#It's almost like the act of older people preying on minors is disgusting (but it's totally okay when said minor “”consents“” and

[some-pers0n]

I actually think it's kinda funny how you'll see people say stuff like: "EW WHIRLPOOL IS SO GROSS!!! I HATE HIM!! HE'S A STINKY OLD MAN WHO SHOULDN'T BE IN THE SERIES" and then immediately turn around to say: "Uhh...why are you uncomfortable with Glorybringer? The age gap doesn't matter. Who cares about it?" with no self-awareness.

[butterflyinthewell]

Adult fandom antis scare me.

You know how the most violently homophobic people end up being gay themselves?

That’s why I’m immediately suspicious of any 20+ adult fandom anti who uses the same rhetoric as 15 year olds and presents themselves as a “safe adult”.

There’s no way they’re safe, they’re using the rhetoric to deflect suspicion off themselves and they’re probably saying and doing really gross shit to kids in private.

❌❌❌❌

— TW CSA MENTION —

Just imagine how they could find the kid that’s the most on the fringes, make them feel special, reel them in more, get them to share nudes, and then threaten to take away all that friendship and turn everyone against them if they tell anyone what happened. Imagine how scared that kid will feel when they see this monster, feel disgusting and deflect all that terror and guilt into telling people to stop being alive over Loli artwork.

——

Predators are slick like that. They’ll hide in plain sight if it means accessing their chosen prey.

That’s why people need to educate minors about what grooming can really look like, cuz I promise it’s not icky artwork just existing on a server somewhere.

Being groomed is never the child’s fault, blame always lies on the predator. Always.

I looked up info about online grooming warning signs and here’s what I found. This may be triggering for survivors.

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

The Steps of Grooming

Any person of any age, gender, sexual identity or ethnicity can groom someone for the purpose of abuse. That person may be someone you know or someone you don’t know. Children and teens are not the only victims of grooming, but this guide focuses on young people.

Grooming was first recognized in abuse cases where the abuser knew their victim in person, like Ariana Kukors, a US Olympic swimmer who was abused by her coach. Kukors has spoken publicly about the role grooming played in her story, and how the manipulation kept her under the control of her abusive coach for years. In addition to in person grooming, online grooming has become equally dangerous, prevalent and damaging. More and more of our lives are lived online, which is why we need to think more and more about our safety online.

1. Targeting a victim

Unfortunately, any young person is at risk of online grooming. Abusers typically look for someone who is more vulnerable or in a vulnerable situation, like someone living in foster care or someone with a disability. Online, abusive people look for teens who are lonely or expressing sexual curiosity. Sometimes online abusers pretend to be teenagers themselves, but more often they are adults trying to play the role of an older boyfriend or a mentor who can “teach” the victim about love or sex.

2. Gaining access

Sexual abuse is most often committed by someone that you already know, and this is because the abuser usually needs to be in your circle of acquaintances to get access to you. They want to be nearby and to have opportunities to be alone.

This is often not the case with online abuse, because the internet provides that access. Instead of being in the same city or neighborhood, abusers can meet potential victims on social media, in games, chatrooms, or anywhere that users correspond. Online platforms also allow anonymity, which works in the abuser’s favor. It can be difficult to determine who a person is and their intentions.

3. Building trust

A key part of grooming for sexual abuse is building trust with the victim. In person or online, abusers try to fill a need. You may be lonely, feel unpopular, isolated or bored, and the abuser will pretend to become a friend you can confide in and who can listen. They may act sympathetic, always take your side, and portray themselves as the only person who understands your problems. Their goal is to become your main emotional support. They may also try to make you feel special by treating you like an adult and commenting on your maturity. They may quickly look for a favor they can do for you to make you feel indebted and more likely to do something for them return. This stage is particularly damaging because it closely mimics a positive relationship.

4. Isolation and risk assessment

When an abuser thinks they have established trust, they test that bond. They may try to isolate you from family or friends, sometimes to the point of you becoming very emotionally or otherwise dependent on them. With online grooming, they may ask if your parents check your phone or if you are home alone. They may also start asking you to keep secrets, either about conversations or gifts they send. This is one way the abuser assesses whether they can move to the next step and you will stay silent.

5. Sexualization of the relationship

The final step occurs when the abuser believes they have built sufficient trust that you will do what they request and keep everything secret. They may commit sexual assault in or request sexual images or videos, often increasingly explicit in nature.

While in person and online grooming both follow these steps, abusers work at different rates. For example, Ariana Kukors swim coach began grooming her when she was 13 years old and the physical sexual abuse began when she was 15. Online abuse can occur faster, sometimes in even less than one hour.

🚩🚩🚩🚩

Red Flags and Warning Signs

It is not reasonable to say that you should avoid the internet if you don’t want to be abused. The responsibility and blame always lies with an abuser, not someone they victimize who is simply engaging in modern life online. We believe it is possible for you to still have fun online, meet new friends, and stay safe. The key is awareness. It may be difficult to identify a step in the grooming process in real time, but there are red flags and warning signs that you can recognize, especially if they start to accumulate. They can help you protect yourself when sexual requests slide into your DMs.

Flattery

It can feel nice to be noticed. Lots of likes and comments on your social media can feel good, but excessive compliments from a stranger can be a warning sign, particularly sexualized comments about your appearance. Flattery is one way online abusers gain access to their victims and begin building a relationship. “Wow, you should be a model,” may seem harmless, but it often isn’t. You have the power. Just because someone gives you a compliment does not mean you have to continue the conversation.

Gifts

Online groomers might send video game currency, cash, electronic devices, or other gifts to you to ingratiate themselves. This is a clear red flag. There is no reason why an adult should be sending gifts to a minor they met online, nor is it typical teen behavior to send gifts if the abuser is posing as a younger person. In actuality, gifts are one way abusers assess risk. They may ask you to not tell your parents about the gift to test how much you trust them and if you will stay silent after sexual abuse.

Asking for personal information

It is safest to avoid sharing personal and identifying information about yourself online or with those you don’t know. If you are playing video games, chatting, or sharing photos for fun, there is no need for personal questions about where you live or go to school. Do your parents read your messages? What is a secret no one knows about you? Abusers want to know as much as they can about their victims so they can better manipulate them.

Secret conversations

Secrets work in the abuser’s favor in two different ways. To build trust, they may confide in you by telling real or made up secrets to try to make you feel special. Abusers also use secrets to test that trust before escalating to sexual abuse. If someone asks you to keep a conversation secret, ask yourself why? Is the conversation inappropriate, or is it dangerous?

Sending sexually explicit photos

In the online dating world, it is almost assumed you will receive sexual photos whether you asked for them or not. Sexting is considered normal, but still has risks and consequences, particularly if you are under 18. Unfortunately, abusers rely on the normalization of sexting. They expect you to dismiss or think nothing of an explicit image, but in reality, abusers send explicit imagery to try and desensitize their victim to future abuse. It is a priming tactic. Keep in mind, that in many countries it is illegal for an adult to send an underage person pornographic material,nor is it lawful to send nude photos as a minor to another person. In any online exchange, it is not okay for anyone to send unsolicited explicit photos. This is poor etiquette and ultimately a nonconsensual act and red flag no matter what.

