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awearywritersworld · 5 months

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i have for the first time found what i can truly love—i have found you

sukuna x reader summary: you and sukuna go out for a late night meal. gojo finds out about your... relationship. sukuna is forced to take care of you when you come home drunk. w/c: 2.85k tags/warnings: enemies to lovers. fluff. lots of banter. cursing. jealous/protective!sukuna. gojo being a flirt. aged up!yuuji. features a teeny bit of yuuji x reader. drinking and drunk!reader. not canon compliant. fem!reader. no use of y/n. no manga spoilers. a/n: i think i like how this turned out! also, the first two sections could def be read as a fluffy lil stand alone. idc whats happening in the canonverse, sukunas just a tsundere who adores us very much<3 series masterlist // masterlist

"maybe if you stare long enough, food will magically appear," sukuna calls to you from the kitchen table.

"this is no joking matter," you scold from your place in front of the fridge. "i'm starving."

"well, here's an absurd idea— let's go eat."

you turn toward him, finally closing the fridge, and tilt your head to the side. "you eat?"

"of course." he leans back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "i typically prefer babies, but hell, i'd even go for an old man right now. i'm famished."

your eyes widen and your mouth falls open. he lets the panic simmer on your face for a few more cruel moments. "i'm kidding, idiot. i eat food, same as you."

"i knew that," you assert. the way your shoulders sag in relief tells him otherwise.

"right," he smirks. after standing up, he grabs your purse and tosses it in your direction. "where to? you're buying."

with only so many places open at midnight, you begin your journey to a 24 hour ramen shop.

you've hardly interacted with sukuna outside of your apartment, so this is certainly an experience you didn't anticipate. and in fact, you're shocked at how normal it feels— almost as if it's a date.

as you walk down the street, people eye him suspiciously because of the dark lines they assume are tattoos. it doesn't bother you though, nor does the lateness of the hour. you know that you're safe because you're with him.

your hands keep brushing against one another's, and you're hoping that he'll eventually take a hint and reach for yours. he doesn't (i mean come on, do you even know who you're dealing with?).

he does at least pick up on your pouty expression with impressive ease. "what now?"

"nothing," you huff.

"don't be a brat."

you sigh dramatically. "you're supposed to hold my hand."

"sure princess," he says condescendingly, lacing his fingers through yours. "maybe use your words next time like a big girl."

he doesn't fail to notice the ensuing skip in your step, and he kicks himself for regarding it as cute.

when you arrive at the ramen shop, sukuna orders no less than three bowls, which earns him a glare once the waitress walks away.

"when i agreed to pay, i didn't know what a glutton you are."

"oh yeah? cause i'm just the picture of temperance any other time?"

you scoff. "well you've got me there."

a sly smirk settles onto his face before he speaks again. "maybe one day you'll learn how greedy i am when it comes to the things i've deemed pleasurable."

you choke on the water you'd just brought to your lips, your face heating up as if it'd been bathed by fire.

wiping at your mouth, you try your best to recover quickly. "whatever, you hellion. as long as that doesn't involve a fourth bowl of ramen."

you're no more than 10 steps away from the shop when you hold out your hand to him. "ahem."

he grabs it roughly and not without rolling his eyes.

"what?" you ask innocently. "that was a word."

"hardly," he jeers. "for as much as you read, i'd expect you to be more fluent than a child."

"and at 1000 years old, i'd expect you to be more charming than a teenage boy, but i guess we're both making concessions."

"see, this is the part that puzzles me. you never seem to have trouble with your words when you're being insolent."

"maybe it's a sign," you begin whimsically. "the universe decided you need to be taken down a peg."

"ah, yes. you as the executor of the universe's will. i don't know why i couldn't see it before."

you giggle, rather delighted that he's elected to play along with your quips. there's something that feels so warm and pleasant about it.

as you wonder if he feels it too, your hand tightens around his.

you're not quite ready to head back to your apartment just yet, because you're scared you'll lose the atmosphere surrounding the two of you. in truth, it's a bit intoxicating.

the perfect opportunity arises when you spot a small park up ahead. lights are strung around the trees, all of which are situated around a small fountain.

"we should stop at that park!" you hardly finish speaking before you take off in that direction, tugging him along behind you.

after you plop down on the fountain's ledge, sukuna takes his place beside you.

"let's sit here for a little while."

he doesn't respond and you take his silence as agreement. he's not really one to stifle his grievances.

as the minutes pass, the rush of the fountain is the only noise that fills the air, while you gaze at the trees with a serene expression.

sukuna, however, is looking at you. the only care he has for the trees is the way their lights reflect in your eyes. otherwise, he's fully occupied by the curve of your nose and the fullness of your lips.

"isn't this pretty?" you finally ask.

"it's pretty," he agrees, even when such a soft word feels foreign on his tongue.

his eyes still haven't left you, and you seem to be oblivious to this fact until he reaches up to stroke your cheek with the back of fingers.

when your gaze lands on him, the fondness written all over his face catches you off guard and you realize how close the both of you are. without really thinking about it, you lean into his touch.

"very pretty," he repeats lowly, as if he's talking to himself.

your heart lurches once in your chest, then hammers away at your ribcage without respite. he leans toward you a fraction of an inch, his eyes flicking down to your lips for a brief second.

truthfully, sukuna has never felt the way he does in this moment. it's a sincere sort of desire. he doesn't want the mindless devotion he once thirsted for from his followers. and he doesn't want the sex he used to crave from his concubines.

no. he just wants you— in whatever capacity you're willing to have him.

the way he's looking at you is just too much. there's a dull thudding in your ears and you swear your thoughts are moving at a million miles a minute.

so naturally, you blurt out the first thing you can manage. "we should take a selfie!"

his face shifts from whatever that expression was to one of confusion. "take a selfie?"

some twisted mix of relief and disappointment crashes through you.

"yeah, a selfie. a picture together. ya know, since the park is so pretty," you ramble.

he pulls away from you. not all the way, but enough that it gives you space to finally breath. he chuckles and it doesn't sound lofty like it so often does. in fact, he seems genuinely amused by you.

"a selfie," he deliberates. "that sounds great, but to the best of my knowledge, hell hasn't frozen over."

and just like that, your dynamic feels like it did during your walk from the ramen shop to the park— comfortable and fun.

"well i guess you would be one of the first to know."

ignoring his protests, you take out your phone and hold it far enough away that the camera captures both of your faces. you can see on the screen that he's put on an expression of complete boredom.

"c'mon," you nudge him with your elbow. "you look like you hate me."

the corner of his mouth curves upward. "that's because i do."

you think back on the way he was gazing at you just moments ago and laugh. "you're so full of shit."

then, without warning, you press a kiss to his cheek and click the button.

you decide that his vague look of contented surprise will just have to do.

when you and yuuji walk into the bar, you immediately spot one of the people you're there to meet. he's sitting at a hightop by himself, his snow white hair pretty hard to miss.

you tap his shoulder and his face breaks out into a grin. he slides out of the barstool. "if it isn't my favorite civilian!"

as he pulls you into a hug, you wonder if he's ever going to get tired of that joke. "if it isn't my favorite old man."

"35 is not old," he argues, moving to greet yuuji. "i'm still in the summer of my life, thank you very much!"

"gojo you're 36," the pink haired man remarks.

"gah! such betrayal, yuuji!" he presses his hand to his forehead and takes a deep breath. "now i'm going to need another round."

"i'll go and get drinks for all of us," you offer. "you two stay here so no one takes the table."

before either of them can respond, you turn and begin making your way through the crowd. you don't hear gojo when he calls out, "but darling! i should go with you!"

he takes a step in your direction, but stops when sukuna's mouth appears on yuuji's cheek. "you certainly should not, you insufferable half wit."

"relax, dude. he flirts with literally everyone," yuuji informs him.

gojo scoffs. "i am right here—"

"as if that makes it better?" sukuna barks. "she isn't some toy to be played with."

"of course she isn't! you can't honestly think i'd believe otherwise."

gojo is left forgotten for a moment as the other two bicker, so he interjects once there's a lull in the conversation. "do either of you care to explain what the hell is going on?"

yuuji turns toward him, trying and failing to hide the embarrassment on his face once he realizes that gojo is, in fact, still standing there.

his eyebrows are raised above his sunglasses and it's clear he is inappropriately amused by the situation (what else is new?). he moves to sit across from the younger man, looking at him expectantly.

having no way to talk himself out of this, yuuji relays the recent events regarding you and sukuna, sparing some of the finer details. gojo's face doesn't really betray much emotion throughout the story, though he does look thoughtful by the end of it.

leaning forward, he crosses his arms on top of the table. "maybe your feelings for her are influencing his own, forcing a sort of bond between them?"

"i don't think so," yuuji contends honestly. "other than her, you're the person i admire and respect the most, but he thinks—"

"that you are perhaps the most imbecilic rampallion i've ever had the displeasure of coming across."

gojo jerks back, as if the insult had hit him squarely in the jaw. the look of giddiness from yuuji's compliment, followed by the shift to indignation at sukuna's insult is almost comical.

he stretches his neck forward, cupping his hand around one side of his mouth as if it'd keep sukuna from hearing. "what'd he just call me?"

yuuji shrugs. "beats me, but i don't think he was singing your praises."

"i see your point." gojo pauses, glancing over his shoulder. you're approaching the table, so he turns back to yuuji and quickly adds, "we'll talk more about this another time, but for now, keep this between us."

a few moments later, you appear in front of them and exclaim, "look who i found!"

megumi and inumaki situate themselves around the table too, offering their greetings. you slide yuuji and gojo their drinks, both of which are filled to the brim of the glass. "now then gentlemen, shall we?"

when gojo teleports you and yuuji back to your apartment that night, it takes everything in you to keep from yakking all over your carpet.

"ta ta, hooligans!"

you turn to request that he never do that again, but he's already gone. taking one step forward, you promptly fall on your ass in the entryway with an unforgiving thud. yuuji staggers toward the couch, making it there just in time to face plant into the cushions.

looking down toward your shoes, you're dismayed to find that each one appears to have two sets of laces. you're fumbling with them determinedly when someone crouches down in front of you, their elbows resting on their thighs.

he doesn't say a word. brushing your hands away, he unties your shoes and carefully pulls them off your feet. you're lifted from the floor before you can register the arm that's looped under your knees or the other that's securely around your back.

"careful," you hiccup, your head falling into the crook of his neck. "'m gunna p-puke."

"i'd rather you didn't."

you groan. "s'not like i 'ave a choice in the matter."

he hums. "how much did you drink?"

"dunno. sss'much. nobara—" you hiccup again. "nobara n' maki made me."

he chuckles, placing you down on what you figure is your bed. "right, i'm sure you had no choice in the matter."

"tha's correct, yes."

unbuttoning your jeans, he tugs upward on your belt loops. "lift."

you do as he says, lifting your hips from the bed so he can slide your jeans off your legs. he knows you won't remember this— hell, your eyes are already closed— but he looks away as he does it anyway.

pulling your phone from your pocket and putting it on the charger, your pants are discarded off to the side. he only turns his head back in your direction once he's pulled the blankets up over your body.

"tuck me in?" you request.

sitting down on the bed beside you, he does so without protest.

he stares at you for a little while, worried about how poorly you're probably going to feel in the morning. he presses a kiss to your forehead, intending to get up and grab a water bottle for your nightstand.

instead, his body freezes when he hears you mumble, "i love you s'much."

his heart clenches so painfully, he honestly considers ripping it from his chest— it would probably be less agonizing.

but a thought that makes him feel like a fool occurs to him. of course it's not him that you love. "i'm not yuuji."

"well, duuuhhh. you're s'kuna." you're peering up at him through tired, hazy eyes. it's the first time you've ever seen him look bewildered, so a small giggle erupts from your throat. "s'okay. you don't 'ave t'say it back."

your eyes flutter shut and your breathing evens out before he even thinks to respond. all at once, it's as if his head is empty and as if it's about to explode.

love?

what does he know about love? it's a sentiment he's cursed for so long, but sitting here beside you, he can't quite seem to remember why. one thing he is sure of, however, is that there's never been a thing in the world he's loved.

suddenly, he's struck with remembrance of a quote from jane eyre you had emphasized with messy underlines:

"after a youth and manhood passed half in unutterable misery and half in dreary solitude, i have for the first time found what i can truly love—i have found you. you are my sympathy—my better self—my good angel. i am bound to you with a strong attachment. i think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life, wraps my existence about you, and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one."

rochester says it as he begs jane to stay at thornfield with him, an act sukuna had previously regarded as ridiculous, but is that still the case?

were you to ever scorn him, would he fall to his knees and plead with you to change your mind? or if you were in danger of dying, would he drag himself to a shrine and pray to the gods he doesn't believe in?

is that what love is?

could he stand to be apart from you? are you special to him? does anything else in the world compare to you? does he seek out your company? is he consumed by you? can he know himself without knowing you?

does the definition of love lie in those questions?

sukuna hopes not, because he's terrified of the answers. being in love is not his way, nor is it in his nature.

he buries his face in his hands as realization settles into his bones. it feels as if they're splintering beneath the pressure, trying resentfully to stave it off.

he transcends any imaginable scale of power. he's bled entire villages dry, he's commandeered death, he's the king of curses.

so why now? and why you? is it divine retribution? a sick sort of joke that even he couldn't have dreamed up?

gods, you were right. the universe has sent you to carry out its will and he's completely powerless to stop it.

the worst part of it all? he doesn't want to.

taglist: @96jnie @ay0nha @sad-darksoul @bbysatoruuu @luciiferian @thepup356 @risuola *users in bold could not be tagged

#m!writes #sukuna #sukuna x reader #sukuna imagines #sukuna fluff #ryomen sukuna #ryomen sukuna x reader #ryomen sukuna imagines #ryomen sukuna fluff #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jjk #jjk x reader #jjk imagines #jjk fluff

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kcrossvine-art · 1 year

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hi friends! :D y'all voted and fought neck and neck for this SO- heres the first entry into our little cooking journey of J. R. R. Tolkeins fictional food for his fictional little guys he puts in fictional turmoils for our enjoyment and awe!

Before we get started i wanna say i owe my heart to all the LotR fans who upkeep the wiki, debate the cannon, and create their own versions of the foods mentioned. Both because of my love for people who LOVE (passionate people)(passion about anything) and because my own knowledge of this series is a little dusty. I've never seen the movies but I did read the books growing up. I'll be learning and remembering things from a fairly newbie standpoint, so no worries if you yourself arent familiar with the series! (and if you are familiar, hopefully youll forgive me!)

We will be making Lembas ('waybread') today! If you've made your own version of this please feel free to share it, similarly if you have any ideas for what we make next!

(As always you can find the cooking instructions and full ingredient list under the break-)

MY NAMES CROSS NOW LETS COOK LIKE ANIMALS

SO, “what goes in to Lembas?” YOU MIGHT ASKWell so the funny thing is we kinda dont know. At least not entirely? The elves are dicks like that. But heres what we'll be using in ours-

Butter

Self-rising flour

Granulated Sugar

Raisins

A small dried fruit of your choosing

Almonds OR Pecans

EGG

Whole Milk

Heavy Cream

And if you would like for dipping-

Blackberry jam

To the extent i understand this is kinda like hardtack from the bri'ish military, but a fantastical version of it that actually tastes really good. Hardtack was a military provision with the texture of a brick that took a long time to spoil and could be easily carried with soldiers. So the texture we're going for is super dense, packed full with nuts and fruits (haha just lik-), but perhaps not that dense. We want something closer to a dog biscuit than actual tack.

I remembered something about corn being mentioned, thankfully the wiki clarified that no actually the british just referred to any grain as corn back in the day. Thank Fuck! Although I would like to try a version of this using masa in the future.

AND, “what does Lembas taste like?” YOU MIGHT ASK

Took a few tries but eventually got it perfectly chewy and dense

The raisins cook-in like little beads of flavortown sweetness

Cant speak for other fruits but for dried apple it softened up nicely, kinda matching the raisins in the end

Im a big pecan slut, pecans fuck on anything especially here. Crumble them on top after you coat the dough with the egg-mixture for some visual appeal

Somewhat flakey outside

The jam was my idea, it was nice but might be too sweet for some tastes

Would pair very well with a kiwi flavored drink

Or mead

I can see why this would a travelling provision. Its both sugary (a good thing when expending energy) and filling (also a good thing when youre travelling) while not being overwhelming with flavor (if youre prone to motion sickness. Horse sickness? Do get motion sickness on horses?)

Its like how if you're going hiking you want a good mix of sugars and salts, to balance your intake of water.

. If you wanna make it like the illustrations or the movie, use a cookie cutter for either triangles or squares . If you don't have a cookie cutter, an apple cutter also works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . try to keep the board you'll roll the dough out onto chilled before you use it, it seems better for the texture of the food though i dont entirely know why

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So from beginning to end, it took about an hour and half for the first attempt. Down to about 40 minutes for the second attempt. These are a real simple recipe because its not like a croissant where the margin for error is nonexistent. Middle-earth be damned my boy can work a grill.

I'd recommend storing in a tubberware container, but if you're deadset on using leaves please rinse and dry them first, and wrap the bread in either wax paper or saran wrap underneath. We dont have mallorn leaves in real life (as far as we know) but most salad greens should work, or as Marie Porter says (linked in the reblogs!) a banana leaf.

I really enjoyed the process of making this recipe, itd be really easy to batch-bake these en masse, and the process of eating said recipe. Like all jokes aside, i think this would be a great substitute for trailmix. Its not going to get smushed and even if it breaks a bit it wont affect the taste. It wont keep you fed for a whole day but pair it with some pickles or a salty snack and yeah itll keep your motor running.

I give this recipe a solid 10/10 (with 1 being food that makes one physically sick and 10 being food that gives one a lust for life again.) Let me know if you think I got something wrong, or if you ran into issues with the recipe. We're off to a strong start, lads!

🐁 ORIGINAL RESIPPY TEXT BELOW 🐁

Ingredients:

6 TBSP butter, chilled

2 cups self-rising flour

1 TBSP granulated sugar

½ cup raisins

½ other dried fruit (strawberry slices, oranges, etc.), chopped

Handful of almonds or pecans, chopped

1 egg, well beaten

½ cup whole milk

4 TBSP heavy cream

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 f.

Cut the butter into slivers/small pieces. With your hands, combine the butter into the flour in a mixing bowl until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Chop your dried nuts and dried fruit until it feels right.

