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lunar-jimin · 5 years ago

Text

life goes on, it gets so heavy; the wheel breaks the butterfly

Pairing: Jungkook x fem!reading

Rating: 18+

Genre: smut, angst, fluffy ending, ceo!jungkook, secretary!reader

Word Count: 10k

Warnings: cheating, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, using pulling out as a protective method (don’t do this kids), dom!jungkook, sub!reader, cumming in pants, oral (female receiving), dirty talk, daddy kink, degradation, lovey-dovey sex, impreg kink

Summary: Despite being the golden heir of a wealthy empire, Jungkook is incredibly unhappy with life he’s been handed. When you show up in his office one morning, you change his life in the way he least expected, but in the way he needed the most.

a/n: This is an anonymous commission for my BLM fundraiser!! If you would like to request something yourself, you can find the link to my official post here! I would also like to thank the lovely @nightowls388 for beta reading!!

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The air was too hot. Uncomfortable. Sticky. Jungkook loosened the tie around his neck in a desperate attempt to free himself from the confines of his suit. He hated August. It was always too warm, too sunny. He preferred the dark winter days where the snow silenced the universal white noise. Black suits weren’t as suffocating on forty degree days.

He glanced out the window of the Rolls Royce, taking in the pedestrians struggling not to melt in the intense gaze of the sun. He sympathized with their struggle. Even the blast of freezing draft from the air conditioner did little to spare him from the heat. He enjoyed watching people. He was fascinated by the little idiosyncrasies that formed them into unique individuals, each essential to making the world work. Besides, everyone’s life seemed more interesting to him than his own.

There was a point in his life when he was content with the plan his parents had laid out for him before he was in diapers. He looked forward to one day taking over his father’s company, marrying a nice girl, and starting a family. It was a simple plan and one that gained the approval of the adults in his life: something he was constantly vying for as an adolescent. It was what he was raised with. When he went to college, everything changed. For the first time in his existence, he wasn’t being inundated with his parent’s doctrine and found that there was more to life than running Fortune 500 companies. His parents were less than pleased to discover that he had accompanied his business major with a minor in photography.

But despite the longing that had bloomed in him for something more intriguing than sterile offices and mundane board meetings, he still found himself back home where his parents once again instilled in him the desire to be the golden heir. A year after his return as the prodigal son, his parents set him with the woman who was now his wife. Three years after that, his father decided that he would rather spend his days on the golfing green rather than in sky-high conference rooms, so he handed off the company to Jungkook. Ever since Jungkook had been locked inside stuffy black suits and boring ties. And he absolutely hated it.

He squirmed in his seat, his desire to escape increasing with each second he was locked in the back of the car. God, why was it so hot? He felt like crying- a feeling that had become increasingly common during the past six months. His brain felt like a bubbling volcano waiting patiently to explode. Sometimes, Jungkook imagined what would happen when it did. He would divorce his wife, leave his job, and move to some island in the Caribbean where he would spend the rest of his days taking pictures. It was a nice dream, but it was only that, a dream.

He shook his head, trying to contain his runaway emotions. As the car came to a halt in front of the office building, Jungkook tightened his tie and grabbed his briefcase before exiting out into the scalding heat. If inside the car was bad, outside was absolute hell. It was so hot, Jungkook swore he was on fire. He frowned, rushing into the safety of the air-conditioned skyscraper in front of him before he broke out in a sweat.

He sighed in relief the second he made it through the rotating doors. He had never been so grateful for the large air conditioning bill in all his life. His relief was so immense that it took a full minute to realize something was wrong. Normally, the second he walked through the door, his secretary greeted him with an iced coffee and a pastry, but as he looked around, his secretary was nowhere to be found. Yet another sigh escaped his mouth as he stepped into the elevator. Why of all days did today have to be the day his secretary magically disappeared? He shook his head.

He noticed her the minute he arrived at his office floor. She was bent over a box, all her attention focused on searching for whatever object was eluding her. It took her a moment to notice his presence, but when she did, she bolted upright before scurrying in front of the desk, hands behind her back. Jungkook looked her up and down, transfixed by the beautiful stranger.

“Can I help you?”

His voice came out harsher than he meant it to and he cringed when you tried to disguise a wince.

“Um, yes, I’m your new secretary, Mr. Jeon.”

His brows furrowed.

“New secretary? What happened to the old one? He was perfectly fine.”

He didn’t remember any emails about his secretary leaving, although to be fair, he hadn’t been paying attention to much these days. He might physically be at work, but more often than not, his mind had drifted to far off places. Mostly island paradises.

“He moved away.”

“Ah,” he gave you a once over, “and what is your name, new secretary?”

You answered him. He nodded as if you had given him the right answer on a quiz.

“And I don’t suppose anyone has told you how things work around here.”

“No sir.”

His hands clenched at the name, a picture of you on your knees before him (with much less clothing) popped into his head. He shook it off, trying to stay the least bit professional. He had a wife for god’s sake.

“I see. Well, for future reference, I expect you to meet me each day in the lobby with an iced americano and a pastry,” he paused when he realized how demanding he sounded before softly adding, “No cherries though, I hate cherries.”

You nodded, grabbing a sticky note and jotting down his instructions.

“For now, just get settled in. Do you happen to know if I have any meetings today?”

You nodded again, “You have a lunch meeting with the Samsung marketing director at one, sir.”

There it was again. That damn formality. It was really going to get the better of him.

“You will accompany me. I expect you to take notes, but don’t contribute to the conversation. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jungkook nodded before making a beeline to his office before he got a boner. He let out a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind him. His heart pounded in his chest and despite his desperate attempts, he’s chubbed up a bit in his pants.

He didn’t want to admit that it’s because you might be the most attractive woman he has ever seen. He didn’t want to admit that he hasn’t been this turned on in months. Instead, he passed it off on the fact that he hadn’t had sex with his wife in three months which left behind quite a bit of built-up tension.

The hours ticked by and Jungkook attempted to bury himself with the neverending stack of paperwork. He remembered there was a time when he loved to show off his signature (there was a reason fifteen-year-old him never had a girlfriend), but now he wanted to chop off his hands so that he could never sign a contract again. He was thankful when the clock struck eleven, releasing him from his office, even if it meant being stuck talking shop for an hour while eating expensive but flavorless food.

He stepped out to find you arranging photos on the wall beside your desk. You glanced up when you heard the door open and flashed him a blinding smile.

“Ready, sir?”

He nodded. The title was really going to be a problem.

The meeting was the beginning of Jungkook’s personal purgatory. Every day you would greet him with a smile and the best pastries he had ever tasted. (He was surprised when you admitted to him that you had baked them yourself. If you weren't proving to be an amazing secretary, he would suggest that you open a bakery, but he’s selfish.) You were a good listener and caught onto his routines without a struggle. But every day you would show up dressed as pure temptation. It wasn’t even that your outfits were scandalous, just simple pencil skirts and pastel blouses, but you made them look like sin incarnate. It didn’t help that every night he went home to his wife who he barely noticed existed anymore.

There had been a point when he and his wife were, er, passionate. For the first couple of years, Jungkook even managed to convince himself that he was in love with her. But a couple of months ago, weekly dinners turned into once a month before they disappeared altogether. To make the situation worse, his mother was starting to complain about her lack of children, but he didn’t know how to break it to her that he couldn’t remember the last time he had kissed his wife, much less had sex with her. There were no bitter feelings or resentment, just indifference. He had briefly considered couples therapy before deciding against it. He wasn’t sure he even wanted to attempt to salvage the crumbs of his marriage.

You had only added fuel to the fire. Jungkook found himself just as infatuated with your mind as he was with your body. Not only did you laugh at his dumb jokes and listen to his whining, but you had witty contributions and easily found out-of-the-box solutions. He swore this quarter’s numbers would be higher just from you alone. And you flirted. He wasn’t sure at first, incredibly hesitant to respond in fear of a scandalous HR report. But when he caught your gaze on him when you thought he wasn’t looking one too many times, he realized there was a good chance that you liked him just as much as he liked you.

Between you, his wife, and his desperate need to escape this world of offices, limos, and quid pro quo, his life was unraveling right in front of him. Still, he tried to hold onto all the pieces before they landed in a disappointed heap in his lap. He wasn’t quite ready to let it all go to shit. He definitely was not ready to meet his parents’ disapproving faces when he lost everything they had worked so hard to ensure he had.

Two months after you began working, he found himself at an overcrowded party praying he was anywhere but there. Sadly, being a CEO meant that he wasn’t allowed to drink away his woes, lest he make a fool of himself in front of all the investors. Instead, he was forced to stay exhaustingly sober as he watched everyone around him devolve into debauchery. He found his wife pleasantly drunk near the bar talking to one of her friends whose face he recognized but couldn’t remember her name for the life of him.

“Having fun darling?”

He grinned, trying to play the role of loving husband. A role that had become increasingly difficult to mimic.

“It’s your birthday party, I should be asking you. Have you even had a drink? Probably not,” she turned back to her friend, “He never drinks at these things, something about keeping up appearances. I think it’s dumb. It’s his own birthday for fuck’s sake.”

He rolled his eyes. There she went again, putting him down. It wasn’t the first time she had commented on his festive sobriety. She wasn’t a fan. Maybe it was because he only fucked her after he drank. Still, he conceded to her teasing, figuring one drink wouldn’t hurt. He waved down a bartender.

“A whiskey on the rocks, please,” he turned back to his wife, “satisfied?”

She grinned at him before resuming ignoring him in favor of whatever fascinating conversation her friend was providing. He sighed before grabbing his drink and making his way out to the balcony. The air inside the penthouse was stuffy and he was beginning to feel claustrophobic. He was surprised to find you already out there, nursing your own drink in your hand. It wasn't unusual for people from the office to be at his personal parties. His father had taught him a long time ago that inviting your employees into your personal life was key to inspiring loyalty. It made them feel like they knew you and that they were important to you. But seeing as you were a relatively new addition, he had never seen you outside of the office and if you were sexy in skirts and blouses, the dress you had on should be illegal. He gulped before leaning next to you on the rail.

"Parties not your thing?"

You jumped, spilling a bit of your drink onto the dark street below.

"Um, no, parties are fine. Rich people parties are just a whole new animal."

He chuckled.

"That's fair I suppose. Even I get sick of those fuckers. They do realize that they aren’t at the office anymore right? No need to brag about how well your stock is doing"

You smiled at him before looking back out at the city skyline. Despite having grown up with views like this, Jungkook still found it breathtaking. Almost as breathtaking as he found you. He took a sip of his drink, trying to drown his thoughts in alcohol. When he looked at you again, he felt his stomach churn. You were so beautiful that he wasn't sure what to do with himself. A sigh escaped him. You broke out of your trance and turned to look at him.

"Something wrong?"

"No. Not really."

You raised your eyebrow.

"I just- I know this sounds stupid and pretentious- but I really just don't want to do this anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"This job. This lifestyle. This life. I was raised to be the perfect CEO with the perfect family, a copy of my father really, but that's not what I want. All my family has ever seen me as is the golden heir and honestly, I don’t know if I can be that anymore."

"Who do you want to be?"

"I don't know. A photographer I guess. And marry somebody I actually choose to fall in love with. And live away from the stress of trying to please every person in my life at the cost of my own happiness."

"You don't love your wife?"

"No, I do. Kinda. I just... My parents picked her out and at some point, I was smitten with her, but we're so different and she wants success and money and, well, I don't care about that as much. She’s not a bad person, she’s just obsessed with her books and her writing, and well, that doesn’t leave much room for family. I’m not much better though."

"Oh."

"And we haven't been too hot lately."

"How so?"

"Um, well, we're really distant, and, um, we haven't had sex in two months."

You snorted and he blanched. He usually never shared that kind of thing with anyone and here he was confessing his personal problems to you, his secretary. The alcohol must be affecting him more than he thought. This is why he didn't drink at parties.

"How? Has she seen you? I would be all over you if I was your wife.”

You realized what you had said a moment too late and you looked at him with wide eyes, a faint blush covering your face. He let out a nervous chuckle.

“Would you now?”

You nodded before downing the rest of your drink. Jungkook felt something akin to butterflies begin to flutter in his stomach. He had known that he was fairly attractive, but something about hearing someone as ethereal as you admit it made his heart do flips.

“Yeah, well, it’s really on me I guess. I haven’t really wanted to.”

“You don’t want to have sex?”

Relief washed over your face when you realized that he wasn’t going to linger on your slip up.

“Yeah. Well no. I do want to have sex. Just not with her.”

“I see. Well, who do you want to have sex with?”

It was a small glimpse, almost imperceptible, but he saw the recognition in your face as you watched his eyes glance over you.

“Me?”

Jungkook gulped. What was he doing? What was he getting himself into? He had a life to protect. Expectations to uphold. And yet, here he was, considering risking it all for a secretary who was making him feel something for the first time in months.

When he gathered enough courage to look at you, he found you staring at his lips. One second he’s waging a war with himself and the next your mouth is on his. Your lips are just as warm and soft as he thought they would be and for a moment he lets himself be absorbed by them. But reality rapidly floods back, and he pushes you away. You looked at him, obviously hurt by the rejection.

“I’m sorry.”

He’s being honest. He doesn’t want to hurt you. But he was a coward who was afraid of what people thought of him. And the things people would think about him if they knew he kissed his secretary were not pretty.

“It’s fine.”

You failed to cover up the disappointment in your voice.

“It’s not you. It’s just I have a wife, and a family with expectations and-”

He sighs.

“Look, it’s fine. Really. I’m just gonna get going, okay? I’ll see you on Monday.”

With that, you leave him to his own devices. He watches your figure go, before turning back to face the city.

“Fuck.”

If work was hell before, it was nothing compared to what it was now. Every day, he found himself torn between wanting to take you on his desk and wanting to never see you again. Ever since the party, the memory of your lips pressed on his had haunted him like an orphaned Victorian ghost with a thirst for revenge. It was on replay in his mind to the point he couldn’t properly sleep anymore. He felt like shit, and he was pretty sure he looked it too, but if anyone noticed they neglected to say anything.

You, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine. You hadn’t so much as mentioned the party. You performed your duties with your usual pep and continued to bring him your heavenly pastries. He resented you a little bit for being able to move on so easily. Here he was hung up on a moment he had fucked up, and there you were acting like nothing had happened. He wanted to scream.

So he pulled back. He only talked to you if it was absolutely necessary. He never looked your way. He threw himself into his job. But you were still there, just as tempting as the first day he had seen you. His mind was being forced to choose between you alongside the island paradise he dreamed of, and keeping up appearances while pleasing his elders. A week passed and he was miserable. He was exhausted and all his will power had been depleted.

That’s why he ended up doing what he did. Or at least that’s what he told himself. Friday rolled around and Jungkook was at his wit’s end. And then there you were, fifteen feet away from him flirting with some random guy from IT. (Namjoon, maybe?) It was harmless, but it didn’t stop Jungkook’s gut from twisting about inside of him. Why didn’t you flirt with him? Why didn’t you show him any signs of affection? He reminds himself that he rejected you, but it’s no help. Jealousy overwhelms him as he squirms in his leather chair. He barely noticed his hands clamped into fists or the way his jaw had clenched to the point of pain. When Namjoon leans over to whisper into your ear, Jungkook loses the small tidbits of control he had left.

He pushes himself out of his chair and storms out, not bothering to say anything as he grabs your arm and pulls you away from a stunned Namjoon and back to his office, slamming the door behind him.

“Can I help you?”

Your tone is curt and your face was twitching with displeasure. Jungkook realized that once he had you, he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do with you. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He would certainly like to bend you over his desk and fuck you until you couldn’t walk, but he was fairly certain that wouldn’t go over well with you right now.

“Umm…”

He felt a blush cross his face as he realized he was still holding onto your wrist. He released it before turning to pace back and forth across the marble floor.

“Well?”

You folded your arms across your chest, your eyes were alight with something dangerous. Something that Jungkook found incredibly sexy. Before his brain could register with what he was doing, he found himself marching over to you, grabbing you by your waist and pulling you in for a kiss.

You stiffened against him, but before you had a chance to respond, he had pulled away from you. The guilt was almost immediate, drowning him in regret and confusion. You too looked confused, as you stood stock still, surprise plastered all over your face. Jungkook turned and walked back to his chair.

“You can go.”

You seemed to barely register the words as you nodded before absent-mindedly wandering out of his office. Jungkook relaxed in his seat as he tried to make sense of what had happened. He knew he had feelings for you, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Nothing he couldn’t control. But he had lost control and now he wasn’t able to trust himself. And he didn’t know if he wanted to.

After that, things went back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be. He gathered the courage to interact with you again. But now instead of friendly glances and gestures, there were secret looks and subtle touches. Jungkook knew he was a wind-up toy one twist away from snapping, but he couldn’t help but indulge in your flirty gestures.

He found himself growing bolder as the consequences he had once worried about seemed to be a world away. What started with the brush of a hand across the hip, grew to a hand on your thigh in the back of the car. Dark stares and lip bites plagued his day. At night, he would go home and lock himself in his private office where he would wrap his hand around his cock while conjuring up images of you in a variety of wanton states, all for him.

He should’ve known that staying at work late with you would be a bad idea. Usually, you had the rest of the employees to keep you in check. With them gone, he found himself finding little reason to hold himself back.

“And so that’s why I think it’s a good idea to start engaging with younger consumers.”

You had been discussing ways to boost sales for the quarter, but he had stopped listening long ago, instead focusing on how your shirt was opened a button lower than usual.

“Mr. Jeon?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you listening?”

“What? Oh, yeah. Of course. Younger consumers. Got it.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Maybe if you spent less time staring at my chest and more time focusing on these market studies, we would already have higher sales.”

“Sorry.”

“Sure you are.”

“You’re right. I’m not.”

The drop of his voice surprised even him. You looked at him with an unreadable look from your perch on the edge of his desk.

“And what is so enticing about my chest?”

Jungkook gulped. Your eyes had darkened and he felt himself start to stir in his pants.

“It’s a part of you. And you are so sexy I can barely control myself.”

You smirked, before sauntering over to him and lowering yourself into his lap. The scent of your perfume overwhelmed him as you leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Then don’t.”

Somewhere inside him, a cord snapped. The control he had been trying to reign in had broken free and he was left to his own primal devices. He pulled your lips to his, finally relishing in getting to properly kiss you. You responded instantly, lips moving against his as your hands buried themselves in his hair. You tugged on the strands and Jungkook moaned into your mouth, hips bucking up into you as his hand grabbed your ass. You returned his moans and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth.

His brain was a mess of emotions and hormones. He was overwhelmingly hard in his pants and your lips felt too good against his. You rolled your hips on top of him and he let a growl, the need to take you battling with his need to preserve the few remaining shreds of his dignity.

He didn’t have the chance to make a decision though when the office door swung open and the head of a very confused janitor popped in.

“Uh…I thought you were gone,” he stuttered, “...I’ll just leave.”

The janitor blushed before shutting the door. Jungkook turned back to look at you to find a similar rosy hue had graced your cheeks.

“Um...I should probably get going too.”

Your voice was meek and the embarrassment of getting caught was plastered all over your face. He can’t blame you though, he isn’t doing too well himself. The fear of getting caught had left him deflated in more ways than one.

“Yeah, sure, that’s probably good.”

You moved off his lap, readjusting your skirt as you do so. You grab your purse and jacket before walking to the door. Just as you were about to open it, you turn back to look at him.

“Good night, Jungkook.”

He looked up surprised. It was the first time you had called him by his first name. It sounded heavenly coming from your lips.

“Goodnight.”

Before he left for the night, he made sure to track down the janitor and offer him a healthy sum of money to stay quiet. He took it happily and continued on his way.

The weekend passed slowly for Jungkook. You plagued his thoughts with images of your rumpled skirt and the feeling of your hands in his hair. His wife was out of town for yet another business trip. He didn’t care. It just gave him more time with the thought of you while his hand was around his cock.

When Monday finally rolled around, Jungkook found himself the happiest he’d ever been to go to work. As he walked into the lobby, the sight of you washed over him like the cold water of a lake on the hottest day of summer. Something about your smile seemed to relieve him of all the heavy stress he was carrying on his shoulders.

He almost made it through the day without losing control of himself. Despite all the glances he gave you, or the way you brushed your hand against his while you leaned over next to him to explain a chart, he managed to keep it together. But when you bent over in front of his desk to pick up a pen he dropped, he lost all control. The next thing he knew, he was slamming you against his office door, lips attacking yours, while his hips rutted into you.

Your initial shock wore off almost instantly and you groaned as you melted into him. You wrapped a leg around his waist, dragging him closer to your core. The kiss was messy and he was sure your lipstick was ruined. A fervent need overwhelmed him as he humped you like a desperate teenager. You pulled away to catch your breath, dark eyes looking staring back at his own.

“Fuck, you turn me on so much, baby,” he growled into your ear, hips moving faster.

