#anyways. posts that will put me in witness protection

[theropoda]

i hate that Media Literacy is the latest new thing the tortured underground posters of tumblr have latched their sense of moral superiority to bc like like here's a life skill that's actually essential, invaluable, incredibly important for navigating day-to-day life, that is objectively a Good Thing, a lack of which is something that ought to be cause for concern (all of which is unlike previous subjects that have been paraded around as Indicators of Superiority like having sex and doing drugs and going to clubs or whatever when theyre literally just things people choose to do) but people on this site cannot go a single day without being so fucking condescending about it and making it less about "genuine issue in modern society we should talk more about" and more "uhhhh i interpreted this anime Better Than You Did which means im better and smarter than you completely ignoring the fact this is a skill that is learned/taught and not born with and isnt an inherent indicator of morality".

[ocdhuacheng]

So laios and fallin have been ostracized by society since they were children, Marcille has lifelong grief from constantly outliving her loved ones that leads her to dark magics, kabru’s village was destroyed by monsters, senshi and mithrun both have horror movie level backstories, izutsumi was sold as a freak show attraction, and then there’s chilchuck, who is a normal ass divorced middle aged man. And somehow he’s the most shady and secretive out of all of them

Edit can y’all please let me live I didn’t make this post bc I think chilchuck doesn’t have his own trauma or doesn’t experience racism or that being a union boss is a walk in the park or whatever I made it because him lying that he cheated on his wife to get the others to stop asking about his family was funny as fuck. Come on.

[beemovieerotica]

struggling with how to word this, but putting it out there anyway:

i can fully understand the posts on here from a lot of americans being tired of "vote blue no matter who" posts when the #1 thing that people are constantly (and sometimes only?) addressing is how the republican party is going treat trans/queer people if elected.

it's part of an unfortunate pattern of prioritizing the effects on a demographic that includes white + upper class people, when people of color and those in the global south are actively and currently being killed or relegated to circumstances in which their survival is very unlikely

it is genuinely exhausting to witness this, and i was also on the fence about even participating in voting because i a) felt like it didn't matter and b) every time i voiced being frustrated with the current state of the country, white queer people would immediately step in with "but what about trans people!" -> (i am mixed race trans man)

and i say this with unending patience toward people who do this, because i know that it's not something they actively think about. but everyone already knows how the republican party is going to treat queer people. you are probably talking to another queer person when you bring up project 2025. the issue is that, for those of us who aren't white, or for those of us who are but who are conscious of ongoing struggles for people of color worldwide, the safety of people around the world feels more urgent than our own. that is the calculation that's being made.

you're not going to win votes for the democratic party by dismissing or minimizing these realities and by continually centering (white) queer people.

very few people on here and twitter are actually talking about issues beyond queer rights that concern people of color, or how the two administrations differ on these issues instead of constantly circling back to single-issue politics. this isn't an exhaustive list. but these are the issues that have actually altered my perspective and motivated me to the point of committing to casting a vote

the biden administration has been engaged in a years-long fight to allow new applicants to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program that allows undocumented individuals who arrived as children to remain in the country) after the Trump administration attempted to terminate it. the program is in limbo currently because of the actions of Trump-backed judges, with those who applied before the ruling being allowed to stay, but no new applications are being processed. Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea of just deporting the 1.8 million people, but he continues to change his mind depending on whatever the fuck goes on in his head. he cannot be relied on to be sympathetic toward people of hispanic descent or to guarantee that DREAMers will be allowed stay in the country. biden + a democratic controlled congress will allow legal challenges to the DACA moratorium to gain ground.

the biden administration is open to returning and protecting portions of culturally important indigenous land in a way that the trump administration absolutely does not give a fuck. as of may 2024, they have established seven national monuments with plans to expand the San Gabriel Monument where the Gabrielino, Kizh / Tongva, the Chumash, Kitanemuk, Serrano, and Tataviam reside. the Berryessa Snow Mountain is also on the list, as a sacred region to the Patwin.

i'm recognizing that the US's plans for clean energy have often come into conflict with tribal sovereignty, and the biden administration could absolutely do better in navigating this. but the unfortunate dichotomy is that there would be zero commitment or investment in clean energy under a trump-led government, which poses an astounding existential threat and destabilizing force to the global south beyond any human-to-human conflict. climate change has caused and will continue to cause resource shortages, greater natural disasters, and near-lethal living conditions for those in the tropics - and the actions of the highest energy consumers (US) are to blame. biden has funneled billions of dollars into climate change mitigation and clean energy generation - trump does not believe that any of it matters.

i may circle back to this and add more as it comes up, but i'm hoping that those who are skeptical / discouraged / tired of the white queer-centric discourse on tumblr and twitter can at least process some of this. please feel free to add more articles + points but i'm asking for the sake of this post to please focus on issues that affect people of color.

[hana-no-seiiki]

Hi! I’m the one who asked about Cat Villain! Reader theme lol. It’s nice to have a person to think as same as me, anyway civilians probably confusing about how all 4 Robins so fond of the villain but they still have that kind of rivalry to them, at least in civilians’ views. STILL

I’d like to add another trailer song that I often use when rotting over cat villain! reader

Eula’s theme is such a good one for heists/a little tango with the bois.

I feel like the general public have a general clue as to the relationship of cat villain! reader and the robins

purely because some of the guys (*cough* Jason *cough*) has fucked them in public, and as much as Gotham is unsafe at night, and no matter how many measures the boys put to protect you, there will always be fanatics that’ll witness everything you guys do.

of course, the damning info is mostly kept in small circles due to the miraculous power of ‘paying people to take shit down’ the Waynes have but a lot of fans have headcannoned and could sometimes build an entirely accurate version of your relationships.

tim was definitely one of your top fansite keepers before he became robin (even though it wasn’t his main focus). he most likely influenced a very uh… ‘sasaeng’ type of attitude in your fandom. which wasn’t regulated well until he realized his mistakes. nowadays, he makes sure your fans are more tamed.

sometimes i imagine cat villain! reader to be a celebrity, less known in america and mostly abroad (bonus if you guys aren’t from there to begin with, so your popularity can just be focused on or around your home country) that is until they were suddenly seen with Dick Grayson in public. you two were very much young and not careful.

people know you as that person that dated Dick, and is now extremely close with his brother, Tim. Definitely scandalous. The only thing stopping Damian from being labeled as one of your conquests is that, dude only realized his feelings recently and he usually approaches your civilian form as Robin. why? Damian’s just a show off, but Robin can be a show off without being seen as arrogant. he’s just doing his job

you have your fair share of villain friends you enjoy hanging out/sleeping with. some of them do you favors in exchange for a night. mostly because they know it’ll piss off the Batboys and throw them off their game though it does come with the risk of being beaten down to death.

i also think it’d be funny if in civilian form as a celeb, cat villain! reader just likes to profess their ‘undying love’ to Bruce 24/7 and how he totally slept with them once and their heart has been taken since. just like to be a menace and cause more chaos with people accusing them of using his kids.

when you found out tim protected your image and generally surveyed posts about you 24/7 you got into a little argument cause you wanted the world to breakdown about your identity and the shit you’ve done

and last but not least, the only reason you haven’t been cancelled to non-existence is cause of your large donations to charity and very humble living. sure, you liked to troll the universe in its entirety but in the end cat villain! reader main purpose is to help the needy. you’re most likely one of Bruce’s biggest investors (again, just to be a little shit)

you’re a little shit yeah, but you’re the batfam’s little shit.

OH! and you like visiting Jason’s grave even after he came back. partly due to missing his old self, but it also assists with keeping his identity unknown with how often you guys are together.

bonus: you’ve interacted a fair bit with the batgirls and duke. by that i mean you’ve bullied them all at some point that it has become almost a christening ritual for you to be a menace to each member.

[normansnt]

Even

(Hazbin Rozie x soft!male reader.)

No warnings (not proof read)

You tried to tiptoe as quietly as possible through your and your wives house. You didn't know that the trail of blood you were leaving would give you away in the morning anyways.

"You're home late" you heard the lovely voice of your dear wife while she sat on the sofa and turned on the light on the small table besides it.

You exhaled through your nose.

"Yeaahhh..." was all you could get out of

When Rosie took in your form more carefully she saw the beaten state you were in.

"Oh dear, what happened to you" she sounded more sympathetic now and rushed to your side to help you sit down

"Hahh, you should see the other guy...he got out without a scratch it was honestly pretty impressive" you said with honest astonishment.

You have been getting into fights at bars lately...a lot. Why? Well the answer was rather easy really, your wife was the Rosie. A powerful overlord in hell and leader of cannibal town. She was powerful, strong, cunning, smart and most of all feared because of those qualities.

And you...well, you weren't weak not by any means but you were just...soft, to put it lightly. While other boys fought you enjoyed chasing a butterfly. You were a very kind soul and opted to see the good in people. You were a fallen angel, after all.

When you met Rosie you were the same dork you are now, you just liked to draw and she is very beautiful so you asked if you could draw her. Thats how you two met 10 years ago.

As time passed by, you fell in love with her, however you would have never guessed that a powerful woman like herself would fall for someone like you. Alas she did and after some time being together you got married.

Since Rosie was quite the public figure, people, of course, knew about your engagement and they had their own opinions, mostly bad ones.

The people of cannibal town thought Rosie deserved someone tough, not to protect her she can do that to, but to match her, to be her equal.

And you thought so too. It was a true wonder why she was still with you, really.

"(Y/N)"

The powerful voice of your beloved got you out of your thoughts.

"*sigh* are you thinking about what others are saying again?" She questioned looking at you sadly.

You looked away ashamed.

"My love" she slowly put her hand on your cheek and made you look at her.

"I have told you countless times but I wont stop until you get it into your head. I.Love.You their opinions do not matter, especially when they dont know you like I do, for if they did they would know that you have the strongest heart I have ever witnessed, you might not like fights and blood spill but I know for a fact that when its really needed you will step up, and thats what really matters." She smiled at you kindly.

"Also, I like violence plenty so we make the perfect pair" she grinned at you manically.

You really didn't know how you got so lucky as to have such an amazing wife. You let out a chuckle and kissed her.

"Thank you" you smiled lightly

"Of course dear, now go wash up and lets go to bed I'm tired" she said exhausted while she stood up and walked to your shared bedroom.

You smiled to yourself, sure you weren't a big fan of violence but you hat a cannibal as a wife, you guys kinda evened each other out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yall I know I said Id proof read tham and than post but I LOVE this one so much its short but so good😭

ALSO, ROSIE IS NOT TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH LIKE I LOVE HER SM ROSIE PLS MARRY ME😖

ANYWAYS

I hope you enjoyed your reading ladies, gentleman and others, good afternoon good evening and good night🧡🦖

[nalyniavadelletargaryen]

[ HOTD - Aegon Targaryen ]

HeadCannons SFW + NSFW

First Post…I have 3 other accs for 3 whole different interests. I think I’m going crazy atp. Anyway enjoy my PERSONAL thoughts on The Usurper King.

{ WARMINGS }: SFW + NSFW + MDNI + HIGH VALRYIAN

{ PRESS ▶️ }:

SFW

Aegon is a pleaser. Not in an “I’ll do whatever you want me to” way. More in the “I want you to love me, so I’ll do what it takes to keep your attention on me..” sense. It’s manipulative, but he’s grown up in an environment where love is withheld constantly, so he gives to take from you. Toxicity is his form of affection, and he’s aware of it but struggles to let you go…

Aegon tends to hold you on a pedestal. You aren’t to be touched by anyone but him. He can’t stand the thought of you being exposed to the sins he commits or has committed without his explicit intent to do so. You’re his greatest treasure, and with that title comes the burden of being kept close to him. Your innocence belongs to him; he will defend or defile it as he sees fit.

Aegon has a surreal weakness for his hair being played with. He immediately softens when you run your fingers through, ruffle, or swipe fallen strands from his eyes. More than a few times, he’s fallen asleep just because you are playing with his hair. If you ever bring it up as a weakness, he will deny it til his dying breath.

He will not sleep unless you’re in his bed. Aegon will purposefully preoccupy himself with drinking and every other deviant activity to keep from going to bed alone. You chalk it up as a cute habit of his at first, maybe even a sign of his protective nature, but in reality, he tends to be restless without the sound of your soft breathing and the feeling of your warm skin against his. Your presence eases his mind to a point he can’t always reach when sober.

Aggressive Protector. He has to have a say in your safety. Aegon can not stand when you leave without informing him of your whereabouts. He practically loses his mind when you refuse guards trailing your every move. His sanity momentarily slips when he awakes in the middle of the night to find you gone for a mere second. He’s overbearing in his approach to protect you and is vicious to anyone who implies harm your way.

Aegon will never actually apologize. He tends not to immediately snap at you during arguments, harboring a bittersweet wit for every conversation, but when he does snap back, it’s harsh and unforgiving. You take his words to heart every time, not speaking to him for days on end, and eventually, he breaks, but not in the standard way of admitting one’s wrongdoings. No, Aegon prefers to give you gifts and a semi-thoughtful gesture to regain your favor. “I apologize..” will rarely leave his lips but “You’ll forgive me, right?” Is a constant phrase he finds himself saying to you as a replacement..

He loves to chase. The thrill of playing a cat-and-mouse game through any means feeds his impulsive nature without fail. You can string him along anytime and in any way you prefer, and he will entertain the game with the intent to win by all means necessary. The very knowledge that you put up a fight against his charm to lose to it in the end makes his head spin with pride.

Games. Aegon loves to engage in tedious matches of the mind. It’s not his well-known trait or talent, but he is skilled at logistical gaming or gambling. He will not often put you up to a bet, even over the most minor things, just for the thrill of it. Whether you lose or win against him never really matters. He enjoys the stakes and risks of a challenge.

Physical touch is his primary love language. Second to this is acts of service. Aegon prefers to express himself through action rather than words, feeling as though he can be too harsh in his approach at times, and therefore, he resigns gentle shows of affection to touch. It’s easy enough to get used to him having a hold on you, and he delights in seeing others envious that you’re his and the only one he has. Most of the time, Aegon is somewhat tender with you, with an arm around your waist, kissing your temple or lips, or simply having you sit in his lap whenever he pleases. Then there are the moments where he can be brave with you, gripping your face when he speaks to you so your eyes never leave his, marking your neck with deep bruises just for the whole of the kingdom to see what he does to you.

Likes to be….” babied” but in the sense of “being cared for without explicit reasoning to do so.” The small things you do for Aegon catch his attention at first, simple tasks you don’t think much of in the moment, but for him, they heal a wound he never acknowledges. Bringing him something to sober up with after a long night of drinking and mending his clothes if they tear. Straightning up his appearance whenever you see fit. All and any of those actions touch the Usurper‘s fragmented heart.

NSFW

Innocence/Corruption: Aegon enjoys taking what he can’t have. That includes semblances of purity around him. Finding out you’ve never been touched or fucked will strip an urge in him. It’s primal and dark, but he’s addicted to being the first man to show you absolute pleasure. Aegon's favored approach is teasing you, toying with you whenever he can, to tear you apart under the guise of wanting to teach you what desire means.

Power Dynamic: He is very aware of his status and will use it to his advantage. Knowing you can’t refuse a command he’s given, realizing you’ll obey anyway, and using this information for his gain keeps him on edge. Of course, you’ll fall to your knees and milk him dry. He’s your king. If your sovereign tells you to come undone for the third time in one night by his hand, then you have no right to refuse him. It's as simple as that.

Slight Mommy Issues: When Aegon desires to be under your control, he gives in so quickly. He can be defiant, playful, and challenging to control, but it only makes you relentlessly take him. He adores it. Your soft gaze hardens on him, the steely edge to your tone when you tell him to kneel for you, and the gradual roughness you inflict on him as the tension builds. It’s a little too easy to dwindle The Pretender down to a whimpering and whining mess, but you succeed when the opportunity presents itself.

Praise/Degradation: Aegon doesn’t lean to either. He can balance his words and their effect with little effort. A backhanded comment to you always has an underlying adoration. He’s a skilled charmer, knowing when to push you with words of encouragement and when to belittle you until tears creep down your cheeks. “Don’t tell me you’re so ignorant to believe I’ll let you come undone so soon, sweetling.” “Morbidly pathetic little slut aren’t you?..” “You’re doing so well, sweet girl. “ “Keep your eyes on me..just like that..” “You’re not half as talkative with your mouth so full now…what a shame?..”

Aegon is a master at posing false sympathy and an even better expert at mocking you. Whether he means well by what he says is always the furthest concern in your mind when the pleasure they inflict is forcefully automatic.

Oral Fixation/Enthusiast: He adores your mouth. The softness of your lips, how warm it is, and even the silliness of your tongue when you use it on him has Aegon in a perpetual trance. He discovered the little obsession with your mouth during a tenuous family gathering. You kept nibbling at various fruits, sucking, and licking the juices that leaked from them with little attention to those who noticed you doing so. Aegon certainly noticed, his cock twitching with need when your kitten licked your fingertips, picked another small fruit to sink your teeth into, and swallowed down with a quiet hum. Later that evening, you couldn’t stop him from slipping his fingers past your sticky lips, quietly gagging as you sucked on them gently and moaning quietly as he watched you intently. The slight smile tugging at his mouth when you choke and whine as his fingers fuck your mouth drives him to push you down on your knees a moment later, replacing his hand with his cock with little protest from you. He shouldn’t like the sight of you crying as he fucks your face so much, but oh, does Aegon love to see you indulge in him with nothing but your pretty and supple lips.

Pain: Aegon will leave his mark on you one way or another. He’ll never raise a hand to you out of pure anger, but in the thralls of lust, you’ll endure an affliction or two. He’s pretty handy with you, able to manhandle your more petite frame without much thought, and seemingly forgetful that not all your dresses will cover the evidence of his roughness with you. “Let them see…let the gods see if they must…” He insists that no other opinion is of consequence, and you always fall for it. The next day, you’re left to endure people whispering about the bruises on your exposed skin and the lingering red imprint of his hands around your throat. You leave your marks on him as well, scratches on his skin, little bites on his neck, and the rouge you use for lips staining his collar.

Overstimulation: seeing you writhe and shake under his touch stimulates Aegon. The quick rush of your breaths as you try to contain yourself, tears streaming down your face, with the urge to come overpowering you. He drinks in the sight with a smile, forcing the high from you to reach his own. Seeing your face fall and confront with various expressions as you visibly can't take him anymore drags out Aegon’s demented nature. It's nearly otherworldly how much he loves seeing you come violently, on his cock, in his mouth, on his hand…? It doesn't matter as long as you are physically struggling to stay sane.

Exhibitionism: Aegon chases thrills constantly. Whether it be to disrupt his mother’s peace of satisfy his own desire for fun he ropes you into his ‘harmless’ schemes often. Fucking you to the point of tears in the throne room is a favored past time of his. He knows very well how terrified you are of being caught in the act, of any servant, lord, and lady alike happening upon him having his way with you. He knows and he holds that knowledge over your head, enjoying the way you try to quiet yourself, and prideful of the fact that you fail miserably.

