#i genuinely don’t believe he wished to be ‘othered’ for ALL of his life
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nycteris-g · 22 hours ago
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Éowyn, Tolkien's views on gender roles and on war.
Although its length may suggest otherwise, this post is not an essay; my goal is to seek answers from those dissatisfied with Tolkien’s treatment of Éowyn. If you're willing to answer or simply add links to posts/papers on this, I'd greatly appreciate it.
My doubts—and believe me, they are exactly that—stem from, admittedly, too many hours spent reading "war books," both fiction and non-fiction about the Great War and WWII, particularly accounts from real soldiers, which may distort my perspective of Éowyn. My attraction to these stories has little to do with History itself and everything to do with the soldiers’ stories. And one thing they have in common is this: those who fought in the wars rarely saw their sacrifices as glorious—quite the opposite. Deaths in war are almost always portrayed as utterly senseless and unreasonable.
And Tolkien, very notably, was one of them. Now, I don’t know if he explicitly addresses this topic in any of his letters. What I do know is that, likely because of my readings, I notice—or misinterpret—the soldier in Tolkien.
I’m particularly focusing on The Children of Húrin and Túrin as an example, though I’ve traced similar themes in other characters throughout his entire legendarium.
A defining trait of Túrin is his hunger for vengeance against Morgoth. His ambition is to gather a sizable force and storm Morgoth’s fortress. Many characters (Beleg and Gwindor in particular) tell him outright how futile this ambition is. Even if he’s lucky, they argue, he will at best inflict minor losses on Morgoth’s forces, but he will never truly defeat him. Túrin stubbornly insists that any victory, no matter how small, is worthwhile: "For victory is victory, however small, nor is its worth only from what follows from it.”
Yet others, especially Gwindor, suggest that even these so-called victories serve no real purpose ("Petty victories will prove profitless at the last," says Gwindor) and may ultimately do more harm than good. Why?
At the very beginning of CoH, we glimpse Morwen’s perspective on war. She argues that those who go to battle forget the suffering of those left behind—especially when their loved ones don’t return. She tells Húrin this, and when he fails to come back to her, her life (and those of her children) becomes a living hell.
This is precisely Gwindor’s point when he tells Túrin: "You think of yourself and of your own glory, and bid us each do likewise; but we must think of others beside ourselves, for not all can fight and fall, and those we must keep from war and ruin, while we can.”
Note how Gwindor frames Túrin’s thirst for glory as selfish, in contrast with the need to protect those who cannot fight. What happens to them when nothing and no one stands between them and destruction?
This is where I perceive the soldier in Tolkien: he does not glorify Túrin’s bravery. His pursuit of battle is senseless because he cannot win the war. And if he cannot win, his death will be meaningless—and worse, it will bring greater suffering to those he seeks to protect.
Now, back to Éowyn. Does Tolkien truly dismiss her experience as a shieldmaiden, treating it as something she must be “tamed” out of? Does he believe her natural, ultimate, and rightful state is that of a traditional feminine role?
I think the answer is both yes and no.
Éowyn’s grievances are consistently dismissed by the men in her life. Honestly, I’d punch Aragorn. Of course, she does not wish to fight only for glory; she fears being caged—both in the literal sense of a conquered people facing enslavement and in the figurative sense of her role as a woman. She is not free to choose her fate, and the cage that traps her is built by the men around her.
Yet her desire for battlefield glory is one of her motivations for fighting. And my take is this: for Tolkien (as I interpret him), glory is not a genuine reason to become a soldier at all.
Faramir, the man who ultimately “tames” her, is also the one who says: "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."
The only true, valid reason to go to war is to protect others—our loved ones, our people, our comrades.
Éowyn’s greatest accomplishment is slaying the Witch-King, but she does so not for personal glory, but to protect her kinsman.
Of course, in the end, Eowyn goes back to the role of a care-taker — except, her exact words on her future endeavors are: “I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.” Healing is not the same as becoming a homemaker. In modern terms, she essentially chooses to become a doctor. While Tolkien frames healing as a feminine role, there are notable male healers in his works—Elrond, for instance. Given that Éowyn is a noblewoman living in peacetime, healing is a meaningful, self-directed path for her.
And once again, it is Faramir who “tames” her. To me, this means he helps her realize that her hunger to prove herself on the battlefield is futile—not because she is a woman, but because war itself is futile. As many soldiers have said: War is hell. It is not a proving ground for personal merit or growth. 
I deeply love both Túrin and Éowyn’s courage. And while I think Tolkien’s experience as a soldier influenced how he wrote Éowyn’s “taming,” I can’t completely dismiss how his beliefs about traditional gender roles likely played a role.
So, my question is: does my reading (which, as I’ve made clear, is deeply influenced by my non-Tolkien readings) distort and fail to fully grasp the sexism in her portrayal? I’m trying to be more critical of Tolkien’s treatment of his female characters. At the same time, I don’t want to do Éowyn a disservice by reducing her arc to "No, no, it’s not sexism. Tolkien just rejected the idea of glory through battle altogether, regardless of gender."
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severinaprince · 7 months ago
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u kno, I don’t think that people consider enough the possibility (and very high probability) that Snape wasn’t mean to student’s because he wanted to, but more so because he had to. Not saying they he was nice. That man sure as hell wasn’t nice, especially when reading from Harry’s point of view.
But let’s consider for a moment the objective circumstances: Severus Snape was a past Death Eater, who at 21-ish years old changed sides (something only Dumbledore knew to which extent and the reasons), and knew of the possibility of the Dark Lord coming back because Dumbledore told him, and anyone who listened honestly, that he didn’t believe Voldemort to be truly gone.
Now, Severus Snape knows that Harry Potter, this child who is the Dark Lord’s undoing, is alive and is coming to the school, as probably most of his contemporary schoolmate’s kids are also going, have been there a while and will come for various years after. Snape is still bound to Dumbledore by his promise to be a spy, and is bound to Voldemort by brand. And Dumbledore is highly suspicious shit is about to go down (which u kno, he was rights ‘cause even from the first year lil Harry started Going Through It™️).
Having that background: Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin, and presumed Death Eater (‘cause u kno, spy), who was never known to be openly warm nor kind, who was fiercely bullied and he retaliated when felt necessary, is supposed to seem impartial and nice to all of his students?
Morally, should he had been? Heck yeah. Any decent teacher and adult should.
Realistically, should he had been? Well, if he wanted his cover blown, sure. If he wanted all of the Death Eaters who had children in school questioning the hell out of him, yeah. If he wanted Voldemort suspicious of his alliance and current belief system (which would have been at odds with the Death Eater ideals), uh-huh. But that would have made for a lousy spy at best and disastrous war changing consequences at worst.
And let’s be really honest here: Dumbledore gave him the position as teacher, primarily because he wanted to use Snape as a spy. That was Dumbledore’s priority, not the teaching. Which is a little wild to think coming from a school headmaster, truly.
This theory (which personally extends from theory to canon, because that’s how being a spy works) does not excuse him from how his prejudice blinded him from seeing Harry for Harry and not James (but the case could be made that neither did Sirius, but that’s another topic). That was wild. However, at the same time, he looked out for Harry’s life.
Again, I’m not saying Severus was warm and nice and he certainly acted mean and cruel at moments, particularly with kids from the other three houses. I just think that was part of the tragedy. He had a role to play, he played it perfectly, getting himself branded as a coward and a traitor by the people closest to him. And because of him, they won the war.
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greengoblinswifey · 9 days ago
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Solace—Kang Dae-Ho/Player 388 x Fem!Reader
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summary— Dae-ho has had a crush on you since day one but it takes him almost losing you for him to gain the courage to confess. Based on this request.
warnings— usual squid game activities, fluff, friends to lovers, praise kink, unprotected sex, creampie.
a/n— hope you guys enjoyed my first dae-ho fanfic <3 been extremely busy, i don’t even have time for myself :((
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From the very first day, Seong Gi-hun took you under his wing when no one else would. You stuck with his group because of his genuine care for your well being and for—him. Player 388 whom you learned to be Kang Dae-Ho.
During the first game, Red Light, Green light as per Gi-hun’s instructions, you were to keep still and hide behind a player.
From the moment Dae-ho stood beside you in the first game, he was mesmerized and had an inkling to protect you.
Before the music stopped, he ran in front of you, shoving you gently behind him. “Stay behind me! Don’t move.”
Confusion swirled your mind as to why this stranger was helping you, but you did as you were told and as you made it across the line you thanked him. Dae-ho’s breath hitched as you wrapped your arms around him reluctantly and he returned the sentiment, resting his chin on your head.
“You saved my life,” you muttered, pulling away.
“I-it’s no problem, really. It’s the least I could do.”
From that interaction, you couldn’t keep your eyes off each other. You had that effortless charm and aura that pulled Dae-ho in. He wanted nothing more than to be able to have you be his—to have you in his arms but even a marine who had encountered many dangers had overwhelming nerves.
You were magnetic, a radiant presence that drew him in like a moth to a flame. Your beauty, both inside and out, left him breathless, and he often found himself lost in your eyes, captivated by the warmth they held. Despite his shyness, he couldn't help but admire you from afar, his heart racing each time you laughed or smiled.
In your presence, he felt a mix of awe and nervousness, wishing he could express just how enchanting he thought you were. Every moment spent with you felt delicate, where words sometimes escaped him, but his gaze spoke volumes, revealing the depth of his admiration. You were his muse, inspiring a quiet affection that blossomed in the softest of glances and the sweetest of smiles.
So, he opted to show his care through protecting you in any way he could. Outside of that, any interaction you had would be filled with him stuttering and developing rosy cheeks.
He was never really shy around women in the outside world or with the other female players—like Jun-hee who was in the group. It was just you. You had that pull on him no else did.
During the Six Legged Pentathlon, Dae-ho ensured you were included in the group and he cheered you on as you successful won Ddjaki with little effort. Your confidence and ability drew him in even further.
When it was his turn to complete his game, you were right by his side, encouraging him with your kind words.
“You can do it, don’t be nervous,” you smiled softly, “I believe in you.”
Dae-ho went on to successfully complete Gonggi and you immediately pulled him in for a hug, almost toppling everyone over but it made his heart flutter.
Walking back into the dormitory, his eyes were fixated on you, tired but grateful to be alive. You all collected the small portion of food and sat around to eat. As Gi-hun spoke, he completely zoned him out, his focus remained on you.
“Uh, here, t-take this. You need your strength, you did great out there,” he stammered.
“I couldn’t. You need your strength too,” you smiled.
God, your smile. It was one of the the most beautiful things about you.
“I’m a marine, I have all the strength I need.” You chuckled, the sound music to his arms and took his share of food from him.
That night, Dae-ho only had one reoccurring thought in his head and it was you. He wanted to confess, to see if you felt the same way but he didn’t know how.
In the cold bunk, you lay on your side and unbeknownst to Dae-ho, your mind was on him. You were just as infatuated with him as he was with you, but since he never explicitly said anything, you pushed it to the side. He was just being nice. He didn’t have feelings for you and you were delusional to even think so.
He was cute, strong and sweet, there was no way he would go for a girl like you. Especially in the midst of all this chaos, there were more important matters to deal with. At least—that’s what you thought.
The game that followed was Mingle, but as usual, it wasn’t as simple as it looked and came with a deadly twist.
With your heart in your throat, you stepped onto the platform waiting for it to spin and the music to start playing. Dae-ho stood close by, trying to keep an eye on you while also looking out for the rest of the group. It was probably the most hectic game so far.
The spinning had you almost lose your footing and as the platform stopped and a number was called, chaos erupted.
Players grabbed each other, some even bouncing you and running into rooms. Meanwhile you were a chicken without its head, running away from the group when you should’ve been running with them. It was the last number and being so close to death that many times had left you discombobulated.
Dae-ho tried to scan the room for you but it was cut short when he was shoved by the others into a room. His heart beat so fast he thought it would tear out of his chest as he looked through the hole in the door for you.
Meanwhile, just before the countdown ended, you quickly ran into a room that thankfully did not have the maximum amount of players. You looked on as players were eliminated in cold blood, just grateful you were able to survive at the very last second.
