#I hate to talk about SA but it's fanfic that really helped me understand what happened

[ladyfauxhawk]

tumblr is my happy place, BUT I need to say something difficult (TW: general discussion of sexual assault)

I read the Neil Gaiman article in Vulture yesterday. I'm not gonna repost it, you can find it if you want to read it. I'm not a Neil Gaiman fan, and most certainly am not diving into that back catalog now.

As a victim of sexual assault (by someone I'd call a charismatic elder and performative ally) when I was in college, this article was the clearest nonfiction piece I've ever read about the victim's experience of SA. The confusion and doubt and the sort of visceral clarity that comes after. I was taken back to some dark places when reading the victims' accounts.

I knew it would be a rough read and I was capable of doing so because I've had 20 years to sift thru the wreckage of my experience and be capable of bearing witness. If you're not ready for that, you don't have to read it. I hope the victims can learn that being vulnerable and soft is a great strength- you can't blame yourself for a bad person taking advantage. That vulnerability is human. It's how we make friends. It's how we survive.

As a writer of RPF reading something like this is awful and feels cautionary somehow. Someone is mourning their blorbos. That's OK. It's not your fault as a fan when the information you formerly held as true is disproven. You don't bear the burden of shitty people. You can only choose what to do with what you learned.

This article reminded me of why I have my own Ethics of RPF. These are my rules because I need them. They help me focus on what matters. Maybe they'll be helpful for someone else too:

Don't break the veil between the real world and your writing on tumblr/Ao3/wherever. You're writing fiction. Keep it fiction. Use whatever freely given source material you find in the wild but don't try to create it. We're all just people.

My engagement with fandom needs to be better than in real life. The whole of the internet needs to be better than in real life, or I need to go touch grass. This is for me. It should be fun. If it's not, find something else. And if my blorbo hurts my friends in this fandom, I'm cutting them from my life with the sharpest knife I can find.

Be kind to yourselves today. If any of my mutuals want to talk, my messages are open to you. ❤️

[napapamahal]

WJKASHFJAS OKOK before i get off anon

M SHY DIDNT EXPECT U TO ANSWER BUT OMF JAJAJA okok i understand, I HAVE TO ADMIT m p sure id be into other teams din and not just gsw (olkdk hater ka pala super sorry to bring them up kung nauncomfy ka huhuhu it’s ayt w me tho i don mind, youre lovely nonetheless). id love to get into other teams. im fond of the mavs!!! i alr love Luka and Kyrie bcs i just see them being talked abt a lot. but pls, ok lang ba kung baka pwede kang magbigay ng mga sources pra ma-crash course aq about ball and etc and the lore? sux being a casual kasi nalilimit ung paginteract q kasi ayoko kayong i-annoy and etc. bale kung sasabihin, prang i got into ball dahil sa hype dahil sa recent olympics??? ik, ik it’s lowly of me huhuh,,, but id really love to get into it, ndi q lang alam paano ssimulahin…

salamat sa pag-eentertain ng ask q…

HI PLS ‘WAG KA NA MAG-ANON, CUTIE TT talk to me through messages para i can give u more chikas about bball pero i can give you the gist naman here. to know more PLS message me, kasi i don't think kakasya rito sa post lahat ng infos ko. DON'T BE SHY !!

running joke ko lang ‘yon na hater ako ng gsw WHHAJJAHAJA though i do hate the franchise, hindi naman ako uncomfortable kung you will talk about them (kasi offseason pa siguro??? LOL fuck u gsw).

but yea, kasi i started REALLY watching nba games im pretty young pa around 7 or 8 years old so me being THIS loud about basketball is really just... idk it's ‘organic’ siguro. i have nothing to tell u about how i rlly got into this kasi it's really just me and games, i just analyze the numbers and know the players din, ig???

