, they'd be a diversion."

“That’s what bait is," he said, voice going towards angry now.

“Maybe with Mandalorians but not with me.” Aili knew it was a low blow but someone had to say it. She had never used civilians as bait nor would she ever do so.

"Hey, can we agree on a plan or what?" Cara interrupted before they could get into a fight. They couldn't afford to have their two best fighters out of commission because they had a tiff. She really wished she had the time to just lock them in a hut and leave them there until they either killed each other or fucked away their growing tension.

“I’ve already said my piece.” Aili stated, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting for Mando to say anything else. When he didn’t, Cara nodded her head.

“So we agree that once we lure the raiders out, we take out the AT-ST. Now how do we want to get them out here?”

Once they had a plan, they gathered all of the villagers at a point they had decided would be the best place to execute it. Mando was, somehow, still elected to be the first one to speak. Aili honestly just liked to make him uncomfortable being the center of attention.

“You have two problems, the raiders and the mech. If you can hold off the raiders, we can take out the mech. But I don’t have to tell you how dangerous they are,” Mando started before turning to Cara.

“Cara Dune here was a veteren, a drop soldier for the Rebellion and she’s going to lay out a plan for you so listen. Carefully.” Mando gestured for Cara to speak.

“There is nothing on this planet that can take out this thing’s legs so we need to build a trap.” Cara started, pointing down to the ground before them as she continued. “We’re going to dig a trench here, deep, so that when it steps in, it drops. The three of us-”

“Two.” Aili interrupted suddenly.

“What?” Mando said lowly, turning his helmet ever so slightly to look at her.

“The two of you will hit their camp and provoke them. I’ll stay here and help hold them off when they come out of the woods.”

“That wasn’t the plan we agreed on,” Mando stated, anger now coming off of him as he stared down at Aili. This had been just as much her plan as his and Cara’s, and now she was changing it?

“Plans were made to be changed depending on circumstances. It won’t take three of us to provoke them and one extra person here can make all the difference.”

“Fine.” Mando said shortly before turning back to the villagers.”I’m going to need you to cut down trees and build barricades along these edges. They need to be high enough that they can’t get over and strong enough that it can’t break through.”

“Anyone know how to shoot a blaster?” Aili asked, looking at each of the villagers. Omera was the only one to raise her hand and it took everything in Aili to not curse out loud. She turned to Mando, “Blaster rifle for Omera, pistols for everyone else. We’ll train them accordingly.”

“Agreed. Let’s get to work.”

*Run away to a place where you can breathe*

The Mandalorian and Cara watched from their separate spots as Aili taught the farmers how to take an opponent down. Neither of them knew how she was able to teach the farmers so quickly when none of them had any fighting experience.

Cara had all but given up showing some of them how to jab out with their makeshift spears after the tenth time they held it wrong. But Aili had made a little more progress with them.

The only thing that was truly going their way was the fact that Omera knew how to shoot a blaster rifle but even that wasn’t going to be enough if they couldn’t prepare everyone else. They’d be run down like krill and then the AT-ST would take out the rest of them.

“Hey Mando!” Aili shouted towards them. “Get over here, I need a partner!”

Cara let out a quiet chuckle, “You better head on over before someone else partners up with her.”

The Mandalorian ignored Cara’s comment and walked over to where Aili had been teaching the farmers hand-to-hand as a backup if they lost their blasters or spears. “What do you need?”

“Gonna show them basic hand-to-hand but it’s easier to show them with someone who knows it as well.” Aili said before pointing for him to stand in front of her before she turned her back to him to face the farmers. “Okay so this should be easier for some of you than it is for me but if a raider attacks you from behind...”

She trailed, hoping Mando would take it as a cue. He did and he grabbed her by the shoulder. He wasn’t prepared for her to immediately spin around and grab him by the arm, twisting it before using his own weight against him to throw him to the ground.

From across the way he could hear Cara laughing and even Aili had to stifle a laugh as she looked at the farmers again. “Once they’re on the ground, that’s your opening to take them out with your staff or your blaster if you have one.”

“What if they come from the front?”

“Excellent question. Mando?” The Mandalorian sighed before getting up from the ground and going for Aili again. She aimed a kick at his chest and he was shocked that he actually went backwards from the force. She grabbed one of the spears and stabbed him right below where his chest piece ended when he went for her again. He let out a grunt of pain and fell to his knee while Aili aimed an imaginary blaster to his face.

“Bang, he’s dead.” Aili said with a cheeky smile. “Remember the raiders won’t have beskar armor so feel free to aim anywhere it’ll hurt.”

Cara was still cracking up loud enough for them all to hear and the Mandalorian felt his face grow warm. "Are we done?"

"No, I want to show them a few more things." The smile on Aili’s face let him know that now she was just doing this to torture him. Probably payback for slamming her against the wall of the Crest.