Words seemed to fail you as you whined back at him, pleasure contorting in your face. You suddenly let go of him, before dropping down to your knees. Instead of going to undo his pants like he expected, you simply gave a long lick over his bulge. Jungkook’s legs immediately turned to jello and he had to brace himself on the door to keep himself upright.

“Oh fuck, what are you doing baby?”

“I’m getting you off. Do you want me to make you feel good sir?”

For once he was happy to hear the name. He didn’t get a chance to respond before you grabbed him through his pants. He threw his head back with a moan. It briefly occurred to him that people might hear through the thin walls, but your hand on his hard cock soon relieved him of all thought. It didn’t take much to get him to the point of no return. Even with all the nights spent with his fist and a bottle of lube he still felt like a rubber band getting stretched to its limit. You were barely touching him, but there he was, on the precipice of cumming in his own damn pants. He barely had time to warn you before spurts of hot cum filled his boxer briefs with white. “Oh, fuck.”

You giggled as he let out soft groans, cock twitching in its confines. The high of pleasure was quickly wiped away as the sensation of sticky underwear rose to his attention.

“You’re a bad, bad girl, baby. You made me cum in my pants. Do you know what happens to bad girls?”

“No, sir.”

“They get punished.”

“And how are you going to punish me, sir?”

Jungkook had to stifle a groan. You were still on your knees in front of him, calling him ‘sir’. Despite having just had one of the better orgasms in his life, his dick twitched with interest.

“Stand up.”

You quickly obey, rising to your full height, but keeping eye contact the entire time.

“Take off your panties.”

Your eyes grew wide at his demand, but you obeyed him nonetheless. The second you grasped the pink lace in your hand, he snatched them from you, immediately bringing them up his nose. He inhaled, letting himself get lost in the musky aroma.

“Shit, baby, you smell so good. I can’t wait to eat your wet pussy. But not today. You were bad today and only good girls get their pussy eaten.”

You let out a whimper but kept your mouth shut, body frozen in place. He stuffed your panties into his pant pocket before walking over to his desk and taking a seat.

“You may go.”

You looked like you wanted to say something, probably about your lack of undergarments, but you held your tongue and turned to leave.

“Oh, and one last thing.”

You turned back to him.

“I’m going to need a new suit. It seems I’ve spilled some coffee on this one.”

He smirked and you nodded, before stepping out the door.

He didn’t try to hold himself back after that. He would take you whenever the opportunity arose. It didn’t take long for him to fulfill his promise to eat you out. He would forever remember the way you whined his name while his mouth pulled not one, but two orgasms from your dripping pussy. And when he finally got to feel your mouth around his cock, he was fairly sure he had found nirvana.

He wouldn’t fuck you though. He knew it was silly as if he would be betraying his wife any more than he already was by having sex with you, but for some reason, he felt the need to draw a line. To separate the boundary between the fantasy land he had created with you and the cold reality that he returned home to. His wife had become all but a ghost in his life, and as a result, Jungkook found you providing his only emotional support in addition to sexual release. He didn’t want to admit that somehow, in a few short months, you had grown from being just his secretary to his closest companion.

He didn’t want to admit it because he was too afraid of where it would lead. He was already teetering on the edge to give it all up, even before you had shown up in his office looking like a gift from heaven, but now, now he was fairly certain that even the tiniest breeze would push him over. And he didn’t know if you would be there to catch him if he fell.

But that didn’t stop him from starting to dream of a future with you. The island paradise in his mind expanded to include you. Flashes of laughing children, nights under the stars, and soft kisses danced through his mind. You would have your own bakery, he would take pictures, and together you would create your own little family. One that was far removed from the hassle and the stress of his painful existence.

Jungkook was over the moon to discover that you would be accompanying him on a work trip to Japan. For one whole week, you would be one door away. Even if it was a ruse, Jungkook would be allowed to pretend, for one whole week, that you were his and he was yours alone. On the plane ride alone, he made you cum three times in the cramped bathroom. During the day, you would both try to hold it together. Merger meetings were laced with subtle glances and hidden touches. At night, you would become a whole other animal.

You tested his limits. Dared him to give in and finally give you what you both wanted: him inside you. Every night you would knock on his door in translucent nighties that highlighted the fact you had discarded your bra. After the second night of showing up in see-through clothes, Jungkook decided to return the favor, opening the door with his shirt unbuttoned, leaving his abs out for anyone to see. While you were both visibly affected by each other’s teasing, neither of you gave in until the last moment, each of you leaping into each other's arms and making a mess of the hotel furniture. But he still didn’t fuck you. It was his line. His final frontier.

On the last night of the trip, Jungkook suggested that they finally test out the jacuzzi on his balcony. Bad idea. When you showed up in a tiny red bikini that did little to protect your dignity, Jungkook felt himself spiraling out of control. Instead of greeting you like he usually did, he thrust a cocktail in your hand while trying to will his dick into submission. He made it through about ten minutes in the hot tub, trying to participate in regular conversation with you. But he couldn’t, not when your tits were sitting right there. He was no longer sure if the sweat dripping down his forehead was from the warm water or the pent up tension.

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“I can’t take this anymore,” he groaned.

“Can’t take what?”

Your eyes gleamed, daring him to admit to what they both knew he so desperately needed.

“There is nothing more I want then to sink into your pretty pink pussy right now.”

“So why don’t you?”

It was the first time you had questioned why he refused to have sex with you, and now that you were finally confronting him about it, he found himself at a loss for a reasonable explanation. The line that he thought he was creating by refusing to have sex with you had long ago been blurred to the point of no longer existing. And here you were, with your warm body inches from him, wanting him just as much as he wanted to you and he knew that he was done for.

“Fuck it.”

With that, he pulled you onto his lap, attaching his lips to yours for the three millionth time. He would never tire of your kisses, the way they comforted his soul, and quenched his constant need for your touch. You eagerly responded to him, tongue licking the seam of his lips. As the two of you began to explore each other’s mouths, his hands came up to the string keeping your bikini top together and gave it a quick jerk, letting the scarlet cloth fall from your body. He pulled back and groaned at the sight of your perfect tits, the water around you swishing as he rolled his hips up into yours.

You whined out, “Fuck, baby. Just like that. God, I can’t wait for you to be inside me.”

“Yeah?” Jungkook’s voice was low with lust, “Me neither, baby. You’re gonna be such a good slut for me aren’t you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Even after months of you calling him ‘sir’ in less than professional situations, Jungkook still hadn’t gotten used to it. He felt every inch of his skin tingle with sheer pleasure every time the word fell from your shameless mouth. You whined, teeth pulling at his bottom lip as you pressed down on top of him, just as desperate as he was. He moved from your mouth to your neck, kissing down to your collarbone, where he stopped to take the time to leave a rosy mark that signified you were his and his alone. Once he was satisfied with it, he continued down your chest, taking one of your pretty pink nipples in his mouth, sucking on the hardened bud. You moaned out his name, hips stuttering against his. God, he loved your breasts.

Your hands tangled themselves in his hair, pulling on them to the point of pain. Jungkook didn’t care though. He loved when you showed him just how good he could make you feel. It made him feral. Sure, receiving pleasure was gratifying, but there was nothing quite like watching you squirm from his ministrations.

He reluctantly pulled away from your tits to pull the ties keeping your bikini bottoms intact before discarding the garment in the same manner as your top, leaving you naked on top of him. He took a moment to pull back and admire how beautiful you looked. You sat there as he looked you over, a blush rising to your cheeks. You crossed your arms over your chest in an attempt to make yourself less vulnerable to him.

“Oh no baby, don’t hide yourself from me,” he gently pulls your arms away, “you’re too beautiful to stay covered up.”

Your blush intensified. He smiled at you, wrapping his large arms around your body and carrying you out of the hot tub. Your lips reconnected with his as he stumbled his way into the hotel room, tossing you on the king-sized bed.

“Are you gonna be a good girl for me?”

His voice was as dark as his eyes. You nodded in response, voice escaping you.

“That’s my baby.”

He pulled off his wet swim trunks before joining you on the bed, where your wet body had begun to soak the sheets. If he had his way, they would be much wetter by the time the night was over. He wasted no time diving into your pussy, lips attaching to your clit, drawing out your sweet moans. His fingers found your entrance, circling it a few times to collecting your slick, before slipping one in. Your back arched at the sensation and Jungkook let out a chuckled against your clit.

Your whines grew higher and he could tell that you were getting close to finishing. After months of exploring your body, he was well acquainted with how to play your pussy like an instrument, conducting your symphony of pleasure. He slipped in a second finger, crooking them upwards in search of the spot he knew would make you scream. When you cried out he knew that he had found it and not five seconds later, you were coming all over his digits.

“Fuck, Kook.”

“I hope you don’t think that we’re done yet,” he growled as his fingers slowed before leaving your sopping cunt, “when I’m through with you, you won’t be able to walk for days. I'll have to carry you to every meeting and explain to them that I fucked you too hard for you to function.”

You clenched around nothing at his words and he mindlessly took his cock in his hands, giving it a few quick strokes.

“You like that don’t you? You would love for the entire world to know how much of a whore you are for my cock.”

“I would. I’m a whore for your cock, please give it to me. I’ve been a good girl.”

Without bothering to warn you, he lined himself up before sinking into you. You both groaned at the feeling of your tight cunt stretching around his cock. After months of dreaming of what your pink walls would feel like around him, he could confirm that the sensation was much better than anything his imagination had conjured.

He started with slow thrusts, trying to give himself time to come off the edge he had already been worked up to. Your legs came to wrap around his waist, pulling him closer to you. As soon as you had adjusted to his girth, you began to roll your hips up to meet his.

“Go faster.”

“Uh uh, if you want Daddy to go faster, you have to beg like a proper slut.”

It just slipped out. Jungkook knew he had a daddy kink, but it generally stayed repressed deep within after his wife had shamed him for it. But you didn’t seem to mind. If anything, you squeezed him even tighter.

“Please Daddy, please go faster. Fuck my tight pussy.”

He conceded to your wishes, pulling all the way out, before thrusting back in. He set a tireless pace, pounding into you so hard the bed began to shake. He leaned down, meeting your lips in a sloppy kiss. Your teeth clacked together, but Jungkook didn’t care. He just wanted to be as close to you as possible.

He pulled away from your lips and his cock twitched at the visual of the string of saliva connecting your mouths. Without him to silence you, your moans mingling with the sound of skin slapping creating a beautiful symphony for Jungkook’s ears.

He felt himself approach the edge, honing in on his release. Luckily for him, your pussy was tightening around him, signaling that you were close too.

“Fuck, are you gonna cum for me, baby? Are you gonna come around Daddy’s cock like a good girl?”

“Yes Daddy, I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna-”

Your voice broke off into a high pitched moan as you clenched around him. You threw your head back, hands clawing into his skin. The mix of pain and pleasure sent him over the edge with you. He quickly pulled out before covering your pussy and stomach in white strands. As soon as the waves of ecstasy rescinded, he collapsed on top of you, exhaust claiming his muscles.

He laid there for a minute before hopping up and heading to the bathroom. When he came back out, warm towel in hand, he found you passed out on the soaked sheets. His heart skipped a beat at your blissed-out face and for a moment he wished he could feel as peaceful as you looked. After making sure you were thoroughly clean, he collapsed on the bed next to you. Sleep was quick to come to him, but not before he took you into his arms, burying his face into the crook of your neck.

A dam had burst. The two of you went at it like rabbits, he would take you any and every way could, whenever he could. He couldn’t get enough of you. He would take you in the back of the limo, in the elevator, empty conference rooms. It was to the point he was sure the entire company knew of your amorous relations, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. All he thought about was you. Even the fear of disappointing his parents was beginning to diminish. As his feelings for you grew and blossomed, his desire to please anyone else faded into a faint buzz in the background of his mind. You had him whipped.

He knew things were bad when his five year anniversary with his wife rolled around and he didn’t feel a thing when she told him that she wouldn’t be able to be there due to some book tour. Sure, a little part of him was upset that she didn’t care enough to even try to change the tour dates, but he knew that he didn't have a leg to stand on. In fact, he was rather grateful he wouldn’t have to plan some dinner to celebrate a love that had died long ago.

When you heard that he was spending his anniversary alone, you had offered him some company. He felt a twinge of guilt about the idea of having sex with a woman that wasn’t his wife on their anniversary, but not enough to stop him from inviting you over. So there you were, in his foyer, with an overnight bag, a bottle of wine, and a smile that could light up the heavens. He grinned back at you, taking the bottle and leading you into the living room.

“I’ll get us some glasses, yeah?”

“Sure. Do you mind if I change? Work clothes aren’t the most comfortable.”

“Oh, yeah, go ahead. There’s a bathroom down the hall to your left.”

When he returned to the living room with two glasses and a bottle opener, you were curled up on the couch in a tank and shorts. You were flipping through the photography book that he kept on the coffee table. You were so immersed in the pictures that you didn’t notice his presence.

“So whatcha want to do?”

You jumped, startled by the sound of his voice.

“It’s your anniversary, you should decide.”

He placed the opener and the glasses on the table next to the bottle before taking a seat next to you.

“I don’t know. How about we just drink and talk for a bit?” he paused, “Maybe that’s stupid.”

“Nope. Nothing about you is stupid.”

There was your damn smile again. Jungkook hated the way his heart pounded faster because of it. He smiled back at you. It only took a few sips of the merlot before Jungkook had begun to relax. He had been drunk around you plenty of times, but there was something about wine that made him want to pour his entire heart out to you.

He watched as you laughed at your own joke, strands of hair that had fallen loose from your tight ponytail danced on your cheek. The world seemed to slow down a little, time coming to a halt, making the room for him to exist with just you and no one else. It was somewhere in that warm, fuzzy space that the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“I think I love you.”

Even the air in the room stilled. You stared at him, eyes wide with shock.

“What?”

You looked like a deer in headlights. Jungkook felt like one.

“Nothing. I was just running my mouth. Don’t mind me. Go back to telling me about this dream bakery of yours.”

Much to his chagrin, you didn’t budge, eyes still fixed on his rigid body. Your surprise had evaporated and you were now looking him up and down as if you were trying to analyze his inner thoughts. You both sat frozen for what felt like ages before you moved to kneel in front of him, taking his shaky hands in yours. When you opened your mouth, your voice was soft, caressing his soul.

“I love you too.”

The world stopped in its tracks. Jungkook swore his heart stopped beating in his chest. And then your lips were on his and even though he had kissed you more times than he could count, this felt different. This felt like the collision of two planets, the implosion of a star. Fireworks weren’t enough to describe the cascade of emotions pouring through him. His hands grasped your cheeks, gently caressing the soft skin. You hummed against his mouth as he pushed you back to lie on the couch, while your legs spread to make room for him between your thighs.

Jungkook swore he felt a tear trickle down his cheek, but he couldn’t tell if it was from you or him. He honestly didn’t care. The woman he had grown to love loved him back. He now knew that you would catch him if he fell. And so he let himself tumble over the precipice he had once been so terrified of. He could finally admit that your embrace was home and that your arms eyes were the safety he never felt. He loved you. You loved him. The stars had aligned.

He trailed his kisses away from your lips and to the crook of your neck where he inhaled. You smelled of the remnants of your perfume mixed with your own personal scent. He swore if he breathed it in enough, he would get high off it. Instead, he placed soft kisses on the delicate skin, before taking it in between his teeth, shamelessly marking you. The whole world would know that you belonged to him, almost as much as he belonged to you.

You moaned as he sucked the bruised skin into his mouth before shifting lower so that his face was right between your breasts. Your flimsy tank top did nothing to stop him from tearing it in two.

“Jesus, Kook,” you groaned as he took in the sight of your braless chest, bare before him.

“What? I can buy you all the tank tops you want. I would buy you the whole world.”

And it was true. If that’s what it would take to make you happy, that’s what he would do. Tears glinted in your eyes at his words before Jungkook ripped a moan out of your mouth when he took a nipple in his. He sucked on it before releasing it with a pop.

“These are the best tits in the world. I love them almost as much as I love you.”

He dove back in taking the neglected breast in his hand, rubbing the nipple. Your hips bucked up into him, desperate for more concrete pleasure than the little he was teasing you with.

“Slow, baby, I’ll get there. Slow.”

You whined in response, head thrown back against the arm of the couch while Jungkook swirled his tongue over you. Even though he was unbelievably hard in his sweats, he found no motivation to do anything about it, his sole focus on you and your pleasure.

He moved to kiss down your stomach. When he reached the hem of your shorts, he pulled them off, before moving to kiss over your lace panties. An obvious wet patch marked the center and Jungkook once again took the time to stop and smell you. The aroma overwhelmed him, driving him mad with carnal lust.

“Fuck baby, your dripping, and I’ve barely touched you yet.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re taking forever. Please baby, I need you.”

And how could he deny you when you were so sweet and all fucked out, just for him. He pulled your soaked panties to the side, groaning at your soaked, pink lips. He dove in, licking one long striped from the bottom of your cunt up to your clit. You bucked against him desperate for more.

In response, he wrapped his arms around your thighs, holding you in place. His tongue found your clit, eliciting angelic moans from you while he drew abstract shapes on your bundle of nerves. Your thighs began to quiver in his grip and he smiled against you. The thought of you coming from just his mouth had his dick twitching in excitement.

“Fuck, Kookie, I’m gonna cum.”

“That’s right baby, cum all over tongue.”

Seconds later, you're soaking his mouth while you writhed in pleasure. But Jungkook didn’t stop. He was too blissed out with his face in your cunt. He would stay like this forever if he could. He pulled one hand away from your thigh, to sneak around to your entrance, a finger slipping inside.

“Oh god, Kook, it’s too much.”

“You can do it, baby. I know you can.”

You looked like you were about to protest before he curled his finger up, hitting your g-spot. You cried out, more slick pouring out of you, if that was possible. He knew that there was a large wet spot staining his ten-thousand-dollar couch, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Slipping another finger in you, he began to flick with his tongue, daring you to come again. It didn’t take long.

“Oh shit, Kook, shit, shit, gonna cum, shit, shit-”

He’s never heard you scream so loud in all the months he’s had the privilege of giving you orgasms. Before he could properly register what was happening, you were squirting all over him. Your hips bucked out of your control as you painted his face with your orgasm. Jungkook swore that if he had any less self-control, he would’ve come all over in his pants.

As you came down from your high, Jungkook scooped you up, carrying you to the bedroom. He laid you gently on the bed, giving you a few moments to recover as he stripped himself of his own clothes. You sat up, watching him closely as he slowly revealed himself to you. He was well built, he knew that, but you often told him how much you appreciated his muscles, as if the way you kissed and bit his abs weren’t enough of a clue. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t started working out more just to please you.

But he also knew that he could never step foot in a gym again and you would still love him just as much. That was the difference between you and his wife. You loved him without condition, without the need for him to be someone he wasn’t. His wife had fallen in love with only one version of him, a version that no longer existed.

He joined you on the bed, crawling up between your legs, giving you a soft kiss when he reached your lips. You fell back on the pillows letting him take in your face, your body, you. He bucked up against you, tip rubbing your clit and you let out simultaneous moans.

Just when he was about to slip into you, his phone rang on the bedside table. He groaned, lifting himself up to see who dared to call him when he was about to have sex with the love of his life. A flash of guilt rushed through him when he saw his wife’s name light up the screen. Of course it was her. Despite everything, this was a woman who would keep up appearances until her dying breath. And here he was, about to have sex with another woman in their shared bed. He sighed, swiping to ignore the call, before tossing it back on the table.

This time, he didn’t wait to enter you, thrusting in immediately. He groaned at the feeling of your soft walls encapsulating him. Ever since the first time you had had sex, he had always made sure to use a condom, but he couldn’t bring himself to care that he wasn’t using one now. Being inside you without the extra barrier felt so intrinsically right. In fact, part of him was excited about the idea of going raw and risking getting you pregnant.

“You wanna get me pregnant?”

Your voice was soft and curious. He stilled inside of you,

“Umm…?”

His voice trailed off as he tried to come up with a reasonable response. His brain failed him.

“It’s okay if you do. It’s kinda hot actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind having your kid.”

Jungkook couldn’t help the moan that fell out of his mouth. He thrust softly in you. So many hormones were flooding his brain that he could barely focus on what was happening.

“Well, then I guess it’s my duty to make sure you’re nice and pregnant for me by the end of the night.”

“Yeah, Kookie,” you whined, “give it to me. Want you to cum in me. Want your baby.”

The two of you met in a messy kiss as Jungkook pounded into you, balls slapping your ass. Desperation flooded him, determination to knock you up with his child overriding every other need. He’d never had the desire to get someone pregnant like this before. There was something about you that pulled at all his primal instincts.

You were tightening again, your moans drowning out the sound of skin slapping accentuated by Jungkook’s own grunts. Jungkook himself wasn’t too far from finishing himself, having been on edge since you squirted all over him.

“Fuck baby,” you moaned, “you fuck me so well.”

“Yeah. Are you gonna cum for me? Are you gonna cum so that I can get you pregnant?”

