#he got used to her being there but not being present

[oopsarboreal]

lazy doodle

[bluem1lls]

hii, could you write a one-shot where se-mi fucks fem reader after an argument/angry? like including really rough sex, degradation, hair pulling, a strap, etc, anything you feel comfortable with. im sorry if this is too horny this is my ovulation week 💔

✧₊⁺ but you belong to me

se-mi x fem!reader

authors note: so clearly, this is very much headcanon shdjdjj i tried mixing both together and this came out! thank you so much to both for the request and i hope u like it!

✦ synopsis: you're so in love with your best friend that is not really a surprise when you two fight because she wants to hookup with a random girl.

but as she sees you sitting next to nam-gyu, talking so close, she needs to show you who you belong to.

content: minors dni, best friends to lovers, jealous se-mi (AAAA), smut, strap on, dom!se-mi x sub! reader, bathroom sex, fingering/oral (r!receiving), slight choking and degradation, hair pulling

i can't believe my anger lead me to this pathetic path.

sitting here, with nam-gyu. that's like... as low as you can get.

"why are you here, doll?" he says, staring at me. "like, don't get me wrong, i'm happy that you decided i'm the best option to hang out but... don't you have a little bodyguard that you're always with?"

i frown as i stare at a blank point. "she decided it's best to go fuck a random girl than staying with her best friend"

se-mi and i have been best friends since senior year from high school. we did everything together, that even lead to eachother being our first kiss for example, but we always said it was a way to experiment, for when the real time comes.

of course, that didn't stopped me from falling for my best friend.

so when we met this new waitress at our usual coffee shop that couldn't stop poiting "how pretty se-mi's piercings are", i didn't liked her.

i was hugging se-mi, feeling cold and confused as she broke our hug to chat with a random girl. random! girl!

that's was so mean of her.

i mean, she has no idea of the feelings i have for her but... she can't be that blind?

right?

so, that lead to us fighting at se-mi's house afterwards, where we were having the last hangout of the year with our group and a few others.

the 'fight' being me telling her how much i didn't liked this new girl as she replied by scoffing and rolling her eyes.

like always.

that brings me to present time. where, the party has already started. i can see se-mi talking and laughing with this girl (she even invited her, i can't believe it!) while im sitting next to nam-gyu, a boy who i know she really fucking hates but just got used to his presence because we're in the same friend group.

"i think the word you're looking for is jealous" he keeps with the conversation. he chuckles as i stare at him like he was insane.

"don't say that. i'm not jealous. i just think it's stupid that i tell her 'oh hey don't hook up with her, she gives me bad vibes' and she still goes for it!" i tell him gesturing with my hands, getting angry all over again.

"you're too pretty to be jealous, doll" nam-gyu says, staring at me.

"maybe not more than a random blonde" i mumble, covering my face.

"hey listen. we might not get along great, but" he says, removing my hands out of my face, making me stare him. "you're the most gorgeous girl in this trashy party" we both chuckle.

i smile, thankful. he's actually making me feel better.

"thanks, i can't believe i'm saying this but... you're actually a decent person" i spoke, smiling.

he grins as one of his hands goes to grab a strand of my hair, tucking it behind my ear.

as he was getting close, a hand grabs the neck of his shirt from behind and pulls him away.

"what the fuck do you think you're doing?" se-mi says to him, her face twisted in anger and betray. her stare now focus on me as she frowns. "were you going to kiss him? for real?" she scoffs as she lets nam-gyu free of her hold and sarcastically chuckles.

i stare at her, confusion all over my face.

what was she talking about?

getting up from the couch, i stand in front of her.

"i don't get it. if i get in between your hookup i'm a bitch but you interrumpt a conversation and you're a heroe?" i say close to her face. we're standing a few inches apart. i can feel her breath on my face. i know she's mad. she has the same harsh look everytime thanos or nam-gyu say something that she doesn't like, before punching them.

but i'm not used to her staring at me that way.

"this is ridiculous. we're all having a good time. we'll talk about this later" i say turning around, heading to the bathroom.

i can hear her loud steps following me as i enter to the bathroom. she pushes the door before i can close it and enters, closing the door behind her.

she walks towards me, taking a deep breath as she stares my features. annoyance is clear on her face.

"what the fuck? nam-gyu? that's who you choose to go for, out of all the people here?" her expression growing with irritation.

"oh i'm sorry, i thought you were too busy with the blondie to notice my presence!"

"what are you talking about?" she says like i'm insane. "why does she makes you so angry? you never aprove of anyone i try to hookup." she says, scoffing.

"well, im just looking out for you"

"bullshit." se-mi replies, her expression growing angrier "you push me away, you flirt with nam-gyu-"

"flirt with nam-gyu?" i say, stopping her mid-sentence, confused. "what are you talking about? i wasn't flirting with him!"

"you were. you literally let him get close to you, touch your hair"

"you do that, my friends sometimes do that, i thought it was friendly" i shrugged. was he really flirting with me? "i didn't noticed. i promise"

she gazes into my eyes and looks for any sign of a lie in my face. her stare softens once she sees that i'm not lying to her. she steps closer to me, her body still tense.

"it made me so angry seeing you with him" she said, avoiding my eyes. "i thought you were trying to make me jealous on purpose and.." she stops and pins me against the wall. "it was driving me crazy"

my heart beats like crazy, i feel my cheeks heating up from how close she's standing to me.

"wh-why did it drive you crazy?"

her eyes becoming darker, filled with possessiveness. her raw voice, talks in a low tone.

"why do you think? i want you. all the times i hate seeing someone else get too close to you? i knew i was a little too much overprotective over you but," she stops, lifting my chin so i can stare into her eyes. "tonight? you ignoring me and talking to him instead? made my blood boil. i wanted to bend you against the table and fuck you right then and there so everyone can see who owns you."

i felt a heat set on my lower stomach, my panties becoming soaked for her words. i bit my lip as my stare drops to her lips.

her breath hitches. she swallows hard while closing the distance between us, trapping me against her and the wall. her lips capture mine with a kiss, her hands roaming all through my body as she settles on my throat, squeezing to remove air from my lungs. my hand wraps around her bicep, squeezing it one the choking becomes too much.

the kiss turning into a hungry, desesperate one. deepening as her tongue enters my mouth.

"you have no idea how much i want you" i moan in between kisses as her hands lower to my waist.

"if you keep saying things like that, i'll fuck you here, no time to take you to the bedroom" she says, eyes darkened with desire.

i nod as her kisses go lower to my neck, bitting, licking and leaving hickeys as i whimper.

"when i finish fucking you stupid, you're gonna go show him your hickeys and tell him who left them there" she says in a growl.

i nod, completely at her mercy.

she kneels, her hands slowly going under my skirt as she pulls it up, making me hold it.

"you and this miniskirt have been driving me insane all night" she says, her fingers teasing my folds over my panties. "look at you baby, you're soaked. you ruined this pretty pair of undies. being my whore made you this wet?" she says, her fingers still softly tracing my cunt, feeling the wetness.

"all for you, all for you. please se-mi" i beg whimpering, my puffy clit needy for stimulation.

"please what baby? use your words like the grown girl you are" she says, her eyes dark and feral, staring at the wet patch growing on my underwear.

"please fuck me."

her eyes graze all over my face as a smirk forms in her lips. i whimper as her fingers grab the elastic band of my panties. her face so close i can feel her breath against my cunt, making me clench to nothing. her tongue can't help but swipe across.

i moan, one hand holding to my skirt as the other one heads to grab her hair to pull her closer. she chuckles at my desperation, giving another flick of her tongue.

finally, she slowly begins to pull my panties down, removing them.

cold air hitting my clit, making me squeeze my thighs. her breathing getting heavier as she parts my legs, seeing the wetness covering my inner thighs.

she grabs my leg and places it on top of her shoulder, getting closer to where i need her the most. her fingers slowly teasing my clit as i give her a choked moan.

her tongue meets my clit, giving kitten licks as her fingers lower to tease my entrance. i yank her hair, trying to pull her even closer, making her stop. my eyes become watery.

"n-no wait, wh-why did you stop" i whimper, so needy.

"you're such a brat. you tease all night, you make me angry and you want me to take it to your pace?" she says, two of her fingers enter without warning in my soppy cunt, making me moan loudly. "you'll do as i say when i say it, you're my slut" she stares at me, as my eyes threaten to shut close from pleasure. i nod, making sure she knew i understood.

"lets fuck the attitude out of you, hm?" she says, her tongue meeting my clit once again as her two fingers curl inside of me with no mercy.

her tongue flicks on all the right places, fingers never leaving my inside as she thrust deeper and harder, making me clench.

"i-if you keep going i'll cum...i'm gonna cum please" i moan loudly as her pace seems to go even faster.

my head against the wall, feeling completely overwhelmed by how good she's fucking me. i can hear the squelching sounds of my pussy as she keeps thrusting, hitting that spot that makes me wanna crumble for her.

she keeps eating me, soft moans leaving her mouth, turning me on even more.

then suddenly, when i'm about to hit the climax, everything stops.

i open my eyes wide as i see her smirking playfully in between my legs.

"you're ready to take my cock princess?" her voice dripping in lust as she stood up. she grabs my hips and bites my pouty lips, kissing me once again.

she pounds with no mercy into me with her fake cock, my eyes rolling back from pleasure as i feel her hand squeeze my throat, choking me as she thrusts harder.

"you like it baby? you like my cock?" she says, heavy breathing as i mumble something that sounds like "yeah..yes..yeah"

she keeps slamming into me as her fingers leave my throath and go straight to my aching clit. she circles as i clench, showing i'm getting closer and closer to my release.

my moans get louder as she goes deeper and faster.

"you're gonna cum for me princess? i wanna feel you tight around my cock" she says, her moves never stopping.

i nod, desesperate. "se-mi.. baby i love-i love you so much.. so so much-" i cry out as my mouth opens in a "o" shape.

heat positions in my lower stomach, expanding more and more with each thrust, until it snaps.

i pull her by the neck, kissing her deeply to shut my loud moan as i cum. my cunt pulsating around her cock as she never stops moving, making my orgasm last even longer, while she hungrily returns the kiss. her hand leaving my clit and settling on my throat, choking me while she bites and pulls my lower lip.

"i love you so much princess" she says, slowly pausing her thrusts.

as she pulls away her cock leaves my insides, making me whine as i let my body go numb against the bed. my eyes closing as i feel her move from on top of me to sit besides me

her hands position behind my head, pulling me up to drink some water.

i open my eyes to see her hair sticking to her face, cheeks flustered and her eyes dilatated.

as i stop drinking and slowly sit myself in bed, she kisses me once again, her tongue exploring once again my mouth. the feeling that i'll never get tired of this sits on my chest.

"you didn't think this was all, right baby?" she smirks, breaking the kiss and grabbing my hips.

"you're such a good slut, you like this huh? being a whore for your best friend? this' what you wanted?" she teases me as her cock slams into me from behind, spanking me, leaving a red mark of her hand.

tears running my cheeks from pleasure and humiliation. the moans that came from my mouth chanting her name sounded almost pornographic.

"poor baby, all she ever wanted was to go dumb on my cock. you're taking it so good, my little slut"

she had me on all fours, rutting into me, making me take her whole lenght.

her black strap hitting places that made me scream from pleasure. my face against her pillow trying to quiet the moans she took out of me by fucking me ruthless.

"you only wanted me to fuck you dumb, fuck that bratty attitude out of you. look at you now" she said, spanking me as she went harder. "pathetic whiny baby"

one of her hands on my hips, helping her slam deeply into me, while her other hand threads my hair and pulls it, making me lift my face from the pillow with a moan.

"i dont hear you screaming princess, and neither can the idiots downstairs. i bet they want you like this, but you're all mine" she whispers in my ear bringing me closer to her chest without removing her cock, who fucks into me while my slick is covering it entirely.

she keeps pulling my hair harder and tighter. her moves becoming sloppier as her hand sneaks to play with my clit.

the circles over it and her cock thrusting non stop to my squelching cunt made me clench, the release feeling so close again.

"se-mi..se-mi i'm coming again" i cried as she kept slamming and pulling my hair so i couldn't fall against the pillow. my moans becoming louder with each thrust.

the pleasure taking all over my body, i cried as i felt myself reach the climax. she kept going with her moves, but started to slow down, softly grabbing my body to prevent me from falling hard onto the matress.

she pulled away, the feeling of nothing filling me left me whining. my body lays in bed as my breathing tries to become normal. i felt like i was passing out.

she lays besides me, moving my body to be almost resting on top of her as she kisses my head.

"i never wanted anyone else. and you're dumb for not telling me about your feelings. we could've done this sooner" she chuckles as i nod, tired.

"i wasn't flirting with nam-gyu. i always wanted you" i said with my eyes close, almost falling asleep.

"i know baby. but tomorrow he'll see the hickeys and i'll be happier" she mumbles, closing her eyes to doze off.

i hear a few knocks on the door as we both open our eyes.

"why do we get all the cleaning and you two get the sex? that's so unfair" thanos said, knocking again on the door.

we could hear him and nam-gyu mumbling as thanos laughed at him.

"a chance? "thanos snorts, teasing nam-gyu. "you're stupid if you thought se-mi would let you get an inch close to her" he says as the other guy shushed him.

se-mi scoffs as she hugs me, forcing me to close my eyes and doze off.

who knew falling for your best friend could end this good?

[dunmeshistash]

Do you know where the “mithrun is the most grizzed masculine elf take” comes from. All I think about is the changeling thing but no one calls Marcille the most masculine elf for being ripped as an orc compared to Tade. Or that he trains a lot, which is also not an inherent masculine thing. To me Mithrun doesn’t really look different to any other (male) elf we see. Is it from the extra’s or something?

