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jamesmcalover · 2 days ago

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entangled - pt 1

Dimitri Kravinoff x Reader

Warnings: slight angst maybe?? vulnerability, Dimitri is inecure & has daddy issues :(

Summary: Reader was hired to steal something from Dimitri Kravinoff

5.2k words

Breaking into a place like this wasn't supposed to be hard.

Y/N crouched by the door of Dmitri Kravinoff's apartment, her lockpicks glinting faintly in the dim hallway light. The silence of the building was oppressive, almost too quiet, but that was exactly how she liked it. The faint smell of expensive leather and something else – something musky, like cigar smoke – hung in the air.

The information her boss had given her was frustratingly vague, just that Dmitri, the youngest Kravinoff, was in possession of an artifact that could 'change the game.' All she'd been told was that it was a 'special knife.' Why it mattered wasn't her concern.

Her job was simple: get in, grab it, and get out. Something she'd done countless times before, slipping into the shadows, taking what wasn't hers, and slipping out without leaving a trace. She'd never failed.

The lock clicked open, and Y/N slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind her. The place was dark but far from empty. Moonlight spilled through half-drawn curtains, casting shadows on bookshelves, a cluttered desk, and a mounted map on the wall. It was nicer than she'd expected, but it didn't feel like a home.

She found the knife easily enough, displayed in a glass case above the fireplace. There, resting on a velvet cushion, was the knife. It shined in the dim light. The Kravinoff crest engraved on the handle caught her eye, and she frowned. She'd expected something a little less… personal.

Doesn't matter, she reminded herself. Her fingers were already outstretched, reaching for the display case. Just another job. Nothing more.

The lights flicked on.

Y/N spun, her hand instinctively moving toward the small blade strapped to her thigh. But Dmitri, so she thought, was already there, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and a faint smirk on his face, but the way his hands trembled slightly gave him away.

"You know," he said, his voice low and even, "I'd ask how you got in, but I’m more curious about why you thought you'd get out."

Y/N took a step back, already calculating her next move. "I don't want any trouble, Dimitri," she said, trying to keep her tone even. She wasn't sure why, but there was something unsettling about him. His hands were clenched tight, and there was an edge of desperation in his eyes.

His smirk faltered, and for a moment, his guard dropped. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead, he stepped forward with jerky movements, as if trying to command some authority that wasn’t there. "Who are you?" His voice cracked, and his jaw tightened. He clearly wasn't used to this.

Y/N took a step to the side, ready to dodge around him. Dimitri flinched, but before she could move, he grabbed for her arm, not with the strength of someone who had planned this out, but with the panic of someone desperate to stop her. She easily twisted out of his grip.

"I can't let you leave. Not with-," he said, voice tight. He wasn't fighting with confidence, but with an almost erratic energy, like he was terrified of what might happen if she escaped. His fear wasn’t just physical, it was as if he was holding on to this moment for some other reason.

Y/N hesitated. This wasn't the Dimitri she had expected. She had assumed he would be like the rest of his family. Cold, calculated, a master of control. But here he was, vulnerable and unsteady.

With a sudden, desperate lunge, he reached for her. His movements were jagged and uncoordinated, more out of panic than control. She instinctively stepped back to dodge, but he caught her arm, pulling her toward him with an almost frantic energy.

She tried to twist away, but Dimitri's grip was tighter now, and in a blur of motion, they both went tumbling to the ground. The air was knocked from her lungs as they crashed, and for a split second, everything seemed to slow. But then the edge of a table slammed against the side of her head.

A sharp pain exploded in her skull, and everything went black.

When Y/N's eyes fluttered open again, she was groggy, disoriented. Her head throbbed, a dull ache pulsing with each heartbeat. The world around her was a blur, but she could just make out the dim light of the apartment, the faint scent of leather and smoke still lingering.

It took a moment to register the feeling of rough rope cutting into her wrists.

Dimitri was sitting across the room, picking at the skin on his fingers nervously. He seemed less the confident figure from before, more like someone desperately trying to keep it together.

Y/N tested the ropes around her wrists, her mind clearing faster now. She was in a tight spot, but this wasn't a total loss yet.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Y/N" Dimitri said without turning his head to face her, his voice firm but not unkind. Y/N frowned slightly, almost unnoticeable, when he mentioned her name. He found out who you were. "But you shouldn't be here."

Y/N smirked, even as she flexed her wrists against the ropes. "Did you really think tying me up would stop me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're not exactly in control here, Dimitri."

He stopped at that, his shoulders stiffening, but he didn't respond right away. When he finally turned, his eyes met hers with a cold resolve. "I'm not trying to stop you from leaving. I'm trying to stop you from taking what's mine."

Y/N raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "The knife? You really think your father's going to notice you for this?" Her voice was softer now, probing.

Dimitri's expression faltered for a brief moment. Just a flicker, but it was there. Why did this woman know so much about his family? "I don't need his approval," he said, though his voice lacked the conviction it had earlier. "Who the fuck sent you?"

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other, a silent standoff. Y/N's mind was racing, considering her options. She wasn't going to escape from the ropes without help, and she wouldn't give out information about the people who hired her so easily. She still needed that money she'd been promised.

Y/N tilted her head, studying him with renewed interest. "You're not really going to keep me here forever, are you? I mean, we both know you don't want that. You don't want me tied up in your apartment," she said, ignoring his question.

His gaze flicked to the ropes around her wrists, and his jaw clenched. He seemed to wrestle with himself for a moment, the internal battle playing out across his face.

He didn't answer right away, instead taking a step closer to her. The distance between them was still significant, but she could feel the weight of his attention, the way he studied her, as if trying to decide if he could trust her.

"I don't know," he admitted after a long pause. "I don't know what's worse. Letting you go or… keeping you here. But either way, I won't just give up the knife. It’s mine."

Before Y/N could respond, a loud knock echoed from the hallway, followed by the sound of footsteps. Dimitri's body stiffened, his eyes wide. He turned abruptly, his gaze locking on the door, panic flashing across his face.

Y/N's pulse quickened. Dimitri wasn't exactly subtle in his reaction, and she could tell that whoever was coming wasn't someone he wanted to see.

Dimitri quickly moved across the room, a frantic urgency in his steps. "You need to hide," he hissed under his breath, rushing toward her. "Now."

Before Y/N could even ask what was going on, Dimitri was untangling the ropes around her wrists, his hands quick but rough. "Move," he urged, not meeting her eyes. "I'll deal with this. You just- stay quiet."

Y/N blinked, caught off guard by his sudden change in demeanor. She could've run. He wasn't just afraid, he was terrified. But before she could say anything, he half-guided, half-shoved her toward another room. She didn't run.

"Stay in here. Don't make a sound," he whispered, practically shoving her into the room before quickly closing the door behind her.

Y/N stood still in the dark, her heart racing. She could hear Dimitri's footsteps retreating to the living room, just as the front door creaked open. She quickly glanced around the room. It was his bedroom. The big king-sized bed took in most of the space, the faint smell of expensive cologne and cigars lingered in the air, the same as it had in the living room. The windows were big with a great view over London, but the they were no escape; way too high and there was nothing to climb on outside.

There was no way out.

Y/N huffed, turning toward the door. She pressed herself against the wall, barely breathing.

"Dimitri," a voice drawled, deep, and unmistakable. Sergei. Dimitri's older brother.

Y/N could hear the clinking of metal, the sound of someone stepping into the living room she'd been tied up in a minute ago. Dimitri was standing nervously by the big marble table, trying to look casual, but his body language was stiff with tension.

"Sergei," Dimitri greeted, his voice too high-pitched. "What's up?"

There was an amused chuckle from the doorway as Sergei saw the ropes laying on the floor, clearly used. He sniffed the air, his eyes narrowing, his nose twitching. "I smell perfume."

Y/N held her breath now, too scared of giving herself away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," his younger brother said, and Sergei wasn't convinced, but he didn't seem to want to press. Instead, he gave Dimitri a long, sidelong glance and a toothy grin. "You know, I just wanted to check on you on your birthday but you seem like you're having fun. Just make sure it's all consensual."

Dimitri's face went bright red, his eyes darting to the ropes on the floor and then back to Sergei. "It's not-" he started, his voice cracking before he cleared his throat. "I mean, it's not what you think."

Sergei's grin widened, clearly enjoying his brother's discomfort. He leaned casually against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "No need to explain, little brother. You're a grown man now. Who you bring into your home is none of my business."

Dimitri shifted awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. Y/N, still pressed against the wall in the bedroom, bit back a smirk. She could practically hear the nervous energy radiating off Dimitri, his attempt at nonchalance falling flat. If this was how he usually handled himself, she could see why he was desperate to impress someone or anyone to be honest.

Sergei sniffed the air again, his brow furrowing slightly. He glanced around the apartment one last time, his gaze lingering on the ropes for just a beat longer than comfortable. "Well, happy birthday, Dima. Enjoy your… evening."

With that, he turned and left, the door clicking shut behind him.

The moment Sergei was gone, Dimitri let out a long, shaky breath, leaning heavily against the table. He stayed like that for a moment, his head bowed, before he finally pushed himself upright and made his way back to the bedroom.

Y/N, now sitting on the side of her opponents bed, raised an eyebrow as he opened the door, his face still flushed. "So," she said, her voice dripping with amusement, "happy birthday."

Dimitri groaned, running a hand down his face. "Don't."

"Oh, come on," she teased, crossing her arms. "That was adorable. 'Just make sure it's all consensual.' Your brother thinks you're tying up your dates for fun."

"I said don't," Dimitri snapped, though the crack in his voice and the flush in his cheeks betrayed any attempt at authority. He turned his back to her, pacing a few steps into the room like he didn't know what to do with himself.

He leaned heavily against the doorframe, his head bowed, the flush of embarrassment still painting his cheeks. The air between them was thick with tension, and Y/N could see the cracks in his composure. This was a man teetering on the edge, caught between his desperation to prove himself and the weight of his insecurities.

Y/N tilted her head, studying him carefully. "You're really desperate to make daddy proud, are you?" She teased.

The words hit like a whip. His head turned slightly, just enough for her to see the muscle in his jaw tighten. When he faced her fully, his expression was caught somewhere between fury and humiliation. "Shut up. You don't know anything about me."

"Did I strike a nerve?" she asked, feigning innocence. She didn't back down, even when he took a step closer, his eyes darkening. "I know more about you and your little family than you think."

For a moment, Dimitri said nothing, just stared at her with a mixture of frustration and something else. Something more vulnerable. He stepped back suddenly, scrubbing his hands over his face as if trying to compose himself. "I didn't ask for this," he muttered. "Any of it."

Y/N tilted her head, intrigued. "Then why are you doing it?" she asked, softer now.

"Because I have to," Dimitri said quietly, as if the words cost him something. "You wouldn't understand."

Y/N let out a low laugh, shaking her head. "Try me."

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned sharply and left the room, leaving her alone. She considered making a break for it but dismissed the thought just as quickly. She heard Dimitri rummaging around in the other room, muttering under his breath. When he returned, he carried a glass of water and a small first-aid kit. He placed them both on the nightstand and glanced at her, still visibly conflicted.

"You hit your head. I don't need you bleeding all over my carpet," he said gesturing to the expensive looking white rug beneath his bed.

"Aw, you're so caring," she teased. "You're just full of surprises."

He rolled his eyes but didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he opened the kit and pulled out some antiseptic. She couldn't help but notice how his fingers trembled, though whether it was from nerves or something else, she couldn't tell.

"Why didn't you give me up to Sergei?" she asked suddenly, watching his face closely.

