#also he's fighting in broad daylight which is new for them

[therealraewest]

"It's fine my dead ex-boyfriend is surfing a van through times square"

[fellthemarvelous]

Deny. Defend. Depose.

It is clear to those of us that live in America, the only people we truly have on our side are ourselves. The ruling class has made it clear we don't matter to them.

Luigi Mangione was arrested and happened to have every single piece of evidence on him that law enforcement was looking for, including the parts for the ghost gun, inside his backpack (that he also got rid of in Central Park containing the Monopoly money???). Either he was trying to get caught or that evidence was planted. And when he was being forcefully pushed into the jail, he hollered back to the press about "injustice" and "being an insult to the intelligence of American citizens and our lived experiences."

The people have now turned against corporate America and the CEOs and billionaires are fucking terrified. Nothing the news stations are saying to us are changing our minds. The American people have finally united over this issue and there is no going back for us. Whoever did kill Brian Thompson (and theories abound on the game The Adjuster is playing because no one plays Monopoly alone) exposed the very real divide that exists between every day citizens and the extremely wealthy. Things were easier for them to control when they were able to divide us, but now that we are aware of how uncertain our future is in America and seeing just how little we matter to the people who take our money, we have realized that we have more in common with each other than the people who control every aspect of our lives. We are waking up.

There isn't one person in this country who hasn't been a victim to the predatory scam that is private health insurance. Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in America, and many of us are one ambulance ride or hospital stay away from homelessness. We all know people who have died because the insurance company denied them the treatment they needed or waited until it was too late for an approval of a medical claim to matter anymore.

Recently, I decided to be tested for autism and ADHD. Not life-threatening or anything, but my life is still in shambles and I want to know if I'm going untreated for something else. Before being tested though, I was informed that the insurance company (Aetna) has said that they were going to cover the full cost of the testing I was having (which was six hours of testing by the way). She even made sure several times that they were, in fact, going to cover it in full and they said yes.

The same day that Brian Thompson, CEO of another horrible healthcare company, was murdered in broad daylight, I received a call from that doctor's office with the woman telling me that Aetna was now telling her they never agreed to cover my testing and that they are going to bill me for $1600 (where the hell am I supposed to get that?) and she is fighting them, but considering our lives don't matter to the people who tell us what healthcare we are and are not allowed to receive, I don't think they will feel compelled to change their minds because they are bloodsucking parasites who only care about lining their pockets while I don't even have $6 lying around, let alone $1600!!

Corporate America leeches off our taxes. They take and take and take and we see nothing in return. They raise prices on insurance coverage and then deny us the very coverage that we pay for. They poison our food, price gouge our poisoned food, and then force us to pay for the treatment we get when the food makes us sick. Corporate America profits off of our hard work, our taxes, our health, our lives, our deaths.

I don't know if this will reach a larger audience or not, but I wanted to talk about it on Tumblr because this platform seems to be a crossroads for every type of creative soul. I initially brought up this idea on TikTok earlier, but I want to see if it can get traction in other places as well since I have fewer than 3,000 followers on TikTok (and I have seen a small few express interest in my idea in the hours since I posted the video.)

We're busy being lectured by politicians and the news media because while they are clutching their pearls at what happened to Brian Thompson, the rest of us do not give one single flying fuck about what happened to him. As CEO of a for-profit health insurance company, he signed off on denied claims and death for those of us who struggle to make it from one day to the next. The sicker you are, the poorer you are, the more they force you to struggle and pay. The love to deny coverage because regardless of whether we live or die, they already have the money we are forced to pay them.

I don't condone murder at all, but I also don't care that he was murdered because he was guilty of murdering so many more people in this country through legal means because it's profitable. The CEOs are scared and there are wanted posters with their names and faces popping up in places. Every CEO of every healthcare company is guilty of murdering Americans and they continue to go unpunished for it because "it's just business".

So (if you've read this far) all of this previous rambling is to say that I keep thinking about how I want to make an impression. I want to continue upsetting the billionaires and the CEOs because corporate America is full of murderers who are legally allowed to decide whether we live or die based on which outcome will give them more money.

I have thought about the idea of creating a wall/constructing a wall somewhere as an art piece or something (making a statement) that will somehow honor the memory of people who died because insurance denied them care.

I know I definitely want it to say something along the lines of "In memory of those murdered by for-profit healthcare systems in corporate America". Something blatant. Loud. Something they are forced to look at every single day. Somehow. The wall could have images of those who are gone, or names of the person who died with the name of the insurance company responsible for their death underneath. Just something to make it clear that we see them for what they are. Something to avenge those who were sacrificed so billionaires and CEOS and shareholders could brag about record profits. Something that shows the whole world that American citizens are waking up to who the real monsters are.

The Adjuster (whoever he is or is not) has fanned the flames of revolution in America. He managed to unite us in a way I can't even recall before. It's not over. We know what happened to Brian Thompson was just the beginning, and corporate America only just now realized how much we actually hate them. A single shooter has sparked an awakening in America that is starting to snowball into something much bigger.

So if there is anyone out there who might be interested in collaborating on something like this, please let me know. I know we are all tired and demoralized and we have no money. I want to make a statement though, and I love doing that through art or writing. Collaborating with other people who have been through this same shit will also probably help us unite even more.

This is a watershed moment in American history.

In the words of Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight,

"There is a future for us. One where we're all free. But it's up to us to make it happen."

[newkatzkafe2023]

The monkey Kings reaction to meeting teen Titans nya nya reader. Human turning into pink tigeress demon. Good combat skills

(Not sure if you know who I'm talking about 😅)

Ohhhhhhhhhh I remember that Girl, she kicked beast boys butt🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

(Lmk Wukong) Man you were so cute and unsuspecting can you imagine the shock he felt when he saw your demon form. He met you at a karaoke bar Mk invited him too as he just watched him and Mei have fun, until he noticed a small stare. He looked over to see you giggling making him blush and you came over to talk to him and you both hit it off. After dating for a over a year You trusted him enough to show him your full demon form, which was of course a monkey cat hybrid. What you didn't expect was for him to Squeal so hard he fall over, due to how adorable you are, at least you don't freak him out😅🤣

(NR Wukong) This dude was definitely flirting with you, when you both met. He purred and gave you all kinds of nicknames the one standing out most of all was Kitten, he met you when Li and Su had dragged him to a karaoke bar downtown donghai. You were on stage singing to a crowd already dancing like a cat, making him cat call you from across the bar. You giggled and finished your song, now found yourself being wooed by an older monkey man. It wasn't until a few months of dating was when he found out about your actual Kitty form, you wasted know time beating up those guys whom tried to mug you. Well let's just say your new name is now curvy kitty 😉😉😉

(HIB Wukong) Oh yeah he's absolutely baffled by this discovery especially when you were a surprisely good fighter. He was not at all expecting you to keep up with him in a fight, it was a interesting experience. You both met at a tea shop where he was buying stuff for the children when you came up and talked to him. Wukong sighed as he just listened to you, already getting use to getting that from Luier But it was because of your boldness that you both were close. It was until one day you went to see him and saw he was getting attacked by some demons by his house, your feline form was show as you shredded though those guys like tissue paper. At the end Wukong was both impressed and getting smothered with affection now.

(MKR Wukong) Did not like you at all at first, especially with the unsuspecting ass whooping he and pigsy got from you. It was all pigsy's fault too!!!! you were a young woman doing her shopping and Pigsy would not go away, so you turned and insult pigsy telling him you wouldn't date a lard tub of lard which made Wukong get pissed because only he can insult pigsy. The exchange quickly got heated by no time and Wukong was getting sick of the bull and was ready to fight you more, but you changed into your cat form and beat up both of them in Broad daylight. since then Wukong hasn't stopped following you, both demanding for a rematch and a date🤣😤

(Netflix Wukong) YOU ARE SOOOOO CUTE HE COULD DIE SOMEHOW 🤩🥰. His favorite thing about you are you ear and he just loves to pet and scratche behind them. Your cat demon for was beautiful, soft and adorable and he loves more then ever when you bring it out. He also loves to have sparring sessions with you as a date and for you both to train together. He also loves to cuddle you despite the ink marks you would rarely leave.

(BMW Wukong) He was admittedly impressed and surprised by your true beauty he'll give you that, but I feel he would underestimate you.he would tease you with cat toys, red dots and tuna. the final straw being when he gave you a bag of catnip you got so angry he got to see your full, curvy, fierce demon form before you gave his ass a black Bruise for each eye. Ever since then he got right away of flirting and trying to court you, after being used as your Scratching post.

(Destined one) He discovers something new everyday especially when he discovered you, you were super cute and knew how to fight people on sight with those beautiful sharp claws. The Destined one was definitely blushing whenever you would kiss and lick his face trying to groom and clean him. The Destined one would also be mortified but also kinda impressed That you were able to single handily take him down. He would love to discover more about you though your dates🥰

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG🐈

[nakimov]

Okita x female reader accidentally making them cry in a argument

Kind of using the old layout. Normally I make new ones. Anyway this will be Okita making fem!reader/your OC cry. Situation is a bit different than what happened in the manga.

Synopsis: normally you never upset him until you got yourself in dangerous situations. This started when you wanted to help them beat Serizawa’s faction. He was against you helping them in any way. This caused a major argument because what were you then? You were supposed to be a fighter. Little had you known he was doing so to protect you.

Warnings? Some Chiruran spoilers.

WC: 962

You had done it again. You went against their orders and spoke to Niimi in private about Abiru’s death who was suddenly killed and you suspected him. Souji was furious along with Hijikata. You put yourself in a dangerous situation. It was practically forbidden to get into altercations with other members or else you have to seppuku.

“It doesn’t matter, I want to be the one to kill Niimi.” Saitou was also mad at you for taking the matter into your own hands.

“I know he was the one that killed Abiru… it’s just… not fair.” He was clenching his fists tightly before storming out of the room. You weren’t wanting to kill Niimi but you wanted to know the reason why he killed him.

“Why did you go?” Okita pulled you to the side. He was now an executive of the newest Aizu domain unit called the Shinsengumi.

“I don’t know, I was mad. Do you need to question everything I do?” You brushed him off. Your heart was stammering in your chest and Souji was ignoring what you had said to him.

Souji was someone closer to you than the others. Even when you’ve wanted to be alone, he always somehow liked your company and silence. He started to grow worried over the years when you became more involved in their fightings. He even brought such concerns about how he didn’t want you to fight and get hurt. Not after the first time when you two were teens and got severely injured. Souji was crying and blaming himself over your injuries against some ronin who had attacked you in broad daylight. Souji had since, been more cautious and refused to let you get hurt again.

“That's not… why I’m upset. Niimi-san could’ve done something to you or Serizawa-san—"

“He’s right,” Yamanami over heard you two talking but decided to stay out of it. The tension between you and Souji was getting heated from the looks of it.

“I’m fine, they won’t do anything to me.” You huffed and Souji was growing irritated the more you were refusing his orders. He was one of the higher-ups and you were disobeying him? How could you be so certain they won’t hurt you?

You could feel his eyes burn in the back of your head. “Could you at least tell me if you were going to do something like that next time?” Souji wanted to call your decisions stupid which would’ve been the first ever he had said something mean to someone. He was upset and hurt over it. Niimi was a creep and someone to not trust and the fact you went into Kamo’s residence could’ve meant anything. It terrified him. You were someone too important to him to lose.

“Why? So you could stop me? I was mad and I just… wanted some form of closure over what happened to our comrade.” You were holding back from bursting into tears. Now he’s mad at you… he could understand how you felt but it was too rash to barge into the other residence to demand answers.

“What you did was idiotic… and it pains me to see you do that. Don’t you think of the others? Me? Kondo?” Souji was clenching his jaw in anger but he didn’t or wouldn’t ever raise his voice at you. He was not that kind of man. He still very much cared and loved you despite if you never wanted him.

Souji didn’t know what to say for a moment. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, that is all.” He looked down despondently. Why was he being a coward of his own feelings? You knew he loved you more fondly than platonic, but were you pushing him away? You fell silent and he spoke again.

“Next time you disobey orders, Kondo-san may have to relieve you from your duties.” He stopped as he saw you sob quietly on your mattress from bottling up your emotions from the past few hours. You couldn’t bare the thought of leaving and he was right.

“I— I’m sorry, you– you should leave me alone. Th–The damage is done, wh— what more is there? You don’t— you don’t want me to get hurt… but what about you? I worry about you and everyone else…” you couldn’t help but hiccup half your sentences but Souji stayed and instead walked over to you and put his arms around you while leaning against your side to give you no space. You were trying to calm yourself down but your breathing was a bit too heavy.

You looked over at him as you accepted his embrace and wrapped your arms around him as well. “I’m sorry, Souji. I’ll try to think more rationally next time,” you croaked out as you were the one mostly leaning into him now. Were you tired now? He wanted to stay with you longer but you didn’t tell him to leave again. Maybe he could enjoy this moment more.

“Can I… stay? For the night?” Souji quietly asked. You looked up to him and smiled despite the painful day you had.

“I want that… more than anything right now.”

[coupleoffanfics]

Future Child

Okay, Batsis reader. Right? On board? This is around the time when y/n has given up the nightlife and hasn't detached herself from the family.

I'm gonna go off the wall and say what if the family was visited by y/n's child from the future? I know it sounds crazy, but please listen. The family could run a DNA test or the child could walk up to Bruce in broad daylight and whisper, "Hello, flying rodent".

They won't reveal their name, so they're just called V.

During their time there Dick would be so tempted to ask about the future. Maybe not things specifically about his life because he knows they can't answer questions like that. But he'll ask just stupid questions like do cats have jetpacks or something? He'd also try to get to know his nephew. What they like, personality, etc.

Tim and Bruce would be poking at them on how they got here. Though Bruce probably had to take a moment to crack a smile for a split second. He was going to be a grandpa one day and the thought made him tear up. It's just happy news all around for him but he wouldn't dare show it.

