#even if i'm the one who's mad at them or they royally fucked me over or something

[ilkkawhat]

I’m sorry if you don’t want people weighing in here so feel free to delete and ignore - but in a good workplace your boss would work with you to find a solution, rather than just telling you to struggle harder. And idk, maybe your boss is working with you and you’re the one telling yourself to struggle harder - but you DO deserve better than that!

oh i am the number one defender of my boss, she definitely is going out of her way to help me and for that i feel bad about it, i always have when she's had to step in but now it legit feels like...crisis level i guess? which it also did earlier this year and she started dishing out some feedback to me that yeah i needed to hear but it hurts to hear nonetheless and one of my co-workers tried to comfort me in saying that my boss is just genuinely concerned about me but for some reason i can't believe that, any little fucking mistake i make i just immediately worry my boss hates me and i'm gonna get fired. i've been that way since day one. it's a definite me problem lol

hell maybe my techs didn't outright complain about me to HR but maybe it was like, a general statement about the department which is why it escalated to my boss cause i know HR has threatened me that if i don't take it easier on myself that they would tell my boss to force me to take time off and i guess that finally happened?

idk though i just still got the sense my boss wasn't happy about the situation, I don't think anybody is and maybe i am being too hard on myself but...if i'm not, then what am i? i can't let myself get off the hook that easily for fucking things up so bad, i should have done my job right in the first place and maybe we as a team wouldn't be in this mess.

[yanderefarm]

I want to spread a rumor about Emil cheating, make sure nobody knows it was me, then act all mad at him and punish him for it

Also ygs better square up Cherros anon and Jerry anon

-🐕‍🦺

ive been craving to hurt emil. rofan villain reader my beloved, a cute husband to bully and all his money 🥰

cw;; abuse, cheating, non-con (implied), gaslighting, angst

the nobles always talk, talk, talk. it's not odd for them to spread meaningless gossip. it's odd when unsubstantiated gossip makes it into the most popular newspaper in the capital and becomes the headline on everyone's lips. that took your whole allowance at the information guild but it was worth it to see your husband's face now.

the pictures were the best touch, you really should thank the guild master later. undeniable evidence of emil being intimate with one of his maids was sitting in front of him on the desk. his advisor was cautiously scolding him for ruining his reputation that he had just started to build up. the image of loving husband dashed in an instant. he started to raise his voice his hand pounding on the table in anger. that was your cue.

you threw the door of the office open with force.

"emil! are you going to explain yourself? why are all my maids talking about you ch-"

your eyes caught the images, you hadn't actually seen them yet. god they were good, they made you actually feel a bit sick to see. perfect.

".... what is that?"

you watch his face drop as all his anger melts into panic. poor bastard tries to cover up the images.

"this doesn't concern you."

"... you're fucking one of your maids?"

the accusation burns his heart and he feels like he's going to be sick. he tries to cover the images more.

"this doesn't-" thwack!

you slap him across the face as hard as you can, your wedding ring leaving an imprint on his cheek.

"everyone get out. i need to speak to my husband privately."

his servants and advisors scurried out of there, afraid of the situation about to play out, only your right hand maid stayed. she closed the behind the last person to leave, locking it for you. you let out a heavy sigh as you leaned against his desk, your hand rubbing your temples. emil didn't look up, his eyes wide but you could see there was fear in them even with his head hung.

you picked up one of the pictures, one where the maid was clearly caught in the middle of having sex with him. you'd been out of the capital a few weeks ago for an event in your home kingdom. really it was just an excuse to let the guild master do what he needed. he really exceeded your expectations. it was hard not to smile.

"i don't remember doing that, please believe me."

"oh?" you set the picture down and shot him a glare. "just because you don't remember fucking her i should forgive you? what about kissing her? what about pushing her against the window behind you?"

"i-"

he watched helplessly as you picked up one of the pictures, your hand shaking. oh, when you got your hands on the royal treasury you were going to drown the guild master in gold. you had told him about emil's hatred for letting you leave the palace grounds, how emil wouldn't even take you to the cafe you so desperately wanted to go to. and here was a picture of him in the same cafe with the maid.

"what is this?"

"i-i don't know."

you forced your face to scrunch up in anger despite how excited you were. you were going to enjoy this too much. you turned to your maid who was still standing by the door.

"do you have my riding crop?"

"yes, your highness." she presented it to you and you handed her the picture of him at the cafe in exchange.

"what would you do if you were in my position?"

"i would ask for a divorce, your highness."

"no-"

emil's poor voice cracked but all he got was another glare.

"then I suppose I'm being merciful, right?"

"you are far too kind to that cheating filth, your highness."

you walked over to stand beside emil who already looked so broken and frightened. you ran your riding crop up his cheek.

"take your shirt off. unless you would rather the divorce?"

emil's body slipped to the ground as his knees gave out underneath him. tears started to stream from his eyes like the dam had finally broken.

"please, dont leave me, please, please."

you nudged him with the riding crop.

"shirt. off."

his hands were shaking as he started to unbutton his shirt.

[zombie-bait]

Full Moon

Ok so I don’t normally post about Helluva Boss but the newest episode touched on an interesting concept I haven’t necessarily seen represented in media. Back when I was on Twitter (derogatory) a few years ago there was this now deleted viral thread where someone discussed how their struggles with mental health affected their relationship with their partner and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. 

This is such a good, short example of how anxiety and depression can play tricks on you. It becomes so easy to envision yourself as a nuisance, a constant burden to those closest to you because they cannot possibly genuinely enjoy your company, right? But in doing so you create this arbitrarily cruel version of the people you love, people who would otherwise never behave like this outside of your own mind.

It's mean. Because your mind wants to be mean to you under these circumstances. It wants to put everyone else's emotions and desires above yours, both in worthiness and validity. And that starts bleeding into your understanding of other people, especially those you care about.

Now. Helluva Boss.

"Can I get a fucking MINUTE to think after everything you put me through you pompous rich ASSHOLE? Treat me like one of your little butler imps, you can’t just dismiss me like that! I mean, you royal fucks think you can do this every time, like you can just play with our feelings because we’re smaller and not as important. Well I’m not letting you, BITCH! Let’s go!" - Blitz

I find it really interesting how Helluva Boss decided to approach this conflict between Stolas and Blitz. Obviously, the difference in power matters. It's the underlying tension of their entire relationship and their lives. Stolas is burdened by the mountain of expectations thrust upon him from a very young age while Blitz is constantly reminded that he can NEVER be part of that world, that he is "smaller and not as important" not just in Hell's hierarchy but in his own life and family. Stolas very literally has power over Blitz (through the grimoire, the arrangement, his position in society) and Blitz uses their relationship as an excuse to reverse those roles. But that power dynamic, in one form or another, never truly goes away. And for Blitz, it's a lot easier to paint Stolas as this manipulative symbol of power and himself as nothing more than Stolas' plaything. It's easier to be angry than to be vulnerable and accept that someone might care about him.

"Dismiss" is the keyword in that quote. All that Blitz has been able to process is that Stolas has decided to end the relationship that they have. He feels ls like a choice has been taken away from him so he lashes out because he's not ready to emotionally tackle what the rest of Stolas' offer might entail. If Stolas hates him, just wants to play with him, then he is justified in his anger, his self-destruction, his isolation. If the world is mean, you're "allowed" to be mean back.

But

In that moment he forgets that Stolas is someone he actually cares about. Someone he's known for way too long and clearly wants to keep in his life, no matter how reluctant he can be to admit it. Someone who is not innately cruel or manipulative but sad and desperate for connections in a lot of the same ways that Blitz is. And Blitz immediately sees that he's miscalculated something.

Somewhere along the way the fictional version of Stolas that he's allowed himself to be mad at and the real one that he's not ready to admit he cares about have merged into something real that he has actual power over. Stolas can get hurt and Blitz can be the one who does it. He has once again allowed his greatest fears (which Stolas so frequently symbolizes) to co-opt his loved ones, to give him an "out" even though he didn't actually want one in the first place.

I'm definitely not the first person to say this but I think this is an example of the miscommunication trope done right. Their individual struggles are what cause them to be unable to connect during this conversation or to even have a proper conversation in the first place. There is no convenient misunderstanding or third party fabricating this rift. Both of them have preconceived ideas of what the other one is thinking but those ideas are flawed and rooted in self-hatred. They also both shutdown in their unique ways when the conversation starts heading in the direction they'd feared it would.

Blitz and Stolas work because they're both fucked up in similar ways, because they want similar things. That's the same reason why they're uniquely designed to hurt one another. A fear of rejection and a yearning for happiness. To borrow a quote that has been used by literally everyone from Spiderman to Evangelical preachers, "hurt people hurt people."

anyway, I really liked this episode.

(twitter thread screenshots sourced from this reddit post)

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

Royal Protocol

This has been in my drafts for even and has gone through so many rewrites, I'm finally happy with it.

Contains: Fluff, so much fluff, smut (oral sex F receiving, fingering, P in V)

Masterlist

1.9K

Some rules were made to be broken

You thought your brain was going to melt out of your ears, each second going over protocol for your meeting with the crown was torture. Say this, do that, don't ask about the events they put on while people go without food. Price groaned as he read the next item from the list. "For fucks sake, y/n, make sure you wear stockings."

Simon chuckled beside you, and you elbowed him. "Yeah yeah, laugh, I'm not the one who's going to have to wear dress greens all the time."

He looked down at you and sighed. "I fucking hate this shit."

You shrugged. "I'm just a translator, I don't know why I have to come."

"Because you're a part of the team, now stop whining and go home and get ready." Price sounded like he was going to punch someone or jump out of the window in hopes that a broken leg would get him out of this.

"Sorry sir." Simon shot you a look, you didn't sound sorry at all.