He froze, his hand hovering over the cotton swab. "What?"

"You could've sold me out. Told him I was here to steal your precious knife. Hell, you could've made me out to be some assassin sent to take you out, and I bet he would've believed you. But you didn't." She leaned forward, her gaze narrowing. "Why?"

Dimitri avoided her eyes, his jaw tightening as he busied himself with the cotton swab. He dabbed at it with antiseptic, the sharp scent filling the air.

"I didn't do it for you," he muttered, finally meeting her gaze, though his expression was guarded. "If Sergei knew why you were here, it'd be more than just my problem. He'd take over, and then my father would find out. And I…" He hesitated, the words seeming to catch in his throat. "…I can't let that happen."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "So this is about you, then? Self-preservation?"

He flinched at her tone, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. "You don't understand," he snapped, but there was no anger in his voice. Just frustration, layered over something deeper. "If my father finds out I let someone break in here, I'm done. This is my one chance to prove I'm not… worthless."

His voice cracked on the last word, and for a moment, Y/N saw past the posturing and panic to the insecurity he tried so hard to hide.

"Prove you're not worthless by what? Guarding a knife?" she asked, her tone softer now. "Seems like a pretty low bar."

Dimitri scoffed, shaking his head. "You wouldn't get it. My father doesn't care about anything but power, control, appearances. If I can't do this one thing right…" He trailed off, his hands gripping the first-aid kit as if it were the only thing grounding him.

Y/N watched him in silence, piecing together the picture of a man who was just as trapped as she was. Though by very different circumstances.

"Well," she said finally, her voice light but not unkind, "if it makes you feel any better, you did technically stop me." She smirked, gesturing to her still-sore head.

Dimitri's lips twitched, almost forming a smile, but he quickly smothered it. "You don't know when to shut up, do you?" He had almost forgotten to patch up her wound. The blood was slowly drying up, as he slowly dabbed the cotton pad around her temple to clean it up. Y/N scrunched her face up in pain when he alcohol seeped into the small cut. She could've easily fought him now. But she didn't, and Dimitri asked himself why. For a moment, he focused on her wound, dabbing carefully despite the slight tremor in his hands. The silence between them felt heavy, filled with unspoken questions and tension neither of them seemed ready to address. He avoided her gaze, keeping his attention on the task as if it were the most important thing in the world.

She smirked, but there was something softer in her expression now. Something almost curious. She could feel his hands trembling, could see the way his eyes darted to her face when he thought she wasn't looking. He was scared. Of her, maybe, but also of whatever was going on in his own head.

Y/N took a deep breath, the words forming carefully in her mind. "Take me to him."

Dimitri froze, his expression a mix of shock and suspicion. "What?"

"You need proof, right?" she continued, keeping her tone even. "Proof that you can protect what's yours. That you're not just some screw-up who let a thief waltz in and take it. If you bring me to him – alive, empty-handed – you'll have a trophy. Evidence that you stopped me."

Dimitri stared at her, his brows furrowing as he processed her words. "Why would you do that?" he asked, his voice low and cautious. "Why would you help me?"

"I'm not helping you," she said quickly. "I'm helping myself. We make a deal."

"A deal?" He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"I need money," she said bluntly. "Since I'm not getting it for a failed mission, here's a pitch: you tell your father I broke in, but I didn't find anything because you stopped me before I could take the knife. You get your moment of spotlight and I walk away with cash. From you."

Dimitri's expression hardened, his jaw tightening as he stared at her like she'd just offered him a poisoned chalice. "You think my father's going to be proud of me me for letting a thief break into my apartment? For showing up with you instead of throwing you in some ditch?"

Y/N smirked, tilting her head. "He might. If you frame it right. I didn't let her break in; I stopped her. She didn't get the knife. I captured her, proved I'm not useless." Her voice dropped an octave, mimicking a deep, commanding tone. "You'd look like a hero, wouldn't you?"

Dimitri shifted uncomfortably, his fingers fidgeting at the hem of his sleeve. She could see the flicker of doubt, the hesitation, and maybe, just maybe, a hint of hope behind his eyes.

"I don't need your help to prove myself," he muttered, his voice lacking conviction.

Y/N leaned forward, her voice low and confident. "Oh, but you do. Because I know you, Dimitri. You're not like him. You don't have his power or Sergei's ruthlessness. But you have this-" she gestured toward herself, "and if you play it smart, you might finally get his attention."

His lips parted as if to argue, but no words came out. Instead, he looked away, jaw clenched, the internal battle playing out across his face.

"And what if he doesn't care?" Dimitri finally asked, his tone sharp but brittle. "What if he laughs in my face and says I'm still a screw-up? What happens then?"

Y/N shrugged, keeping her expression neutral. "That's not my problem. You get me the money we agree on, and I disappear. Whatever happens between you and Daddy Dearest after that? That's on you."

Dimitri narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms defensively. "How much?"

"Sixty thousand."

His eyes widened. "Sixty- are you insane?"

"Twice as much as I was offered," she said with a shrug, unfazed. "I figure someone like you can afford it. Or are you telling me the youngest Kravinoff is broke?"

His cheeks flushed a deep red, and he turned away, running a hand through his hair. "Fine," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked, tilting her head mockingly, her tone laced with amusement.

"I said fine!" he snapped, spinning to face her. His voice cracked slightly, but he quickly regained composure. "You'll get your money. Just- just don't screw this up."

Y/N smiled, satisfied. "Now we're talking."

Dimitri let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as if the weight of their deal was already pressing down on him. He turned away, pacing the room as he muttered something under his breath.

"So," she said, breaking the silence. "What's the plan? Are we just going to march into your father's estate like it's show-and-tell?"

Dimitri stopped pacing, his jaw tightening. "It's not that simple," he said sharply. "If I'm going to bring you to him, I need to make it look… convincing."

"Convincing, huh?" Y/N crossed her arms casually. "What's that supposed to mean? You're not planning on tying me up again, are you?"

His face flushed. "No," he snapped, too quickly. "I mean- I can't just walk in with you looking like this." He gestured vaguely at her, his frustration bubbling over. "You don't exactly scream 'dangerous thief.' You look-"

"Careful, Kravinoff," Y/N cut in, her tone sharp. "Finish that sentence, and I might reconsider our little deal."

"I won't take you to him," he started and Y/N almost interrupted him with protests but he continued before she could say anything. "I'll bring him here. He'll see you, tied up on that chair."

Y/N raised an eyebrow as he paced up an down in his bedroom, puzzling together a plan. "So I'll be tied up again? Great," she said, leaning back on her arms. She was starting to get tired and the bedding felt pretty comfortable under her hands.

"Yeah. You- You'll be unconscious! Or at least play unconscious.

Y/N blinked, barely suppressing a laugh. "Unconscious? That's your master plan?"

Dimitri stopped pacing to glare at her, his cheeks tinged with embarrassment. "Do you have a better idea?" he snapped. "Because if we don't make this convincing, my father will see through it in an instant. He'll know it's a setup, and trust me, neither of us walks away from that."

She tilted her head, studying him. The nervous energy radiating off him, the way he avoided her eyes when he mentioned Nikolai. It wasn't just fear of failure driving him. It was something deeper. Something personal. "Alright," she said after a moment, her tone softening. "Unconscious it is. But if you tie me up too tight this time, we're gonna have problems."

Dimitri let out a breath he didn't seem to realize he was holding, nodding sharply. "Fine. I'll make it believable without… overdoing it."

"Good boy," she said with a smirk, watching as his ears reddened. "Now, what's your big plan for when he actually gets here? You think Nikolai's just going to pat you on the back and call it a day?"

His jaw tightened, his eyes darting away from her. "I'll handle him," he said, though there was no confidence in his voice. "That's not your concern. You just play your part."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Bold of you to assume I'll just sit quietly and let you sell this performance without input."

"You'll have no choice," he shot back, his voice firmer this time. "If this goes wrong, you won't get your money. So do us both a favor and keep your theatrics to a minimum."

"Sure thing, partner," she drawled, leaning back on her elbows with an amused glint in her eye.

Dimitri glared at her, but she caught the flicker of amusement behind his eyes.

"Alright," he said after a long pause, his voice quieter now. "Let's get this over with."

Y/N grinned, flexing her wrists. "By all means, Kravinoff. Tie me up. Again."

The sharp click of approaching footsteps echoed through the apartment. Y/N, bound and pretending to be unconscious, kept her breathing slow and even, her head hanging low, hair in her face as if she'd passed out. Every muscle in her body was tense, ready to spring into action if needed.

The air shifted, colder somehow, as Nikolai Kravinoff stepped into the room. His presence was imposing, his tall frame casting a long shadow in the dimly lit apartment. Dimitri stood stiffly by the door, his shoulders square but his hands fidgeting at his sides. A nervous habit he couldn't quite suppress.

Nikolai's gaze swept across the room, landing immediately on Y/N. His sharp features twisted into something between approval and disdain. "So," he began, his voice low and gravelly, "this is the thief who dared to challenge our family?" He approached her, his boots barely making a sound against the carpeted floor. "She doesn't look like much."

Dimitri swallowed hard, forcing himself to speak. "She got in," he said, trying to keep his tone steady. "But she didn't get out. I stopped her before she could take the knife."

Nikolai turned his head slightly, giving his youngest son a scrutinizing look. "Did you, now?"

"Yes," Dimitri said quickly. "She was fast, but I was faster. I managed to subdue her before she could escape." He gestured to the knife, now prominently displayed on the table beside them. "The knife is still here, untouched."

Nikolai stepped closer to Y/N, his sharp eyes studying her as though she were an insect pinned under glass. He reached out, almost absently, and grasped her chin, tilting her face toward him. Y/N fought the urge to flinch, keeping her body limp and her breathing shallow.

"You tied her up and left her alive," Nikolai observed, his tone unreadable. "Interesting choice. Most would've ended the threat."

Dimitri's throat worked as he struggled to find an answer. "I thought you'd want to see her," he said finally. "To question her. She might have information about who sent her."

His father let the silence hang for a beat, then let out a quiet sigh. "You finally achieved something. I'll give you that." There was no pride in his voice, only the acknowledgment of the bare minimum. "But don't get comfortable. This doesn't change anything."

Dimitri didn't respond, his jaw clenched as he fought to keep his composure under his father's sharp gaze.

"I don't care for information from a little girl." There was an almost unnoticeable pause before he added, "She's your responsibility. If she becomes a problem, it's your head. Do with her what you will, but if she proves to be more trouble than she's worth…"

He didn't finish the thought, but the implication was clear. He turned toward the door, his footsteps heavy and purposeful as he walked away. As the door clicked shut behind him, the room seemed to breathe again, though the atmosphere remained thick with unspoken words. Dimitri stood frozen for a moment, his eyes still on Y/N. He wasn't sure what to feel. His father's words echoed in his mind: You finally achieved something. But it didn't feel like a victory. It felt like he had done the bare minimum, like a child who had only met the lowest expectation.

Dimitri exhaled sharply, his breath shaky as he looked to Y/N. She was still tied to the chair, her eyey fixated on him as if she was trying to read him, but she didn't dare to say anything. The silence between them stretched long.

He should feel proud, right? But all he felt was a gnawing emptiness in his chest, the way he always did when his father's praise was nowhere to be found. No approval. No pride.

Finally, he took a hesitant step toward her, kneeling down in front of the chair. His hands trembled as he began untying the thick ropes. He could feel the tightness in his chest, the heat of unshed tears threatening to spill, and he hoped Y/N wouldn't notice. But of course, she did.