Mix in the sugar, raisins, nut, and dried fruit of your choosing

In a seperate bowl, beat the egg until combined, and then mix in the milk until combined. Keep a bit of this mixture to brush the tops of the bread.

Stir while adding the egg/milk mixture and the heavy cream into the flour. Mix just until combined into a soft dough.

Knead the dough until firm on a floured surface.

Roll into a half inch thickness and cut with a square or leaf shaped cookie cutter. (...or in my case, an apple corer).

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, with about an inch of space between each piece. Brush the tops of the lembas with some of the mixture you saved earlier.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until it turns a soft gold and the inside is chewy.

#cross cooks lotr #lord of the rings #tolkien #lotr art

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words-4u · 10 months

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right person (1/3)

pairings: luca x reader, marcus x reader (platonic)

wc: 1.4k

a/n: immediately started planning a three part series on luca while watching the bear s2. that's what a tatted will poulter does to me (the bear is an incredible show btw pls watch if you don't)

warning: swearing

part 2 / part 3

"denmark?"

"yes! we are sending you and marcus to denmark for two weeks to stage at this really great restaurant. you're gonna learn to do three new desserts for us. carmy knows the head pastry chef. says he's really cool so it should be fun, right?" sydney explained.

"that does sound fun! i'm in!" you smile.

you look at marcus who was deep in thought. if you had to guess what he was thinking, his mind is probably on his mom who was currently bed ridden at a hospital.

you put a hand on marcus' shoulder. "you good with that?" you ask your co pastry chef.

he broke out of his thoughts and nods. "yeah, i-i'm great. i'd love to."

"great! cause you guys really didn't have a choice. your flights are already booked for tomorrow afternoon sooo thanks!" sydney offers two thumbs and an awkward smile before she leaves what used to be the kitchen.

"holy shit," you whisper in shock. "staging at a michelin star restaurant in a country i've always wanted to visit. could this be any better?"

"i have to go tell my mom but give me a call if you need a ride to the airport tomorrow. chester will probably take me and we can swing by your place if you want?"

"dude, yes! that'd save me a shit ton of money that i would've spent on uber."

"cool, see you," marcus grabs his bag and heads out the door.

after helping fak, riche and gary with fallen ceiling debris, you decide to leave a bit early to pack and clean your apartment before your travel.

it was noon on the dot the next day when marcus calls to check if you were ready for the airport. since you packed the night before, you had a rather peaceful morning. chester talks your ear off the whole way to the airport and you guys get there he demands to see your passports because he wants to make sure you and marcus actually had it on you.

"chester, can you do me a favour and check in on my ma when you get the time?" marcus asks.

"dude, i'm way ahead of you. gonna check on her every morning on my way to work,"

"i appreciate it."

chester looks at both you. "now, i want you take a deep breath and let the good in. you guys are gonna kill it."

you grin at marcus' friend. "thanks chester. okay we're gonna have to leave now before we miss our flight."

marcus says his farewell to his best friend and the two of you head to your gate.

the plane ride to copenhagen was smooth despite marcus' worries. you guys hop on a train to explore the city before heading to where you were staying.

"trains here are way cleaner than the ones in chicago," marcus leans over to whisper.

"waay cleaner," you agree.

the two of you exited the station and stood in awe of your view. clear blue skies. cool fresh air. colourful buildings. and the smell of hotdogs which was incredibly appealing after your long journey.

you and marcus lock eyes. "oh yeah."

marcus got a hotdog with dried onions and pickles on top while you had a plain jane moment with just ketchup.

"this is the best thing i've ever put in my mouth," you say with in between bites.

"just what i needed honestly," marcus says.

after your quick meal, the two of you continue to wander the city taking in the architecture most of all.

marcus was using the maps feature on his phone to find the place you were supposed to be staying at.

"uh i don't see any apartment buildings near," you say. "are you sure we are in the right place?"

marcus led you to a canal where some boats were docked. "i am 99.9% sure. you're staying in 286 and i'm in 287."

you glance at the boat in front of you and saw the gold numbers plaque on the side. "well, mystery solved. this is your place and i'm guessing this one is mine." you moved further down to the boat behind marcus' one.

"sick," he smiles.

"i'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"night, y/n!"

you walk down a couple of steps before unlocking a door that lead to a kitchen and dining room. it was spacious and you were grateful for the many windows it had. the stairs to the left led up to the bedroom which was a lot smaller than you anticipated having only space for your bed and a small cabinet for clothes.

you flop on your bed and exhaled. you didn't realize how tired you were until your head hit the soft mattress and while everything in you wanted to knock out, you knew you had to get up and unpack because you wouldn't have time tomorrow.

one thing you were not was a morning person and yes you should have gotten used to it by now working in the restaurant industry but getting up at 4 a.m. will never feel natural. regardless, you had a twinge of excitement for your new job and excited to learn under this new chef that carmy spoke so highly of.

once you got ready for the day, you hear three soft knocks.

"morning," you say. "you ready?"

"born ready," marcus says as you lock your door and head to the restaurant.

it was only a 15 minute walk from where you were staying so the two of you arrive with time to spare.

you walk into the bright kitchen and suck in a breath. the kitchen was stunning with it's high-end equipment, gorgeous green tiling and the young hot chef moving bags of flour from one table to another.

"chef. i'm marcus brooks and this is y/n y/l/n," marcus begins. "and we're from-"

the chef looks up for a quick second. "i know. i'm luca, pastry. we start at 5 a.m. your section's at the end of the bench."

the english accent takes you by surprise. your knees could have buckled right then and there.

"yes, chef," the two of you say in unison.

now your excitement turned into nervousness. not only were you to create three star-worthy desserts for the bear, you had to learn from someone who is so extremely good looking it hurts.

marcus and you head to the back to change into your uniforms which was a basic indigo t-shirt and a green apron like luca had.

when you went back out, you immediately wash your hands and got ready for whatever luca had in store for you guys.

luca had marcus rollout croissant pastry while he led you to a table where he had prepared a dessert. your task was to place pieces of peanuts at a certain angle as part of its presentation.

you study luca as he shows you what to do. he had small black tattoos scattered up and down his arms. that alone is having an effect on you.

"here, you try," he says passing the tweezers to you.

your fingers brush as you took the small tool from him. luca didn't make eye contact but you did notice his jaw clench.

"nuzzle that sliver into the pudding just to lock it in."

"yes, chef," you say.

taking one of the small nuts from the bowl, you place it on the pudding but it slipped last second.

"no. again, chef," he says in a calm yet assertive tone.

"sorry," you say and try again and it's worse which luca picks up on.

"hm, worse."

he takes the tweezers from you and picks up the piece. "don't be afraid to just stick it in there, you know," luca takes the nut and slides it in perfectly. "just be confident about it."

"don't second-guess yourself," he says finally locking eyes with you.

you nod. "yes, chef."

you took the tweezers back and third time was the charm because you placed the nut in the pudding just like he'd showed you. smiling to yourself, you put the tool down.

luca's face stays expressionless. he looks up from the dessert. "you know how to make shiso gelee?"

you absolutely do not know how to make whatever he just said but there was no way you were gonna let him know that.

"yes, chef."

"alright."

luca steps away to grab some ingredients which gives you the opportunity to whip your phone out and google the gelee. "dextrose? what the fuck is that?" you whisper to yourself.

luca came back and places a tray in front you. "recipe," he says tapping some blue index cards.

you felt your face burn. "thank you, chef."

end of part 1 omggg. not much luca x reader but it’s warming up trust me. i already have ideas for part 2 and 3 with some potential alternate endings... stay tuned

if you enjoyed, please let me know (through my bio) if you have any the bear requests, send them my way!

#the bear #the bear season 2 #luca #the bear luca #will poulter #will poulter x reader #will poulter imagine #the bear imagine #the bear fanfic #the bear fx #the bear sydney #sydney adamu #luca x reader

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justarandompersononthehellsite · 5 days

Text

So... @muffinlance wrote a really awesome story. I read a post from a point in time, though I truly do not remember when since it seems like I've been working on this project forever, saying that she gives blanket permission for people to print and bind the story into a book (I think there was an also addendum saying that they do not give permission to be sold, since selling fic is illegal). This fic has had total control over my whole brain since it was sent to me (@creatorofthemind I believe it was you, so thank you forever for tuning me into it) back during the days of like chapter six or seven.

So here I am now, sharing this amazing journey of my first ever bookbinding adventure. Further reading below.

So to give you an idea of what's going on, this is a fanfiction about Zuko (Avatar the Last Airbender) (animated show version, the LA show did not exist yet and we do not speak of the movie) being adopted by Hakoda, Father of Katara and Zuko. (This might have also been what kicked off the Give Zuko A Parent craze, but don't fact check me.)

Overall, the characters from the show stick very well to the cannon versions, but where MuffinLance really shines is in the rich backstories and fleshed out feeling of all the non cannon elements. Especially the background characters. I would argue that the writing in this peice of fanwork could easily rival the cannon show at many points of comparison.

Now that you have context, we can get into the actual process.

To start, I used this guide to figure out where to even begin, and fount the included resource list to also be quite helpful. I cannot for the LIFE OF ME figure out where I found the template I used for the front matter and such, but it must be somewhere and I will link to it when I inevitably come across it again.

Then I began to typeset. This step took... a long time. I worked in chunks from about September of 2022 to late March of 2024. I would get a big section done, sometimes even the entire thing, but then find I hated the way I had done it and give up for months at a time. Such is the life of ADHD and flitting interest in projects I suppose.

And then finally, step one was done, and I was left with pages on a word document that look like this. (And do please let me know if you want the link to the document. It was so much work, and I would love to not be the only one to use it.)

Next step was printing out this beast. Ended up being about eight pages of front matter, and about 630 pages of body text.

That I printed wrong.

Twice.

Before finally getting it right. And then not getting a picture of it, because I finished at 4 am and had work at 7, and am also an idiot.

Then I simply stitched along, putting everything together into a beautiful text block.

And came up with a design for the cover.

Yes the glue did end up lumpy. Ignore it.

Yes I did have to sketch out the design onto a scraped page several times before I figured out what I was doing. Ignore that too.

The cover design does wrap around the entire cover. No I did not get a picture before I glued the thing down. See again: I'm an idiot. And just... massively impatient.

Finally, we get to the stage of gluing. Behold, my bookpress.

Of course, topped with Madam MuffinLances own actual professional-people book, Fox's Tounge and Kirin's Bone. It is Excelent. Here is the LINK so you can go and support this amazing author with the real-monies as well as the internet-kudos.

Then, once everything is glued together, one must give the book its "gilt" edges.

#atla #salvage #bookbinding #fanbinding #muffinlance #I'm a really big fan of this story and the characters ok?#They're really fun and I love them.

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spidybaby · 11 months

Text

Begin Again | Part Five

Summary: I've been spending the last few months thinking all love ever does is break, burn, and end, but when I look at you shining eyes, I watch it Begin Again.

Warnings: cursing.

A/N: Hello loves ❤️ thank you so much for being there for me on this journey, I'm so thankful for all the messages, the comments, the likes, and the reblogs. I'm so thankful for all of you who supported this story. I really hope this ending is worthy and you liked it 💛✨️

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Extra One Shot

"Un hijo?" (A child?) He asks confused.

You can hear your dad scuffing like the whole situation was funny to him.

"Pedro," you walk slowly, getting closer. "Dejame explicarte" (Let me explain)

"This is what you were talking about?"

"Por favor." You grab his arm. "Let me explain everything to you. Just not here."

You push him slightly, not wanting to have that conversation in front of your parents.

"Y/n," you mom calls for you. "Por favor, dime que vas a volver. Tenemos que terminar esta conversación." (Please tell me you're coming back, we have to finish this conversation)

"Es enserio?" You scuff. "Adiós." (Are you for real? Goodbye.)

You close the door and walk over to where Pedro is standing.

"Can we go back to your place?"

"Cómo se llama?" (What's his name?) He asks, you can tell his trying to control himself.

Pedro is known to be a calm person, a very cold head one.

But you knew him from the inside, and you know that even with all the patience that he has, when that runs out, it's like a bomb. You can run, but it's not going to help.

"Por favor, no aquí." (Please, not here)

He unlocked the car doors. And without even looking at you he enters the driver's side.

"Pedro," you say as you do the same as he. "Please don't hate me."

He laughs. But not that funny laugh that you loved, this is a dry one. No emotions.

"Vamos a ir a mi casa y no te vas a ir de ahí hasta que me cuentes todo." (We're going back to my house, and you're not leaving until you tell me everything) "Seat belt on."

The way he's driving is scary. But you're can't find the courage to ask him to slow down.

When he parked outside of his house, he turned the car off, hands you the keys, and got out slamming the door.

"Mierda."

You compose yourself before following him. The door is open for you.

"Quieres apurarte?" (Can you hurry) He says from his front door.

You nod slowly, closing the door behind you and walking inside. He sits on the couch, hands hiding his face.

It's not like you're afraid of him. You don't have a reason to be, no matter how mad he was at you, he never laid a hand on you.

"Polo," you say sitting next to him. "His name is Polo."

He sinks further into the couch. He wants to scream, but won't do it.

"He's six months old and has so much of you."

"Six?" He interrupts you. "That means you."

He's mentally doing the math, realizing that the last time you were together was when you got pregnant.

"I found out because I passed out and ended up at the hospital, I was so confused." You say honestly, done with the lies and hiding things out. "Elena asked me if I was going to tell you and I was, believe me I was."

"But" he interrupts.

"But then I saw the tweets about you with that girl. You took her to tenerife with you. It was like a piece of reality. You were living your life and having fun, and I was depressed and crying myself to sleep to the memory of us."

"I can explain."

"You don't have to." You cut him off. "We were over, you didn't know."

"Ella no significó nada" (she meant nothing) even when you told him not to explain, he needed to. "She was just there at the right time. And I was such an idiot."

"You're not. I was the idiot here. When I find out about the gender I wanted to tell you, I was done with the whole angry part. But my mom persuaded me into thinking I was going to be fine, that if you wanted, you would have been there and I was heartbroken, I was pregnant and alone. I just said yes and moved on with my life. Paulo and Elena tried to get some sense into my head, but mom always told them off. Now I know why."

The silence falls between you. No one knows what to say.

You wanted to keep apologizing for not thinking straight and letting the jealousy overpower you.

He wanted to be mad at you, but he couldn't blame you for your decisions. If he were you, he would probably have done the same thing.

"Polo" he says after a while.

You smile at him, nodding, "es una bolita de amor, definitivamente un González." (He's a bundle of love, definitely a González)

"Polo," he repeats. "Is that the name you had on your list since you were a kid?"

"Yes" you laugh remembering the list. "The top one."

"Dios, amo su nombre." (God, I love this name)

"Se lo puse pensando en ti." (I named him thinking on you) You confess. "Not because of that list."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember that trip to Ibiza?" You look at him with a funny expression. "Well, we had our first pregnancy scare after that."

"Joder, claro que recuerdo" (fuck, of course I remember) he laughs. "Fer went to the market to get us the pregnancy tests. Elena was lighting up candles and we were locked in the bathroom."

"Elena, did what?" You laugh confused. "Why I never knew that?"

"You were shitting yourself, "Pedro, my mom is going to kill me. I'm living in the streets if this came back positive." He imitates your voice in a very not accurate way.

"Okay, first of all," you point one finger out. "I don't sound like that. And second, I was panicking, okay?"

"To be fair with you, I was panicking too"

"You weren't, you started saying that if I was pregnant we could elope and move together"

"I was optimistic."

"Well, how did that go?" You joke. "After we found I was not pregnant, you took me to drink as a celebration. You got so drunk that you were saying a lot of dump stuff. But you said that you wanted two kids with me, a boy named Polo, to keep with the PG initials from your name and a girl named Georgina."

"I still want that" he says looking at you. "We just need to fight again, give it time and boom baby Gio"

"Don't you dare," you laugh again. "It's not easy to be pregnant. It's so scary, you feel everything differently."

"Why you tell me? I can't become pregnant"

You scuff, even on the worst times you can easily talk to him.

"Perdón, Pepi." You take his hand. "I know I can't take back the time and the memories, and I regret that so much. I was stupid and let all the anger and jealousy get into that. I dont want you to hate me after this."

"I won't. I can't hate you, I love you" he brings your hand to his mouth, kissing it.

You stayed there for a while, enjoying the gesture, enjoying not having to worry. Being yourselves again.

Suddenly you get up from the couch. Pulling him up with you.

"Ven conmigo." You grab your purse from the coffee table in front of the couch and walk quickly to your car.

He doesn't question your actions, following you outside.

"Get inside." You close the door of his house, pushing him to the passenger side. You drive fast but not crazy like he did.

"Where are we?" He asks, undoing his seat belt and getting out like you did.

"Ven" you extend your arm for him to take your hand. "You need to meet someone."

With the other hand you take your keys and open your door.

"Elena" you call.

"In the room."

"Wait here."

You rushed to the room. Elena is laying down with Polo. She has a face mask on.

"Why are you back so early? We were expecting your walk of shame in the morning, verdad bebé?" She asks, checking the time.

"Pedro está en la sala." You say so casually. (Pedro's in the living room)

"Qué." She yells.

"Callate" you say closing the door.

"Callate tú." He whisper yell at you. "Ya lo sabe?" (He knows?)

You nod.

"Me muero," she sits on the bed.

You both look at each other. You nodding and she was surprised.

"Y que esperas?" She asks. "Ten" (and what are you waiting for? Here)

You took your baby into your arms.

You thank her and turn to the door.

But you can't seem to open it.

"Y/n?"

"I'm fine." You answer. "I just, need minute."

"Cuál minuto ni que nada, ya tuviste seis meses, shu fuera." (Minute my ass, you had six whole months, shu, get out)

She opens the door lightly, pushing you outside and closing the door after you're out.

"Okay." You breathe. "Mi amor, vas a conocer a alguien muy especial." (My love, you're meeting someone really special)

You make a mental note to thank Elena for keeping Polo awake.

You walk slowly, swaying Polo.

Pedro was focused on a picture. It was a picture of Polo right after being born.

He has caressing the glass.

"Pedro."

His head snaps to your direction.

"Joder. Es él?" (Fuck, it's him?) He puts the picture down. "Sorry, language."

You laugh, nodding at his question.

"Polo," you grab his attention, turning him so he can be face to face with his father. "Este de acá es Pedro." (This is Pedro)

You notice the tears in Pedro's eyes matching the ones on yours.

"Pedro, this is Polo."