Titles/Pet Names: Aegon is careful with the way he addresses you. Though it varies upon his mood in the moment he’s partial to more affectionate titles. “Sweetling” “My Queen.” “Darling.” “Sweet girl.” “Kēlītsos” (Kitten) “Byka mandia” (Little Mouse) “Hāedar” (Younger sister) & “Dōna mandia” (Sweet sister). You exchange the pet names from him with equal contentment; “My love.” “My King.” “Aeg.” “Rōva lēkia” (Big brother) “Lēkia.” (Elder brother).

This took me way too long to finish but I’m glad it’s my first post. 💚

{ SEALED CONTENT }

[i-thirsty-boi]

Platonic Yandere Metkayina Family X Human Child Reader Part 3

~Hey! I know this took me a while to do, but now that a new semester is started I actually have motivation to write consistently. So, I should be posting a bit more frequently now! Anyway, on a side note, I'm not sure if it was obvious, but Ronal isn't pregnant in this story. Mostly because I think it would be too challenging to write an infant into this storyline.

Masterlist

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

CW: yandere behavior (platonic), protective behavior, near drowning, fall risk

~

-It had taken you about two more days to feel almost completely better. But your family was still babying you… a lot. 

-And you were getting VERY frustrated with it. 

-Sure, you liked all of the attention. However, you wanted to move around on your own now that you were feeling better, not be in a wrap!

It was just after breakfast, and your mom was trying to put you in the wrap to take you with her. And you were not having it. You were groaning and sinking to the floor to delay going into the wrap. 

Ronal was kneeling on the ground in front of you, trying to get you into the wrap so she could take you with her, and was bewildered by how you were acting. She had never seen you act like this, granted she hadn’t known you very long either. But that wasn’t the point! The point was she didn’t know why you were so upset about the wrap, when you’ve never complained about it before. 

-She tried one more time to pick you up and put you in the wrap. And you just dropped straight onto the floor and started crying. Loudly. 

-Ronal just frowned and sat down fully in front of you, picking you up into her arms and rubbing your back to try to calm you down. 

-You had thrown your head back already by the time she asked you what was wrong. 

-You just gasped before spitting out that you didn’t wanna be in the wrap anymore since you felt better. 

-As soon as Ronal heard this, the meltdown made sense. She untied the wrap from herself before fully picking you up to take you with her. Luckily, you were calming down by then and wrapped your arms around her neck. 

-She turned to look at the rest of her family, who she had forgotten were there to witness that, and gave them a reassuring look before making her way to her healing tent. In the end, she wasn’t surprised that a small child would want to move around a lot more after recovering from an illness. 

As she was walking, she looked down at you to see you fast asleep, and she just kissed your head while continuing on her way. She also felt your feet swinging against her sides, making her smile, but only a little bit. 

It didn’t take her long to make it there, and set you down on what might as well be your personal cushion at that point. And she set down her human medicine bag and got out the thermometer, putting it in your mouth without disturbing you. And when she took it out, she was pleased and relieved to see it say 98, the correct temperature for you. She smiled and calmly sat by you and mixed together more balms and salves. 

At one point a new mother of the clan came in to talk, and asked to set her baby on the cushion next to you, which Ronal allowed. And it was adorable to see an infant that was about half your size next to you. The woman commented on you not looking so bad anymore, and that she had heard you were sick and was glad you looked like you felt better. 

-Ronal smiled and said that you definitely felt better, if the fit you threw to escape the wrap this morning had anything to say about it. She laughed with the other woman, who said her baby had done the same thing this morning as well. 

-Although it wasn’t long until the infant woke up and started crying, waking you up as well. You were confused, but quickly woke up, and picked them up with you as you sat up. You rocked the both of you until the baby had calmed down. 

-You looked to the side once they stopped crying to see your mother and another woman looking at you and the baby. They each had a very soft look on their face, which you figured was because of you calming down the baby. 

-You looked back down at the baby again to see them staring up at you, then they reached up and put their hand on your face. You smiled at them before their mother took them from you and into her arms. Your mother doing the same with you. 

-You looked up at her to see her smiling down at you, and you smiled back. Then, she got a weird, far off, look on her face. You just scrunched your nose at her and looked over as the mother and her baby were leaving. 

-She was only loosely cradling you in her lap, so you rolled onto the ground in front of your mother and made your way over to grab your craft basket. Then you went and sat on your favorite cushion, which was next to where your mother did her healing duties daily. 

Ronal had finally seemed to come out of her daze as you started weaving some shells into an anklet for yourself. She made her way over to her station and gathered the things she needed to make more of most of her healing pastes and salves, then sat down right next to your cushion. And the both of you worked on your separate activities for the better part of two hours. 

By the time she looked at what you were doing, you were finishing up a second anklet for yourself. And once you truly finished it, you looked over at Ronal and asked her if she could put both of them on you. She, of course, said yes. Then gently grabbed your legs and tied each anklet securely, but not too tight, around each of your ankles. Once she was done, you got up and walked around in the hut, smiling at the shells clinking together as you walked. 

-Ronal was watching you enjoy yourself with a small smile on her face, happy that you can create accessories that you enjoy. 

-Though her thoughts were interrupted by Neytiri walking through the entrance of the hut. Ready to get more lessons of the metkayina way of life from Ronal. 

-Neytiri had seen you, now, skipping around the hut. In your own little world. And she just lightly scowled at you. She knew you were a sweet little kid, but her opinion of humans in general dampened her reactions to you. 

-She just quietly made her way over to Ronal and sat down to help her finish making the pastes and salves. Keeping a distrustful eye on you the entire time. 

-The novelty eventually wore off for you and you went back over to your mother and plopped down in her lap. Looking over at the darker woman with curious eyes. Though you quickly looked away from the, almost, nasty look she gave you. 

-You just settled against your mother and looked around the hut, and before you knew it, you were being carried out of the hut and slightly into the water before being set down. 

-You knew she was going to be teaching the forest woman their way of life, and that included the breathing techniques they had already taught you. 

You were gently set into the water next to your mother and started slowly swimming around the two women. Both women keeping watch over you. Your mother to make sure you were safe, and Neytiri because she didn’t trust you. And you were ignoring it to actually swim around like you wanted to. 

Ronal had been teaching the breathing technique to Neytiri for a couple days at that point, and she had done well and just needed to push herself to stay under for longer. So, as soon as you dove under the surface of the water, Ronal had done the same with Neytiri. 

She had been guiding her through the reefs under the water while also making sure she could still see you. They had been swimming and communicating in simple sign for about five minutes before she saw you swimming towards the surface to get some air. She made sure you made it there without issue and started diving back down again before she moved her attention back to the forest woman. Though instead of you going off on your own among the reef, you swam to her and wrapped your arms around her neck. She just turned and kissed your cheek before continuing to guide Neytiri around the reefs. 

She just continued swimming while gently dragging you with her while trying to teach Neytiri. Though as soon as they had made it to a spot with a large amount of glowing coral, your favorite area to swim around in, you had let go of her and swam to gently touch the coral. Which glowed brighter at your touch, which is why it was your favorite. 

-You had been entertaining yourself with the coral while your mother and the woman from the forest continued swimming around you. 

-Though when you turned your back towards the coral to sign to your mother that you were going to swim to the surface, Neytiri was right in front of you swimming to the surface as well and accidentally pushed you into the coral behind you by your chest. 

-You had the breath knocked out of you, and that made you inhale some water. Your chest hurt and you started panicking. 

-You looked around for your mother and desperately gestured her to bring you to the surface. She noticed your panic right away and quickly grabbed you and rushed to the surface. Though you were just focusing on not giving in to the urge to cough. 

-As soon as your head was above the water you began violently coughing up water. You had your head hanging over your mother’s shoulder as you coughed, your chest rattling from the force of them. 

-You were clinging to your mother’s shoulders, and she was gently patting your back to help you get all the water out of your lungs. It had taken you about seven full minutes of coughing and gasping for breath before you winded down and slumped against your mom. 

-You two had bolted to the surface, and a couple minutes into your coughing fit, Neytiri had surfaced. And her attention was immediately captured by your distress. Her ears perked and her pupils dilated. She may not like humans, but she was concerned for you. Especially as a mother herself. 

-Though as soon as you completely stopped coughing, Ronal turned to Neytiri and let loose some scathing words for her about accidentally shoving you under the water. Though she did notice the darker woman’s ears droop down while being scolded. 

-Once she was done talking and had calmed down, Neytiri came a bit closer to apologize and check if you were okay. You just glanced at her and nodded before drifting off to sleep in your mother’s arms. 

-And after that, their session of lessons ended for that day. Both of the women made their way to the shore and went their separate ways for the day. 

-Neytiri was sulking while making her way back to their marui, and Ronal was power walking to her own marui. 

Once she got to her marui, she walked in and briefly set you in their sleeping space before tying the wrap on her and put you in it on her front, facing her. She began rubbing your back while walking around her home and gathering things to make a snack for you to eat once you woke up. Though as she was finishing putting the snack together for you, her older child Tsireya had walked into the marui. 

She seemed to be confused about what her mother was doing in their marui at this time of day, and came closer to see her making some food with you actually in the wrap. She came up to her mother and put her hand on your back, concerned because of some rumbling happening in your chest as you breathed. She looked up at her mother’s face and got a look that said she’d get an explanation later. 

Though it didn’t take you very long to wake up again, and immediately start coughing again. You didn’t even register the two women in your family fussing over you while you were in your small coughing fit. You were more focused on the small dribbles of water coming out of your mouth after being forced from your lungs. You stopped after only about two minutes, and pushed your cheek against the side of your mothers arm, verging on her shoulder. So, that must mean you were put in the wrap while you slept. You could only stare at the water, combined with spit, running down your mother’s arm. You then mumbled a ‘sorry’ as you laid against your mom's body. 

-Ronal just shook her head and started rubbing your back again. Before taking the snack and walking over to sit down and start feeding you the food. 

-She looked down at the water dripping down her arm, concerned about how much water is still in your lungs considering how much you coughed up so far. 

-Meanwhile, Tsireya only had an idea of what had happened to you, but was very concerned nonetheless. Still lightly patting your back. 

Both of them had sat down on the floor and took turns feeding you small bites of the cut up fruit Ronal got for you. You chewed them slowly, until they were all gone. And by the end you felt a lot better. You had started squirming a bit to get taken out of the wrap, which you were glad your mother didn’t hesitate to do that time. Though you still chose to sit in her lap and continue cuddling up to her.

Meanwhile Neytiri had made it to her family’s marui and had curled up on the ground and started sulkingly weaving a new top for her oldest daughter. And while she was doing that her mate had come in and sat down next to her after noticing her sullen mood. He waited a few moments waiting for her to talk, but sighed and asked what was wrong. Neytiri just heavily sighed and buried her head in her knees before saying that she had accidentally hurt the little human child earlier that day. Jake’s ears folded down a little bit and he asked how she had done that. So, she told him about the diving she had done that day, and how she had accidentally shoved the child into a wall of coral under the water. And how hard you had been coughing up water, and how Ronal had chewed her out for it. 

Jake just winced as he saw his wife’s tail curl even more into her body and her ears curl down harshly. He just put a hand on her shoulder and assures her that as long as it was an accident and she apologizes to you, she shouldn’t worry too much about this situation. 

She glances up at Jake while still resting her face on her knees to see if he was joking or not, and found the look in his eyes to be sincere. She sighed again and leaned against his chest as she said she would apologize again before dinner that evening. Jake smiled and kissed her head before saying that that was a great idea and would probably mean a lot to you.

-Meanwhile, you were getting coddled for the rest of the day, especially after your mom told your sister what had happened during the dive that day. 

-And then they roped your dad and brother into it too. 

-So now you were being babied like you were sick again. And it annoyed you so much. 

-During the lunch your family had, you were sat on your brother’s lap and your sister insisted on feeding you your food. You had huffed and tried to grab your plate from her but quickly gave up. 

-And after that your dad had picked you up and carried you with him while he went to teach Jake Sully. Who you waved at once you saw him. And he waved right back at you. 

-You guys would just be wading in the shallow waters while Jake was learning more of the sign language from your dad. You weren’t really paying attention as you swam around both of their legs, deciding to cling to one of Jake’s legs after circling him a couple times. 

-He just chuckled and lifted you above his head from under your armpits, and briefly threw you in the air above him, easily catching you as well. 

-You gasped when he threw you, but quickly broke down in giggles when he caught you. You had never had someone do that to you, but you loved it. You immediately asked him to do it again, and maybe higher. 

-He just kept smiling and prepared to throw you into the air again. But prepared to throw you higher by lowering you to his chest level in front of him before launching you up in the air. You laughed the whole way up, which was pretty high because of how light you were to him, and starfished out in the air while you were falling. Easily being caught again. 

-But this time he brought you to his chest to hold you properly. He leaned closer to you and brought a hand up to whisper that Neytiri felt bad and was gonna apologize to you again later in the day. And you just smiled at him and copied his hand motion to whisper back that you already forgave her, because it was obviously an accident. 

-He smiled at you again before noticing the mildly panicked and angry look on Tonowari’s face. He turned you around to face him and motioned like he was going to throw you. 

-Tonowari rapidly got the hint and put his arms out in front of him to catch you. And this time Jake threw you in a big arc to your dad. You were laughing and clinging to his arms when he caught you. And he just had a relieved smile while turning to Jake and asking how he knew you would like that. 

-Jake laughed and said most human children loved it. And that all of his children had loved it when they were small enough for it. 

-Tonowari was curious and looked down at you sitting in the crook of one of his arms, and you were still smiling. But once you noticed that he was looking at you, you excitedly asked if he could throw you just as high. Maybe even higher. 

-He nervously smiled before saying that he probably could, and gently brought you in front of him. Though he looked over at Jake and motioned him over to his side with his head. And he wanted to ask him how to do what he did. 

-Jake said he could do some tiny tosses to get used to the motions before doing bigger throws. He then looked at you and said, “You wouldn’t mind that, right Y/N?” To which you vigorously nodded. 

Tonowari sighed before lifting you up above his head and lightly tossing you up in the air a couple times to get the hang of it. He got more confident each time because of your delighted giggles. You caught your breath as he lowered you to be in front of him so he could throw you higher. And he did that a couple times as well, you being launched at least 10 feet up each time. 

And it wasn’t long before he was very comfortable with the activity and prepared to throw you up as high as he felt comfortable with. You were being dangled at his thigh level before being absolutely launched into the air. You probably went almost 60 feet up since your dad put a lot of strength into it. You just heavily breathed with a huge smile and wide eyes while stalling in the air at the peak height. 

Unfortunately, this is when your mother showed up at the shore beside the men. And she let out a panicked shriek when she saw you up so high in the air. Though she was left to stand there watching in horror as you started plummeting, in her point of view, towards the two men just standing there. She started rushing to be in range to catch you as she heard you laughing while falling, though she didn’t register it. She was a step away when you landed safely in her mate’s arms, though she collided with his side as you devolved into hysterical giggles. She also ended up knocking the four of you over into the water, though she had snatched you out of your dad’s arms and held you up above the water so you couldn’t accidentally inhale it again. 

As soon as she sat up in the water she was checking you over for any injuries. Though you just continued laughing and hugged her neck as you told her about your new favorite activity. She barely noticed the two men sputtering as they also sat up in the water and looked over at the woman who was clutching you for dear life. 

-She turned to the two of them and asked them why they had thought that was a good idea. 

-Tonowari quickly defended himself by saying he wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think he could catch you. And he pointed out that you loved it. Though he said that if he threw you that high in the future, and he will, that he would do it in an area with deep water that would break your fall and prevent you from getting hurt. 

-She just blew air out of her nose before turning a sharp look to Jake. 

-He put his hands up in front of him and said that he knew most human children loved that, and that his children had loved that as well. Plus, he taught Tonowari how to do it properly to make sure you were safe. 

-She ended up shaking her head before saying that if you ever got hurt from them doing that, she would beat them. 

-Both men winced and said they would with drooped ears and tucked tails. She was very intimidating, even with you perched at her ribcage. 

-And with that, she said that it was time to prepare dinner, so they needed to come out of the water anyway. She had originally come to get them. 

-They just watched her walk away with you before making eye contact and wincing again. And they just started silently walking to the shore. 

-Though Ronal didn’t have a chance to calm down before Neytiri came up to her and asked to speak with you. She was about to hiss at the woman before you said okay and wiggled to be let down. Ronal just scowled before gently setting you down. 

-You walked to be in front of the woman, and she kneeled down to be somewhat close to your height. 

-She then briefly looked at Ronal before looking you in your eyes and very sincerely apologizing to you. Saying how it was an accident and she would never, ever want to hurt you. Plus, she was sorry for being distrustful of you, she was just wary of all humans at first. 

-You blinked up at her before slowly hugging her around her neck. You then told her that you forgive her and that it was fine that she didn’t trust you at first, because you knew most humans on this planet were terrible. 

-She was shocked that you hugged her, but she slowly wrapped her arms around you as well. And said thank you once you were done speaking. 

-She gave you a last squeeze when she saw the impatient look the other woman was giving her. And watched you skip back over to Ronal and make grabby hands to be picked up. 

-This time she parted ways with you two with a small smile. Making her way to her own children. 

-You were resting your head on your mom’s shoulder while she was making her way to where her older children were waiting for her and her husband. 

-Though she had to tell them that he would be a bit behind them as they were doing something reckless with you. 

-Both of them were concerned hearing that and asked what their dad was doing with you that was so dangerous. 

-Ronal just sighed and set you down before walking closer to her older children and telling them what she had seen. You, very high up in the air after being thrown by Tonowari. Ao’nung and Tsireya just gasped and made eye contact with each other. 

-Though their attention was grabbed by their dad joining them, and you running up to him and asking to be tossed. 

Tonowari saw the looks the rest of his family was giving him, but chose to ignore them. He lifted you up and held you up above him and tossed you a little bit up in the air a couple times in a row, almost bouncing you in the air. And you were just giggling before asking him to toss you higher. And he smiled before lowering you a little bit to give you some more air time, securely catching you each time. Though he set you down once he caught the sharp look his wife was giving him. 

Though his other children were looking at the activity almost in wonder. They would never say it out loud, but it looked fun. They were almost jealous, but seeing you having fun was enough for them. Their attention was, once again, captured by the Sully family coming up and joining them. The other kids sat down around you and your siblings, who also just noticed that you sat down in front of them. And the adults went to help finish the dinner and bring it back to their children. 

Though you took the opportunity to go up to Neteyam and reach up and ask if he can toss you. Neteyam just looked down at you before making eye contact with your siblings. They just shrugged, but you got frustrated and started slapping at his legs. He smiled and rolled his eyes before putting his hands under your arms and lightly throwing you as he stood up. You laughed as he easily caught you. But you grabbed his arms to ask how he knew how to do it right. 

-Neteyam blinked down at you, before saying that his dad taught him when Tuk was born because he was trusted. 

-Though your brother got pretty jealous and went over to tell him to teach him how to throw you. 

-You got snatched into the arms of your brother and held out in front of him while he demanded Neteyam teach him how to do the throwing you thing properly. 

-Though Ao’nung scowled when he was only told to throw you straight up, not in any other direction, and to practice the motion of catching you. 

