#either unintentionally or intentionally more difficult than needs to be.

[foxgloveteas]

The rudest and most annoying thing you can do to a cashier that isn't outwardly malicious or agressive is placing a full hand basket on their counter instead of taking the items out, in my opinion.

[yns-world]

Idol Worship

Pairings: Cyberpunk 2077 Men x Fem!Idol!Reader

Context: You’re a hyper feminine idol with a cutesy, girlie concept. As a Night City celebrity, these are some headcanons of your life with the men. 

A/N: Y/S/N = Your Stage Name

Jackie Welles: You and Jackie had been dating for a year before your rise to fame, and have been going strong ever since. He supported your music dreams from the start, and you’ll always see him as your first fan, as well as your biggest fan (both literally and figuratively). When you started booking bigger venues and had appearances on TV shows, Jackie became worried that you’d leave him for some Hollywood slick, since that’s what everyone always did when they become famous, but you reassured him that’d you’d never leave him since he was the only one for you. 

At the beginning of your stardom, you had decided to keep your romantic life personal as to keep Jackie away from all of the fame but that proved to be difficult when you had a known stalker on your tail. This stalker followed you everywhere and caused you countless restless nights. The situation had gotten so bad that he broke into your hotel one night, but thankfully you had stayed out that night and weren’t inside when he broke in. After that incident, Jackie didn’t feel safe to have you out on tours by yourself. 

That’s when you both decided that it would be best to publicize your relationship-- one, to keep weirdos at bay, and two, so that Jackie could be with you all of the time unapologetically. 

Thankfully, the fans took to Jackie pretty well-- with the exception of your pervy fans, but you weren’t too concerned with them anymore since Jackie became an unofficial official bodyguard. There wasn’t a single picture of you where Jackie wasn’t also in it, either intentionally or unintentionally. 

Concerts, TV showings, photoshoots, Jackie was always there next to you. You were able to convince your manager to hire Jackie as full-time secretary since he was able to prove himself much more useful than the lumberjacks that couldn’t stop a fly.

Johnny Silverhand: You had already made a name for yourself when you met Johnny, and your first meeting was at an elite club that’s only known to a select few. In the dark night club, Johnny’s body was pressed flush against yours and all you both could do was stare into each other’s eyes and sway to the pounding bass of the music. The chemistry was wild, and Johnny was hooked, but you left before the night was over, leaving him high and dry.

The next time he would see you would be on electric boards in the city, performing your latest song. That’s when he recognized you-- those eyes, those god forsaken eyes that reeled him in.

With a call to his manager and a few pulling of strings, Johnny was able to bring you into his home-studio on the pretenses of having you songwrite a song he’s been working on. Needless to say, that would be one of many “studio sessions”.

Within a month, Johnny found himself asking you to be his girlfriend, and you agreed. Johnny being Johnny, immediately wanted to publicize the relationship. To say the public was shocked was an understatement. A crazy metalhead dating the cutesy pop star? Do we need to alert the feds?

But when the paparazzi photos of the two of you spending quality time together were leaked, everything was finally clicking into place. 

At first, you didn’t want your relationship to overshadow your career so you would regularly decline any commentary or showings that had anything to do with Johnny, but after a few deep, honest sit downs with him, you both agreed that you would be able to make this business-pleasure relationship work.

After a few months of dating, not only were you able to show up to public functions together but you both featured on songs together. Your bird-like voice and his scruffy voice complimented each other remarkably well, not to mention the mixing of such polar genres. The two of you would release some of your most popular music together.

A few examples would be “Strawberry Kisses - Johnny Silverhand feat. Y/S/N”, and “Make Daddy Proud - Y/S/N feat. Johnny Silverhand”.

Johnny’s influence would definitely inspire you to expand in both your concept and your music. You would be his muse, and he would be yours.

Viktor Vektor: As part of the industry, it’s common for idols to get cyberware and plastic surgery done to conform to societal beauty standards-- as the motto goes, “in Night City, looks are everything.”

In the beginning of your career, your manager needed you to get some cyberware done but knew you couldn’t pay for the high prices that legitimate surgeons required, so he introduced you to a man with less-than-honest credentials.

That’s where you met him. Viktor Vektor. A miracle worker based out of a dingy basement and faulty fluorescent lights. 

He treated you like a princess and you were in love right then and there. His gentle touches on your face and most intimate parts made you swoon. 

Your manager had sent Viktor a list of procedures he wanted, but Viktor only consulted with you on what you wanted, no more and no less. 

After the first consultation, you were hooked, and the feeling was mutual. You would check in at least monthly, and would find any reason to give him a call just to hear his voice. 

By the time he had finally asked you out, you both were so used to sneaking around that it was silently agreed upon to not publicize this relationship. Maybe it was taboo, with the age gap and career choice, but it was love. And to you both, that was all that mattered.

And thanks to Viktor’s connections in the industry, you were quick to become the face of high fashion and runways. Always equipped with the latest cyberware, your tech upgrades were trendsetters, with influencers and celebrities alike flocking to imitate your work. But your tech was always one-of-a-kind, that’s what Viktor vowed to do from the moment he met you. Every creation he creates for you is only for you. It’s custom-made for your body and mind, no one else’s.

Your looks had become so famous that there was a genre of cyberware named after you: Roseware, an homage to your pink and aesthetic gadgets.

a/n: i hope you enjoyed! if you did, please consider reblogging since it helps my account! :) DON'T BE A GHOST READER!!!! i would love to hear your thoughts and opinions, and comments are what keep writers going <3 i’m open to requests again (specifically for cyberpunk), please read my the posts on my pinned before requesting :) lmk if y’all have any ideas for more content like this cause this was fun to write :D

[floradinterlunium]

Times Tae Debunked Tkkrs and Affirmed Jikook

I know a lot of Jikookers aren’t happy with Tae right now. They hold him responsible for stoking the fire that fuels Tkkrs. And Like I’ve previously stated I’m not one to police peoples feelings or opinions. Your anger is your own, same going for your opinions.However, in the spirit of peace and reconciliation I want to remind everyone of all the times Tae has intentionally and unintentionally debunked Tkk and affirmed Jikook…because he has done so more than any other member.

Tae has a personality that you either choose to hate or you choose to love because he’s an enigma. It’s often times difficult to know if he’s as oblivious as he seems, a genius mastermind that plays the airhead card, a free spirit or all of the above…my vote goes to all of the above! 

There are moments where it’s clear Tae is up to no good and is trying to serve JM and JK their just desert for abandoning him by exposing their location. Other times it seems like he has put zero thought into the implications of his words. However, regardless of his motives (or lack thereof) Tae is pretty good at playing games in the category of “softly exposing Jikook.”

So for funsies lets kick this off with one of Tae’s favorite games called…..

“Whose Room is It Anyway?”

When on tour it appears as though Tae never knows where other members rooms are. He’s either always messaging the group chat to find out where everyone is OR he’s just plain ole confused about whose room he’s in. 

Exhibit A. Osaka V live

I don’t think there’s a jikooker alive that hasn’t heard of this Vlive. However, When most here the words “Osaka” and “V-live” what typically comes to mind is JK clearly muttering the name “Jimin” whilst being butt naked in a dark room listening to sexy time music. 

However, what’s often overlooked is the how and the why we know this sensitive information. You see this gem of a jikook moment came to us for one reason and one reason only and that reason is Kim Taehyung and his childlike innocence (then). 

Tae has never been good at operating solo on his Vlives. He tends to run out of things to say and in this live that’s what happened. He ran out of things to talk about so he called on his fans to give him suggestions. They suggested he go to another members room. But Tae being Tae...didn’t know ANY of their room numbers! Don’t believe me...I have the receipts!

See he didn’t know any of the members room numbers. He texts the group chat to get members room numbers and I guess it was Jin that replied with the members room numbers. Not JK. Jin. Tae decided to go to JK’s room (my guess is because he can pull the hyung card on him and sort of voluntell him to go along) and he messaged JK to let him know he was coming but JK never responded. We know this because when he arrived JK asked him multiple ties what he was doing there. 

Now I won’t analyze this Jikook moment because it’s been analyzed enough. What I want to point out is how in this moment  Tae unintentionally debunked every Taekook claim because HE. DIDN’T. KNOW.JK’s. ROOM. NUMBER!!! 

I don’t know about you but I’m 100% certain that I wouldn’t need a third party to tell me where my boyfriends room was!

Now some may cry...this was just one time...he probably just forgot! And I would respond...haven’t you heard the news????? Tae is the grand champion of the game Who’s Room Is It Anyway!

Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at a few more examples

Exhibit B. New Jersey Vlive

This moment is another famous Jikook Vlive most known for Jikooks tension. However, when watching this I also noticed that while Tkkers for some reason also like to claim this live as their own, Tae debunks them. I mean he again broadcast his lack of knowledge of where JK’s room is. Take a look for yourself down below .. .

Tae didn’t know whose room he was in. My guess is he thought it was either JM’s or JK’s room.

Now to be fare... a “valid” question does arise...and that question is if he didn’t know JK’s room number, how did he get there??

And to answer that question I’d say he could have done many things including but not limited to texting the group chat...but in reality its neither here nor there because this one simple fact remains...TAE WASN’T CERTAIN OF THE ROOM HE WAS IN! If he were dating JK he wouldn’t need to ask him...he’d know!

How’s the old saying go???

First time can be a mistake.

Second time is a choice.

Third time.. third time is the vminkook live

Exhibit C. Vminkook Live

Again another famous vlive with popular Jikook moments...the most popular moment being Jimin’s TMI where he exposed how frequently JK comes to his room. It was a funny moment...a funny moment that yet again Tae used to debunk Taekook by broadcasting how unfamiliar he is with JK’s room situation.

What boyfriend would so frequently be confused as to where his partner is sleeping? Moreover, why would that same boyfriend confuse his partners room for his best friends?? Hmmm??? Either JK is cheating on Tae with JM and has been for years or JK has never been Tae’s boyfriend!! I’d bet on the latter considering Tae’s jovial expression when admitting to the fact he never knows where JK’s room is!

First time is a mistake

Second time’s a choice

Third time is a habit...a habit that spells out the phrase “GET.OUT.OF.YOUR.IMAGINATION”

Now this next round of Tae Games is pretty spicy. The game is called-->

“Karma’s a B**H ”

When it comes to Jimin, Tae can sometimes act like a jilted bride. He doesn’t like it when Jimin “ditches” him for JK. When this happens Tae sometimes makes a point to call him out …

Exhibit A: The Salty Smirk

I’m not certain if this is Tae punishing JK for keeping his JM from him or punishment for JM for ditching him or BOTH? Either way Tae was not shy about exposing JM’s and JK’s whereabouts (at god awful hours). And he didn’t just expose where they were...he exposed why Jimin wouldn’t join him...

JM wouldn’t be joining Tae because JK wouldn’t let him. UM? What? Jungkook...the maknae, the member with the least amount of seniority is keeping JM, his hyung from hanging out with him on vlive? I don’t think people understand enough how much Tae exposed them here! And that smirk...he knew what he was doing!

It’s not just oh Jimin can’t come because he’s hanging out with JK...it’s no JM can’t come because JK won’t allow him! Let that sit with you for a second! “JK is stopping Jimin from coming!” Tae is strongly insinuating that Jikook’s power structure is outside the normal hyung dongsaeng dynamic.  Tae straight up destroyed any theory that he’s dating JK by exposing Jikook’s relational dynamics. The boy is chaotic!

Exhibit B & C

Again with exhibit B we have Tae exposing Jimin’s whereabouts and why he’s not with him. It seems like Tae is quite salty about getting left at the alter and JM always running off to be with JK?!/!?! Don’t believe me....look below!

Still don’t believe me? Here’s one more moment in which Tae is in the mood for chaos. 

Now, in this moment Tae doesn’t mention why Jimin decides not to join him at the gym but look at his face...look at that smirk!! Doesn’t it remind you of something else??? Maybe it reminds you of Exhibit A. It seems like he is itching to tell us why Jimin didn’t join him but this time chose not to say it aloud but definitely hints at...that smirk can only mean it’s something spicy.

And don’t we later learn that Jikook had many drinks that same night...because they were sending Hobi off??!!?! 

I mean this boy is chaos itself! and We may be like...what the hell happened to this Tae? The Tae that loved debunking his own ship and exposing Jikook!.! 

My response to that is I don’t doubt that Tae still exist seeing that the above photo is recent...he may be  chaotic and irking peoples nerves right now but he really has done a lot to show the world that him and JK are nothing but friends! He has directly debunked tkkers and indirectly debunked them SOOO MANY TIMES! The only way they’d believe him is if photos were leaked of him with someone else....wait! That already happened and they still don’t believe him... I guess now the only thing he can do is come out with it and say he’s dating Jennie...and hell he might! AFTER his album comes out there might be an announcement!? 