You get closet to him.

"Hola Polito"

He can't help but to sob. You were right. He looked so much like him.

"Quieres cargarlo?" (Do you want to hold him?)

He nods smiling.

You carefully instruct him on how to hold him.

But he was a natural, hugging him tight but careful not to hurt him.

"He smells so good." Pedro says out of the blue.

You can't help the laugh.

"Bueno, mami lo bañó bien." (Well, mommy gave him a nice bath)

He changes the way Polo is laying on his arms. He wants to appreciate his face.

His hand caresses his face. The child in his arms has his eyes only on him.

"Polo, él es tu papi."

"Papi" Pedro repeat. "Fuck, that sounds so good."

Polo grabbed Pedro's finger, and Pedro kissed his little hand multiple times.

"Eres hermoso." He kisses his cheeks.

You took a step back, searching for your phone. You needed to capture the moment.

You take several pictures, not wanting to forget this moment.

"Mami va a estar tan emocionada." He says, looking at you. "Fer y mi padre." (Mami is going to be so excited, Fer and my father)

Pedro take your hand pulling you into his arms.

"Dios, no sabes cuanto te amo." (God, you have no idea how much I love you) He says, kissing your head. The moment being interrupted by Polo fussing. "A ti también, hermoso" (I love you too) he kisses his cheek now.

"Ay que lindos se miran." (Aww, you guys look so cute like that) Elena says while she takes a picture.

"Where are you going?" You ask her, she has her night bag in one hand.

"Well, Einstein. Obviously, I'm not ruining the moment, plus I don't think you're making Pedro leave Polo's side any time soon. So I'm leaving so you can be together."

She air kissed you both and left.

"La tenemos que hacer madrina." (We have yo make her the Godmother) Pedro laughs

"She already is."

"Puede mi hermano ser el padrino?" (Can my brother be the Godfather?)

You nod excited.

"You heard that, hermoso?" He says to the baby. "You have a Godfather now."

"Actually, he has two."

"Paulo?" He asks smiling.

"Yep, he'll fight me if I took him out of the list."

"It's okay, two is better than one."

"Let's go to my room" you say noticing how Polo is yawning. "Mister here needs to sleep."

"Can I stay?" He asks.

"Will you leave if I say no?"

"No"

"Okay, but yes you can stay."

"Pedro, I'm here." Fernando yells.

When Fer called Pedro to find out the details of the night. Pedro invited him over for lunch.

The idea was for him to know the truth and to meet Polo.

"Coming." He yells back.

You can tell he's nervous.

"Oye, cálmate, es tu hermano." (Hey, calm down, it's just just brother) you hug him. "Everything's going to be fine."

"Yes, just Fer."

"Do you want me to got say hi to him while you calm down?" You ask noticing the anxious body language he has.

"Can you?"

"Yep, so take a breath and you two can meet us downstairs."

You hand him the baby.

"Another thing," you say before leaving the room. "Polo will start fussing if he doesn't see me for a while, specifically since it's almost his feeding time. So you better hurry."

"Joder, me pones más nervioso." (Fuck, you're making me nervous)

"Bye." You say closing the door.

You walk downstairs, finding Fer looking at his phone uninterested.

He's sitting on the couch, his back to you.

You walk silently, wanting to scare him. Something you used to do to each other.

"It's not going to work." He says once you're close to him. Back still facing you "Your perfume gives you away."

"Ay, por favor."

He laughs and turns his face to you. You hurry to his side and hug him.

"Te extrañé como no tienes idea." He says kissing you cheek. (I missed you like crazy)

"I missed you too, Fer."

"So you two?" He asks raisins his eyebrows.

"We are working on it."

"Please do, he needs you."

"I need him too."

You can see Pedro walking to where you to are slowly.

"We have something to tell you."

"Fer." Pedro calls, his bother turn his head to him.

Fernando wants to ask, but he can't.

"Este es Polo." You say standing next to Pedro.

"He's our son."

Fer is trying to say something but he's short of words.

"I know, I just find out too." Pedro jokes. "Ven tio, you have to hold him."

Pedro handed the baby to a very shocked Fer. He's looking at the baby and back to his brother

"Why is he so fat?" He says in a judging tone.

You scuff and Pedro laugh.

"Excuse me, he's not fat." You say taking the baby from him. "He's well fed"

"He's fat," he corrects you. "He's like a brick. You fed him rocks or what?"

Pedro is laughing his ass out.

"Don't listen to your tío, mi amor." Pedro says once he stops laughing."The fat one is him."

"Tío Fer." Fernando says. "That actually sounds good."

"Right?" Pedro says,"yo dije lo mismo cuando Y/n le dijo que yo era su papi." (I said the same thing when y/n told him I was his daddy).

"Damelo, I need to hold him one more time."

"Don't judge him."

"You look like daddy." He says to Polo. "But you're lucky. You have some good genes from Mommy."

"Hey, that's mean."

"Shhh, I'm bonding over here."

You hug Pedro while Fernando is talking to Polo. Telling him all the things he can teach him.

"One down, we have two more." You say.

"Si me andaba cagando del miedo con mi hermano, no me imagino con mis padres." (If I was hyperventilating with my brother, I can't imagine with mom and dad)

"I still think you're just fat, but if your mother says you're "well fed", okay."

"Okay, give me my kid back."

You were currently at his parents' house in Tenerife. He wanted them to find out as soon as possible, so he suggested taking a quick flight back home.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" You ask before he exits the vehicle. "Y si hablas con ellos primero?" (What if you have a chat with them first?)

"No sé" (I don't know)

"Pepi, it's okay."

"But it's not. What if they get mad? What if they stop talking to me? What if we had to tell Polo his grandparents are far far away?"

"Pedro, your parents are not going to be mad at you." You stop his rambling. "If they get mad at someone that will be me."

"Why you?"

"Did you really just ask that?" Fer ask.

"Okay," he puts his hands in the air. "Well, we have to go now, you can't stay here alone."

"You didn't think this through, Huh."

"Well, in my opinion." Adrian, Pedro's cousin, "She can wait here while Fer and you talk with your parents."

"Fer as me?" He asks, confused. "Wait, I don't want them to yell at me."

"Well I don't want them to only yell at me."

"Nobody's yelling at you guys," Adrian yells.

"You are."

"Well because you're assholes."

"Hey don't call me that in front of my kid."

"Oh please, he will find out either way."

"Pedro, this is your mess. Go, be a man." Fernando points at him.

"But why can't you come with me?"

"Fernando, go with him."

"You go with him."

"Okay, that's enough." You yell. "Pedro, your parents are not yelling at you." You say, looking at him. "Fernando, don't be a bitch, Pedro face worse for you, and never complain." You point at him. "And Adrian, can you bring the air down? It's kind of cold."

"Jolin, si que eres una mamá." Fer laughs. (Fuck, you're such a mom) "but you're right, let's go Pepi."

Fer gets out of the car, opening Pedro's door for him to do the same.

"Deseame suerte, si?" He kisses your cheek quickly, getting out. (Wish me luck)

"No la necesitas, todo va a estar bien." (You don't need it. Everything's going to be fine.)

Fernando is about to knock on the door. Even when it's not him telling his parents they are grandparents, he's feeling the pressure of it.

"Fer, tenemos llaves." (Fer, we have the house keys)

"Las perdí." (I lost them)

"Eres un gilipollas, quítate." (You're such an idiot, move)

They walk in silence, finding both parents in the kitchen cooking.

"Mira quien llego," (look who's here) Fernando father says, "Come here."

They do their typical greeting, hugging each other, kiss here, kiss there.

Fer is looking at his brother, noticing how slow he is moving. He knows Pedro's scared, but making things slow is not the answer.

"Pedro necesita decirles algo," he announces. "Pueden apagar ahí y venir a la sala?" (Pedro has to tell you something, can you turn the stove off and take a sit?)

"Is this about Manchester?" Rosy asks

"Let's just take a sit."

They hurry to the living room. Expecting the news about his decision to transfer or stay.

"It's not about the transfer. Actually it's more important than that."

"Entonces dilo mijo, deja el misterio." (Then say it, stop with the mystery.)

"Are you okay?" Rosy ask him. "Sabes que puedes decirnos lo que sea, Pedro." (You know you can tell us everything, Pedro.)

"Like three days ago, Y/n and I reunite."

"That's amazing, Pedro, I knew you guys were finding each other again."

"Yeah, that's so good. Don't miss this opportunity."

"The thing here is." He cut them off. "Something happened in that time we were apart."

"Is she okay?" Rosy, ask.

"Yes, she is." He nods nervously.

He doesn't know how to explain the situation. Does he spit the news? Does he explain piece by piece?

"Before broking up, we weren't exactly being the most careful in the protection area of our life."

"Protection area? What?" His father asks confused. "Pedro, please go to the point."

"She was pregnant. We didn't know anything until now. She reached for me now that she's back in Barcelona. And our baby is six months old." He smiles.

Fer hides his face in his hands. He was more embarrassed than Pedro is for that lame explanation.

"You." Rosy points at him. "Have a baby?"

"Wait. Did you know she was pregnant when you broke up with her?" His father asks.

"No, God no. I didn't. We didn't."

"Were you with her after the breakup?"

"No, it's not that. We were together before the breakup, and well, that's how things happen. She finds out months later, but it's a lot to explain."

"What do you mean is a lot?"

"I think I'm lost."

While Pedro is trying to explain the situation and timeline to his parents, Fernando make his way out of the house.

"Hey, como estuvo?" (Hey, how was it?) Adrian asks when Fernando get back in the car.

"Pedro es un capullo de primera, te juro que el niño abre la boca y la caga cada vez más." (Pedro is such an asshole, I swear all he does is open his mouth to fuck this up)

"Is that bad?" You ask worried. "Are they mad?"

"No, they're not mad. They just don't understand the whole situation, thanks to Pedro being an idiot at explaining things out."

"Let's hope Polo doesn't get that from Pedro." Adrian laughs.

"Should I help him?"

"Nah, finish with the feeding, and then you can join him."

"I just can't believe he's a football player, does tons of interviews, goes to television shows, and can't even explain something to your parents."

"I know, he's like another dude in front of the cameras."

While they make small talk, you stay quiet, wondering if Rosy and Fernando would understand your reasons.

Even if you think that your motives were the right ones, you can't control what they think of that. Maybe they'll be mad that they choose to only engage with the baby and not with you.

You can't help but to worry. You love Pedro's parents like your own. They were so special to you. You can't deal with the idea of them not being in your life again.

"Y/n"

Fer shakes your knee to call your attention.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"You okay?"

Are you tho?

You can't even answer that to yourself.

In very little time, all these things are happening in your life.

Your parents lying to you, Pedro finding out, Fer finding out, Pedro's parents finding out and maybe not liking you anymore.

"Yes?" You say more as a question than as an answer.

"Hey Adri, give us a minute." He pats his cousin arm. "Please."

"I'm going to the store." Adrian says getting out of the car.

"A ver, no me mientas." (Look, don't lie to me) he turns his whole body to be able to see you. "I know you're worried about this whole thing. You did what you thought was the right choice. You fucked up, but so did my brother. No matter what, you are part of the family, apart from him or not, baby or not. Mom and dad loved you like their own child."

"What if they stop doing that?"

"They won't. If only you could have seen the way they got so excited about the idea of Pedro and you being together again."

"They did?"

"Yes, mom almost jumped of excitement." He laughs. "And they're going to be more happy to meet this little one right here. So shall we?"

"Yes, just give me a minute."

"Okay."

You fix your top, comb the little hair Polo has, and check if his diaper is clean.

"Let me help you, come here, gordo." Fer take Polo from your arms, holding a hand out for you to support yourself.

"I just know that nickname is not going away any time soon"

"Noup," he says, laughing. "After you"

You walk inside the house. You can hear Pedro and his parents talking. You stop abruptly, feeling dizzy from the emotions.

"Noup, sigue caminando." (Noup, keed walking) Fernando pushed you. Holding a hand on your back to move you. "Hey, someone's here to see you."

You can't help but blush. This is like the first time you met them. With the difference that now you were taking your son to meet them.

"Y/n, mija hola." Rosy says, hugging you. "No sabes como te extrañamos" (you have no idea how much we missed you)

"Yo los extrañé también." (I missed you too)

"Estas bien? Como te sientes?" (Are you okay? How are you feeling?)

"I'm fine, I'm good. Don't worry."

"You must be so tired, I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone. But we're here now, and we're going to help Pedro and you in everything we can."

"I'm sorry, I never meant to hide him from you guys, I was dumb and very immature."

"Don't say that, Pedro told us everything." Fernando says, "we're not mad, you did what you thought was right for you and your son."

"Thank you, for understanding."

Fernando and Rosy are both hugging you.

"Ey que corra el aire, venga." (Okay, let's separate) Fer says making all laugh.

"Mami, papi." Pedro call their attention. "This is Polo, he's our son."

"Pero mira que hermosura." (Oh, look how at this beauty) Rosy took the baby out of Pedro's arms. "Es igual a ti cuando eras pequeñito." (Just like you when you were a baby)

"Ven." He grabs your hand taking you to the kitchen.

Fernando, Rosy and Fer are focus on the baby, leaving the space for Pedro and you to be able to speak.

"We can breathe now." You laugh. "I was so scared."

"Thank God we got this over with. But I think you'll have to stay here, cause there's no way mom is letting him go. We lost him for the day."

"That's okay. I don't have any interest on keeping them apart."

"So you're staying here with me ?"

"What happened to going slow?"

"We have a kid together. Don't you think we left the slow out the door already?"

"Well if you put it like that."

You lock your arms behind his neck, pulling him close so you can kiss him. It's like time never happened, the feelings, the passion, the love still there.

"We can say you're here to stay." He jokes.

"And I don't plan on leaving."

"Not like I'm letting you, never again."

You stayed apart for a while. Letting his family enjoy the arrival of the new González member.

"Okay, enough you two." Fer says entering the kitchen. "Come here. You can appreciate each other later in a private room with the door locked. I can take care of fatty."

"I'll have to beat you if you keep calling him Fatty, gordo, etc"

"Deal with it. He loves it."

"Capullo" You say hitting the back of his head.

"A man can't lovely nickname his nephew now?"

"No" both Pedro and you answer.

"I hate you guys."

You find Rosy taking a picture of Fernando and Polo. Your heart is full with happiness.

"Our baby is going to be so spoiled and loved. I can't wait to see that." Pedro says hugging you from behind.

"I can't wait either."

"Fer, toma una foto de tu padre y yo con Polito." (Fer, take a picture of your father and I with polito). She hands the phone to her son. "Vente precioso." (Come here, baby.)

"Pero saca la sonrisa, mami." Pedro jokes. "Venga, más grande." (But smile, mom. C'mon, bigger than that)

"Done, I think I took like a thousand pictures."

"Exagerado."

"Not to be rude, but Y/n, honey. What are you feeding this kid with? He's so big."

"Ha! I told you, he's a fatty."

"So this picture or this one?" Pedro asks you, showing you the options.

"It's the same picture with a different filter."

"I know, I can't decide if I want b&w or Juno."

"Pedro." You laugh at him.

"I just want it to be perfect."

"Are you covering his face?"

"Yes, I know you don't mind if I don't, but I think for now it's the best."

"Okay, whatever you say."

"Hermoso, what picture are you feeling the most, this one or this one?"

Polo smiled at him, not even interested in the phone but on him instead. Pedro kiss his chubby cheek multipletimes.

He erupted in laughs at his father's actions.

"papa"

"Good choice."

"What? He didn't even look at the phone"

"Shhh, woman. This is between my son and I." He sticks his tongue out. "Don't worry Hermoso, she's just mad because you can't say mama."

You open your mouth, pretending to be shocked. "Yes, he can"

"So this one, right?" He asks Polo one more time, ignoring you.

"Can you just post the damn picture and hand me the kid?" Fer says, waiting for Pedro to let the baby go. "You say twenty minutes, and it's been an hour."

"Do you want me to make it two?"

He shakes his head quickly. "No, just post it, and give him to me."

" I can't believe that we took that picture five months ago." You say liking the post. "God, time flies."

"And now we're planning his first birthday party." Rosy says, handing you the pack of invitations. "He's getting too big."

"Petition for you and Pedro to give Fatty a sibling." Fer jokes.

"Excuse me, idiot." You laugh. "I think you're the one who should be giving my kid a cousin."

"I'm too young. Plus, fatty would be mad. He's the center of attention and won't accept any changes."

"Well, Polo has to accept that he's not having any play date friend in a while."

Fer and you continue throwing jokes at each other.

You can't complain about anything. Coming back to Barcelona, fixing your mistakes, and giving yourself a chance to be happy again was the right decision.

You have everything you ever dreamed about, a family with the man you love, a happy and healthy child. You won't change a thing.

Tag list:

@alwaysclassyeagle @footballerficsposts @gulphulp @cinderellawithashoe @jajajhaahaha @bellinghambby22 @pablogavisgirl @lunamelona @christinabae @103009 @pedrileclerc @pampeop @magicalfundragon @helanahaadock @eau-rougee @unstablefemme @lina1407 @percysley

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parvulous-writings · 4 months

Note

no idea if nail polish exists in the 5e world, but it does now. how about a chill day for the companions where everyone does their nails? or is tav/durge doing the painting for everyone?

Summary: Camp has a nail day!

Warnings: Minor spoilers for Shadowheart's various arcs, same for Karlach. One swear word.

Notes: if it doesn't exist, it sure as hell does now! Also apologies that this took so long - New year is a busy time at work, and I've got a minor injury with my hand, so I'm working as fast as I can, but it's a little slower than normal!

I've included all the recruitable companions, besides Minthara, who is not included purely because I cannot accurately write for her just yet!

My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist! Original character list - please request for these too!

Not my image

Time on the road where everyone is able to relax is very scarce commodity, so when it does crop up, you're always the first to suggest grabbing it by the horns and making the most out of the day - not by training, or planning your next moves, but typically with something more laid back.

You're camping close to Rivington when you get the first day-long break in weeks, so that morning you venture into town to have a quick browse of the stalls; perhaps you can find some food that will remind the various Baldurians in camp of their home? As you're starting to make your way back to camp, something catches you eye - a nail polish kit, going for quite cheap. You can hardly restrain yourself from buying it- you already know that it will bring a lot of much needed joy into camp.