“Yes, fuck, I love yo-”

Your voice faded into a scream as tears rolled down your cheeks as you came for the third time that night. The look on your face triggered Jungkook’s own orgasm. He roared as jets of white cum covered your inner walls. His hips stuttered as he chanted your name. Your legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him deep within you.

He rolled over without pulling out, keeping you tight in his arms.

“Mmm,” you hummed, “hope that did the trick.”

“Yeah? Me too,” he smiled.

You grinned back.

“Are you not gonna pull out?”

“We gotta keep my cum in you so we make sure it does the trick.”

“Okay,” you chuckled.

“What?”

He pouted.

“You’re just cute.”

“I’m not cute.”

“Sure...”

He giggled when you rolled your eyes, pressing a peck on your lips. The two of you stayed like that for the rest of the night, wrapped in each other's arms, talking until sleep carried you off into dreamland.

Jungkook woke the next morning before you. He took a moment to admire your face, not believing that you were really all his. He softly kissed your forehead before wiggling his way out of your embrace.

He quietly slipped on a tee and some sweats before making his way to the kitchen where he put on a pot of coffee. While he waited, he checked his phone, expecting to find a voicemail from his wife. He was surprised to find none. He opened the phone app and his stomach dropped. There at the top of his recent calls was a twenty-minute call with her. He must have accidentally answered it. She must have heard everything. Anxiety crept up on him as he began to pace the white kitchen floor. Before he knew what he was doing, the phone was dialing.

“Hello?”

Her voice was groggy.

“Hi.”

His voice quivered.

“What do you want Jungkook?”

“Oh, umm, I’m sorry I guess,” his voice is quiet, “For what you heard.”

“You mean listening to you moan about how you wanted to get your secretary pregnant?”

He cringed at her dripping sarcasm.

“Yeah. That.”

“Don’t be.”

“What?”

“Don’t be sorry. I don’t care.”

“You don’t?”

“Jungkook,” she sighed, “I think we both knew something like this was going to happen.”

“Yeah, I guess. But that doesn’t mean that it was okay for me to cheat on you.”

“That’s true.”

They both stay silent for a minute, letting it all sink in.

“I suppose that means this is the end of the road for us then, huh?”

“Yeah, it is. But it’s okay. We weren’t meant to be. All things being said, you sound like you really love her.”

“I do, I really do.”

“And if I’m being honest, I’ve kinda had a thing for my editor for a while.”

“Seokjin?”

He was honestly surprised that he remembered his name.

“Yeah.”

They both laughed.

“We’ll talk when you get back, yeah?”

“Yeah. Goodbye, Jungkook.”

“Goodbye.”

He hung up before leaning against the counter, throwing his head back to look at the ceiling. A breath of relief escaped as all the weight he had been carrying for so long fell from his shoulders. It was over. His dead marriage was finished and now he had the rest of his life to love you. He laughed giddily before running to wake you up and tell you the news.

Six months later, he’s on a beach in Jamaica, trying to take a picture of you without you noticing. He’s almost successful, your nose is buried too deep in a paperback you had propped up on your pregnant stomach, but you looked up when you heard the shutter click.

“Jungkook,” you groaned, “I told you not to take pictures of me.”

“I’m sorry, baby, I can’t help it. You're too sexy carrying my baby.”

You rolled your eyes behind your shades.

“Whatever. As long as no one else sees them.”

“Of course, baby. I’m keeping you all to myself.”

You grinned before turning back to your book.

A month after his conversation with his now ex-wife, their divorce had been finalized. He’d simultaneously quit his job as CEO, unafraid of disappointing anyone else at the expense of his happiness. He had made more than enough money to support the two, soon to be three, of you for the rest of your life. Together, you had moved to Jamaica, where you were working on opening a bakery and he had begun a fairly successful photography business. And in three months, the two of you would welcome a beautiful baby girl into the world.

He sighed, overly content with his life. He glanced down to your hand to spot the sparkling diamond on your ring finger. A month ago, he had taken you out on a boat ride where he had asked you to be his wife. You had eagerly accepted.

Now he was blissed out in that island paradise he had dreamed about all those months ago. His stress levels were an all-time low. And, sure, maybe his parents weren’t that happy with him, (all though his mother was over the moon when he announced the impending arrival of a grandchild, finally), but whenever he woke in the morning with you by his side, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. You were his whole world, and he wouldn’t give that up for anything.

masterlist

#ficswithluv #btswriterscollective #btswritingcafe #bangtanhq #goldenclosetnetwork #heartsforbts #btsgoldnet #houseofddaeng #bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #bangtanshadowfamily #bangtanidx #bts #fanfic #jungkook #smut #angst #fluff #ceo

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nerdygaymormon · 4 years ago

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Mtg w/Stake YW President

I’ve been asked to meet with the stake young women presidency where I live to talk about how to make church a better experience for LGBTQ+ youth, and share some things they ought to know to help them better understand.

These are my notes for the meeting.

Given our time limits, I had to be selective. I tried to think of what is some basic knowledge they should know, what is some practical advice they can implement, and then I wanted them to start thinking through scenarios.

————————————————————

We should talk about language.

Don't say "suffers from," "struggles with," or anything that suggests this is an addiction or sickness. Don’t ask, “are you sure?” Just because being straight & cisgender is most common doesn't make everything else "unnormal" or "unnatural". Don’t say we’ll be “fixed” in the resurrection because that implies we’re “broken.”

If someone comes out to you, they made themselves very vulnerable, they need love, validation and hope. Not talk about repentance or a reminder of the Church's anti-gay positions. There's a good chance they know the Church's teachings better than you do.

Let’s practice, what are some ways to respond if someone comes out to you?

—————————

How can we make things better, especially since we don't have power to change some of the problematic teachings or policies?

Every LGBT teen needs trusted adults in their lives who loves, supports and sustains them, no matter which path they choose.

It's hard for queer teens to see a path inside the church when taught all sources of joy & happiness are forbidden from them, and even basic questions about their place & purpose in The Plan seem unanswerable.

Queer youth look around church and don’t see themselves in the lessons (except possibly as the bad guys), they don’t see queer adults in their wards. They are not shown a future in church. Our stake is unusual in that I’m open that I’m gay and I’ve been in stake leadership almost 9 years, much of that time participating in youth conferences, stake youth activities, and even DJ of the dances.

—————————

If I had a chance to speak with an LGBTQ teen, I'd want them to know their Heavenly Parents love them very much. I'd encourage them to go home and pray, asking if their Heavenly Parents love them and hope they receive a strong answer. I'd also say that we don't know what the future holds, but they get to work out their future in collaboration with God.

They have a lot of hard questions and decisions to make, they don’t need to know the all the answers right now. Future decisions can wait for the future.

I'd remind them of the Spirit. When they pray about a choice, do they feel peace, content, settled, warm, calm, and things becoming clear in your mind? Or do they feel muddled, unsettled or unsure, or having trouble remaining focused on the idea? Those are ways the Spirit confirms or doesn’t confirm our choices. This will be useful for them as they work out their future.

Even if they decide they need a break, they can return with no judgement and come sit with us, we love them.

—————————

Stats are that probably 10%~15% of our youth are queer. If we have 200 active youth in our stake, that would be 20~30 of them are queer. Plus many more who have queer family or friends.

If you're planning an activity or lesson about dating or celestial marriage, at a minimum make sure it's known that's what the lesson or activity is about so that those who want to skip it can do so. Not all will have the choice to skip, so also put time into how you address any topic about queer people because you’re likely speaking to them face-to-face. Before and/or having the activity or lesson, say something like "I know there are people who won't get married, perhaps because they're gay or for other reasons. This is okay. I love you and the Lord has a plan for you."

—————————

In my opinion, the #1 job for an ally is to speak up if you hear something questionable or bigoted being said. You never know if there's someone in the room is queer and closeted, or who has friends/relatives who are queer. Speaking up lets them know you're a safe person.

If something homophobic or transphobic is said and no one speaks up to oppose it, that silence is seen as agreement. Sometimes as a gay member, I just don't have the energy to yet again stand alone against these types of statements and it is a relief for me to know someone else is willing to do some of the work, and if I choose to speak, I know I'm not alone.

—————————

We encourage all youth to follow the Law of Chastity, which considering none of them are married, you'd think would be the same for all of them. But is it?

If 2 boys are slow dancing together at the stake youth dance, are they going to be split up and told we don't encourage or allow that here?

There’s a lesbian teen signed up for girls camp. Do you let her sleep & room in the same cabin as other young women?

If you learn that some gay girls from the different wards have started taking each other out to eat and then to the park or to see a movie or other things that sound like a date, do you bring it to their bishop's attention?

If you are having a stake activity and it involves dating or marriage, and a youth tells you they’re uncomfortable or they don’t want to participate, what do you do?

—————————

I'm president of the Florida chapter of Affirmation. My VP is in Orlando is also certified to teach QPR, which is training on how to respond to someone who is suicidal. If there's interest, she is willing to teach people in our stake. I checked with her, the cost is $3 per person for training materials, and the classes shouldn't be more than 20 people in size. If you and possibly other ward or stake youth leaders would like to complete the QPR training, I can get this arranged.

—————————

I’ve known a number gay youth from our stake, and many more from across the country and world They are incredible. They have some amazing gifts. Even if they wind up taking a path out of the church, you can still love them and be a mentor to them. You can listen to their goals and dreams and help them see how to achieve those, encourage them in good aspirations. They should know someone at church loves and values them.

#this is my plan #I hope it goes well #I'm sure I've missed some important things but this is a start #got postponed to tuesday evening

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mxpseudonym · 4 years ago

Text

Just Good Business III

Pairing: Tommy x Reader

Reader Gender Expression: She/Her pronouns, “wife”

Summary: Reminding Tommy that he didn’t marry a fool was the greatest thing to happen to your bedroom.

Length: 1650 words (allegedly)

Warnings: 18+, sex, hints of rough sex, cursing, and as usual, underlying tones of forced/arranged marriage

A/N: There’s a forehead kiss and a sprinkling of Dom!Tommy in here for your patience! I am pretty sure I’m going to have this be a total of five parts. Part IV may not come right away because I’m in the middle of a WIP though.

Part I | Part II | Part IV

Reminding Tommy that he hadn't married a fool set several things in motion. First and foremost, you and Polly managed to successfully persuade your husband into conducting family business, not that it was hard. You knew London quite well, and one glance at the Eden Club's books had you asking Arthur if he could count to ten. Much of the above-board dealings in London were now your responsibility- properties, charities, and a social life that allowed you to see your friends more often.

Unfortunately, this meant regularly making the trip to Birmingham for the family meetings you'd been avoiding. It wasn't so much the meetings as it was Birmingham itself. One has no great hopes of Birmingham, as they say. However, there was a significant consolation that made it all worth it.

Tommy Shelby, in action, turned you on.

Actually, it was one of many things about Tommy that turned you on. With Tommy's guilt out of the way, you saw him around the house more. He came to bed, albeit late, nearly every night, and you got at least two breakfasts out of him a week. Along with finding that Tommy was much funnier than he let on when he wasn't talking about work, you also noticed that you had much in common. Tommy was as stubborn and prideful as you were. After six months, you still credited happenings between you with a desire to conduct good business- and business was excellent. Stubbornness, pride, your appetite for adventure, and Tommy's addiction to risk resulted in one shameless, exciting sex life.

You'd had partners before. Why deny yourself the world's physical pleasures? But while none could keep up with your desire to find and push boundaries, Tommy had mastered it. You thought you'd have to ease him into it, but it really just took you asking, "What are you going to do, Thomas? Spank me?" while bickering to get you on the same page.

Not that Tommy wasn't enjoying himself as well. He'd met his match in his back talking, neck biting, hair pulling new wife he could hardly bring himself to say no to. What was coming to work late more often or your hands down his trousers while driving the Bentley in the grand scheme of things?

So at the Birmingham family meetings, there was something about the way he was no-nonsense when he firmly told you where to sit and give updates when asked. If you were both being honest, while you loved taking orders from Tommy in the bedroom sometimes, you were on the fast track to giving them too. For now, you watched with thighs pressed together, and bottom lip pulled between teeth as he commanded the room.

After Arthur wrapped up the meeting, you'd meant to mingle with your sister in law, but were quickly distracted. Ada didn't need to follow your gaze to know what was stopping you from listening to a word she said.

"Good god, stop staring at my brother like that," Ada pleaded. You looked at her only long enough to say,

"I almost wish I could say I was sorry." You had just caught Tommy's eye and smiled. "He can be quite good looking."

"Ugh, okay, he's coming over here. I'm going to find Finn," Ada scoffed, then all but ran away only to have Tommy replace her.

"Can I help you?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice. You chuckled and looked up at him.

"You're already spoiling me, Mr. Shelby. What more could I ask for?"

"I'm sure you have a list," Tommy said. You plucked his cigarette from between his fingers and took a pull.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Should I make you beg for it?"

"I don't beg," you said, defiant as ever. Tommy rolled his eyes but moved closer. You could feel the warmth of his wool suit, and it matched the heat that was rising to your cheeks.

"Then what do you call what you were doing the other day in my office?" Tommy asked. You thought for a moment then smirked.

"Minding my manners. Please and thank you, Sir," you said, making him laugh.

"Oi, stop flirting on come on," John yelled in partial disgust from where the family was gathering near the door.

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming," you shooed him. You gave Tommy a knowing look as you grabbed your bag to join the group at the Garrison.

"Gonna tell me not to get any ideas?" He asked.

"Of course not. Get as many ideas as you can from here to that pub." You pointed a stern finger at him.

"Yes, ma'am."

Tommy had long given up trying to get a grasp on what to expect from you.

"God only knows what's going on up there," he'd say while tapping your temple.

But nothing surprised him more than your absolute willingness to have him any time, anywhere.

"Skirts hike up for a reason, Thomas," You once told him in the stables. Tommy had yet to find a good enough argument against that, so here you were, shushing him through breathy laughs as he almost tumbled into you.

It was a busy night at the Garrison, and it wasn't hard to leave your group to find the back room. Now you were pressed up against a shelf that wasn't nearly sturdy enough. Tommy's pants were unbuckled in a hasty moment, and your knickers were pulled aside, and you were both stifling your moans.

"Oh god, fuck, Tommy, how do you always feel so good?" You asked, your grip already in his hair. He groaned at the question and thrust deeper.

"You're the one always warm and wet for me, aren't you?" He squeezed the flesh of your bottom, making you moan. He quickly relocated you further into the dark and onto a crate. "Such a naughty little thing I've got on my hands."

"Just the way you like it." You bit his ear as you played with fire. His thrusts got hard and deep, earning more high pitched moans from you until he pressed a hand over your mouth. He kept his grip firm, just how you liked and spoke in your ear.

"I'm giving you what you asked for with all of these people just out there. Do you want them to hear you?" He leaned back to see you nod. Of course, you did. Tommy shook his head as he chuckled. By the sound of your yearning moan, he just knew you were pouting beneath his palm.

"I know love, but when we get home, you can be as loud as you want. You can let the maids hear you, what was it? Minding your manners for me. How's that sound?" You accepted his counteroffer with a nod and was rewarded with Tommy moving his hand. He relished in the smeared lipstick that was now on your chin before adjusting his grip on you.

"Now, be good, and stay quiet for me."

Tommy had to give you credit for carrying out your version of quiet. You forfeited your usual words of encouragement and panted hotly in his ears, a whimper or moan periodically coming forth.

"Tom," You pleaded his name under your breath. His grip tightened around your waist, and you knew it would bruise, which only shoved you that much closer to the edge.

"That's a good girl," he praised you, knowing what it did to you. In this case, it made your thighs tighten around him. "So good, you can tell me where you want it. Should I make you walk around with me all over your face?"

He felt you shiver and swallow a moan that came out like a sob. His thumb reached between them, and it only took a few circles of your clit to send you over.

"Oh fuck," You bucked against him as you came. Tommy's eyes squeezed close while you kissed his neck. It was truly incredible, you had to admit. You knew he was close and you had to decide. "In me."

"In you?" He repeated, not fully registering anything as he got closer.

"I want you in me, Tom. Please," you said again. You kissed him, then pulled back to look in his eyes. "I'm begging you."

You loved watching him come undone. Even in the low light, you took in his parted lips, creased brow, and flushed cheeks. He rested his forehead against yours for a moment before you pulled away and began putting yourselves back together.

"I'm excited to go home if you keep your word," you said, leaning against the crate while Tommy pulled out a cigarette.

You quietly smoked and thought about how strange this was. Before it was sprung on you, being married was something you hadn't expected anytime soon. Being married to someone you actually enjoyed was a fate every woman you knew hoped for but knew not to anticipate. And here you were with both a marriage and an enjoyable husband.

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked, tossing away his cigarette. He brought his hand up to stroke your cheek, but you caught it and observed the silver band around his finger instead, running your thumb over the metal.

"Do you like this?" Your eyes lifted to meet his. "The ring?"

The ring, the marriage, what was the difference? He smirked then turned his hand, interlacing your fingers.

"So much that I think there must have been a mix up of fortune. A better man should have it, maybe." He said, then kissed your forehead and started towards the door. "Come now, I think I'll let you walk around with me dripping out of you for at least a half-hour."

"I may just have to give you a proper thank you on the ride home then, Sir."

Tommy expertly ignored questions about his whereabouts from his brothers and knowing looks from his sister, all while holding your hand. You smiled to yourself and thought,

I have a crush on you, Tommy Shelby.

Tommy Tag List: @soleil-dor; @amysteryspot

JGB Series Tag List: @biba3434

#Tommy Shelby Imagine #Tommy Shelby #Tommy Shelby x Reader #Tommy Shelby Fic #Tommy Shelby Smut #peaky blinders imagine #Dom Tommy

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ladyloveandjustice · 4 years ago

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Belated Spring 2020 Anime Overview: My Next Life as Villainess

For the Spring 2020 anime season, I mostly watched continuations of shows I was already into. The one new show I did pick up was My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! follows Katerina Claes, a spoiled young noble girl deviously scheming to win the heart of a prince- oh wait, never mind, she hit her head and remembered her past life! Turns out she’s an eighteen year old Japanese otaku chick who died and got reincarnated as the villainess in her favorite otome game.

If you don’t feel like reading the wiki article, an otome game is basically a female- targeted dating sim where you play as a blank slate main character and date a bunch of pretty boys (and sometimes girls, but usually only if you go outside the mainstream ones), unlocking their backstories and collecting all the romantic endings.

Having played this game, Katarina is well aware that the Villainess character- who constantly tries to interfere with the game’s heroine and whichever boy she’s pursuing- is either exiled or killed in all of the games endings. And now she IS that villainess, living in the world of the game and all its characters! Does that mean she’s doomed to a horrible fate? What’s a girl to do?

Well, if you’re Katarina, what you do is be supportive and kind to the people around you and in doing so accidentally get every single character in the game to fall in love with you. And yes, this includes all the boys the heroine is supposed to date, the other female romantic rivals the heroine is faced with and the game’s heroine herself.

That’s right, we finally got us some bisexual romantic comedy hijinx last anime season, my friends! My Next Life as a Villainess was the delightful little show I really escaped into during these anxious pandemic times . All these girls casually falling in love with Katarina without it being treated as ‘weird’ was what particularly drew me to this show and warmed my gay little heart to see. It was honestly the perfect fluffy, low stress watch during these high stress times.

Anime has long been oversaturated with ‘harem’ stories- where a usually unwitting protagonist somehow gets a bevy of beauties in love with them- but it’s still unfortunately really unusual to see bisexual harems, especially ones with a girl at the center, so right away there’s a big draw to this story that helps it stick out from the rest. (And worry not, the story is largely focused on Katarina having fun with these pals-who-are-not-so-secretly-in-love-with-her, rather than having a ton the dubious shenanigans you see in more sexually charged tales.)

Harem protoganists also famously tend to have the personality of potatoes, being so painfully bland it’s unclear why so many people would fall in love with them in the first place. But that definitely not the case for Katarina. She’s brash, ridiculous, kind and INCREDIBLY dense, and that for a pretty dynamic combination in this setting! She does genuinely come off as a fun person to be around. Unlike a lot of modern isekai shows, she doesn’t stumble into having incredible magic powers or skills, so her compassion is genuinely her greatest strength and what saves the day and wins hearts time and time again.

Katarina’s five brain cells doing their weekly check-in

(The moment she won my heart was when she responded to a tragic Frozen style situation with her friend locking himself away from people because he believed his magic was dangerous by taking an axe to his door. My kinda girl!)

The premise also allows for some plausible built-in reasons for the characters to take such special notice of Katarina- having been raised in a different world, she isn’t beholden to all the social rules, class divisions and noble family drama all the other kids in this very specific midevial-esque fantasy world are so embroiled in. This combined with her naturally earnest, accepting and straightfoward nature means she’s able to cross boundaries and reach out to them in a way they aren’t accustomed to. She was significant in each character’s life because she genuinely was the first to show them acceptance and affection without pretense, if only because she isn’t even aware there was supposed to be a pretense.