Requesting sexual photos

Online abusers sexualize the relationship by sending and requesting explicit photos and videos, explicit letters or phone calls, or asking detailed questions about your sexual history or experience. They may begin with a seemingly harmless request, like a photo of you fully clothed, before asking for increasingly sexual images. Others brazenly ask for explicit material straight away and even demand live webcam performances. Remember that after you send an image, you no longer have control over what a person does with that image. Ask yourself how well you know the receiver. Did you meet in person or online? Do you know their real identity and their intentions? How does the request make you feel? Many young people enjoy the attention that comes from the potential of a new relationship, but requests to send nudes can still feel like unwanted pressure.

Threats

After the abuser receives one or multiple sexual images, they may try to blackmail you into sending more images of increasing exploitative nature. They may send threats that they will release the images online or send them to your family or school. This is a kind of extortion, or rather sextortion, and is another form of sexual abuse. You do not need to respond or give in, despite how terrifying the threats may seem. An abuser does not want to put themselves at risk by exposing the relationship, so the threats may be a bluff. Seek immediate help.

🚨🚨🚨🚨

Next Steps

If you feel uncomfortable about an online conversation, the next thing you should do may be the hardest. Reach out for help and support. Telling a parent, guardian, teacher or someone else can be daunting because you can’t know for sure how they will react, but confiding in someone with some power who you can trust and who won’t blame you for the abuse is key to moving forward. Alternatively, you can call a helpline which allows you to remain anonymous and get accurate advice about your situation.

An online conversation with someone abusive can spiral out of control quickly. You may feel ashamed or embarrassed, but if there is anything you should take away from this guide, it is this: it is never your fault. The blame is not yours to bear.

—source: Scarleteen website.

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

My advice: keep receipts. Take screenshots, save emails, save photos or videos if it’s safe/legal to do so (ie they’re not another minor sending sexually explicit stuff, saving that might be cited as CSEM possession), and document whatever you can. It will help you expose the person to either law enforcement or in a callout post if a callout is necessary.

[xsecretblastsx]

2x03 - The Dark Night

I'm actually surprised this recap came out faster than I thought it would, that's rare but I'm glad, also this episode is a fun one, or rather that's how I remember it.

Anyway, as usual recap under the cut:

Thoughts I had while watching the episode:

I know AC is a thing but it's kind of weird to have GG voice over be like: the last days of summer and the heat... and then there's this shot of Chuck drinking scotch in pajamas that look more suited for fall/winter

So I guess we're still on the Dan and Serena can't keep their hands of each other train.

Poor Blair, the Lord ain't into that, gotta love her for mentioning that Atonement scene in the library... she could totally rock that green dress.

Blair a delicate little flower, please. I do like how it's a constant the various fact that all her boyfriends never really got her, and have this fake image of her.

Jenny starring in her own version of the Devil wears prada, slaving it all around NYC

The Nate and the Duchess scene are giving me the creeps.

Compared to her season 1 looks, I'm kind of liking Vanessa's outfits so far.

No one likes to hear the hard truths of life, but Blair's words to Serena about her relationship with Dan were really spot on.

Fun fact about myself: purple is my favorite color. I guess that's why like Chuck's robe even if it makes him look like this weird junior version of Hugh Hefner.

This is the first time we see the minis!!! I loved everytime they popped up like mini cosplayers.

That outfit of Blair is one of my all time faves. Particularly the colors of the skirt

Oh Nate, even if he knows Blair's motives are never pure, he stills accepts her invitation. Go figures.

This has got to be Chuck and Serena's most funny conversation ever. Both of their expressions during the whole thing are hilarious.  

"I don't have a romantic body in my body. Least of all that one" Honestly who came up with these lines 😂😂

Looking back there were many sings of how obsessed Dan was with public opinion and his weird behaviors' for example take this throwaway line from Rufus: he still reading those Dan and Serena should they or not threads. Like what?

Dan: turns out I'm an ass but a passionate minority thinks I'm just and idiot. Yep pretty much the public opinion nowadays too.

This is so one of my fave chair lines! "The thing that always fascinated me about you: the cool exterior, the fire below" 😉

The whole scene honestly, from the way her eyes roll back to his smug smile at the end 🔥🔥🔥

Considering what happens in the second half of this season is kind of interesting to note that so far every single interaction between Blair are Nate is really passive aggressive.

Gotta give it to Vanessa even though she's freaked out after finding out Nate is sleeping with Catherine, she stills gives him a chance to explain

That scene between Catherine and Blair was actually good, because they both are right, Catherine can't stop Nate from doing what he wants, and there are things that Blair can't give up on, even if she thinks so.

Is there an emergency box for Serena Van der Woodsen? Well she lives there douche. But even if there was, what's the problem with that?

The whole Jenny & Eleanor storyline makes me feel lowkey sad for Blair, like this epiaode shouldn't Eleanor be at that party? It was parents/students thing, but Eleanor is at her atelier accepting from Jenny the kind of honest commentary she would never take from Blair

It's almost depressing to see Blair throwing herself at that Marcus guy

Chuck's "fake" accent, except it wasn't 🤭

And finally!!! All that pent up sexual frustration had to went somewhere

I'm living of Serena having moments like this one: "Fine, you know what? Life is not fair because it doesn't fit with the way you, Dan Humphrey, think it should be. But why are you always right?" Because this is it, the real crux of it, and why they keep having the same fight

Im so done with the Marcus storyline, because yes she wants his tittle, but she ain't also wrong because he kept treating her in a way that was so meh. Poor Chuck, though, but then again he kind of puts himself into this situations by ignoring his feelings at first and then they explode in his face anyway

I felt for Vanessa the whole episode, not used to that.

This Dan and Serena break up is so frustrating to watch because basically they're ending because Dan just won't meet her halfway. She's not asking him to give up all his ideals, only that he don't judge her for who she is.

I feel like Vanessa was more understanding to Nate's situation than Dan could have ever been with Serena.

For an episode that started quite sunny and happy it sure had a sad ending. Almost everyone ends up feeling pretty miserable.

This episode was one I remember mostly for that Chuck and Blair scene at that party were he's trying to seduce her, also the whole blockade thing was hilarious, this time around however while I still love those Chuck and Blair bits, I did find myself getting more invested in Nate and Vanessa and even more surprisingly on the argument between Dan and Serena, their break up scene really frustrated me.

Let's go first with the Nate, Catherine and Vanessa storyline. This is such a messed up plot, then again most of Nate’s plot that involved his family had a tendency to be that way. I may not like the details sometimes but what I do like about is how these kind of plots really showed the amount of pressure Nate’s family put on him. At this point in the show Nate’s only seventeen and yet he has to find a way to keep his mom’s head above water, so he falls prey to this woman who is just awful. Is no wonder he wanted to be with Vanessa again because she’s literally a breeze of fresh air, so far removed from his messed up world which is exactly what he needs, and yet is inevitable that she gets caught up in all the scheming and nastiness in the end. She lies to him in order to help him which is sad because help him still leaves him as prey to this woman, but that’s what I really like about this plot, Vanessa’s willingness to be there for Nate and also how understanding she was of the situation.