pero i got really addicted to it when i started reading fanfics on ao3 so that's pretty much it WHAAJHAJAHA ayon lang ‘yong journey ko. pero i can suggest siguro na you can watch those longass hours-long nba documentation videos available on youtube (because that helped me a lot knowing the mavs) either with the official nba channel or i highly suggests random channels about the team you want to explore the most!

pero for starters, parang hierarchy ang nba teams(this is in terms of placing, championship appearances): mavericks, celtics, thunder, timberwolves, knicks (siguro??? because of villanova bros) ang contenders (imho based on what i saw this last nba finals, offseason), pistons and hornets naman ang medyo nasa lower part.

may debate between who's the nba goat na obv michael jordan vs lebron james... i might fight u on that... JK!

a huge percentage of twitter users also helped me knowing a lot about players. twitter posts are really a must go if you want to know more about how your favorite player plays, if he's goated or washed, or anything. it's really a variety in there, i just hope you don't see toxic accounts. speaking of which, nbacentel is also a twitter account that makes SATIRICAL tweets about players. it might seem real, but it's not.

more about them through pms na lang here because YAHHHH i can't put them all here. pero what i'll discuss to you through messages are: kd's burner account, josh giddey, the fucked up gsw franchise, lebron and kyrie, how luka might be the best nba player from this decade, and many more.

ALSO. don't worry, i've encountered a lot of casuals already and i'm good with talking to them. i just hated most of those people because yeah they're the same people who called klay “washed” because of a single game. the same people who hate and laugh at kyrie. the same people who dickride lebron I MEAN YEAH all of the things i hate, they're doing it. but since you're here, i'm afraid you're not a casual anymore!!!

so pls talk to me rn pls pls 🙏🏼 literally on my KNEES. i'll give you the drive link ng mga republika ng nba edits ko, PLS message me na WHAJAJAKAHSJJS!!!

chikahin pa kita about this more through private messages so gew.

[kivinelock]

Actually thanks so much for saying this LMAO I'm gonna go on a very long tangent you may already have considered(?) but this is also for people that haven't.

This was a genuine question derived from an analysis of his character, I just re-framed it here for tumblr to be more meme-like (hence the last option of the poll). I 100% see what you're saying and agree — but I also see what (some) Jimmy fans are saying. (I must clarify that in what I'm about to say, trauma isn't the only reason someone might like his character nor should you ask ANYONE about trauma they went through without their explicit consent to do so - one reason I like him is trying to figure out why he does things, though some I still cannot figure out for the life of me.. though I acknowledge I don't like him the same way other people do. I just like dissecting his character) Some people use fiction and fictional characters like this to get through traumas they may not have fully processed, or as a way to better understand the character, a similar person in their lives, etc.

Trauma processing can look very different for different people and different traumas. For example, someone who experienced SA playing the game may loathe Jimmy and hate Curly for doing effectively nothing to help out Anya (I have theories on why he didn't do anything but it usually boils down to him wanting as few consequences as possible for himself and/or crew) and want to shoot Jimmy while another person who experienced SA might write or read fanfics about Jimmy SAing Anya and/or the aftermath of it as a way to cope with their own trauma(s).

I talked to my friend yesterday about these kinds of interpretations and stuff too! It's generally an "us vs. them" mentality especially when it comes to takes like "if you like this character for any reason get off the Internet." I agree it is absolutely a game that needs to be looked at with scrutiny of Jimmy, and I think everyone should at minimum acknowledge that he is canonically a dirt bag that borders on a realistic person with a LOT of problems he refuses to deal with, but after that acknowledgement it's just up to the consumer to decide what to think. Like yes, he's a horrible person. I'd hate to be near him and people IRL like him should seek professional help to deal with it, or at the very least try to recover. But in fiction, characters are often used to figure things out. That could be in preparation for (such as anxieties), recovery (for people who've experienced things involved), or consideration of the function of a situation (For example, Jimmy as a way to look at how, why, or what he or an abuser does/did/might do in certain scenarios).