Astarion is quite intrigued when you announce the spoils you've returned with. For too long he's craved petty vanity again; and even if he can only get it from painting his nails, he's willing to grasp at that chance. "What's this?" He hums, peering over your shoulder, trying to get a good look at all the colours that the kit contains, as well as the equipment. The first thing he does, given the chance, is start tending to his nails - cleaning under them, pushing back the cuticles, trimming and filing them into shape, the works. He spares no time making sure that everything is as he envisions. Sure, the colours he eventually settles on may not match the rest of his armour, but his new manicure matches his more comfortable clothes, so that's good enough for him.

Gale is... Unsure if this is the right kind of thing for your journey. "We have many more pressing matters to worry about, besides our appearances." He practically grumbles to you. "Might I suggest actually focusing on planning our next move?" It doesn't actually take a lot to convince him to sit down and let him do one hand of nails on him. You paint his nails a lovely shade of dark navy blue, which looks black in the shade, but blue when hit by light. You start speckling dots of white here and there to make them mirror the night sky, when Gale tells you he'd like to do his other hand himself. Of course, you let him, and about twenty minutes later, he's back to proudly show you his work. It's a lot shakier than the side you had done, but he looks so proud of himself for being able to emulate your skill even a little bit, you don't even nitpick in a teasing way. When it inevitably starts to chip away, he's absolutely devastated, but doesn't say anything until you all get an opportunity to rest properly again.

Justiciar!Shadowheart instantly dives for the black varnish. Nothing more, and nothing else. She doesn't dwell on it, but in some vain way, she feels like she's carrying a part of her goddess' revered darkness with her, even if it will chip away eventually. That just reminds her that everything on this plane is fleeting, and finite, always eventually consumed by loss. Selunite!Shadowheart adds a little more colour to her nails - dots of white, or purple are incorporated, intricate little designs that pay homeage to both her life as a Sharran, and her family heritage as Selunites. She takes great pride in the designs she makes, and often spends a very long time making sure that they are just like how she imagines in her head.

Lae'zel doesn't particularly like painting her nails - she feels it takes away from her aura of formidable warrior. She will, however, sharpen her nails on a regular basis - just as a back-up plan if she loses her weapon, or perhaps gets caught by surprise and needs to scratch out some eyeballs.

Karlach pre-upgrade loves to watch you do your nails. As in, she will actively sulk if you don't let her watch, or have some tiny level of input. She'll huff and pout, but eventually goes to sit elsewhere with a quiet "fine, whatever.." Post-upgrade Karlach is so eager to have her nails done, she's bouncing back and forth on her feet. She can't decide on a single colours - especially not by herself. "They all look so pretty!" She exclaims, waving her hands about in glee. So, unable to make a decision, she takes her favourite colours, and has all of them on her fingers - repeating a similar process on her toes with her second favourite colours. "This is the best thing we have ever done! ... Besides beating the shit out of Thorm... so, the second best thing!"

Wyll tidies his nails - similar to Astarion. He wants them to be a much nicer shape than they have been up to this point - makeshift files had not been too kind on his nails, and he was tired of catching them on things. He takes great care in shaping them and removing any chips or quicks - it's an activity he takes great pride in, and he'll happily do the same for you if you ask him to! As for colour, Wyll likes to go for a clear coat, purely for protecting his nails; though he has been known to paint his nails black, for dramatic effect. He loves his nails - not to the point that he preens them at any given moment, but enough to give them the time and care they need to keep healthy.

Halsin doesn't particularly like the idea of polish. Sure, it looks pretty, but he'd rather not wear it himself - there are other ways, he's found, that you can change the colour of your nails. (When you ask him what he means, or even to just elaborate a little bit more on how he knows this, he simply replies with "I once had a... Somewhat rebellious streak in my youth.") So it's likely that the only thing that he uses in this particular kit is the file and buffer - which looks absolutely tiny in his hands, it's quite funny.

Minsc doesn't do his own nails - at all. He won't even file them, he just either bites them or they snap off (usually it's the former). Instead, he takes care of Boo's claws. "Now, now, my friend. Do not call me strange - if I do not care for Boo's mighty claws, then who will? The paws of justice must be well cared for!" Insists that every few days he must re-file and re-buff Boo's nails, and will not take no for an answer. He also tries to convince you that Boo is trying to tell you the same, but by the way the little rodent's head shakes when he sits on Minsc's shoulder tells you otherwise.

Jaheira almost laughs when you suggest doing her nails. She wants to them herself, but, eventually she does ask you to help her. "It seems I'm a little out of practice.." She chuckles. "Perhaps some company wouldn't be so bad... If your offer still stands, of course." She LOVES having green nails. Sage green is her favourite, but she likes all of them really. Sometimes, if she's feeling particularly happy, she'll let you paint little golden leaves on her thumb - but that can be a rare occasion, because she doesn't want such skill to always go to waste.

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desertdollranch · 1 month

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Opening and reviewing my first Australian Girl doll

She spent more than a month in a box, making her way halfway across the world to her new home, and now here she is! I'm so relieved that she arrived safely. It was the longest I've ever had to wait for a doll, and through much of her journey I didn't know where she was or when she would be here.

I don't want to drop too big of a spoiler, but listen to this........ she was so worth the wait, and the money. This doll instantly won my heart with how exquisite she is in every way.

Australian Girl dolls were specially made for Australian children, by Helen Schofield, a grandmother who loved dolls. She created the brand when she couldn't find an age appropriate doll that was locally available or good quality. So she created these dolls to help children feel pride in Australian culture, while teaching them about friendship and empathy. There are five girls to befriend--Amy, Jasmine, Emily, Bronte, and Matilda, each representing a different region of the country, ethnicity, and lifestyle.

The company itself has quite high standards. They strive to reduce waste in their product packaging, and they use a factory in China that treats its workers humanely and does not use child labor.

If you've been around my blog for a while, you know how much I love collecting diverse brands and types of play dolls, especially international dolls. Also, this one will be extra special because I actually have an Australian grandmother--she's also a doll collector, and I'm looking forward to showing her my new doll the next time I see her.

After the cut, I'll show you who she is, and talk about why I chose her. I'll compare her with similar-sized dolls as well, and have her do some dressing up.

Before we get to the unboxing, let's check out the little goodies included with my doll.

First is a little pamphlet explaining why the dolls are special, but also represent real girls growing up in Australia.

There's another pamphlet about how to care for your doll.

All of the dolls come with a fun freebie: this cute pair of thongs.

Another freebie (a $30 AUD value) is this very sturdy doll carrier with pockets for accessories.

I also bought a pair of sneakers for my new girl. I figured her feet would be a bit larger than my other dolls, and these are cute, so she now has three pairs of shoes to wear.

Anyway. Enough of the small stuff. Let's let her out of the box.

It's Amy from Adelaide!

I chose Amy after three entire years of being indecisive and going back and forth on exactly which Australian Girl I wanted. They're all equally adorable, so I picked Amy because her personality seems very sweet, and I love that she has mixed heritage. According to the Austrlaian Girl dolls website, Amy's family tree is a mix of Aboriginal and Dutch on her mother's side, and English and Indian/Fijian on her father's side. Very representative of modern Australia!

I have no regrets. She is perfect!!! Just the most charming little angel. I am officially WOWED.

I'm seriously impressed at the superior quality of her construction. I understand why she was priced a bit higher than similar dolls. She is, from head to toe, beautifully made, with so many sweet details. Her dress and shoes are also impeccably made and feel very durable.

Her hair is flawless. It's a Kanekalon wig with loose curls, in a gorgeous shade of brown. Her eyes open and close. She has both painted and attached eyelashes.

She has a gap between her big toe and the next toe, so she can wear her sandals and thongs.

Her elbows are dimpled and she has subtle blush color on parts of her skin, including elbows and hands.

She has a crease across her palm.

She has articulation at her shoulders, hips, and neck. Her limbs, head, and shoulders are vinyl, and she has a huggable soft tummy. I don't really have a strong preference for either cloth torsos, vinyl torsos, or half and half like Amy. They all have pros and cons. This specific construction is nice in that she can wear low-neckline clothes without showing a cloth body, but it does make her harder to repair in case she has to be fixed.

I have a pretty good idea of what she'll be wearing when she's ready to change out of her pink party dress.

The first photo shows her in a dress I made. The second is a Maplelea dress and hat. The rest are all American Girl brand clothing, except for the shoes. Amy can comfortably wear most stretchy clothes by AG and similar brands like Our Generation, but her feet absolutely will not fit AG, OG, or Maplelea shoes.

The exception to the clothes is some of the tighter pieces. This AG shirt did not fit well. Amy's shoulders are a bit more broad than smaller dolls, and so without some extra give this is too tight.

Amy is 20 inches/51 centimeters tall. Here she is next to my Our Generation doll Jordana. I'm using an OG doll because they're actually available locally in Australia. Whereas American Girl dolls, which I usually use when I compare brands, have to make an overseas journey. So it's only fair that I consider any Australians reading this now who are wondering how Amy compares.

Amy is tall, but not the tallest doll in the family! Here she is next to Fernanda, my Karito Kids doll, who is about an inch taller although slimmer. Karito Kids dolls are in fact just slightly skinnier than American Girl dolls, so they have a much easier time sharing clothes.

In conclusion, I highly highly recommend this doll. She's absolutely sublime! I'm so thrilled to have her here, and I'm looking forward to having lots of adventures with her.

Obviously I'm far from Australia, but my Amy will still live her life as if she were in a suburb outside of the city of Adelaide. I've been looking at pictures of the geography of the state of South Australia, and there are some places in the mountainous parts that look pretty similar to the desert southwest where I live. So Amy will have no idea she's actually in the USA. Don't tell her the truth!

#australian girl dolls #20 inch dolls #international dolls #doll review

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amputeewomen · 3 months

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Laila and Alex

Laila: (sitting comfortably) Alex, I need to talk to you about something important. I know this change is big – I'm an amputee now, but I want you to know that it's not the end of the world. I've got these crutches, see? And I'm learning to do everything I did before. I can even wear a high heel on my right foot again.

Alex: (takes her hand gently) Laila, you don't have to play super strong for me. I love you for who you are, not for what you can or cannot do. This change… it doesn't change how I feel about you. You're still the incredible person I fell in love with.

Laila: (smiles, a mix of gratitude and vulnerability in her eyes) Thank you, Alex. That means the world to me. But, there's something else… I want you to be a part of this new journey with me. Would you… (pauses, takes a deep breath) Would you touch where my leg used to be? I need to know that you're okay with all of me, as I am now.

Alex: (nods, his eyes filled with compassion and love) Of course, Laila. (carefully places his hand where her leg used to be, looking into her eyes) I'm here for you, every step of this journey. We're in this together, and I love every part of you, always.

Laila: (leans in, tears of relief and love in her eyes) Thank you, Alex. Your support means everything to me. I love you so much.

Alex: I love you too, Laila. More than words can say. We'll get through this together.

Laila and Alex remain by the classical column, a moment frozen in time as they navigate the new realities of their life together. The sun casts a gentle glow on the scene, highlighting Laila's smile and the depth of emotion in their intertwined hands.

Laila: (her voice steady, eyes sparkling with resolve) You know, this spot right here, next to this column, it's going to be a place of new beginnings. I can feel it. I may need these crutches for a while, but I'm still going to be here, laughing, living, loving with you.

Alex: (with a warm, reassuring smile) And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. This column, these gardens, they've seen many seasons, just like we will. And just like it stands strong, so will we.

Laila: (glancing at her crutches, then back to Alex) They're just an accessory, like this denim jacket or these knee-high socks. They don't define me. They're a part of my journey, sure, but not the whole story.

Alex: (gazing into her eyes) You're incredible, you know that? You're taking on this challenge like you take on everything else – with courage and a style that's all your own. And I'm here, for every step, every victory, every hard day.

Laila: (reaching out to trace the outline of the column with her finger) Just like these pillars support this structure, we support each other. And with you by my side, I feel like I can do anything.

Alex: (leaning closer to her) With our love as our foundation, we'll hold each other up, no matter what comes our way.

They sit together in silent understanding, the serenity of the pond and the steadfastness of the column serving as silent witnesses to their unshakeable bond. With Alex's support, Laila feels a renewed sense of confidence, and together, they look towards a future filled with possibilities.

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mcflymemes · 9 months

Text

PROMPTS FROM ELLA ENCHANTED * assorted dialogue from the 2004 film, adjust as necessary

i gotta work on that.

quiet, please. i can't concentrate here.

isn't it wonderful?

i have a no return policy.

why don't you go back to where you came from?

what a stupid name.

nobody wants you here.

i always knew something was wrong with me.

can't you take the spell back?

you must never tell anyone else.

i don't want anyone using it against you.

what's inside you is stronger than any spell.

take this. then i'll always be with you.

your father would like to speak to you.

it was either get married or sell the house.

is this the right address?

the house looks delightful.

my clothes need more room than this.

please don't touch it. it was my mother's.

admit you're stupid and don't know what you're talking about.

hold your tongue.

your coronation is next week.

i've kept my promise, haven't i?

i don't need your chivalry, thanks.

you're the first maiden i've met who hasn't swooned at the sight of me.

i want peace in the kingdom as much as anyone.

so you have a new plan once you take the crown?

that's what i thought. you're all just the same.

perhaps that's why i find your obvious disdain for me so refreshing.

i'll try and be more considerate next time i'm saving you.

next time? what makes you think we'll see each other again?

stop flirting with him.

i need you to do me a little favor.

a felon in my own family. i could die from embarrassment.

you are forbidden ever to see her again.

thank goodness you're all right.

i should have told you about this years ago.

i think it's only fair to warn you that i'm practiced in the ancient art of... origami.

don't let him scare you, sweetheart! kick his butt!

i am going to need so much therapy after this.

that's very sweet, but i'm on a tight schedule.

i'm on a tight schedule. were i not... i would love to have dinner with you.

great. i knew it. a talking book.

i think i may have found you another chance at your future husband.

elves aren't that short, you know.

the rustling always comes before the screaming and the running.

it never hurts to be on your guard.

i led a rally on your behalf the other day. maybe you heard about it.

we just did this. didn't we just do this?

who's to say it wouldn't have worked if you hadn't come barging in?

you're bleeding.

you'd better let me help you with that.

it makes it so much easier rescuing you if i don't have to commute.

your girlfriend doesn't mind being left alone?

that's not really my area of expertise.

you have the power to make a difference in the world and you don't even care.

they're not so bad. i thought they'd be all so big and scary.

i thought that maybe this would be a good time to possibly have a heart to heart.

do you know where the bathroom is?

i had no idea things were so bad.

you have to stay for the night.

i wish you would stay.

i hope you don't mind me saying this, but you're much prettier than i would have expected.

your father would have been proud.

i think he would have really liked you.

kiss me.

that wasn't an order, you know.

i trust your journey was pleasant?

might i trouble you for a moment?

you will tell no one of this plan.

i will do anything you ask.

please tell me you never wanna see me again.

we're together now. and when we're together, it's like magic.

will you marry me?

you tried to kill me.

i can't believe i'm saving you after you tried to kill me.

i should have disposed of you when i had the chance.

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butterflydm · 7 months

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wot deeper dive 2x8: what was meant to be

So excited to take a scene-by-scene look at this epic episode. This post will be dealing only with show spoilers and there will be another post later on that includes spoilers from the books.

I really loved season one, but season two has been richer, deeper, and so emotionally powerful. Have loved it so much. Posts that I'm planning to do in the next few weeks: I want to do a post covering each main character's s2 journey, I'm gonna do some speculation for s3, and I've got some posts planned on the imprisonment/control themes and the 'alone-vulnerable; together-shieldwall' theme that was so beautifully realized in the finale, and more.

But that's for the future.

For now, let's get into the show-only deep dive!

I don't think I really talked about the opening scene in my previous posts about the episode, but I really enjoyed it! I hope that future seasons continue the theme of having the final cold-open of the season be something from the Age of Legends.

2. What they did with showing the close relationship with Lews Therin and Ishamael really plays well with how Ishamael feels a kinship with Mat and thus believes that Mat is vulnerable to the same kind of philosophy and influences that Ishamael fell victim to -- he sees that Rand and Mat are close in the ways that he was close with Lews Therin, and thus believes that Mat being Rand's downfall is what is most likely to tip Rand over to the dark (alongside Egwene, who is our modern-age Lanfear counterpart imo). I really love what they've done with this relationship and with how Ishamael essentially tricked himself into believing that he understood Mat when he was really projecting himself onto Mat, just as he's been projecting Lews Therin onto Rand.

And we get the symmetry of Ishamael asking for death here and being denied, and then Rand killing him at the end of the episode, like he wanted.

3. We get confirmation here that LTT sealed the rest of the Forsaken first and Ishamael is last. This is where we get another name drop: Sammael. So the names that we have for sure are: Moghedien, Graendal, and Sammael (plus Ishamael and Lanfear, of course).

4. It looks like the other Aes Sedai here are all men, which ties us into the discussion/argument that Lews and Latra were having in the 1x8 cold open.

5. "They say this seal is so strong, not even I could break it." And while the seals do appear to be weakened by this modern point in time, we saw the effort that Ishamael went to in 2x4 to break out Lanfear. He did that six more times in this episode before he went to confront Rand. He was worn out, y'all.

I do think it's interesting the ways that Ishamael's nihilism interacts with his behavior with Rand. Once he realizes that Rand is here, he knows that his plan for turning Rand to the Shadow has essentially failed. Because Rand's friends have come to help him, and because of Lanfear's betrayal, Ishamael knows that it's over. And part of him is grateful when Rand kills him, and relieved. He doesn't really believe that he's going to reach Rand on that tower and turn him to the Dark -- that's why he sets two back-up plans into motion: a) releasing the Forsaken and b) trying to get Rand gentled.

6. Lews Therin's resigned apologies to Ishamael here for trapping him into a Fate Worse Than Death vs Mat's frantic apologies to Rand after he accidentally stabs him with the dagger from Shadar Logoth -- Lews Therin has been forced into this because of Ishamael's choices, while Mat was tricked into hurting Rand (both here and back in 2x6, when he 'abandons' Rand).

And I love the pan-up and the reveal that the "Eye of the World" was the place where Rand and Moiraine were tricked to go in 1x8 to free Ishamael from his seal.

7. I missed the credits! Though I absolutely understand the team prioritizing getting a little more screen time in each episode, since they were forced to choose. The golden threads bursting out when Josha's name appears always give me chills.