Vanessa, same as Dan, tends to be judgmental of others and comes from a background that has a more black and white view of morality, she was also raised by a family who despises everything the UES side represents. So imagine what it must have been for her to find out that Nate is sleeping with an older woman for money, that goes against her morals and her beliefs, she’s disgusted by the situation, and yet when Nates begs her to let him explain, she does and she ends up while not exactly approving of the situation, he understands why he’s doing it, and she tells hims that this can only bad for him and that whe should stop it, becaause he’s better than this, and she says it mainly because she in fact is concerned about him and see the best in him. This is why I like her relationship with Nate, because I feel they gave each other some needed perspective, through him she learns that not everything is black and why and that’s there a reason of why people does certain things, and through Vanessa Nate’s gets in touch with a much saner world were he can be himself. 

On the other hand, we have Dan and Serena, who for the last two episodes have been avoiding the fact that they have issues and they must be faced if they want to move forward, and it’s pretty easy to see why they were putting it off, because the moment they do it obvios that they can’t really solve them. The source of the conflict is the same as always, they keep having the same fight, except to me there’s a difference this time around, at Bart’s brunch and at the wedding Dan’s issues with Serena’s world were also framed with the fact that he discovered something about Serena he feels he can’t deal with, it annoy me both occasions at the Brunch because they had barely met and he was mad because she wasn’t the girl he thought almost as if she had deceive him, and it was like dude you guys met like yesterday, chill. At the wedding he had more of a right to be mad, because she had lied to him a lot, so one could understand his resentment with the UES in the sense that it had shaped Serena to be the kind of person that acts wildly and lies and whatever else he wanted to claimed. This time however he gets mad because the elevator situation serve as reminder of how she’s “more important” than him because she’s part of the 1%. They start arguing literally because they won’t help him as quickly as if she was her. Is it unfair? Yeah, but If we’re goint go be objective about it the mere existence of a 1% priviledge class is unfair to the the other 99%. But that’s life, and the majority of us have to deal with that, and that doesn’t mean we can be assholes to people that have been nice to us.

When he meets Serena he already knows she’s an UES princess, so if he really has a “eat the rich” mentality, why did he got involved with her? And is not like Serena was condecending or mean to him because he wasn’t rich as her, and yet he acts as if he had dated S2 Blair who was an elitist bitch to him every single time they interacted. He may also be not extremely rich as Serena, but he wasn’t poor at all. Correct me if I’m wrong but the kind of loft he lives in, at Dumbo ain’t cheap. So the way Dan acts if he had dated said a girl from a lower income background she had the right to be a total bitch to him, because he was more priviliged? Serena herself says it the best:  "Fine, you know what? Life is not fair because it doesn't fit with the way you, Dan Humphrey, think it should be. But why are you always right?” and this is prove that theirs is not a relationship problem, is exclusively a Dan problem. Serena says to him she can’t change who she is, and is not like she’s saying I won’t change the way I act, is not related to that, because their “problem” literally refers to who she is: her last name, the family she was born to. To that Dan says, I can’t change who I am either, and that's the thing Dan! hers is a matter of being, his is a matter of thinking, and she can’t change her family, but you can change the way you think, and it’s not even a drastic change, he doesn’t have to change his ideals, rather just be understanding and accept her for who she is.  If one thinks about i Vanessa did  a better job with Nate on that topic this episode than Dan ever did, so it can be done, it can be resolved, he just refuses to do it Serena doest thing through the series that definately add to their problems, their parents situation doesn’t help either, but this episode really shows that the root of their issues is Dan.

Finally, there’s Chuck and Blair, who keep having the most amazing chemistry ever, and the sexual tension in their scenes is off the charts. This episode really relays on the fact of the amount of desire they feel for each other, which seems super fitting at this point in the series because while it’s clear they have deep feelings for each other, desire was what first brought them together, yet they both believe this episode that desire isn’t as exclusive as feelings, it’s easier to feel desire and so they think they can easily find it in other people, but what they discover this episode is that sadly that wasn’t the case. In Blair’s case it has to do in part with the fact that Marcus doesn’t really sees her that way, which makes me sad because here she is again dating a guy who refuses to be passionate about her, but even if he did, she’s forcing the passion, is not really there and can she honestly live like that? Like something is missing? Sadly, no. Oh she’s going to try, not only this season in fact, but is never going to fully substitute the one she has with Chuck.

Chuck faces the same issue, in quite a very literal way, which is hilarious. Chuck Bass playboy extraordinarie is suffering from a “blockage”, a very PG-13 way of saying that he can’t get it up, which is obviously a big tragedy for a guy like him, that amuses Serena to no end even if she can’t quite believe it. Anyway, this is the way that Chuck learns that feelings can win over desire, and that ther is more to sex than just a momentary physical pleasure, which is something he really need it to learn. As long as he can frame what he feels for Blair as mere desire, nothing beyond really good chemistry, is easier for him to see his pursuing of her as only a matter of seduction, easier to ingore that it hurts that she’s with someone else, and his regret over the fact that this whole situation was his own doing, at the end he finally admits to himself that is more than seduction, which is why I believe all his plots from here on are more based on getting her to go to him, not because she desires him, but because she needs him. But that’s for the next episode.

Random bits I’ve noticed:

Because later on this show  got to the point of being like Chuck had no culture whatsover, and as such Blair couldn’t possibly have any intellectual talk with him, I would like to point out that he mentions madame butterfly as a reference to the Japanesse flight attendant, which means he knows the opera. And I can totally picture him, listening to opera from time to time just because, he’s dramatic and larger than life sometimes. It fits him.

He also mentions  Little Lord Fauntleroy which is a children book, and I like to believe he at least got one decent nanny while growing up and that she gave it to him. 

Finally a pic of the minis, because I love them

[velveetacrackncheese]

Hey, Rad... Alex... Alexlememe? I know that's the name you used to go by and I know you've kinda disconnected yourself from Viv's fanbase after ZP ended, and I remember your memes and such but I kinda just wanted to get your take on the Hazbin drama since you reblogged the headcanon blog's post on the subject. More or less regarding the issue of her being uncharitable to fans and non-fans alike, plus that one callout post on twitter?

So this is weird. I wasn’t expecting to get asks on the subject since like you said, I’ve generally been disconnected from the fanbase aside from the few reblogs here and there retaining to Hazbin and its more recent developments. But yeah I guess I could give my take on this since I mean.. old fans still follow me. Idk why, but they do!So, really. In regards to that callout post (which is now deleted) I really, really don’t care that much. For one thing, Initially I did because I really hated to see someone be slandered so viciously with inaccurate and uncharitable attacks, but I kinda just stopped because even when I linked the addresses from both Viv, and the Ken dude regarding all the drama mentioned, it was either ignored and resulting in me being called a “pedo sympathizer” or “It wasn’t even an apologyyyyy weh” and like, whatever. I stopped giving a shit.

