#who found out they still had some of the earlier eps

[laurfilijames]

Happy Birthday, Darlin'

Pairing: Jax Teller x female reader

Words: 4,014

Warnings: Rated E, 18+. Swearing. Smoking. Mild descriptions of cuts and blood. Mentions of fighting. Unprotected intercourse. Slight asphyxiation. Some insecurities about Jax and his habits.

Summary: It's your birthday, and while Jax is pressed to make it to you in time to celebrate, he makes sure all your wishes come true.

A/N: Happy Birthday to ME 🥳 yes, I'm that bitch who wrote herself a birthday fic because I can. I've been dying to write for Jax for so long and thought this would be a fun way to get a feel for writing his character. If my writing wasn't self-indulgent before, it definitely is now.

This takes place after Season 2 Ep 12 The Culling where the Sons fight The League/Zobelle's guys because I just found Jax to be wildly sexy in that scene (but also when isn't he?)

---

The night air was cool on his face as he ripped as quickly as he could down the quiet, country roads back into town, easily shifting into fourth gear knowing every cop in Charming would be responding to where he just fled from and not having to worry about being pulled over for his excessive speed.

Jax knew he was pushing it for time - your birthday over in just less than two hours - so with a reminder of his bruised and bloodied knuckles, he twisted the throttle and opened up his Harley even more in order to get to you faster.

With a smile on his face at knowing your neighbours already complained about his presence on your street, he let open again on the straight section of road about half a mile from your house, hoping you and everyone else would now be fully aware of his arrival.

The fight with Zobelle’s gang already had him fired up, but not nearly as much as getting to see you did, and as he pulled into your driveway, his buzzing fury changed into a different kind of energy entirely.

Taking one last haul on the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, he blew out the smoke and tossed it onto the asphalt, stepping on it with a twist of his dusty shoe as he unbuckled his helmet.

Jax glanced up to see the dim, warm light of a lamp in your living room, smiling to himself again that you were still awake and no doubt waiting for him as he took his backpack off his shoulders and unzipped the main compartment.

Relieved the box didn't get smushed, he pulled out the still perfectly preserved cupcake and dug in his pocket for the single candle he stuck in there earlier, bringing his lighter out with it along with another cigarette.

He placed the fresh smoke between his lips, not paying any attention to the cut stinging on his lip where it rested, focusing on sticking the candle in the center of the cupcake and lighting it. With the pink candle set ablaze, he brought his lighter to the end of the cigarette and inhaled as it burned the paper, shoving the Zippo back in the inside pocket of his cut before carefully making his way up the steps to your front door with his free hand blocking any wind made by walking from blowing out the tiny flame.

He grunted quietly to himself when he knocked on the door, his hand more sore than he thought it was after punching Weston's face in so many times, muttering to himself when he realized he was getting blood on the side of the cupcake from a split on his other hand.

"Ahh, shit," he sighed, knowing he didn't have enough time to try to clean anything up when he heard your footsteps coming to answer. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and quickly forced the smoke out with a deep blow, waving his hand so it wouldn't be in your face when you opened the door.

An automatic smile formed on his lips as soon as he laid eyes on you, leaning against the doorway in nothing but your panties and his white reaper crew t-shirt that he left the last time he was over, his voice hoarse as he started singing.

"Happy birthday to you," he began, taking a step through the entrance. "Happy birthday to you," he continued, getting right close to you until your faces were inches from each other, his eyes flickering over your shy, but happy features as his gesture made you flush all over.

"Happy birthday, darlin'. Make a wish."

You tucked your bottom lip between your teeth, looking from his intensely blue eyes down to the candle in front of you, and blew it out.

"What'd you wish for?"

"I'm not supposed to tell, Jax."

He smirked, leaning even closer to you so his lips were hovering over yours, "Then I'll have to guess."

His kiss tasted like smoke, but you didn't care, craving the nicotine that transferred from his mouth to yours like you were addicted to the habit itself, deepening the kiss by arching into him as if you were never able to get enough.

Jax walked forward, guiding you further into your house, the sound of the door closing lost on both of you as he kicked it shut behind him and eventually broke your kiss.

"I didn't think I was going to get to see you today," you whispered, your lids heavy with lust when you looked up at him.

"Yeah, well, I skipped out early to come give my girl her gift." He held up the cupcake and let you take it from his hand, watching your expression change to confusion as you noticed the blood stained on the side of it.

"Is that your blood?"

"50/50 chance," he laughed, swiping his finger through the icing before licking it clean.

“Should I even ask?”

“Probably not.”

You began taking in the deepening colours of purple and red on his cheek, the cut on his lip and the ones that flawed his hands, the concern you felt taking away from the joy in having him there.

“Is this why you're late?” you questioned, your fingertips ghosting over his cheek and down to his lip.

“So you were expecting me, then," he winked, his smugness always managing to outshine anything else, forcing you to roll your eyes at him.

He kissed you again, plucking the cupcake out of your hand and placing it blindly over on the hall table where you kept your keys and purse, his hands reaching up to cradle your face.

"I should report you for theft, you know," he warned, pausing to take a breath, nodding down at his shirt that hung loosely on your body.

"I think of it more as safe keeping until the owner comes back to claim it," you challenged, your eyebrows raising to show your displeasure in it being too many days that had turned into weeks since he was last here.

"Hey, at least I didn't miss your birthday," he objected, trying his best to defend himself, his head tilted while his eyebrows rose to crease his forehead.

You backed away from him, turning to walk through to the kitchen, looking back over your shoulder.

"And how many other birthday's did you celebrate in the meantime?"

"Oh, come on," he laughed frustratedly, your accusation making him look up at the ceiling. "You know it isn't like that."

You nodded slowly in silent agreement, trying not to let your insecurities and jealousies get the better of you.

He sighed loudly, waiting for a moment before following you, his voice raising slightly to make sure you heard from down the hallway.

"You're the only one I always come back to. The one I want to be inside every night."

Hearing his footsteps coming toward you, you closed your eyes and breathed out, terrified of the hurt he could cause but realizing you were being hurt every time regardless.

His voice was near and softer now that he was in the kitchen with you, making your heart pound faster in your chest even though he seemed so calm.

"You gotta stop pushing me away."

It was safer that way; always keeping him at an arm's length, never wanting to get your heart involved when you knew what he was like and how many beds he ended up in. Jax Teller could have any woman he wanted; more charm in him than all of Charming, a simple crooked grin or nod as he strutted past enough to seal the deal, and not one person could say he wasn't successful in his endeavors.

Despite it all, you wanted him, but kept it casual enough to get a taste of what you needed, having said to both yourself and him on more than one occasion over the years that nothing more would ever happen as long as his habits remained the same, and you weren't about to ask a man like him to change.

He came up to you, his hands holding your waist, his lips peppering across your shoulder and dangerously close to your neck. You closed your eyes again and sighed, relishing in the sensation while praying he didn't do the one thing you always told him not to.

But Jax always did whatever the fuck he wanted.

He kissed up along your neck, making you moan and breathe deeper, trying to keep some sort of resolve.

"Jax, you know my rule," you pleaded, feeling your entire body ignite to his lawlessness.

"Remind me what that is again?" he lied, continuing to kiss and suck your neck, knowing damn well what it was.

You shivered, feeling yourself slipping away and quickly becoming willing to do anything he asked or all the things you really wanted to do; the way he kissed your neck was your kryptonite and weakness and the one thing you always prevented in order to save yourself, fearing you would reveal exactly how you felt about him anytime he lingered there.

"Jax…"

He stopped, grabbing your chin to force you to look at him, his eyes dancing back and forth with yours as he looked at you seriously.

“I'm done playing. I want this," he said pointedly, speaking with surety.

You let go of the breath you were holding, still questioning whether to trust him regardless of how convincing he was right now.

Taking hold of your cheeks again, he smoothed his thumbs back and forth across them, an honesty and pleading present in those clear blues that made you lose yourself every time.

Before you could argue or plead your case, he crashed against you, inhaling deeply like he was trying to suck all the air out of your lungs, his tongue probing deep into your mouth to tangle with yours.

There was no sense in trying to hold back now, done with pretending for as many years as you had, the whine that passed from your mouth to his signaling your surrender.

The metallic taste of blood mixed with tobacco teased your tastebuds with each kiss, increasing your hunger to taste more of him while your body displayed those needs and your hands roamed frantically under his hoodie and the waist of his low-sitting jeans.

The leather of his cut was soft on your fingertips as you ran them along the open panels, feeling Jax’s eagerness increase in his kiss when you peeled it down his arms and placed it carefully on the kitchen chair beside you without looking. He shrugged off his hoodie and white t-shirt while you busied yourself with unfastening his belt and jeans, letting the weight of his knife pull them to the floor without assistance, leaving him standing in his boxers with a cheeky grin on his face.

“You seem pretty happy unwrapping your present.”

“Is this all I get?” you teased, matching his smile and giggling when he picked you up and put you over his shoulder, giving your bum a harsh smack as he started making his way down to your bedroom.

"Come on, birthday girl, let's go make those wishes come true."

A seriousness took over again once you were in your room, what remained of the playfulness exchanged just a minute ago in the kitchen leaving the moment your feet touched the hardwood floor, Jax peering down at you with a look you hadn't seen before.

You'd be lying if you told yourself you weren't absolutely terrified, scared of letting yourself fall even further for him, but the way his expression had softened and his eyes held what you knew had to be love for you in them, you were ready to give in.

“I mean it,” he muttered, one of his hands reaching up to tuck your hair behind your ear where you leaned into his touch.

You crashed against him, kissing him hard, the need to have him more fierce than ever and only fueled more by him meeting your enthusiasm equally.

Jax tore his shirt from your body, only pausing in kissing you for long enough to get your head through it, stepping closer to you so your bodies were pressed together, feeling his hard cock nudging against your thighs and then between your legs through his boxers.

More desperate for him now than you thought you had ever been, you tugged his loose-fitting shorts down roughly, your mouth watering as his dick sprung free and bounced temptingly before you took hold of it and began rubbing the silky, veiny skin, his approval of your touch sounding as a low growl from deep in his chest.

"Fuck," he hissed, his mouth close to your ear as he leaned in against you, his hips moving into your strokes.

Finding his focus, he let his fingers hook in your thong to pull it down over your hips, his head angling to meet your mouth with his again as he slipped his fingers in your folds to spread your slick, both of you pressing your mouths against each other's harder as ecstasy quickly took over.

This was normally the time where one of you would frantically reach for a condom, barely keeping it together in time to get it on him as the temptation to go without almost always won, and today it seemed it would. You had always trusted that he wrapped up whenever he was with anyone, and although you were on birth control you were happy not to take any risks, but today was different. You wanted him, and all of him.

Jax walked forward until the back of your legs met your bed, and forcing you to sit, he crawled in over you, his blond hair hanging in your face as you spread out beneath him and he settled between your open legs.

He gave you a once over before meeting your eyes, admiring your perfect form spread and ready for him to ruin, his cheeks flinching as he clenched his jaw while he waited for you to give him the go-ahead.

Your consent was silent as you lifted your head up to capture his lips with yours, his sun-bleached beard scratching over your chin, lifting your hips at the same time so you rubbed yourself over his leaking head.

Jax wasted no more time, driving into you deeply in one push, pausing when he bottomed out to flex his cock inside you. You moaned into him, your hands clawing over the tattoo covering his back, unable to believe how good it felt to have him bare inside you.

Immediately choosing a rhythm that was both slow and hard at the same time, he thrusted in and out and ground against you with perfect precision, sending you close to the edge faster than ever before.

"You feel so fucking good!" he growled, his mouth parting from yours and leaving a string of wet between them, moving his lubricated lips over to your neck where you whined loudly and rocked more into his movements.

"Fuck, Jax!" you cried, knowing you were leaving ten red trails across his pale skin, but feeling the need to claim him as yours.

He was doing the same, sucking at your neck to leave darkened blemishes behind, his tongue alternating where his teeth came out to nip harshly at the tender skin to soothe each bite, his tempo growing erratic as he lost himself in your dripping cunt.

You seemed to only get wetter the more he kissed your neck and fucked you deeply, hitting that sweet spot with his head with each blow, the way you squeezed his girth tightly as he dragged in and out of you making him want to blow it already.

He forced himself to pause, needing to compose himself so he could keep fucking you for as long as he could, not wanting this to be over any time soon. Your whining increased, making him unsure if it was because he was sitting idly inside you or that he was persistent in continuing to kiss your neck all over to the point you had goosebumps littering your skin and you writhing desperately under him. It made him smile, knowing he had such an effect on you, smug in his ability to have you past the point of control and that you were seconds away from admitting something you tried so hard to deny for so long.

If Jax was anybody but the asshole he was he would've said it long ago, but selfishly he wanted to hear it spill from your gorgeous lips first, and he didn't ever go down without a fight.

"Roll over," he demanded, pulling out of you and forcefully grabbing at your leg to help flip you onto your stomach, hooking your knee up to bend at a high angle.

You took your hair in your hand and draped it over one shoulder, exposing the side of it for him to do with what he wanted, making him smirk more that you clearly wanted him there despite what you always said.

The hand that wasn't supporting him on the mattress gripped your cheek and spread you apart, driving his dick in you again torturously slowly, watching your face contort as he stretched you open. Your hands tore at the sheets as you backed yourself into him to push him in further, meeting his hips in slow, rolling motions, that tingling sensation of your building climax quickly returning.