Katarina’s focus on trying not to die and her fear she’s going to meet the same fate as the villainess in the game also at least gives some kind of a basis to her comical obliviousness to everyone being in love with her. She assumes that everyone has to be into Maria (the heroine) and terrified of her because that’s how the game GOES okay, that’s CANON! Of course, this logic stretches thin as time goes on and it would be abundantly clear to most people that things have diverged greatly from the game’s storyline, but the show makes it clear that Katarina’s determined, one track mind is as much a gift as a curse.

Her bullheadedness when it comes to picking up how everyone REALLY feels about her is an intentional gag on the show’s part and even her love interests are well aware of what a colossal dumbass she is and not afraid to point it out!

My Next Life as a Villainess isn’t without its flaws, and the personalities/backstories of some of the ‘love interests’ Katarina gathers may be a stumbling block on some- mostly the male ones. Geordo, “the black hearted prince” has a bit of the “ possessive shoujo bad boy” archetype about him, and though he’s far from the worst that genre of love interest has to offer (there’s not much bad he can get up to due to Katarina’s obliviousness, the lighthearted nature of the show, and his rivals constantly getting in his way), the way he refuses to break Katarina and his engagement off despite her repeatedly asking him to, as well as some of his lines here and there, are definitely NOT cute.

Keith is Katarina’s adopted brother, but clearly has a thing for her too. On one hand, they only first met when they were nine and he fell for her pretty immediately. On the other hand, he still refers to her as “sister” constantly which is kinda eesh.

The other two guys are all right- Nicol’s big thing is he’s inexpressive and doesn’t talk much which, considering show doesn’t spend much time inside his head, doesn’t make him a very interesting character in the ensemble (maybe he comes across better in the novels) but there’s nothing wrong with him. Alan is undoubtedly the Best Boy in my book. He’s another common trope- rambunctious and competitive with Katarina but clearly soft for her- but he’s done well and they have a lot of cute moments together.

I find the girl love interests to be a much more interesting group overall, though this may be my obvious bias talking. Sophia has the strongest connection to Katarina, their backstories being intertwined in a surprising and touching way (I’m told in the novels her affection for Katarina was treated as more platonic, but the anime definitely plays it up as having romantic elements). Maria’s original role as the game’s heroine puts her in the most interesting position (and would make her the most narratively satisfying choice of love interest, if the show was actually interested in choosing). And while Mary is comically tenacious in her pursuit of Katarina, she’s doesn’t ever act ‘sinister’ or overstep boundaries in the way Geordo does, her “scheming” only really amounting to straightforwardly asking if Katarina wants to ditch her fiance and run away with her.

As I mentioned, one thing that really contributes to My Next Life as a Villainess being a relaxing watch is that the queer characters are treated with casual acceptance. Mary in particular isn’t subtle about her crush on Katarina, but nobody bats an eye at her and she’s completely open and comfortable with herself too. The observing maid notes that the girls are in love with Katarina with the same bland affect as when she notes she notes the guys are. And while the social practices of the nobles are pretty heteronormative- girls are always engaged in arranged marriages to guys, the guys are expected to dance with the girls (something Mary complains about!)- there’s apparently a booming queer romance novel industry that inspires our young wlw.

Katarina, having grown up in a different world, seems to be the one most prone to heteronormativity of her group. She never really considers that a girl would ever fall in love with her, but is also never hostile to the idea. It’s telling that when Mary very clearly indicates her desired romantic partner would be a girl, Katarina’s the only one that gets tripped up and has to walk back her assumption that Mary would be talking about a guy.

Mary LAYING DOWN THE LAW

Also, Katarina has SEVERAL “she’s so cute! My heart is beating faster!” moments with the other girls, on par in frequency with her moments with the guys. This strongly hints she’s an oblivious bisexual disaster.

So, My Next Life as Villainess is a fun, frothy watch and the rare positive example of silly wish-fufillment that’s inclusive to a wlw audience. But is the actual plot good, or remotely complex? The answer to that is no, the plot is fairly predictable and one definitely shouldn’t got into this story expecting a deep examination of the nature of fate or anything like that.There’s no real explanation of big reason as to why why Katarina was reborn into this game world and so on.

The antagonist that does��eventually emerge plays off otome game tropes a bit, but ultimately isn’t that interesting or built up all that well. . The attempts at drama the show makes towards the end fall a little flat, especially since it tends to rely on very-late-in-the-game-exposition-dumps (dark magic isn’t even MENTIONED as existing in this world until like, the second to last episode where it becomes relevant and we get a vague infodump explaining its mechanics). The conflict honestly almost feels shoehorned in and the climax is pretty standard and doesn’t really utilize the big cast of characters all that well

But in the end, that’s okay! The show makes it abundantly clear from the beginning it’s not here to be Deep, but to be some silly fun. And it really fulfills that purpose well, from it’s catchy, peppy theme tune to its consistently warm tone. It MAY get repetitive at times for some, and I do have some quibbles- like how I found the childhood segments to be some of the shows best material and wish we could have stayed in that section for a bit instead of rushing through it, how I wish Katarina had kept her cute little scar, etc- but overall, it was definitely the soothing balm I needed during a very rough time and I absolutely recommend it if you’re looking for a chill, feel-good watch.

And hey, a second season’s supposed to be on the way too, so there’s something to potentially look forward to!

#my next life as a villainess #my next life as a villianess all routes lead to doom #destruction flag otome #otome gemu no hametsu furagu shika nai akuyaku reijo ni tensei shiteshimatta #anime overview #katarina claes #catarina claes #my reviews #spring 2020 anime

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dreamersleeps · 4 years ago

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Todoroki Enji and the Egyptian Sun God Ra

(Part Four: Mythological Influences in Boku no Hero Academia)

Note: ok, so I’m kinda nervous to post this. . . but here we are

So how did I get to comparing the Egyptian sun god Ra to Endeavor? To sum it up, this is the fourth post in a set of analysis and meta about mythological influences in BNHA, so a lot of this builds on top of the info and connections I’ve made previously.

There are quite a few references and influences to Greek mythology in BNHA and personally I was very intrigued with the Hawks and Icarus parallels that kept popping up. In the myth of Icarus, the sun melts the wax off of Icarus’ artificial wings which causes him to fall and drown in the ocean. I saw Endeavor as one of Hawks’ metaphorical “suns”. While I sat on that, I began looking at Tokoyami, since he has a mentor-student relationship with Hawks, and found how he has Egyptian influences in his character design which I wrote about in a post here.

I began researching and reading through ancient Egyptian myths and information. One of the figures that caught my attention was the ancient Egyptian’s most important god: Ra, the sun god. (He is the falcon headed figure depicted below.) I quickly found some similarities between Ra and Endeavor.

This image is from the expereince-ancient-egypt website.

Before I begin, I’d like to say I am very much aware that BNHA is a Japanese manga series and that the story is greatly influenced by Japanese culture and society. Unless there are very explicit examples (such as the case of Tokoyami) this post is not me saying that Horikoshi intentionally wrote certain characters and aspects inspired by Egyptian mythology. I just like like finding interesting similarities whether they were intentional or coincidental and writing about it.

That being stated, let’s begin.

Ra: The Egyptian God of the Sun

The original source of the image above is unknown.

So, who exactly is Ra?

Ra was the Ancient Egyptian sun god. The sun had a special place among the ancient Egyptians, they considered it the source of life. He was... the creator of the universe, one of the most famous deities...

Ancient Egyptians believed that Ra created himself, and his tears created humans. The setting of the sun means the beginning of the daily journey by Ra, in which he travels by his holy boat to the underworld every evening, to fight the forces of evil represented in a big snake called Apophis, and then returns to a brilliant triumph in the heights of the sky every morning on a new day. The ancient Egyptian saw this as a sign of human resurrection, and also evidence of Ra’s victory over the forces of chaos and evil (cleopatraegypttours).

Throughout all the websites I went through, Ra was very closely associated with the themes of the sun, life, the underworld, resurrection and victory over chaos and evil.

Let’s focus more on Ra’s journey through the underworld.

During his life he was required, as the incarnation and representative of the sun god, to maintain the cosmic and social order (ma’at) established by the god of creation. He had to repel the forces of chaos which constantly threatened the order of the world.

After his d/eath, the king united with the sun disk and his divine body merged with his creator. In his new role he continued to perform the task of subduing the powers of chaos. This active role of the king and sun god necessitated a detailed description of the d/amned, who represent the forces of evil.

Perhaps you may be starting to see the similarities and connections I began to form between Ra and Endeavor. If not, it’s okay. Sometimes II have to sit on a lot of the information I’m taking in before I see anything.

Endeavor’s Powers

Endeavor’s fire-based quirk is called “Hellflame.” The list of his named moves are: Flashfire Fist (Jet Burn, Hell Spider, Hell’s Curtain), Karmic Raze - Hellfire Storm, Raging Assault - Hell Minefield, Vanishing Fist, and Prominence Burn. As you can see, there’s a lot of mentions of the word: Hell.

While we can connect the “hell theme” back to Ra’s connections to the underworld, I would first like to point out what the Egyptian underworld was. We associate fire, suffering and other things with hell, however, this is a depiction that comes from the Abrahamic/Judeo-Christian religions.

The image above depicts a section of the Egyptian Book of the D/ead with Osiris on the left and the Weighting of the Heart taking place on the right.

There were many sources that described the extensive processes of the underworld and afterlife so I’m keeping it simple here. Anyways, the ancient Egyptians did not really have a concept of this sort of hell. Instead, after death, a part of the soul would travel through the underworld which was also known as Duat for judgement. They underwent a judgement process that had two parts and if they passed, they moved on to the Reed Fields which was Paradise. Those who failed simply ceased to be.

The “hell” that is probably being referred back to with Endeavor’s quirk and powers most likely was influenced with other cultures, again more specifically those with Abrahamic/Judeo-Christian religions. Despite this difference I do still think that there are other interesting similarities between Endeavor and Ra.

For example, I’ve already established in a previous post that I like to associate Endeavor to the sun. A lot of this post will rely heavily on what happened during the High End vs Endeavor fight. The move he is using above is called “Prominence Burn.” According to NASA:

a solar prominence (also known as a filament when viewed against the solar disk) is a large, bright feature extending outwards into the Sun’s hot outer atmosphere

This is the finishing move that helps Endeavor defeat the High End and this is very significant because it is the only move with a name that relates back to the sun.

In Chapter 188 during the High End fight, Endeavor is even depicted as a fiery sphere of fire and light high up in the sky, very visually similar to the sun.

If you need more evidence for sun related themes surrounding Endeavor, Ending, the criminal who kidnaps Natsuo describes him as “A fierce solar flare that shines bright.”

One of Ra’s main duties is to keep order and defeat the “forces of chaos and evil.” Endeavor and the heroes in general sort of view themselves as this force of good and see the “villains” as enemies that have to be taken care of. I don’t agree with the ideas that “all heroes are good, and all villains are bad” and that is definitely not the message that Horikoshi is trying to send. It is because that sort of belief exists that hero society is flawed. Typically, when reading through mythology or religious texts, the themes of absolute good and absolute evil are common. Those are the contexts in which gods and other figures that exist. Humans are flawed and tend to stand somewhere in the in between.

That being stated, Ra and Endeavor are similar in their ties to the sun, underworld and sense of duty that they must defeat the “forces of chaos and evil” for the sake of everyone else.

High End vs Endeavor

Endeavor greatest ambition in life was to become the number one hero. He may act like a hero in the public’s eye but he does not have a “heroic nature” or “character.” He failed and broke his own family for the sake of his ambitions, and arguably, the Todoroki family came in to existence to serve a certain purpose. If he could not become the number one, then he’d make sure that someone with his blood and name would achieve that one day. However the unexpected happened. All Might had to retire and Endeavor was given the title as number one hero. He didn’t earn it. He was given it purely because he was the number two hero.

Let’s revisit the High End fight. This conflict happens shortly after the Hero Billboard Chart event. Japan is uneasy as their symbol of peace has retired and they do not know whether they can rely on the new number one hero. His family also is conflicted with his new position and how it was given to him. Throughout the fight we take a step in to Endeavor’s thoughts and inner monologue.

The manga panel above is from Chapter 188.

The High End is incredibly powerful and even with his powerful Hellflame quirk, Endeavor is having a hard time fighting against it. One of the weaknesses with having a fire related quirk is that it overheats his body so he’s had to rely on using his flames properly and cooling down afterwards. Because of this, he thinks about his family. The family that began because of this very weakness. His memory goes back to Rei when she is young, perhaps at the beginning of their arranged marriage or shortly before. Touya, Natsuo and Fuyumi are young as well. Standing far away and unhappy, maybe even nervous. And lastly, Shouto, the child he wanted to continue his legacy in, activating both his ice and hellflame quirks. He is the only one depicted in his actual current age.

On top of the very next page we get a scene with the High End Nomu speaking as seen below.

This Nomu came to fight and defeat whoever was the strongest. Despite it’s ability to speak, it is still mindless, declaring on and on about its power and strength. It does not care about who it is fighting and the destruction that is occuring along the way. The High End has multiple quirks that were chosen specifically to make it as powerful as it could be. Perhaps it was in this moment that something clicked in Endeavor’s mind.

Soon after, the High End strikes Endeavor multiple times, with one strike later leaving him with the scar that runs down the left side of his face. He falls to the ground and in to the rubble. Chapter 188 ends on this page with the manga panel seen below and everyone is left to wonder whether Endeavor is dead or alive.

In Chapter 189 we see the effects of the void All Might left due to his retirement.

If the “villains” can’t be kept in check the public becomes chaotic with fear. A quiet night fell over Japan after All Might retired. People felt like the light was taken away. Then Endeavor gets up. With Hawks’ help he rises in to the air with wings on fire.

And in Chapter 190 he defeats the High End Nomu with Prominence Burn.

Endeavor and the Dawning Sun

There’s a lot of things going on here. Endeavor basically follows the journey Ra takes every single day to complete his duty. Similar to how Ra “dies” as he travels through the underworld, at one point we are led to believe that Endeavor has been killed by. As most of the battle took place up in the air, Endeavor physically falls when he “dies.” Leading up to the fall, he is thinking about his family and the past.

While Ra and Endeavor “resurrect” at different points in their journey, they both rise back again in order to fulfill their duty to bring back “order and balance.”

I’ve already written about the falcon/hawk headed Egyptian god Horus and Hawks, however I have yet to address the relationship between Ra and Horus. At some point, Ra was combined with Horus and became known as Ra-Horakhty which means “Ra, Horus of the Horizon.” Ra-Horakhty is most often thought of as the god of the rising sun. It is in this form that Ra rises in the sky to bring the dawn when he arises from the underworld.

The original source of this image is unknown.

There is a deity (seen above) that appears a lot throughout architecture from ancient Egypt called “Horus-Behdity” who is depicted as a winged sun disc:

The winged sun disc is highly symbolic representing the Union of Horus the falcon God, and Ra the sun god, the union of the Two-Lands of Egypt, and becomes a symbol of rebirth for the kings (British Museum).

Although it is Endeavor who ultimately defeats the High End, it is with the aid of Hawks’ quirk that he is able to land the finishing blow. He rises in to the sky like the winged sun disc: Endeavor as the sun, and Hawks as the wings. I think the depiction of Hawks with his back towards he audience and Endeavor burning them with his flames on the cover of Volume 21 says a lot of things (including the Icarus parallels!).

Taking a couple steps back, the wording on the pages where Endeavor addresses the nomu and then before uses the finishing move Prominence Burn on the High End is important.

“Modified human... Noumu! Manufactured one. . . Holder of multiple quirks. . . Obesessed with the pursuit of strength!” (Chapter 190)

“You are... Just like me! From the past, or perhaps from an alternate future. Now burn, and rest for all eternity!” (Chapter 190)

Endeavor is a controversial character that because of his past and the horrible things he did to his family. However, we can not ignore what has been written in the manga. I’m not going to argue or talk too much about my own thoughts and opinions here, but I think it is important to address what happened during this High End fight.

He identifies himself with the Nomu: the power hungry and mindless creature. It’s interesting that he uses the phrases of “manufactured” and “holder of multiple quirks,” and “pursuit of strength” which are words that are heavy with meaning to him: the arranged marriage he purchased, the children he neglected and the “perfect” child he sought after for the sake of strength.

The train of thoughts that had begun in his mind is expressed outwards. He shouts them out in to the sky. He acknowledges the past (however to what extent is debatable), and even addresses the future. I’m not sure if he’s acknowledging that he may fail to change or that he hopes that he can change what he can.

He then defeats the High End. Endeavor had been given the number on hero position but this victory is what “establishes” him with the title in the eyes of the public. With the bright light of All Might gone, the public is inspired by a new light, the sun that Endeavor represents bringing a dawn to the night. His victory pose is reminiscent of All Might’s however it is with his other arm that is in the air, he’s slumped over and his legs are barely keeping him up. The flames that usually cover his face and body are gone as well. This is the victory of Endeavor the hero but it could also be Todoroki Enji as a father making a statement.

I’m not sure if this is him symbolically k/illing the monster he was, or if this is symbolic as to where Endeavor’s journey will ultimately head towards, or if its a representation of hopes that never come true later on. I’m not trying to paint this piece from a pro-Endeavor stance or an anti-Endeavor stance but merely trying to explain how I interpreted the events of the High End fight and the thematic meanings it had as it unfolded. At the end of the day, we all have different opinions and interpretations and you have all the right to disagree with everything I’m writing in this post.

(The case with Endeavor is very complicated and I don’t want to get to deep in to it here however) We definitely should not forget what Endeavor did in the past but at the same time we should not ignore the efforts and progress he has tried to make. While we must hold people accountable for their actions, it is not wrong for someone to want to change or become better. Endeavor may “fail” or he may be able to “succeed,” whatever either entails or looks like. However even though we do get the depiction of a rising sun, you have to remember that the sun also sets.

Anyways, what has been established was that this fight is where Endeavor explicitly expressed his acknowledgement of the past (maybe not in its entirety but it is a big first step). And it is directly after this step that we take a deep dive in to what facing the past will look like for Endeavor.

#endeavor #todoroki enji #hawks #takami keigo #bnha analysis #mha analysis #mythological influences #bnha meta #mha meta #dabi #todoroki touya #todoroki family #todoroki shouto #luna writes #my post

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husbandograveyard · 4 years ago

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Out of all days to get lost...

Hello everyone! This is part II of the beautiful Fern Flower Scenario @some-piece wrote for her summer challenge. Please go read it and follow her, she writes the best things I swear! The part II started off as a joke of which I really loved the concept, and I couldn’t say no when she asked to collab! I hope you enjoy part 2~

Summary: Zoro has an awful habit of getting lost. Even on his wedding day. Character: Zoro. Word count: 3.2k 2nd person Reader insert. Disclaimer that the wedding is loosely based off of the stereotypical western idea of marriage.

Weddings weren’t really common in the pirate world, besides the arranged kind, especially if you’re in any way or shape related to big mom or another influential family. But the ones out of love? Rare. There is very little time and space for love, let alone wedding parties with entire pirate crews involved while there’s enemies all around, marines and other pirates alike.

Zoro and you hadn’t been really sure on how you would break the news to the other crew members. So far, Robin had been true to her word and had not spoken a word to anyone about it. There were some mysterious smiles and knowing glances, but those were not new for Robin, so everyone kept sailing after you left the island where the Fern Festival was held, blissfully unaware of what had happened in the forest.

The way everyone found out was by accident. Nami had ‘spotted’ the ring in cleaning out the room. You had decided to stash it away carefully, keeping the news and the funny story around it between mostly you and Zoro for now, but once Nami connected the dots, she went off about how you had denied her the berries price for finding the Fern Flower, and you had no choice but to explain the circumstances. Nami’s yelling had by then attracted the attention from some other crew members, and before you knew the whole ship was aware of yours and Zoro’s status.

Luffy was immediately ready to throw a whole feast, right then and there, but was quickly stopped by Nami, who had forgotten about her anger from minutes ago to now enthusiastically name all the things she wanted to do with you. You had to curb her enthusiasm a little by telling her you had already agreed on Robin as maid of honor, after all, she knew and had been able to keep quiet.

That didn’t stop Nami from still rambling on about all the things she wanted to do and plan. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think she was more happy about the engagement than you are. After talking it over with the whole crew, Zoro placing a hand on yours the entire time as you said what the both of you wanted to do, actual plans were made.

Nami and Robin would be in charge of the clothes of everyone. Your dress, the men’s suits, everything. Zoro agreed as long as it wouldn’t be ‘too flashy’ or ‘too tight’. His only requirements were being able to breathe, and being able to carry his swords. It’s not like Zoro didn’t want to be involved in everything, he just mostly wanted you to be happy, himself to be comfortable and have a party with those who matter most. Other than that, he was fine with mostly everything.

Nami would map out a route to an island that did not have many inhabitants and would be safe to dock at without getting in trouble with the locals, marines or other pirates. A ceremony on the beach would be a little more special than one on the sunny.