Dae-ho’s room was suffocating. He sat huddled in the corner, his knees pulled to his chest, trembling hands clutched tightly together. What gnawed at him the most was you. He didn’t know where you were, if you were safe, if you were still alive.
When the guards herded the players back to the dormitory, Dae-ho didn’t care about anything else. His eyes darted around the room frantically, searching every corner for you. His breath hitched as he scanned every face, his heart dropping when none of them were yours.
And then, there you were.
You stood near the back of the room, brushing dust off your clothes, looking tired but unharmed. Relief hit him like a tidal wave, and before he could stop himself, he was sprinting toward you.
“Y/N!” he called.
You turned, startled, just in time to catch him as he practically collided with you, his arms wrapping around you tightly.
“Dae-ho?” you asked, shocked.
“You’re okay,” he whispered. “You’re okay.”
You smiled softly, though you were still confused. “Yeah, I am. Are you okay?”
He pulled back just enough to cup your cheeks, his hands trembling slightly as he looked at you, scanning your face as though he couldn’t believe you were real. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears.
“I thought—” His voice faltered. “I thought you might not have made it. I was scared. I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”
Your heart ached at the sight of him, so vulnerable and raw. “Dae-ho, I’m fine,” you assured him, your hands resting on his wrists.
He shook his head, as if trying to gather his courage. “I—I have to say this now. I don’t know if I’ll get another chance. I like you. I’ve liked you since the day I saw you. You’re so beautiful, so smart, and so kind. You make all of this—this nightmare bearable. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I—”
“Dae-ho,” you interrupted, your voice soft as your cheeks warmed.
“I mean it,” he said, his words tumbling out in a rush. “I’ve wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how. And today, when I thought I might lose you, I couldn’t—”
You smiled, cutting off his rambling by leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. For a moment, Dae-ho froze in shock, but then he melted into the kiss, his hands still cupping your cheeks.
When you pulled back, your smile widened at the dazed look on his face. “I feel the same way, Dae-ho,” you admitted.
“You—you do?” he stammered.
“I do,” you said, a small laugh escaping as you watched his face flush.
A loud whistle interrupted the moment, and both of you turned to see Jung-bae standing a few feet away, grinning from ear to ear.
“Finally!” he said, crossing his arms. “I thought I’d have to spell it out for you two.”
You rolled your eyes, and Dae-ho ducked his head, clearly embarrassed but unable to stop smiling.
“Shut up, Jung-bae,” you said playfully, though you couldn’t hide your own grin.
Dae-ho held you close like he never wanted to let go. His arms were firm around your waist, his head buried in your shoulder as he whispered, “I can’t believe you’re in my arms right now.
You reached up, running your fingers gently through his dark hair. “I’m here,” you said softly, leaning into him. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
He pulled back slightly, his hands moving to cradle your face, his thumbs brushing over your cheeks. His eyes searched yours, still in awe. “You don’t understand,” he said, his voice low and tender. “I’ve dreamed about this—about holding you, about just, having you close. I never thought it would actually happen.”
“I’m glad it did,” you whispered.
He smiled, his lips brushing softly against your forehead, then your temple. The kisses were tender. You closed your eyes, melting into his touch as you snuggled against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
When night came and the dormitory was quiet, everyone else fast asleep, Dae-ho hesitated as he stood by your bunk.
“I should go,” he whispered, though his body betrayed his words, lingering close.
“Stay,” you said softly.
He froze, his eyes meeting yours in the dim light. For a moment, he looked uncertain, but then he nodded, climbing into the narrow space beside you.
You turned to face each other, lying so close that you could feel the warmth of his breath on your skin. His hand rested on your waist and you reached up to trace your fingers lightly along his jawline.
“Hi,” you said softly, a small smile on your lips.
“Hi,” he echoed, his smile widening.
You leaned in, your lips brushing against his in a tentative kiss. It was soft at first, almost shy, but as his hand slid up to cup the back of your neck, it deepened. His lips moved against yours with a passion that had been building for days.
Without thinking, you shifted, moving to straddle him. His breath hitched as his hands instinctively settled on your hips.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Your cheeks flushed, and you leaned down, your lips pressing against his again. “You said that already,” you teased softly.
“And I’ll keep saying it,” he replied, his hands gently running up and down your sides. “Because it’s true. You’re incredible. I don’t deserve you.”
“Don’t say that,” you whispered, cupping his face in your hands. “You’re here with me, and that’s all that matters.”
Dae-ho pulled you in for another kiss, this one deeper and more lingering than before. His hands rested on your hips and you instinctively shifted, your body moving on top of him in a way that made his breath hitch.
You froze for a moment, realizing that he was hard, and then let out a soft giggle. “Oh,” you murmured, the corners of your mouth curling upward as you looked at him.
His face flushed immediately, and he stammered, “I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for—”
“It’s okay,” you cut him off gently, placing a hand on his chest. His heart was racing beneath your palm. “It’s natural.”
He swallowed hard, clearly embarrassed, but you tilted your head, watching him carefully. “Do you—want me to help with that?” you asked.
His eyes widened slightly, and he stuttered, “I—I mean, only if you want to. I don’t want you to feel like—”
“I want to,” you said softly, cutting through his nervous rambling.
For a moment, he stared at you, his expression a mix of wonder and disbelief. Then he nodded, his voice low as he murmured, “Okay.”
You quietly slipped out of your bottoms, and he did the same. As you positioned your pussy over his raw, hard cock, his hand found your waist. He was already leaking from the tip and you took ahold of his shaft, dragging it along your folds. With a low gasp, you sank down onto his cock, the size of him stretching and filling you.
“You’re amazing,” he whispered, his voice trembling with awe. “So perfect.”
You moved slowly, your pussy adjusting to him as your hands pressed against his chest for balance. His grip on your hips tightened, his eyes locked on yours. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he murmured.
“Believe it,” you whispered back, your bounces becoming more fluid as you found a quiet rhythm together.
“You feel so good,” he said through gritted teeth, his voice strained. His hands guided your movements, his fingers digging into your skin. “You’re fucking, incredible, y’know that?”
A soft smile came on your lips, and you leaned forward slightly, your breath mingling with his. “You’re not so bad yourself,” you teased, earning a breathy laugh from him.
He closed his eyes for a moment, his forehead resting against yours. “Fuck, you’re going to ruin me,” he murmured, his voice barely audible.
You giggled softly, brushing your lips against his. “Then we’re even,” you replied.
The two of you moved together quietly, his hips thrusting upwards and meeting your bounces. Every whispered word of praise, every soft touch, made the moment feel almost surreal. He held onto your waist tightly but gently, afraid you would slip away and in awe at how you moved on top of him.
His forehead was pressed against yours, jaw agape as he felt your tight pussy move up and down his shaft. You bit your lip attempting to hold back your moans, he was hitting spots inside you no one else had.
And as you both reached your limit with him throbbing inside you and your pussy quivering, he whispered, “Please, cum with me.”
You nodded, your body trembling as you followed his lead, your hands clutching his shoulders for support. You moaned softly as you felt his load fill you up and your pussy clenched around him as your release washed over you. His arms wrapped tightly around you as he buried his face in your neck, his breath warm against your skin.
When you came down from your high, you both stilled, your breathing heavy but quiet. He pressed a soft kiss to your shoulder, his hands still resting on your hips as if reluctant to let go.
“We should get dressed,” you whispered, your voice tinged with amusement and exhaustion.
“Yeah,” he agreed, though he didn’t make a move to pull away just yet. Instead, he looked up at. “Thank you, beautiful,” he said softly.
You smiled, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his lips. “Anytime,” you replied.
The two of you quickly redressed, your movements careful and quiet. As you settled back into the bunk, he stayed close for a moment, his hand brushing against yours.
“You’re amazing,” he whispered again, his eyes soft and full of warmth.
“So are you,” you replied, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before he returned to his bunk.
Even as you drifted off to sleep, you could still feel the weight of his gaze on you, a silent promise that you weren’t alone.
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bloodfiendarling · 1 month ago
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𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓮𝓭
【 𝐈 】 , 【 𝐈𝐈 】
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pair — octopus siren!reader x pirate!aventurine
wc — ~600
contains — dom top reader, sub bottom char, written with fem reader in mind but it can be seen as gn, porn with plot i guess?, dubcon bordering on noncon, tentacle fucking (duh), choking (only in the start tho), mindbreak, belly bulge, pregnancy mention, violence mention (at the end only)
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ah .. i cant believe my first posted fic is avenchan .. x_x even tho my entire theme is argenti .. a little scared of posting my work www ;; either way , i think i busted when i saw this art sob sob . cogs in my brain making out a whole hentai plot .. i wrote this with my dick and not my brain . gomenne avenchan ! youre in the hands of a degenerate ! >_<
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he really was the greedy type — despite being covered head to toe in stolen goods, aventurine really just can’t help but steal more, more, and more. those riches were the source of his infamy—and of course, his ego. he was a respected captain, feared, even.
of course, it didn't stop at stealing. the man gambled — be it his life or wealth. and he never lost, not once. lady luck really was always on the captain’s side, huh?
not today.
not when he decided to steal from a siren of all things.
“mnngh—!!” aventurine let out a muffled moan, eyes rolling back. his mouth was restricted with a tentacle — another was snaking around his neck, occasionally squeezing on it. the captain’s legs were pressed up against his chest, of course, restrained. he can’t even remember how many times he’s came.
aventurine, one of the most respected pirates out there, folded like a lawnchair and being fucked like a common whore by a siren.
what a sight.
“ah, are you gonna pass out, captain?” you ask, tone laced with fake pity, tapping on the side of his head a few times, “don’t tap out on me, captain. you said you wanted it, no?”
she wasn’t wrong, either. aventurine was the one who offered himself when he was caught. maybe even steal something once it was over — he wasn’t expecting to be the one on the receiving end, though..
as the tentacle on his mouth and neck finally loosened, the blonde let out a sharp gasp of air afterward — finally. though he went back to those pretty moans as soon as she continued to thrust the one in his hole deeper — loud, lewd squelching noises filling the siren’s cavern.
“you’re so tight. i can feel you squeezing me…” she rubbed on his stomach, a visible bulge on it. the second aventurine’s head drops down to see it, his eyes go wide — very obviously horrified. he didn’t even know he could take that much!
“mnn… look at that, captain,” she started, very much referring to the bump on his abdomen. “it’s so deep in you, huh? ah, i wish i could get you pregnant.”
the captain shook his head rapidly — “ah–! nnh.. no– nonono…” he sobbed.
“don’t worry, captain. not like i can anyway.” you teased, still relentlessly thrusting into him. you pressed a kiss on his cheek, wiping his tears away. he would be kicking you off, trying to get you the fuck off if him if it weren’t for your tentacles restraining all of his limbs. poor thing, how helpless he looked.
he let out a strangled moan, feeling her somehow thrust even deeper. his back arching into such a pretty crescent, tongue starting to loll out with how hard you were going.
dear god, he really did feel like he was going to get pregnant.
his moans were getting louder and louder. not to mention more erotic. you were sure a passerby fisherman would hear him.
“ah, ah, ah, more ♡”
“you want more, captain?” you asked. it was a genuine question, though. the aventurine, completely submitting with a few hard thrusts? the one oh so feared and infamous — you’ve even heard some other sirens talk about him.. and this is how he’s really like? a common slut?
“nngh– yes ♡” he nods, you swore you saw hearts in those gorgeous eyes looking back at you. the ones that looked in disgust and anger at first. “ahn, ah–♡ i wan’ you ♡”
you really did fuck him till he was braindead, huh.
maybe you were glad he didn’t come with a crewmate. you would’ve missed an opportunity and killed this pretty little gem.