8. Our episode proper starts with the Whitecloaks planning their attack on Falme. The way that the Whitecloaks get introduced with that fade-in from light is very intriguing. I'm not a military expert but Bornhald's strategy sounds pretty solid to me: non-military expert, lol. We can see that they're hiding in the jungle for now, and they plan to make the assault as quick as possible because they have to take out the 'witches' first or any assault is doomed.

The Whitecloaks estimate there are 28 damane with the Seanchan at this time.

I really like how we see the Whitecloaks' ranks shown by how their armor is designed. The costume design on this show has been so striking, this season even more than s1. There's an almost stained-glass quality to the bands on the armor, which helps enhance that 'church/inquisition' vibe that we are going to also get with the children swinging incense.

9. "But we have something they don't."

haha, you don't know how long it took me to realize that Bornhald was implying "we have the Light on our side". Which, funnily enough, the Seanchan ALSO believe! Both sides believe that they are the ones fighting in the name of the Light, not suspecting that here comes Rand al'Thor with the steel chair (of the Light).

But I really love how drenched this episode is in light, after a season that has been very dark (emotionally and frequently literally).

10. "The Watchers on the Waves called for help, letters to every queen, every king in the world, to the Amyrlin Seat herself, begging, but no one came."

This 100% explains the reaction of the people of Falme at the end of the episode, imo. They have been begging for help and no one has come, so they gave up hope and are just doing their best to survive each day. And then the Seanchan are driven out in a matter of hours and they see that huge-ass dragon on the tower (and this version of the story does have people knowing what a dragon looks like -- the book that Rand looks at in season one with the Karaethon Cycle has a dragon sketch in the pages (at 17:38 in episode 1x5 -- there is SO MUCH subtle lore in 1x5, y'all) -- so they know what it means when they see the dragon on the tower). They know exactly who saved them from their recent oppression.

It also ties into a theme from the books, where the different nations are so wrapped up in their own problems that they don't see the big looming apocalypse that is coming for everyone. Everyone was so busy with their own problems that they ignored the messages from Falme.

11. "These strangers are slavers and murderers. We fight them because we must."

Where's that "Heartbreaking: the worse person you know just made a great point" meme? lol. honestly, that's something that the show has been doing really well! Even people who are doing terrible things are not 100% terrible and are capable of making genuinely good arguments. And they believe in themselves and their cause. The Whitecloaks and the Seanchan are both scarier when we are seeing the True Believers in the cause.

12. And Dain brings up the prophecy here that "in Falme's greatest moment of need, the Dragon will return to us" which really gives me "King Arthur" vibes (which is fitting! one of the cool themes in the book is heroic archetypes and how the wheel turns myth into legend, and we also see the Heroes of the Horn bringing that theme into the show in the major way in this episode). So, once again, the people of Falme are going to know exactly who to credit for their big rescue and seem pretty primed to become strong supporters of the Dragon Reborn, given the information that we've gotten about the city.

Bornhald dismisses prophecy in general as "the lies of long-dead witches" and we intercut into Lanfear leading Rand & co through the Ways, which is a beautiful transition. That was excellent.

13. A lot of characters have mentioned the Falme prophecy but I don't think anyone has mentioned it to Rand, specifically. He's not coming to Falme to fulfill prophecy -- he's coming to try to save Egwene. Much like Mat's reaction to Rand was very much colored by how he abandoned Rand at the Waygate, Rand's reactions with Egwene are colored by how he abandoned her at the end of s1. We know why Rand made that choice, of course, but now he's seeing the unintended consequences of that choice.

14. Lanfear's full plan gets revealed over the course of this episode, not in a super in-your-face way, but clear enough to put all the pieces together of exactly how long she's been planning to screw over Ishamael and the rest of the Forsaken (... since the moment she woke up and learned that LTT's new incarnation was around). Some of the details of this plan go into spoilers, so I'll put it in the later post but, in brief: she's manipulated various pieces on the board to use Ishamael's own plans against him -- trapping Egwene and Nynaeve in Falme was an Ishy plan, but Lanfear was able to use Egwene's presence in Falme as a way to get Rand motivated to want to go there to rescue her and, incidentally, fulfill a teeny-tiny prophecy. After Rand killed Ishamael and was proclaimed the Dragon, she was planning to have Doman dump the rest of the Forsaken in the ocean and then she would have plenty of time to manipulate seduce her dearest Lews Therin Rand into loving her again.

And it almost worked! Well, I don't think seducing Rand a second time would have gone as well as she was hoping, but most of the plan really worked out for her.

15. It looks like the show just revealed here that Lanfear also has the Talent of being able to see fellow channelers even when they aren't embracing the Source. ("I can see it in you.")

I love Lan protectively trying to step in front of Moiraine even though he has zero chance against Lanfear. It's giving real "bless him, he tries" vibes.

Lanfear just yeeting them out onto the beach cracks me up.

It also was really great in terms of how it set Moiraine up not as one of the main players fighting in the battle, but as support from the side, smoothing the way. When Rand and the rest of them come down from the tower and are greeted by the grateful people of Falme, none of those people will know that Moiraine and Lan had anything to do with Rand's success. It feels like such a natural progression of her role -- in s1, she was the driving force that led them all to the Eye of the World... and that ended up being a massive screw-up. This time, they all find their own ways to Falme, and none of our main six young heroes are there because they're planning on fulfilling prophecy or fighting the Last Battle. They're there to save one of their own (first Egwene, and then Rand). "Think not of glory but of salvation". They didn't quote it, but the thought is there in the action of what happened in the episode.

16. "How can you think I'd ever trust you again?"

"I'm the only one who actually cares about you, Rand. Everyone else -- Ishamael, Moiraine -- they just care about what you can do."

Lanfear attempting to use her manipulating wiles on Rand. Of course, at the end of the episode, he's going to get a big reminder that she's incredibly wrong and there are a bunch of people who care about him for who he is, but even in this moment, he doesn't look like he's falling for it. And Rand didn't walk away from his friends at the end of s1 because he believed that they didn't care about him. He walked away from them because he believed that he was dangerous to them.

(and she tried to use this tactic on Rand in 2x6 as well, but she failed there too, though she may believe that she succeeded, because Rand does still extend trust to Moiraine in 2x7 when she asks him why he was leaving Cairhien and he tells her everything that he knows/believes, including very much implying that he thinks Lanfear wants to kill him after he's been proclaimed Dragon)

Lanfear lost Rand's trust when he found out who she really was and that she had been manipulating him for months. And I think she's massively underestimating what she would need to do in order to earn any of that trust back.

17. After the Maidens warn Perrin that they are getting Bad Vibes and are pretty sure that today is going to be filled with people getting killed, Perrin asks Hopper to stay behind, trying to keep him safe. Oh, Perrin, that never works. And Hopper has just as much right to be in the fight as you do.

18. Lanfear accidentally screws over her own plan because she can't bring herself not to gloat before her future husband Rand kills Ishamael. This is the big moment when we see how much Ishamael and Lanfear's plans are diverging from each other (and Ishamael sees it too). Ishamael had been planning to play the long game with Rand, keep him away from Falme until he was ready to be turned to the Shadow. Now Lanfear has jumped the gun and brought Rand at a time when Ishamael only has two of Rand's friends in hand (Egwene and Mat) and even those two have not been broken yet. He's not ready for Rand to be here! There's still so much work to be done!

19. After this conversation, Ishamael is aware that he's potentially fighting a losing battle. But he doesn't give up -- he sends in Fain to try to accelerate Mat's corruption; he prepares Suroth for the possibility of gentling Rand. He won't give up without a fight.

Ishamael does sound so intense when he talks about how Rand isn't going to "choose us".

20. ...is Lanfear wearing a dragon earcuff? I think she might be wearing a dragon earcuff/earring. That is not subtle.

I like that it seems like Lanfear believes that she's tricked Ishamael, at least in part, just like she believed that she'd tricked Rand a lot more successfully than she had (since he was very much still lumping her together with Ishamael when talking to Mat and Moiraine).

21. ...I don't ever really have much to say about the fighty-fight part of battles. The image of the Whitecloaks galloping out of the incense/fog was pretty cool.

22. Nynaeve really does have a very rough go of it in this episode. While she does manage to help, that help is in the realm of "get Elayne to the tower so that Elayne can do something". And while I understand the frustration from her fans... her block needs to actually be a problem for us to understand why she wants to get rid of it. This episode made her block a problem, one that she wasn't able to overcome at the last second when it was desperately needed. Much like Mat's low ebb this season was intentional so that we could get the amazing high of the Horn scene, Nynaeve is entering a low ebb. At the beginning of the season, she was showered in praise and special attention that she didn't want. Now she wants the power that had earned her all that praise and she can't reach it (this is similar to how Rand's lack of training needs to actually be a problem so that we understand why he needs to get some training).

23. Oof, it's hard to watch Renna with Egwene. We do get clarification that the dark facepaint is for going into battle.

Renna cutting off Egwene's braid... much like the tree she forced Egwene to burn down, she's trying to attack something that she knows brings Egwene comfort.

Egwene's eyes when she's feeling at her shorn braid. Baby!

24. I've been finding it interesting to think about What's Up with Padan Fain. So far this season, he's stayed within Ishamael's orders (to our knowledge) but when Ishamael orders him to give the dagger to Mat, we hear the whispers of it calling to him. Once Ishamael is dead, does that free Fain to follow the call of the dagger? Because when Mat was under the influence of the dagger, he still was not a fan of the Shadow. Different kinds of evil. The evil of Shadar Logoth scared the Trollocs enough that they weren't willing to chase our people into the city. I will keep an eye on future developments!

25. Poor Mat has been having a Fucking Time of it. First, he has to watch Rand leave, knowing that he's apparently fated to kill his best friend with an evil dagger. Then he gets hit on the head and wakes up across the continent? With a scary lady who insults him? Then ol' flame-eyes is here and his eyes aren't flame anymore and Mat is just so exhausted and tired and he takes this tea that gets REAL trippy and depressing and tells him that he's destined to be awful forever. And then he's locked up alone in a room. And then... Padan Fain shows up???? With the dagger from Shadar Logoth?????

The one Mat is destined to kill Rand with?

Like... he has been having a time of it.

26. Oof, hard to watch Nynaeve torturing Seta. I understand why Elayne needs to keep looking away. Nynaeve wants so badly to find Egwene and save her. We actually get a lot of ruthlessness from the ladies in this episode -- Nynaeve with Seta; Egwene and Renna; and Moiraine's willingness to "kill a thousand innocents if there's even a chance [Rand] will live". But I think the show did a good job of showing you why each of these characters is driven to be so ruthless at this moment in time.

27. Rand confirms with his own eyes that Egwene is here in Falme, as he sees her and the other damane being led out of the kennels. And he sees the gag in her mouth -- I wonder if part of the reason for that part of the costuming was to make it easy for Rand to see from far away part of the indignities that are being forced on Egwene (obviously, he also saw what horrible conditions she was enduring in her cell back when Lanfear showed him Egwene, but now he knows for certain that what Lanfear was showing him was true).

28. Mat and Fain's conversation with Fain here is interesting because I think Mat is figuring it out -- so many people keep telling him over and over that he's destined to do the stupid thing; that he's worthless; that he's going to be like his dad; that he abandons his friends. Padan Fain is saying the exact same thing that Liandrin was saying (you abandoned your friends for the dagger). Having his old peddler from back home showing up to say the same things that the Aes Sedai who had kept him captive for months had said... that's kinda suspicious, bro. That kinda seems like someone else is supplying the script, bro. Because Mat is not in the same kind of despair here when he's listening to Fain as he was when he was listening to Liandrin. He's paying attention to who the messenger is (and who sent the messenger), not just the message itself.

The first time through watching this scene, it can feel like Mat is trying to convince himself when he smiles at Fain and tells him that he's not going to touch the dagger. But... he doesn't touch it. Instead, he inspects the room and comes up with a plan to escape that doesn't involve touching the dagger. It wasn't just bravado, when he was talking to Fain. He meant it. All these people, they keep telling Mat that they know him better than he knows himself. That they are the ones who really know his inner darkness. That they can guess what he's going to do next.

And Mat... he decides right here, I think, that he is going to prove them wrong. Maybe he WAS always terrible in his past lives? Well, then he'll fucking do better in this one. He makes the decision to do better BEFORE he learns that his past lives weren't rotten, and I think that's so important.

29. Moiraine and Lan's scene here is very sweet. I think this was a really sweet capstone to Lan's journey through the season and an affirmation of Moiraine trusting and allowing Lan and Rand to help her at the end of the last episode. Though the main culmination of the "alone we are vulnerable, together we are a shieldwall" comes in the fight against Ishamael, Moiraine has been very much a parallel with Rand this season in how she's been pushing people away so that she can face the danger alone, so her literally allowing Lan to share in her burden is a lovely little illustration of that same point. Plus the weaves and music here are just gorgeous. I really do love the intimacy here, between a man and woman who are fundamentally connected but not in a sexual or romantic way.

Meanwhile, Lan's journey goes back to a similar point as Mat's, I think, in that he accepts the idea that Moiraine views him as inferior and says he wants to help her anyway, before he gets rewarded with learning that she sees him not as an equal but as better than her. "Okay, what if this horrible thing, this thing that I don't want to believe could be true... what if it IS true and then I keep on doing the right thing anyway?"

Though I've never had the issue with Lan's storyline that I feel like I've seen some other book readers have. The only time his story felt 'slow' to me was through my first watch of 2x4 and even that changed when I did my rewatch and saw how much we were getting told about Alanna & her Warders and how it was leading up to Alanna getting folded into all the big plans. But, yeah, my main interest in Lan was never how many enemies he could kill per minute and the show has made him a much more interesting character to me than the books did.

30. I suspect all this 'getting the Horn' stuff might have been expanded on if we'd gotten ten episodes but there's enough information there to make it clear that Lanfear (as 'Selene') gave them the Horn so that her future devoted husband Rand would get his special toy before he fought Ishamael. Heists can be fun but we did get the info a couple of episodes ago that the Horn was barely being guarded, so that also tracks with it being easy for a 'slave' and a 'guard' to be able to sneak in and grab it.

...the Seanchan uniform actually looks really hot on Ingtar.

31. Perrin finds out here that Egwene is in Falme, and he instantly pivots to that information -- Egwene has been captured by the Seanchan; we have to help Egwene. We know that Perrin has been worried that all of them being isolated away from each other makes them vulnerable and here is proof! Obviously, if Egwene is here, then she has to be the priority over the Horn.

"The Horn of Valere summons the dead heroes of the past. It's the key to the Dragon winning the Last Battle."

Yeah, the show was very clear about what the Horn does. Even if you miss Ingtar's line on an initial watch, a rewatch would instantly clear it up (especially with the knowledge of what it does when Mat uses it). The fascinating thing is that Ingtar NEVER SAYS that the Dragon needs to use it, but that's clearly what Perrin assumes (and a lot of show-only reactors assumed it too, and were surprised by Mat being able to use it).

I like Loial's little speech. He shames Ingtar right out of his determination to leave the city with the Horn.

32. The way that Renna and Egwene's power struggle comes to a head in this episode was really effective I think.

We see Egwene not being able to bring herself to attack until she sees the Whitecloaks, and she takes care to place her fireball where it will only hit Whitecloaks and not any cilivians.

33. I have to admit, the view that certain book fans have that Rand did nothing in this episode are baffling (Nynaeve didn't do 'nothing' either, but both she and Rand ARE going to, I'm sure, seek ways in the new season to do more because they were both clearly frustrated by being 'blocked' from what they wanted to do). Rand did less than he wanted to do, because he got shielded -- motivation for him to want to search out some training next season, because there were several moments this season when his lack of training has been pointed out! -- but in both the Turak scene and the Ishamael scene, Rand ends the fight almost effortlessly (once he's free to do so, in the Ishy scene).

Turak and his guards stood literally no chance against Rand -- he raised his chin and looked, and over a dozen people died (but only the ones with weapons, not the Voice who wasn't a threat). I'm sorry, that is power. The idea that Rand indulging in a sword fight would have shown more power than what he actually did is ridiculous. He would have been a cat playing with a mouse instead of just killing it (and every show-only reactor that I've watched so far has had a BIG reaction to Rand doing this).

We've been shown throughout this season with the Forsaken that the less effort channeling takes and the more casual that you are with it, the more powerful you are. And that's exactly what Rand shows in this scene. Not only does he create and send the projectiles, they are precisely aimed to only target combatants.

Which means that Rand gets to see another aspect of Seanchan culture here -- the main slaves of a High Lord kills themselves when their lord dies. It really does show how deeply the brainwashing goes in Seanchan culture. And you can see that Rand is disturbed by the violence that he just did, but he has to move on, so he does.

34. I really do love how Josha embodies the physicality of Rand's channeling. He does move to channel but it feels very natural, like an extension of himself. It was that way in s1 as well. Rand channeling just... idk it hits different for me than any of the other channelers we've seen, as beautiful as the weaves can be.

35. "The Forsaken fought amongst themselves as much as they fought the Dragon," feels like a very important note for s3 -- the six Forsaken that Ishamael released are not going to be going after Rand together. Just as Lanfear ended up undermining Ishamael's plans, with the goal of killing him, getting rid of the other Forsaken, and living happily ever after with Lews Therin Rand, the other Forsaken will each have their own agenda too. So it's not complete doom and despair that they've all been released.

36. So even as Lanfear is making plans to dump the rest of the 'Chosen' in the ocean, Ishamael is busy at work releasing each of them, one by one. We learn here that Lanfear has been manipulating events in Moiraine's storyline from the very beginning of the season.

Ishamael brushing the dust of the remaining seals from his hands as he talks to Suroth: a+, lol. But to make matters even worse for him, he learns here that Turak is dead and the Horn has been stolen. And everything was looking so rosy for him before Lanfear showed up!

Ishamael's "shit, Lanfear betrayed us" back-up plans:

step 1: free the rest of the Chosen

step 2: get Rand shielded ASAP

step 3: Maybe seeing Mat and Egwene in dire straits will be enough to turn Rand to the Shadow? (it's confirmed here that Ishamael made sure to have Egwene ordered to the tower where "the whole city can see her")

*fails*

step 4: okay, we'll gentle him and then work on breaking him once he's less dangerous

*fails*

step 5: maybe I just kill him?

*fails*

step 6: well, guess I'll die. At least I screwed over Lanfear on my way out. The rest of the Forsaken will have to handle things from now on.