Jinbe would be the officiate the marriage, and Usopp and Franky would take care of the special effects. You weren’t entirely sure what that meant but you let them to that, if it made them happy to contribute.

Luffy was Zoro’s best man, you were not entirely convinced if your captain was the best choice for the role, but it was Zoro’s choice, and you knew how much he cared about his captain. In all honesty, Luffy had very little idea of what exactly was going on, but was happy to just follow whatever instructions, as long as there was enough meat at the afterparty.

Of course, Sanji would take care of the food, his eyes lit up when you said he was free to experiment with whatever recipes he saw fit. The moment he got the okay, he practically dove into the kitchen to get started on little testers for you, Nami and Robin to decide on. Even begrudgingly giving some to Zoro, he had a say in this too after all, it was heartwarming and hilarious to see them interact on their best behavior just for this special occasion, it truly was something.

Chopper was going to be the ring bearer. Zoro really wanted the little reindeer to have an important role and this seemed perfect. Chopper was more than excited to even help go pick out the wedding rings. The actual wedding rings would be kept in his possession just so Zoro couldn’t lose them again. Just to be safe.

Last but not least, Brook was in charge of the music and he had promised to compose a handful of songs just for the occasion. Seeing the whole crew work together for this made you emotional already, even weeks before the big day came. It was heartwarming and it seemed to give everyone an extra boost during the rest of your adventures, because on your way to the island that Nami picked out, there were still plenty of pirate things to do.

Time flies when you’re having fun, or when you are dreading something. The closer you came to the island where it all was gonna happen, the more nervous you got. You didn’t even know why exactly. You were looking forward to it so much, the cherry on top of the best relation you ever had and the only one you wanted to have still for the rest of your life.

You were looking forward to it every night you went to sleep in Zoro’s arms, your head resting on his broad chest, his even breaths lulling you to sleep even though your heart was racing with unnecessary stress and anticipation. But with every preparation that got finished, every little item checked off the list, you were feeling like everything was just too perfect? Suspiciously so. The day could be perfect, that’d be ideal. But the slightly pessimist voice in the back of your head kept nagging you about what could possibly go wrong.

You docked at the island by the evening a few days later. All preparations were complete, now it was only a matter of going through the motions. A small party in the evening, preparations in the morning and noon, and then the actual ceremony would be tomorrow in the evening, exchanging vows as the sun goes under. It seemed incredibly cheesy to Zoro, but it everyone had rather unanimously decided that it was also incredibly romantic, and time-management wise it worked out very well. You could party all night, and continue the adventures in the morning. It was all perfect.

You excused yourself from the evening party rather early, nerves eating at you and you wanted to be up early and feeling well the next morning to be able to help wherever you could. You kissed Zoro goodnight, who replied that he’d be joining you in a bit. He would probably only admit it to you if you asked, but he was looking forward to it too, and was actually uncharacteristically nervous about it as well. But even if everything possible went wrong, there was nothing in the world that could ever diminish his love for you and that helped a lot to make him feel at ease. He had proposed to you buck naked, it could only get better from here on out.

You were still awake when he eventually joined you for the night. He noticed, but was still careful as he joined you in bed. “Can’t sleep?” “I’m nervous” “No need to be. We know we work well. You’re gonna look so nice, and we’re just gonna have a nice party with the crew. It’s just affirming what we have” You smiled. His blunt honesty sometimes was exactly what you needed. You turned to your side, kissing him softly before gliding down so you could rest your head on his chest.

You were about to close your eyes when you started overthinking again. You jerked up as your brain had successfully misguided you into thinking you misplaced something. “The rings!” “Don’t worry, Chopper is keeping them safe.” “Oh, right...” Zoro chuckled, stroking your back as he tried to calm you down so you could sleep. You felt stupid for being so nervous, but well, there was nothing you could do to keep your emotions from going haywire.

Zoro’s breathing was steady and even as it always was, but you could hear his heart beating a little faster in his chest and you smiled, happy to know you’re not alone. But he had been right. Nothing could go wrong. You were just going to affirm what you had. And what you had, was magical. Dorky as he could be, blunt as he could be, you loved this man with all your heart. He was strong, honest, and too many other things to name up. He made you so, so, so incredibly happy and it was the good thoughts of the man you were lying on, combined with his soft snoring - even nerves weren’t enough to keep him from his naps - that eventually lulled you to sleep as well.

The following day chaos ensued. It was not that nothing was prepared, it was just that so many little things and final touches needed to be done, that everyone seemed to be in each other’s way. You barely managed to kiss Zoro good morning before Nami dragged you out of the room to get you all ready, but not before she lectured Zoro on not being allowed in your room under no circumstances until the ceremony. Zoro was barely awake, but groggily nodded as Franky came over to drag him away as well.

Nami and Robin barely let you do things yourself, making sure your hair was perfectly in place, the dress was in order, and when they were all done, you felt yourself tear up a little when you looked in the mirror. You couldn’t believe this was actually happening. You spent most of the afternoon talking, the two doing their utmost best to distract you to keep you inside so you wouldn’t accidentally be revealed to Zoro too early. It worked fairly well, in spite of the occasional emotional moment when you talked about Zoro and the few nervous moments when there was just too much ruckus outside for it to be normal preparations.

Time was dragging on, and then there was a knock on the door. Sanji came in, looking rather serious, you figured it was because of the whole buffet he’d been cooking from early morning on till now, one would be tired from doing less than that in a day. He swooned when he saw you, complimented you and your dress furiously before taking Nami to the side and whispering something in her ear. Her eyes widened and you felt your heart sink. Something was wrong.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Sanji took a deep breath, sighed heavily and stood in front of you. “Don’t panic y/n, we will get it in order. But....” “But what?” You were getting nervous. What could possibly have gone wrong at this point in time that it would mess with the wedding enough to make you panic? “They can’t find Zoro.” Nami filled in angrily, “I told you to watch him!” “Hey! I was cooking all day, he was with Franky and Usopp. Said he was nervous, went into the city for some sake so he’d leave us alone to deal with all the wedding things so he wouldn’t bother us. And then he just went off in the general direction of the city.”

You were unsure whether to laugh or cry or panic or all at once. “Guys, you really let Zoro, go find a city, on a new island, all by himself? He’s probably wandering around somewhere” Sanji replied. “We realized too late that it might be a bit of a problem. Franky already went into the city to retrieve him but we cannot find him.”

You stood up, Nami pushing you back into your chair. “Please y/n, let us handle this.” You scoffed. “Like hell I will. Besides, I have a knack for finding him whenever he’s lost. Call it our connection or something. I don’t care if he sees me earlier than we’re supposed to.” You weren’t even that discouraged, finding Zoro was something you had done before. Just never in a wedding dress. But hey, there was a first time for everything right?

You crumpled up your dress and held it up with your two hands so you could walk around more easy, thanking whatever deity there was on sea that you had opted for flat shoes as you ran onto the beach, in the general direction of the city, before going a completely different direction, something your instincts told you your fiance must’ve done as well.

The sky was starting to color all kinds of yellow and orange and you cursed a little, pretty sure the planned timing was already off. But well, no wedding without a groom right? You chuckled a little to yourself. Of all the days he could get lost, he had to pick today. He was probably getting at least frustrated, and you hoped that maybe he’d yell out, that would at least make locating him a little easier.

You ended up in a little forest in between the beach and the city, almost half an island away from where the Sunny was docked. Your heart was beating fast and you were a little out of breath from power walking all the way here, but you were pretty sure this was it. An frustrated grumble and the familiar sounds of swords slashing something let you know that you were dead on. Was he really getting so frustrated that he was ready to cut down a forest in order to find the way back more easily? Apparently. Relieve washed over you and you ran in the direction of the sound, now yelling out his name.

Now, Zoro’s inner compass isn’t worth anything, but there is nothing wrong with his ears and withing seconds he was by your side, looking a little disheveled from running around in the forest, and completely speechless when he saw you in your white dress. You hugged him tightly and when you stepped back he was still kind of staring. It was almost funny, you had never seen him at such a loss for words.

“Are you okay babe?” “Yes... I... wow... Fuck..Sorry” You giggled, you’d never seen him like that. “You look gorgeous” “Thank you”, you smiled, “you’re not looking too shabby either.” “I ruined it all didn’t I? Lost the ring, now lost myself?” The guilt in his voice was apparent. It had to be, otherwise he’d never even be admitting that he had gotten lost. “You didn’t ruin anything. I am here, in a white dress, you are here, in your costume. There’s a crew waiting for us with food, and booze, and a ring. There’s nothing wrong, we’re just affirming what we already have.” You used his own words against him, smiling broadly as you pressed your lips to his. He melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist and holding you so close you felt like you were going to lose your balance if it weren’t for his support. “I love you so much” “I’m glad you do cause we’re literally about to get married” He laughed one of his rare, heartfelt laughs and it was so pure, so genuine, that you felt your eyes tear up already. It may be getting dark, but it was not too late to do this thing.

The crew had decided to trust you, after all, you did manage to find Zoro more often than anyone else, due to that connection that could almost only be explained by you and Zoro really being made for each other. They had continued finalizing the preparations, but were still getting a little nervous as the sun was setting already.

Franky just started making the big fire already that was meant for the afterparty. You could still get married in the moonlight, it would work out just as fine. The whole crew was reassuring each other that you could come back with Zoro any moment now. But that didn’t take away from the growing worries they were all getting.

It was Jinbe who first spotted the silhouette of Zoro carrying you back to the sunny. Zoro had proposed he’d run with the two of you, while you gave directions. He didn’t want to tire you out more after running all the way to him, and was very fittingly carrying you back bridal style, under loud cheers of the rest of the crew.

There was no time for scolding Zoro or fixing your hair. You laughed as Zoro put you down on the ground and kissed him quickly. “Let’s get married”.

The ceremony itself was short and simple, and you were pretty sure Jinbe had cut out some parts to make it go even faster. You didn’t mind, now that everything was in place you couldn’t wait to get married, all the worries and nerves you had felt the past few days and hours had ebbed away the moment you kissed Zoro in the forest.

You had promised yourself not to cry anymore, but when you were exchanging your vows, you couldn’t help but tear up, and you felt your heart swell when you noticed Zoro’s ever so steady hands were shaking when you exchanged the rings. You were pretty sure you heard Franky sniffle the entire time in the background too. When you sealed the vows, the ‘I do’s’ and the whole ordeal with a kiss, the crew cheered so loudly, you were pretty sure the entire island could hear it, and the party ensued.

You sat down with Zoro, enjoying the delicious food Sanji had prepared, enjoying the warmth of the campfire and laughing at the stories of everything that had gone wrong during the preparations that the others were retelling now that it didn’t matter anymore and actually was funny. After the cake was cut and eaten, speeches and well wishes were given, another barrel of sake was opened and the strangest thing you’d ever seen happened: Zoro refused his refill.

You were about to say something about it when he swiftly swooped you up in his arms. You yelped, immediately attracting the attention of the entire crew. “Thank you all for helping us out. Thank you all for being here. But now that you all will stay out on the beach for a little longer, I am going to enjoy a proper wedding night with my beautiful wife.” Zoro’s tone of voice and smug grin left no room for imagination and you buried your blushing head in his chest while the crew could only laugh in response.

Zoro didn’t even wait for answers as he walked towards the Sunny with you in his arms. You didn’t dare say it out loud, but you were happy that Sunny was right in front of you so at least he wouldn’t get lost on the way to your bedroom.

Fin.

#roronoa zoro x reader #zoro x reader #one piece zoro #one piece reader insert #one piece #reader insert #collab #one piece imagine #imagine #one piece x reade #wedding fic #humor #fluff #sfw #cute #some-piece

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scarletarosa · 5 years ago

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Aphrodite

Greek goddess of romantic love, infatuation, sex, beauty, passion, procreation, pleasure, desire, and fertility

Aphrodite (Roman: Venus) was one of the most popular deities of Ancient Greece and was believed to have immense power over gods and mortals alike (all except for Athena, Artemis, and Hestia- who all chose to remain virgins). In mythology, when Uranus, god of the heavens, was killed, his phallus was cast into the sea. Suddenly, a bubbling of blood and sea foam emerged at the surface. From this arose a giant scallop shell (representing the vulva), which bestowed upon the world a goddess who outshone all other things in creation. She stepped upon the shore, resplendent in her nakedness and smiling sweetly at the enraptured deities. Wherever she stepped, flowers grew and the birds came to sing to her. The Horai (the hours) clothed the goddess born of the heavens and sea and brought her to Olympus. The Horai clothing Aphrodite likely symbolize that Aphrodite is of all times of day, for she is beauty and beauty does not end.

Roles: Although she was primarily a goddess of love, sex, and beauty to the Greeks, Aphrodite was sometimes honoured as a goddess of war and was known to bring victory and strength in battle. While she is indeed loving, she is also very powerful and has the ability to sway humans to her will- encouraging chaotic passions wherever she pleases. Though overall, Aphrodite focuses on her aspects of pleasure and desire- she is a goddess who takes many lovers, going from one to another. She is moreso connected to the erotic love than any other, and does not tend to focus on deep forms of love since it is not her preference. Due to her roles of both lust and uncontrollable passions, she was known as a goddess to be feared and respected in Greece.

Despite her connections with war as said by the Greeks, Aphrodite is not much connected to battle and prefers harmonious atmospheres. The war-like aspects where only believed to be part of this goddess when the Greeks confused her with the neighboring goddess Astarte, who rules over sex and war. In spite of this, Aphrodite is still capable of handling herself; though she prefers peace to war. Aphrodite was most often the one called upon in regards to finding suitable lovers, though sometimes she was regarded as a blesser of marriages as well (along with Hera). According to the cosmogonic views of the nature of Aphrodite as her heavenly form, she is the personification of the generative powers of nature, and the mother of all living beings. But most commonly, she is the goddess of desire and sexual love, who excites this passion in the hearts of both gods and men.

In her myths, Aphrodite is always described as having many lovers. Though when she was young, Zeus had arranged her to marry Hephaestus, even though she did not desire him. Due to this, Aphrodite soon began to meet with Ares in secret, choosing him as a lover. During sex, Hephaestus was told of Aphrodite’s actions by a witness and he angrily created a metal net to capture her up in with Ares. When this was done, many gods came to witness the awkward scene the two lovers were caught in, which caused them humiliation. Hephaestus then denounced Aphrodite as his wife, and set them both free, causing she and Ares to run off to different areas of Greece. Aphrodite is also described as having had Hermes as a lover, with whom she bore a deity named Hermaphroditus, a deity who is both male and female. In another myth, Aphrodite is described as raising Adonis as a child, and later falling in love with him when he matured, since he was quite handsome in appearance. Though fearing the jealousy of Ares, Aphrodite tried to hide Adonis. But one day when the youth went hunting, Ares sent a wild boar that gauged Adonis, causing him to bleed to death. Although this is one of the myths that had not occurred in reality, as it was a rewritten story that was originally told in Phoenicia about Ashtart and Adon.

Personality: Aphrodite is very romantic, elegant, passionate, bubbly, friendly, confident, and empathetic. She is not entirely a “soft and pink” goddess but can be gentle when she wants to be, especially with those she cares about. Her energy feels like pure ecstasy, optimism, and beauty, so much so that it can bring tears to one’s eyes. She is incredibly sweet, loving, hopeful, and has a delightful sense of humour. Aphrodite is also not shallow in the slightest and is a deeply compassionate and wise goddess who will stand tall and proud alongside her followers; she will never allow any of them to feel weak or ugly. She has a wondrous healing touch, able to heal any sort of emotional wound and is incredibly soft with those who need this. As a goddess of fertility, Aphrodite adores all of nature and loves children deeply, causing her to often act motherly towards devotees. She is deeply supportive and likes to pamper everyone, making sure they feel good about themselves, or at least helping them with it.

Regarding love, Aphrodite is both erotic and romantic love, but isn’t much connected to long-lasting love and instead prefers infatuations and many passions. As Aphrodite Pandemos, she represents sexuality and often acts as a patroness of sex workers; as Aphrodite Ourania, she represents the more celestial love of romance and will at times bless marriages (whereas Hera blesses all marriages, including arranged or political ones). As for beauty, Aphrodite represents all that inspires awe and hope in the hearts of people, it is something that keeps the world from becoming mundane and depressing.

Aphrodite is usually joyful and peaceful, seeking to love and give love to whoever is in need. She drifts like a gentle breeze and embraces, even for temporary pleasures. However, when Aphrodite becomes angered, she becomes more commanding, impatient, and vain. She does not hesitate to lash back at those who try to insult or diminish her and might often keep grudges against them. She is also often like this when her beauty is degraded in any way since she highly values looking as beautiful as possible. When she becomes deeply angry, her appearance quickly darkens and her voice becomes much more sharp and serious.

Appearance: Aphrodite usually appears as a slender and naked woman (or in a revealing pink or white dress), with long wheat-blonde hair, green-brown eyes, red lips, and is extremely beautiful to behold. She is always elegant and seductive in appearance and likes to flaunt this with revealing dresses. Sometimes rose petals can be seen falling around her when she appears.

| Some of her epithets |

Aligena (Sea Born)

Genetullis (Protectress of Births)

Ambologera (She Who Postpones Old Age)

Hêrê (Of Hera/Marriage)

Antheia (Friend of Flowers)

Nikêphoros (Bringer of Victory)

Basilis (Queen)

Ourania (Heavenly)

Pothon Mater (Mother of Desire)

Pasiphaessa (The Far-Shining)

Peitho (The Persuasive)

Sy′ria Dea (The Syrian Goddess)

Skotia (Of the Darkness)

Philopannyx (The Night-Loving)

Pandemos (of The Common People; Sexual)

Philomeides (Laughter-Loving)

Symmakhia (Ally in Love)

Offerings: sweet red wine, pink champagne, cherry liquor, rose liquor, pomegranate liquor, pomegranate juice, aromatic rose tea, cream and sugar, cinnamon, talcum powder, chocolate, honey, red cherries, strawberries, passion fruit, chocolate, macadamia nuts, pastries, tarts, desserts in general, yellow cheese, all seafood, sea shells, red/pink/or white roses, peonies, myrtle, poppies, hibiscus, lingerie, elegant high heels, sex toys, make-up products, jewelry, sensual perfume, lotions, silk, rose quartz, diamonds, pearls, white beach pebbles, sea water, fish scales, dove feathers, pink silk, red or pink candles, hand-held mirrors, arched combs, rose soaps, small red pillows, poetry, prose, beautiful artwork, statues of winged Victory, statues of herself, marble pillars, swan or dove figurines, harps, incense of sandalwood, musk, myrrh, benzoin, or rose, and any elegant objects or jewelry

*no beer or pork (she detests filth)

#aphrodite #greek deities #hellenic polytheism #deity work #offerings

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brindaneer · 4 years ago

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Film-making, like almost every other creative endeavour, requires not just an incredible level of talent and hard work but also immense fortitude. Naturally, good films are hard to come by. Masterpieces, however, are rare. A movie is most often just a source of entertainment for viewers; at times, it is a medium of abstract communication with actors they admire. However, cinema truly becomes art only when it is able to stimulate the emotions as well as the artistic sensibilities of its audience. And Jodha Akbar does exactly that. It is without an iota of doubt, a masterpiece of the modern era that ought to be watched by art lovers across the world.

The words ‘Akbar’, ‘Jodha’ and ‘Mughal Empire’, whenever uttered in the context of Indian cinema, have been primarily associated with the all time classic ‘Mughal-e-Azam’. K. Asif’s epic directorial venture of 1960 has remained the benchmark of historical costume dramas in India since its release, not without any reason. Created on a budget of rupees 1.5 crore, considered mammoth six decades ago, Mughal-e-Azam continues to be the greatest Indian blockbuster of all time even today. It amassed roughly 11 crore rupees after its run at the box-office then, which is equivalent to about a massive 2000 crores now. Such is the film’s aura that substantial interest was generated among cine-lovers during the release of its coloured version even as late as in 2004 and 2009. Hence, those were enormous shoes that Ashutosh Gowarikar had to fit in; there was no way of escaping the comparison since the subject matters of both films were too closely related. And because it was Ashutosh Gowarikar, he succeeded.

Not only did he find the perfect story (courtesy of Haider Ali) and draft a soulful script with Haider Ali and K.P. Saxena, he also roped in musical maestro A.R. Rahman and poetic genius Javed Akhtar to take care of the ‘music and lyrics’, two attributes that were required to be absolutely flawless in a period film such as this. While Neeta Lulla’s costumes and accessories made every actor look the part, ace set designer Nitin Desai recreated the Agra and Amer forts at shooting locations with faultless precision. However, all of this could have gone to waste had Ashutosh not been able to get the perfect cast on board. Having Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Mughal emperor Akbar and feisty Rajput princess Jodha respectively was nothing short of achieving an ultimate casting coup. And these two were going to be indispensable for the grand success of this colossal project, probably more so than anyone else, except the director himself.