I think another thing to consider is the demo vs. full release, as someone who played both and got both views, someone who played/saw the demo but not the full release might have much more positive views of Jimmy. I say this because you got the demo from his POV, got NOTHING about Curly, and are as misled as the other characters were at first. It's been a long time since playing demo, but what stuck out to me then was his "helping" people. It was only certain select scenes from the full release, and you never saw the first scene of the full game. You never knew what happened or if it was on purpose. You never even knew if the ship had autopilot or not. You didn't know Jimmy crashed, you didn't know Jimmy SA'd Anya, you didn't know Jimmy killed anyone - directly or indirectly. In the Demo version of the game, you were able to see the tragedy as framed by Jimmy. Curly crashed, everyone nearly starved, and Mouthwash was all there was in the cargo hold. Curly talked to Jimmy about what comes next, and that was it. In THAT version of events, where Jimmy and Curly are the only two at the table to eat some cake, the one at fault is the one who paid the price. Curly, in Jimmy's version, was the monster.

I can understand liking that version of Jimmy - there was too little context to really think of him as a monster, especially with the character you play calling the former captain a horrible person who wanted them all dead? I felt it too. I didn't like Curly and he didn't stick with me as a character in the demo - likely a push Jimmy made to frame him as useless and reliant. You did give him his pills one time in the demo, after asking if Anya is qualified as a nurse. Again, you don't know she's pregnant in this version. Jimmy knows what he did, but you are never once shown as a player even from his perspective. In the demo, you are Jimmy's delusional thinking. The first scene of the demo was the second of full release - going through the hallways twisting and winding, opening doors, finding Polle when you turn around as though it were a mascot horror, more and more parts than it should have every time you find it.

At first, that's what I thought it was - a mascot horror. You weren't supposed to know that the monster was Jimmy. Maybe Polle, maybe Curly, but never Jimmy.

Not until full release.

(I want to clarify again that I'm not disagreeing, I just think it's interesting to think about characters and the relationship people can find with them and how they might cope with things, especially things like (a very serious topic, as you said) SA and I think it's good to look at all sides of something, even when you disagree with or don't like the other(s), to stay informed and be able to make proper opinions. There's lots of reasons someone might latch onto characters even if they're absolute trash like Jimmy. The block button's always free when you find people that post/reblog/take part in things you don't want to see too! I know in younger circles especially the block button is for stuff like "this person is horrible and i have to block them for this reason" but it's good to use just to curate your own spaces too. If someone posts something you don't like, it's always available.)

asking for a friend .

(I was discussing his character with a friend and we inevitably got to the "Jimmy doesn't believe in consent" part of the discussion. Now I need to know what you think. WOULD HE-)

[machineheraldandy]

2024 edit: hey reminder this is about 2 years old! Thank you all for dropping by though!

I’m here to rant honestly// arcane fandoms issues with stereotypes/mischaracterising/harming minorities

The arcane fandom has a huge issue with mischaracterising and just other issues, issues that affect many minorities

I recently got in drama with a very popular arcane artist that will remain unnamed due to this very reason.

I think the arcane fandom needs to remember that they are fandom with real people in it and that they can affect, absolutely harm real people with their words, actions, artwork, headcanons, fanfics, etc.

So I’m going to go into the Jayce/viktor side of things, this is not going into other characters otherwise I’ll be here all week

Stereotypes:

Jayce: Jayce is very well known in arcane to be possibly Hispanic, and the fandom took this as a chance to make him a Hispanic stereotype, specifically a sterotype of Latinos (Hispanic men). To the point they have completely mischaracterised Jayce to be something he isn’t. They make him highly se/ual (not sure if I can say that word here lol) aggressive, dumb, etc, all parts of the Latino stereotype. And it’s so weird? Jayce is aggressive once. Once. And that’s in the shimmer factory scene, and even then he regrets it straight away. He absolutely hates what he has done. Dumb doesn’t even make sense as he’s a top inventor/scientist, yes he can be seen dumb social wise due to the fact he doesn’t really like people, and is easily manipulated, but calling him dumb cause he’s a manipulation victim doesn’t sit right with me. Specially as a victim of ab/se, that was manipulated, am I meant to be consider dumb? For being a victim? And yes you can take Jayce as being se/ual cause of the scene of him and Mel but even then he isn’t shown to be that se/ual! Mels the one that starts it. How is this so harmful? Because it puts down a harmful stereotype, that affects real people!