Damian would be observing them closely and taking note of their outfit which looked to be something a hero would wear. Making him wonder what kinda of hero they were and if they were any good at fighting. Both Jason and Barbara just stood back from the situation. Babs is still in a bit of shock but is happy to hear that y/n was able to gain the domestic lifestyle she wanted.

y/n's child gives them a gist of how ended up here without giving names. Dick would notice V glancing around the cave and offer to give them a tour. They except of course. He takes note of how V doesn't seem into small talk but asks a lot of questions. The whole family picks up on how X asks a lot of questions about y/n. Their mother. It's odd and a bit worrying to Bruce, but the others just think that y/n didn't talk too much about her time as Batgirl.

Everything is relatively calm until y/n walks into the Batcave for her laptop. V's calm, almost stoic mood is dropped. Tim and Bruce see how V almost took a step forward, but reluctantly stood still. How V started rapidly blinking their eyes and struggling to look at y/n.

Dick would probably zoom up to y/n with a big smile, "Hey, Mama bird, did you get the diapers?" And y/n just gives him a confused, maybe even sacred look.

Everything is going fine. The family is working together on getting them to their time. Cool, yeah, whatever.

But what if there's just something that triggers V. It could be something that was said or asked that leads V and y/n to argue. It's not even arguing. It's just V spilling out grievances about their father and kind of insulting y/n.

"I can't believe you'd still defend him even before you met him. How rich."…"You didn't plan me, but Dad did and you were somehow okay with it? I was only there to keep you down, but what about the other two? Did you love them more because Dad didn't plan them?"…"Dad may have cared about you, but not us. You weren't a monster like him, but letting him get away with so much makes you just as guilty."…"You're both broken people. Maybe you two are meant to be."

V storms off and y/n retreats to her room. Everyone is dumbstruck by this sudden revolution.

Eventually, V does apologize to y/n. When she awkwardly accepts, they get misty-eyed because they really didn't mean to say any of that. They know how she doesn't take the apology, not entirely, and they feel like shit. They do care about their mom, despite all that they said.

When it's almost time for V to return back to the future they pull the whole family aside. Excluding y/n so she won't hear what they're going to say.

"As you guessed my Dad wasn't the best. Mom never talked about any of you and with Dad being a villain I could understand why. He's not a good person in general. Mom deserved better, so this time around try doing a better job. Don't let her slip away or be taken away. If I'm born then you know you failed."

This resonates with the family and brings up questions that won't be answered anytime soon. I could see this leading the family to become yandere or overprotective. Either one is fine because their efforts are futile.

If going down the Yandere route then I could see them becoming so overbearing that y/n runs from them. They control her life. Who she talks to, where she goes, what she does. She can't live like this and she runs away when given the chance.

If going down the protective route then it's slightly better than the Yandere one. At least in terms of their relationship. They pay extra attention to her and check up on her regularly until one day she just disappears.

In each route, They'd keep a close eye on any guy that has similar physical features (ex: hair, eyes). Since V has stated they look more like their father. When she does go missing they'll search high and low for her, but there isn't anything that would locate where she is. Her disappearance keeps them up at night for many years until a vaguely familiar person visits the manor.

They awkwardly introduce themself, "Hi, my name is..."

They failed.

If anyone wants to write about this idea then go ahead. Doesn't even have to be the Batfamily. I won't write about it unless asked. I'm just not married to the idea. It almost 2 in the morning I need sleep.

[solar-plant-princess]

Everything I see and hear about the live action remake of Avatar is just a spit in the face. It’s so disrespectful to the characters. The writing is a mess and unfocused. And they routinely attempt to sanitize and soften all the characters, deflating the value and purpose of their character arcs.

There is nothing they can do to salvage this. The actors deserve far better than to be stuck in this poorly written disaster.

This is the end state of all soulless cash grab remakes. Gut out all the worthwhile character development in order to make room for empty set pieces and gags in a desperate attempt to replace heart with a modicum of entertainment value. They aren’t interested in telling a new or even good story, they just want to cash in on brand recognition and will take out all the worthwhile stuff and add unnecessary fluff the whole way.

Don’t give them anymore money, don’t watch the show, don’t watch the future seasons. Don’t waste your time on a show that will only ever respond to you wanting genuinely good content with a spit to the face.

Also the meta level sexism of removing ALL of Katara’s personality is just disgusting (same with literally every other named woman character, the genuine misogyny from the writers is on full display the entire time), it’s literally on par with the play episode where the actress is constantly whining about “hope” while doing nothing else, that’s legitimately where they are at.

Zuko fights back against his dad, and doesn’t even mention his honor ever, so what’s even the point of his redemption arc if he had that in him from the start?

Aang doesn’t run away from his responsibilities (or the Air Temple for that matter, he just gets caught in a storm by chance) or need to learn how to accept being the Avatar, or even feel guilt about what happened to the Air Nomads so what’s the point of his arc?

Sokka doesn’t need to unlearn his false bravado or learn how to be a real leader, literally being written out of the Jet episode where he was the starring protagonist, so what’s the point of his arc?

I’m willing to put actual money on Toph’s parents actually just letting her leave and in fact will not even condescend to her about her disability. What’s the fucking point of this show if none of the characters are allowed to have any flaws or growth or personality????

(I also simply can’t ever forgive them for the broad daylight murder and butchering of Suki. Taking a strong confident leader who humbled Sokka by force into accepting that women were just as worthy and capable as men and made him not just accept but embrace her culture. To a spoiled brat that spends her entire screen time being boy crazy, and teaches Sokka literally nothing other than some fighting moves while THANKING him for “bringing the world to me”, by which she means being a boy she can oogle at. This isn’t Suki, this isn’t Katara, the writers are beyond sexist pigs for this shit.

They wanted to improve Sokka’s reputation that wasn’t even threatened and in turn reduced every single named woman to flat-caricatures of incapable, quiet, obedient, boy obsessed little girls all of which rely entirely on the men in the show to do anything.

This is beyond the pale in overt but unacknowledged misogyny which is an insult to every member of the audience especially all the women in the audience. They make it very clear they actually just agree with not-that-covert sexism and patriarchy and it’s disgusting. Never watch this show, dear god never show this to kids who might pick up on this dogshit misogyny)

[thebiscuiteternal]

For the jam:

Due to an experiment gone wrong, Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao switch personalities (not souls!) for a while

Or a lot less people get killed because Xue Yang is too busy stopping his boss from committing crimes in broad daylight.

Hmmmmm, this one's a toughie. I hope you don't mind notes instead of fic.

Okay, first off, I can't decide which is funnier, Jin Guangyao mouthing off at every opportunity, or Xue Yang trying to be the politest one in the room while developing a subtle eye twitch.

Imagine Xue Yang having to be the mature one and make excuses to keep Jin Guangyao away from his father and Jin-furen so he doesn't snap and do something he'll regret later the first time Jin Guangshan insults him or Jin-furen hits him.

Also imagine Jin Guangshan caring so little that he doesn't even notice the changes, which only pisses off Jin Guangyao more and makes Xue Yang have to try even harder.

What would be really funny is if this were to actually fix things between Jin Guangyao and Nie Mingjue. After all, the thing that pisses Mingjue off the most about Jin Guangyao is the fact that he does terrible things while trying to frame them in the softest and most necessary way possible. So if he were to just bluntly admit he constantly thinks about fixing his problems with murder, and is feeling especially murdery towards his dad and Nie Mingjue himself, Mingjue wouldn't be pleased that he's on the death list, but he'd probably respect Jin Guangyao for admitting to wanting to kill him.

Now they can settle the matter properly! With a fight!

It ends with both badly injured and Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang freaking out over their injuries and the fact that they almost killed each other, but this... is good???? Sort of????

(Not sure how long it'll stay good after Jin Guangyao gets his original personality back, but hey, maybe he won't want to throw this new version of their relationship out completely? Now that he knows Mingjue values his being honest about his feelings, even when they're homicidal?)

It would also be deeply funny if the personality switch results in him being more outright flirtatious to Huaisang, who doesn't know how to respond to this in the slightest and gets reduced to a blushing mess on the regular.

It would also be deeply funny if Xue Yang-with-Jin Guangyao's personality keeps creeping out Mo Xuanyu by being all soft-spoken brotherly politeness to him even as he's describing the nasty experiments they'll be working on together. This is weird. This is weird. Yao-ge, please fix this ASAP, he doesn't know how to deal with this!

Since I'm not sure whether or not Qin Su would be pursuing Jin Guangyao seriously yet, I'm also not sure how she would play into this. Would he flirt with her as much as he does Huaisang? (sangyaosu agenda momentarily creeping in here) Or would he avoid her to keep from embarrassing himself?

They spend almost a month struggling to keep this mostly under wraps and trying to fix it themselves, and then when the next full moon happens, surprise! They get poofed back to normal for no apparent reason and are confused as hell as to how the fuck and why???? Also, they are immediately destroying every piece of the experiment that caused the whole mess in the first place, with a much-relieved Mo Xuanyu's assistance.

[rsventhesecondd]

chapter one — friendly visit ! @rsventhesecondd

note . english is not my first language, some parts may seem rushed or ooc in other peoples opinion. (๑´·.̫ · `๑) authors note . I'm gen gonna explode, my tumblr has been malfunctioning again and this isn't the first time it deleted my work. I've lost the other chapters and now I have to rewrite it again ): I didn't notice until I checked my inbox , so this is rushed and not proof read, so sorry !! (*´д`*)

"Come here you bastard!" Sakura shouts as he runs towards Sugushita, throwing a punch that was then blocked. 

"Suo, do something!" One of the students said.

"Why don't you stop them?" He says with his signature smile, whilst the other two rambled. 

"HELLO EVERYONEE!" The same high pitched ring echoed throughout the room — a familiar voice speaking as the students bowed. The fight between the two then immediately stopping. 

"Huh? How does this work?" 

"You're pushing the wrong button idiot, the mic is working!" A second voice shouted behind the speakers

"Oh" 

"Well anyways! All of you gather at the rooftop tommorrow at 8:20am. we're celebrating a very important day today, okay? I hope you get along, I'm sure you guys wouldn't fight in broad daylight— right? Well, take care!" Said Umemiya, before finally turning of the speakers, a sigh of relief coming from everyone as the ear deafening pitch finally stopped. 

Sugishita on the other hand, tried to wipe the blood off his nose that was resulted by Sakura punching him earlier. 

"Wiping your nose won't help, everyone saw you two fighting, you know" Said Suo who was then shotted by a glare. 

What a normal day in furin Highschool!

The day finally came, and of course, every furin student gathered at the rooftop in anticipation. After all, word has it that all of the four kings will be present. 

"Thank you for gathering everyone," Umemiya said, familiar faces right behind him. Which of course people noticed, right after they gave a bow. 

"As you all know, today is a very special day." He says with a serious face. "Today is.." 

He cuts off, leaving everybody looking at him as their anticipation grew higher. Was another gang coming at them? Was there a new king? 

"Somebody's birthday!!" 

'Huh?' 

Was what the students wondered. 

Who was so important that everyone was gathered? Who was so important that finally, Umemiya was early? 

Was what kept repeating all around the 'silent' murmers of each student. And of course, one student, being the person he is, he didn't hesitate to speak. 

"What the hell—" Shouted Sakura before quickly leaning back at the door suddenly barging open. 

"Whoops. Sorry, I didn't mean it to be that loud." Said a feminine voice before walking in. 

Now, there was one thing on the young boys mind. Which, once again, he didn't hesitate to let out. 

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" He said in his usual aggressive tone. Well, the usual was done and he was cut off, this time by Nirei as he forced Sakura to bow. 

"Of course you don't know. That's one of the furin kings!" Nirei said, quickly taking out his notebook. 

"She's also Umemiya's sister, and see that katana behind her back? That's—" Nirei rambled on.

Well, coming back to you,

You quickly made your way onto your older brother, flashing the same bright smile that he always had on his face. 

"[Na-me]!" Umemiya exaggeratedly said being the person he is. 

As much as you missed your brother, there was something that still lingered in your mind. Your eyes wandering off just for a moment until it lands on a familiar face. You found your brothers usual dramatic antics coming out from your ear to the other as you focused your gaze on the man behind him. 

"I thought you would be late, [Name]"  Said Hiragi, moving slightly towards you. 

You felt your eyes lighten up more, as you spoke with your usual tone. "Huh? What're you talking about?" You spoke. "I'm never late." 

—

"Woah, Hiragi-san — are you smiling?" Asked one of the students. 

"Get back to work with the preparations!" 

—

@tsunderelover07

[uchiha-7thsingularity]

Touchstarved rant

Let me start with vere obviously he is a dipshit to the MC. A fox with a slick tongue and fangs barred at all times. He has chains to keep him in check. The senobium uses him to hunt monsters. Why not do it themselves? Build a barrier to keep monsters out at night? Why not help the people of the city?

Kuras I have a couple questions. Was he can't out of heaven as a fallen angel? Or was he human then a angle and cast out? What was his sin? Or is he punishing himself of something he thinks he needs to repent?

Leander curse form wails all kinds of fucked up from the others. Here me out....his form is himself. At first he seems kind (too good to be true) but has hidden motives like the others. And there are theories of him being possessive and yandere. What I think is he might turn out to be a common monster we overlook daily. A sociopath, psychopath, or serial killer that will show himself in broad daylight which obsesses over Mc. This man could possibly be the embodiment of craziness and chaos.

Ais is a straight-up demon. Like kuras is he fallen or born a a demon? Or is he a half blood like vere said himself. Was he summoned? I need to know his deal.

Mhin is a mood. Resting Bitch face all day long. Are they a person? Are they a crow? Do they belong to six of crows? They had my heart but then when they picked up my mc I started screaming at my mc to fight back. They give me vibes that they're anxious 24/7 and seen some shit to close themselves off. Anyway, I have to analyze them to know them on a spiritual and emotional level.

Lastly, How old is all five of these fine individuals? I need to know. That's it that is all that's been on my mind when thinking of these guys. Also the devs saying the 18+ is only gore and not sexual content is fine with me. I get they put a lot of work into this demo. And the fact we will focus on the lore than just fan service pleases my mind. And we have fanfiction so.....🥴. Plus the lack of female routes is not bothering me because I still love all the characters shown so far and two new ones. I will be waiting two years for this game.

[pocket-lad]

CH 10- Shit

Prev

Adelaide dreamed of Ian. More specifically, Adelaide dreamed about the first time they met.  