Sex with Jax was always mind-blowing and the best you ever had, but tonight it felt so much better, so much more powerful, and you knew you could never have it any other way again.

He leaned over you to gently kiss your neck, more carefully than before, his efforts in wrecking you focused in his movements even though the feel of his lips on your sensitive skin had you shivering and threatening to come undone just as much.

The scent of your skin was like a drug to him as he breathed deeply, his nose ghosting at your nape and in your hair, dragging him right along with you to a point he would never recover from.

Wrapping a hand around to wedge between you and the bed, he found your clit, rubbing precise circles with his fingertips in the way he always knew made you scream, the thought of feeling you cum on his bare dick making him feel more feral than he ever had.

"Jax, I'm so close- Fuck!" you cried, your breathing growing ragged, your limbs moving recklessly to try to gain momentum on your climax that sat waiting just on the edge, seeking to keep up with his ruthless pounding.

He slowed his pace, adjusting to a speed he knew would have you at his mercy, his fingers pressing onto your swollen bud harder but in more languid strokes. His nose brushed along your neck, his breath fanning out over your dewy skin before he started kissing you again, the way your body tensed beneath him telling him he had you right where he wanted you.

"God, Jax, I love you," you admitted, feeling freed and unashamed in saying what you had feared to the most, your body relaxing into your words and finding the release it sought.

Jax hammered into you, pounding you through your high, his grunts mixing with your shouts of pleasure as you quaked and strangled him tightly.

Giving you no time to recover, he sat back on his heels and lifted you up with him, his cock momentarily slipping from you as you positioned yourself over his lap, allowing him a glimpse of your milky cum that coated it and sent him into a frenzy.

He speared back into you, your pussy sensitive and still tingling from your orgasm, his hand holding you back against his chest and pinching one of your nipples between his fingers to keep you as stimulated as possible.

Reaching up to turn your face to the side so he could kiss you, he rutted up into you brutally, feeling your pussy stretch out over him with each pump, your wetness dripping out to soak his golden pubes.

His kisses turned sloppy, nearing his end, his hand slipping down to hold your throat where he could easily control the amount of air allowed to pass through your windpipe, the knowledge of knowing you trusted him enough to let him do it lighting him up with an intense buzzing.

Before he could give in to that temptation, he let one hand return to your tits that bounced with his thrusts, the other replacing his lips on yours as he pulled your bottom lip down with his thumb and shoved two of his fingers inside. You sucked on them appreciatively, wetting them with your spit thoroughly as he triggered your gag reflex and pinched one of your peaked nipples at the same time, making you moan and clench hard on his dick. Removing them from the heat of your mouth, he trailed them between your breasts and straight down your stomach, landing on your clit where he spread your spit generously and worked to make you cum again.

You ground on him quickly, the increase in your movements sending you through to another climax, the sound of him grunting and panting in your ear as he began to cum encouraging you, but not as much as knowing he was about to fill you up.

He drove up into you harder, his teeth scraping along your neck and up to your cheek where he growled in your ear roughly, "I love you, too, babe."

You came together, feeling his hot spend coat your insides and start to leak out of you as he didn't let up on fucking you, wrecking you harder than he ever had before.

Your body felt weak and charged all at the same time, like you were melting into him but somehow needing more, and sliding off his dick with a quiet moan at the loss of him, you turned around to face him, sitting in his lap where you wrapped your arms and legs around him and held him close, continuing to kiss him with a necessity that was greater than breathing.

Holding your head in his hands, Jax met you with equal fervor, his chest rising and falling sharply against yours as he worked to catch his breath, and slowly guided you to lay down in the sheets with him.

Your legs tangled together, your arms holding and caressing each other with a surety you had never known before, relishing in the after effects of a level of bliss you were positive up until now you were never going to experience.

Slowing your kisses until they stopped, Jax looked at you warmly and flashed you a lazy smile, and you couldn't help but trace your fingertips over the creases beside his mouth and then up to run through his tousled hair.

You felt a slight pang in your chest in knowing he would probably leave soon, needing to see to some duties for the club, always having to run off shortly after his time with you to go deal with something that his loyalties couldn't ignore.

"I don't want today to end," you whispered, not ready to call it quits on your birthday just yet, and especially not ready to let him out of your bed after confessing something so huge.

Jax shifted onto his back, stretching out with a groan to reach for your alarm clock on your nightstand to check the time; 11:51 pm. Following the cord from the back of it into the wall behind the table, he pulled the plug out, watching the screen turn blank before rolling back over to you, his knee wedging between your legs as he settled his weight on top of you.

“Your birthday isn't over yet, darlin', and I'm not going anywhere.”

---

Taglist:

@sotwk @dailydragon08 @sunnys-day @thedreadandthefugitivemind @glassgulls @littlenosoul @blairsanne @glitterypirateduck @momia2910 @maggotzombie @rmwarn90 @paintlavillered

I went ahead and tagged everyone I have written down for my Charlie/Will Miller taglist so my apologies if you're not interested in being tagged in Jax fics and I will happily add or remove anyone as they wish!

#jax teller #sons of anarchy #jax teller smut #jax teller x female reader #jax teller x reader #sons of anarchy fic #jax teller fic #charlie hunnam

[virescent-v]

I’ve always wanted to see a fic surrounding this: the aftermath of Emily’s rescue from Mr Scratch. Maybe a fluffy bath moment at home or sweet smut vibes?

Aftermath

A/N: Bestie! I loved this idea. Tbh, I had to watch that ep first because I had no idea who Mr Scratch was. I'm only on s5 of my watch through hahaha. But I watched it, and wrote this! I hope it does it some justice. I think this is really my first take at a hurt/comfort fic.

Word Count: 1.6k (I broke my less than 1k word challenge, oops) Warnings: honeslty, not too much. There is some slight smut tho.

You were told to wait at home. But the wait was excruciating. 

You hadn’t gotten many details from Penelope other than Emily had been kidnapped, drugged, and had gotten rescued. She was otherwise unharmed. You only knew that she was chasing a high profile psychopath; someone that had even Hotchner running into WITSEC. 

So, you were waiting. Impatiently. For your girlfriend to come home. So you could check her over yourself, especially since you knew she wasn’t going to be responsible and go to the hospital. 

You were broken out of your inner anxious ramblings by Emily stumbling through the front door, all but dropping her bags at her feet and practically running right to you. 

“Em,” you whispered, gathering her in your arms. You could feel her slightly shaking, the adrenaline of everything finally crashing on her. “You’re home, baby, and safe. You’re safe now,” you said, continuing to whisper sweet words to her, rubbing your hands on her back, helping to wear off some of the epinephrine coursing through her. 

You tried to pull away, so you could look at her, really look at her, but her arms shot out and grabbed you around your waist, pulling you even closer to her. Like she was trying to burrow into you. 

“Not yet,” she whispered, her nose dragging up the side of your neck, breathing in your perfume. 

“Okay, okay.” 

It takes a couple of minutes; you can feel Emily mouthing something against your skin, as if she’s trying to ground herself, reminding herself that she’s not with him anymore. Eventually, though, she loosens her grip on you, allowing you to look at her face for the first real time since she got home. 

When your eyes connect, you can see the tears shining in hers. You can feel the weight of her stare, silently communicating between the two of you. 

I almost died. 

But you didn’t, love. You’re home. 

You trail your hand up her arm, across her shoulder, and over her heart. 

You’re alive. You’re safe. 

As you tap your pointer finger on her chest in time with her heartbeat, she takes a shuddering breath, a few tears finally making their way down her cheek. She blinks a few times, not trying to hide the emotion escaping her, before taking a deep breath that seems to use all of her remaining energy. 

“Can- can we take a bath?” She asks, timidly. As if you would ever deny her anything. 

You don’t say anything. You just grasp her hand in yours and lead her to your bathroom. You sit her on the toilet, tucking some of her stray hair behind her ears. You reach over to your oversized tub, turning the water to just on the side of scalding. The temperature Emily prefers. 

As the tub fills, you watch Emily, rubbing your hands on her knees. She’s still occasionally shaking, but not as badly as when she came in. Her gaze isn’t focused on anything, worrying you that she might start receding back to memories from earlier. You know she’ll be hit with nightmares later, something you’ve dealt with before and know how to handle. You just want to prevent that for right now. 

Once the tub is full, you add some bath water oils, a eucalyptus smell. You’ve found that it’s better for keeping Emily calm over lavender or vanilla smells. 

You start to strip, placing your clothes in the hamper. Emily still isn’t focusing on anything, her eyes settled on her hands on her lap. She isn’t even registering that the bath is ready, so you approach her quietly. 

“Em, baby, the bath is ready. You need to get undressed.” 

Her eyes tracked up your body, but there wasn’t her normal heat in her gaze. Only as if she was making sure that it was really you. 

When your eyes connected, you had to stop yourself from gasping. Her eyes were turning red from trying not to cry, almost overflowing with unshed tears. 

You crouched down in front of her, your nude form not even a worry. You rubbed your thumbs across her cheeks, trying to get her to release her emotions. You’d take them from her if you could. 

Emily feels your thumbs rubbing back and forth, letting your love for her ground her to this moment. Eventually, she closes her eyes tight, all of the tears breaking free, and she starts to sob. She collapses into you, burrowing into your neck again. This time, you can hear her mumbling, wheels up, I’m home, wheels up, I’m home over and over again. A mantra. 

You give her a few minutes, letting her get out most of the current wave of emotion. You know it’ll hit her again later, likely many times, and you know you’ll take them all in stride. Anything for her. 

Another deep breath, another slow release from you. You reach over and grab some toilet paper, wiping at her teary, snotty face. You can tell she almost cracks a smile at the noise her nose makes when she blows it into the tissue; she’s slowly coming back to herself. 

After you toss the tissue in the trash, you grab the hem of her shirt. Tugging on it, Emily raises her arms, allowing you to undress her. There’s no sexual charge to your movements; this is purely emotional, intimate connection between you and your girl. 

You get in the tub first, spreading your legs so Emily can settle between them. Usually, she’s behind you, always pampering you. It’s only on rare occasions do you get to be the one caring for her, so you take pride in your movements, your ability to calm her when she most needs it. 

As she settles in front of you, you feel the last of her energy leave her. The hot water around you soothing sore muscles, easing her overworked nervous system. Her heart rate starts to slow, her breaths becoming deeper, slower, longer. 

While you know that her body is physically relaxing, you know that her mind is not. 

You never get the details of the case. She never wants to burden you with the gruesomeness of her job, doesn’t want you to worry more than you already do. Emily’s a profiler, can read anyone in the room and pinpoint their motives. But you’ve become an expert in Emily. 

You help her through the aftermath as best as you can, providing her with the space to unwind in whatever what she deems necessary - or whatever way her body deems necessary. Sometimes it’s a hot bath and a good meal, sometimes it’s body-wracking sobs on the couch, and sometimes it’s taking her to the local gym to spar with someone and let her anger out. 

You see sides of your girlfriend that you know no one else has or ever will. She’s a strong, independent person with walls taller than Everest. Somehow, you’ve managed to climb them, repel down them, and settle in. Emily let you settle in, let you unwind the barb wire around her heart. You’d protect it with your life. 

You start rubbing a soft cloth with your body wash across Emily’s body; she’s always taken comfort in your smell after a bad case. You make sure to go slow, not knowing what happened to her, not wanting to trigger anything unknowingly. 

As you reach her bent knees, you feel her flinch a little. You stop immediately, trying to check in with her again. She’s mouthing the same mantra: Wheels up, I’m home, wheels up…

“Em? Do your legs hurt?” 

A slight shake of her head. No pain, which likely means it’s something mentally. 

You continue slowly, letting her feel the cloth on her legs. “Open your eyes, Em. Your legs are okay.” 

You watch the side of her face, watch as her eyes blink open, watch as her eyes track your hands up and down her leg. 

Another deep, shuddering breath as you feel her relax back into you. She continues to watch your movements, her eyes growing more focused as they move back up her torso. 

“I need,” a whisper, caught in the dryness of her throat; she clears it before trying again. “I need you to touch me.” 

You release the cloth, notice it float away to the end of the tub. Your hands wrap around her, settling lower on her belly, resting there. You watch the side of her face again. “You sure?” 

You would never take advantage of her, not while she’s vulnerable. You’ve had this conversation before, about how sometimes after certain cases she just needs to feel connected to you, feel intertwined with something that is real.  

She turns to look at you, her nose brushing against yours as she whispers a strong, steady, “love me,” against your lips.  

She trails her hand to yours, interlocks your fingers, before bringing both of them down to her core. Interconnected, simultaneously, you start rubbing slow, steady circles on her clit, working her up easily, lovingly. 

Each brush of your fingers against her has her twitching, rolling her hips into your hands. Her head thrown back against your shoulder, you can see her feeling you, feeling your love for her. The only thing on her mind now is her, you, and the way that you make her feel. Each stroke of your fingers is a promise, a vow to protect her, keep her safe, love her. It’s a love letter of all of the things you wish you could voice, of all of the ways you care for her. 

As she nears her peak, your lips find her ear as you whisper over and over I love you, you’re home, I love you… 

Her back arches against you, her hips pressing more fully into your hand. You help her ride through the waves, gathering her in your arms as she settles back down. Your lips brush light kisses around her temple and cheek as she catches her breath. 