-So, he held you up how he had seen the other boy and his dad doing, and lightly tossed you into the air. Though he was thankful that you made it so easy to catch you each time, along with your joyful laughs. 

-And he made the mistake of getting distracted when he had started tossing you up higher. He had seen the other forest boy, Lo’ak, sit down next to his sister Tsireya and briefly turned his head to scowl at him. 

-Though in the time that his head was turned, you had started falling and were going down past his shoulders by the time he was paying attention again. Though as soon as he was catching you in a panic, you had almost hit the ground. And he had just managed to get a hold of you before your head hit the sand, and quickly brought you up to his chest to wait to see how you would react. 

-But he breathed a sigh of relief that you didn’t start crying. You were just wide eyed, clutching him, and catching your breath. Though he insisted that no one told the adults, and got nods from everyone in return. 

-And everyone breathed a sigh of relief once they were all situated somewhere and the adults came back with food for everyone. 

-And you stayed on your brother’s lap as you were handed food, and were happily eating it on your own, with someone looking at you to check on you every once in a while. 

-Though as you all were going to sleep that night, snuggled together, none of you could think that things would change how they did soon after that.

(To be continued)

Tags: @eywas-heir , @ratchetprime211 , @konniebon , @thehoneymushroomhealer , @tulipatheticee , @msluccapotato ,

[anon-e-miss]

Reformation - 9

“Barricade?” Prowl asked when Jazz mentioned a cousin looking for him.

“I dunno,” Jazz replied. “He didn’t give Trailbreaker a designation. Beta?”

“It would have to be Barricade,” Prowl said. “My other cousins are Alphas. Barricade is the only one who would embarrass himself claiming me, in any case.”

Jazz did not feel good leaving Prowl. The news that a cousin was looking for him visibly disturbed him. At least Ori had arrived and would do his best to distract Prowl was Jazz was gone. The Beta cousin claimed Prowl, which was a point in his favour. At the same time, Prowl had never mentioned him, there was no next of kin listed in his file, Jazz had looked, he was a spy after all. He knew the ins and outs of every officer’s personal file. Some had secret families and unknown to them, Jazz had put reservist operatives in their neighbours to serve a first line of defence if Decepticons figured a hostage was in order. His job was not just to sniff out Decepticon secrets, that was not even the most important part of his job, his most important job was preserving the Autobot’s own.

When Jazz had pictured Prowl’s cousin, he had imagined a mech who looked like him. The mech he saw standing on the Autobot Provost guard’s back did not look like Prowl beyond his doorwings. Maybe Jazz should have asked what Barricade looked like. This Praxian had overall dark colouring. His plating was black and gold, safe for stripes of white that sported the Praxian enforcer decals. His face was gold and his optics red. Jazz supposed mecha would think the same of him as his twin thought their features were all identical save for their colouring. Trailbreaker smiled and gave Jazz an awkward wave. The Praxian looked turned to watch him come, never stepping off the Alpha’s back. His arms were crossed under his chassis. The other Provost guards were standing at their posts, unwilling to interfere, leading Jazz to believe this one had asked for it.

“Barricade?” Jazz asked.

“That’s right,” the Praxian said.

“Great,” Jazz replied. “Mind steppin’ off’m?”

“Where is Prowl?” Barricade asked. He did as Jazz asked and stepped off the guard like he was a stepping stool.

“Home,” Jazz replied. “What��s... this about?”

“He asked for a demonstration,” Barricade replied.

“Well...” Jazz said. He made a gesture for the guards watching from their posts. “I think they learned.”

“Mm.” Barricade hummed, reminiscent of Prowl.

“Pretty impressive, takin’ down a warbuild ‘bout twice your size,” Jazz said.

“I know how to bring an Alpha down to my level,” Barricade replied, ever so slightly primly. Ironhide would like him.

“Enforcer?” Jazz asked.

“Yes,” Barricade replied.

“Ya serve wit Prowl?” Jazz asked.

“Until he resigned,” Barricade replied. Jazz nodded. Then Barricade knew about the worst of what Prowl had gone through. He was the only cousin to still claim Prowl.

“Any chance y’ll tell me what brought ya here?” Jazz asked.

“If Prowl wants you around when I tell him,” Barricade replied.

“See that he gets to Ratchet,” Jazz ordered Trailbreaker. “Come wit me. We’re off pace.”

“We?” Barricade asked.

“We,” Jazz said. They were we, for now at least, but Jazz thought better of adding that part. He transformed and Barricade followed after him. The Beta Praxian shared his cousin’s altmode. “Why not comm him?”

“Because he deserves better than a comm call,” Barricade replied. “He wasn’t going to get one anyways.”

“Somethin’ happen wit his ‘genitor?” Jazz asked.

“I wouldn’t trouble him with that aft’s ashes,” Barricade replied.

“Really ain’t gonna tell me,” Jazz said.

“Prowl gets to decide how much you know,” Barricade replied.

“Yer protective o’m,” Jazz noted.

“He was always decent,” Barricade replied. “I can’t say the same for my brothers.”

“Had a lot o’ experience puttin’ Alphas in line then?” Jazz guessed.

“Its my favourite hobby,” Barricade replied.

Jazz laughed, though he suspected it was the truth. Barricade was a brasher version of Prowl but the more he spoke the more Jazz found a resemblance. Just like Barricade insisted on Prowl decided if Jazz got to hear whatever he had to say, Jazz thought Prowl ought to decide if his cousin should hear he was carrying. They were at an impasse and the Alpha was not thrilled. He had no doubt whatever news Barricade had was going to hurt Prowl and Prowl did not deserve any more pain. But for Barricade to have travelled to Iacon, it was something important. At least Ori was also going to be there and he would be able to knock some sense into Jazz if he overreacted at all.

“Why not live on base?” Barricade asked once they stopped outside Jazz’s building.

“Better digs,” Jazz replied. “Me ‘n my twin each got our own space ‘n room for Ori when he visits. “Bachelor habs ain’t roomie.”

“Fair enough,” Barricade replied. “Prowl’s would be drab.”

“Medic Ratchet says it looks like a prison cell,” Jazz replied.

“He’s afraid to express himself,” Barricade replied. “Having an opinion or taste not identical to his progenitor’s was never well received.”

***

The door opened and Prowl stood up. It was Barricade. He smiled, it was strained but Prowl smiled because when no one else in the world cared for him, Barricade had. His cousin walked over and brushed his crest against Prowl’s. Barricade was exactly the same as he had been when Prowl had left Praxus, the same looks, the same rank. Prowl gestured his helm towards Barricade’s doorwings while lifting and twitching his own and Barricade just shrugged irreverently. A Beta stood a better chance at promotion in the enforcers than an Omega but it was not great. They would need to play politics and Alpha dynamics especially well and Barricade did not. He played with Alphas as Alphas played with each other, which usually left the Alpha humiliated and Barricade smugly satisfied.

“You should sit down,” Barricade said, soberly. Jazz took Prowl’s arm and sat with him on the couch.

“What is it?” Prowl asked.

“Lockdown was paroled,” Barricade explained. “Two quartexes ago.”

“No!” Prowl gasped. His helm spun. Jazz took him in his arms. Behind them, Punch growled.

“I’m sorry,” Barricade replied. “I got a warrant put out on him for what he did to you.”

“Do they even wanna prosecute?” Jazz asked. “Seems, just from what Prowl’s told me, they don’t care.”

“I threatened to publish an tell-all,” Barricade replied. “I can at least use the warrant to get optics on him. After he left Garrus-9, he’s effectively disappeared.”

“Ya think Prowl’s in danger?” Jazz asked. “That’s why ya came.”

“Barricade is in danger,” Prowl said.

“I’m fine,” Barricade replied, waving Prowl off with servo and doorwing.

“He was explicit about what he would do to you,” Prowl replied, staring up at his cousin.

“Tedious scrap Alphas of his type say,” Barricade replied. “It’s grandstanding.”

“You threatened to unmech him, repeatedly,” Prowl sighed. “I believe he will have taken that personally.”

“A’ight, I think I like ya,” Jazz declared. Prowl sighed.

“Please don’t encourage him,” the Omega said. “You humiliated him, Barricade. Lockdown has an ego like no other.”

“Like I told him, from a distance, I shoot him through the panel,” Barricade replied. “Up close, a knife. I would relish the opportunity, Prowl.”

“Oh I definitely like ya,” Punch declared.

“I’ll gets my optics on the ground lookin’ for’m,” Jazz said. “Since I don’t need a warrant ‘n don’t worry ‘bout little technicalities like trials.”

“This I like,” Barricade replied.

“In the meantime, ‘til we get optics on’m, ya might as well stay for a visit,” Jazz suggested. “Ori can use Rico’s berth, leavin’ the guest berth to ya. The two o’ ya can catch up.”

“I would look like an aft if I said no,” Barricade replied.

“Please,” Prowl said.

“You don’t need to beg,” Barricade sighed. “I have an orn’s leave. I wasn’t about to drop this on you and roll out.”

“Thank you.”

[anxiousnerdwritings]

Just unloading some yan radahn thoughts!

Radahn would honestly either be the best or worst yandere depending on how you think of him.

I honestly think if radahn was a yandere pre-rot he'd be a terrifying one to have, not because he's violent towards reader but because he'll get violent towards anyone else he deems a threat to their safety and happiness.

Because he seems to love really hard from the descriptions I've heard of him, like learning magic for Leonard and such I imagine that his love whether platonic or romantic being mixed with yandere would make radahn go through great lengths and hoops to make his darling comfortable and happy around him all except letting them roam freely of course, even if darling is tarnished and will come back to life I think radahn would be incredibly protective and insist that darling sticks close to him or allows him to accompany them all the time because the lands between is dangerous and filled with people who detest the tarnished though he'd immediately wipe them off the map if they even dared to look at darling wrong.

All in all I think he'd be an incredibly overbearing yandere and the only other one who could top him in that regard would probably be Marika herself or renalla after radagon has left her. But honestly I'm curious of your thoughts maybe you see radahn a lot different than i do

For me, it all depends on which version of Radahn we’re talking about, like pre-rot, post-rot, or Promised Consort.

Regarding Yan!Pre-Rot!Radahn, I completely agree with you. He would be extremely overbearing and excruciatingly overprotective, whether with a Tarnished!Darling or not. Even before becoming a demigod, Radahn would still have been very much overbearing and overprotective of his darling anyway. But after becoming a demigod, Radahn would see it as his sole purpose to protect his darling, he’s been given an even more prominent position, one that comes with even greater capabilities than he already possessed to ensure his darling’s safety and security. This version of Radahn is the most sound of mind. He wants to care for his darling, to love them, to make them laugh and smile. He’s merely happy just getting to exist in his darling’s presence. He not only loves hard but his loyalty would be particularly unwavering when it came to his darling, especially of the romantic variety. No one else could possibly compare to them and he would only allow his heart to beat for them and them alone. Radahn wouldn’t only wish to stay by his darling’s side, especially when they’re venturing the Land Between and or wherever else, he would even go as far as to carry his darling himself. Even if it’s only a few steps away, Radahn would be adamant that his darling not move an inch, that he take them wherever they need to. With his darling in his hold, Radahn can better protect them, he can ensure that nothing can get to them without him knowing and being able to stop it before it even happens.

But with as overbearing as Radahn is, he would be very willing to give his darling their freedom. So long as he just gets to be by your side, that is. He adores seeing his darling go about their day, just existing as is, so long as he can bear witness to even the most mundane activities his darling does then he is more than happy with them doing whatever they please. The only time he would put his foot down is if his darling were to have gotten hurt or was attacked. God forbid if his darling was killed. He’d go berserk avenging them then fall into trying to bring them back. He’d be an absolute mess. I could see him viewing his darling as his whole heart so without them he had no heart left.

Yan!Post-Rot!Radahn is a whole entire beast in himself, literally and figuratively. After being infected with the Scarlet Rot he has no mind of his own, he is merely an animal; a very hungry, feral animal. He is left roaming around, gorging on the flesh of whoever and whatever. But when it comes to his darling he doesn’t eat them, for some ungodly known reason. (I kind of like the idea of him having the same darling as he had pre-rot in this scenario especially, maybe they’re reincarnated after having died or something. And just the thought of him not entirely recognizing them but something in him refuses to cause any harm to them, instead protecting them from everything else around them is a shred of wholesomeness given the situation.). They’re spared from that, instead Radahn protects them from everything else, he’s even ‘gentle’ in how he touches and handles his darling. It’s not nearly as gentle as he would be pre-rot but it’s certainly a lot better than it could be. He especially seems to have a fondness for his darling’s hair or a certain piece of clothing they wear. Radahn will grapple with a strand of his darling’s hair or the fabric of whatever his darling is wearing and play with it between his fingers. I imagine given he’s in a more primal and animalistic state, Radahn would have an affinity for smelling his darling. It’s probably why he likes their hair/clothes so much since both smell the most of his darling’s scent.

Radahn would do his best in the state he’s in to provide for his darling and take care of them, which mainly means him trying to feed his darling the flesh of those he’s slain. And he can’t understand why his darling puts up such a fight when it comes to eating. He gets very frustrated when his darling fights him or tries to get away in general but especially when he’s trying to take care of them in the process. When it comes to feedings, Radahn will always end up force feeding his darling the flesh he’s gotten just for them. And he looks so proud of himself when his darling inevitably swallows the meal he’s prepared for them. Only for them to throw it back up but he doesn’t get too mad about that, not any more at least. Afterwards, he’ll soothe his darling as they lay curled up and sobbing, curling himself around them in a protective manner and embracing them close to him. If his darling were to try and run away from him, it wouldn’t take much for him to catch them at all but I could see him toying with them and letting them get quite a bit away from him before using his gravity magic to make his darling’s body become heavy so that they’ll give up on fleeing. But the more his darling tries to endure it and continue on with their escape, the heavier and heavier their body becomes until they can’t bring themself to try anymore. And then Radahn will come to collect them, to take them back to wherever he’s made their new home.

Yan!Promised-Consort!Radahn is unpredictable. He has his wits about him, more than he had post-rot, but with the added effects of Miquella’s influence. He seems much colder than he ever could muster pre-rot, it’s like his state of mind is strictly that of being on the battlefield, calculated and stoic, unwavering in his endeavors. He’s more brutal, much harsher than he ever could have been towards his darling pre-rot. He’s much more willing to use force when it comes to his darling, not even thinking twice about it in some situations and going straight to it in others. This version of Radahn would be much more likely to lock his darling away from the rest of the world under the guise of it being for their own protection but really it’s out of possessiveness. His darling is his, and not even the vow he made with Miquella could take that away from him. He wouldn’t allow it. Radahn still has his moments of being his old pre-rot self, moments that inevitably get his darling to drop their guard. But is it really him or is it just a way for him to manipulate his darling further, I’ll leave that up to you. Radahn in this state would be less likely to focus on his darling’s happiness and their wants, unlike his pre-rot self. I imagine this version of him being much more self-serving, putting his own wants and needs well above his darling’s. Something that he would continue to do, similar to his pre-rot self, is tending to his darling in the sense of brushing their hair, bathing them, dressing them, etc. If he were to be rough with them, forceful in how he handled them be it for whatever reason, Radahn would tend to them himself. He’ll bandage them up, kiss the bruises and cuts he left in his wake. Apologizing, all the while blaming you for making him behave that way. Had you just listened to him, behaved how he wished then this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. The one thing that seems to stay the same no matter which version of Radahn it is, is that he always curls up with his darling, holding them close to him. But the only difference is just how tight his grip gets and in this case it’s the tightest it’s ever been.

(In the scenario of his original darling having died and being reincarnated, I like to think when Promised-Consort!Radahn meets the darling he thought he’d lost this whole time and it results in Miquella’s influence breaking its hold on him cause nothing could ever compare to his darling after all. Nothing. In this scenario, Radahn would pretty much revert back to his pre-rot self for the most part but he would become even more overbearing than he already was, excruciating smothering. He lost his darling once, he wasn’t gonna lose them again. Ever.)

[limbuscompanysituations]

I want to ask the opposite of the distortion reader x sinners, the sinners react to the reader manifesting their EGO in a desperate moment, and the reader attributing the manifestation to the corresponding advice given by each sinner

Look, when I started writing this I thought "hey this is going to be fun!" and although it was incredibly fun, my wrist also hurts omg. So anyway I once again commit to my insanity and write a very long post. Enjoy!

Faust:

"It is possible to manifest EGO from one's own experiences, as well as when they are overcome with emotions. Whether they be positive or negative, the end result stays the same." It was the beginning of one of Faust's long, wordy explanations.

They were curious after witnessing her manifest her EGO in combat before. It was such an oddity to manifest power beyond imagination that they couldn't help but ask. Most of the explanation was lost to them once she finished it, but the initial part was simple enough to remember.

Faust leans on her weapon for support. The tips of her pale hair are stained red with her own blood. She pants, gasping for air while trying to keep her eyes open. They've been fighting together for hours now, trying to hold the line long enough for the other sinners to come to their aid. It seems to be fruitless, the enemy hasn't given them any space to breathe. They are almost as exhausted as Faust, but she's been taking the worst of the beating on purpose.

She may look cold and aloof but they know that deep down, she has done so for their own sake. They were angry at her, but mostly at themself for being this weak. If they could do more, they could protect her.

Her explanation on EGO echoed in their mind, and for a split second they had a flash of hope. If only they could draw that out of themself, then they could get out of this. They close their eyes and take a deep breath.

Memories and emotions, then. This is all of me, for all of you, Faust.

It's a promise they make to themself, and in that moment they change the flow of combat. One by one, those enemies that threatened to bring them down are swept away by a wave of power unlike any other.

Faust's eyes widen and she realizes what is happening in front of herself. This is her beloved's EGO, manifested when they need it the most. A faint blush spreads across her cheeks, realizing many things at once. Dying did not matter to her, as sinners always have Dante who can rewind, but perhaps it was the possibility of witnessing her death that made them do it. She's flattered, exhilarated and excited. There are endless instances of Faust all across the universe, yet this Faust ended up being the one who matters the most to them.

When the enemies are wiped out she falls to her knees with a light chuckle. Her vision is blurry and starting to fade out. She is grateful not only for them to have saved her life, but also because their existence makes hers feel more important.

No longer resigned to be one in a million, but one Faust who is loved and cherished.

_____

Yi Sang:

They fight back to back, gritting their teeth and keeping their opponents at bay just barely. Yi Sang can seem frail but he's a skilled combatant, and so are they. However, there's still a limit to how much two people can do against an endless number of foes. Yi Sang's resolve is beginning to fail, and so is his body.

They help him stay on his feet, supporting him with a hand around his waist while they brandish their weapon with their other hand. It seems to be impossible to turn this around. They are done for.

"The same shards of broken glass that bring you nothing but pain... Can be put back together, piece by piece, and build a window through which you can witness a better, colorful and more hopeful word."

His words come back to mind. They remember vaguely asking him how he could manifest his EGO during combat once. It was so impressive back then that the image was still burnt in their mind.

It's what I need now: the power to build a window to a better world.