Once her hands were free, she reached up, her fingers gentle as she brushed away a blonde lock of hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. Her touch was soft, almost soothing, and it made the weight of his emotions feel even more suffocating.

"You're not so tough, are you?" Y/N said quietly, her voice low but not unkind. "Not as much as you like to pretend."

Dimitri's gaze dropped, and he clenched his jaw. He didn't want to show it. He didn't want to give her any more reason to see him as weak. But the truth was, he'd been feeling that way for far longer than he wanted to admit.

His throat tightened as he finally looked back at her. "I didn't want this," he said, the words escaping before he could stop them. "But it's like… it's like I'm stuck, Y/N. I can't win, no matter what I do."

Y/N's fingers paused on his face, and she studied him for a long moment. The way he was kneeling in front of her, sad and vulnerable, did something to her. There was something in her eyes, something like understanding, but she didn't speak right away. Instead, she just let her hand linger there, her thumb brushing against his skin in a way that made him feel exposed.

"You're not stuck, Dimitri," she said softly. "You just haven't figured out how to break free yet."

He sniffed, wiping a small tear with the back of his hand without looking at her. Then, without another word, he stood up and left the room for a moment. When he returned, he was holding a stack of cash.

"Forty." he said, his voice almost sheepish. "This is all I've got lying around right now. You can come back for the rest later." He walked over to her, his eyes briefly flicking toward her before he handed her the money, his fingers brushing hers just slightly. She took it, her gaze flickering up to meet his.

She didn't say anything, just glanced at the cash in her hands. The silence lingered, but this time it felt different. Less tense, more contemplative.

Dimitri shifted uncomfortably, looking away. "Just get out, alright?"

Y/N smiled faintly but didn't argue. She could feel his tension, the quiet storm brewing beneath his guarded exterior. There was something else there, something more than just their deal. But she wasn't going to press him for answers Not yet

"Fine," she said simply, slipping the money into her pocket. "But I'll be back for the rest. Don't think you're getting off that easy."

Dimitri didn't reply, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Something almost like relief, or maybe resignation. He nodded, his expression hardening once more as he turned away, but for the briefest moment, the distance between them felt just a little smaller.

#dimitri kravinoff #dmitri kravinoff #kraven #kraven the hunter #dimitri kravinoff x reader #dimitri kravinoff x you #fred hechinger fanfiction #fred hechinger x you #fred hechinger x reader #fred hechinger

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hs-is-loml · 2 hours ago

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He's My Favorite. (ln4)

Pairing: Lando Norris x Sainz!Actress!Reader

Summary: fans are speculating who y/n might be dating but it turns out it was in front of their faces the whole time. or y/n and lando are mistakenly considered to only be best friends and people are in for a surprise.

Type: Social Media AU! face claim is Bruna Marquezine!

Warnings: probably a few grammar errors. lots of fluff. neymar jr. deserves his own warning. inaccurate timelines but then again this is a fictional smau! UNEDITED

a/n: i'm on a kick rn. nothing can stop me.

all translations come from google! english translations are in parentheses!!

masterlist

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carlossainz55 just made a post

liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc, landonorris, and 1,560,937 others

carlossainz55 so proud of this one! but papa did say your head is growing too big after you saw yourself on the billboard...and i agree with him. anyways, go support y/n by watching her new movie Blue Beetle now in theaters!

tagged yourusername

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sainzforlife this family is too talented for their own good-

yourusername papa did not say that.

→ carlossainz55 just ask him then @/carlossainzoficial

→ carlossainzoficial mija, es de lo único que has estado hablando desde que lo viste. (daughter, that's all you've been talking about since you saw it.)

→ yourusername papa, that's not very nice. don't try to pretend like i didn't catch you sending the trailer to all your friends last week...

iamrebeccad beautiful girl and amazing movie!

→ yourusername i love you more than my brother.

→ liked by iamrebeccad and 217 others

xolo_mariduena at least you didn't see her crying when she first saw the billboard

→ yourusername XOLO, NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT

→ landonorris send the video.

→ yourusername now, look what you've done. all the drivers are going to see me crying now-

→ xolo_mariduena you'll still take me to the next gp right...?

landonorris just to let you guys know she cried after this photo was taken too

→ carlando4life does this mean lando was with the family for the private screening??

→ 4papaya lando is a part of their family so probably😭

instagram

landonorris just made a post

liked by yourusername, carlossainz55, mclaren, and 1,860,657 others

landonorris can't believe this girl is going to be blown up on the big screen coming to theaters near you. jokes aside proud of you and everything you do.

tagged yourusername

view all 99,342 comments

thatonebakucorner this post is so sweet!

yourusername thank you, lan🫶🏻

→ carlossainz55 why did you send him a heart?

→ charles_leclerc yeah, what's that about?🤨

→ yourusername carlos, you're just jealous you didn't get a post from lando

georgerussell63 i never get appreciation posts like this

→ landonorris what do you want me to post about your slideshows?

→ alex_albon it's because you're not y/n

welovey/n LOL not the drivers grilling lando about this post

ln4csforever "proud of you and everything you do" LANDO JUST TELL HER YOU LOVE HER ALREADY

→ paddockfashion please- like lando could pull someone like y/n

twitter

instagram

yourusername just made a post

liked by carlossainz55, landonorris, neymarjr, and 1,341,972 others

yourusername such a crazy week but glad i got to spend it with some of my favorite people. thank you for all the love and support you guys have given to Blue Beetle!

tagged carlossainz55 and landonorris

view all 117,593 comments

worldchampionsisaid what is neymar doing here?!?

→ neymarandy/n they need to get back together asap!

→ mywifeisy/n yes because that would be such a good idea even though he cheated on his baby mama while she was pregnant??

oscarpiastri lando is asking if you're serious with the guy in the third photo

→ oscarpiastri apparently, i wasn't supposed to ask you on here so now lando is yelling at me.

carmenmmundt proud of you, love! ❤️

→ yourusername love you, carmen! 🤎

ferraricountyourdays the third pic?? Y/N, WHO IS THAT MAN??

→ y/nismilf she needs to hard launch him already!

neymarjr linda como sempre, amor. (beautiful as always, love.)

→ carlossainz55 no, go away.

→ charles_leclerc wrong post, buddy.

→ georgerussell63 abosolutely not-

→ danielricciardo don't forget what happened last time you tried to contact her.

→ maxverstappen1 move along.

→ fifaandf1crossover do you know you have 30 minutes?

→ y/npleasemarryme love that they always protect her!

shesmyfavactress weird she posted picture with her bf along with one of lando and carlos

→ f1girlies maybe because she's an adult and allowed to be friends with her brother's ex teammate?

fernandoalo_oficial i remember when i used to be your favorite driver

→ carlossainzoficial those were the days

→ yourusername you two are still my favorite of all time.

→ carlossainz55 i'm hurt, y/n.

→ landonorris so was your caption meaningless?

→ yourusername i can't win.

whatacrossover oh, lando and y/n are definitely dating.

yourusername just added to their story

shared post by yourusername and landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, carlossainz55, anasainzvdec, and 2,493,968 others

yourusername and landonorris just kidding, he's my favorite.

view all 136,975 comments

carlossainz55 that hand is getting a bit low, don't you think?

→ yourusername get over it. you've had years to get used to this already.

→ inmyf1era YEARS you say?

landonorris i get to be with you every day. what a life.

→ yourusername i love you.

→ oscarpiastri you're ridiculous

→ charles_leclerc mate, look what she has turned you into

→ yourusername charles, i will tell alex about this.

→ charles_leclerc I WAS JUST KIDDING. PLEASE NO

lilymhe was waiting for this hard launch!

→ alex_albon i thought lando was going to spill before they could even do one

carlossainzoficial what can i say i love my son so i approve

→ yourusername could've said that you love and care for your daughter's happiness

sebastianvettel actually, y/n forgot who her real favorite is

→ yourusername love you, seb!

→ landonorris back off, old man.

83 notes · View notes

joongieology · 2 days ago

Text

Muse | Jung Wooyoung

Pairing: Artist!Boyfriend!WooyoungxReader

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1.2k

Warning: mention of naked body

Sypnosis: Your boyfriend has been busy with his gallery, leaving you missing him. One thing you didn't know though, he had a surprise waiting for you.

Note: This is the first ever fanfic I've written. English is not my first language so please bear with me. If you have any feedback, please let me know! I swear I tried ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

You've been dating Wooyoung for a few years now. Everything is well, better than you could ask for, but you wish you could move on to the next stage. You've always dreamt of getting married in a church since you were a little girl. Striving hard so you can save up for a grand wedding, wanting you and your future husband's day to be extra special. And now, you finally found the man you want to marry.

You met Wooyoung through your college friend, San. You went to get coffee at your usual hangout place—a café near the university—when you saw San with someone. You proceeded to where they were sitting and San invited you to sit with them.

That was the day you met Wooyoung, and that was also the day you started liking him. He was very chatty and he always made you laugh that you started to have a little crush on him. The three of you began to hang out more often, and then one day, he asked you out. You said yes, of course (who wouldn't), and you've been dating since then.

He had always been fond of art. Painting, photography, and even sculpting. He wanted to have his own gallery one day, to show off his works, and it is about to come true.

Wooyoung found a decent place where he could set up the gallery and renovate it to his liking. He was the one who worked on everything, claiming he wanted everything to be perfect. That meant, you don't see each other often because he got busy with his gallery. He never told anyone the location, not even you, which you found a little odd, but never questioned him.

You just finished eating when he showed you something on his phone. It's a map with a picture of what looks like the outside of a gallery.

"It's done. The grand opening will be tomorrow." He started, gauging for your reaction.

"Already?! Does anyone else know about this? What if I'm the only one who shows up?" You flooded him with questions, more nervous than he is.

"Don't worry, I already sent out invitations to friends and family." He said with a chuckle while piching your cheeks, clearly amused.

You sighed, relieved that you wouldn't be the only one to witness this. You want the world to see how talented your boyfriend is, and he worked hard for everything to get to this point. Even though he said this was just a small achievement, you were still so proud of him. He can finally show off his love for art.

"You're here." Wooyoung said as he leaned in to kiss you on the cheek. You came a bit earlier than the time of the opening so you could be by his side.

"Finally, you got your own gallery. I'm so proud of you, Woo." You gave him a peck on the lips, earning you a small genuine smile from him.

You straightened the collar of his button-up and fixed his hair a bit to make him look more presentable. He smiled at you but you noticed that he looked a bit nervous. You held his hand and squeezed it, comforting him. He intertwined your fingers and guided you to the entrance.

After a while, people started to arrive one by one, family and friends, and even some random people who had taken an interest in what was happening in this new place.

Everyone was in awe at the simple yet elegant interior. The walls were off-white and the art pieces were placed perfectly. Everything is in the right place, the way they were arranged was pleasing to the eyes.

You looked around and noticed that the art pieces consisted of pictures and paintings of places very familiar to you—they were places you've been together before. There are also pictures and paintings of events that have transpired in your life. The memories came flooding in as you looked at each art piece. You looked around once more, you noticed a black screen in the middle of the gallery. It's off, what is it for? You asked yourself but brushed it off. One thing stood out though, it was a pink door leading to a room. It had its own spotlight, it also had a name on top, just like every piece here.

"Y/N." You read out loud. Why did it have your name on it? Also, why is it pink, your favorite color? And why does it have the word 'Private' beside the door?

Wooyoung was greeting everyone and thanking them for congratulating him when he noticed you looking at the pink door. He walked over to you and put his hand on your lower back.

"Wanna see what's inside?"

"Yes." You responded, curious as to what could be inside.

He took out what seemed like a remote from his pocket and pressed something on it while guiding you inside.