“I love you,” she says. “I’m home.”

#emily prentiss #emily prentiss x reader #virescent v fanfic #ask v! #emily prentiss fanfic #emily prentiss x you #emily prentiss fanfiction #i somehow wrote and published three fics in one day??? #who am i???? #god i love emily so much #thanks for the prompt bestie!! #if theres mistakes in this do not let me know #i read through it once before posting ahhaha

[respectthepetty]

Pit Babe Colors Ep. 1-2

Because I have asks in my inbox about the color coding in Pit Babe even though I don't want to watch it, I'm going to challenge myself with this show and see how good my color skills really are. I'm doing my normal thing of watching it double-speed on mute, but now, I'm going to take off the captions.

*stretches body and pops neck* I'm going in.

Episode 1

The first episode established this tale is red versus blue.

Therefore, I do not trust these two. If this was West Side Story, we'd have a rumble on our hands.

I already know this one, *looks at MDL* Charlie is a Blue Boy but he isn't on the team. He is trying hard to fit in, so he came prepared.

The red is gonna win this. The smoke said it.

The blue is gonna win this round. The smoke said it.

The lighting outside of the house was normal and dark, but as soon as they opened the door, RED LIGHTING!

Someone is lying. But who? Charles, you have more red. You have some explaining to do, sir.

WAIT! Who picked this spot? These is a lot of red here and Babe is in black and red. HE IS THE RED?! Or is this just a neutral space for the reds x blues to mingle?

Something is happening with the red squad, and it does not spark joy in either of these LIARS!

Episode 2

This man is Big Red. He has the red cars behind him and earlier he had the red scissor kit, so he is also red flags.

This is a blurry image, but Babe has red pants on when he is getting beat up by Big Red in the flashback, so . . . Babe is the red. He defected to the blues, so now Big Red and him have beef. Also, homie holding him back looked sad. He will be an asset later.

No! We are NOT doing a dark versus light dynamic! I DON'T CARE IF CHARLES BRINGS LIGHT TO YOUR LIFE, BARBRA!

Wearing blue while meeting with someone who drinks red milkshakes? SUS!

Of course Big Red would like the only driver out of the three who had the red car. Way to be predictable, Big Red.

I DON'T TRUST THIS MAN! He came in like Charles in blue, but he has a red bag. Was he the one Charles was speaking to with the red milkshake? And these two in the back are still doing their red-and-blue bullshit! Oh hell nah! GET THEM OUTTA HERE! Cars are gonna catch on fire. I know that for damn sure.

OH SHIT IT WAS HIM! The colors never lie. So Charles IS a red too!

So is this gonna be Rihanna's "We found love in a hopeless place" and these two are going to break away from the red versus blue battle and become dark and light balanced instead? Because they just walked into a neutral space FILLED with red and blue yet still fighting people. Send me a memo, show. Also, I appreciate that Babe is a Slut for Christ.

CHARLES IS WEARING RED GLOVES! Was this fight thrown?! Was this was all a show with the new red driver?

The dark and the light clothing. The column between them. The red car backing Charles while he has the blue shirt, but he picks the blue car. They are going to breakaway from the norm and do their own thing. I feel it.

So . . . Charles can't drive, and Barbara is yelling at him now. I hope this is the red team slandering both of them in the media because how did Charles come onto a gay RACING team not able to drive stick? That's gay agenda item #1 - know how to handle a stick.

THESE TWO AGAIN! I 👏🏾 don't 👏🏾 trust 👏🏾 them 👏🏾.

Barbara and Charles are arguing again while Charles is in full blue (and that Ken with the magic earring necklace!)

Oh, Way knows Charles is up to something, but I'm more concerned with this man in black. That's the one who works for Big Red and held Babe back. I know he is still on Big Red's payroll because of episode one, so . . . What do you want with our Barbie?!

I feel good about this. The smoke told me the winners of the race. The milkshake and bag told me that newbie mechanic was no bueno. I'm going to commit to this adventure. No sound. No captions. Just vibes and colors.

#pit babe #pit babe the series #the colors mean things #and they will guide me the whole way through #color coded boys in love

[lovelybeesthings]

Playboy

Theodore nott x reader (3rd person)

Word count: idk (there's really not like enemies to lovers in this one maybe if I do a part 2?)

Warnings: underage drinking? Swearing not that much glass breaking

A/n: hello update on my life my mom is OKAY THANK THE LORD I change fandoms but I’ll still right Coriolanus fics if you send requests!

Summary: I was thinking about that one scene in Euphoria in the 1 ep in season 2 where Fez slashes the bottle into Nate’s head saying happy new years and was like this would make a nice fic (IM SORRY IF THIS IS PURE DOG SHIT)

-

Y/n L/n and Theodore Nott were both famously known in their house Gryffindor and Slytherin each had their reputation Y/n was nice and caring, Sweet a surprise she wasn't in Hufflepuff The thing that made her a Gryffindor was how bold she was and acting before thinking she had sent a lot of females to the hospital wing while Theodore was smart looks slick like a snake and in one word a Playboy doesn't matter what kind of girl she could be seeing someone he didn't give fuck.

Something they both have in common is that they have a feud Theodore has a new girl each week or even days before leaving them heartbroken and Y/n is there to heal it for them but Theo likes seeing how their hearts fall to his empty promises his empty words leaving like a ghost.

Theodore originally dated Y/ns closet friends and when he left her friend brokenhearted it sent her friend into a spiral of depression so bad that the poor girl transferred wizarding schools.

But currently, Y/n has found herself at a house party celebrating new years it had Hufflepuffs, Ravencloths, Slytherins, and Gryffindor.

Y/n had arrived earlier at the party with a few of her friends and she had on a black Minnie skirt paired with a black belt and black boots with a white off-the-shoulder top and access jewelry pretty makeup for the occasion and her (c/n) hair was in curls with the help of her friend.

Y/n took a sip of the beer she held with one hand she laid her head softly on the nearest wall her friends ditched her to go hang out with some Ravencloth boys.

The music was being blasted loudly not being to hear any small talk so she roamed the room seeing a few boys high passing a joint she was able to pinpoint one of the guys Mattheo riddle so that must mean his counter part is close by y/looked around once more spotting Theodore..

Her eyes studied him his dark brown curls his tall build and shoving his tongue down his next victim Y/n was taking her time trying to see who it was then to her horror she knew God she was going to murder him.

The girl was a fifth-year one year below them but that wasn't even the worst part she knew this girl she was a sweet Hufflepuff girl whom she tutored a bit and who she protected against a few Slytherin girls whom She had landed big hits just enough to send them a message and to the hospital wing in return the sweet girl made her baked good for a while month.

Y/n soon snapped back to reality once Theodore Watercolor's eyes met here it was honestly disgusting to seem to stare at her as he French kissed a fifth year her face scrunched up disgusted by his sick act as she finished her drink leaving to go to the kitchen for another bottle maybe something stronger to forget what she saw.

(TIME SKIP BC IDK 😣)

For a while now Y/n has been engaging in a conversation with Pansy she was the only member of Theodore's friend group she could stand and they were talking about Theodore be exact.

“It's truly disgusting I mean I've seen him bring back a lot of girls and it's been disgusting to see to make out with them in the common room but French kissing a fifth year?!”

Pansy says as she takes a big sip of her cup Y/n nods in response to her words “Does he have any fucking bloody lines!” she says scoffing as she drinks her beer.

Blind to her in the corner of the kitchen was the little sweet fifth-year “I'm going to go save the princess” Y/n remarks as Pansy grins letting out a giggle “Truly heroic!” she says clapping as Y/n makes her way into the kitchen looking down in the girl crying knees to her chest.

“Hey there my badger” y/n says as she slides down next to the girl handing her a tissue “You look beautiful tonight” The girl's eyes soften once they meet Y/ns “Hello Again..n” she lets out as she sniffs.

“What happened I saw you with him a couple of minutes ago and now I'm sitting on the kitchen tiles with you,” Y/n says trying to comfort the teary eye girl “As Theodore was kissing me he broke out of the kiss and said he spotted an old friend and I said to go say hi!” she says a small smile her cheeks stained with tears.

“After I while I was getting worried I didn't anyone here..e so I began to look for him,” she says as her voice cracks Y/n sighs “And you found him making out with this old friend right?”

Y/n places an arm I've the girl which makes her scoot closer to Y/ns embrace “You're not the first girl sadly that this has happened to” Y/n sighs as she can feel her blood boil she's going to give Theodore a night to remember for sure.

“I'll be right back just need to go to the bathroom okay?” Y/n says as she brings her beer with gets up as the fifth-year nods.

Y/n makes her way around the party and soon finds Theo he can feel the presence of Y/n behind him and slowly breaks away from his hot make-out session “Bambina leave me be for a few minutes” he says to his hookup.

“But the balls going to drop soon and I wanted you to be my first kiss off the-” she's immediately cut off “Ore” says in a stern matter with a cold state she soon backs up scoffing walking away.

“Sorry about that,” Theodore says as he wipes his mouth with a nearby napkin, and a smirk is printed on his good-looking face.

Y/n arms are crossed over my chest as she smiles stabbing her nails into her arm to try and control her anger “The balls gon a drop soon!” someone shouts his watercolor eye locked into her (e/c) eyes .

“So what did you need to talk about? You finally fell in love with me?” Theodore says cockyness in his tone “God no” Y/n says scoffing as a smile is on her face.

“Last time we were together you said you wanted to kill me,” He says smirking and arching his eyebrow staring at me waiting for a reaction “4, 3, 2,1” everyone shouts as they kiss, drink as Y/n lifts her beer “Yea well, New year playboy” she says as she smashes the glass into his he as knocking him out.

“OMG Y/n JUST KNOCKED OUT THEODORE! Everyone is stunned by the sound and the news.

PART 2??? Idk

#reader #theo nott x reader #theodore nott x reader #theodore nott angst #theodore nott x y/n #fanfic #theodore nott #theodore nott fluff #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter

[sapphicthunderhead]

I’m so thankful to you all for not spoiling TMagP Ep 6 for me. That said, spoilers ahead, be warned.

Item 1: Needleboy will most certainly be a recurring character, and his statements regarding fear appear at first glance to throw a wrench in the popular fan theory that the fears have been “reconfigured” as obsessive desires. However, upon further examination, I have surmised a way in which proponents of the aforementioned theory can still win. Needleboy’s eldritch deity could be one who derives power from Schadenfreude, the perverse joy found in watching others suffer, OR from the desire to induce fear (particularly fear of physical suffering, perhaps) in others. More data required to come to a definitive conclusion.

Item 2: Umm. Alice. What the fuck?

I dunno about Sam, but I felt like I, as the Watcher, was under siege during that horrific tirade at the end of the episode. I too picked up on what seemed to be some romantic interest in Celia on Sam’s part, but from my perspective, Alice’s response came completely out of left field. Of course, I admit the morbid humor in it was entirely in line with her characterization heretofore. But I never expected her to get so hostile with Sam, and I can’t help but speculate that there might have been a smidge of jealousy tucked into whatever motivated that outsized response. (That is not how friends respond to noticing friends have crushes on other people, in my not inconsiderable experience as a disaster lesbian.)

I am now on the lookout for any signs that Alice’s laidback demeanor is a facade masking some serious internal struggle. Between this incident and her remark about “how to get the nightmares to stop” earlier in the episode, I’m beginning to wonder if Alice’s recruitment of Sam might have been her strangled, indirect way of reaching out for help & support from him… because she’s suffering a lot more than she’s let on.

(Full disclosure, I had to think hard about how to write about Alice’s behavior in that moment because my gut reaction was terror of her, not for her. The incident reminded me of some personal negative experiences with ex-partners. Was that just me?)

#the magnus protocol #tmagp #alice dyer #samama khalid #ceaseless watcher #tmagp 6 #tmagp needles

[whateverisbeautiful]

🀄️reflecting on richonne

Wordless Richonne Moments That Spoke Volumes 

Honestly, Rick and Michonne’s relationship kept us so fed that even brief moments where not a word was spoken still communicated so much about the love they have for one another. Reminiscing about them (as is routine 😌) I thought about how many great and meaningful wordless scenes shed light on how important and special they are to each other, even apart from the always A1 hugs, kisses, and moments that will land on my top 30. Without even counting those, there is still so much powerful and heartfelt stuff captured in just quick wordless actions. And I just have to revel in some of my personal favorites. ❤︎

6.09 

A personal favorite pre-canon wordless moment is in No Way Out. It’s the moment when Michonne helps Rick remove his blood-covered garment after Carl’s been shot. Up to this point in the series, it was clear that Michonne had become a mother to Carl, especially in moments like the one in the episode prior, Start to Finish, where she helped cover him in walker guts. So it made perfect sense to see her so panicked and doing everything she can to help Carl after he was shot. But that subtle act of her helping Rick with his clothes as he’s understandably too dazed to think straight...it was this exchange in 6.09 that really communicated Michonne isn’t just mom in this infirmary, she’s a wife too. Her concern was for Carl and Rick.  

I so love that this exchange was included because in a moment of extreme crisis for them it showed how much Rick and his wellbeing was a priority to her. How much she loves him. From the second they realized Carl had been shot, Rick and Michonne both seamlessly went into protective parent mode and operated like a well-oiled machine to get him to the infirmary. And when Rick later walks out of the infirmary to take on the walkers, Michonne immediately knows Rick needs her and joins his side, even despite the danger and wanting to stay by Carl’s side. Seriously, when Michonne told Rick “either way, you need me” back in Season 3 it really remained the gospel truth throughout the series. So yeah there’s just something genuinely caring about that super quick poncho moment in the infirmary and it’s a nice effective way to show how much he means to her.

