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therhythmafterthesummer · 3 days

Note

Hi. Long time reader. Big fan! Hi!

I have a question. Would you ever consider doing a "7 days" drabble or something? I've always wondered how Mr and almost not quite Mrs Pack Leader both handled the 7 days from when Pretty found out about the awoo awoo, to when she returned home with more knowledge and acceptance?

Can I have your autograph? Big fan! Much respect! Wow!

you sent this ask on may 2023. it's been over a year. OVER A YEAR... i told you i'd consider it and i did ☝☝☝

it's probably not exactly the same as what you'd imagined and it's also been the first thing i wrote in a long while, but i hope it's entertaining and that you like it and that it doesn't suck~

Pairing: Werewolf!Chan x Human!F.Reader (one of the main pairings of my WereRoomies series. reading Alpha Dog before this one is highly recommended as it’s something that happens within that story). | Word Count: ~1.8k | Themes & Warnings: fantasy/supernatural AU · roomies idiots to ??? · there's like a smidge of angst but probably not enough for it to be taken into consideration · pre-relationship situations · this was barely proof-read oops

minors do not interact.

‘I’m a werewolf… We’re all werewolves’

‘We’re all werewolves…’

Werewolves.

Everything you thought you knew about the world around you was completely obliterated a week ago. It wasn’t every day that one learnt that supernatural creatures lived among humans, so it was–quite understandably, in your opinion–an absolute shock when your roommate revealed to you that he and the rest of his friends were, in fact, werewolves.

Werewolves. As in, a half man, half wolf creature… You’d been unknowingly living among werewolves for four whole months and you’d convinced yourself that they wouldn’t have told you if you hadn’t literally seen one of them shift from his wolf form into his human one with your own two eyes.

You’d been trying to process this knowledge for a whole week. The first couple of days, you told yourself you had just imagined the whole thing, up to the conversation you had with your roommate right after the fact…

But then, the text messages started coming in.

> Yang Jeongin (neighbour): im sorry > i know i probably spooked you when i shifted > i couldnt control it honestly > i was too shocked > i shouldve done better > sorry

> Lee Minho (neighbour): hiya > just wanted to check in on you… > hope you’re well

> Bang Chris (roomie): hey… how’re you

You weren’t imagining those. They were very real. They stared at you from within your phone’s screen whenever you opened your messaging app, reminding you that the whole thing had actually happened.

When you started digesting the situation and accepted it had happened, you felt angry.

They lied to you. Every single one of them had lied to you. They lied by omission, at least… It wasn’t like they ever said they were human, but you’d never really considered the fact that people needed to specify something like that.

You’d found yourself laying on your childhood bed, fuming at the thought of these people possibly laughing at your expense, maybe toying with you like you were somehow less than them. Like you were prey.

But after the initial fire of anger subsided, you just grew… confused.

Going online to research something could either go really well or really bad. The higher the number of the page in your search engine became, the more you started to wonder if these dark corners of the internet held any truth about the topic at all.

A website with ten year old graphics drawn in 8-bits exposed how werewolves lived among humans. It went in detail on their super-strength, their enhanced senses, and their innate desire to live in communes. All of which just sounded like someone was detailing lore for their next fantasy story.

There was no way for you to fact-check any of the articles and forums you found, no way of knowing what was real and what was simply made up by someone’s hyperactive imagination.

So it was towards day four of being away from your usual residence that you remembered a key detail.

There was a person that was close with your neighbours, the childhood friend of one of them who you could now vividly recall telling you how ‘Being human kinda sucks sometimes. We can’t do shit’.

At the time, you thought she was just hyperbolising. There was no way you would’ve thought she was actually confirming to you that she was human and that she somehow knew of beings with greater abilities than her own. There was no way she didn’t know.

So you went to your recent chats and clicked on the one with the phone number that was still saved with the same name it had when your neighbour Minho had shared it with you. You really needed to update it, but that was seemingly insignificant at this time. With trembling fingers, you sent a message.

< You: you knew didn’t you?

It didn’t take long for the reply to come, signalled by the gentle vibration of your phone, bringing with it a knot that made its home in your throat.

> kittenkittykat🐱: Hi, how are you? I’m fine, thanks for asking LOL. > I’m gonna need you to elaborate on that, babes.

< You: about the guys and their… condition

You saw the ‘typing…’ message appear and disappear for a long minute, until the person on the other side finally replied.

> kittenkittykat🐱: What condition?

It annoyed you, you’d admit. She was acting aloof, there was no way she wasn’t. So you ignored the heavy feeling in your chest and decided to get to the point.

< You: the… furry one < c’mon, don’t act like you don’t know < there’s no way minho didn’t tell you about what happened the other day < hell, there’s no way you don’t know what the boys are < you’ve known minho for years

> kittenkittykat🐱: He did tell me. > I just wanted you to tell me you knew yourself. > And yes. I’ve always known. > I’ve known Minho since before he contracted lycanthropy.

< You: contracted? < are you saying he wasn’t always like this?

> kittenkittykat🐱: …Yes > You’re either born a werewolf or turned into one. > To be honest, I don’t think I’m comfortable disclosing Minho’s past in much detail without asking him first. > In any case, please don’t be mad at them. > Or me, for that matter… > It’s not just something you go around telling people that have no connection with the supernatural, you know?

You knew she was right. Deep within you, you knew. You kinda… understood.

Before you could reply to that last message, she sent more.

> kittenkittykat🐱: Know that any questions you’ve got, you can ask me. > After so many years I think I might know a thing or two about the furry men… > And women. And, uh… people. > Furry people. Yes. > Anyway, I know of some resources online, too…

And resources online she shared…

Some of the dodgy websites you’d found hadn’t been too far off. Apparently werewolves did live in communes, more accurately referred to as packs, which aligned perfectly with the whole living situation your roommate and your neighbours had. When you moved in with Chris, you were surprised to see how close he was with his friends, you brushed it off as their apparent lack of toxic masculinity, but now you knew.

Now you knew…

But did you, really?

You figured the only way to get proper answers was to actually speak to them–to him, more specifically. After all, you lived with Chris. In the same flat. You were missing it terribly, your flat… and maybe you were even missing Chris.

But you weren’t ready to face him.

What would you tell him? How could you even approach the situation?

Especially considering… Well, the very inconvenient crush you’d developed on your roommate… Your roommate that you now knew was a werewolf.

You hadn’t really entertained the thought of doing anything about said crush… You were convinced that it’d probably just complicate things, but all it took was a charming smile and the sight of dimples to make you want to risk it all.

It was a reaction that you now questioned.

He wasn’t human. On the off chance that you did risk it all, would you even want to be with someone like him? Or, more importantly, could his supernatural condition be somehow influencing you into believing you liked him? Was he literally charming you?

You figured you needed to know…

One of the forums your neighbour’s friend shared with you had this whole section dedicated to romancing a werewolf, explaining how their designation affected the whole process most of the time. This led you to another section where you learnt about those designations, about what an alpha, a beta, and an omega were.

Alphas were usually the leaders of a pack, according to this site. Very protective, territorial, particularly stubborn… It definitely sounded like Chris to you. His friends looked up to him, and it took only one word said in a serious tone for them to do anything he asked them to do.

This knowledge led you to many threads. ‘How to deal with a violent alpha?’ ‘Our alpha is forcing us to do things for her, how can we stop her?’ ‘Tips to take an alpha [in a fight] pt3’ ‘Tips to take an alpha [in every hole possible] pt5’

Some conversations were a bit too explicit for you to comfortably read them. Not because you were a prude, by any means, but because anything too explicit would make you think about your roommate a bit too much… You weren’t in the most appropriate mood to think about ‘An alpha’s preference in bed’ or ‘How to stretch for an alpha’s knot’ –whatever that was.

You were more in the mood to dig into all these threads related to violent, overly possessive and controlling alphas. You felt like you needed to know about this supposed inherent nature of your roommate’s.

These people didn’t particularly sound like Chris. Yeah, he wasn’t perfect, and anyone could tell he wanted to be the one in charge at all times, but he’d never given you the feeling that he was forcing anyone around him to do anything at all.

Admittedly, you might’ve gotten a bit too invested in the topic. It started to worry you when all you could read was these horrible experiences people had with alphas–both in platonic and romantic settings. But eventually, you started seeing the opposite side.

‘Our pack’s alpha is honestly great. They always make sure we’re okay with any decisions taken…’ ‘As an alpha, I can tell you that any alpha that tries to force you into anything is just toxic and abusive. We aren’t all like that…’ ‘I feel very cared for when I’m with my alpha…’

Those testimonials gave you a bit more hope. They reminded you that in this short time you’d spent living with Chris, he’d done nothing but made you feel comfortable. He was that type of person, it didn’t matter if he was a werewolf.