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hsr masterlist ♥︎
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forwards-beckon-rebound · 2 months ago
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jason todd with a partner who’s afraid of guns
ft. gn!reader, mentions of guns (obviously), other weapons, potential home break ins, just jason being a little paranoid but we love him for that anyways
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i imagine he would already have his vigilante and personal life very separate (he's just a guy :( who wants some normalcy and domesticity)
so i don't really imagine him letting his partner see much of his red hood persona
like he's not exactly bringing you to fights or anything even remotely dangerous
so, knock on wood, you’ll never have to see him actually shoot anybody, but he will still try to find ways to keep you safe when he’s not there
probably soooo very very protective of you, like even if he was practically in love with you, would hesitate to start a relationship until he's sure that his enemies won't have a way to use you against him
he's going to like one safe house to store his stuff and then probably another one just to throw people off of his tracks before he heads to your place
i think if his partner wasn't afraid of him guns at home, like is just scared of handling them, he would probably have one on him when he's going home
to protect himself because he could be attacked anywhere and also in case something happens at home (his worst nightmare is walking home to an empty apartment when he knows you should be home and in bed)
and he normally would have a stash of weapons in the house, including guns, in case either of you have to defend yourselves
like preferablyyyyyyy he teaches you the basics like how to load a gun, turn the safety on and off, and shoot, but if not there are plenty of other weapons to choose from
and he’ll let you know where they all are (it’s not hard, like you’ll probably run into a few on accident throughout the day anyways) and will tell you where the guns are so you can avoid them if you so wish (he’ll probably have them in case he’s home and needs them though)
super paranoid guy but considering everything he's been through and how many people he's antagonized in gotham, makes sense
however, if his partner is afraid of even having them lying around, he's definitely willing to make some changes. he still uses them while he's fighting, but subconsciously, he might be less likely to reach for them
he's not bringing any guns home (probably just settle for some knives, idk why but he seems like he would steal batarangs for funsies so he might have some on hand)
like he’ll drop off his guns when he gets to one of his safe houses and then arm himself to the moon with other stuff (sorry again i fear he is a little paranoid but like it’s understandable)
as far as weapons in the house...i think he'll still have a few guns, just in case, but he'll make sure it's not somewhere you could easily find them, like if you guys both have your own offices then he’ll leave them in his
honestly, for your peace of mind, he probably won't tell you the exact location, just lets you know that there are a few for life or death situations (unless you ask for the location, in which case he's more than happy to tell you)
so many other weapons though. i genuinely don't think he'd compromise too much on that one. again, if you don't like sharp objects or anything like that, at the very least, he is putting pepper spray in every room and a metal baseball bat
and probably some flares, smoke bombs, nonlethal stuff so you can run to safety if you don't want to deal with the assailant head-on, but best believe you’ll know how to use all of them very well
and there’s always self defence moves, although i think he prays that you never have to get to that point
why am i imagining jason practicing escape routes with you from different places in your apartment like it's some sort of fire drill
“okay pretend i’m the attacker and i come in through the window with a knife while you’re washing the dishes. what are you going to do?”
“cry?”
“no, sweetheart, remember, if you’re in the kitchen and they don’t have any long distance weapons then you go with escape plan C.”
“bitch how tf am i supposed to remember all of the plans.”
HE DOES IT OUT OF LOVE
will actually stress tf out if you don’t do it so uhhhhhhhhh yeah i’d start studying
will make you practice it every once in a while just to keep it fresh
and it’ll be random too because “crime doesn’t give you a heads up in gotham”
on the plus side if you have any weird requests he’ll probably feel bad and do them
like if you want fresh flowers in the house at all times? babe, he was going to do that anyways. onlt the best for you
you want to decorate the house in whatever style you like? here’s his card (being a crime lord does make good money)
doesn’t matter if he likes it or not, it’s only fair. you get to decorate your place with cute throw pillows, he gets to hide a few daggers under the sofa, same difference
or like if you want his location at all times? and hourly check ups?
honestly, he’s touched that you care about his safety as much as he cares about yours. he’ll make sure it’s encrypted so nobody can hack into your phone and see that, but he’s more than willing to whip out his phone in chasing down some villain to tell you he’s gonna be late for dinner or whatever
guys, at the end of the day, he just really loves and cares for his partner, and he'll do whatever makes you the safest and most comfortable
he has some…interesting habits but it’s all to make sure you stay safe
and he makes up for it by bringing home little trinkets that remind him of you and planning elaborate date nights and all of that cute stuff to show how much he cares
and who knows, if you still remember escape plan p maybe he’ll have a little treat planned!
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hifugoro · 5 months ago
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thinking sooooo hard about the removed akechi mementos request. not only because we got to see him Ace Detective-ing (peak!) but because the moral of it all is so. Akechi. very long rant incoming
one of the major things that I think sets him apart from the rest of the thieves is that he doesn’t believe that circumstances lessen the effects of actions. like at all. there are multiple examples of this but the cutscene during marukis fight where he’s the only one to keep attacking (and him being the only one to show outright disdain towards maruki in general) + the thieves den conversation with yusuke about shido / madarame (Y: “Perhaps there was a certain misstep in his life that eventually led him so astray.” A: “So you’re saying he may not have been truly evil? Your drivel’s as outlandish as always…”) are ones that stand out to me most. he doesn’t care about what causes bad people to be the way they are, and he doesn’t care what otherwise good people’s intentions are when they do bad things. the act itself is what matters
it goes without saying that this extends to himself, I mean he outright states that he cant comprehend the phantom thieves not just killing him after the engine room fight. he didn’t mean that as a “wow... I can’t believe you’re being so nice to little old me….” moment. it was him being genuinely confused as to why they’re still trying to get him on their side. because he didn’t say anything he said to gain pity points with them, nor does he think the things he said deserve enough pity points to spare his life
and then you have this mementos request. in which a corrupt diet member has a son with his mistress, who subsequently commits suicide, and then falsely accuses the son of a crime many years down the line. “you all want to help that poor victim, don’t you?” akechi says. the poor victim, who was enacting a revenge plot on his criminal father that made him into a criminal as well. huh.
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again, this is all coming from the guy who like a month ago, got a heartfelt speech about how he can still come back from what he’s done because the thieves can understand where he’s coming from. this happens at (arguably) his emotional lowest, where it probably hits harder than it could at any other time. and this is his direct response to that. this is him saying, in essence, that their kind words at the end were nonsensical, because his circumstances Don’t Matter
after he sends these texts, morgana goes “But akechi is just like him…” because it’s true, but that’s the Point. It makes no difference that akechi can empathize, and place himself directly in toji’s shoes. he had a hunch about the truth the entire time, and he still aided in making toji’s act of extortion exposed. understanding the viewpoint of someone who does bad things Does Not Matter to him
and that, to me, is what his sense of justice is at it’s core. which is why in the end, he doesn’t have that same sympathy for himself that everyone else does. he killed people. end of story. no other notes
and my god! I really wish they kept this in because it really hammers in that extra layer he has to him. atlus do you hate me
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kaleldobrev · 6 months ago
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Adventures in Babysitting
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Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x F. Supe!Reader; Past William Butcher x F. Supe!Reader
Feat. Character(s): Reader, William Butcher, Soldier Boy/Ben & Hughie Campbell
Summary: The last thing you wanted was to babysit Soldier Boy — but here you are.
Word Count: 2.5k
Warnings: Cursing (23x), Offensive/Derogatory Language, Smut (P in V, Fingering, Unprotected Sex), Supe Shaming & Implied Drug Use
Authors Note: Even though I’m used to writing smut, I’m a little rusty, so apologies if this is not up to snuff with the other times I have written smut | I’ve been on such a Ben kick lately, hope y’all don’t mind! | MDNI — 18+ ONLY PLEASE | If you liked this, don’t forget to like & reblog. I really appreciate it! Feedback is always welcome ♡
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"Why am I the one that has to fucking babysit him?" You whispered yelled at Butcher, not trying to be remotely quiet in the process.
Butcher looked at you, and let out a small chuckle. "Cause Princess, you're the only one of us that, that Radioactive Cunt actually listens to. 'Sides, you're one of his kind."
You huffed. Like I had a fucking choice in the matter, you thought. "But you and Hughie are already going to be taking Temp V to go on your little suicide mission," you said, now raising your arms out of pure frustration. Your reaction and comment lead Butcher to just simply laugh.
"We ain't wastin' Temp V looking after him when you already got some in ya," he winked, giving your shoulder a little bump. "Sides, don't think your power is gonna be real useful for this."
It was now your turn to raise a brow and chuckle. "You don't think that my power of life draining people to the point of death isn't useful in this situation?"
"When I have laser eyes and Hughie can teleport? No. Our powers aren't hands on unlike yours," Butcher said.
"Now your power shaming me?" You scoffed, crossing your arms. "That's low Butch, especially after all the fucking times I've saved your British ass."
"Be mad at me all you want Princess, you're staying here," Butcher said, as he picked up his duffel bag. "I'll make it up to ya," he winked, and all you did was give him a disgusted look. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he said, his tone a little bit more cheerful than it had been previously.
As Butcher walked out the door, you huffed. "Un-fucking-believable," you mumbled. You walked over to the couch and sat down, still keeping your arms folded as you slumped down and stared at the floor, slightly grinding your teeth.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Ben asked, strolling into the room from the bathroom.
You glared at him, still with the look of death. "You. You're my fucking problem," your words coming off a lot harsher than you had intended them to sound. But you were pissed, and maybe a little bit jealous. Before Hughie came along, it was always the Y/N and Butcher Show, but now, it was the Hughie and Butcher Show. You felt slightly betrayed and felt like you had lost your best friend.
Ben looked at you with a confused look, his eye brows furrowed. "What the fuck did I do? I was in the fucking bathroom."
"You exist, that's why," you huffed, still with your arms crossed, barely looking at him as you answered.
"What's up with this fucking hot and cold shit uh? When I first met you, you were ready to hop on my cock, no questions asked, and now you wish I didn't exist?" Ben's reaction was one that you weren't expecting from him. You were expecting him to have some kind of sassy remark like 'Fuck you,' or 'Same here,' but not this time. This time, he almost seemed genuinely hurt that you told him that, even if you didn't really mean it.
In reality, you genuinely did like Ben; and really didn't have an actual problem with him. The only problem that you did have with him, was that he was too similar to you, and that honestly scared you sometimes.
"I'm just pissed okay?" You answered, your tone a little bit calmer now. You uncrossed your arms and let out a giant sigh.
Ben walked over to you, and sat next to you. "Do you...I can't believe I'm asking but...Do you want to...talk...about...it?" His words sounding almost as if he actually cared about what you had to say.
"No," your voice short. "I rather do something else," you continued. You finally looked him in the eyes now, and he looked at you with the same kind of confused look he had looked at you previously with.
"Yeah?" He asked, as you placed your hand on his thigh. He looked down at your hand, and then looked back up at you. "Don't start something you won't finish Sweetheart," he asked.
You didn't say anything but kept eye contact with him as you got up from the couch. "Where you goin' Sweetheart?" He asked, watching your every movement. But you remained silent; the only reaction you had was your facial expression. The death glare you had previously, was now replaced with that of slight lust.
As you stared at him, your fingers went on either side of your hips and went in the inside of your shorts. You started to slowly shimmy them down, maintaining eye contact with him as you did so. "Fucking tease," he mumbled. His comment caused you to smirk.
Once your shorts and underwear were completely off, they fell into a puddle at your feet, and you stepped out of them. You walked back to Ben and sat on his lap; your knees on either side of his legs as you wrapped your arms around his neck. Without hesitation, his hands found your back and went inside of your shirt where they stopped mid-back. "No bra?" He smirked.
"I think they're rather inconvenient don't you think?" You asked in a whisper.
"I think so," he agreed. "You know what else is?"
"What?" You asked.
"This." In one swift movement, he lifted your shirt over your head and tossed it into the floor half-way across the room, leaving you completely naked on top of you — a sight that he's been dreaming about since the second he laid his eyes on you.
Once your shirt was off, you cupped his cheeks and pulled him in close to you, crashing your lips against his. You didn't mean to be so gentle with him, as you knew he could handle rough, but there was just something about him, about this situation that had wanted you to take things weirdly slow with him, instead of the usual rushed sex you were so used to having with Butcher.
Your body rocked against him, and his hands were squeezing your sides to the point that you could feel a slight amount of pain — the good kind of pain, and you let out a tiny moan. His lips moved to your neck, and you shut your eyes, loving the way his lips and tongue felt against your skin.
He nipped every so often on your skin, intending to leave bruises; but it would be a little hard to, given that you were also a Supe, but he was going to try nonetheless.