There were at least five of what you assumed were art pieces covered in red velvet blankets.

He removed the cover of the one on the left, revealing a painting of you grinning from ear to ear, holding a pack of your favorite gummy bear, with the name beside it, 'The most beautiful v(you).' This must've been the time he brought you your favorite snacks, that made you all excited.

Then, he removed the cover on all of them except the one in the middle. There was a picture of you sleeping, a painting of you gazing at the stars, and a sculpture of you, as in you, in your wholeness, naked body.

"Oh my god, Woo." You said, your voice small, overwhelmed with joy, and love, and—everything.

"Do you like it?" He asked, nervousness obvious in his tone.

"I love it!" You exclaimed as you hugged him.

"There's one more." He ushered you to get closer to it. When he finally removed the cover, you covered your mouth in shock.

It was a sculpture of him, on one bended knee, holding a small black velvet box. Woo took the box and copied the stance of the sculpture.

"Y/N, will you make me the luckiest man and marry me?"

It's finally happening. The man you love is proposing to you.

"You've given me all I could ever ask for. Yes, baby, I will marry you." You utter with tears in your eyes.

He carefully puts the ring on your ring finger, and yes, he bought your dream ring, he still remembers it even when you mentioned it only once, he remembered, like he always did.

He hugged you so tight you thought you would burst, and whispered, "I love you so much, my love. Thank you for everything."

"I love you more, Woo."

You went out of the room and everyone's congratulating you both.

Huh?

When your eyes caught the now turned-on screen in the middle. So that was what the remote was for.

"Woo!" You hit his arms slightly. Terrified of the thought that they must have seen the pieces inside.

"It only showed us, don't worry, I won't ever show those pieces to anyone, especially that one." He chuckled while jokingly shielding himself from your playful hit.

"Finally, Woo, you prepared so long for this. Congratulations." San said with a big smile, holding a glass of wine.

"You knew?" You asked San with one eyebrow raised.

"Yup, everyone knew, except you." He uttered with slight amusement in his tone.

Wooyoung sure knew how to throw surprises because you didn't expect this one bit. But you're happy he did, cause this became one of the best days in your life. The thought of marrying this man made you giddy.

Your mom hugged you and gave you a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm quite curious to know what's inside that." Your mom said, pointing at the pink door.

You and your fiancé looked at each other with knowing eyes and a huge grin.

71 notes · View notes

staroflife · 2 days ago

Text

☆ stop trying, give up! - tough love post ☆

here's a scenario: you learn about the law, and now you decide to "try" to manifest something. you repeat your affirmations endlessly, do all these methods and challenges to help you "try" to manifest instantly, and then a day goes by. you don't see any changes or "movement." you read some posts to see what you're doing "wrong," and then you get motivated and try again. same thing happens: no movement or change in the 3d, so you get discouraged and decide that you don't see anything, so you don't have your manifestation. but you start to enter this endless cycle for days, then months, then years of reading a post on tumblr, getting motivated and excited and hype yourself up about how you are a master manifester, but the moment you tell yourself "oh I don't have my manifestation," you become discouraged and decide that maybe you are an exception to the law. that everyone else on here is getting what they want but you don't see anything in the 3d even though a certain amount of time has passed so you don't have your manifestation.

grow the f*ck up. literally. I'm going to be straightforward with you, as someone who is speaking from experience - yes you did all of this work to manifest what you want, but you decided that you don't have your manifestation, so guess what manifested? you NOT having your manifestation. you did manifest what you decided tho, so congrats!

YOU decide what is happening in your reality. YOU are the one who is deciding what you have and what you do not have. it doesn't matter if its been a week, a month, a year, or even 10+ years. time never matters when it comes to manifestation. if you decide that it takes a long time for you to manifest, it will take a long time for you to manifest. if you think your manifestation is really big and unrealistic and will take a while before you get it, then it will take a while before you get it.

a few months ago I was scrolling through twitter and I came across this account that said to get comfortable with NOT seeing something in the physical world. an assumption, by definition, is a belief that something is true without proof or question. you are working with the law of assumption. let's put 2 and 2 together. you are working with the law of assumption, therefore you do not need to see something in your world in order for it to be true.

you do not need to "try" to manifest something. you never needed to "try" in the first place. you do not need to do anything to get what you want. live your life and do what needs to get done while assuming and deciding that you already have what you want.

the law has no limits. people say the same thing all the f*cking time just in different words. there's literally no reason for me or any other blogger to continue making posts to be honest but here's a summary of the law:

the minute you decide something is true, it simply is. that is an assumption. nothing else matters. time, circumstances, whatever you are experiencing in your life does not matter when it comes to the law. yes you can manifest anything in the world, even if it seems unrealistic or even impossible. you can manifest what you want using whatever techniques or methods you want it does not matter. all you need to do is decide what you want, and assume/accept/know it is true. even if the world tells you no, tell yourself yes.

118 notes · View notes

tiger333k · 16 hours ago

Text

there are a lot of people complaining about Arcane season 2, and yes, I get it, it is a bit rushed at times and it would do well if they did a little extra explaining on some parts but honestly it feels like people are just nitpicking sometimes

example: just saw a video about someone complaining about ep7 about Powder and Ekko getting together, and just, wtf??? yes, I know it's because of Ekko's tip that vi died and I know the characters should've it weird when Ekko woke up and just started pointing about things in the past that they really don't want to be reminded of... but if you found this a problem you really didn't watch the show. the main theme about this alternate universe is forgiveness, powder forgave Ekko (though tbh, it was really Vi's plan to go rob someone the whole time), vander and silco forgave each other etc etc. alt Ekko was slaving away at this project when Ekko (firelight) got thrust into his body. powder said it herself, genius and insanity go hand in hand, Ekko saying random things like this probably wasn't even a surprise. also saw a thumbnail where Ekko and powder were kissing and they put 'cheating' beside the image. hopefully I won't have to explain how stupid this is.

Ekko didnt just kiss powder and go 'I can fix jinx'. he doesn't want to change jinx into powder, he even admits that jinx has something good that powder doesn't, jinx's ideas can change the world. what Ekko learned from the alt universe and powder is forgiveness, to look at the past and move forward, leaving a few things behind, leaving behind hate, anger, for the present, for the future. he learned to forgive jinx, so they could build something new.

also adding the fact that it wasn't vi's death that changed everything, it was the act of a child, the fact that someone had been killed that points out how dangerous hextech is, and that's why it was never developed.

personal opinion here, I don't think it was just the death and the letter that changed everything, I think it was little details leading up to the moment silco forgave vander, the moment everything went right. it wasn't one spontaneous event that changed it. we don't know what happened in the alt universe, we don't know if the fight went differently, or if slico had done anything different... maybe he never developed shimmer, maybe he wasn't so set on revenge. we don't know, so maybe don't jump to conclusions so quickly?

another point: jinx didn't just magically lose her trauma because of Isha, dunno what you guys were thinking.

jinx in season one had obvious mental issues, and we always see her drowning out the noise with blaring music. the reason why she was like that was because of her internal conflict, of powder and jinx clashing. jinx was trying to forget the past, and powder was the one that kept remembering it. powder was the one that kept trying to insist it wasn't her fault. powder was the one that held on to everything, and jinx hated powder. and in S1E9 we see her let powder die.

she accepts that she is a jinx to people she loves. the voices stop calling her a jinx, because she already knows this. she accepts this. jinx ruin everything. jinx is a curse. it isn't a case where some kid comes in and changes everything, jinx isn't healed in season 2, she just accepts that she is a catastrophe.

the only thing Isha changes is that jinx learns to love powder through Isha, and maybe even lets a bit of powder come back through. and that's why, when Isha is thrown into Stillwater, the voices come back before jinx takes control again.

three: Caitlyn was done dirty, her entire character was ooc

no it was not. you just saw it through a different lens and decided you didn't like it.

like it or not, Cait has always been privileged. she goes where she wants, does what she likes because she has the kirramman family name to protect her. Marcus says it himself in S1, we just chose to ignore it because that's when cait was doing what we thought was right, investigating and helping Vi, although she was not an enforcer, had no right to be there, we liked it because, well, because we hate Marcus, and she was actually doing something right back then

till season 2, where she gasses Zaun, goes all hitler, and... acts exactly how she acted in S1. she does what she wants, goes where she likes, to achieve one thing: get revenge on jinx.

cait has never lost a parent, she has never learned to cope with such a loss, so she reacts in a wrong way, reacts so drastically that we feel is out of character, its not. we merely see her previous traits painted in a different light and y'all decided you hate it.

I could go on forever honestly, but these three points got on my nerves the most, so I decided to say something about it. there.

this is way too long, my god.

#arcane #arcane s2 spoilers #arcane season 2 #jinx arcane #vi arcane #caitlyn arcane #ekko arcane #powder #timebomb #defending season 2 of arcane #this is too long wtf #arcane silco #vander

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mysecretlittlelibrary · 2 days ago

Text

Second Lesson

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: edging and overstimulation

Genre: smut

Summary: Some things are not self explanatory, and Steve has decided he's going to fill in the gaps by coming to you to ask his questions about sex and some of those questions have more involved answers than you'd expect

***

You hear a knock at your door while you're looking for something in your closet.

"Coming!" You call, taking a moment to contain the hurricane that you've created in there. You open the door to find Steve in the hall.

"Are you busy?" He asks.

"Not particularly, what's up?"

"I have another question."

"Shoot." You say, gesturing for him to walk into your room.

"Edging. What it is?"

"It is pleasuring yourself or someone else until the brink of orgasm without letting them actually have an orgasm."

"That sounds like torture." Steve frowns.

"Sometimes it is. It can be used as a punishment, some people enjoy it though, it can also be about increasing endurance- you know- training to last longer in bed, it also usually makes the orgasm more intense when you do eventually get to that point."

"Huh, have you done it before?"

"Been on both sides." You shrug. "Oh also I should mention that like most kink terms there is an equal yet opposite complementary term. For edging its complementary term is overstimulation."

"And that is?"

"If edging is about restraint when it comes to pleasure then overstimulation is a hedonistic indulgence in it. Orgasming again and again and again, sometimes to the point of pain this is where a safe word can be useful because you may say things like stop or I can't take it especially because post orgasm sensitivity can be a bitch but the whole point is to keep going and if you've already talked about exploring either edging or overstim, your partner will probably ignore you saying stop because again the point is to keep going even if you are sensitive, but if they're going to ignore you saying it's too much, you need to be able to stop them if it actually is too much."

"Are all aspects of sex so- severe?" He asks.

"No. Sex can be incredibly soft and gentle and sweet, it can be slow and tender in many ways. I mean, you saw some of that last time. You just- happen to have coincidentally questions about the other end of the spectrum today." You shrug.

"It just seems very, intense. Like maybe too intense? I don't get why you would want to put someone through that. It seems like a slippery slope, sex should be about love not some form of- torture."

"Well calm down, you sound panicked and it's not like I'm going to strap you down and force you to experience it. It's not for everyone Steve, different people have different preferences, this is why it's good to have those conversations before you sleep with someone so nobody gets put in a stressful situation they didn't sign up for. Plus there are a lot of ways to express love you know. If your person wants you to do these things then that absolutely shows that you love them, especially if you do them with the care you're meant to."

"I just don't understand it I guess." He shakes his head.

"That's fine Stevie, no one can force you to do it or enjoy it or even comprehend it really. Like I said, it's a personal preference. Just- be honest with your partner when the time comes." You shrug.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you... like this stuff?" Steve asks.

"I do. With the right person."

"Really?"