Crush aside, you liked Chris. He was a guy you felt you could trust; yes, he’d lied by omission, but if you thought about it with a clear mind, it was pretty obvious that he wouldn’t just outright tell you he wasn’t entirely human. He seemed genuine, but you needed to hear his side of the story with your own two ears, without the panic of suddenly seeing your younger neighbour’s body twist and turn in ways you never knew were possible.

So with that in mind, on day seven of you being away from the place you considered your home, and after reading many articles and comments from people online, you left the comfort of your childhood bed, gathered your belongings, and left your mother’s house.

You were determined to get answers. You needed the truth, directly from the wolf’s mouth. If knowing Chris was a werewolf meant he’d kick you out, then you wanted him to tell you. If knowing he was a werewolf meant you’d be able to perceive malice in Chris, you wanted to see it.

In all honesty, if Chris was as genuine as he seemed and if he wanted you around, you genuinely wanted to stay, lycanthropy and all.

General Masterlist | WereRoomies Masterlist

#stray kids supernatural au #stray kids fantasy AU #stray kids werewolf au #bang chan fluff #stray kids fluff #stray kids fanfiction #bang chan fanfiction #bang chan fic #bang chan x reader #chan x reader #skz fanfic #skz fanfiction #stray kids fanfic #werewolf chan #werewolf bang chan #✨🌙✏#notastraykid #ask #you already have my autograph LOL

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syd-djarin · 2 days

Text

private eyes - jack daniels x private investigator!f!reader (18+ MDNI)

this is for @iamasaddie little lady kinky may challenge! congrats on 2.5k! <333 I was paired with Jack / Voyeurism.

tags: voyeurism (reader watches jack), masturbation (m & f), reader is a private investigator, gratuitous descriptions of my fav cowboy stroking his big cock, dub-con a little? reader masturbates in her car but there isn't anyone around so public but private

a/n: this is the first fic I've completed in months. it's short and to the point, idk how i feel about it but it pushed me out of my writing slump! kinda want to do a part 2 for this, what do y'all think 👀

wc: ~1.6k

smut below the cut

“I want you to catch that son of a bitch in the act.”

The visibly scorned woman, Camilla, sitting across from you asks through tears, ones that she hasn’t allowed to escape down her cheeks; catching them right at the waterline with an overused tissue.

This isn’t the first time a disgruntled, mistreated, or betrayed lover has sought out your services — no shortage of shitty men leaving trails of destruction while they pillage and greedily chase their own interests. She’s no different, seeking closure from the broken-off engagement from her now ex-fiancée, Jack Daniels. The pair had been together for a year, engaged for three months and one day, out of the blue, Jack broke it off. According to her, he didn’t give a concrete reason, something vague about being consumed with his job and that “she deserved a better life than that”.

Of course you get paid a pretty penny for your work, but you take great pleasure in catching a man in the act. Whether the woman needs proof for divorce settlements, custody battles, or to just have leverage. Whatever the case may be, you find a gratification you don’t get anywhere else; the upheaval of a man trying to have his cake and eat it too.

The conventionally attractive woman you couldn’t pick out of a line-up slides her homemade dossier across the coffee shop table, tacky & sticky from previous patrons. You flip through the information presented to you, taking mental notes as you go. You can’t deny the heat that rises up your face as you study the picture of your next target. The deep sable eyes resembling a baby calf’s are staring at you through the glossy photo paper. He’s sporting a mustache reminiscent of Burt Reynolds that is calling your name. His smirk is laced with a charming cockiness.

“He’s quite the looker, I know. Hell of a lay, too,” her words snap you out of your daydream. Her words feel hollow, his looks are the only attributes she’s mentioned during the duration of the consultation. You're not getting paid for moral judgements and you remind yourself you don’t know the whole story.

“Which is why I want to know who he’s fucking. I know there’s another woman, or maybe even a guy… he’d answer calls in the middle of the night and step into another room and I swear I could hear a woman’s voice on the other end, he’d tell me he’s going on work trips… he works at a whiskey distillery, why the hell does he need to go on all these trips?” She explains, putting air quotes around ‘trips’ with her dainty, well-manicured hands, “he’d stay late at work a few nights a week, and then it turned into a nightly thing… Anyways, you come highly recommended, so I’m trusting you won’t let me down,” she adds. You’re not a fan of the passive aggressive, back-handed compliment she gives you, but ultimately you give her an understanding smile as you both rise from the table.

“I’ll be in touch,” you tell her, as you exit. As cliche as that line is, you love saying it every time.

Days of following Jack around have proven to be fruitless. The man has a simple routine: wakes up at six, traipses to the bathroom to begin his morning regimen of a showering, shaving and grooming his beloved mustache, and to conclude, adorns his body in his tight denim jeans, a crisp button-down, a cowboy hat, and boots to match. You hate to admit it, and someone would have to waterboard this information out of you, but the hat is doing something for him.

Or you.

Whatever.

He shops weekly on Wednesdays (he always puts the cart back inside the store, not the cart returns in the parking lot), takes the same route home everyday, watches Jeopardy while he eats dinner – you caught on quickly that he cooks during Wheel of Fortune, it appears he isn’t a big fan of Pat and Vanna, dishes promptly following Final Jeopardy and bed by nine. In three weeks Jack hasn’t had a single visitor, of any gender, leaves work at five like everyone else, the man isn’t adding up to be a cheating womanizer like Camilla had set him out to be. Not to say that he isn’t, but you’re not finding any evidence to support that claim. You’ve actually found yourself developing a crush on the man. He’s undoubtedly handsome, seemingly laid back despite his strict routine, and there’s something mysterious that lies beneath that you’re itching to unearth.

You’re parked discreetly across the street from his house. It’s a nice quiet street, with only two lamps to illuminate the surrounding neighborhoods, allowing you to stay shrouded in the night.

You’re about to call it a night, exhaustion settling deep into your bones, when you notice a lamp turned on in the living room. Fortunately, the window faces the street, making your job that much easier for you. You pick up your binoculars to peer in, adjusting the focus for your prying eyes. Thank the universe he left his blinds open.

He sits on the couch with his back facing you. It looks like he’s reaching for the remote, like maybe he’s having trouble sleeping, but when he settles back into the couch, you notice he’s butt ass naked, in all his glory. Even through the binoculars, you can see how big his cock is. Your mouth salivates at the sight, wanting to feel the stretch of him in all your holes.

You’re not supposed to see this. Not at all. Usually in your assignments, you don’t get the full X-rated view, just the PG-13 suggestive one, and you are more than grateful for that.

But not now.

You’re getting your own private peep show from the man you’re getting paid to spy on. You’re feeling like a grade-A pervert right about now but the sight is too glorious to look away. He spits on his hand, and languidly begins stroking his cock. He runs his other hand through his hair, his toned arms flexing with his movements, his chest heaving.

It shouldn’t turn you on like it does. For one, it’s highly unprofessional. Secondly, he’s unaware he’s got an audience. Morally speaking, it’s definitely not your shining moment. But it’s the hottest thing you’ve ever seen, watching him tease and work himself up. You couldn’t pry your eyes away if you wanted to.

Jack’s not the only one getting worked up; your clit throbs so hard you feel like it’ll go numb. Your heartbeat echoes in your ears thump-thump thump-thump. You let out a whine when Jack massages his tip, precum dribbling out like a sweet nectar you’d like to feast on. He continues his slow movements, dragging out his pleasure at a delicious and excruciating pace. Somehow, this makes the whole scene that much hotter; the display of restraint and discipline. You wonder if he does that with his lovers. Teasing, teasing, teasing, giving just enough to drive you insane before slowing almost to a stop.

Possessed by desire, you haphazardly look for any lingering people outside before unbuttoning your pants to shove your hand to where it's needed most. You gasp at the cool air hitting your thinly clothed pussy, you can smell your own arousal seeped into your panties and it spurs you on further. You mirror Jack’s pace - teasing your lips with a featherlight touch, inching closer and closer to your needy clit, stopping just shy of it, to tease yourself more. It’s agonizing in the best way, taking your time like this. Normally, you like efficiency when making yourself come, rarely going the extra mile to turn the pleasure dial up, but this makes you question why you’re ever in a hurry.

You reach your clit, going in gentle circles to match Jack’s unhurried pace. You wish you could hear the sounds he’s making, all the grunts and whimpers escaping his plush lips.