6.10

Another great wordless moment is in the next ep, 6.10, when Rick finds that toothpaste with Daryl. My absolute favorite aspect of this subtle moment is when Rick grabs one of the toothpaste boxes and checks to see which type it is. Y’all. 🤭 I love this. Because see, a man who is just getting toothpaste for his friend would see that they found a box of toothpaste and just think “oh good, my friend wanted that.” But a man in love, a man in love says yeah we found toothpaste but lemme check this box real quick and make sure it’s the exact type my woman said she wanted.👌🏽 I’ll always appreciate how this whole toothpaste/mints through-line during the day was used to show Rick’s feelings for Michonne before they got together romantically that night. Because it showed how it wasn’t just about getting the basics the group needs to get by, he wanted to give her what she wanted and to do something nice for her beyond bare-bones survival. Rick really stays remembering all the details about Michonne, including her favorite type of toothpaste. And when she blessed his life by being all glowy in that robe earlier that morning and told him what she likes, he wanted to be sure he delivered. Hence him later being shown pocketing those oh so special mints. Forever here for it. 

6.11

Of course another top tier wordless moment is in 6.11 when Rick reaches for Michonne and she holds his hand in the RV the morning after they finally got together. Their energies in that RV were just flat-out adorable. 🥰  I love how bashful but happy Michonne is and how blissful and content Rick is. It’s so sweet how Rick can sense her without even looking and lovingly reaches for her, and then smiles wanting her to know how happy she makes him. The joy they bring each other and the perfect partnership they are is just so on display without a word being spoken. I love this as the first sort of private (despite a full RV and Jesus eyeing them lol) post-canon moment we get to see them share after that night. Rick and Michonne both fully aware they’re in love is just perfection. And again, this moment is so meaningful because this wordless handhold is really all they needed to assure each other and know they’re in it for the long haul. 

6.16 

Rick’s reaction to finding Michonne’s hair in the traumatic season 6 finale is such a telling wordless moment. It will always stand out to me how confident Rick had been at every turn in this episode, even as they began feeling cornered, and it wasn’t until finding his love’s hair that he began to really let fear and stress sink in. The way he still holds onto the hair even when they return to the RV and just seems completely distraught that she and some of his closest friends could be hurt somewhere. 😢 Indicating they have Michonne really was the Saviors most effective tactic that day cuz it shook Rick to his core and likely triggered the memory of only finding Lori’s hair hanging from that walker’s mouth after she died in s3. It was already so evident that Rick deeply loves Michonne but this moment in that RV just really hammered that point home. It also emphasizes that “you’re okay/I’m okay” thing R&M have cuz he now knows she’s likely not okay and that instantly makes him not okay. She’s his other half, and his world seemed to be feeling off balance without her. I appreciate that they let this moment with Rick and her hair linger for a bit as just how much Michonne means to him was made blatantly evident. 

And that’s only Season 6. They have several more. So It wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t a part 2. 😋

#richonne #random revelings #twd

[starseneyes]

Chenford - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Eps 8 & 9

Hello, Chenford fans! If you love Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford on The Rookie, I owe you a debt of thanks. Throughout the years, I've loved writing Metas for various ships, and several of you told me I HAD to check out this ship.

Y'all. Were. Right! It's been so much fun catching up and then riding with you this season on an amazing adventure. All of y'all who've stuck it out from the beginning are rockstars!

SPOILER ALERT: This is a Meta of Episodes 8 and 9 AKA the 2022 Winter Finale. I will be talking extensively about Chenford and spoiling every bit of it for these two episodes, as well as diving into their past and parallels found there. Do not proceed if you wish to remain unspoiled.

Ready? Let's dive in!

The Collar

"I'm reassigning Aaron for the day. Lucy, that means you're on Gofer Duty."

Lucy and Tim haven't been outright avoiding one another since their near-cheating incident, but they have been avoiding riding together.

Spending all day in a vehicle without an out or an excuse to get away if things get too personal? Yeah, they've been avoiding this.

The way they look at one another, both trying to see if the other is okay with this is so perfectly their MO. They're not going to say what they want until they're certain the other person is on the same page.

Just look at the scene when Tim "asked" Lucy to be his Gofer... they basically went around one another in circles until it came to arms crossed and "Do you want it?" "If you want me to want it", basically.

Tim and Lucy are still tip-toeing here. And Grey can feel the discomfort.

"Is there some reason you two can't ride together?"

Lucy huffs out an exasperated sigh because what can she say!? and looks to Tim, who looks to her. There's no getting out of this without saying something neither of them want to say right now, so they let it go.

But watch them after Grey walks away. Tim can barely look at her.

Because this is not like the times in the past when they've ridden together. They've ridden as TO and Rookie/Boot. They've ridden as Sergeant and Gofer. Yes, technically Lucy is on Gofer Duty, but she's no longer his Gofer. That job's been given to Aaron.

She's riding as Officer Chen, and their dynamic has completely shifted from one that bordered on romantic to two people desperately trying to shove down the feelings that they too-briefly acknowledged months earlier wearing borrowed clothes and courage.

The Shop is a tin can with two people shoved inside of it—two people who are hoping they can avoid shaking the foundations of their firmly rooted relationship because they aren't quite ready to leap.

"So... how's single life going?" "It's good. No one to complain when I watch football all Sunday." "You didn't leave the house once?" "I walked Kojo." "Tim! What?" "I spend all week outside." "I know, but we live in a vibrant city. There's always something amazing going on." "Look, obviously don't get me wrong, I love LA, but it is not a vibrant city, okay? It's a loosely stitched together patchwork of strip-malls." "You're hopeless."

Yes, I wrote all that. I love this whole exchange because it feels like them, and I know that's why Lucy is smiling over at him after he finishes his last line. This feels right. It always has.

Yes, there have been times that they have been at odds. Yes, there were times Tim was a hard*ss trying to whip her into shape. Yes, they've had their fights and confrontations over the years.

But this rhythm has been earned.

They can disagree without offending one another. They don't have to conceal the fact that they disagree, or tiptoe around issues.

Well, they do have one issue they tiptoe around... but we'll get to that later.

A Phone Rings

Tim glances over, and his face is hilarious. It's a good thing Chris can't see how Tim registers who it is, makes a grim frown, and looks away, trying not to eavesdrop because the last thing he wants to do is listen to the woman he loves be ooey-gooey with her boyfriend.

"Where are you?" "An open house! It was on my way to work. What do you think? It need some work, but it's three bedrooms."

Now this has Tim's attention. He looks over, trying to register if he's hearing what he thinks he's hearing.

Lucy. Looks. Horrified.

"I can't really see anything. Can we talk later?" "Yeah! Love you!"

Lucy can't hang up the phone fast enough.

She huffs out a little, frustrated grunt as she makes that image disappear from her phone screen—a future she knows deep down she doesn't want.

Tim—who thought he was going to get through this day without delving into Lucy's personal life—can't help himself. He noticed several things in that exchange, and there's something that's stirring within him even if he doesn't want to admit it—hope.

Lucy didn't say "I love you" back.

Lucy looked entirely uncomfortable at the idea of moving in with Chris.

Lucy rushed to get him off the phone.

These are all tiny indicators to Tim that there's a chance to have that conversation he's been dying to have since the hotel room when Lucy stood before him wearing nothing but a robe as armor against her heart.

The episode before, he was holding his radio—a literally communication device—which tied them together throughout the day. He held it in his hand, trying to communicate with Lucy. But Chris swooped in, and she was whisked away on his arm, seemingly happy.

Tim doesn't want to do anything to hurt Lucy's happiness.

But this exchange gives him the hint that she isn't happy.

"Are you, are you and Chris moving in together?" "No." "I mean, he seems to think you are." "Yeah, I mean, I don't know. He kinda sprang it on me this morning."

Watch how Lucy rubs her chest, clearly uncomfortable.

Up until now, it's been easy to coast in this comfortable relationship. She wasn't sure where Tim stood, especially after he encouraged her to go off to UC school, and Chris is a great guy.

She should be happy, right?

"You guys are happy, right?" "Yeah." "Those are the obvious next steps." "We're super happy. It's good."

Tim's not trying to lead her on a ride. He honestly wants Lucy to be happy, even if it's not with him. But the cracks are showing.

"That poor woman. The last moments of her life must have been agony, just wondering if the bomb was going to go off, praying it wouldn't." "I'm guessing that was the point. No way someone goes through that much trouble of building something like that unless they wanna terrorize their victim." "Yeah."

I love this conversation because we're still in the moment with them—that horrible moment where a woman lost her life.

Tim and Lucy don't just bounce off of it. Yes, they keep going. They have to. But they take the moment to acknowledge the horrors they've witnessed.

I desperately wish more of my news colleagues had done this back in the day, but that's a story for another blog.

Tim and Lucy's quiet moment of reflection and compassion is interrupted by... Chris. Of course, it's Chris.

"I saw the news, are you okay?"

Oh. Oh! I thought Chris was going to do or say something completely insensitive. That's... refreshing.

"Look, if you don't have time, I get it, but a realtor friend of mine just slipped me a listing-"

THERE it is. There's the a**hole, can't-read-the-room, tone-deaf moment I was expecting.

Lucy looks to Tim to find him already watching her. "Save me," her eyes scream.

"Chen! Chat with your boyfriend on your own time."

Heck, yeah!! That's our White Knight riding up on his faithful steed to rescue the Warrior Princess whose current dead-weight Gentleman Caller has got to go!

Thank you, Tim, for coming to the rescue with some TO-voiced ordering.

"Thanks."

He nods to her in acknowledgement. The barrier they've both kept up is falling more and more throughout this episode, especially as she leans on Tim for support.

I like to talk about the Walls of Jericho from It Happened One Night, one of my favorite love stories, ever. It was physical, but also metaphorical. It was, essentially, a flimsy sheet set between a man and woman to try to separate them and avoid temptation.

But shadows made it through, and it was easily shoved aside. That's the veil between Tim and Lucy, right now, and it's falling fast.

You shouldn't need saving from your own boyfriend. But after what happened with Caleb, Tim's always felt a responsibility to protect Lucy, and I feel that's only intensified as their relationship has progressed toward the romantic.

He can feel her hurt. This is actually hurting, now, and he's not going to stand by and do nothing.

"Look, if you don't want to move in, just tell Chris that." "The question is, 'Why don't I want to move in?'. I don't get what the problem is. I mean, Chris is great. We're great together. We never fight." "Maybe that's the problem." ... "Do you guys not fight because you don't disagree on things or because you don't think it's worth the bother?"

Watch. Her. Face. Oh, how it falls as she considers those words. She's riding along, coasting in this relationship with Chris. There's no passion, no friction, no growth. It's convenient and comfy, but we all know that Lucy isn't afraid of confrontation.

Heck, when she was still very fresh in her Rookie stage with Tim, she tracked him down at night to keep him from making a choice that would change who he was. He might've told her she was out of her depth, but he listened.

Lucy doesn't shy away when it counts. So why is she shying away, now?

"Lucy." "Yeah?" "You deserve someone who's worth the effort."

She's fiddling away at her phone case, uncomfortable and nervous. But she meets his eyes as he speaks to her. She doesn't just hear his words, she feels them.

Tim pulls away after the words escape his mouth, placing his right hand on the wheel, further away from Lucy. She watches him for a moment before looking away, just missing him looking back at her.

They both know what he meant.

Whether his intention was to put himself out there or not, he did it. He reached out a little to her, and though he can't see it, we can all feel her reaching back.

That cord of connection that bonds them is always there, but new threads are weaving in... new strands that only strengthen the more they're spoken aloud.

Tim and Lucy are falling in love... but they aren't ready to discuss it... yet.

Taking Cover from the Bomb

I know it's little, and we can rationalize Tim would have done this with anyone. He absolutely would have protected them. But I love the way he rises WITH her. When they stand after the snipping of the bomb, it's as a unit.

And it's so indicative of this episode. It's bringing them back to that point of trust we saw in 5x01 between them where they were undercover up in the air, and knew they had to trust one another completely.

They've kept apart to try and dull the thrum of their hearts that beats deeply for the other. They've been afraid, and unsure, and unsteady.

But the more they're together, the more it's obvious to both of them (and to us, come on!) that they work beautifully together, that they can depend on one another, that the get one another in a way that's spiritual and chemical and can't be forced or reproduced.

Lucy's F*cking Phone

Every time they get a second of air to breathe, that bloody phone is going off. Now, Tim's actively looking over, not even pretending he's unaware of what's transpiring.

Lucy's frustration is bubbling over, and Tim can see it. He looks over at her and sees the woman he loves... miserable. She's f*cking miserable with this other guy, and he knows it.

"Do you love him?"

Tim knows the answer to this one. It's plain as day. But he also knows Lucy. She needs to work through things, sometimes, which is part of why she talks so much.

Tim licks his lips before he says it, as if he needs extra lubrication to get the words out.

Lucy tries to deflect. Much as she loves talking, she doesn't want to talk about this with him. She deflected hardcore in the hotel, and here she is, again, trying to deflect.