I’m actually crossing my fingers that they do make the official announcement after his album drops! But let’s wait and see. In the meantime I am holding my judgement because for years the above Tae is what we got and what we loved! 

There are so many more instances of him debunking his own ship and affirming Jikook but here are just the standouts!

[labyrinthofsphinx]

Do you think canon Vox and Alastor would be brought back together at all if they spent enough time with your AU versions? Like they’d remember the good old days before things fell apart between them by watching their counterparts being so close and their own version of lovey-dovey?

I just imagine your AU versions being, whether intentionally or unintentionally, almost like relationship counseling for canon Radiostatic.

(Totally not a ploy to see canon Radiostatic slowly rekindle their love with cute courting and gestures, etc. in your art style 😅)

Oooff, ya know. That is a really, really difficult thing to answer because, well, aside from pissing each other off, we have no idea what Alastor and Vox's relationship is, was, or wasn't, in canon. We have no idea what started that schism, and there's some stuff that's easier to come back from...and some that isn't, if at all.

I mean, just speculating here, that if they did have a friendship, at any point, these two would probably be like looking (from an outsiders perspective) like a nostalgic trip. Maybe a funny thought like, 'hey, can you imagine if we met before we died? Can you imagine? Maybe that could've been us before everything fell apart?'. And I mean...mi Vox and Al are very happy with each other which...at the very least could cause some sense of longing, possibly, for something like that (again?). That could, potentially and eventually, lead to a conversation, but it would require work to get there. And the amount of work may vary greatly by what is revealed. Again, that is all speculation at this point. XD

A lot of it also very much depends on how much they're really missing their relationship, enough to work towards fixing it. AU Vox and Al have literally been through the ringer with each other. There's very little that could make them question the other at all. I'm not sure how close canon Alastor and Vox were, but if it was anything remotely like AU Vox and Al, it probably feels like they lost their other half.

As far as relationship counseling....I'll be completely honest here, these two would absolutely fail XD. They can't even explain their relationship to each other, much less try to convey that to others. If these two sat down and had a real talk with their canon counterparts...I think they'd be a little horrified. Al less so, because he's pretty similar, but there would be a few points of contention that would really strike him. They're both like the most unhinged sides of themselves, and it's hard to face your demons in that way (quite literally in this case).

I know AU Vox would try. Oh, he would try so hard. Because he's going to think about the misery he'd be in if Al hated him one day, and that would be just an unbearable thought. But he might actually feel more comfortable talking to canon Al than to canon Vox about it, if only because certain things that canon Vox does would be unthinkable to AU Vox at this time (especially Val). That and Vox is going to be pretty darn sure that whatever relationship they could build back up....kinda has to start with Alastor, in his mind. Alastor is the one who kinds defines their relationship as is, so he'd probably assume the same thing here. I'm not sure how successful he'd be but...who knows?

AU Al...I'm less sure. I'm not sure he'd see canon Vox as a Vox at all, because he's certainly no Vox that he's ever known. AU Vox doesn't act like that when Al is around. Anyways, once AU Alastor makes up his mind about that then, well, he would assumed that canon Alastor likely left...whatever was going on, for a good reason. Because, in his mind, Vox would never leave of his own agency. Either way, I doubt he'd be very helpful after that.

Also, not for nothing guys, but these two do not have everything figured out XD. They have their own issues, and there have been bumps in the road. They seem pretty perfect...but that's just one view of them. There's stuff under the surface that rises up here and there, that needs to be addressed...even if they don't want to open Pandora's box.

Anywho, thanks for the ask!

[sundays-mutt]

May I ask about your Leon characterization? <3

just checked and saw i have unanswered asks my god i will get to more after my hw

sure! i want to be clear i am by no means the RE expert. i played a few of the older games with my brother but if you asked me to recite back the full lore to you i would not be able to do it

a lot of leons like ? fanon interpretation in x reader is interesting to me. not even that i outright disagree with all of it but that i don't think a lot of it centers in on how leon forms these sort of emotional attachments and how a lot of his motivation is driven and external which i think just outright translates to him being soggy and difficult in relationships in a kind of unsexy way that probably requires more work from a partner than what is fun. he needs like warm milk and a prostate orgasm and a cigar but all at once. you know.

like i dont particularly think leon is smooth and flirtatious though i dont think he's awkward and stumbly either. he's just like. a loser. but in a specific way. he, to me, is primarily guarded and its difficult for me to picture him making any sort of genuine first moves which is sort of where he ends up. i think he is kind of malleable in a sense he could probably adjust himself to his partners needs? i think people do just kind of want to mindlessly project onto him cause he's hot hfdfshkjsd but i just. i really dont think he's capable of as much debauchery as he is often written with you know.

and this is me, primary dark content enjoyer and enthusiast saying it. there's something that's so relative and tame to him and i think thats attributed to his melancholy being earned and not innate. his general character just has a sort of silliness and he's a little sarcastic also. but i think in genuine attempts at sex or intimacy it just gets expressed as a needy loserdom.

like he wants you but low likelihood its going to pan out in a normal way because he is like that.

like he's dry and sardonic and he can be badass sure but i also think he's probably a little unsure of how to handle real emotional intimacy without forming deep-seated all-or-nothing attachments and maybe a little possessive and also tends be more unintentionally charismatic than intentionally.

but like. i dont think he makes first moves for a whole laundry list of baggage and its not even that he's SUBMISSIVE to me. but he's like a loser. like really plainly more loser boyfriend that i could ever explain.

[paper--moons]

Regressor!Aragorn Headcanons

(with cg!Elrond)

While it might be a bit difficult to pin down a specific regression age for him in terms of numbers, Aragorn consistently occupies a soft smear of toddlerspace whenever he's feeling small. Just old enough that he is filled to the brim with curiosity about the world around him and having a want to do things on his own, but still small enough that he needs a lot more help than he thinks he does. It is because of this that he's something of a trouble maker—not intentionally, mind you, but because like a lot of children at that stage they want to do the first thing that comes to mind however ill-advised it may be. A fact that is doubly true when that toddler thinks they're still a grown-up. Why can't he go wander through the forest on his own in the middle of the night? It's dangerous? That doesn't mean anything to him when he's so little and believes he's still got his big boy senses about him. Yet all of those alleged big boy senses get tossed aside when a lightning bug catches his eye and leads him away as he fumbles to catch it. Which is why it's pretty imperative that he regress with someone to mind after him to avoid incidents like those. Luckily for Aragorn, he has Elrond keeping an eye on him—a task that by far isn't anything new for the elf, though somehow his charge always manages to keep him on his toes.

As for when he started regressing? Aragorn couldn't properly tell you that either. Mostly because the way he matured was a bit different when compared to a typical human with an average lifespan; what might be seen as immature or regressive behavior to some is actually pretty common in those who, like Aragorn, are mortals with elven heritage. Elves (being longer lived) have longer childhoods, so there are occasional hiccups as a sort of holdover from his lineage. These holdovers are only encouraged by where he grew up—it wasn't exactly uncommon for the residents of Rivendell to unintentionally baby him. Humans are squishy and fragile, and this one was theirs! So of course the treatment he received was reflective of all of that. Though by far the person who doted on him the most (and who still dotes on him) is Elrond. Despite the great gap of generations between them, that doesn't change the fact that Aragorn is descended from Elros; Elrond would be lying if he claimed that Aragon being his brother's descendant didn't grant him extra affection towards the boy. No matter how old he gets, he cannot help but indulge his little Estel whenever he can, even if it's often in subtle ways. (Or at least Elrond thinks he's being subtle, but everyone else Knows.)

For the longest time, Aragorn doesn't know that anything related to his regression might be viewed as "unusual" to other people as he has never had to hide it. He was incredibly young when he first came into Elrond's care, and didn't leave Rivendell for quite a number of years after that. Even then, he wasn't exactly in the company of the common folk, instead traveling with rangers that aren't exactly known for their social graces. And due to the type of regressor he is—little to no speaking, prone to wandering off, a tendency to want to nap—most of the time it can be brushed off. But those times that it can't be so easily explained away? It gets suggested that maybe he should return home for a little while. Surely his increase in picky eating or the crying over minor injuries (when he's definitely had far worse that he didn't even bat an eye at) must be a sign that he's homesick or something. Though this isn't exactly a misattribution! If Aragorn finds himself regressing while he is away from Rivendell—away from Elrond—then he needs to return as soon as he is able. Because while brief snatches are one thing, Aragorn tends to spend long periods of time regressed. This only becomes more and more necessary the longer he spends traveling. Similar to the concept of a "sleep debt", he has something of a "regression debt" and will need about a week of being small to catch up.

And while it will eventually happen whether he likes it or not (or even means for it to happen!), regressing outside of Rivendell is something that is very difficult for Aragorn. Though a lot of his regression feels wishy-washy and he doesn't acquire the concept of embarrassment about it until a lot later than others might, that doesn't mean he's ignorant to how truly vulnerable it can make him. It's honestly a relief to be able to have Elrond fret over him when his sense of self-preservation is overruled by the childish mindset that "nothing bad will happen" so long as he follows (most) of his Ada's rules. Being away from that protective environment leads to an unease in his chest, a feeling of being unsafe that makes it hard to let go like he needs. Not to mention the other factors at play in regards to why it's just easier for him to be small in Rivendell; there's the familiarity for starters, but also? It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that being surrounded by people that are centuries upon centuries older than you would make anyone start to feel awful little indeed. Go ahead and tack on the fact that they tend to treat him like the child he can often be for the very same reason! In other words, it creates quite the positive feedback loop.

Once he's there though, he's there. As previously mentioned, Aragorn regresses for long periods rather that short bursts—three days on the lower end and about a week or so on the upper end—so long as the specific requirements are met. Everything has to be just so before his mind can properly settle into one of his regression periods, otherwise he can get a little fussy to put it mildly. For starters, he has to be out of any traveling clothes and armor, instead dressed in the softest clothes kept for him at Rivendell (specifically the blue ones and not the green ones). Then there's the fact that his diet becomes extremely limited in that he will only accept curds and whey topped with freshly picked berries. Anything else is so yucky, Ada! and he is not eating it, nuh-uh. But most importantly he has to have his blanket that stays safely tucked away and awaits his return every time; weaved silvery threads with pale blue stars adorning the edges, the blanket having been made for him by Elrond not long after Aragorn first came into his care. To keep the chill at bay, along with any unpleasant feelings. He would be hard pressed to find another object so comforting as his special blanket; just snuggling the downy blanket and rubbing the velvety texture against his rough cheek causes him to become absorbed in the contrast, so much so that it makes him sleepy and soothed.

Though prone to wandering, a day spent exploring the gardens of Rivendell isn't actually what his ideal regression day would be! Contrary to popular belief, Aragorn isn't happiest on one of his little adventures (as they usually wind up to him getting in some sort of trouble), but rather when he's getting quiet gentle time and attention from his Ada. This quiet gentle time most often comes in the form of bathtime. Nothing makes him feel as small and as cared for as being helped in the bath, the steamy water and sweet scent of rose and honey soaps easing tense muscles and making any mental barriers lax until he's occupying that sleepy babyspace. In fact, Aragorn almost always falls asleep by the time he's been fluffed dry with a towel and is having his hair carefully braided. But he fights to stay awake, attempting to rub the sleep from tired eyes and asking so softly for a story as he's tucked into bed with his special blanket being pressed into his arms, more lovey-sized than blanket-sized these days. Elrond is more than willing to oblige the request for a bedtime story, knowing that Aragorn will be fast asleep with a thumb pressed into his mouth not long after any "once upon a time"s.

No matter how long he is away for, Elrond always welcomes him back just the same as if he had been there all along. It's the one constant that Aragorn relies on in a world that is oftentimes quite tumultuous as theirs tends to be. While he knows Aragorn has responsibilities elsewhere at times, Elrond always makes sure to keep his things in order, makes sure he knows he has somewhere to call home. Because for as much growing up as he has done, it's difficult for him to not see the little boy that was entrusted to his care many decades ago. Because how does one stop caring about their charge, no matter the apparent physical age? The answer of course being that you don't stop caring, and if anything care more as the years pass by if you're sentimental (which, perhaps regrettably considering he has become attached to a mortal, Elrond is). Seasons come and go, as do the hardships and the adventures, but deep down Aragorn knows that he will always have somewhere—will always have someone—to return to, when things become too much to bear alone.