He speeds up his strokes, now ravenous for his delayed release and so are you. Overtaken by the need to come, you drop the binoculars, letting them fall to the floorboard. You’re not even watching him anymore, having seen more than enough to commit to your spank bank. With your eyes closed and head pushing into the headrest, your mind is flooded with images of Jack fucking you slow, hard and deep, absolutely destroying your pussy – legs over his shoulders, hitting the spot that makes you scream and cry in euphoria. The image of him spilling into you, filling you up with his come is what tips you over the edge, your body shivers in bliss and you rock against your hand to ride out the high, feeling faint from the intensity.

After you’ve recovered and fumbled your chance of ever seeing The Pearly Gates, you dare to look back to his house, to find all the lights back off. It’s a bit of a relief, feeling less shameful of what you’ve done now that you can’t see him at the moment.

You button your pants backup and lean over to retrieve the forgotten binoculars from the floorboard, as your fingers grab them you hear a knock on the window. The sudden rap on the glass makes you flinch, feeling your skeleton attempt to flee from your corporeal body. Your heart drops to your stomach when you see Jack standing outside your car, leaning one forearm against the body so his face is level with yours. Fuck fuck fuck. You’ve been caught. Dizziness and nausea war within you as you roll down the window. You open your mouth to explain the situation, but words never escape your mouth.

“You like watchin’ people don’t ya?” he asks, his tone is dark, but not angry. No, it’s something else entirely.

“I–”

“‘S’alright. Caught onto ya pretty quick. A pretty face like yours ain’t hard to miss.”

“I– i’m sorry, um,” you scramble to find words, any words but Jack interjects again.

“You like watchin’, but darlin’ I want to know, do ya like bein’ watched?”

#snail trail alert 🚨#little lady kinky may #iamasaddie game #2.5ksaddies #jack daniels x you #jack daniels x female reader #jack daniels smut #agent whiskey x you #agent whiskey smut #agent whiskey fic #agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey #jack daniels x reader #agent jack whiskey daniels #pedrostories #fanfic #smut

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jeankluv · 11 hours

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But daddy I love him - Satoru Gojo [ch.04]

short series

summary: If there was a phrase that could describe you, it was; good girl. You had been a good girl all your life, following your father's orders and being as modest as possible. You had focused your entire life on being a perfect lady, one who could be a good wife in the future. This is how you had been raised and how you had been instructed. But your whole world was shaken when one warm summer morning, your eyes met the bold, defiant and sharp gaze of a young man with white hair.

tags: +18, female!reader, set in 1700s-1800s, loss of virginity, misogyny language and thinking, oral sex, fingering, innocent oc, unsafe sex, vaginal sex, manipulative, eating disorders, abusive parents, no use of y/n.

notes: next chapter will be the last one, if I don’t come up with something but I doubt, the ending is already decided so it will be next chapter and then the epilogue. Also I changed the picture, the new one is from a manhwa called Secret lady (highly recommended), the art is beautiful and the main couple are 🔝

chapter words: 4,3k

Jujutsu Kaisen materialist

ch.01 | ch.02 | ch.03 | ch.04 | ch.05 | epilogue

His fingers ran up and down your bare back, causing your skin to tingle with each touch. Slowly, you opened your eyes, meeting Satoru's intense blue gaze as he watched you intently.

"Hi..." Hi whispered before connecting your lips in a tender kiss. "You are precious."

You shook your head and a playful smile appeared on your lips. "I'm sticky."

Satoru chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down your spine. "Maybe we could bath together. Does that sound good?"

A thrill ran through you at the suggestion and you nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds perfect.” You replied, your voice low and hoarse with desire.

Satoru rises from the bed and walked towards your bathroom. You gently sat on the bed, you felt your hips and lower part sore. With the wrinkled sheets of your bed you covered your body and looked out the window, the sun had not yet set but it was already low in the sky, there probably wouldn't be much left before it would set on the horizon and the warm summer night would arrive.

Satoru left the bathroom and approached your bed, where he gently picked you up and carried you to the bathtub. You felt like a princess, even like a goddess under her caresses and affections. Inside the water, you tried to cover yourself with your arms but Satoru stopped you and started soaping your skin.

“I thought we were going to bath together.” You murmured.

Satoru smiled. “You want that?”

“I… I mean I read it on a novel that lovers would do that.” You lowered your head, submerging it slightly in the water.

"Alright." He said, standing up and taking off the little clothing he was wearing, your eyes drifted away, embarrassed to see him like that again.

He got into the bathtub, causing some of the water to come out. Satoru sat behind you and you could feel his cock hit your ass. A shiver ran through your body as you remembered the night before, the pleasure, the kisses, his touches and how well it felt having him inside of you.

“You're tense.” He whispered against her skin as he took the sponge and began running it over your back.

“It's just… this is all new.” You said embarrassed.

"And you do not like it?" He inquired.

You nodded. “It feels good, it feels…intimate.” You looked over your shoulder at him and he smiled warmly at you.

With his free hand he grabbed your chin and connected your lips in a hungry kiss. His tongue entered you and he began to play with yours, causing moans to come out of your throat and your cunt to begin to get wet.

He bit your lip and dropped the sponge he was holding in his other hand. You stared at him, trying to read his movements. His large hands rested on either side of your hips and grabbed you, turning you so that you were both facing each other. More water fell out of the tub and you were kneeling in front of him, half your body out of the water.

Satoru looked at your face and then took a quick look at your breasts before cupping them in his hands. Throwing your head back you let yourself be invaded by the pleasure that his soft touch caused on your skin.

You bit your lower lip hard as you felt his thumb brush your nipple and send stimuli throughout your body. He leaned close to you and with his eyes still focused on you, he caught your nipple in his mouth.

“S-satoru…” You trembled, feeling your body weak under him.

Satoru continued with his mouth on your nipple and lowered his hand to your pussy, where he gently caressed it, causing you to hold on to the bathtub so as not to lose the little balance you had left. Two of his fingers entered you and began to move in and out.

Your body felt hot and the blood that ran through your veins accelerated with each penetration. Your body wanted more of him, more of his touch, more of his lips, more. But you also wanted to touch him, you wanted his cheeks to blush like yours, to cry with pleasure and moan your name.

Releasing one of your hands, you put it into the water and grabbed his member, you had read about it in your books, about how the protagonists gave pleasure to their lovers by moving their hand around their cocks. Satoru growled when he felt your hand grab him and he pulled away from your breasts to look at you mischievously.

“What are you doing angel?” His husky voice came out of his lungs.

“I…” You gasped as you felt his fingers deeper on you. “I want you to feel good too.”

Satoru hummed and smiled. “You are so pretty.” He said kissing your lips. “C’mon move your hand pretty angel.”

Your hand began to go up and down his member, while his fingers entered and left you. The atmosphere in that room became increasingly hot, full of moans and moving water. It was embarrassing to think about how you, who had behaved like a “good girl” all your life, were now emitting such lewd sounds from your throat.

You felt how Satoru grew larger with every movement and how he grunted under your touch, his eyes were completely closed and his cheeks had taken on a reddish hue.

Your legs and all of you began to shake, indicating that you were close to getting there. Satoru smiled and removed his fingers from you and you looked at him pleadingly, you needed to cum.

“I want you to finish on my cock.” He said holding your hips and placing yourself on top of him, you screamed when without warning he entered you.

“Satoru!” You tried to catch your breath.

This was the second time you had it inside but now it seemed even bigger than the first time. You held onto his shoulders and looked at him, shaken by the overwhelming sensation of having him inside you again.

“Move angel.” He whispered.

You began to move your hips, back and forth and in circles, giving yourself more and more pleasure with each of your movements, while Satoru whispered nice things in your ear.

You clung tightly to his body and tangled your fingers in his hair when you felt like you were going to come. Satoru, catching the signals that your body was giving him, moved and you pulled his hair while you stifled a cry of pleasure. Just a few more thrusts were enough for you to cum on his cock.

Satoru didn't pull out of you, but instead continued thrusting into you, seeking to reach the climax that you had reached. When he reached it, he growled your name and took over your mouth, in a kiss full of desire and pleasure.

“Oh angel…” He said, trying to catch his breath. “You are truly out of this world, you know that?”

You rested your head on his shoulder without saying anything and let Satoru's scent and warmth fill you. You both stayed in that position for quite a long time, so long that the water remained cold, your skin became completely wrinkled and the sun hid on the horizon.

It wasn't until your stomach growled with hunger that you moved from the bathtub. Satoru carefully carried you to your bed, wrapped in a towel, three times bigger than you. You watched as he moved from one side to the other in the room as if looking for something and you tried not to laugh at his desperation.

"What are you looking for?"