Terms of the traced animation thing... Lol, ok. I mean homages do exist, and her animation thingy was based on a meme so whatevs.

Anyways,I knew from the very start that the whole “tracing” and “stealing designs” stuff was nonsense since there was an entire like, tumblr drama arc on the issue, and albeit Viv’s post is gone, there’s evidence of legal contracts regarding Jiji and that whole nonsense that was years ago. In regards to her drawing pictures of Blaire White and Shoe… Eh. I mean, yeah, fuck em, but she’s made it clear that she doesn’t support those views anymore, and she wasn’t even really aware of the other things they’d done at that point, and I see no real reason not to believe her because what does lying about that gain her? Yeah her comment on the “blackface” thing if you wanna call it that was dumb as shit, but considering 2016 was a rough year for her in terms of trying to find where she fell in the political sphere, I can relate because I was in the same boat. A lot of sjw cringe comps, shaming feminists, and purposely misgendering transpeople… Not a good time for me either! Course I’ve changed. I went from being a reactionary alt-centrist to an anarchist so. Whether that’s an improvement is up to you.

As for the whole pedo/zoo shit, I really don’t see it. I mean like, look, obviously porn art portraying people fucking feral animals is disgusting right. Not saying it isn’t problematic or anything, but to be fair, she did draw this shit like 8 years ago. I’ve seen worse from even more well-established artists and I don’t see people trying to cancel them? Also, the art was suggestive for one thing and not necessarily 100% porn. I mean it’s still creepy and gross, and I’d understand scolding them if they continued to do so but a lot worse, but I haven’t seen anything like that from Viv past those 2 drawings. As for the pedo shit… The relationship between a 17 year old and a 19 year old is… hardly creepy and reminiscent of pedo shit. So yeah no fuck that. Now with the drawing of Mirage and Kestrel and the tag that said something jokingly like “Mirage and her pedo tendencies” or whatever… Yeah idk, I can’t defend that lmfao. Again, Viv said she disapproves of those drawings and doesn’t care to think about them, but that one piece of artwork definitely had some baggage to it that made me feel uncomfortable after reading the tags.Only issue I took in terms of her addressing that, is that she was very adamant about it being an inside joke… Which if that’s true, you must’ve had some fucked up friends like damn.

I would also like to state that cub art is legitimately disgusting and I am of the belief that it can cause harm depending on the context since I assume the consumption of cub art can reinforce the urge for pedophiles to act on their desires instead of finding healthy coping mechanisms for it through therapy. There have been stories from younger users on the internet that older people have tried to groom them and have the notion of pedos preying on them be normalized by sending them art depicting kids in sexual acts with adults. Of course in isolation cub art isn’t as harmful as the actual act of raping a child, and I would argue that people have their priorities kind of messed up since the illustration being acknowledged should be part of combating pedophiles preying on children. However, people, typically twitter wokescolds tend to focus on the art solely and I don’t know why. There’s a lot of MAPS trying to find their way into LGBT spaces and it’s fucking gross.

Now with Hazbin itself… It’s meh. Initially I watched it with rose-tinted glasses and loved it. After watching it for like… the 3rd, 4th, 5th time? It’s alright. I don’t hate it, but it’s far from perfect. Now ofc I know it’s a pilot but a very lengthy pilot I’ll say. My biggest gripe with the pilot is that the editing is really fucking weird. Like the editing where Angel tells Alastor “I can suck yah dick!” and the scene that followed was really off. It seemed like too many cuts were made in that instance and seemed very cluttered. It also feels that way during Charlie singing “Inside Every Demon is a Rainbow” and how many little animated bits were like almost wiped off the screen by how fast it came by, and ntm there was just so much happening all at once on screen as well. I had to pause at points just to process everything that was happening. The palette is also very, very, verrrry red. There’s so much red going on and like… I get it, it’s in hell. But lemme rest my eyes on something else besides red, please. The palette they use needs to be better diversified, and the same goes for the characters too. Every character seems to have red on them. Whenever Baxter shows up later he’s gonna look really out of place. Some of the jokes were ok, and others seemed non-clever. I didn’t think Angel’s joke about sucking Al’s dick was funny. I did like the joke with Pentious and Angel though. “SON??” Some of it could’ve been written better too.

Regarding the drama with the show itself… Personally I don’t get it. Like, I don’t feel as if Angel is homophobic as a character since his queerness isn’t at the face of the jokes he makes? He just happens to be sex worker which… sex workers are fine? Support sex workers y’all, seriously. There’s also nothing intrinsically wrong with being sexually active either? As long as it’s within reason and you’re being trustworthy.The issue lies in the fact that people viewed the things I just mentioned as negative, and associate it with gay people as said negatively portrayed thing to push the sentiment of “Gay man do sex a lot therefore the gays bad” or that sort of thing. Also there’s a bit where it shows there’s more emotional depth to him and I’m hoping they’ll expand on that later. Honestly though, the criticisms in regards to that have been pretty uncharitable. Same with the criticisms for Vaggie. Apparently Vaggie is racist because… she’s loud and angry? Again, this is a case where people assume those traits are negative, and because it’s assumed to be negative, the negatively portrayed thing pushes the sentiment of “Being a loud fiery woman made, and latina women are that, therefore latina women bad” or some shit.  There are stereotypes that are bad no matter what the context is like sambo-esque caricatures of black people. Then there are tropes that are applied to certain demographics that have the capability to be written well into characters without it being offensive or disrespectful. Vaggie is literally angry because she’s protective of her gf. Like. C’mon.

So, I think that settles what I think about that? It honestly seems like superficial shit to me tbh, and I’m saying this as an sjw-y beta cuck anarchist.

The only REAL gripe I have, is with what the mod from @zpheadcanons posted. Because I know this is probably true as much as it hurts me to say it. Faust def has a history of being pretty petty and bully-like to people she deems undesirable, and Viv harbors it by not criticizing it, and if anyone else within their friend group does it then you’re scolded vehemently and treated like garbage. Her attitude also stretches to harboring an audience full of white knights that I personally don’t approve of.

There’s also this

Faust has hurt distant people I personally know and… yeah. Maybe I’m biased but I can’t vibe with that. Sorry. If you don’t make an effort to criticize abusive behavior within your own friend circles then that makes you just as bad, because then you’re just a bystander to things you could have prevented.

This isn’t to say Viv herself hasn’t dealt with bad faith actors, or people who had the intention to hurt her, or very uncharitable criticism. Particularly from the badwebcomics forums which is honestly 4chan like in how they operate. It’s vicious as hell, and a lot of their criticisms boil down to insults and personal attacks, which serve to be nonconstructive. That’s not to say Viv has been kind to even the more charitable criticism though. I know because when I happened to send an ask to the zoophobia criticism blog (where did it go???) regarding something relatively minor and superficial, she blocked me from her blog. I’m still blocked lmfao. I’m not blocked on twitter though! (not yet anyways). Faust has me blocked there though, and I have no idea why. She’s had me blocked for years even though I haven’t spoken out against her till recently. So, there’s that.