***  

It was the same as any other day. The Bean, Ian, was out of the house, as he often was. Adelaide was out of food, and she was long overdue for a resupply.  

She didn’t like borrowing during broad daylight, but her stomach growled at her. How long had it been since she ate? Three days? Four? If she waited much longer, Adelaide might not have the strength or energy to borrow. So, making sure for the third time that she had her hook and knife, she left her small home in the walls for the hole that emptied onto the kitchen counter.  

Adelaide made that hole herself when she first moved in. She needed an easy way to access the kitchen – that's literally where the food was – and she found a loose tile in the backsplash in the corner. With time and patience, she was able to free it enough to slip through, but keep it attached enough to hide the hole. One of these days it was going to fully snap, but Adelaide would cross that bridge when she got to it.  

Apparently, today was that day.  

Before she left the safety of the walls, she sat beside the entrance, listening for any signs of life. She was positive she heard the Bean leave earlier, but she could never be too careful. After a minute of silence, Adelaide slowly pushed her way through the tile.  

SNAP!  

Adelaide jumped what felt like ten feet in the air. The tile fell from its place in the wall, revealing the gaping hole from which she emerged. She froze for a second, listening for any reaction from within the house, but still she heard nothing.  

Great.  

For the time being, she hoisted the tile up and leaned it against the hole, obscuring it a little. To her it was obvious, but most Beans didn’t notice things that small. She hoped that was the same for this one, but she doubted it. He was weird. 

Adeliade stared out at the empty counter before her and sighed.  

There were a couple problems with borrowing from this Bean. For one, he was observant. More so than a regular giant. He took notice of the small details, and he knew when anything was out of place. One time, Adelaide left tracks in the dust on his bookshelf. With the way she dragged her feet and hauled her findings that day, they hardly looked like footprints. Still, the Bean noticed. Adelaide nearly had a heart attack and had already started working on plans to move out, but luckily, he didn’t seem to think much of it.  

The second issue was that the Bean was tidy. He rarely left any crumbs behind and always put things away when he was done with them. It kept pests away, which was a bonus, but it also made it incredibly difficult for Adelaide to find anything, let alone get to it.  

The third, most pressing issue was that the Bean’s schedule was unpredictable. He left quite a bit, but when he left and when he came back was always changing. Sometimes he was gone all day and all night, sometimes he only stepped out of the house for thirty minutes. Adelaide constantly had to be on guard in case he returned unexpectedly.  

It wasn’t like she chose this place, though.  

When Adelaide was back in the motel, borrowing was a lot easier. People were messier since they didn’t have any need to clean up after themselves. The maids were overworked, and so that meant stuff was often overlooked. And with a steady stream of new people every couple of days, Beans didn’t notice when things were out of place or missing.  

The motels had a major pest problem though. She had to fight off bugs and rats and other creepy crawlies nearly every day. She could not be more grateful that this was no longer a problem in her life. Roaches were gross. 

Adelaide could sit there and complain all day, but that did little to actually help her problems. So, she trekked on and did what she needed to do to survive.  

She eyed the massive bowl of fruit that always sat on the counter, but it was too risky to go for anything in there during the day. She’d have to check the cupboards.  

Adelaide dug her hook out of her bag and tossed it in the air. It latched onto the handle, and she backed up, tugging the thread that was attached to it as hard as she could.  

She remembered the time she backed herself right off the counter trying to open the cupboard. She had a hold of the thread, so she was fine, but God was that a shock. So now, Adelaide paid more attention when she did this.  

The cupboard opened just wide enough for someone her size to slip through, so she flicked her hook off the handle and swung it back up toward the inside of the cupboard. It came clattering back down to the counter the first time, but on the second try, she got it to stick. Giving it a sharp tug to make sure it was secure; she began her ascent.  

Adelaide wasn’t the fastest climber on the planet, but she wasn’t a slacker. Within a minute, she was at the top and surveying the food around her. Sadly, it wasn’t much.  

Her first stop was at an open sleeve of crackers. It was about halfway full, meaning she had to climb inside the loud, crinkly packaging to drag one out. The cracker itself was roughly 2/3 her size, so Adelaide held it out and stomped on it to break it into more manageable pieces. She shoved the contents in her bag and continued on.  

As her stomach grumbled again, she so badly wished she had access to the fridge. It was silly to think like that, though. Adelaide knew that it would never be feasible, but she couldn’t help thinking about all the fresh food inside. What she wouldn’t do for some cheese to go with her cracker right now. A girl could dream.  

There wasn’t anything else accessible left in this cupboard, so she dejectedly walked back toward the opening. She could check out the cupboard on the other side of the counter – maybe it would have better options.  

It was times like this that Adelaide would kill for an entrance into the walls inside the cupboard, so she didn’t have to climb up, then climb down, then climb back up, then climb back down again. She could easily carve a hole that would be nearly invisible to the Bean, but the walls on the other side just weren’t set up right. They weren’t made for a borrower to walk through. Shocker.  

With a sigh, Adelaide swung her bag over her shoulder and began the trip back to the counter. She was about halfway down her thread when she heard it. The front door opened.  

“Dammit!” she cursed.  

Adelaide was hoping the Bean would stay out for at least a couple hours, but it had only been an hour at most. She estimated that she had about a minute before she had to be out of sight, but when she heard the rustling of plastic bags, she realized he went for groceries, so his first stop was likely the kitchen. Her estimation dropped to thirty seconds maximum.  

Seeing no other option, Adelaide let go of the thread and dropped the rest of the way, landing hard on her left ankle. Her body unwillingly let out a soft cry, but she had no time to think about whether the Bean heard it. She bolted toward the walls, throbbing ankle and all.  

Uh oh.  

Adelaide remembered her thread hanging back from the cupboard and froze. If she didn’t grab it, the Bean would find it. He was smart. He would figure her out in no time, and even if he didn’t, his senses would be on high alert for anything else unusual and she’d have to stay in the walls for a while. Without food and without a hook.  

That moment of indecision was all it took. The Bean rounded the corner, and his eyes locked on Adelaide.  

ShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShit , she thought as she corrected course and headed for the nearest hiding spot – behind the fruit bowl. It was hardly a hiding spot. The Bean could easily move it out of the way, but it gave Adelaide a small sense of cover and the few spare seconds it provided let her think.  

The silence that followed was deafening. It carried on for so long that Adelaide thought he might not have seen her.  

“Um....hello,” he said.  

Shit.  

Adelaide didn’t say anything. What could she even say? Hi? No, she’d stay put until he made a move, and judging by the sound, or lack thereof, he was rooted in place. Maybe he’d grow bored, or think he imagined it. Unlikely, but what was Adelaide to do at this point but hope?  

He spoke again, his booming, deep voice filling the room. “I uh, I know you’re there.”  

Adelaide heard the rustle of bags, then light, slow footsteps that got louder as he approached. “You wanna come out?” he continued.  

Shit.  

Adelaide tried to form a plan, but all her mind seemed capable of right now was panic. She would under no circumstances let tears fall, though. If the Bean caught her, which was becoming more and more likely, she could not show any sign of weakness. What did her parents always tell her? She couldn’t remember. It all seemed so pointless at the time, so she didn't bother listening. They would never get caught. Only stupid borrowers got caught. Adelaide’s family was invincible.  

What she wouldn’t give to make that statement true. What she wouldn’t give to remember their advice.  

“Okay, come on,” the human said, sounding impatient and very close. Great, now she’d pissed him off, too.  

The huge bowl Adelaide leaned against moved out of the way, and she fell backward. She scrambled to her feet and backed away, making eye contact with the giant and pulling out her knife defensively. She stared at his massive hands that held the bowl. She could never dream of even budging that bowl, and he lifted it out of the way with ease. With hands that could close around her whole body and obscure her from the world forever. Adelaide shivered.  

The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. The only movement in the room was Adelaide’s chest as she breathed heavily, looking like she just ran a marathon. It was hard to read the expression on his face. Shock, for sure, but he was doing pretty well at masking it. There was a glimmer in his eye too, a dangerous one.  

“Aren’t you fascinating,” he said, though it was unclear if the statement was directed at her. Silence.  

They stayed like that for so long that Adelaide considered running back to the wall. He’d figure out where she lived, but she’d gather her essentials as quickly as possible and haul ass to another house. Yeah, that sounded like a plan. It was the best she had at the moment.  

With that, Adelaide took off toward the hole she left in the wall, grateful that the tile chose today to snap so that she wouldn’t waste any time peeling it back. A thump shook the counter, sending her into the air a smidge, but she landed on her feet and kept running. He probably set the bowl down, which meant he was freeing his hands to grab her. Adelaide willed her feet to go faster.  

In a matter of seconds, a giant, black form filled her entire line of vision and Adelaide stumbled to a stop, arms pinwheeling to keep her balance. She forced herself to look up, and up, and up , and she saw the giant leaning his elbow awkwardly on the counter to take up the whole width of it, effectively blocking her path. His head rested on his hand. He smirked at her, and though he was still trying to hide it, she could see the shock at finding such a small being much more clearly.  

Shit.  

Again, they entered a staring battle.  

“Well, one of us is gonna have to say something,” the Bean said. Adelaide belatedly registered that as a joke, but she didn’t laugh. “What the hell are you supposed to be anyway?”  

When she still didn’t answer, realization spread across his face. “Ah...It’s... highly unlikely you can understand me, let alone speak. Your brain mass must be...and well, that makes - makes things more difficult.... Can you understand me?” His unoccupied hand gestured wildly, and it took everything in Adelaide’s power not to flinch or back away.  

She once again didn’t say anything. Adelaide wanted to walk away from this interaction with the Bean having as little knowledge as possible about her and her species. She wanted to walk away from this interaction, period. Still, she was offended that he presumed she was unintelligent because of her size.  

“So, you can understand me,” he concluded aloud.  

Huh? How did he know that? Adelaide didn’t do anything, didn’t say anything. Her face scrunched up in confusion.  

“Stoicism isn’t really your um... forte,” he explained.  

Shit.  

“And I can tell that you’re uh, not too pleased with me, from the- from the look of things.... I have to admit this position is very uncomfortable. Mind if we talk... elsewhere?”  

Without waiting for an answer, the Bean straightened and reached for her.  

“No!” Adelaide yelled, jumping back and brandishing her knife. Her heart hammered in her chest.  

“Woah!” The Bean paused. He stood straight up now, and Adelaide had to strain her neck to look at his face. God, he was tall. Looking up at that angle made her dizzy... and nervous. “Please don’t stick me with that thing... How did you – how did you even get it? At your size, I uh, I find it hard to believe that you made it.”  

Adelaide still didn’t say anything.  

“I know you can talk now... I mean, it had to be made somehow, I get that. Are there more of you? That would make sense, probably acquired it from another one of your, uh... species, one who specializes in something of the- of the sort... But of course, where are my manners? The name’s Dr. Ian Malcolm. And....?” He was asking for her name.  

Adelaide’s head spun. She regretted screaming when he reached for her, because now that he knew she could talk, that also meant he knew he could get information from her. Now he was never going to let her go.  

She also didn’t appreciate his analysis, even if he was wrong about a couple things, and right about a couple others. Adelaide felt like a science experiment that he was reciting the results of. Not to mention he was so tall, even for a giant, and the way he stared down at her made her feel like she was a bug under a magnifying glass. 

 Adelaide rubbed her neck. It was getting sore from having to look up so much. But even if she turned her head away, he still took up most of her vision, he was that big. And she couldn’t look away anyway. Every second she wasn’t at attention was a dangerous one, because he could do anything to her at any moment.  

Adelaide didn’t want to tell him her name. It felt too personal, and if he wasn’t going to treat her like a person, then he certainly wouldn’t be allowed that level of information.  

“My evening just opened up, so I can stand here all night.” He gave her a sideways smile that made her unwillingly shiver. She had seen him give smiles like this to other Beans whenever he was trying to win them over, especially with women. Adelaide knew his tricks and she would not fall for them.  

Ian sighed. He reached over for a chair at the table, seeing that they were probably going to be there for a long time.  

Adelaide saw her opening. She already tried running, which failed, but he was looking at her then. Maybe if she bolted while he wasn’t looking, it would give her just enough of a head start to make it back. Once again, she underestimated the Bean. A stupid mistake, really. You shouldn’t underestimate Beans.  

“Okay, yeah, that’s- that’s not going to work,” Ian said to nobody in particular when he noticed her escape attempt.  

He didn’t even have to reach far to grab Adelaide. His fingers quickly wrapped around her body, obscuring everything but her head, and pulled her away from her destination.  

On Adelaide’s part, she felt like she just slammed into a brick wall. One moment she was sprinting, then next she was colliding with a solid wall of flesh. Before she could even back away, his fingers coiled around her back and ushered her into his palm. His grip solidified a little too tightly and Adelaide was soaring through the air. Vertigo hit her like a truck.  

With the tiny being contained, Ian tried to figure out where she was going. The counter was bare. There was nothing to hide behind or defend herself with. That was when he spotted the small tile out of place in the backsplash, hidden in the corner, but he could check that out later. Suddenly, a sharp pain spread across his palm.  

Adelaide couldn’t tell up from down or right from left, but she knew one thing. She had to get out of this Bean’s hands, or she would die. Or worse, she would end up as his pet. It was hard to maneuver within his tight grip, especially with her head pounding, but she was able to twist the knife in her hand and drag it along his palm.  

Ian hissed and on reflex, opened his hand. Adeliade fell through the air. This was it. She would hit the ground and die. It wasn’t a heroic death, and it wasn’t how she wanted to go, but at least she would go out on her own terms, not at the hands of a Human. If she was going down, she’d go down swinging.  

Unfortunately, Ian’s other hand swooped down and caught her. She scrambled, half-crawling and half-running to get off the hand, but this time he was prepared. He closed his fist again, leaving her knife arm out. He reached in with his injured hand and grabbed the knife, trying to pull it out of her grasp.  

Adelaide couldn’t let go. This knife was her one defense in a world that vastly outsized her, and it was the one thing that kept her connected to her family. If she lost it, she was as good as dead within a week. She held on as best she could for as long as she could, but in the end, Adelaide’s strength was no match for a Bean’s. With just an infinitesimal twist of his wrist, Ian yanked the knife away from Adelaide and set it out of sight.  