Viktor: viktor is taken as a trans stereotype (even though he isn’t a canon transgender person, it’s a very popular headcanon) he is pushed onto the s/x work ideals, the hyper-sexuality, the constant making him a bottom, the constant making him extremely feminine, and a Twink. Don’t get me wrong you can see him as a bottom, but if you see him as trans, when you are cis, and do these things…big issue. These things come from fetishing trans masc people, it’s very wrong.

Viktor again: for his disability he gets stereotyped as always needing people, always needing people, dying to a point he isn’t. Look as a disabled person you need to understand…how this hurts me and so many other disabled people!! It babies us, makes us seem weak and pathetic, when we aren’t! Please stop

Harmful headcanons

Jayce: Jayce gets seen as viktors caretaker way too much, if you are disable and doing it that’s fine, I love the idea of my best friends/lover being able to care for me, but when you aren’t disabled and do it, it’s seem as babying viktor, making it so he HAS to have help when he doesn’t need it. Another harmful headcanon is that Jayce is ableist for not wanting to care for viktor 24/7, that is so harmful to us disabled people as it once again forced the idea we need to be babied. Viktor is a full grown man who becomes a cyborg accidental cult leaders he doesn’t need jayces help. He’s shown not needing help from Jayce. The only time he’s shown getting help for his disabilities is when he walks with his cane, ends up in hospital, and then gets shimmer from singed. He doesn’t need a caretaker. Also the idea that Jayce is a r/pist which I’m not even going to go into, you know why that’s bad.

Viktor: I’ve basically talked about the harmful caretaker headcanon already so let me talk about the headcanon he’s a r/pe victim, it’s gross, if you aren’t a victim of SA, stop, it’s a weird way to fetishise him in this community and it needs to stop. To less harmful ones, the idea he’s so much smarter than Jayce, that can be fine but this 98% of the time stems from the Latino stereotype issue, and if it is stemming from that please don’t.

Lgbtqia+ headcanon issues

Viktor: stop saying you can’t ship people with viktor cause you think he’s ace/aro, that is so harmful and harms us ace/aro folk so much, as it’s spreading misinformation! ace/aro people can date and have s/x, we can. It’s a large spectrum. Yes some ace/aro people don’t date at all! But saying someone can’t date just cause they are ace/aro spreads harmful information that caused so many ace/aro folk to get attacked.

Already gone over the trans headcanons, so no more need to talk

Jayce: the whole idea Jayce can’t be transgender because he’s masculine is rooted in transphobia, and needs to be stopped, people can headcanon him as trans (I do!) and it’s fine, trans men can be masculine, they can have deeper voices, they can grown facial hair, they literally can so stop being transphobic!

Also the idea he can’t be a gay man because he dates Mel in arcane is terrible, as one the relationship started through manipulation, two Jayce may not realise he’s gay by then, yes you can headcanon him as bisexual, pansexual etc, but telling people they can’t see him as gay is terrible, them seeing him as gay isn’t rooted in biphobia most of the time, if it is! Call them out all you want! But don’t get mad at people for seeing one of their favs as gay.

Adding onto that don’t get mad at people for headcanoning him as ace/aro, once again ace/aro people can have s/x! They can be in relationships! Saying he can’t be ace/aro is once again spreading false informations

Just all up don’t harass people for their headcanons! Until things get confirmed! If Jayce gets confirmed as bisexual in arcane, get mad at people for removing the rep, if viktor turns out as gay/ace/aro/trans get mad at people for removing that rep! Just don’t get mad unless it’s canon.