Yes that take comes from the changeling transformations of both Mithrun and Senshi. The joke is the Senshi is the "most femme dwarf" and Mithrun the "most masc elf" in contrast with how they look in their original forms

I do think the joke kinda got out of control in the game of telephone that fandom is, instead of a fun observation of how we might perceive Mithrun more feminine than he is and Senshi more masculine than he is due to our own biases based on their races it got taken way too seriously as "the only true and correct interpretation"

I don't think Mithrun is especially masculine or feminine when it comes to his personality, I understand some people have been peeved by others making him maybe too meek/girly compared to canon but I feel like the response of making him way more aggressive/manly than canon is just as inaccurate and it's kinda upsetting when I see "fandom vs (my interpretation of canon) canon" as if they're any more right for going to the extreme opposite

We don't really know if Mithrun is specially "masculine" for an elf either, the only elf that we know is especially "masc" is Otta, and we only know cause her bio says even elves mistake her for a man (I think for most of us she looks as androgynous as the others)

Here's a post discussing elf gender presentation more in depth if you're interested in the subject but all we know is that Mithrun works out a lot and is very muscular (which signals 'manlyness' for us but might not for elves) there isn't much that point out to him being especially manly or especially feminine compared to other male elves. He also has lost most of his desires and doesn't express his preferences much so I think it's safe to assume he doesn't really pick how he presents himself (clothing and such).

Other than that and being stoic (is that a super manly trait?) Mithrun is pretty average I think. He's also still super cute even as a tallman (as if looking manly would stop you from being cute)

But another trait of him that seem to make people read him as "super manly" it's that sometimes Mithrun is scary and aggressive, I'm not even going into why that's bad (correlating aggressiveness with manliness is uh…. not great….) not even to mention he only acts that way when he's triggered by wanting to take revenge on the demon, otherwise he seems to avoid hurting others.

Related to the "Mithrun is a super manly elf" take I've even seen people argue that drawing him looking too "cute" and small is incorrect (probably just because of his tallman self) but that's how Kui draws him herself.

I don't understand why correct others for drawing him the same way his creator does, he's designed to look this way, there's nothing to "fix" about his original design either (nothing wrong with drawing him in a way that appeals to you more tho, fanart is fanart just don't harass other people)

Anyway just to stress the point that he is very average let's compare him to Lycion and Pattadol

The average height for elves is 155 for males and 150 for females Mithrun is 155cm, Lycion is 170cm and Pattadol is 160cm, they're both taller and have a sturdier looking builds than Mithrun

Kui often draws Pattadol specially with a sturdier build than Mithrun actually

So no he's not the most buff biggest elf ever in any sense (although he IS a muscular elf), and I don't think the changeling transformations are too objective since they're magic. For example Pattadol as a human is pretty average even tho she's big compared to other elves (not to mention Senshi half-foot who has a huge beard that half-foots don't seem to be able to grow)

[aofelis]

When i was 14, i was sexually assaulted on a train with a stranger, a middle-aged man. I froze. This is a common response but I could not raise an alarm because i panicked, but it was a busy enough train that someone would've seen it. It wasn't a packed train but most of the seats were full and to my memory it seemed everyone was grown up and older than me. I told a few friends. And sure i don't blame them for their response (they were also early teens after all), and i appreciate my peers keeping my confidentiality but if they weren't going to tell a trustworthy adult on my behalf, i wish that they also didn't victim blame. I think shame is such reason that it's so damaging, and I was already ashamed of myself for not being able to fight or do the flight thing (i didn't know at the time that freeze and fawn were also common responses to scary situations and I'm definitely prone to those more) and my friends questioning me about why i didn't and telling me very confidently that they would've in my position was more damaging to me, i think, than the actual incident itself. Because sexual violence is often not about the icky-ness of sex itself. Well it is, and sometimes it's the failure to educate about consent etc and the lack of sex ed etc, but often it's because the perpetrator uses the ick and shame that sex carries in society to subdue and psychologically damage their victim. It's also due to being raised as an Asian girl, that i think I was particularly socialised to not fight back but also take the blame for anything that did happen to me.

Later on, i went through a lot of soul searching, a lot of self education on sex, and generally became pretty sex positive and felt well equipped about the topic. Sex was basically my audhd special interest for a while lol not just the practice of, but thinking about it philosophically, learning the biology, history, sociology, psychology etc.

And that definitely helped me when i was subjected to various forms of sexual violence, to which, as fem presenting people, we are often susceptible. I had the confidence and paradigm shift that enabled me to fight back.

Then I was in an abusive situation at work. It was a toxic workplace in general (think the worst finance bro/good old boys #metoo culture stereotypes and you probably have a pretty accurate picture) but it was still seen as a prestigious job and i was also in a situation i couldn't leave. But someone that i thought was a tight friend, to the point I was comfortable enough to chat about sex and our lives outside of work (including our significant others), was the abuser. I was overworked, undervalued by the company and sleep deprived most of the time, once again, as many women are in a competitive workplace like that. He assaulted me. More than once. And started sexually harassing me on an increasingly relentless scale too. I brushed it off at first (i just really didn't have the bandwidth to deal with it) but then stopped being friendly with him, and then when it wasn't working, i fought back. But that didn't stop it. It started causing performance issues at work so i finally reported it. But they did nothing aside from try to gaslight me, first into thinking it wasn't a big deal (even though there was even an incident where i was genuinely scared for my life), and in fact when he found a new job, they offered him a raise to try to convince him to stay.

Even after i did finally get out and healed enough from the burnout of the job, the damage of his actions and the response i got when trying to seek help still persist today. And in physically measurable ways too. I've developed health conditions from the experience, not to mention that i was at risk from STDs and pregnancy.

I've not really experienced physical violence/torture to the same degree, but also i wasn't put at risk of it as much by my upbringing. My mother was in an abusive relationship which included physical violence to her second husband while i was a teenager, but even then, i remember how bizarre it was that I received so much more support for it (even though he was physically violent towards her and not towards me) than the train incident.

But what i understand is that even with other forms of physically violent torture, it's the psychological aspect of it, the power play that's often the lasting damaging aspect?

im just saying, the idea that sexual violence is in any way More evil than physical violence and thus its okay to sexualize murder but not like cnc or something, is like...definitely derived from the very puritanical idea that sex is a uniquely defiling and grotesque act

[phossiii]

｡𖦹°‧⭑ monsters: chapter five

synopsis: the crew fights for nina's lunch. and phosphorus learns some new things about mahalat.

cw: reader is a monster, mature themes, violence, profanity, innuendos, phosphorus is phosphorus, short chapter

"Ah, so glad to be back home to the sweet smell of... What is this today? Hyena vomit?" Phosphorus sighed, glancing down at his tray of slop.

"Not likely," you scoffed, grimacing at the green-ish grey mash that was supposed to be part of your vegetarian meal plan. "To be vomit, it'd have to have been edible in the first place."

"What, are we all supposed to be buddies now?" the Bride cocked a brow, glancing at you both with a side eye.

"Hardly."

"I think so."

Turning to each other, you rolled your eyes, Phosphorus giving you a playful nudge with his elbow.

God, you weren't even supposed to be here...

After arriving back at Belle Reve, you expected to be airlifted back to Arkham, where a nice, padded cell sat waiting for your return.

But your clearance had been denied, Waller's reasoning being "accessibility".

You scoffed, incredulously, as you thought back on it.

"Convenience" was more like it...

'Let's see how convenient I am a month off my anti-psychotics with a ravenous demon to keep at bay.'

Though, medication or not, you were on your own.

This being a government matter, you doubted Batman could help you out, but still clung to the hope that he could call in a favor or two and get you out of this mess.

For the safety of everyone present.

"Look, creature from the black buffoon, I'm just sayin', this ain't enough for me, is it?" a large, gorilla-looking idiot taunted in Nina's face, snatching her tray. "I'm a big boy."

The bat-like woman next to him laughed, forcing Nina to further shrink into herself.

"I'm hungry..." she mumbled, hugging herself. "I've been on a long flight."

Ignoring her, he shoved the now empty tray back into her arms, walking off with an obnoxious laugh and double the servings.

Your brows furrowed, grip tightening on your tray.

'Bastard...'

But the Bride already had it covered, stepping in front of the gorilla just as he and the bat-woman tried to get past.

"What you lookin' at, Manic Panic?" he spat, sharply.

"Give her back her food," the Bride ordered, eyes narrowing.

Lowly, the man growled, getting right into her face and calling the attention of the entire chow hall.

You and Phosphorus glanced at each other, sharing a silent conversation that came to the conclusion of—

'She's got this.'

With a nasally huff, the man pulled back, stepping around the Bride in an attempt to walk off.

Crucial mistake.

Whipping around, she bashed him in the head with her tray, slamming his head into the wall and getting slop on his fur before dropping him to the ground.

Quickly rolling over, he let out a roar, but she used that as an opportunity to jam her tray in his mouth and pin him to the ground, knocking out a tooth.

Climbing on top of him, she repeatedly struck him, splattering blood all over the floor and all over herself as she turned his mouth to mush.

That is... until he fell unconscious.

Panting, she finally lowered her tray, tossing it to the side as she glared at his sleeping form.

'Serves him right.'

Just then, Weasel came sniffing around your food, and you greeted him with a smile, scratching the back of his ears before using your finger to flick a chunk of slop into the air.

Happily, he caught it in his mouth, letting out giddy squeaks as you gave him congratulatory head pats.

Standing up, the Bride glanced at Nina, who stared at the scene with a mix of shock and confusion.

"Hey there, give me that," Phosphorus interjected, taking the tray out of the bat-woman's hands as she stood horrified, handing it off to Nina. "There you go. Now everyone's happy, right?"

He turned to the bat-woman.

"Except for you. Because you no longer have food... and you're ugly."

He turned to the gorilla on the floor.

"And this one because he no longer has a jaw. He also might be dead."

"Bride," a round, red-headed man hobbled over, two COs trailing behind him.

"Right, I know. Back into the hole," she sighed, holding out her wrists in surrender.

"No. You're leading the team back to Pokolistan," he corrected. "Nina, Phosphorus, (y/n), Weasel, get ready to leave."

Confused, your brow raised, and you once again found yourself turning to Phosphorus, who offered an equally clueless shrug.

'Is the shit Waller wanted me here for?'

"So... Mahalat... is that the name of one of your personalities or somethin'?" Phosphorus asked, turning to you.

"Are we really doing this?" you sighed, arms crossed over your chest. "We go on one mission together and now you wanna have circle time?"

"I'm curious," he shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "One minute you're biting chunks outta people, the next you can't remember where you are. If we're in this for the long haul, which it looks like we are, I think that's a valid question to have."

Scooching closer, he leaned into your ear, using his hand to shield his mouth.

"Besides, whether you like it or not, doll face, I've been inside you. Don't you think you should get to know the guy that was rearranging your guts a few days ago?"

Eyes widening, your face burned with embarrassment, forcing you whip around and smack him in the arm.

"Phos!" you whisper-yelled.

"What? They can't hear me," he scoffed, nodding to the Bride and Nina, who were having their own conversation.

"If I tell you, will you never mention our... incident... again?"

"Why? You embarrassed?"

"Of you? Yes."

"How rude. I wasn't embarrassed of you... You were adorable. Yes, Phos! Harder, Phos! Right there, Phos! Oh, my God!"

"I will move to the other side of this helicopter."

"Actually, it's an osprey."

"Moving..."

"Alright, alright," he sighed, rolling his eyes as he tugged you back into your seat. "Don't get your tail in a twist."

With a roll of your eyes, you sighed, crossing one leg over the other as you settled back in.

From what you cold see, there was no harm in telling him the truth.

...Or at least a fraction of it.

"Let's get one thing straight... Mahalat is not some being made from my psyche, and I don't have that multiple personality or whatever it's called disorder," you quickly established, getting the main point out the way. "That's just something the quacks at Arkham stuck me with because demonism is not an ideology based off of science."

Intrigued, Phosphorus raised a brow, nodding for you to go on.

"Mahalat is a demon. An actual, fire and brimstone, biblically proportionate demon. And she's been using my body as a vessel for her bullshit for as long as I can remember."

"Wait," he paused a moment. "You mean... even as a kid?"

Suddenly, you clammed up, looking down at your lap as some of the more unpleasant memories began rolling back.

The voices.

The blood.

The hunger.

Phosphorus picked up on it instantly, and quickly switched topics to keep you from shutting him out.

"Touchy?"

You nodded.

"Alright, well then, where does she go when you're you? She floating around like a ghost or something?"

"Her spirit remains within me," you answered, igniting a small fire at your fingertip. "That's why I have access to a small part of her powers, and why I can hear her voice in my head."

"Is it hot?"

Your brows flattened, unamused by his crude question.

"If you had flesh to eat, she would devour you in a heartbeat."

"Well... if she's inside you... and if we're being technical here... I kinda devoured her first."

"I'm not doing this with you."

"Wait, keep going. I wanna know more."

"Nope. You've filled our sex-joke quota of the day."

"Oh, we've got a quota now?"

"Yup."

"I think that means you know me a little bit better."

"It is actually the farthest thing from that."

"In fact, I think you're starting to enjoy these little chats we have. You haven't even cussed me out yet."

"I'm takin' a nap."

"Flickin' down your shades isn't gonna hide you from the truth."

"Fuck off."

"There she is."

[circeyoru]

Shadow and Void _ Part 4

[Yandere!Sung Jinwoo x Enemy Monarch!Reader]

Part 1 ― Part 2 ― Part 3 ― Part 4 (here)

You want to kill something—someone to be specific—right now. Even as you were surrounded with snacks you liked, you hated the situation unfolding before you. The mind of a human is just too weird for you to understand in any sense.

You angrily bit on the chip between your fingers with a loud and resounding snap that broke the silence while your eyes drilled holes into the man who was basically holding you there against your will, maybe with some form of bribe, but it was definitely not the snacks. Definitely.

“Just let her in your guild, you edge lord.” You hissed as you took the female Hunter’s side, annoyed at the various ridiculous excuses Jinwoo listed to push Hae-In away. You would admit that you’re impressed with her resilience when facing such a menace; then again, she is in love, and love makes one do crazy things.

Jinwoo had half a mind to know not to voice out the question of how and why you’d know such phrasing, since there was Cha Hae-In present and there was no need to raise alarm bells. Though the greatest reason was that he didn’t want another to know about you or what you are precisely. He can’t say he’s bothered by the way your eyes stared at him, all focused and guarded, ready to take Hae-In hostage if the situation calls for it.

Ah, but it won’t be much help to you. You’d have picked the wrong target. If it were someone like his mother or younger sister, then there’d be an effect you’d wanted. However, this was Hae-In, he barely met her and she barely knew him. That can’t be the case between you two. 