“Oh…my shirt.” He said looking around.

“Why do you want your shirt?” You tilted your head to the side. “I was going to get your dinner. You are hungry."

You touched your belly and nodded. “But it would be suspicious, it's better that I go and tell them to bring up the food.” Satoru opened his mouth and then closed it nodding. “I'll go in a second and tell Rose to bring us food.”

You moved from the bed and approached the closet, from it you took out a dress and a robe, which you shamelessly put on in front of Satoru. You no longer felt ashamed because he saw you like this.

You glanced at him one last time and exited the room, rushing through the corridor with the biggest of the smiles drawn on your face.

You could finally say it but you were certain that you had fallen in love with the duke and honestly you couldn’t be happier with the fact you were going to marry a man you were in love with and that you were leaving that place.

You saw Rose chatting with a few other maids and you rushed to them. “Rose!”

“My lady.” They all saluted you.

“I would like to have my dinner in my bedroom if it’s possible.” You smiled.

“No problem my lady.” Rose said.

You approached Rose and in a whisper you told her. “Add more food for the duke too.”

Rose smiled at you and winked her eye. “No problem my lady, I will deliver the dinner in a few minutes.”

“Okay, thank you.” You turned around but stopped before leaving. “Does anyone have news from my parents?”

“Oh a letter came, apparently they will be out more than they expected.” Another one of the maids spoke.

You nodded and thanked them, you walked back to your room and entered finding Satoru on the couch taking a look into one of your books.

“Rose will bring us dinner in a little while.” You said sitting next to her, Satoru hummed and continued reading the book he had in his hands. “Satoru…” When you said her name, her gaze moved away from the book and focused on you. “I was wondering if Rose could come with me once we get married.”

Satoru smiled and tucked one of your locks behind your ear. “Of course, there would be no problem.”

“Her husband would come too.”

“Okay, I'll find him a job and you both can live there.” He kissed your lips and you smiled.

"Thank you." You whispered.

“Don’t thank me angel.” He smiled. “Now tell me about this book of yours.”

“Oh that one.” You sat up straight on the couch and smiled, taking the book from his hands. “It is the story of an orphaned child. That he seeks to find himself and his place in society. It is quite funny and the romantic part of the novel serves as a good thread for the themes it deals with.” You turn your head to look at him and when you meet his penetrating gaze you feel your ears begin to light up. “I'm sorry I talked too much.”

Satoru shook his head and took your hand to bring it to his lips. “Not at all, it fascinates me to see you talk like that and I could do it for hours.”

You picked up the book and hid your embarrassed face behind it. “Please don't say those things.”

"Why not? You all light up when you talk about it, and that fascinates and excites me and I want to continue seeing it and listening to you talk about your books.” Satoru touched your cheek.

You had definitely fallen in love with that man and your heart did not stop beating with each of his words. “You could also tell me about the things you like.” You whispered, placing the book on the table. “I also want to see him excited.”

A smile appeared on Satoru's face and he tangled a strand of your hair in his finger and began to twirl it. “I like sweet things.” He looked at you subtly and you felt that those words had a double meaning. “Riding horses and taking my nephew to the park on Sundays with his two dogs.”

“How old is your nephew?” You tilted your head.

“He is about to be six.” He smiled proudly. “You know he is my nephew but after his father died and also his mom passed away giving birth to him, I adopted him.” You opened your mouth and nodded.

It was uncommon for nobles to do that type of things. According to what Satoru had told you, the position of duke had been given to him because his brother had wanted it, which meant that once Satoru had children, his firstborn would inherit the title. But if he adopted his nephew, it meant that it was his nephew who would inherit it. And that’s why a lot of nobles didn’t adopt close relatives because that would mean their direct descendants not inheriting titles.

“You are surprised?” He looked at you.

“Huh… A little bit.” You touched your chin. “It’s really uncommon what you did, that’s why.”

“I told you didn’t I? I didn’t wish to be the duke, it was my brothers duty and then for his son. That’s why I adopted him, so when the time comes he will be the duke.”

“And what was your wish?” You wondered curious about Satoru’s wishes.

“I wanted to serve right next to the crowned prince.” He smiled proudly. “And train strong soldiers for the future.”

“You wanted to be a teacher?” You smiled.

“Kind of… I am good with the sword and on the battlefield so I could teach others to be too.” He smiled proudly and with his chest puffed out. "I mean, I'm a good teacher, you've seen it yourself, angel." He smiled, bringing his face closer to yours.

The words got stuck in your throat and your heartbeat echoed loudly in your ears. Luckily a gentle knock on the door made you quickly get up and head towards the door. You subtly opened the door and stuck your head out to check who it was, when you saw that it was Rose the person on the other side of the door, you let her pass.

“Hello, duke.” She bowed to Satoru and pushed the cart with the food to the table that was there in your room. “I'll leave your dinner here.” She smiled. “My lady, if you want anything else, call me.”

You shook your head and smiled back. “You can go rest Rose, don't worry.” Rose nodded and with a goodnight, she left the room.

“She cares for you.” Satoru rose from the couch and walked over to the table.

“We were practically raised together.” You mentioned. “Rose is older than me and her mother used to work here as a maid too, when I was born my parents, well they didn’t care much about it and Rose’s mother was the one to take care of me and she was there, as an older sister for me.” You smiled looking at him.

Satoru smiled back at you. “I’m glad to hear you were able to have that kindness in your life.”

You nodded and you poked one of the pieces of food on the plate. "You are not going to eat?" You said looking at him through your eyelashes.

“I am not hungry right now.” He said observing you.

You swallowed the food and looked down. “It’s a bit embarrassing if I’m the only one eating.”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “Sorry angel.” You shook your head. “By the way, tomorrow I will be leaving.”

You looked at him, opening your eyes and feeling the breath escape from you. “Don't worry, angel, I'll just go to a nearby town to take care of some business, but I'll be back in three days at most.” He grabbed your hand across the table and brought it to his lips.

You nodded and sighed in relief. “Do you promise me you'll come back?”

He simply smiled and you believed every word that came from those lips that had captivated you so much. "Of course, my angel."

You continued eating dinner in silence while Satoru watched you and from time to time took something from the plates. By the time you realized it, you had to light the candles in the bedroom since the sun had already set and the darkness of the night adorned the place.

Neither of you said anything but you both understood from your looks and your caresses that Satoru would spend that night with you again. You didn't care if you weren't intimate that night, you just wanted to have the heat of his body close to him and for his aroma and being to warm you on that summer night.

Blowing out the last candle that illuminated the room, Satoru wrapped his arms around you and pressed you against his bare torso. I carefully brush your hair aside and leave a trail of kisses on your back.

“Good night my angel.” He whispered in your ear.

Without letting you escape, you both fell asleep. Wrapped in his arms you felt his love and warmth and you were able to dream and rest peacefully until the first rays of the sun began to filter through the curtains of your room.

When you opened your eyes again that morning, the first thing you saw was Satoru's serene and calm face. His white hair fell on his face, partially covering it, but that was not an impediment for you to admire his beauty. You stayed for a few minutes observing, studying each of his features, wanting to engrave them strongly in your mind so you would never forget them. But in those moments when you remembered that you could look at that face for years to come once you got married.

You brought your hand to his forehead and brushed a couple of strands out of his face, you smiled into the pillow. “I can't wait to see that smile every morning.” Satoru whispered with his eyes still closed.

You quickly removed your hand and looked at him. "You are awake." It wasn't a question, rather it was a statement.

Satoru opened his blue eyes and moved so he was on top of you. “That's right angel.” He said kissing your mouth. On impulse you wrapped your arms around him and pulled him closer to you.

"I do not want you to go." You whispered. “I want us to get married now and leave this place.”

“Soon my angel.” He whispered and started placing soft kisses on your face. “But today I must leave.” You nodded sadly. “Before you read two of your books I will be back.”

“But I usually read them…” You closed your mouth when you realized what it meant and smiled.

“When I return we will get married and I will take you with me, to a house near the sea, where you have your own library, so you can read and tell me about those books you read.” He hugged you and you nodded against his chest.

“That sounds really nice.” You murmured.

“Just wait a bit okay?” And you nodded again. “Trust me my angel, everything will be just fine.” He cupped your face. “I promise.” And kissed you, in a kiss full of love and affection.

˖✧˖°.✶₊ ⊹ ⋆˖✧˖°.✶₊ ⊹ ⋆

This was the fourth book since Satoru had left. He had promised to return before you finished the second one and your favorite corner had become the large window from where you could see the main entrance. You couldn't deny that when you finished the second book, a small hole opened in your heart and anguish began to grow in you. That was why you were now eagerly waiting for a carriage to enter through the gates and for your loved one to get out of it.