"He loves you." "I know. And I feel like I should love him back. He's so great in so many different ways. It's just. He's just not-"

And her gaze shifts immediately to Tim.

Y'all breathing? Because, I legit stopped breathing at this moment. I might've flailed so much in excitement that I accidentally batted my husband's arm beside me.

But watch Tim's reaction... he knows exactly what she's saying. And while they've broken a lot of rules about talking about personal stuff in the Shop, that's one place they both know better than to cross while under the watchful eyes of half a dozen cameras.

Because, Tim is already bending toward her, but he hasn't yet broken the rules. He hasn't yet crossed the lines. Oh, we all know they both nearly did… but didn't.

ADDENDUM: After watching the scene a few more dozen times, I now don't think Tim knew what she was saying... or he wouldn't let himself hope that he was hearing correctly. Anyway... Onward...

And as they ride, feet and legs parallel to fit their seats, arms contained, and eyes only stealing glimpses, they are very much packaged within the rules of their world.

He's the Sergeant. She's running Gofer. And there are too many rules for the conversation to shift there.

"We need to talk."

Look, I've never said those words or heard those words in a positive manner, but I was completely blown away. But, before I get carried away, can we talk about how GORGEOUS Lucy looks in this ensemble? It's fabulous and I want to hug the costumer.

And there's Tim, tapping away on his phone, alone. I get the feeling they planned to have this conversation, or else he would have gone home. We've never seen him just hang out outside like this. I mean, earlier in the episode he was already telling Lucy he gets plenty of sun.

But his sun is shifting. She's becoming his sun. And soon he'll be basking in her glow.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, again.

Tim sets down his phone and immediately turns to face Lucy as she sits. This time, they aren't in the confines of the Shop. They're not parallel. They're angled toward one another, though not yet fully facing each other.

We're seeing the shift. They wear civvies. They're outside in the fresh air. And yet, they're still not facing one another completely. Not yet.

And yet they are on the same page in this moment.

"This clearly isn't working out."

Props to the human on Twitter who pointed out the repetition of this word being used by Tim and Lucy when discussing the other's significant others who they think need to go. "Clearly isn't the right guy..." "Clearly Ashley needs to go..."

And, yes, Tim. We all agree with you. It's about Tim.. Time. It's about Time (and Tim).

"Oh, like I'm the only one who stayed too long when things aren't working? You dated a lifeguard. You don't even like going to the beach."

I admit I laughed so hard at this line that I missed the next one on my first viewing. I always thought that about Tim and Ashley, but it was nice to hear Lucy verbalize my frustration.

"This isn't about me. No, it's not. This is not about me. This is about you staying in this safe relationship because you're scared."

Buuuurn. I mean, he's not wrong.

I actually know a lot about this, personally. I dated a guy in high school. Nice guy. Thought I was in love with him. But as time went on, I could see it wasn't going to work out. It just wasn't right. So, there I am in my Freshman year of college facing all these people saying, "You two are going to get married!" and everything in me screaming, "the hell we are!"

But it was safe and easy. And breaking out of that relationship was tough. I broke his heart, soundly. He kept trying to get back together with me. But in the week after I decided to break up with him, I met this amazing man named Matthew.

Spoiler Alert: We nearly met over the course of 1.5 years on two different continents on 12 different occasions. We met at exactly the right time. When I was ready to walk away from a safe relationship that was going nowhere. Been together 19 years, married 15.

So, I get it, Lucy, but it's time to break free.

"Of course I'm scared. If we do this, and it doesn't work, I'll have ruined the most important relationship in my life."

Silence. Pure silence. Because what do you say to that?

Tim's sitting there, watching her, leaning into her, drinking her in. And for the first time in his life, he's not the one who's trying to give the most. He's the one who is valued, cherished, loved, and honored. In Lucy's eyes, they are soulmates, with or without the romantic subplot.

And as that realization sets in... that she sees him the same way he sees her. Oh, he loves her all the more.

Because there is finally a person who knows what an a** he can be, how rigid he can be, how closed off he can be, how horrible his childhood was, how hard he's fought to be his own man despite never having a father who gave a damn. Lucy has seen his scars, and not only does she care about him, she is so terrified to risk what they have because she knows in her heart there is no other human who can fill the Tim shaped hole in her life that would be left if he was gone.

Tim. Is. Loved.

When you grow up feeling unlovable, then enter into relationships where everyone's leaving you... it gets hard to see your own value. You stop believing that you're a catch, something precious, something special.

But Lucy knows Tim inside and out, and in this moment, he finally understands why she's terrified.

It's not just about risking a friendship. It's risking the defining relationship that transcends every label it was supposed to have at every stage. This is big.

The last time his mouth was this wide he was completely turned on by the idea of hooking up with Lucy via her doppelganger backstory. But the expression this time is completely different.

Look at Tim's eyes. Look at the man who has feared himself unlovable learning that the woman he holds to such high esteem holds him equally high or higher.

Lucy realizes the bomb she just dropped (thank you to Director Robert Bella for telling us they'd be there!) and she tries to back-pedal a little. Now, she is not negating what she said. She simply fears it was too strong a statement to drop on Tim right this second.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" "No. Um, you're right."

This takes me right back to the hotel room. Her trying to give him an answer, an escape, an excuse. Just biology, "right?" And it's belated, but here's that "right" she was looking for. The big reason that it's not worth the risk.

"So we should just keep going the way we have been, right? It's not worth the risk."

Right? Right!? RIGHT!?

She wants him to affirm her so badly, not because she doesn't want him... but because she wants to know it's in her head, to know that he won't go there, to know that she's justified in staying scared.

But this time, Tim's not letting her off the hook. He can see it in her eyes. He can hear it in her voice. They're on the same page, and there's no way he's letting her turn it without him beside her.

A thousand micro-expressions cross Tim's face. There's the, "Well, you have a point" that quickly shifts to "but maybe..." and then to "I'm just saying" with that little pout to the raised eyebrows with the "come on... let's try".

"Unless it is."

Three words. Three little words and the entire Chenford fandom spontaneously combusted on the floor. I mean, we were already puddling, let's be clear, but in terms of existing on this plane? Nah, that went out the door with this.

Because Tim Bradford, Mr. Super Cop, Follow the Rules, "Chen" not "Lucy" is sitting next to the woman he loves and telling her he thinks they are worth the risk.

WE are worth the risk.

Lucy stares at him incredulously, a little gasp escaping her lips. It's something Melissa O'Neil does a lot as Lucy that adds so much realism to her reactions. Here, Lucy is so surprised at his response, but she's elated, too. You can see it in the upturn of her lips.

And Look. At. Tim. Look at our boy all heart-eyes and fawning over the new sun in his life—Lucy Chen.

Eric Winter takes us on another tour of micro-expressions. We start with his awe at watching her respond, then gathering himself up, trying to have courage. Then, that falls away as he simply laughs. Because he doesn't need courage. He's already fallen. The only question... is whether or not she's ready to take this leap.

He lets the smile fall, gathering himself for whatever she might say as he learns forward. He's moving closer to her, physically, romantically, emotionally... It's all riding on this.

"Do you want to get dinner sometime?"

On. The. Floor. All those Chenford folks who were already broken apart and left this plane temporarily re-formed long enough to combust, again.

Timothy Bradford, look at you!

And this entire scene has brought us to this. From an establishing shot, to a two-shot, to switching sides so the busy sidewalk is out of our view, and pushing in as Tim and Lucy get closer and closer to this moment.

The camera's been taking us on a journey, from remembering where we are and who might be around to forgetting that anything except Tim and Lucy exist. It's the intimacy of the moment brought to life through the screen.

We've come to this moment tight on Lucy as she looks back at Tim, his eyes swimming with hope. It looks beautiful on him.

"Ye-es!"

She makes it two syllables (another amazing little touch that Melissa O'Neil does) as she explodes in a grin that'd light up the darkest room.

And watch Tim bask in it. Have we ever seen his eyes so bright?

"Yeah?"

I love the way he breathes it out, breathless, because she has stolen his breath away and he is left in disbelief that this beautiful woman is ready to risk it all for him... with him... for them.

"No, uh..." "Okay." "No, no, it's just... Not yet. I owe it to Chris to end things the right way with him."

Watch Tim's body language (and this is all Eric Winter). He pulls away from her. He straightens his back. His foot pops down and his knee drops.

Everything in Tim just deflated. After that split-second of joy, this feels like the plummet into rejection that some tiny part of him feared—the part of him that continually thinks he isn't worth it... because of deep set childhood trauma and abuse.

And we've shifted back to the two-shot, away from the intimacy.

But Lucy brings it back.

Before Tim can fully pull away, we shift back to that tight shot.

"Ask me again."

And watch how he boomerangs right back to her.

He's leaning in. He's engaged. He's surprised, but in the best way. Because "Not yet" can easily lean into "No".

But "Ask me again"? There's no denying what she means. She wants this. She wants him. She wants them.

Just not yet.

"Later. After." "Deal."

And look at his face. He looks so content. I can't remember ever seeing Tim Bradford so worry-free.

I mean, there are hints of him relaxing into life around Lucy... paint-balling... the flirty banter after she woke up after Day of the Dead... dancing in the company of friends.

But there's always been that bit of tension about. Not here. His face is free of all that, and he is resting in the knowledge that soon it won't be an idea, a fantasy, a fear, or a frustration. They are taking this next step together.

And it is terrifying. And it could be disastrous. But they've committed in this moment. And I love that for them.

Take Back

Chris Wants Tim's Opinion

Have you ever been around a male peacock? They are a fascinating bunch, constantly throwing out their gorgeous feathers. But they can be really annoying. I've had them chase me and my family at a local farm. Like, really, Mr. Peacock? I didn't do anything to you!

That's how I view Chris and Tim.

I don't think Chris is just in here because "Tim knows Lucy's taste". I get the impression that Chris is onto Tim and Lucy, but I think he only sees Tim's side because he's completely, blindly in obsessive-love with Lucy and is missing the truths in front of him.

He doesn't see Tim as competition. He feels like he's won. But he wants to be sure that Tim is aware of that fact so he'll back off.

I mean, look at how Chris responded to Lucy inviting Tim on their date after she gave Tim's radio back? Chris' face fell and he was completely frustrated. We know he's tried to talk her out of being a cop and into being a lawyer.

Much like Ashley, he found someone he liked enough and tried to shape her into what he wanted. The difference is, Ashley knew when to walk away, even if her timing sucked (in a hospital? after surgery? Were you raised by a**holes?)

So, here's Chris in Tim's temporary office, making sure to show off the big house he's going to get with Lucy—and you aren't, Tim. Neener, neener, neener!

Yeah, I'm not nice to Chris' internal monologue...

"You know her tastes..."

Of course he does, Chris. Because Tim is her favorite flavor. Step off, bro.

**To be clear, I have nothing against the actor. If anyone attacks him over a character he plays, they're an a**hole. But Chris is fictional and fair-game to me.

"It's nice." "What's nice?"

Let's not pretend Lucy is in here for any reason other than to get her boyfriend away from her husband. That room is nothing but glass, and she likely spied Chris in there and thought, "F*ck".

Chris kisses Lucy's cheek on the way out, and the grin Tim gives him is delicious. "Do it while you can, buddy, because you are on the way out and Tim Bradford is on the way in."

Yes, I realized the multiple entendres, though it wasn't written with that intention. So, it stays. Take it however you will.

In one smooth camera movement, we go from Lucy dropping the plastic smile to Tim looking up from the desk with a half smile.

"How's the breakup going?"

I cackled. I died. I tried so hard not to wake my sleeping husband but definitely failed because he abandoned our bed shortly after to take the couch.

There's no more tip-toeing for Tim and Lucy. Everything is on the table, it's just whether or not they play it through.

"I'm in the planning stages. I'm just reviewing the literature." "Literature? Lucy, a psychology journal's not going to tell you how to break up with Chris. Just invite him to your office and ask for his playbook."

I love this. The banter. The humor.

Look, I'm a huge fan of characters getting together and not losing what made them great. It worked beautifully on The Good Place and Brooklyn 99, and I really want to see it work here, too.

Tim and Lucy's back-and-forths are part of why we love them. Even in this moment, they disagree. But they've worked through so much in their relationship that even though they openly disagree, they know how to do so with respect.

It's earned.

"His playbill?" "His playbook. When you get kicked off the team you have to turn in your playbook. It's a metaphor." "No, it's cruel. I'm going to handle it my way."

And here come Tim's creeping doubts. Because a tiny part of him still worries this is too good to be true.

"If you're having second thoughts-" "No. I'm not." "Good."

Heart eyes. We have HEART EYES at work... in uniform. In the Watch Commander's Office. Freakin' heart eyes.

You ever have a moment where you stop and think, "How did I get here?" That's me and this moment. Everything up until this point made me smile and squeal. But, this? This made me swoon.

Because Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen are looking at one another like the other lassoed the moon. There's no fear. No trepidation. No worry. No tension.

In this brief moment, Tim and Lucy are simply that... Tim and Lucy. Every other boundary is seemingly stripped.

And yet... they are still separated by Chris... and the Desk of Duty set between them.

Think about it. Tim doesn't break the rules much. Yes, some things matter more. It's true! But, it's few and far between.

Here, he is in the role of Watch Commander, even further from Lucy in her position. And yet the man and woman beneath the badges and uniforms are screaming to be together.