He knew about your being as a Monarch and an inhuman thing using a human body as a vessel, you knew about his levelling-up system that granted him his status as an S-Rank and all his other abilities. He and you could be your true selves in each other’s presence, no filter, no expectations of fulfilling anything. In a sense, he felt more at peace with you than the other people around him. Like you were someone as close to him as family. 

Perhaps this was the after-effects of viewing the memories between you and Ashborn, but that was his thoughts.

“There’s an entrance test before I can allow you to join, Hunter Cha.” Jinwoo stated nonchalantly.

You raised a brow while Hae-In flinched in alarm, “H- Huh?! That wasn’t in the recruiting notice…”

“A mistake, since we were busy these few days.” Jinwoo got up and eyed you to do the same, you complied while bringing along your unfinished snacks. “If you think it’s too sudden and unreasonable, you can―”

“What kind of test is it?” Hae-In asked with resolve.

You practically saw the shock in Jinwoo’s eyes, hiding a snicker as you internally mocked his poor insight into a woman’s determination. 

“You have to win against one of my summons.” Jinwoo laid out the simple yet vague requirement. 

“Is the evaluation of me in your eyes so low, Hunter Sung?” Hae-In’s tone turned firm and solid, nothing like her previous blushing mess. You can’t miss the fire burning in her eyes, “What kind of summon is it?”

With a cruel thought, you wondered if killing this Hunter for Ashborn and adding her to his army would be a good enough apology gift. Then again, you had to do it when the vessel’s soul is gone and Ashborn is back to fully appreciate your work well done. You’ll keep the thought in mind for the future. For now, you’ll let the humans deal with their business.

“For you, Hunter Cha, I’ll use my strongest summon ally.” Just as you were leaving the scene, Jinwoo’s hand placed firmly on your shoulder, stopping you in your tracks. You looked up at him in confusion and question as he looked down with a smirk. “This one.”

Hae-In jumped, “You’re a summon?! But you’re so… So…”

“Human?” Jinwoo smiled, leaning down to your level as his face was next to yours and made eye contact with Hae-In, “Yes, this is my perfect ally and companion in battle; it wouldn’t be good for a monster to be around me, right?”

You glared at Jinwoo, completely unaware of the conflicted expression on Hae-In’s face as your back was facing her. You whispered a hiss at him, “What are you doing? Don’t drag me into this.”

“A small deal then.” Jinwoo whispered back, taking advantage of Hae-In’s inner turmoil. “If you can ward Hunter Cha from joining my guild, you won’t have to stay by my side all the time. In other words, defeat Hunter cha and you get some free time for yourself without me around.”

That got your attention and you turned to glance at Hae-In. This woman can’t even manage to hold this vessel’s attention for long, not to mention how you were now dragged into some useless fight. Even if you let her into the guild, her use wasn’t much and she is weak compared to this vessel before you. The comparison was unfair, but it was the truth.

“Fine, but you keep your word.”

“Of course.”

You turned your heel and dumped the snacks back onto the coffee table. Taking a page out of Igris’ book, you stood at attention and fixed your expression to a more stoic and indifferent look, your chin angled down and your hands were placed behind your back, your eyes stared sharply at Hae-In. “My Lord has suggested I do battle with you for your place in his guild,” You offered your hand as you asked, “Should you accept, only if you win against me will you be considered acceptance. Do you still wish to partake in the duel?”

Jinwoo was almost taken aback with your shift in attitude and character. Not that he found fault in it, but rather, he was more drawn to you. It was smart of him to make such an appealing offer to you. The System’s information was right on the money. You are so self-centered and willing to abandon others for your own cause.

Now, all he needed to do was make sure you don’t can’t leave him.

His eyes glowed briefly when Hae-In’s hand gripped yours with a firm nod that meant ‘yes’. The moment you looked over as if asking for approval made his heart skip a beat, you were acting just like an actual Shadow soldier of his. He nodded back and watched you raise your other hand to snap your fingers. 

In the blink of an eye, all three of you were transported to another dimension. All your surroundings were misty, and even the ground was covered with a layer of fog that obscured their vision of their own feet. You had long walked off from Jinwoo’s side, only when he snapped back to attention did he realize he was standing at the perfect angle to see you and Hae-In on either side of a field of sorts.

“Here, we can battle without restraint.” You said, and with another snap of your fingers, a rack of weapons appeared by Hae-In’s side. “Pick your weapon, and we will begin on My Lord’s mark.”

So Jinwoo was right; you could have escaped to your own realm at any moment, with or without his consent and knowledge. Why you haven’t done so was odd, but that also proves how much of a hold Ashborn has on you. If only he could shift your attention from his predecessor to himself. 

Hae-In picked a long sword while you stood immobile. 

“Ready.”

Hae-In got into a stance, but you were as still as can be like you were frozen in place.

“Set.”

Hae-In’s mana aura surrounded her, charging her blade as well. You did nothing.

“Go!”

Hae-In took the initiative and charged forward, planning to end the duel with one quick decisive move. However, just before her blade reached you, you had disappeared in thin air. As quickly as you disappeared, you materialized behind Hae-In and kicked her in the back to send her flying to the side. You stood at your spot, fixing your clothes, tugging at your sleeves from your movement.

Swiftly, Hae-In had recovered and remained on the offensive. Your head tilted and you dodged her incoming attacks with graceful movements. The way you put minimum effort into this was almost like you were toying with the Hunter. Your monotonous expression and your hands behind your back were screaming handicap. It may look like an advantage to Hae-In, but it hurt her pride.

“Fight me for real.” Hae-In panted, finding this play irritating.

You merely blinked and hummed. Your eyes darted over to Jinwoo’s analytic look, no doubt he was watching this fight with a hawk, mainly judging your abilities than Hae-In’s qualifications to join the guild. You knew and he knew, there was no way Hae-In could win against you, a Monarch. It was only a matter of how to create that loss without death.

If only you could kill. Then everything would be so easy. You sighed, momentarily closing your eyes before they opened and glowed, “Humans are so ignorant of their limits…”

Note: Probably not the update you guys wanted, but I've been writing for this series still~ I'm thinking of making the parts longer cause of the gaps between updates though, not just for this series, but maybe for future posts too.

𝕮𝖎𝖗𝖈𝖊 𝖄.

My Works: MASTERLIST

Taglist: @o-qi-shisme @2021animeandwebtoons @mochinon-yah @skylar896 @rai-xxx @lilliana-14 @larettajudith

[sarahsangelicdoll]

ditzy doll reader gets upset when Rafe doesn't give her enough attention and talks with jj at a party to make him mad and finally pay attention to her

lowk something she’d do when she gets super desperate for any form of attention… also wasn’t sure if you wanted this smutty but it kinda seemed like it so heh i hope you don’t mine

Rafe eyed you, who was trotting around at the party in a small small mini skirt with a hunky belt clearly from the 2000s and a pathetic excuse of a pink tube top covering the bare minimum of your breasts. Tan marks emphasizing the shape of your breasts. Your arm clung around that damned pogue JJ Maybanks’s arm. Body pushed obnoxiously up close against him. Rafe- while seeming relatively unbothered, was simmering with both jealousy and anger under the surface, and you knew it too. You saw the way his lips were in more of a line than usual and the way his jaw continuously clenched, and lastly lets not forget the way the veins in his arm were popping out more than they naturally did.

Rafe knew you were frustrated at him because he’s been busy with stuff, not being able to be at your beck and call as you pleased. Usually, you wouldn’t be too upset, and definitely wouldn’t pull this shit. Perhaps that silly little head of yours got too far ahead of itself because of Rafes softer behaviour as of late, as it does every once in a while, which always ends up with you in the same position: Draped over his lap on your stomach, shorts or pants long gone or in the instance you’re wearing a skirt, it’s pushed up. Panties pulled down just enough to expose your pretty pussy or completely torn off.

Which is your exact, current position. A loud smack echoing off the walls of the empty bed room and mixing with the background noise of blaring music and drunk college students. You jumped up in your spot on his thighs, whining into the mattress that you buried your head into. “‘M sorry-“ You said as Rafe’s hand ran soothingly around where he just smacked.

“Sorry?” He questioned before raising his hand and placing four consecutive slaps on each one of your ass cheeks, eliciting high pitched, pained squeaks to leave you as you clutched the sheets of the bed tighter. “‘Cause my pussy be saying a different story baby, s’it saying you liking this shit instead of feeling sorry.” He doubted your words as his hand moved down to run along your folds and down to the wet patch on his leg, all of the wetness your arousal. His middle finger rubbing tight, small circles on your clit. “Maybe since you still feel like lying to me i should just stop bringing you to all those Sabrina concerts, aye? what about that baby?”

You gasped at his harsh and threatening words, quickly shaking your head while using every ounce of resistance you had in you to not moan and prove his point. “No! please daddy, i mean it! s’i’ll never talk or touch JJ like that again! swear.” You begged and attempted to convince Rafe. You could feel his cock twitch in his shorts on your tummy, biting back a moan at the thought of his big cock that always splits you open, especially when he’s in a bad mood like this.

“Yeah? you promise?” He asked, soothing your ass with his hand still covered in your own arousal. You frantically nodded as you kicked your feet slightly, body relaxing a bit more at his soothing touch, somehow missing the underlying hint of mockery and planning that was present.

And suddenly Rafe was pulling your underwear up and skirt down. Smoothing the wrinkles of your skirt before he patted your behind. You looked up at Rafe confused as you sat up onto lap.

Rafe grinned at your confused expression, lifting you off his leg and to stand, him standing up after you. “Why you lookin at me like that baby? Said you were sorry so i stopped the punishment.” He said with faux confusion before adding in a lower tone: “Unless you were lying to me?” His tone held a hint of both mockery, amusement and completely laced with control.

You pouted slightly but shook your head no, not in the mood for an even harsher punishment just because you lied to him- and you couldn’t possibly risk your precious concert dates, “Good, then let’s go join the party yeah?” So you simply let him wrap an arm around your waist and pull you towards the door. grabbing his beer off the night stand. He took a swig and looked down at you. Big ass knowing grin on his face at your belief that you actually tricked him and your pout of disappointment. Ditzy lil you having no idea of what’ll happen when you twos get home alone <3

⟡ ݁₊ . written by sarahsangelicdoll, 2024 on tumblr! © do not repost on any third party website or repost as yours

⟡ ݁₊ . sorry for this being so late… love you anon love 💞

[xinganhao]

some thoughts and extra content on my how is your youth? mini-series, where booseoksoon are your youth ✦ stories of the past (soonyoung), present (seokmin), and future (seungkwan).

(1) as mentioned, all titles are from day6's remember us : youth part 2. being a carat x myday strikes again lol. the references are very loose/barely there, but this is one of the first albums i think of when i think of the word 'youth'! it also has some of my favorite day6 songs of all time. (:

(2) when the series was but an idea clanging around in my brain, i went to maplegyu for advice. i gave her an inch ('dk is childhood crush coded'), and in turn, she gave me a mile ('a playmate u met for the summer that impacted ur life but never saw again'). when i say maple has helped me come up with some of my best ideas, i mean it. attaching her review here because it gave me so much joy!

(3) i couldn't find the photos that would pull it off, but i wanted seokmin to show off the rings that he still had from reader ): in my imagination, the rings are the plastic, toy type that you win from a gashapon machine/can buy at the cornerstone/et cetera. some visuals -ish:

(3.1) when reader and seokmin start dating, he starts wearing the ring in a necklace. he also never stops calling reader his 'wife' despite protests.

(4) no better place to drop this, but here's a panel that didn't make it into the final smau because of space/pacing issues! would have been towards the ending. (:

(5) i hadn't intended for lorde's ribs to be a recurring theme throughout the work, but it helped me realize that i wanted each of the readers to have internal conflicts (as much as bss might have). it ended up going as follows:

so cool!reader being scared of growing old

121U!reader holding grudges

days gone by!reader moving on from what-could-have-been's

(6) the first rain of may (referred to as unang ulan ng mayo in my country, and agua de mayo in spanish) is viewed as mentioned— something that's supposed to be 'healing'. it felt most appropriate to associate with seokmin, who embodies healing in his own way. 🌻

(7) the idea of focusing on soonyoung's taekwondo history is once again maple's, and the specifics on the rivalry (i.e. lacing up armor, pulling during stretches, racing during suicides) are all from sarangcoups. i felt very strongly about a childhood!soonyoung being a little bit annoying over having a crush— the type who mistakenly believed that bullying = affection.

(8) by this point, i started locking in the idea of each boy representing either the past, present, or future, which is laid out more clearly as follows:

seokmin, who associates reader as his youth which he wants in the present

soonyoung, who carried his past with him and learns from it on the daily

seungkwan, who plans to face the future with the love he received from his youth

(9) i realized belatedly that soonyoung's smau is shorter than the others, which is why i tried to compensate with a longer -ish headcanon format. nonetheless, it was fun to explore his voice both in the texts and the written part. he's still a little obnoxious, but it's endearing. out of all the work in the series, this one feels like the one that's likeliest to get more parts (but don't hold me to it! haha).

(10) up until posting, i was on the fence about whether i should conclude seungkwan's story the way that it ended. that's why i ended up publishing it a couple days off 'schedule', primarily because i had to contemplate whether i was cheating seungkwan out of a 'happy ending' because soonyoung/seokmin got theirs.

and so maybe that's why i feel like i have a soft spot for this particular verse now because it helped me remember something important: romantic love is not the end all be all. a happy ending is still possible without it. how foolish of me to forget that, and how apt is it for me to be reminded with a story of seungkwan when it's something he would very easily tell people in a heartbeat.

(11) the alternate romantic ending would have still featured a similar line wherein seungkwan insists that 'kwannie' belongs to reader, but i pulled it out at the last minute when i realized— 'kwannie' doesn't exist anymore. it's a past version of him, one that the reader has maybe romanticized in her head. so, yes.

high school almost-lover 'kwannie' is reader's, but present-day 'seungkwan' is not.

(12) MOAs might recognize this, but the last line of seungkwan's interview is from a well-known soobin quote. it's something i think of constantly, and i feel like it's also something that seungkwan himself would believe in.