[pierrai]

It appears there may have been some evil force keeping me from sending my request! I'd like to ask for a scenario where Eliot grooms someone, either intentionally from the start, or unintentionally. :)

Oh no! That's really quite tragic! I'm not so sure it's evil though! :) But anyway, I thought I'd focus on this request even though it's quite recent, as Eliot is really quite easy to write for (he's not very complicated!). I hope the other anons (especially the rabid Al anons) don't mind! The end might have some typos but please enjoy!

Character: Eliot Word Count: 2584 Scenario: Eliot grooming an S/O Warnings: Unhealthy dynamic, underage, mild NSFW, religious imagery

Eliot

Eliot had been on the receiving end of a long list of grievances when he met you, and for a long time too. His mother gone, his cult destroyed, his guardian dead, and he himself left to wander the streets until some so called do-gooder district guard dumped him in a shelter filled to the brim with walking, talking embodiments of filth. When it was put that way, it was natural he'd drift to someone helpless like you.

Though the shelter was funded and occasionally overseen by Rin herself, it still homed criminals who barely had the decency not to hoard rations of food, water and clothing all to themselves. The strong dominated the weak, and you were among the weak.

Eliot liked to believe— he knew—he was one of the strong. He would go as far to say he was the strongest there. No one could trump a god, could they? When he'd first arrived 3 years ago at the age of 16, he'd made sure to stamp his authority right away.

But alas, being in a pack of heretics and non-believing scum, they'd laughed in his face and some even dared to lay their hands on him. It was only by his mercy did he decide not to kill them all right then and there. He could let someone else deal with rabble like that. They just weren't worth his time. After that whole ideal, they must've known to stay away from someone as powerful as him, as all they had the guts to do was snicker from a distance.

You, however, weren't as blessed. When you'd arrived, you were an easy target for those much older and taller. You were young, malnourished and dirty. Honestly, Eliot was disgusted by you at first. He didn't even want to think about how many germs you must have and just the thought of touching you turned his stomach. You were revolting. Weak. Pathetic. And slowly but surely, his disgust turned to something else the more he thought about how truly helpless and pathetic you were.

Someone like you needed guidance. You were still young, probably in your early to mid teens, and you'd likely been through your own hardships before coming here. What you needed was salvation, and who better to give it than a god?

He introduced himself in a way only a god should, that being laced in excessive praise, but you seemed more focused on the food he'd brought once your own had been cruelly stolen away by some thug older than you. Only after he'd handed over a decidedly small portion of stale bread did you finally listen to his ramblings and offer your own name in reply.

He'd initially thought you were going to be difficult, ravenously devouring the food he'd offered, dressed like a street urchin, clearly not giving him the respect he demanded and deserved, but once you'd finished eating, you were surprisingly obedient in listening to his sermons.

He told you about his godhood, the teachings of Filomena, and the position he once held in his cult before he was so cruelly wronged by those jealous of his power (he left out a generous amount of information on how exactly he'd been wronged, but you needn't know that right now or ever). The way he told it, he was the authority around here and everyone bowed down to him, but his bragging must've been the first 'kindness' anyone had shown you in days, months or years, because you seemed to believe every word he said.

Taking you under his wing worked to protect you, at least in the sense that Eliot was exhausting to deal with so anyone looking to go after you might as well go after someone else. This red-listing, while not bothering you who was none the wiser, just made it easier for Eli to keep you loyal to him while at the shelter. You didn't have much opportunity to talk to anyone else, but why would you need to when your god was already all you needed?

Eliot spoke to you like you were someone lesser. Someone who constantly needed guidance in case they did something foolish that they wouldn't even be aware they were doing until someone smarter came along to point it out. He'd chastise you over small things you'd done wrong and things that you couldn't have helped to begin with.

The longer you spent time with him, the more he did it, and when you slowly became downtrodden, the more he reassured you that this was just him expressing his holy guidance to you. He'd smile as he said it, so that must've meant he was being genuine and that he was right.

He always told you to stay in the shelter when he left to go outside, which he always begrudged and was seemingly just as glad as you were to be reunited when he got back, but every so often he'd leave quietly and come back with red-rimmed eyes, blotchy cheeks and a dour expression hours later. You knew not to ask about that after the first time it happened.

But being a teenager, you were naturally going to grow more curious about the world outside, just like Eliot was when he was a bit younger, so even when he berated you for having interests in stupid things, you slowly wore him down by subtly pestering him about wanting to go outside. He eventually gave in.

He gave in, but under strict conditions. You weren't to leave his side. You weren't to talk to anyone he didn't want you talking to; he'd reply for you. You had to keep tight hold of his hand. You agreed to everything, knowing there was no compromising with Eliot and you really just wanted to explore some more. There was the slightest amount of anxiety nagging at you, but mostly curiosity. This part of the underground was somewhere you hadn't been, but before you could properly explore it, Eli had come along.

From what Eliot had told you, all the people here were absolute filth, even worse than those in the shelter, so you needed his protection more than anything. But finally being out on the streets, it didn't seem nearly as horrific as you'd daydreamed. The people here were certainly rough around the edges, but they were just trying to get by. Your god seemed more anxious than you were, clutching your hand so tight his nails were beginning to dig into your skin and walking at such a quick pace you struggled to keep up

At one point, he seemed to specifically be avoiding something, and only when an unfamiliar voice called out Eliot's name did you realise what that something was.

The man the two of you turned around to face seemed to be one of the guards stationed around here. Eliot had told you over and over again that they were the worst kind of people (though, he'd said that about many things) and you should never ever trust them, but this man looked so friendly. Nevertheless, you shuffled yourself closer to Eliot's flank.

Eliot was equally on guard, accusingly asking the man what he wanted and then not giving him enough time to answer before he told him to go back to work (in his words: did your owner let you off your leash? Go back to your post, dog.) You expected an equally as vitriolic response from the man, but he just smiled awkwardly and brushed off the comments before his gaze was directed towards you instead. Eliot tugged your hand so harshly it might've popped out it's socket, and hid you behind himself for all the good it did. Vehemently, he told the man to go away again.

Once again, his words were cast aside. The man approached cautiously and peered around Eli to introduce himself to you. His name was Jun, and his smile was so friendly and his voice so gentle when he addressed you, you wondered if he really was a dog at all.

You didn't respond, so Jun smiled and told Eli he was glad he'd made a friend. He only got more glaring and hissed out grievances, so with a light-hearted laugh, he ruffled Eli's hair and then did the same to yours and he was off.

Eli looked so disgusted he must've been rendered speechless for a few seconds. Then he was letting go of your hand to run his fingers through his hair with muttered words under his breath, and doing the same to yours. That man is filled with sin, don't trust him. He's evil and awful and if you listen to him, only bad things will happen, only listen to me. Don't let him touch you. Not ever. Only me.

When you got back at the shelter, Eliot kept hold of your hand. That same night after he'd demanded the two of you wash up and he'd rubbed both of your skin raw with cold water and the soap he'd been proudly hiding away from the other residents, he told you to sleep in his bed and clung to you with an angry expression and eyes that didn't look at you. You didn't know what you'd done wrong, but you felt guilty anyway. You didn't like when Eliot was upset.

From then on, Eliot's mindset seemed to change. He didn't want to be apart from you, but he didn't want you near anyone else either. He wished to keep you inside but even when he did allow you to go out with him, he was careful to avoid running into Jun ever again. The thought that he'd touched you turned Eliot's stomach and made him want to rip out every strand of hair Jun's hands had defiled and claim the ones that grew back in their place so they'd belong to him instead.

He always made you sleep in his bed. He always had to be touching you somehow so he just knew you were there. That you hadn't left him. Sometimes he couldn't sleep, so he'd watch you sleep instead, listen to your breathing and let it remind him you hadn't gone anywhere.

He wished he could keep you away from everyone else in the world so no one but him could ever touch you. Or at least... if he touched every part of you first, he'd always have claim over you. Routinely, he'd lie across from you at night and run his fingers through your hair, then stroke your face with his thumbs. The flustered look you gave him both made his heart skip beats but also made his stomach feel tight and hot.

It's not a feeling he's deeply familiar with, but it's one he's heard about.

When he asked if anyone had ever touched you before, he was both glad to hear of nothing so intimate and angered to hear of some things more violent. People grabbing at your wrists to pin you and steal your belongs, soldiers tugging you along by the arm.

Since he's a god, he tells you, he can cleanse the sin they left behind on you. You were so blessed to have a god in person that could help you. The way he says it is almost loving, but his words have an edge to them.

You don't want to have other people's sin on you, so when he grabs your arm, you let him. You weren't entirely sure how he'd go about his cleansing, but you're definitely surprised when the brings your hand to his mouth and softly presses his lips to the skin of your fingers. He moves his way down to your wrist, then your arm, then he finally lets go with something of a smug look on his face.

Your sins are cleansed. You thank him. Then you both go to sleep.

Or you do. But Eliot doesn't. He spends the night watching you, wondering what he just did or why. He'd cleansed you, is what he'd said, but this wasn't standard practice in his cult. He'd just wanted to do that to you specifically. He'd enjoyed it, and he thinks you did too. And it's not like it didn't make any sense anyway... being touched by Filomena, even in a way like that would ensure without a doubt that any filth on you was completely eradicated. Perhaps it was something he should do often to make sure you were always pristine. Always cleansed. Always his. Then you'd always feel safe and reassured.

He suggests this to you, though it's less that and more him plainly saying he thinks he should do it. When you look uncertain, he asks if you don't trust that he knows what's best for you. Did you want to be covered in sin? Didn't you want Filomena's blessing?

You asked hesitantly if doing something like this wasn't a bit like... well... and your words trailed off as your embarrassment got the best of you, but Eliot knew what you meant. He didn't know how you knew about that sort of thing, perhaps the same way he did simply by overhearing it as Thysia had always avoided the subject with a light-hearted 'I'll tell you when you're older', but yes, doing something like this was a bit like... well... that.

He's not a creep or anything, but on some subconscious level, he must know what he's doing is perverse and wrong. He's older than you and you're oh-so-impressionable. Eliot isn't an immoral person. He doesn't lack a moral compass. Thysia always tried his best to teach him what was good and what was bad, and to his credit, some of it had stuck, but overpowering that is always Eliot's own narcissism.

Guiltily, he'll remind himself: what god plays by the rules of humans? If he wants something, he can take it. If he has to do something bad to get that something, it doesn't matter, because he can do no wrong. An act like murder wouldn't be called as such if he were the one doing it.

So he asks what you mean and when you can't manage to answer, he smiles and tells you it's all fine. It's part of the process of getting rid of your sin. Direct touch is the easiest way, and you want to be nice and pure, don't you? It even feels good, so he assumes. What exactly must feel good, he doesn't say, and he doesn't think you or him properly know either.

He just doesn't want anyone to touch you ever. He wants to be the one to do that. He wants to run his hands all over you and have complete control over when or how he does it. Perhaps there's other things he wants to do too, the things that make him feel the most guilty yet also the most excited, but he's caught between waiting to do something like that or rushing straight in and giving in to desire.

For now, perhaps these 'cleansing sessions' are better. Nice and slow. You completely at his mercy. It's only happened that one time so far, but he keeps imagining more, his mind wandering off to places it shouldn't, leaving him frustrated. Maybe he should ask if he can cleanse your face next. Your cheeks, your head, your lips. He's getting ahead of himself again. He doesn't want to scare you. He wants you to know he's thinking of what's best for you. It feels manipulative, but that can't be right. This is just all part of his holy salvation, and he's making sure each step is perfect.

[dragoon-the-greatest]

Okay, 🔥hot take🔥 time

The age old debate: should Merlin have told Arthur about his magic? Did he owe him the truth? I've always come down hard in the "of course not" category, but I think it's a little more complicated of an issue than I've given it credit for.

Yes I know this has been discussed a million times and the show ended 10 years ago but this is still so interesting to me

First off, a disclaimer: for those that interpret magic as being a metaphor for whatever secret you might have in real life: you do not owe anyone this information about yourself. In real life, these things really only impact you and you don't need to tell anyone anything you aren't comfortable with. That said, I am going to proceed with the understanding that I am only using magic as a literal part of the show and not as a metaphor for anything else.

Merlin did not owe Arthur the truth about his magic as a basic principle. Like, if he was just going about life as Arthur's manservant, even if they were friends, Merlin had every right to keep that info to himself. HOWEVER. Merlin wasn't just a manservant. He took up a role as a protector of Arthur and of Camelot, as well as (intentionally or not) someone who advised Arthur. Merlin didn't just keep his magic a secret; Merlin knew of and regularly fought against several dangers to the kingdom that Arthur, as the person whose literal job it was to protect the kingdom, had every right to know about. Because Merlin used his magic to suss out dangers and to fight, he kept the truth about either the severity, or sometimes the entirety, of a threat from Arthur (again, the person who was actually in charge of protecting Camelot).