Viktors disability:

Saying you didn’t think you’d find a disabled man so attractive is ableist, making fun of the way he runs is rooted in ableism, saying he’ll die from the smallest thing, rooted in ableism, making fun of him for being disabled in any way is ableist. Please stop with this. It actively hurts and makes us disabled people feel unsafe

Autism:

Jayce: people seem to have an issue with him being headcanoned as such and it’s just weird? It’s rooted in ableism and it’s just…gross. Jayce can be taken as autistic because he doesn’t really like people, parties, etc, he’s obsessed with hextech, he has attachment issues with viktor it seems, he doesn’t catch onto some social things, etc. so let us autistic people headcanon him as such

Viktor:just the same. Just reread jayces if you want.

Conclusion

Just all up the arcane fandom has a huge issue, they have affected POC, disabled people, lgbtqia+ people, and probably more minorities groups. This is why a lot of minorities moved away from the arcane fandom, specially jayvik fans who are minorities, due to how disrespectful the arcane fandom is.

I am a part of many of these minorities and it’s caused me to leave arcane more and more over the year it’s been released. Surprisingly sometimes the league of Keegan d community is way better. Of course it’s still bad but the fact it’s way better than arcane? A little weird.

If you’ve accidentally done any of these harmful things without realising and now have learned why they are harmful I’m glad I’ve educated you? I just needed to rant about arcane issues though so I expect people to ignore this or fight with me over this >_<

Im just sick of seeing art, fanfics, headcanons, etc, that are just so harmful that everyone seems to not realise is harmful.

[verai-marcel]

Inescapable Rapture (RDR2 Fanfic, Ch. 5 of 5, 18+ ONLY)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Also on AO3 here.

Chapter 5: Belonging Forever

Notes: Too far gone.

WC: 2964

You woke up wondering if you had imagined his words last night. Looking over at Arthur, who was busy getting dressed, you stared at his back for a few moments before you too, got up to clean up and get ready for work.

Then you saw the travel bag at Arthur’s feet. And you saw that your suitcase was closed up and sitting next to his bag; you had left it open on top of his dresser since you got here and hadn’t moved it.

“What’s that for?” you asked.

Arthur stopped short of putting his suspenders on, and turned to you. “I’m takin’ you to the hotel in town to stay for a couple nights.”

You just stared at him as he walked over to you and put his hands on your shoulders. He gently ran his knuckles across your cheek, below the cut and bruise, looking sad.

“I’ve kept you close for more than one reason,” he confessed. “There’s a serial killer on the loose that a group of us rangers been trackin’ for a while now. When he escaped last time, he was last spotted heading northeast from St. Denis, so a few of us went to stay in different towns to keep an eye out.”

He leaned in and kissed you gently. “He’s been spotted south of here.”

Everything clicked into place. “You made me stay here, knowing I was stubborn, to keep me safe.”

Arthur nodded. “I’d do anything for you, darlin’.”

You stared at him, unable to say a word.

“The sheriff is takin’ a posse out to go catch him,” he said. “So while I’m gone, you stay in a hotel in town until we’re back. Make sure the doctor walks you to the hotel every night. Don’t ever come out alone. Lock the doors behind you—”

“I know!” you nearly yelled. He didn’t have to worry about you; he had enough on his plate. You felt very afraid for him, for what could happen. You knew he was strong, but things could go wrong out there, and being a ranger was dangerous work. Taking a deep breath, you regained some composure. “Be careful,” you finally said, trying to maintain your calm.

“I will,” he said fiercely.

You kissed him and hugged him tight. You weren’t sure when you started to feel this way, but the thought of losing Arthur made you feel like hyperventilating. You were pretty sure that wasn’t a healthy response. But nevertheless, it was how you felt.