****

The only floor length dress from your wardrobe that the royal liaison deemed acceptable was the most uncomfortable thing you owned, but Simon didn't seem to mind, he had been glancing at you since the second he helped you zip it up. "You ready to go Lovey?"

You nodded. "Sure, I just gotta fix my hair one last time."

He shook his head softly and chuckled. "Don't know why, you look perfect."

"Because if I have one single hair out of place, Price will have a heart attack, and one of those lizards we're meeting will have a conniption." The knock at the door made you both flinch. "That will be them now, I'll be two minutes."

You entered the bathroom and fixed the single hair out of place as your brain filled with everything else you could be doing tonight filled your head. Then a thought came to you, sure, it would go against the rules, and Price would be mad if he found out, but no one would know, so what would the harm be.

****

Curtsy, smile but not too wide, eat at their speed, be agreeable.

The meeting didn't go well. The threat against the crown was real, and the government wanted the 141 to stay with them until it had been dealt with. You were placed between Simon and Soap; the opulent decor of whatever palace you were in was blinding, and the thought of staying here until the threat passed was the last thing you wanted to do. "We set up the couple's room for you and Lieutenant Riley. It's in our beautiful east wing, there's an ensuite with a sunken tub so you can soak before bed."

You smiled. "How kind of you, thank you."

Simon nodded. "Yes, thank you, your majesties."

It was a hollow statement, Simon would be spending most of the night walking the halls of the east side of the house with Konig so you'd be spending your nights in the massive bed alone. Dinner wound down slowly and mercifully, the food was filling and enjoyable. Price followed you as everyone left for their rooms, his neutral expression doing little to hide his displeasure from anyone who knew him. He spoke to you as Simon ready himself for patrol. "We're going to get a car and go around to everyone's home to collect some things for them, because it looks like we'll be here for a while. I've already got a list."

You nodded. "Ok."

He left, and Simon came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your body and resting his head on your shoulder. "Make sure you check the fridge Lovely, I don't want anything to go bad."

You spun in his arms and he pressed you to his chest. "Alright. Do you want me to bring you anything special?"

He shook his head. "You're all I need Lovey."

You sighed. "Don't be silly, you also need socks and boxers and clothes."

He chuckled and squeezed you tightly. "That I do." You could tell by how he was holding you how tired he was and you split from him when you heard Konig's solid knock. "I gotta go."

"I know, me too." You walked towards the door together, Simon with his gun slung over his shoulder, before he opened the door, you tapped him on the arm and lifted your skirt, showing him your stockingless legs and sockless feet.

His face split in a grin and he pressed his hand to his mouth like someone trying not to encourage a dog to misbehave by laughing. "I will deal with you later."

"Oh yes please."

He shook his head and pecked your cheek. "Don't let Price get into trouble and say hello to Mama Gaz for me."

"Will do." He was still grinning like an idiot when he greeted Konig and walked down the hallway.

****

You returned to your room in the very early morning after dropping everyone's luggage at their door. Simon was still on patrol, and you could hear his footfalls pause at the door each time he passed by it. Sometime after you fell asleep, you felt Simon slide into bed next to you, his bare skin warm on your flesh as he wrapped his arms around you. He pressed his lips to your ear and nuzzled into you as he made himself comfortable, seemingly unaware that you were half awake. "I love you y/n."

****

You were awoken by someone dropping the breakfast cart at the door, the sight of Simon wheeling it in wearing nothing but a pair of boxers well and truly waking you up. "What do you want Love?"

He stood there, the fancy plate in one hand and tongs in the other, looking at you expectantly, but you were too busy staring at the hard lines of his body to answer. "If you don't tell me I'm just going to have to give you a little of everything."

You nodded. "Whatever you want."

He began to fill your plate, pausing to taste the baked beans before making a face. "They're a little sweet, you still want them."

You shook your head. "No, but I'll have more fruit."

He smiled and continued, making sure to give you extra golden syrup on your crumpet before fixing himself a plate and bringing everything to the bed on a tray. He passed it to you and lifted the blankets, moving in next to you with a sigh as he took his plate from the tray. He sat with his leg pressed against yours and switched on the large TV attached to the wall, smiling as you linked your hand in his.

You enjoyed your breakfast, talking about the things he saw in the hallways during his patrol until your plates were clean. "About last night." His tone had that crackle at the end that was telling you he was trying to keep his composure.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He looked sideways at you and you giggled. "Oh right, no one got hurt and they didn't find out so there's no harm done."

He snorted, managing to hold back for a moment before bursting into laughter. "If that's your idea of rebellion the anti royalists are in trouble."

You shoved him to no effect and he smiled as he leaned in to kiss you. The empty plate was lifted off your lap and placed on the side table before he rolled on top of you, resting his weight on you as he deepened the kiss. You wrapped your arms around him, throwing your legs over his waist as he ground his half hard cocking against your clothed centre. "Here?"

He paused, resting his forehead against yours as he spoke. "If you want to."

"I do." He smiled and continued to kiss you, taking his hand and sliding his boxers off before removing your underpants.

He rested back on his heels and grabbed the edge of your shirt, licking his lips at your bare skin as he removed it. "You are so pretty." He gestured for you to pop and then lay down on the bed, grinning as he waved you over. "Hop on Lovey."

You blinked. "You want me to…What if I squish you?"

He chuckled. "You won't don't worry." He smirked. "Anyway, if you do, I'll enjoy it."

You exhaled and settled over him, and he ran his hands up and down your thighs as you slowly lowered yourself over his mouth. You flinched at the first brush on his tongue as he gripped your thighs harder and held you to his mouth. You held tight to the fancy headboard as he sealed his lips over your clit, and he let out of moan as you relaxed down so he was supporting you. He moved from sucking your clit to licking you in long, wide stripes, stopping to circle your clit each time before starting his journey again.

He wrapped one arm around your leg as the fingers on his other hand joined his tongue. He found you G-spot like a heat-seeking missile, not hesitating to apply pressure as you began to rock against his mouth. He seemed to be enjoying it as much as you were, moaning and grunting with each movement of his mouth as you began to squeeze his fingers. Your legs locked up as you came, your shoulders curling as the high took over your body. It came in waves, your vision fading as the sensations only seemed to grow.

He didn't stop but he let you pull away from him with a groan of disappointment. "What's wrong my love?"

He sighed. "I wanted to make you cum again."

You moved over his hips, rubbing yourself up and down his cock as his muscles grew tense. "You can but I'd like it if you could too, does that sound good to you?"

He smiled and placed his hands on your hips. "Yeah, it does."

You reached back and grabbed him, sliding down slowly as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. "Fuck Lovey, you feel so fucking good."

His grip only hardened as you picked up the pace, and he watched with lust filled eyes as you slid your hand down your body to rub your clit. He didn't know where to look; part of him wanted to fixate on your face as it filled with pleasure, but his eyes kept drifting to your breast and the point where he kept disappearing inside you. He bucked his hips to meet your pace, and you folded at the waist, resting your free hand on his firm chest. "Come on pretty girl, you gonna cum for me?"

You nodded desperately, your fingers speeding up as each of his thruts joltedyour your hold body. You all but collapsed on top of him when it hit, and he grasped your flesh like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to the planet as each contraction on your core around him pulled him into bliss with you.

You relaxed on top of him as you both caught your breath, and he wrapped his around you as he pressed his cheek to yours. "You know that wasn't a reward for your poor behaviour."

You sighed. "Really, because it sure felt like one."

He chuckled and slipped out of you, pecking your lips hard as he brushed your hair from your face. "Well it wasn't."

You propped yourself up on your elbows, smiling as his loved filled eyes gazed into yours. "Going forward, I promise I'll be on my best behaviour."

He smiled. "I'll love you even if you're not."

Fin

@chaos-4baby @candy616 @avidread3r

[pleasestayawayidonotlikeyou]

If you're up to do a request I got an angsty one. Feel free to pass this with of you're not comfortable;

Swapfell Papyrus and Sans (separately) are in a really solid relationship with s/o. Everything was going great until one day s/o announced they were pregnant!

The skeletons did not believe them, since well s/o is human, and believed they cheated. S/o tried so hard to convince them the baby is theirs but was unsuccessful. Sans and Papyrus left them, heartbroken.

Months later after the relationship is over, Sans and Papyrus randomly came across S/O whom is now sporting a babybones in their arms. Oops turns out S/O was telling the truth and somehow survived the pregnancy!

I love this. And I love you traveler for gracing me with this idea ;)

Featuring: Sans, Cash.

Masterlist

Sans

By all scientific means this couldn't be possible, you two were different almost completely different rares, and by what he remembered of the old studies of his years of being a scientist, monsters and humans could not breed..

He didn't want to believe it, have you been cheating on him all this time? Were all of your love words fake?

He wasn't mad, he was disappointed, he always thought you deserved better than a pack of bones like him anyways..

He didn't make a scene out of it, simply grabbed his things and moved out. That was it.

He still loved you, dearly, but he couldn't be with someone who cheated on him.

Imagine his surprise when he accidentally bumped into you almost a year later, his sockets going black when he sees you holding a babybones almost identical to him.

You just murmured "excuse me.." and walked away. He stares at seemingly nothing, rethinking his decisions.

Sans goes to Toriel for advice, he needs her words right now.

Lather that day, your phone lit up with a message from Sans, "Can we talk please?".

He understands if you didn't respond, but is happy when you send a "sure. My house?" back.

It doesn't take long for you to hear a knock on the door.

When you open, you see Sans with a bruise on his cheek caused by Undyne.

"So..."

"I'm.. sorry (_____). I-i shouldn't have acted the way I did based on my old studies. I understand if you don't want our relationship to be back, especially after what I did... But.. I'll be here if you ever consider it.."