As for her apology itself, I feel like it was fine. I think it could’ve been worded better? The take I disagree with in terms of that is like… If I made a mistake in the past, and I make it clear that I don’t care for what I did, I don’t feel as if me explaining why I felt compelled to do certain things negate me from still not caring for my past actions? That’s just me providing context. That’s a really weird take, but I guess that could be viewed as an excuse idk. Personally I think people are holding the bar super high to a state of irrationality.

*sigh* So yeah there’s that. I miss the old days where honestly I could be ignorant about this, but at the same time I look at my old obsessive posts and I kinda just… cringe. I was such an irrational stan I almost hate myself for it. Fuck XD

Edit: I’d also like to point out that I’m not saying Viv or Faust are totally awful or totally good people, and I know they’re capable of being better. It’s a matter of whether or not they wanna be better.

[winedwords]

Finn| Heathens 1/2| Bálor

Title; Heathens

Pairing; Finn Bálor/Reader, Demon!Finn/Reader

Summary; I should have run screaming in the other direction like I was told to.

Words; 5,965

Warnings; NSFW. Discussion of mental health, secret societies, implied physical assault, stalking, dubcon.

 A/N: repost from the old blog. the fic that started everything.

I had always been… sensitive.

My parents had thought I’d had a wild, if sometimes slightly disturbing imagination, when I was a toddler. It was when I was in grade school that they began to think something was wrong with me. It was after the third or fourth visit to a child psychologist, that I learned to keep what I knew I was seeing to myself. To not speak of it to any childhood friends or write it down anywhere because I was the first and only child of two helicopter parents. I didn’t want to take anymore pills that made me feel not like myself. What was happening wasn’t because of a psychiatric disorder or a chemical imbalance.

How do you explain to someone that you can see the others, even when the others were trying to not be seen? That you knew the elderly, kind looking gentleman next door had fangs and a taste for the neighborhood cats? That little Jimmy, then in the second grade with me, had a been struggling with monthly moon problems since kindergarten? That the pretty lady providing the weather report on the news was actually tinted blue, with wings that looked like they were made of gossamer?

It was Grandmére who understood though, who never made me feel like I was defective for seeing the things I did. It made those monthly weekend visits so much more precious to me. Grandmére cut an imposing figure, she was tall, statuesque, and forever done up to the nines and I hero worshipped her for most of my formative years. She’d told me that I wasn’t broken, that I was just the way the Powers That Be intended me to be.

It was Grandmére who had showed me the Grimoire, thinking I was a hedgewitch like her. It was quickly apparent that I had no magical ability, just the gift to see. She didn’t act disappointed or put out, just set to work on helping me control my ability, especially after the panic attack I had had upon seeing my first ghoul. It had taken me almost two years of regular meditation and exercises to be able to switch from seeing to regular vision, similar to how normal people are able to switch from seeing at a distance to seeing something up close.

Grandmére had given me the Bestiary on my fourteenth birthday, a couple months before her death. It was a thick, clearly old, leather bound book, the covers smeared with something that looked rusted and dark. I was too afraid to ask what it was on the covers, especially since it looked the same dark, rusty liquid had been dripped across more than a couple pages. The older woman didn’t say where she had gotten it, but it was heavily implied that I wasn’t the only one in the world who could see the others. The warning to never go find others like me, however, was explicit and direct.

The Bestiary was filled with descriptions, origins, and even moving pictures. Grandmére had smiled when I had turned to her, eyes filled with wonder, and explained that some magical folk were gifted enchanters and could spell the ink to move. The elderly man in the neighborhood with the fangs? A Strigoi, a blood drinker identified by the two pairs of large incisors along the top and bottom  jaws, black eyes, and a paralytic saliva. Jimmy, my classmate from the second grade with the furry little problem? A turned werewolf with no control yet over his shifts. The weather lady on channel five? A water sprite.

I studied that old tome for years, carried it with me almost everywhere, and I still haven’t gotten through all of it. It felt like for every page I got through, another five appeared. I’d even turned back to a page I thought I knew like the back of my hand and there was new information that hadn’t been there previously. On the rare occasions that I had tried to add something to the book, the writing had disappeared, only to sometimes reappear later, sometimes with “recently confirmed” in unfamiliar writing next to my own. There were darker things too, next to the descriptions, such as preferred prey, hunting patterns, anti-toxin recipes, methods to repel the dark… It was because of this that I salted my windows and door ways every night and slept with the old charm bag of acacia, monkshood, birch, and devil’s shoestring that Grandmére had given me underneath my pillow.

It was almost ten years to the day of coming into possession of the Beastiary that I had found myself in the predicament that I was currently in. When I had taken the job as a production assistant with World Wrestling Entertainment three weeks ago, I had thought it would be like every other job I’d had in television, with a normal, meaning small, amount of the others interspersed in the population of the company.  It was when I showed up to Full Sail for a taping of NXT that I had nearly swallowed my tongue and run the other way.

Almost everyone was inhuman, both the talent and the crew. Humans were the minority.

The current champions, Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka were both kitsune. The Bestiary was unsure whether to call them spirits or demons, as their kind were pretty morally fluid. SAnitY were an odd mixture of werejackals and werewolves that I was still shocked were able to coexist together.  Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were both nymphs of undetermined origins. The parade of others just didn’t end and my anxiety that first day was at an all time high, my body in what felt like a permanent state of stress. Thankfully, the others, especially since the weres made up a majority of the roster, with sensitive noses merely attributed the stress, anxiety, and touch of fear that must have been rolling off of me in waves to having just started and being new in my position.

It took days for me to loosen up, but it eventually did happen.

I could see them, but they had no idea that I saw their true natures. There was a subtle comfort in  the knowledge that as long as I didn’t stare too hard or said the wrong thing, I was safe.

Certainly safer than I had been in New York City.

I had been at Full Sail University and with NXT for three months when it all began to unravel. I had begun to make friends, both with the crew and the talent. We’d practically lived in each other’s pockets, so it was only natural to socialize. Shinsuke had practically charmed his way into a friendship, proclaiming that we had been the best of friends in a past life, and Ember, yet another werewolf, had become my road buddy, sharing rooms with me when the NXT crew had traveled.

I’d noticed that Ember had been growing steadily more on edge, aggressive, and prone to snapping at those who so much as looked at her wrong. It wasn’t until I saw her eyes flash gold without even switching my sight that I knew something was wrong. I’m still upset that it took me as long as it did to put it together: she hadn’t shifted since I’d met her. She’d been forcing back the change and now her inner beast was pushing to the forefront of her consciousness.

Which brought me to my current predicament of essentially chasing Hunter Hearst Helmsley down a hallway, every one step of his long legs being almost three of my own, and pleading with him that Ember needed to be taken out of her match. He’d pretty much swatted down all of my excuses for why she shouldn’t compete and I grew desperate.

“You can’t let her go out there, Hunter.” I begged of the large blonde man as he walked away. “She’s-”

Hunter was almost to the main hallway when I whispered the next words, “She’s not safe right now.”