But the barriers have not yet been rendered moot.

"You know, you haven't said anything since we pulled out." ... "I need to break up with Chris." "Finally!"

Aaron. Oh, Aaron. Thank you. First, for knowing our girl well enough to know that her silence is a sign something is up. Two, for saying what everyone has been quietly thinking. And we (the audience) know you know Tim's got it bad for Lucy. So, thank you for your service in this moment.

"Aaron was right. I should have practiced more. Okay. Um. I need you to give me your playbook."

She defaults to Tim's advice. Quick. Rip off the band-aid. Go for the metaphor.

Now, my husband pointed out that he would have had no idea what that meant (same with me). But, apparently, Chris knows enough.

"Are you breaking up with me?" "You know what that means?"

I laughed heartily at that. Which is a terrible, terrible thing to do when a guy is getting his heart broken. But, I've been there.

I didn't say exactly those words, but I knew direct and to the point was the best way to handle the comfortable—but wrong for me—guy.

He's great, by the way. Married to a mutual friend of ours with a son. We kept in touch! I oddly did that with all my exes... Yeah, I know I'm weird.

But Lucy definitely definitely doesn't need to keep in touch with Chris.

And our girl knows it, because as soon as the deed is done, she runs right back to Tim.

Lucy knocks on his door, that beautiful moonstone ring that has come to mean so much glinting at the camera lens, catching light from somewhere in the room.

"How's it going?" "Counting the seconds until Grey returns. What are you doing back?" "I talked to Chris."

With that, Lucy crosses the threshold of the room, toward Tim, away from the past.

Tim finally, finally comes out from behind the desk. He stands facing her. No longer parallel like in the Shop. No longer angled like outside.

This time, they're pointed at what they both truly want—each other.

And the barriers are gone. Lucy has shed the dead weight of the puffed chicken, and Tim just stepped away from the weight of that Desk of Duty to face Lucy fully as a man.

He's still in uniform. They're in the Watch Commander's office. The walls are glass. But none of that matters to him because he's made a choice, already, and nothing will stand in his way now that Lucy is ready to take this leap together.

"How did it go?" "Uhhh, awful. But it's done."

Lucy takes a look around them, taking in the scene, looking to see if anyone is coming or anyone is watching. She turns back to Tim, secure that this is their moment.

And it's happening inside the precinct. Why? I think it's because this is where it all started for them. The first chapter of their story began in this setting. Why not have the next chapter start similarly?

Tim watches Lucy as she looks to him. The look on his face reminds me of 5x01 when they'd just crossed the threshold into her apartment and he was standing there, watching her, unsure if she wanted to start or if he should.

This time, there's no ambiguity from her.

"So, do you have something you were gonna ask me?"

She takes a step forward on that, settling into her hip the same way she did at that door back in 5x01, watching Tim and waiting for him to cross the threshold to her.

This time, the threshold is invisible, but they both know it's there. They can feel the buzz of this moment and all the change it will bring.

Much as they have fought it in the past, they know they're on the same page. It's time to start writing a new chapter.

"I can't remember." "Don't make me hurt you."

Again, thank you, writers, for making sure that Tim and Lucy are still... Tim and Lucy. Even in this moment of monumental change, they are still the characters we love and not watered-down versions of them.

Lucy and Tim are flirting in their teasing way, and my heart's fluttering so fast I fear I'll take flight.

Tim locks eyes on her, taking his own step forward. Any closer and there'd be some side-eye from the other officers outside, of course. But that was the threshold right there.

He crossed it. Tim Bradford took a step toward the future he wants with Lucy Chen.

And as his eyes swim with adoration, his mouth quirks into an almost-smile, the peace of reciprocal love enveloping him in warmth.

His eyes sparkle, and while, yes it's probably studio lighting... I like to think it's because those eyes are reflecting the radiance of Lucy's love back to her.

"Do you wanna go out on a date?" "Yeah, I do."

The last time she said, "I do" to him, they were on a dance-floor, giddy with excitement, releasing themselves into a moment of happiness.

But with these two words, they've unlocked something even deeper—the chance at love that transcends boundaries and rules, that binds souls in passion and paradise.

Does it mean the road will be easy? Hell, no. But, it means they'll face it together.

They have fought. They have battled. They have pissed each other off. They have pranked one another. Helped one another. Supported one another. Uplifted one another. Rescued one another.

This is an epic love story, not some flash-in-the-pan, fly-by romance. Tim and Lucy have been on parallel paths for a long time.

But now, their roads have converged in the purest of ways—two humans daring to risk it all... because they're worth it.

And despite being in a transparent box, nobody's looking in, and Tim and Lucy aren't looking out. They only see each other, and the possibilities opened on the blank page of the rest of their lives. Oh, I can't wait to watch it unfold.

Thank you all for reading. What comes next? Only the writers know... but I'm loving this ride, and I want to thank each and every one of you who told me over the summer that I needed to check this ship out. You were right! They're magic.

#Chenford #Tim x Lucy #Lucy x Tim #Tim Bradford #Lucy Chen #The Rookie #Eric Winter #Melissa O'Neil

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 32 - Pupuce's Life

Finally, an episode where I won't have to say anything At All.

To extract some value from this ep despite how it is kinda boring, I will overanalyse this room now.

Firstly, Kerubim is so orphancoded. He's so old and sleeping on a bunk bed with no lower bunk.

I like to think that, in the orphanage, Kerubim and Atcham got into bloodied battles where they scratched the shit out of each other over who gets the top bunk, and due to not being hairless Kerubim always won and bullied him into sleeping on the lower one.

I like to think it was one of Atcham's many tragic backstories. Like that's when The Darkness truly began to grow.

I genuinely think it's fucked that Joris, at 7 years old, is sleeping in a cat bed. But also, that's not even one tenth of the most insanely evil things about their household.

They have so many potatos and so much bread... Heaven on earth.

Ever since I mentioned it in one of my earlier posts, I had wanted to elaborate just a bit on some other evidence for my headcanon (or, well, pretty-much-canon?) of Joris being a night owl, and this moment of Joris just blatantly oversleeping is as good time as any to bring it up:

We often see Joris awake at night, or staying up very late without any issues.

Perhaps, it is due to Kerubim himself often staying up late, and also due to, y'know, the child neglect that was probably happening before Simone, that he developed a circadian rhythm that has him being so okie-dokie staying up late.

I won't even point out that there's a random knife on the floor. I am fucking numb to the sheer neglect in this household by now. Kerubim could leave rat poison in Joris's bed and I would be like "oh that silly goofster!"

But I will point out that it seems that Kerubim often leaves Joris alone with Simone, and I will be real — in my heart of hearts I know that this fucker left Joris home alone since he was like four whenever he needed to do something. Or he'd be like "uhhh go across the street and sit at miss Julie's, brb" and be gone for hours. He probably left him home alone over overnight too. You can't tell me I'm wrong.

It would be out of character for him to get someone to actually babysit. Especially with how shit their home was.

"No, little pupuce, don't go into SCP-914!!"

"Oh mon dieu, c'est un scp full of evil clonen !"

Kerubim is insane. All these pictures of his ex, and none of his son. He really is insane.

I think Kerubim still draws, at least in some capacity. No other reason for there to be oil paints in their home.

Though perhaps Kerubim is into the idea of his son getting poisoned by expensive-ass professional-grade paint. Maybe he's just into that.

"ASTRUB CITY" repeated twice. + "Dofus Pets 2" (obviously.)

Also, jellyvision movie theatres are real. And so are traffic lights. Though I didn't bother screenshotting the second thing.

Oh this one is even better than that time we found out that someone at Ankama called a person named Emilie a bad word in this kids cartoon. You'll love this.

I'm sorry french person from 2013, but I've been translating this text with a huge grin on my face. You ARE the interesting find.

This ad is so beautiful. Thank you, Kerubim.

The man might pretend that he doesn't like Pupuces as a species all he wants, but his actions speak louder than his words. He's never beating the love allegations.

They are all so bad at taking photos... Also! This confirms that at least a Single photo of Joris, as well as Simone, is on a wall somewhere in the house. Big day for regaining belief in Kerubim's normalcy.

This says "ANNIV PUPUCE", which finally made me realize, that there are three champagne glasses on the table, one in Joris's hand, as well as some weird looking food with candles in it (probably pupuce's food?).

This changes EVERYTHING. Kerubim is no longer an evil fucking cat/enemy #1 of this blog. Kerubim has been forgiven.

#ep32 #ro liveblogs dofus #dofus #wakfu #krosmoz

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Dead Friend Forever ep 2

Let's goooooooo!

Documenting my observations and speculations because of the ongoing mystery. (small comments in brackets are things I've gone back to after the ep ended).

I do like this opening music. It sets the scene well for this being a spooky mystery but also speaks of the youthful innocence - and then the breaking of it - of the friend group.

I know not every character needs to be colour-coded but they all seem to have a distinctive style, so for my satisfaction here's my interpretation: White is either blue or has coloured edging to his t-shirt (or both); Tee is either tie-dyed or red (or both) (White and Tee are the only actual couple and we all know blue and red are a common pairing...and Tee's tie-dyed vests have had both of their colours so far); Fluke is purple (duh); Por is maybe green; Phee is maybe orange, Jin could be dark, Tan could be light, and Top is either embroidered shirts or yellow (or both). Let's see if this continues throughout the rest of the series.

Of course it was Tan in the background of the film, he was missing from the scene when they were recording the film.

I literally said White's line aloud before he did 😂

I wonder if someone is putting something hallucinogenic in their food or drink rather than some of these 'supernatural' things happening to/around them.

HELP! 😱 That mask is super creepy 😭 *pauses and breathes for ten seconds* Ok, focus on something else - it looks like the person in the mask is using a crutch on their left side, so maybe has an injury to their left leg, and has the axe in their right hand...let's remember that for later.

If the masked person wanted Top dead, he could have killed him there and then in the bathroom. So if the masked person is real, why didn't they? And if they're not real, then does Top really believe what he saw? Or is Top lying to instil fear in the rest?

And so I also need to wonder if Por is actually dying or if he's acting to stir up fear in the group. Make up and prosthetics can look very realistic... Hmmmm 🤔

One of my biggest questions is, are we as an audience being shown The Truth?

That was A Look from Fluke...was he not part of whatever it is that Tee, Top, and Jin did to Non? (It seemed in a later scene he does know so probably was...).

I'm leaning more into the theory that they're hallucinating, and the 'drug' is playing into their fears. White obviously cares about how he looks, with all his skincare products, and as soon as he's used something on his face (has that been tampered with? Or did he accidentally ingest something when he handled the 'drug' for the others if this is all his plan?) he sees blotches on his skin. Top is scared there's a ninth person in the house, so hallucinates the attack in the bathroom replicating the scene from Non's film. Let's see if there are any other instances which will back this up.

Floppy discs! 😂

Do they really have to add those squelchy sounds for Por's wound 🙉

OMG NOT THE EYES 😩🙈😩 PLEASE!

Yes, definitely something to do with hallucinating and maybe Por is faking... Is the hallucinogenic drug airborne or absorbed through the skin?...

Something I can't work out...in the photo Top found earlier there were 6 people, so I assume Tee, Top, Jin, Fluke, and Non, but who is the 6th person? Should I have been able to see in the photo? Or will that be revealed later? (edit after watching ep 5: I realise I forgot to include Por, so that's the 6th)

Oh god it's That scene...not looking not looking not looking... Why are Top and Tee riding off the way the Uncle came, surely IF the wire was across the road it would still be there...so maybe it's not and maybe the uncle's head wasn't detached from his body...maybe it's more hallucinating...? Or if they're in the woods now then maybe they didn't go down the road at all...and the Uncle's death is real...

(I'll say this quietly because this is personal to me but I'm also having trouble watching because I don't think I like Jet's acting. It doesn't feel authentic and it takes me out of the story a bit because I don't feel like he's acting well. I don't believe him. And it's not like he's playing it so that the audience doesn't believe the character, I think it's Jet just not being as good as the others. It's like he's demonstrating that he's acting, if that makes sense, rather than just embodying the character of Top. It's a bit overdone for me. Sorry to Jet who I presume is working hard but it's just not landing for me).

THE TATTOOS ON THIS MAN!! 😮😅 UNCLE DANG...MORE LIKE UNCLE DAMN!!

Wow. I'm still hooked. I'm still side-eying Phee because I know he knows Non, and I'm loving that I feel like I can't believe anything that anyone says or does 😂 THEY'RE ALL STILL SUS. RIP Uncle Damn Dang though. The first real victim of this situation. If he really is dead.

#dead friend forever #NO SPOILERS PLEASE #I am watching despite the horror and gore #although this ep nudged up against my limits a bit #answers to questions welcome ONLY IF THEY DON'T GIVE SPOILERS #please and thank you!

[genericpuff]

I don’t know if this is a silly question or not, but I saw you mention how the creator of “there are no demons” uses a 3D sculpts to make their comic. Do you use a 3D software? I have never even considered it before now, but now I’m wondering if it would help me keep consistency with different characters body types

I actually do, not so much software (I'm not a 3D modeller at all lol) but 3D assets! There are a few sprinkled throughout Rekindled, mostly involving background props and set designs (though in a lot of cases my assistant @banshriek will often just use them as references to paint over rather than use them directly if they feel it looks better, much of the backgrounds in the comic since Ep 23 can be attributed to them <3).