It's your choice now traveler, will you accept him back?

Cash

Wants to believe in you, but can't. Even after you and his brother saying it's his baby, he just can't.

He was a royal scientist for.. maybe a year? He doesn't remember correctly, but the time he was there he saw some.. "studies" being done in humans, and with his own sockets he believed humans and monsters breeding was impossible.

And knowing himself, he wouldn't really blame you for cheating on a dirty, greedy monster like him.

Yet he still felt betrayed, he placed his trust in you, told you about things he swore never to dig up again, and you repay him by cheating!?

People who passed by him could never imagine he'd spend his nights crying on his mattress while holding things that you gave him.

Even after bumping into you, seeing his own skeleton child in your arms, his ego is way too big to admit he fucked up.

But shit, there's no other skeleton Monsters on the underground and that kid looks just like he did when younger. Fuck.

His first instinct is to go to his brother.

"Berry I fucked up!"

"You Saw (_____)'s Kid Didn't You?"

Berry still stayed in contact with you, pretty secretly but he did, no way in hell he'd miss his nephew/niece growing!

Of course that made it easier for him to help his baby sibling, telling him to go buy your favorite flowers and candy. Oh and some diapers as well just in case.

You're surprised when seeing a pretty well dressed Cash holding flowers and chocolate at your front door, it's not really a sight you'd see every day.

He takes a deep breath, pushing his ego behind and finally apologizing after months.

"So... I just wanted to say I'm sorry I thought ya cheated months ago... I brought your favorites to recompensate you..?"

It took him a lot of effort to let this simple phrase out, please just tell him if you still want him again or not..

[mattmurdock-wife24]

From a boy to a men

Author's note: hi sweetie! Hope you like this one, have a good reading ✨️

This was a request

Warning: none, just pure soft and fluff stuff, and kisses

He hears his name shouted, adored, praised. He's never felt better, to be idolized, loved. He was raised for this, to be the sparkle in people's eyes, but all the lying and pretending didn't go down your throat.

You are the princess of the kingdom allied to Kenji's, promised to each other from birth. And you couldn't understand why everyone loved him so much, he's arrogant, petty, careless, a complete idiot and you hated him for it.

Today you'll meet him for dinner at his house, with your parents and his father. Where he'll ask for your hand in marriage, since your 18th birthday was not too long ago.

So you put on your most breathtaking dress, tidy up your wavy hair and put a cute bow in it, and drape a blouse over your dark skin. You enter the castle to be greeted by a warm embrace from the king, Gedde Wanatabe. Your eyes meet Kenji's, which have a wicked, dark glint in them.

The dinner itself was peaceful, but as it drew to a close, everyone became tense, and King Wanatabe handed Kenji a little black velvet box. Everyone got up, and Kenji knelt down in front of you, who were still sitting there in shock - it was really happening. You could hear your heart in your ears and you feared that Kenji would hear it too. The ring fit perfectly on your finger.

Everyone smiles, relieved, and leaves the "bride and groom" alone. You put your hands on your waist, trying to get as far away from Kenji as possible after the wedding, you hear him laugh and you grimace. "Why are you always so fucking mad at me?" He exhales.

"Because you're an idiot "And?" " because you're irresponsible" "And what, princess?"

You get angry and your body makes a sign to leave and he grabs your arm.

"I know you think I'm an idiot, but this idiot here is going to become the king" you sigh, annoyed "Your title doesn't matter, what matters is your heart, if you even have one! " you sigh " if you want to be a good king, a good husband. Become a man first, because all I see here is a bruised, asshole boy."

Your words hurt him in a way he had never felt before, it was like a bucket of cold water. He felt dirty, guilt rising through his body, so he was determined to do better, for you, for the kingdom.

He began to work harder, pulling all-nighters to resolve royal issues. He treated his subordinates with modesty and even his relationship with his father had improved, now all that was left was for you in his hands to love and care for... forever.

The big day had arrived, and you were on edge. You hadn't seen Kenji since that night. You look at yourself in the mirror, watching as the beautiful white lace dress dances down your curves. You're startled by the knock on the door, but you open it anyway.

You meet Kenji, who stares at you in amazement. You see a certain desperation in his voice when he says that you two need to talk.

"What do you want? The ceremony is about to start." "I did everything you asked, I changed, for you, for the crown, for my father. I worked until I couldn't anymore. And you were right, I was a piece of shit" you stare in disbelief at his words, this certainly wasn't the Kenji you knew "please"he whispers in your ear "be mine"

You were at the altar, with Kenji by your side, staring at you with a passionate look, which only made you even more nervous. When the priest said "till death do you part" Kenji grabbed you around the waist and kissed you deeply. Part of you felt embarrassed by the number of people watching, but another part of you just wanted to enjoy the moment, enjoy this new Kenji. "I'm already yours, I always have been" you sigh back into his ear.

hiii lovely soul, hope you liked it!

My requests are open and I write for several characters, and sometimes I can make an exception haha

Likes and reblogs are very much appreciated 😊✨️

[callmejod]

Yey! I love him so much but there is so little for him! Could you do a headcanon for him falling in love again (reciprocated) post potc please- if we pretend he didn't die. Pretty please.

Hohohohohohohoho this was also on my mind for a few weeks

Had to mill it over the last few days, sorry for not responding. I also wrote this for an entire day so I hope you like it.

Kinda oc reader, foreign!reader, James being down bad for the reader , reader being too good to be true

This got really long so bare with me

I don't know if I'm even able to write short fics

So the jist is :

If he didn't die and came back to Port Royal as Admiral Norrgington - he would be happy he got his career, his honor and his purpose back.

Living on the sea has changed him. He no longer could stand this uptight, fake world that Port Royal thrives in. The cravats, the paperwork, the wigs. Fuck, he couldn't breathe most of the time, always sweaty in the thousand-layer suits, head itching from both the powder and the weigt of his hats. Having to sit through those god awful formal dinners, balls that bring nothing but superficial gossip was nothing but pure torture. Don't get me wrong - he's grateful for being able to even attend them, but the honest, freeing way of pirate life has broken him out of the cage of chaperoned conversations with ladies and standoffish men making fools out of themselves. He remembers the joyous dancing, full of fluidity and life, now having to endure stiff, distant and "civilised" english dancing.

One day, while having a conversation with one of the Ports ministers he hears about a merchant who's come from afar. He knows of your stay at Jamaica. He had a few documents regarding your long stay brought to his office to sign. Your ship suffered damage in a run-in with pirates and had a lot of repairs to do. A gorgeous vessel. He wonders if the captain is as handsome as their ship. Hopes he gets to meet you before you leave. You only arrived four days ago, and already the talk of the ton. Impressive.

The men described you as lively, wild as a tropical storm. The ministers complained about your accent, your way of dressing, your carefreeness, anything they can put a pin in, they do. James feels quite uncomfortable listening to the convesation not being able to put in anything. He then sets his mind to finding out who you are - he has grown out of judging a person by word from another mouth.

That encounter came earlier than he expected. And to be frank - saved him from a horrible stack of particularily boring paperwork. Having you barge in full-force into his office steaming mad, followed by two petrified soldiers was not something on his agenda. He noticed the few things the ministers mentioned - clothes of unusual cut and style, quite tasteful if his opinion was concerned, hair and hairstyle so different from locals that there was no mistaking you. You were the eccentric foreigner. But fawning over your beauty was for another time - now he had an angry merchant going off about something he both didn't listen to for a while and frankly, couldn't really understand due to your speed of speech.

'S-sorry could you slow down a second. I'm afraid I'm loosing some of what you're saying."

'Sir they need to make an appoin-'

'It's fine gentlemen, this must be urgent if I am needed. Please, let us speak in private.'

After the guards step out, he offers you to sit and something to drink.

'I have no need for no courtesy Admiral. I need a problem fixed. You can skip this stupid charade.'

'Oh, then it is more serious than I've thought. What is the problem?'

'Those - those'

You wave your hand in the air to make him help you find a word.

'Minosters of yours'

'Ministers?'

'Yes! Those idiots. They won't let me handle my own ship the way it needs to be. It needs to be seen by - argh!'

Your frustration runs high. He smiles.

'There's no need to stress. You mean carpenters? Is there a problem with the wood of your ship?'

'Are those who work with wood?'

'Yes, so you need to hire carpenters and the dock officials won't let you? That is strange. You have registered your stay and gave us all the documents we need.'

'But they don't!!'

You grab his forearm and try dragging him out of the office. He slows you down and explains that he will talk to them, just let him take a few things. You scoff and cross your arms.

'You English and your weird rules. Wasting time and not helping.'

He couldn't agree with you more. He smiles and starts walking out. When you two make your way to the port, he has difficulty keeping his pace with you - passersby stare at you storming off to port with their Admiral desperately trying to keep up with you. You sometimes mumble curses in languages he does not ever try to understand, but you two make your way faster than he realised was possible.

There you stomp to an official, who not seeing James trailing behond you shouts:

'Ow piss of ya cunt! I won't let you disgrace our carpenters by working on a ship that carries your kind!'

James is stunned you don't rip his head off when he sees your fists clench by your sides. Anger nips at his mind, how dare he treat you like this?! When slows his pace and asks in a flat voice:

'What do you mean "their kind"? Is that how my officials treat esteemed, foreign guests? And how dare you use such language to a person that was only looking for your help.'

The man's face whites and he starts to stutter an apology, but James stops it and sends him to get carpenters. Admiral's orders. When the official slips away to fill his duty, James turns to you and starts profusely apologising for the incompetence of his subordinates.