The result of this was Arthur not only not knowing about the potential good in magic and the number of times it had been used in defense of his citizens, but it also led him to underestimate the magical threats against Camelot. Arthur heard about a magical threat, was told by Gaius that it could only be defeated by magic, and then (supposedly) defeated the threat anyway; this told him that not only was he perfectly capable of handling these threats without magic, but that Gaius's warnings shouldn't be taken too seriously. Merlin set himself up as the sole protection Camelot had against magic, and then he regularly put himself in harm's way for Arthur's sake, as if his loss wouldn't then have an equally devastating effect on the wellbeing of the kingdom. From a purely tactical standpoint, if Arthur knew the truth about the exact nature of the threats against Camelot and what was needed to defeat them, then not only would he know enough to know that the current laws were unjust and unsustainable, but he would also be able to plan for a better magical defense system than a single exhausted warlock who also had two other full time jobs.

If Merlin was just a manservant, he would have zero obligation to tell Arthur anything about magic at all, let alone his own magic. But by intervening when the kingdom was threatened and then hiding the truth from the people who were supposed to plan for these things, he (unintentionally) set himself up as the only person who was qualified to make decisions for the kingdom, with no one else to assist him due to pure lack of awareness as to the nature of current events. This resulted in Merlin making difficult and questionable but still understandable and justifiable decisions, like setting the dragon free and poisoning Morgana, and progressed to decisions that were not his to make in any way, like lying to Arthur about his mother (also, Merlin was pissed when Gaius hid his parentage from him, so like, buddy why?) and enchanting the king and literally taking away his free will because Merlin thought he would put up too much of a fight about getting to safety. His treatment of Mordred and advice with the Disir were also questionable but not quite to the scale of the others, I think. And barely anyone even knows he's making these decisions to begin with.

Arthur, when making these types of decisions, is held accountable to an extent because everyone knows every decision he makes. He's the king so he has the final say, but he also has councilors, friends knights, Gwen, and even (especially?) Merlin who can call him out if he's going down the wrong path. Merlin has no one (consistently) other than a dragon who operates on a completely different moral scale and a traumatized old man who has made his own fair share of questionable decisions to hold him accountable, and this is evident through his aforementioned actions, especially in the later seasons of the show. Merlin has such good intentions! But no one person should have that much power. Arthur has Merlin to balance him out (not to mention the rest of the court); Merlin has no one.

Merlin wanted to hide his magic and he wanted to follow destiny, but I don't think it was possible for him to do both. He didn't have to stay in Camelot, and he didn't have to use his magic to fight threats to it (although of course he would feel an obligation to help, so best case scenario for him safety-wise would probably be leaving), but he did. Merlin was also powerful enough even if Arthur did decide to execute Merlin for his magic (which, you know, he probably wouldn't have but we'll never know for sure), Merlin was capable of fighting back or making an escape if needed; it's not like he was completely helpless. He could even plan out a quick get away in advance, especially if he told Arthur outside of Camelot.

That said! He stood to lose a lot for sure! His life in Camelot, his position, his friends, etc. It was dangerous and this is not to say that telling the truth about his magic would have been no big deal. However: when he started defending the kingdom, I think that's the point at which Merlin did in fact owe Arthur at least part of the truth, not necessarily about his magic but about the threats he faced and how they were defeated. If it was possible to do this without exposing his magic, then great! But Merlin used his magic as a justification for hiding necessary details about running the kingdom from Arthur. For all that Merlin professed to trust Arthur and that he would be a great king, he never gave Arthur the chance to prove it.

Not that Arthur was perfect in this by any stretch; he shouldn't have needed Merlin to spell out for him (so to speak) that genocide is wrong, for one thing. He did have some examples of good or neutral magic to work with. Maybe not enough to completely override all the bad experiences with magic, but at least enough to question the justice of the magic ban. But Arthur was also constantly operating under limited information, and he typically did the best he could with what he did know.

Both from a tactical and personal standpoint, there were things Merlin hid that Arthur did in fact have a right to know. Arthur had several enemies he had no knowledge of and several near-death experiences he either didn't remember or misunderstood because of Merlin hiding the truth from him. The sidhe enchanted him and almost drowned him, he and Vivian were placed under a love spell from a visiting king, his first common-born knight who then died honorably did not come back to make moves on his fiancee (Gwen's enchantment not mentioned since Merlin likely didn't know about it); Arthur had every right to know about these things! There was a lot more that Arthur could have done in the canon script even without the full story, true, but that could be a whole separate post. For the purposes of this post, Merlin's secrets made Arthur's growth as a person and as a just king much harder than it needed to be.

TL;DR: By taking the role of a protector/advisor, Merlin lost some of the rights to his own secrets, simply because they were no longer just his secrets he was keeping. He did not owe Arthur the truth about his magic if that was the only thing he was hiding, but he did owe Arthur, as the prince-then-king, the truth about the nature of the threats he was facing and the facts about his own life. Merlin used his magic as an excuse to withhold necessary information from Arthur, and as a result Arthur operated under mistaken beliefs about threats to the kingdom and his own fighting capabilities while Merlin was free to make decisions on behalf of the kingdom with little to no accountability.

--

Also, for the record, this is not a criticism of Merlin's character, just an example of how a character can be flawed and impact other characters in a negative way even with the best of intentions. I LOVE Merlin's character, he is extremely compelling and did what he believed to be the best he could with the circumstances he was given, and the fact that he is in fact morally grey and not a perfect hero is one of the things that gives this show so much depth.

[frostfall-matches]

[ matchmaking... ]

@ferelden-loser​ : [ match report ready ]

the romantic match is…

✦ Sylvain Jose Gautier

Yvenne is difficult to impress? Sylvain will take that as a challenge. His less-than-noble motivations for flirting aside, it always catches his attention when people don’t respond favorably to him. Depending on how much he appreciates their presence, he’ll make it a point to try and get on their good side. He’ll try grand gestures as well as small, subtle ones. It starts off really insincere at first, but the more he gets to know Yvenne as a person the more genuine it is. He’s quick to pick up little details and he’ll keep those in mind whenever he wants to just do something nice or show a bit of affection. It becomes his goal to impress her every once and a while. He is definitely the type to pick up little gifts here and there and leave them for her by her room or at her desk.

Sylvain’s the type to give it to her straight if she ends up going overboard with her loyalty to the empire. Sure, Sylvain’s loyal to Dimitri and the kingdom, but he’s not going to just blindly excuse everything that ends up happening. He knows Yvenne is smart and can think for herself, so it’s a bit frustrating to him when it feels like she’s not thinking critically about the person or cause she’s claiming loyalty to. And don’t get him wrong, he’s not saying that she shouldn’t be loyal to Edelgard, but he’d prefer it if her motivations were thoughtful and measured. He’d want her to tell him if he was going too far with something.

Early on, it’s very likely that Sylvain would end up on the receiving end of Yvenne’s quick temper, both intentionally and unintentionally. He likes to tease and sometimes he’s a bit too on-the-nose. On rare occasions, he’s even a little mean-spirited (much more likely to happen when they don’t know each other well). He’s quick to back off and apologize, though how sincere that apology is really depends on the situation and their current relationship. His lackadaisical disposition may rub her the wrong way at first, too, before they establish some sort of common ground between them.

Yvenne would likely be impressed with how intelligent Sylvain is. One thing any INTJ can appreciate is someone who can hold their own intellectually. Of course, it may take a bit of time for her to realize this and really get to see that side of Sylvain. After all, he keeps some of his cards close to his chest and doesn’t let just anyone get close to him. Yvenne is likely to find out how smart he really is when he makes some offhand comment about their classwork, or when he keeps winning against her in board games they play together in their down time.

Sylvain appreciates that she has good leadership qualities. Most people aren’t suited for being a leader, even if they try to claim that type of position. She isn’t the type to boast about it, either; she’s confident in her abilities and she’ll let her actions speak for her. That type of skillset and attitude is such a boon during wartime. Sylvain can definitely rally people, but he prefers not to have the burden of leadership placed on his shoulders. Still, any leadership endeavor that Yvenne might want to tackle, he’d be more than willing to support her in any way she needs.

His bias against the Crest-seeking noble woman aside, once he knows what Yvenne’s stance on Crests are, Sylvain is immediately sympathetic to any struggles Yvenne may have faced being born without a Crest - if he gets to be privy to any information from her past, that is. It hits a little close to home for him, honestly, what with Miklan’s whole situation. As much as he hates the idea of someone he cares about getting shitty treatment just for having or not having a Crest, he’s glad that Yvenne isn’t as likely to follow and uphold the current Crest hierarchy as it is.

On hot days, Yvenne and Sylvain are both the type to stow away from the sun and/or try to find things to do that won’t give them heatstroke. Sylvain’s just more used to cooler weather, and Yvenne detests how uncomfortable hot days can be. If swimming is an option, Sylvain is definitely suggesting that - of course, Yvenne will not be spared from some stupid flirty comment of his, but it is what it is. (He’s also the type to be just careless enough to get moderately sunburned, and he’ll complain about it a lot. Unfortunately for him, Yvenne is not the type to baby him. Tough love.) However, if Yvenne prefers to stay indoors to stay cool, he’d be more than happy to hang out with her and find something low-energy to do.

He’s baffled that she’s related to both Hubert and Hanneman, and yet it makes so much sense. He can definitely see the similarities between her and her two relatives, and it makes the contrasts that much funnier. Once he learns of this juicy little tidbit of information, he’s definitely curious whenever he sees her interacting with them at Garreg Mach. Hubert and Hanneman are both such distinct (weird, in Sylvain’s frank opinion) characters that he wants to see how someone who they consider family treats them. It won’t make him want to get close to either of them, though, so this all stops at sheer curiosity to him.

He thinks Yvenne’s embroidery hobby is really cute. She’s a pretty stern and serious person on the outside, and even if she acts sweeter around him once they’re together, she’s still pretty no nonsense a lot of the time. So, he thinks it’s cute that she has such a delicate and careful hobby. If she does any sort of embroidery on a handkerchief or something similar as a gift for him, he would keep it with him always! It’s a really nice tangible reminder of how much she does for him - anytime he takes it out, he’s filled with so much appreciation and affection for her. And if someone notices and asks him about it, he is more than willing to boast about it (if Yvenne’s the type to get embarrassed about something like that, then that’s too bad for her, LOL).

[pangolinheart]

What things does Rhiki look for in a partner?

This one is also a little difficult to answer, because Rhiki could fall in love with pretty much anyone if she put her mind to it. There are a ton of traits that she likes and admires in people, and only a few that are total deal-breakers.

If I had to narrow it down though, here are a couple that I think she would find particularly important in a partner:

Rhiki likes people who care. About her, sure, but also about other things, other people, the world, etc. Her biggest turn-off is apathy or indifference.

Related to this, she appreciates people who are genuine in their emotions, at least most of the time. Everyone hides their feelings at some point. But when someone puts on a mask of impassivity it's hard for her to really know they care. She'd rather have a partner be angry at her than act indifferently towards her.

Like most people, she likes being with someone that makes her laugh, either intentionally or unintentionally. Saving the world is grim work, so someone she can relax and joke around with is ideal.

Independence and support are also good qualities. Rhiki is happy to help her partner or be there for them when they need it, but she doesn't want someone who's overly reliant on her. She already feels a lot of pressure to be "the strong one" in her day-to-day life, so having to do the same thing in private with her partner would be exhausting. What she would really appreciate is someone that she could lean on from time to time, at least for emotional support. Even if they can't really help, it's nice to have someone who's willing to share some of the weight.

Finally trust and safety are really important to her in her relationships, especially after becoming the Warrior of Light. She doesn't need a partner to keep her safe physically, she's more attracted to the feeling of emotional safety. She wants to feel like she could tell her partner anything and trust that they wouldn't judge her or be disappointed in her. And she'd want them to trust her with their own problems. Playing the perfect hero is stressful and difficult, so she wants to be with someone whose sparkling image of her she doesn't have to preserve. Someone who doesn't mind the messy parts. Someone who won't think less of her because she's sometimes selfish or angry or scared. She gravitates towards people she can be herself around.