“Give it back!” she cried.  

“Oh, now we want to talk,” Ian said.  

He held her up to his brown eyes, and she tried her best to wriggle out of his grip. They took in every inch of her, probably gathering information she didn’t even know about herself. Adelaide was deeply uncomfortable with the scrutiny she was under, and she didn’t like how close he held her to his face. She refused to look at those eyes that were the same size as her head, and she’d be damned if she ever stopped fighting. If only she were a little closer, she could kick him in the eye, do some real damage.  

Ian reached toward her again, and Adelaide tried to pull back, despite the way she was held tightly. His thumb and index finger lightly pinched around the arm that stuck out of his fist. Every ounce of Adelaide’s being screamed at her to yank her arm free, but she forced herself to freeze. His finger took up the whole length of her arm. One wrong move, one twitch of his hand, and it would snap. She couldn’t stop the tremors that snaked through her though, and she wondered if he felt them.  

Ian ‘hmm’d’ to himself as he inspected her arm.

At that, Adelaide lost it. He was so dismissive of her, and it boiled her blood. Maybe her knife wasn’t her only weapon.  

Adelaide bit down on Ian's finger. Hard.  

“Jesus Christ!” he said, but he didn’t open his fist. In fact, he reflexively squeezed just a little tighter, forcing Adelaide to let go. All the air was forced out of her lungs, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to replace it.  

Before she knew it, Adelaide was flying through the air again, and just when she thought the pain was too much, the hand released her, and she fell in a heap on a new surface. From the look and texture of it, she was on the table.  

Adelaide wanted to stand up so badly and face her captor, but she had to catch her breath first. Her ribs would definitely be bruised tomorrow. Plus, with the adrenaline wearing off, her ankle started to throb again. She gasped for air for too long, giving the Bean time to maintain his control of the situation. 

“You did quite a number there!” he said. Adelaide looked up, still panting, to see Ian examining the wounds she left behind on his giant, stupid hands. One hand sported a long, thin cut that bled only slightly, the other a couple tiny holes that bled harder.  

She couldn’t believe that just seconds ago, those hands held her life in them, and they almost extinguished it. They probably still would, given the injuries she gave them. Adelaide stepped back, gauging his reaction. If Ian wasn’t pissed off before, he certainly was now. She realized belatedly how, if she failed at escaping, her acts of self-preservation may be seen as acts of defiance. Beans didn’t like that.  

Shit.  

“Now that you can’t uh, scurry off, why don’t you tell me what you’re doing in my um... in my kitchen,” he said, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands under his chin.  

“None of your business,” Adelaide spat. She wanted to check out her surroundings, but she knew not to take her eyes off Ian.   

“I very much do think it is my business, considering it’s my kitchen.”  

“What if I said I was here first?” Adelaide challenged. She was bluffing, but how would he know? He had no way to prove it.  

“I uh, highly doubt that.” Ian crossed his arms and rested them on the table. At the motion, Adelaide jumped to her feet and scrambled backward, limping on her injured ankle. “Woah!” he said. “Relax... you’re a feisty one." There was amusement in his voice, which made Adelaide even angrier. This was amusing to him? She felt like prey being toyed with by a predator before it made her its dinner.  

“What do you want?” Adelaide demanded. She hated the way her voice quivered.  

“A name would be nice,” Ian said casually.  

“No.” She continued to back away.  

Ian didn’t bother to reach for her, since there was nowhere for her to go. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he assured her, “if that’s what you’re worried - worried about.”  

“You already did.” Adelaide was trying to keep her sentences as short as possible to divulge as little information as possible, but she couldn’t help letting that one out.  

The Bean looked at her as if she was messing with him. “When?” he asked.  

“Just now. You probably bruised my ribs, asshole!” When Adelaide was backed into a corner, she lashed out, and this was no exception. The problem with Human Beans was that they understood words and felt emotions, so when Adelaide insulted them, they knew it. Rats didn’t tend to notice those kinds of things.  

Shit.  

Adelaide froze in place, realizing her mistake. He may as well just smash her to bits now. She braced for impact, but it never came.  

“Oh,” he said. Adelaide could have sworn she saw guilt pass briefly over Ian's face, but there was no way a Bean felt sorry about something like that. She must have imagined it. “Oh, I should have known how- how fragile your bones... and how delicate your skin must be. I apologize.”  

“I’m not fragile!” Adelaide insisted, miffed at this whole conversation, but even then, the pain in her ankle grew worse and worse so she could hardly stand on it.   

“Clearly,” he said sarcastically, gesturing at her disheveled, broken body.

“What. Do. You. Want?” Adelaide repeated.  

“I told you. Your name.”  

“ Well , you’re not getting it.”  

“ Well , what were you doing in my kitchen?”  

“Grabbing food.”  

“Stealing food?”  

“Borrowing food.” 

“Right...... How long have you uh, been... here?”  

“I don’t know.”  

“How do you not know?”  

“I don’t know! It’s not really in my interest to keep track of days!” Adelaide was getting impatient. She hated this back and forth, hated delaying the inevitable. If he was going to do something, he should do it already. “Can you please just kill me already?!” Adelaide simply could not force herself to look him in the eyes when she asked the question.  

“Uhhhhhhh...no,” Ian said.  

Adelaide looked up at him in shock. “No?... Then- then what are you going to do? Experiment on me or- or lock me up? I don’t...I can’t...” She felt tears start to form, but she forced them back. “What do you want?!” she asked for the millionth time. She was shaking now.  

“I didn’t really um, plan on doing- on doing any of that. I really just want your name,” he said, still calm.  

“MARCY. MY NAME IS MARCY. CAN YOU PLEASE LET ME GO NOW?” she yelled. She wasn’t going to give him the one thing she had left. So, Adelaide used the name of her neighbor back in the motel. It’s not like he’d know the difference.  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marcy. And um, no, I don’t quite want to let you go just – just yet.”  

“Wh- What-” Adelaide started, but Ian cut her off.  

“It takes a lot to surprise me Marcy, but you...” he pointed at her on the word ‘you’, making her flinch back, “.... you have managed to accomplish that. If I let you go, I know for a fact that I will never uh, never see you again. I’m sorry I hurt you, but it won’t happen again and um... well, there it is.”  

Ian seemed even taller now. Did he grow a couple feet when she wasn’t looking? Adelaide started to feel dizzy. He didn’t want to let her go. He was never going to let her go. It was just like last time, when she...when her parents...Her heart rate skyrocketed, and her breathing started to match. Her life was over. She wasn’t sure what did it first – the hunger, the exhaustion, the pain, or the panic. Adelaide fainted. 

.

Next

[takibikaen]

My top 5 Bleach women and why I love them: Part 1

(Some of this based on what makes them awesome, or how they're written. Also, this is Part 1 of the entire post, so it'll only show the first 3 characters, due to Tumblr's limit on how many links/media I can use.)

5/5. Ikumi Unagiya \~ Owner of Unagiya Shop

Why?

It’s an unique choice since she doesn’t get that much screen time compared to the others but I really think she’s got a fun personalty and somewhat of a good adult character in a shonen manga that doesn’t have many adults that’ll be there for the MC on an emotional level.

In the Fullbringer arc, she’s one of the only adults in Ichigo’s life who tries to be there for him even with her unawareness of shinigami and hollows. Ikumi still reminds him that he is a kid and he should be able to rely on her, and I think it’s really profound that she says this but Ichigo hasn’t ever really believed in that for most of his life.

Another underrated moment is her getting Ginjo to stop subtly upsetting Ichigo and made him leave her shop. Ginjo wasn’t even a villain at this point but Ikumi still knew the questions he was saying about Ichigo’s dad and his family were screwing with Ichigo’s mind. Maybe I’m giving her too much credit for being a reliable adult for a shonen manga, however it still puts her in my list.

Even in the TYBW arc, she’s still there to be a form of stability to Ichigo who goes through hell before visiting her. Her personality between a dependable, intuitive adult and a stubborn woman who kidnaps teenage employees in broad daylight is what stands out to me as a character.

4/5. Tier Harribel \~ Tres Espada

Why?

Her whole look with the jacket and the hollow mask is honestly pretty cool to see in the series and her serious, calm personality is nice to see among the Espada. Plus her motif as the ‘Espada of Sacrifice’ adds a whole new layer of her concern for her Fraccion, like Nel who was the former 3rd. Her sword release is also dope, “Tiburon”.

In the Arcancar arc, she only gets one main fight (which she got done dirty on) and then gets betrayed by Aizen, but at least I have to appreciate the moments throughout the arc that build her character.

Again, it’s really rare here to see an Arcancar care about their own considering the whole process of Hollows devouring each other from Menos Grande - Adgjunchas - Vasto Lordes. Plus, having the balls to go up to Head-Captain Yamamoto and say you’ll avenge your subordinates is pretty insane.

There is no world without sacrifice. Are you unaware? We are in a sea of blood, ashes floating in hell crying the name of a fading world. - Bleach Vol. 42

The series could have used her more outside of the Arcancar arc but in TYBW arc, she was the ruler of Hueco Mundo and saved Nel & friends from Yhwach. However, they forgot about her for the rest of the TYBW arc which I’m hoping the anime will fix, maybe adding a scene. In the timeskip, she’s adjusted to the role of it all and looks OP af, I personally love this look on her.

Appearance-wise, it’s obvious how stunning how she is honestly.

I used to think “Harribel” was her first name but Tier is actually her first name.

https://twitter.com/jessjessdraws - Artist who drew the Harribel sketch on bottom right panel.

3/5. Unohana Retsu \~ Squad 4 Captain and First Kenpachi

Why?

Almost every Bleach fan loves Unohana but besides the obvious mommy vibe she gives, I really appreciate the dual traits she's had. I really love how she’s a healing captain whose committed to the Gotei 13, and how it’s revealed later that she was one of the original Gotei 13 and the First Kenpachi. The way she holds herself from the beginning of her debut to her death, she always been caring to those she healed and worked with but held a intimidating demeanor around her.

Battle is everything - Bleach Vol. 59

Kubo’s character design is something that took me a while to realize there’s certain symbolism in it. Unohana’s mainstream design is much more meaningful when you find out the core of her character and how she started. The braid she puts her hair in resembles chains that Unohana put on herself to hide away her past of immense bloodlust as the First Kenpachi like the scar on her chest.

At the core of her character, fighting is everything to her considering the environment she’s grown in. The Soul Society and Yamamoto has harnessed her strength and killing prowess for the sake of protecting their interests. One of the themes of Bleach is the “The Heart” where many characters and groups have revolved around the belief of what the heart means to them. Unohana’s role in TYBW shows how her heart is centered around fighting and how her sin is the foundation of her persona as the kindhearted, healing Captain of Squad 4.

I always heard criticism about how Unohana got centered around Kenpachi and got killed for Kenpachi’s development, but I point to the overall themes of the story and how shinigami like Unohana who had to fight harshly to survive in the Rukon district. They often centered or associated themselves around another person who brings a feeling, emotion or sensation within them, that drives them to do actions in a story.

Learning healing kido to extend a fight for who knows how long is a pretty unique concept for the whole medical character trope. It’s so riveting to me that even through healing others, Unohana was helping the other shinigami live on for another fight which is something Kenpachi advocated to Ikkaku, besides doing her job. In her final battle, she was doing that not for Kenpachi but for the sake of the Soul Society’s survival. Thus, her heart and purpose might be with Kenpachi now, but she found meaning outside of her original role for centuries, and briefly enjoyed peace from being a fighter of bloodlust until the Wandenreich arrived.

@Mak_ai_ on Twitter is the artist who made the Unohana art with grey-black backgrounds and @srkbom108 on Twitter made the Unohana art that has red backgrounds to it. Check them out!

Bottom left art by @joranz1204 on Twitter and bottom right art by @Mak_ai_ on Twitter

Made by @rakusakugk on Twitter. Sorry about the whole art dump in this answer but I couldn’t help it lol, there’s just so much good Unohana art on the Internet, also I own none of the fan art here.

Hope you enjoyed it so far! Here's Part 2 of the post!

My top 5 Bleach women and why I love them: Part 2

Also, talking about her themes

Check me out on Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kirun-Uzumaki

[themaskstayson]

Thinking about all my Dark Urges in a party together cause it can be a somewhat balanced party, in the sense of survivability but also so funny to write about.

Rynnil, the lolth-sworn drow oathbreaker.

Cyrus, the tiefling bard college of spirits.

Moondrop, the deep gnome shadow monk.

Varra, white dragonborn wild magic Sorcerer.

Varra is default durge but with body 1 cause I wanted him to be smaller lol He's the master mind of the group and Bhaal's special chosen baby. He's more incline to go with the flow and if that means follow the urges pretty hard-core with no regards of them being attacked... Oh well. He wouldn't help the goblins, though. Mostly because it would be a waste of a perfectly good blacksmith. He wants to fight Orin and take his power back but throughout the journey becomes conflicted with duty to Bhaal, his "family", and now his new found "family". He is the leader of Dark Urge group and co-leader when the combine groups with Wyll as the leader for origin characters.

(I played for about 20iah hours and I stopped because idk kissing as a dragonborn was kind of meh... I do love the white and red dragonborn design so much and I would bring Varra back for a multi-player game instead. He never left act one but he did get it in with Astarion.)

Rynnil is very resist the urge. He remembers a life before the cult and wants to break free and go back to it, or at least break free to have his freedom, now that he got a taste. He's very hands off with the group, letting them be gremlins until they cross a line like unaliving people in broad daylight for no good reason. They can't just do things like get the Grove closed off, how else would they sell the loot they're hoarding? He's still duty bound but by his own rules of wanting to keep his "family" safe. Socially he is not the greatest and relies on others for anything talking related. Also, while Rynnil is very resist the urge, by the time he gets to Baldur's Gate and realizes a few things he does go a bit back to the dark side and does things without care for his own well being.

(Rynnil was in a coop game and an honour mode one. In coop he romance Wyll and it was so cute. He was very duty bound and I broke his oath by accident in act 3 lol He was very much the silent type but easily won over by Wyll's romantic ways. Him and Astarion were besties.