He's horrified when you inform him, that this is not the first - ha!, only time of being mistreated because of your looks or manner of speech. Anger boils in him when he hears that not only you, but majority of your crew had to endure this for a while now, accomodation denied not by matter of the lack of, but prejudice. Before he even thinks, he immedeately offers you a place in his home - something that brings surprise to you both. He cannot stand the thought you had to sleep on your ship when there was far grater comforts available.

He flushes red and again apologises for being inappropraite, but gets cut off by your boisterous laughter. The sound hypnotises him, seeing you smile for the first time makes his heart bang on his ribs. You laugh so hard tears come to you eyes and a shortness of breath. He cares not that many are looking at you two or the impropriatey of the situation. Time freezes for him. There's only you and him.

'Oh admiral, you are funny. I cannot leave my men to sleep on the ship when I am given all comforts of life.'

James flushes again and meekly asks:

'Then would you accept a simple dinner as an apology for your mistreatement?'

He almost doubles over when you beam at him and accept. The way you look at him so amused - he would make the biggest fool out of himself just to keep that look in your eyes. You set a date for a few weeks later and James makes sure that your your crew is not being mistreated anymore than they already have. Of course, Gilette and Groves relentlessly teased him for his obvious affection towards you. They weren't surprised though, it was hard not to even tolerate you.

Over those few weeks he started to watch you closely. Both of you were invited for a few balls, and the conversations you two had were the most fulfilling he had in a long long time. Your knowledge of the sea, of literature, politics and history had impressed him and added a new dimention to your person - not only beautiful, but wise.

He saw you many times playing with children on the street, helping people in need, play-fighting with young boys, showing them your battle scars and sometimes even your handpistol or sword.

You brought an air of freshness to the stuffy, ever "proper" society of Port Royal. You smiled often, you were polite to those who deserved it, made an effort to not be a bother. Yet, you never hesitated to get you crew in line when they were causing a ruckus.

Your manner of speech was charming, that certain twang to english and he would be a liar if he denied finding your way of trying to remember words or coming up with new ones when you couldn't was not adorable. Talking with using your hands was also a thing he found endearing. He would deny it to his grave in front of you, die of embarrasment if you knew. He heard that you got into a heated conversation with your first officer, and while talking with using your hands smacked a passing lady in the face. Apologised a lot and brought her an apology gift in form of a few yards of stunning blue silk. The dress she had comissioned to be made of it was breathtaking. But nothing could ever compare to your beauty.

All this was just pulling him into your direction. And when the awaited evening came, James was so nervous about everithing being perfect. You were perfect so your expectations were not to be let down. But, you being you, as if feeling his nervousness arrived early and instead of courtsies and stiff welcomes hugged him like a family member long missed.

As the dinner went on, your conversation flowed over many topics, never ending, never boring. You moved to the sitting room, where to James' torture you sprawled yourself over a love seat and rested. He sat, watching you strech like cat, admiring you quietly. You made eye contact with him and asked :

'James, would you like me to court you?'

He choked on his spit. In a coughing attack, he flushed so red, you jumped to your feet and held his shoulder to try and help. After a while of hacking and a visit from a concerned maid, he stopped and looked at you, not knowing what to say. He saw the unceirtainty in your eyes, even hurt.

'Do you not wish me to court you, James?'

His eyes widened. After years of endlessly chasing Elizabeth's affection, you being so open about it shocked him. He knew he harboured feelings for you but never imagined that feeling would be reciprocated. He took your hands and squeezed them.

'I was just cuaght off guard, dear don't worry. It's standard for men here to ask someone to court.'

'So I'm supposed to wait forever? You have been open with your feelings, but I am an impatient person James. I do not make games.'

'Play games?'

'Is that how you say it?"

James chuckled an held a hand to your face. That prompted you to surge forward and kiss him. For a second, he froze in surprise but leaned into you, sighing into the kiss. You threw your arms over his shoulders and he moaned.

That made you break apart from him and look into the sea green of his eyes. Your warm breath fanned his face, heating it impossibly more. You seemed lost in them and made him nervous that he did something wrong. Seeing his concern, you locked your lips again in a gentle kiss. God, he never wanted it to end. He smiled into the kiss, making you giggle. You two broke apart and looked at each other.

James then spoke :

'I would very much like you to court me, if you let me do the same.'

'Finally making some sense, James.'

[things-arent-what-they-seem66]

Hands Off

Content Warning: Adamsapple, jealous! Lucifer, possessive behavior, swearing, Adam is his own warning, implied sexual themes.

Everyone was rewarded with a night out in the city. Things were going well and everyone had been on their best behavior, for the most part.

Adam was sitting at the bar throwing back shots of tequila and slamming the glass into the bar top. Fuck did he need this drink, the shit at the hotel was weaker than piss.

Lucifer was on the other end of the bar, nursing his own drink as he watched Adam out of the corner of his eye. They had gotten into a huge argument before they left, leaving the pair still pissed off at the other by the time they got to the bar. Lucifer had kind of let it go, in the grand scheme of things arguing over something small and stupid wasn't the hill he wanted to die on. But Adam, being the pissy little bitch he was, didn't speak to the king the whole ride there and purposely walked ahead of him when they were going in.

Adding in alcohol wasn't going to help things.

Lucifer knew he should apologize, it was rare but for once he was in the wrong. He still had his pride and part of him thought that Adam would get over himself and come be by his side.

By the amount of shots Adam was downing that likely wasn't the case. So instead, Lucifer opted for giving him some space while being close enough to keep Adam in his sights.

Adam did another shot and grimaced, the liquid burned all the way down. He didn't want to spend the whole fucking night drinking at the bar, it wasn't very often they got to go out and have fun, Adam knew he should take advantage of this.

He knew Lucifer was watching him, he could feel his eyes burning into his skin. Adam snarled, he wasn't going to let that royal asshole ruin his night. Getting up, he felt a little dizzy, the alcohol finally kicking in. He found his way over to Angel Dust and Husk who were dancing together. Angel noticed him first. "Holy shit, dude. We haven't even been here an hour and you're drunk off your ass."

"Don't care." Adam slurred, he just wanted to have some fun and maybe piss Lucifer off in the process. He wasn't sure how to accomplish that second part.

Angel pulled him in to dance with them, and for a little while Adam could feel his anger melting away.

Adam wasn't sure when, but he had bumped into some chick dancing beside him. "Hey, watch it." She snapped face mad, only to have it change to one of surprise and then to flirtatious. "But I guess since you're such a cutie, I'll let go."

The woman was short, skin nearly the color of charcoal with violet eyes and long wavy auburn hair. She sort of resembled a funny looking fish. For a demon, she wasn't half bad looking. "I'll have you know I'm fucking hot. You're not bad yourself." Adam winked at her and she giggled. Yeah, he still had it.

"You wanna dance, hottie? Names Claire." Claire held out her hand and he took it as an erotic song came on. They started bumping and grinding on each other, moving fast to the beat.

Was Lucifer still watching? Adam fucking hoped he was, seeing what he was missing out on.

It all happened so fast, one moment Adam was dancing the next he was being dragged away by his collar. He was hauled into the bathroom and pushed into the nearest stall. "What the fuck!?" Adam was slouched against the wall, Lucifer towered over him, eyes a blaze. He moved forward, one hand gripping Adams hair at the base of his horn, the other around his waist to keep him from falling or getting away. Adam had one hand on the stall wall, the other came up to grab Lucifer's shoulder.

"What the fuck, indeed Adam." Lucifer growled getting in his face. "Just what do you think you were doing?"

"Dancing dumbass, what do you think?"

"With that fucking slut all over you?" Lucifer's eyes turned wholly red, he looked pissed.

Adam smirked, so he was watching him? "What's the matter? You jealous?"

Lucifer growled. "I don't fucking care HOW mad you are at me. You don't go draping yourself over every bimbo in the bar. You are MY boyfriend." Lucifers snarl shifted to a smirk of his own. "Does she know you're my bitch, that you love to take it up the ass for me?" To make his point, his hand moved from Adams waist to his ass, squeezing it hard.

Adam yelped and hissed as the king kneaded his ass with his clawed hand. He moaned when Lucifer pulled roughly at the base of his horn, tilting his head back. "Fuck."

Lucifer got in close to his ear, his breath ghosting over him as he spoke. "You're not being a very good boy tonight, Adam. Picking fights, flirting with others, getting beyond wasted. Maybe I've been too lax lately, I have half a mind to fuck you right here in this bathroom stall for the whole god damned bar to hear. Maybe, that will help to remind you who you belong to, hmm love?"

His words sent shivers down Adams spine. Part of Adams brain told him he should apologize, make things right. The other, however wanted to see how things would turn out. He was well aware that Lucifer would make good on that promise to fuck him right here an now, make him beg for it.

Fuck, if he didn't want that too.

When Lucifer pulled away to look him in the eye, Adam smirked again, sealing his fate. "Bring it."

There will be an NSFW version on my ao3 at some point! @rius-cave consider this a gift!!

[aran-morinorea]

WIP WEDNESDAY SUNDAY

Slimmed-down post/rules, but originally taken from @kedreeva (and directly borrowed from @suzukiblu)

It’s WIP Wednesday Sunday! I want to talk about my writing more without posting things that are still Very Subject To Change on ao3, so! Let’s collar sauron like the dogboy he is.

BE THE CHANGE U WANT TO SEE IN THE FANDOM, KIDS

Here’s how it works:

I will post the file names of five WIPs, and will also post a snippet of new content from one of them to get the ball rolling.

Send me an ask with the name of one of the listed WIPs and I will write you a minimum of three sentences in that WIP in response!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

WIP names:

Donating Blood:

Consensually vivisecting your Maia boyfriend

what if you were an eldritch monster hiding beneath a divine veil and some mortal wanted to see all of you. and you wanted him, and you wanted him to see it but you would kill everyone including him and yourself if he rejected you over it. and you were both mad scientists. what then?