(13) another slide i cut for space reasons (replaced with seungkwan's '27' tweet):

it was posed as a gentle reminder from reader -> seungkwan that, as the lyric goes, life has just begun. it's also a prompt for him to not pick up only on the sad parts of the song/life, when the good lyric/part is in the very next breath.

tl;dr, your youth is whatever you want it to be. whether you are stuck in the past, living in the present, or afraid of the future— know that there is a love that waits, and it will be a good love. i promise you that.

like i always say: this story was mine once, but it's all yours now. ❥ thank you for reading along, and happy bss comeback szn!

how is your youth? 📢 a booseoksoon three-parter.

three independent smaus featuring booseoksoon, who you've had the pleasure of knowing throughout various stages of your life. or: verses where bss are your youth.

ⓘ synopses under the cut. aus will be linked back here once posted. happy bss comeback season, everyone!

do you remember...

so cool ✮ seokmin x reader.

... the kid you pretend-married on the playground? you were only 'spouses' for one summer, but you have the photographic evidence to prove it. it would be nice to know how he's doing, right?

121U ✮ soonyoung x reader.

... the annoying guy from your after-school taekwondo class? you hated his guts. you don't even really care much for the sport anymore; you just want to get back at him for making your life a living hell.

days gone by ✮ seungkwan x reader.

... your first love from high school? sure, you never really dated him, but your feelings were very much valid. whether they've stood the test of time is the real question— and it looks like you're about to to get some answers.

with love, kae ✎ a very special shoutout to the best of the best, @maplegyu, for helping me brainstorm some of these (..◜ᴗ◝..) starting the year with bss, lfg!

all titles are from day6's remember us : youth part 2.

› scroll through all my work ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ my masterlist | @xinganhao

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Finally got to see “Nosferatu” (2024) and what a masterpiece. Peak gothic horror, my teenage self came alive with this film. This is truly for the gothic horror, history and folklore enjoyers.

Eggers brings the audience into the Victorian era; not only visually but on the storytelling itself. There are so many layers happening here. This film is a meditation on sex and death, modernity and spirituality, science and superstition. It’s set in the 19th century, at the dawn of the modern Western world; and as Europeans move towards technology and science, they drift away from folklore and pagan religions. It’s no coincidence that Orlok comes into Germany to terrorize a city, the ultimate symbol of civilization.

Our protagonist Ellen is a seer, a medium, an “enchantress” like Orlok calls her, and even Von Franz recognizes she could have been a “Priestess of Isis” had she been born in pagan times. Unfortunately for Ellen, she was born in the “wrong era” and she’s brutally medicalized for her gifts, being diagnosed as a “melancholic hysteric somnambulist” aka hyper-sexual depressive and suicidal. She’s able to see beyond the realm of the living, which causes her to summon and awake Orlok from his centuries old nap, at the beginning of the movie, and develop a psychosexual connection with him; which is, indeed, what separates this story from the other “Dracula” adaptations.

Count Orlok is the archetypal Death, here; which culminates with the “Death and the Maiden” motif at the end. This was a very popular Art History archetype around the so-called “Plague years” (14th to 16th century) in Europe, and it’s often connected with other motifs like “Danse Macabre” and “Memento Mori”. It has several meanings depending on the author intent, usually a reminder of our mortality, but also a meditation on sex and death, as in the French “la petite mort” (“little death”), the post-orgasm sensation, sexual release potentially causing temporary loss of consciousness (fainting) or dizziness. In the Medieval Ages, physicians believed orgasms could lead to death because they drained the “life force” from the body. This was when the term “petite mort” was created, and this belief persisted into the Renaissance and beyond. In “Nosferatu” this probably translates in the sexual pleasure that Orlok imprints on his victims as he drains their life force.

Thomas is a ambitious young man who marries Ellen, and he craves the status and the money his long-friend Friedrich Harding has. At Thomas’ side, Ellen “gifts” appear to have been blocked, and she’s able to lead a “normal life”. This caused her to developed a somewhat co-dependent relationship with him. And this makes me ask: does Ellen truly loves him or does she loves the idea of herself with him? Ellen profound need to feel loved also extends to her friendship with Anna, and she even thanks her for loving her. This is also a desire she expresses to Orlok, as she accuses him of being incapable of loving her (in the human sense), this being the reason for her resisting to succumb to his offer (Thomas loves her, he doesn’t).

Many interpretations have been brought forward about Ellen story (abuse, grooming, etc.), personally I disagree. I see it as a metaphorical story of depression (Ellen not only gets diagnosed with “melancholy”, the Victorian equivalent for “Depression”, but she also presents a lot of synonyms of Bordeline Personality Disorder), and how it can wreck havoc on the lives of those around us when the proper medical treatment is not available, and it culminates with Ellen joining Orlok/Death = committing suicide. Like Orlok himself, she can never be satiated with the world of the living, and finds fulfillment in death, and him as a “past lover” can be interpreted not only with suicidal ideation but actual attempts.

The influence of Grand Guignol theatre is also visible in some scenes, where horror and comedy are blended. Some scenes are indeed very theatrical and this seems intentional.

Personally, I didn’t find this film scary (as in terrifying). It’s macabre and eerie, for sure. Visually, it’s stunning. Amazing cinematography, very atmospheric and dream-like. Customs and sets are incredible. A feast for historians like myself. I was gushing over the medieval architecture of Orlok castle because of course I was. The attention to detail in this film is incredible. I absolutely loved Orlok character design as the “Renaissance plague carrier”.

[trrenchertrash]

The initial tag is mine. The issue is that episode 7 is not about Ekko “learning to trust” an “ideal version of Powder.” It’s about Ekko being reminded who she is. It’s about him realizing that Jinx is still the girl he loves/trusts/remembers from when they were kids. That’s why we’re seeing him bond with AU Powder and that’s why we don’t need to see him do it again with Jinx, because the point is that she’s the same person.

You’re right that it doesn’t develop Jinx, but again, it’s not supposed to. Episode 7 is about Ekko and the way he sees/feels about Jinx. Jinx has been developed all season long and doesn’t need that time the way that Ekko, who has been missing for an entire arc, needs it.

The biggest problem with this argument is that the show does in fact give us everything we need to know about Jinx and what gives her the hope she needs to move on. She tells Vi, “there’s no good version of me,” and then Ekko shows up and tells her, in not so many words, yes there is and I met her. Vi tells Jinx “maybe we can rewrite your story” without understanding that it’s too late for Jinx to go back. Her only way out is to move forward by leaving her past behind, which is exactly what Ekko and Powder talk about in e7 and what Ekko passes along to Jinx in that key moment. He says it’s never too late to build something new, and that he learned that from “someone worth building it for.” Then we see Jinx look at the Z Drive and see her little signature monkeys in there and THAT’S when she changes her mind. We’re supposed to understand that she understands what Ekko is saying to her here and that the reason she finds the strength to move forward is because Ekko is presenting her with proof that what she said to Vi isn’t true. She was wrong about herself, and that’s what changes her mind. We don’t need to see them talk it out in detail and honestly I’m glad we don’t because in this case I think less is more. I can’t imagine anything they could’ve written into Ekko’s mouth that would’ve been more powerful than what we got and I don’t see how anything more they could’ve written wouldn’t have come across fanfictiony and cheap.

It’s one thing to say you wish we got to see more or that you would’ve liked to see more, it’s another thing to criticize the show because it didn’t cater specifically to your desires. There’s no flaw in the storytelling here.

S2 skipping over Jinx and Ekko bonding, rallying zaunites together, and both realizing they can built a new future, motivating them to fight for Zaun is the equivalent of taking s1 ep9 or arcane, keeping it the exact same, except the dinner party scene happens off-screen and we just cut to Jinx blowing up the council.

[writingroom21]

Sweet Escape

Pairing: Rafe x single mom reader

Summary: Moving to Kildare with your best friend and daughter was the perfect move. The little island is perfect, the people are nice, and you are finally at peace. Then Rafe comes in with his perfect smile and charm, sweeping you off your feet. The only issue is if you are ready to let someone else in.

Warnings: Mentions of abuse (Theo to reader), Theo just being himself, let me know if I missed any.

Wc:4.5K

masterlist

Chapter 9: Birthday Surprise

“Fuck.” Rafe yells before sucking on his finger. You look up from the table setting the scissors down. “Are you okay?” He just nods before going back to trying his best to soothe his paper cut. The two of you are trying to be quiet as Vi takes her nap. You thought it would be a good time to wrap her birthday presents.

Which meant Rafe thought it was a great time to wrap his birthday presents. Let’s just say he went all out. A few weeks ago the three of you went to the main land to the mall. Of course Rafe had to take her to the toy store there. You practically had to fight the both of them to leave without those drivable kid cars.

You may have won that battle but Rafe sure as hell won the war. When you were at Tanny Hill yesterday you found the big box in his closet. He went back without you and got the damn car. Bet he’s  regretting it now as he heals his papercut. “Aren’t there people that do this shit for a living?” You shake your head at him as you finish your presents and go help him.

“Have I told you how much I love you and how amazing you are?” He sweet talks as you wrap his present. “I can’t believe you got her this.” You mumble, fighting back a smile so he doesn’t see. “Yeah, well imagine how cute she’s going to look. You can thank me then.” He’s right. Vi is going to love it and you are excited to see her reaction. 

“You know she’s been telling me about a dog.” Rafe cheekily says as you finish wrapping the gift. You dropped the bow you were picking up. “I swear if you get her a dog you’ll regret it.” He lets out a laugh and moves the gift away from you. “Oh yeah? What are you going to do?” There’s a hint of suggestion in his voice. A small smile creeps its way to your face as he crawls closer to you.

“Maybe I’ll teach you a lesson this time.” Rafe pauses mid way to you, his eyes flickering between yours. His head tilts to the side as he assesses you. “And how’d you do that?” He gets closer to you, sneaking between your legs. Slowly he presses kisses to the side of your neck, making his way up to your lips. Just as his lips are going to meet yours, you move your head away. Using your hands you push yourself up causing him to fall back.

“Where are you going?” You ignore him and pick up the presents. Carrying them, you make your way to the hall closet and hide them. Heavy footsteps follow you, stopping right behind you. When you turn around he looks at you like he’s ready to devour you. “That pretty boy is your lesson. Get her a dog and you can just kiss seeing me naked again goodbye.” 

He licks his lips as he looks down at you. “I mean how could I say no to kissing your naked body.” Shaking your head you push him further away. “I mean it, Rafe. I don’t want a dog in this house. June would probably have a heart attack.” The two of you know you are lying. June would love it since she’s an animal person. But a dog would be too much for you to deal with. 

Plus who would take care of it while you are at the shop and Jo is working. Granted Jo worked from home but she still had to look after June. It would just be too hectic in the house and you don’t know if that’s what you need. 

“I guess you have a point. Party pooper.” Just as he finished his sentence there was a voice calling you. “Mommy!” Vi yells as she wakes up from her little nap. Rafe doesn't bring up the dog conversation for the rest of the day which you are thankful for. But you did overhear Violet try to sweet talk her way into one. Man she’s good because you were ready to cave in.

Eventually she got tired and you put her to bed. Jo and Rafe set up the living room as June bossed them around. Tomorrow you have another court hearing. This time there’s going to be testomoney’s which makes you nervous. Jo’s parents flew out and are currently on their way over to the house. As they are one of the first to talk on your behalf. 

Diane told you that his parents are going to be his first witness’. The last time you saw them was at your parents funeral. They had cornered you after the service berating you for showing up. You remember going back home just to cry for the rest of the day. Sure your parents weren’t great but you loved them. All you wanted was for them to love you back or at least not care about themselves more than you. 

Seeing them again is going to be hard. 

“Rafe if you drop that vase I will ban you from this house.” The man stops dead in his tracks. His other hand finds the vase so he’s using both hands. He clears his throat as he nods his head. “Sorry Juney.” You giggle and help Jo pull out the mattress from the couch. As you put the finishing touches there’s a knock on the door. Jo practically sprints over just to almost tackle her parents.

Lillian is the first to break from the hug and run over to you. “Oh if it isn’t my other baby. How are you? How's my little girl?” She rattle off as he hugs you tight. A second pair of arms squeeze you both. “Hi sweetheart.” You laugh as they bombard you with questions. “I’m good and Vi’s sleeping. She’s going to be happy in the morning.”

They are going to answer until a voice cuts them off. “I gave birth to you and yet I’m ignored.” June fakes a sigh as Lillian and Benji go over to hug her. “Sorry mom. It’s just been weird without the girls. We’re happy to see you.”  They catch up a little bit as you go to find Rafe. He’s standing in the kitchen, staring down at the sink. 

“Hey you okay?” Rafe jumps a little at your words, turning to look at you. “What if they don’t like me?” His eyes are just barely looking over your shoulder as if he is scared of what could walk in. “Why would they hate you?” Walking closer you stop just short of him as he shakes his head. “I don’t know, maybe because I’m me. My own parents didn’t even like me.” His hands find his hair pulling at the strands. 

“They're your parents. What they think matters and I can’t lose the two of you. What happens when they hate me? I can’t put you through that.” You make your way to him and wrap your arms around his middle. “Jo and June love you, so does Vi. I love you Rafe.” The weight of his arms rest on your shoulders as he squeezes you back. “They’ll love you and want to know how I know that.” He pulls away to look down at you. “You are one of the best people I’ve ever met. You loved Vi from the start and that alone will make them like you.” 

Footsteps start to echo in the hallway and you know they’ll come in here soon. “Plus Benji is a space nerd just like you. That gives you at least some brownie points.” Rafe laughs at the joke as they enter the room. “Jesus Jo you said he was attractive but that doesn’t even cover it.” Lillian gawks as she walks into the kitchen. Rafe pulls away from you to greet her and Benji. He had poured glasses of water for them, which he offered with a shy smile.

It was weird seeing Rafe being awkward around someone. Which didn’t last long as Lillian and Benji asked him a bunch of questions. By the time they are done it’s time for bed. “I’m telling you the Celestron NexStar is the best one.” Benji tells Rafe. “I’ll have to look into it. Have a goodnight.” Rafe shakes his hand and gives Lillian a hug.

As the two of you settle into bed you smile. “Think it went well?” you ask him, hoping his nerves have calmed. “Good I think. I really like them.” You turn to your side and rest your head on his chest. “They like you too. I could tell.” Snuggling in closer your eyes start to drift. “Really?” Rafe’s voice is quiet but you still heard it. Nodding your head you answer him before sleep takes you.