(As a side-note, a trait that I think would benefit Rhiki in a relationship but that I don't know if she would actively seek out is consistency. Rhiki experiences a lot of intense emotions, which can sometimes make her act erratically or feel unmoored, so having someone with a more stable, though not necessarily good, disposition would help her even out a bit and feel less adrift)

[thememphislee]

“Just Because We Were Abused Does Not Mean That We Will Become Abusers”

“Just Because We Were Abused Does Not Mean That We Will Become Abusers”

     I think many of us have experienced abuse in some form or another at some point in our lives.  Often many kinds of abuse through many different periods in our lives and by multiple abusers.  Statistics say that the abused will become abusers.  That statement and that concept has intentionally as well as unintentionally ruined my life.  Many of you, well most of you don’t know that I was once married long ago.  She was my first kiss, my first touch and the first time I ever held a woman’s hand that meant something, it changed me.  It’s difficult to identify abuse when you’re unaware that it’s happening.  Everyone but me could see it, and I was blind to it, but now I can see.

    After I was divorced, I swore that I would never again allow someone mistreat me or abuse me.  A goal that was easier said then done.  I found myself in relationship after relationship where it became inevitable every time.  The abuse seemed to always come in different forms, whether it was physical, emotional or even financially.  I had a relationship end because the persons parents decided that because I was abused, I would abuse their daughter and they ended it.  It left me in shock, and I don’t think I ever really recovered from that.

    I never wanted to have kids because I was programed to believe that I would be just as bad as I was treated.  I would avoid relationships with anyone that had children. I went to great lengths to get to know someone before getting into a relationship just in case there was a child, I wanted to know that I could trust that person as a parent and feel comfortable knowing that any child would never be in harms way.  I met someone once that had a child and I ignored all of my reservations because I knew that being in that childs life was better than not being there.  I learned that I was a good father.  I learned that everything that I had been led to believe was untrue.  I got to decide that I could be better than I was ever given. Sadly, the relationship ended, but it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.  I discovered that I had continued an abusive relationship with someone that was violent and vindictive, and they used their child to hurt me.  

    As time passed, I eventually met someone new.  We both had similar pasts with similar family dynamics, and it was just nice to never have to explain our hardships, we just both got it, there was never a need to have to make an excuse or explain anything.  We both agreed that having children of our own wasn’t something that we wanted.  As time went on, we had a great relationship and a wonderful romance.  Nothing mattered when we were together, it was only when others got involved that it complicated things.  I was fortunate in the sense that I no longer allowed anyone to influence me or make my decisions for me when it came to who I wanted to spend my life with.  I wish that I could have said the same for her. The family and friends of others decided that happiness was not going to be in our cards.  I can’t just blame her side, I had a demented and psychotic person interfering with our life as well.  Our relationship was torn apart by others that never wanted to see us flourish. Their sick and twisted actions literally ruined our lives.  It had become clear to me that as we both spent a lifetime of being abused, it continued without either of us being strong enough to stop it.

    I’ve spent the last couple of years alone and avoiding any sort of intimacy or romance simply because I have needed time.  They say that time heals all wounds, however I say some wounds never heal.  I can say that I value my previous relationships because each one taught me something new.  I have learned a lot, and I don’t believe in bad relationships, I just think that you have relationships that you can learn more from.  You can decide who you’re going to be.  You are not destined to become an abuser just because you were abused, you can become better because of it.  

    I look forward to my next relationship.  I am anxious to experience all the wonders that lay ahead because I can be happy.  I can have the relationship that I want, not the relationship that I can have. To settle is to give up.  Temporary is not forever, it’s just a waste of time. I encourage others to take that leap of faith, walk away from anything that isn’t everything that you could ever want. Every moment that you spend wanting more is an opportunity to go get what you want.  I am busy falling in love with myself all over again, but I’ll see you soon!

 The Memphis Lee speaks, now ya’ heard!

 That’s how I roll.!!!

[sugawaraxo]

COCKWARMING THE PRETTY SETTERS

warnings: definitely smut 

characters: tooru oikawa, tobio kageyama, kenma kozume, koshi sugawara

a/n: i’m taking request btw :) my inbox is open. also, this is kinda long so grab your popcorn haha

oikawa

 - oikawa is obsessed with you whether he wants to admit it or not

- which is wild because no one would’ve expected him to ever be more obsessed with anyone other than himself

- but here you are

- and he LOVES being around you 

- just being in your presence makes him all giddy and smiley

- though he does try to compose himself whenever you guys are around his teammates but usually fails 

-  he’s not obsessed in a weird or creepy way, but just enough for you to know that he’s all about you and only you

- and you love it

- and of course oikawa’s obsession with you rings no surprise that he’s obsessed with being inside you 

- as long as he’s close to his pretty y/n, he’s happy

the two of you had just finished a long and strenuous two rounds of sex and were more than ready for bed. but when oikawa got out of bed to get towels for the two of you to clean up with, you felt extremely empty. you were exhausted, that’s for sure. but a big part of you just wanted him filling you up again, even if nothing else happened. you pout, knowing that your attentive boyfriend would notice when he came back, which he did. 

“hm, what’s wrong pretty girl?” he asks softly as he starts to gently clean his mess off of your stomach with a warm towel. 

“i want you inside of me again.” you say in an almost whisper, a little embarrassed by the words that just left your mouth and he laughs lightly. 

“you’re so cute.” he says as he tucks a piece of hair away from your face and gives you a kiss. “but i’m so tired.” he finishes, then plops down on the bed beside you, big spooning you. 

“no, we don’t have to have sex again, i’m exhausted too. i just want you inside me.” you say shyly. you feel his dick twitch behind you and can’t help but smile a little, knowing you’re about to get what you want.

“oh, like cockwarming?” oikawa asks and you nod in response. “hm, ok. yeah, we can do that.” he smiles before kissing your forehead. he was already big spooning you so he was in the perfect position to just slip it in. he pulls down his shorts just enough so that his member could spring free, then pulls the panties that you were wearing under one of his shirts down just enough for him to have access to what he needed. he teases your folds with his tip a little bit, causing you to tense up. then he slowly pushes himself inside you, it not being too difficult with you still being wet from earlier. the two of you moan in unison, both sensitive from your previous interactions. once he’s fully in, he stays there and wraps his arm around your waist as he plants a soft kiss on your shoulder.

“does that feel good? is that ok?” he asks before pressing more soft kisses on your shoulder and your neck.

“it’s perfect.” you coo and he pulls you a little closer with the arm he had slung over your waist.

“goodnight princess.”

“goodnight oikawa.”

- you definitely have morning sex when you wake up

kageyama

- let’s be real here, he really doesn’t know what any kinks are

- he just learns what he likes and what he doesn’t like from you and waits for you to tell him if it’s a kink or not 

- you end up having to tell him that basically anything sexual can be a kink after he keeps asking you “is that a kink?” every time you two do something new in bed 

- you find his lack of knowledge on the subject adorable though, even though you constantly tease him about it 

- he honestly just goes with the flow and follows your lead in terms of sexual things

- not that he’s the submissive one, you just know more about sex so sometimes you have to give him extra guidance

- he doesn’t mind it though, he wouldn’t wanna learn it from anyone else but you

- and you just so happened to teach him his new favorite kink

you two are making out on kageyama’s bed. it starts off innocent at first but slowly progresses into a messier and more heated kiss. you’re on top of him, tugging on his hair while he grips onto your hips. you begin slowly grinding against him causing him to moan softly into your mouth. his sounds were always so pretty and always instantly made your core pulse. you continue grinding on kageyama, giving both yourself and him pleasure. but it isn’t enough. in one swift motion he flips you over so now he’s the one on top. without detaching his lips from yours, he pulls his member out of his pants and lifts up the skirt you’re wearing then slowly pulls down your underwear, revealing your wet core.

“pretty.” he mumbles before licking a teasingly slow and soft stripe up your folds. you moan at the sensation and shut your eyes in pleasure. he continues to please you with his tongue before inserting two fingers into you. it hurts a bit more than usual but you shrug it off because the pleasure outweighs the pain. he continues with this for a few minutes more before he can’t take it anymore and positions himself at your entrance. he slowly begins pushing himself in, but as soon as he’s all the way in, you yelp in pain.

“ow ow ow! stop!” you groan, and kageyama does as told.

“what’s wrong? s-should i take it out?” he asks, concern laced in his voice.

“no no, keep it in just let me adjust to it.” you say. the day before, you and kageyama had some hardcore sex. you had unintentionally somewhat intentionally made him jealous so that he would punish you, and oh that he did. but your poor pussy was suffering the consequences. 

“ok princess, i won’t move. just let me know when you’re ready.” he says softly and you smile at his sweetness. he starts kissing you again, this time more deep and passionate as opposed to the sloppy, heated kiss that got you here in the first place. you were slowly beginning to relax around your boyfriend while he was losing his mind trying not to bust inside of you. something about not moving but still being inside you, feeling you around him. the anticipation. it’s driving him crazy.

“oh no, i’m gonna cum.” he says shyly as he pulls away from the kiss and accidentally cums inside of you. he hides his face in the crook of your neck in embarrasment and you just giggle at him, as that isn’t the first time that’s happened. 

“is, is that a kink? not doing anything, just being inside you? because i think i have that kink.” he mumbles into your shoulder.

“it is actually, it’s called cockwarming.” you say as you gently stroke his hair, trying to relax your still clearly embarrassed boyfriend. 

“hm, well can we never do cockwarming again, that was embarrassing.” he sighs before finally removing his head from the crook of your neck and looking at you.

“i don’t think it was embarrassing baby, i thought it was cute. but if you don’t wanna do it again we don’t have to.” you reassure him and he blushes at your compliment.

“maybe we can do it again sometime then, but for now it’s time to get you cleaned up.” he says before picking you up over his shoulder and taking you to the bathroom. 

kenma

- anyone who knows kenma knows that he is always preoccupied with video games

- whenever he’s playing, it’s fairly difficult to get his attention

- as his girlfriend, you’ve somewhat learned to accept this, even though you would like more attention from your boyfriend

- but you take what you can get, knowing that’s just how kenma is and you wouldn’t ever wanna change him 

- but sometimes you get needy

- really needy 

- and kenma isn’t always the best at reading that

- so you take it upon yourself to get the kind of attention you’re craving from your boyfriend

kenma doesn’t really get flustered too often. but when he does, oh anyone in a ten mile radius can tell. the first time you saw him really get flustered was when he gave you his hoodie while you were out on a date. it had gotten colder than you expected so he gave you his jacket to keep you warm, and as soon as you put it on, the boy went red. he couldn’t even form coherent sentences at first and you thought it was the most hilariously adorable thing ever. ever since that day, you’ve worn his clothes whenever you wanted his attention; hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, you name it. today is one of those days. kenma has been gaming all day in some sort of tournament and you’re beginning to get frustrated because of how badly you’re craving his touch, so you pull out the big guns. you put on one of his favorite hoodies, one that you’ve never worn before, and head into his gaming room. he’s sitting is his gaming chair deep in concentration, shooting at someone and talking to who you assume is kuroo on his headset. he doesn’t even notice you at first until you come sit in his lap, your legs resting on either side of his as you lay your head on his shoulder. 

“hi kitten.” he whispers away from his mic before placing a gentle kiss on your lips and you hum in response. you played with the hair at the nape of his neck for a little bit before your overwhelming feeling of neediness comes back. you lift your head from kenma’s shoulder, now somewhat blocking his view of his computer screen.

‘i want to feel you inside me’ you mouth to him. he hadn’t even realized what you were wearing until right then, and his cheeks blush bright red. he places a finger under your chin and uses it to pull you in for a kiss. “go for it.” he whispers to you as he pulls away, reverting his attention back to his game that he had forgotten about for a quick second. you easily slip his member out of the sweats he’s wearing and give it a few strokes to get him hard. you were wearing absolutely nothing under his hoodie in hopes that this would be the outcome, and when he notices that as he glances from you back to his computer screen every so often, he mumbles 

“dirty little kitten, this is exactly what you wanted hm?” 

“mhmm” you respond and he smiles.

you continue what you’re doing and position kenma’s tip at your hole before slowly sinking down on it. your breath hitches at the feeling of being filled up, while kenma clenches his eyes shut and bites his lip in order to hold back his moans. once he’s fully inside you, you lay your head on his shoulder again and just stay there.

“hm, that’s it? you just wanna cockwarm me?” kenma asks curiously. 

“mhmm. just wanted to feel you inside me, that’s it.” you say sleepily, slowly drifting as you shut your eyes. 

kenma can’t help but smile, “you’re adorable.” he says before planting a kiss on your cheek. you smile a small smile in return before dozing off on kenma’s shoulder, him still buried deep inside you. 

every so often you would move around in your sleep and kenma would have to bite his lip to hold back a moan so the friends he was playing with wouldn’t hear, but it was worth the risk because he loves just being this close to you, and you do too.

sugawara

- suga’s high sex drive really surprised you when you two first started dating

- his kinkiness surprised you too

- you thought he would always be very gentle and vanilla

- but you were very mistaken

- not that you’re complaining though

- he’s always open to trying new things

- so when you bring up the topic of cockwarming, he’s intrigued

“is that something you wanna try bunny?” he asks after you finish explaining to him what exactly cockwarming is.