Hrithik Roshan might have already established himself as a terrific nuanced actor in the industry by the time he signed Jodha Akbar but taking on a role which would draw comparisons with the iconic Prithviraj Kapur and the legendary Dilip Kumar himself was a challenge he was yet to undertake. Likewise, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, despite being the undisputed claimant to the title of the ‘most beautiful woman in the world’ during that time (which she still probably is) had never had her talent and beauty measured against the ethereal Madhubala before. Naturally, the burden of expectations lay as much on their shoulders as their director’s. The task at hand was going to be difficult for both but even more for Hrithik since he would be setting foot into the world of period films for the first time. His co-star had had previous experience from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdaas and Doug Lefler’s The Last Legion. The Last Legion in particular, deserves to be mentioned in this context because the sword-fighting training that Aishwarya had received for her role in that film probably helped her in Jodha Akbar too.

Despite not having the advantage of prior experience, Hrithik, like a true artist, owned the character of Akbar, making it seem like he had been playing historical characters all his life. His body-language, attitude, diction, voice modulation and movements were so attuned to someone of Akbar's stature that it took real effort to remember that the latter was a separate person. In a promotional interview before the film’s release, Ashutosh Gowarikar revealed how amazing an experience it was for him to see Hrithik get into the skin of the most famous Mughal of all time with an approach that was a combination of preparedness and spontaneity. Aishwarya too gave everything to the role of Jodha, and made this her career best performance since ‘Provoked’. Anyone who has watched ‘Jodha Akbar’ will agree that it is impossible to even imagine other people playing these two characters. If praise of the common man is not credible enough, let it also be known that Dilip Kumar saab himself was impressed by Hrithik’s versatility as an actor after watching the film at a special screening arranged for him by Ashutosh. He also admitted that the film had rekindled memories of the Magnum Opus ‘Mughal-e- Azam’ for him. Aishwarya too received immense praise for her performance as Jodha from critics, audience and industry colleagues alike.

Although comparisons between Mughal- e- Azam and Jodha Akbar were inevitable, it must be noted that both films dealt with very different aspects of Akbar’s life. While the older classic was about the aged Akbar’s conflicted relationship with his son Salim over the latter’s love affair with Anarkali, a courtesan renowned for her exquisite beauty, Gowarikar’s Jodha Akbar depicted the love story between the young emperor and his first wife, the Rajput princess Jodha. The similarity between both films, apart from Akbar and the Mughals, lay in the fact that the identities of both Anarkali and Jodha had been a matter of contention amongst historians since decades. However, staying true to his meticulous nature, Ashutosh correctly issued a statement explaining that it was not his intention to disrespect any one; Jodha was one among the several historically mentioned names of Akbar’s Rajput wife and it had been chosen in the film over the rest due to its considerable popularity among commoners. Ashutosh was also very clear about the love story between Akbar and Jodha being completely fictional since no such account had ever been documented in history. Basically, the film was a fiction set against a historical backdrop, and as far as that setting was concerned, Ashutosh tried to be as accurate as possible, building a story around events that had been recorded in the Akbarnama.

Now that we have given the prelude, it is time to experience the film all over again, and we hope that prospect excites our readers. ‘Jodha Akbar’ opens with the second battle of Panipat that took place in 1556 A.D. between Mughal forces led by the child Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad’s regent, Bairam Khan, and King Hemu. After defeating the latter, the Mughals were able to recapture the throne of Delhi. The war scenes are all flawlessly directed, keeping in mind the period and style of warfare adopted during that time, something that is naturally expected from a director whose resume boasts of films like ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Swades’. By the time Hrithik appears on the silver screen in one of the most challenging roles of his life, six years have elapsed and Jalal is an adult. Demonstrating his terrific grasp of the character, Hrithik sweeps the audience off their feet as Jalal finally sends Bairam Khan away to Mecca after stopping him from beheading the unarmed defeated opponent, and effectively takes over the administration of ‘Hindustan’ ('Ab apne faisle hum khud lena chahte hain'). Hrithik’s portrayal of Jalal’s suppressed rage as well as authority in this scene was a delight to watch then, and remains so even after all these years. As Jalal plans to annex the entire Rajputana, we are introduced to the other half of the film’s title, princess Jodha. Adept at sword-fighting, having learnt the skill from her cousin Sujamal (played beautifully by the talented Sonu Sood), Gowarikar’s Jodha is the perfect example of ‘beauty with brains’. Aishwarya is as graceful at sword-fighting as she usually is while dancing and imbibes the exact body language required to play a Rajput princess aptly.

Staying loyal to historical facts, Ashutosh Gowarikar depicts Jodha and Jalal’s marriage just as it actually was- a politically motivated alliance. Troubled by Jalal’s over-ambitious brother-in-law Sharifuddin, Jodha’s father, the King of Amer, requests Jalal to marry his daughter so that Amer could obtain Mughal security (In the film, Raja Bharmal of Amer sees Jalal for the first time as he tames a wild elephant in a superbly executed action sequence. Hrithik obviously did it himself, and in order to ensure his safety, he used to feed the said elephant regularly before the shooting of this particular scene took place). Her father’s decision comes as a rude shock to the young Jodha who does not want to compromise her culture after marriage, and is therefore left devastated. Despite not being completely sure about the proposal initially, Jalal eventually agrees to it in front of the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti as he realizes that this inter-faith marriage may be of assistance in promoting religious harmony throughout the country. In a beautiful monologue, he admits to the Khwaja that religious differences were the reason why previous rulers had not been able to establish their rule over the entire ‘Hindustan’; he believes his marriage with Jodha shall solve that problem.

However, Jodha’s decision is yet to come. She is not a stereotypical submissive sixteenth century female, unable to stand up for her own rights. Instead, she is brave enough to summon the Mughal emperor to her tent and lay two conditions in front of him, the fulfilment of which, is mandatory for her agreement with this new association (the famous ‘Humari do maange hain’ scene). First, she does not want to be forced into giving up her religion and customs; second, she wants a temple to be built inside her room in the Mughal palace for her spiritual guide, Lord Krishna. Aishwarya is enthralling in this scene; her calm yet rigid posture and polite yet bold speech are worth watching. Hrithik is simply magnigficent here; no other adjective is suitable enough to describe his phenomenal performance as Jalal hears Jodha out and later recounts the two demands to her relatives and rest of the entourage. He obviously goes on to accept these demands, his respect for Jodha increasing in leaps and bounds at her fearlessness and simplicity (‘Amer ki Rajkumari ke bekhawf jasbe aur saadgi ko hum salaam karte hain’). Naturally, Jodha has no other option left other than agreeing to the marriage.

Had the director wanted, the wedding could have been an elaborate dramatic affair, but Ashutosh Gowarikar is not just another director looking for success through gimmicks. The grand wedding sequence lasts only for about a few seconds during which Jodha and Jalal wed each other as per both Hindu and Islamic traditions in an exemplary display of socio-religious amalgamation. Any extra time devoted to this would have been unnecessary and detrimental to the pace of the movie. After the wedding, a group of Sufi singers perform the utterly captivating ‘Khwaja mere Khwaja’, one of A.R. Rahman’s all time best compositions, in probably the most poetic Hindi film sequence of recent times. Such was its impact upon Mr. Bachchan that he termed it the ‘most apocalyptic moment’ in cinema since the great Stanley Kubrik’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. It is not just the song that casts a spell upon the audience during this scene; rather, the direction and acting, in conjunction with the soulful music engender a near hypnotic effect among viewers which last in their minds forever. Hrithik’s expressions as Jalal experiences a spiritual epiphany and joins the Sufis in a trance are simply fascinating. He is a privilege to watch. The scene is an acting masterclass in itself and had he received every existing accolade for this moment alone, it would still not have been unfair.

Jodha and Jalal’s first night together is another instance of the subtlety that this film ceaselessly displays. Jalal, perceptive enough to understand that Jodha’s unyielding attitude towards his romantic gestures is not shyness in disguise, but unwillingness to be with him, has the perfect solution- she is free to leave him if that is what she wants. However, once again giving proof of her simplicity and honesty, Jodha directly confesses that she has no intention whatsoever of walking out of this relationship despite her inhibitions towards it; for her it is an unbreakable bond that shall last unto death. Respecting her wishes, Jalal vows to never be intimate with her against her will. Hrithik and Aishwarya’s acting styles truly compliment Ashutosh’s direction as is evident from this scene among many others in the film; without an ounce of melodrama, they are able to set the stage for an epic love story ridden not just with external impediments but personal inhibitions as well.

The rest of the movie is basically a collection of beautiful moments between the two leads, interspersed with an optimal amount of drama to propel the plot. The first sequence post their marriage that needs to be discussed in detail is the Deewan-E- Aam scene followed by the part wherein Jalal and Jodha see each other's faces without a curtain or ��ghoonghat’ in between. As Jalal conducts his first hearing at the Deewan-E-Aam after his marriage to the Hindu Jodha, he, quite expectedly, faces opposition from the Ulemas of the court regarding his decision. However, before he is able to solve the problem at hand, the melodious voice of his newly wed bride distracts him, thereby interrupting the court proceedings. The expressions on everyone's face are worth watching as Jalal leaves his throne and begins to walk out of the court, clearly too engrossed to even officially dismiss everyone present. Realization hits him a bit too late, leaving him embarrassed in front of the entire Deewan-E-Aam, but he manages to salvage the situation by uttering an awkward 'Takliya'. This entire scene is once again a brilliant testimony to the skills of the director who expertly incorporates subtle humour in such a serious scene without overdoing any of it or making it seem farcical. Hrithik's performance here is admirable, his comic timing being absolutely flawless. Drawn by Jodha's entrancing voice, Jalal enters her 'Mahal' and they see each other for the first time in what was arguably the most romantic meeting sequence of Bollywood then and has been so since the last two decades. Ashutosh does not provide the actors with any dialogues here, who, therefore, rely completely on facial expressions to convey their feelings towards each other. Hrithik has been a master in expressions since he first entered the industry and in this scene, he is at his nuanced best. But Aishwarya is no less, and that is precisely why their interaction looks so natural and enchanting. With tiny eye gestures and body postures, they express admiration for each other's physical appearance, their eyes speaking a thousand words at once. The part where she wants him to put sindur on her, and he fails to understand initially, is such a wonderful portrayal of his willingness to understand and respect her culture that it strikes a chord with one and all.

For Jalal, it is almost love at first sight. Though completely smitten by her, he knows instinctively that Jodha is going to take more time, no matter how impressed she is with him. In the next few minutes, Ashutosh shows Jalal and Jodha gradually treading the first steps of love with Javed Ali's mellifluous voice ringing in the background. 'Kehne ko jashn-e-bahara hai, ishq ye dekh ke hairaan hai, phool se khushboo khafa khafa hai gulshan mein, chupa hai koi ranj fiza ki chilman mein'. When the inimitable Javed Akhtar is in charge of lyrics, songs get transformed into dialogues and help the story to march forward. Jashn-e-bahara does just that, and does so exquisitely. It challenges the notion that romantic scenes must always entail physical intimacy, and proves that sometimes a look or a smile is worth much more. Most of the credit for this should go to Hrithik and Aishwarya who defy every existing idea about screen chemistry by making heartbeats race even through mundane acts such as walking side by side while glancing furtively at each other, or smiling in embarrassment as they sit miles apart in a garden. Who says old-fashioned romance is always boring? When two individuals are able to set silver-screens ablaze by just standing together in one frame, every trivial action becomes exciting.

Scattered in between their light-hearted romantic moments during this prolonged sequence are two ‘more important’ ones. The first one depicts Jalal in an angry mood as he admonishes Maham Anga’s son Adham Khan when the latter dares to insult Jodha; as his awe-inspiring authoritative ‘Khabardar Adham, Rajkumari ka naam adab se lo. Ye na bhulo ki ab wo Malika- e- Hindustaan hain’ echoes through the silent night and reaches Jodha, she understands the extent of his respect for her and there is an expression of happy pride on her countenance. The second is probably everyone’s guilty pleasure and inspired multiple ‘tele-serial adaptations’ back in the day; while Jalal practices moves with the sword bare-bodied, Jodha suddenly catches sight of his chiselled body and cannot stop staring. In a brilliant directorial move, Ashutosh makes her put the plate of worship down so that she can actually concentrate on the view better 😂😁🤩🤩. Aishwarya is terrific here, portraying Jodha’s attraction to her husband perfectly although in an extremely nuanced manner. Of course when the man in question is Hrithik Roshan, it helps. Jalal is shrewd enough to notice his ‘wifey dearest’ and catches her off guard by turning around suddenly after which the poor girl hastily draws the curtains. Hrithik’s mischievious look is a treat to eyes! But seriously, how mean of him to intrude upon his wife’s private moment of ‘adoring her husband’ that way?🤪🤪

Being one of the best directors in the industry, Ashutosh Gowarikar ensures that his film contains the right mix of romance and drama. The first instance of drama in the movie since the wedding is provided by Maham Anga, Jalal’s ‘Badi Ammi’ (played by the exceptional Ila Urun) a politically shrewd woman, whose possessiveness for her foster son and displeasure at the advent of a strong-willed intelligent Rajput princess into the fort of Agra makes her vindictive towards the said person. When Jodha decides to prepare authentic Rajput food herself after Jalal orders a ‘Rajputi Daawat’ on the day of ‘Peer’ in her honour, Maham Anga spews venom at her through harsh words and accuses her of trying to establish control over the kitchen, and eventually Jalal himself. Jodha, although shocked, gives her befitting replies, and ultimately completes the entire cooking by herself. The scene that follows could easily have been a disaster if it had been handled by an ordinary director; it could have been an excruciatingly slow and boring sequence testing the patience of the audience. The fact that it is one of the most interesting parts of the entire film is a measure of Ashutosh Gowarikar’s genius. Substantial credit must also be given to the actors including supporting ones without whom Ashutosh might not have been able to produce the desired outcome in this scene ultimately. However, this scene belongs to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Her shock at being insulted by Maham Anga when she asks her to taste the food before serving it to the emperor, rage as she turns to her husband for support, and suppressed anger as well as sadness when she realizes that there is no way out are nothing short of mesmerizing. Her genuine happiness when Jalal decides to have food from the same plate she has eaten and her sly look towards Maham Anga are a sight to behold. Truly, Aishwarya is probably one of the most underrated actresses in our industry; she is fantastic but does not always get the due credit for it. Most of the time, it is her beauty and personality that gets talked about. Nevertheless, she is a terrific actress too and we sincerely hope people acknowledge that more often. Hrithik supports her fascinatingly throughout the scene, his eyes showing anger, helplessness and embarrassment at his wife’s insult flawlessly. It is the mark of a great actor to allow his co-actors to soar when the scene requires so. In an old interview, while explaining why Aishwarya was his favourite co-star, Hrithik said that they had very similar working styles which made them more compatible with each other; according to him, both of them were more concerned with the larger picture, and did not care if they were being given importance in every frame or not. This particular scene is the perfect example of that working style he was talking about.

The ‘Rajputi Dawat’ sequence changes something between Jodha and Akbar; they have managed to cross that initial threshold of hesitation towards each other. However, just when they are gradually coming closer, circumstances and people pull them apart. When Adham Khan murders one of Jalal’s most trustworthy ministers, Shamsuddin-Muhammad-Atgah-Khan, and intrudes into the emperor’s personal premises with a sword, the latter tackles him and orders royal guards to throw the traitor with his head downwards into the ground below. When he is only half dead after the first fall, Jalal, showing his cruel side, orders his soldiers to bring Adham up to the roof so that they can throw him down again. Future generations will remember Hrithik for this scene among many; he is spectacular here with a stance that is completely majestic and a face that exudes rage and grief in equal measure. He was actually able to generate tangible fear amongst the audience back when the film had released; we still remember the collective gasp at the theatre during this scene. This is also the first time Jodha gets acquainted with Jalal’s darker side. Until this moment, she had known him as a gentle, understanding young man; now she sees him as capable of being cruel to someone. Aishwarya’s portrayal of fear is spot on and subtle with no melodrama whatsoever, for which the director also deserves praise.

The next scene had actually been deleted from the movie to manage its length but we genuinely feel it should have been included due to its significance. Horrified at Jalal’s action, Jodha confronts him in a terrific angsty sequence only to realize that Jalal is mourning the loss of a father figure in Shamsuddin-Muhammad-Atgah-Khan. Hrithik is superlative as Jalal breaks down and confesses to his wife about being orphaned again. This is the most tender moment both have yet experienced, and that realization is clearly etched upon Jodha’s face, who gives her heart-broken husband sound advice. She understands why he killed Adham, but asks him to apologize in front of Maham Anga, despite all the troubles the latter has created for her. We surely would not have minded sitting in the theatre for a few extra minutes to watch this brilliant scene Mr. Gowarikar!

The scene wherein Jalal explains his behaviour to Maham Anga is one of the most important sequences in the film for multiple reasons. Firstly, the acting is phenomenal; emotions have always been Hrithik’s forte and what do we say about Ila Urun? We are probably not qualified enough. So, its better to just bow our heads in respect and keep quiet. Second, this is when Maham Anga is able to instigate Jalal against Jodha by feeding him false information. She shows him a container of poison that her spy had extracted from Jodha’s personal belongings earlier and lies that his wife may be planning to harm him. In reality, Jodha’s mother had given her the poison so that she could kill herself if she feared of being dishonoured by her husband after the marriage. Maham Anga also misleads him by talking about a letter that Jodha has written to Rajkumar Ratan Singh, the Rajput prince, she had been betrothed to since her childhood. This letter had actually been written by Jodha to her cousin Sujamal, who had left Amer after being denied the throne. In the letter, Jodha had requested him to rescue her from being married off to the Mughal emperor. However, she had never sent it. After finding it in Jodha’s room, Maham Anga sends it to Sujamal, to take advantage of the situation and create a rift between Jalal and his wife. Unfortunately, this diabolical ploy works because of Jalal’s blind trust in his ‘Badi Ammi’. Upon receiving the letter, Sujamal believes it to be genuine, and goes to the Agra fort at night without caring about the risk. Jodha comes out to meet him, surprised at this sudden visit, but assures him that she is happy with Jalal. To her misfortune, her husband, who has never seen Sujamal or Ratan Singh before believes the intruder to be the latter and sends soldiers to capture him. Sujamal escapes, but only after thinking that Jodha deliberately called him there to be arrested. Meanwhile, Jalal accuses her of plotting with Ratan Singh behind his back. Outraged and shocked at this humiliation, Jodha tells him that Maham Anga is the one who has caused this entire misunderstanding. When Jalal refuses to believe her, she asks what punishment he has in mind. And, he tells her to go back to her parental house! Jodha naturally feels terribly insulted at his decision, and decides to leave him and protect her self-respect! This is a wonderfully executed sequence with the two leads reacting to each other masterfully, and turning it into one of the best angsty interactions ever. This was also the moment that Ashutosh chose as the point of intermission, a sound decision obviously because to be very honest, by this time the audience was indeed in need of some food and drinks 😄😄. On a serious note, this was a watershed moment in the lives of our two lead characters, and a perfect opportunity to take a break and come back refreshed.

Any analysis of Gowarikar’s Jodha Akbar is bound to be elaborate simply because it is impossible to designate any scene from the film as unimportant or bad. It is not for nothing that we termed this film a masterpiece at the beginning of this blog. Every second of it is still a pleasure to the senses and deserves mention. However, for the purpose of your sanity and ours (not to mention the time constraint), it is vital that we take an ‘interval’ too, and analyse the second part of the movie in a separate blog. Don’t worry, we will not take too long. So au revoir as the French say ; hopefully you will bestow your good wishes upon us once again like you have till now.❤️❤️

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rantingcrocodile · 3 years ago

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You made a good post, but get ready! Lesbians whose parents were kinda mean want you to know that they are ABSOLUTELY NOT PRIVILEGED over lesbians from fundamentalist communities that forced them into actual arranged marriages with men. I wish you the sincerest of luck.

The lack of reading comprehension is astounding.

Obviously it isn't a "privilege" for someone, for example, to come out and be made homeless, but it is absolutely homophobic victim-blaming if it turns into anything like, "Well, I'm still gold star despite homophobia, and if any lesbian couldn't do what I did, then they can't be a real lesbian."

It is a privilege to be able to be a lesbian who comes from enough of a supportive environment that they don't question themselves or feel pressured into "trying sex with a man".

I know what I said. They know what I've said. The few that don't like it are downright ignorant and are only interested in creating a pecking order to excommunicate lesbians that they don't like, to be homophobic and abusive, and then take advantage of the biphobic mini-culture in radfem spaces to use us as an excuse for that ignorant bullying.

It reminds me of Phillip Scofield, a well-known morning TV presenter in the UK, who came out, despite being married for 28 years and having two children. He thought that he was bisexual, but he's gay. I have not personally seen a single person claim, "He's just a homophobic bisexual claiming to be gay when he isn't." No. He came out, admitted he came to realise that he was gay, and it's now easily accepted.