By the time she was done showing the villagers a few more easy moves along with some that were obviously too advanced, the Mandalorian’s armor was covered in grass stains and Cara had to leave before she made herself pass out from laughing too hard. There was just something so funny about the Mandalorian being taken down multiple times by a woman that only came up to his shoulders.

“Now are we done?”

“Yeah, you can go clean up now. Thanks.” Aili smiled, patting Mando on his pauldron before turning back to the villagers. “Now I know the thought of fighting these guys is scary but if we all work together, the blasters and spears should be enough.”

*Run away to a place without painful tears*

Aili strapped on another holster, just in case her main blaster broke or got knocked out of her hand. Better safe than sorry. She also checked her belt to make sure her flash chargers were there along with the expandable staff she had bought years ago. It was barely more sturdy than the wooden spears the farmers had but it would hit harder. What she wouldn’t give for a staff made of beskar or at least a harder metal.

She heard footsteps come up behind her in the hut as she was putting on the gloves she used when expecting a fist fight and she turned to face the Mandalorian. “How are we looking out there?”

“Better than before," Mando said shortly. "Listen, don't make yourself a bigger target and stick with the villagers."

"Excuse me?" Aili paused, a glove halfway on as she looked up at Mando with a hard look in her eyes already.

"We don't need anyone to be a martyr in case this goes wrong.”

"Okay, for one, this plan is solid and secondly, you are not the boss of me,” Aili said, roughly pulling her glove on the rest of the way and shoving past the Mandalorian to join the villagers at the barricades. Mando watched as she left and his shoulders went up and down as he sighed, annoyed with himself. With one last glance, he left to go find Cara.

Aili was with the villagers, giving them last minute pointers when the Mandalorian and Cara headed out. She narrowed her eyes at Mando’s back, not noticing the look someone nearby was giving her. She shook her head and decided that everyone was as ready as they’d ever be.

“Everyone take your spots and wait for the signal once they get back.” She headed for the spot that she had chosen, front of the barricades to the right. It made sense since she had a rifle and Omera had one on the left side of the barricades.

It was quiet as they waited, a few people getting antsy but Aili kept her eyes trained on the treeline. Her patience was rewarded when there was an explosion from where the raider camp was. Of course it was a short-lived victory in Aili’s mind.

“I guess the plan worked,” Aili mumbled to herself when she felt the tremors in the ground. No way that was anything but the AT-ST. She aimed her blaster rifle and hoped the villagers were ready. The children were all huddled into the farthest hut, the door barricaded from the inside, Winta in charge of them all.

Through the fog she saw Cara and Mando run down and slide behind the barricade. Cara to the other side and Mando beside Aili.

“This is it! Once that thing steps into the pond, it’s going down!” Cara shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. Aili only hoped that she was right. The AT-ST broke the tree line, getting closer to the trench they had dug with every step.

“Just a few more,” Mando said from beside her. Of course that was when the person behind the controls looked down and stopped in its tracks. A bright light flashed and Mando shouted for everyone to get down so it couldn’t see them. Aili squinted as she did as he said knowing that if they aimed the weapons at them, they were done.

They didn’t notice that a few of the farmers hadn’t been able to hide from the line of sight and then there was a shot, one of the huts exploding. It was a warning shot.

“Hold your positions!” Cara shouted.

That was when the raiders came running out of the forest. Aili let out a curse, "Everyone get ready!"

A quick mental countdown went through both Cara and Aili’s minds, waiting for the raiders to get close enough but not too close. There. “Open fire!”

The AT-ST took a few more shots, not hitting anything but making sparks flash. Mando leaned over so both Cara and AIli could hear. “We gotta get that thing to step forward.”

“No shit, Mando.” Aili said before looking at Cara. Without words, only a head tilt, they came up with a plan. “Give Cara the pulse rifle. He’ll cover you.”

“Where are you going?” Mando questioned, confused as to why he would be the only one to cover Cara.

“We’ll have to go past the barricades once Cara gets over there, otherwise the raiders will overrun us,” Aili quickly explained. She knew they wouldn’t have a choice, the raiders weren’t going to leave it all to the mech.

Mando sighed before nodding. “Alright. Neither of you do anything stupid.”

“Leaving all of that with you, Mando.”

“Ugh,” Cara groaned before taking the pulse rifle from Mando and running out to get the AT-ST to do what they needed it to. Mando and AIli covered her until she got to the trench, raiders none the wiser.

“Come on Cara.” Aili could see the sparks from the blaster rifle but it wasn’t enough.The AT-ST took a small step forward but by then the raiders were too close and Aili knew they had to move. “It’s now or never, on my call!”

One more second. “Now!”

Everyone who wasn’t designated as cover fire stayed behind as Aili and her small group with spears rushed forward. She took down several raiders before they could get closer and she heard the others doing the same.