“we don’t have to if you don’t want to, i just think it’d be interesting to try.” you shrug

“i agree.” he says, before leaning over to start kissing your neck. that’s your weak spot, so you take this as suga saying he wants to try right now. the two of you are currently on the couch, in the middle of watching a romcom but clearly that romcom has been forgotten as suga continues to make little love bites on your neck. you lift his chin to kiss him because you know if you don’t stop him now, he’ll cover your whole body in hickies. the kiss is soft, but passionate and you can feel yourself quite literally melting into it. somehow you end up straddling suga, still lost in the kiss. you suddenly notice a pair of familiar fingers making their way down to your most sensitive area. he teases you, rubbing his fingers over your pajama shorts, knowing you’re getting needy because of the way you’re starting to softly moan into his mouth. he takes this as a sign of you wanting more and breaks away from the kiss so he can take off your shorts and your underwear, with a little bit of help from you. once your bottom half is completely naked, he grins and begins kissing you again. the sensation of your bare core against suga’s sweatpants was teasing you, so you began moving your hips to get some friction. suga moans a little at your sudden movements and you can feel him getting harder. he pushes you up off of him slightly so that he can pull his sweats down, them ending up just hanging around his ankles. now both of your bottom halves are naked, and you’re staring at each other in anticipation.

“sit on it bunny.” suga instructs and you follow his orders, sitting down on his length and feeling every inch against your walls. that feeling when he first inserts into you will never get old. 

“mm, suga.” you moan. he instinctively thrusts after hearing your pretty noises, completely forgetting what you guys were supposed to be trying.

“no, don’t move.” you laugh at him and he blushes apologetically.

“sorry, i couldn’t help it. you’re just so pretty.” he apologizes and you melt.

“it’s ok suga, you’re adorable.” you smile. “i’m gonna turn around now, but keep you inside me and we’ll finish the movie just like this, yeah?” you say.

“yeah.” he nods in agreement. without pulling suga out of you, you turn so that you’re no longer straddling him but sitting in his lap with your back facing towards him, your face now facing the tv. you guys finish the rest of the movie exactly like this, you sitting on suga’s lap with his member deep inside of you and suga occasionally thrusting up into you just to get your reaction. 

[love-toxin]

Hello dear!! May I please ask for headcanons for Yandere Reinhardt from Overwatch? Either way, I love your writing and your blog!! Please don’t stress yourself or pressure yourself over writing, please stay hydrated and rest when you can! I hope you have a nice day dear! ❤️💜💖💓💝💘💕💞💋❣️♥️

ty!! <3 and I'll do both old and young rein cause yknow.....i can't resist the hotheaded blond version 🥵

☆ hc / ♡ spicy hc / ♂️♀️ gendered hc / ‼️ dark hc

Current Reinhardt

☆ He seems like he would see himself as a selfless lover. Always focused on your desires and your safety, his world practically revolves around you and making sure you are always satisfied, in all aspects he can manage.

☆ With this in mind, however, it'll be pretty difficult to tell such an intimidating man that you don't need his help, or even worse, that you're not interested in him. And if you do, the chances of him actually listening to you are slim.

☆ Overall, his love for you is something that he keeps hidden fairly well, both before and after confessing. As happy as he is to have you as his, he's not gonna go around shouting it to everyone--he has no idea who might be listening to him, who might come after you if they knew you were connected to him.

Young Reinhardt

☆ Despite his history and his strength in general, he would never use violence against you no matter the circumstance. Not only could he never bring himself to do it, but he doesn't believe in correcting you with pain. He would rather die than lay a hand on you in anger, and he just doesn't have the stomach for it.

☆ Sometimes, if you're getting especially frightened of his rather forward advances, he'll bring in someone like Brigitte to try and settle those anxieties back down. She's sweet enough that having her to talk to will certainly be relieving, but also close enough with Rein that she'll probably talk highly about him so much that you might start being manipulated to think that he's not such a bad guy.

♡ For an older man, he's got quite the sex drive. He's rough and handsy when you're alone, and impossibly polite and gentle when you're around other people, but either way when he gets you in his bed he won't hold back, he can't. You'll have to get used to it pretty quick if you don't want to end up bedridden or limping everywhere.

♡ He's possessive to the extreme. As much as he would never harm you intentionally, he'll unintentionally leave handprints bruised into your skin and bite marks that get sore and ache after the fact, and if he hasn't absolutely flooded your belly with cum to the point that it just keeps gushing from between your legs, then he hasn't done enough to make you realize you're his.

♡ He's very generous with aftercare. He'll have food and water stashed somewhere in the bedroom, a topical cream for your bruises, and more pillows and blankets than you can count to wrap you up in and hold you like a little cannoli. He's one for soft reassurances and praise for how well you did, sprinkled with some very off-putting, very possessive claims to your body that you might want to just tune out.

☆ Though he's certainly going to mature with age, Reinhardt in his prime is a much more selfish lover than when he's older.

☆ He wants you to be there for him on demand, and always available when he needs affection, reassurance, and a warm body to cuddle up next to him. He's quite hedonistic and vain and thinks primarily of himself, so you may end up feeling like an accessory of his rather than a lover.

☆ However, one aspect of his love that rivals nobody else's is how sincerely, and loudly, he professes his love for you. Someone trying to creep on you or try to get you into their good graces is pretty much a total impossibility, with Reinhardt constantly bragging about you to anyone around and yet also hammering in the reminder that you're his.

‼️ Unfortunately for you, he likes to label his property. He'll take a knife and dig the tip into your skin, painfully dragging it in arcs to cut your skin and spell out his name,"Reinhardt". It's not to punish you (or maybe it is, if you give him a good reason) it's just something he feels compelled to do once he takes you as his lover. Whether you've accepted him or not changes how gentle he'll be during the process.

☆ He's much more apt to kill someone for your sake, especially if they're someone that's either annoyingly close to you or has the intention of wooing you. Deep down, he's very insecure about whether or not you love him as much as he loves you, so he feels the innate need to eliminate any and all competition before they become a bigger problem.

♡ He's absolutely insatiable. He can't really be matched no matter what you try, so he just completely decimates you every time he lures you into his bed. At least he does his best to make it less painful, but there's only so much you can do when you're as big as he is.

♡ Though you'd think he'd be just as selfish in bed as he is in every other aspect of his life, he actually moves further in the opposite direction. He won't let you squirm away or tell him it's "too dirty" when he goes down on you, and you'd best be prepared to be there for a long time when he does. Because his tongue won't let up until he can't squeeze any more orgasms out of your poor body, and you're so weak and shaky from being brought to the brink and pushed over again and again, that he can just slide right in and enjoy how loose you are for him.

♡ He demands you say his name, that you scream it as loud as those little lungs can manage. He'll trace his fingers over the scars of his name in your back or your legs or wherever else he's chosen to write it, all while buried so deep inside you that you swear you can feel his cockhead puncture your stomach, and he won't move an inch until he's satisfied with how desperate you sound when you're crying his name. He gets off on it like you wouldn't believe.

[mypoisonedvine]

the martyrdom of st. valentine (and other romantic stories) || dark!Bucky & dark!(stepbrother?)Steve x reader

summary: you wanted to surprise your boyfriend on valentine's day, but he and your foster brother have a surprise of their own.

word count: 2.7k

warnings: smut (heavy dubcon to the point of pretty much noncon), kinda stepcest (as per summary, steve is the reader's foster brother), bondage, a lil touch of degradation

2/14 to-do list

get waxed

get Steve out of the apartment

pick up chocolate-covered strawberries from bakery on 6th

blindfold and handcuff myself to the bed

be waiting for Bucky naked when he gets here

You sighed as you looked down at the paper, crossing the first and third items off the list. The second was going to be a bit harder, unfortunately; your foster brother had a habit of hanging around and cramping your style as much as he could manage. He felt like a real brother in that way… okay, maybe he felt like a real brother in most ways, a consequence of knowing him for most of your life, but he was definitely not your real brother. You remembered that each time you caught yourself staring too long when he was shirtless, or returning from the gym all veiny and glistening with sweat.

But you also remembered that he was still the closest thing to a real brother you'd ever had, and you scolded yourself internally for ever acting differently.

It didn’t matter now— you had Bucky, and he was the most amazing guy you’d ever met.  No, Steve was definitely not happy that introducing his best friend to his sister led to a relationship forming, but he couldn’t stop either of you in spite of his efforts to keep you apart.

Bucky had once expressed his suspicions that it was at least in part due to jealousy, if subliminal.  But you denied it unilaterally— he’s basically my brother, you told him, though it was more of a reminder to yourself than anything.

Perverted concerns about Steve’s motivations aside, Bucky was a great guy.  A bit of a sweet-talker for sure, and not exactly known for his ability to keep a long-term, serious relationship, but he was adamant that you had changed that and for once you were beginning to believe him.  You’d said from the beginning that you didn’t need this to be the proverbial ‘it’ for either of you but that you didn’t do hook-ups— especially with your brother’s friends, and extra especially with your brother’s closest and longest friend.  It only took a brief speech and two shots to convince you, now six months later and you were still going strong.

Days like this made you so happy you’d given in to his advances.  But they also made you regret giving in to Steve’s idea to be roommates in college.

“Stevie!” you yelped as he walked in, stuffing the to-do list into your backpocket.  “Just the man I wanted to see.”

“I doubt that,” he scoffed.  “It’s Valentine’s Day, I bet you want to see Bucky.  He’s coming over, right?  And you want me to fuck off so my best friend can go to town on my sister?”

You frowned, crossing your arms.  “I wanted to see you because I have a gift for you.”

“... you do?”  His eyebrow raised and you hoped your smirk looked just as smug as it felt.

“So do you want your gift or do you want to be an asshole?”

“Do I have to pick just one?” he joked.

“Just come over here,” you instructed, waving him closer.  He seemed hesitant, but eventually did as you’d asked.  From your other back pocket you pulled out two tickets.

“Rangers, center ice,” you beamed.  “For you and a date.”

“And this isn’t just an excuse to get me out of the house?”

“No, it’s a thank you for being such a great brother.”

“So, if I wanted to take Bucky…” he trailed off, already calling your bluff as you rolled your eyes.

“Okay, that’s just sad.  There’s no reason you can’t find a girl to take— god knows Bucky hasn’t spent a Valentine’s Day alone since the fucking eighth grade.  And you’re just as cute as he is!”

“Well, if you could alert the rest of the female population to that, that would be great,” he scoffed, “but until then I’ll take the tickets,” he decided as he took them from your hand.  “A Rangers game might be the only thing distracting enough to keep me from thinking about what you and Buck are gonna do while I’m gone.”

You were hoping for a little more enthusiasm considering how much the tickets had cost you, but at least he was going to go and give you the apartment to yourself for the evening.  “You’re welcome, by the way.”

After stripping and sprinkling rose petals on the comforter, you'd actually found a YouTube tutorial on how to blindfold and handcuff oneself, and it was a little odd that enough people had this problem to merit its existence but it was still very helpful: turns out the secret is to blindfold yourself first but keep it folded up with one eye able to see until you do the handcuffs, then use your arm to slide the blindfold down into place.

It was tricky, and a little bit extra awkward while naked, but you figured it out and smiled proudly to yourself as you completed your last task on your to-do list.

Now, for likely the most difficult task of all: waiting in darkness and silence for Bucky to arrive.

Apparently it is, in fact, possible to be slightly bored yet titillated.  The thought of what Bucky would do to you when he got here was exciting, but it only made you crave his presence more which enhanced your quiet loneliness.  It wasn't like you could read a book or listen to music to kill the time, so you settled for humming to yourself as you waited.

Don't go changing, to try and please me, something something before, hmmm

I just want someone that I can talk to, I want you just the way you are...

But that grew tiresome quickly and you resorted instead to planning exacty how angry you would be if Bucky was late when you were waiting for him in such a compromising and inconvenient state.  For a moment you imagined he'd really gone to the Rangers game with Steve and became briefly livid over a hypothetical situation.

The crackling roar of Bucky's motorcycle outside was distant but undeniable, making you smile in anticipation.  You worried for a moment that you might have locked the top lock of the front door by instinct, but thankfully Bucky and to make it inside alright since next thing you knew, your bedroom door was opening.

The rattle of the doorknob made your breath catch; you opened your legs slowly in time with the quiet creak of the hinges.  “I’ve been waiting for you…” you purred.

“Hi there, babydoll,” Bucky’s voice answered back huskily.