✦✦✦✦✦

“All rise for Judge Argent.” Everyone stands up as the judge walks in and sits down. “You may all be seated. Welcome back everyone. I have reviewed the evidence brought forth and viewed the witness list. Mrs. Simmons, are you ready to call up your first witness.” Diane sends you a smile as she stands up. “Yes, your honor. The defense would like to call Lillian Bridely to the stand.”

Lillian is escorted by an officer to the stand and made to swear to tell the truth. As her hand leaves the bible her eyes meet yours and you feel at peace. All the nerves from the day just disappeared. “Mrs. Bridely.” DIane starts but it cuts off. “Please call me Lillian. Mrs. Bridely makes me seem too old.” The courtroom chuckles at her attempt to lighten the mood. 

“Well Lillian, can you tell the court how you know the defendant?” Diane is standing in the middle of the room, blocking you a bit from her. “The defendant has been my daughter's best friend since elementary school. She spent a lot of time at our house. Then after she was kicked out she lived with us.” Diane nods as Lillian finishes her statement. She walks a little to the side and then asks her next question. 

“When you said she was kicked out, was that by her parents” Lillian nods her head and answers yes. “After they found out she was pregnant they said some awful things and told her to leave. Jo had brought her to the house right after and she stayed there until moving here.” Theo lawyer looks like he’s about to say something but he doesn’t. “What was the reaction to her pregnancy?” 

Lillian takes a deep breath. “She told my daughter Jo first. Which then meant we were told because our daughter has a big mouth. When my husband Benji and I talked to her she seemed scared.” Theo lawyer stands up. “Objection, this is speculation on how the defendant felt.” Judge Argent raises a hand ordering him to sit back down. “Mrs. Simmons please proceed and I advise you to be precise with your wording.” Diane shoots a look at the other lawyer before proceeding. “Lillian, describe how you thought she was scared.”

“She told us. She said she was scared of how her parents and Theo would react.” Lillian looks at you and it feels like you are back to that moment. The worry in her eyes are the same as they were years ago. “Why was that?” Diane asks. “May her parents rest in peace but they were obsessed with their image. The only reason why Theo and her were together was because their parents wanted it. I would sometimes overhear them berating her. Saying that she was a…”

Lillian clears her throat, swallowing the lump that's forming. “A what?” Diane encourages her to finish. “A mistake and failure. They were ashamed that she would get pregnant. They told her it was a good thing Theo left since now she couldn’t ruin his life.” Diane and everyone looks over at Theo. He looks pissed as Lillian stares down at him. Next to him Delia looks between them as if trying to assess the situation. 

“You say Mr. Wixx left. Can you describe what you mean?” Lillian looks at Diane. “She had him come to our house and told him there. My husband, Jo and I stayed in the kitchen and they talked in the living room. After she told him, he started screaming. Saying that it was going to ruin his life. That he never wanted to be a dad, especially not a kid with her.” Theo’s lawyer whips his head to look at his client. 

“Is this the first time you witnessed Mr. Wixx raise his voice?” The question almost made her laugh. “No, he had a habit of finding things to be mad about. I witnessed him yell at her during their senior prom. All over the flower of his boutonniere. Called her and I apologize for my language ‘a stupid dumb bitch who can’t do anything right’. Then proceeded to yell at her for crying.” 

“You remember those exact words?” Tears start to form in your eyes at the memory. If you are being honest it was buried along with so many others. That night he convinced everyone you would be staying at a hotel for the weekend. But in reality it was just so no one could see the bruises he left on your body after. “Yes. It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard him say things. I kept a log of what I heard.”

Diane nods and goes to the table to grab a paper. She sends you a wink. “I would like to bring evidence 1A to the stand.” The judge looks over the document as Mr. Campbell scrambles to read it. “This is a large list Lillian.” Diane casually mentions. “I’ve seen a lot.” Lillian adds. “Can you tell me what you witnessed on March 17th?” You scrunch your nose not knowing what they are talking about. “I was asleep and woke up to pounding on the door. When I opened it she came rushing in only for me to see Theo hot on her trails. Benji stopped him and told him to leave as I talked to her.”

You are confused about what she’s talking about. You can kind of remember being with him that day but not going to their house. “She had a black eye and cuts along her hair line. I asked her questions but she wasn’t making any sense. We took her to the hospital and found that it was a concussion. The following week I checked up on her and she didn’t even remember that day. The whole day was just gone.” You tune out what she says after that. 

How many memories do you not have because of him? Was it really that bad? You’re so stuck in your head that you didn’t realize that Theo’s lawyer already cross examined her. Benji sits on the stand answering some of Diane’s questions. It looks like Diane is finishing up as he ends his last statement. “Thank you. That’s all your honor.” Mr. Campbell stands up fixing his suit. “Mr. Bridely can you tell me about your relationship with the defendant.” He stands tall trying to make himself look taller. “My daughter's best friend but she’s family.”

“Would it be safe to say that you feel over protective about the defendant?” Benji goes to roll his eyes but stops. “Yes, any father would be over protective.” “But you aren’t her father are you?” Benji’s left eye does the little twitch it does when he’s upset. “Maybe not biologically but in my heart that’s my daughter. I’ve watched her grow up with mine and I’m grateful we were able to be in her life.” Mr. Campbell looks irritated at the answer but moves on.

“Have you ever witnessed Mr. Wixx put his hands on the defendant?” Benji takes in a breath. “No, I have never witnessed him lay a hand on her.” Campbell interrupts him. “Thank you Mr. Bridely.” “But I have witnessed him verbally assault her. I have seen the bruises that were left behind after she’s been with him. I witnessed how a child that was so bright lost the light in her eyes at the hands of the plaintiff.” Campbell interrupts him again. “Thank you Mr. Bridely. I have no further questions.”

Judge argent watches as Campbell walks back to his table slamming his papers down. “You are dismissed.” Benji walks off the stand and sits next to his wife. “I will go over the statements given today. We will be here at the same time in two weeks. Have a great rest of your day.” The officer to the side of the judge argent steps forward. “All rise.” With that Argent leaves and court is over.

You thank Diane and meet everyone out front. You hug Lillian and Benji thanking them. “Stop thanking us. You should know by now that we will always help you.” Rafe wraps an arm around your shoulder pulling you closer to him. Then a throat clears behind you. Theo is standing there with Delia besides him holding a gift. “I just wanted to give you Violet’s birthday present.” Delia hands the gift to you but you can’t help to notice Theo’s tone. He isn’t happy and he’s showing it. Delia forces a smile at you which you return. Then you do something really stupid.

“Actually here, you can give it to her at the birthday party. I can text you the details.” Rafe tenses beside you and you can feel everyone's eyes on you. “Really?” Delia asks, her eyes are shining and you kind of feel bad. Sure she’s with Theo and seems like a bit much. But she does seem nice based on how she acts with others. She’s still dumb for practically kidnapping Vi but you can’t help but to feel for her. 

“You don’t have to pretend Prim.” Theo’s eyes narrow at you. “I’m not. This is me giving you an olive branch.” You hold his stare and it feels like you’re communicating. He knows this is a move on your end. He just doesn’t know how he should plan his next move. “We’ll be there.” He takes Delia’s hand and walks away leaving you in awkwardness.

The whole ride home they kept asking you how you could invite him over. “Diane said we need to play along.” You try to argue but no one listens to you. “That doesn’t mean that you had to invite him.” After a long time of explaining yourself they got the hint. “If I do this then it looks like I’m trying. He’ll eventually fall apart and this will all be over.” They finally dropped it and agreed it would be a good idea. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out a lot of things. You had picked up the cake only to drop it in the driveway. Lillian and Benji ran to the closest bakery to find something to use. Then the decorations weren’t enough so Jo had to run to the story to get more. It seemed like the day was just going wrong. But Vi was having a blast helping put things up so at least she was having fun.

It was stressful getting everything ready but it was finally done. Just in time for people to start to show up.

You had invited some of the kids from the neighborhood. Rafe got a bouncy house so you knew they would enjoy it. Plus you have been doing playdates with some of the other moms. Which is nice because now you feel like you have mom friends who can give you tips. The kids run from outside to inside the house chasing each other around. You found a tik tok about potion making and since it's Halloween month you thought it was perfect. 

There’s an area in the living room where some of the younger kids are making potions. Vi is laughing as she pours glitter everywhere and you know you’ll regret it later. There was a knock on the door and you opened it to see some of Rafe’s friends. “Hey sorry we’re late. Kelce forgot a card and needed to get one.” Topper explains as he hugs you. “Dude I already told you, a gift needs a card. Hey good to see you.” Kelce greets.

They enter the house so you go to close the door but see Theo and Delia. They make their way in saying hi and you show them where they can leave the present. “Everything looks great.” Delia compliments. “Thanks took a while to set up. Just happy it turned out alright.” They go off and mingle as you try to make sure everything is good. 

Two hours tick by and you decide it's probably time for cake. Everyone has already eaten so dessert might be a good idea. Lillian brings out the replacement cake. Everyone sings happy birthday to a squealing Vi. You help her blow out her candles because she’s still trying to eat cake right away. Don’t think she grasps the concept of blowing them out fully. “Alright mom, time for a family photo.” Jo exclaims as she pulls out her phone. 

You bend down next to her but before Jo can take the photo, Vi shocks you all. “Daddy, come!” She yells as she waves at Rafe. The whole room becomes silent as you all watch Rafe. There’s a moment of panic then it's whipped away from his face. He smiles as he walks over and kneels on the other side of Vi. “I’m here sweet girl.” He whispers to her. “Okay, say cheese.” You all look at Jo and repeat the word.

She takes a few photos of the three of you. Then Rafe takes some of you, Vi, Jo, June, Lillian, and Benji. You forced Sarah and Wheezie into some photos as well but they didn’t seem to complain. Once photos were out of the way, the cake was cut and distributed. Kids now we're crashing from all the food and sugar so the party was coming to an end. The only people still left were all adults.

Rafe helps Vi open presents as the rest of you sit and watch. She was so excited when she saw the toy car that the rest of the gifts were almost abandoned. Her favorite part was having the chance to throw the wrapping everywhere because she could make a mess. Plus she got a lot of cool new toys that she was really excited about. You were cleaning up the mess that was left behind as Benji tries to set up the car.

“Okay so I have another gift that I want to give Vi.” Rafe starts to talk as Jo exits the room. Everyone turns to look at him but he’s only looking at you. “I know we already talked about it but I’m weak and caved.” Your ears perk up at his wording and you glare at him. “Rafe you did not.” He smiles at you and shrugs his shoulders. You stand up, dropping the wrapping paper in your hands. “What did he do?” Wheezie asks.

“She keeps begging me for it and I couldn’t say no. Plus she’s going to be staying at my house. So see, problem solved.” Just as he finishes his sentence Jo walks in with the cutest English bulldog. It looks like a puppy since it’s still so small. When you look at Vi her eyes light up as she jumps up from her seat. She runs over to the dog waiting patiently as Jo puts it down. You walk over as the puppy sniffs her hand and licks it causing her to laugh.

“What do you think baby?” You ask as you pet the new addition. Vi smiles bigly and hugs the puppy. “I love dog.”  She exclaims happily. You shoot Rafe a look but really you can’t be mad. She looks so happy. “It better be staying at yours.” You say as you move the dog to your lap. “She is. I have everything set up already. She just needs a name.” “Peach.” Vi says. As if the puppy knew she let out a little bark. “Alright, peach it is.”

Rafe tells you how he went to the shelter and found her in one of the cages. Peach is just eight months old, practically a baby. The more you find out the more you fall in love. When she falls asleep she lets out these cute little snores. It only makes her look cuter. The excitement of a dog was the signal that said the party was over. Everyone was grabbing their things and saying goodbye.

Theo and Delia were one of the last to leave. There’s a sort of energy around THeo as he stands by the door. You can see that Delia is talking to him but he’s not listening. He is too busy staring at you and Rafe pretending to be a family with Vi. It pisses him off that for a while he’s been trying to get Violet to call him dad and she wont. Just for her to call a random man daddy in front of so many people. It’s embarrassing and now he knows why you invited him.

You make your way over to them to see them out. “Thank you again for coming. Have a safe drive back.” You offer as you open the door. Theo stares down at you in disgust. “Are you happy now that you’ve made a fool of me? You are just so insufferable that you had to take jabs at me at our daughter's birthday.” Delia’s eyes widen a bit and she gives him a look as if to say stop talking. “I can’t wait for you to realize that he’ll leave you too. Enjoy your make believe world while you can.” 

Delia and you watch as he walks down the driveway. You stand there shocked at his stupidity. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why he’s been upset recently.” You tell her it’s okay. In reality it is okay because he’s wrong. Rafe isn’t going to leave you because he’s different.Theo can try all he wants but he’s not going to get in your head and make you doubt Rafe. 

“Don’t apologize for him. He’s not sorry but it’s okay.” She looks at you for a moment and just nods. “It really was a great party. Thank you again for inviting us.” She follows after her fiance leaving you to watch from the doorway. It’s weird to think that you were in her shoes just a few years ago. That even with your warning she is still standing with him. Then you think about how you never once asked for help. Every time he did something you kept quiet out of fear. But that fear isn’t going to stop you now. 

You close the door blocking them from your view. Making a promise to yourself that no matter what Theo throws at you, he will not get your daughter.