Mallachel (Sindarin for “meteoric gold”) - and already five chapters in on ao3:

Accidental time travel causing post-ring-melting Sauron to fall out of the sky in front of Nargothrond-era Celebrimbor

The Ring melts, and the Tower collapses, and the Shadow is dispersed. The Eye is closed forever. But then it keeps falling.

Tar-Telepta, Aran Morinórea (Quenya for “[royal-honorific] Silver, King of Mordor”):

The co-ruling Mordor for fun and aesthetics AU

I'm not committing myself to your weird moral restrictions unless you fucking commit to me. Let me take you home and crown you.

Those are actually all of the “collaring sauron like the dogboy he is” I actually have in progress

But! If there’s someone other than celebrimbor you want to see teaching the lord of werewolves to roll over, please ask and I will Contemplate Them (no promises on this one tho).

Also there’s The Worst Finrod and the thing I haven’t actually started writing down about Nan Elmoth, but those dont actually have any sauron in them. arguably.

Snippet from Aran Morinórea, which something may have told you is my favorite rn:

Apparently clarification was not going to be forthcoming unless I asked directly: “Wait, Celebrimbor is married?”

He said, “Yep!” and literally nothing else, so apparently not even then.

I pressed, “To who?”

This asshole rocked on his heels and literally glowed with glee, saying “Me, actually!” and I’m not actually convinced I have ever hated anyone more.

“Well who the fuck are you then!”

My nephew-in-law the apparent actual Maia leant in very seriously, his smile dimming, and said, “Your nephew’s husband, we’ve just gone over this.”

I almost tried to stab him with the stupid flute.

[resident-wof-expert]

Unsorted WOF thoughts part 96:

Animus Dragons ranked in order of how bad their most malicious spell was (Decided by how many dragons got hurt, how badly they got hurt, and how much they had it coming).

Note: In this post, malice is defined as how much they want to watch someone suffer.

The order I put these in might be subject to change. This list is made mostly for fun as a thought experiment of sorts.

Edit: In light of a relatively simple argument, I've changed Darkstalker's postition. My original argument was that his plague spell was cast out of malice, but not as much pure malice as the knife spell. Though, I now agree that because his intention was to wipe out an entire tribe, that puts the plague spell over the knife spell.

Jerboa III: Encasing the original Jerboa in ice forever. She super-duper deserved it.

Turtle: Repeatedly beating Chameleon over the head with the talisman. He deserved it.

Arctic: This is a bit of a weird one. He, for sure, had worse intentions in mind, but out of the spells we've actually seen him cast, controlling Whiteout was his most malicious, and, thankfully, nothing bad actually came from that.

Anemone: Anemone was going mad by the time she tried to crush Turtle with that boulder, so I think her most intentionally malicious spell instead was repeatedly beating Moon over the head with a broom.

Jerboa: In all honesty, Jerboa was a worse person than Darkstalker (not exactly an easy feat), but her most knowingly malicious spell was her final spell. Don't get me wrong, it was an evil fucking spell, but Jerboa III was the only one who got hurt, putting it lower than the others.

Diamond: The Diamond Trials. Foeslayer didn't deserve it, and it ended up freezing to death a great many presumably undeserving members of IceWing royalty. (For simplicity, I'm counting it as just one spell because I do what I want.)

Stonemover: We don't know how on-board he was with creating those portals, but they're his only spells we've heard of. They were created with the intention of invading the RainWings, which led to the kidnapping and torture of an unspecified number of them. I think torture might be worse than murder, but I'm open to other opinions. There's also the argument that the RainWings were eventually set free, but I still think that the long-term psychological effects may have been bad enough to justify this placement. But if there's enough disagreement, I will most likely bump it down below the mass-murders committed on this list.

Albatross: The SeaWing Massacre. Lagoon deserved it, but it's impossible to tell if the same applied to all the other SeaWings or the SkyWing royalty. Not to mention the lasting effects that it had on the remaining two members of the SeaWing royal family, ruining their relationship for life and putting them both in permanent positions that neither of them were ready to bear. Albatross was also going mad at the time, but I think he was aware enough that he knew what he was doing.

Darkstalker: I think that because his intention was to completely eradicate an entire tribe, that makes the IceWing plague his most malicious spell. Genocide is one of the worst crimes that an individual can commit. And while he didn't even get close to wiping out the entirety of the IceWing Kingdom, he did succeed in slowly killing a huge chunk of it, including their reigning queen. He set them back quite a bit with the total body count, as well as giving the remaining survivors potentially lifelong PTSD. It was, by far, one of the worst actions ever committed in the series as it stands now.

[tessa-liam]

Isle of Misfits 

Chapter 9 – Inconvenient Truths 

Fandom: TRR x Platinum x OH x CoP x TNA x ?

Series: Isle of Misfits, Round Robin 24, hosted by @choicesprompts 

Word Count:  1405

Characters: TRR – Liam Rys, Leo Rys, Olivia Nevrakis, Madeleine Amaranth 

                       RoE – Katie Rys 

                       TNA – Sam Dalton 

                       CoP – Trystan Thorne 

Warnings: M *(swearing, references to depression, alcohol abuse, suicide, infidelity) 

“Something’s burning…” 

Leo stopped short. The scent was subtle, but unmistakable. 

Smoke. 

Olivia and Leo exchanged worried glances, before darting down the corridor, following the faint acrid scent to its source. 

It didn't take them long to track down the fire, the smoke was now billowing out from beneath the door at the end of the hallway. 

Olivia pushed Leo back. "Get back! I'm calling the fire department!" 

"But—" 

"Just do as you're told, for once in your life!" the fiery redhead ordered, already stabbing at the numbers on her mobile phone. 

Leo's shoulders raised in defiance. But no sooner had he complied, than the door to the suite burst open, and a large plume of dark grey smoke billowed out. 

Coughing and spluttering, Sam Dalton, was waving the acrid haze out of his face. 

"Sam?" Leo exclaimed concernedly, stepping forward. "What the fuck, man.!?"

"I'm okay!" Sam assured him, trying to clear his throat. 

Olivia put her phone on hold, her eyes darting over the wayward billionaire, looking for any injuries. "Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, I'm sure..." Sam said, taking a few shaky steps into the corridor. 

Olivia's sharp eyes narrowed. "Are you drunk?" 

"No," Sam scoffed, before reconsidering his statement. "Well, a little. I may have had one or two shots." 

"Or a whole bottle," Olivia murmured, rolling her eyes. 

"I don't know about that..." Sam muttered, looking around himself in bemusement. "I was just trying to put together some food, and... well, next thing I know, there's a fire. Must have forgotten to turn off the hot plate." 

"Are you kidding me?" Leo exploded. "You nearly set the building on fire, just because you couldn't be bothered to make a sandwich?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Sam mumbled. "It was stupid." 

"I'll say!" there is a Michelin star chef here on the island, why are you even trying to cook?"

"It wasn't like I was trying to kill myself or anything," Sam grumbled, as he staggered off in the direction of his room. "I just couldn't remember if it was gas or electric. It's a common mistake." 

"No, it's a common sign of early dementia," Olivia retorted. 

"Nah," Sam scoffed, raising his middle finger and slammed his door shut.

The sound of an elevator sounded down the hall. Countess Madeleine Amaranth, a member of Liam's council and Leo's former betrothed, strode towards Leo and Olivia.

Madeleine's cold green eyes took in the smoke damage to the door. "What's going on here? The building is still standing, I see."

Liam had enlisted Madeleine to help reform Leo as a role model for royal decorum since she was a stickler for etiquette and was the queen of spin. True to his promise.

"It's called karma, you idiot," Olivia muttered back, folding her arms and smirking. 

"Oh, what fresh hell is this?" Leo growled.

"Ah, Madeleine," Leo greeted her, turning on the charm. 

"Leo," Madeleine acknowledged coolly. 

"What brings you here, on this fine evening?" Leo asked.

"Liam has requested my assistance. Apparently, you need remedial lessons in proper manners." 

"Remedial...?" 

"Yes. We have already seen that you cannot handle an engagement," she says, glancing at Olivia, who glared back, "or a marriage, or a mistress, or even a simple friendship..." 

"You're not seriously still mad about that, are you?" Leo exclaimed. 

"About being publicly embarrassed, or humiliated? Oh, no. That is water under the bridge," she mocked. "However, Liam has asked me to tutor you in proper decorum. So, if you are finished with your tantrum, perhaps we can begin?" 

Leo's jaw tightened. 

"Well, I think we've got things sorted here," Olivia said, laying a hand on Leo's arm. "If you'll excuse me, Maddy." 

Madeleine's eyes narrowed. "You're not going anywhere. You are to meet with Trystan Thorne. I'm sure he'll find that your presence will be beneficial during his sessions." 

"What? You're not my superior." Olivia objected, glaring at the tall blonde. 

"I am if Liam says so," Madeleine shot back. 

Leo's shoulders raised as Olivia's grip tightened painfully. 

"Now, if you don't mind," Madeleine continued imperiously. "I need to have a chat with my wayward student." 

"Your wayward—!" 

"Ow!" cried Leo, wincing. "You're going to leave a bruise, Livvie..." 

"That's the plan!" Olivia retorted, digging her fingers into his bicep. 

"Come on, Olivia," Leo implored, gently prying her fingers loose. "Let's just get this over with." 

Olivia looked like she wanted to argue the point, but Leo's pleading gaze eventually softened her resolve. 

"Fine," she growled. "But you're on your own next time, your highness." 

"Sure," Leo agreed, sighing. 

Olivia gave him a warning look, before stomping off down the corridor. 