He stopped suddenly, and in the blink of an eye, I was pinned to the wall of the hallway, hidden by stacked crates and just out of sight, a large hand grasping my throat and my toes dragging on the floor. His grip wasn’t tight enough to bruise, but was just enough to make oxygen precious.

“You’ve got three seconds to explain yourself.” His eyes flashed dangerously as I gasped, the grip on my throat making my lungs burn and feet flail. The air in the hallway was thick with tension and I knew that now was not the time to try and keep my secret.

“I - I- can see that the moon is affecting her. She’s been putting off her shift for months.” With each word, the grip on my throat lessened, until I was dropped onto my knees on the floor. I coughed and rubbed at my throat for a couple of moments, when Hunter was back in my face again. This time, he needn’t put hands on me, because his face… changed.

His hazel eyes were shifting to gold, his brow was growing heavier, tufts of fur growing on the sides of his face, and the teeth were elongated just enough to peek out his lips. “How long have you been able to… see this change in Ember?” The unspoken threat in the air was made heavier by the growl in his soft words. I made a concerted effort to shift my eyes to the floor and I tilted my head so far to the right that my ear touched my shoulder and my neck, a little red from his grip, was left painfully exposed. Those like him needed  a show of submission, of vulnerability.

“I am no threat to your pride, Hunter. I just can’t bear to have someone get hurt because I didn’t say anything,” I murmured my words, knowing that no matter how softly I spoke, he would be able to hear. “I’ve been able to see those like you since I was a child.”  I was shaking like a leaf, my sweaty palms clasped tightly on my thighs.

Things changed after my words and show of submission. It felt like a vacuum sucked the tension out of the hall.

“Look at me damnit. I’m not gonna hurt you.” Hunter said, rubbing his hand over his face, looking a little disgusted with himself. I looked up, eyes wide. “And you don’t do that again. You don’t need to submit to anyone in this company, ever. That’s not how we do things.”

My nod was miniscule, my body was still shaking violently. When I had been… discovered by others, the handful of times it had happened, the reaction was never calm and more often than not, violent. I still bore a wicked scar of a lamia bite at the back of my neck from when I was 17 in my first weeks at college. It was better to be safe than sorry, barely relaxing my show of submission.

“I want you to go to my office immediately and stay there. I’m going to go evaluate Ember myself. When I get back to my office, we’re going to have a conversation.”

His tone was firm, not hard, but he meant business. I gulped down my anxiety and nodded. Hunter’s eyes softened at the edges, the previous shift of gold long gone. “You’re not in trouble, you’re safe here (Y/N).”

I nodded again, still silent, and quickly shuffled down the maze of hallways to the specified office. I walked with my head down, avoiding eye contact, and just generally trying to pass by unnoticed. I was successful, ducking into the office, and sitting on the couch, knees pulled close and held tight to my chest. If Hunter did intend to cause me harm, there was little to nothing I could do to stop him.

Time ticked by at a glacial pace, just long enough for me to start thinking of an escape plan. I’d planned far enough to my escape from the parking lot, when the office door opened and in stepped Hunter Helmsley, his wife Stephanie McMahon, and his brother in law, Shane McMahon.

I was now in a room where a literal lion and two of the most magically gifted peoples in the company stood between me and the door. I could practically see the magic in the siblings’ auras crackling around them and my anxiety and fear shot through the roof. Hunter’s face scrunched up as if he were in pain.

“Steph, Shane I’m gonna need you guys to reign it in, she can sense your magic and she’s terrified right now.”

Shane’s face softened immediately, the swirls of blue and gold magic practically retreating into himself. Stephanie stood stony faced, her purple and gold magic retreating infinitesimally, and arched a delicately shaped eyebrow. “What’s a stage hand have to do with you pulling Ember from the card?”

Hunter turned to me, his face encouraging.

“I can see those who aren’t human and Ember has been putting off her shift for at least three months.”

It was just barely a beat of silence and then both Shane and Stephanie were talking at once.

“How long have you been able to do this?”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about this?”

“Can you control it?”

“Is there anything else you can do?”

“You should have said something, you’d be so much more useful elsewhere besides being an assistant.”

The questions continued on, neither of the McMahon siblings stopping to allow me to answer. They continued to talk over each other and ask questions as my hands began to shake again, words stopping in my throat, and the walls felt like they were closing in.

Hunter, who’d stayed silent while his wife and brother in law had begun to pelt me with questions, cut them off, his voice quiet and rumbling.

“From what I’ve gathered, she’s like Shawn. And I’m sure she’d be happy to answer your questions to the best of her ability if you would allow her to speak.”

The two siblings hushed at his words, both pairs of eyes widening. Hunter’s lips turned up ever so slightly at the corners, meant to encourage me.

I was reticent to speak, but the three sets of eyes were unwavering.

“I’ve been able to see those I’ve been calling others since before I can remember. At first my parents thought I’d had an overactive imagination, but it never stopped. I was sent to child psychologist after child psychologist and force fed pills like there was something wrong with me. When its only your grandmother, who was a low level hedgewitch, believing you that you see the things you do, you stop talking about it very quickly.”

The words were flowing out of me faster than I could stop them. I hadn’t spoken to anyone about what I had seen since Grandmére had died ten years ago and the thought of telling people who would understand, was a catharsis too sweet to pass up.

The Bestiary, the nearly useless to me Grimoire, the handful of attacks by others I’d survived over the years, what happened in New York…

It was three hours before all three had had their questions satisfied and I was left feeling weightless, having unburdened myself of all the secrets I had kept pent up.

It was another hour while the werelion and two magic users, I wasn’t sure about their preferred nouns, deliberated on my fate. Shane, whom I had warmed up to quickly, was lobbying hard for me to come to Smackdown, to be an assistant to both himself and Daniel Bryan, the half-troll General Manager. Stephanie had shut that down quickly, with a quip about Shane’s Wyatt Family problem. Shane’s face soured and he had glared at his little sister.

It was decided. I was going to RAW within the week, to be an assistant under the watchful eye of Stephanie and Hunter, which left me not a lot of time for goodbyes.

Ember was unreachable, currently in an undisclosed location in Connecticut to run off her shift. When I had approached Shinsuke to apologize for my deception by omission, he’d just laughed and waved off my apology. “You don’t live as long as I have without being able to identify those who are gifted,” he shared sagely, his grin mischievous. It was through my second sight that I could see his six tails twitching in mirth at the shock that was surely on my face. “If anyone gives you trouble on the roster, just call me, I’ll sort it for you.”

The word of my ability spread through the company like wildfire and there was nary a negative word from those at Full Sail or in NXT. I had a sneaking suspicion that the charismatic Japanese world champion had had a lot to do with that.

The week ended entirely too soon and I was sent to RAW.

I’d fully expected a frosty welcoming, as by now my identity would have been made known to the entire roster. I was pleasantly surprised when, as soon as I had opened the door to the arena, I was swept up into a hug by an enthusiastic brownie named Bayley.

It was while wrapped up in this embrace and listening to Bayley babble an excited welcome, while trying to introduce myself, that I’d felt it.