Taglist: @haruvalentine4321 @namelesslosers @ijustwanttoreadlols @drewsphswife @corpsebridenightamare @actorslover @juniperbaies @fionaswifeyy @dark1paradise @stoned-writer @notafairyteen @theoraekenslover @rafedaddy01 @rrafeswhore@10ava01 @selfcontollover07 @akobx let me know if you want to be added

[july-19th-club]

everybody in the goodreads one-stars dislikes outlander because it's got too much rape and dubcon in it, which is fair and is in fact what turned me off of the show in college. but many of them dont like the sex in this book in a puritanical way and they're WRONG it's not bad because it's sex! it's not even necessarily bad because it's sexualized violence. it's bad because it's poorly contextualized, not justified by the text enough to bear as much repetition as it gets, and neither fits nor deconstructs the genre it's trying to play around with.

like, the marriage/sex/punishment-by-force fantasy is clearly a fetish of gabaldon's, so the book bends over backwards to present opportunities for it whether they make story sense or not, and in so doing gives readers a skewed understanding of the period and location it's simultaneously attempting to do historical fiction in. WHICH WOULD BE FINE IF: this was georgette heyer we were talking about, por ejemplo, and the whole scene was established as the kind of pseudo-history fantasy realm such fetishes often take place in. after all, there's a particular brand of time-tested romance fiction where the whole conceit is a fluttery but undeniable "but you don't understand - i had no other choice!" which allows our heroine the chance to indulge sexually without being considered a slut (see dan lavery's piece on this subject). which i think is what gabaldon's trying to do with the plot contortions that require claire to get married, and then REQUIRE their marriage to be consummated With Witnesses, and then REQUIRE him to beat her in order to maintain standing...etc, etc, etc. a good british woman doesn't want to commit adultery, a good british woman doesn't like it rough, a good british woman doesn't get off on humiliation, etc. which, described that way, almost talks me back into the whole idea.

except the description i just gave is not how it reads in the book. in the book there's no indication that she's performing mental gymnastics to get past her hangups, or that there's some underlying Understanding between characters, author, and reader. it reads like she's married a budding young abuser who claims 'this is normal here' to get what he wants. WHICH brings us to the whole 'savage man-beast...but i WANT him...but he's so violent! but i can TAME him' trope. it's only this side of racist here because the scottish people in this book are white. this man can't be expected to have respectful attitudes, those are modern. and he's from a strong, manly culture! and there's no use looking around for some other kind of guy, because everybody's like that here, and that's history, man. there's a scene in this book where her tarzan in tartan believes that all sex is doggie style and is shocked to learn it isn't. this scene made it into the show.

what im trying to say is. she's both trying to write serious hist fic AND trying to have the protagonist get raped every other page so as to justify the amount of sex in the book. like...i feel insane saying she's doing it wrong when i read carey with gusto, but again, there we are in the 'context' issue. carey's context is that the protagonist is a) a professional sex worker and b) a confirmed masochist, so it's no shock to the reader when she goes to have sex with a patron and he lays into her with a flail. people who don't want BDSM aren't going to be reading Jacqueline Carey. she even has goddamn safewords, for chrissake. and while it absolutely can be argued that the absence of a declared scene in-text IS part of the fantasy for some readers - and must be for at least a few of the outlander fanbase, since people think these books are sexy - there's just too much failure to commit. either claire is into it or she's not, either this is a wish fulfillment kink book or it's hist fic. a better writer might be able to thread that needle in such a way as to keep it both sexy and consistent, but gabaldon's not that writer. her fetishes come off uncomfortably; her details are sometimes wrong enough that even not very historically minded readers point them out and find themselves jarred out of the story.

and...worst of all? she's not at all interested in the time travel aspect of her book, which may not seem like the worst sin here, but let me go out by tying this into its origins. she based the books on doctor who, a show about travel through time and space. rarely do her 1740s characters make it to the 1940s, where the story starts - she doesn't care about the nineteen forties, or later the sixties, after the time skip. they are where stodgy frank is from. they are where claire is exiled after she's torn away from her highland lover! she doesn't care about this timeline except insofar as they constitute a Modern place (but not too modern!) to act as a bland counterweight to the pull of those glorious days of old. the interplay of timelines is never really about culture shock or culture sharing, never really about what it would be like to survive culloden and then find out about the nineteen sixties. not in a funny, lighthearted way; not in a serious, all-implications-delved-into way. in diana gabaldon's time travel, the twentieth century is only there to get away from, to leave for some imagined romantic past where men are real men, women are real women, and small furry creatures from alpha centauri - except, wait. we don't know, do we, if the small furry creatures from alpha centauri are real small furry creatures from alpha centauri. in diana gabaldon's story, the scottish guy doesn't even go anywhere near alpha centaurai. truly there's no fixing this one.

[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

It's been, like, a decade since the story has completely ended (... I don't acknowledge that spin off with the kids or the weird novels), but I still don't understand what people mean when they say Sasuke has a lot to apologize/repent for. What exactly does he have to apologize for? The only thing he ever did wrong was attack Karin to get to Danzo, and he already apologized to her for that. His desire for vengeance was completely selfless and motivated by love and respect for his clan. He didn't attack innocents. He didn't involve anyone else in his problems. Yet, so many fans love how Shikamaru got revenge on Hidan when, to me, it just emphasizes how selfless and justified Sasuke is in contrast. Shikamaru wants to avenge Asuma who died fairly in battle on a mission because he wasn't strong enough. He even tells Tsunade he would leave the village regardless of if she allowed it or not. He involved Ino and Chouji, rushed in without knowledge of Kakuzu, and almost got them killed immediately. And Asuma is just a teacher! not even a fmily or clan member! They all would've died if it weren't for Kakashi being there to help them. Whereas Sasuke takes on his burden alone.

And for all that the fandom likes to critique Kishimoto on his writing choices, he's not a horrible writer. This sequence is purposeful. Shikamaru was the one who led the Sasuke retrieval mission. And shortly after Hidan's death, Sasuke kills Itachi. It was a well-structured sequence showing the validity of Sasuke's motivations compared to Shikamaru's whose motives weren't as justified in comparison, despite the validity of his feelings.

So, it's not that no one in the story can understand Sasuke--they can! All the characters just want to project things onto Sasuke. Naruto wants Sasuke to be a surrogate/prerequisite for the village to validate his sense of self and carry the burden of Naruto's loneliness. Sakura wants him to return her empty "love." Kakashi wants to right his wrongs vicariously through Sasuke and making him return Sakura's affection like he wished he could have for Rin, be a present friend for Naruto like he wishes he could have for Obito, not seek revenge because Kakashi is a mediator meant to to maintain the status quo in the village (a guard dog/"Hound" lol). Itachi wants Sasuke to be a blank slate anyone can impress whatever upon: he wants Sasuke to value the village over their clan and family (which itself is incomprehensible with the feudal structure the setting is based on). The village, and Naruto once he becomes Hokage, wants Sasuke to be a tool to use for the village's benefit. Maybe the only thing Sasuke has to apologize for is being a the protagonist of a revenge-based seinen but forced to be the deuteragonist in a battle shounen 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Dear anon, thank you for this gem. I don't know what else to add, because this is so perfect on its own.

For the record, I dislike Shikamaru, but I think he was right to want to avenge his sensei and go after Hidan. What is totally enraging is that he gets sympathy and assistance for doing all the things that Sasuke is trashed for. He is hateful and vengeful, and nobody tells him to just let go and not get consumed by revenge. He risks his friend's lives and gets zero reproaches, while Sasuke gets emotionally blackmailed by Naruto for all the kids that risked his life trying to forcefully bring him back, even when Sasuke had zero control over that. Kakashi goes far and beyond to help him, when he had tied Sasuke to a tree to lecture him about revenge. There is just so much hypocrisy that it hurts.

I am tired of reading all the ridiculously absurd "wrongs" that Sasuke supposedly did. This is a freaking show about murderer ninjas, but nobody seems to have a body count except for Sasuke. Which gets inflated to ridiculous levels, because Sasuke is apparently to blame not only for the crimes he committed, but also for the ones he imagined. He has no right to be angry and upset, he has no right to fight for his justice, because, in a world where the end justify the means and shinobi are meant to behave as tools that sacrifice everything for a mission, Sasuke is the only ninja that is demanded to find his way without even scratching a fly.

Sasuke has nothing to apologise for. He is the one being owned serious apologies and reparations. From everyone. From Sakura, for sexually harassing and trying to murder him. From Kakashi, for being the shittiest and most biased sensei, for being a hypocrite hokage that never attempted to make justice and for never prosecuting the surviving instigators of the Uchiha massacre. And from Naruto, for glorifying Hiruzen and for the same reasons as hokage Kakashi, because he too swept everything under the rug and never even tried to make justice.

Sasuke did nothing wrong. He grew just too magnificent for an antagonist, and they had to murder his character and his soul to make main character shine in his dumbness.

[hannahbarberra162]

Under the Microscope, Chapter 11 (Yandere Sabo x Reader)

on Ao3 | The other chapters

Note: I’m keeping Iva’s pronouns the same by chapter for ease of reading.  Also pls, this isn’t realistic science. I barely know what an atom is.

Huge thank you to TDESMC and @gouraminnow <3 <3 <3

Thank you to @kitsunechan707 for hyping me up :3

~

Sunny POV

While the first few days had been rough on your body, the next ones were rough on your spirit. It was difficult to be near Sabo one on one again without Ace as a social buffer. Ace was catching up to the ship and you’d see him soon which couldn’t come fast enough for you. Sabo was behaving like he did when you first met and it left you bewildered and unsure of what to do. You used your anger to ground yourself with the bangle on your wrist reminding you daily of his betrayal of your trust.

You had prepared yourself to face Sabo's wrath or ire but it hadn’t surfaced since his discovery of your misdeed. If anything, Sabo was more amiable and attentive than ever before. He hadn’t asked you for any more kisses or physical affection, though he did leave lingering touches on your skin as often as he was able. You were happy for the reprieve after the kiss he’d made you give him but you were walking on eggshells. The look in his eyes showed you that his intensity hadn’t faded when you continually caught his ever-present stares as you went about your days on the ship.

After the effects of the medicine wore off, Sabo took you on a tour of the ship and introduced you to the RA crew. The ship was bigger than the last though there were only about twenty people aboard, though Koala wasn’t among them. Sabo mentioned she was his closest friend but your only connection to her was her suggestion that Sabo should have killed you. You weren’t so sure you’d want to meet her once you got to the RA base.

Sabo showed you the simple ship with his tour ending at the galley just as breakfast was being served.. You hadn’t seen so many new people since you’d joined your first unit in the Marines and you hadn’t liked the crowds then either. Not only that but Emporio Ivankov was at the back of the galley and she intimidated you beyond compare. Sabo’s hand drifted to the small of your back and pushed you forward as you two began moving toward the back of the galley. Iva’s larger than life personality made her bold and loud as she spoke to people around her. When you and Sabo approached her table you were greeted with a heavy once over that made you step back in an effort to shrink away from her harsh examination. Sabo’s hand on your lower back stymied your attempt to cringe away.

“Now, who is this little lady, Sabo boy? A new lover, perhaps?” Your face flamed as Sabo laughed and walked up to Iva, kissing her on the cheeks. He returned to your side before wrapping his arm around you and leaving his hand on your waist.

“This is Sunny, she was the lead scientist on project Seraphim, although she didn’t know it at the time. She’s also the one who made Ace’s fruit and gave him his powers back,” Sabo explained. You stiffened when Sabo didn’t correct Iva’s assumption about the two of you being lovers, but decided that correction could wait for a different time.

“I-I’m sorry for being so nervous, I’m a huge fan of your work,” you forced out of your throat. Along with Trafalgar Law, Emporio Ivankov published the most interesting scientific articles. Her article about pancreatic insulin deficiencies and the means to solve them was truly groundbreaking. She’d saved thousands of kids’ lives just by publishing the article for the Marines to copy the formula for insulin. You idly wondered if she had any copies on board that she could autograph for you.

“Oh! Which of my shows have you seen?” she said with a wink. Sabo moved to stand slightly in front of you but you were unsure why, a simple wink couldn’t possibly be dangerous.

“Um, no, not the shows. I read all your articles, you’re one of my idols. Your paper about ACTH was part of the reason I became interested in lineage factors to begin with,” you said, trying not to gush too much to your hero.

“Oh ho, that old thing? I can’t show you what I’m working on now, it’s confidential…but I’d love to show you what I’m researching, interesting stuff. You have quite the resume yourself, making a Mera Mera from scratch on a deserted island. Smart girl you got there, Sabo boy. Try not to blow it,” Iva said in dismissal before sauntering off to the deck. You stared after her starry-eyed as she passed through the assorted crew gathered.

“Iva too? Do you know all pirates except Ace and I?” Sabo asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin. You knit your brows in confusion.

“What? No, she’s incredible - most people only know her for her work with sex characteristic hormones - which is beyond compare of course -  but hormones are much more complex than that. She’s revolutionized so many fields of endocrinology, she’s like the Vegapunk of the human body. And, ah, of course, the shows and piracy and all that,” you added at the end in case she could still hear you. You hoped she would stay true to her word and let you see what she was working on. It would be a true honor to be in the presence of Iva and an even bigger honor to see her unpublished research. 

After your introduction to Iva, there were still a lot of other crew to meet in the galley of the ship as Sabo wheeled you around to make introductions. Sabo walked you around the room, introducing you to the assorted RA crew that comprised the ship. You mumbled the appropriate polite words but you couldn’t help the familiar anxiety that rose as you met more and more people. The only reason that you weren’t chewing on your fingernails was because Sabo kept his hand entwined in yours. You didn’t like meeting new people, especially so many at once. You tried your best to remember all their names but they swam in your head after the first five or so. They kept asking the same questions over and over, who you were, where you were from, and how you knew Sabo. Fortunately for you, Sabo took the lead socially and answered most of the questions which left you to answer with only a few words when you needed to. 

It was interesting observing Sabo in this new setting among people he knew well. He greeted everyone with smiles and kisses to the cheeks, side and front hugs, and even a few strong slaps to the back. His grip on you remained but it matched some of the other holds you saw among the RA soldiers, friends holding each other around their waists. They were all an affectionate bunch, so maybe Sabo was acclimating you to their culture with his repeated touches. The RA soldiers greeted you with sharp smiles, like they were pleased to see you but only as long as Sabo was there to vouch for you. 

“Sabo! Your sleeping beauty finally woke up, huh?” someone named Bobby (or maybe Robby?) said with a chuckle while elbowing Sabo. Sabo smiled and patted your arm that was linked in his own with his gloved hand. 

“Something like that. Sunny is very sensitive to seasickness, but outside of rough waters, she’ll be alright. So you’ll see more of her around the ship. Right, Sunny?”

“Y-yeah,” you stammered, and as if on cue, the ship started rocking heavily from side to side. Sabo steadied you once more by wrapping his other arm around you. You were drained socially and emotionally and you wanted to curl back up in your bed and sleep this exhaustion away.