"You have your ideas about sex, I have mine." You shrug.

"What's that mean?"

"You said sex is about showing love and I agree with that to a point but to me it's also about pleasure. It's about exploring yourself, sometimes through someone else. It's about learning and adventure. The heat and intensity, passion that is borderline all consuming, sex can be many things. I like to experience all of them."

"Oh." He breathes.

"Of course that's just me. I'm not here to change your mind about anything." You hum.

"I have to try this edging thing."

"You don't. The hands on lessons are an option not an obligation, you don't seem interested in that and that's fine! You can just take the verbal explanation and proceed with your day as long as it makes sense to you, there's no reason to force yourself to try something that don't appeal to you." You shake your head.

"Well, it's hard to understand something if you're not open to experiencing it right?"

"I mean, I guess sometimes."

"So I want to experience it. That way I can understand it." He insists.

"As long as you're sure about this."

"I'm sure. Let's do it." He nods.

"What? Now?"

"Do you have time?"

"Depends on what time it is now."

"Three seventeen."

"I've got til six, I have another engagement later this evening."

"Is that enough time?"

"Plenty. Get comfortable, I would recommend getting naked, you do need to at least take off your pants or you'll likely stain them but it'll probably be more comfortable to take off everything because there's a chance you'll get hot. I know you run pretty warm already but I don't know how much you'd enjoy your shirt sticking to your back after twenty minutes." You say.

"Right, yeah." Steve hesitantly shuffles out of his pants and underwear and then, after seemingly debating in his head, he also pulls his shirt over his head and places all of them on your desk chair before sitting on the bed.

"Alright, I'm going to treat this like I would a real situation. Of course, the expectations are different, I know so don't worry about performing a certain way. Just like last time if at any point you have a question or something makes you feel uncomfortable you can simply say so assuming you can focus. If you can't focus use your stoplight. Yellow, or red, just like we discussed before." You tell him as you pull open the drawer by your bed and grab the bottle of lube.

"What's that for?" Steve asks when you squirt a generous amount into your hand.

"It's a lubricant. It might be a little cold at first, but I'm sure you'll appreciate it, especially the longer this goes." You say sitting beside him. "I'm going to touch you now, is that alright?" You ask.

"Yes." Steve nods with more conviction than you'd expect. You wrap your fingers around the base of his dick and he takes in a large breath. His exhale is shaky as you drag your hand up his length with a pressured grip. You circle his tip, slowly massaging it, watching his reactions, enjoying the way his abdomen seems to flex sporadically. His breathing is coming out harsher now and you begin to pump him. Last time you made a point not to stare at him since he was clearly rather nervous about the whole thing but not looking is rather impossible with this 'lesson' so you take the time to really get a look at his dick as you stroke him. The tip is a reddish pink and there are a couple veins running very noticeably along it. You already knew he was big, he's been inside you for fuck's sake, but looking at it unobstructed, boy was he... endowed.

"So how this works Stevie, usually, is that you'll tell me when you're close, ask me, beg me if I tell you to, ask me to cum and I'll tell you if you've earned it. Of course I won't demand all that from you, I'm rather good at reading people's bodies." You explain to him, stroking faster, holding a little bit tighter.

"W-what do you mean usually?" He asks wearily.

"When I do this with partners. There's a bit of power play that comes with this, if you hadn't noticed, having control of how much pleasure your person receives at any given moment. It's a very powerful feeling. But this is more about teaching you than my own enjoyment, so it's a bit different, I'm just offering you more details about the appeal of it all." You explain.

"A-and you- you like that? The p-power play?" He asks. You can tell he's really starting to struggle with his focus, his body is twitching, and he's gripping the sheets, blinking rapidly as he speaks. You watch his whole body tense up and take that as your cue to ease up. You slow your wrist to almost a stop, relishing in the groan Steve lets out.

"I find it can be intoxicating." You smirk.

"So that's how this works?" He pants.

"Pretty much." You nod, picking up speed again. Steve moans as his body jolts again. You can't help but imagine how nice he'd look with a couple of hickeys. You won't be giving him any of course but the idea does captivate you for a brief moment. It's clear that Steve is trying to control his reactions, but the shaky breaths and strained grunts give him away.

"My god." He whispers, tipping his head back. If it was anybody but Steve saying those words, you'd affirm that you are their god and they should worship you as such but it's not somebody else, it's Steve and you'd best keep it simple. When his body tenses up again, you slow your hand accordingly, and Steve lets out a strained groan.

"You know Stevie, you don't have to try so hard to keep quiet. I like your little noises. They're hot." You say.

"I'm not- r-really used to... making n-noises like that." He pants out.

"Well, a bit of advice, most girls like to hear that you're enjoying yourself."

"Really?"

"Yep." You say, stroking him faster, again. You continue your game with him, slowing down when his body tenses up and speeding up when his shuddering breaths quiet. With each denied orgasm his restraint on his vocalizations seems to slip, by the fith time you're slowing down he's an unending string of moans and grunts and even a few whimpers when you squeeze in just the right place.

"This is torture." Steve grits out. His entire body is flushed and his skin is glistening.

"I know but you're doing so well. Just a little longer and I promise I'll reward you. Don't you want that?" You ask with a mocking sweetness in your tone.

"Please." He says breathlessly.

"Oh that sounded nice." You smile. You're not even trying to break him like you would under usual circumstances but the sound him whimpering please to you almost makes you want to.

"Y/n- I feel, like I'm on fire. Please I need to cum." Steve huffs through clenched teeth and you start to wonder if he's reaching his limit. Gripping his chin you gently tilt his head to look at you.

"Checking in Stevie, gimme a color please." You say softly.

"G-green, this is insane." He says shakily.

"You haven't tapped out yet." You smile slightly.

"Is that the goal?"

"Not today." You wink at him. You decide it's probably best to stop here, so you pick up your speed again watching for the telltale signs of his orgasm but this time you finally let him peak and you can't decide if the sound or sight is more dazzling. Either way, you work him through it as evidence of his release spurts over your hand and his thighs in thick ropes. There's an impressive amount of it and you wonder if this is a super soldier thing or if he's just really pent up. When nothing else comes out and he hisses against your touch you let him go. "I'm gonna get a wash cloth, hang tight." You tell him standing from the bed and walking into your bathroom. You rinse your hand first and then soak a washcloth with room temperature water. When you pop back out his arm is draped over his eyes but he otherwise hasn't moved. You start with his neck, wiping the sweat that's probably made his skin sticky. You do a quick swipe across his chest too before moving on to cleaning the remenants of his orgasm from his thighs and recovering dick. "How are we feeling?" You ask him once he's clean. You toss the washcloth in your hamper and grab a water from your mini fridge before sitting beside him on the bed.

"That was- intense." He says.

"Yes but you knew that going in."

"I mean- when you finally let me, you know. It was intense- probably more so than I've ever felt." He says and you giggle at his avoidance of saying orgasm.

"We should really work on your comfortablilty with some of these terms. But yes that intensity is a high some people crave."

"Wow."

"Was it worth it?" You ask.

"What?"

"You said it was the most intense orgasm you've ever had, would you say the payoff was worth the buildup? After all you called it torture."

"You're not even nice about it."

"I was actually very nice, I didn't wait til you were crying to get you off which- is usually what I'll do."

"You make people cry?" He blinks surprised.

"Sometimes." You shrug.

"That's- further than I-"

"I know, that's why I didn't make you cry. Although crying is way more likely with overstimultion anyhow." You shrug.

"Is it?"

"Wanna see for yourself?" You ask opening your bedside drawer again.

"Well I'm not sure I can hand-"

"Here." You drop one of your toys in his hand.

"What's this?"

"A vibrator. I figure it's not fair if every lesson is just me doing things to you like some sort of lab rat so I thought you might want to try overstimulating me. The only other way for that to happen is for you to learn my body but who has time for that? This is efficient and pretty much idiot proof it'll get the job done regardless of your personal experience." You shrug.

"You- want me to use this on you?" He asks wide eyes watching you quickly take off your clothes.

"Yes I do. It's simple, I promise. It does most of the work for you. If you have the energy for it that is." You say.

"Depends on just how simple it is." He says. You sit on the bed next to him and grab his wrist, placing the vibrator in his hand against your clit. It's not on but your insides still clench in anticipation when it touches you.

"Put it here, small circles or wiggling it up and down is fine but keep it in this general area, start with light pressure and press harder as we go. I'll be using the same stoplight system, so here's a couple of preliminary warnings, if I squirm away follow me or hold me down, if I cry that's fine, if I scream let me, ignore me if I ask you to stop or say it's too much. In fact, no matter what, you keep this against me until I call red and I will call red. Sound simple enough?"

"You might cry and that's a good thing?" He frowns.

"It's not a bad thing. It probably won't happen anyway I'm just covering my bases no need to look so terrified." You chuckle.

"How do I turn this on?" He asks after a moment.

"The last button."

"What are the other two?"

"One controls the rhythym and the other controls the power, don't mess with those buttons. For the sake of this lesson they are off limits."

"Last one turns it on?"

"Yes." You nod. Steve stares at the buttons for a moment before a sharp click fills the silence and you jolt from the sudden stimulation. He moves the toy in tight circles, his face pinched in focus. Your hips grind against the vibrator and it doesn't take long for your first orgasm to hit you with a soft moan.

"Oh." Steve says, as if he's surprised.

"Keep going, add pressure." You huff out. Shuddering pants indicate that Steve's done what you asked, your muscles tensing from the continued pleasure post orgasm. The thing with this particular vibrator is that it works quick and you hardly manage to calm down before your second orgasm sneaks up on you. Steve trades the circles for little up and down motions that draw a couple sharp moans from you.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Fine Stevie, I'm fine." You say shakily. Your third orgasm comes with a cry through your closed mouth. You know it's impractical to be so mindful of your sounds but you've got to remain at least semi-composed to be of any help to Steve. More and more your body spasms as the stimulation continues, practically twitching from the pleasure. Small whimpers begin to escape with more frequency as you quickly approach orgasm four. On this one your eyes roll back and you allow an obscene sounding high pitched moan to fall from your lips. Steve makes a sound somewhere in his throat which you barely hear. You're starting to feel that bite of overstimulation layering under the pleasure and it makes you squirm. You jerk against the toy, hoping for a reprieve from the buzzing and Steve, the dilligent student that he is, places a hand across your stomach, holding you in place and all you can do is cry out as he presses the vibrator firmly against your clit. You grip the sheets tightly as he starts to make little circles around your too sensitive bundle of nerves, your whole body is shaking as another orgasm quickly creeps up on you with a squealing noise and string of curses. You can feel your brain getting fuzzy, that familiar hedonistic haze threatens to blanket your thoughts, you know if you don't stop Steve soon you'll be far too blissed out to do so and Steve is not equipped to handle that sort of headspace.

"Okay, red. That's enough Stevie." You say breathlessly but firm. Steve quickly moves the toy but struggles to turn it off so you take it from him and turn it off yourself. You take a couple of moments to recompose yourself, ignoring the phantom buzzing and overwhelming wetness between your legs when you sit up and pull your knees to your chest.

"Are you alright? Do you need water? Can I get you something?"

"I'm fine Stevie. How are you feeling?"

"Me? I wasn't the one-"

"The whole point of this was to see if you enjoyed either edging or overstim- having tried both, do you feel like you at least have a better understanding of them like you wanted?"

"I- guess I have a better understanding."

"Well what're you thinking?"

"I thought I would- hate the edging thing but, as... intense as it was there was something, freeing about it? Like getting on a ride at Coney Island and the ending was, worth the build up."

"And overstimulation?"