They grit their teeth and hiss out a heavy breath. If there's nothing but hope left for them, then they will grab that opportunity. Willing their entire body and mind to cooperate, they push their own heart to its limit and climb that window.

Yi Sang is barely conscious but he can see it all happening. One minute his body and mind are so weary he knows he will faint soon, and then the next minute a figure so bright takes over his every thought. Their EGO wipes out their enemies one by one, and even though it is a terrifying power to witness, he feels elated. Their pain and their hopes are all bare before him, pieced together in a beautiful mosaic that bleeds hope through it. In the middle of this mosaic they stand, terrifyingly beautiful, their power uncontested.

It takes him a moment to realize they are no longer holding him and that he's fallen on his knees. It doesn't matter, however. His body has never felt any lighter. He calls out their name in a whisper and his consciousness gives in to the darkness.

____

Don Quixote:

Even the brave aspiring fixer will find a situation impossible to turn around. Her beloved squire did everything they could to support her, but she's heavily wounded and can barely take another step. In this moment of desperation they can still hear her energetic voice calling for her heroic steed. Except right now she can't muster up the strength to call upon it.

"Tis an unjust world, and I, Don Quixote, swear to battle evildoers to the end!" It wasn't really an explanation on how exactly she used her EGO, rather a proud exclamation of her own power.

Still it's better than nothing.

They focus on this sliver of hope and grab it with their hand. It is an unfair world, and Don Quixote should not fall here. She is the heroine of this tale, and she will fight until the end. In this moment her squire promises the same.

I will fight injustice by her side, so neither of us can fall here!

They hold this newfound power in their hands and charge forth, dashing past a wounded Don Quixote and crashing into their enemies with ruthless strength. They're crushed into bloody pulps before they can even blink.

By the back lines, Don Quixote stares at her lover, eyes wide and teary. She will lose consciousness soon, but witnessing the power of their resolve manifested in such a way makes her heart beat faster. She wants to kiss them; she wants to commend them; she wants to be the one who protects them to the end, while also being the one to fight all evils in this world by their side. Don Quixote is proud of her dearest squire beyond words, still she is capable of speech.

"Hark, squire!" She exclaims, "Thy power is most-!" and before she can utter the word "magnificent", she collapses.

____

Ryoshu:

When they asked Ryoshu what it meant to cast her EGO, the sinner stared off into the distance and muttered the words "It is my soul, bared to the world."

They nodded then, knowing that this was as precise of an explanation as possible, while remarking that that could mean pretty much anything.

Then they found themselves cut off from the rest and fighting for their lives against a foe so persistent it could take the smirk off of Ryoshu's face. The wounds that piled on her body grew to be almost unbearable. For Ryoshu, who was a competent assassin capable of ending most conflicts with a single move, it meant that they were both in trouble of the deadly kind.

Still they hoped to be able to do something, anything.

Ryoshu dashed forward once more, putting all of her strength into a single strike that could tear apart anything, but the monster not only deflected her hit, it also threw her back against a wall with force so immense that a sickening crunching sound echoed around them. Ryoshu fell limp to the ground, still breathing but with some of her limbs twisted in an unnatural manner.

They ran to her side, with tears in their eyes while they recognized the impossibility of the fight they found themselves in. Then they remembered her words and everything made sense suddenly.

"My soul, bared like my teeth." They whispered and held her body gently in their arms. Her dazed eyes rolled back and forth, then they found their face. Ryoshu smiled in pain, and if she could, she would have cupped their face in a hand.

"T.I." She whispered back.

They nodded and let go. Facing the monster with the fury of a legion, ready to bare their teeth. The power that came from their very core lashed out in a focused manner. The creature had no chance, the moment they left Ryoshu's side, it was already dead and sliced to a thousand pieces.

Ryoshu's eyes are wide and bloodshot, her bloody, crazed grin splitting her face ear to ear. If she wasn't choking on her own blood she would've laughed upon seeing that asshole being torn apart. Her eyes glimmer with barely contained admiration. She already knew they were capable of something like manifesting EGO, but seeing it first-hand is much more intense than anything she ever imagined.

She witnesses a soul that is vibrant, mesmerizing, deadly and indomitable all the same.

____

Meursault:

"To wield my EGO is to hold everything that weighs me down in my hands and then put that weight on that which hinders me." Meursault's explanations are usually more thorough and less abstract. The oddity of hearing him describe his EGO in such a way stuck with them.

When the tide of the fight turned against them and there seemed to be no hope to find, they remembered those words. He tanked all the hits he could, trusting that his large, trained body would be enough to shield them all the way through. But even if Meursault is a force to be reckoned with, the foes they face are much more than they can handle.

He's bloodied, battered and bruised, barely able of standing on his own feet. His knees tremble and he's breathing heavy, hands shaking while he tries to keep his eyes trained on the enemy. They circle them, and in spite of trying to keep them safe, the moment this wave strikes again, they both will be done.

"It's a bit foolish, isn't it?" They laugh nervously, "To carry all that weight all by yourself."

Meursault's eyes drift towards them briefly, and they can hear his response in their mind. Something along the lines of "it's what must be done."

You don't need to do it all by yourself, you idiot.

They clench their hands in fists and close their eyes, concentrating in how heavy their heart feels knowing that he is so hurt because they aren't stronger. Their jaw clenches and the tears that threaten to come out never do. Instead a power that they didn't know they had in themself surges and overflows. Suddenly they are the tide, and the battle doesn't matter anymore.

They become the force that they need to be for him; they become the one to bear the weight of the world. This weight is unbearable for those around, and they are knocked out uncoscious without even realizing it.

In the middle of the silent battlefield stand Meursault and his lover. While they look proud and surprised with themself, Meursault looks dumbfounded. He has always expected to be the one to carry them both forward, and he was always fine with it. He didn't want to burden them too much, what he wanted was to protect them all along. It is clear that being stuck on that has hindered himself from growing to trust them more.

"Ah..." He mutters, "You were correct all along."

They glare at him, as if to say "I told you so!" A slightly proud smile on their lips. They collapse a few seconds later and Meursault sighs.

____

Hong Lu:

He isn't built for prolonged fights. Although he was pushed to unimaginable limits by his family, there's only so far he can go in combat. They're both on their own, and the situation is dire.

His dominant hand is incapacitated and he's doing what he can with his other free hand, but it's not enough. Soon the spear is flung from his grasp and he has nothing but his own body to fight with. Still he keeps his flawless combat stance, taunting the enemy with a serene smile. He's not ready to surrender, not yet.

More than keeping appearances, Hong Lu can't let go because he's not alone. He hates the pain, but they are with him and he cannot let them be hurt in his presence. This is something they know, because they've asked him before.

Instead of recalling that answer, the words that come to their mind are different.

"There is a place where nightmares and dreamscapes meet, in my mind. If I close my eyes for a brief moment, I can almost touch it. If I reach my hand out, I can feel the taste of my own salty tears on my tongue... And then I open my eyes, and find that I cannot distinguish that from this."

When they asked him about his EGO, the answer they got was quite worrying. They tried to comfort him then, but he smiled and said he was fine.

Even now he's trying to keep that appearance. It's not fair.

Their hands close into fists, and they see the enemy lunge forward again. Hong Lu stands on their way, his still serene smile building a wall between that pain and themself.

He will let himself be hurt and maimed if it means they will stay safe, but if he dies, then who will protect them?

No, rather, the thought that occupies their mind is different. What they think in that split second before the enemy's weapon connects with Hong Lu's flesh is that for them, this is that place. The world that connects dreams and nightmares unfolds before them, and their own grief floods it.

They flutter across the battlefield gracefully and deflect the strike that would've killed Hong Lu, now being the one standing between him and danger. They unleash their madness on their enemy over and over again, taking out those who still have a will to fight and frightening those who don't into falling unconscious.

Hong Lu, who stood there serenely guarding them, seems to finally crumble down. He falls to his knees, smile vanishing from his features and replaced by a look of complete shock. His lips are parted, and tears fill his eyes. He wanted to protect them to the end, but he finally realized how weak he still is. In this power vaccuum, they grew to be the one to outshine him. Turbulent emotions swirl inside him: anger, helplessness, pride, hopefulness, grief, joy. He can't pick one.

Still, even if he feels embarrassed he couldn't do what he promised, he is taken by relief. The smile that comes to his face is not one he forces, but one he welcomes.

____

Heathcliff:

He's the stubborn kind, even when he shouldn't be. They know this, and they accept it, but when it comes to fighting together he's always trying to outdo himself. As if they will think he's cooler if he tries to look all manly and imposing. They could give less of a fuck about that.

Maybe it's not because he's proud and stubborn, maybe he's been shoving himself in front of every attack aimed at them this whole time because he's genuinely concerned. They know he's got a good heart, even if his words are harsh and crude. Heathcliff can paint himself as a thug, but he's a genuinely good man.

"Bloody hell..." He groans, barely capable of holding his bat in his two hands. Their enemies scowl at him, grinning with glee at his pain, and that pisses them off.

"Ah, the EGO thing? I dunno, I just think about something that makes me really pissed and go from there." That was Heathcliff's explanation when he was inquired about his EGO once. It was short, clear and it made sense. When he cast his EGO, he really did look angry.

It's the same anger they feel now. How dare these cunts think they can take him down in front of them?

They hold their weapon in both hands so tight their knuckles have gone white. Between their gritted teeth, they growl curses at their enemies. The anger that takes their heart pours out and every blow and strike they deliver becomes deadly. They maim and break and pound their enemies into a bloody pulp, still cursing at them the whole time.

This righteous anger makes Heathcliff pause and look at the scene with wide eyes. A second ago they were cornered and hopeless of making a comeback. He had already accepted the fact he was going to get a good rewind from Dante in no time. What bothered him the most was allowing them to get hurt in the process. Turns out he worried for nothing.

But then, he stopped to think for one second and realized something.

They have an EGO?!

Whether they had already used EGO before or they just manifested it, he didn't know. The only thought that crossed his mind was that he wouldn't want to be on their bad side after witnessing this storm.

____

Ishmael:

"I spent so much time sharpening this harpoon that I just... Wanted to feel like it was taking me somewhere." She paused, then she corrected herself, "No, I wanted to feel like it was bringing me something. Whether it be the guts of a whale or the one I hate the most."

She gritted her teeth when she finished explaining exactly what she thought about her EGO. They nodded and quietly listened to her.

They could never ask the exact details of Ishmael's time at the sea. Whenever she told them about it, it was all out of her own volition. It didn't seem fair to pry on her life like that, even if they were already dating.

It's strange how random memories always come up when you're at your worst.

Ishmael is still trying to push back a monster so hideous it is beyond imagination. One of her eyes is shut and bleeding, while her other is wide open. She grits her teeth, sinking her feet into the ground and trying to hold the position as best as she can. Her mace has fallen somewhere and is out of sight. She has no hopes of fighting back, so she puts all her focus into defending.

Even if she cannot see it, her shield is starting to crack.

They can see it, and they can understand it. It's because they got wounded first, and now she has to fight all alone. There isn't much else to do, though, the battle is already over. In a matter of seconds her shield will be shattered into pieces and right after it's her turn.

Kneeling on the floor and observing the scene unfold before them, they are taken by an intense, undescribable feeling.

Where am I going...? What am I doing...?

They can't even protect themself, much less her, but still they want to do something.

I want to do what it takes to get us out of here.

It's nothing but a simple thought. They have no harpoon to sharpen or shield to wield, they only have themself and this feeling to show. They rise to their feet in spite of their pain and blindly walk towards the monster.

Ishmael notices it from the corner of her vision and yells at them to stop and stand back but they are incapable of doing so. They walk until they are shoulder to shoulder with her, then they slide their arm into her shield's handle and bury their feet into the ground.

"I don't care what happens to me but..." They push the shield forward and the monster stumbles one step back, "I want its guts."

They grit their teeth and breathe out. The power that flows into Ishmael's shield is enough to throw the monster off balance. When it falls back, they let go of the shield and pounce on the creature. They rip it apart with their bare hands, eyes dull through the whole process.

Ishmael falls to her knees, exhausted and in pain, and watches the spectable before herself. This sensation is the same when the other sinners use their EGO, so could it be...? Yes, yes it probably is. She watches with morbid admiration as her lover tears apart the creature that almost killed them both, suddenly realizing what their words meant. She doesn't mean to, but yet she smiles at the scene.

____

Rodion:

She laughs and jokes, but their situation is dire. They find thelselves in a inhospitable area, but the worst part is that one of the factions of the place decided they didn't like the Limbus crew. While most of the sinners managed to take Dante to a safer spot, Rodion and themself ended up stranded from the rest of the bunch.

The situation wouldn't be so bad if their enemies could just stop coming up with backups. It's like fighting against an endless swarm of foes. Both of them are exhausted and paying for their carelessness. Rodion has one limp arm, and she tries to wield her axe with the other but a blow to her shoulder makes it impossible to swing the weapon without turning her whole body around. They know she's past her breaking point, but still she makes time to look at them and smile. Only to receive a blow right after and spit out blood.

"Isn't it ironic? Sometimes you think you see the situation ahead better than everyone else." Rodion once said, "You think you know what you have to do. You think you know how you can do it... But then it turns out that it's all wrong, and you accomplished nothing. And you're left out in the cold, alone, with only a bloody axe to show for it."

They only asked her about her EGO. When she gave this explanation of sorts, she had an unexpected regretful expression on her face. They remember having raised a hand, about to pat her shoulder and thinking of a way to comfort her, when she smiled and laughed her own words off, playfully winking at them and excusing herself.

Even now, her smile is but a facade, hiding how much she regrets being there.

Isn't it okay to make mistakes sometimes, though? To err is not a sin, but rather what makes us human.

Is what they wanted to say to her back then, but now that they missed their chance, there's only one thing they can do.

They leap forward and shatter the flow of combat. The temperature drops and the enemies are scrambling to understand what happened. When they walk past Rodion, their eyes lock briefly. They disappear within the mass of enemies and an unnatural silence takes over the battlefield.

Blood splatters on the floor and on the wall, Rodion cannot see what is happening but she instinctively feels a shiver run down her spine. The feeling is familiar, something like what she feels when either Ryoshu or Yi Sang cast their EGO. For some unknown reason, she doesn't worry about her partner. She tries to see past the confused foes in front of her, and only has a split second to step aside before a body flies her way. She dodges it in time and what once was a person becomes a blood splatter on the wall behind her.

Within the corridor that this body's path opened, she once again locks eyes with her partner. Panting and with a bloodied face, they stare at her with dull eyes. They don't seem to be wounded, which is a relief, but at the same time...

Suddenly the silence breaks and the formation of their enemies is in disarray. A couple more bodies are flung into the air and splatter against the floor and walls. Rodion didn't expect them to have an EGO so interesting. Actually she has no idea what kind of EGO it is. She can only classify it as terrifyingly hot. Yeah, she will kiss and pamper them a lot when the fight is over, but first they have to survive it.

She grins and swings her axe towards a distracted enemy, slicing his skull in half.

____

Sinclair:

"How do you manifest EGO?" Was a simple enough question. They were expecting a textbook answer, something that would take a while to understand, but still understandable.

"EGO..." Sinclair repeated, eyes growing distant as he silently pondered.

"It's okay if it's supposed to be a secret..."

He smiled at them and shook his head, "It's not, as far as I know, it's just..." He pressed his lips into a thin line, "I think about everything I could never do in my life, and then I... If only I can will myself into doing it..."

Sinclair didn't say anything much after that, and they didn't press him. Sometimes curiosity was about to take over and they felt like asking again, but they always held back. If it was something he couldn't say, then no need to be pushy.

Sinclair was gentle and easy to get along with, but when it came to battling he seemed to change completely. That bright boy who's prone to being anxious is no longer, instead there stands a bloodthirsty man, desperate to claim the lives of his enemies.

There's only a couple of them left, but there's also one wounded Sinclair, barely able to hold his weapon, left. They sit on the floor, back leaning against the wall and holding their bloody stomach. It's really embarrassing, especially after they told him they could handle a fight. Because they are incapable of keeping their promise, Sinclair has to push himself past his limit to keep them safe.

They sigh and look at the heavens above. The wound is not severe, they can probably survive it. The main problem here is that Sinclair will die, and other than that, the wounds on their pride are deeper than the one on their stomach.

Isn't it pathetic that I sit here and pity myself, instead of doing something?

They can't shake that feeling. They stare at Sinclair once again, with his trembling hands and knees, fighting off two enemies at once. He barely blocks a hit and fails to parry the other. The slice goes through his hand and he has three fingers severed at once.

Anger bubbles up their throat and they clench their jaw. Whether they are angry at their enemies or at the world for putting them in such a situation, they don't know, but when they rise to their feet that anger makes them feel lighter than ever. They dash back into the fight and swear to whatever is hearing that they won't live in regret like this anymore.

Sinclair is astounded when the weapon he clung to with all his might is snatched from his hand and then used to slice one of the two enemies in half. The person didn't have a second to realize it, their armor and flesh are sliced clean as if made of clay. The other enemy gives a step back and yells a threat. It's no use.

His partner follows up and slashes at the armored enemy, which barely blocks the blow in time. Sinclair watches as his spear's shape changes and his beloved growls unintelligible words at their common foe. Even the pitch of their voice seems off.

Then it finally hits him what's happening is that they manifested their EGO for the first time. He falls on his knees, heart racing while he watches the enemy lose ground and have all the damage they've inflicted being inflicted back at them. His partner moves with grace and malice, and even though they're clearly hurt they don't seem to show any sign of pain.

He blushes and licks his lips. He never thought his usually peaceful lover would be capable of such carnage, much less of reveling in it. It's an unexpected, but not unwelcome development.

____

Outis:

She's strict with herself more than she is with others, and few can recognize this; her lover being one of them. They wanted to find better ways of helping her so once they asked her how did she manifest her EGO.

"Sometimes you say 'the Odyssey had a purpose'," They explained, "I was wondering if you do it by saying that."

"Just the words aren't enough." Outis looked down at the floor, "It's much more than that." She sighed.

"I want to understand it." They pressed.

"If you really want to know, I think about the path that's ahead of me, and how much I still have to accomplish. I think of all the missed opportunities in the past, how many more I'll miss in the future and..." Her voice drifted away, "It doesn't matter what I have to do. I see an opportunity I cannot miss, and I seize it."

They were expecting more of a textbook explanation of it, but this one was clear enough and made sense. Outis seemed just as happy to let go of the subject, instead talking about something lighter.

Maybe she thought they'd forget about it, but she wasn't aware that they commit everything she says to mind. It's because Outis is devoted to them that they can give everything they have in return.

Even now, when the fight is pretty much lost, with one of her arms on the floor and barely able of wielding her weapon in the other hand, she's giving everything she has to keep them out of harm's way. They bitterly watch her throw her life away for somebody as incompetent as them.

The mindless creature that charges at Outis is uncaring of the outcome of this battle either way. They just happen to be on its way. They knew that this job was going to be dangerous, but they never thought they would end up being so unfitting for it. In exchange, Outis has to fight for two to compensate.

They bitterly stare at the beast who wobbles its way towards their lover and bites into the air. When its maw opens, its limbs flail strangely. They squint and watch an organ pulse underneath something that's either a wing or a tentacle. It looks soft, vulnerable.