"Ben," you moaned, when he finally reached the space in-between your breasts. You felt him smirk against your skin. As if it were second nature, your hands found the back of his head, and you started almost massaging his scalp, twisting his hair between your fingers.
His hands moved from behind your back, and you missed the feeling of that warmness against you. But you were more than happy with where they were currently going. Without looking down, and keeping his mouth on yours, a few of his fingertips brushed up against your clit, and your breath hitched. He was barely touching you, and yet, you felt yourself starting to form into a puddle.
Ben couldn't help but widen his smirk as he touched you. He loved how wet you were for him, and he had barely touched you. "You like Sweetheart?" He asked against your lips, as he slowly started to slip one of his fingers slowly inside of you. It was his turn to tease you now.
Your breath hitched again, and he knew he had you. He slipped another finger inside of you, and he pumped his two fingers slowly in and out of you, knowing that this felt like torture for you. It might of felt like torture for you, but he wanted to enjoy this, because he didn't know if he would ever have this chance again.
You were hot and cold with him. One minute you were flirting with him, and the next you were calling him an asshole. But in either scenario, he couldn't help but imagine what you sounded like moaning his name, or how you would look as he fucked you.
"So fucking wet for me," he mumbled against your jaw. His fingers not picking up the pace in the slightest. You loved and hated what he was doing.
"Only for you," you whispered; your voice sounding blissful. "Ben...please..." you begged.
"Please what?" He asked, nipping at your neck.
"Make me come," you said, still in that same blissful tone.
"Mm, with pleasure," he replied. Without a second thought, his two fingers started to pump in and out of you a bit faster than they had been previously. As he pumped his fingers in and out of you, you rocked against them, trying to add more pressure and trying to get that quick release that you had been longing for.
Within seconds, you found yourself coming against his fingers. Letting out a moan, it became muffled as his lips found yours again. You moaned into his mouth; and you could his cock started to getting harder, which caused you to start smirking against his lips now.
Once you rid out your orgasm, he removed his fingers from you, and stuck them into his mouth; smirking as he did so. "I'll never get tired of that," he said.
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You were on your back now, your left leg over Ben's shoulder, and the tip of his cock lining up to your entrance. If you were being honest with yourself, you were slightly nervous, but you were also excited about the feeling. "You ready for me Sweetheart?" he grinned, and you nodded.
Without anymore hesitation, he started to press the tip of his cock inside of you. You were slightly surprised at how gentle and slow he was being, as it was something that you weren't expecting from someone like him.
The farther he pressed his cock inside of you, the fuller you started to feel; a feeling that you couldn't help but moan to. "Fuck," you breathed out.
"I've heard a lot of women moaning in my life, but yours...fuck, it's like music to my ears," he smirked. "The sweetest I've ever heard." His weird compliment oddly made you feel good.
Once he was fully inside of you, the look on his face was that of pure delight, and you couldn't help but slightly chuckle. "Is it everything you hoped for?" You slightly joked.
"Better," he grinned.
He started out slow and gentle like he had been, almost as if he was cherishing the feeling. There was a part of you that was enjoying it, as you weren't used to a slow and gentle kind of sex; but the other part of you wanted him to speed up, as you knew the both of you would be able to handle the slight roughness.
The sounds of soft moans and grunts filled the room, but every so often they were muffled when you or Ben kissed the other. "You have no fucking clue how long I've wanted to fuck you," he whispered against your lips.
"I think I have an idea," you whispered back. Probably just as long, or longer than I have, you wanted to say.
"You feel so fucking good Sweetheart," he whispered again. He started kissing down your jaw again, and stopped at your neck, nipping at the skin once more. Still no marks, he thought. Disappointing.
As he continued to move in and out of you, you started to feel the slight pressure building and building, and you knew you were close. You were excited for the release, but didn't want the closeness that you were currently feeling with Ben to end. "I'm so close," you said, your words slightly breathy sounding.
"Already?" He grinned. Good, he thought. With a few more quick pumps, you found yourself coming around his cock; pure bliss and pleasure leaving your body. You moaned loudly as you came, and you didn't have to open your eyes to look at Ben to know how much he was enjoying seeing you like this.
As you came down from your high, the short breather that you had was simply that — short, as Ben started coming inside of you, which only reignited your high.
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Ben pulled himself out of you, and you removed your slightly limp leg from his shoulder. “Come here,” he said, and you furrowed your brow in confused. “I said come here,” he repeated, with outstretched arms.
Before you could move, he rolled his eyes and brought you to himself, not liking the slowness that you were currently doing. When he pulled you close to him, he brought you into his lap and wrapped his arms around you; your head tucked underneath his chin. “Would have never pegged you as a cuddler,” you teased.
“I spent almost forty fucking years without skin to skin contact, humor me,” he said.
He was touch starved, you thought, and you swore that your heart broke just a little bit.
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Half A Day Later…
You and Ben were on the couch together, your legs in his lap while his hands were on your bare thighs; his fingertips mindlessly tracing circles on them. There was an almost empty bottle of Jack between you that you had been sharing, along with a joint. The scene looked both romantic and casual — it felt nice.
"You know, I never messed up any of my lines in this movie," Ben noted, pointing at the screen with the bottle of Jack. "Unlike fucking Gunpowder," he mumbled, sounding slightly annoyed.
"He was like what fourteen and it was his first movie? Is that supposed to impress me?" You asked, raising a brow.
"Well ye—" but his sentence was cut off when the motel door abruptly swung open.
"Evening Cunts," Butcher said, his face and clothes splattered in blood.
"How'd the mission go? I see neither one of you are dead," you said, once Hughie entered the room, he too was covered in blood.
"We won," Butcher grinned, tossing his duffel bag onto the floor which sounded a lot heavier than it had been previously when he left much earlier in the day.
"How'd it go here?" Hughie asked. "I'm sorry we didn't bring you," his statement sounding genuine.
"No worries," you replied, trying your best to keep the slight jealousy that you had from showing. "It went fine here."
"I'd say more than fine," Butcher said, his tone slightly teasing and a little jealous sounding in nature as he pointed at your neck.
Your eye brows furrowed, and you lifted up your phone, turning the camera toward you. "Son of a Bitch," you mumbled, as you saw a few purpleish bruises on your neck. Hickeys, great, you thought.
Ben turned toward you now, turning your head to face him so he could admire his handiwork that he worked so hard on. "Well look at that," he grinned, slightly impressed with himself. "Ever make those kind of marks on her?" He asked, smirking in Butcher's direction.
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deadtired-highkeyenergetic · 10 months ago
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By Your Side Always
Summary: You comfort Astarion after he breaks down due to your near-death experience.
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The last thing you feel before the ground hits you is a burning hot pain in your stomach where a sword had run you through, your mouth opening in a small ‘oh’. The last thing you hear is a familiar voice screaming out your name, filled with anxiety and fear. The last thing you think about is how Astarion would react when he saw your body. Would he mourn? Would he continue on with his life as though nothing had happened? You hoped that he would find the strength to carry on and become his own person, unafraid of others. With the last of your strength, you try to search for his face, wanting to see the vampire you had fallen hard for one last time, but darkness claims you before your eyes can lock with his.
“Y/N!”
The first thing you feel when you wake up is the coldness of someone’s hand tightly wrapped around yours. The first thing you hear is the soft whisper of his voice telling you that you’re safe, that he’s right here with you, sending waves of reassurance through you. The first thing you think about is whether you’re in heaven or hell, but that wouldn’t make sense since Astarion was here. You were pretty sure you died or something when that sword ran you through.
“Y/N.” You look up into ruby red eyes filled with concern.
“Star.” The word catches in your dry throat, sending you into a coughing fit. Astarion quickly hands you some water and makes sure you finish it all before speaking again.
“Where are we?” You rasp.
“At camp, darling. Don’t you worry,” he presses a quick kiss to your forehead.
“The goblins –”
“All take care of, dearest!” He chirps, far too chipper for your liking.
“Astarion, what happened to me?” The smile falls from his face, ruby red eyes downcast. He stares at the bedroll you’re lying on, playing with the cloth of his tunic before looking back up at you, his smile no longer reaching his eyes.
“Nothing Shadowheart couldn’t fix.” The smile is plastered to his face, a facade perfected over the course of almost 200 years but you see right through it immediately.
“Did I die?” You decide to go straight to the point.
“Well, I don’t believe I’m dead dead so I doubt you’d be seeing me if you were in the afterlife,” he gives a hollow laugh.
“Astarion,” you frown. “You don’t have to fake anything around me, I won’t hurt you.”
His face falls, his genuine feelings shining through at your words and you automatically reach out but he pulls away to compose himself. He fears he will simply break down if you were to hold him right there and then, giving you more problems. He’s on the cusp of baring himself to you, and the very thought scares him. He searches your face, looking for signs that you will tear him down after he’s shown how vulnerable he is but as per usual, finds nothing. The nagging voice in his head, however, says otherwise and he’s torn between trusting you and trusting that voice.
“If it’s too much for you, you don’t have to say anything. I’m just worried about you bottling it all up, I don’t want to see you suffer.” You force yourself to sit up despite the sharp pain the action brings, schooling your face to ensure Astarion doesn’t notice the pain you’re feeling. He’s already struggling with his own emotions, you don’t want to add to his burden.
“I thought you were dead.” The words leave his lips in a whisper. “I was afraid, far more afraid than I’ve ever been. Your barely conscious body scared me far more than Cazador ever could. You were lying so still with that damn sword sticking out of you and all I could do was wish that you were still alive, still breathing as Shadowheart did everything she could to heal you.”
He squeezes your hand so tightly it begins to hurt, his bottom lip trembles and he bites down on it to stop the trembling. Astarion can feel tears pricking at the edges of his eyes, a lump swelling in his throat that he tries to choke down.
“Didn’t work for me,” you grin, pressing a kiss to his tear-stained cheek. “I’m right here, alive, and the goblin who tried to kill me is dead.”
He clutches at your sleeve, desperately hugging you as he inhales your scent and feels the warmth of your skin against his. You’re here, alive, warm. Your heart is beating, a steady thrum in your chest that fills his ears and reassures him that you’re safe.
“I’m sorry,” he presses his forehead against yours, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left your side, I should have been faster, I should have seen the attack coming.”
“I failed you.”
He shrinks at his words, body tensing up. Sharp nails dig into his palms as terror floods his mind. He failed you. You’d punish him for it, kick him out of the party, leave him to fend for himself. He can’t bear the thought of leaving your side, he can’t envision a future where you’re not there, lying right next to him as you hold him in your embrace. He doesn’t want to.
“My star,” you murmur, reaching out to wrap him in your arms despite the twinge of pain in your chest. You can feel him shaking and your heart shatters, an ache that is replaced by a wave of anger at Cazador for what he did to your lover. You nuzzle into his soft silver hair, pulling him close so that you can tuck him in your embrace. The pain from your stab wound is nothing, not when your beloved so clearly needs you right now.
“You didn’t fail me. I’m alive, you killed the goblin who attacked me, and you’re right here, by my side. That’s all I need.” Pressing your lips against the top of his head, you gently rub circles on his back all whilst cuddling him. He leans into your touch, gripping your shirt and curls against you, biting back his sobs. He’s supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around and yet here he is, getting all emotional while you console him.
“I’m sorry for worrying you,” you whisper, pressing comforting kisses all over his face. “I promise, I won’t leave or abandon you. You’ll always have a place with me.”
“You…mean it?” He hates how pathetic he sounds but the soft look in your eyes eases some of his worries. You look at him with such genuine love and care, eyes devoid of the lust he’s used to seeing in the prey he brought back for Cazador and devoid of the malice Cazador’s eyes always held. Your every touch is filled with gentleness and warmth, flooding him with a nice feeling he can’t quite describe, he only knows he can never get enough of it.
“Of course, Astarion. You’re my star, I’ll get lost without you.” If your younger self could see you right now, they would never believe their eyes. It wasn’t long ago when you would do anything to avoid physical contact, hissing whenever anyone brushed against you, even if by accident, and yet here you were, initiating a hug so tight that Astarion would have suffocated should he have needed to breathe.