"It's incredible watching the way your body reacts to such an onslaught. Plus the idea of bringing your lover imense pleasure like that is undeniably delicious, I can see how that kind of thing can be so thrilling."

"Well there you go. Questions answered. You're free to leave." You say.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"I'm fine Steve I'm just going to hop in the shower you've got nothing to worry about really. I've got other things on my schedule of today remember?"

"Alright- if you're sure. I'll see you around. Enjoy your evening."

"Thanks. See ya." You say. Steve seems hesitant to leave but without a reason to stay, he has to shuffle his way out. You let out a sigh after your door closes. You've got a couple hours before your evening plans, good thing, you'll need it. Hopefully one of these days Steve will ask a simple question with a simple answer that doesn't a demonstration.

***

Tagged Users: @chososg1rl

#marvel #marvel fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers smut

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whatdidtheydotomygirljinx · 1 day ago

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the problem is that it's so hard to really analyze anything about arcane, and draw any conclusions about the story, because of the way it was written and conceived in the first place.

to the people who're like "yeah season 2 was bad, but season 1 was a MASTERPIECE in story writing and PERFECT in every way", that's just not true. the cracks were already there in season 1. there's multiple things, especially overarching ones, that just don't add up, and several ways that the story progresses that seem like odd choices. the thing was that, to me, the rest of it was all so good... the small details, the contained scenes were so well done, so detailed, so touching, that i really believed that maybe those cracks were just hiccups after all, and it's not a big deal, and maybe they'll even make a lot more sense and all get tied up with a nice little bow in season 2 (ha)

to me, at this point, it seems obvious that the way season 1 came into being was that these three idiots (who should never be allowed to write anything ever again) wrote a script, that was so terrible that riot had to bring in help to fix it for them (cause they were that incapable) and then someone got handed their slop and told "save this as much as you can, but keep the main points the same", and save it THEY DID! but the overarching plot is still the original one. which is why there's this dissonance all across it.

season 1 often seems like it's trying to tell two different stories at once. the example that comes easiest to me is jinx's transformation from powder to jinx post time skip. to the people i know irl who watched it, me included, the difference between these two is jarring, to the point that it just doesn't seem realistic that powder would change that much. this is what most people's reaction to her transformation was. like, sure, she changed... but jinx is almost a completely different person. and we can sit here and analyze all we want, and say yeah, but look, in ep2 min37, powder laughs when an enforcer is hurt, so that shows that she is indeed attracted to violence even at this age, but like... first of all, im at this point fully convinced that these details were put in specifically for that, to attenuate the valley that is between powder's character and jinx's, and I also honestly feel embarrassed that i even have to do all of this at all.

other notable examples are whatever is going on between jinx and silco in their relationship. like, yeah, he was actually a good father to her... but actually, there's something weird going on between them... but actually, no... he was better than vander, but actually he was worse than vander and was actually the cause of everything bad in jinx's life..... and on, and on, because the literal story itself never actually makes up its mind on what it wants the relationship between these two characters to be. same as it never makes up its mind on whether powder was a cute, innocent kid who was just manipulated by silco, or if powder was born like that and was just looking for an opportunity to release her inner jinx. same way as it never makes up its mind on whether vi is a devoted sister, who would do anything to get powder back, as she herself says, or if she actually thinks this new enforcer chick she just met is kinda cooler, as her actual actions would indicate. does silco adopt jinx because he sees himself in her, or does he intend to use her as a weapon and then later on grows to actually care about her? there comes a point where "this is a complex story" just becomes an excuse for "we were actually working with three different ideas at once and we never really decided on which one we were gonna do and we kinda just prayed it would all work out somehow"

the one thing that arcane season 2 has on season 1 is that it doesn't suffer from any of these weird identity issues. it's bad and simplistic but it's bad and simplistic in its entirety and it doesn't ever seem interested in being anything else. the story has no continuity or congruence issues, except of course for the ghost of season 1 that haunts it, and especially haunts the writers, who so far have displayed nothing but dismay for the story that actually made this show so acclaimed, and have done all they could to bury it as much as possible in season 2.

now, personally, im a big death of the author truther. even more so in cases like these, where we're dealing with teams of people. power struggles happen in studios, and in writing rooms, and at every level of production. and these three people that have taken credit don't seem like the most emotionally (or intellectually) mature individuals.

so, to solve all these issues, just know that when im discussing or analyzing arcane, im going off the interpretation of the events that serves the story the most, and that leads to the most meaningful narrative and the one that is most worth telling. all of this weird lee and overton slop that snuck in im gonna be completely ignoring.

#arcane critical #the last part is only a little bit ironic #i hate this fucking trio man #how do these people get to write scripts for shows like arcane it's just not fair

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bwat5-blog · 2 days ago

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Father Of Madness: A Clear Look At Silco And Jinx

**Spoilers for all of arcane**

Silco is one of the best villains I’ve ever seen on screen. His complexity is endless. A ruthless murderer, a doting father, a criminal kingpin, a revolutionary…

Silco understandably appeals to many of us in the fandom for a variety of reasons. And if he is your favorite character, I have not come here to judge or look down on you... There is a lot of negative discourse regarding people who enjoy his character and that’s not at all my purpose. There is much that can be discussed regarding this man, his relationship with Vander, how much good he has or has not done for the lanes, and more. I will be focusing on his relationship with and impact on Jinx. As we dive in, there are two truths that we must accept:

1. Silco loves Jinx as his daughter fully and completely, and never intentionally harms her

2. Silco’s broken and warped psyche has twisted his love for Jinx into a cycle of violence and self-loathing that almost destroys her

Prior To Season 1: What To Know About Silco

1. Best Friend/ Brother to Vander in his youth

2. Worked with Vander on the idea of "The Nation Of Zaun"

3. Close to Felicia, Vi and Jinx's mom: Vowed to build a safer Zaun for the unborn Vi at that time

4. Parted ways with Vander after massacre on The Bridge Of Progress-- After Silco's actions (his actual culpability is never confirmed) lead to an incident on the bridge becoming a massacre, Felicia and Connol are killed, and Vander almost kills Silco leaving him disfigured in one eye. It seems like the fight between them is a different incident? Hard to say. Like maybe they met afterwards.

5. Vanished for years, amassing followers and resources, reinvents himself out of response to trauma

The Bridge Of Progress Massacre:

I have been unable to find a firm answer regarding how this incident began. Some say it was an uprising, some say it was simply a peaceful march. My assumption, is that it a peaceful event lead by Silco that was exacerbated in someway by the Enforcers, eventually leading to violence. My reasoning is as follows:

1. While we of course don't spend enough time with Felicia and Connol to say this with confidence, I don't think children as young as Vi and Powder would have been there if the plan was violence to begin with.

2. Despite his conflict with Silco over his actions in the present day, Vander is unflinchingly apologetic to Silco regarding what he did. That would not have been the case if he genuinely believed Silco to have been at fault for what occurred.

The aftermath of this incident is the birth of Silco's new self. He lost someone he was extremely close to in Felicia, his dream of Zaun has failed for at least the time being, and the man he loved as a brother tried to end his life leaving him maimed and abandoned. This is period of immense psychological trauma gives rise to his new belief in strength over all else.

1. "Real power... comes to those who will do anything to achieve it"

2. "It's a little crude I'll admit, the base violence necessary for change... but we both know, topside won't listen to anything else"

3. "The only way to defeat a superior enemy is to stop at nothing... to become what they fear"

This all ties in with his relationship with Vander, which is hugely important but not my focus tonight. What does matter, is that Silco's revenge against his former brother by taking him, is what sets off the chain of events that will impact almost every part of this story. Including my purpose here this evening. Meeting Powder.

What To Know About Powder Before They Meet:

In terms of what we need to understand about Powder, there are two primary issues to draw attention to

1. First and foremost is quite simply the loss she has already been through. She lost her birth parents. She has spent her early childhood in the lanes only a step away from danger. And when he finds her, she is attempting to grapple with the emotional overload of having killed her second family, and believing she has been abandoned (and has been hit) by Vi.

2. Her intense fear of abandonment, and the link to her feelings of insecurity. We see quickly that she is constantly picked on and teased by her male siblings, her worth as part of their team questioned. This all culminates in her being left behind during Vander's rescue. Vi was extremely gentle and kind with her in telling her to stay behind, but she did tell her she was not ready. And we later see Powder alone, having a panic attack and preparing to smash the symbol of her insecurity or inability to contribute, her monkey bomb.

*** As I always make sure to mention when talking about this wonderful character, I am not a mental health professional in any way. However research as a fan and reading people's thoughts online have suggested the two disorders below as conditions Powder may be suffering from in this early stage of her life for those interested***

The End Of Powder:

Silco has taken his revenge on Vander leaving he, Mylo and Clagger dead, and as we will come to know he believes Vi is dead as well... The same Vi he once made an promise to fight for to her mother... his friend. He stalks down the alley to a sobbing Powder, who is grappling with her bomb killing her family, and her beloved older sister having left her behind after striking her and calling her a jinx.

And even when he approaches Powder, he is clearly still carrying a knife slick with the blood of Vander. Now like anything we don't see go a certain way, speculation is required. Was he going to kill her? I think so. He had shown no hesitation at all in killing thus far. Which begs the question, why did he take Powder instead?:

1. He sees himself in her, she was "abandoned" by a "sibling", has no family, and is full of rage and pain

2. Remorse over Vander. the GIF is too short to get a good look, but re-watching the scene shows us him staring at the mutated body of his former best friend and comrade in arms, emotion clear on his face

3. She looks like Felicia and although he had clearly dishonored his oath to her, I imagine in this moment he can see his departed friend in this little girl

4. Quite simply it could be that there is enough good in him left that he couldn't bring himself to end a child's life who was clinging to him and grieving.

The last we see of them, Silco wraps her in a protective embrace, claiming her as is own.

"Its okay... we'll show them. We will show them all"

The Rise Of Jinx:

Seven years have passed and we find that Powder has indeed grown up. She now goes by the name Jinx, and has become a ferocious warrior with a reputation in her own right as someone to be feared. But we also quite quickly learn as the rest of season one progresses, that she has never healed from her trauma and pain. The specters of those she lost haunt her, she hears their voices, and although outwardly she has become strong and dangerous, inside her head remains the shadow of a guilt stricken young girl who only wanted to help.

Let me be clear, I am in no way suggesting that Silco does not love Jinx. I firmly believe he has come to love her as a daughter. The issue, is that Silco himself is a broken and traumatized man. And the way in which he loves her, and has raised her regarding processing and healing from what she has been through, has only strained her already fractured mind. He took that child in his arms and spoke to her of revenge and justice. Instead of safety, and healing.

Driven By Fear-

As previously discussed. When she was still that little girl named Powder, Jinx displayed intense fear of abandonment even before losing her second family and Vi "leaving" her. Now as a member of Silco's organization, those seven years of unresolved trauma have not improved. After the incident with the firelights in which Jinx broke down, due to hallucinating Vi being there, Silco benches her. We see her in her workshop, she is angry, she is increasingly agitated, and the voices of her fallen family push her until, in a bid to regain his favor, she kills six enforcers, and steals the hex gemstone. This of course pleases him, when he realizes what she has taken. He is happy, so she will not be abandoned. We see this moving forward as well.

An Impossible Standard-

"You need to let Powder die, so the fear of pain will no longer control you... your strong now, like you were always meant to be. Jinx is perfect"- Silco trying to baptize Jinx in his ways in Season 1 Episode 5.