He eventually had to pull your arms off of him. “I already packed your things. Now go get ready.”

You did as he asked, the rest of the morning in a haze. You washed yourself quickly, got dressed, ate some breakfast, and went into town. He checked you into the hotel, led you up to the room, and then shut the door.

You both looked at each other for half a minute before he pushed you onto the bed and lifted your skirt. Kissing each other passionately, you couldn’t stop clawing at him, wanting to curl yourself around him and never let go. He quickly freed himself from his pants and eased himself inside your tight entrance, rutting into you fervently as you clung to him, wrapping your legs around him and lifting your hips, wanting him deeper, harder.

He breathed your name, desperately, reverently, over and over, like a prayer to keep you forever with him.

And when you came in his arms, calling out his name with the same desperation, he held you close, barely managing to pull out in time, spending himself on you before collapsing beside you.

When you had both caught your breaths, he quietly helped you clean up and change skirts. Once you were ready for work again, he escorted you outside and down the road to the doctor’s office, leading his horse so he could walk with you, delaying the time he’d have to leave as much as he could.

Outside of the doctor’s office, you started to walk up the steps, but he called your name, softly.

You turned back to him. “Arthur?”

He took a step closer to you and looked at you, memorizing your features.

“I’ll come back,” he said. “I won’t let you walk the world alone.”

You just nodded. If you said anything, you were sure you’d cry, and you didn’t want that to be the last thing he saw before leaving. So you gave him a brave smile. He caressed your cheek with the back of his knuckles, and stepped back, his eyes on you until he turned around, got on his horse, and galloped away.

You heard the doctor call out your name, and you took a deep breath. You could focus on work until he got back. Because he would come back. He promised.

***

You worked yourself to the bone, just trying to keep your mind off of what-ifs. You had to believe that Arthur would come back.

The doctor had already been asked by Arthur to walk you back to the hotel every night, and of course, he gladly did. He knew what had happened when the office was robbed, and had given you a gun to keep in your desk just in case it happened again. And Arthur promised he’d take you out shooting later so you’d be able to protect yourself if he wasn’t around.

So many promises to return. You had to believe.

***

Two nights had passed.

Staring out the window on the third morning, the doctor finally waved his hands in front of your face to get your attention.

“Oh! My lord, I am so sorry.”

The doctor laughed. “It’s quite alright, my dear. I understand. The sheriff and his boys should have caught that man by now. Quite a dreadful business, I must say.”

Then he pulled up a chair and sat down across from you. You straightened up in your seat; he looked serious.

“Now, you’ve been helping me for a year now, so I’d like to think I know you well. At least, well enough to know when something’s changed.”

You raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

“That Deputy Morgan? When he said you were staying with him, and you looked rather, shall we say, irate about it?” He waved his hands about. “I thought that perhaps I should step in, talk to the lad about propriety and etiquette. But the next day? When you were a bit calmer? I figured you had come around to the idea, and that he was treating you well.”

You inwardly laughed. Could not have been further from the truth. Arthur had just fucked you into submission. And you hated to admit it, but you liked it. You supposed that you really had come around to the idea, just not in the way the doctor thought.

“Anyway,” the doctor continued, “I see something between you two. He cares a lot about you. But once this serial killer is caught, you’ll be going back to your own home, correct?”

You hadn’t thought about it. You supposed that was going to be the case.

You suddenly realized that you didn’t want to go back.

The doctor was watching you, and the realization must have shown on your face. “My dear, if you want to stay with him, then make sure he makes an honest woman of you. Don’t let him lead you on just because you’re close to him.” He stood up and patted you on the shoulder. “Come now, we should get the office prepared in case the sheriff and his boys come back injured. Better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, correct?”

You voiced your agreement and stood to help prepare.

***

Around noon, the posse had returned, with men injured left and right. You and the doctor had your hands full treating them all. You had asked some of the less injured patients about Arthur’s whereabouts, but you only got partial answers.