Astarion squeezes his eyes shut, imprinting the feeling of your arms around him in his mind. He feels safe, loved, needed in your embrace.
“Promise me,” he chokes. “Promise me you’ll never put yourself in such danger again, innocents be damned. I don’t care what happens to anyone else, I just need you to be safe.”
“Then I’ll need you to continue fighting by my side to guard my back, don’t I?” You run your fingers through his hair, admiring how soft it is despite its owner clearly not having taken care of it in a good while.
“I suppose you do. After all, what will you ever do without me?” A hint of confidence floods back into him, a small smile playing on his lips. He gives you a grateful look, undead heart soaring at your declaration of your need for him.
“Hmm, I don’t ever want to find that out,” you give him a peck on the lips, “but I would like my star to at least clean himself up before cuddling with me any further.”
“Anything for my love,” he happily nuzzles you. “I’ll see you in a bit, Shadowheart should be here any time now to check up on you. After that I’m all yours.”
“And I’m all yours too,” you smile. “Now go.”
With one last kiss, he reluctantly leaves your side and you let out a sigh of relief. He was dealing with your near-death experience rather well considering how new he was to having someone to call his own.
“No more martyring then,” you chuckle to yourself, “not when there’s someone who cares so deeply about me.”
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thefrontmanscockwarmer · 12 days ago
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Obsession (part 1)
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Player 001 x reader
Masterlist <- Comment on this post to be added to the tag list
Note: we don’t know that Young il actually comes back as a Player or the Frontman, but in this he stays the Frontman
You couldn’t believe it, after the gun fight, Young il… Jung bae, were dead. You decided enough of the games was enough. During the next game you approached a guard.
“Look, I don’t want to continue, we’re going to continue the vote, I don’t want to play anymore” you said, beginning to cry. Triangle mask didn’t know what to do, whether to shoot you dead or return you to the Frontman. Of course he was watching you from the big screen.
Another triangle approached you: “come with me, the Frontman would like to see you” you obediently followed him through the empty halls. It felt so odd going through it by yourself… no one around you. Young il was gone, therefore meaning no one to hold your hand. You entered a room of black and gold.
In the middle you saw a man in all black with a matching 3D mask. You walked straight to him.
“I’d like to leave. If that means dying than I see it fit. There’s no point in living without him. Young il, Player 001, is dead. He was everything to me. He became my best friend and lover, I want to join him in heaven. So if I should die now for forfeiting the game, so be it.” You said, willing your life away from a man who you fell in love with under false pretenses, a false identity, but real feelings.
“(Y/n) (l/n). ₩6,000,000 in debt.” The man recited. He looked over your file so many times he could recite it by heart. He would star at your pictures for hours. He framed the one of you for the game floor, it sits on his desk. He removed his mask.
“You?” You gasped as he did. “You did this to us?!” He looked down shamefully. “No, look at me. I cannot believe you, Young il. You you- “
“In Ho” he said softly. “My name is Hwang In Ho. I am a previous winner of the games but quite literally had nothing to go back to. I sold everything I owned, the Front man of the game I played in felt pity and offered me his job as he ventured into what we call a VIP. I’d been running the games the last 5 years. A new games every year, changing the games so no previous winner could come back and save everyone”
“Gi hun” you said under your breath.
“I’m not a bad person (y/n) I-“ he reached for you.
“No don’t touch me” you shouted. He whipped his hand back. “Do not touch me” you repeated. He looked at the floor.
“Bunny-“
“No. I’m not your bunny, In Ho” you voiced with disgust. “You are a snake. You are an evil man, a bad person. You’re vile, and dirty, and disgusting, and and and” you held back tears “AND I LOVED YOU” you screamed, tears breaking through your strongholding and rolling down your cheeks. “I loved you, In Ho. And now, to find out who you really are, … what you really are… I am disgusted in myself. I feel dirty and so should you.
“I’m sorry”
“Sorry? You kill innocent people, people who need to better their lives and all you are is sorry?” You exclaim. “You are scum of the Earth. I never want to see you again. I wished Young il was real.”
“Those feelings I had- have for you are real (y/n)” he retorted. “That’s why you’re in here, that’s why you’re here arguing and yelling and scolding me and not shot dead like any other player who’d be in the game. You are alive because of me.”
“And what? Do I owe In Ho the Great a thanks for that?” You scoff. “You lied to me! I thought you genuinely- I thought- y-y-you genuinely l-loved me, In Ho. Th-the way I-I-I loved you” you cried, you felt heavy sobs rise up, you willed yourself not to.
“(Y/n) I do love you” he reached again but you slapped his hand away.
“Let me go. Or kill me. If you let me live, my only request is that I never see you again. I never hear from you again. I don’t ever want to think about you again. But if death is the only option, I’ll take that too”
“I can let you go. Your clothes are in the bathroom, along with your personal affects. Shower before you leave so you at least aren’t covered in blood” he sighs. He was hating himself. He regretted everything, he loved you too much to bear to see you like this.
“Thank you.” You said curtly walking to the bathroom. He radioed to the triangle men as he heard the water. He could hear you sobbing from the other side of the door. He pressed his ear against it, wishing you could sense that he was there.
You rinsed under the warm water, you felt some physical relief as you dried off. You were clean. You were rid of blood that was lost from others. Leaving your dirty clothes in the bathroom, you walked out.
“I can get you out of here in the morni-“
“I want to leave now.” You cut him off.
“I understand, but the boat only runs at specific times and we have-“
“I don’t care. I want to go home, now” you spoke again.
“Bunny-“
“Now, In Ho, now. I want off of this hell hole”
“I can’t fucking do that right now!” He shouted. He calmed himself quickly. “I can get you out at 7AM.”
“Fine.” You stood by his desk. You picked up a picture frame. Turning it over revealed a picture of you. “Burn that” you tossed it to him.
In Ho watched as you slept. He was laying by the foot of the bed, per your request. He couldn’t help but stare. You seemed so peaceful at a distance, but up close, even in you sleep your face showed distress. He woke you.
“Time to go” you opened your eyes to see In Ho sitting on the edge of his bed with brief case. You sat up, rubbing eyes before standing up to grab your bag.
“What’s that?” You pointed at his case.
“₩1,00,000,000 in cash and also a debit card connected to my personal account. Your code is written on a letter inside.” You scoffed and took it from his hands gingerly. “The guard at the door will take you to the boat.”
“Pfft, not even the decency to walk me off”
“I’m working, Bunny” he says.
“Yeah whatever” you say and turn away.
“(Y/n)?” He says as you stood in the threshold.
“What In Ho?” You sighed.
“I love you” he said. Hoping it’d change your mind.
“Yeah right. Don’t ever try to reach me” you say before slamming the door.
He stood alone and cold. Colder than when his wife died. He was going to make you fall back in love if it was the last thing he did.
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signanothername · 22 days ago
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Hi Anó! Do you have any advice for writing characters like killer? How do you achive that nuance? I love your comics and would love to learn about your artistic process a bit!
Hi Gal!! A delight to see you in my inbox! <3
Omg thank you sm hcchhcchch (have you seen your own comics???? *shakes you* /pos)
Ok but I say this genuinely, I think your ideas and comics are such a beautiful and refreshing take on these blorbos, you’re doing such an amazing job both writing and art wise (your 2 Killers idea is so fucking good eeeeee) <3333
Ok to the question xgzggxzg
Killer is definitely.. complicated to write, I struggle with him sometimes ngl shshhdh
I honestly went and reread his entire comics, lore and answered asks to get a deeper look into him to be able to write him
But when it comes to writing him, I generally try to keep 6 things in mind at all times
1-trauma: how does the resets, working for Chara, having his code get manipulated and killing over and over again till what was new became something old affect him? (the whole idea of Killer killing people started as an offer of trying something new, so he kept killing till he got bored and killing became something stagnant)
This can easily be portrayed in Killer’s canon inability to till what’s real or not, as well as his hallucinations and the guilt he’s ridden with, always running from his past yet never outrunning it, as it always catches up to him
2- conditioning: his conditioning started from the days of Chara, then continued into his days with Nightmare, how does his conditioning affect him in his daily life?
How was he conditioned specifically? And how does that contribute to Killer’s perception of self, autonomy, self worth, and life in general? How does it change his body and mind?
Does it make him believe he’s just a machine meant to please others even when it hurts him, does it make Killer perceive vulnerability as a death sentence
How does he feel about his masters? Does he hate them down to every bone, or does he not care?
3-personality: Killer’s personality always change depending on the stage, but what are the main traits that you know Killer will always have regardless of the stage? Being quiet is one thing, he keeps to himself (as much as the fandom loves to portray him as extremely hyperactive, he’s not at all the loud, talkative, hyperactive skelle the fandom makes him out to be)
He’s also extremely secretive, seems to have knowledge that others don’t, and seems to always be up for a social interaction regardless of who’s with him
He’s also actually extremely patient (another thing the fandom stripped away from Killer’s character), and is very docile (isn’t aggressive unless pushed and never is an attack on sight kinda person) yet holds a grudge big time
He seems to see himself as superior over others, he’s extremely fucking intelligent it’s actually scary
These traits are something I try to keep consistent within my writing for Killer
4- relationships: what are his relationships with other characters like, and why?
Taking the 3 points before into consideration, how does Killer’s trauma, conditioning, and personality make him perceive others and others perceive him?
Are his relationships healthy? Toxic? Are they one sided or mutual? Does he care about the person in his vicinity or are they just another nobody? If he cares why? If he doesn’t what would he do to them?
Would he take advantage of his relationship with someone or is it a relationship he wishes for it to vanish?
5-stages: I think this is truly what makes Killer extremely complicated, cause see all of the 4 points above? how does each stage differ from each other?
How does stage 1 deal with his guilt/truama and conditioning? How does stage 2, 3, and 4 deal with them?
Depending on each stage Killer’s outward perception, personality, attitude, thoughts, and actions change
But how do they change exactly?
This is something that you need to understand each stage for to be able to integrate into writing
Stage 1 is the stage where he’s most sans like, yet never sans enough, stage 2 is when he’s apathetic to everyone and everything and perceives killing as “fun” because he’s painfully understimulated , stage 3 is when he’d attack whoever is in front of him, and stage 4 is when killer is no longer present mentally
How does each stage deal with his environment, with the people around him, how does he deal with the dissociation and how does he perceive himself in each stage?
6-environments: how does the environment Killer lives in affect him?
Killer starts in an environment of time loops, how does that affect his perception of time and reality? He then becomes Nightmare’s subordinate, a dangerous environment with constant threats to his life from every angle, how does Killer feel about it? How does he deal with it?
Will he get to try his luck and escape, or has he given up on himself and the idea of freedom? Does he even believe he has a chance for a better life in a safer environment? Will he go for a safer environment or will he cling to the comfort of what he knows?
When he does finally go to a safer environment, how would that affect him? Both positively and negatively? Would he feel like something is missing? Would his mind constantly tell him that this safe environment isn’t really safe?
Then of course, beyond these main 6 things, there��s the in between, what are Killer’s likes? His dislikes? How does he feel about sleep, food?
Generally when writing characters, it’s important to keep in mind interpersonal factors, intrapersonal factors and environmental factors that ends up affecting the character’s behavior, or in this specific situation, Killer’s behavior (god I’m realizing how much my uni major affects my writing of characters rn chchc)
But I say the biggest life saving advice I have that helps with writing characters in general (and especially complicated ones like Killer) is having the question “why” as your closest friend
When you make a statement about a character, in this instance Killer, always attach the question “why” at the end till you can’t attach it anymore, until you reach a point where asking “why” becomes unnecessary and annoying
For example:
“Killer loves golden flower tea”
Why?
It reminds him of the bed of golden flowers he passed out on
Why does that matter?
Because it was the point of no return from a change that will always dictate who he is
Why is it a point of no return?
Because his soul had deformed beyond recognition and it can never be brought back to how it used to be
Why would it dictate who he is? Why can’t he just choose to be someone else?
Because he was conditioned to be this killer by a higher power out of his control
At this point, there are no more “why”s that would make something as simple as a golden flower tea statement more nuanced than it already is, so when you ask why again, you find that you’re unable to continue giving an answer, that’s the point of where you stop
In fact, allow me to test you by giving you a quick question about your own interpretation of the characters, why does your Nightmare admire Error? What is in Error that Nightmare admires specifically?