The heavy steps of his boots made it clear he hadn't taken his shoes off at the door, a habit that had driven you crazy since he was your annoying brother's also-annoying best friend.  Was this the real reason he'd chained you up, so he could freely irritate you?  What next, was he gonna put a cold drink on your nightstand without a coaster?

"You really went all out for me, sweetheart," he noticed, his voice closer than you'd expected; it was fun to not know exactly where he would be, it made you squirm under the gaze you couldn't see but could somehow feel.

How weight joining yours on the bed was a good sign to his location though, along with his hands sliding up your legs.

“Look at this pretty pussy,” he cooed pridefully as he dove in suddenly and licked a thick stripe through your folds.

“Fuck,” you shivered, tugging on your handcuffs unintentionally.

“Feel good, babygirl?” he pressed, chuckling when you nodded.  “You want more?”

“Please,” you whimpered.

He didn’t get back to it right away, the weight on the bed shifting slightly, and it made you fear that he planned to make you beg more before eating you out— but finally his lips returned to you as his tongue explored your sex.

“Oh god,” you moaned, your back arching of its own volition.  It was a little different than he normally did this— less confident and measured, more cautious yet hungry.  Typically he teased you a lot more, knowing exactly the spots that drove you wild and intentionally leaving them understimulated until you begged him to let you come, but now as soon as he found them he was targeting them— perhaps a rare show of mercy from the guy who was normally happy to leave you on edge for hours.

You could feel his moans vibrating into you when he slid his tongue inside and against your channel; it instantly made your back arch as the handcuffs quietly clinked above your head.

He stopped just a little too soon, pulling your hips up until the back of your legs were resting on the front of his.  Being manhandled by him turned you on enough to make you bite your lip.

"Fuck, put your cock in me, wanna feel you," you moaned your plea as you heard the rustling of clothes; your mouth watered when you imagined Bucky stripping, with that insane body of his.

His thick head glided over your entrance and you were preparing to beg some more when he suddenly pushed in, giving you what you wanted so much faster than normal.  Not that you were complaining!

He was also much quieter than normal, which you were actually willing to complain about but didn't.

"Oh god," you groaned at the feeling of him stretching you open, gasping when his cock brushed right over your spot— it made your body jolt each time he pulled back and hit it again.

"Feels good, huh?" Bucky asked and you nodded happily.

"So good," you whimpered.

"I wasn't asking you."

Before you could question it, Bucky’s calloused fingers pulled up your blindfold— but it was Steve’s face above you, Steve’s body on top of yours… and, much to your horror, Steve’s cock inside you.

“What the fuck?!” you yelped, trying to squirm away as you tugged at the cuffs but failing completely.

“Fuck,” Steve winced, “you get really tight when you struggle like that.”

“Don’t act so surprised, babygirl,” Bucky cooed playfully as you turned to stare at his devilish grin.  “You wanted this… you just didn’t want to admit it to yourself.  And Stevie here always wanted this, too, and aren’t you so glad he told me?”

You shuddered as Steve continued thrusting, pushing his cock so deep it made you feel a little nauseous.  "Steve, you've gotta stop," you begged.   "If you love me, you'll stop."

"That's the thing: I love you too much to stop."

He moved faster, paying no mind to your confused whimpers, holding your hips tight as his head fell back slightly which brandished his thick neck and bobbing Adam's apple.

"There's no point in pretending," Bucky reminded you coldly, watching the whole thing with crossed arms and an expression that almost looked… bemused?  "You already showed us how much you love it, so don't waste your time acting so disgusted now."

You regretted more than anything saying that it felt good, literally asking him to fuck you before you really understood what you were asking for: you thought it was Bucky, yes, but that didn't mean it was an act.  It did feel good, and that must've been obvious to everyone since you were so wet already.  You could hear it each time he pushed all the way in, that telltale squelching noise that was somehow disgusting and hot all at once.

Steve wasn't so quiet now that he didn't have to be.  "God, you feel so good," he whispered, grabbing the backs of your knees and pushing your legs up.  It forced his cock even deeper and you choked on your own suppressed moan.

You heard Bucky opening his belt, and turned your head to see him pull out and stroke his cock while he watched Steve fuck you.  It was hard to imagine what he was getting out of this; he never seemed like the sharing type, if anything he sometimes became too possessive.  But clearly there was a lot about him and Steve that you didn't understand.

"Play with her tits," Bucky instructed, voice a bit deeper as he pleasured himself, "makes her come so fast."

Steve dropped your legs to rest on his shoulders so his hands were free to grope your chest, thick fingers twisting and tugging your nipples.  Annoyingly, Bucky knew his way around your body well by now, and so it was difficult to pretend that Steve's touches weren't sending shocks of pleasure right down your spine and to your core.

You had been biting on your lip so hard to stay quiet that you feared you would break the skin, until Bucky leaned down and gave you a little slap on the cheek— not very hard, but enough to make you gasp which in turn released the moan you'd been holding back.

"There it is, honey, don't be quiet for my benefit," Bucky encouraged.  "It's okay to like it, I'm not gonna be jealous."

As if that was your concern; angering your boyfriend by enjoying being fucked by your foster brother.  

"You really overestimate my interest in your— fuck— in your feelings," you panted as you glared up at Bucky where he was grinning down at you with a look that almost indicated pride.

"You're gonna come, aren't you?" he asked, ignoring your resistance entirely.  Whatever chance you had at pretending he was wrong was lost when, just for a moment, your eyes widened at his question.  "Yeah, thought so.  I can tell by that dumb look on your face.  I'm close too, babydoll, betcha wanna taste it…"

His free hand roughly held your jaw open as he stroked himself desperately, his weak groan coinciding with the moment you felt his hot seed spray into your open mouth, his taste familiar despite the entirely surreal circumstances.

It was purely coincidence that you came in that moment, your walls bearing down on Steve while you tried to stay silent so you wouldn't choke on Bucky's spend.

"Fuck, that's it, gonna fill this pretty mouth— god yes, you'd better swallow it all," he sighed as come painted your tongue and the inside of your cheek.  Maybe it was more than normal or maybe it was just that he was tightening his hand around the head of his cock to get every drop in your mouth, but either way it was enough to give you quite a mouthful to swallow, which you did without much question due to force of habit.

"M’close too," Steve warned as Bucky stepped back, "I'm gonna come."

“No, Steve, not inside,” you whimpered, hearing the way your voice had weakened after your orgasm, “you can’t…”

“I can,” he disagreed, “Bucky said so.”

Once again, Bucky's will was more important than your own, and your desperate pulling at the handcuffs was only another reminder of the way you'd guided yourself into his trap.

"Don't," you stammered one more time, but it was hard to focus when he was filling you exactly how you needed, when his thick hands gripping your waist felt just as perfect as you'd secretly imagined so many times… 

Denial is a powerful drug, but so is two orgasms in a row.

"Fuck!" you yelped as you felt a gush of warmth drip from your entrance, even further wetness spurring on Steve's fast and brutal thrusts into you.

"Knew you'd love it," Steve mumbled, growling slightly as he slammed into you.  "Knew you'd take it so well, make a pretty mess all over my cock— fuck I can't wait anymore, gotta fill you up, oh my god... gotta give you my load, honey, you want it?"

"Yes," you sobbed, "Steve, yes, come in me…"

He didn't need much more encouragement than that, groaning loudly as you felt his cock flex and pulse against your walls, his release overwhelmingly hot inside you.

You sighed in time with Steve as he finally stilled, and it was hard to know where to look when Steve and Bucky were both staring down at you.  “What happens now?” you found yourself asking, not so much a literal question about the next task but more about what the three of you were going to do with all the unfortunate truths that had come to light in less than half an hour.

“What happens now is I take my turn,” Bucky informed you sternly, pushing Steve aside.  “Did you really think I wasn’t gonna fuck my girlfriend on Valentine’s Day?”

[zevexsii]

naib subedar sfw + nsfw hcs (gn s/o)

cut for length and nsfw content !

sfw 

another difficult person to enter a relationship with. naib has lost too much to feel comfortable getting close to someone he knows isn’t going to stay close- you’re in it for the long run. 

in matches, you’re naib’s first priority (when you’ve been assigned to a team together, of course). the second naib notices you’ve been chaired, he’s headed your way as fast as he can. typically, he’d like you to stick together so he can keep a safe eye on you, but naib’s not too pressed if you two split of your own volition. 

there’s an incredibly low chance of being injured during a match with naib. if you’re wounded at the end, it’ll be small scratches or a bruise here and there. regardless of how small or shallow any of your scratches may be, naib is cleaning and bandaging them up, scolding you for being so reckless the entire time. 

he’s another big eater! devours anything you make and is more than happy to show you how to cook nepalese food. cook for him and let him curl up and rest his head on your shoulder afterward and he’ll be tempted to marry you on the spot

loud noises overwhelm naib extremely easily. crowds also make him edgy and anxious. when naib’s panicky, he gets annoyed and will probably snap at you- he would do best with a relatively calm s/o who’s able to keep their head in stressful situations. 

if you’re looking for ways to calm him down, don’t go to overwhelming physical affection right off the bat. someone trying to wrap their arms around him will be seen as a threat to naib’s safety and would only trigger his ptsd even more. instead, grab one of his hands and try to help him regulate his breathing. remind him that he’s safe with you, that there’s nothing to worry about. when naib needs physical comfort, he’ll seek you out. this tactic goes for calming him down after nightmares, too.

the most comforting position for naib is allowing him to sit on your lap and bury his head in your chest- he’s caught between the urge to hide from everything and the urge to protect you. like this, he’s got a solid rock of refuge and it feels like he’s shielding you from any perceived danger. 

undo his strict ponytail and massage naib’s scalp and he’ll be passed out in a heartbeat, snoring softly, his grip on your clothes tight as ever. 

on naib’s bad days, he’s practically glued to your hip. he’s terrified something horrible’s going to happen to you- like the things that happened to his fellow soldiers or even worse, the things he’s done and (seen done) to other people during his time as a hired mercenary. it’s scary, who can blame him? 

wouldn’t mind too much if his partner was into pda, but would feel uncomfortable reciprocating the vast majority of it. naib’s still trying to unlearn the “vulnerability is bad” mindset. he’s been surrounded by that idea his entire adult life, so give him time. this has been touched on before, but hand-holding makes naib soft!! whether you’re enjoying a mellow walk through the manor gardens or lingering in the lobby post-match, one of naib’s calloused hands will find a way to intertwine with yours. 

making naib blush is difficult. very few things can force their way into the chinks in his stoic armor, but soft kisses pressed to his cheek are guaranteed to send an intense flush to his face

if you’re too shy or uncomfortable with pda, you can bet naib’s doing everything he can to fluster you in a safer setting. you’re doing dishes? surprise smooch! indulging in some much-needed downtime? smooch! if naib’s feeling cocky and the time is right, he’ll land his lips somewhere on your face right after you’ve finished a calibration during a match

not too huge on nicknames!! your name is satisfying to say, and naib doesn’t think anything he could call you would fit any better. if you hear him mumble a sleepy “sweetheart” in the middle of a cuddle session while he tries to pull you closer, no you didn’t

naib’s idea of a perfect day ends in a steamy shower or relaxing bath with his s/o. nothing spicy, just soft moments with his love. once y’all are dried and done, throw on your pajamas or one of naib’s shirts (if you’re small enough- mans is 5’6”) and crawl into bed. naib tends to curl in on himself (think fetal position) if you aren’t there- a lot of times he ends up unintentionally becoming the little spoon. 

when naib wants to hold you close, his arms will snake around your waist and he’ll invite you to lay your head on his chest or burrow your face in his neck. when you wake up, it’ll most likely be to naib pestering you in the most loving way possible- ever the early riser, this one. 

nsfw

naib can’t really be pinned down to any specific top or bottom role (no pun intended). during the beginning of your intimate relationship with him, naib leans towards taking a dominant role. it’s indescribably difficult for naib to relinquish control over a non-intimate situation, so you can imagine leaning back and letting go would be even harder. 

gets incredibly handsy when he’s horny. won’t hesitate to seek you out, either. naib doesn’t see the point of masturbation if he has a partner, but he respects your boundaries if you’re not in the mood. 

going back to the surprise kissing bit earlier, when naib wants to let you know he wants to fuck, he’ll pin you up against the closest surface or loop his arms lazily around your shoulders (if you’re short enough) and smash his lips into yours a little rougher than usual- nibbling on your bottom lip right before pulling away. 

has a bit of a fixation on oral. favors receiving over giving slightly, but is still addicted to the way you taste. for masc readers, it’s literally impossible to gag him. to be entirely honest, you could facefuck him with very little resistance. naib wouldn’t hesitate to use you and he expects you to treat him the same way.