It was around the fourth day when the sun was already setting on the horizon, when you saw it. Putting the book aside, you marched through the house, running past the servants and opening the front door as if you were a little girl who had finally gotten permission to play outside. Your face was illuminated by a smile and your hands were clasped on your chest, trying to prevent your heart from beating out of you.

But that smile and nervousness disappeared when the ones who got out of that carriage were your parents and not the person who made you feel alive.

“Oh!” Your father said with surprise. “You are here, well then it will be easier. Let’s go straight to my office to talk.” He said walking past you and you swore that the air he moved could cut your cheeks.

You looked at your father from your place and felt how your cheek was burning, placing your hand on it you realized that your mother was in front of you and had slapped you. “You realize how disgusting you are.” You took a step back, scared by the timbre of her voice and her sharp gaze. “Disgusting whore.” Without saying anything else she walked in the same direction that your father had done and you felt like something was going to happen and it wasn't going to be good.

You looked at Rose who was watching you from the side with a look of anguish and helplessness. You just smiled at her and calmed her down.

Raising your head, you walked to the office, there you closed the door and took a strong breath of air when you saw that the atmosphere was extremely charged.

You looked at your parents and tried to breathe calmly, so that the tension and nervousness that invaded you would disappear. But their penetrating and menacing gazes didn't help in the slightest.

“You thought we were not going to find out?” His father began. “You were so loud moaning like a cat in heat that everyone could hear you.”

You opened your eyes and looked at them both with your heart in your fist. “Father, mother…”

“Shut your mouth!” Your father shouted.

“You let yourself be fooled so easily, when your mother told you not to come close, to stay away.” Your father leaned back in his chair and touched his forehead. “Do you know what this is?” He said, taking out a letter from his cheek. You denied.

“It's the reason you spread your legs.” Your mother snapped hatefully and you looked at her confused.

“Dear…” Your father warned her and your mother sat better in her chair. “I'm going to read you: Dear Crown Prince, I am writing to inform you that the plan has been carried out as expected. I have been able to obtain the desired documents from the family.” Your father looks at you over his glasses and continued. “She was really easy to manipulate and the job was much easier for me. In a few days I will be in the capital with the documents for the nobles. The best regards, Duke Gojo.” Your heart stopped beating at that precise moment, you could feel how your world was collapsing on you and beginning to crush your body.

You started to shake your head. “No, no, he wouldn’t.”

“Stupid bitch.” Your mother shouted. “I will ask the doctor to prepare medicine for you to start taking, lets hope you are not pregnant by that stupid duke.”

You covered your face with your hands and let the tears flow down your face. He had promised you to return, he had promised to get you out of that hell, he had promised you a house near the sea, he had promised you a library full of books so you could continue reading and tell him all the new stories you discovered. Had all those been empty words? All lies? No, no, no, his eyes were warm when she told you that, they were full of sincerity and affection. It couldn't be, that had to be a crude nightmare.

“You can read the letter as many times as you want, but that won’t change the fact that he used you.” Your father put the letter once again in front of you.

“That’s not true…” You whispered, shaking your head. “It can’t be true…”

“Our dear daughter.” Your father spoke. “We told you he was a bad man, you ignored us and he got under your skirt and left. You better start praying for no one outside this house to find out about your impurity, thankfully Mr. Harrison is still willing to marry you.”

You stood up from the chair and walked towards the door with tears streaming down your face. “The wedding will be next month.” Your mother spoke before you left the room.

You practically run towards your room only followed by Rose, who entered with you to your room.

“Rose… he…” You tried to articulate a single word but you were unable, the words were stuck on your throat and it hurt like knifes.

“It’s okay my lady.” She tried to calm you down.

But you couldn't, your chest hurt, your head hurt, your heart... you felt like it had been ripped from your chest and there was absolutely nothing left there now. Had Satoru really betrayed you? Had he really used you to help the crown prince? You felt dirty and you didn't know what else to think, you didn't know what to believe. You had completely trusted him, his actions, his words, his touches, everything.

But that letter that your father had read to you where he talked about how after sleeping with you he had taken the opportunity to go get the necessary documents to put the remaining nobles in his favor.

She was so easy to manipulate.

Those words keep on repeating on your mind, over and over again.

Note: this chapter is programmed so once it’s posted I will be sleeping, hope everyone enjoyed it and remember next chapter is the last one 😜😘

- comment if you want to be tagged

🏷️: @catobsessedlady @zoeyflower @httpstoyosi @satoracyxys @lavender-hvze @slashersgirlypop @tinydonkeysforlife @oddball08 @tttttttf

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lyranix1201 · 2 days

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[Spoiler warning for nevermore if you haven't read it, i highly recommended it :) ]

One thing that I don't see people talk about enough, is the fact that Annabelle lee started chaos in nevermore academy for no fucking reason. ( I know why she did it, I have read nevermore more then 10 times, don't worry🙂.)

Like this girl started chaos because she could. she did it for the TEA, she did for the DRAMA, she did it for the PLOT, SHE DID IT FOR THE ENTER-TAIN-MENT. She did it because she could, not because she should. Let me repeat myself, SHE DID BECAUSE SHE COULD, NOT BECAUSE SHE SHOULD. This girl just wanted to be entertained, nothing hits better then to lie to everyone and say that your fiancé/wife is your number enemy. Like No wonder Annabelle lee is Merry and mourn favourite, they both like a little antertainment in there life and watching people fall for their evil scams ( yes scams, I know what I said)

Annabelle Lee probably: "if I'm going to die again, atleast let me be entertained."

And the way she set up Ada in the most cruel ass way too. 😂 ( it is something that never fails to make me laugh.). Putting lenore Best man in to a wall, make morella choose between her and lenore, switch out pluto for morella (that was just fucking wrong, for her to do), almost letting monty die.(she should have left his ass on the Goddamn stairs, later on it will bite her in the ass, i promis you. No..... because monty needs to thank Ada and Will for stopping Annabelle lee, because she was about to leave his ass to rot.). Making poor Prospero have Monty as his roommate (all of my sympathy goes out to prospero, i know that this motherfuck monty doesn't take showers, i know that this man smells nasty. like imagine being monty roomate, like hellllll nooooo. Prospero is god strongest soldiers and Duke is too).

No because she could have just told people she didn't know lenore and that she met her outside. She could have just said that lenore was really nice to her and that she even saved her from a demon outside (it is not a complete lie, no one would know better and they could have just acted like they were friends). But nooooo she wanted to spice up some shit, and now look at this shit, now your wife is mad at you.

If it isn't the consequences of my own actions.

(I still love my beautiful wife Annabelle lee🥰. like the frase some people like to say, good for her.)

( I know why she did it, I have read nevermore more then 10 times, don't worry🙂.)

#annabelle lee #nevermore webcomic #nevermore webtoon #annabel lee nevermore #annabel lee x lenore #lenore nevermore #ada nevermore #will nevermore #monty nevermore #montresor nevermore #prospero nevermore #duke nevermore #pluto nevermore #Annabelle lee was just in a goofy good ass mood to start some chaos 🥰#if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions #my wife is mad at me. what should i do?

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radiaurapple · 2 days

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Lucid Dreams of New Orleans: Chapter 8

CHAPTER SUMMARY: IN WHICH Alastor goes for a swim.

The last time Lucifer saw his father, he was granted a fragment of His divine power — a punishment in the guise of a blessing — that he might serve as steward of the wayward souls cast down into Hell. It is a cruel gift, designed to ensure that he will always be haunted by his mistakes; Lucifer has endured the past seven thousand years by avoiding its use at all costs. But in the aftermath of the fight with Adam, Alastor’s worsening injury threatens the foundations of his daughter’s dream. Lucifer does what any good father would do: he uses his long-forgotten power to deliver Alastor’s soul from the brink of destruction. In turn, knowing Alastor — with all his sins, past lives, and heartbreaks — teaches Lucifer a little more about what it means to be human.

[AO3 LINK]

Another Saturday means another chapter + another promo art attempt!!! it's human Alastor and Lucifer on the subway!! Next chapter coming next Saturday, chapter preview below! 📻🍎

Alastor returns the next three nights. Lucifer brings him first to Victorian-era London, where they explore the rainy streets under a conjured umbrella. The following night they visit a speakeasy in Chicago — the next they spend wandering the streets of modern Tokyo.