It looks like an opportunity.

In that moment, everything clicks into place.

It doesn't matter that they can barely lift their own body or walk, this is something they cannot miss. They push themself off the ground, wincing and wobbling like the creature they fight. They push their feet forward, one after the other, counting the seconds it takes for the creature to show its weakness again. Five, four, three, two, one...

There.

They dash across the battlefield weightlessly and claim the monster's life, like a bullet that has found its target. Outis, who was bracing herself for the curtain call, freezes in place. The creature let out a shriek, its form starting to explode- no, it's like it's imploding. It folds in on itself, body twisting in an unnatural manner until it is nothing but a bundle of twisted flesh and bones.

Standing over the creature's remains is Outis' lover. A sinister smile graces their features and Outis can't help but to smile back. It seems they remembered what she had once told them. Of course, she knew her lessons would one day get through and help them but... She wasn't expecting to see them manifest such a destructive EGO of their own.

She feels overwhelmed with pride and wants to embrace them. She wants to tell them how incredible they look and how amazing of an accomplishment this is but she's already falling to the ground. She doesn't have more than a minute left to live, but it's enough.

"Well... done..." She whispers with her last breath.

____

Gregor:

They'd seen many of the sinners manifest their EGOs before in battle, and Gregor's always seemed to be the most unique out of them. Half of that fascination came from his prosthetic, and the other half from being in love with him. One day when they couldn't hold the curiosity anymore, they asked him about it.

He looked upset at first, and they almost took back their question but then he shrugged.

"It can hurt." He explained, "But if I will it to, it can also protect. If I want it to protect, I need to be stronger. I need to get over how much I hate it and make it useful."

He waved his insect arm a little, as if to illustrate his point.

"I don't know how it works, bud." He smiled awkwardly at them, "I just... I just want it to."

Such a simple explanation fit him. They knew how much grief having the arm gave him, yet he was trying to make something good out of a bad situation.

They hope they can say the same of themself, but...

Gregor is on the floor, a massive armored person has a foot on his neck while pulling his insect arm back at a painful angle. Gregor's struggle to free himself is meaningless. They fought hard, they fought well, but they've ultimately lost. The person who threatens to crush his throat with their ironclad foot instead seems more interested in pulling that arm off his shoulder. He's screamed so much his voice is hoarse. He's writhing on the floor, kicking and screaming to the top of his lungs but he can do nothing.

They're alone, and theyre weak. He tried to protect them, and in turn this is the outcome. They lay on the floor, unhindered by any armored soldier, but incapable of doing a thing. Their broken leg hurts like hell, but not as much as their heart does upon seeing him like that.

In this absolute hopeless moment, they go back to his words and his bittersweet smile.

I want to protect, so I will myself to.

They push their upper body off the ground, only to fall on their face again. They grit their teeth and clench their jaw. Gregor let out another bloodcurdling scream and they shut their eyes tight, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill.

I want to protect. This is not fair.

They can hear the sound of fabric ripping. Something inside them breaks and a switch is flipped. It doesn't matter how much it hurts, they stand on their feet and grab their weapon in their hands. The armored giant turns around, glances briefly at them and goes back to what they were doing. Oh, what a bad decision.

They lift their weapon, eyes locked on the pained image of Gregor on the ground, tortured even after defeat, and then lower it in a swift motion. A shockwave closes the gap between them and their enemy, the armored giant sways and lifts their foot off of Gregor's throat. They take another step closer and wince in pain, but swing their weapon again. The force of the shockwave this time is strong enough to make the giant let go of Gregor. The veteran is kicked to the side while the knight is forced to focus on them.

Gregor watches his lover approach the giant knight menacingly while he curls in on himself. He knows they are more hurt than himself, but somehow he feels more terrified for the canned giant. When his partner raises their weapon again, he knows it's over. He's not very educated on the science of it, but he's fought in enough battles to pick up on its flow. When this combat started, he knew the knight was way out of their league. He knew they would get severely wounded, and knew that winning was an impossible scenario here.

He couldn't tell them, because he barely had any time to, but his plan was to take most of the beating until the others could arrive and save them. Now it's clear that somehow his plan worked, but in an unexpected way. When he was hurt the most, when it felt like his tendons and muscles would get ripped apart by the knight's sadistic pulling on his arm, they reached a breaking point and manifested their own EGO.

Their weapon lowers and the tip connects with the metal on the giant's armor, and in that split second where the world stays still, Gregor blinks. The knight's armor is smashed in and blood and flesh gush out of its gaps. It's a gruesome scene, and the sound it makes is nauseating. His lover pants and gasps for air, then falls to the ground unconscious.

In spite of his pain he is not only proud, but also glad. He crawls all the way to their side, smearing some stray blood and guts over his clothes on the way. Everything hurts, but he manages to reach them. He embraces them with his still good arm, shedding tears of relief.

He's so sorry he's put them through all of this, but he's so unashamedly proud and in love with them.

"You did good, bud." He whispers into their hair, "You did so good...

[graceshouldwrite]

How to Write Political Intrigue (with book recs)

POLITICAL INTRIGUE! Intrigue in general! What is it?

For the purposes of this post (as well as how it's usually used in the writing/reading community), think: scheming. Plotting. Conspiracies in the shadows, bids for power and survival, secret plans, masterful illusions, all of that stuff.

It could be on any scale that you'd like, from a duel of wits (think Light's and L's game of cat and mouse in Death Note)

...to a large-scale plot involving entire countries and their people (like any espionage networks during any major wars, such as the American Revolutionary War to World War II, and so many more)

...or even medium-sized conflicts (families, like in The Godfather, or smaller national disturbances like the Watergate scandal).

Below are 4 core tips on how you can successfully write (political) intrigue plots:

1. Read + Research

Despite how hard it may sound, it's actually pretty easy to craft a realistic yet thrilling intrigue plot—with so many examples in real life and fiction, you can easily base your plot on an existing one and just change a few things like the characters, setting, and maybe a few plot points.

History and current events are always great places to look to, but here are some books that are chock-full of great politics + intrigue:

Leviathan (Thomas Hobbes): one of the most famous treatises of politics + human nature and their intersection. The book is an in-depth exploration of human nature, government, politics, and all of the root causes of why they exist. While it does take a specific philosophical angle (you might not agree with Hobbes' ideas), they are detailed explanations of how things work + why they are required from one perspective.

48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene): GREAT BOOK for helping you plan out the means by which you want the intrigue to happen. There are lots of simplified rules that tell you why people plan and scheme (e.g. "control the options; get others to play the cards you deal," or "pose as a friend, work as a spy"). There are LOTS of really great small stories of when a rule is applied in real life that are also general plot inspo!

The Godfather (Mario Puzo): very very good, intricate, and more emotional because it deals with the intrigue surrounding families

Joseph Fouché: Portrait of a Politician (Stefan Zweig) (biography): Fouché is absolutely insane. A genius at political intrigue. His life is literally one of the craziest stories of scheming, betrayals, survival, and a general vying for power, especially behind the scenes.

The Prince (Machiavelli): obviously, I can't leave out the original tips + tricks book with explanations of WHY intrigue matters as a means, especially in terms of protecting your power.

Trust Me, I'm Lying (Ryan Holladay): a large part of intrigue plots (you need to cover up the actual game you're playing) is the manipulation of information, creating illusions and spectacles for other people to believe. This book goes in-depth about media manipulation and information wars.

Empire of Pain (Patrick Raden Keefe): takes a rather different angle, through the personal/corporate manipulation of government, as well as how wealth dynasties (especially within families) are established. Remember the opioid crisis? This book explores the generational politics of money and power that led up to that.

Prince of Thorns (Mark Lawrence): Look! Fiction! Anyway, I'm biased because it's one of my favourite works of fiction of all time, but it explores political intrigue not only through an actor participating in it, but through the lens of the common folk. I.e., the consequences all that power play has on the populace due to a lack of actual good governance...

A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin): I haven't personally read/watched anything GoT, but it's pretty much obligatory to put this series down in a post about political intrigue. It's famous for doing it well.

2. Plan. Like, meticulously

First of all, decide what scale you want your intrigue to be on: large-scale government/international affairs type, a corporation thing, something between two people, or even within a family? There are so many possibilities.

Intrigue plots are like mysteries; they must be tightly logical to be satisfying. One of the best ways of ensuring this is through analyzing each involved party—the actors.

Each actor has their own motivations, goals, and psychologies. After you establish what they want OUT of their intrigue, think about how they'd go about achieving it: a naturally hot-headed person might try to intimidate their way into getting what they want, or they might learn through the course of the story to cool down a bit.

A naturally imaginative and analytical person might come up with all sorts of scarily genius plans, and near-flawless execution. Of course, they would also react in different ways, depending on personality. Character consistency alone will make your plot seem that much more logical.

However, cracks in logic will happen because humans are inherently imperfect and not always rational. These cracks must be DELIBERATE and realistic and must seem planned out; they can't seem more like the author forgot a detail, or didn't know how to explain something (e.g. something happened and the writer never included the consequence of it because they forgot). It must be clear that it is a flaw on the character's part.

3. Never write intrigue for the sake of the intrigue

The incentive of all scheming comes down to mainly two things: gaining power and keeping it. Of course, you could choose to explore more unusual things, such as characters exercising intrigue to satisfy boredom... (think Light and Ryuk from Death Note).

But, the bids for power, security, and survival can be used to highlight things about human nature. Themes to explore include ambition, sacrifice, the pursuit of happiness, the corruption of character, the preservation of innocence in a cruel system, etc.

4. Explore through a narrow lens

Most intrigue plots are full of complex motivations, characters, goals, and the means they use to achieve said goals.

You should gradually let your intrigue plot unfold through the POV of a few characters, preferably one or two. An omniscient narrator for this type of story is INCREDIBLY difficult to pull off without confusing the reader.

However, more POVs work if you use all of them to focus on ONE or a few intrigue plots only—it can provide a multi-layered effect, exploring the same line of action and consequence through different perspectives. But, if everyone has their own intrigue plot, it's too easy to create a tangled mess where readers can barely delineate one plot from the next.

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

Sorry for the massive hiatus—I have officially started college!! I've been pre-occupied with settling in, classes starting, a social life, extracurriculars etc. etc...life has been super busy, but great :)

I've started working on my books as well as poetry more recently, and I'm glad I'm getting into a new workflow/lifestyle. It certainly is different, but I'm starting to enjoy it.

Anyway, I'm surprised it took me this long to do a post about this topic, considering the fact that it's basically my writergram niche and my entire personality IRL, but I think it was mainly because I was trying to find a good angle to approach this massive topic. But, stay tuned for (probably) a part 2 because there's SO MUCH MORE to cover.

Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated :)

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

[ungodlysaltyinfrastructure]

Hey… so uh… Alux witnessing his mother die in front of him, anyone?

Aha. So um. I inexplicably went missing on tumblr...

Why? I tried deleting an experimental side blog I didn't need/want, and because I don't know how tumblr works, I had actually deleted my main account (Note to self, never venture off into the account settings, WITHOUT CHECKING WHICH BLOG IM ON) I was devastated about it, but, it may have been a good thing for me, question mark? I had been embroiled in toxic queer discourse (aphobia sucks), and it took a toll on my mental well-being. So I took this unfortunate deletion of my work as a sign to relax a bit, despite the pit of panic that formed when this happened. Luckily, I'm better! (again >_>) and I still love Alux Rising, so here I am, making my grand return! back at it again with more way too long character analysis!

I would've posted about my abrupt leaving of tumblr sooner as I was eager to explain everything, but then AR 14 dropped soooooooooooo

Okay. Ar 14. Just made me incredibly happy. A major thing that had been missing for me was actual depictions of Alux as a child. He goes on about how his childhood was rough, but we never actually got to see such. Only the aftermath of such childhood with his relationship to Elric.

Now that we've seen it,

Oh God. It explains, a lot. I always thought Alux acted weird, so much so that I started to theorize that he was *actually* autistic/ASD (More Asperger's Syndrome but that term is no longer used)

But now…

I still hold firm in my Autistic Aro Alux Headcanon, but now his “lack of character” makes more sense to me.

It's made out that Alux's lack of character was prominent in his childhood, as his mother says that one day, he'll learn to like whatever he likes, and he'll be his own person, inferring that he doesn't understand that yet as a child. That's really intriguing to me. Apparently, his blandness was apparent in his childhood, and now in his adulthood. And it seems that the only thing he fully knows how to do, is to help people. If this lack of uniqueness to his character was in his childhood, then maybe the fact that Alux is bland is a defining character trait for him. One that will be overridden by this developing story of Alux rising. (Aha! Character development!)

Now, in relation to Alux and his parents.

It seems like he followed his mom more than his dad. That's why he brings her up in his and Elric's argument, and why he says “I like what you like!” and “I want to be just like you” To her in the memory.

And upon further rewatching, my heart just broke.

In the memory, Alux's mom says “But remember to be the best version of yourself, and to treat others how you want to be treated.”

How does Alux treat others currently? *He constantly helps them. protecting them, making sure they're OK.*

*sigh*...

Ok.

I'm really glad that we got this flash back. It actually helps put some character into Alux (even if it being trauma) and his lack of reaction to a lot of things makes much more sense. Even after the whole flashback, his lack of talking about the memory for why he had such a strong reaction feels very realistic considering the circumstances.

Another thing I realized, when Alux snaps out of it, the surrounding magic of green crystals is the orchids. I'm crying.

It most definitely seems like witnessing his mother's death stunted Alux's mental development to a degree, mostly in the sense that he doesn't fully know who he is, what he wants, or what he likes with what seemed to be his only supporting figure in his life now gone. If he still had his mother, maybe he would've turned out differently. (Wow shocker, I know.)

And honestly, we all knew Alux was traumatized, but I did not expect it to be to THIS extent. I just thought his mom died of an illness, and he wasn't there to see it but she was gone.

I was. SO WRONG.

Dead wrong. One could say.

Like Alux's mom- *cough*

anyways- yea Alux's nickname should definitely be Horny, Professor Red- oops, sorry *GEARS* comes up with the best nicknames, in fact he should become president and deliver every presidential speech in his rhyming scheme.

Oh and James is not dead,

Apparently.

[melancholy-of-nadia]

love u lately (m) #5 | myg/knj/pjm

title: love u lately​ chapter title: #5 - home girl​ pairing: yoongi x f. reader, namjoon x f. reader, jimin x f. reader (yoonminjoon x f. reader) rating/genre: m (18+) ; smut ; college/university au , pseudo frat! bts; best friends! yoonminjoon friends to lovers; summary: after getting entangled with jimin and him revealing that he knows your secret at the halloween party, you decide coming clean to yoongi about what happened would be the best choice. however, this doesn't come without consequences, as it creates a distance between you two. when jimin comes to remedy this with a wild idea, what would happen is something you'd never expect. warnings:  halloween party ending bits, smut, cunninglingus, blowjob, alcohol/recreational drug mentions, swearing, kissing, A LOT, fingering, CONSENSUAL and PROTECTED sex, penetration, HEAVYYYYYY on the ANGST, does this count as cheating if they're not together, confessions???, good end of the chapter!, jimin being a wild card note: as always thank you to @daegudrama for editing this chapter and writing the smut as I struggled with life last month. truly appreciate all the hard work and support you give me to write this fic total word count: 10.5k drop date: December 13th, 2023, 4:00PM PST cross posted on AO3 here ← #4 | Series Masterlist | #6 →

“I knew it.”

Huh? What does he mean he ‘knew it?’ Knew what? Jimin’s response sounds coy, which is definitely not what you were expecting. A brief moment of silence and confusion passes by before you verbally react.

“Wait what?”

The ringing coming from your phone comes to an end. You guess Yoongi reached your voicemail and just hung up. You’re a little relieved, but that’s not the point. Forget the call! Forget the orgasm! What is Jimin talking about?

Jimin starts giggling, “Jungkook spilled the beans to me, actually.”

Jungkook? What? How does he know? You feel that you’re missing a big piece of information that Jimin is withholding from you and even Yoongi.

You grab Jimin’s arms, flipping him onto his back until you’re on top of him and straddling his thighs. Jimin’s eyes are agape confused by your sudden quick movements. You've always managed to over power him with your strength, which he has always admired. In a different scenario similar to that of an erotica novel, this would lead to steamy sex, however now you’re trying to get him to spill whatever he knows.

“Now tell me everything you know, Park!”

—————————————

October 13th [Sunday] — past —

 "Are you good, Jimin?"

Jimin, caught off guard while deleting pictures and Irene's contact from his phone, replied, "I'm fine. It was long overdue anyway." 

The purple lighting added an mystic ambiance to the conversation.

After Jimin broke up with Irene and she decided to leave the party, Jungkook entered the hallway where Irene had just left Jimin standing, eyes wide from witnessing their breakup. Jungkook, clearly a bit more talkative than usual due to the alcohol, casually put his arm around Jimin, concern etched in his features.

Clearly intoxicated, Jungkook's chattiness took a turn towards your direction. "So what finally got you to do it? Was it her?" He gestured towards you across the room, engaging in a lively conversation with Namjoon and Yoongi. Jimin’s gaze fixed on you in an endeared way, admiring the way you glowed and laughed while conversing with the two men. He admitted, "Maybe." Interrupting abruptly, Jungkook said, "Well, you better start making moves before it's too late, Jiminie, because—" He immediately covered his mouth, realizing he was about to spill something he shouldn't. "Because what? What are you talking about?" Jimin questioned, feeling a sudden pang of anxiety. Was there someone else already pursuing you? His mind raced, wondering if it was JB or someone else. He wouldn't let Jungkook leave without answers. The younger boy was suddenly sweating, eyes looking around for an escape to exit the scene he unintentionally created. "You better fucking spill, Jeon! I'm not letting you leave until you tell me." Jimin threatened, his voice a mix of sweetness and poison. Jimin is one of the scarier members in the house, so frankly, Jungkook was fucked if he stayed silent. The younger boy sighed, finally relenting, “Okay, fine. But will you please, please, PLEASE promise me you won’t get mad with what I’m about to tell you.” Rolling his eyes, Jimin held his pinky up, "Yes, I promise." 

Sealing the promise with a pinky swear. Of course he won’t be mad, he thinks. How bad could it even be? "Okay, well, uh, do you remember last Friday when we couldn't have game night because the majority of us had plans except for honey and Yoongi hyung?" Jimin nodded, prompting Jungkook to continue. "So, um, they went to the Gamma party." Jimin eyed him curiously. "A party? So they lied about having a game night somewhere else. Interesting, keep going."

"Okay thought the only reason I know that is because my friend Yugyeom told me! I didn't know they went together. But when I came home earlier that Friday night since I wasn't feeling well…I...uh...I heard sounds."

"Sounds? What sounds—" It took Jimin a full minute to catch on to what Jungkook was hinting at, the realization dawning on him with a mixture of shock and disbelief. Fucking. They were fucking? No way. Yoongi was the one least likely out of the three of them to ever make moves on you first. Jimin had always assumed that even someone like Jungkook would've made the first move, especially since he had a minor crush on you last year. Not in a million years would he had thought Yoongi would do it.