In the honour mode, Rynnil was romancing Astarion but, by accident, they broke up and Rynnil got upset and started doing unhinged things like get the hammer and lie a lot about what he was doing. I got stressed and stopped the run, but I should continue for the dice at least..... He's also romancing Halsin, which is meh. Rynnil works best with Wyll imo just for the support and not having the need to "fix" someone else and get support to be a better person.)

Cyrus is the same as Varra and goes with the flow but WAAAAY more interested in the need to please daddy Bhaal and blood baths because it keeps the skin moisturized. He also would clock Astarion's flirting unlike Varra and Rynnil and he would find it cringe. He'll still sleep with him, though. Not cause he likes Astarion but he wants to see how cringe-y he gets with his lines. Cyrus would actually sleep with everyone, like a true bard. He's also the group's voice but Rynnil does keep him in line from doing anything too bad. Until later on where Rynnil doesn't seem the care about anything and Cyrus can make his own decisions without care.

(Plan for Cyrus was to use the polymod and romance everyone. I just... Never got around to it lol Cyrus wouldn't be so interested in Astarion but more so Lae'zel cause she's strong or Gale cause he's a wizard and powerful. Gale being depressed would be a turn off. Cyrus wants to cause chaos, or at least be unhinged enough.)

Moondrop is also resist the urges and trying to find inner peace. He's also one of the sassier members of the group and always judging everyone. The amount of time people go to him for advice is concerning to him. He also demands they have tea with their lunch and relax. He's very meh with the group. He doesn't see the others as his siblings at all, especially Varra and Cyrus for embracing the urges at times. Rynnil he is okay with but mostly cause the drow doesn't do much of anything and is a reliable fighter. Moondrop finds the origin characters to be very concerning about but would prefer if Wyll just lead the group alone since Varra cannot be trusted really.

(Moondrop I am trying to keep no mods with Script Extender to see if I can get Wyll to not be buggy and get one of the romance greetings and I really wanna see his kisses. I also wanna romance Adtarion cause the boy is racist against Gnomes and it would be funny. I can't play vanilla cause how the hell am I supposed to be a femboy with no cute faces?)

Regardless of barely playing with mods, the game somehow got corrupt.

In theory I can run a game with all 4 of them and have them romance someone but running the game twice was concerning... I don't know if I can run it 4 times to get them all lol

[linkspooky]

My Hero Academia, Chapter 377-388 Thoughts

A two-fer because the pacing of these chapters is just a little bit slow. With the reappearance of Shigaraki Deku can finally act on his intention to try to reach Shigaraki instead of ignoring the crying boy inside of him. There's a pattern between all three hero / villain foils, the heroes are finally at a stage where they are willing to talk, whereas the villains are doubling down on their worst impulses and giving up on the idea that they can talk things through. Which Shigaraki even openly mocks Deku, that they're not going to sit down at the mall and have another chat. Since these two chapters revolve around the idea of villains and their origins, I'm going to ruminate on their unwilingness to finally talk and why they are doubling down underneath the cut.

1. Distortion

Tenko Shimura is the only character outside of the main origin trio to have an "origin" chapter, but before that comes a chapter labeled "Tomura Shigaraki: Distortion." In this chapter we learn that Shigaraki's own memories of his past, are missing and in fragments despte carrying the emotional burden and guilt of killing his own family.

He has full on developed dissociative amnesia and cannot even remember his origin or what led him to kill his family. For Tomura Shigarki, his origin may as well have been the moment that All For One found him in the alleyway.

When Shigaraki finally recovers his memories of his household and the events leading up to his family's death, the chapter is entitled "Tenko Shimura: Origin." Not only does Tenko Shimura have an origin chapter, but after he finishes his origin we are given an extended flashback on what led to his renaming as Tomura Shigaraki in 237, Tomura Shigaraki: Origin.

There's a distortion where Shigaraki cannot even properly remember his origin because of the trauma he carries, and when his memories clear up he essentially goes through two origins, first for how his family died how his desire to be a hero led to his father's abuse which culminated in him losing control of his quirk, and the second that led up to his adoption by AFO and his naming of Tomura Shigaraki. I don't think that Tomura / Tenko are separate entities, but rather Tomura's origin being distorted to such an extreme extent to the point where he takes on a whole new identity and is convinced he wants something separate from his original desire shows the pattern of how AFO ends up manipulating all the villains he takes under his thumb to believe what he wants them to believe, and how the villains in general have their beliefs distorted from their original origins.

Tomura's desire started out the same as Deku's, to be a hero, and to have someone in that household listen to him.

The trauma of not only having his feelings and desires rejected by everyone in the household, but on top of that, after destroying his house on accident and not being saved by a single hero in the busiest street in the middle of broad daylight led him to believe that the outside world was rejecting him the same way that his house did.

This distorted his motivation into reject them, the same way they rejected me. Not only did he convince himself that he wanted to destroy the house, but also that the destruction of the Shimura household wasn't an accident but rather something he desired all long and finally acted on.

Of course the two panels I've posted above contradict this belief that was what he wanted to begin with, because Shigaraki expresses twice a belief if someone had told him what he wanted to hear, or someone looked at him or reached out a hand to help him that day things would not have gotten that bad. Shigaraki's contradictory beliefs are on display, first that he will always be rejected and so therefore he has to respond to that rejection and fight back against it, and second a secret hope that there is still someone who can reach out and save him.

Now does that make Shigaraki's entire hero and villain speech a lie?

The part where he loudly announces he doesn't care if people don't understand him, or implies that heroes and villains can never understand each other is because of his secret desire to be understood, but at the same time, the rejection that Shigaraki has not only faced himself, but witnessed happen to others is very real. It's almost like the truth is complex... weird right?

Which is where I get to AFO's manipulations and why it works so well. AFO specifically targets the rejects who are not receiving help in order to foster their hatred against society.

Not only are they already vulnerable, but AFO knows the hero and villain game well. He sees the world in almost comic book logic, the villains will always be villains, the heroes will always be heroes, and as many Pro Heroes reflect this attitude, they end up reinforcing AFO's manipulation that no one is going to come save them and their only recourse is to strike back violently.

AFO even reinforces this idea internalized by the villains that they are internally bad, or wrong, or want to do these violent actions that are a distortion from their true desires. When they are faced with heroes who further dehumanize them by only looing at their crimes and ignoring the fact they are still human beings with emotions and people who are hurting they're then hit with the double whammy. This is the trap that AFO laid against All Might. He took Shimura Nana's grandson, spent years fostering him into a weapon, sent him basically blind into UA on his twentieth birthday because he knew All Might would beat the absolute tar out of him without even questioning who Shigaraki was or what his motivatiosn are, which only would reinforce Shigaraki's hatred for him.

In the immediate aftermath, All Might is also convinced by his fellow heroes that there's no point in going after Shigaraki because by this time he is beyond help. All Might becomes another one of the heroes who just ignored Temura Shinko on that day when he wandered around covered in blood and muck and grime in the busiest intersection in a city densely packed with heroes hoping just one of them would reach out a helping hand.

I'd also be remiss not to point out that when the kids try too hard to emulate their mentors without questioning their methods, they repeat this same kind of behavior. Shigaraki specifically mentions the mall, because that day he genuinely did try to talk to Deku and this was Deku's response.

Deku states clear as day that he can't understand Shigaraki, and then when asked if there was anyone All Might ever failed to save, he really only asked that question to All Might once before completely forgetting to follow up that train of thought. So when the villains lie and say they no longer want to talk things out and they are beyond talking, it's also basically them saying "Well, I tried to tell you X, Y, and Z and you didn't want to listen that time, but oh now you want to talk." It's the natural result of being ignored so many times.

The idea that heroes and villains cannot understand each other is a lie of course, but it was a lie that was put inside their heads by outside factors. It's also ones they spent a long time fighting against because most of these villains did try in some way to express what was wrong, only to be further scapegoated. To be told, "Oh, you're not X, you're Y." To the point where they started to believe it themselves. All of this to say it's not just AFO, it's also something reinforced by the pro-heroes, and also sometimes the kids following in their example.

Toya's backstory shows that kind of distortion in action almost as clear as Shigaraki's, but rather than being perpetuated by AFO himself who did not have much of an influence on Toya, rather it's done by his family's rejection.

Toya reveals his own origin, his desire is to just be seen by his family. In fact he mirrors Shoto in a way, Shoto wants to reassure people because he felt helpless as a victim in his own house, Toya wants to be seen because he felt ignored in his own house. Both of their motivations come from a desire to actually have a normal, healthy connection with the family they have around them.T oya even states that he was willing to just give up anything even his dreams of surpassing All Might to return home. It's witnessing how quick his family was willing to bury him and move on that made him finally distort. Toya holds onto his origin of wanting to be seen even after burning alive, right up until he witnesses the image of himself on the altar.

After which point his original desire distorts from simply wanting to be see, to harming Endeavor in any way possible and dying in order to give meaning to his death.

It goes rejection -> isolation -> distortion -> then having that distortion reinforced by the continued rejection of the heroes. Shoto and Enji can't reach Toya just yet, because Enji's decision to prioritize being the hero who defeats AFO rather than facing Toya once again only mirrors the way he's never once made Toya a priority or even looked at him. The doubling down and lying to himself isn't in response to nothing, it's the outside circumstances that drives him to do that.

Spinner also has a similar distortion of his ideals happening in real time, and in fact shows just how much AFO can convince someone that his exploitation is helping them. So many people blame Shigaraki's possession on Spinner for the hand scene, by ignoring the fact that you know... maybe AFO possessing him is AFO's fault.

Spinner puts the hand on Shigaraki in desperation because they are cornered by the heroes, and their only way out is if Shigaraki gets up and starts fighting again. At this point the heroes have shown no side they even care what happens to the villains, it's either being sent to tartarus the world's most inhumane prison, or just straight up killing them. AFO's whole schtick is convincing the villains working for them that they have literally no chance of salvation unless they stay with him. The heroes also don't do a lot of reaching out to change their minds.

Spinner notices right away that something is wrong with Shigaraki in the way he is acting, but AFO is quick to reassure him that he is not possesing Shigaraki but rather helping him, and that helping AFO is the way to help Shigaraki.

Every time SPinner witnesses that Shigaraki is clearly in pain, and expresses worry over him, AFO goes out of his way to reassure him that everything is fine and everything is going according to plan. Not only that he convinces SPinner, that by playing a role in his plan he will be helping Shigaraki. That AFO's desires are Shigaraki's desires, and therefore by helping AFO he's still serving Shigaraki.

If Shigaraki can be a sympathetic victim to AFO's manipulations and grooming, then so can Spinner and the rest of the league as a whole. Spinner's desire then goes from just trying to help Shigaraki and be equals with him, to his belief that his blind obedience to AFO is hleping him because Spinner as an average dude can't exist on his own or be helpful unless it's in service to someone like Shigaraki's greater deeds and dreams.

When put into a desperate situation where he has to rely on AFO, because the heroes aren't coming to save them, and have shown every evidence that they'll just outright kill Shigaraki, Spinner is convinced one that AFO is helping Shigaraki and probably the only help they'll receive, and two that blind obedience to AFO is what will help Shigaraki.

If anything it mirrors what he did to Tenko as a child, no heroes are coming to save you but I will. If you follow my path then you'll survive and get stronger. I am your only support, I am here to help you and nurture your growth. AFO tries to groom Tenko so hard into being obedient to AFO's desires for him, he literally possesses his body and tries to rewrite his identity for some time.

Then, there is Toga who we also see her distortion play out in real time over the course of the story. Toga's big statement that sucking blood and transforming into the people she loves is normal for her and all she desires isn't exactly the truth, but it isn't a lie either.

Toga desires normalcy and transforms into Uraraka, basically the epitome of a normal girl. Someone surrounded by high school friends, someone with a boy she likes, someone trusted by the people around her. Toga has projected herself entirely onto Uraraka, because Uraraka represents what Toga tried so hard to be in middle school but failed at because the emotional abuse in her home led her to snapping. Toga believes as shown by her parents and society labelling a middle school girl with one violent incident as a demon child forcing her to run away for her own safety rather than you know... just getting her help that there's no other way for her to live.

The same pattern emerges, Himiko is convinced no one is going to save her, she becomes further isolated and her original origin distorts. She believes what other people say about her, not that her desire is to be normal and to be loved, but instead live however she pleases and express her love by violently drinking blood and turning into people.

This is something reinforced by the heroes unwillingness to listen. Remember, Himiko's question is "Am I going to get brutally murdered by you the way I was Twice?" and most of the heroes don't even see Twice's death as a bad thing but a necessary thing. Hawks even advocates for killing Twice a second time the second he's confronted with the dead man's parade. It's a mistaken belief and a self deception, Himiko is lying to herself, but that lie is pounded into her head by everyone around her.

Himiko is even coerced into the Dead Man's parade and further violence. Dabi puts the idea of turning into Twice in her head and gives her the blood to do so, all while also giving her a speech she shouldn't cry because no one cares whether they are crying or smiling so they might as well get the last laugh. Something, that AFO seems to have had an idea about because he understood the exact chain of events that led to the Dead Man's Parade the moment it happened, that Toya gave Toga the blood because of her grief, and Toga's grief turned into a weapon against the heroes. Her speech even mirrors Shigaraki's as well, if there's nothing but rejection, there's no chance but to reject them right back.

So, none of the villains really came to these conclusions on their own, they believe they are in circumstances where no one is coming to help them, and they decide the only recourse is to fight back harder. They get hit and hit back. The cycle remains unbroken. Their origins have now become distorted, they've forgotten their original desires or convinced themselves otherwise. Toga believes what she wanted all along was to slaughter the heroes and live the easy life. Dabi believes all he wants to do is burn away everything connected to Endeavor. Spinner believes he can only help Shigaraki through blind obedience. Shigaraki himself believes that all he wanted to do all along was to destroy that house.

Obviously, the only thing that is going to break this cycle is long awaited action on the heroes part. It's what we see the easy to redeem villains taking the first step of in this latest chapter. Tsukauchi's speech being the opposite of what not only the heroes have believed, but the villains have convinced themselves of too that there is no changing them.