It is nothing like those nights, so many years ago now, when Lucifer would seek out Lilith’s warmth on the other side of the bed. When he and Lilith touched, they almost always ended up somewhere sleepy and serene — a meadow in the midst of Eden’s enormous, ancient trees, or a breezy morning on the deserted Mongolian steppe, in one of Lucifer’s memories of the age before humans spread across the Earth. Perhaps it had reflected a love built more on companionship than actual desire — the love that would bind any two souls alone at the desolate edge of the world. The love that hadn’t been strong enough, in the end, to hold them together — that had instead flickered out over the years into a warm but lonely friendship.

This is different.

The doors of the F train slide shut and the train lurches into motion — Lucifer glares up at Alastor, both of them gripping the pole in the center of the car.

They’re in New York in 2019. Alastor’s visit today was an unexpected surprise on a lazy morning with no meetings and nothing to do; they’d arrived here just before sunset and spent a while exploring the Lower East Side before they hopped on the train at 2nd Avenue.

“You are fucking unbelievable,” Lucifer says, too loud — a father seated between his two children casts him an affronted glance over the top of his phone. Lucifer continues at a whisper: “How the Hell can you be so sure this is a downtown train? You’ve never even been to New York.”

“I can be sure because I have made use of an advanced technique known as observation of our surroundings. I highly recommend it.”

“Okay, well, you’re wrong. I’m getting off at the next stop. Asshole.”

“This is a downtown train,” says a voice behind him, not unkindly — Lucifer turns around to find an elderly woman watching them, leaning her forearms against a cart of groceries. She inclines her head above her, at the monitor that lists the upcoming stops. “See? It’s going to Brooklyn.”

“Oh,” Lucifer says.

He shifts his weight on his feet as the train slows to a stop. The doors slide open; Lucifer stares out at the pillar reading Delancey/Essex and fights a losing battle against the flush rising on his face. After what feels like an eternity, the doors close again and the train accelerates out of the station.

“This is my first time in New York,” Lucifer says to the woman, as if it will in any way improve this situation. The woman glances up at him again and offers him a smile, but says nothing.

“No, it isn’t,” Alastor says behind him. “He’s been here many times before. He is the Devil, nearly as old as time itself — unfortunately he is notoriously absent-minded and plagued by the regrettable belief that he is always correct.”

The woman blinks at Alastor. The silence is broken by the deafening screech of the train’s brakes as it slows; the doors slide open before an enormous sign that reads East Broadway.

“Ah — this is our stop. Thank you for your assistance,” Alastor says. He steps fluidly off the train and turns down the platform, toward the exit.

Lucifer stares after him in shock for a long moment, then jolts forward. “Hey!” He trips off the train, quickly rights himself — “You can’t just tell people I’m the Devil!”

Alastor’s laughter echoes down the platform like music.

[AO3 LINK]

#lucid dreams of new orleans #radioapple #hazbin hotel #appleradio #lucifer #alastor #hazbin lucifer #hazbin alastor #mine #lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel lucifer #duckiedeer #ao3 fanfic

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miss-musings · 1 day

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Analyzing the Allegories in The Bad Batch Episode 3.05 "The Return"

I know a lot of folks out there love analyzing the metaphors and allegories in The Bad Batch Episode 2.09 "The Crossing." (This video has a great breakdown! I highly recommend it.) It really dives into Tech's psyche, his autism (or the Star Wars equivalent of it) and his bond with Omega.

And, as much as I love that episode, I have to admit: I love Episode 3.05 "The Return" even more so for a lot of the same reasons people love "The Crossing." It really dives into Crosshair's psyche, his trauma and his bond with his family (especially Hunter).

Both episodes are so rich and layered, giving us a lot of time for introspection in an otherwise fast-paced, action-packed show.

I'd like to present two allegorical readings for "The Return." While there is some overlap, they ultimately have major contrasts and reinterpret some moments very differently. They ultimately hinge on whether you want to interpret the Wyrm as a good thing or a bad thing.

Thus, you may prefer one over the other, or maybe you'll like both. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments/reblogs!

Author's Note: This will end up being the second part of a much longer analysis I want to write about 3.05 "The Return." But, this second part about the allegories wasn't as time-consuming as I imagine Part 1 about the character beats/analysis will be, so I'm tackling it first. Once I've written Part 1, I'll update this intro section with a link. Cheers!

Allegory #1: The Wyrm is a Good Thing

The one overlapping point between both of these allegorical interpretations is that the Outpost base represents Crosshair, mainly his heart.

Like the Outpost, Crosshair was abandoned by the Empire. He served his purpose and was cast aside, set adrift. Now, he is alone, isolated and purposeless.

Additionally, Crosshair carries Mayday in his heart (which is something TBB composers recently confirmed on Twitter), and the Outpost is home to the last remnant's of Mayday and the other clones -- their helmets.

But while he carries memories of Mayday, Tech and other clones in his heart, he doesn't have anyone actively in his life. Just as the Outpost doesn't have anyone actively stationed there anymore.

Now, under Allegory #1, the snow represents Crosshair's trauma.

Just as the snow has covered the Outpost, Crosshair has been buried in trauma -- from many things, but especially from his experiences in 2.12 "The Outpost" and from his time on Tantiss.

The snow is emblematic of his trauma because the last time he was on Barton IV, he and Mayday are nearly buried in an avalanche and then they have to fight their way back through the snow-covered terrain, in a blizzard. While it isn't actively snowing at the Outpost in 3.05 "The Return," the snow that's covering the base has left it inaccessible.

Arguably, the snow can represent the specific trauma of losing a brother, because Crosshair audibly freaks out when Hunter falls into the crevasse. He's afraid of losing Hunter the same way he lost Mayday. He doesn't want to lose another brother to this planet and its snow.

So, just as the Outpost and Crosshair were both abandoned by the Empire, now they're both buried under the weight of the snow (or what it represents).

Now, enter: The Bad Batch.

Crosshair's family arrive at the Outpost and they take down the perimeter defense at the base. But, under Allegory #1, this is a Good Thing.

Because the Wyrm represents Crosshair's family, love and hope.

You can argue that the Wyrm represents Hunter specifically. They're the only two characters we see in the tunnels, and Crosshair has the remark about "I think I just made it angrier," which applies to both Hunter and the Wyrm at different points in the episode.

You can also argue the Wyrm represents Omega, because it shows up as they're talking about her. Plus, just as the Wyrm ultimately brings Hunter and Crosshair together and forces them to reconcile, so too does Omega. Plus, Hunter's line of "Not alone -- we'll do it together" can apply to facing the Wyrm as much as it does to eventually raising Omega.

But, ultimately, the Wyrm represents Crosshair's family (whether Hunter or Omega specifically) and the love and hope that they bring with them.

In the final shot of the episode, we see that -- even though the snow still covers the Outpost -- we also now see tunnels that the Wyrm created during its attack. They're essentially inlets into and/or outlets out of the Outpost now that weren't there before — a way through the snow.

Now that his family and their love and hope are back in his life, Crosshair has a way out and a way forward in life (or back to his family) that he didn't have before — a way through the trauma. He has their love and support. He has an outlet now.

(P.S. I also just love the idea of his family metaphorically wyrming their way back into his heart. LOL)

Allegory #1 fits better when you put it in the context of 2.12 "The Outpost" and the final scene in 3.05 "The Return."

Crosshair, in a very big character moment for him, takes the initiative and opens up to Hunter.

Crosshair in general, but in this episode specifically, is very closed off. Earlier in the episode, he avoided talking to Hunter, and wasn't forthcoming about his time on Tantiss or his experiences at the Outpost. Part of that is because of his personality, but a lot of it is because of his trauma.

But, at the end of the episode, Crosshair now feels comfortable enough to open up to Hunter. Arguably, he didn't really need to, at least not right then. He and Hunter had reached an equilibrium or understanding after facing the Wyrm together. Whatever anger and resentment they had for each other had dissipated.

Yet Crosshair feels he's ready to and needs to truly reconcile with his brother. Despite everything he's faced, he feels he has an outlet now, and he uses it and basically starts his healing process.

(PS - There’s a great side-by-side comparison of this scene vs. the S1 finale here.)

And, as I said, in the final shot we see the Outpost still covered in snow, but now there are tunnels going into/out of the base. There is now a way out, a way forward.

Allegory #2: The Wyrm is a Bad Thing

Just as in Allegory #1, the Outpost represents Crosshair -- isolated, abandoned and purposeless. But, now we're going to switch gears on what the Bad Batch and the Wyrm represent.

After months of isolation on Tantiss, Crosshair has his guard up. He isn't letting anyone in. He isn't letting anyone save him.

Until Omega.

It's clear from 3.01-3.05 that he has bonded with her in a way he hasn't bonded with anyone since arguably Mayday.