I don't use 3D models for my character art, not so much because I'm against it, just because I've used them in the past and while I found they helped with certain things I often struggle with like perspective and proportions, they've also started to hinder my creativity because of how stiff they can be (and tbh it made the drawing process really boring for me because I was literally spending more time adjusting poses than I was actually drawing!) I'm finding I'm perfectly capable of drawing anatomy on my own now, using 3D models for a while helped me get there but now they're more limiting than they are helpful due to my outgrowing them (kind of like training wheels on a bike, like yeah they're helpful so you can learn how to ride a bike, but you won't get to go as fast or have as much freedom of movement as you would if you learned how to ride a two wheeler). I think they're great for referencing or if I'm REALLY stuck on a pose or how a character exists in a space, but I don't like being constrained by them by using them constantly and that was what it was starting to feel like while I was using them for Time Gate so I've moved away from 3D character models and stuck exclusively to using 3D assets for backgrounds and things that aren't going to affect the overall quality of my work or how I make it.

I think the fact that a lot of people straight up don't notice that I use 3D assets in Rekindled is a testament to that LMAO Although you can tell in some of the earlier episodes when it was just me working on it and I had to balance quality with turnaround time. I've always hated drawing backgrounds and so Banshriek has been a huge help with relieving that stress and adding that extra touch to Rekindled that I just can't feasibly bring on my own :' )

If you're interested in trying out 3D models for yourself, then by all means do it! You won't know what works for you until you try it. Most of my advice stems from experience, I'm not someone who wants to spend all day messing around with 3D dolls, so using them to aid in my drawing just wound up being redundant, time-consuming, and boring. But there are folks out there who love messing around with 3D models, there are even comics out there that are fully 3D with zero drawing, using models that are handmade. Webcomics are a medium, you can do whatever you want :' )

The only advice I have to give from experience is to be aware that like with any tool, they aren't necessarily a "replacement" for the learning process, they should supplement your learning alongside other resources and references. You should still make an effort to learn foundational things like composition, lighting, color theory, dynamic gestures, etc. regardless of whether you're working in 2D, 3D, or a fusion of the two. "There Are No Demons" has a look to it that's uncanny and that's clearly the point so the 3D models help a LOT with that, but there are just as many webtoons that use 3D models poorly and wind up with an uncanny look they weren't intending to have (ex. Let's Play).

#lore rekindled #lore rekindled comic #lore rekindled ama #ask me anything #anon ask me anything #anon ama #ama

[saglaophonos]

how do you think the last ten minutes could have been better set up? because i have Ideas but i’m also a fool. a fool who did feel the pacing of season two was Off and would not at all have expected the kiss at the end had it not been spoiled for me.

i think the last ten minutes had two glaring set-up problems which were 1. it is way too easy to side with crowley in the break up and 2. aziraphale's decision to go back to heaven seems jarring. and sure, you can argue that you're meant to read them as both at fault, and that aziraphale's current character arc does align with his choice. and youd be right. but also if i had done it, it would've been better. 

1. too easy to side with crowley (crowley needs to be more at fault)

the scene where crowley goes to heaven and learns about the second coming should've happened in episode 3 while aziraphale was in edinburgh. and crowley shouldve spent the next couple of episodes weighing whether or not he should tell aziraphale about what he knows. this would've continued & escalated the conflict of episode one, as crowley knows that telling aziraphale would spur him into action, but crowley's priority is keeping them and their "peaceful existence" undisturbed.

then in episode 5, i would tweak the sequence that starts with nina calling out crowley. crowley's reaction reads as "oh no i'm in love with aziraphale!" and my tweak is it shouldve been "oh no i can't hide my love for aziraphale anymore. i can't avoid the situation coming to a head any longer". crowley is avoidant. avoids external conflicts (the second coming) & avoids internal conflict (feelings for aziraphale). the ep 5 sequence ends with crowley's same conversation with gabriel and he decides that in order to keep them safe, he has to keep aziraphale in the dark about both things.

having crowley make the choice to not communicate with aziraphale be what indirectly leads to aziraphale accepting the archangel position in heaven would be a more satisfying way to punish crowley for his avoidant tendencies, while also bringing into larger emphasis for the viewer that this is something crowley still needs to work out on a character level, but also for their relationship to progress. then, you don't need the fanfictiony "maggie and nina tell crowley to confess" scene, because the reason why crowley confesses becomes obvious within the breakup scene itself. crowley realizes he caused the situation they're in by avoiding the issue; his next strategy is to force them both to confront the issue directly.

2. aziraphale's decision feels really s1 (establish motivation earlier)

okay the aziraphale fix i'll be more brief about. first of all, say you go the above route. having crowley worry that aziraphale would try to prevent the second coming if he found out about it wouldve helped lay the groundwork of explaining aziraphale's choice. but i wouldve also done the following 

the fact that aziraphale really didn't care about maggie and nina getting together until he lied to heaven about it was such a missed opportunity. if aziraphale is insistent that he must and can fix heaven, that could've easily been mirrored though this plot. the aziraphale & maggie scene in episode 1 should've had aziraphale genuinely moved by maggie's plight - instead of brushing her off, he shouldve gotten invested on a personal level. maybe he just wants them to be happy, maybe its made more blatant that he sees the two as parallels for himself & crowley. idk. either way getting them together because of the miracle lie shouldve only been a secondary concern to him. it shouldve been personal. because the plot is all about how, no matter how much aziraphale would like to control the situation and manipulate it into going the way he thinks it ought to go, some things in life are simply beyond your control. but aziraphale can't see that, which would've more blatantly set up his motivation when he makes the choice to go back to heaven. aziraphale cannot reconcile with injustice; yet, in the same way you can't force two people to fall in love, you can't fix heaven.

and honestly? honestly you could tweak more. something you could really tweak for a better set up into episodes 5 & 6, but especially the last ten minutes, is 1941. anyway! can't wait for s3. hope they kiss!

#for the record i do not care that good omens 2 is bad lol #ask #good omens #meta

[yohangaontdj]

The Devil Judge Rewatch Ep 6 (Part 3)

Continuation from Part 2 which can be found here.

Now we have the morning after. Gaon waking up and looking confused. And Yohan walking in - all showered and still in the midst of tying up his robe.

Noticed how Gaon had house slippers now unlike when he had first come to the mansion - wandering around barefooted.

And now we have Yohan speaking the truth in such a way that had Gaon misunderstanding him.

No wonder Gaon looked peeved. And most likely regretting that he had stayed up all night waiting for that idiotic boss of his.

And here we have Yohan, smiling like he enjoyed seeing Gaon all riled up.

The next bit is absolutely my favourite. And it isn't just how Gaon had assimilated himself into the family. It's the interaction between Yohan and Elijah that is both funny as well as heartwarming.

And it started off with Gaon deciding to cook at last. Look at him owning the kitchen.

Then going around to call everyone to come and eat.

And I love Elijah's smiles as she recall what Gaon had done - being with her and even sleeping on the sofa to keep her company. And giving her his sweater despite how cold he must have felt.

And then the stark contrast when she realised Yohan was there.

The next bit, it had me so tickled, the way Yohan had acted with Elijah.

Look at him strutting towards Elijsh like - Ah-ha, my chance to tease the hell out of you, Elijah! That's for all the times you kept asking me if I'm dating so-and-so. Then calling me boring and no fun when I said I'm not.

And Yohan mimicking Elijah is just so childishly cute. Then running away, not that fast enough that Elijah couldn't catch up to him.

I just love Yohan who despite being an adult in his 40s. He hadn't let that become the key factor in his relationship with Elijah. Not like some adults who would be stern and serious. And would use the fact that they are older to tell someone younger what to do and expect to be obeyed too.

And it seemed that Yohan love teasing those that he had given his heart to. Just look at him doing something similar to Gaon earlier in the front part of this post.

And once again I have reached my limit. Part 4 should be up tomorrow once I have the time.

#the devil judge #the devil judge rewatch #gahan #kang yohan x kim gaon #lawful husbands #yohan x gaon #i just love love them and i want to rave about them. #And I'm finding more and more in this rewatch. #Wish I didn't have to work so that I got the time to rant about them.

[striderl]

Good morning/night/whatever time it is to you!

I was just zoning out earlier when I thought of this so PLEASE humor me on this. (I may be forgetting important information that could disprove this theory.)

What if the original Camerawoman, Sawmus' Fiancé (you said they were engaged right?) and the other Camerawoman (who I forget the name of so I'm gonna call her Catniss) Are the same person. Lemme elaborate:

The OG Camerawoman was decapitated by the Glitch Toilet, right? But that means the rest of her body is fine. What if the alliance found the body, dragged back to base, and gave her a new head, which gives us Catniss. They can upload all her memories into Catniss (I mean, that's what every episode of skibidi toilet is: the memories of different cameramen) And now we have OG Camerawoman with a new head.

(Sorry this was long and probably doesn't make sense, I wrote this at 5:30 AM so I still have morning brain)

Have a nice day/night! :D

Hello!

Welp, I would say in my case, it’s not possible to revive the original camerawoman (I call her Lumix). I had some explanation before.

First of all, I have a headcanon that Lumix was a human-converted unit like Polaroid, since her body looks mostly human-like. Not gonna lie, she was the only alliance unit that exposed that much skin. Unfortunately, decapitation was a one-way ticket for her.

Secondly, if you look back to Ep. 29 where the incident happened, the glitch toilet rammed through a speaker helicopter and caused a large-range explosion. And we know that whenever a unit or toilet explodes or is caught in an explosion on screen, if we don’t see them reappear, it means total death. When Lumix is caught in that explosion, she has no chance of survival. Even if she had a mechanical body, she would still be damaged beyond repair. If you ask why the alliance medics don’t upload Lumix’s memory into a new body, they simply can’t. Have you seen a burnt computer chip before? There’s no way she can come back. 

Also a little info on the helicopters. Typically, conventional helicopters use highly flammable fuels which cause crash-fire incidents, and vaporized fuel would be highly toxic to the human body. However, military helicopters use different fuels that are much less flammable, and in most cases, they don’t cause explosions at all.

In short, she’s gone forever. Sawmus could only get that wedding in his electric dreams.

#Ask #Skibidi Toilet OC #Cameraman oc

[redrobin-detective]

Fionna and Cake ending Tweaked

I finally finished my F&C rewatch and I'm once more baffled by the amount of people saying it was boring or bad or "missed the point". While I do believe some parts could have been better to hammer the point home, I honestly think it ended exactly how it was supposed to with: Simon coming to grips with his past (needing to move on from Betty) and actually work towards his future and Fionna and Cake learning to be real instead of just pieces of fiction in others' minds.

Spoilers for ep 10 under the cut

That said, I would tighten up the ending slightly by removing the last bit with Scarab in Fionnaworld. His rampage should have ended when Fionnaworld was canonized and he's forced to return to HQ to reckon with his punishment. The whole bit of other worlds being dropped in by Prismo to save the day was not necessary but I'll get to that later.

It should have been the battle that ended swiftly and suddenly with the violence stopping but everything now feeling so much more present, the stakes higher and consequences real. They are now part of the multiverse, real beings separate from both Prismo and Simon - who previously controlled/influenced their environments and actions - and it's kind of scary to be suddenly totally responsible for your actions. This would be a metaphor for the series' growing up motiph of escaping the perfect dreamworld where nothing goes wrong and understanding that the real world is more complicated. Not bad, not evil just complicated.

Now we switch to Simon getting home, waking up in the field's of Ooo with a butterfly's kiss. He has a third chance and he is not wasting it. There really should have been some more wrap up with Simon and his found family, even just a montage: Simon holding a furiously crying Marcy's hands as he explains what he almost did, Simon and Finn out on a REGULAR camping trip, looking up at the stars and talking openly about their grief in a healthy way, Simon being in therapy (A+), Simon throwing himself into education and the preservation of the past in order to create a better future. It didn't need to be much, but a little more would have been nice.

Also the phonecall worked from GolBetty/Fionnaworld but texting hasn't worked since. Finally, both Simon and Fionna/Cake are still left feeling a bit unresolved over the whole thing when they are suddenly all blinked into Prismo's time room. Sorry for the delay, Prismo apologies, had to get the new guy oriented. He explains pointing to a pouting 2D Scarab. Simon/Fionna/Cake get the precious goodbye but also hello hug they deserved. Now that Fionnaworld is canonized, they can come and go freely. Simon asks tentatively if Fionna still wanted to come live in Ooo. Fionna and Cake - in mutual agreement! - say no they want to make their own world work. But they will certainly visit and they open Fionnaworld to anyone who needs somewhere new, somewhere where everybody knows your name. And THAT's how baby Finn, pep tank, Farmworld Finn kids, weird squirrel etc end up in Fionnaworld which becomes a blend of new and old, the ordinary and the magical. Its also addressing Fionna's earlier series selfishness and tunnel vision by helping those she hurt.

We end with Simon rushing off to work with textbooks and maps under his arm, coffee in one hand and a phone in another texting Fionna. Fi is working on the rebuild in her town and responding back as we flash to the dandelions then up to the stars where a red comet flashes across the sky. Betty has become something new, having shed her own past and she is happy. The End.