Silco speaks a great deal on strength. About surrendering your fear of pain, and about becoming what your enemies fear. And in a way, Jinx has done that to a point. But here's the problem. There is a part of Powder in her that has never healed, never truly grieved. A primal, long buried part that she has no control over. She has now spent years learning to weaponize her deep seated fear and guilt to survive. But that is not healing. And now she finds herself in an unwinnable situation slowly tearing her apart.

So, in summary, she is not mentally capable of meeting his standards, and terrified that if she does meet said standards, she will be abandoned, and alone. I can't speak for you, but to me, that sounds like a very young woman, in a terrible amount of pain.

*For clarity and fairness, he is trying to help her survive in the same way he did. But he is broken as well, and he cannot see that he is handing his adopted daughter the gasoline and matches that lit the flame already consuming his soul*

Vi's Return-

As soon as Silco finds out Vi is alive, he starts making moves to have her murdered. Even knowing that Jinx is still struggling with guilt and closure over what happened those years ago, he is determined to keep them apart. Because he to has been abandoned, hurt and alone. And he knows that if Vi finds Jinx, there is a chance she will leave him. Or perhaps even worse, Jinx will remember that Silco killed Vander... Mylo... Clagger.. That it was his puppet who took Vi and hid her away even if Silco didn't know.

And so it is that to prevent their reunion, Silco tries to end Vi and Caitlyn both, as well as poisoning Jinx against Caitlyn by lying, claiming he knows why she is there. Sevika does this as well, even with the express purpose of destabilizing Jinx to the point Silco may throw her out.

We see how this plays out, Silco's attempts to keep them from reuniting causing Jinx more and more pain as things build to a head:

1. First Reunion-

When Vi finally finds her sister after all those years, things seem to be going shockingly well. Until seeing Caitlyn, who Jinx would know and suspect nothing about if not for Silco and Sevika, she immediately becomes agitated, the voices chattering in her head, even putting her minigun under Vi's chin.

2. Closing her wound-

After the fight with the firelights, Jinx is trying to staple her wound. The perpetually tormenting specter of Mylo is trying to convince her Vi had only come for the stone, only cared about Caitlyn, while Jinx is trying to push back. But with every spike of pain she gets worse until finally she focuses on Caitlyn alone.

3. The Bridge-

First and foremost, Jinx could have attacked at any point if all she wanted was to hurt Vi, Cait or Ekko. she watches them walking down the bridge while the specter of Mylo hovers like a giant spider. She even insists that Vi is just telling Caitlyn goodbye because she wouldn’t leave her again when they hug. It’s not until she sees the stone…. Sees that object that means Silco’s approval, his love, that she launches her assault. And for all the brutality of that attack, if you notice she is extremely calm. Until she sees Vi holding Caitlyn. And her fractured psyche shows her evil faces dancing across Caitlyn’s features. Jinx unloads almost killing them both before Ekko stops her, and she tries to kill both of them.

4. Singed-

She is tied to a table, critically injured from the blast, and going through terrible pain from the shimmer Singed is filling her with. In a short moment of quiet, when she is afraid and in pain, she hallucinates Vi. And when it’s just Vi, she is comforting, loving, there to help. But then Caitlyn appears. Caitlyn who again, has done NOTHING to Jinx at this point. But Silco has made her a demon in Jinx’s mind.

5. Taking Caitlyn-

This is an extremely dark moment that shows a notable shift in how unstable Jinx has become at this point. This is not an explosive episode where they just run into one another. This was deliberate, thought out, and with intention to terrify her target. Now, ultimately, Jinx chooses to do this. But again my point is that how did this all start? With Silco using Caitlyn as a tool to keep Vi and Jinx apart.

The Dinner Party:

Jinx’s dinner party is the culmination of the mental tug-of-war that has been going on within her and ultimately driven her almost past the point of no return. I have broken down this scene many times. So I’m not going through a point-by-point again. But for our purposes here what does this boil down to?

Vi believes she is only Powder and tries to get through to her, while Silco insists she is only Jinx. They are both wrong, and it is that fracturing in her that made things get so out of hand, as when we see them both yelling to get through to her.

The visions and sounds grow worse and worse, beating her down more and more until Silco frees himself, and she is forced to kill him to save Vi. As she cries and apologizes, he assures her he never would have let Topside take her. She’s perfect. And with the sight of Silco’s lifelong enemy looming over them, Vi and Caitlyn watch helplessly as she attacks the council of Piltover. A last attempt to honor the man who made her what she is.

*Regarding Vi’s contributing to her dissonance by insisting she is the Powder she was, I’ll say this. Was Vi unintentionally making her worse? It seems so based off of that last scene. But Vi is trying to remind her of everyone who loved her and who she was before Silco took that from her. So while I can admit Vi’s inability to see JUST how different her sister was before this was a mistake, if you believe Jinx would have been better off left alone on Silco’s path, that is not a stance I can understand*

Aftermath:

Ultimately, Jinx goes through a lot more after this until she starts to find her way out of the dark, but from this point on, it is without Silco. We see a few times instances where that influence threatens her, such as Sevika demanding she honor Silco’s sacrifice and the brief moment of glitchy chaos in her before she regains control. But I would say the ultimate proof we need to understand the toxicity of Silco’s influence upon her rests in their conversation in season two. Her mind could have presented the lesson of breaking the cycle to her in any form. But ultimately, it was the man whose shadow would fall over her even in death, who told her to break the cycle, and find a new life.

As always, to anyone who reads these I really appreciate you. Til next time.

#arcane season 2 spoilers #arcane #arcane season 1 #vi arcane #jinx arcane #vi and jinx #powder #arcane silco #vander

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notbleachtea · 3 days ago

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Your First Christmas Part 1

Okay, I want to at least get this first part posted before the Holidays, and I'm gonna try my best to write the second part before Christmas as well. It's in two parts because I'm hyper critical and I just need to get something out there

All angst in this piece, part 2 will hopefully be more fluff and nsfw

WC: 2.1k

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Done with chores for the day, you meet up with Ikkaku to unwind in the main room.

“Ha! y/n…. What are you wearing?” Ikkaku burst out trying to hold back a laugh.

“Aw quit it, you can admit it if you're jealous you know? I’m just in the holiday spirit is all.” You quip back smiling. “Everyone loves an ugly Christmas sweater.”

“I wouldn't be too sure about that y/n. Not to burst your holiday bubble, but your new lover boy doesn’t really celebrate Christmas. Sure he gives us the day off, but he stays in his office the whole time studying.”

You sit there with a slightly sad face. Christmas was your favorite holiday. You loved getting gifts for all your friends to show them how much you loved them. You hadn’t been on the crew very long, but the chemistry between you and Law was undeniable. You hit it off quick earlier this year. This was going to be your first Christmas together. You never really thought to ask Law if he celebrated or not, assuming everyone likes Christmas to some extent.

“You know, now that you mention it, I don’t think Law and I ever talked about Christmas before.”

“Yeah, the last time someone tried to ask him to join our small party he gave them bathroom duty for a month.” Turning around you see Penguin walking your way, Shachi not too far behind him. “But no fear y/n, we love your sweater!” He says for the both of them.

“Yeah, who cares what Law thinks.” Shachi says, finally able to chime in.”

“Think about what?” Like clockwork, Law comes quietly from around the corner.

Faces turning red and averting their captains gaze, he looks right at you, unamused and mildly annoyed.

“Y/n, take that off”

Penguin and Shachi burst out laughing. “Captain, you dog!”

“Shut up before I remove your hearts.”

All three of them gulp in unison, realizing they’ve overstayed their welcome in this conversation, they get up and scramble out of the room.

“Law, what’s got you so bothered? You don't like my sweater?”

“No, clearly I don't, and I thought I told you to call me Captain.”

“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” you say as you roll your eyes and cross your arms, “what’s up with you and Chrsitmas?”

“None of your business. Besides, it's a waste of time. No different than any other day of the year. Now go change out of that sweater, and I don't want to see it again either.”

“But-”

“Go.”

Staring daggers into his eyes, tears peeking out the corner of yours, “yes, Captain,” you retort with a hint of spite..

You walk off out of the room and go down towards the hall, heading to your shared room. As you enter your room you rip off your favorite sweater and throw it on the floor in your path to the bed, tossing yourself on it as your tears refuse to dry.

What the hell is his deal? He didn't have to be so rude about it.

Not long after, Law follows along, joining you in your room, the sweater on the floor not going unnoticed.

“Y/n, stop this already? This would be a lot easier if you got over it already.”

Only silence is heard from your direction.

“Cmon y/n. Say something at least.”

“What was with that reaction?”

He takes in a short breath, pinching the bridge of his nose, right in between his eyes.

“Y/n, I'm saying this once, and I don't want to talk about it again. I hate the holidays. I don't want to celebrate it, and I don't want to see it either. I need you to understand this for me”

“That's not fair!” you shouted. “You haven't even given me the chance to say what I feel.”

“Y/n, I said I'm not talking about it anymore.”

Your head returns down to the damp pillow in front of it. Law looking at you with seemingly no emotion.

“Y/n?”

“Can’t hear you, we're not talking anymore, remember?” you spit out at him, clearly not over it.

He takes that as his sign to leave you alone for a little bit.

A few hours go by, and everyone is making their way to get dinner. Beop starts to look worried, noticing that you haven't shown up yet to get your plate. He frantically runs over to Law to inform him.

“Captain!” he squeaks, “I haven't seen y/n yet! Is everything okay? Have you seen her??”

“Relax, Beop. She's fine, she's just feeling a little tired lately.”

Penguin, Shachi, and Ikkaku all look at each other at this response, knowing that can't be the full story, Law clearly not wanting to share what's going on between you two. He takes off with some food and heads towards his office. Bepo takes his food and heads over to the others.

Sighh. “I hope y/n’s okay, I haven’t seen her all day!”

“It’s okay Bepo, don’t worry,” Ikkaku says, patting his back. “We all saw her earlier today, just looks like her and Captain are going through something right now. She wasn't exactly aware of the Christmas rule around here.”

“Oh poor y/n! I should have told her!” “Relax man, I’m sure they’ll figure it out, besides, it's not our story to tell. You know Captain would kill us if we told her why he hates it so much.”

Per usual, Law was locked away in his office until the early hours of the morning. Realizing what time it was, he figured he should probably head back to your shared room to try and get some sleep, and also to check in on how you were doing.

It was clear you were still upset. You were rolled all the way on the furthest side of the bed, practically falling off the edge.

Law gets in the bed without a word, successfully going undetected leaving you to sleep.

You wake up the next morning, Law already gone and getting started with his day. You have nothing to say to Law still. Honestly you were hoping he would have at least given you an attempt at an apology. You've never carried arguments over into the next day before. It wasn’t hard to figure out there was something deeper going on, there was just no way to figure out what it was with him refusing to talk to you about it.

He’s the one who did this. All I was doing was just minding my own business before he came up to me and was rude. I’m not giving in, he can come up to me and apologize first.

You pep yourself up and prepare to go about your day like nothing happened. You’ve got a lot of chores to get done today, best get them out of the way, at least they'll keep your mind busy.

Everytime Law comes around to make his rounds you don't even look in his direction. He wasn't even willing to hear you out, if he wants to fix this, he can do a little more than just stand in the same room.

Dinner rolls around again, this time you do show up, Bepo excited to finally see you again.

“Y/n! I missed you!”

“Aw thanks, I missed you too Bepo.”

As you are sitting down with the gang, Law walks in to grab some food and takes it back to his office again. The table looks at you, each person raising an eyebrow out of confusion, looking for an answer from you. You quickly make a move to change the subject, not wanting to get into it.