Of course, you don’t really need to answer me, but I’m just giving you an example of how asking “why” can help you make so many simple things more nuanced
Ok but what if you know there should be an answer to a “why” but you don’t know it yet? Then you keep it in mind for later, you won’t always have the answers to everything on the get go, sometimes, you need a bit of time to figure things out and write characters the way you feel satisfy you, until then, you can work on other things about the characters
*Cough* anyway, this is honestly everything I can think of off the top of my head? Hopefully I didn’t miss anything ydfhgchchchc
Do let me know if you’d like any more help or need clarification on anything, I’d be happy to help where I can <33333
Now have a sketch of your 2 Killers cause I love them dearly, they have a special place in my heart (genuinely adore how you write Killer already btw)
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whereispearlescentmoon · 1 month ago
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While I don’t generally subscribe to the idea that only winners get to remember the games, I can’t stop thinking about a Pearl who remembers Double Life going back to Hermitcraft and just… not being able to believe her friends when they say they love her anymore. And no one but Grian knows why. She trusts Scar and Grian and Tango, they treated her with kindness, but with everyone else who was in DL, there’s a sense of unease. They do not love her unconditionally, she knows that now. She’s more closed off from the rest of the Hermits than she was even when she joined on Season 8. And none of them know why.
It’s especially bad with Ren. Grian advises her that no one else remembers the games, but she can’t help but feel even more anger and resentment towards the whole King Ren thing than before. He’s not just the guy who’s forcing them all to do quests for worthless currency, or the guy putting up massive decrees that she vandalizes, he’s the guy who blamed her for something that wasn’t her fault, and then called her a demon with evil in her heart who causes death wherever she goes. And he doesn’t remember doing it. When they defeat him, she takes an extra moment to sneer at his severed head before handing to Gem for her dungeon.
It takes her weeks to look Cleo in the eye again. Cleo who was her tentative friend in Last Life, who hated her in Double Life, who called her unhinged and a crazy ex and asked if she was alright in a tone somewhere between fear and concern. Pearl pulls her for secret Santa and Cleo laughs at her gift and says she loves Pearl for it, and Pearl laughs too, not saying that she knows exactly how far Cleo can be pushed before she doesn’t love her anymore. But Cleo can tell she’s closed off. Cleo is confused by this, her and Pearl aren’t particularly close but she’s never wronged her before has she? She runs through all the interactions they’ve had on Hermitcraft and can’t find anywhere that may have caused Pearl to pull away.
Impulse is complicated. He never directly harmed her, but he had called her crazy. And he had killed her Tilly, her poor poor Tilly who she still wakes up reaching for even when more time has passed out of the game than she spent in it. Impulse is her neighbor and one of her best friends. Impulse calls Soup Group meetings and says Pearl and Gem are his best friends and that he loves them and Pearl struggles to believe him even when she knows that it’s still true to him. She knows he is capable of holding great hatred for her. Pearl may have won the fight but she still knows the feeling of Impulse’s sword cutting into her skin, his voice reminding her that’s she’s alone.
And then Scar wins Secret Life and he remembers. And that’s alright with Pearl because him and Grian had been kind to her. Scar actually apologizes to her for burning down the frogs on her and BigB’s tower and she had never realized how much she wanted someone to apologize to her before that. But it’s the wrong game. She hasn’t cared as much about what people had done in this one. Scar hadn’t ever hurt her the way others had. Pearl thanks him but says it’s not necessary. She says she’s sorry for the whole blowing the terrain up thing. They all do things they regret in the games.
And then Cleo wins Reals Life and that’s a whole other can of worms because of all the people who Pearl didn’t want to remember the games, the person who she keeps killing would be number one. Cleo doesn’t seem as affected by it as Pearl, though. But there’s an edge to her now that wasn’t there before. A genuine distress behind the thick layer of sarcasm. She clings to Scar initially, and Pearl understands. She wishes she had BigB or that any of her Mounders remembered. She has Grian and Scar, but they were late additions to the Nosey Neighbors and Mounders respectively. It’s not the same. She’s glad Cleo gets to have her Clocker back.
It takes a few weeks, but Cleo apologizes to Pearl for what she did in Double Life. She says she doesn’t know what was wrong with her, that they didn’t believe anything they said, it just felt right to say it in the moment. It’s not an excuse they say, and they’re so sorry. They had been avoiding Pearl because they felt bad and they felt hurt by everything.
It’s everything Pearl has ever wanted to hear and it hurts more to hear it than anything else. She doesn’t want this apology two years later. She’s moved on (no she hasn’t). But Pearl thanks her for it, and gives an apology in turn. She says she’s sorry for leaving for the nether in Double Life (she isn’t, but she should still say it), sorry that they always end up betraying each other, sorry that she keeps killing her. She says she loves Cleo and wants them to get along and Cleo agrees. They both promise to stand by each other in the next game, and they do.
And then Joel wins Wild Life and he remembers and Pearl doesn’t know what to do with their history. Does she say she’s sorry for the way she killed him in Last Life? Does she try to explain that she was going to return his chest plate in Double Life before he killed her? Does she avoid him, let him cool off from their rivalry in Wild Life? But instead the conversation they have is mostly about Secret Life, oddly enough. She goes to him and he tackles her in a hug. He thanks her, and she’s taken aback, but he remembers how much she had wanted him to get to the end in Secret Life. Mounders for life, right? Pearl has forgotten that even though the games cause great pain, there are moments of great joy for her too.
She thinks, maybe, that if people’s first instinct when they remember is to apologize, is to thank her, is to love her, then maybe Double Life isn’t a sign that they don’t actually want her. Maybe it’s just a sign that the games suck.
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toto-the-cactus · 2 months ago
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Primarchs + Daughters
My perception of how each Primarch would behave when nosediving into parenthood if they had daughters. Enjoy!
I wanna personally thank @moodymisty because a great deal of their works inspired this piece.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
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Lion El’jonson
The embodiment of 'tough love' made man. Having a daughter doesn’t do much to soften this guy… or at least that’s what others believe. The Dark Angels Legion are probably the only ones aware of the small gestures the Primarch often gives to his little girl in the safety that privacy offers. Where Lion lacks words of compassionate and parental love, he appropriately makes up for it with actions. He isn’t one to go over the top and prefers to give modest gifts to his daughter as the last thing the man wants is to raise a spoiled brat. Father-daughter bonding time can be summarized with strenuous training using the sword. This man will not let his precious Princess go through life without learning how to protect herself, even if he has made an oath to forever shield her too.
Fulgrim
The complete antithesis of Lion. Where this man views the Emperor as the perfection anyone should strive to reach, his beautiful daughter comes close to the second place in fulfilling that ideal. There’s a big fat chance that he teared up a little when his little gem called him Papa for the first time, but managed to wear his ever unshakable mask because he absolutely refuses to break character even in private. Has the mistaken notion that his baby is a blank canvas ready to be painted to its fullest potential; aka, molding her to what HE wants and expects of her. Fulgrim probably spoils her rotten but only through conditions that she must follow, as the Primarch understands the importance of fighting and earning for what you wish to obtain. He makes sure that any of his gene-sons are in her company as he refuses to let even a single scratch happen to his little girl. Honestly, a grown-up version of Fulgrim’s child has the chances to go both opposites of the spectrum with no in betweens: A shy aristocratic lady who is unable to speak her own mind or a completely haughty, sharp and manipulative noble woman. Too much to unpack there, yo.
Perturabo
(Slaps this bastard's head loudly) This bad boy can fit so much family trauma in it! Okay no but seriously, there’s a good reason why so many people agree that this bitch has a thing for gilded cages and all the fucked up poetry that comes with it. The good ol’ classic Greek tragedy of Medea. Perturabo may have big and insane expectations for his gene-sons but when it comes to having a daughter? The apple of his eyes. The sunshine of his life. For this Primarch, his little princess is the only living thing in the entire universe that loves him genuinely and unconditionally, making his love the equivalent of a child crushing a bird between his hands. While still easy to anger and with a resting-bitch face, he is incredibly tame and careful with his girl; always making sure that she is well versed in all kinds of science and engineering that could easily label her as a genius (but we all know how stressful can be to try and live up to big expectations). Most of his Legion finds the child either an annoyance or don’t even care enough beyond the factual point of her being the child of their mighty Primarch, beyond that? This poor girl is probably the loneliest child to ever grace the world. Remember that I referred to this like the Tragedy of Medea? Yeah…
Jaghatai Khan
Probably one of the few best papa-tier out there. This man will see his little daughter and think the only thing a good parent should do: To love and guide. He’ll be not afraid to say “I love you” to his baby girl no matter where they are, but he’ll know when to be stern and wise so she grows to be a fine and humble woman. Honestly, this guy would learn how to make a sling just for the single purpose of having his precious princess close while also being excited to teach her how to ride on a horse like he did in his childhood. The thing that makes this dude the best in this list is that if his daughter ever expresses to follow a different path in life like becoming a remembrancer or anything that doesn’t involve the Imperium, this Chad of a man will look deep into her eyes and tell her that he’ll support her no matter what. The only thing he asks is that she stays in contact as he’ll miss her terribly. Kudos to him, fr.
Leman Russ
Another one for the ‘tough love’ guys list, yo! On his defense! Hear me out… in his defense, this guy was literally raised first by Fenrisian wolves before even knowing what a proper bath entailed, so of course he’ll sometimes be a bit too much on his poor little baby girl. Roughhousing was his best first approach to teach her how to fight, trying to make his little pup have some proper backbone worthy of being called the child of a Primarch. Sometimes he’ll get carried away (either with words or actions) and is in those moments when Leman would learn what genuine and heavy guilt feels like; a very alien emotion for someone as brutal and fierce as he is. There’s no worse feeling than knowing that you are the reason behind your daughter’s tears. No one would ever say it out loud, but the way this giant of a man apologizes is by slowly and silently hugging his little girl while pouting until she hugs him back. He may suck at expressing verbally his love towards his baby, but actions are his best way to communicate and this is something his daughter eventually learns and accepts from him. Forgot to add that the entire Space Wolves Legion are not only suffocatingly protective of their Primarch’s child, but everyone takes turns when she asks them for piggy-rides or let her braid their hair.
Rogal Dorn
I don’t wanna be too mean to this poor man but lord have some mercy, trying to squeeze any emotion that doesn’t range to watching paint dry from this damn guy is already a miracle on its own. He’s probably the kind of dude that’ll leave his poor daughter in the care of his astartes and serfs while he works. Workaholic in bold, yo. It literally will take watching his poor little princess cry her eyes out for him to attempt some bonding time but man he just sucks at trying not to have a stick up his ass (Again, I’m not trying to be mean but god this is painful). This is the kind of man, besides Guilliman, that will search high and low for some paternity books to help him. At the end this father-daughter relationship can be salvageable by having a heart to heart between them both and even then, is the poor girl the one that gives more than she receives. Honestly, any daughter from Dorn has the patience of a saint. Besides this Primarch's ineptitude to properly communicate his feelings, everything else doesn’t change the fact that he loves his little princess and will do anything to make her as happy as possible so he gets some brownie points for the try.
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I'll later write the second and third part of this, I swear <333
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waitimcomingtoo · 9 months ago
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One For Us
Pairing: Peeta Mellark x Reader
Synopsis: Peeta gets upset when you suggest getting married to appease the Capitol
Masterlist
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“We could get married.”
Everyone stopped debating strategies for getting President Snow to believe your love story and looked up at you upon your suggestion. You felt self conscious with all the eyes on you so you looked to Peeta for help. You thought he’d agree with you but he was just staring at you with an almost hurt expression.
“What?” He asked you in a quiet voice.
“You said we’re gonna be on this train forever anyway, right? We’d have to get married eventually. We might as well do it right now to convince Snow how in love we are. We could make a huge deal of the proposal and the dress and cake. Don’t Capital people love all that kind of stuff?” You asked Haymitch.
“She’s right.” Haymitch agreed. “A wedding between the star crossed winners might be the one thing in more demand than the games. If we spin a story about the wedding being canceled due to the games, maybe the outrage would be enough to get the Capitol to change their minds about sending you two back in there.”