The raiders came out in full numbers, much more than the 15 or 20 that Mando had said earlier and Aili made a note to let him know that. After they made it out of this alive. Aili found herself surrounded and she stared each of the raiders up and down in a few seconds. Then she waited for one of them to make the first move. It didn’t take long for one to rush her.

She brought a knee up to his stomach and blocked a punch with her arm, ducking under his next one and shooting him in the stomach. She didn’t wait to see him hit the ground before she stopped the next raider from kicking her by grabbing his leg, bringing her elbow down hard on the outside of his thigh. After that it was easy to sweep his other leg out from under him, shooting him before he even landed.

The next one got lucky, she barely had time to bring her arms up to block a kick to her chest but then a bigger raider rammed into her. Her blaster flew out of her hand and she knew it was going to be only a hand-to-hand fight now. She tucked into a ball and rolled, her cheek getting scratched by something on the ground before she sprung to her knees as the first raider went after her again. She blocked his kick, punching him hard on the other knee. She punched him hard in the abdomen as she got to her feet, the next punch aimed at his chin. He kneeled down in pain and she kicked the back of his knee to keep him down before grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming his head into the ground hard.

The big one came after her again and she ran forward, sliding to her knees and grabbing at his legs, bringing him face down to the ground. She rolled over his body, grabbing his shoulders and slamming his face into the dirt hard enough to kill him. Several more raiders came her way and she pulled her push dagger out of its pocket.

She blocked one raider's punch, spinning to kick another in the abdomen before turning to the first again. She ducked his punch, kicking a third one in the chest to send him to the ground. The first one came back and she blocked his punch with her arm, the fist with the push dagger stabbing him in the chest once before she wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and kicked his knee to send him flipping onto the ground. She leaned down to stab him once more to make sure he stayed down before the second raider came back again.

Aili blocked his punches, bringing her arm up below his to punch him in the face with the hand not holding the dagger. She wrapped her hand around his neck, twisting his arm up and forcing his body to turn around his back to her front and she tossed him to the ground. She stabbed him once, twice in the abdomen and he was out of the fight.

A loud crash and a tremor went through the ground and Aili stabbed another raider before turning to see that the AT-ST had finally gone down. A smirk crossed her face as Mando ran forward, a thermal detonator in hand that he tossed into the opening Cara had made in the window. It exploded seconds later and the next thing Aili knew, the remaining raiders were running away.

The villagers took a moment to realize what was happening but then there were cheers from everyone. Aili took the chance to head over to the trench and she looked down at Mando and Cara, a smirk on her face.

“So, was that a great plan or what?”

“Was that the plan?” Mando asked, an actual laugh coming from his voice modulator. Aili was almost pleasantly surprised to know he did have a sense of humor underneath all that beskar.

“It was something,” Cara laughed.

“Need a hand getting out of there?” Aili asked, holding a hand out for them without waiting for an answer. Cara went first followed by Mando since he was a little heavier with the armor and Cara had to help otherwise Aili would have ended up in the water instead.

“I’m gonna go check on the villagers,” Cara said, handing Mando his pulse rifle. “Sorry, it got a little wet.”

“I figured when you jumped into the trench,” he said as he slung it over his shoulder anyway. Him and Aili watched as Cara walked back towards the village. Well Aili watched, Mando looked over Aili to make sure she wasn’t hurt. It wasn’t because he cared, it was only because he felt like he owed it to the Armorer for sending her with him. He cocked his helmet to the side when he caught sight of a scratch on her face.

"You're hurt," Mando said, reaching out before stopping himself. He brought his hand back down to his side and clenched both of his hands into fists. Aili didn't notice as she brought a hand up to her cheek, her fingers coming into contact with blood.

"Huh. Hadn't even noticed that." Aili said as she started at the blood. "Not even worth the bacta to be honest, I'll put a bandage on it later."

"Are you...did you get hit anywhere else?"

"I don't think so, one raider knocked me on my ass but then I knocked him onto his and slammed his face into the ground,” Aili shrugged as she took her hair down from its braid. She didn’t notice the Mandalorian standing still as she shook it out, wincing when she realized that she needed to wash it with the way her scalp ached. She made a note to ask Omera where she could do so in the morning though because she was tired.

“I’m going to head to bed,” she said looking back up at Mando who twitched when she broke the silence. “You okay in there?”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay then. Good night?” Aili didn’t mean to use a questioning tone but Mando was acting weird and she didn’t know why.

“Night.”

Aili stared at Mando for a long second with narrowed eyes before she gave up and turned to head back to the hut they were sharing. She didn’t know why she was stuck with the Mandalorian when he was so odd. And this was the man who rivaled her in the Guild? At least he was as skilled in shooting as she had assumed he was. She shook her head, wondering why she even cared. She was going to blame the exhaustion.

#din djarin x reader #din djarin x original character #din djarin imagine #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x oc

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