That instead of viewing them as villains, or internally evil, the only way forward is to try to make them remember their own humanity, and the things they originall wanted, and try to clear away the distortion and return them to their starting point, their origin, because as much as the villains listed above deny it, despite their violent and crimminal actions their original desires still exist within them in a place that the heroes can reach only if they start to look for it. And it's up to the heroes to reach them. Because you know, they're called heroes, and heroes save people. Otherwise they're just teenagers who can explode things, or breathe fire, or punch things really hard.

[mareenavee]

Congratulations! You've been given the opportunity to create a brand new NPC for vanilla Skyrim, completely with vanilla bugs.

Who would this person be? How did they get to Skyrim? What are some funny things they might say in passing? Would they be a follower -- and if so, how would they fight? If not, why? and are they safe? Feel free to elaborate and answer unasked questions about this critter. (: This can be related to your fic(s) and/or existing OCs or completely separate just for fun.

Tagged by the most esteemed @paraparadigm except not really, it was an Ask I sent her for funsies (read her amazing answer here!) and she turned it into a tag game lol

So without further ado, I am pleased to introduce you to...

Oft-Forgotten, Argonian sneak thief. Or, would be, really, if he was any good at sneaking or thieving. He uses a two-handed war hammer, which, in hindsight, is the perfect weapon for sneak attacks, come to think of it.

He's a nice green lizard man. Generally cool and collected. Tries to befriend everyone around him, but bless his heart, when he tries to talk to others he accidentally steals things off their counters every single time. In full view. He can't really help it. In this way, every Hold has bounties in the books for him for petty theft and/or destruction of property. The guards kind of recognize him, but can't be too sure. They say "Hey, I know you?" and then when Oft tries to pay his fines, they just say "Hmm? Need something?" and so, the crimes just kind of linger, unresolved.

He'll follow you, too, if you ask, but has a tendency to wander off. Sometimes he complains about how gross caves and/or Nordic ruins are in broad daylight in the middle of the street. Maybe he has unresolved trauma regarding things like this -- it's hard to say. When you ask him, he's often prone to get caught up in your hit box, fall over and drag unceremoniously behind you by some kind of odd force you can't quite explain. Almost as if stuck to your shoe. He recovers upon fast travel.

Oh and don't get me started on Giants. He's prone to trying to befriend them, too, but considering he sort of always brandishes his war hammer no matter where he's walking, they...take him as a bit of a threat. How he's survived blows from Giants that launch him so far up in the sky it's hard to say when he'll be back down is beyond you, but he gets up, brushes it off, and rushes off to continue adventuring, no harm done. He must have the favor of some Gods, or is exceedingly well preserved by the Hist. You're not exactly sure how that works, anyway.

He's not one for walking off the beaten path, though. You once climbed to the Throat of the World, assuming your friend was behind you the whole way, only to find he'd disappeared at some unknown point. Choosing not to reload your save to when you last remembered him being there -- for some strange reason, you can't remember how long ago that was, really -- you trek all the way back down to Ivarstead and find him under the bridge in the river, face crushed to the bricks. You try to talk to him, but somehow he warps through the solid structure until you can only see some nostrils and the edge of a horn. This, too, resolves with fast travel.

Regardless of his...weirdness, at least you can rely on him for good conversation. You think. You're not really sure. Every time you try and recall a detail he's said, the only thing you can remember is battle cries, and those comments about caves and ruins. You turn around, recalling this and find he's gone again. Maybe he actually is a good sneak thief and you've just forgotten.

~*~

Since Para made this a tag game, let's tag @changelingsandothernonsense again (: And @friend-of-giants as well! And for some writing practice, why not @thattalviel, and @orfeoarte? I'd love to hear from @airiat, @saltymaplesyrup, @elfinismsarts, @goddess-of-sorrow and @thequeenofthewinter too! And as always, if you're up for it, @the-storytellers-seer!

Also honorary tagging anyone else who wants to try this!

Feel free to make these NPCs as serious or as silly as you want! Para and I are just, apparently, in a mood today lol

[themculibrary]

Slow Burn Masterlist 2

part one

Bird Man, Metal Arm, & the Girl (ao3) - mynameisrae bucky/sharon, past sharon/steve, peggy/steve M, 105k

Summary: After returning from the blip, Sharon Carter is finding her place in the world again. She never expected to find Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes on her doorstep with a proposition for her. A proposition that leads her to moving in with the boys and becoming a part of the new Cap Trio. Now she's stuck with the bickering pair while they fight to keep Captain America's shield and navigate their new dynamic. A new dynamic that is becoming more and more complicated as Sharon becomes increasingly more curious what it would be like to kiss that damn scowl off Bucky Barnes' mouth.

Black and Blue (ao3) - concupiscence66 sam/bucky M, 86k

Summary: Sam and Bucky are a couple of guys. A couple of guys who have been battered and bruised down to their souls, and who are in need of some serious rest and relaxation. Bucky would be happy to crawl back into his isolation, but Sam coaxes him into another visit to Delcroix. With no impending doom hanging over their heads, Sam and Bucky have a chance to really get to know one another and see if the spark between them might turn into something more.

Constellations (ao3) - Vetiver bucky/darcy E, 56k

Summary; Bucky and Sam are called to assist SWORD with a strange object from space that's landed in Louisiana, where they meet Dr. Darcy Lewis. After the situation takes an even weirder turn for Darcy and Bucky, they reconnect in New York to figure out the mysterious cube - and their mutual attraction.

This will hang out in 'teen' rating territory for a while before eventually earning its 'explicit' rating. I usually wait till a work is complete before posting, but this one is still in progress; I will aim to update a minimum of twice a week. More tags to be added as events unfold.

Dissonance (ao3) - stuckybarnes peter/wade M, 121k

Summary: Wherein Deadpool is reluctantly hired to protect Peter Parker from an organization out to hunt him, with varying success on both ends and quite a lot of feelings, revelations, and identity crises.

Endgame (ao3) - YunaYamiMouto tony/stephen T, 196k

Summary: The rouge Avengers are pardoned under the influence of King T'Challa and it is up to Tony to 'welcome' them back. But as he and his new team are at the private airport, an unexpected fight breaks loose and the fate of the whole universe is changed when a wizard places himself as Tony Stark's protector.

God's Righteous Man (ao3) - FoxyAtlas steve/bucky M, 232k

Summary: A story in which the serum doesn't affect Steve's size, the shield goes to Bucky, and they reunite years before the Battle of New York. Also, Steve is a punk, but that's canon.

A timeline starting with the Howling Commandos and going all the way to Pre-Infinity War.

Help Me Hold Onto You (ao3) - dash_of_darkness bucky/sam E, 202k

Summary: Six months after the fall of SHIELD and HYDRA, Sam is no closer to finding Bucky and he is growing more desperate by the day. Bucky feels like he's stuck in a free-fall, not able to trust anyone including himself. When he shows up to Sam's house unannounced one night, Sam scrambles to catch him and bring him home before it's too late.

If They Knew All About You (ao3) - MsHermia pepper/tony T, 521k

Summary: Tony Stark had lost his son when he was only 2 years old, stolen away in broad daylight with nobody the wiser of what exactly happened. Years later, Tony has just made it through the disaster with Ultron. He is trying to keep himself and the team together but relationships are strained and tempers are running high. Then a random turn of events leads to his path crossing with that of a particular vigilante. They are strangers to each other, or so they think.

Peter Parker is on top of the world. After a few shitty years, losing his parents and then losing his Uncle, things are finally looking up. Sure he lives in a crappy little apartment with his Aunt but he might have just found his mission in life.

------

This is an AU story obvious by some of the tags. I'm starting out a few weeks after Age of Ultron took place. Civil War will be a thing.

it's always who is spider-man, never how is spider-man (ao3) - i_regret_thatpersonalityquiz harley/peter T, 176k

Summary: "Stay?"

Peter finally looked down to see Harley Fucking Keener, Iron Lad, the boy who had caused his shoulder to be throbbing all night, looking away with a slight tint to his cheeks. Peter opened and closed his mouth, no sound coming out.

And he sat back down.

OR: Peter had been living on the streets, dealing with your average homeless vigilante stuff. Things got a bit more complicated when the Avengers started to chase him down.

Re-Engineered (ao3) - Opy3332 bucky/tony M, 73k

Summary: “Tony blinks. He blinks and his entire world changes.”

Tony is sent back in time from mid-Infinity War to just after returning from Afghanistan.

How different is Tony Stark, and the MCU, with all that knowledge of the future?

Haunted by the guilt of Rhodey’s injury, the betrayal and pain of Steve, the fear of Wanda, the loss of Jarvis, and the foreknowledge of Thanos, this Tony is one the universe hasn’t contended with before. And he is more than ready to re-claim his title of genius, billionaire, and philanthropist in ways unexpected.

Rock Me Gently (ao3) - enigma731, invisibledaemon gamora/peter M, 479k

Summary: “She is our–She is Gamora,” Nebula says. “There is only one Gamora and I know her better than any of you do.” She pauses and glares at Peter, clearly challenging him to protest that. For once, he doesn’t dare. “This Gamora has jumped forward in time nine years, but she is the same person at her core. Just as you are the same despite not having experienced the last five years I did. We are all just–out of sync at the moment.”

Sharpen Your Teeth (ao3) - STARSdidathing loki/tony M, 369k

Summary: A betrayed Tony Stark leaves the Avengers. He's angry and bitter but he's not about to stop being a hero. The problem is that not everyone is happy with his decision.

Sugar Sweet (ao3) - ColorCoated steve/bucky E, 173k

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What I Used To Be (ao3) - thepinupchemist bucky/steve, background tony/bruce/pepper E, 117k

Summary: When the police uncover a hidden sub-basement in the home of criminal Alexander Pierce and find a tortured omega and his three pups, they bring them to the Stark Omega Clinic, a non-profit dedicated to rehabilitating traumatized omegas.

After dark in September 2005, fourteen year old Bucky Barnes vanished. Eleven years and three pups later, he is far from the boy that went missing from a suburban neighborhood outside of Denver.

Steve Rogers is an alpha of some means. When he came into money, he decided to use what he had for good and sign up as a candidate to be a support alpha for his close friend Tony's charitable clinic. When he takes on the task of helping reintegrate Bucky and his pups into the world, he doesn't expect to fall so hard.

Your Latest Trick (ao3) - ChortlesOfDoom loki/tony, pepper/tony E, 273k

Summary: Following a violent, masterfully feigned death aboard the Statesman, Thor believes Loki's gone for good; more importantly, so does Thanos. Exhausted and hungry for revenge, Loki returns to Earth, but as he bides his strength, anonymously supplying the Avengers with inside knowledge between his own preparations, he begins to see the true cost of holding on.

[dagger-n-ravvi]

Chapter Six: Do You Trust Me?

Jade’s sexual desires draw him back to Scarabia for a little fun with Kalim. Surely nothing could go wrong…

This chapter contains some intense scenes that result from a misunderstanding, but otherwise should be pretty light. Also, Jade is an unrepentant brat, which should not be a surprise to anyone XD

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A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46007587?view_full_work=true

It’s late and Jade has classes in the morning. Usually, he’s able to drop off to sleep effortlessly, but instead, he’s alert, unhappy, and faintly aggravated. Every inch of his skin is sensitive and aching. His own body has never been quite this rebellious before. Something about this whole experience feels like he’s being yelled at by an old, and well-trusted friend, and the betrayal is both uncomfortable and surreal. Even the transition from his eel form to his human one hadn’t been this tumultuous, and full of moments where he genuinely had to fight back against his instincts and innate biology. It’s exhausting…

He rolls over onto his back, trailing a hand under his shirt to idly stroke his chest. He frowns, then closes his eyes and lightly squeezes one of his nipples, rolling it between his index finger and thumb. 

‘Harder…’ He tugs it upward and arches his back a bit, then opens his eyes with a disappointed sigh. It feels so hollow… 

He lets his fingers creep downward, brushing over his side, then the groove where his hip meets his thigh. He tries to imagine that it’s someone else touching him. Someone with soft, uncalloused hands… a sweet smile… chocolate-kissed lips… 

White hair…

Kalim was interested. He was. And Jade was so, very disappointed when Jamil interrupted them. 

‘You should stay to eat! My treat for all your help~’ 

Does the invitation still stand? It’s well past dinner time, but still…

Silently, Jade slips out of bed and pulls his clothes on. If he can’t sleep anyway, then he might as well indulge himself, just a little? No more fighting with his instincts. No more deeply unsatisfying struggles for self-control that only make him regret even trying…

The hallways are nearly empty. The handful of students who he encounters are easily slipped past. He makes it to Scarabia without alerting a single person, and his very soul seems to sing as the smell of warm spices caresses his senses again. Yes…this is exactly where he wants to be~

===

Jamil makes his way back through the hallways after finishing his post-dinner security sweep. He still feels deeply uneasy after Kalim’s unplanned study meeting with Jade. What on earth could be going on for Jade, of all people, to try to poison Kalim in front of witnesses, and in broad daylight? And more importantly, what had he told Kalim to make him so tight-lipped about the whole thing? It had to have been something truly shocking, or terrifying. Or perhaps embarrassing…? Azul’s Vice Housewarden does deal in blackmail, after all…

A flicker of movement catches his eye as he turns the corner toward Kalim’s room. Automatically, he flinches back, pressing his shoulders to the wall and peering around the corner with just one eye. No… it can’t be…

With the silent grace of a predator, Jade turns the handle to Kalim’s bedroom. He pushes the door inward and slips into the room, expression focused and eyes glittering faintly in the dim light. Everything about his stance, his expression, and even the white gloves he’s wearing that will prevent him from leaving fingerprints screams ‘assassin.’

‘I KNEW it! Whatever Azul’s client paid you will NOT be worth the dire mistake that you have made on this day…’  

With well-trained precision, Jamil slips down the hallway and to the door of Kalim’s room, carefully blocking the light as he opens the door himself and slithers in after Jade. ‘It’s time for you to obey a new master…’

Jade’s breath picks up and he slips over to the bed, gazing deeply into Kalim’s relaxed, care-free face. He’s asleep…of course he would be. Now, how to wake him as gently as possible? He doesn’t want an surprised shout to alert Jamil and result in another aggravating interruption.