Lesbians do the same thing, and suddenly they're only allowed to be bisexual. It's obscene.

The irony is that I'm told it has nothing to do with me, and that I'm not allowed to speak because I'm not a lesbian, when this homophobic set of beliefs actively harms bisexual women, too. All it does is promote homophobia against traumatised, confused thanks to patriarchy and homophobia women, and then adds to more claims of, "Look at how the bisexual women are taking over lesbian spaces!"

You're talking about lesbians in fundamentalist contexts, but I'm also talking about lesbians who aren't in fundamentalist contexts who are still afraid to come out.

It's ridiculous. It reminds me of the anti-feminists that claim, "Women can vote and it's illegal to not pay women the same as men, so how are you even oppressed?"

I mean, realistically, we're in a world where, right now, young lesbians with internalised homophobia are reacting to being lesbians by transitioning to claim to be straight men, and yet there's a belief that no lesbian ever could possibly feel forced to be in relationships with men due to internalised homophobia and heavy societal/familial/communal expectations? When homophobic hate crimes are still common when lesbians are out in the street with their partners? Really?

Are the lesbians of the past who married men and had children with them "not real lesbians" either?

This is exactly why I constantly repeat that too much theory online has rotted minds and made internet keyboard warriors forget actual, real life contexts.

I should not have to repeat a thousand times that I hate bisexual women that claim to be lesbians when they aren't. I keep saying how homophobic it is. I keep saying that it shouldn't be tolerated. It definitely happens. Those bisexual women should not be protected and should be held accountable for that appropriative homophobia. Political lesbianism is wrong, full stop. I'll keep repeating it if I have to, but it has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.

For the few people that want to liberate lesbians from oppression, yet refuse to accept the very real, common sense, historically proven fact that homophobia means that life can be incredibly difficult for some lesbians to come to terms with being lesbians, particularly older lesbians, is obscene.

If they genuinely hold those beliefs, then that's devastating and I feel upset for every lesbian they harm, and feel angry for every bisexual woman they blame unfairly.

Honestly though, I believe that the majority of that minority only use that discourse to silence lesbians that they don't like and use it as an excuse to be biphobic, all to enjoy their false sense of superiority. I would say that it's embarrassing for them to be that bone-deep stupid, but I feel worse for the lesbians who will be too terrified to admit dealing with those specific kinds of traumas, knowing that if they do share those stories, they'll forever be hounded as "not real lesbians" and attacked instead of given the support they fucking need and deserve.

And yes, I am selfish enough to also be angry that once again, for simply existing, I and other women like me are somehow used as an excuse for a small number of lesbians rubbing their hands with glee that they can be exclusive and gatekeep being lesbians over something that's basic common sense.

#I'm not angry at you Anon #I'm frustrated that this very obvious thing is somehow shocking #to a group of people that supposedly care about oppression

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jacepens · 4 years ago

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Hi I see that you're taking requests so if you're not too busy, I got something for you: do you remember the Assassin's Creed thing that Tyranny of King Washington game? Yeah, so a tyrant King George Washington AU but also involving Lafayette as like a French prince or something who is placed in an arranged marriage with George?? And like Lafayette is slowly goes corrupt like his husband and they're soon like this completely sexy evil power couple kinda deal?? Thank you!

Anon how dare you know my heart so well!! I recently played Assassins Creed III and the Tyranny of King Washington. I don’t know if you know the story behind it, because this is definitely based off the game but hooo boy this is incredible. Thank you so so much for giving me an excuse to rant about this. Because oh my god I adored playing Tyranny. (And making fun of King Washington.)

Real quick: for those who don’t know the game (which might also be you anon, I don't know) the reason that in the Tyranny of King Washington, Washington goes absolutely insane with power, is because he’s got an Apple of Eden which is an Assassin’s Creed thing that’s basically an old godly relic that is extremely manipulative and powerful. But anyway, here is your little story that I had way too much fun with :)

EDIT: I just added a few morbid details to some of the things Lafayette asked for because I felt they were quite important to see. So you know, if you read this before you saw those details, I’d recommend you at least glance at it again;). EDIT 2: ok ok sorry to be so indecisive but there is now just a dash more sexy at the very end.

Spoiled Rotten to the Core

A burst of golden light was all it took to bring men to their knees. Was all it took to conjure visions, control minds, bring entire countries to their knees.

King Washington. The name alone made anger rise hot in his chest, made him remember and grieve all the things that name stole from him.

Being Prince of France in a war-shaken world made everything he’d ever dealt with before feel like nothing.

No one was powerful enough to stop him. Hundreds, thousands, tried and they all ended up in the same place. Six feet underground—if they were lucky, that is. He’d read it was quite common for decaying bodies to be left strewn about the American countryside with no respect for life or death. It was despicable.

But then, King Washington made Lafayette an offer he would be a fool to refuse.

Famine, war, destruction, plague—it all weighed heavy on Lafayette’s mind. He had done everything he could to secure his country alongside his father, the King. They were one of the few countries still standing that had not fallen to the plague of America, and they were one of the world’s last beacons of hope.

King Washington, who seemed to live on another plane of existence entirely, descended upon their country with fury and destruction in his eye.

Lafayette hunkered down, sobbing and waiting for the worst to be over knowing that they were done—they were finished!

Miraculously, they were still standing at days end.

And then King Washington promised his country could continue to thrive and be sovereign and independent from America—all he had to do was marry him.

Before Lafayette was able to make the choice for himself, his father was already throwing him on a boat and carting him off to the capital of Washington’s new world. New York City.

Washington’s palace was a grand threat looming over the shore. And Lafayette’s heart was caught in his throat.

When the boat docked, the area became flooded with eager people, so tightly packed together nothing could break through.

Lafayette was paraded through the city like a prize. Their new King! They cried, weeping tears of joy, but Lafayette wondered if those tears were not of joy but of sorrow.

Lafayette was granted permission inside that grand structure they called the palace with a blindfold over his eyes. It was yanked off once he was inside and he was allowed to gawp at the sheer opulence and magnificence of the interior. The exterior may have looked like a threatening symbol, but inside? Why it made Lafayette’s heart soar in a very particular way. A way that his heart craved to feel again.

Meeting King Washington was a strange experience. Just like the feeling he got in the palace, he felt the same way about Washington. Cool, stoic, and wearing decadent clothes only worthy of a King.

He gripped his scepter that brimmed with power, and Lafayette was drawn towards it. He craved that gentle golden light that King Washington possessed, craved the power he gained. Worst of all, he craved Washington.

When he gripped his chin and stared into his eyes, as if he was inspecting a piece of fine china, Lafayette felt an unfamiliar sensation shudder through him. Would he disappoint? Washington left without a single word being said, and Lafayette felt traitorously like he wanted to scream and demand he come back that instant.

He was laid to rest in the comfiest of beds and surrounded by the hundreds of beautiful things that had caught King Washington’s interest over his years as ruler.

Was that all Lafayette was to him? He wondered with growing sickness. A beautiful Prince that happened to gain his interest? Interest already so quickly moved on.

Their wedding was lavish and a display of pure opulence. Lafayette was gifted a grand new ensemble to get married in, and dozens of new outfits to show his station as King. King Lafayette.

A crown was placed upon his head and the crowd chanted his name, thousands of people from below. Lafayette was overcome with adoration for the people below, and the way he understood he could now control them.

He laid in bed with Washington that night, unused to seeing him in such an informal air. The only thing exchanged was a few kisses before Washington suddenly screamed and shouted that he needed to leave at once. He saw that possessive glimmer in his eye, all for that damn scepter, and Lafayette left him to go back to his own room.

He was disappointed to say the least.

As months with Washington wore on, Lafayette understood more and more that he really was there to serve as some sort of pretty pet. But one that Washington readily spoiled.

All it took was Lafayette pressing a few kisses to his lips, and whatever he wished for was his.

He wished for many things as the boredom grew. He wished for paintings and artifacts from across the world, new animals to be displayed in the zoo, and even a little poodle to try and take the loneliness away. As his boredom and curiosity grew, he began demanding more unique experiences. What possessed him to do so, he wasn’t sure. When he asked George for a traitor to slaughter, so he could revel in the sight of their sickly blood slowly draining out them by Lafayette’s almighty sword. When he asked, begged, pleaded if he might throw them in the tigers den just to see what might happen. The angry thought burned in his heart—it was what traitors to King Washington deserved.

Until it dawned on him heavily one day that there was only one thing in the entire world that could make him happy. Two things, perhaps.

The power, and the one who wielded it.

He smiled as he entered the throne room to see King Washington, quickly turned to look at him, a little smirk dazzling his face. Lafayette quickly set himself down in Washington's lap, as he knew he so enjoyed, and quietly pressed kisses to his cheek and down his neck.

It was strange, the way he enjoyed him. They hardly ever exchanged a word together and yet here Lafayette was, working to earn his affections. His arm encircled around his waist and Lafayette sighed and shifted closer.

“You want something else, don’t you?” Washington purred, suddenly bringing his lips to Lafayette’s neck.

He let out a gasp, “Only your affections, my highness.”

“Ah, but you earned that long ago.”

“Did I really?” Lafayette giggled, pressing his nose to Washington’s, “Because it’s my understanding that husbands who love each other are supposed to share.”

Washington roared, suddenly shoving Lafayette back, but Lafayette held firm to his throne. “You dare.” He hissed, unmistakable anger coursing through him.

“Don’t you see it, my highness?” Lafayette dropped to his knees before him, “you chose me for a reason. Two is better than one, don’t you agree?” He hummed, dragging his palms and digging his fingernails up Washington’s thighs. He continued to fume above him, but Lafayette could practically hear that resolve chipping away, could hear a faint humming his ears. “Ah, do you hear it? Bring it out, show me that golden apple and it will show you just how much you need me.” He whined.

He watched with anticipation, could see it like a shivering line around Washington as he reached and pulled the apple from it’s scepter. Lafayette sat up, trying to press forward, his heart hammering loudly, seconds away from everything he could ever dream of—.

He began weeping as Washington pressed it into his palm, tears rolling down his cheeks as his eyes were opened to the knowledge of the universe. He saw strange men with godly powers crushed by this apple, he witnessed entire galaxies being birthed just with the tap of a finger, he saw the way into every person’s heart, he felt every weakness suddenly overwhelm and consume him before he could begin to breath fresh air again.

King Washington took the apple from his hand, and brought him up into his lap again. Lafayette grinned, a sickly dark and previously unknown grin to his face. His fingertips brimmed with power that he could feel rushing through his veins. He saw the way to destruction, a clear path ahead of him with Washington at his side.

“You are beautiful, you know.” He heard Washington growl in his ear, breath hot.

Lafayette hummed and then leered, mind overflowing with new ideas. “Then allow your beautiful King to show you his gratitude for granting him such a gift.” He purred, sliding back down to his knees.

This world was not yet the last they would conquer.

#prompts #hats off to you if you caught my reference to Connor #ahhh but for real I love love love this idea #like thank you so much #whoever you are mysterious anon #washette #hamilton #sue me but I’m tagging this as hamilton and turn #turn: washington's spies #because Lafayette wasn’t in tyranny it’s fine!!#I don’t need the ac fandom rolling in here wondering what the fuck is going on XD #snippet

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scariusaquarius · 5 years ago

Text

supermarket blues.

Thorin Oakenshield x Female! Reader

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A/n: I honestly couldn’t resist another work with a modern world! Thorin and reader! This is set in the same verse as beach bum. In other words, Thorin has been sent to our world and in the quest to find a way to get him home, you show him aspects about our world that he learns to appreciate.

this time, it’s the supermarkets.

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Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Romance, Humor Rated: General Warning: Fluff, Humor, Supermarket Shenanigans

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Author: dabisburntnut

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His eyes were squinting at the crowded supermarket. The hot summer day was just as blistering as it was when you two had gone to the beach, but it was worse as you and Thorin weren’t simply basking in the sun. While Thorin had simply gotten incredibly dark from his time spent in the sun, you had gotten sunburned on your shoulders pretty badly.

When you had broken out the aloe vera, Thorin had been intrigued by the strange substance. There was no such thing as aloe vera in Middle Earth, and it made Thorin wonder just what other fauna this world had that Middle Earth didn’t.

Thorin was distracted from his thoughts as you grabbed his hand and kept a tight hold on it to not lose him in the crowd, and Thorin got a whiff of the aloe vera as the wind blew his way.

“How can you bear the smell of this...aloe vera?”

The words felt strange on Thorin’s tongue, and you chuckled, pulling him along through the crowded markets.

“Well, I’m used to the smell, so I don’t really notice it much. Although, It isn’t too bad of a smell, to be quite honest with you, Thorin. You’re just smelling the added medicine that’s in the gel. Remember, the gel isn’t straight from the plant. This is a medicine that is manufactured into the aloe at a factory.”

Thorin nodded, though he had to admit that he was still a bit confused. Did that mean that you didn’t make this yourself? Who did, and what did you have to trade for such an amount that was in the bottle? You hummed and took a deep breath of the markets air before looking at him. Thorin’s gaze was wide as he looked around at the crowded supermarket, and he murmured softly.

“This reminds me very much of the markets in Dale and Esgaroth.”

“Is that comforting to you?”

Thorin looked over at you and he replied softly, squeezing your hand gently.

“Aye, but it is also a bittersweet thought. It makes me miss my home a bit more.”

You hummed and offered to him, coming closer to him so you could speak a bit more softer to him.

“If you want, you can go back to wait into the car. I’d hate to make you homesick more than you already are.”

Thorin shook his head, smiling lightly at your kindness and concern.

“No, it is quite alright. It is only normal to be reminded of home when you miss it the way that I do, but I appreciate your concern.”

You smiled at him before tugging him along through the crowd. When you stopped by one of the produce stands, you smiled and showed him all of the fruits and vegetables. Thorin was awed by the sights, not recognizing some of the fruits and vegetables on the stand. Picking up a mango, he sniffed it and asked you.

“What is this?”

“It’s called a mango. It’s very sweet, but you can’t eat the outside of it. At least, I don’t.”

Thorin hummed, nodding in understanding, and you smiled before grabbing the mango, putting it into your basket. Grabbing two more, Thorin smiled at your gesture before pointing to the cucumbers.

“And these?”

“These are called cucumbers. They’re....a refreshing vegetable, I would say. Do you guys not have cucumbers in Middle Earth?”

Thorin shook his head before making a face.

“No, and if we do, I am certain they are grown by the elves.”

You chuckled before picking out a few more fruits and vegetables and then slipping your wallet out and paying for the produce. Thorin frowned deeply and grabbed one of the bills from your wallet.

“This is your form of currency?”

“Yes, this is how we pay for things now. This is a fifty dollar bill, which I think would be equal to fifty of your gold coins, if I am not mistaken? I’m honestly unsure at how currency and appreciation/depreciation works.”

This piece of paper was equal to fifty gold coins? Thorin almost didn’t want to believe it. As you walked through the market, Thorin took in all of the stalls that didn’t have foods, but more-so items like strange metal structures, miniature versions of the things you called ‘vehicles,’ and so many other head-scratching things.

Grabbing one of the mangoes, you fished out your pocket knife and began to skin it. When part of it had been skinned, you held it to Thorin, who took another sniff of the fruit.

“It’s a really sweet fruit, I swear, but you have to be careful biting into it because there’s a huge seed in the middle of it.”

Thorin nodded, and you watched with anticipation as he took a bite of the fruit. Juice ran down his chin and into his beard, and Thorin chewed once, twice, and then took another bite. Your shoulders sagged in relief, and Thorin hummed.

“This is very nice.”

You smiled before leaning towards him, wiping your thumb against his chin.

“Yes, but it’s very juicy, and you’re making a mess of yourself.”

Thorin’s ears pinked, and you smiled at him brightly before turning away, taking his hand in your own again. Thorin mumbled.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh, but I did. If I hadn’t, it would’ve stayed there.”

Thorin gave you a look, taking another bite of his mango but this time making sure to wipe his mouth afterwards.

“I am not that unsophisticated.”

“Now, my dear King, did I say that?”

He huffed and you giggled before you pulled him to a candle stand, looking through the homemade candles. Grabbing a honey and vanilla scented candle, you held it for Thorin to smell. He took a deep breath before humming, the wind pushing his ponytail back over his shoulder.

“That smells wonderful. What is it made with?”

“It’s honey and vanilla, and it’s made with beeswax. See?”

The merchant, an older woman, smiled kindly.

“Oh, it is one of my best selling candles! Great for when you want to relax...or make your room smell good before a night of lovemaking with your dear husband!”

You gasped and laughed loudly, covering your mouth, and the woman laughed with you. Thorin, however, was embarrassed, his cheeks going red a bit. You said to the woman, handing over a couple of bills for the candle.

“Oh, I’ll definitely keep that in mind, thank you!”

The woman nodded to you, and you slipped the candle into your beach bag, smiling brightly. Thorin wet his lips, and he asked you nervously.

“What are human courting customs like here?”

You looked over at Thorin before smiling.

“I don’t think it’s that much different than what Men do in Middle Earth. We don’t use gifts really as a sign of courtship anymore, except for those who feel that giving gifts is a way to make their interests known. Most people will just outright tell the person they like that they’re interested in them.”

You stopped at a food stand, waiting in the long line before continuing

“Mostly, the new custom for Men in this world is that we ask the person that we are interested in if they would like to have dinner. We call it a date. After the first date, if it goes well, one or the other will call the other up and ask if they want to hang out again. Some will even kiss if the first date goes well, but it isn’t as common as it used to be.”

Thorin nodded, listening intently as he mentally took notes, and you looked over at him with a soft smile.

“It honestly just goes from there. People do what they feel is natural to them, instead of doing what royalty might want from you, like an arranged marriage or such. We have much freedom to choose who we would like to be with and who we don’t want to be with.”

That seemed pleasant, Thorin had to admit. He had honestly always despised the thought of being in an arranged marriage. After all, if he was put in an arranged marriage, he would never truly love his wife as he would his One. Thorin perked up and turned to you, asking you almost eagerly.

“Do you have such things as Ones in this realm?”

You hummed deeply, looking up and tapping your chin as you thought about it.

“Well, I wouldn’t say for certain that we have a destined One here in this world. That’s actually a matter of opinion here in this world. I believe in the concept of soulmates, personally. It’s a beautiful thought...thinking the universe or your creator has made someone just for you to be with.”

You smiled down at the ground, Thorin tilting his head and a small smile crawling on his face as well at the soft expression that crossed your face.

“It’s bittersweet because you might never find them, but I think it’s comforting to know that there’s someone in the world who will love us for who we are...who will always protect us and never judge us. They just...care about us without obligation or out of expectation for something more.”

Thorin looked down at your conjoined hands, feeling how perfect your hand fit within his own, and Thorin asked you softly.

“Do you think you have already found your One?”

“I don’t know, Thorin. I’ve never been in real love before to really know.”

Thorin was surprised, blinking owlishly at you.

“You mean you’ve never been with anybody else?”

“No, no, I’ve had many people that I’ve courted, as you would say, but I never really truly loved any of them like you might love a soulmate, which is what we call Ones here. I wished the best for them and wanted nothing but for them to be happy, but I never really felt that....that pull to them...like I wanted them to be the one I died with at the end of my life, you know?”

Thorin nodded slowly, and for a moment, he was quiet before he asked you nervously.

“Would you...like to...get supper then...with me?”

You glanced at Thorin, your eyes a bit wide before you smiled at him, tightening your hold on his hand and tugging him away from the foodstand.

“Sure, I’d like that. I know this really great place that we can order from. It’s something called Italian, which is a cuisine that originates from a country here in this world named Italy. Their food is amazing and practically ingenious!”

As you began to tell him about Italy and the cuisine of Italian food and wine, Thorin couldn’t help but stare on at you, becoming lost in the way the sun wrapped around your body and made you glow. You were beautiful, and it made Thorin wonder if he had actually found his One.

Thorin’s hand tightened it’s hold, and his heart raced as you tightened it in return, rubbing your thumb along his hand and making him fall even more in love.

[TBC]

Richard Armitage & Co. Masterlist: @fizzyxcustard @thorinthehottotty @deepestfirefun @thequeenoferebor @aspookybunny @narnvaeron @daisy-picking-lady

#Thorin Oakenshield #Thorin #Reader #Thorin Oakenshield x Reader #Thorin x Reader #The Hobbit #The Hobbit Fanfiction #Richard Armitage #Richard Armitage x Reader #Richard Armitage Fanfiction

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crazycat-88 · 5 years ago

Text

Male Spider-Drider Lue x Female Reader (SFW)

Written for this prompt here on @monsterkinkmeme

Features a male spider drider who is based on a peacock spider and a female reader.

Content: Arranged marriage, coerced marriage (though not really), mostly fluff, kissing, spider boi is a nervous wreck, so is reader.

Words: 4,569

You yawn and rub your eyes, waking from a lovely dream, wondering if you could sleep in just a little longer. The thought is squashed when you hear your mother call you down for breakfast. You sigh, even on your birthday you were denied a lie in. Tearing yourself from your bed, you dress and leave your room to join your parents at the breakfast table.