The hair on the back of my neck was standing up, a slow crawl of dread working its way down my spine. I worked with people that would be considered predators in most cultures, but I had never felt this, never felt so on edge. This was the primordial feeling of being hunted by something with a lot more teeth than I did. What was even more disconcerting? I was in a busy hallway, there was no way to let me know what was stalking me.

Never had I been so thankful for the  small charm bag around my neck from Stephanie that masked my scent, because there were entirely too many weres in this building to not be affected by the fear and panic that must have been rolling off of me in waves. I’d had to choke down my response to run as far and as fast from the arena, my muscles already locking up in preparation for the flight from impending danger. I couldn’t, as I was here at the request of Stephanie and Hunter. So it was with a shaky smile at Bayley, that I had blamed on nerves, that we’d set off down the hallway in pursuit of catering and adventure, according to my companion. I would feel the eyes of a predator on me for the rest of the night that night.

Seth Rollins, a particularly affectionate and handsome incubus (which is saying a lot), was quick to attach himself to me upon my arrival at RAW. He’d approached Bayley and I in catering, much to Bayley’s displeasure as evidenced by the way her face scrunched in distaste, and introduced himself with a florish and a kiss to my knuckles.

He crowed his laughter at the flush of my face before taking my other arm and accompanying Bayley and I in Bayley’s quest to introduce me to every stage hand and member of the locker room. I met most everyone that night. It was a more than pleasant surprise at how warm and open most of the locker room was, despite the tiffs they may have had with one another.

“The Devil is real. And he’s not a little red man with horns and a tail. He can be beautiful. Because he’s a fallen angel, and he used to be God’s favorite.” ~American Horror Story, S1.E6, Piggy Piggy

I’d been traveling with the RAW roster for weeks and I had literally met everyone, thanks to Bayley and Seth.

Everyone but the recently returned Irishman, Finn Bálor.

I had been told that Finn was… different.

It was odd, as Bayley was terribly close with him. She’d made no effort to introduce me to him, almost never bringing his name up.

Whenever I would press the person speaking for more details, no one would clarify their statements. They would clam up and nervously change the subject. Even  the normally effervescent Bayley hadn’t said much. “When Finn’s Finn, he’s great. It just… yknow, forget I said anything.” Nobody would give me an explanation for why he practically ran from any room I was in. I hadn’t asked Seth, due to the thundercloud that gathered over his handsome face whenever the Irishman was brought up in casual conversation.

I’d figured their reluctance to speak about Finn Bálor was due to the non-corporeal shadow figure that seemed to follow Finn around. The figure was a near perfect twin for him, if not for the ever shifting black mass across it’s “skin” and the neat row of fangs that peaked through it’s lips whenever it smirked at me. It was whenever the figure had made eye contact with me that the Irishman had literally run, without ever having laid eyes on me himself. It was a mystery and I was curious to solve it.

I hadn’t had to consult the Bestiary since my secret was made public. I was able to shyly ask Bayley or Seth my questions, still in awe of the new and open relationships I had with members of the others. It was due to the silence of the locker room in face of questions about Finn that I had turned back to the tome. It took several days of research for me to find it.

Demons and Demonic Possession.

This was a chapter I had skipped over a lot during my studies of the Bestiary. Too many pages were splattered on by or written in a dark, rusty liquid and just staring at the chapter when I was younger was enough to give me nightmares.

There were easily one hundred pages of notes on demonic possession, detailing warning signs, patterns of possession, and methods to remove demonic forces. What really threw me was page twenty one which was blank except for two sentences: A book of references separate of this has been compiled of all known demons. Please write the name of the demon to receive what is known.

I don’t know what had possessed me to write Finn’s name down, but there it was, in my chicken scratch writing.

Finn Bálor

The ink settled into the page, then disappeared. I figured it would be days before I learned anything new, based on prior experiences with writing in the Bestiary. How wrong I was.

Within minutes of writing in the Bestiary, the blank twenty first page began to fill, with a ferocity and speed that terrified me.

RUNRUNFROMTHEDEMONKING

DON’T TURN BACK TO MEET THE FACE OF A FALLEN ONE

RUN AND NEVER STOP

Within a minute, the entire page was completely black with ink and unintelligible. Then, at the blink of an eye, the page wiped clean, like the page was not just full of scribbles telling me to run. Slowly, elegant cursive handwriting began to curve across the page.

There is no demon by the name of Finn known to us at this time.

There is, however, a Bálor. Our information regarding this being is incomplete. Written records are hard to come by and word of mouth accounts of the demon are inconsistent at best.

The first mention of Bálor in any text was in a now lost Book of Revelation where the demon is described as an angel that had fallen with Lucifer and would do battle at His side as a lesser King of Hell during the Christian Apocalypse. We have our suspicions that it is indeed older than the Christian God, but there has been no meaningful record ever found to prove as much.

The accounts we have indicate that Bálor is rather partial to making deals, in exchange for humanoid souls. The demon is ruthless in its pursuit of payment, having sent hellhounds after an entire clan to collect the soul of the dealmaker.

It is said that there was a battle near a millenia ago, between the Kings of Hell, and Bálor was severely weakened in that battle, destroying its  body and leaving its life force adrift in the world. We have heard whispers of humans making deals with it in exchange for a soul, in order to become strong enough to create a corporeal form again. The last known whereabouts of the demon were in Japan, having taken a business man’s soul in exchange for the man’s business to flourish.

If you have indeed come across this demon or someone being possessed by this demon, it is best to use caution and avoid contact at all costs. It is unknown if Bálor will react to normal demonic deterrents, as its actual nature and origins are unknown. If the demon has taken an interest in you, run.

Stay safe.

For days after the writing on the page had faded away, I was walking in a haze. It was hard to believe that the sweet man that all of my friends had described had made a deal with essentially an exiled demon king.

My curiosity couldn’t be held off any longer. He’d seemed surprised when I had marched up to him, grabbed an arm, and pulled him into an empty dressing room.

“Why do you avoid me? Did I do something wrong?”

Finn flinched like he had been slapped and shook his head, beginning to look anxious, his hands fidgeting at his sides and his eyes darting to the door. The shadow figure behind him inched closer, a smirk beginning to grow wide on its face.

“It’s not ya, luv. It’s me, don’t trust m'self. ‘ow’d Bayley let ya out of 'er sight?”

My interest spiked even further and I took a step towards the man, ignoring his question and the implication it raised. “I’m afraid I’m going to need you to explain, this is probably the most interaction we have ever had with each other.”

“'e caught a taste o’ yer scent (Y/N) and 'e liked it. Please, ’m pleadin’ wit ya, stay away from me.” the handsome Irishman begged, taking a step back in reaction to my step forward.

“Who are you talking about Finn?”

He shook his head, looking more and more desperate to leave the room that we were in. “Ah know ya can see 'im (Y/N). 'E knows ya can see 'im.”

I gulped. This was not what I was expecting.

“Did you make a deal?” I tried to choose my words carefully. It was quickly becoming apparent that I had misjudged the situation and that I was very, very wrong. The slow crawl of dread began down my spine, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. The room itself felt like it began to darken and shrink in on the two of us.