"Are you being serious with me right now?" Jimin leaned into Jungkook, his eyes searching for any signs of deceit.

"Yes, the fuck? Do you think I would be lying to you?!" Jungkook defended himself, his tone firm and resolute. "No, this is just so insane. But wait, are they dating or something?" Jimin cut to the chase, seeking clarification.

Jungkook sighed, "I don't think so. I think they're still friends, but I haven't heard them do it since that time. So I don't know if it's anything more serious or just a one-night thing."

"Interesting."

"So you're not mad?"

"Nope. If they're still friends and maybe doing that on the side, I still have a chance."

"Jimin." Jungkook looked at his close friend, appalled that he would even say that.

Jimin continued to blabber out his thoughts, "I wouldn’t even mind if we’re both taking turns fucking her if he was done. Hell, maybe get Namjoon in on this too if he wants."

"JIMIN."

"Oh, sorry." Jimin paused as Jungkook cut him off, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. The alcohol had also exposed his inner desires, which wasn't entirely surprising. The house knew Jimin was adventurous in the sheets, but Jungkook hearing and know all these details made him rethink the life decisions that had led him to this peculiar group of people.

 "But it seems they're being lowkey about it, so please," Jungkook implored, grabbing Jimin's shoulders and towering over him. "For the love of God, don't tell anyone you know what I just told you."

"I won't! Lips are sealed!" Jimin grinned, miming the action of zipping his lips and locking them with an invisible key.

 Jungkook sighed, looking down at the older boy. He knew Jimin was a wild card, and the revelation of your situation with Yoongi could indeed flip the whole house upside down. He hoped Jimin would exercise discretion and make wise decisions with the new info he had been given, in a rather seductive manner, threatened to spill.

———————————

"Holy fuck..." you mumble curses under your breath as Jimin explains his story from weeks prior.

 He ends it by explaining his decision to find you soon after to start planting ideas in your head, like that birthday kiss wish. He admits to acting like nothing happened afterward, just to see you stressed out, fully aware of how well he knew you.

You couldn't help but berate yourself for not checking everyone's location the night you got home from the party and fucked Yoongi. While you weren't exactly in you right mind, you were still rational enough to want what you did with him. Yet, you seemed to have missed the fact that Jungkook had entered the house while the deed was taking place. Maybe you’ll need to treat him to some bubble tea as an apology.

"I have a lot of questions to ask you, but one I should ask right now is, are you two dating?" He inquires, a mix of concern and curiosity in his voice.

You know the answer to this question is an obvious ‘no’, yet for some reason, a part of you wishes it wasn't. Before you can overthink it, you answer, "Nope. We're just...you could say, best friends with benefits?"

"And it's nothing serious?" Jimin inquires further.

"Well…no. We’re just…fucking each other?" Jimin looks at you waiting for you to continue with the new info drop you’re giving him. “It’s a long story…” 

You really don’t want to get into the nitty gritty details about this right now. It would take all night and you know Jimin would jokingly call you an idiot for crafting up such an interesting friends-with-benefits deal with Yoongi just because you didn’t like that he and Namjoon were distancing themselves due to their relationships. Even thinking about that now, you’re not sure why you were so incredibly eager to do that.

"Good,” He answers right away, catching you off guard. “So I don't have to feel bad for doing this to hyung." He says with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Confused, you look at Jimin until he playfully flips you back onto the bed, kissing up your neck. This back-and-forth banter reminds you of the playful wrestling you two engaged in as middle schoolers, only now the context is entirely different.

With gentle but firm hands, he takes hold of each of your wrists and presses them against your sides, keeping you in place. Before you can fully understand what’s going on, Jimin leans down and ducks his head under your skirt. His warm breath sends shivers down your spine as he wastes no time in flicking his skilled tongue against your already sensitive clit. You squirm against his grip on your wrists, desperately wanting to move your dress up to get a better view of him pleasuring you. The anticipation and desire building inside you is almost unbearable as he continues to expertly bring you closer to ecstasy with every flick of his tongue.

“Do you want me to stop?” He breathes out sending another shiver of pleasure up your spine. 

“Don’t you dare, Park!” You reply in a haste, breaking your wrists free of his grasp.

With a light force, you push his head down, feeling giddiness within you as he eagerly obliges, his tongue zigzagging through your slick folds. His hands run up and down your thighs adding to the array of sensations coursing through your body. Your head falls back while your back arches in response to the one finger he uses to circle your entrance. 

But as Jimin continues to suck, lick, and kiss your wet pussy with expert precision, you suddenly become aware of how uncomfortable your once cute angel wings are in this situation. Frustrated by their presence, you sit up just enough to rid yourself of the accessory, determined to fully enjoy the pleasure that Jimin is bringing you. His tongue works wonders on your sensitive skin, earning breathy moans from your lips. It's almost as if you can feel him smirking against you, his teasing movements only adding to the intense sensations enchanting you.

Jimin's hand slides under your ass, gripping and squeezing before he emerges from under your skirt. He wipes his mouth on the back of his hand with a sly grin, your own heart fluttering in response. As he sits back on his feet, you reach for the button on his pants, eager to feel him against you. Your breath hitches as you trace the outline of his cock through his pants, drool pooling in your mouth at the thought of tasting him. In your drunken state, it takes you longer than usual to unbutton his pants and push down his boxers.

Finally free, Jimin's cock springs up, throbbing and ready for you to please him. You wrap your fingers around him, stroking lightly as you watch his reaction. His lips part as he sucks in a sharp breath of air, his eyes never leaving your face. Without hesitation, you dip your head and take his tip into your mouth.

“Are you sure you want to—” Jimin begins cutting himself off when your tongue begins swirling around his tip before sinking further, taking more of his length into your mouth. You’re definitely more than sure, you think.

With cheeks caving in and a steady rhythm, you expertly slide his dick in and out of your mouth, eliciting a song of pleasure from Jimin's pretty lips. Just when he's getting close to the edge, you pop your mouth off with a teasing grin, drawing a desperate whine from Jimin's mouth.

As much of a tease as he is, you would think he could handle some himself. With a devilish smirk, he guides you onto your back again before standing to remove his pants. As he grinds his naked cock against your slick folds, every cell in your body screams for him to just fuck into you already. 

“Jimin, please!” You whimper, taking his cock in your hand and stroking.

“What do you want, Y/N?” He asks smirking like he knows you might be hesitant to ask for what you want. 

“You.” 

With that he stands searching for a condom in his pants before muttering curses. Jimin turns to Matthew’s bedside table, opening the top drawer first and finding what he was looking for. Also some things he wasn’t looking for. He holds up a whip thinking he is learning so much about his friend that he doesn’t want to know.

“Next time.” Jimin says with a wink and you can feel your face flushing despite the situation. This is definitely a premonition for something to come and you don’t know whether to be excited or scared.

With a swift motion, Jimin tears open the condom packaging using his teeth and expertly rolls it onto himself. He positions himself between your legs and lines up with your entrance, pushing in slowly and groaning at the ease of his entry.

And once he finally enters, it feels like pure ecstasy.

A curse tumbles from your lips as he reaches the hilt and holds himself there for a moment, savoring the tightness.

Unable to resist any longer, he leans over and captures your lips in a heated kiss as his hips begin to rock back and forth. The pace is anything but gentle, as if he's releasing all the pent-up sexual tension and frustration that has built up over the years. Jimin breaks away from the kiss, leaning back to thrust into you with even more force. Your body arches off the bed in response, and you can't help the moans and cries that escape your mouth.

"Do you want everyone to hear you?" His voice is laced with pleasure and teasing as his fingers dig into your hips, urging you closer to him.

“Oh, is that what you’re into?” You indulge him with your words, biting your lip in pleasure.

“Let’s talk about that another time.” Jimin laughs before he leans down to capture your lips again, his tongue pushing through and tasting all of you. His hips continue to thrust into you and the friction mixed with his tongue and warm breath is almost too much for you to take. 

He thrusts into you with a fierce force, causing your whole body to jolt and your nails to dig into the sheets. Jimin flips you onto your stomach and kneads your ass with strong, experienced hands. You let out a small whimper as he positions himself on his hands and knees behind you.

Without warning, two of his fingers slip inside of you, stretching you in a way that makes you press your face into the soft mattress beneath you. For several seconds, Jimin drills his fingers in and out of you, making you moan in pleasure before you quickly cover your lips.

Just when you think you can't take it anymore, Jimin pulls his fingers out and pushes his cock back inside of you with one swift motion. His length is hitting new angles in this position, rebuilding the pleasure that was torn away from you earlier. 

Jimin's hand comes down hard on your ass, giving a satisfying slap, before he lets you take charge. After a few moments of adjusting, you find a rhythm that elicits intoxicating sounds from deep within his throat. You are completely lost in the overwhelming pleasure when suddenly, a faint crackle fills the air behind you followed by the unmistakable scent of peach.

Curiosity getting the best of you, you shift your gaze over your shoulder to see Jimin taking a hit from a familiar vape pen – one that you've seen in Matthew's hands many times before. All movement halts as confusion washes over your face before quickly being replaced by desire once again when Jimin resumes thrusting his cock into you lazily as if it’s an afterthought. 

“Jimin! Are you seriously vaping right now? And using Matthew’s pen!?” Your eyes widen as you watch him take another hit from the small device. He’s so unserious at a time like this, but it’s somehow attractive. He’s so hot.

Jimin exhales a thick cloud of smoke and then tosses the vape onto the other side of the mattress with a mischievous glint in his eye. He snickers while glancing at you and your amused expression. His strong hands grip your hips tightly as he thrusts deep inside of you, sending shivers down your spine.

And just when you think things couldn't get any more wild, Jimin blows out a stream of smoke and shapes it into a playful heart with his fingers, making you burst into giggles.

 "Don't worry about it, angel." he says with a innocent grin before diving back to fucking you deep in Matthew’s mattress. This man is really hustling you with the same nickname Yoongi gave you… fuck.

He picks up the pace pounding into you, filling the air with the sound of your pleasure and skin slapping together. Heat is pooling in your stomach bringing you back to the brink of orgasm. 

With a low growl, Jimin pulls away pulling you up to kiss your lips hungrily. He guides you onto your back and pulls your legs onto his shoulders. Heat and electricity surge through you as he effortlessly moves your legs onto his shoulders, positioning himself between them.

Jimin’s dick slides in easily and perfectly into the warm embrace of your body.  The sensation is overwhelming as he rubs his thumb expertly over your clit, setting fire to every nerve ending in your body. You bite down hard on your lip to stifle the moan that threatens to escape.

Jimin's head falls back, lips parted in pleasure as he rides the waves of ecstasy building within him. Your best friend looks like a dream, with sweat glistening on his skin and his brows furrowed in concentration. And all of this pleasure is because of you.

His brow scrunches together when you clench your pussy around him, and it only fuels his desire further. He runs his finger quickly over your clit without resistance, thanks to the soaked state he’s left you in. His actions soon send you tumbling over the edge into pure blissful orgasm. Your toes curl and your legs shake as Jimin carefully removes them from his shoulders, leaving a soft kiss on the side of your leg.

As he pulls out and removes the condom, you watch curiously as he jerks himself off with one hand while looking at you lying completely spent and disheveled before him. It doesn't take long for hot ribbons of cum to spill from him and land on your legs, creating an erotic mess.

But the mood quickly shifts as Jimin loses his balance and falls onto the wet spot, making a mess of the sheets. You grab his hand and pull him upright, both of you bursting into a fit of giggles at the ridiculousness of the moment you two are in.

Surveying your wet patch on the sheets mixed with Jimin's own release, you can't help but laugh even harder. In this moment, there is no one else in the world but the two of you, lost in each other's company and overcome with pure joy. 

"Fuck, we made a mess of Matthew's sheets," Jimin exclaims, looking down with panic.

"Huh? Oh shit!" You quickly get up, hastily fixing your outfit before darting into the closet, searching for extra clean sheets. Oh he’s going to be so pissed his marketing class team members just fucked on his bed.

Your eyes light up as you find your solution on the top shelf. "Jimin, please help me take off those sheets and put them in a basket or something! I need to put these clean ones on, and...how are we going to sneak them into the washing machine so he doesn't see or smell them!" 

Panic takes over your tone, and Jimin finds amusement in your flustered state.

The two of you hurriedly set about cleaning up the evidence of your sex session, trying to maintain a semblance of order in Matthew's room. As you wrestle with the sheets, Jimin can’t help but chuckle at the comical situation unfolding before him. "I'll take care of the rest, darling," Jimin assures, placing his hand on your bare shoulder. "The majority of this house is drunk or stoned, so a guy carrying a bunch of sheets downstairs into the laundry room isn't going to spark obvious suspicion." He chuckles, in a way that sounds like what you imagine an actual angel to laugh like. "You should get your stuff and go back out to your friends. Tell me all the details about your thing with hyung tomorrow.” He pauses a bit before continuing “Talk to hyung too..something tells me that his sixth sense is aware."

Your tense shoulders deflate in slight relief, until they tense up once again at the thought of talking to Yoongi about this. You nod at Jimin, "Okay, I trust you'll do some 'Jimin Magic' and fix this, so I'm going now. I'll talk to Yoongs too, so, see you at home?"

"See you at home, love."

The endearing nickname, the same one Yoongi gave you, somehow gives off a different vibe when Jimin uses it. You can’t pinpoint why and decide not to dwell on it right now. Exiting the room, you head downstairs, pulling out your phone to type a message to Yoongi.

You [12:58 PM]: Sorry I couldn’t answer your call Yoongs.You [12:58 PM]: When you come back, can we talk?

+++++++++++++++++++++

November 5th [Monday]

Yoongi arrives at the airport early that morning, greeted by the sight of you waiting by the curb with Jimin's car with the trunk open. He smiles as he places his luggage in the trunk, appreciating the effort you made to pick him up. After a brief moment of pleading, you convince Yoongi to take the driver's seat since you are hesitant about driving Jimin's fancy car. Without much resistance, he agrees, and you settle into the passenger seat.

"So where to, princess?" Yoongi teases, catching you off guard with the nickname.

"Princess?!" You sputter, cheeks reddening. "You’re clearly the passenger princess here," He says, gesturing to your seat and chuckling.

"D-Damn, you just got back, and you already got me good, Min." You laugh, using your hands to cover your flushed cheeks. "Anyways, I was thinking of going to the breakfast place on Main Street." 

You take your phone, perched on the dashboard, to navigate Yoongi on the road.

"Is this also where we're going to discuss what you wanted to talk about?"

You take a moment before responding, "Yeah, there was something we may have overlooked in our rules while I was too busy sealing the deal by giving you a blowjob." You shyly admit, your gaze focusing on the road as he starts to drive.

"I think I know what you mean." Yoongi chuckles, using his right hand to pat your head, reassuring you about the upcoming conversation. 

The two of you change the topic for the time being, deciding to wait until you are at the restaurant to delve into the important discussion. The anticipation lingers in the air, adding a layer of tension to the otherwise casual breakfast outing. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It would be a lie to say that you’re not nervous to be having this conversation with Yoongi. It’s odd. You’ve never been this nervous about talking to him. It’s always been easy to approach Yoongi when it comes to difficult topics compared to your other besties. He always takes a more logic or reason-based approach rather than letting his feelings consume him. He’s the Yin to your Yang. When you tend to let your feelings get the best of you, he always comes to ground you with reason. Come on, Y/N. It’s a simple conversation. He’ll understand, right? Nothing can go wrong.

"So, we need to establish a new boundary in our agreement…" You finally let yourself begin, taking a bite of your blueberry pancakes.

"And the reason behind this is because..." Yoongi prompts after swallowing a piece of his bacon and spinach omelet that just arrived at the table.

Sitting on the restaurant's patio, shielded from the sun by a patio umbrella and surrounded by a variety of plants, you and Yoongi engage in a conversation. Despite it being November, it is comfortable enough to eat outdoors. You prefer the open space to avoid the risk of eavesdroppers inside the restaurant.

You fiddle around with your pancake, breaking the silence with, "Okay, you remember our talk about communication and our friends-with-benefits arrangement..."

Yoongi nods, signaling for you to continue with your confession. A momentary hesitation lingers, aware that Yoongi values straightforwardness without any sugar coating. This isn’t just about the communication rule; it is a characteristic of how he deals with everyone, especially you.

You sigh, making a deliberate effort to meet his gaze, conveying the sincerity of your words. "Well, I may have done something last week on Halloween...consensually, of course." Your eyes briefly wander, finding solace in a purple flower still blooming despite the season.

“You had sex with someone else?” “Yeah…” You continue, words carefully releasing from your lips from the anxiety. “I had debated that whole night before this encounter whether getting involved in this would break our agreement, but then I realized we never even discussed exclusivity.” You turn your gaze back to Yoongi, noting the firm expression on his face. However, his eyes betray a different story—they looked slightly glassy and sad. Despite this, he remains silent, leaving his thoughts unreadable. You hesitate to delve into what he might be feeling, fearing the unknown and the potential overthinking it could trigger.

Why did the weight of this situation suddenly hit you so hard? You aren’t in a relationship with Yoongi, yet it feels like cheating on him. In the past few days, you actively avoided confronting these conflicting emotions, aiming to shield yourself from the potential consequences. If you did, you probably would’ve tried to hide it in fear of the possibility of hurting him until you couldn't hide it anymore. But deep down, you know that wouldn't have lasted long; hiding anything from him is an impossible feat when he knows you so well.

"Would you mind if I asked who it was?" Yoongi inquires firmly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." His eyes look into yours reassuringly.

Although you're not obligated to share, you feel it is only fair to Yoongi that you reveal the truth. Keeping it from him would likely make you feel even worse. You are aware that Jimin, to some extent, also feels a level of remorse for this shared encounter, despite his enjoyment in the moment.

"It was Jimin." You reply in a similar tone, keeping your gaze fixed on Yoongi. A brief silence settles over the small space that contains you and Yoongi, feeling like it lasts a century. You decide to add on, “Jimin also found out about us, from Jungkook, actually.”

Yoongi’s eyes flickered in confusion at the added revelation. A thousand more questions popped onto his mind. Did he tell more people? But he figured Jungkook was smart enough to not blabber about this to anyone unless he was be forced it cough it up, by none other than Jimin. And it didn’t seem like anyone else knew, yet at least. 

Finally, he sighs lowly, shifting his gaze down to his remaining food while rubbing his left temple. "Okay. Well shit, that was an oversight in our deal. I admit it."

Yoongi has pondered the possibility before, but he hasn't considered it a significant issue. Especially given his more prominent concern over JB, rather than Jimin, who was with Irene up until a few weeks ago. Namjoon is another factor that lingers in his thoughts since you ran after him when he and Jihyo broke up, but he seems to maintain a distance from anything too intimate with you. At least, from what he’s seen.

Jimin must’ve questioned you and made you realize on that oversight in the deal. Leading to what happened. Thought he isn’t sure.

Yoongi looks back at you and offers a smile, a gummy grin that makes you feel undeserving in this moment. "I don't know what you and Jimin did that led to that point, but don't feel bad. You did just as we agreed after all."