"Shall we?" Madeleine prompted Leo to offer his arm for her to take.

*** 

"This is pointless," Leo announced, leaning back on the lounge chair and closing his eyes. After many hours of intense etiquette lectures, role plays, quizzes and more, he felt his stomach rumble as they waited for lunch to be prepared by the Michelin chef, sans alcohol. 

"What's pointless is the amount of money Liam has spent on trying to make you a decent human being," Madeleine bit back, flipping the cover of her personal binder of court decorum closed. 

"I am a decent human being," Leo countered, frowning. "I'm a far better man than you'll ever know." 

"Oh, really?" Madeleine challenged, raising her eyebrow. "Then how come your wife is threatening divorce?" 

"That is none of your business, or Liam's for that matter," Leo snapped, opening his eyes. "And just for the record, my life is none of yours either. You don't know the first thing about love, or me." 

"I know you can't keep it in your pants," she retorts, rolling her eyes. 

"So do I," a voice came from the doorway. 

Leo turned towards the speaker in shock.

"Katie," Leo breathed shallowly, pushing himself upright. 

"Don't get too excited," Katie told him, folding her arms. "I'm not here for you. I'm here for the kids." 

"You're... you're..."  Leo stammered nervously. 

Looking at her husband, she almost felt sorry for him. Almost. 

"Why are you here, Katie?" Leo demanded, standing up. 

"Your brother sent me to help," she explained, looking everywhere but at him. 

Madeleine excused herself and quietly sauntered out with her binder in hand.

"Yes. He thought it might help to have me here. Help you remember what is important. Family, love, loyalty." 

Leo shook his head, moving slowly towards her. "You don't get it. I'm not the same man anymore." 

"Then maybe it's time to prove it." Katie said. 

"That's what I'm trying to do!" Leo shot back, stopping in place. "I'm here, aren't I?"  

At that moment, Leo understood why Liam sent him to the island. His epiphany.

"I have to go," Katie said, her eyes softening. "I'll be back later, when you've had time to process this." 

Leo watched her walk away, a sense of unease settling in the pit of his stomach. 

*** 

Later, Leo found himself sitting on his balcony, staring at a glass of scotch. He had resisted the urge to drink it, but he was still tempted. His phone buzzed on the table, and he reached for it. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey," came the reply. 

"I made a grave mistake ..." 

Leo paused, relieved at the sound of his fellow 'in-mate'.

"Thorne." 

“How so?” 

"Well, remember when we met at the bar with your brother. I should have believed your brother. That he would be true to his word with his threat." 

“Oh boy, this sounds painful.” Leo smirked, already knowing where this conversation was heading.. 

“Who did he partner you with?” 

“Olivia Nevrakis! She is terrifying! Put a dagger to my throat when I dissed her. She threatened to go lower if I didn't pay attention.” 

"Did she now? Maybe she's the one you need to focus on," Leo mused. 

"She's so intense, it's scary. And she has no interest in me. She is only here because Liam asked her to be.” 

"And here I thought she was coming here for me," Leo sighed, taking a swig of the scotch. 

"Hey, what happened with that countess?" 

Leo paused. "I... I... what did you hear?" 

"That she's going to stay a couple more days." 

"That's just great," Leo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just what I need." 

>>next writer @twinkleallnight

[oh-dameron]

Noodling on an "Oops! Back In Time!" story idea where the Straw Hats sail through a Grand Line anomaly or whatever and wake up as they were about thirteen years in the past.

Robin is seventeen, still on the run in West Blue. She'd wake up, run down the list of her nakama to decide who needs help first: Franky and Jimbe are grown men already, they're fine, they can handle themselves. The East Blue crew are all little kids. To the best of her knowledge the tragedies that shaped their lives haven't happened yet and won't for a while. They're safe for now.

Chopper is a baby reindeer, probably hasn't eaten his fruit yet. Brook is currently unreachable to her, without a ship or a crew, but Franky is right there in Water 7 with a fleet of battleships that he needs to get rid of before they can be used to frame Tom. Maybe she can assume he'll take care of it.

Sanji is still in Germa kingdom. He's not safe at all.

Robin, who only looks seventeen, pulls out her mad skills as a spy and top-tier pirate and member of the actual Revolutionary Army and hustles to North Blue in record time, snapping necks and serving cunt the whole way. She infiltrates the fuck out of Germa 66 and is on the palace flagship before you can say Security Clearance. Robin's not stupid enough to dangle the poneglyphs or the Ancient Weapons in front of Judge: that's a carrot he would never stop chasing. No, she claims to have details of Vegapunk and Caesar's work on artificial devil fruits, counting on spite to get her through. It does. Robin was at Punk Hazard and Dressrosa and Wano: she knows enough details to make it plausible, and she's a trained academic to boot. She can make it sound right, even if it's not her field, even if it's made-up nonsense that will hopefully have Judge chasing his own tail for years.

Meanwhile, every night she's sending eyes and ears all over the palace looking for the missing third prince. Officially, the kingdom is still in mourning for the double tragedy of losing their Queen and one of the princes in quick succession. Robin cannot find any trace of grief in Judge or his remaining children, even when she's invited to dine with the royal family (there are still two empty chairs at the table, and she's ushered into one of them as though it was nothing. Luckily, she's had decades of keeping calm in the face of casual brutality to perfectly hone her poker face).

It doesn't take her long to find the stairs going down, down into the dark. And there's a dungeon at the bottom, a barred cell containing an eight-year old child who looks so much smaller than his brothers. He's covered in bruises and there's a metal horror wrapped around his head and casual brutality be damned, there are two wolves inside Robin right now and one of them wants to sit down and weep and the other one wants to snap Judge's neck and then tear this castle down brick by brick. Except. Tiny Sanji is doing a one-handed handstand in the middle of his cell. It's a bit wobbly, and he tumbles off-balance when he sees her, but there's nothing wobbly about the smile on the little she can see of his face when he runs to her.

"Robin-chwan!" he chirps, hugging her through the bars. "I knew I couldn't be the only one who came back! I'm so lucky to be rescued by such a dashing lady!" He peers at her through the helmet, eyes huge and blue and earnest. "You got here so fast! Who else is with you? Are you OK?"

And it's just so Sanji, who knows as well as she does where the rest of the crew is-better, probably-to think that she'd go to anyone else before coming here. As though his problems could wait while everyone else is taken care of first.

"Now that I've found you I'm quite alright, Sanji. The crew is just you and me for now, but I'm sure we'll soon change that."

He does a little spin of delight at having her all to himself, and it's the simple glee of a small child spending time with a favourite person. Robin smiles, and retrieves the keys, and holds his tiny hand all of the way out of the castle as he chatters about how amazing she is and who they'll go to find next. They sail away, leaving the palace in flames behind them.

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

hiiii i love your writing! can you write anything with ambrosius being protective over ballister (movie versions)? thank you for reading this either way!

That's so sweet! I'm so glad you enjoy it :) I've got just the thing!! Important context/summary for this piece: Ballister was an orphan, he was adopted at one point and then returned for being too rowdy as a little child. His "parents" show up. Ambrosius is Big Mad

Ballister chopped vegetables while Ambrosius flipped channels on the other side of the floor. It would be dinner time soon. He hummed and swayed to the music coming from his phone while he cooked. He disliked cleaning and he loved cooking, so this arrangement was an easy sell.

Since announcing their engagement, tabloids were, of course, annoying, so it was nicer to just spend their days off in their house, cooking, dancing, planning their wedding. It would be perfect. Neither of them wanted a big one, but it was going to be so beautiful.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He turned the skillet off and wiped his hands before proceeding over there. He was ready to turn away over-ambitious fans, or welcome in friends, or see whatever Nimona dragged back from her adventures. He was not ready for what was on the other side of that door.

When he opened the door, he saw an older couple and a young woman, smiling at him. He didn't recognize them, but there was something familiar, uneasy, that he couldn't quite put his finger on. "Can I help you?"

"Ballister, son!" The man said with a grin. "It's so good to see you again. You remember us, don't you?"

Ballister furrowed his brow. The woman spoke, "It's us, sweetie. Your mom and dad."

Suddenly it all came back. Sitting in the adoption interview, sweating, doing his best to look like a perfect child, being so so so happy when he was told they'd chosen him, going to his new house, sleeping in a proper bed, wearing clean clothes and getting affection and attention as he needed it. Then the accident, running around with his little sister, bumping into the TV, getting cuts on her arm and his eye. The hospital. Stitches. Being dragged back to the orphanage. How he screamed and cried and begged his mommy and daddy not to return him. How they didn't listen. Getting dumped back like a defective toy. Getting bullied for being returned. Nobody wanting to adopt him again. How he missed his toys and warm bed and clothes and hadn't been allowed to keep even a single thing. How he firmly believed after that, for years, that nobody would ever love him.

"Don't – don't call yourselves that. What the fuck are you doing here?"

"We wanted to congratulate you on your engagement!" The woman, he remembered their last name was Clocksmith, said with a smile.

He blinked. "My engagement?" He was engaged to Ambrosius Goldenloin. A member, albeit unwillingly, of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the Kingdom without royal blood. If these people were his family, they would be a part of that family too.

Too bad they never signed the papers.

"Of course, son. What wonderful news! You must be so happy. We've missed you so much. When is the wedding?" Mr. Clocksmith asked, with a forced nicety about him that made Ballister's skin crawl.

"You're not coming to my wedding. The date isn't public."

Mrs. Clocksmith stepped forward, "Ballister, sweetie, I'm sure you're still hurt, and we're so sorry, but don't family bonds run deeper than–"

"You're not my family. You never signed the paperwork. You didn't raise me. You spent two months giving me some fun house mirror reflection of a family just so you could take it all away!" He looked at their faces and saw the cold, apathetic expressions as he screamed and cried, dragged back into the orphanage. "What kind of a family does that!?"