Smoothly he begins to reach out, intending to gently cover Kalim’s mouth with his hand…  

Jamil’s eyes narrow as Jade reaches toward his target with an empty, gloved hand. He seems utterly oblivious to the threat Jamil poses, even though he’s standing right behind him now. Strange… wouldn’t a trained assassin have accounted for his target’s servant by now? And surely waking Kalim up is the wrong move, unless…

‘Ah… he intends to smother him. A more gentle death than a knife in the chest. How very generous, as they’re all so fond of saying...’

“Jade,” he whispers sharply. Jade whips around, eyes widening in shock.

 “The one you behold is your master. When I ask you a question, you will answer. When I give you a command, you will assent. Snake Whisper.”

Jade is immediately caught by the full brunt of the spell. He buckles forward slightly, face crumpling in surprised pain and irises flickering a dull crimson as he fights it. Despite the agonising headache, he remains utterly silent, fingers curled tightly into his own hair and eyes watering as they remain locked with Jamil’s.

“The pain will last for as long as you fight. Give into me, for I am your new master.” Jamil gives him a crooked smile, watching him squirm. He wants to question him, of course. He is going to make him reveal everything about this ill-conceived scheme, from the amount that he was paid, to the names of everyone who was involved. But not here. He doesn’t want Kalim to wake up and witness this. 

“Follow me.” He motions for Jade to follow him out of the room.

‘Shit shit shit -’ Jade exhales shakily, resisting the urge to scream as the splitting headache intensifies. He knew about Jamil’s unique magic, but had never been on the receiving end of it before. It truly is excruciating…to resist it... 

He takes one step toward Jamil, moving like a puppet with half its strings cut. The moment he gives in, the pain dips, and the relief is so intense that he shudders and loses his concentration. The spell presses itself deeply over his mind with the smothering weight of a lead blanket. His irises glow a dull red, and the tension leaves his neck and shoulders. Silently, smoothly, he crosses the room and stands obediently at Jamil’s side, following him as ordered.  

"That’s right. Follow your new master." Jamil chuckles to himself as he leads Jade to one of Kalim's smaller treasure rooms. It’s the furthest away from Kalim’s room, and Jamil has one of only two keys that unlock the door. They shouldn’t be bothered here, no matter how much noise Jade decides to make. 

"Stand here. Hold your hands out like this." Jamil indicates that Jade should stand in the center of the room, with his wrists held out in front of his person. He lifts a pair of silver manacles out of a treasure pile, and locks them around his wrists with a heavy clink. Just an extra precaution. It’s taking a lot of focus to keep him under hypnosis, and Jamil has seen enough of what Floyd is physically capable of to be extremely wary of his twin.

"You are now my servant, and will address me as ‘Master.’ Is that clear?" There’s more than a little relish to the unnecessary command. Despite the threat to Kalim’s life, he has to admit, he’s enjoying this immensely. Having one of Azul's slippery eels under his command? And his right-hand-man, no less? It is thrilling, and he is going to enjoy... every... moment...  

Jade just stares at him, irises flickering between crimson and his own, mismatched gold and olive. His jaw muscles flex as he refuses to speak. The spell is punishing him brutally for the disobedience, making his vision blur and ears ring from the pain. If he’d had a little longer to think, to be strategic about this, he would have simply given in and soothed Jamil’s meaningless little fantasy. But he’s been torn away from Kalim for the second time, dragged into this room, chained, and painfully bespelled into obedience. He doesn’t. Want. TO BE HERE.

He bares his teeth and hisses, reminding this snake of who, exactly he’sdealing with. The effect is lost a second later when he cringes and makes a pained whimper, shaking from head to toe like a newborn kitten.

"So it's going to be like that, huh? Stubborn fool. Give in, and call me by my rightful title." Jamil is faintly impressed by his stubbornness. Jade clearly isn’t Azul's Vice Housewarden for nothing, and he has to give credit where credit is due. Even if all his resistance will be meaningless, in the end.

“You have no spell to deflect this, like Floyd. I'm prepared to keep you here all night if I have to, and you will gain nothing from your resistance but pain. I don’t know what Azul’s client might have offered to pay you for this attack, but as a servant of the Al-Aisms house, I will NOT let you kill Kalim.”  

Kill…? No…he didn’t want…Kalim is…Kalim… Something deep inside Jade’s sinuses pops from the strain of resisting the spell. His nose begins to bleed, dripping down his chin and onto the collar of his shirt. The faint surprise and alarm is enough to disrupt his concentration, and his irises fade behind the spell’s hazy crimson. “Your wishes are clear, Master.”

Jamil cringes at the sight of blood dripping down Jade’s face. “Now look what you did. You hurt yourself and for what?” Jamil chastises as he takes out a handkerchief. “Tilt your head back.”

Jade obediently tilts his head back, holding still as Jamil begins to gently clean his face. “Good. Now tell me - who sent you?”

“Nnnn…” Jade whimpers softly. The question makes no sense, and he can’t think how to answer it properly even though Snake Whisper is viciously insisting that he has been sent here by SOMEONE.  “I was not sent, Master...”

The spell tangles around what he knows to be true, and snaps at him to reveal WHO SENT HIM. Jade winces as the needling pressure inside his mind threatens to increase, despite his honesty. “I sent myself- hhh! I am here of my own volition…” 

The spell is barely satisfied with this, and he shivers as it continues sullenly pressuring him to supply Jamil with an answer that does not exist.  

“Hmm… is that true?” Jamil asks skeptically, looking into Jade’s eyes to see if he’s trying to lie.

“Yes, Master.” The response comes easily and cleanly, but Jade’s already shown that he can resist and suppress the pain of the spell. Still, even the strongest mind shouldn’t be able to lie so blatantly in response to a direct question without it showing up in their eyes. At least his nose has stopped bleeding, but if he’s fighting this hard to keep his purpose here a secret, then his plans must have been truly brutal.

“Very well. Then tell me, Jade… what are you here for this evening?” Jamil projects the spell at him hard as he circles around his new servant, watching carefully as he stiffens again. 

“Urgh…n-ngh-“ Jade stares at the wall, panting heavily. He’s here to court Kalim, but he doubts that Jamil would believe him. And even if he does, he’s unlikely to approve.

“H-here…fnnnngh…khrrrrrrrr…” Jade struggles with the spell, making small, strangled noises. On one side, his body is pushing at him to keep Kalim a secret at all costs, and on the other, Snake Whisper is relentlessly torturing him for an answer.  

“You were here for Kalim yes? Why would you go into his room if not? What were you going to do to Kalim?” Jamil watches him stand there and shake for a moment, then sighs and lets up on the spell. This won’t do. He’s likely to give himself an aneurysm and drop dead if he keeps fighting this hard.  “Kneel before me. You're much too tall.” 

Desperate to pacify the spell, Jade drops immediately to his knees. It soothes his torment, for a moment. But then Jamil’s other commands begin to wrap around his perception of the truth again as they dig viciously through his mind for an answer that does not exist. His intention was not to do anything at all to Kalim. Kalim has far too many things done to him already. Jade’s goal was to coax out Kalim's desires, and see what HE might want to do to JADE instead…

“Master…To him…? No…should be treated…how he w-wants…” Jade sways, feeling faintly nauseous as Snake Whisper demands to know what he intended to do to Kalim. “T-treat him how he wants…”  

Jamil taps his fingertips on a nearby table, not accepting this explanation even a little. He needs Jade to relax…to give in further. Pleasure and relief can be just as destabilizing as pain. Perhaps he needs to try something a little softer.

He takes out a dropper bottle of peppermint oil and dabs the contents onto his fingers. He’s sure that Jade’s head is hurting. He’ll use this to ease the headache, get him to answer a few simple questions to drop his guard, and then…

Without explaining, he begins to massage the oil into Jade’s temples, rubbing it over his skin in slow, firm circles. “Does this feel good?”

After all that resistance, Jade’s head is pounding so hard he’d been seconds away from throwing up. The smell is overwhelming at first, but it quickly cools the ache and soothes his stomach. “Yes, Master,” is his relieved response. In spite of himself, his eyes drift closed.  

“Would you like more?” Jamil slowly works the oil down the back of Jade’s neck, pressing firmly into the straining muscles.

“No, Master.” Jade glares faintly at the floor as Jamil tuts at him. He wants to leave. He underestimated Jamil’s vigilance, and he fears that this mistake will have critically damaged his chances to ever see Kalim alone again. This is now just an embarrassment, a literal headache, and a colossal waste of time. He WILL puzzle out how to find time with Kalim somehow, and it will be easier to do that without the consequence of his sloppy work forcing him to overuse the honourific master…

‘Stubborn! So stubborn. This spell is best for giving orders, not extracting information, but STILL. It should not be this difficult. Hmmm… ’ Jamil thinks, putting the peppermint oil away. 

“I see. Until I tell you otherwise, I am Kalim.” Jamil circles back around to Jade’s front. He’s performing actions much more readily than speaking, so perhaps if Jamil makes this next command a request for a demonstration… “I am Kalim. Now show me what you were going to do.”  

“GNNK-“ Jade flinches HARD at that. He fights the spell, hands balled into fists. There’s a moment where Jamil is sure he was right, and Jade was here to smother Kalim in his sleep… 

And then his expression softens into something kind, patient, and so wholesome it makes Jamil blink in confusion. 

“Kalim…” Jade whispers, then gently takes one of Jamil’s hands and kisses his palm. The smell of mint and Jamil’s sharper, spicier scent is different from Kalim’s, and his body is a little unhappy with that…for a moment. 

“What the…?” Jamil is too deeply in shock to finish the sentence. His skin breaks into confused goosebumps from the gentle contact, and the hair on the back of his neck stands up.

Jade inhales deeply and presses another kiss to the inside of Jamil’s wrist, then reaches upward and hesitates. His hands are still chained together by these pretty, albeit poorly-made shackles. This is confusing. Kalim put these on him, but he can’t properly cup his face with these in the way… 

“I-I-I…“ Jamil stutters. His stomach flips, and his heart pounds in his chest. Kalim is trying to have an affair? WITH JADE? Kalim did very bluntly say that Jade liked him, but surely…?

Jade calmly flexes his arms until the chain snaps apart. Jamil’s eyebrows shoot upward in shock. 

‘He broke them!?’ Jamil backs up a step, suppressing panic as Jade rises to his feet. He hesitates, then tenderly cups Jamil’s face and traces a thumb just below his lower lip.

“May I steal you away for a time? I would show you the world you’ve been hidden away from…” he leans forward and lightly kisses him, a delicate, butterfly-light brush of lips that does not press or demand reciprocation. “And let you live for a moment as you are, and not an unreachable idol made of glass.”  

The blush on Kalim’s face… The insistence that Jade wouldn’t hurt him. No, this has to be a joke. A ruse… Yes. This could’ve been a… a way to weaken Kalim. To distract him before ending him! And it would have been so easy. The way Jade broke those shackles just now makes his heart lurch. So much for an extra bit of safety… Jamil SEVERELY underestimated how strong Jade is…

Jade simply watches him silently panic with a faint, fond smile. There’s a part of him that knows full well that the person he just kissed is NOT Kalim, but as Jamil’s scent and adorable confusion rolls over his senses, his body is finding this new development more and more acceptable. Jamil is strong, cunning, and even though he’s rather rudely holding him in thrall with his magic, he’s now requesting that Jade treat him as a lover. Is this what he wanted all along? Jade feels fuzzy again, and playful as he watches his captor blush. 

“Come with me, Kalim,” he purrs, semi-intentionally selecting his words in a way he knows will poke teasingly at Jamil’s sense of pride. “Jamil is asleep and we will return before he wakes. He works so hard…let him rest…” He brushes Jamil’s bangs back off his forehead with his fingertips, waiting for his answer.  

'... Oh Seven. He's serious-' Jamil shudders, eyeing Jade's saw-toothed smile. Briefly, he wonders what it would feel like if those teeth sunk into the flesh of his neck. His spell wanes for just a moment before he inhales sharply and glares, renewing his concentration. Kalim... Kalim couldn’t be sleeping with Jade, right? Surely it’s too soon for that amount of intimacy. So maybe Jade actually does intend to court Kalim. But if that's the case, then he needs to slow down. Especially if he was intending to take Kalim somewhere under the cover of night, and ALONE! Kalim is the heir of Al-Asim, he can’t be flung around without planning or consequences!

“Where do you want us to go?” Jamil leans forward, feigning interest as he grabs Jade’s wrists. He should figure out where Jade was planning to drag Kalim off to, so he’ll know where to look in the future...

Jade smiles back at him, ignoring the slight, annoying jingle of the broken chain still attached to the shackles. Is this to be a contest of wills and cunning, then? Jade has little chance of overwhelming Jamil while Snake Whisper is active, but as long as the command is broad, he seems to have a surprising amount of latitude. The trick is to work around each new command without outright defying it. To move sideways beneath the lead blanket, as it were, without trying to throw it off… "Kalim, you seem upset. Are you sure that this is what you want? We can stay here instead, if that’s what you’d prefer." Jade’s voice is soft and concerned as he slowly rubs his thumbs over the backs of Jamil's hands.  

'Odd…how is he resisting?'

"I uh..." Jamil frowns thoughtfully at Jade, considering his options. His irises are still a deep, steady crimson, showing that Jamil is still firmly in control. Jade can’t hurt him. If Jamil can just play the part, then he shouldn’t have any choice but to reveal his secrets, no matter how clever he is. He takes a breath and tries to channel his inner Kalim. Jamil is 'asleep.’ He’s Kalim, not Jamil…

Jamil lets go of the attempt before even starting with a frustrated sigh. 'No... no, you’re not. This is getting ridiculous.'  

"Stop. I’m no longer Kalim..." Jamil places a hand over his face, trying to decide whether this whole, ridiculous thing really is a case of love-sick stupidity. "Jade..." 

Jade merely looks back at him, expression lightly mischievous, but otherwise unreadable. All of his cards are on the table now, whether he wants them there or not.

“For pity’s sake…” Jamil is in a bind. He has to protect Kalim. Jade apparently isn’t going to hurt him, even though sneaking outside with him in the middle of night is a big no-no. But despite all that, if Kalim wants this, then Jamil cannot stand in his way. His purpose is to make these sorts of encounters safer, not ban them altogether. How wonderful. Another mountain of logistics for him to plan.