"No, I should've told you either way before that happened."

Yoongi internally wants to scoff. What could he have said if you had texted him about planning to hook up with Jimin that night he wasn't there? ‘Have fun? Let me know how it goes?’ The truth is, he’s in love with you. He wouldn’t be able to say that shit without it eating away at him. He cares about you and Jimin so much, and the thought of receiving a text from one of his best friends, that he’s in love with, saying they are going to fuck another one of his best friends, who he also cares about a lot, feels like a very fucking hard pill to swallow

Opting for a chuckle instead, he replies, "Yeah, but I'd rather not know about that." His attempt at lightening the mood is a feeble defense against the complex emotions swirling within him.

You look at him puzzled, uncertainty clouding your expression. Fuck, were you not supposed to say that? Did you fuck up that bad? Your mind raced with doubts; you thought communication should’ve been key.

"I'm so sorry, Yoongi." You apologize, the tightness in your chest growing as you witness his altered demeanor.

"It's fine." He responds in a feeble voice. Despite his words, you can’t shake the feeling that things aren’t as okay as he claims. The remainder of breakfast unfolds in silence. Soon after, Yoongi signals the waiter for the bill, pays it, and both of you make your way back to the car, driving home in a heavy atmosphere.

You offer to help Yoongi with his luggage when you open the trunk, but he signals with his hands that he has it covered. Walking inside together, a quiet heaviness lingers in the air. Before entering his room, Yoongi turns to address you one last time that day.

"Y/N, I'm going to need some time," He states, his words carrying a weight that mirrors the unresolved tension between you.

You sigh quietly, "I understand."

As he enters the room, the door closes with a deliberate yet not overly loud slam. It resonates enough to signify that he needs this space to process the revelations and emotions stirred by the day's unfolding events. Left standing in the hallway, you can’t help but wonder how this will impact the dynamics of your relationships with both Yoongi and Jimin in the days to come.

Back in your room, you throw yourself onto your bed, burying your face in the pillow in frustration. The weight of the situation presses down on you. You don’t know how long it will take for Yoongi to process. You’ve never really fought with Yoongi before compared to Jimin and Namjoon. Any disagreement you’ve had with Yoongi was very minor, like firmly saying strawberries are better than tangerines. Even during times when you’ve upset each other before, you two would quickly resolve things, whether it was through a heart-to-heart talk or food. Food is always the friendly option in a ceasefire between you all.

But this situation is entirely new and different, when will that happen…if it does?

You wouldn’t blame him if he decides it's best to end this agreement with him once and for all. Would you even want it to end? 

You’re not sure if that’s what you want him to do.

++++++++++++++

In the evening, you meet up with your marketing class team in the library to continue working on your group project. Jin has a Kappa Psi Pi board meeting, and Matthew has an intramural basketball match, leaving you, Hwasa, and Jimin to tackle the remaining tasks for the night. After completing the slide deck, Hwasa, with a midterm to study for, finishes her part of the work and heads back to her dorm.

Now, it's just you and Jimin in this small study room, working on the paper portion of the assignment.

Jimin has been sensing that something isn’t right since you entered the room earlier. He knows you were supposed to be talking to Yoongi today about the events at the Halloween party. By the looks of it, he doesn’t think the talk went well. He decides to ask you about it.

"So, how did the talk with Yoongi hyung go?" Jimin inquires, his eyes reflecting genuine concern for your well-being. Despite your attempts to stay strong throughout the day, Jimin's question finally shatters your exterior. Tears stream down your face as sobs escape uncontrollably. The intensity of your emotions surprises you, and you struggle to pinpoint the exact reason behind this overwhelming surge of despair. After all, it was your choice to have sex with Jimin that night; there was no commitment or exclusivity with Yoongi to tie you down to him. You’re not dating each other. Yet, witnessing his saddened and upset expression has an inexplicable impact on your heart, leaving you burdened with an empty pit filled with guilt. What kind of friend are you, using him for sex and moving on to the next when he’s not around? You didn’t even have the audacity to at least tell him beforehand.

“Hey, hey,” Jimin gets up from his seat soon after the first tears fall and wraps you in a tight hug that cradles your head in his hands. “You know you can talk to me, right? About anything.” he reassures you, giving you a smile of encouragement as you nod, trying to control your sobs.

You pull away from him, taking a long breath, you open your mouth and finally speak again. “H-He said he wants to take some time away from me…I think he actually hates me…” You continue to sob.

 It feels dumb somehow to be crying when you were the one who let everything happen with Jimin. It also feels dumb that you pushed this friends-with-benefits idea to Yoongi, only to be the one to hurt him as you failed to make rules that wouldn’t have you questioning them.

”Oh honey,” Jimin pulls you into another hug again.  “Yoongi can’t stay mad at you forever. He’s literally like your soulmate. You guys are so alike, and I know he feels heartbroken to do this too. I feel like he’ll come around soon.” The doubt lingers in your voice as you question through sobs, "You really believe that?"

"Of course I do!" Jimin pulls away, gazing directly into your eyes with sincerity. He wipes your tears away with the sleeves of his purple hoodie. His words act as a reassuring remedy for your overwhelmed mind. Maybe he's right; Yoongi will come around. You're just overthinking everything, scared because you've never faced this kind of thing before. But looking back at your past, you managed to overcome obstacles and reach resolutions, right?

Your mind drifts to your past relationship with Yeonjun, the one time you weren't able to do that. 

You don't want to end up in the same situation, growing strained from your best friend.

With a heavy heart, you and Jimin manage to compose yourselves and finish up some of the remaining parts of the project that night in the small study room. The weight of everything lingers in the air, and as you both head home, your thoughts continue to bother you. The uncertainty of when you and Yoongi will be able to speak to each other again weighs heavily on your mind, leaving you in a state of contemplation and anticipation.

++++++++++++++ November 16th [Friday]

The lingering tension between you and Yoongi seems to magnify with each passing day. The unspoken unease hangs in the air. As the days progress, a noticeable distance grows between you and Yoongi, creating an emotional chasm that neither of you seems eager to bridge.

Yoongi usually wakes up early before you and makes breakfast before you two head off to campus to go wherever you need to go. However, after Monday, he wakes up early, eats and leaves campus without you. Even in the evenings, when he comes home from classes or work, he barely mutters a single greeting before he scurries to his room. Luckily, because everyone has been busy with studying for midterms, no one questions his change in behavior.

However, the lack of any effort of communication from Min Yoongi starts to raise concern from Jimin.

He knows how Yoongi is like a soulmate to you, and reassures you that he can’t be upset for too long. But now it’s Friday evening, 11 days since you last genuinely talked to Yoongi. Too long. Jimin feels like he needs to get more involved since you getting into this mess was very much his fault. He cares about Yoongi, and while he too, loves you, this wasn’t fair of him to do.

There’s also the friends-with-benefits deal that you and Yoongi have. He still has many questions about how and why it even happened, which you have yet to really answer. The one thing he’s sure about is that he senses that neither of you want to end it despite this strain he caused. 

There's also a part of him feeling bitter at the thought of just continuing his life knowing his best friends are sleeping with each other until God knows when. Will this eventually lead you guys to date and eventually marry each other? Is this how Jimin will lose the girl he’s been interested in for years? He trusts Yoongi with his and your life as well, but he doesn’t like the thought of just letting Yoongi end up with you. What if there was a solution that could satisfy everyone in this situation? Jimin, being the wild card he is, comes up with an idea.

Determine to address this conflict, he approaches Yoongi's room and knocks on the door. "Hyung, can you come out?"

Evening falls, and the house that has been a hub of laughter and camaraderie now echoing with a quiet solemnity.  Yoongi and Jimin are the only ones home at this time, which is perfect timing for the confrontation. You, Hoseok and Namjoon are gone on a Trader Joe’s run to get more groceries for the house. Jin, Jungkook, and Taehyung are gone to compete for the university’s first esports tournament.

Jimin is a bit worried that Yoongi will be stubborn and refuse to open the door. If that happens, he plans to stand outside his window making noise until he decides to open it. Luckily for him, he doesn’t have to do that. Yoongi opens the door slightly ajar and looks at the younger man.

"We need to talk." Jimin asserts with a serious tone.

"About?" Yoongi yawns, feigning ignorance as to why Jimin is here. Though, a couple of theories swirl in his mind.

"You know what about!"

Yoongi lets out a groan, opening the door wider and gesturing for Jimin to enter. The room is cast in partial darkness, the ambient glow of LED strip lights on the ceiling and the illumination from Yoongi's laptop the only sources of light. Jimin settles on Jin's bed, positioned across from Yoongi's, as the air becomes charged with the weight of an impending conversation.

"Say what you gotta say, Jimin. I'm not really in the mood to talk." Yoongi responds, his tone carrying a coldness that sets the stage for a tense conversation. He takes a seat on his own bed, exuding an air of detachment.

“Asshole,” Jimin mutters under his breath, biting back the urge to argue. He knows any confrontation might result in an immediate dismissal from the room, cutting off any chance of dialogue. Instead, he pushes ahead with the purpose of his visit.

"Let's both be Y/N’s friends with benefits."

Yoongi's eyes widen, a mix of surprise and disbelief crossing his face. The proposal catches him off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless. Out of all the things he was expecting, this was not one of them at all. Did he really hear that right? "Huh? What did you just—"

"You heard me, Yoongi. Let's both fuck Y/N for a period of time, and then make her pick between us."

Yoongi scoffs at the proposition, disbelief etched across his face. Jimin must have lost his mind, he thinks. The competitive antics of their high school days, especially the virginity race, was one thing, but this suggestion takes the cake for ‘insane shit Park Jimin wants to do’. Words fail him momentarily.

"Whoa. Out of all the shit I thought I'd be hearing you out on, this was not one of them."

"What's so crazy about the idea? You're in love with her, aren't you?" Jimin points out.

Yoongi's eyes widen even further, blinking rapidly, and a flush of bright red colors his cheeks as if he were intoxicated. Love. He recalls the way you’d smile at him with those soft pink lips and sparkling eyes whenever you were intrigued with some of the random bullshit fun facts he’d talk to you about. He loves that about you. When he was 11 years old and fixated on marine biology for a period of time, he would talk to you about unique kinds of fish in the vast ocean and you would respond with further questions out of curiosity. For the first time in his life, he felt like someone was genuinely interested in spending time with him and hearing him out on whatever nonsense he wanted to share. Later on, he started making music because of you. You were the one who went to one of his piano recitals and suggested that he should make his own music. "Yoongi, you really do have so much talent and potential. Wouldn't it be cool if you made your own music and shared that with the world instead of playing pieces that already exist?" you once told him. This advice led him to study music production as a major, with a minor in psychology, driven by the desire to use music as a means of healing—a realization you inspired.

However, was his crush on you over the years that obvious to Jimin? What does that say about everyone else? Do they know? Do you even know how much he is in love with you?

Recalling that Friday night a month ago, he remembers confessing that he had wanted to touch you for so long. Does that revelation linger in your memory, or are you still oblivious to the emotions he has harbored over the years? Now, Yoongi finds himself questioning the sudden proposal of a fuck buddies arrangement and its purpose. Was it merely a distraction from the others, or does it signify something more?

"I am," Yoongi admits to Jimin, prompting a brief silence before he adds, "And what are you trying to say?" "Have you told her?" Jimin presses on.

Reluctantly, Yoongi admits, "No."

"Because you don't want to ruin the friendship we have, right?"

"Exactly."

"Then we're both in the same boat! I like her too, and I haven't told her yet." Yoongi scoffs at Jimin's words, leaving the younger man puzzled. He has been more concerned about Namjoon being the one to potentially sway you away, not Jimin. Until a few weeks ago, Jimin really had seemed committed to his relationship with Irene—a rare occurrence. Jimin usually hops in and out of relationships, so this revelation sounds a bit unbelievable to Yoongi.

Yoongi sneers at Jimin's revelation, disbelief etched in his voice. "You like her too? The guy with the largest body count in this house since high school?"

Jimin responds with a seriousness that belies his usual carefree demeanor. "What's so hard to believe? I've liked her since we were in the last year of middle school together. I was just...scared. So I coped in other ways to move on, but it never worked."

"Scared of telling her and changing our friendship? Welcome to the club." Yoongi sarcastically chuckles, narrowing his eyes at Jimin.

Jimin groans in frustration. "I know you, Namjoon, and I had an unspoken agreement in high school that we wouldn't get involved with her like that, but I think that's out of the window since you two decided to fuck behind our backs. I'm not okay with letting that happen because I like her too. So why don't we become her fuck buddies, and then she picks which one of us she wants to be with?"

"This is fucking ridiculous," Yoongi facepalms at the idea Jimin is proposing. He leans back against the headboard, his expression a mix of disbelief and exasperation. "We don't even know if she loves us in a romantic sense or if she'd be down to do something like that."

Jimin, undeterred, leans forward, his eyes searching Yoongi's for any sign of agreement. "Then how did you make it happen, huh?" He raises an eyebrow, a challenge in his tone. Yoongi, once again, isn't really sure how to answer the question. He takes a deep breath before he spills his own point of view of the situation from weeks ago.

"She was upset because of you and Namjoon being assholes, so I kissed her to distract her from those thoughts, and she kissed me back. Then we just came home and fucked. Then a few days later, she just came up to me while I was TA-ing, saying that she wanted to be fuck buddies. And me, being fully in love with her, agreed. I didn't question her motives nor did I want to."

"I'm guessing you hoped she would eventually start to fall for you through that experience." Jimin comments, a speculative tone in his voice. Yoongi sighs, but nods in agreement. Jimin. finally understanding the sequence of events that led to the being friends with benefits. Though, he wonders about your feelings. Why else would you want to do that with Yoongi?  The same question lingers in his own mind regarding his own actions on Halloween. There has to be underlying feelings that pushed both of you to take such risks. Feelings still left untold by you.

After a bit of contemplation from Yoongi, he finally breaks the silence. ”Mm, I wouldn’t be opposed to your idea, Jimin.” Jimin beams at Yoongi’s words as he continues. "Maybe through this, we could get a definite answer about who she'd rather be with. Then we can finally be free and move on from the feelings we have for her and find other people." Yoongi feels a bit liberated by saying his thoughts. As much as he'd love to keep this up forever, he wants to truly shower you with his uttermost love and affection instead of being bound to the restrictions of this friends with benefits situation. He knows it would hurt both of you in the long run due to uncertainty of your futures. 

"Exactly! So please don't be mad at Honey or me anymore for what happened. I know nothing we do will be able to turn back time to whenever you made your arrangement, but this new agreement will provide more clarity for all of us." Jimin explains, seeking understanding from Yoongi.

"I hate to agree to this, but fine. Let’s try this," Yoongi nods in agreement. "We should talk to her in her room when she gets back."

"Really?!" Jimin's response carries a hint of excitement, slightly more than he intended, prompting a chuckle from Yoongi. "Sounds good." he adds, signaling a tentative step toward resolving their intertwined feelings.

+++++++++++++

You just got home from buying groceries with Namjoon and Hoseok. While you hoped that leaving campus for a bit would take your mind off of Yoongi, it doesn’t prove to be as effective as you want. It’s been days and you don’t really know what to do except wait. Though it’s not easy because in no way are you a patient person. If you didn’t have Jimin or Hwasa to talk to about your struggle, you would’ve been having an agonizing time. Hwasa advised you earlier to do what you felt was best, but you didn’t know what that could be. You care a lot about Yoongi, and seeing him hurt makes you realize you never want to see him in that position again. Is it the best idea to end this arrangement? You don’t really want to do that, and that makes you question things further. Do you actually love him beyond the scope of friends?

As more questions continue to plague your mind, you decide to go up to your room to change into your pajamas after helping unload groceries. 

What you don’t expect to find once you close your door and turn on the lights are Yoongi and Jimin sitting on your bed with their arms crossed.

"Holy fucking shit?!" The exclamation bursts from you in fear, but before you can utter any more words, Jimin hastily shushes you.

"Please shut up before you make the other two downstairs suspicious!" Jimin insists with an aggressive whisper. As he utters those words, Namjoon's voice drifts from downstairs, inquiring if something is wrong.

”Uh, nothing wrong! Just…killed a spider!” You open the door and shout back to him, receiving a nonchalant 'okay' before closing and locking your door this time.

"Okay, what the fuck is going on?" You whisper, eyeing both men with suspicion, unsettled by their secretive behavior.

"Well, the good news is that Yoongi's not mad at us, right, hyung?" Jimin nudges the older man gently in the side, and Yoongi nods while looking at you.

Your shoulders slump in relief upon hearing and seeing that Yoongi's doing better. "O-Okay, that's great. But I'm assuming there's gotta be something else to this, isn't there?"

Yoongi and Jimin both gesture for you to come sit on the bed so they can speak to you closer and avoid being too loud for anyone else in the house to hear. Yoongi clears his throat. "What I'm about to say might sound crazy, but Jimin proposed this idea that he wants us both to be your fuck buddies."

Similar to Yoongi’s reaction when Jimin spoke to him earlier, your eyes bulge out in shock over his bluntness. Did he really just say that him and Jimin both want to be your fuck buddies. Huh?! What even led them to reach this conclusion and propose this idea to you? While the idea sounds crazy, yet enticing, it definitely sounds too good to be true. They can’t be serious, can they?! What the fuck.

”Hahahahaha!” You find yourself suddenly giggling manically with hints of nervousness laced to your laughs, but then you remember you have to keep quiet so you cover your mouth. They stare at you with confused expressions on their faces. “You guys are joking right? Is this a test of my loyalty or what? I’m trying to understand the motives behind this.”

”We…” Jimin slowly voices out, with hints of hesitation and fear. “We have feelings for you, Y/N.” 

Huh…

Your heart instantly drops to your ass as he finishes his sentence. You stop laughing suddenly and look at them anxiously.

Did Jimin really just say that they both have feelings for you? No way. This new revelation just adds onto the previous questions you had within the last month. You remember when Hwasa said that Yoongi seemed obviously in love with you last year, but you brushed it off by saying he’s being kind to you because you’re his best friend. Maybe she was really cooking with that theory, you think. On the otherhand, Jimin breaking up with Irene, coming to find you right after and kissing you? Could they really think of you beyond being their best friend? Or is this just because we’re horny college students mistaking an orgasm high for something else…

"What...feelings for me? When? How?"

You've been evading the questions Yoongi posed to you on that October night at the GOT party. The notion of being in love with your best friends feels forbidden, but you fear you can't escape those thoughts any longer as you’re being presented with this deal.

"We talked, and we thought this would be a good way to figure out whatever feelings we’ve been struggling with, while also… enjoying ourselves?" Jimin's voice is hesitant as he struggles to articulate this in the most convincing way possible. He's a business student and can't pitch this idea, he screams internally. Well, to be honest, he never thought he'd ever have to pitch this to anyone.

Yoongi cuts in before Jimin could say something else, "I thought he was insane too, not gonna lie. Even hesitated smacking him—"

"Hey!" Jimin uses his elbow this time to smack him in the side, making Yoongi wince.