37. I love Mat working out a way to use the dagger without touching it. Also it kinda cracks me up that he ties the dangerous thing to a bedpost because... um... Lanfear tied Rand to a... I think that's maybe only funny to me. lol

We see here that Mat understands how the dagger works, probably a lot better than Ishamael did or Fain does. It nearly killed him last season! He's aware of how dangerous it is... but also how useful it can potentially be at the moment.

And I love that Rand's stubborn 'ACTUALLY, Mat is amazing and one of the best people who has ever lived, so jot that down' attitude from 1x7 gets proven correct here. Rand knew Mat better than anyone else, from what we saw at various points in s1, and now his certainty that Mat Is Good, Actually gets to be proven (including, very importantly, Mat himself... until the Accidental Stabbening gives Mat a brand-new guilt complex).

38. We can see here that the fireballs coming down from the damane in the tower are hitting ordinary citizens as well as the Whitecloaks -- not everyone is being as careful as Egwene.

She sees it too -- that's what makes her spit out her gag and refuse to help anymore. And this moment (among some others) really sells why this addition to the costuming works because Egwene actively and literally reclaims her voice here.

And the Whitecloaks attack on the tower work, killing many of the damane and sul'dam at the top of the tower.

39. While earlier, we saw that some of the Whitecloaks were helping pull civilians out of the way, once again, not everyone on their side is being that careful -- the Whitecloak archers shoot Seta, dressed as a damane, but they also shoot Elayne, dressed as an ordinary citizen. Both the Seanchan and the Whitecloaks are causing innocent people to get caught in between them and die.

And I do think it's clear here that Nynaeve is overwhelmed and scared, not angry. That's why she isn't able to reach the power. Her block is now officially a problem for her, one that she has a very good reason to try to get it fixed next season. This is a similar lesson to what they've been showing us in Rand's storyline: raw power isn't enough. You also need control, or other people will be able to control you.

40. And that ties into what Egwene does too -- both Mat and Egwene think outside the box in order to find clever solutions to their problems in this episode and not be limited to what their captors thinks they're capable of. They both choose an unlisted option.

She seizes control over herself and her situation, because she understands her power now. Egwene, Mat, and Moiraine all reclaim themselves after having gone through a long, rough period of being put in a situation where they feel inadequate and broken down.

And Egwene figured it out by being clever and putting together the information. We also get more confirmation here that only channelers can see weaves.

41. Reunions! Mat and Perrin's reunion here is very sweet. It's also much more straightforward than the more complex and fraught (though just as sweet) relationship between Mat and Rand. Perrin and Mat share a good long hug! Mat holds his shoulder for a moment! But when the hugging is gone, they pull away from each other and don't constantly stay all over each other like Rand and Mat were in their initial reunion scene in 2x6 (or like Rand and Mat will do in their upcoming scene, post-stabbening). So I love that we see that Mat and Perrin are very good friends and they love each other and... and it's not quite the same as Mat's friendship with Rand.

42. Poor Egwene really is so burnt out, emotionally, by her experiences and so traumatized, and we can really see how exhausted she is by everything that happened. She needs some real processing time.

I'm glad that we got Rand's apology to Egwene here, even if I think she's maybe only half-processing it at the moment.

43. I love how quickly Mat gives out the info of "Rand is alive, he's here, he's headed to help Egwene" to Perrin here. And that he takes another dig at Rand's hair, lol. When Rand regrows his hair, Mat gets the credit for it, lol. I also miss Rand's curls, Mat! You are not alone!

44. Ishamael is talking here like he's knows that it's over. He does not expect his appeal to Rand here to work -- like he told Lanfear, it's too soon. Egwene isn't broken. Mat isn't broken. He doesn't even HAVE Nynaeve or Perrin in hand. "Maybe next time it'll be different," Ishamael says, because he already knows that his primary goal of turning the Dragon to the Dark has failed.

I love the echoes of this scene to the one from the cold-open.

45. "You're his only hope" vs "betrayer of hope". I talked about this in one of my earlier posts I think, but the contrast still hits me hard.

Here we have Ishamael, blaming Lews Therin for his fall to the dark (and the stories say that it was LTT's 'fault' that Lanfear turned to), but it wasn't LTT's fault. It was Ishamael's choice. And it's Mat's choices that make him different from Ishamael.

But, yeah, this is another of those things that just gets extra weight to Mat and Rand's friendship vs Mat and Perrin's or Rand and Perrin's.

46. Dain and Perrin meet on the battlefield and get to fight back-to-back for a moment. I think everything with Perrin & the Whitecloaks & Hopper is well-done, but it's tough to talk about. Hopper does get a lovely send-off, as he see him leaping the way that he did when he told Perrin his name. Also, the tension between Dain and Perrin the next time they see each other (narratively, they have to see each other again, with all this set-up) is going to be fantastic.

Hopper's last sending to Perrin is so beautiful. And it's so easy to understand Perrin's rage here, just as it was easy to understand Egwene's need to kill Renna.

47. I like how Elayne (in agony!) is doing her best to help Nynaeve get to a place where she can help Elayne. She really takes charge of the situation and is able to bring a level of calm to it, even when she's under significant distress herself.

Nynaeve is trying so hard to channel here and she can't even embrace the Source. I do think that her 'block' probably got some reinforcement when her most recent use of the Power directly led to Ryma's capture.

(speaking of Ryma, since we don't see her in the tower or on the ships, it's entirely possible that, as a brand-new damane, she was still in the kennels and can get freed after the battle here is done; I would like that for her very much and - if they do decide to have the Wondergirls go back to the White Tower, Ryma could be the one to take them there, as she delivers the news about the Seanchan. That's one of the few reasons that I can see for the Wondergirls to think it will be safe for them to go back to Tar Valon, after they hear Moiraine's news, tbh)

But, yeah, I'm glad that Nynaeve can't just Bruce Banner "I'm always angry" at her problems. That her block is now something that is causing her distress in times when she desperately needs to be able to channel.

48. Mat blowing the Horn is such a beautiful moment. Time slowing and the music changing and the effects of how the Heroes appear. This is a moment of intense despair for everyone and Mat blowing the Horn here turns everything around. I think they did a really good job in making this the turning point of the episode. Mat blowing the Horn did bring back the hope of winning. It didn't win the battle, but it gave back hope. Instead of Mat being ~just like~ Ishamael, he is instead Ishamael's opposite. Instead of betraying hope, he creates it.

And it's such a joyous moment. Mat gets to have his self-worth affirmed by an outside source, gets to feel connected to something bigger than himself, after feeling alone for most of the season. It's really beautiful.

Just... gorgeous. And when Mat remembers and is able to get that validation that he is not destined to be a 'damn prick', just like his father, that he isn't rotten to his core... witnessing him going through that moment is so lovely. Cannot say enough good things about it, A+ television.

49. We also see that, after Mat says that he 'remembers', that he's handling his weapon differently, more familiarly, and he can now speak the Old Tongue. So we can see the impact that remembering his past lives has on him.

And, of course, we see here that Uno is one of the Heroes of the Horn! It's a nice hint to viewers who maybe weren't listening to Ingtar earlier that the Horn brings back the dead. Because we definitely all saw Uno die.

50. And, of course, being magically-fast ghost warriors, the Heroes absolutely can make sure that they only target active combatants and that no civilians get caught in the cross-fire.

Uno saving Perrin. <3 And then lending him a magic shield! Useful! I'm guessing it probably also fades away after the Heroes do.

And once the arrow is out of Elayne's leg, everyone is on their way to the tower.

51. Rand is able to push himself to his feet, despite the effects of the shield on him, and tell Ishamael, point-blank, "I will never serve him. In a thousand lives, I never have. I'm sure of it."

Ishamael knows that his main plan is a bust. It's only back-up plans and failsafes from here on out.

52. Mat's throw is a really good throw! Unfortunately, Ishamael is a trickster too, and it goes right through the illusion of him. This moment is incredibly traumatizing for Mat who only literally just now regained his sense of self-worth -- while we are going to end up with our heroes triumphing over Ishamael and the Seanchan and saving Falme... they all end up damaged and traumatized by it.

Mat just clutching onto Rand here in the wake of accidentally stabbing him. Oh, wow, it really gets to me. And Rand's anger is 100% (and very appropriately and accurately) focused on Ishamael.

And Ishamael is so distracted by this moment that he doesn't realize that Egwene has gotten up from where he threw her.

53. I love how delicate Elayne's healing weave is. And the wound left behind looks very nasty. And Rand getting healed by Elayne and then seeing the sun shining in her hair. What a way to be introduced to someone for the first time! They save your life like that and are literally wreathed in sunlight.

54. Moiraine and Lan getting on the same (ruthless) page when it comes to supporting Rand/the Dragon. And we get to really see Lan let loose with his fighting as Moiraine lets loose with her channeling.

55. I was honestly a little nervous about the idea of them actually doing a sky battle because I could not possibly picture how that would not be cheesy. I trusted the show's team but... I was nervous. What the show did was not at all cheesy. It was heartfelt and epic, but not cheesy.

I love how everyone works together to make it work. The team did such a good job of playing out this theme of having the characters be isolated and showing how that made them vulnerable, and then rewarding us with this beautiful coming together. They can be there for each other and protect each other.

And I'm confused about anyone feeling like this takes away from Rand because... they all contribute so that Rand can strike the final blow -- because Rand is the only one who could have done that part. Moiraine freed Rand from his shield and Elayne healed him, Egwene and Perrin were able to block Ishamael's attacks, but Rand absorbed Ishamael's attacks into his own weave to strengthen it, and then he wove the One Power directly into his sword and we can see the results -- instead of getting back up again, Ishamael crumbled to dust.

Ishamael himself was aware that he had lost as soon as Rand was unshielded, imo. He makes another attack after that, but it's clear that he knows that he lost. There's a reason that Ishamael's first big move in the scene with Rand is to get him shielded by the damane. That's the only way he even has a chance in this fight and he knows it. Egwene isn't able to go on the offense against, Ishamael in any way and we can see what a toll it's taking on her to hold up her shield against him - holes develop in her shield before Perrin shows up.

Minor Cauthor note: I love how after Rand gets rocked by being unshielded and he realizes that Mat got pulled away from Mat, he grabs Mat's hand again. Cute, even in the middle of a pitched battle.

56. Our poor traumatized babies! Let's count up the trauma:

a. Rand felt shielded and helpless for much of the fight and now has a wound in his side that Elayne wasn't quite able to heal. He's also very aware that his lack of training is causing big problems. And he's got a heron brand on his hand now.

b. Egwene is deeply traumatized from her time as a slave.

c. Nynaeve spent this entire battle feeling helpless and her only contribution was bringing Elayne here so that Elayne could heal Rand. Nynaeve may even blame herself for the state Rand's wound has been left in, wondering if she could have healed him fully if she'd had access to the Power.

d. Perrin just lost his new wolf BFF in a traumatic way.

e. Mat stabbed his best friend with an evil dagger (after spending months being psychologically tortured).

f. Elayne has a pretty nasty leg injury. Also, she has to be the most confused person here, by a mile. She likely knows about the prophecies and the Dragon Reborn as general concepts but had absolutely no clue that she was accidentally stumbling into the middle of them. She's gonna have so many questions.

57. But this whole section really is beautiful. Just... I love the fire-illusion dragon so much. Moiraine is always So Extra, all the time.

58. This is the first time any of them have seen Rand channel! Even though they can't see the weaves, they can see Rand walking through Ishamael's attacks without flinching, they can see his sword glowing red, and Ishamael turning to dust. And they heard Ishamael call him "Lews", probably.

It's also another incredibly intimate stabbing, though in a different way than Mat 'stabbing' Rand was. He looks directly into Ishamael's eyes the entire time and, afterwards, he stays focused on Ishamael until he's turned to dust.

59. Yeah, Falme looks pretty all-in on the Dragon Reborn. He saved them from the Seanchan and (given what the dude in Atuan's Mill said) he also saved them from the Whitecloaks. At their greatest hour of need, the Dragon really did come to save them. We also get the confirmation here that these Aiel Maidens, at least, believe that Rand is the Car'a'carn that they've been searching for.

60. At this point in time, Lanfear is feeling pretty damn happy with herself. Step one of her plan was a complete success! Ishamael has been taken care of. Lews Therin Rand has been publicly proclaimed the Dragon! Her happy ending is within her grasp!

Then, as Lanfear is basking in her victory... she discovers that Ishamael took action when he realized she was betraying him. We meet "softly, softly from the shadows" Moghedien and see her stand toe-to-toe with Lanfear. All of the Forsaken are now loose.

Love the vibe they've given to Moghedien.

We can see here that those conflicts that Moiraine talked about between the Forsaken are clear and present. Lanfear and Moghedien are definitely not on the same page when it comes with how to deal with the Dragon.

Moghedien says that "him" and "all five of them" are now the other Forsaken's business and that Lanfear is to stay away from Rand in particular.

And she vanishes before Lanfear is set free and our last words of the season are Lanfear saying, "Light help you, Rand al'Thor."

Interesting in two ways! Acknowledgement of him as Rand, not Lews Therin, and calling upon the Light to aid him. I feel like it does a good job of setting up some very clear issues for the next season.

Hope we have a shorter wait this time!

#butterfly watches wot #wot #wheel of time #wot on prime #wot show spoilers #wot prime spoilers #wot s2 spoilers #wheel of time s2 spoilers #wot 2x8 spoilers

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newkatzkafe2023 · 3 months

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Can you please have the Monkey Kings reacting to their monkey S/O (gender unimportant) who's super motherly/fatherly/parental towards any kids they cross paths with? Like SWK's knew his S/O to be a fierce sharp-tongued warrior, now he's seeing them playing with human kid and monkey cubs like they were their own...

Baby fever incoming!!!!!🤯🤯🤯🤭🤭🤭

(Lmk Wukong) He couldn't believe his eyes. You With the ability to put the fear Of god into your many enemies. You are over here caring for the baby monkeys like you are their mom. I've been doing that for many years being together with him , but sometimes it still baffles him. One time you were caught away. What are the long keys that wouldn't stop crying? And the second he was in your arms. He was at peace again. It was like you were meant to do this while being a powerful warrior. He tends to daydream about. What would it be like when you guys have your very own cub. God never fails to put a blush on his face. He is really wondering if you are trying to tell him something???

(NR Wukong) He has been noticing does something's going on with you. You who can beat the crap out of demons Enemy is left and right You've been getting side tracked by the children of the city. You would watch all of them like a hawk and made sure they don't get into it any trouble. One time a little human girl almost ran into the street and you with your inhumane reflexes got her by her arm before a Motorcycle can hit her. You even treated Li like He was your son making sure he ate healthy got plenty of sleep even go As far as washes clothes or bandage up his bruises. He's starting to wonder if you yourself wants to be a mother. But he's nervous to ask cause last time you broke his mask While he was wearing it. But between you and me you will love to be mother

(HIB Wukong) He noticed how You are much more attentive to Liuer then he is. Not just with him but with all the village children. He has seen you viciously rip the head Of a demon that was messing with the tool of you. But the next moment you're helping a young mother calmed down her new born baby. Like you were the mother of that child as well. It probably doesn't help out a lot of the Village children dubbed you as mama (Y/N). As you were always protecting them along with protecting Liuer If this doesn't get it through Wukong's Thicks Skull that you want a child then I don't What to tell you.

(Mk Reborn Wukong) He seen you like that with fruity. You lay watse to demon armies for a living yet You find yourself attending to a tiny baby fruit fairy??? You clearly don't seem Mind but it's confusing to him a little. He would always tease you about it and you would always cave his face in. Even with the monk in the village , the children would rather talk to you than to him. Your answers to things are funnier , but it makes more sense to where they even they'll understand. Then they will come and ask more questions what's your patient enough to answer. He could not believe his eyes. Usually when people are annoying, you would already rip their heads off their shoulders. But then again, these are just children that are talk into you. They're no real threat or annoyance they're just being themselve. When this whole journey thing is over , he'll wanna pull you to the side and ask if you want to start a family. You know wanna you won't kill him.

(Netflix Wukong) He is already aware of how popular you are with the village children. One moment you're caving in the face of a invader Is demon who dared to attack Your home. The next moment you're on your helping a small child who scraped their knee. You even kissed it better to be sure does there no longer in pain. You also get protective Of my inner things falling objects treacherous walk ways Do we even take the time to explain to the children That there are some tools they are far too young to use yet Such as kitchen knives. You don't even like them running around with sticks they found on the ground You watch every single one of them like a hawk just like a mother would. A lot at a time he will be on the side blushing of already imagining the family you would probably have In the late future.

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG

#monkey king netflix #monkey king reborn #monkey king x reader #nezha reborn #lmk monkey king #monkey king hero is back #x female y/n #Mother

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m1ssunderstanding · 4 months

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Get Back Rewatch 55 Years On: Day Two

Paul and Ringo cabaret duo au NOW!

Their collective bitter humor about the fan mag. I think George probably appreciates Paul getting into this sort of shit with him. Even if it is only on a surface-level. A reminder that the Beatles fame journey (something that's been hellish at times for George, enough to give him PTSD and other issues for the rest of his life) has not left Paul unscathed. That Paul actually does have feelings, however buried they may be.

Could even be that the appreciation comes out in the form of "I think your beard suits you. Man." Does the tacked-on 'man' mean a sort of "no homo" type qualifier? Or is it just an added endearment. I know we don't think of George as particularly inhibited, but it was the sixties. And of course Paul loves the compliment and has no idea what to do with it.

Can you all please thank Mal as he hands you your tea next time? Not that hard, guys.

Ringo's voice is so sexy. And I love how supportive Paul and George are of this very stupid song. If either of them had written it, they'd tear it to shreds, but it's Ringo, so we laugh along and enthuse about the sentiments behind the lyrics.

The communal bitching about EMI's treatment of them. As they should.

Oh goodness, it's the "Paul has an embarrassing crush" moment from that iconic post of @jeremy-hillary-boob He totally does and you should say it. "I never used to know what it meant". It's giving "girl pretends not to know how to hold her golf club so the hot guy will touch her".

I have a theory that some of their covers ~matter~ and "What do you want to make those eyes at me for?" Is the first one for me.

Okay this look right here that John is giving Paul? Not to, like, out myself as never having experienced pure love except from my own child or anything, but the only other place I've ever seen that look is on my one-year-old's face when I come get him from his nap. So ... "A lovely little baby, John was"

"If this boy dies, you're gonna cop it." Peak older brother behavior. He's joking, but he's also deadly serious.

In love with John trying to sing out of his range. He's trying so hard, you guys.