‘‘Good morning,’’ you say, sitting down at the table.

‘‘About time you got up,’’ your mother says, with a frown. ‘‘Your father and I have something we need to discuss with you.’’

What now, you think, looking between your parents, waiting expectantly. Your father sighs but keeps his head down, reading the paper.

‘‘Well?’’ Your mother says, looking at your father. ‘‘Of course... You want me to tell her, useless man.’’ Looking at you again, she sighs. ‘‘You’re betrothed, your fiancé will be coming here tomorrow to meet you and take you back to his home.’’

You laugh. ‘‘Very funny mother, and just who am I betrothed too? The dragon up the mountains?’’ You say, still laughing. Snorting, you pour yourself a cup of tea and look back back up to see your mother frowning. Looking to your father, you see he is looking at you in what you can only assume is pity.

‘‘I’m sorry my dear, but it’s true. You are betrothed, have been since you were just a baby. I’m afraid to say it’s all my fault too,’’ your father says wincing.

‘‘Wh-what? You can’t be serious!’’ you sputter, shaking you head, looking first at your mother before settling your gaze on your father. When he only nods, you stand yelling, ‘‘Who am I betrothed to? Tell me!’’

Your father looks away, wincing again and your mother sniffs derisively. ‘‘One of the drider princes that lives in the wild woods,’’ she says nonchalantly.

You fall back down in your seat in shock, staring at your mother with wide eyes, they cannot be serious. You hate spiders, you find them creepy and they scuttle about on eight freakish legs. As far as you were concerned driders where just bigger versions of spiders, much bigger versions, you think gulping.

‘‘H-how?... Wh-why?’’ you ask.

‘‘You do not know this… but we were very poor when you were born and your father had to do some questionable things to house and feed us,’’ your mother says, explaining. ‘‘When he got caught trying to steal from the driders, he pleaded for his freedom, explaining he had a wife and daughter to feed. In exchange for that freedom, he had to promise your hand in marriage to the kings second son. We were given land and money too, so we could raise you well and give you a good education.’’

You sit in shock, considering everything you had just learned. You had no idea your parents were once poor, they certainly never acted like it. You also had no idea your father was once a thief, it all sounded so unbelievable, and you're so angry that they never told you any of this before now. ‘‘What if I refuse? You cannot force me to marry?’’ you say, glaring at your mother.

‘‘If you refuse then you will be homeless.’’ Your mother hisses. ‘‘We will lose this house and all our money. You wouldn’t want to have us living on the streets, would you? Think of your poor father, he’s old and would never survive.’’

Looking at your father, you see that he won’t meet your eyes but unlike your mother he appears at least to be sorry, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. Getting up, you storm up the stairs, ignoring your mothers call to come back and slamming your bedroom door. Throwing yourself on to your bed, you scream into the pillow, holding back tears.

How could your parents do this to you, you think. Your mother, you could understand but not your father. The two of you had always been close, you looked up to your father, he was your hero. As a child you thought your father could do no wrong, he was perfect as far as you were concerned. An adult now, you had come to realise that it was of course not true. No one is perfect and everyone has flaws, yet you thought your father's flaw was choosing a wife who was materialistic. You never would have thought he was once a common thief.

Your relationship with your mother was a different story, the two of you could never see eye to eye, always arguing. Your mother wanted a doll she could dress up prettily and tell what to do. You had no interest being dressed up, as a child you wanted to be outside, climbing trees and getting muddy, much to your mother's disappointment. Discovering her daughter would not be the child she wanted, she had developed a cruel streak, often belittling you and laughing at your failures.

Perhaps being betrothed was a blessing in disguise, you would no longer have it listen to your mother nag at your father or have her tell you every day how you were such a disappointment to her. You only wished your betrothed wasn’t a drider. How could you possibly marry such a creature. All the driders that you had seen were huge, almost double your size, and they had never seemed to be interested in humans.

You were aware that three different species of spider driders lived in the surrounding wild woods and up on the mountains. Only one type ever ventured into the town and they were huge, dark brown with two inch fangs, and extremely venomous. You were pretty sure they lived in the mountains though and your mother said your fiancé lived in the wild woods. Which meant you had no idea what type of spider drider you would be marrying.

The woods had been divided years ago between the two species and no one really knew much about them. Both species were reclusive and avoided the human town, likely the reason why humans had settled here surrounded by woods in the first place. You could always ask your father but you really did not want to speak to either of your parents right now.

You end up spending the rest of the day in your room, packing the items you wished to take with you. Your mother knocks on your door at one point, telling you through the door that you should be happy to be engaged to a prince, that you are lucky and will never want for anything. You roll your eyes but ignore her, maybe she’d be happy to marry for money but that is not important to you.

Your father knocks just as you are getting ready for bed, you ignore him too as he apologises through the door. In bed you cry silently, this will be the last time you sleep in this bed, in this room, and your future is so uncertain. You wonder what your fiancé will look like and how he will treat you, you're not expecting love but hope at least for civility. It occurs to you then that perhaps he will be unhappy to be wed to a human, maybe when he sees you, he will call the engagement off. You can only hope you think as you finally drift off to sleep.

******************************************

When you first wake in the morning, you momentary forget that you will be meeting your betrothed today and that you will be leaving your home to go with him to his. Sitting up you gaze around your to see the mess you have left it in packing your things and sigh remembering. You dress and before you leave your room, look down to see a letter has been pushed through under your bedroom door.

Tears stream down your face reading it, it is from your father, in it he tries to explain his actions and offers his apologies. He tells you he only agreed to the deal as he believed you would have a good and happy life as the driders he met were kind especially considering the circumstances. He goes on to say that he will understand and forgive you if you decide to refuse to marry and wishes you all the happiness in the world whatever your decision.

While you are still angry, you feel as though you cannot blame your father and know that you have already forgiven him, though your relationship may never be the same again. Resigned but feeling a sense of determination, you put on a brave face and go down to breakfast.

Breakfast itself is a silent affair, neither your mother or your father say a word to you and you do not engage them in conversation either. They finish eating before you and inform you that they are going into town, claiming it would be better if you met with your fiancé in private. Your father hugs you as he leaves and whispers another apology, you hug him back tightly, fearing this may be the last time you see him.

With your parents gone, you meander around the house, trying to find something to do to distract yourself. Just before lunch you hear a knock at the door, nervously you straighten out your dress and take a deep breath as you open the door. When your gaze lands on the drider on your doorstep, you stare at him in surprise.

He is the smallest drider you have ever seen, his height only being a couple of inches above your own. He looks to be around the same age as you with long blonde hair that is tied up high on his head. He has eight black eyes, four larger circular eyes sit in a row upon his face and a pair of smaller eyes sit on each side of his head. His human torso is lean and deathly pale as if he has never seen the sun, four arms are attached to this torso, ending in four hands, each clutching a bunch of wild flowers.

The transition between human torso and spider lower half starts at his hips, and you see that the light brown spider body is also smaller than you had been expecting, though he does have eight skinny legs which are jointed. The hairs on his spider body look incredibly fluffy and you're surprised at yourself when you feel the desire to reach out to see if he is as fluffy as he looks. Closing your mouth, you manage to produce a smile, and nod when he says your name questioningly.

‘‘It is a p-pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Lue. And these are for you,’’ he says, rushing his words and thrusting the flowers into your hands.

‘‘Oh… Thank you so much, these are beautiful,’’ you say, struggling to hold them all. As you struggle to balance them, you notice that they have been tied with a fine silk.

‘‘I was t-told that h-humans like flowers,’’ he stutters, smiling briefly. His voice his low and soft, though still masculine, and you feel your stomach flutter at the sound of it.

He also has a nice smile you think to yourself, and you briefly see a flash of two very small fangs before he hides them. Watching as wrings his hands together, you think he looks even more nervous than you feel. Feeling a lot calmer now yourself, seeing him so flustered, you gesture behind you and ask if he would like to come in.

‘‘Y-yes please,’’ he replies, shuffling inside. As he passes you spot a flash of colour on the back of his spider body and watch him curiously as he gazes around.

‘‘Thank you again for these. They really are very lovely,’’ you say, placing the flowers down. Looking back at Lue, you inspect him carefully. You never released driders came that small, and your honestly very relieved. He doesn’t appear frightening at all.

‘‘Your w-welcome,’’ he says. ‘‘I have another... more traditional courting gift for you too, but I thought it best to give you that when we return to my... I m-mean our home…’’ he chitters, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘‘Forgive me, I... wasn’t expecting you to be so pretty, not that I thought you wouldn’t be but… oh dear…’’ he chitters, nervously.

‘‘Oh… Thank you,’’ you start, unsure what to say and trying not to laugh at just how flustered he is. Considering him for a moment, you ask him curiously, ‘‘So… have you known of our engagement long?’’

‘‘Yes,’’ he says, nodding. ‘‘I’ve been aware of it since childhood… What about you?’’

‘‘I was just informed about it yesterday…’’ you say, frowning slightly.

You watch as his mouth drops open in shock. ‘‘Really?’’ he asks. ‘‘I’m s-sorry, this must have been a huge surprise for you then…’’

‘‘Yes…’’ you nod, sighing. ‘‘But it’s not your fault,’’ you add, giving him a small smile.

‘‘Are you… unhappy?’’ he chitters, shuffling all his eight legs.

Weighing your words carefully, it takes you a minute to respond. ‘‘I’m… upset. I wish that I had been told a long time ago…’’

‘‘We can call the wedding off... if you don’t want to marry me…’’ he says, sounding dejected. ‘‘I wouldn't want you to be unhappy.’’

Considering it for a moment, your almost tempted to say yes but looking at his sad face you feel your heart skip a beat. You would never have expected a drider to be so nervous, and despite your dislike of actual spiders you actually find this drider incredibly handsome. Yesterday you had thought that this engagement may be a blessing in disguise and so far Lue had been nothing like what you were expecting, perhaps it was a blessing.

‘‘No. I… wasn’t sure at first, honestly I’m a bit terrified of spiders but you… well you don’t seem too scary,’’ you chuckle nervously.

‘‘N-no I’m not, but I… completely understand how you feel, honestly I’m t-terrified of spiders myself,’’ he chitters, smiling gently.

‘‘Really?’’ You ask astonished.

‘‘I know… you wouldn’t think a drider would be s-scared of spiders but they are so... creepy,’’ he shudders. ‘‘Though I must admit, I’m scared of other driders too… they are just so big…’’ he chitters, chuckling slightly.

‘‘Me too,’’ you gasp, chuckling. ‘‘I was so worried when I opened the door, I was expecting a drider twice my size.’’ You both laugh for a moment, before you take a deep breath and ask, ‘‘Will we have to marry right away?’’

‘‘No…’’ he replies, shaking his head. Smiling gently, he continues, ‘‘The wedding hasn’t been finalised yet, we have t-time to get to know each other first. If you find you cannot see yourself married or living amongst us driders, I give you my word that I’ll return you to your home.’’

‘‘Perhaps you will decide you don’t want a human for a wife,’’ you chuckle, relieved that he was so understanding.

‘‘I… d-doubt that,’’ he chitters. ‘‘I was relieved to learn I was betrothed to a human… I’ve always been intrigued by your kind, and the females of my kind make me n-nervous, they are bigger than the males and are more aggressive.’’

‘‘You’ve spent time around humans? I’ve never seen your kind in town before…’’ you say, frowning curiously.

‘‘I’m not the first of my kind to be betrothed to a human... there aren’t many of us in these parts and the ma-majority of us are males,’’ he explains. ‘‘We are quite a reclusive species really, we never stray to far from our homes, and while technically this land is in our territory, it’s far too b-busy for us.’’

You spend the next couple of hours listening to Lue tell you how his grandfather, the former king, had made a land agreement with the first humans who came to the area. He tells you more about his home and the people there. Despite him mentioning other driders taking humans as wives, your surprised to hear that you will be living amongst other humans too, including one who is around the same age as you.

Lue asks you questions about yourself too and you end up staying long enough to say goodbye to your parents. Lue had calmed enough to no longer stutter when speaking to you but when your parents return, he becomes nervous again and you decide not to linger. Lue was clearly anxious being surrounded by people in an enclosed space. Hugging you father goodbye, you tell him that you will visit, for unless you have completely read Lue wrong, you know that he will not stop you from visiting your family.

********************************************

You settle into your new home well, surprised to find it is set up like a small village with wooden houses scattered amongst the trees. Lue’s father, Anatjari’s, home is situated in the center of these houses and while slightly more fancy than the others, you would not think it the house of a king. Upon meeting him though, you completely understand, he is very kind and places himself on the same level as his people.

While you really like Anatjari, you are glad to learn that you and Lue have your own home. It has two bedrooms and you are given a room to yourself. You are given a few days to settle in and get to know Lue before Anatjari invites both you and Lue to join him for dinner, where he informs you that the wedding has been arranged and will take place in a months time.

Taking a stroll through the woods that evening with Lue by your side, you gaze around watching as your drider neighbours head out to hunt. The village is quiet during the day with most of the occupants resting but when evening falls it is alive with activity. It is strange for you but you feel as though you will soon get used to it.

‘‘Is a months time going to be long enough to be sure about marrying me?’’ Lue asks quietly, bringing you out of your thoughts.

‘‘I think so…’’ you say, smiling at him. Lue was no longer so nervous around you that he still stuttered but he was always considerate of your feelings and careful with his words.

‘‘I’m glad. I want you to be really happy here... I want to make you happy.’’

‘‘I’m sure I will be. I’ve only really met your father but he seems lovely and I’m sure I’ll get on well with the others,’’ you say, nervously.

‘‘You will. Everyone will love you, my father already does,’’ he says, smiling gently.

‘‘Can I ask about your mother?’’ you say, tentatively. He’s not once mentioned her and neither had Anatjari.

‘‘Of course,’’ he says, stopping to face you. ‘‘There’s not much to tell really. She died when I was really young, and father doesn’t really like speaking about her… I don’t remember her at all and my brother only has vague memories.’’

‘‘I’m really sorry Lue,’’ you say, taking hold of one of his hands.

‘‘It’s alright,’’ he says blushing, looking at your hands entwined. ‘‘What's your relationship with your parents like?’’

You make conversation for awhile, telling him how you’re close to your father but not your mother, before Lue leaves to hunt and you head back to the house. Passing by another human, she smiles and waves you over to join her where she sits whittling a piece of wood.

‘‘Evening, I’ve been wanting to introduce myself since you got here,’’ she says, introducing herself. When you give her your name, she laughs, ‘‘I already know it, I was so excited to learn another human my own age would be coming to live here, I haven’t stopped asking Lowanna all about you.’’

Lowanna, you knew was Lue’s brother's wife, a female drider, but you hadn’t had the chance to speak to her yet and what with you being a bit wary after what Lue had said about the females of his species being aggressive, you were unsure about approaching any of the other driders.

‘‘I haven’t met her yet… I’ve only been introduced to Anatjari and Lue’s brother Jiemba,’’ you say. ‘‘What is she like? Lue told me the females could be… um… aggressive,’’ you whisper, looking around nervously, hoping none of the driders would overhear.

Laughing, she replies, ‘‘My mate told me the same thing but I think they are only like that with the males. Lowanna is lovely and really helped me to settle in here when I mated Dural.’’

Happy to hear this, you smile. ‘‘Were you betrothed too?’’

‘‘Oh no. I lived in a town south of here, and one day I got lost foraging in the woods. After wandering for hours I found Dural or well he found me I guess and well…’’ she shrugs, grinning, and then laughs, ‘‘I was so surprised, I had never seen a drider before but I had heard that they were huge, and then there was Dural, shorter than me, he is.’’

‘‘I was expecting Lue to be huge too and was so nervous to learn I was betrothed to a drider,’’ you laugh. ‘‘But Lue was more nervous than me, which really settled my nerves.’’

‘‘All the driders here are a bit like that… they’re incredibly skittish,’’ she replies laughing. ‘‘I’m sure you’ll be really happy here and I would be very happy to have another friend.’’

As the weeks pass, you see just how right she was. The driders here are easily startled but are all incredibly welcoming, especially the females. Lowanna makes it her mission to befriend you and introduce to everyone else, wanting to help you to settle in. She also tries to teach you the ways to keep the males in line but you just silently laugh, thinking that her methods would not work for you. Besides, you didn’t think you would need to worry about that with Lue as your mate.

Lue has been nothing but a perfect gentlemen since you had moved in with him, doing nothing more than hold your hand. Even then, he always asks for permission to touch you beforehand. So it comes as a surprise, when two days before the wedding, he takes your hand and asks you to follow him into his bedroom.

As the only room in the house that you haven’t seen, you gaze around curiously while he wrings his hands together nervously. The room is immaculately clean, with a large bed and a small wardrobe being the only furniture in the room. Taking a deep breath you look at Lue expectantly, waiting to see why he asked you in here.

‘‘Are you still sure about going ahead with the wedding?’’ He asks, nervously shuffling his legs.

‘‘Yes… I’m still sure Lue’’ Having already had this conservation the week before with Lue, your confused at why he is questioning you again. Lue had exceeded all your desired requirements in a husband and if you weren’t already in love with him, you were certainly falling in love. ‘‘Why? Are you not sure about marrying me?’’ You ask, nervously.

‘‘N-no I’m sure. I just… want to make sure that you’re happy here. I know it’s not the way of life you’re used to and I want my mate to be happy,’’ he says, smiling, flashing his small fangs.

‘‘Well… I’ve been happy so far,’’ you tell him, returning his smile.

‘‘I’m glad… I have a courting gift for you...’’

‘‘But I thought the blanket was my gift?’’ You ask, frowning. When you had first arrived here, Lue had presented you with a silk blanket that he had made to keep you warm, and it was incredibly beautiful.

‘‘That was only part of my gift, there’s another part… I’ve been working on it since you arrived,’’ he explains. ‘‘Close your eyes and no peeking.’’

‘‘Alright,’’ you chuckle, closing your eyes. Listening you hear him move to the wardrobe and open the doors. Your incredibly curious but keep your eyes tightly closed as he asked.

‘‘Alright, open your eyes,’’ he says, exhaling loudly.

Upon opening your eyes, your mouth drops open in shock. Standing in front of you, Lue is holding up the most beautiful wedding dress you have ever seen. ‘‘Lue…’’ you gasp, stunned.

‘‘D-do you like it?’’ he asks, nervously stuttering.

‘‘Like it? I Love it. It’s beautiful.’’

‘‘Then why are you crying?’’ he asks softly.

Raising your hand to face, you feel your cheeks are wet, you hadn't even realised you were crying. ‘‘It’s just so beautiful, it’s happy tears I promise… I can’t believe you made this,’’ you say, reaching out and feeling the dress gently, reluctant to even touch it.

‘‘It’s not as beautiful as you, but I’m happy you like it,’’ he smiles, before turning to hang the dress back up. When he turns back around, you hug him tightly, chuckling when he squeaks in surprise.

‘‘I really love it.’’

The wedding goes off without a hitch, with Anatjari officiating, though you both blush fiercely when you seal the vows with a small kiss. Lue has surprised you by arranging for your parents to be there to see the ceremony. As you share a dance with your father, he asks if you are happy and looking over at Lue who is laughing with his brother, you happily tell him that you really are.

You are nervous when you and Lue return home but your reassured by the fact that Lue seems to be even more nervous than you. Still in your wedding dress, he directs you sit on the bed while he backs away a few steps. Frowning, you wonder what he is doing when he suddenly starts dancing. Raising both his second to the back legs, which have tufts of black hair with white tips, he waves them in air. When the colourful flaps on his back rise up, flashing his colours at you, you bite your lip withholding a laugh. You have no idea what is going on but you don’t think laughing at him would be appropriate somehow.

Finishing his dance, panting slightly, he looks at you expectantly.

‘‘What… was that?’’ you ask, breathing slowing through your nose, still trying not to laugh.

‘‘It’s how we initiate mating… we dance to impress females,’’ he explains, crossing both his arms across his chest.

Snorting with laughter despite your best efforts, you gasp for breath. When a hurt look passes over his face, you get up taking two of his hands in yours. ‘‘I’m so sorry Lue, I didn't mean to laugh… I really did enjoy it but I’m not a drider,’’ you say gently.

‘‘Oh. H-how do humans initiate mating then?’’

‘‘Kiss me again…’’ you ask him, swallowing nervously.

Stroking your hair back from your face, he brushes your lips gently with his own before pulling back. ‘‘Like that?’’ He asks.

‘‘Uh huh, keep doing that.’’

With his lower hands clasping your own, he kisses you again, tangling one of his upper hands in your hair, while the other grasps at your back. ‘‘I should tell you that I have no idea what I’m doing,’’ he gasps, pulling back slightly.

‘‘Me too,’’ you giggle. ‘‘We can work it out together though, can’t we?’’

‘‘Yes... Together,’’ he agrees, stroking your face, smiling.

*********************************************

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