"But he had good points. And also, you've been clearly trying to figure out your feelings since I asked you how you felt about us that one night. Maybe this will help you figure out some of those answers." Yoongi hits the nail with those words, sparking an epiphany within you. As crazy as the idea sounds, maybe this really could help resolve your dilemma. Oh god, you're really about to agree to this.

There's a bit of silence as you glance at both of them. You still have a lot of questions about their alleged feelings for you, but you go ahead and respond, "I-I'm down for the idea."

"You are?!" Both men say in unison, each with a different tone.

"Yeah, but we just really have to set better boundaries this time so we don't end up in another fight. Please." You look at them with pleading eyes, hoping to avoid another conflict with them. They exchange glances and nod in agreement.

Yoongi clears his throat, breaking the momentary silence. "Alright then, let's establish some to make sure we don't mess things up again." He leans back on his palms, breaking into a smirk. "Rule number one, we need to be brutally honest with each other. No cryptic messages, no hidden meanings. Just straight talk, yeah?"

Jimin, slouching comfortably, nods, "Yeah, I like that. We could also add a rule on emotional check-ins. We’re still best friends at the end of the day, so we gotta make sure we’re all doing this and we’re feeling good about it. And if any of you are having doubts, we need to discuss it, like hyung said."

"Oh! That’s a good one!” You add, tapping your fingers on your knee, trying to think of something else. “Transparency is kinda similar to Yoong’s idea, but just want to add that so we don’t keep secrets from each other. I’m going to be sleeping with both of you, but we don’t have to stay exclusive if you don’t want to. Just let me know whatever booty calls you decide to have and I’ll let you know too. Don’t think I will have any more though!” You laugh lightly, trying to brighten up the atmosphere from this tough conversation.

You know you’ll be plenty occupied being filled by 2 men, so the thought of someone else filling up another slot doesn’t cross your mind right now. Maybe it does, but you’re actively trying to avoid thinking about it too hard. That person would make things more complicated than these two.

Yoongi nods silently in agreement while Jimin responds, "Yeah, I agree with that. I don’t think we’ll get involved with anyone else because we’re trying to settle this, but we’ll keep the rules in mind,”

“Any other stuff we're missing?" Jimin continues, staring at both of you before he clears his throat to speak up, “Well, it’s time to bring up my grand idea to make things more exciting: experimentation. I don’t know if you two had something like that.” Well, it was mentioned, but you guys didn’t do anything too crazy besides the blowjob in Mr. Kang’s office and the mirror sex. Otherwise, things were pretty tame. You exchange glances with Yoongi, both intrigued and wary. "We kinda did, but we didn’t really do much. What kind of things are you suggesting we experiment." The idea excites you, injecting a thrill into arrangement, yet beneath the excitement lurks a hint of nervousness. The unknown territory of experimentation sparks curiosity, but you wonder how it will affect the dynamic between you three. What things could they both even suggest? "You'll find out soon," Jimin says, a deep smile forming, his eyes transforming into crescent moons. It sends a shiver down your spine—this man is undeniably dangerous. "But, of course, consent is crucial in whatever we do. And protection! We'll use condoms, and it's up to you if you wanna use birth control. I know it sucks for you guys."

You’re glad Jimin is aware of the complications of women’s birth control and is considerate of your needs. The birth control idea is something you'll need to think about, but it does spark a tinge of fear to use it. Though, there is something you wanted to try out and that would require you on birth control. You’ll see.

“Would a group chat between us be good to stay up to date or whatever?” Yoongi suggests. You and Jimin hum and nod in agreement. Yoongi begins setting it up, naming it 0309x1013. Right after he does that, he looks up, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Now, we gotta seal the deal somehow," 

You look at him innocently, "Seal the deal? How?" You of all people know how this went last time with Yoongi, but you want to hear from them this time.

Both Yoongi and Jimin exchange a knowing glance, and then Jimin speaks up, "How about with a kiss?"

Your eyes widen in surprise. The thought of a kiss catches you off guard, especially with the awareness that Namjoon and Hoseok could come up any minute to randomly check on you. You might not have enough time, and you realize you all need to act quickly.

"Are you sure we should do that, what about them?" you ask, a mix of curiosity and nervousness in your voice as you point out to the two men downstairs

"It’ll be fine!" Jimin shrugs, “We’ll be quick,”

"Yeah, and the kiss will make it official," Yoongi adds, his gaze still fixed on you.

You take a moment to assess the situation. The idea of sealing the deal with a kiss feels surreal, but you can't deny the underlying excitement. Glancing at the clock, you calculate the time left before Namjoon and Hoseok might come by to check on you since you haven’t returned downstairs. You did mention wanting to watch a movie with Namjoon after they finished putting groceries away. Shit.

"Okay," you say, a hint of a smile forming. "But make it quick. We don't want any unexpected guests."

The three of you lean in, creating a makeshift circle on your bed. The atmosphere is charged with a blend of anticipation and curiosity as the prospect of this unusual arrangement takes a concrete step forward.

As Yoongi and Jimin lean in to kiss your cheeks, the gesture feels surprisingly tender, a prelude to what's to come. Yoongi places a gentle kiss on your left cheek, while Jimin follows suit on the right. The air seems to crackle with a newfound intensity. Your heart is beating fast, and for some reason, you can sense that things are about to take an unexpected turn.

Just when you thought it would end there, Yoongi's actions catch you off guard. After planting a sweet kiss on your cheek, he quickly redirects his lips to yours with an undeniable hunger. The kiss becomes heated, fueled by a fire that seems to have been lingering beneath the surface. For a moment, you're swept away by the intensity. This kiss feels more intense than the first one you had with him. You find yourselves detaching, breathless as a thin string of saliva still keeps you connected

As you process what the fuck just happened, Jimin seizes the opportunity. With a sly smile, he leans in, taking over where Yoongi left off. The transition is seamless. Jimin's lips, warm and soft, carry a subtle taste of anticipation as they meet yours. The sensation is both thrilling and delicate, creating a vivid contrast to the bold move he just orchestrated. The plushness of his lips melds seamlessly with yours, each movement leaving a lingering lust. Just as you feel yourself get more into it, he lets go of your lips. You’re still stuck in the haze of lust when you suddenly hear the distinct sound of footsteps ascending the stairs. Fuck. Panic sets in, dispersing the remnants of horniness as the reality of your situation dawns on you. With a synchronized effort, you and the two men scramble to discreetly rearrange yourselves around the room, attempting to appear less conspicuous. You go into the bathroom.

Just as you manage to compose yourself, a knock echoes through the room, and Jimin swiftly moves to open the door. He opens the door, revealing Namjoon on the other side, you try to suppress the nervous flutter in your chest. Jimin's casual greeting conceals the recent tumultuous events within your room. “Oh! Hyung, hello!” Jimin looks surprised, and smiles.

“Jimin? You’re here,” Namjoon remarks, his gaze briefly darting around the room and sees the other cat-eyed man seated on the floor scrolling on his phone. “Yoongi too? Where’s Y/N?” He’s a little caught off guard by the little club in your room, but nothing too suspicious because you all are best friends.

Yoongi nonchalantly points to the bathroom. “She’s in the bathroom taking a shit.”

You can't help but scoff from behind the closed door, annoyed at Yoongi's less-than-dignified explanation. "I’m not! I’m changing!" you retort, cursing Yoongi silently for his misinformation.

Namjoon lets out an understanding sound. "Well, I have the TV set up so we can watch the movie. You better come down after you finish," he shouts towards your direction before heading back downstairs.

As the coast clears, you slide down against the bathroom door in relief, feeling the weight of the chaotic deal you’re in.

“This is the virginity race all over again, isn’t it?”

Yoongi and Jimin can't help but chuckle at your question from outside the door. Their laughter, in a strange way, reminds you of the random antics you all would get involved in from high school. 

A time when your best friends would orbit your life like planets encircling the sun. Things are really starting to feel back to normal. 

However these grown men now, with their absurd proposal and spontaneous antics, will undoubtedly be the end of you.

tbc :o a/n: still so much left to uncover! holidays are approaching for these peeps, so many questions left unanswered, also NAMJOON. we need more of him so don't worry I'M ON IT! anyone have any thoughts? i'd love to heart about them so lmk hehehe if you did enjoy, please interact however you can! reblog, like, share with friends!

[miss0atae]

I finally watched the final episode of DFF and I can say the ending is very satisfying, except for my poor White. I thought he would be the final survivor but he died anyway (let me mourn in silence 😭).

▪️ Non was avenged for everything, if you believe death is the perfect revenge. Fluke and Top killed themselves in some way. White was killed by his lover. Phee stopped New and killed him too. Everyone killed each others and had to face Non before dying (except White because he never knew him and was innocent… Yes I still can't accept his death. 😅)

▪️ I know the ending of this episode was a bit controversial but I believe it was interesting. I like how they made us believe, at first, Phee, Jin and Tee got away from this house and carried on with their life (except Tee, but I want to talk about this after). The normalcy of Phee and Jin life seemed truly unlikely the more they talk to each other. The color was so bright, it hurt. It felt surreal. Then they went to the place where Phee brought his two lovers and after witnessing Non, he started questioning everything and it ended right here. There is no mistake. They never left and the final image is their last resting place: the house! I found this very poetic, in some way.

Now I wanna talk about each character's ending and if it was fitted with their behavior towards Non.

▪️ Fluke never did post the video and just witnessed everything and never tried to save Non. He believed himself to be innocent in some way, because he was never the one who did anything. He was just there, following the rest of the group. He was a coward and probably (I don't know if it was implied as heavily as viewers think) relieved the group had someone else to bully. His death was fitting to mee*. He wanted to act like he never saw anything, well he didn't need his eyes anymore. Why needing eyes when you want to be blind to everything that is not you. I also don't forget how much of a bully he was also to White (Have I told you how I was protective of him? 😂). He may have not been the meanest to Non but he became also like the rest of the group after Non's disappearance. I've heard a victim of bullying often becomes a bully and you can see it with Fluke.

▪️ Top was just a nasty being. He never had any ounce of kindness and I'm surprised he survived so long. I couldn't stand him. Every time I saw his smirk I got annoyed. He was an active bully against Non. He called him "Greasy" anytime he could. He lied and used him too. I also think he never really tried to cover his wrong doings. He never minded using the wit of others to save him. He never cared about ensuring their plans would work. He thought himself to be a leader but was mostly a follower. I think his death could have been worse. Something that would match his actions more.

▪️ White, my innocent poor boy who just made the mistake of loving the wrong person, he didn't deserve his death at all. He just wanted to spend time with Tee and love him. He was faithful, kind and a bit naughty but in the good way (the candy scene!). Dying by the hand of your lover… It's just sad. Tee killed him because he thought it was Non and when he realized it, it far too late. I don't like the narrative for White. He got punished for loving the wrong guy and it doesn't sit well with me. His mistake was a small one and it was also because he never had a way to know. I don't know how the writers could have saved him because it wouldn't work well in this story, but I still don't like it. I wish I could find a good ending for him that would go well with the story, but I can't imagine anything.

▪️ New died because of Phee and it was expected. As someone said here, he was a dead man walking. He had only one goal and no one to wait for him outside. His desperation was his only fuel. He wanted to avenge his brother and it didn't matter who was in the middle of this revenge. If he survived, it would have not worked. He had to die to put a final stop to this story. It's sad to believe his entire family and himself died because of a group of self-absorbed brats. He did what he had to and left with the feeling his work was done.

▪️ Now I have to talk about Phee… How the mighty have fallen. He was the previous lover and he acted like he wanted to avenge Non. His actions at the beginning of the story showed him to be the mastermind until we discovered it was New. From that moment, his actions seemed different and less pro-actives. He wanted to save Jin (which could be understandable because he was his lover… You know feelings and everything can get in the middle of a quest for truth) but why did he want to save the bullies of his past lover and even said he consider them as friends?! That's where I started to think Phee was lost. I admit he never said he wanted to act on them. He wanted the truth, while New wanted to make them pay. Phee probably would have given the info to the authorities and expected them to take the lead there.

▪️ Jin, in his hallucination, saw himself being filmed by others while he was having sex. It's a direct link to what he did to Non. He filmed him and released the clip online. He had a weird relationship with cameras. On one hand it was his hobby and on the other hand it was also a "weapon" he used to express his jealousy towards Non. He had a crush on him and he wanted him but instead Non was with Keng. He was jealous and felt betrayed (even though he never did anything to make his feelings really known by Non) and he wanted to hurt him the way he felt he was hurt by Non. So for him to hurt his hand was the appropriate punishment. Without a hand you can't act on your "ill-feelings" and you also lose the opportunity to use it for good things anymore (such as taking pictures as a form of art).

▪️ As for Tee, it was the most fitted punishment. He couldn't deserve the happiness of being loved and in love because of his actions because he had taken Non away from being loved and in love too. Losing the reason he started to act better and rethink his life, is a true retribution. I also felt his relationship with Non was the most interesting. There was this tension between them, especially when Non ended up at the service of his Uncle. Tee was in hell and instead of trying to find a way out, he dragged Non along with him, while still thinking he had no other choice. Tee grew up in a toxic environment, but we saw he could find a way out when surrounded with the right opportunity such as his meeting with White. The fact he met White, while finding a way to help Non get away from his Uncle is proof how "good" actions can lead to even better things while "bad" actions, like making Non being the scapegoat for the broke camera, leads to worse things. To be honest, the false ending of Jin, Phee and him being away from the house, is the best punishment for his actions if the idea is to really punish him. He is alive, but he has to live with the idea of killing his love and losing his so-called friends. He then get consumed by his thoughts. Very gothic!

To finish, I would like to say I had so much fun watching this series, reading about it here and writing the longest texts in English I've ever made. Even having people commenting on them and being able to exchange was truly a delight. I liked everything. I'm a bit sad it's already the end. I hope we'll get to watch the actors in other series. I found most of them to be good. I also like how this BL breached out of the typical BL's stories (even if I still enjoy them too). I like when they try to innovate and create something different. Let's hope we'll get another one soon as entertaining and compelling as this one. Thanks for the ride.

[formerheroeswhoquittoolate]

as we all probably know at this point I am extremely normal both about siblings and about the summers family and this post will be no exception! and I wanna talk about the x-men. (and also death. sorry in advance.)

so. at the 2022 hellfire gala, krakoa voted to put alex summers on the x-men. actually, technically, forge said he would only join if alex joined too, presumably to piss scott off. scott doesn't want alex on the x-men! which. is fair.

because the last time alex got put on a krakoan team, it was the hellions. and it went. badly. he -- or the demons in his head (which, by the way, no one has revisited and it's driving me crazy) -- literally blew up an entire building and completely tanked kwannon's chances of ever seeing her daughter again. he had become friends with kwannon. and he lost control and it all went to shit.

and I was so excited to see him on the x-men? because. he's got demons in his head. he's definitely pretty fucked up. and his relationship with scott isn't much better. especially because scott is an overprotective big brother and alex is pissed at basically all of krakoa for not resurrecting madelyne pryor, but especially scott, because he feels like scott didn't push for madelyne's resurrection because he didn't want it. also, alex is less sure about krakoa than scott is. he doesn't have that same faith. and he wasn't included in the grey/summers family Kick The Shit Out Of Stryfe fest that happened earlier. and, perhaps most importantly: they don't trust each other. scott doesn't trust that alex is stable and can handle himself. and alex doesn't trust that scott can be objective when it comes to the people he cares about.

but also. the last time alex and scott were on a team together? yeah. alex sacrificed himself to save scott. he pushed his powers past their limits and just... faded from existence. no wonder scott doesn't want alex on the x-men again. you can't protect your brother if he's going to dissolve from existence trying to protect you, now can you?

and alex is all too aware of how human scott is. for a really long time, he and emma were the only ones who knew the truth about how scott had died in death of x -- not killed in a fight by black bolt, but succumbing to m-pox quietly on muir island days earlier. and even when young scott tells the others about emma's deception, he only knows what magneto did. that scott was dead, and emma was pretending to be him. havok is the only one who emma is honest with about how scott died. not fighting, not as a hero, but sick and suffocating.

of course they can't handle being on an x-men team together. not now. every time they've reunited since avx has ended with one of them dead and the other one being forced to bear witness to it. what are they going to do, talk about it? the last time they had a real conversation was before scott died. they're incapable of actually talking about it. the closest they get is just a plot device to punch through the system containing the children of the vault, anyway.

they're brothers. they'll always be brothers. alex protected emma from medusa. for scott. and scott put psylocke on the hellions. for alex. but it's also hard for them to coexist like this. krakoa is security, safety, everything scott has ever dreamed of. and alex sees it as something else entirely -- after all, one of the first things krakoa did was tell him he was fucked up and put him under the supervision of the man who had experimented on him and scott and eventually separated them. scott and alex haven't agreed on much, but something like this is big. it's what scott has always wanted, and it's hostile to alex. and oh, doesn't that hurt. one brother's paradise is another brother's hell.

at least before krakoa, they were in hell together.

[marbarmars]

I thought about my OC Salem, the Shadow Siren OC. Here I’ll show you a picture of my darling:

Not sure if I ever explained her publicly before or not, but the lore I have for her is really interesting.

Salem the Shadow Siren: Conception

I had always believed there was more than just The Three Shadows in terms of the Shadow Siren species–and that they were created by the Shadow Queen herself, which would help explain Beldam’s loyalty. I mean hell SQ created the Crystal Stars, who couldn’t say she could create her own minions? Anyways, in my lore, the Three Shadows were not the first creations. That would be where Salem comes in. Salem’s creation was very early in the Demon’s days of rule, so she got to witness all of the horror and destruction her creator brought to the Ancient Rogueport and surrounding areas. Each Shadow Siren comes with an elemental power, but Salem’s is similar to SQ where she can conjure up spells of the dark and engulf entire areas in complete darkness. She was expected to be the Shadow Queen’s most loyal servant, a mini version of her if you will. Unlike her creator and mother, the Shadow Queen, Salem detests violence and doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body. She sees the beauty of the world, and rather than corrupting it she wants to keep it safe. But we already know the Four Heroes stopped the Shadow Queen, this is not a heroic tale for Salem. SQ soon found out how strange and docile Salem was, and let her creation/eldest daughter flee the Palace of Shadow. If she really wanted to, she could have killed her but she thought that one day Salem and the other Sirens who escaped being sealed away would one day return for her revival.

Honestly her appearance being similar to the Shadow Queen, especially how she looks in the remake, wasn’t intentional but it helped me connect Salem to her. The eldest Siren feels a lot of shame for not fighting back against the person who created her to do such horrible things. The only thing she did was hide and run. And continued to do so for almost 1000 years. Salem wouldn’t dare face any other siblings, and rarely talked to people in general. She found her solace in protecting the environments around her, but as the date for the door to reopen draws near…she felt this pit in her stomach grow bigger and bigger. Will someone put her mother back to sleep? Is there a way to kill her for good? Will the Shadow Queen hunt her down? So many questions led to the Shadow Siren to make appearances. If she were to appear in TTYD for real, Salem and her entire sidequest would be entirely optional, but would prove to have a big reward at the end. …But I’ll explain that another time! This post is HUGE. When will I post part 2? Who knows~ But know this, I’ll see you back here tomorrow at noon!