"Everybody had a hard year. 'well, I'm not sure, actually. Put [good year]." Same, John. Isn't it always that way? Hard. And good. He's such a genius lyricist. He just captures the human condition with such specificity.

Lol at Paul correcting John on the key of his own song (yeah, yeah, gimme some truth is secretly a colab but it's still a John song)

When they put a piano in front of Paul and John's instantly like "uh-oh, red-alert my beautiful boyfriend might not get captured perfectly from every angle" vs a year and a half later when he's bitching about Paul having too much screen-time in Let it Be. Well, you were part of the problem, babe.

I love George's way of teaching his songs. Whereas Paul was shouting key changes and counts between phrases, and John doesn't even bother to give any of that information, George is just softly singing "E, to F sharp minor. E to A." Beautiful. John and Paul, take notes.

Wonder if I'll get through a day without calling Paul a whore. Probably not.

John being instantly self-effacing after suggesting that genius little let's enhancement. "My mind can blow those clouds away" is actually much more original and thought-provoking, but John just makes fun of himself. Like. Just own it. You're John fucking Lennon!

The George/Paul convo (George talking, Paul hardly flinching) is so painful actually. Because from the outside, Paul's avoidance looks so condescending and unfeeling, but avoidance feels much more like 'Shit fuck shit dodge the fight, go around, don't react, don't engage, don't start something' and i really feel for both of them.

Let John do Help for gosh sakes!

"Not bad though. Good try, that. Johnny."

The part where Paul is looking just so exhausted, and he's actually letting it show, and then he sees the camera on him and hurries and tries to do a cheeky little Beatles head-shake and smile. But then he's really just too tired (and high) and he looks away and rubs his eyes. It was like watching an old circus bear. Those poor things.

And of course John's head snapping up like a little gopher when Paul says his name

#get back #the beatles #paul mccartney #ringo starr #george harrison #john lennon #mclennon #mal evans #Yes I will continue to just take pictures of my screen like an eighty year old woman #Yes I am sorry about the length. They're probably just going to be like that...

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beegalactica · 4 months

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Comparison is the thief of joy.

In a world where it seems like everyone else is doing so much better than you, how do you stop comparing yourself to them? You know it's unhealthy and unhelpful but you just can't seem to help it. Don't worry, I've been there and I know exactly what it's like.

Why We Compare Ourselves

Whether we're comparing our appearance; from our eyes to our hair, to even the shape of our fingers; or the grades that we get; the outfits we wear; or the person we are; I believe comparison stems from our insecurities. We may feel like we're not enough in our own right, so we look for people we think are better than us to justify it.

For me over this past week, I've been comparing myself a lot, and that's fine. I can be this confident and self-assured person, but I I still have moments where I don't feel like that - it's just how life works.

My first point of comparison was with a grade that I got in class. I got the second highest and of course, the first thing that popped into my mind was not how good I did on my own, but what I didn't do that relegated me to second place. Reflection is great for improving and bettering yourself, but you know that it has crossed the point into harmful comparison when you start to think: "I'm better than this person at x, y and z so how could they do better than me here?" We often resort to mentally trying to put the other person down so we don't feel so alone 'below' them, but that perpetuates unnecessary negativity.

My second point of comparison had to do with my 'love life'. There is a guy that I like, but we didn't work out, and now the thought of him possibly getting with someone else made me feel so low. It felt like a rejection in the worst way. It felt like the world was saying to me that "I wasn't good enough", not that the timing wasn't right or that it just wasn't meant to be. Obviously, I spent a lot of my time looking at the girl, thinking about all the ways she was prettier than me, taller than me, skinnier than me, etc. I started trying to pull her down in my mind, thinking of all the flaws that she 'had', to hide the fact that I was just insecure that I wasn't enough on my own.

But I refuse to let these events take a toll on my mental health and turn me into a bitter, jealous person because I know that I'm better than that, and I know that you are too.

How To Stop Comparing Yourself

To be honest, I don't know if I can ever get to a point where nothing can faze me at all, because I am human at the end of the day. What I do know is ways to cope and stop myself from spiralling as a result:

Accept the situation - accept the fact that it is what it is. I believe that things happen in life to teach me a lesson or to show me how I can come out of it stronger, and the first step in that journey is to accept that it happened. If things are meant to work out in the end, they will.

Plan your next steps - what are you going to do to give yourself peace of mind? In my case, I'll just have to work harder but also learn to congratulate myself more for the things that I do. I will also have to take some time to figure out why I have these insecurities and work on ways to uplift myself.

Affirm, affirm, affirm - I believe positive affirmations are amazing because who knows you better than you? If I say that I am a smart, hardworking person who is perfect just the way they are, who dares to tell me that I'm not? If I say that I am enough, how can anyone prove that I'm not? Sometimes your biggest enemy can really be your self-concept, but you need to train it to face setbacks and use them to further prove that you are above it all based on the way you deal with it.

Don't act out - don't become a hateful person. It can be hard because we think that it is the only thing that will make us feel better, but it makes us the same as all those other people who seek to pull others down to uplift themselves. Don't let a temporary event change your character.

Comparison is inevitable because the way that our world works is rooted in competition - who is the best? who is the prettiest? who is the smartest? But if you can answer all of those questions saying that you are, then don't let little things get you down. Life is all about growing and evolving, but don't forget to take a moment to celebrate your strengths and remind yourself of just how amazing you are.

You are enough.

I am enough.

#lifeblr #becoming that girl #girlblogger #girlblogging #it girl #self improvement #that girl #self awareness #self care #self love #self development #comparison

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chadfallout76podcast · 2 months

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Major Update: Life...is a changing for me/us (and a sneak peek of Vault-Tec Rises!

Good afternoon!

I wanted to give you all an update on Vault-Tec Rises as well as an update on myself and some major life changes happening this year that may impact our season while the dust settles. Firstly, I'm more than halfway done with our next major feature length episode, "Vault-Tec Rises"...which is technically episode 16, set BEFORE Little Sanctuary of Horrors. It essentially is the story of how everyone came to be there in the first place, what Vault-Tec and the Enclave are really up to, and is the start of our last 4 episodes of the season as the Battle for Appalachia begins.

Secondly, I've shared quite a bit about the journey of these past 10 years with my husband Travis and his struggle with mental health. Many of you were kind of enough to support or share our GoFundMe to help take the pressure off the crushing debt we were under with mounting medical bills and his bills, none of which was covered by insurance fully. Trying to keep us afloat financially has been a long-term struggle of mine and here's in New Hampshire we just haven't been able to get ahead. After having to cancel some of his services last week as we couldn't afford them, we made some major decisions.

The next few months I'll be doing a lot of painting, landscaping, plastering and prepping to list our home on the market. Financially we can't afford to buy again for a while, so we're stuck renting. Based on what things are selling for in the area, I'm not too worried about getting out of it fairly quickly. We'll be moving to Texas, in between Dallas and Fort Worth in a really beautiful, new planned community where leasing and the overall lower cost of living will save us $20k a year which will allow us to not only fix our debt issue permanently, but also they have one of the leading centers in the country for C-PTSD. Once settled, I'd be able to get him more direct help he's needed that we just don't have access to out here.

Texas is going to be a big, big change for us...a huge move, but one I'm eager to make. Our backup editor is continuing to plug away at stories as well as I've had my hands full with work trying to keep the lights on (literally). I wanted to explain all of this with clear honesty so you know what I've been doing, what I'll be doing this year and why it often takes us so long to ship episodes to you. Your patient and support of me really, really means the world to me. The other benefit of this move is that once I'm not strangled hustling for work 7 days a week, I'll have more free time to actually create. Something I really want to do...as there are still two more seasons of Chad and some other projects I really want to share with you all.

I hope to have our 3-hour feature length Vault-Tec Rises completed in the next few weeks, so stay tuned. :) And if you can please excuse how hectic this year will be between selling and moving halfway across the country I'd appreciate it.

Much love to you all,

Ken

#chad: a fallout 76 story #chad: a fallout 76 podcast #fallout 76

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simpforfandom231 · 3 months

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I don't forget too well PT2

waring: Please be carefull, selfharm, depression, ADHD.... please reach out if you need a talk, I'm here for you!

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The next morning dawned, and the apartment was filled with the quiet hum of early daylight. Renée, ever the considerate partner, had to leave early for the Mean Girls movie interviews. However, she couldn't depart without attending to her morning routine, which had become a delightful tradition.

Knowing Y/N's propensity to get lost in her own thoughts and forget the necessities of life, Renée had prepared a snackbox for her girl. In the kitchen, she carefully arranged heart-shaped strawberries, the edges trimmed with precision, in a little container. Renée couldn't help but smile as she envisioned Y/N's reaction to these cute, thoughtful shapes.

Next to the strawberries, Renée placed some dinosaur-shaped cookies, a playful nod to Y/N's quirky preferences. She added a soft candy, knowing it was one of Y/N's guilty pleasures. With a flourish, Renée tucked in a small note, overflowing with affection and words of encouragement.

The note read, "To my amazing cutie, here's a little boost for your day. Remember to eat, love. You've got this! ❤️"

Satisfied with her creation, Renée glanced at the clock and sighed. It was time to leave, but not before making sure Y/N wouldn't forget the snackbox. Placing it strategically on the kitchen table, Renée also left a bottle of water beside it, a subtle reminder for hydration.

Just as she was about to leave, Y/N shuffled into the kitchen, still half-asleep, eyes squinting against the morning light.

"Morning, snuggles," Renée greeted, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Y/N yawned, rubbing her eyes. "Morning, babes. Why are you up so early?"

Renée smirked, gesturing towards the kitchen table. "Just wanted to make sure you're fueled for the day."

Y/N's eyes widened as she caught sight of the snackbox. "Oh, you're the absolute best! What's this for?"

Renée winked, her love for Y/N evident in her gaze. "Just a little something to keep you going. You tend to forget, and I can't have my cutie running on empty."

Y/N grinned, appreciating the gesture. "You're amazing, babes. Heart-shaped strawberries and all!"

Renée chuckled, wrapping her arms around Y/N. "Well, you deserve the best. Now, promise me you'll eat these, okay?"

Y/N nodded, giving Renée a quick peck on the cheek. "I promise. Thanks for always looking out for me, snuggles."

As Renée headed out for her interviews, she couldn't shake the warmth that came from taking care of her girlfriend in these little ways.

The interview venue buzzed with excitement as Renée stepped onto the stage, the energy of the fans palpable. The cast of Mean Girls was gathered for a unique session where they would play a game of answering questions directly from the fans. Renée, with her charismatic presence, took the stage, ready for whatever the fans had in store.

A fan's question came through, and the moderator read it aloud. "How do you handle Y/N's ADHD? Any advice for others in similar situations?"

Renée smiled, appreciating the thoughtful question. "Great question! Handling ADHD in a relationship is all about communication, understanding, and patience. Y/N and I have developed some routines over the years that make things smoother."

She continued, "Communication is key. We talk about everything, and sometimes the way we communicate might be a bit different. It's not always easy, but it's worth it. I've learned a lot about how Y/N experiences the world, and it's a beautiful journey."

The fans listened intently as Renée shared insights into their relationship. "For example," she continued, "I've learned to recognize the small cues when Y/N's emotions are heightened. There are routines we've established that help navigate those moments. It's about creating an environment where Y/N feels supported and understood."

The audience absorbed Renée's words, appreciating her openness and willingness to share a personal aspect of her life. Renée took a breath before adding, "I won't pretend it's always easy. Talking with Y/N can be a bit different than talking to someone without ADHD, but it's about embracing those differences and finding the beauty in them. Love, patience, and understanding go a long way."

As the crowd erupted in applause, Renée felt a sense of connection with the fans. It wasn't just about Mean Girls; it was about the shared experiences and challenges that come with relationships. The interview continued, and Renée's responses resonated with fans, making her not just a star on screen but a relatable and genuine presence in their lives.

The atmosphere in the interview room remained charged with anticipation after the insightful question about handling Y/N's ADHD. As Renée fielded another question, a fan asked, "What's one thing you kinda hate from dealing with Y/N's ADHD?"

The room fell silent for a moment, and Renée couldn't help but chuckle at the unexpected turn of the question. A sly smile played on her lips as she considered her response.

"Hate is a strong word," Renée began, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "But if I had to pick something, it would be the fact that Y/N can hyperfocus on something so intensely that she forgets the rest of the world exists. Like, she could be reading a book, and I could be standing there for five minutes trying to get her attention, but it's like she's in another dimension."

The audience erupted in laughter, and Renée continued, "Don't get me wrong; it's one of the things I love about her. The passion and intensity she brings to everything she does. But when I'm standing there waiting for her to notice me, I might develop a tiny bit of impatience."

The playful admission earned Renée more laughs from the crowd, and she couldn't help but revel in the lighthearted moment. The interview had taken an unexpectedly humorous turn, showcasing Renée's ability to navigate the complexities of their relationship with grace and humor.

A fan chimed in, "How do you get her attention when she's in hyperfocus mode?"

Renée smirked, "Oh, that's a special skill. Sometimes, I resort to the classic 'tap on the shoulder.' Other times, I might playfully throw something soft in her direction. It's all about finding creative ways to break through the hyperfocus bubble without scaring her."

The room erupted in laughter once again, and Renée's ability to find humor in the quirks of their relationship endeared her even more to the fans. It was a testament to the strength of their connection and the genuine love that defined their journey.

The fan Q&A session continued with another intriguing question from the audience. A fan raised their hand and asked, "Renée, if you were to write a song about your situation, your relationship with Y/N and navigating through the intricacies of ADHD, what would the song be called?"

Renée's eyes sparkled with the challenge, and a playful grin tugged at the corners of her lips. She considered the question for a moment, allowing the creative gears in her mind to turn.

"Well, that's a fantastic question," Renée mused, leaning back in her chair. "I'd probably call it 'Dancing in the Chaos.' Because that's what it feels like sometimes – like we're dancing through the chaos of life, embracing every twist and turn."

The fan nodded appreciatively, and the room buzzed with excitement at the prospect of a song capturing the essence of Renée and Y/N's journey.

"Would you sing a snippet for us?" another fan shouted from the audience, the request met with cheers and applause.

Renée chuckled, her eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and playfulness. "Oh, you're putting me on the spot! But sure, here's a tiny bit."

She cleared her throat, a theatrical gesture that drew laughs from the audience, before singing a few lines in a melodic, soulful tone:

🎶 "In the whirlwind of our love, we find a rhythm, Dancing in the chaos, we don't need a system. Heart-shaped strawberries and hyperfocus days, In the symphony of us, love always stays." 🎶

The audience erupted into applause, swept away by the impromptu performance. Renée winked at the crowd, her charismatic charm lighting up the room.

"Who knows, maybe one day 'Dancing in the Chaos' will make its way into the world," she teased, leaving the possibility hanging in the air.

The fan Q&A continued, filled with laughter, insight, and the unique charm that Renée brought to every interaction. As she fielded more questions, the audience couldn't help but feel a deeper connection to the actress, each response adding another layer to the cinematic tapestry of Renée and Y/N's love story.

The podcast studio exuded a different energy, a hushed ambiance that hinted at the serious nature of the conversation about to unfold. Renée settled into the guest chair, facing the host who wore an expression that conveyed both empathy and curiosity. The recording light blinked on, signaling the commencement of the intimate discussion.

The host began with a probing question, "Renée, mental health is a topic that's gaining more visibility, and your openness is appreciated. Have you ever personally struggled, and how did you navigate through those moments?"

Renée took a deep breath, her gaze contemplative. "Absolutely. Mental health is something that affects us all in different ways. I've had my own struggles, and navigating through them often involved seeking professional help. Therapy has been a crucial aspect of my journey, providing a safe space to explore and understand my own mind."

The host nodded in acknowledgment, encouraging Renée to delve deeper into her experiences. "Thank you for sharing that, Renée. It's not an easy topic, and your openness is appreciated. Now, let's talk about your relationship with Y/N. How do you navigate the dark periods, especially when Y/N's ADHD might add an extra layer of complexity?"

Renée leaned forward, her expression thoughtful. "Dark periods are a challenge for anyone, and Y/N's ADHD adds a unique dynamic. It's important to remember that Y/N can't be blamed for those moments. Instead, we focus on creating a supportive environment. Communication becomes even more critical during those times. We've established routines and coping mechanisms to help us both navigate through the storms."

The host steered the conversation towards vulnerability, asking, "In the intensity of those moments, have you ever found yourself exploding at Y/N? And if so, do you ever regret it?"

Renée's eyes flickered with a mix of vulnerability and sincerity. "Yes, there have been moments of frustration, and I won't pretend otherwise. ADHD brings its challenges, and it's not always easy. However, regret is a complex emotion. It's crucial to acknowledge those moments, learn from them, and strive to communicate better in the future. Regret, for me, is a reminder to continuously work on being the best partner I can be."

The podcast continued, delving into the intricacies of mental health, relationships, and the vulnerability that comes with navigating the complexities of life. Renée's responses were a blend of wisdom, honesty, and compassion, creating a cinematic narrative that resonated with listeners on a profound level. The podcast became a space for authentic conversations about mental health, love, and growth, with Renée as both the guest and a source of inspiration for those tuning in.

As the podcast conversation unfolded, Renée and the host delved deeper into the intricacies of mental health, relationships, and personal growth. The studio, surrounded by a cocoon of thoughtful discussions, became a haven for vulnerability and shared understanding.

The host shifted the focus, asking, "Renée, you've spoken about therapy and communication as essential tools. Can you share some specific strategies you and Y/N have found helpful in navigating those challenging moments?"

Renée nodded, appreciating the opportunity to offer practical insights. "Certainly. One key strategy is establishing a set of cues and signals. When Y/N feels overwhelmed, we have a non-verbal system in place that allows her to communicate without needing to articulate every emotion. It might be a certain look or a gentle touch that signals we need to take a step back and reassess the situation."

The host nodded, acknowledging the importance of non-verbal communication in navigating mental health challenges. "That's a valuable approach. How about the role of self-care in your relationship? How do you and Y/N prioritize taking care of yourselves individually while also supporting each other?"

Renée leaned back, reflecting on the question. "Self-care is paramount. We've learned that taking care of ourselves individually ultimately contributes to the health of our relationship. Y/N has her rituals, and I have mine. Whether it's finding solace in a book, going for a run, or simply taking a moment to breathe, these individual acts of self-care create a foundation for us to be stronger together."