“Cheer up y/n, Captain’s just a little dramatic sometimes. Hes not the best when it comes to other people's feelings.”

You didn't need Penguin to tell you that one, but you appreciate him clearly trying to cheer you up a bit.

This same cycle continues on for two more days, making that four days now since you had your original argument. Why is he being this stubborn about it? Does he just not care about me or us anymore?

You start to wonder to yourself. You ignored him out of spite at first, not that he was making much of an effort, but now this is just genuinely starting to hurt. But going on like there’s no conversation to be had is not a viable solution either

You push forward with your day like normal, in the middle of your task, taking inventory in the med bay. Suddenly feeling hot tears running down your cheeks, you stop to touch them, confused on their origins.

You're so stressed out and hurt over this, your body is forcing it out of you in tears right now. Bepo walks into the room in the midst of your breakdown, immediately dropping everything in his hands to run to check on you. He holds you in a hug, asking you what's wrong. You only respond with muffled sobs, still not done letting it all out.

“I I-,” you continue to sniffle, “I just miss my Law.” you cry. Unable to hold it in anymore. “I haven't talked to him in 4 days and I just miss him okay. He won’t tell me why he hates Christmas, and he won’t even hear me out when I want to explain that it's my favorite time of the year, or even why.”

“Don't cry y/n, if you cry, then I'm gonna cry!”

You stand there silently, trying to pull yourself back together, not realizing Law has now entered the room, and was out in the hall seconds prior, hearing everything.

“Bepo, please leave us alone for a while,” Law commands.

You both freeze and stiffen up at this comment, feeling embarrassed Law is seeing you like this. Bepo follows his Captain’s orders and quickly flees out of the room, leaving you two behind.

“Y/n… talk to me. Please. It's been 4 days and I don't want to keep doing this. Clearly I'm hurting you.”

He was hurting you, and that's the reason why you were not wanting to talk to him, but he's right, it's been too long. You just want him to hold you, but you also want him to tell you what his problem is.

You wipe the remaining tears in your eyes with the back of your hand, gaining the composure to speak. You look at Law with big glassy eyes.

“Please, can you please tell me what has made you so worked up, and what’s so wrong with Christmas?”

He takes a deep sigh, and you can tell he's annoyed and wanting to avoid the conversation, but he knows it needs to be had and understands he needs to give in.

“Y/n… it’s hard for me to share parts of my past with anyone. Christmas just isn't a good time for me okay.”

You look at him, still with hurt in your eyes. Desperately needing to know more. He swallows a gulp and goes on.

“Christmas used to be a big deal where I came from. My family-” He pauses, the past weighing heavy on his heart, “I don't have many memories from that part of my life, but Christmas is part of the little I have. It was also my little sister’s favorite holiday.”

You knew he had a little sister, but that was about it, and you had only heard of it in passing from the others, and knew better than to push Law for information about his past when he wasn't ready.

“I loved her so much, but Christmas was also the time we found out she was starting to get sick.”

You stand there silent, grabbing his hands to let him know you are here for him.

“There was no cure for it. Despite that, she didn’t let her spirit falter. I wasn’t able to save her. It wasn’t until I ate my own devil fruit that I could have. The World Government knew we were getting sick too, but they didn’t tell us. This could have been prevented, and I’m so angry about it.”

Without another word, you put your arms around Law and just hold him. You can feel a massive weight leave his shoulders from your touch.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

Another moment of silence passes.

“No y/n. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you when you didn’t even know why. It wasn’t fair of me.”

You just squeeze him tighter, not wanting to let him go.

#anime #one piece #trafalgar law #trafalgar x reader #law x reader #op law #reader x one piece #onepiece x reader

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horizon-verizon · 3 days ago

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Also important to note, that Jaehaerys had always been her closest companion and protector. She literally saw him & hung out with him more and was beside him more often than most people when both were small kids, like how Rhaena was with Aegon, their eldest brother the "Uncrowned". More than Rhaena. They were closer in age and thus were more peers than with any of their siblings. They depended on eac other for most things for forever. She'd probs had a complex of loyalties & a false hope or convinced herself that Jaehaerys would "come around" until maybe Daella's death, but really didn't move off until later-later into the marriage? A downside to intramarriages or incestuous marriages, for sure. (Not that post-Dance Targs fared that much better marrying out, this is to point out a unique realized effect of these intra-marriages.)

And under both her mother Alyssa and Jaehaerys' protection, there was also a sheltering that she herself discovers when she holds her first women's courts but didn't really reflect on that she had. You see it in how she responds to Rhaena's losses after Androw dies ("why not marry, I have Jaehaerys and he's great"), very out of touch. Also how she approached the maesters to try to get them to accept the idea of girls in the Citadel. And then how she wants to get Saera back and Jaehaerys tells her how this would give them more problems than he's willing to risk, how she "never forgives" him for that -- he was not only cruel to her in a level she maybe hadn't experienced before and shown his contempt for her feelings towards their shared children/contempt for women-girls and thus given her a peak at ow he might view her, but also make her feel naive and stupid and as if she hadn't done much for him all those years. But, again, all she "doesn't know" or have access to, it's bec Jaehaerys is and has been in the way of that for his own rule, and not entirely through his own efforts (Alyssa, Rogar, system in general)!

So there is Alysanne wanting to do good for women and having much value for herself and loving being a mother and wife...but much of these things were troubled by the tension of negotiating her dependencies on someone is against her unfufilled desires/incomplete, and compromised values. These were "extra" daughters who would not rule bc they came after the first 4 or 5 who would likely rule and already built a foundation Jaehaerys and she anticipated leadin the nation forward. With viserra esp, she also would likely have projected her relationship w/Jaehaerys and her faith in that hard over Baelon and Alyssa and not like the implication of being "replacebale." Once again, she felt she was "meant" to rule with Jaehaerys and was his companion/had a strong bond with him since childhood. Viserra "messed" up this vision. Thus, to her and anticipating her husband's desires while trying to validate her own, the remaining children she shared with him both needed to be "allocated". It's possible that Alysanne tries to make up for a certain "lack" she sees in herself and correctly chalked up to how women don't get enough to themselves in protection and authority because of this sheltering and prove her own general "competence" without having to be a man...but the same sheltering has her also fall too quickly or capitulate once she's hit a wall. Cyclically, she goes to policy to "make up" for that lack.

This little insecurity is also why she wanted Gael by her side and have her avoid marriage, apart form her fear of what happened to her other mentally-not-as-"strong" daughter Daella (yeah, Daella was stubborn even as she was fear-prone, but she didn't seem all that...there?). There is such an interesting thing going on: alicent at one point found happiness and security of a kind in marriage and childbirth but she loses two too-young daughters to marriage/male intimidation/sex/childbirth and tried to prevent one from entering marriage but still failed. As if she has some deeper regrets she can't quite articulate but too-late acts on.

Anyway, she's not simply evil even as she was what she was towards her younger daughters. I think it comes from a particular style and layers of entrapment that marriage did to those she loved and herself when it ties her to someone else hse loved but did not truly..."treat her right" and she shaped herself around with no reciprocity. Ironic -- marriage can be the killer of love under patriarchy. Shiera Seastar was on point.

Alysanne set Targaryen women back. Had she been less pussy watching her misogynist husband stealing their daughter and granddaughter crown in favor of men and just selling their daughters or sending them away like some rabid dogs (justice for Viserra!)… Oh and helping her brother to steal their sister’s crown (sister who damn near raised them). She pissed me off so bad, she’s going to hell with her nasty ass husband 🙏

Even though this is true in a real sense and she hadn't been fair to her own daughters, even with Gael (when she reasonably had the more breadth to change after losing her other daughters) & even is responsible for one's death, I do also see how tirelessly she worked for women in Westeros and they do have some form of protection from noblemen because of Alicent's "Queen's Laws" (right of 1st night abolished and the Widow's Law). These are meaningful acts, even though they had less impact on Targ women directly than they did on peasant folk and other noblewomen.

Two things can be true at once; she clearly had a lot of power with Jaehaerys but what she most wanted to do--to raise the female heir apparent and have Jaehaerys' naming a girl when that opportunity arose--she found that she hit Jaehaerys' limit(s), saw how little she could do to really negate his power as the king/really understood the consequences of what being a Queen consort meant in terms of the unequal powers and subservience, and I think she was compelled more and more down the years, without really realizing it consciously, to anticipate and shape her own actions, words, and plans around what she knew and felt he'd approve or allow. Which in turn affected how she'd view her daughters and how she'd arrange their lives. We see how she's condescendingly treated by the maesters at Oldtown when she visits when she remarks that she'd like to see female maesters and how Jaehaerys never makes a comment to perhaps back her up. (Condescending because they obviously don't believe that women can be as smart as them even with one clearly being in front of their face; they probably thought of Alysanne as an exception.) ("Birth, Death , and Betrayal"):

It's quite obvious she felt more and more like she had no agency or control to do the actual things she wanted. I feel like there was most likely tiptoeing.

Yeah Jaehaerys said to Viserra that he doesn't interfere with Alysanne's decisions concerning marriages, but he says TWICE that Viserra's marriage to Theomore Manderly would be extremely beneficial to "the Iron Throne" ("Policy, Progeny, and Pain"):

...Alysanne wasn't blind or deaf to this, she herself went North to convince Alaric Stark to be more amicable towards Jaehaerys and was involved in the deal of the New Gift. Alysanne was acting for Jaehaerys' interests and then seemed to justify the wrong by making as if Viserra was disrupting the harmony of the family Alysanne is supposed to have the higher authority over (again, note that she probably felt more of her authority & agency as illusory) as both the mother and the Queen Consort. Her decision to marry Viserra off to Theomore specifically was greatly due to it being what Jaehaerys most wanted.

While she never lost courage to bring up things or confront Jaehaerys completely, she did this less and less over the years. She was always much more limited than Rhaenys, Alyssa Velaryon, & Visenya concerning politics. Perhaps she felt this and-- By how she reacts to the Braxton Beesbury duel and how she progressively gloms onto Gael--she simultaneously opted to distance herself from Jaehaerys more and more without really making big confrontations until it came to the head of Saera running away, Daella dying, Viserra dying...when things are too late.

It's a pattern for sure, but a pattern I think Alysanne didn't feel she could get out of. Ironically, it matches Rhaena's own pattern of being "too late" in regards to Alyssa Velaryon and Aerea Targaryen's deaths. Both of these women seem to burrow into their psychological "safe spaces" or coping mechanisms and eventually harm or isolate themselves from those closest to them because they are compelled to try to preserve the smallest sense of agency their privileges as dragonriding Queens in a dynasty quickly assimilated into Andal patriarchy allows.

So, kinda sure. Yes she was complicit. She made her choices, but those choices were made under social compelled personal compromises. So, not too too much on Alysanne so as to make her equal to Jaehaerys. She wasn't perfect by far and again, was responsible for her kids' deaths (Viserra and Gael and Daella) but she can't be called the same or motivated similarly as Jaehaerys was nor that her actions would have been what they were if she hadn't lived in the misogynist setting with a sexist husband she married at 13 as she did. Another perfectly flawed, misguided female character, one who really wanted to "change the world" but was confined by her gender-exclusive role. She did deserve that "Good Queen" title.

Ironically, one of the only reprieves Viserra would have had if she had married Theomore was the very widow's Law that Alysanne made sure became a thing. A small and perhaps unsatisfactory "compensation", considering. Or a lifeline? Shows us all the more the precarious state of married life for women and girls.

#alysanne targaryen #alysanne's characterization #fire and blood characters #fire and blood #asoiaf #alysanne and jaehaerys i #jaehaerys i and alysanne

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