“Hey, you’re pale. Are you alright? Let’s go back to the cabin, you need to lay down,” Sabo said, putting the back of his gloved hand against your cheek. You nodded your agreement, for once thankful that the ocean had upset your stomach and finally ended your social outing.

Sabo POV

Sabo tucked Sunny back into bed after placing a bucket by her side. He reached out his hand to pat her hair as she groaned and closed her eyes but pulled his hand back at the last second. He’d resumed touching you more casually but he didn’t want to overdo it, especially when you weren’t feeling well. He would gradually worm his way back to where he wanted to be in your heart, he knew it for a fact. You had liked him before and you would like him again, he simply had to be patient as he rebuilt the trust. 

Sabo had barely walked two feet outside of his cabin after taking his leave of you before Iva interrupted his thoughts.

“So that’s the new fiance eh, Sabo-boy? I couldn’t stay away from the melodrama of it all -I simply had to come on this trip and see the new love interest. And you finally resurfaced after she woke up,” Iva teased, beckoning Sabo to follow her.

“Not exactly,” Sabo grumbled as he walked in tandem with his close friend. He trusted Iva to keep his confidence even as it applied to you. Who better to talk to about the trials and tribulations of love?

“Hmm, she won’t get over the whole kidnapping thing….but she’ll get over you taking her from the Marines. She’s a pretty little thing, I know what you see in her,” Iva said, opening the door to her cabin.

“Oh?”

“Yourself!” Iva said with a barking laugh. Sabo exhaled through his nose and stretched his neck with a grimace. He wasn’t in the mood for teasing even if it was playful ribbing. 

“She’s really got her hooks in you, Sabo-boy! I’ve never seen you so dour before, the Grand Line’s most eligible bachelor reduced to tears in my dressing room. What’s the matter?” Iva said, as she guided Sabo to the couches. Even though Sabo outranked Iva, she had the best rooms on the ship. They included a bedroom and a salon from which she would conduct her business. It was a pleasant place to discuss matters of the heart, thought Sabo.

“Ah, just some setbacks, Sunny doesn’t like me very much right now. She really is brilliant -” Sabo began, trying to get Iva to see the benefit of having Sunny in the RA. Though Dragon was the Chief of Staff, it was well known that people didn’t last long if they didn’t have Iva’s approval.

“I know, I’ve been watching her career for a few years now. I don’t have the time to read but I read her articles. But that’s not the problem, is it?” Iva asked, pouring herself and Sabo some tea from a teapot. Sabo picked up his teacup, noting that his fingers were stiff. He’d have to look into that later after he’d taken care of Sunny.

“She’s wonderful but after she made that Mera Mera I had to put her in seastone. I couldn’t risk her doing something else foolish enough to risk our lives. Besides, I told her not to try to escape and she did so I had to punish her…” Sabo lamented, trailing off as he got lost in his thoughts.

“Ooh, you know I appreciate a good kink. Now, what are you going to do about it? I know what to do about it,” Iva declared as Sabo scoffed. “I’ll put in a good word or two for you. Send her my way,” Iva said, patting his thigh.

“Thank you, Iva, I appreciate it,” Sabo said, still sulking while sipping his tea.

“She’ll come around. Who could stay away from this sweet face?” she cooed while pinching and pulling Sabo’s cheek. 

A few hours later, Sabo went to check on you to see how you were faring. The sight of you dozing in the bed reminded him of the first voyage the two of you had taken together. He couldn’t resist running his hand along your exposed lower back where your shirt had ridden up as you slept on your stomach. If he had it his way, he’d be sinking into you right now, keeping you satisfied on his cock morning, noon, and night. You groaned from his light touch so Sabo prepared a cup of water for you when you eventually woke. He knew the vomiting was hard on you - he had pondered inviting Law to the RA to take a look at your insides and make sure everything was okay. But the way you talked about Law made Sabo want to sink Law’s stupid submarine before he even got to the RA. It was something he’d think over depending on how you fared.

“Mmnmmh,” you groaned, turning your head over to the other side. 

“Any better?” Sabo asked, placing his hand on your back while slightly heating you up. He felt along your spine for knots or tight muscles that may have been causing you pain, his fingers gently pushing and kneading. He sat next to you on the bed to get a better angle for massaging you.

“Mmhmph,” you repeated. Sabo removed his hand, interpreting the message to mean that you wanted to be left alone. 

“Feels good, keep going,” you muttered into the pillow with your hair obscuring some of your face. Sabo replaced his hand and joined it with the other to continue slowly kneading your back. He was surprised you welcomed his touch but then again, you’d always been more agreeable when you were ill. 

“ ‘S Sabo, right?” you said a few minutes later, Sabo still working on your back. When you were more open to his suggestions, he was going to offer you regular massages. Not only did he enjoy touching you but your back held immense amounts of stress. The knots on your back felt like ball bearings with how tight they were. He worked them under his fingers, using his claw technique for good to rub your sensitive back.

“Mmh,” Sabo hummed in response. It was quiet for a few minutes longer until you rolled over and sat up in the bed, suddenly ending the impromptu massage session. 

“Thank you, that felt nice,” you said in a hesitating voice. Sabo decided not to mention anything because it would only cause you to retreat further. He was surprised you allowed the contact at all, much less asked him to continue.

“You’re welcome, your back’s very tight. I’d be happy to help if you’d like. By the way, I spoke to Iva. She extended a formal invitation to you to come visit her lab if you’re interested -”

“ If I’m interested?! What did you say? What did you tell her?!” you asked, rising to your knees on the bed, your shyness forgotten at the mention of your idol wanting to share work with you. Sabo smiled at your antics but found himself amused that you were so easy to manipulate with a simple invitation.

“That I would talk to you about it. It’s not my place to say yes or no,” Sabo said, planting his hands in his lap. You studied his face and nodded in agreement with his plan.

“Well, I would absolutely love to when we get to - er, wherever we’re going,” you replied with sincerity. Sabo cupped your cheek, you really were cute. “And did I miss Ace? I want to see him before he goes off to Wano,” you asked, glancing out the window and dislodging his hand. Sabo snorted - as if Ace would leave without saying goodbye. Ace had already double checked that the vivre papers Sabo had made worked while you were passed out. 

“No, he should be coming up from the south very shortly if he isn’t close already,” Sabo said, thinking about the coordinates Ace had last shared. The route he would have to take was coming up but there should be plenty of time for one last rendezvous. 

“Marine ship inbound from the south! Admiral level threat! All hands on deck!” came a loud voice over the snail intercom. You looked at Sabo in alarm, naturally seeking him out for guidance and comfort in uncertain times. He would have praised your trust in him if there wasn’t an admiral coming to capture you.

“Sunny, I need you to stay in the cabin,” Sabo said while gripping your upper arms in his hands.

Sunny POV

You recognized the large fleet ship because you had been on it twice to present your last research to Admiral Sakazuki himself. The ship was a monstrosity, with it being the largest and most powerful of all vessels in the current naval fleet. It could hold thousands of Marine troops if it was filled to capacity. It was swiftly catching up with the RA one you were on, outpacing it easily with its massive sails and engine.

Sabo had locked you in his cabin after asking you to remain inside. It was one order you didn’t mind following - you didn’t know how to fight and would be a hindrance to either side. 

Seeing the ship from afar gave you a small glimmer of hope that perhaps they’d come to save you, though the cannons pointing your way made you think it was happenstance. You hoped the RA ship could make some kind of miraculous getaway after you’d been recovered. Code stated that the Marines would board the ship and then take everyone prisoner after they’d won the skirmish. It would be obvious that you weren’t there by choice when they discovered you locked in a cabin. You’d clear your name, get back to your lab, get back to work, and…

Your thoughts trailed off as you listened to the sound of stomping feet above and below your cabin preparing the ship for battle. You didn’t want to be Sabo’s little pet for the rest of your life but you also didn’t want the people you met to be sent to Impel Down. You hated fighting, it was one of many reasons you weren’t in the other corps. The pit in your stomach grew and you bit your fingers as the threat of a clash loomed ever closer. You’d never been in a battle proper and didn’t know what to expect. As you peered out the small cabin window, you saw the unmistakable flames of Striker coming in from the southeast. Your heart sank as Striker flew across the water towards the RA ship. You knew Ace had been a Commander for Whitebeard but you weren’t sure he was healed enough from his trauma to be able to fight against the Marines, particularly if Admiral Sakazuki was there.

An incredibly loud boom shattered your thoughts as the ship listed to the side. You didn’t have time to get your bearings before two more came in quick succession, jostling the boat further. Wood groaned and snapped as something fell into the water with a tremendous splash. The sounds were deafening, like one hundred guns firing at once. Your eyes widened as you realized the sound was cannonballs the Marines were firing on the RA ship. You wished you had your power so you could see what was happening but the small window severely limited your range of vision. 

Standing on the bed to get a better look out the small window, you saw Striker circling the Marine ship as Ace blasted it with fire without much success. The Marine ship drew ever closer to your own until you could make out the shapes of hundreds of individual Marines, standing in platoon order. Ace also closed in on the RA ship, continuing to dodge cannon balls and bullets while defending the RA. The RA wasn’t fast enough to outmaneuver the Marines and soon the ships were side by side, the noise rising to a cacophonous level that made you put your hands over your ears.

As all the ships converged you lost your ability to see much of anything beyond the broad side of the Marine ship. The sounds of fighting, yelling, and gunshots grew louder as Marines boarded above you. You heard Iva’s shrill voice yelling out her attacks and the consequent screams of injured or dying Marines. You also heard Sabo’s voice as he barked orders and fought though his voice was harder to hear. What worried you was that you didn’t hear Ace’s voice even as the fighting grew closer until it sounded like it was right outside your door.

“Ensign Mag! Ensign Mag! Are you in there?” yelled a Marine voice from beyond the door. The voice had you whipping your head towards the door even as you wondered if they thought your actual name was Mag. You’d almost forgotten the nickname since Sabo had been calling you Sunny for so long. 

“Y-yeah, I’m here!” you yelled back as an unexpected uncertainty rose in you. Now that the moment of your rescue was upon you you weren’t as sure of your decision. 

“Stand back!” the voice ordered as repetitive booms smacked against the door. You were still standing on the bed as the heavy wood door groaned against the assault but finally splintered as a Marine Commander you didn’t recognize pushed through the now busted door. 

“Ensign Mag, are you unharmed?” the Commander questioned, his authoritarian voice almost making you salute from muscle memory.

“Ah, oh, yeah, I’m - I’m ok,” you stammered as the Commander rushed you. Several other Marines entered and began ransacking the room. You weren’t sure what they were looking for but it didn’t seem like the time to ask. 

“Target acquired Admiral,” the Commander said into a baby Den Den as he gripped your arm tightly enough to bruise with the other. Were you the reason for the attack? You hoped not as screams indicated that either Marines or RA soldiers, most likely both, were being killed above your head.

“Let’s go, the others will kill off the rest of the pirates,” the Commander said, pulling you along.

“K-kill? I thought they were going to be arrested,” you said, trying to slow down the speed he dragged out of the room by dragging your heels. When you first were kidnapped by Sabo, you imagined how your rescue would go down but you hadn’t imagined so much carnage. The smell of smoke hit your nose before you heard wood crackling. 

“Heh, not in the big leagues kid. All these pirates are gonna get what they fuckin��� deserve. Admiral Sakazuki’s killin’ Gol D. Ace as we speak,” the Commander said, barking a laugh. Your stomach dropped as you realized that was your Ace. Sweet, kind, self-hating, funny, idiotic, Ace. He - they were going to kill him? After everything he’d been through? He wasn’t even that bad of a pirate, he -he couldn’t be killed, he just couldn’t. You’d finally made a good friend and now - you heard Admiral Sakazuki laugh as the smell of smoke grew inside the vessel.

For once in your life, you didn’t stop to think, analyze, or plan. You just moved. You ripped your arm back from the Commander who was leading you and made a break out the door. The Marines were so stunned to see you moving quickly that they didn’t think to stop you immediately. The halls were filled with RA soldiers fighting Marines, there was blood spilled everywhere, weapons being fired, swords being drawn - but you didn’t see any of it. You ran as fast as you could up to the deck to find Ace. You weren’t sure what you’d do when you got there but you had to save him .

You pushed forward to the top deck, miraculously avoiding any hands that sought to restrain you. Dodging Marines, RA soldiers, and anyone else trying to stop you, you ran through the already broken door to the deck. There, on the bow of the ship, Marines had made a human barrier blocking off Ace from Admiral Sakazuki. RA Soldiers were trying to break through but they were outnumbered and Sabo and Iva were fighting dozens of Commanders at the stern of the ship.

Ace wasn’t doing well. He was dodging attacks from Sakazuki but wasn’t returning fire. His face was ashen as if he was fighting a ghost. You could hear Admiral Akainu taunting him from where you stood as he belched lava over the deck, Ace narrowly dodging every time.

“...Isn’t that right boy? Killed your Captain, your brothers, everyone, and you couldn’t even do them the justice of staying dead. How pathetic. Not even fit to fill the shoes of your criminal father. Whitebeard’s final thoughts were what a disappointment you are, how he shouldn’t have come for you -” 

You couldn’t listen to this bullshit anymore, you couldn’t hear Sakazuki pummeling Ace emotionally while cornering him physically. You wanted to help but you didn’t have any way to fight anyone, much less the Fleet Admiral. A flash in your mind had you quickly formulating a shaky plan to help Ace but you would need the bracelet off immediately. You heard the voices of the Marines coming up the stairwell after you - you didn’t have much time. Looking down at your wrist and tugging on your bracelet, your mind brought up an old memory of your sister. Once she’d begged your mother to borrow her gold bracelet, the only nice piece of jewelry your mom owned. Your mother agreed but at some point in the day, your sister’s thumb joint had dislocated and the bracelet slipped off never to be found again. For your sister, it was her Ehlers Danlos, but if your thumb joint broke it would be the same principle.

Without hesitation, you bashed your thumb joint against the cement wall to your right. The pain would come later, right now you were filled with adrenaline as you purposely smashed your hand against the concrete wall. Finally, you heard a snap of bone and winced as your joint dislocated. 

“Ace! Just hold on a few minutes longer!” you shrieked into the distance as you tugged the bracelet off, clattering to the deck. You didn’t think Ace could hear you but the Marines chasing you did. 