“Last I saw’im, he was shootin’ at the killer, runnin’ after’im over the ridge.”

“He and another deputy was chasin’ a couple of the gang past the riverbend.”

“After all the dust settled, he was carryin’ a dead body, sayin’ something about bringing it to St. Denis.”

“That ain’t all,” you heard a new voice say. You turned around to see the sheriff walking into the office. “That fella weren’t just a deputy. He was a ranger. I knew he was too good to just be a regular lawman.”

You silently scoffed. The sheriff didn’t know shit from sand, but you kept that opinion to yourself.

“He said he was stayin’ in town, even after his mission was over. I told him as long as he’s in my town, he follows my lead, and guess what? He agreed.”

“That’s fine,” another deputy piped up. “He’s a good man to have at your back. We ever gotta do this shit again? He’s worth five regular men.”

The other injured men in the office shouted their agreement.

The sheriff looked at you. “And I suppose you’re the reason he’s stayin’. Everyone knows he’s watchin’ you for more than just your safety.” He leered at you, and you glared back. You heard some of the deputies chuckle, and you whipped your head around to scowl at the other men.

“That is none of your concern,” you snarled. The other deputies immediately grew quiet. Before Arthur had arrived, you had a reputation: kind to patients, but off limits to men. The doctor had taken you in like a daughter, and no one wanted to anger him, but on top of that, you were standoffish with men in general. Arthur had gotten the closest to you, and you could tell that some of them were jealous, especially the idiot sheriff who had never truly gotten the hint that you were not interested.

The sheriff just held his hands up in surrender. “Now now, I didn’t mean anything by that. Just sayin’, if I had a fine woman like you, I’d stick around too,” he said, looking you up and down.

“If you’re not injured, you can go,” the doctor interrupted, clearly sick of hearing the sheriff disrespect you.

“Or I can give you a reason to stay,” a gravelly voice said from the doorway.

Everyone turned to look at Arthur, who was leaning against the door frame, a casual smile on his lips, but his eyes spelled murder. He was dusty from the trail, blood splattered over his clothes, and had cuts and bruises all over.

The sheriff took a step away from you. “I was just on my way out.” He brushed past Arthur. “Take care of her, or someone might take her from you,” you heard the sheriff mutter to him.

“I’ll make sure that never happens,” Arthur growled back, glaring at the sheriff.

There was a tense second, then the sheriff slowly smiled and tipped his hat to him. “Best of luck to ya then,” he said, and left.

Arthur immediately turned to you and held his hand out. “We’re going home,” he said, leaving no room for argument.

You glanced over at the doctor, and he nodded. “You’ve done a lot today. Go home and get some rest, dear.”

You bid him and the other patients good night, and took Arthur’s hand as he walked you outside. You noticed that your suitcase was already tied onto the back of his horse. He lifted you up onto the saddle and got on behind you, gripping you tightly to him as he rode home at a fast gallop.

***

Once you both entered his house, he slumped down in the chair and sighed. You quickly kneeled down beside him to check his injuries. He seemed alright, just a few minor cuts and grazes. Not bad for having been gone for almost three days. You set to work, warming some water and grabbing some clean flannels. You quietly grabbed some whiskey to disinfect his wounds and washed him down, taking off his clothes gently, as he groaned when you moved him.

“How sore are you?” you asked him.

“It’s not that bad,” he grumbled. “Just tired.”

You merely nodded and got him cleaned up. He had some spare bandages, and you wrapped up his arm and leg where the grazes were the worst.

By the time you were done wiping him down, you had gotten him naked, and despite his tiredness and injuries, part of him was still rather excited to see you. You were eyeing his member for a few moments, wondering if you should.

“Kitten.”