Basically TLDR the finale DID hit what it was supposed to but could've hit more on: Simon finding new purpose and making good with his Ooo friends. Fionna and Cake making up from their prev fight and understanding that they are real now and they should build up their own world instead of continuing to slot into others. As much as I love Betty and her crazy ass story, she had her agency at the end by telling Simon Ily but lets move on as she did the same. A sequel series about her would be interesting but in this series it would have fortified her choices and her actions

#adventure time #fionna and cake #sorry this has been stewing since i finished my rewatch a few days ago #the series hit 96% but could have hit some points better #Ive seen some bad takes and bad faith on the message of the finale and its like yall #anyway i just woke up from a disorienting nap so my inhibitions are low and my grammar is terrible hence this post

[daydream-comet]

OH YEAH :3 i'm curious. what are your favorite parts of v-force/2002? i'm personally big on the digital sacred beasts (or atleast, that plotline from yuya onward, the first 15 eps of the season are kind of a blur to me) and.. ok i can't say zeo's plotline was pulled off Well but i love zeo as a character they are SO fascinating to me.

Well my favorite plotline from the season itself would be Zeo's one, while if we're talking about vforce as a whole then the movie's. The movie had a interesting plotline, and revealed a lot of info about the sacred beasts as well, though not everything was fully disclosed, it seemed they were heading somewhere with it but with grev sorta diminishing the presence of the sacred beasts I think it was dropped. Oh, and the cave scene. I....have a lot of talk about that one, I'm a bit too crazy and delusional about that particular scene to the point it'll need a separate post if its own (if I ever overcome my social anxiety and copy paste everything here)

Zeo is definitely one of my favorite characters in vforce (its the hair that started it I swear I want his hairstyle so bad) and surprisingly he was like one of the things I vividly remembered from my childhood when I was rewatching the series (now that I think about it, my fuzzy memories of beyblade as a child were mostly 60% vforce, 30% season 1 and 10% grev. Mainly because i think i missed a lot of grev as a child when it was airing and mostly caught onto the other two seasons). And yea while i do think if like the writers would've been given more time Zeo's arc along with the other arcs wouldn't have been so rushed, but still i think they did a good enough job, because I was definitely hooked during the final arc. Zeo is also an interesting character to analyse, like he was like first character to give the team a sense of normalcy because throughout the entire season everyone they had met was out for their asses and they couldn't catch a break nor could they have a normal beybattle like they used to without significant consequences. Also wished we got more of Zeo's existential crisis, how it affected and changed him and how he recovers from it and accepts himself (we see in that slideshow final ending in grev with Zeo looking through the window holding a violin. So it seems he found comfort in his hobby). Also that Zeo finding out about his true identity also helped him grow and mature in a sense (a person can't grow up without having to endure hardships, can they?). Like when we see him later on he's stronger and smarter.

Like here Zeo knew exactly what to say to get under Takao's skin (and Takao's emotional attachment to Zeo amplified the impact, along with Takao still trying to grasp as to why Zeo is doing this) and that Zeo is right here in a sense. They didnt interfere due to multiple justified reasons (they wanted to, but couldn't. And even if they did, not much would've changed), but it didn't change the fact that they didn't do anything, and Zeo just rubs some salt on the fresh wound. And in the jp voice acting, while it was faint, Zeo kind of sounded sad when saying "no one will come to help you". If we think about the situation Zeo is in, its....true. no one really can help Zeo even if they wanted to, all they could do was offer words of consolation and comfort. And Zeo was doing all this for self preservation (and I guess daddy issues, Dr. Zagart is....incredibly questionable), but deep down i guess he knew that there really wasn't much he could do to become human, become the 'real' Zeo who died long ago. He just didn't wanted to live his life as a phony, it was all just an act of desperation (just look at him breaking his arm and still going on, isn't that a good example?). And like at the finale while Takao does offer closure to Zeo, the fact remains the same that Zeo can't become someone else and must learn to accept who he is, which he slowly starts to embark on (and if Takao, or anyone really, would've said that earlier it wouldn't have had the same impact, Zeo needed to find his way on his own terms)

And as to the impact Zeo had with his words on Takao, he's literally repeating Zeo's words here and musing over the complicated and conflicting scenario for the majority of the episode while everyone is rightfully shocked to see it coming out of his mouth, not really aware of that little exchange he had with Zeo previously.

All in all I love Zeo, I love the small moments where vforce really gets to shine, I just wished they got more time to expand and explore the entire storyline they were working upon into like two seasons instead of dumping it all into one season. I am, uh, understandably kinda crazy over this show and won't stop overanalysing it. This post is pretty much word vomit and probably doesn't make much sense. Uh. Bye.

#comet's rambles #comet's posts #beyblade #beyblade v force #takao kinomiya #tyson granger #comet's asks #bakuten shoot beyblade #zeo zagart

[giggly-squiggily]

Hardened Criminals (Hell's Paradise)

Heyo! I'm back at it again writing Hell's Paradise jakeajrjekarjk

So! A little fun fact about this one- I actually started it WAY back before the anime was announced. This and a Ler!Chobe fic but we'll get there when we do. Anywho- I wanted to write Yuzuriha again because I love her and here we are! I hope you like it!

This takes place around Ep. 5 of the anime/Ch. 8 of the manga. Also I got Genji and Senta's placing mixed up when I first wrote this but I'm too far gone to fix it so we're just gonna roll with it ALRIGHT HERE WE GO! :D

Summary: Gabimaru and Yuzuriha are left alone for 10 minutes. Shenanigans ensue and Sagiri starts to wonder just what she got herself into.

Sagiri could barely remember where she was. Nor could she remember what she was doing.

One minute she was standing among the group, the next the ground was suddenly very close. The last thing she heard was Gabimaru calling out her name.

Wait…

“Gabimaru!” She sat up in a panic, instant regret settling in as the world spun. From his spot nearby, Senta startled, nearly dropping his book. “Oh! Sagiri, good morning! Well- I think it’s morning. For all we know it could be the afternoon!”

“Where…where are we? Where’s the prisoners?” She asked, Senta’s ramblings doing nothing to help her disorientation. She pressed a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes. No fever- that was good. “What happened?”

“You were poisoned. Turns out those butterflies we fought off earlier carried a toxic dust that-” Her glare cut him off, and he sped up quickly. “Erm- you were knocked out. We took you here to rest and recover. The prisoners are outside-”

“You left them alone?” She started to stand, wavering before making her way towards the opening of the space. “Senta, with all due respect, that was a foolish move! We have to keep an eye on them!”

“Sagiri, please sit down. You look as if you’re going to pass out again.” Senta walked with her, not making any moves to touch her but keeping pace. “The criminals are fine- Sir Genji is with them.”

“Still, it’s my responsibility to watch my prisoner. What if-” The sound of voices cut her off, one in particular she recognized immediately.

Gabimaru.

He sounded…panicked.

“What’s going on?” She quickened her pace, running out to the voices. They got louder, Yuzuriha’s mixing in the shouts. In the distance, she found Genji standing by with his arms crossed. “Sir Genji. What’s happ-”

She followed his gaze.

And found herself stunned.

~~~

Ten minutes earlier

“Ugh, I’m bored!” Yuzuhira groaned from her hammock, stretching out like a cat as she stared off into the bright blue sky. “Entertain me!”

Gabimaru, who was currently at work making their meal for the day, shot her a glare. “If you're bored, find work. There’s plenty to do.” He replied, his hands carefully forming each round of ration. “Mend some clothes.”

“Eh. Senta’s better at that than me.”

“Find a water source?”

“Already did- two miles out from here.” She pointed halfheartedly towards a random direction.

“Help out with the meal?”

She rolled over to face him, making a face at the mush he grounded up. “Eh. I’ll lose my appetite.” Still, she climbed up and walked over, plopping down ceremoniously beside him as he carried on his task. “Really, I’m so bored! And Mr Stoic over there won’t talk to me at all!”

If Genji took any offense to her comment, he didn’t show.

“See? He’s like a statue!” She leaned in on her elbows and pouted, fluttering her eyelashes. “Why not take a break? Play with me for awhile, Gabi~”

“I’m married. Don’t make me twist your arm again.” He replied, unfazed. Yuzuriha huffed.

She tapped the ground around her. Tapped her legs. Tapped his legs. Picked up a stick. Drew random pictures in the dirt. Stood and sang a song so lewd it would make even the most serious of the Asaemon blush.

Not even a flinch from either man before her. They had perfected the art of pretending she wasn’t there.

“Ah, this is boring!” She sat back down, once again leaning on her elbows as she watched Gabimaru finish up the mixture. Curiously, she reached out and poked his arm.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, so that does get me a reaction?” She grinned, poking his arm again.

The shinobi eyed her, going back to ignoring her. She poked his arm repeatedly. Pretended to stab him. Took her dirty stick and tried to draw on him. “Man, you’re like a statue too!” She grinned, dropping the stick lower and jabbing him in the waist just to see.

The small ninja nearly dropped his ration.

There was silence.

“Yuzuriha…” He glared, putting the ration down just as she poked him again. Another jump, another yelp. “Stop that!”

“Are you ticklish?” She dropped the stick and aimed higher, poking his ribs. He practically volted at that. “Heh, you’re like a cat getting sprayed!”

“I’m not a cat- ah! Back up! Back up-gah!” Gabimaru scooted back on his hands as she followed, poking repeatedly. “Oo, you’re so jumpy! It does tickle that bad, huh? She boldly curled her hands against his sides, laughing in delight when he somersaulted away. “Aww, where’ya going?!”

“Away from you- Stahay back…!” He got into a fighting stance, glaring daggers at the kunoichi before him. “Don’t push me, Yuzuhira…”

“Oo, whatcha gonna do?” She cooed, getting into her own battle stance, eyes dancing. “Is the big bad hollow scared of a few tickles?”

~~~

“They’re…they’re having a tickle fight.” Sagiri blinked, staring ahead.

Sure enough, Yuzuhira was sitting on the small ninja, her fingers flying across his belly and ribs as he struggled beneath her. The panicked yelling she heard earlier turned out to be laughter; Gabimaru struggling to fight off her hands as he howled in mirth. “Gehehehehhehehet oohoohoohoohohoff! Aheahhahahahahaaha!”

“Aww? Is someone too ticklish for his own good? Hm?” Yuzuriha leaned in so she was nose to nose with the giggly boy, her hands making short work of his lower ribs and causing him to squeak. “I bet I can make you scream, Gabi~ I wanna hear you scream out for mercy.”

“Screhehehehehhhew yohohohoohohhou wihiihiihihihtch! Gehahahahhahaha!” The tiny shinobi cried out, trying to pull off her hands. Even in his vice grip however, he proved ineffective. “Gehehehheheheht ohohohoohohohff meehhehhehehe!”

“Oo, now you’re done for! Just who the hell are you calling a witch?” Yuzuriha shoved her hands into his armpits, making him spasm and cackle. “Oo, bad spot?”

“They’re…having a tickle fight?” Sagiri spoke slowly, as if she woke up in a dream. Maybe she was still asleep after all.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Genji shook his head before standing, turning to leave. “If you’re well enough to stand, you’re well enough to watch them. I’m going to scope out the area.”

“Wait- Sir Genji…and he’s gone.” Senta sighed, pushing up his glasses before turning back to the sight alongside Sagiri. “Should we…erm-stop them?”

Almost immediately, Sagiri’s chance to reply was cut off by Yuzuriha’s scream. The scene had changed; Gabimaru had flipped them over, his own hands flying over her waist, never straying away from the fabric. “This will teach you, you wicked woman!” He declared, a rare grin pulling at his lips as Yuzuriha screamed like a banshee, clawing at his arms as she laughed.

“YOHOOHOHOHU SUHUUHUHUCK! AHEHAHHAHA SAHAHHAHAGIHIIHIRIN SAHAHHAHVE MEHEHHEHEHE!” She cried, feet kicking in the dirt. Sagiri jumped at the sudden call for action, blinking. Should she…?

“No, help me! She’s wicked!” Gabimaru called over, reaching back and giving the Kunochi’s thigh a squeeze. Yuzuriha let out an honest to god pig snort. “Pfft- holy crap do that again!”

“I don’t think we need to worry about them killing each other, still...” Senta didn’t look like he was making any moves, meaning it was up to Sagiri to resolve this. Sighing, she walked forward, rolling up her sleeves.

“Very well. Hang on just a moment.”

“What? Oh you’re gonna help me-hehehehehehehehe!" Gabimaru shot up with a yelp as Sagiri pressed her fingers into his sides. That was all Yuzuriha needed. With a flip and a twist, she had Gabimaru- and by extension Sagiri, on the ground. Target abandoned, she attacked, hands flying everywhere.

“Ah! Noohohohohoho, not agahahhahahain!”

“Ah! Yuzuriha! Let me up!”

“Ahahaha! Got you two now!”

Senta smiled behind his book, laughing softly when Sagiri let out a shocked squeal- Yuzuriha had found her tickle spot along her shoulder blades. Taking a seat where Gabimaru abandoned his attempt at cooking, he picked up where he left off, watching fondly as Yuzuriha and Gabimaru made a temporary alliance in tickling the stoic swordswoman.

“I think- even in the gravest of settings- a little laughter is nice.” He spoke to no one, lost in thought as he carried on the camp chores.

Thanks for reading!

#hell's paradise #tickle #tickle fic #gabimaru the hollow #yuzuriha of keishu #yamada asaemon sagiri #yamada asaemon genji #yamada asaemon senta #whoop whoop we finished a fic! :D #fluff #These guys are absolute dorks