“Helping the pirates, eh? You’re further gone than we thought. It’s OK, you’re coming back -” arms reached out to grab you and you tried to duck away but there were too many. You flailed and pushed as hard as you could to escape but you were thrown over someone’s shoulder, your ankles quickly tied together.

“Calm down, Ensign! That’s an order! Not sure what they did-” You stopped listening as you realized you could still see Admiral Sakazuki. Using your thumb was difficult but you were able to make a rectangular frame and zoom in. You were being jostled and moved farther away rapidly but that didn’t matter anymore. Zooming in further and further, you searched around the lava that had been spewed on the deck until you found what you were looking for right on the shoulder of the Admiral himself. 

Uranium. 

Lava often had pockets of uranium that occurred naturally within the molten rock. You knew it was an unstable element and it would be possible to get a reaction if you worked quickly enough. Your fingers worked in a flurry as you ripped apart the atoms comprising the rare element, hoping that you were right about your conjecture. You ripped and tore your way through and you needed just a few more - when someone shook you like a rag doll and put their hands on yours, erasing the magnification.

“What’re you doing there? What’s all th— AAAHHHHH!” whatever hand was gripping yours now had your teeth sunk into it with all the force you could muster. They dropped their hand and you scrambled to remagnify the area you needed as the taste of copper filled your mouth. You were being carried farther from the action, almost to the gangplank to the Marine warship.

“FUCKIN’ BITCH! This is the thanks we get? Pirates musta cooked your brains or some shit -” You ignored them as they yelled, all that mattered was saving Ace. What was seconds but felt like minutes passed as you once again found the pocket you needed and got back to work. Holding your breath, you jostled the last atom, breaking its bonds. 

The next atom broke its bonds without your help as your mouth dropped open. You protected your ears and face with your hands, curling up as much as your position would allow on someone’s shoulder.

“The fuck is she doin’ now? This bitch really is crazy -”

Boom.

You didn’t hear the noise the explosion made. Everyone swore it had been so loud it was heard miles away on the Grand Line but you never remembered any sound. It was the blinding white light that alerted you that your plan had worked. You didn’t open your eyes but the flash was blinding all the same. A mushroom cloud rose over the ship, emanating from the location that had once been Admiral Sakazuki. There was nothing left of him but a smoking crater on the charred remains of the hull. The Marines who had once been encircling the Fleet Admiral and Ace were scattered about the deck from the force of the blast.

Everything stopped. 

Not a sound was made, it was like time had frozen.

All eyes turned to you. 

Even Ace was standing in the same defensive crouching position he had been before you detonated the Fleet Admiral of the Marines. You were dropped onto the deck on your stomach as the Marines looked at the spot that their Admiral had been standing on just seconds prior. The only sounds were the waves lapping against the side of the boat.

“What did you do?” the Commander said, still looking at the bow. You didn’t answer. You couldn’t answer.

“What the FUCK did you just do?” he repeated, this time turning and facing you, his mouth tight with fury.

“What the fuck did you do, you spineless bitch?” he yelled while rearing back his booted leg. You tried to brace for the kick you saw coming but it didn’t help the explosion of pain you felt. And just like the atoms in the uranium, his kick caused a chain reaction. Fighting resumed, but the tide had turned in the favor of the RA. Without the Admiral, their power and morale were considerably weakened and Marines started abandoning the fight in favor of retreating to their ship.

You weren’t able to see that because the Marines surrounding you closed ranks. They watched the Commander who had been carrying you kick you repeatedly in the ribs, torso, legs, and head. You tried to cover your head and neck but weren’t successful as his large boot found its target over and over on your soft body. Your bones crunched and popped as you weakly tried to abate the onslaught. He stomped on your hands repeatedly, breaking the bones that you hadn’t broken yourself.

“Try that shit now! Just you try that shit now!” he screamed into your face. You tried to look at the assembled Marines for help but they either steadfastly stared away from you or were outright encouraging their Commander. He kicked you on the side of the head, causing your head to bounce back against the deck. You tried to get on your hands and knees but your body gave out as you collapsed against the wood floor. 

“Phea -” you were drooling your own blood onto the deck as you tried to beg for him to stop but your jaw wasn’t working. Neither was one of your eyes or either of your hands. You spat one of your teeth onto the deck as you gave up trying to save yourself from destruction. You’d given your life for Ace’s and it felt like a fair trade. Your head lolled to the side and you saw the Commander taking his gun and holding the stock above you. You closed your eyes and waited for the final blow that would surely kill you.

It never came.

Peeling open the eye that worked, you looked up and saw the Commander’s skull being crushed in Sabo’s grip as he struggled and screamed against the Flame Emperor’s hold. Sabo looked as calm and collected as he always did like this was an average day for him. His normally pristine clothes were covered in blood spatter though none of it seemed to be leaking from his body. The lead pipe in his other hand was already coated in blood, dripping onto the deck. 

“Sunny, close your eyes.”

Taglist: @mfreedomstuff @epochal-oracle

[homestuckreplay]

Seeking Friends (MUST be named John)

(page 1129-1136)

tiny jade tiny jade we got tiny jade!!!! look at them both <3

Unfortunately this is now a Grandpa Harley hate blog. That ridiculous amount of force used to kill a butterfly. (a transgender butterfly at that!!) The unnecessary show of power and dominance. And for what? To show a small child that destruction of life is his idea of fun? No wonder Jade has such a refusal to hurt animals – I feel like she’s associated with life and growth while Grandpa is associated with death and destruction. Like on the one hand, having to handle her grandpa’s death at a young age and being the only one around to clean up and stuff the body must have been incredibly traumatic for Jade, and being alone ever since can’t have helped. But I don’t think she’d be doing much better if he’d lived! This is not a tragic situation where Jade almost had a good guardian! In fact, Jade regularly acting like her grandpa is still alive could come from him being SO omnipresent and overbearing while she was alive that she never really spent any time without him, until he was entirely gone.

Although I’d say Bec is already acting like Jade’s actual guardian, as he’s clearly the one taking care of her while Grandpa is destroying the beautiful landscape with his inappropriately large firearms.

We still have all scenes occurring on a beta kid birthday, but there’s no year on this one. What does Grandpa Harley think is the right age to introduce Jade to the thrill of the hunt? Probably way too young, but Jade can already read well as she has no trouble with John’s note, so I’m gonna say this is her 6th birthday. December 1, 2001.

Unfortunately you cannot open it yet! This package has an important journey to make first. You are planning on delivering it momentarily. Good thing you already know what's inside. Otherwise you would surely be consumed by curiosity and suspense. You sincerely pity anyone who might be forced to endure such a fate. (p.998)

The reveal of Jade’s package is really cute. I think the above quote is intentionally hinting that Jade knows what’s in the package through the power of Prophecy and Visions, but it’s actually the more mundane (kind of?) reason – she already opened the gift years ago! And inside we get the fabled ‘dear jade,’ page, completing the set, plus a note that contains SO much beta kid lore that I’m so excited about.

Jade wears blue and takes up gardening because she receives this package, creating a stable time loop around these interests. This Blue Slime Ghost shirt could be the first shirt used to make the wardrobifier, as young Jade is wearing a plain shirt.

We don’t know when Jade started seeing dream visions, but from her reaction to John’s letter, there’s no indication that she thinks about things in the weird past/future, seeing herself as an agent of the timeline way that she thinks in 2009. I would bet that this is the beginning of her relationship with predestination. I also think this might have caused her to wake up on Prospit, as she’s been contacted directly by the future, and this makes her more open to temporal communication

John thought he was going to be so late with Jade’s present when he remembered how far away she lives, but he actually got it there incredibly early, so huge W for John. (and an even bigger W for the heroic mail carrier PM). Jade’s response was ‘john thats ok really! im sure will get to me exactly when it needs to and it will be a nice surprise when it does!’ and she was right. The gift was definitely a nice surprise, as tiny Jade had no clue it was coming, and if it prompted Jade’s interest in gardening and potentially her visions – a key source of guidance for her especially after she loses her grandpa – then it did happen at exactly the right time. I like the idea that all of Jade’s weirdness was prompted by the seemingly most normal character.

John has NO supernatural awareness in this letter, and is totally stumped as to why Jade’s pumpkins are disappearing – but he’s listened to her when she’s talked about her gardening woes, and his ‘i'm sure you know the fun is in growing them and taking care of them until they're ready’ is a good read; it feels like something Jade herself would say. And John gives Jade a shirt that not only matches his, but is ‘way more awesome’, so he’s really putting her first. There is something about John’s gift to Jade that feels somehow lesser than his honestly inspired gifts to Rose or Dave – it ended up being really impactful, but wouldn’t have been if she had received it in 2008, where it would’ve just related to her existing interests. But I understand that, because sometimes when someone is THAT important to you, it’s impossible to represent that with a physical gift.

John also went to a store, and to the post office! I feel very vindicated because I find the idea that John does leave the house and interact with other people but still feels alone, alienated and ‘homestuck’ way more compelling than the idea that he’s literally never left the house and yard or spoken to anyone outside his family. Similarly, he signs all the notes to his friends with ‘(john)’, so he wasn’t literally named on his 13th birthday - ‘it is only today he will be given a name’ is more a statement about independence and coming into his own. I like this official confirmation that some of the video game aspects aren’t meant to be taken literally, and I think it opens up more angles for interpretation in future.

Finally, we learn that John met Rose and Dave through Jade! So either Jade was the common link that met all three of them individually, and then brought the group together, or John and Jade were friends and Rose and Dave were friends, and Jade united the pairs. I think the first is more likely, as having received this letter, Jade will be on the lookout for friends named John, Rose and Dave, and may get hints to her meeting them when she starts seeing visions on Prospit. As usual (but also for the first time), she will have a head start while everyone else is oblivious.

As if the Package storyline wrapping up wasn’t proof enough, the adventure map shows that we really are at the end of act 3. I cannot wait to see how the act ends and where the story will go in act 4.

> Jade: Tie giant shirt around yourself like a wizard’s cape.

[oros-ash3s]

₊ ˚ ⭒ 𓆩✦𓆪 Sibling Questionnaire 𓆩✦𓆪 ⊹ ˚₊

✧ Who looks more like their dad? ✧

Out of the three of them, Elmira is the only one who has her dad present in her life. Crow was the bastard child of the family, the product of an 4-year affair their mother had with a commoner, while Aurora was adopted into the family when she was young. Which leaves Elmira as the only one who closely resembles their father, with his sharp nose, dark red hair, and pale skin.

✧ Who looks more like their mom? ✧

Crow looks much more like his mother than Elmira does, at least he used to, anyway. It’s a fact that he hated growing up, especially because it didn’t make his “father” any more sympathetic to him.

✧ Who eats the most? ✧

To be honest, none of them. The three of them have developed horrendous eating habits, all of them eating as little as possible. Though, when compared to her younger siblings, Elmira makes sure to eat at least one decent meal per day.

✧ Who has been in the weirdest situations? ✧

Definitely Crow. Having left home when he was only a teenager, he ran into quite a few odd people during his time on the streets. Elmira and Aurora both had very structured, orderly lives under their father’s command, which left them with not much room to get into weird situations.

✧ Who sleeps the most? ✧

Elmira, which isn’t saying a lot, seeing as Crow can’t sleep and Aurora is the definition of a workaholic.

✧ Who has the most stable romantic life? ✧

Crow, who actually has the experience for that statement to be true. Both Elmira and Aurora have never had the time to date, even if they wanted to.

✧ What is the worst habit of each? ✧

Elmira is easily persuaded by others, and doesn’t follow her gut instinct, instead just following along with the orders she’s given.

Crow is extremely defensive and apathetic, especially to those he doesn’t care for. He always puts himself first, because he’s the only person he can truly count on.

Aurora is angry and driven by rage. She sacrifices her health, her mental well-being, her relationships, all in the search of revenge.

✧ Who is the most dramatic? ✧

Aurora, who also loses her shit over practically any inconvenience.

✧ Who had the weirdest phase? ✧

Probably Aurora, who had a full-fledged emo phase as a teen.

✧ Who is the best cook in the family? ✧

Elmira is the best, and can cook quite well. She made many meals for Crow and Aurora while growing up. Both Crow and Aurora are terrible cooks.

✧ What is their best memory together? ✧

Though there are not many memories the three of them can name as happy, there are a few that they have as children that they all look back fondly on.

✧ What is their worst memory together? ✧

The day that Crow left — the day the three of them recognize as his death. After he disappeared, everything only got worse at the Koroleva estate.

✧ What is their dream trip together? ✧

Nowhere.

✧ Would you rather: Not be able to shower OR not be able to change clothes? ✧

Elmira: “I’m not extremely particular to fashion if it comes at the expense of my personal hygiene, so I’d say…. change clothes.”

Crow: “Shower. No question about it.”

Aurora: “Shower.”

✧ Who's older? ✧

Elmira is the oldest out of the three!!

✧ Describe each other in three words. ✧

Elmira: “Z… I mean, my brother, is caring, empathetic, and resilient. Aurora is hard-headed, determined, and goal-oriented.”

Crow: “Elmira? Stuck-up, small-minded, and ‘family-oriented’.” [He sneers the last word and laughs.] “And Aurora, hmm… Naive, hot-headed, and stubborn — as fucking hell.”

Aurora: “Elmira is bossy, responsible, and closed-off. And that… traitor?” [Her expression twists up in obvious distaste, eyes border-lining hatred.] “Dangerous, savage, and disgusting.”

✧ Who's their role model? ✧

Elmira: “I don’t have one that I can think of.”

Crow: “Myself.”

Aurora: “Father.”

✧ Who usually has the worst ideas? ✧

Elmira. I don’t even need to say anything else.

✧ Who is the certified "Bug Killer"? ✧

Aurora is DEATHLY afraid of bugs, ironically enough, considering what she does for work, and always has Elmira kill them for her. Crow likes chewing on whatever bugs he sees lying around.

ty for the tag @seastarblue, as per usual ^^

I already did this on my alt account @dioles-writes, but I thought I’d also do another one here!! this may or may not have been my attempt at soft-dropping my new WIP, with the three most complicated siblings ever: Elmira (she/her), Crow (he/him), and Aurora (she/her).

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