Ambrosius, who had heard the yelling, quickly appeared by his side. "Woah, woah, hey, Bal, what's going on? Who are these people?" His warm hand slid onto the small of Ballister's back and his kind, worried eyes tore down the rest of Ballister's walls as if they were made of paper mache.

"We're his parents, it's such a pleasure to meet you, Sir Goldenloin!" Mr. Clocksmith offered his hand.

Ambrosius's eyes widened and tears slid out of Ballister's eyes. Ambrosius immediately pulled Ballister away and slammed the door.

Ballister leaned against it and slid to the floor sobbing. He felt like that scared lonely rejected little kid again. Ambrosius knelt in front of him and held him tightly, rocking gently. "I know, Bal. My poor baby. I'm so sorry. I'm going to get them away from our home, okay? I'm gonna get them to leave and never ever bother you again." He helped Ballister to his feet and led him by the hand to the sofa. "You just relax here, and I will come back. I love you so much."

Ambrosius turned on his heels and marched back towards the door. His blood boiled. How dare those people abandon Ballister like that? To return him like an object? It had destroyed Ballister. Given him problems with intimacy that didn't break down until Ambrosius chipped away bit by bit at his walls for nearly a decade.

Now they were back. Ambrosius knew why. And he hated that in some way it was his fault. If he were a regular person, they wouldn't use Bal to get to his family. The fact that they had the audacity to show up now, so flagrantly to use and discard Ballister again was sickening. He equipped his sword belt to his side and threw open the door. The people startled.

"How dare you." He growled, stepping out and slamming it behind him. "How dare you show your faces here! How dare you so flagrantly try to use him! He's not a toy or a tool! He's a person! A very sweet, lovely, kind, angel of a person! You would have been so lucky to be his parents. You treated him worse than I could ever imagine anyone treating anyone!" He seethed. "I hate that I'm the reason you came here. No, you are not his parents. You will never be a part of my family, and in fact, with one call to my parents I could probably get all of you cast out to the street!" He hated playing this card, and he was probably lying, but people like this only cared about things like that.

The father tried defending them, "Sir Goldenloin, you weren't a parent, you don't understand –"

"But YOU were! And a horrible one at that! I hope your daughter is okay because even if you loved her a million times more than you did Bal, a million times zero is still zero!" He drew his sword and pointed it down the street. "Now get the fuck away from my house or I will place both of you under arrest for harassment."

He didn't wait for an answer before slamming the door and bolting in shut. He quickly returned to Ballister, who was biting his nails, curled up on the couch. Nail biting had been an awful habit for him as a child, and Ambrosius could remember his little hands with their dirty nails beds, bitten down past the quick and caked with dried blood. The therapist said something about him not having any comfort items to hold or other stress-reducing repetitive stimuli causing him to do it. He only did it rarely as an adult. "Are you okay, Rose?"

"Of course I'm okay, are you okay?" He sat beside Bal and took his hands, gently removing them from his mouth. Ballister nodded and shuffled closer, leaning against him.

"Thank you for making them leave. I'm sorry, I don't know what happened, I-- I just shut down. It was embarrassing."

"Please don't ever worry about anything like that. I know how brave you are. I know how much shit you've been able to put up with. You don't have to put up with that too."

Ballister hummed softly and admired his engagement ring before closing his eyes. "It doesn't matter. You and Nimona are the only family I'll ever need."

Ambrosius smiled and kissed his forehead, snuggling in closer.

In a wisp of pink, Nimona appeared in the room behind them with some groceries, apparently having flown through a window. "Hey guys, what did I miss?"

[seung-mongmong]

Rogue Waves (a minsung pirate fic) Chapter One

Masterlist

Warnings: like two brief jokes about ending his life, general pirate antics

He never should have snuck onto this ship. The sound of the crew chatting and working stirred Han awake. Slowly, he peered over the barrels he was tucked behind. This was such a horrible idea. Based on the small words he could pick out of the chatter, the ship had already departed a while ago. Now he really couldn’t change his mind. When had he even fallen asleep? 

Han could recall the night before this, packing a small bag of basic items. It really wasn’t enough to last him more than a day or two, but he didn’t have the space to bring anything more. The monotony of his cushy royal life had finally driven him mad, and he knew he had to get away before he threw himself out his bedroom window. Maybe that was a morbid thought, but he really did need out. The routine was the same every single day, nothing new or interesting ever happened until a few nights before, when he was told he’d be sent off to marry someone he had never even met. He didn’t hear much after that, something about peace between kingdoms. Peace be damned, Han would not sit idly by and let himself be married off to a strange woman. So his solution? Sneak onto the ship of the infamous Captain Minho. Perhaps not his best judgment. Even the crew was famous, known everywhere for how terrifying and powerful they are. No one has ever survived a battle against them, even though the crew is made up of a measly seven people. Captain Minho was a man that made people shake even from just the mention of him. Maybe that's why Han was trembling behind the barrels of god knows what, terrified to have to face any one of the crew. God forbid it be the captain. Maybe if he was quiet he could sneak into some isolated spot-

“Did you see someone over there?”

Oh no.

“Someone’s on the ship!”

Shit.

Han felt a pair of strong arms hoist him out from behind the barrels before he could even consider running away. Not that he’d get anywhere safe, it was sharks or this, and Han was starting to consider that maybe sharks would be gentler. He was tossed onto the deck carelessly, and met with six men peering down at him. He really fucked up this time, he was gonna die here for tresspassing on a pirate ship. At least he’d die in the warm sunlight with the smell of ocean water surrounding him. Maybe he’ll be reborn as someone who isn't married off unwillingly-

“Stop.”

Oh he was really going to die brutally now, the captain Minho was on his way to gut him and send him into the ocean as fish food.

“The crowned prince on my ship, how strange…” Minho mumbled to himself, leaning over Han. 

“...please just dispose of me quickly, I don’t handle pain very well.” Han rushed to say, and the crew around him laughed. He could even spot the captain's amused smile. What had he said that was funny? “Dispose of you? Maybe if you were anyone else, but you’re going to be a perfect bargaining chip against your kingdom.” Minho said. Bargaining chip? Did that mean he’d return Han for money? 

He didn’t have time to ask before the Captain barked at the crew to lock Han up, and sent a pointed order to one of them to stay by the cell to ensure the ‘cargo’ stayed put. He was lifted up carelessly and dragged through an entryway, all the way down to a dank, dark room. One of the  men shoved him into a barred cell at the center of the room, and sat dutifully next to the now locked door. Great, now he was stuck with a concerningly buff man, and doomed to be returned home to the situation he was running from. Surely he could come up with a way out of this, there had to be something that would work.

“Hey.”

Silence. 

“Hey, I'm talking to you. What's your name?”

Silence. 

“Come on, can I get some help? I can’t go back to my kingdom” bingo. He saw the man tip his head, curious. Han shuffled up to the bars near him.

“Please, if i tell you my situation will you help me? Anything at all, even just dumping me at the next stop.” Han pleaded. The man leaned back, sighing slowly “Changbin.”

“Huh?” Han asked

“My name is Changbin, you asked for my name.” The man chuckled, raising an eyebrow curiously “go on, tell me your situation. I may as well let you yap”

And yap Han did, about his engagement, his boredom with the castle, and his brief contemplation of perhaps getting behind a horse and pissing it off, just to get away. He sounded desperate, he could tell. Practically pleading with Changbin to have some sympathy and to not send him back. 

“You’re begging the wrong guy, it's not my decision” Changbin interrupted

“Come on, can you do anything? Anything at all? Maybe you could ask the captain to talk to me?” Han heard a hearty laugh

“Captain? Talking to a little prince? You might really be crazy.” “Come on! I’ll do anything! I just need to make my case!!” Han raised his voice, hands clasped together in front of his chest in a wordless plea. He saw Changbins eyes soften briefly, and a rin broke out across his own face. 

“No promises, but I guess I can ask.” Changbin sighed, standing from his chair. Han couldn’t help the relieved laugh that left him, grabbing the bars and babbling out a few ‘thank you’s as Chanbin left the room. Well, while he waited he may as well check out the little cell he might be stuck in for a while. He supposed the humid air and creaky floor added to the ambiance he expected of a pirate ship, but the smell sure wasn’t pleasant. 

The thundering footsteps against the stairs made his head snap up. In walked the captain, fancy jacket abandoned, and irritation in his eyes. Did he smell whiskey? 

“Well? What is it you want to bother me about when I'm trying to work?” Minho said, crossing his arms over his chest.

He looked pretty attractive while angry, Han thought

Wait, what?

[misfitclassismyfreetherapy]

Mairuma Incorrect Quotes #2

.

.

.

~

Dark humor again. Woooh.

⚠️ Also this post might contain triggering topics such as smoking, juuling and more. ⚠️

Mairuma Incorrect Quotes #1

Agares: You know if cats slept for an entire day, people will find them adorable and cute. But if I do it "I have mental health issues" and "I need help"? Seems quite unfair.

Kerori: Agares Picero. You slept for three straight days with no eating, skipping three days of school, not even communicating with us. You gave Gaap a heart attack-

Agares: I suddenly lost my ability to hear shit.

Kerori: You bitc-

Mairuma Incorrect Quotes #2

Purson: Okay what happened with Jazz-kun and Lied-kun because I heard screaming beforehand and then when I came into the room they were cuddling and sleeping with eachother.

Iruma: Oh, Jazz-kun found a JUUL in Lied-kun bag and got mad and then Lied-kun called him a hypocrite because he also smok-

Purson : To make a long story short..?

Iruma: They fought and then one of them cried then comforted eachother while joking about their trauma.