The conversation seamlessly flowed between poignant topics and practical advice, creating a dynamic exchange that captivated the podcast audience. The host then posed a question about resilience: "In the face of challenges, what has been a moment of resilience for you and Y/N, individually or as a couple?"

Renée's eyes lit up with a mixture of pride and fondness. "There have been countless moments of resilience, but one that stands out is when we faced a particularly tough period together. Instead of letting it break us, we chose to grow together. It became a pivotal moment where we understood the strength of our bond and our shared commitment to each other's well-being."

The host nodded, appreciating the narrative of growth and resilience.

The host, sensing the depth of the conversation, chose the final question with care, "Renée, you've spoken about navigating challenges together, but I'd like to touch on a personal note. Can you share how you coped with your own experiences of depression, and how Y/N played a role in that journey?"

Renée took a moment, her eyes gazing into the past, into moments that had shaped her in profound ways. The weight of the question lingered in the air, and the studio seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.

"Depression is a complex journey," Renée began, her voice carrying the weight of vulnerability. "There were moments when I felt engulfed by darkness, unable to see beyond it. During those times, Y/N became my anchor. She approached it with unwavering support, empathy, and a profound understanding of mental health."

She paused, a soft smile touching her lips as she recalled those pivotal moments. "Y/N never made me feel like a burden. Instead, she walked beside me through the darkness, holding my hand. It wasn't about 'fixing' me; it was about being there, understanding the ebb and flow of mental health struggles."

The host listened intently, allowing Renée the space to unravel her emotions. "Y/N has this remarkable ability to create a safe space without judgment. She encouraged me to seek professional help and supported every step of my journey. It was a process, a journey towards healing, and Y/N was there every step of the way."

Renée's eyes glistened with the raw honesty of her admission. "There were times when Y/N held me through the tears, and times when she simply sat with me in silence. She understood that healing is not linear, and she allowed me the space to embrace my own journey. It's a testament to the strength of our connection, a love that transcends the darkest moments."

The studio, once filled with the buzz of conversation, now held a profound stillness as Renée shared the intimate layers of her experience. The host, recognizing the depth of the moment, approached the conversation with utmost sensitivity.

"And how, in those moments, did your connection with Y/N become a source of strength?"

Renée nodded, her expression conveying a mixture of gratitude and resilience. "Y/N became my lifeline. She reminded me of the light within myself, even when it felt dim. Her love was a constant, unwavering force that propelled me forward. It wasn't about fixing each other; it was about learning to coexist with our vulnerabilities."

The host acknowledged the emotional depth of Renée's journey, guiding the conversation towards a conclusion that carried the weight of shared experiences.

"Renée, thank you for sharing such personal and impactful moments from your life. Your openness has the power to resonate with others who may be on a similar path. In closing, what message would you like to send to those who are navigating their own mental health journeys or supporting loved ones through it?"

Renée took a deep breath, her eyes reflecting a myriad of emotions. "To those navigating their own journeys, remember that you are not alone. Reach out for support, whether it's from friends, family, or professionals. Healing is a process, and it's okay to ask for help. And to those supporting others, compassion and understanding go a long way. Listen without judgment, hold space for their struggles, and let love be the guiding force."

The studio, once enveloped in the intensity of the conversation, now held a sense of reverence for the shared vulnerability. As Renée stepped out into the world beyond the recording walls, she carried with her the weight of the stories shared—a testament to the power of authenticity, compassion, and the enduring strength of human connection.

Renée left the podcast studio with a myriad of emotions swirling within her. The vulnerability she had shared on air lingered, and the weight of the intimate conversation hung in the air as she made her way home.

As she entered her apartment, the ambiance seemed to shift. The familiar surroundings offered a sense of comfort, but Renée's mind was occupied by the song she had crafted— "Bruises," a poetic window into Y/N's perspective.

Y/N, however, was caught in an emotional tornado of her own. The struggles of the day, coupled with the weight of the presentations at school, had left her feeling battered and vulnerable. As Renée walked in, she could sense the emotional turbulence that enveloped her girlfriend.

Renée approached Y/N with a gentle touch, recognizing the need for a delicate approach. "Hey, cutie. How was your day?" she inquired, her eyes searching Y/N's for any sign of how the day had unfolded.

Y/N let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping. "It was... challenging. I didn't do well on the presentations, and I just feel like everything's falling apart."

Renée's heart sank at the raw honesty in Y/N's words. She led Y/N to the living room, their safe space, and sat beside her, intertwining their fingers. "You're not alone in this, babes. We'll get through it together," Renée reassured, her voice a soothing balm.

As the evening unfolded, Renée couldn't shake the anticipation and nervousness about sharing the song she had written. "I've got something for you," Renée said, her tone a mix of excitement and apprehension. She retrieved her guitar, and with a soft melody, she began to sing the lyrics of "Bruises."

The words hung in the air, each line a poetic revelation of the intricacies of Y/N's emotions. Renée poured her heart into the song, and as the last note resonated, there was a poignant silence in the room.

Y/N sat there, absorbing the lyrics, the depth of Renée's emotions washing over her. Tears welled in her eyes, a mix of gratitude, understanding, and an overwhelming sense of being seen.

"That's... wow," Y/N whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "You wrote that for me?"

Renée nodded, her own eyes glistening. "It's your perspective, cutie. I wanted you to know that I see you, I understand you, and I'm here for you. Always."

Y/N pulled Renée into a tight embrace, the vulnerability of the moment creating a profound connection between them. "I don't know how you do it, snuggles. You always know just what to say and when to say it."

Renée kissed the top of Y/N's head, holding her close. "Because you're my everything, and I'll always find a way to let you know that."

As Y/N made her way to the kitchen to prepare dinner, a storm of conflicting emotions raged within her. The weight of the day, the struggles at school, and the deep-seated frustrations with her own mind created a turbulent sea of feelings.

Renée watched Y/N, concern etching her features. "You sure you're okay, babes?" she asked, her eyes filled with genuine worry.

Y/N forced a smile, attempting to brush off the internal chaos. "Yeah, just a rough day. I'll be fine," she replied, though the heaviness in her voice betrayed her true emotions.

In the kitchen, Y/N felt overwhelmed by a cascade of emotions—sadness, depression, and an undercurrent of anger at her ADHD. She hated the way it made her feel, like a rollercoaster of emotions she had little control over. The frustration intensified as she grappled with the notion that she might be a burden to Renée.

While lost in these thoughts, Y/N mechanically began to cut vegetables for dinner. Unbeknownst to her, the internal turmoil had taken a toll on her focus. In a moment of distraction, the knife slipped, and a sharp pain shot through her finger as she accidentally cut it.

"Ouch!" Y/N exclaimed, dropping the knife and clutching her injured finger. A few droplets of blood stained the cutting board, a stark reminder of the tangible consequences of her internal struggles.

Renée, who had been quietly observing, rushed to Y/N's side. "Hey, cutie, are you okay?" she asked, genuine concern etched across her face.

Y/N winced, both from the physical pain and the emotional weight that seemed to intensify. "Yeah, just a little accident. Nothing serious," she muttered, though her eyes betrayed the turmoil within.

Renée gently took Y/N's hand, inspecting the cut. "Let me take care of this. Accidents happen. You've got a lot on your plate, and it's okay to feel overwhelmed."

Y/N nodded, a mix of gratitude and frustration swirling within her. "I hate that I can't even cut vegetables without messing up. It's like I mess up everything."

Renée's gaze softened as she bandaged Y/N's finger. "You don't mess up everything, babes. You're dealing with a lot, and it's okay not to be perfect. I'm here for you, through the good days and the tough ones."

The vulnerability in Renée's words touched Y/N's heart, but the internal struggle persisted. "I hate this, Renée. I hate that I can't regulate my emotions, that I feel everything so intensely. It's exhausting, and I feel like I'm a burden to you."

Renée cupped Y/N's face, making her look into her eyes. "You are never a burden, cutie. I love you for who you are, every part of you. And you're not alone in this. We'll navigate through it together, okay?"

Y/N nodded, the weight of Renée's support providing a momentary respite from the internal turmoil. Yet, the deep-seated conflict within her lingered—a battle against self-hate and a longing for acceptance.

As Y/N tried to resume making dinner, Renée keenly observed the true extent of the struggle etched across her girlfriend's face. The weight of the day, coupled with the emotional storm raging inside Y/N, became palpable. Renée recognized the familiar signs of internal turmoil, the heavy burden that Y/N carried.

"Hey, cutie," Renée said gently, her voice a soft reassurance. "Leave everything for now. Come here."

Y/N hesitated for a moment, glancing at the half-prepared vegetables and the scattered remnants of the interrupted task. The internal conflict still lingered in her eyes, but she surrendered to Renée's comforting presence. She stepped away from the kitchen and into Renée's embrace.

Without saying a word, Renée held Y/N tightly, creating a sanctuary within the circle of her arms. The silence spoke volumes, a language that transcended words. Y/N, feeling the warmth and solidity of Renée, couldn't contain the overwhelming emotions any longer.

Tears welled up in Y/N's eyes, streaming down her face like an uncontrollable cascade. The weight of self-hate, frustration, and exhaustion manifested in the release of tears. Renée, ever perceptive, tightened her hold, allowing Y/N the space to let it all out.

"I'm sorry," Y/N choked out between sobs. "I'm just so tired of myself, of hating everything about me."

Renée didn't offer empty reassurances or dismissive words. Instead, she held Y/N closer, letting the emotional storm wash over them both. The apartment seemed to shrink, cocooning them in a bubble where only their shared vulnerability existed.

"You don't have to apologize, cutie," Renée whispered, her voice a soothing melody. "You're allowed to feel this way. I'm here for you, no matter what."

The tears continued to fall, the emotional exhaustion manifesting in each sob. Renée, with a tender touch, brushed away the tears from Y/N's cheeks. In that moment, the love between them became a lifeline, an anchor grounding Y/N amidst the tumultuous sea of emotions.

Eventually, as the tears subsided, Renée pulled away just enough to look into Y/N's eyes. "You're not alone in this, okay? We're a team, and we'll navigate through these tough moments together. You don't have to carry the weight alone."

Y/N nodded, a mix of gratitude and fatigue etched on her face. The vulnerability shared in that embrace forged a deeper connection between them. Renée guided Y/N back to the couch, urging her to rest while she took charge of the unfinished dinner.

Renée carefully set the bowls of hot noodles on the coffee table, the savory aroma filling the room. She glanced over at Y/N, who lay on the couch, watching her with a mix of exhaustion and gratitude in her eyes.

"Come on, cutie. Dinner's ready," Renée said gently, gesturing to the inviting bowls.

Y/N hesitated for a moment before slowly sitting up. Renée, understanding the delicate nature of the moment, didn't push. Instead, she took a seat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her.

"Here, you can lay your head in my lap. We'll take it easy," Renée suggested, creating a comfortable space for Y/N to unwind.

Y/N nodded appreciatively, allowing Renée's touch to guide her into a more relaxed position. The warmth of Renée's lap provided a sense of comfort, a haven from the storm of emotions that had overtaken Y/N earlier.

Renée picked up her own bowl, allowing Y/N the autonomy to decide when she was ready to eat. The muted glow of the TV illuminated the room as Renée turned on "One Day at a Time," Y/N's favorite show. However, she adjusted the settings to keep the sound off, mindful of avoiding sensory overload.

The two sat in companionable silence, the only sounds being the occasional slurp of noodles and the muted scenes playing on the screen. Renée respected the need for quietude, allowing the atmosphere to be a refuge rather than an overwhelming experience.

As Y/N took a tentative sip of the savory broth, Renée watched with a soft smile. "How's it taste, cutie?"

Y/N managed a small smile in return. "Really good. Thanks, snuggles."

"No problem, babes. Take your time. We're in no rush," Renée reassured, intertwining her fingers with Y/N's.

The gentle touch was a reassurance, a silent acknowledgment that Y/N didn't have to face the challenges alone. The apartment, once filled with the weight of unspoken struggles, now held an air of solace, a sanctuary where love and understanding flourished.

As they continued with their quiet dinner, Renée occasionally stole glances at Y/N. The resilience in Y/N's eyes, the ability to soldier on despite the internal battles, tugged at Renée's heart. She knew that sometimes, the battles were fought silently, and victory wasn't always loud and triumphant.

After finishing their meal, Renée set the empty bowls aside and shifted her focus back to Y/N. "Feeling a bit better, cutie?" she inquired, brushing a strand of hair away from Y/N's face.

Y/N nodded, the weight on her shoulders seeming a bit lighter. "Yeah, thanks to you. I don't know what I'd do without you, snuggles."

Renée leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Y/N's forehead. "You never have to find out. I'm right here, always."

As they settled into the evening, the muted glow of the TV casting a gentle ambiance, Renée and Y/N found solace in each other's presence. The unspoken understanding between them was a testament to the strength of their connection, a connection that transcended words and weathered the storms of life. The apartment became a cocoon, sheltering them from the outside world, a space where love, acceptance, and unwavering support painted a canvas of resilience and shared vulnerability.

The muted scenes from "One Day at a Time" played on the TV, casting a soft glow across the room. Renée, with Y/N's head in her lap, felt the delicate atmosphere that surrounded them. The unspoken struggles lingered, and Renée, ever perceptive, gently broached the subject.

"Hey, cutie," Renée began softly, her fingers gently tracing patterns through Y/N's hair. "I know it's tough, and I'm here for you. If you want to talk about what's been on your mind, I'm all ears."

Y/N took a deep breath, the weight of Renée's concern providing both comfort and a gateway to express the internal battles. The TV show played in the background, offering a subtle backdrop to their conversation.

"I just... I hate this, Renée. I hate that I can't control my emotions, that I feel everything so intensely. It's like I'm a burden, not just to you but to myself," Y/N admitted, her voice a mix of frustration and vulnerability.

Renée continued to run her fingers through Y/N's hair, a silent gesture of support. "You're not a burden, cutie. I love you for who you are, and that includes all the layers, even the ones you struggle with. You don't have to carry it all alone."

Tears welled up in Y/N's eyes, the walls of self-hate momentarily crumbling under the weight of Renée's reassurance. "But sometimes, Renée, I hate myself for having ADHD. I hate that I can't regulate my emotions, that I feel like I'm always on the edge. I hate that I'm not 'normal.'"

Renée sighed, her gaze filled with empathy. "Babes, there's no such thing as 'normal.' Everyone's journey is unique, and your emotions are a part of what makes you beautifully you. I know it's tough, but you don't have to measure yourself against some imaginary standard. You're perfect just as you are."

Y/N nodded, the struggle between self-acceptance and self-hate evident in her eyes. "I know you're right, snuggles. It's just... exhausting. I wish I could be like everyone else."

Renée leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Y/N's forehead. "You're not everyone else, and that's what I love about you. Your intensity, your passion, your resilience—it's all a part of this amazing person I fell in love with."

Silence settled between them for a moment, the TV show's muted scenes providing a backdrop to their intimate conversation. Y/N took a deep breath, contemplating the vulnerability of sharing such deep-seated fears.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to fix me, Renée. I just... I wish I could fix myself," Y/N confessed, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Renée cupped Y/N's face, guiding her to meet her gaze. "You're not broken, cutie. And I'm not here to fix you. I'm here to support you, to love you through the ups and downs. We're a team, remember?"

Y/N managed a small smile, the emotional weight lessening with each word of reassurance. "Yeah, a team. I'm just lucky to have you as my teammate, snuggles."

Renée smiled in return. "And I'm lucky to have you, cutie. Your strength, your vulnerability—they're all part of the incredible person you are. We'll face these challenges together."

Y/N shifted on the couch, feeling a wave of exhaustion settling in. With a gentle sigh, she looked up at Renée and softly spoke, "I think I want to go to bed, snuggles. Can we... can we just cuddle there?"

Renée nodded understandingly, recognizing the need for a comforting retreat. "Of course, cutie. Let's get ready for bed."

Renée gently helped Y/N sit up, their fingers intertwining as they stood up together. However, she noticed the subtle signs of fatigue in Y/N's eyes—the heaviness that lingered despite the attempts to lighten the mood.

"Before we hit the bed, how about we get into our comfy pajamas, brush our teeth, and maybe tame this beautiful hair of yours?" Renée suggested with a warm smile.

Y/N managed a small grin, appreciating Renée's gentle approach. "Yeah, that sounds good."

They made their way to the bedroom, the atmosphere shifting from the living room's soft glow to the warm, dim lighting of the bedroom. Renée opened the drawer, pulling out matching pajamas for them both. Y/N glanced at the coordinated outfits and couldn't help but smile.

As they changed into their pajamas, Renée kept a watchful eye on Y/N, offering assistance when needed. The routine of getting ready for bed became a quiet symphony, each action a note in the melody of shared intimacy.

Once dressed, Renée handed Y/N a hairbrush. "I'll help you with this, okay?" she said, her fingers gently working through Y/N's hair.

Y/N nodded gratefully, allowing the soothing motion of the brush to become a momentary distraction from the internal struggles. "You're so good at this, snuggles."

Renée chuckled softly. "Years of practice. Now, let's tackle those pearly whites."

In front of the bathroom mirror, Y/N and Renée stood side by side, brushing their teeth. The rhythmic sound of brushing became a comforting cadence, a shared moment of normalcy amidst the complexities of the day.

As they finished their bedtime routine, Renée turned to Y/N with a tender smile. "All set, cutie. Anything else you need?"

Y/N shook her head, her eyes reflecting gratitude. "No, just you."

Renée took Y/N's hand, leading her to the bed. They slipped under the covers, the softness of the sheets embracing them. Renée wrapped her arms around Y/N, pulling her close in a cocoon of warmth.

The room fell into a peaceful quiet, the only sounds being the soft rustle of the sheets and the steady rhythm of their breaths. Y/N spoke up, breaking the silence, "Thank you, Renée. For not seeing me as a broken girl. For being here."

Renée pressed a gentle kiss to Y/N's forehead. "You're not broken, cutie. You're strong, and I love you just the way you are. We all have our battles, and I'm right here beside you."

As they settled into the comfort of each other's presence, the weight of the day began to lift. The shared vulnerability, the routine of getting ready for bed, and the simplicity of being together created a sanctuary within the walls of their bedroom.

Wrapped in the warmth of their love, Renée and Y/N drifted into a peaceful sleep, the echoes of the night's struggles softened by the assurance that they faced the challenges as a team. The apartment, once filled with the complexities of the day, now held the quiet promise of a new dawn—a promise of unwavering support, acceptance, and the enduring strength found in the simple moments of shared intimacy.

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