That's because he keeps letting people in, and then failing them and subsequently losing them -- his brothers, especially Tech; then Cody; and then Mayday. It's partly why he pushed Omega away so much on Tantiss. He definitely wanted her to increase her chances of escaping successfully by not risking breaking him out too, but he also didn't want to get emotionally close to her after failing and losing so many other people.

But, thanks to Omega, he escapes Tantiss and reunites with his brothers, and he suggests they go to the Outpost to pull more intel on Tantiss.

Under Allegory #2, by bringing them to Barton IV and the Outpost, Crosshair is inviting them into his heart. And the fact that the group debates whether Omega should go and that it's Omega who ultimately deactivates the sensors is significant.

The Bad Batch, specifically Omega, deactivating the Outpost’s sensors represents how they make Crosshair feel vulnerable again.

Just as the bases guards were up until they (specifically Omega) deactivated them, so too were Crosshair's guards up until his family (specifically Omega) re-entered his life and his heart.

This is partly why, when Hunter confronts him about betraying their family and then the Empire, Crosshair goes for the proverbial throat by bringing up Hunter's insecurities about failing Omega.

For a combination of reasons, Crosshair is feeling vulnerable for the first time in a long time, and while Hunter had very reasonable concerns and questions, he picked the worst possible moment to confront Crosshair about it.

Enter: the Wyrm.

Under Allegory #2, the Wyrm represents everything that threatens Crosshair and his heart -- whether that's external threats like the Empire or Tantiss, or internal threats like his fear and trauma.

After Crosshair comes face-to-face with the Wyrm, his initial response is to confront it alone. He likely feels guilty for endangering his family by bringing them to the Outpost, and doesn't want to risk failing and subsequently losing them the way he lost Mayday and others.

However, Hunter and the others emphasize that Crosshair can't and shouldn't face the Wyrm alone -- that they have to do it together.

Hunter also says: "Then let's get to it, before it tears this place apart." Crosshair and his family have to work together to protect the base, the same way they have to work together to protect him.

Allegory #2 fits better in the larger context of Season 3, specifically everything that happens after this episode.

Crosshair insists on facing CX-2 alone in 3.07 "Extraction" and would've died if Howzer and the others hadn't saved him. He is alone in 3.11 "Point of No Return" when he misses the shot to track Omega's ship. And he feels like, because of his failures, he needs to spare Hunter and Wrecker by infiltrating Tantiss alone in 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived."

But, just as the Bad Batch work together to restore the Outpost's defenses and protect it from the Wyrm, Crosshair is best protected when he is with his family -- when they are working together.

With prompting from Hunter, Omega helps Crosshair to start facing his physical and emotional trauma in 3.08 "Bad Territory." His brothers refuse to let him infiltrate Tantiss alone in 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived," and after they get captured, Echo and Omega work to break them out. And, when faced with an impossible shot to save Omega from Hemlock, Crosshair makes it thanks to Hunter's support and Omega's faith in him.

These are situations he wouldn't have been able to navigate alone, just as he wouldn't have been able to face the Wyrm and protect the Outpost alone. Heck, even Batcher helps Crosshair find and save Hunter after he falls into the tunnel. He probably couldn’t have done that by himself.

Crosshair needed his family to support and protect him from both his external and internal threats, just as they protected the Outpost.

So, in the final shot of 3.05 "The Return," we see the ship flying away from the Outpost. The Wyrm's tunnels are visible in the snow -- reminiscent of scars or wounds -- but the Outpost is still standing, still protected.

Analyzing the Title, Final Thoughts

I honestly can't decide which allegory I like better. I think they can both be powerful ways to interpret and 'read' the episode. Let me know if you have any additional insights or opinions.

As I said, I really love how emotionally poignant and significant this episode is. Just like 2.09 "The Crossing" was about Tech and Omega's bond, 3.05 "The Return" is definitely about Crosshair's bond with Hunter specifically, but his family in general.

Like Jennalysis says in The Crossing allegory analysis, I also enjoy thinking of all the things a TBB episode title can refer to. The Return has a lot of options:

Crosshair's return to Barton IV, obviously

Omega's return to Pabu, and her return to Hunter and Wrecker

Echo's return to Pabu and the Bad Batch family, even if temporarily

Under Allegory 1: Hope returning to Crosshair's life and heart, as Hunter alludes to in the final line: "And who knows? There just might be hope for us yet."

Under Allegory 2: Crosshair's physical and emotional return to his family; or said another way, allowing his family to return to his heart

There might be more but that's all I have for now. As I said, this will end up being Part 2 of a much larger analysis on the episode. I plan to write Part 1, which will break down Hunter and Crosshair's character beats and some other fun details, in the coming days.

Stay tuned! :)

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chronicpaingirlie · 2 days

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Tips For Baking While Disabled :) <3

1. do stuff the “wrong” way [pt: do stuff the “wrong” way]

- my number one tip for literally everything is to do it the “wrong” way if that is the way that will make it accessible to you

- sit down while you prepare stuff. use a machine to knead your bread if it’s too hard on your hands. take as many breaks as you need. use disposable items like parchment paper, foil pans, and paper plates if washing dishes is too much. make things work for you however you need to

2. question everything [pt: question everything]

- if you have the spoons & the brain power, plan ahead & question what the recipe says you have to do

- do you really have to flour the counter & make an extra mess just to knead dough, or can you knead it in the bowl instead? do you really have to use an extra dish for this step?

- there’s lots of things like that that recipes will state as fact that can be adjusted to save you some effort

3. if possible, recruit help [pt: if possible, recruit help]

- i have a bunch of younger siblings who will almost always jump at the chance to help me bake stuff

- see if u can find a family member/friend/housemate/caregiver etc who is willing (maybe even excited!!) to split the baking workload with you

- it fr makes it so much easier even just to have someone who will help you whisk together your ingredients or grab something you’ve forgotten to spare you the effort of moving across the kitchen

4. lay out everything you’ll need ahead of time [pt: lay out everything you’ll need ahead of time]

- this includes all the dishes, utensils, and ingredients you’re going to use for the recipe

- this helps soooo much with my combination of adhd + brain fog problems (aka forgetting things and getting distracted constantly)

- i like to make a designated area (e.g., on the stove or on a separate part of the counter) to immediately put what i’ve used so I know that i’ve used it; this ensures that I don’t add something twice & that i don’t miss any ingredients

- it also makes less moving around in the moment/less getting up & down ! a godsend fr

5. take advantage of built-in resting times [pt: take advantage of built-in resting times]

- when stuff is in the oven, sit or lay down !! it’s free resting time !! pleaseee take advantage of it

6. make cleanup as easy as possible [pt: make cleanup as easy as possible]

- i like to put something under my workspace (bath towel, tablecloth, paper towels, etc) so that when i inevitably spill something, i can just pick it up and shake it off instead of having to scrub my counters

- if you can spare the spoons, scrape off and rinse out the dishes you used so nothing gets hardened & caked on

- fill everythingggg with hot water and leave it in the sink for later!! don’t push yourself too hard & try to do dishes right away; the hot water will make it so much easier for later & you’ll get a chance to rest

7. you don’t have to do everything from scratch [pt: you don’t have to do everything from scratch]

- baking something from a box is still baking!! boxed is good & will help you save spoons but still scratch that baking itch

- you can make just one element of your baking & buy another - e.g., buy pre-made pie crusts and make the filling yourself

- buy pre-chopped/frozen fruits for crumbles and tarts, buy pre-made frosting for the cake you bake, grab some cookie dough from the store and throw it in the oven !!

8. experiment & adjust [pt: experiment & adjust]

- find what works for you & what doesn’t. figure out what recipes you can do & what ones you can’t. see how much effort you’re physically & mentally able to put into baking (without overtaxing yourself!) & take that into consideration for the next time(s) you bake.

- i highly recommend writing down the stuff you figure out - it helps me to both remember & stick to my limits & saves me from pushing myself too hard

(some misc stuff under the cut bc this is so long)

a few things to invest in if you can:

1. kitchen stool [pt: kitchen stool]

- if you’re like me and have Shitty Legs, this means so much less standing & has been a lifesaver for me tbh

2. hand mixer and/or stand mixer [pt: hand mixer and/or stand mixer]

- if you have the strength to both hold up a hand mixer for up to five minutes at time, and to sit up while you do it, they’re almost always the cheaper option, and they take up less storage space. if not, the stand mixer likely will be more expensive & will take up more counter space/storage space, but will be a lot more worth it for you

- check ebay or local online markets for secondhand ones if you can’t afford new ones - I found a used but perfectly good stand mixer for $30 !