 tug on the sheets ever so slightly while he’s sucking your cock and naib will drag your hand to the top of his head, reminding you to pull his hair.

for fem readers, he’ll slowly spread apart your sopping pussy and the corner of his mouth will lift up in a pleased smirk, his rough hands buried in the plush of your thighs. if you attempt to rut your hips against him, naib’ll put an end to that right quick, pinning your hips to the bed, his grip tight enough to leave bruises. 

no matter what, naib’s covering every inch of your bottom half he can reach in hickeys and bruises, occasionally leaning back to admire his handiwork, leaving poor you all needy and aching, whimpering pitifully. 

he’ll look up at you underneath his dark brown eyelashes when you cum, feeling up your sides and pulling your hips closer to his face. the whines his actions pull from your throat will never cease to satisfy him. 

when naib has pleasured you to your mutual satisfaction, he’ll sit up and wipe his mouth on the back of his hand, intentionally smearing your fluids across his face, grinning hungrily as he stares down at you.

now, when you’re sucking naib off, things can get intense pretty damn fast. one moment you’re gently stroking his cock (decently sized too, a good 6-7 inches, average girth), and the next he’s got you by the hair, ramming his dick in your mouth. might accidentally cage you in with his thicc thighs- he’s lost in the feeling of your pretty lips around him, what can he say? gently tap him on the leg and he’ll loosen up a little bit. 

groans loud. louder than he does when he’s actually having sex (at least when he’s topping). the noises he makes are nothing short of animalistic; low growls and heavy moans, straight from his chest. you might have to stop him and remind him to relax. there’s much more to come (no pun intended), and it wouldn’t to well to have naib tire himself out now. his breath will hitch in his chest when you suddenly pull back, but he’ll give you a shaky nod when you tell him to calm down. 

really makes a show of undressing, unless he’s been super pent up lately or something happened to pull out jealous naib. naib isn’t as buff as one might expect; he’s more of the lean type, his strength concentrated in his shoulders and core muscles.

naib’s torso is littered with various scars, some deeper and more noticeable than others. he doesn’t like to admit it, but they’re definitely an insecurity of his. run your fingers over them, or press your lips to the most obvious one, and naib’s heart aches (in a good way, of course). it feels so tender, so soft, so warm to be accepted and wholly loved, regardless of any self-labeled flaws and mistakes. but, mr subedar needs more. 

so he stuffs himself inside of you, letting out a breathy groan at the sudden contact and throwing his head back in delight. when he’s sure that movement wouldn’t cause you too much discomfort, he’ll begin to sloppily thrust himself back and forth, panting heavily. he’s breathing too hard to let out a coherent sentence, egged on by your moans as he angles himself as deeply inside of you as possible. 

depending on how long foreplay lasted, naib can go anywhere from 2-4 rounds. he’s already quite sloppy and forceful, so you can imagine how he gets when he’s tired- sweat beads on his forehead and his chest heaves with every breath, each of his desperate thrusts deep enough to make you see stars. 

naib views cumming inside of you as more intimate, but if you’re uncomfortable with that, he’ll pull out and empty himself onto your stomach. if you have a uterus, he’ll do his best to pull out anyways- considering your current setting, neither of you can really afford a pregnancy scare. 

as mentioned above, naib is more of a top-leaning switch. he defaults to domming because it puts him in control, so you’d have to have a strong relationship with him already. 

if you want naib to sub, you’d have to initiate sex. naib values people who are outright with their intentions, so hold true to that. settle yourself on his lap, arms linked lazily around his shoulders, and press a few soft kisses to the side of naib’s neck. this is the point where he’ll tense up and either gently tell you he isn’t in the mood, or tug you closer. 

naib doesn’t mind where you take him, as long as it’s in a private space. probably has a thing for being fucked on furniture anyway. oral (for both parties) is fine in semi-public spaces- the risk gets naib off more than he’d like to admit- but penetration is reserved for you to witness, and you alone. 

pay special attention to the sensitive spots on naib’s neck and he’ll turn into a whining mess under your touch. grind down on his lap as you gently undo his low ponytail- grab a fistful of his soft hair near the nape of his neck and watch him turn to mush.

in any situation (domming or subbing) naib’s particular to the missionary position. it gives him a perfect view of his s/o at all times.

prep him thoroughly if you want to fuck him in the ass or peg him. he has very limited experience with being penetrated, so no matter how many times naib roughly groans for you to “hurry up and fuck him already”, make sure he’s lubed up and ready to go.

gasps so loud?? when you push your cock or a strap-on inside of him, his entire body goes rigid for a second, and his eyes roll back in his head. it’s delightful. let him shift around for a moment- he’s still getting used to the hot, full feeling that’s overwhelming his senses. naib will grunt out when he’s ready for you to move.

 naib tries to give you what he’d want from a partner; hard, sloppy thrusts with no particular rhythm that leave you aching for more. in barely any time at all, naib is squirming underneath you, choking out requests for “more” and “harder” between half-baked curses that die on his lips. when he cums for the last time, you can see all of the tension leave his shoulders and his final yelp of ecstasy fades into a content sigh.

as far as aftercare goes, naib prefers showering with you over taking a bath. it’s quicker and more convenient, and at this point, naib is puckered out. he just wants to crawl into bed with his s/o. 

falls asleep real quick! it’s lights out as soon as naib’s head hits the pillow and he’s sure you’re in his arms or vice versa. 

gosh i love myself one (1) mercenary 

[snicketstrange]

Rereading The Chapter 14 (The End)

I believed that in ASOUE's universe, chapter 14 was apparently written some time after the rest of the book. But I abandoned that idea. Lemony wrote to the editor that chapter 14 could be found at the end of the same manuscript.

We then have the epigraph of Le Voyage. It's an excerpt that portrays the moment of death, and perhaps the acceptance of death. But I don't think this means that Lemony is completely certain of the Baudelaires' death. I think it means he's pretty sure he won't write about the Baudelaires anymore. I think the right question is "why did Lemony decide to stop writing at this point in the story?" "Why did he plan to write more and then stop writing?" I think Lemony didn't promise to write the entire story of the Baudelaires. He promised to write the story of the conflict between the Baudelaires and Olaf. So when he was sure of Olaf's death, and that was only with the additional information he had probably had access to through Beatrice Jr, Lemony realized that the research might be over. The certainty of Olaf's death was the event he determined when the narrative came to an end. So, it makes us wonder what kind of promise Lemony made. Apparently he promised that he would clarify the facts surrounding the charges the Baudelaires went through, as well as the contexts in which these events took place. That's why it was so important to get this information out to the general public. Because it involved the honor of the Baudelaire family. Furthermore, this explains why he could not rely solely on the account given by the Baudelaires themselves: after all, they were being accused of being lying criminals. Lemony needed to clear their name, proving, so to speak, that the facts reported by the Baudelaires were real, and it was not enough just to record what he read in the island book.

I think this is the most sensible explanation, and as a theorist I will defend it. But as a fan willing to come up with slightly bizarre ideas, I feel like imagining Lemony realizing that his own death was close to happening. It would be interesting to imagine that Lemony's research took so long that he was an elderly man when he was publishing The End. And the reason Lemony finished his work at this point would be his physical limitations. That would explain shocking secret #13: "he's finished." And more than that: it would even explain the title of the book: "The End of Lemony Snicket". And furthermore, this would explain Lemony's dedication to Beatrice in chapter 14. After quoting the words of Charles B., in which the poet compares the hour of death with the setting off of a ship, Lemony claims that both he and Beatrice are like boats sailing at night, but especially her. Both were on a dark and lonely journey, but she was already dead. "

Beatrice's last words recorded in the book were really emotional to me when I first read them, and they still are today. Especially after I watched the Netflix series, it's now possible to imagine a very specific face when I picture Beatrice. And it's possible to think of a specific soundtrack when I read this.

About the baby's name, on my Headcanon Violet is the name of Mrs. W, who was presumed dead around the same time as Lemony. And in my Headcanon, just as Lemony didn't really die, she didn't either. I still like to think that she was the mystery woman on TGG, and that's the real reason Quigley used the name Violet in the message he sent to submarine Q.

I think this is the first time I stop to think that the Baudelaires ate crab. This is unclean food for those who practice Judaism as a religion, isn't it? I even thought the roast lamb was a reference to the Passover celebration, but they wouldn't do that by eating crab. Or is it that in a book in which Daniel Handler implicitly criticizes religion, he did so on purpose? I think it's unlikely, but still possible. But, albeit unintentionally, the Baudelaires rejected the religious customs of their ancestors in a book in which religious customs are questioned and this is significant.

"The baby had heard about danger, too, mostly from the register of crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind from which the Baudelaires read out loud each evening, although they had not told the infant the whole story. She did not know all of the Baudelaires' secrets, and indeed there were some she would never know."

The above excerpt is important as it reveals that Lemony has information about Beatrice Jr's future as he was writing this chapter. This explains how Lemony knows what happened in this chapter: Beatrice Jr told him. Lemony did meet her, and he realized that the Baudelaires hadn't told her the whole story.

A detail that has always pleased me in this book is to notice that after 1 year, Sunny stopped babbling words and has a more conventional and extensive vocabulary. I find this compatible with the fact that 1 year has passed and it's also compatible with her character development arc. One of asoue's themes is "how some children are forced to mature too quickly because of tragedy". Sunny, for example, needed to learn how to cook and convince herself that she loved doing it and that she was good at it in a few days. And all this before she learned to speak English properly. She needed to help with a birth long before she fully understood issues related to human procreation. But in chapter 14, she finally had the opportunity to develop without tragedies forcing her to skip important steps in life.

"Do we take this?" Violet asked, holding up the book from which she had read out loud.

"I don't think so," Klaus said. "Perhaps another castaway will arrive, and continue the history."

"In any case," Sunny said, "they'll have something to read."

Please realize how important this dialogue is. Daniel Handler placed this dialogue here to make sure the reader understood the source of information Lemony had access to: the island book. The children wrote about their own story in that book, including their thoughts, feelings, and private conversations. The children shared some details about ancient events, about when Sunny wasn't even born. In the book, Lemony found details about some events that took place on the island before the arrival of the three Baudelaires.

"I want to make sure these life jackets I've designed will fit properly."

Well... It's good to know that, even though the boat sank, the Baudelaires had lifeboats. Their chances of survival really increased a lot. And knowing that Beatrice Jr managed to survive a shipwreck, it's quite possible that they did too.

The Baudelaires watched her approach, wondering what the next chapter in this infant's life would be, and indeed that is difficult to say. There are some who say that the Baudelaires rejoined V.F.D. and are engaged in brave errands to this day, perhaps under different names to avoid being captured. There are others who say that they perished at sea, although rumors of one's death crop up are often revealed to be untrue. But in any case, as my investigation is over, we have indeed reached the last chapter of the Baudelaires' story, even if the Baudelaires had not.

Lemony just reports here what he heard. Although Daniel Handler intentionally wishes the ending to be left open, and I will respect his decision, I will speak my opinion. They didn't die at sea, though. Note that Lemony directly relates the baby's future to the future of the three Baudelaires. The way Lemony wrote here suggests that the baby's future is as uncertain as the future of her adoptive parents. But we TBL readers know the truth about Beatrice Jr.'s future. Beatrice is alive! So the most likely situation is that her parents are also alive. ( And who knows other characters that we thought had died there on TBB... could it be that at least one of them could also have survived?)

But the question is: if Lemony knows the baby survived, why did he hide this information from the reader? Certainly to protect his niece. Lemony didn't lie, just omitted some details.

The baby paused, and looked at the back of the boat, where the nameplate had been affixed. She had no way of knowing this, of course, but the nameplate had been nailed to the back of the boat by a person standing on the very spot she was standing—at least as far as my research has shown.

Lemony once again dismantled specific knowledge through research, which could only have been done through information provided by others. Beatrice Jr needed to tell Lemony exactly where she was at that moment and Lemony needed to compare that with the information Beatrice Sr and Bertrand wrote in the island book. And then, on visiting the site, Lemony was able to ascertain the most likely position for those descriptions. While Lemony is a bit mistaken, the research process must have been like that.

Finally, she uttered a word. The Baudelaire orphans gasped when they heard it, but they could not say for sure whether she was reading the word out loud or merely stating her own name, and indeed they never learned this. Perhaps this last word was the baby's first secret, joining the secrets the Baudelaires were keeping from the baby, and all the other secrets immersed in the world. Perhaps it is better not to know what was meant by this word, as some things are better left in the great unknown. There are some words, of course, that are better left unsaid—but not, I believe, the word uttered by my niece, a word which here means that the story is over. Beatrice.

Oh... How I love this ending. That's when I felt my head explode for the first time in my life, and I'm still picking up the pieces.