Tiredly, he looks up at Jade. "You’re not the only one with a headache now. Did Kalim ask you to come?"

"No, Master," Jade hums, eyes glittering faintly. "Surely you, of all people, wouldn't credit him with so much initiative..." The spell is only lightly pressing at him to continue addressing his classmate as 'master' but he hadn't missed Jamil's earlier little thrill at the title. He clearly enjoys being in control.

"No... no of course not." Jamil rubs his forehead with his fingertips. Once again, he’s overestimating Kalim. Though it’s still surprising that he kept a secret from JAMIL, of all people? Kalim ALWAYS shares things with him. Always. Kalim keeps HIS secrets, not the other way around.

"Shall I continue to show you what I intended to do with him? Or have you already guessed...?" Jade coyly circles around Jamil, trying to see if he can stealthily get behind him.  

Jamil frowns. Out of all the 'servants' he’s bespelled over the years, this one is the most... cheeky. Strong minds are always the hardest to suppress. He should stop pushing his luck and just wipe Jade's memory of this event, them make him leave and dismiss the spell. If there’s no threat, then there’s no reason for him to be here…

But on the other hand, Jade is acting much stranger than usual. Jamil might expect this kind of chaotic nonsense from Floyd, but Jade is supposed to be the calm one…? Why this sudden interest in Kalim anyway?

“I can hazard a guess, though I am curious about the details. What in the world was your plan?" He sighs.

Without even a second of warning, Jade's hand claps tightly over Jamil's mouth, curling tightly around the lower half of his face and pinning his head back against his chest.

“MMPH?!” Jamil yelps, grabbing onto Jade’s hand and trying to wrench it away.

"My plan, master ? I already outlined it to you earlier. I intended to find Kalim and sneak out onto the grounds with him for slow, gentle sex, as befits someone who is likely inexperienced in such activities." Jade chuckles in his ear, grip terrifyingly iron-tight. "Such a curious unique magic. Do you need to speak commands aloud at me, or are your thoughts sufficient to compel my obedience...?" 

‘DAMN IT! ’ Jamil claws at Jade’s hand, fingers scraping across the loose shackle. He feels like kicking himself. How could he have been so stupid!? He let his guard down for one minute and now…

"Mmf mo oohmmff!" Jamil tries to toss his head, desperate to get his mouth free. He does need to speak his orders aloud for them to be followed and Jade clearly knows it, damn him...

"Such a pity. Your fangs are so easily pulled," Jade buries his nose in the crook of Jamil's neck and breathes deeply as he feels Snake Whisper's hold over him break. The warmth of rich spices makes his heart flutter happily, even if the sharpness of Jamil's stress and growing fear underneath it wrenches a pang from the pit of his stomach. He doesn't want Jamil to be afraid or stressed...  

His hand loosens slightly over Jamil's mouth. Not enough for him to speak, but enough so that his grip won't hurt. "A viper with his head pinned is in no position to trust his captor, but on the other hand," Jade lightly presses his cheek to Jamil's temple, staring fondly past him at the far wall. "I've been bitten once by you tonight, and I'm not eager to repeat the experience. I could hear how your heartbeat quickened when you coerced me into kissing you...were you not expecting that…?" 

Jamil freezes, his heart thrumming in his chest as a cheek nuzzles the side of his head. Panicking, he flails and tries to bite Jade’s fingers. Jade’s hand tightens across his face until it burns, and he quickly falls limp in his arms, panting shakily through his nose. Oh god, if he struggles too much will Jade break his jaw?! He’s clearly strong enough, and that would be a brutally efficient way to keep him from speaking…

Jade squeezes his arm soothingly, then relaxes his grip again. "This impasse will get neither of us what we want tonight. So tell me...if I let you go, will I find myself immediately in your thrall again? Shake or nod as you find appropriate..."  

Jamil's eyebrows furrow and his nose flares angrily at Jade's comments. He stares at the wall of the treasure room, trying to calm his breathing. He can't struggle his way out of this, so he needs to think his way out of it instead. Cautiously, he looks down at the hand over his mouth, then shifts his eyes sideways toward Jade. Slowly, he shakes his head. He will play 'nice' for now. Intentionally, he slumps just a little in Jade’s arms, suppressing his frustration at the forced humility. No need for violence, he's being pliant…agreeable...  

"Hmmm..." Jade sighs. Too easy. Jamil is likely lying, but if Jade stands here for hours with a hand over his mouth, then the only thing that will change is that eventually, it will be morning. One of them needs to make a move, and as much as Jade has a very healthy respect for what Snake Whisper can force him to do, it's part of the appeal. Fire isn't any fun to play with if there's no risk of getting burned~

"Very well, master. I cannot serve you if you cannot speak..." He lifts his hand away and lets Jamil go. Perhaps a little faith will buy Jade some good will... 

Jamil is sure that this is a trap. He quickly stumbles forward and out of reach, then spins back around and looks at Jade with thinly veiled alarm. If he strikes too soon, then surely Jade will get him again and be much less merciful the second time. He needs to be EXTREMELY careful…

“S-so… serve me was it?” He lightly traces his jaw where Jade squeezed him. Why had he decided to use that phrase, specifically? He isn’t under Jamil’s hypnosis any more…?

"Is that not what you wish, master?" Jade slowly holds his hands out, palms upward in supplication. "We are quite similar, but also different in a very meaningful way. My service has never been demanded from me. When I deign to support and care for others, it is entirely of my own choice..." He smoothly drops to his knees again, head tilted to one side teasingly. "Would you trust that I could care for you freely, if only you would ask?"  

“You… you would do that?” Jamil is deeply suspicious, but also intrigued. He did declare that Jade was his servant under hypnosis. With weaker or more willing minds, those messages stick around after the spell breaks. But surely Jade is neither weak, nor willing…?

“You want to serve me? I don’t know… Prove that I can trust you.”  

Jade eyes him thoughtfully. That isn’t quite a 'yes,' but still... 

Moving slowly and smoothly, he rises to his feet and walks forward. Eye contact is fraught for both of them - Jade's Shock the Heart requires it, and of course, so does Snake Whisper. So he looks slightly off to one side, lips curled into a smile. He pauses for just a moment to wait for an objection, then reaches out to touch Jamil's hair.  

Jamil tilts his head up at Jade’s touch, subtly trying to regain eye contact. Jade immediately flicks his eyes away, and Jamil swears silently. He knows too much about the mechanics of his spell…

Jade gently and deftly begins to unpin his hair, carefully gathering the coins, hairbands, and pins. Jamil snickers to himself, smirking at Jade’s ridiculous attempt. His hairstyle is extremely elaborate, and he does it with magic. The thought of undoing it by hand…

Jamil hesitates, still staring at Jade’s averted eyes and waiting for him to slip up as he continues. His fingers never waver, competent and so delicate that it feels more like a light massage than a necessary service. There's always small places where his hair gets tangled around the bands, and even magic can't prevent little flashes of pain when he has to tug it free at the end of the day. Jade is slower, but he’s managing to do it very neatly, and without causing him even a moment of discomfort.

“...You know that I use magic to make this hair style, right? This is-“ the sentence isn’t finished. He relaxes just a little as a pair of tightly-woven braids are pulled apart and stroked flat, drawing an aching tingle out of his scalp.

"I assumed as much..." Jade removes another braid and combs his fingers lightly through the loose strands. Jamil is leaning ever-so-slightly into him now, and his expression has softened. Out of the braids, his hair falls past the middle of his back. It’s silky, long, and temptingly easy to grab onto. Maybe later~ "You care for it well, but Kalim's needs surely take up so much of your time. It can be refreshing to slow down occasionally..." He draws Jamil's hands together, palms upward and cupped. "And manage just your own needs." He drops the hair ornaments into his palms and runs his fingers through his hair again, feeling carefully for tangles or stray hairbands.

“Ha...” Jamil stares down at his hair ornaments as they fall into his palms with a faint jingle. No one but him has taken his hair down since… Since he can’t even remember. Not since he was very little, and then it was usually a rushed, impatient task of undoing a simple ponytail. Nothing more…

‘Slow down and manage my own needs?’  HA. What he needs is space from Kalim, but he can’t get that in large intervals. He’s always at Kalim’s beck and call. And when he’s not taking care of HIM, he’s taking care of the basketball club, and the dorm, and his sister….

And now this ridiculous mess.

“Are you trying to woo me like you did Kalim? For shame… you’ll break his heart,” Jamil chuckles, looking up at Jade and trying to catch his eye again.

“You already asked me to show you how I would have wooed Kalim,” Jade hums, leaving him for a moment to grab a gilded, richly padded chair out from under a gold statuette. He sets it behind Jamil, then reaches past it and tugs gently on his shoulders to coax him to sit. “So you tell me. Am I treating you the same as I would him?”

“That was…” Jamil fidgets, feeling a little bit called out. “That was my duty. I had to be sure that you wouldn’t hurt him. But since you mentioned it, I must admit that this is very reminiscent of that…?” Jamil looks behind himself to the chair being offered to him. He bites his lip, refusing to sit, even when Jade touches his shoulders. “I…it’s not appropriate for me to sit on that. It’s only for someone like Kalim.”

Coyly, Jade tugs his shoulders backward and shoves the chair forward into the backs of his knees.

“Hah?!” Jamil recoils as his backside slams into the plush cushion.  Hair ornaments go flying everywhere. They jingle and roll across the ground, quickly becoming lost amongst the piles of treasure. 

“It is appropriate for someone who would call himself my master,” Jade chuckles darkly. There are more sets of fancy, silver manacles lying on the ground nearby. Jade is unimpressed with their durability, but they should give Jamil a harder time than they gave him…especially if he is so reluctant to damage Kalim’s treasures. Impulsively, he grabs a pair and shackles Jamil’s wrists into the ornate openings in the chair’s back before he can recover himself.

“Jade!” Jamil screeches as he pulls against the shackles, then forces himself to stop struggling. He can’t damage this chair! 

“Oh dear. You’ve dropped your hair ornaments, master.” Jade sighs theatrically, then flicks a hand and gathers all of them up with a simple spell. “There we are…” he sets them safely on a silk sheet that’s likely worth more than the chair that Jamil is currently sitting on.  

“You…” Jamil pants heavily, fitfully twisting his bound hands and forcing himself to speak in a lower tone of voice. He’s no longer certain that no one will hear him and come to investigate if he’s too loud, and the thought of being discovered like this is mortifying. “You… do you REALIZE how much everything in here is worth?!”

“I realize how much one thing in particular is worth,” Jade purrs happily, kneeling on the floor between Jamil’s knees and lightly nuzzling his cheek into his inner thigh with his eyes closed. “You outshine every treasure in this room. But silly me. You asked me to prove that you could trust me…” Mismatched eyes glitter up at Jamil from between his knees, making direct, deliberate eye contact. “If you truly don’t want this, then make me stop.”  

Jamil sputters, face going red. How could someone so blatantly say a thing like that?! Him?! Worth more than these treasures?! He instinctively wants to cringe away from the declaration, even if there’s a tiny part of him that fervently, almost angrily agrees. He stares down at Jade's face between his knees, and something about this picture…haahhh. NO. This is a trap. If he tries to take back control, Jade will find some way to break it, and then he’ll leave him here…

“Don’t you dare leave me like this…” his tone is so pleading that he makes himself cringe unhappily.

“Like what, master?” Jade nuzzles into his inner thigh again. Clever fingers begin to creep up the outsides of Jamil’s legs, teasingly tracing the waistband of his pants before pushing up underneath his shirt to palm at his chest. The rest of Jade follows shortly, as he crawls up onto his lap like a gigantic, overly affectionate cat.

“You know what I MEAN!” Jamil flushes, leaning away. Goosebumps scurry over his skin, and he snaps his legs together out of instinct. He can’t get too loud, no matter what.

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean,” Jade snickers. “Does the thought of others finding you here so… indisposed, concern you…?” Jade is feeling fuzzier and fuzzier as he pushes Jamil’s shirt up and fondly squeezes his chest. His free hand creeps lower between Jamil’s thighs, brushing teasingly at the parts of him hidden under his clothes.

“...nngh…” Jamil shivers unhappily, shying away from the touches. He doesn’t say it aloud, but from the look on his face, the idea of someone finding him like this would shatter him. Jamil takes a lot of pride in his self-image. Otherwise, why would he put so much effort in his hair and makeup? 

Interesting... Jade hums thoughtfully. His cruel streak would normally be much stronger. The idea of others finding him in Jamil’s position is, of course, out of the question. But the idea of leaving Jamil gagged, bound, and tastefully half dressed for Kalim to find in the morning as a gift? Mmmmm, the chance to create such a fantasy would normally be far too enticing to pass up… 

“If you do not trust me, then you only have to say the word,” Jade gently cups Jamil’s face, once again making deliberate eye contact with him. “You have the power to command my obedience, master. Is this not what you wish?”  

Jamil’s charcoal gray eyes gaze uncertainly into Jade’s mismatched ones. Jade is…he is deliberately putting himself in danger of falling back under Jamil’s explicit control? Why? Why would he do that? It’s messing with him. 

“And if I did… put you back under my control… what then?” Jamil asks faintly. Sweat is beading on his forehead, and beginning to make his shirt cling damply to his back.

“You tell me…” Jade’s fingertips brush backward past Jamil’s ears, down the sides of his neck. “After all, you would be the one in control…” Over his chest, down the front of his stomach. “Not me…”

His fingers dip promisingly below the waistband of his pants, brushing lightly over the skin just below his belly button.

“I’d tell you to let me go, and for us to get out of this room.” Jamil says shakily, taking another deep breath. If they are really going to do this… then not here…not like this.

Jade curiously tilts his head to one side. Yes…having sex on the lovely, shiny, plushy things is enticing, but Jamil looks genuinely conflicted. This isn’t HIS space. It’s Kalim’s, and he likely feels uncomfortable because of that. Fair enough.

“Your wish is my command,” he purrs. He reaches behind the chair and unlocks the cuffs, letting them fall to the ground. Then he gets up off of Jamil’s lap, stands, and looks down at him expectantly.  

“Do you trust me?” He teasingly holds out a hand to help him up.

Jamil looks up at him, then takes his hand with a tentative smile.

“Ha ha…no. Snake Whisper.”