The shadow figure was practically hovering over Finn’s shoulder, its eyes narrowed in interest, the tips of fangs peeking out over the tops if its lips. The former champion gave a self-depreciating laugh and shook his head, sweat beginning to bead at his brow, skin paling. “Oh but I did, just no’ in the way yer expectin’.”

I opened my mouth to ask another question when he cut me off, grunting in what sounded like pain and hunching over.

“Ya need t’ leave now (Y/N). Go find Bayley, she’d keep ya safe. I can’t hold 'im off for much longer, cause 'e really, really wants ta meet ya.”

I stepped forward in concern, in an instinctive, natural response to comfort a being in pain, when I saw it.

The shadowy figure was merging into Finn’s body. The majority of its lower body had combined into his, the shadow slipping into the Irishman’s torso, causing a grunt of pain. Finn looked up at me as the entity had  was nearly finished combining with him, desperation on his face, and breathed, “Run.”

I didn’t get a chance to reply as the gray iris of his eyes flicked to red and a feline smirk settled across his features. The skin of Finn’s face suddenly looked like it had been pulled too tight, his features much more pronounced and sharp. The Irishman was handsome normally, but whatever this shift was had made him devastating.

“I’ve been wantin’ to meet ya for a while, kitten.” The voice that came from Finn’s mouth was much too deep, the accent roughening.

“You’re not Finn. What did you do with him?” I demanded, eyes wide with worry.

It blinked at me languidly, staying silent as it stretched in a slow, feline manner. The way it arched Finn’s muscular body towards me was lewd and made my face burn. It didn’t react to the heat of my face, observing me in a cool and dispassionate manner before answering my question.

“Y'right, kitten. I ain’t 'im. Finn’s still up 'ere though.” It tapped at Finn’s temple with the thumb and finger shaped like a gun with roguish twist to his lips. “He really does tink yer pretty, wants me to leave yeh alone. Says ye don’t deserve us wreckin’ yer life, the fookin’ dogooder. But I think that you’re perfect for us.”

I gulped, taking a couple steps back. “Who are you?”

It stretched Finn’s mouth into a grin that felt more like a cat who’s cornered a mouse. The action caught me off guard and it was when I blinked that it was suddenly in front of and around me, having moved impossibly quick and banded thick arms my body. I froze at the close contact, my discomfort and fear ratcheting up at the touch of whatever had taken over Finn’s body. The fear left me cold, despite the almost overwhelming heat radiating off of Finn’s body. I had a sinking suspicion that I knew exactly what it was, but I needed the confirmation.

“Don’t play coy, it doesn’t suit ya. M'name’s Bálor and I’m gonna make you ours.”

Bálor didn’t let the declaration hang in the air for long, craning its neck down, and slamming its lips against mine. The crash of lips against mine was too violent and too sudden, my lower lip splitting and the taste of copper filling my mouth. Bálor’s lips were on mine for a fraction of a second before it flinched backwards, having screwed up Finn’s face in anger and lips touched red with my blood.

“Fookin’ McMahons and their meddlin’.” Too quick to react, Bálor had ripped the small necklace with the charm bag given to me by Stephanie from my neck and flung it across the room. The sting of pain in my lip and in my neck spurred me into action, striking at his shoulders with closed fists and kicking out at shins with my legs. No action I took made Bálor flinch, his face condescendingly indulgent.

“Ya done?” he smirked before pushing  us back and pinning me against lockers and his body. I was pinned against a wall with nowhere to go, both wrists held over my head by one large hand. 

“Wouldn’t recommend doin’ that luv. I like it when they fight back.” Bálor purred, before pressing his lips back against mine, groaning at the taste of the crimson liquid in his mouth. The way his body and lips were pressed against me was enough to make me gasp and he took advantage of my parted lips to plunder my mouth with his tongue and teeth. The press of his tongue against mine and the hard bulge pressing into my lower abdomen made me whimper, helpless to stop Bálor and helpless to stop the slick between my thighs. 

“Pl-please stop, I don’t want this,” I gasped against his lips, unable to push him away with my hands above my head. Bálor didn’t even acknowledge my plea, as his free hand was traveling up the front of my shirt to the collar. With a quick jerk of his arm, the fabric of my shirt tore effortlessly, leaving my torso and cotton bra exposed to the air of the room. The cool air on my overheated flesh was enough to cause my breasts to stiffen into peaks. His mouth and tongue were still moving feverishly against mine as his free hand slipped underneath the wire of my bra to cup the globe of flesh and to pinch at my pebbled nipple. The jolt of pleasure-pain was punctuated by the moan that snuck out of my mouth. 

He chuckled at the sound, gave another pinch to the tightened nub, and then his hand was gone. I whimpered involuntarily at the loss of his touch. 

“Oh ’m not done wit ya yet kitten. I plan on takin’ the time to take ya apart until yer only capable of beggin’ and our names." 

His hand began to travel towards the button of my work pants, his lips pressed against my neck. The scrape of his facial hair left my legs trembling and my body arching into the sensations.

"Not just me either, Finn wants ya as well, but he’s too timid ta take what 'e wants. ’ve had to sit back fer weeks watchin’ him pine after ya like a love sick schoolboy. This is as much 'is fault as yers.”

He had made quick work of the button and fly of my work pants and was pushing them down along with my panties when I noticed it. The telltale swirls of purple and gold magic around the door of the dressing room, followed by various colorful curses. Stephanie McMahon had somehow known of the danger I was in and was outside of the dressing room, attempting to get in. Bálor was seemingly unperturbed, the door was to his back, and I took a sharp inhale of breath at the first press of his fingers against the swollen flesh between my thighs.

The rush of blood in my ears sounded like static and drowned out the commotion in the hallway. Bálor was smirking into my neck and pressing open mouthed kisses into the flesh there with every deft twist, stroke, and plunge of his fingers. All fight left my body as I was overwhelmed by the sensations that the demon was able to evoke from me, now reduced to a whimpering and quivering mess.

“Ya feel like heaven kitten. Finn’s been dreamin’ about this fer weeks, ya comin’ apart for us. 'e was tryin’ to say ye didn’t want this, but yer cunt is grabbin’ at m'fingers so greedily…”

I could feel the telltale flutters of an orgasm beginning in my muscles as he spoke. Bálor seemed to sense it as well, doubling his efforts, and quickening the pace with which his thumb flicked over the little hardened bundle of nerves between my legs.

“Gonna make you scream kitten. Yer gonna let every damn person in this buildin’ know that ye belong to us, that its Bálor makin’ ya scream.”

I was so close, so so so close, my toes curling in anticipation, when the door to the dressing room literally blew off the hinges with a crack.

The force of the magic sent the door flying and splintering towards where Bálor had me pressed against the wall. He moved preternaturally fast to face the blast, dropping me and the fingers wrenched from my cunt to catch pieces of the door that were coming at us. He was too slow to catch a rather large, jagged piece of wood and all I could remember was a blinding pain in my temple.

Everything went black.