Purson: It was wholesome until you added the last detail. Why?-

Mairuma Incorrect Quotes #3

Agares: This cup of coffee represents my love for myself.

Gaap: Agares-dono...it's empty..

Agares: Exactly.

Kerori: Okay, who thought you dark humor? I- Wait ...*turns her head to Lied*

Lied: *sweating while pretending not to hear*

Mairuma Incorrect Quotes #4

Iruma: Hey, Azz-kun do you think I look fat?

Asmodeus: ..Why?

Iruma: I'm sorry I just..

Asmodeus: No, why would people be so stupidly blind to not see your elusive beauty? Damn demon these days..

Iruma: * raises his eyebrows then quickly smiled*

Meanwhile..

Kerori: Imagine saying you're not depressed but your favourite song is "Look who's inside again."

Agares: Is this because I didn't follow your devi-account yet? I'm sorry that I don't like to follow akudols that I don't like.

Kerori: I hate you.

Agares: Glad the feelings mutual.

⭐Kerori and Agares is totally not inspired by my friendship with my friend irl. Nope definitely not.⭐

Mairuma Incorrect Quotes #5

Kalego: Okay you brats,what the fuck do you do when you want to call for emotional support?

Misfit Class: Oh we're fine, how are you?

Kalego: No, just no. I'm literally gonna fucking kill your therapist at this point.

Dantelion who just went to annoy Kalego: ...

UPDATED!

Mairuma Incorrect Quotes #6

Lied: What the devi? Hey, Agares what are you doing in the middle of the nig-

Agares: Do you know that there is over in lover.

Lied: Uh-

Agares: and end in friend.

Lied: UH-

Agares: and good in goodbye.

Lied: Isn't that kind of dark- anyways please go to sleep it's one o' clock in the morning.

Agares: Says your gaming addiction.

Lied: Says your coffee addiction.

Agares: Says-

Purson who can't sleep because of them: OH MY DEVI, WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP! WE"LL DEAL WITH YOUR DEPRESSING BULLSHIT TOMMOROW. GO TO SLEEP YOU LITTLE SHITS! YOU"RE LUCKY I CARE ABOUT YOU OR ELSE I WOULD'VE BEATEN THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!

Claire's note:

Two hc I have showcase in this incorrect quote.

Uno, the Misfit Class sometimes sleepover at the royal one as a way of bonding.

Dos, Purson is a real bitch when he doesn't get any sleep.

.

.

ENDING

My content is turning into dog-shit ain't it? Yeah, yeah it is. Btw I'm thinking of making a misfit class hamilton play in my fanfic. The demons starring the schuyler sisters.

Lied- Angelica

Iruma- Eliza

Agares- Peggy

Them three because them crossdressing is my literal sanity.

What do you think? My hand tells me no but my brain is telling me yes. I still don't know who should be hamilton though, I'm open to suggestions. Anyways I wish you a good day or night! See ya guys, gals and non-binary pals!

[thedawningofthehour]

Yeah. About the Githel and comparing the two to an extent. My thing was about the lie and having to keep a secret from a child. But Yeah. Draxum is a lot better to Gale than Gothel was to Rapunzel. I know that Draxum cares about Gale a lot and the vine thing I think was being overprotective and not wanting to find out the secret. But he did feel bad by the next few scenes. And apologized. I just don't know how he deals with realizing he chained down essentially his own son. I don't think it’s well?

Alright, I'm going to use this to sort of air my feelings on Mother Gothel and how it influences doth. You're absolutely fine, you didn't annoy me or anything, I just have...kind of a lot of thoughts about it? Shit's complicated. (Also please actually read the whole thing through before you start getting mad because I promise I am not making the point you think I am)

One of the things that really bugs me when talking about Tangled is the insistence that Gothel didn't love Rapunzel. People do this a lot, claim an abuser can't 'really' love their victim if they're abusing them.

Which to me is a very dangerous line of thinking because it implies that the opposite is equally true, that someone can't be an abuser because they love the person they're abusing. And that can lead to people staying in abusive relationships, because their partner/family member/friend does love them. Yeah, they might. But not enough. Not how you deserve.

Let's start with who Rapunzel is in the scene we're properly introduced to her, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. Rapunzel is intelligent, literate and knowledgeable of math and astronomy and highly skilled in a number of crafts. She's never met anyone else in her life, so obviously Gothel educated her. There was no reason for Gothel to do this. If anything, educating Rapunzel gave her the tools to question her mother and the stories she'd been told, as she later does. Gothel still taught her to read, still bought her books and a guitar and craft supplies, still celebrated birthdays and got her presents. This establishes right from the start that Gothel is willing to go out of her way for Rapunzel's happiness, even when there's no benefit for her.

Little examples of this are sprinkled throughout the story. Agreeing to go get the paints Rapunzel wants is a major one-Gothel had already won the argument, she had Rapunzel feeling responsible and guilty for their fight and there was no need for lovebombing. She outright states it's a long trip for the paints, she's established that Rapunzel fucked up and possibly isn't deserving of a birthday gift-but she doesn't use that. She picks up and goes to get her daughter the one nice thing she wants for her birthday. For no reason other than Rapunzel asked for it. Even at the end of the movie, the thing Rapunzel offers to Gothel to allow her to heal Eugene is their relationship back. Gothel kept the royal army from finding Rapunzel for nearly two decades; she's smart enough to keep Rapunzel imprisoned until her will was broken. She doesn't need Rapunzel's cooperation. She wants Rapunzel back as her daughter.

And please do not think I am using any of this to make excuses for Gothel or saying she's actually a good person, because I very much am not. This circles back to Mikey's comment in the latest chapter, how Draxum's love for Donnie should have changed him. Because if Gothel truly loved Rapunzel with everything a mother loves her child, then that should have changed her too. She should have been greatly conflicted on allowing Rapunzel out to see the lights, her fear and possessiveness over Rapunzel battling with the knowledge that Rapunzel is lonely, socially stunted, that she's missing out on all the experiences she deserves to have out there in the world. She should feel guilty for her decision to keep Rapunzel entirely hidden away, maybe not to the point of actually changing her mind but it should have caused her some anguish. She should want these things for Rapunzel, for her to be able to have friends and study and become a professional artist, even if she knows that it could realistically never happen. She should have thought, at least once in those eighteen years, that she should tell Rapunzel the truth.

She never does. She never doubts what she's doing for a moment, even when it hurts Rapunzel. Because even though some part of her does love Rapunzel, Gothel loves her youth more.

That's the trap with abusers who love you. It's not that they can't love you if they're abusing you, it's that if they're abusing you, they love something else more. Maybe that something else is the feeling of power and control they get by abusing you. Maybe it's their own comfort that they love more, their unwillingness to critically examine themselves and seek help and ultimately change their behavior. Whatever it is, they are putting it before their love for you, and it's overriding everything that love is telling them to do. Gothel loved Rapunzel. But she was so much more in love with herself that she was wholly incapable of even considering Rapunzel's needs before her wants.

So now we get back to Draxum, and ask the question of if Draxum would do the same. And that's impossible to answer because for Draxum, his love for Galois and the reason he kidnapped Donnie are so wholly intertwined.

Like, I suppose you could make the argument that the King and Queen of Corona wouldn't truly understand what the power of the sundrop flower meant and what would be necessary to protect Rapunzel, that showing her off as princess and eventual queen would be advertising her power and putting a giant target on her back, (I mean, people would definitely realize something was up with the immortal queen whose court was never ill and seemed to recover from serious injuries overnight) but let's be real-if Gothel's priority was keeping Rapunzel safe, she could have just shown up and offered to work with the King and Queen and their guard to assure the princess's safety. Not to mention Gothel's original plan was just to take a lock of hair and leave Rapunzel with her parents. But this doesn't extend to the situation in doth. Draxum is 100%, wholly convinced that the Yokai will be entirely wiped out in a few decades. A century at most. He truly believes that if he hadn't kidnapped Donnie, then Donnie would have died young. He would have lived a miserable life in hiding, facing persecution and taunted with the things he couldn't have purely because of what he is, and then would have died violently and possibly painfully at barely a fraction of his natural lifespan. And then he'd be forgotten, except as one of the 'mutant monsters' that humanity cleansed, who he was and what he could have accomplished erased.

Sure, he didn't love Donnie when he kidnapped him. But he loves Galois now. And his love might drive his guilt, his self-hatred and conflicted feelings on what to allow him and tell him, but it can never drive his doubt. Draxum cannot doubt what he's doing for one moment, because what he's doing needs to be done if Galois is going to have the life he deserves. If he stepped back, told Galois the truth and allowed him to return home-that's it, he needed Donnie's big brain for all this, he ran projections to make sure he really had to do this and there was literally no way he could accomplish what he needed to do without Donnie. His revolution will fail, the humans and the Council of Heads will rush in, there's a very good chance Galois would lose his head right alongside Draxum-and even if not, the humans would kill him soon anyway. Gothel's love for youth and beauty completely overtook her love for Rapunzel, to the point that it effectively didn't matter because she would never hesitate to choose herself. Draxum's desire to conquer the surface and his love for Galois are at a head, and his love cannot win because every bit of love he has for his son drives up the opposing score. He could never choose one or the other because he could never choose anything that stood opposite of his love for his son, but it's because he loves his son that he's still doing this.

Would that be different in a world where the safety and liberty of Yokai and mutants is assured? In a world where Draxum has already succeeded and no longer needs Galois, but wants to remain his father? Is Draxum's position and legacy worth keeping from Galois the truth he so rightfully deserves to know? Would his desire to maintain what he has with his son overrule his desire for his son to be happy, even if that happiness comes at the expense of Draxum's?

Well. That's something Draxum thinks about every night.