“Yeah. And we could go on Cesar’s show and say that we were so in love that we couldn’t wait any longer and had to get engaged. We can make a whole big thing of it. That should be enough to convince Snow that we’re in love, right?” You asked. Peeta blinked a few times and let out a short dry laugh.
“Fine. I don’t care. Let’s just do it.” Peeta sighed as he got up to leave. You frowned and watched him walk about without giving you so much as a glance in your direction. You looked at Haymitch and Effie and held up your hands with confusion.
“What’s his problem?”
“He’s probably just sore that he wasn’t the one who came up with the brilliant idea.” Haymitch replied and gave you a proud pat on the back.
“Oh my goodness. You fools.” Effie huffed and shook her head. “That’s not why he’s upset.”
“Then why? I’m just trying to help. It’s not like he came up with anything.” You said and folded your arms like a child out of annoyance over Peeta’s disapproval of your idea.
“He’s upset because this is not how he wanted this to happen.” Effie said as she looked at only you.
“So the idea of marrying me is so awful to him that he had to storm out of the room?” You grumbled.
“No, child. He’s not upset that he has to marry you. He’s upset that it’s only counterfeit.” Effie explained with a tight smile. You stopped being angry with Peeta and took a moment to process what she was saying.
“I’m gonna go talk to him.” You decided and got up to follow him. You found Peeta in the back of the train, staring out the window with his chin in his hand.
“Hey.” You said quietly as you sat down near him.
“Hi.” Peeta replied without taking his eyes off the window.
“I’m sorry about that back there. I should’ve talked to you before telling Haymitch about getting married. I didn’t think it would upset you.”
“It’s okay.” He said quietly. “It’s a great idea.”
“You hate it.” You laughed nervously and wished he’d look at you. A smile tugged on Peeta’s lips and he nodded his head.
“Yeah.” He admitted. “I do.”
“But why? Why do you not want to get married?” You asked. Peeta stayed silent and turned his head so that you couldn’t see his face. You got up to sit beside him and put your hand in his leg to silently comfort him until he was able to speak. He looked down at your hand before looking up and wiping his face with his sleeve.
“I do want to get married. I always have.” He admitted. “I always wanted to find a girl that I love and could be genuine companions with. And to not just get married because it was convenient or beneficial to us both, but because we were best friends and wanted to be with each other forever. So we’d take vows to promise each other that. And then have a big family and live a quiet but happy life.”
“Oh. I see. Marrying me would prevent you from finding her.” You nodded in understanding. It stung you a little to hear him talk about the life he dreamed of with someone else but you couldn’t place why you felt that way. Peeta finally turned his head to look at you and had a sad smile on his face.
“What?” You wondered.
“You know, when I was little, I always saw myself marrying you.” He admitted.
“You…you did?” You asked with a surprised smile.
“I did.” He nodded. “I liked you from the very first time I saw you. So I went home and told my mom I was gonna marry you. I was only six.”
“What’d she say?”
“She asked if you were the coal miners girl and I said yes. Then she told me she almost married your dad.”
“What? My dad?” You were taken aback and pointed to yourself.
“Yeah. He gave her a ring and everything. But it didn’t work out. I don’t remember why. Then she told me she hopes I don’t have the same fate as she did.” He said with a dry laugh.
“That’s too bad for them. But I think it’s cute you had a schoolboy crush on me.” You told him, making his cheeks adorn with a rosy glow.
“Trust me. It was more than a schoolboy crush. You had a hold on me for years. I had this whole plan to ask you to marry me after high school. I was gonna propose that we start a business together. I could sell my bread and you could sell game. I was going to get us a cow and chickens so we could save money on supplies. And we could build a house near the forest so you don’t have to travel far when you went to hunt. We’d be poor but we’d be happy. I was gonna tell you all of that when I proposed, by the way.”
“That’s a really good plan, Peeta. I had no idea you thought that all through.” You smiled softly as a sadness weighed on your chest. He had all these plans that would never be realized because of the cards he had been dealt. His sweet fantasy of a wholesome future together was going to be replaced with fake weddings and bloodshed.
“Yeah, I did. I really though it would happen too. That’s why I stormed out earlier. You suggested we get married and just sounded so cavalier. Like, it was just one more thing we could do to please Snow. And I guess it made me think of my plans for the future and how I was never going to get any of them. So I got upset. It wasn’t anything against you.” He assured you with a sad smile.
“I understand. I just thought you didn’t want to marry me. I didn’t know you had all those plans. I’m sorry they won’t be happening.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry too. You and I got reaped just a few months before I was gonna ask you. And I haven’t recognized my life since then. But before all of this, I really thought it was gonna happen. Given that you said yes, of course. I even told my mother about my plan. She gave me this.” Peeta said and pulled necklace out from underneath his shirt. On a leather cord was a dainty silver diamond ring.
“Oh my gosh, Peeta. t’s beautiful.” You gasped and leaned forward to gently touch it with your fingertips. Peeta gulped at how close you were and felt his face heat up again.
“Your dad gave it to her.” He told you. “He found that diamond himself when he was working.”
“I can’t believe she kept it all these years. She could’ve made a fortune with this.”
“That’s what I said. But she said it was worth more than any amount they could offer her.”
“She sounds like a romantic. I see where you get it from.” You laughed softly and nudged him a little.
“Yeah. I’m a lot like her.”He said with a timid smile as he looked into your eyes. You stared at each other for a moment and you felt an ache in your bones for him. He was still so kind and gentle despite what you’d gone through together and the impending doom that loomed over your heads. He still wore the diamond ring his mom gave him and credited his kindness to her. Your mind began to picture the future Peeta had painted for you and you felt homesick for a place you’d never been to. You wished you could jump from the train and go live the life he described, but that could never happen.
“I wish we didn’t end up here.” You said in a quiet voice. You feared that if you spoke any louder, you’d burst into tears.
“I know. Me too. I wish things were different. I wish that I was asking you to marry me because I decided it was time. And I wish…” He trailed off as he started to get emotional at the thought of the life he would never have.
“You wish what?” You asked calmly and rubbed his arm to comfort him.
“I wish I knew you were saying yes because you meant it.” He admitted. “Not because you have to.”
You were both quiet for a while after that confession. A silence that wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, just very heavy, sat among you as you looked in opposite directions.
“I would’ve said yes.” You said after a beat.
“What?”
“If you had asked me. After high school. And told me about the cows and chickens and business. I would have told you yes.” You explained with a timid smile. Peeta stared at you for a minute to see if you were joking or not.
“No you wouldn’t have. You didn’t even know me back then.” He laughed dismissively.
“Yes I did. I knew you were kind and strong and hardworking. And now that I know you better, I know that you’re funny and resilient and thoughtful and kinda grumpy before you’ve had tea in the morning and not the worst to look at. What more could I ask for?”
“Not the worst to look at?” He cracked a smile.
“Come on. You know you’re handsome. Don’t make me say.” You rolled your eyes and he blushed once again.
“I would not use that word to describe myself. Especially not with Finnick running around.” He mumbled.
“Well I happen to think you’re very handsome. And the wife is always right. You need to know that if we’re going to get married. So shut up.” You said and playfully smacked his leg.
“Don’t tell me to shut up or else you’re not getting a ring.” Peeta played along.
“Oh, I’m getting that ring.” You insisted. “And I get to name all the cows. You can do what you want with the chicken but the cows are mine. And I’m giving them last names too. Fancy ones.”
You and Peeta both laughed at the dumb joke and you felt yourself relax. Even if your lives weren’t going to go the way you’d hoped, at least you could look forward to these moments of sweetness with him.
“Would you really have said yes?” Peeta asked in a small voice once your laughter died down.
“It depends. How would you have asked me?”
“I had a plan for that too, actually. I was going to pick you a bouquet of wild flowers. The ones that grow by the river bank. I know you like those.”
“I do like those. The orange and purple ones.”
“Yeah. Those.” He smiled. “I was gonna bring them to you and then get down on one knee. Like this.”
“That’s very old fashioned of you.” You couldn’t help but blush as Peeta got down on one knee in front of you.
“I know. But that’s all I know how to be. An old fashioned romantic. I even practiced how to get the ring out with one hand.” Peeta said as he struggled to get the ring from around his neck.
“You didn’t practice very hard.” You teased.
“Shh. Yes I did. I’m just nervous.” He laughed and finally got the ring free.
“Don’t be.” You told him. “It’s just you and me.”
“I was gonna explain how I got the ring. But I already told you that so pretend I was proposing then.” He said and waved his hand, making you laugh.
“Okay. I will. Oh, wow. My father’s ring? That he gave to your mother? Meaning we were almost siblings? How romantic.” You dramatically played along to humor him.
“Hush now. I’m trying to remember my plan. Then I was gonna tell you…” He trailed off again and a sheepish smile broke through on his face. You could see him losing his confidence but didn’t want him to stop.
“Tell me what?” You asked quietly and took his hand.
“I was going to say that you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. And that I’ve seen a million sunsets since bakers have to get up before dawn but not one of them could compare to you. I would’ve said that you enchanted me from the first day I saw you and every day since. And that to know you is to be in awe of you. I would have told you that you were the strongest person I know and if you’d let me, I’d help you bear some of the weight you have on your shoulders.”
“Keep going.” You whispered and held his hand to your chest.
“Oh, okay, um. I was gonna tell you that I know you don’t love me yet but you could learn to. And that I would make it easy for you. I would promise to be the best partner you could ask for and to love you at every turn, no matter what gets thrown our way. I’d promise to wash your hair in the sink the way your mama does and build you a desk so that you can write letters to your family. And then I’d ask you to make me the happiest man alive and please-“
“Yes.” You cut him off as a single tear slipped down your face.
“Yes?”
“Yes.” You repeated. “I will marry you.”
“You will?” He smiled in disbelief as his eyes searched yours for signs of insincerity.
“I will. I want to. I’d love to. I love…” You trailed off and he sucked in a sharp breath in anticipation of what you were about to say.
“I love you.” You said finally. “And if I’m on this train forever, at least I have you with me. That means it’s going to be okay.”
“I love you too.” Peeta smiled at those long awaited words hitting his ears. You pulled him into a long kiss despite no cameras being around. But you both knew this moment wasn’t for the cameras. It was just for the two of you. When you pulled away, Peeta fumbled around with the ring.
“Sorry. My hands are shaking.” He was embarrassed to admit as he tried to steady them long enough to untie the chord around the ring.
“It’s okay. Take your time.” You assured him and he eventually slipped the leather chord off. He looked you in the eyes for one last confirmation and you nodded enthusiastically. With that, Peeta slid the song onto your finger and then leaned down to kiss your knuckles. You laughed at the gesture before cupping his face and bringing him into a kiss. Peeta got off his knee but never broke the kiss. A sudden knock at the door made you jump apart. Peeta sat on the opposite end of the couch while you smoothed your hair and wiped your face.
“Come in.” You called out and Haymitch walked in.
“Hey. I just wanted to check in on you guys after our conversation back there.” He said.
“We’re fine. We were just talking about the engagement. Peeta said we could go on Cesar’s show and he could propose then.” You lied to Haymitch with a smile.
“All right. Works for me. I’ll let Effie know.” Haymitch gave you a thumbs up and then left the room. When he was gone, Peeta looked at you curiously to see why you lied.
“We still have to fake one for the Capital, but this I’ll remember this as our real engagement.” You explained, making him smile fondly.
“One for us, one for them.” He replied and you nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. One for us, one for them.”
Tag list 🏷️
@ilovetoomanymen @kittimbo @sipsthecoffee @ohmyhuenings @ilykitwalker
@mayemperess @scenesofobx
@basicb1tchboy @planetevermore @bellasfavbisexual @kochothehoe
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secretress · 3 months ago
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A message you may need to hear.
★ Masterlist.
Manifestation is easy. 444.
Manifesting is so easy. It really is. I have seen others struggle tremendously with manifesting what they have wanted for so long. Others will follow others in hopes they can get what they want, forgetting that what works for someone else may not work for you. Some people blame things (themselves or others) for not being able to manifest. People join communities in hopes it will help. People believe you have to heal your shadow self, your trauma, and so forth to manifest. But that’s not necessary.