You smiled. Kneeling in front of him, you kept your eyes on his as you engulfed his cock in your mouth, watching his eyes turn a dark stormy blue. Never breaking eye contact, you started to pleasure him with your tongue while you bobbed your head up and down, playing with his ball sack and caressing his thick thighs. He bucked underneath you.

“Where’d you learn that, you dirty whore,” he mumbled, digging his hands into your hair.

You came up for a breath. “I thought you might like this,” you said before swallowing his cock.

He let out a pleased sigh. “So good,” he muttered.

You kept going, slowly giving him languid licks and sucking playfully on his balls while you stroked his cock, until he finally grabbed you by the shoulders, forcing you to stand. He picked you up and carried you to the bedroom.

“I thought you were tired!” you exclaimed.

“You got me worked up,” he growled, kicking open the bedroom door and tossing you onto the bed.

“Now spread’em. I need you now.”

You nodded, already spreading your legs for him. As you lifted up your skirt, his eyes widened and he whistled. You had gotten new underwear, the crotchless kind. It was convenient for many reasons, and this was one of them.

“Fuck,” was all he could manage to say before he shoved his face into your pussy and started sucking on your clit. You screamed as he tongued you, unable to help him unbutton the rest of your clothes. All you could do was shimmy out of your clothes once he had gotten all the buttons loose, and soon you were naked before him, your breasts heaving from your deep breaths.

He approached you on all fours, like a beast about to possess you. His body was above you, his arms on either side of you, and his legs forced yours open. He aimed his cock at your entrance and slowly took you, watching you pant with desire as each inch entered you. His eyes glittered and his smirk widened as he felt your channel clench tightly around him.

“So perfect,” he gritted out as he sank all the way in. “Just for me.”

For all the times he had fucked you, this time was truly intense, for his eyes never left yours; with each thrust and each kiss, he never broke eye contact, never looked elsewhere. Only at you.

“Let me make you mine,” he asked.

“Haven’t you done that already?” you asked breathily.

“I meant forever,” he said, his hips slowing.

Feeling every inch of him slide in and out of you, your mind thinking that this was how forever felt like, you answered the only way you could.

“Yes, I’m yours forever.”

He responded with a low, long growl, and his hips sped up as he fucked you hard, pressing his forehead against yours. He reached down and touched you in just the perfect way that he did, your body convulsing as pure bliss coursed through your body. You came undone as he kept pounding into you. He leaned down to kiss you hard, holding your face in his big hands.

“I love you,” he whispered as he gave one final thrust, shooting his spend deep into you.

He spent a few minutes just staying inside of you, catching his breath. In that time, you watched him, touching his face and wondering if this is what it would always be like, to be thoroughly possessed by him.

“What, darlin’?” he asked quietly, looking at you tenderly.

You took a deep breath. Let it out slowly. Of course it would always be like this. He didn't know any other way with you. You answered him in a soft voice, full of a deep truth.

“I love you too.”

***

You woke up sore, but deliriously happy. It felt like something had clicked into place, and your life felt whole. But you had to ask. You got up and got dressed, then walked out to the main room. Arthur was slicing up some bacon for breakfast.

“You really meant what you said last night?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”

“Are you going to make an honest woman out of me?”

He smirked. “Well, you ain’t gonna burgle no more, right?”

“Arthur!” you huffed as you stamped your foot.

“Of course I’ll marry you. How kind of you to ask.”

You groaned as he laughed.

But then he came up to you, and got down on one knee. He pulled out a ring; you recognized it as the one that you had particularly liked when you stole from the rich man in St. Denis, and had kept it in your nightstand.

“Marry me.”

“That’s my ring!”

“Is it?”

You were silent.

“Thought so.”

“Fine! I’ll marry you, you brute,” slapping him on the arm, but unable to keep the smile off your face.

Arthur laughed and picked you up, swinging you around once before holding you close. He kissed the top of your head tenderly before leaning down and giving you the sweetest, softest kiss on your lips.

“I love you, my little thief.”