3. latex/rubber gloves [pt: latex/rubber gloves]

- makes cleanup so much easier (especially if you have a hard time with hygiene, e.g. bathing or washing hands, extra especially with stuff like batter or dough that can be harder to get off, or with bad textures that will be on your hands)

- reusable ones you can drop in some water and clean off later if you don’t have spoons to do cleanup right away, and disposable can just go in the trash

4. boxed mixes [pt: boxed mixes]

- you’re still baking even if it’s not entirely from scratch!! boxed mixes mean fewer ingredients & steps, and shorter amounts of time spent upright/moving around

—

a few links:

justtherecipe.com clears away everything except the recipe for you - no misc stories from the author or ads popping up every 5 seconds . genuinely cannot recommend enough

baking with chronic fatigue

baking with hand pain

a few no-knead bread recipes (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)

#pls feel free to add more tips if u have some ! i might add on at some point too #disability #disabled #chronic pain #chronic fatigue #0

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zionangel · 1 day

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As I have many times in my life, I find myself rolling up to a new fandom years late to the party, but no less enthusiastic for it. Unsurprisingly, it happened because of one of those completely bonkers off the wall amazing ships you get sometimes. Who was it this time?

Rick and Michonne, of course!

I never watched The Walking Dead myself when it was on, because I don't like zombies and gore. But my mother watched, so I remember catching bits of a few episodes. (Of course I loved the three little dogs the janitor leader guy at the nursing home had in S1. I saw Sophia running away from the herd and into the woods, and a few weeks later Sophia coming out of the barn. My mother loves Carol, of course. On the night of the season finale that Negan appeared, I looked up spoilers to see who died before the episode was over, and then broke the news to my mom that she wasn't gonna find out until next season. She was so mad.) And of course I'm a huge nerd of the Comic-Con variety, I'm here on Tumblr, and I don't live under a rock (or at least I didn't then) so I knew the basics: zombies, a sherrif or two, that badass chick with the sword (I am always in favor of women with swords), the kid with the hat, and that one scruffy-looking guy that everybody loves who's not in the comics. And I remember thinking they had probably jumped the shark when I heard the kid with the hat died.

But then of course, That Reunion Scene happened, and a gifset made its way to my dash. And I mean we've all seen how compelling that amazing shit is. Next thing you know I'm lurking around the Tumblr Richonne fandom and reading up on the original show. I kept up with the new episodes of TOWL on Tumblr each week (bless Tumblr gifsets and the new styles of media consumption that they make possible). But I didn't start watching the original show on Netflix until after TOWL ended - I was not about to start down that rabbit hole for a doomed ship, but of course I was not disappointed. I dawdled around for weeks not wanting to watch the episode where Carl died (killing him off was as stupid as killing Tony Stark my god) and now I'm dallying around leading up to the bridge episode, and I'm certainly wary of watching almost three seasons of Michonne being sad or absent entirely on a show that is admittedly very depressing in general and maybe not so great for my mental health in large doses, ahem. So today I decided to say screw it and start on TOWL.

(BTW, just in general I highly recommend just ditching shows if they stop making you happy. Honestly. Whether it's years before the show ends, or if you just want to skip what you know is a depressing series finale. You will spare yourself so much grief.)

Anyway I'm not quite at the point where Rick, poor brainwashed traumatized idiot sandwich that he is, tries to send Michonne away from the CRM, and as wonderful as it, it's late and I've spent too much time typing this meandering post anyway.

For however many active followers I may still have, fair warning that I will be queueing up a lot of Richonne stuff the coming days/weeks.

Also, you can expect at least one post about how Rick and Michonne are basically Neo and Trinity. (They're both my favorite type of ship, soulmate battle couples.)

#richonne #rick grimes #michonne #michonne grimes #the ones who live

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virgo-dream · 1 day

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virgo-dream’s dreamling masterpost

In honour of @mr-sadman’s Dreaming Week 2024, I have compiled this masterpost of all my fics and fanart!

I highly recommend checking the Dreamling Week tag to see some of the amazing fanworks created by this fandom.

Happy Dreamling Week! ☁️✨

☁️ fanfiction ☁️

✨ one shots ✨

golden hour

rated G / 695 words / fluff

Hob had two favourite times during the day: dawn and dusk. Opposite in their purpose but equal in their beauty, dawn brought new life to restful spirits every morning, while dusk tucked them in gently every night. Hob loved the soft, lilac tones that shifted into golden, that faded into oranges, purples and deep blues, over and over again, marking the passage of never ending time.

Another thing he liked, dearly, was seeing Morpheus under the light of the golden hour.

metaphors

rated G / 2.5k words / idiots to lovers

the one where Dream is fucking dense and Hob is desperately in love.

the night of the storm

rated G / 2.6k+ words / hurt/comfort

across from the shadow figure sitting on his armchair, and offered the best smile he could muster. “…rough day? I feel like you’re not doing very well. Don’t ask me why.”

Are you not afraid, Hob Gadling?

or: Hob Gadling comes home to find the shadows need a shoulder to cry on.

freely given

rated G / 4k+ words / whump, hurt + comfort

Dream had no idea how he intended to help Hob. It was the right thing to do. He had stumbled into enough of Hob Gadling's nightmares to know for a fact that disease wasn't something he took lightly.

daisy chains

rated G / 589 words / tooth-rotting fluff, idiots in love

Hob tells him to use the door but doesn't mind when his friend just shows up uninvited because to Hob, Dream will always be welcome. Dream, on the other end, wants to know more about Hob, be a part of his life, even if it means spending more time in the Waking World. And then, like every good thing, the physicality starts small: a pat on the back, a hand on the shoulder.

or: they don't know it, but they're falling in love.

spring roll for your thoughts

rated G / 2.3k+ words / domestic fluff

Dream and Hob both need a moment to rest after a long day at work. They both find comfort eating reheated leftovers and daydreaming about the future.

the miracle of song

rated G / 1k+ words / christmas fic

Dream of The Endless has a long standing history with avoiding music since the loss of his only son, Orpheus. His relationship with Hob Gadling might make him change his mind.

A story about love, loss, bad karaoke and Christmas miracles.

one of their own

rated G / 3.6k+ words / queer themes, first kiss

Hob Gadling invites Dream to a meeting of the uni's queer clubs at the New Inn. Dream learns more about his own gender identity, and that he's very much in love with his best friend.

glitter glue and butterfly stickers

rated G / 1k+ words / dreamling parents, tooth-rotting fluff

Hob and Dream have been married for over 10 years and are raising a daughter together. After a long day working on his thesis, Hob receives a letter from his 7 year old daughter Lucy, detailing her thoughts on an article he’d written.

safety net: a bolt in the blue story

rated T / 3.1k words / fic of a fic, mutual pining (set in the universe of @valeriianz’s bolt in the blue)

Endless is in the middle of its first headline tour, and Dream has been doing his best to hold his own in the ever changing routine of touring. After one particularly intense concert, Dream finds himself extremely overwhelmed, and relies on the help of his trusted bass tech, Hob Gadling, to ground himself again. In the process, he finds that a few feelings have become impossible to ignore.

some mornings: a man of good fortune story

rated G / 1.1k+ words / domestic fluff, omegaverse (set in the universe of @softest-punk’s a man of good fortune)

Some mornings are easier than others, when one finds themselves in the state Dream is currently in. He remembers how mornings were when he was pregnant with Orpheus. As winter slowly approached their home by the sea, some mornings became harder than most for Hob.

A story of finding new purpose, switching roles and falling in love again and again. The moon is also there.

✨ multi-chapter ✨

when I wake up, there are only your eyes to greet mine (complete)

rated M / 14.2k+ words / victorian soldiers au

Five times Sergeant Robert Gadling woke up to Captain Morpheus Apeiron. One time Morpheus woke up to Hob.

A very unlucky battalion finds itself in the command of one Captain Morpheus Apeiron. He doesn't seem particularly worried with their survival, but mostly with ending the war as soon as possible. Sergeant Robert Gadling seems to be the only thing keeping all these young and inexperienced soldiers alive. After one particularly heated fight between them, Hob ends up discovering there is much more to his Captain than meets the eye, but is he seeing Morpheus as he truly is, or through the prism of his own desire?

may dream (incomplete)

rated M / 7.5k+ words posted / hurt/comfort

It's been 10 days since Dream of The Endless was rescued from Fawney Rig by one Hob Gadling, who takes it upon himself to see to Dream's recovery. While with Hob, Dream is provided with something he'd been missing even before his imprisonment: to be cared for.

☁️ fan art ☁️