You do not need to heal to manifest. You do not have to do anything to manifest. It may seem impossible right now, but it is simple. Why make things a challenge for you? Why go through all of these steps and methods? Because your dreams seem impossible? Did people tell you it was impossible? Did your fears and doubts say so? Did society push you to believe it’s impossible? Truly.
Manifesting happens all the time. Everything we do, we manifest. If you work hard for something, like studying for an exam, you will manifest a good grade through your hard work. Manifesting has a bad reputation, and people have become triggered easily because of it. But you must remember that manifest is just a word. It’s just there. So are you. You are just there.
What I mean is that you can manifest anything by doing the things that work for you. What has worked for you before? For me. I will not do anything but stay consistent with my subliminals. That’s it. I don’t do affirmations throughout the day, I don’t change my thoughts, I don’t use methods or techniques. Why should I if it doesn’t work for me? So instead of engrossing yourself with what works FOR OTHERS. Focus on what works best for you.
If you don’t know what works best for you, then take a break from the concept of manifestation and breathe. Learn to adapt to the world as it is and before you found manifestation. And then welcome life as it is.
We cannot always control everything. Always controlling everything will make you go mad. Do you want to become the joker? Go mad because he lost his family, or perhaps that seems ideal? I think a lot of people who are not secure with themselves and their ideals will lose themselves in the process of this. And that is the problem.
When people say, “I don’t have to do anything, I can manifest anything.” Or, “I manifest easily without lifting a finger.” In a way, it’s the truth. You do not have to do anything to manifest what you want. You can even say what you want and it will happen.
For example, I can say, “I wish to be happier.” And now it will happen. Why? Because it is bound to happen. Saying our wishes shows vulnerability, and showing vulnerability to yourself makes it easier to get what we desire. It’s not about quantum physics, the universe, any religion and their higher beings, etc., it’s about you. Manifesting is just you. It really is. You can manifest anything because you are always manifesting. Again. We always manifest without doing anything.
I say this because you need to hear it. You have the power to manifest anything you want, BUT you have to do it the way that works BEST for you. When you stop stressing yourself out about this, ask yourself what works best for you or has in the past.
I know that sometimes our curiosity can ruin us and make us spiral into the world of “what manifestation really is,” but you have to remind yourself that this is not curiosity. It is you sabotaging yourself. If you know you can manifest easily, why learn how to “actually” do it? It doesn’t make sense.
Genuine question: what makes it fun to sabotage yourself? When you get stuck in a community, you assume they are there to help, but then fail to realize they are making you obsessive about something so easy. It’s so easy. It’s just easy. Easy. Easy. Easy. That is what they keep saying, so why is it so hard for you?
Because. You. Are. Not. Doing. It. Your. Way.
The best way to manifest is.. doing. It. Your. Way. That’s it.
Channeled song.
Bohemian Rhapsody (Song by Queen)
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dyaz-stories · 1 year ago
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found an island in your arms || Eun Hyuk x Reader
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word count: 1.4k
warnings & tags: angst, eun hyuk deserves a hug and he gets one, eun hyuk is a little controlling towards the reader
previous one-shot
A/N: my entry for day two of @neohumanmonster's Turning a New Leaft event! Prompt: Change in Nature. While this is in relation with yesterday's entry, there is no need to have read it to understand this one, it just provides a little more context.
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Eun Hyuk is more tense lately, more irritable. Everyone can feel it, though most people chalk it up to the dwindling rations and the growing fear that the army simply isn’t coming to save you. You can tell that Eun Yu doesn’t believe in that, though, and neither do you.
Eun Yu doesn’t seem to have an actual explanation for her brother’s out of character behavior. She pokes and probes and throws out cutting remarks to see what sticks, but she doesn’t seem all that worried either.
“He does that sometimes,” she answers you bluntly when you ask if she thinks Eun Hyuk is doing alright. “There’s probably something he wants to fix. I’m sure he’ll get there. He just needs a little push.”
That doesn’t satisfy you. You don’t like to sit idle while people are in pain, don’t like to sit idle at all, actually, even if someone is hammering that you’re doing it ‘for the greater good”. But the thing is, you and Eun Hyuk… don’t get along that well. You clashed a bunch in the beginning, before you were outvoted by the people who thought Eun Hyuk would bring them safety, at least. It was a short-term solution, what he was offering, you’d argued — to which he had replied that yours was a death sentence.
You still admired him. The decisions he had to make on a daily basis couldn’t be easy ones to make, nor were the sacrifices. Of course, you still often believed he chose wrong, but you had to admit that he had kept most of the group alive until now, and considering the circumstances, that was truly impressive.
You just wish that he would let you do more. Instead, he’s constantly getting in your way, particularly when it comes to helping the infected. ‘Your abilities could help the whole group’, he’d say. ‘We can’t afford to lose them because you trusted someone you shouldn’t have.’ It drove you insane, how easily he’d interfere, always with these pseudo rational arguments that you never really bought were genuine ones.
It felt as if they were just for show, and as such you never felt all that guilty for going against his orders.
You weren’t dumb. You wouldn’t put others in danger unless they were willing to risk themselves for something. But you also refused to let others get hurt through your own inaction. So if you had to sneak around to see Hyun-Su’s in order to treat his wounds and bring him food, then you’d do as you damn pleased, and neither Eun Hyuk nor anyone else had any say in that. It was your life, and it was your decision.
Still, you can’t say you’re thrilled when you find Eun Hyuk waiting for you when you exit Hyun-Su’s so-called room. He’s leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, and he gives you an annoyed look when you come out.
“What did I tell you?” he asks you coldly.
You grimace. The two of you are almost the same age, and you hate that patronizing tone he insists on taking with you.
“Hyun-Su needed help,” you say. “There is a limit to what even you can ask of me.”
He’s silent for a while. You notice him clenching his fists, and something unusually dark passes in his eyes. His jaw tenses, a vein bulges on his forehead. You think you’ve done it now, that you’re going to get an earful — even if you still don’t quite understand why. There’s simply no reason for him to care that much, and the lack of control is blatantly unlike him.
You’d run into him often, before this whole— thing— started. He was always quiet but sweet, would smile politely when you got in the elevator, maybe exchange niceties with you when you met in the lobby. He’d leave early and come home late, with the look of someone who hadn’t taken a breather all day, but it never appeared to have any effect on his temper.
That’s what’s throwing you off right now. How angry he seems to be.
After what feels like an eternity, he exhales, relaxes his hand.
“I guess you’re right,” he says, but his voice sounds too even now, like it’s forced. “I can’t force you to do anything. I just wish you’d consider that—” He cuts himself off the second his voice becomes strained again, looks away from you.
None of that is normal for him.
“Eun Hyuk,” you say, taking a step towards him. “Is there something wrong?”
He stares in your eyes for a second, and for that second, you think that maybe he’ll give you an honest answer.
“Everything is wrong,” he says in the end, and again, you know it’s nothing more than a half-truth. Then again, you can’t blame him for not telling you. “Can you even remember the last time thing went right for us?”
It’s not that he’s lying, it’s just that you know he’s not being genuine, and so you don’t bother continuing that line of discussion. It unnerves the other residents when you drop a conversation that is clearly going nowhere, makes them think you’re avoidant, but you think Eun Hyuk understands it. Close enough, anyway.
“You should still tell someone,” you tell him.
“I— What?”
“I get why you wouldn’t want to tell me,” you say with a shrug. “I still think you should tell your sister. Or Jae-Heon, I guess, if you’re more comfortable with that, but I get why it can’t be me.” You take a step towards him, put a hand on his shoulder. You do it slowly, as if you were trying not to spook a skittish cat. Eun Hyuk glances down at your hand, but makes no movement to get rid of it. “I’m here if you need me.”
He scoffs, looks away from you, pushes his glasses higher on his nose. But you don’t let go, and he doesn’t actually move away from you.
“I mean it,” you say softly. “If you want to talk, or if there’s any other way to help you. Just let me know.”
He closes his eyes. You wait for it to sink in, then take your hand off, hoping you haven’t pushed a boundary already. As you break contact with him, though, he grabs your wrist without warning, and pulls you into him. Your chest collides with him as he wraps both arms around and his chin comes rest on your shoulder.
You’re surprised by how strong his embrace is, how he clearly doesn’t want to let go.
“Eun Hyuk?” you squeak.
“Just— Just give me a second,” he says, voice so low you barely hear it. “Please. Just let me have that.”
You feel your heart almost breaking at the desperate plea. Slowly, you close your arms around him, start rubbing his back. You’re not sure what’s happening, not completely, but you know he’s warm against you, and you know you need that contact, too.
Seconds go by, until he takes a step back, clearing his throat. He refuses to meet your eyes, but you don’t miss that his cheekbones are dusted pink now.
“Sorry, I—” Then he lets out a long exhale, and appears to get himself back under control. “You offered.”
You’re not fooled in any way by that, but you still nod.
“And the offer still stands. If you need any help, you know where to find me.”
Another long exhale.
“You— Why— Why would you—”
“Because you need help,” you answer. “You’re the one who’s looking after everyone, and I want to make sure there’s someone looking after you, too.” Eun Yu does, sure, but Eun Yu’s a kid, and that’s a lot of responsibility to put on her shoulders.
“Thank you,” Eun Hyuk mumbles, still not looking at you. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Then he gives you a vague nod and leaves the hallway without once looking back.
Your eyes follow him, worried. You’re afraid he’s reaching his breaking point. This situation is revealing things about people, about yourself, too, even if you don’t like looking at it. Clearly, it’s changing you.
You can only hope that Eun Hyuk will withstand that change — and be by his side for as long as he needs you to.
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hope you're enjoying this! tomorrow's entry will be for hyun-su ^-^ as always, reblogs and comments are strongly appreciated and keep me motivated and writing :)
more writing for sweet home
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kami-kun1003 · 2 years ago
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Silver’s narcolepsy is so… interesting to me
everyone always talks about it like it’s a silly joke. like “ha ha sleepy boy!!!” which is. fine. but from what we see in the game, it’s undoubtedly a serious physical disability. it literally causes him to fall asleep randomly throughout the day and there’s no way he can fight it. that’s genuinely scary and a cause for concern. what if he fell asleep next to a lake and drowned or something??
i can’t help but think about how much it must affect him mentally. imagine you’re the only human in a fae family, and your whole life you believed that you would be the first to die, and you need to make the most out of the short time you have to repay your loved ones for raising you.
and the universe decides to give you a sleep disorder that completely hindrances your ability to do so. you doze off CONSTANTLY, wasting hours upon hours of precious time that you could’ve used for something more useful.
you can’t control it. once you feel that drowsiness, it’s over. nothing helps; you just can’t stay awake regardless of what you try. no one knows what’s wrong with you so you just assume that it’s your own fault for being so lazy. your father’s done everything he can, bless his kind heart, but even he can’t find a solution.
nobody understands what you’re going through, they all say it’s normal to feel bored or tired from schoolwork every now and then. which isn’t how you feel at all, but you just don’t have the words to describe it.
it gets to the point where you’re failing your classes because your body simply refuses to function the way it’s supposed to. your teachers blame you and they’re right, it’s your fault it’s all your fault isn’t it?
your peers make fun of or look down on you for being unusual. for always falling asleep. for not expressing emotion (doesn’t anyone else find it hard?). you feel ashamed. you try to fix it but you can’t. nothing can ever be fixed.
it’s frustrating to be unable to control your own body. you’ve grown used to it, and so has everybody else, although that doesn’t make it any less of a problem. but at this point it feels like there’s no other choice but to just live with it.
and in the end, you feel guilty. your father has given you everything, and yet you can’t give back. does that not make you a failure? a disappointment of a son? here you are, living, breathing, thinking, and you can’t even do anything to thank the person who gave you the luxury of existence.
wouldn’t you hate sleep? wouldn’t you utterly despise that feeling of drowsiness that overtakes your mind when you so much as stay still for a single minute? would you not cherish the moments in which lethargy did not plague you?
oh, how you wish there was a cure.
(tagging: @fruixtii )
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